Rod Humble Protypes The Sims 3
By Shawn on Wednesday, April 9th, 2008 at 9:36 PM PST In Computer, Electronic Arts, Game Companies, Game Platforms, Games
Rod Humble, head of EA’s Sims Studio, sat down with GamesIndustry.biz to reveal the inspiration behind the next step in the evolution of The Sims franchise, The Sims 3.
According to Humble, the biggest change in the new game is the move from instanced scenarios to open world play. He describes the first design meeting for The Sims 3:
“The one thing that I walked into the room with as a mandate was ‘No More Hamster Cage’,” he says rather cryptically. “That came from a phrase Matt [Brown, design lead] used – during The Sims 2, they referred to the Sims as hamsters with jobs. There’s a little hamster cage, and they have a little job…”
“I always thought that was incredibly limiting,” Humble continues. “We needed an open world. You’re not going to get where this game can go unless you can literally walk across the street and see the neighbour’s kids playing in the opposite yard. You’re not going to get to the next place you want to be unless you can buy a house at the top of a mountain and look down on a town. That’s incredibly important, and that was job one.”
The open world concept was easily agreed upon, but from there ideas of what the game should include took a chaotic turn. Humble outlines several of the different scenarios that were built and ultimately discarded. He also reveals prototypes that seemed like bad ideas at the time but ended up fitting into the evolving concept of The Sims 3 nicely.
“One of the [things we learned] that was very powerful was that it felt right to be able to go into the world and tidy up for your Sims,” says Humble. “This was a huge deal. Before the prototypes, I don’t think that anybody would have agreed that that was a good idea – but after doing a prototype, we realised that when your Sim is at work, and there’s a book lying on the floor, it bugs players. They just want to move it. That felt right.”
“We would never have put it in the game because it sounded tedious and awful. Imagine it as a feature – now, in Sims 3, you get to clean up your Sims’ trash yourself! But what it means is that if your Sim is sloppy and leaves stuff lying around, you can fix it. People did it reflexively. We didn’t even mean for it to be in the prototype, we just forgot to turn it off – and then we watched people do it. If you don’t want to, it doesn’t matter, but there’s a weird side-band nurturing motive that makes people want to do that.”
Actually giving players the ability to “tidy up” for their Sims makes so much sense considering how much time it takes for your Sims to do menial tasks. Players can accomplish clean up in a very short amount of time while the game is paused leaving more time to play with their Sims while the clock is ticking.
You can read the article in its entirety on GamesIndustry.biz.
I wish they had a new feature allowing us to customize our sims voice (ex: low-deep voice/high-geeky voice/Sean Connery voice, etc..)and whether a sim can talk fast, very fast, normal or slow and calm. Also why can’t they have sims with poppy-bulging eyes, or a protruded brow ridge, arched nose, etc. And what about a wrinkle feature where you can add all the sagging skin on your sims that you want. Oh, and I almost forgot, I hope they let you customize your sim’s body type anyway you want like if you were to mold a clay figure. (this includes the face)And last but not least what about the ears. Different people have different ears ya know!
What about your sim’s height and if you want him/her to have ear piercings or tattoos. That way I can make my sim 6′8 or 7′1 if I want to. [I hope The Sims 3 people READ THIS!!!!]
i think Sims3 is going to be a version where you can like be the person… That would be so cool!!! and like u could walk to different lots and they wouldnt look faded…
meraba bn kötü k?z siz yabanc?s?n?z de?il mi???
at first i was kinda sad about the new sims. i didn’t want to speand more money and all… but now i am totally happy! i can not wait! woohoo i am also happy that the tool bar is the same…
I absolutely can’t wait to get sims 3. I have been waiting ever since daddy told me that it was coming out soon. I had sims 1 first, it was my favourite game in the entire universe! Until……..
…….. sims 2 came out, you couldn’t pull me away from the game……..
…….. AND NOW SIMS 3 when I found out that the next generation of the sims was coming out I LITERALLY jumped out of my skin……..
…….. I have no concerns or complaints about this game, it is absolutely perfect, there is nothing wrong with it……..
……..AND to top it ALL off daddy says he is going to be the first in-line to get it, I am so spoilt. AND I’M LOVIN’ IT!
WoOOw ia lo qieRo
I LOB THE SIMS
i love the sims and the sims 2 and now i just cant wait for the sims3. does it have a expansoin pack too?
I am so excited! The Sims 3 is going to be amazing! I cannot wait. I love the Sims 2 and play religiously haha. I do hope that it is similar to the Sims 2 in ways; particularly like the options sims have with one another and the careers. Oh, and that you can have pets!
I think its going to be an awesome game! but I already spent my money on sims 1 and sims 2, and I dont want to spend even MORE money on the expansion packs like Teen Style, Seasons, Pets, Ikea… I think im just gonna stick with Sims 2, and buy more expansion packs for it… It will cost way less then the Sims 3 expansion packs because their old, and Sims 3 is new.
Even thought Im a Junior in Highschool, I absolutaly LOVE the sims. IT gives me something to do when Im bored. It takes my mind of of stress.
But its cool how the furniture can be sideways now, and the kitchen cuboards can be hung on the walls (you know what I mean by that)… Check out the pictures of Sims 3 on the INSIDE of the houses.
As long as they get the building design set to allow 1/4 level builds, I will be happy. Having to enter cheat codes to be able to do split level houses is BOGUS!
If they could put some form of internet play into the game where you could interact with others it would be great also.
Another step in the right direction would be to age the rest of the town as you age your played sims. Similar to Aging on / Aging Off but for the entire town.
Watching my sim kids move out and become elders before their parents is a bit much for me.
wow the sims three looks like a really cool game! i cant wait to play it next year, im really getting anxious!!!!!!KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK
AWESOME!!!!
:evilnana:
hahaaa sims 3 is gonna be the awesomest PCC, game ever other than world warcraft.
but i am worried about them and the whole neighboring ppl to grow up with them because me and my sister both play at the same time at the same account so i guess that will suck bawallss.(balls)
DAMN! THE EVIL NANA DIDNT WORK!
hi,hi 
I love sims2 and sims3
[sorry my english isn't so good 
]
Aren’t you exited for the sims3
it’s gonna be awesome! but I’ve always wondered what it would look like if they made one anime style…just a thought
? from turkey
wow…….nice…
THE SIMS 3 HAS A Expansion PACK
ICAN’T WAIT
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Although I absolutley love the sims, I think I am going to stick to Sims 2.
It’s not that I don’t want to play the new sims, its just that I think I rather like having the just one household. Personally I think that being able to go into all the other houses would just complicate things. Call me old fashioned but I like it this way.
I much prefer having my sims settling down and raising a family rather than going out everywhere. Don’t get me wrong it is a good idea, just not for me.
Although, one thing which may sway it for me would be if you could take the infants and toddlers with you. It is my pet hate that you can not take them with you anywhere. I think Maxis should provide a buggy or something so that you can take the babies with you!
comprar pero si puedo ya lo descargo
es que lo quiero
kiedy beda te simsy wkoncu!!!! najlepsza gra na rynku:)
quiero que ponganjuegos de los sims 1,2,3,4y5
i wanna the sims is so much cool i love ,
and the sims3 is my love i looooooooovee the sims bye.
hi i just hope that they have new cars.
This is the Sims 2 picture…
I totally luv da sims i have every single game for it and my toatlly rich daddy says ill be da first one in gainesville, florida to get it im sooooo excited i cant wait till February 20 2009 its going 2 be awesome oh and guys the pic @the top is totally fake its from da sims 2 with a sims3 label on it i also have already preordered the game from… Gamestop so its gonna be so awesome plus daddys getting me a new Gateway avalon blue gaming laptop for christmas so ill be able 2 play all day without any glitches. YESSSSS!
Quando The sims 3 chega nas lojas /?/
All I can say is that I CAN’T WAIT!!!!!….;)I am so excited and relieved that we will have so much, many more options, and will be able to play the game so freely!!!.YAAAY lol
But I have to say I’ve always wished for stuff like this with the Sims games period, from part 1-2, and know here it is!!!:)…I’ve bin a fan for 7 years now every since I was 14, and I have most of all the games from Sims to Sims 2, and Sims 2 for ps2…and now I’m 20 WOW that’s along time!. And I really don’t care less about people complaining about little things of Sims 3, but I can say that my only concerns are, just which and what type of computer or laptop you will need to play this game?!. But other then that I’m HAPPY out of my mind!…smooches;)
I love sims… i have sims 2… where i can dowland sims 3?
i want this game 
ok people this is a fake website, the sims 3 symbol is not correct and it looks exactly like the sims 2 just type in the sims 3 on google and u will find the true website!!!!
why is everyone speaking in Spanish????
does everyone agree that Kitty is damn stupid!!!!
i cant wait to buy sims 3 im so happy about it
Im so happy that my Mum is going to buy sim 3 for me im so exited
