Using the new landscape architecture options found in The Sims 2 we tip our hats to Landscape Architects everywhere right from the comfort of our workstations.
Sims News
29 Apr 2004 - 23:00
24 Apr 2004 - 23:30
E3 JUST AROUND THE CORNER!
April has been an exciting month for The Sims 2 team as we prepare to head to the biggest show of the year in interactive entertainment: the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3. Every year, tens of thousands head to Los Angeles to witness the latest advances, marvels, and flat-out gorgeous eye candy that the industry has to offer.
The Sims 2 is set to make a splash at this year's E3, with new videos, a massive mural of characters waiting to greet entrants, animated billboards, and demos ready to show off new features. The team will be showing off some truly realistic Sims, as they guide each Sim through life with a purpose and experience their big life moments. We'd love to reveal more, but plans are top secret; you'll have to tune in for the next issue to see. In the meantime, we'll let you have an inside look at some Sims starring in this year's E3:MOVING ONTO CAMPUS
Maxis has been hard at work on making The Sims 2 shine for E3 2004. When we're not polishing this game to perfection, we're still busy moving into our new home at EA Redwood Shores, EA's international headquarters. The halls are decked, the dust has settled, and our Sim sense of style is now a permanent fixture on the EA campus. We took some pics of our new workspace to show you all where the magic happens:
24 Apr 2004 - 23:10
Two new official BodyShop screenshots, from The Sims 2 Scoop newsletter!
24 Apr 2004 - 23:00
Hi, Everybody
Spring is in the air, Earth Day is upon us, and the lesser known Landscape Architects Day is happening as well! On top of that, it's a gorgeous Californian April outside. I keep catching my team looking wistfully outside, blinking curiously at the sun, knowing that they must spend their day indoors, working on making The Sims 2 absolutely perfect. We suffer for you, people!
Fortunately for us, we can approximate fun in the sun, pay tribute to all that is green and verdant, and tip our hats to Landscape Architects everywhere right from the comfort of our workstations, using the new landscape architecture options found in The Sims 2. In the upcoming sequel, you can show off your virtual green-thumb by building anything from a classic English garden to a ruggedly beautiful Southwestern style lot, to a serene Japanese Zen garden, and all manner in between. These living creations now attract butterflies and bees, and need tending and upkeep to keep plants from wilting and dying, just like in real life. Again, mimicking the real world, your garden will need to be kept free of weeds, and all your plants will need an occasional trimming, lest it become a topiary nightmare. Gardens don't just stop there, though - add a naturalistic pond or lake to your lot, complete with transparent water that darkens according to depth. Top off your little slice of heaven with tons of new deck options from which your Sims can relax and enjoy their natural surroundings.
New Neighborhood design and landscape options let you completely customize the look your neighborhoods in The Sims 2. New landscape decorations include popular trees like Joshua Trees, Scrub Oaks, or hedge and tree rows. Plop down new landmarks from aqueducts to parking lots, windmills to radio dishes. You can even witness new special effects and options such as hot air ballons, sailboats, waterfalls, farm fields and hang gliders.
Check out these exciting screen shots that show off a sampling of some gardens and neighborhoods...
Have a Great Earth Day!
Lucy Bradshaw
Sims 2 Executive Producer and Green-Thumb Extraordinaire
22 Apr 2004 - 23:10
We have posted more screenshots with eyecandy and some skins created in The Sims 2 Body Shop!
22 Apr 2004 - 23:00
How will your Sims keep fit? Here are a few new screenshots to show you some of your new options.
Hello! What's your name and what do you do on The Sims 2?
Hi, my name is Darren. I'm a producer, and like most everybody here, I do a bunch of different things on developing the product. I have my hands in The Sims 2 User Interface, custom content features, storytelling, Create A Family, and spent a lot of my time focused on The Sims 2 Body Shop... coming soon to a download near you.
How did you become a Producer for The Sims 2?
Before I moved north to the Bay Area, I was managing editor at a television news Web site, writing articles and serving as the in-house movie and music critic. Free CDs! I initially got hired at Maxis to help build the SimCity 3000 Web site and have been here for over five years now.
What's the best part of your job?
Working on The Sims makes you laugh just about every day. You hear people calling out random things like, "Aww, my head's stuck in the toilet!" or "Should my Sim be able to marry his cousin?" In what other office are you going to get that? Oh, and 25 cent candy bars ain't bad either.
What's your favorite feature about The Sims 2 Body Shop?
While playing it, I've found that creating custom skin tones is a kick. Sure, you can spend hours painting every detailed contour for all ages and genders, but I go for the quick dirty method: Open up all the textures and replace them with a bright green fill. It takes about two minutes and I have a radioactive Sim that can have little radioactive babies.
Any tips for folks who want to make content for The Sims 2?
Don't be too critical of yourself. The Sims 2 Body Shop is a powerful tool that will probably take some getting used to, but once you get the hang of it, you can really take advantage of its' deep feature set and the content inventory that we will be releasing over time. Don't worry so much about making something that's going to get downloaded by thousands of players, just start out making custom content for your own enjoyment - slap your dog's picture on a shirt, make some yellow eyes, stretch a Sim's face into all directions. If it makes you laugh, or if you make something that you'll enjoy seeing in the game when it comes out, that's good enough.
What are your hobbies?
Playing The Lord of The Rings: The Return of the King with my wife, watching obscure movies, building Web pages, mowing the lawn, playing with my nephews. I'm looking forward to getting back to some of those after we release The Sims 2 Body Shop!
What's the first computer game you ever played?
That's hard to pinpoint. I loved Adventure on Atari 2600. The first PC game I really got into was King's Quest. My Dad drew up a big map of all the screens so we could remember where we've been and see how the screens connect. One time at E3, I had the chance to talk to Roberta Williams and ask her how to solve the one riddle I never got. That was a nice nostalgia moment for me.
If you could take 3 things with you to an island and had to stay there for the rest of your life, what would you take along?
1) My wife, Annie.
2) DVD/TV and the complete collection of Hitchcock movies (can we count that as one?)
3) All the macaroni and cheese I can carry
What's it like working in the game industry?
There's sort of a saying a lot of us use around here... Sure, it's hard work, but at the end of the day, you're making games! You get to sit around and talk about whether the toddler's nose-picking animation is funny enough (it is), or whether custom content creators should be able to make makeup for men (you should), or does this Sim look cute enough (she does).
17 Apr 2004 - 23:00
Greetings, Sims Fans:
One of the great joys of working at Maxis is the excellent teams of people that I find myself surrounded by each and every day. The sense of humor and fun that you find in our games correlates directly with the people who create those games. You can rest assured that even during the most intense development period, where everyone seems to be working 'round the clock, the antics and good humor of team members shines through in ways that raise the collective spirits of all and gets us through our long, arduous days.
With that in mind, I thought it would be great to get inside the minds of some of the best and brightest of Maxis. The release of The Sims 2 Body Shop looms large on the horizon, and one of the individuals crucial to its development was Producer Darren Futa. I sat down with Darren and picked his brain on all manner of things, both related to The Sims 2 and The Sims 2 Body Shop, but also questions of a more personal nature. Read on!
Hello! What's your name and what do you do on The Sims 2?
Hi, my name is Darren. I'm a producer, and like most everybody here, I do a bunch of different things on developing the product. I have my hands in The Sims 2 User Interface, custom content features, storytelling, Create A Family, and spent a lot of my time focused on The Sims 2 Body Shop.... coming soon to a download near you.How did you become a Producer for The Sims 2?
Before I moved north to the Bay Area, I was managing editor at a television news Web site, writing articles and serving as the in-house movie and music critic. Free CDs! I initially got hired at Maxis to help build the SimCity 3000 Web site and have been here for over five years now.What's the best part of your job?
Working on The Sims makes you laugh just about every day. You hear people calling out random things like, "Aww, my head's stuck in the toilet!" or "Should my Sim be able to marry his cousin?" In what other office are you going to get that? Oh, and 25 cent candy bars ain't bad either.What's your favorite feature about The Sims 2 Body Shop?
While playing it, I've found that creating custom skin tones is a kick. Sure, you can spend hours painting every detailed contour for all ages and genders, but I go for the quick dirty method: Open up all the textures and replace them with a bright green fill. It takes about two minutes and I have a radioactive Sim that can have little radioactive babies.Any tips for folks who want to make content for The Sims 2?
Don't be too critical of yourself. The Sims 2 Body Shop is a powerful tool that will probably take some getting used to, but once you get the hang of it, you can really take advantage of its' deep feature set and the content inventory that we will be releasing over time. Don't worry so much about making something that's going to get downloaded by thousands of players, just start out making custom content for your own enjoyment -- slap your dog's picture on a shirt... make some yellow eyes... stretch a Sim's face into all directions. If it makes you laugh, or if you make something that you'll enjoy seeing in the game when it comes out, that's good enough.What are your hobbies?
Playing The Lord of The Rings: The Return of the King with my wife... watching obscure movies... building Web pages... mowing the lawn... playing with my nephews. I'm looking forward to getting back to some of those after we release The Sims 2 Body Shop!What's the first computer game you ever played?
That's hard to pinpoint. I loved Adventure on Atari 2600. The first PC game I really got into was King's Quest. My Dad drew up a big map of all the screens so we could remember where we've been and see how the screens connect. One time at E3, I had the chance to talk to Roberta Williams and ask her how to solve the one riddle I never got. That was a nice nostalgia moment for me.If you could take 3 things with you to an island and had to stay there for the rest of your life, what would you take along?
1) My wife, Annie.
2) DVD/TV and the complete collection of Hitchcock movies (can we count that as one?)
3) All the macaroni and cheese I can carryWhat's it like working in the game industry?
There's sort of a saying a lot of us use around here... Sure, it's hard work, but at the end of the day, you're making games! You get to sit around and talk about whether the toddler's nose-picking animation is funny enough (it is), or whether custom content creators should be able to make makeup for men (you should), or does this Sim look cute enough (she does).
Pretty fun stuff, eh? Now that you've gotten a little insight into The Sims 2 Body Shop and one person of many, who is making it a reality, we thought it would only be fair to titillate you with some screenshots of The Sims 2 Body Shop in action. Check 'em out!
Have a great weekend!
Lucy Bradshaw
Executive Producer, The Sims 2
