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19 Jun 2012 - 16:45
SimCity Social

The Critically-Acclaimed Simulation Franchise That Launched The City-Building Genre Stakes Claim On Facebook

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- There's a new mayor in town with SimCity™ Social! Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) today announced that SimCity, the world-renowned city-building simulator from Maxis that pioneered the genre, is coming to the largest social network in the world. A close collaboration between many talented people at Maxis and Playfish, SimCity Social brings the real city-building simulation to the masses, giving players the freedom to create sprawling cities that come to life as a result of player-driven choice. Launching globally on Facebook soon and currently in closed beta, SimCity Social is introducing groundbreaking innovations that change the landscape for social city-building.

"Facebook gamers have been waiting a long time for the original and best city-building game to come to the platform," said Jami Laes, Vice President of Global Studios for Playfish. "This isn't your typical drag and drop city-building game. Players don't just build a city — they choose the kind of city they want and watch its soul come to life as it grows and reacts to their decisions. With SimCity Social, we've taken the best in social gaming design and married it with unprecedented depth to create an all-new deeply social experience."

"Over the years EA has continued to bring major brands such as The Sims to Facebook," said Sean Ryan, Director of Games Partnerships, Facebook. "SimCity Social is a great addition, and we look forward to another high quality game becoming available to the hundreds of millions of people who play games on Facebook each month."

In SimCity Social, there are no set linear paths to follow; cities evolve as a direct result of player-driven choice allowing for more creative freedom. As mayor, players will deal with unforeseen issues like fires, crime and pollution, and will make crucial decisions that will help them discover how their cities take shape. Social interactions in SimCity Social go far beyond just visiting friends' cities or using them as resources to complete tasks. Players can choose to build friendly relationships with other cities or form an intense rivalry through a dynamic and ever-evolving friend and foe system. With multiple options for city growth, unexpected gameplay events that shape the destiny of the city, and city-to-city relationships, players will see recognizable changes that bring forth aesthetic and gameplay alterations based on the decisions made in the game — for better or for worse.

SimCity fans can visit www.facebook.com/simcitysocial to view trailers and sneak a peek at content. "Like" us on Facebook to get in-game items at launch.

19 Jun 2012 - 15:59

Top brands coming to Europe’s biggest gaming event of the year

Guildford, UK - June 15, 2012 – Electronic Arts is set to delight consumers from around the word at gamescom 2012. The company’s top brands will be in Cologne this August to showcase the latest first person shooter, action, sports, simulation and casual titles across multiple platforms. EA is set to unveil new content and services from its best loved franchises including FIFA 13, Medal of Honor™ Warfighter, Need for Speed™ Most Wanted, Crysis® 3, SimCity™, and others.

‘Gamescom is a pillar for our industry’, said Jens Uwe Intat, Senior Vice President of EA European Publishing. ‘The show is truly unique in its capacity to draw both industry and consumers to a showcase of the year’s hottest entertainment offerings and we’re looking forward to being there in force again in 2012’.

Gamescom takes place in Cologne, Germany from August 15-19th. EA will hold its annual gamescom media briefing on Tuesday, August 14th at 4pm.

19 Jun 2012 - 13:59

What's this personal stuff doing on the front page? Well, some of you may know me, some of you don't. Some of you know why it's been quiet here, but others may not. I won't write a long post here, I just want to tell why SNW has been keeping a low profile lately.

A personal note from Rosana

In December 2011 my partner and I bought our first house. I was busy packing from January until the end of March. And then we moved to this new place. But this house wasn't ready to actually live in. It needed a lot of work (and to be honest, it still does). So we hired people for construction work, and our friends and family came to help us. That was mainly the first week we moved in though. By now there is still plenty that needs work and it's mainly me that has to do it now. You don't hear me complaining because it's fun, but due to my illness it's difficult to do it in a normal time frame like other "normal" people would.

In May I started working on some premium content reviews (and those were nearly done), but then my computer started acting weird. It turns out the hard disk was failing me. This week I'll get my repaired computer back and I'll be able to play and write reviews again. Can't wait, and from what I heard our visitors can't wait either haha! Don't fret, because I didn't lose the progress of the reviews I was already writing, I just can't access the files (screenshots + videos) right now. I'll be publishing the Not So Routine Machine and the Hypnotizer reviews this week. I will also cover the new premium kitchen appliances (the Fryer and the Ice Cream Maker). We have a lot in store for you!

Stay tuned. Because we're not going anywhere! Wink

19 Jun 2012 - 12:52

The Sims Studio announced a new world for The Sims 3:

We’re so excited and proud to announce our upcoming world, Lucky Palms! This world is one our favorites and if you stay with us we’ll show you all of the reasons we love it and more!

With ample parks, recreation, opportunities, and a thriving culinary scene Lucky Palms is an island of green amid shifting sands. This desert enclave offers manicured gardens, modern estates, and cozy abodes nestled on the banks of a pristine lake. At the heart of town a mysterious well is said to grant wishes to those who are pure of heart….what will you wish for?

The Sims 3 Lucky Palms
The Sims 3 Lucky Palms
The Sims 3 Lucky Palms
The Sims 3 Lucky Palms

Stay tuned here every day for more information about Lucky Palms and great deals on other Sims 3 Store sets.

17 Jun 2012 - 16:23

Patricia has written a review about the Acrobat career in The Sims 3 Showtime. Go check it out. Thanks Patricia!

The Sims 3 Showtime: Acrobat Career

The Sims 3 - Career Acrobat Review

Hello there, and welcome to my review about the career: Acrobat! Happy
My name is Kerry Kasmir. I am a citizen of the city Starlight Shores.

The Sims 3 Showtime: Acrobat Career

I never really knew before what I wanted to do in my life. I live together with my best friend, we both had a normal job from 9 to 5. However, I did wanted to try out something new. My best friend told me about becoming an Acrobat.

Hint: You can become an Acrobat by looking for the career on the computer, or in the daily newspaper.

Since I was young my body has always been flexible so being an Acrobat wouldn't be any problem for me. But I knew I had a long way to go before reaching the top. Luckily I was able to stick with my career till the end and I can tell you all about it. Have fun with my review! Happy

The Sims 3 Showtime: Acrobat Career

Important skills

Let's begin with the skills that are necessary with this career. To start off with the atletics skill. This is the most important one for you to train.

By training your atletics skill you will go as a fast train through the levels of your career. But don't let this easy way fool you. Because there is also a secret 'performers' skill. You can only train the secret performers skill by practicing all your Acrobat tricks as often as possible. If you don't practice your tricks you can go sky rocket through your career with training your atletics skill, but you will fail often on stage because you never really practiced your tricks. You will be totally ashamed everytime you fail a trick. The shame-moodlet will last up to 10 minutes each time you fail.

So remember when training for this career, keep practicing. No matter if you reached level 10 and you are able to perform on stage in 'Los Suenos Private Club', if you fail all the time your public won't like you a bit, and neither will you. :worry:

The Sims 3 Showtime: Acrobat Career

Hint: as an Acrobat you will work with fire sometimes (or a lot :P). This may set you up in fire but it will never kill you. Except for your hair maybe. :-o

Hygiene

No matter how weird it sounds, I would like to warn future Acrobats for one thing. Being an Acrobat will force a lot from your power and endurance. It will cause for you to sweat like crazy. So you might want to leave the stage as soon as your done to go home and take a good shower. Forget about the talks after your show, people don't like smelly Sims. :blah:

The Sims 3 Showtime: Acrobat Career

Hint: if you do feel like babbling with your fans or ask the public how they liked your show, it might be a good idea to buy a lot of 'Shower in a can' when you are in Egypt. This is a object you can take with you and use right after your show. It will allow you to have nice chats with the public after your performance. Happy (You do need the expansion pack 'World Adventures' in order to buy Shower in a can.)

Career levels

Here you will find all the titles that come with the career levels for Acrobat. I also added the standard weekly loan that comes with it. You will get paid on each Sunday 12:00 PM.

Level 1: Aspiring Mime - §275
Level 2: Novice Juggler - §340
Level 3: Performance Artist - §400
Level 4: Contortionist - §525
Level 5: Ace of Agility - §650
Level 6: Novice Balancer - §850
Level 7: Master of Balance - §1,125
Level 8: Firefly - §1,475
Level 9: Fire Dancer - §1,850
Level 10: Master Acrobat - §2,475

The Sims 3 Showtime: Acrobat Career

Extra's:
Level 1, 2, 4, 7 & 9 will give you a (new) outfit.
Level 6 will give you the Balance Ball, it will be put in your personal inventory.
Level 8 will give you the Giant Ring of Fire, it will be put in your personal inventory.

Hint: with the Giant Ring of Fire you are able to choose 3 colours as fire. You can choose between blue, green or purple fire.

Locations available for performance

Available at:
Level 2: Park
Level 3: Coffeehouse
Level 5: Live Show
Level 7: Private
Level 8: Big Show

The Sims 3 Showtime: Acrobat Career

Arranging Performance

Not everybody might know you have to arrange your own performance, no matter if you're a Singer/Acrobat/Magician. There are several type of locations where you can arrange it. From a Big Show to a Park. On every location there is a 'venue's proprietor'. You can do an audition for them and they will tell you whether you're good enough to perform on their location, or not.

Under the header 'Locations available for performance' you can read where you can audition and perform on which level. You can go to the location you have in mind, go inside to see if the venue's proprietor is working. They all have their own times of being available on their location. But you can also stand outside the building and call the venue's proprietor outside, if he/she is available at that moment.

The Sims 3 Showtime: Acrobat Career

You can choose on holding an audition for the venue's proprietor, if your career level is high enough he/she will allow you to perform on their location. But becareful, even if you have career level 10 the venue's proprietor can still refuse you to perform on the location. Don't let it scare you though, and don't let it demotivate you! Just keep on practicing on performing on other stages you are allowed to perform, or play for tips in the park. You will be able to perform in the big places one you, if you keep up the practicing. Happy

Your stage setup

If you did manage to arrange a performance for yourself you will have to go to the stage in time that day. Because you have to set up your stage.

The Sims 3 Showtime: Acrobat Career

You will go into the buy modus and see all the stage decorations that are available for you to buy and use. Through Simport you are able to unlock even more stage decortions if you want to. By letting your friends artists perform in your game, or send your own artist to your friends.

Hint: think carefully of your stage setup. When your stage setup mixes well with the theme you have in mind it will help giving you a great performance. Happy

The Sims 3 Showtime: Acrobat Career

Earning money as Acrobat

Untill you reach the top of being a Acrobat you still have a long way to go. Especially at the beginning your loan will be very skinny. You won't get paid per day like you do when you have a normal job. You will only get paid once per week, on the Sunday at 12 PM.

Till the end of your career you will have to find other ways earning money so you can keep buying food and other things you like. At least untill you can enter the big locations to give some huge and awemsome gig. I have put the following ideas for you to earn some extra bucks for yourself. Happy

  • Performing for tips (find the newest hotspot through your newspaper to have a big audience)
  • Perform at the Park or in a Coffeehouse (the more often you give a legendary performance the sooner it will become a steady location to perform)
  • Enter every SimFest in town
  • Don't forget to invite artists from your friends (they can bring in some nice money)
  • Send your own artist to your friends (it will earn you money and unlock new stage objects)
  • Fullfil opportunities (you will also get opportunities that go along with your career)

At last but not least

There we are, at the end of my review already.
I hope you all became a bit wiser from my review with all the experience I've got so far. Happy

Lastly I would really like to tell our new and future Acrobats that you should never, ever, ever stop practicing with your tricks. Because no matter how good you are, you never stop learning. Wink

Also I have to keep on practicing and I will do that right now. Suul, suul Happy

The Sims 3 Showtime: Acrobat Career
The Sims 3 Showtime: Acrobat Career
The Sims 3 Showtime: Acrobat Career
13 Jun 2012 - 22:40

Pre-Order The Newest Expansion Pack From The Sims 3 And Receive An Upgrade To A Special Limited Edition With An Exclusive Plants vs. Zombies Content Pack

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun. 13, 2012-- Live a supernatural life with your Sims in a new world full of magic, mystery and mischief! The Maxis Label of Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) today announced that The Sims™ 3 Supernatural Expansion Pack* for PC/Mac is in development and will launch worldwide in September 2012. The latest offering from The Sims Studio allows players to create and live out the lives of supernatural Sims like werewolves, witches, vampires and fairies. Curse or charm your Sims’ lives with powerful spells, volatile elixirs and magical abilities in a world of strange happenings, spooky surprises and even the occasional zombie attack.

“With a variety of deep and mysterious supernatural lifestyles to choose from, The Sims 3 Supernatural allows players to dive into powerful new gameplay that showcases a darker side of The Sims,” says Scott Evans, General Manager of The Sims Studio. “This pack introduces a fresh perspective while maintaining the characteristic playfulness, humor and innovation of our studio. With The Sims 3 Supernatural, we are adding a wealth of rich creative possibilities, surprising new content and intriguing storylines to the world of The Sims 3.”

The Sims 3 Supernatural gives players the new ability to create werewolves, fairies, witches and more intriguing vampires directly in the Create A Sim tool, customizing characteristics that range from the hairiness of a werewolf’s body to the shape of a fairy’s wings. While playing as supernatural Sims, players will discover new abilities, traits, skills and interactions that enhance their gameplay, including delayed aging for fairies and vampires, innate magic channeling for witches, and lycanthropy for werewolves, which enables them to control their animal instincts and transform at will.

In The Sims 3 Supernatural, players also have the option to learn magical crafts by casting spells and brewing elixirs that will charm or hex their Sims’ lives. These potent concoctions have a wide variety of effects from career-boosting to weight loss and even zombification. The zombification elixir will turn unsuspecting Sims into brain-hungry, shuffling monsters that are driven to wreak havoc on the town. In addition, players have the ability to share their brews with any friends who have The Sims 3.

As players delve into the world of the supernatural and explore the eerie new town of Moonlight Falls, they will uncover enchanted objects and gothic décor, including a sliding bookcase that conceals a hidden lair and a powerful mirror with magical interactions. Players may also choose to embark on a new career path as a mystic fortune-teller or build their skill to become an alchemic master. Meanwhile, the onset of the mysterious lunar cycle will unveil strange revelations, secrets and mysteries that will shake up the entire town.

As part of the integration between The Sims and PopCap’s Plants vs. Zombies™, those who pre-order The Sims 3 Supernatural will receive a special Limited Edition version**, which features the exclusive Plants vs. Zombies™ content pack. Players with this limited edition content can ward off attacking zombies in their game with the famous Pea Shooter from Plants vs. Zombies and dress their Sims with classic zombie-themed attire for the ultimate creepy-chic look.

The Sims 3 Supernatural is rated “T” for Teen and currently available for pre-order online and across retailers in North America. For more information, please visit the official website at www.thesims.com/supernatural, “Like” us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

*Requires The Sims 3 for PC/Mac to play.

**While supplies last.

13 Jun 2012 - 22:30
The Sims 3 Supernatural chat

Get an exclusive first look at The Sims 3 Supernatural! At 10:00 am PST on Tuesday, June 19, Assistant Producer Megan Myers will show off features from this spooky new pack in a live broadcast that will dive into one of the game's newest supernatural Sims, the werewolf! Get an overview of the creepy new town of Moonlight Falls as well as a sneak-peek into the mysterious and magical gameplay this pack brings. Megan will also be answering your questions live from EA.com and Twitter. This is the first part in a series of live producer broadcasts, so check back often as the mists clear over the world of The Sims 3 Supernatural!

13 Jun 2012 - 22:00

EA announces The Sims 3 Supernatural Expansion Pack! Enter the mysterious town of Moonlight Falls, where strange things happen by the light of the moon. Create supernatural beings from menacing werewolves and cackling witches to mischievous fairies and newer, more intriguing vampires. You can mix dozens of elixirs, turn Sims into zombies or even transform them into gold! Then, share your enchanted brews with any friends who have The Sims 3.Check out the spooky new video here and preorder now to receive the Limited Edition version featuring content from Plants vs. Zombies!






7 Jun 2012 - 22:00

Double Down! Spin the Wheel! It's time to test your luck at the brand new venue from The Sims 3 Store: The Lucky Simoleon Casino!

Escape the drudgery of daily life and try your hand at some good old fashioned gambilng! When your Sim visits The Lucky Simoleon casino, the odds are that they'll have a fantastic time!

The Lucky Simoleon features TWO all-new premium items the Hit 'em Harder Blackjack Table and the Triple Riches Slots o' Jackpots Slot Machine!

The Lucky Simoleon Casino
Hit 'em Harder Blackjack Table
Triple Riches Slots O'Jackpots Slot Machine
4 Jun 2012 - 22:00

To install this update, please start your game and use the “Updates” tab in your Launcher.

This game update includes the following changes:

  • Generations: Lot Names from Generations will no longer show debug text when you uninstall Generations.
  • Showtime: Fixed an issue where fires created by Unicorns reignite repeatedly after being extinguished.
  • General Updates: Additional bug fixes and polish to existing features.

Before installing an Update for The Sims 3, an Expansion Pack, or a Stuff Pack, it is a good idea to run through the following checklist to ensure your game continues to work smoothly.
If you have any questions about the below steps, please visit the Technical Support forum on the official Sims 3 community found at this URL: http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/forums/show/10.page

Step 1: Disable Custom Content
Custom Content is all Sims content that did not come from an official The Sims 3 Update, The Sims 3 Store, Expansion Pack, or Stuff Pack. Custom Content is created by 3rd Party Developers that are not regulated by Electronic Arts or The Sims 3 Development Team and may not work with new updates. Custom Content may cause the game to behave unexpectedly or not function entirely.
To disable your custom content, undo whatever you did to install this content to get your game back into an unmodified state. If you placed it in a Sims 3 directory folder, move it to a new folder that is outside your Sims 3 file directory. Your Sims 3 file directory can be found using the paths listed below:
Windows File Directory: C:\Documents and Settings\USER\My Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3
Mac File Directory: User/Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims/
Once you have installed the official update you may re-enable your custom content. If you experience problems, disable it again until the 3rd party developer updates their content to work with the official Update, Expansion Pack, or Stuff Pack.

Step 2: Back Up your Save Files
It’s always a good precaution to back up your save files before installing an Expansion Pack, Update, or Stuff Pack. To do this, copy the “.sims3” folders found in the Saves folder onto your desktop or another file directory.
Your Sims 3 Saves folder can be found using the paths listed below:
Windows File Directory: \My Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Saves
Mac File Directory: User/Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims/Saves
After the Update is installed, run the game to verify your saves still function correctly.

Step 3: Let the Update Complete Entirely
Updates can sometimes be rather large and may take a while to download and install completely. Cancelling the update before it has completed may cause unexpected problems, so it is always best to let it finish entirely. Do not close the Launcher until you have confirmed the update is completely installed, as this will cancel the update.

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