The Sims 2 Body Shop Tool Released

KIEDIS writes "As the release date for The Sims follow-up approaches you can go download The Sims 2 Body Shop from the official website. This tool allows you to create your own Sims and custom content for the game, before it actually comes out. We still don't know the date of release for The Sims 2 but at least EA/Maxis is giving signs of it getting closer." EA is also hosting a Sims 2 Body Shop Showcase which shows off over 700 Sims. Update: 05/12 20:56 GMT by S : GameSpot are indicating The Sims 2 will debut on September 17th for PC, according to sources at E3.

as soon as the sims2 goes online it'll kick ass

[cheezus]

it'll probably pass the sims online as the best mmorpg ever!

Re:as soon as the sims2 goes online it'll kick ass

[Dehumanizer]

It's a single player game. Or was that a joke? :)

Replacing expansion packs?

[Golgafrinchan]

... create your own Sims and custom content for the game, before it actually comes out...

I don't get it. It sounds like this lessens the need for expansion packs if players can create add-ons themselves. I think it's great, but how does this help EA profit?

Re:Replacing expansion packs?

[SoVeryWrong]

Players could always make their own add-ons for the Sims. This isn't anything new, there were tons of sites (some you had to pay for) that had extra content for the original.

Whahahaahahahaah funny guy

[SmallFurryCreature]

The Sims, the original game, has had user made expansions from the beginning and downloadable content. Of course this didn't help the expansion packs at all. Wich game again was it that has broken the expansion pack record several times?

The sims is a house decorating and dress up game. There will always be new things to add. Sure EA will not have much of a market for say a red version of the orginal sofa. That has been taken care off by users. But new models (think skirts, long skirts, mini skirts, etc) ne

Re:Whahahaahahahaah funny guy

[jonwil]

I believe that EA actually went after at least one person who tried to create/edit/create programs for editing/something like that the special Scripting language used by The Sims to actually make things do stuff in game.

Re:Replacing expansion packs?

[KIEDIS]

Oh no! They dont replace expansion packs at all!! I heard they already plan 7 expansion packs for the sims 2! What this tool does, i had some time to check it out:) is to create your sims...but you need something called "content" that will add skin tones, hair styles, clothing stuff... This tool was made to replace those old fan made skins (you know..for the first version you had to do it bitmap like with any editor and it was working after same for objects) Now as the game went 3D they just gave you a 3D

not the 'Body Shop'

[eamonman]

Hmm, at first I mistook the article to mean that the Sims coders had created a 'Sims' version of the The Body Shop (off of Sunset Blvd. in West Hollywood). Seemed like a weird amalgamation of real life, games and upscale umm, female employees. Maybe someone out there could actually make this a reality with the actual program. ;)

Re:not the 'Body Shop'

[dimator]

Hey! I've had a lap dance there! Small world...

This is interesting.

[hal2814]

It's not often that you see a game editor come out before the actual game. Granted all you can edit here is people, but I think it's a good way to drum up enthusiasm over the Sims 2. My wife is an avid Sims gamer and I'm sure if I told her about this (which I won't ;)), she'd download it in a heartbeat.

Argh!

[chromaphobic]

All these links from all the exciting E3 news today and I'm stuck at work all day and can't see any of them because of that damn SmartFilter blocking them all! Now I have to wait until I get home to check it all out.

Grrr...

Slashdot sims

[Anonymous Coward]

Maybe we should all make some of /.'s favorite persons into sims? I'm Thinking Linus, RMS, Taco, Natalie Portman... maybe even the goatse dude...

Re:oh no...

[ITman75]

No you are wrong.

The Sims 2 and Sims with expansion packs are Great.

The only dud and boring sims game they made is The Sims Online.

Useless Bodyshop

[Anonymous Coward]

A 105 Mb download and I can't even edit the bra size...

People Who Make People

[MiceHead]

Items within their showcase [ea.com] seem to fall into three categories; the ordinary beautiful [ea.com], the not-so-beautiful, but interesting caricatures [ea.com], and the horribly deformed [ea.com] experimental. Fans of the comic Preacher [wikipedia.org] might find one, in particular [ea.com], familiar.

But what's most interesting is that people give them little stories:

The Nehibore of the SIM Family. She's old. She's mean and she hates kids.

This is one of those teacher who looks like a really boring woman, but if you take away the glasses and gives her another haircut, shes a really sexy top model!

He and his sister Mara are inseperable and very much alike...being that they are twins. But he really looks up to his older sister...and likes to copy her by wearing his PJ's all day (when he's home).

She loves hanging out in her room giving herself makeovers and watching movies in her undies...with popcorn....ahhh the life of a girl.

Loves walks by the beach and loves kids. She just needs a husband and she's set.

I've been told that people live out fantasies through their sims, but I didn't believe it until I saw these profiles. This seems so similar to the play of children with dolls; I have to wonder if people would express themselves more if given the chance. (Such things are frowned upon [dreamers.com] in general. Even among geeks, there's a limit to the amount of doofiness someone can display -- Lightning Bolt! Lightning Bolt! Lightning Bolt! (mpeg) [dc101.com].) While the story tidbits written by these Sims players are simplistic -- they sound like kids' fantasies now -- I think they'll improve, given time. Maybe they'll even become interesting in their own right. And for that, I will argue that video games can be great.

Can't wait for the game itself

[advocate_one]

to come out... cos then the price should drop for all the existing addons and bundles... "The Sims" is one game where the price has remained high for a really long time... I think just about every other game from that period is now to be found on budget labels or the bargain bin...

just goes to show how well designed the original is

The only complain

[KIEDIS]

The only comoplain about the body shop is not about the content (wich its very little at first and creations can be limited for now)... My complain is about body types...you get two types of body...thin...or fat...but you know maxis forgot that in real life there is lots more of types...first not everyone's hight is the same and second...you can be fatter than that or even have bigger boobs too...well the face design is really well done but how about the rest of the body?

Sims v Sims2

[1eyedhive]

As your run of the mill, quake playing male geek, I played the Sims a lot when it first came out.
it wasn't until they added 7 expansion packs that things went downhill. Not so much the gameplay/content (the pathfinding improved slightly, though intelligent house design gets around that issue). the game itself slowed to a crawl on even a fast system with all the expansion packs installed.
the 2d, CPU powered engine may have worked for the first 2 expacks, but starting with Hot Date the game started to slow do