Sims 3 Expansion Announced 84
EA has announced that The Sims 3 will be getting its first expansion pack on November 16th, titled World Adventures. It will be available at first for the PC and Mac clients, and later for mobile platforms. "Players can take their Sims on new journeys to famous real-world inspired destinations around the globe for the first time ever and seek out new adventures. ... From mastering martial arts in Shang Simla, China, discovering rich culture and famous landmarks on a romantic getaway to Champs Les Sims, France or exploring the depths of ancient tombs in Al Simhara, Egypt, players can take their Sims on a journey that will change their Sims' lives." EA's Lyndsay Pearson spoke further about the expansion in an interview with IGN.
Who cares, seriously? (Score:4, Funny)
This is like the WHO announcing that yet another poor guy in a third-world country got infected with TB.
Interesting stuff man, we already know it's a tragedy. Stop beating the dead horse now.
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They sold at least 1.4 million copies in the first week of release.
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Many 14-year old girls with overpowered hardware on Slashdot, I see.
Re:Who cares, seriously? (Score:4, Funny)
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and don't forget that each will be a near clone of an expansion of the same name (or near the same name) of the previous Sims games!
Who cares, seriously? I will tell you why you shou (Score:2, Insightful)
Really? Well, I will tell you why I should care. Because The Sims3 is PC and Mac ONLY! (the mobile versions do not compare). No true console version exists because consoles couldn't do The Sims and THAT sonny does MATTER.
Because causes are getting more and more crippled with DRM and even in hardware if Nintendo and even MS now are to carry out their announced policy of no longer pushing new hardware to its limits.
This might soon mean that console games will the same material re-hashed time and time again
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I remember stuff like 7deadly sims (a The Sims modding site) back in the day for The Sims 1... there was stuff that was crappy, but there was a ton of stuff that was as good as or better than the content in the game.
Surprise! (Score:5, Funny)
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No, we expected STUFF packs
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Shhhh!
You might give EA ideas...
And they're not used to new ideas. At least not good ones.
Re:Surprise! (Score:5, Informative)
You know what has me in an uproar? EA recently deleted my Sims 3 account for no apparent reason, yet my CD key is still tied to it. So I can't use my legally purchased game to download stuff from the Sims 3 store, nor can I visit the forums to demand an explanation (that requires a CD key, naturally). I guess EA's angle is that I'll hopefully buy another copy. Needless to say, I'll be pirating every single Sims 3 release from now on, such as this expansion.
Re:Surprise! (Score:4, Funny)
Haha, you bought Sims 3 :P
J/K, but you apparently read Slashdot... How did you fall into that trap?
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What's wrong with buying Sims 3? If you liked The Sims, Sims 3 is more of the same but better executed. It's not even encumbered with SecuROM (though you still need the disc). All in all, it's well done. Not my thing, but good for those who like it.
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though you still need the disc
No, no you don't. Not as long as you know what you're doing.
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Well, someone tricked me into thinking it's got stuff that's actually interesting for nerds. Oh, wait... you didn't mean the trap of reading Slashdot, did you? ;)
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EA was doing you a favor.
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Gamers were also shocked to learn that rainclouds plan on raining, politicians plan on seeking reelection, and perhaps most shockingly that scientists give the sun a 99.999% of rising tomorrow. Film at 11.
And in other news... (Score:2)
Some EA marketing guy has figured out how to manipulate Slashdot's Firehose.
Re:And in other news... (Score:5, Funny)
Yeah, I want to understand the "News for Nerds" angle here.
1. It runs on Linux or some unusual platform. (No, it doesn't.)
2. It's a really cool game. (No, it isn't.)
3. It's from an exciting game company. (No, it's from EA.)
4. It's a long-awaited game, like DNF. (No, nobody cares about yet another Sims game.)
5. It's being released in some sort of innovative way, e.g. no DRM, source code included, etc. (No. See #3.)
6. It's on the fucking iPhone. (No, not yet at any rate.)
So, yeah. Must be a slow news day.
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1. It runs on Linux or some unusual platform. (No, it doesn't.)
Yes it does, in Wine, rated Gold at WineHq, works essentially perfect for my wife and I with the latest Wine and running in full screen with all effects on. The only thing that isn't working as far as I can tell is anti-aliasing, but I only noticed it at first.
Not that I believe this is enough to make it on Slashdot either, just pointing out that you're wrong.
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Launcher doesn't work since the nocd crack is required. This kills any type of item upload/download and the community aspect of the game. Otherwise it does run very well even with accelerated animations under Jaunty, Wine 1.26, Nvidia 8800 series.
Disclaimer: I don't play it, it's for my 11-year old. I highly value my geek card and don't want it to be revoked. TIA.
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No no, Windows XP Service Pack 4 (codenamed Vista) isn't that good. Stick with XP Service Pack 3.
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That's a fair point. And in fact it might be news for nerds if Wine was an officially supported platform, or if there was a native Linux version... but there isn't.
Re:And in other news... (Score:5, Insightful)
Off topic, but I couldn't help but notice your signature
Socialism has nothing to do with changing history, watching everybody, thought crimes etc. Socialism is about (brace yourself) social issues. The idea that as a society we help those less fortunate who need help. Be it because they're young or old, men or women, rich or poor. If you break your leg, you get helped and you don't get billed for it. If you need or want an education, we'll pay for it - which benefits society as a whole.
Then one can start to argue that it's not better for society as a whole to let people over say 50 live on, but in a democratic society that's unlikely to be approved, given the large number of voters who are 50+. Or that in order to curb crime for the betterment of society we need to install cameras everywhere.
Sure, but where most people see the opposite of socialism (capitalism) it'll be the same, but for different reasons: "Everybody must be monitored, to protect everybody's property". It's the same goal, just different arguments.
1984 isn't about socialism. It's not about capitalism either. It's about a society where authoritarian rule has run amok. And authoritarianism is opposed liberalism (but not in the way it's seen by most people in the US).
Socialism "done right" is what you see in most Scandinavian countries. Healthy democracies, stable rule (ignoring World War II), high taxes but with a high level of social benefits.
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It's important to note that "socialism done right" isn't what most would consider a socialist state. Instead, as with most things in life, it's somewhere in between the extremes of democracy, capitalism and socialism.
Not everything is black and white. Throwing out the good ideas of socialism is akin to throwing the baby out with the bath water.
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More people need to stop thinking politics is a one dimensional spectrum. The Political Compass [politicalcompass.org] is a decent place to start.
I'll readily admit to weighing in heavily on to side of socialism, but at the same time I'm also weighing in heavily on the side of liberalism. Once you make people give serious thought about the concept of a "liberal commie bastard" you can almost see their heads implode, as they try to console their own ideas of communism (authoritarian socialism) and liberalism.
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I would partly agree, particularly about the scale between liberty and authoritarianism. But I say that our interpretations of both the term "Socialism" and the book are quite different. Your interpretation is very common, but with respect, I also think it is wrong.
I was going to write a long reply on this subject, but it would be very Off Topic. I'd be better off putting it on a web page and linking to it from the sig, so that anyone who happens to be interested can read about it, which is what I will (eve
Re:And in other news... (Score:4, Insightful)
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I have read it many times. I am aware that my sig makes me look like an idiot amongst those who truly believe that Socialism can remain democratic and does not necessarily involve the repression of free thought. However, I am also aware that Socialism has caused a move towards an authoritarian dictatorship in every country where it has been implemented, most famously in the Soviet Union, but also in Britain where I live. I believe that Orwell was trying to warn us about this and feel strongly that it is wor
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Every line of serious work I have written since 1936 has been written, directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism and for democratic Socialism as I understand it.
-- George Orwell, 1946
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Orwell noticed something about the intellectuals who surrounded him. Like him, they advocated Socialism, but unlike him, they saw the ends as more important than the means. They were willing to accept loss of liberty and loss of democracy for the greater good, even to the point of accepting the Socialism of the Soviet Union.
His book is a warning about that - "1984" is not the utopia that Socialists hope for, but it is the end result when liberty is abandoned in pursuit of the utopian society. I think this i
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His book is a warning about that - "1984" is not the utopia that Socialists hope for, but it is the end result when liberty is abandoned in pursuit of the utopian society.
As far as I know, he never gave any indication of *why* "totalitarianism" comes about instead of the socialism he advocated. Animal Farm was, as we all know, an allegory for the soviet revolution in Russia and what followed, but he didn't try to explain where the original flaw was, what should have been differently. For a socialist, he was very cynical and fatalistic.
They were willing to accept loss of liberty and loss of democracy for the greater good, even to the point of accepting the Socialism of the Soviet Union.
Two things wrong with this sentence (ignore the fact that I'm quoting you out of order). First, "for the greater good" is not generally the bo
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I hate to be the one to break it to you, but yeah, the Sims 3 was released for the iPhone [eamobile.com]. On the same day as the PC version, no less.
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It's in the games section, dude (Score:5, Informative)
So, I'm curious, what did you think the games section was for? Strictly for when Pingus will actually get more than the tutorial levels?
And hasn't the previous content of the games section kinda give you an idea, yet? What did you think all those stories about Eve, WoW, WAR, COH, GTA, and the like were about? About ports to your iPhone?
Basically here's an innovative idea -- and I know it might sound crazy, but give it a thought anyway -- just don't read a story about games, if you're not interested in games. Sometimes the rest of the world is as insensitive as to not filter out the exact stories that Your Highness doesn't want to read. But you can take matters in your own hands and, here comes another crazy idea, just don't click on a link that's clearly about The Sims 3 if you don't want to read about The Sims 3. I know, crazy stuff. But wait, maybe you mis-clicked and now you're trapped in a The Sims 3 thread. Here comes the really crazy stuff: see that Back button in the browser? It takes less time to click it than to whine about why a TS3 story is on Slashdot. Yeah, it blew my mind too when I found out about that button ;)
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And me, I'm stuck trying to understand the Score 4: Insightful next to your subject.
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It's the highest-selling video game franchise of all time, and thus is far more newsworthy than every single article about any other game.
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Some EA marketing guy has figured out how to manipulate Slashdot's Firehose.
the astroturfing is rife here, I think the meta-mod system has failed.
I think there needs to be an "astroturf" mod option in both comment moderation, firehose moderation, and meta-moderation.
I've been a member since 03 and have watched over the years as empty political rhetoric has drifted from -1 over a couple hours to +5 in less than 10 minutes, and rebuttals/fact checks have become buried or censored a-la digg "burial brigade" style abuse.
What? (Score:3, Funny)
There's a sims 3? The sims get expansion packs? Shocking, much in the same way its shocking the sun rises and sets each day.
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Don't hate the player, hate the game.
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PvP (Score:2)
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They added more naughty stuff than ever in Sims 3. You can assign behavioral traits to your Sims now, including evil, hot headed, daredevil, and mean spirited. Not only do these traits enable specific behaviours but you even get rewarded for doing them. You can be a grade A bastard in this game and it will pat you on the back for it.
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Walt Disney evil or Fallout evil?
I doubt there is a game more evil then Fallout.
I'd say it's halfway between Dennis the Menace and Falling Down evil, if that helps. :) Mischievous malevolence.
P.s., KOTOR2 is the game where you can be the most evil, says I.
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KOTOR2 is an awesome game, but I don't think it can reach Fallout in evilness.
Evil in the Sims (Score:2)
But you don't actually get to *be* evil. Sure, you can practice an evil speech, do an evil dance, steal candy from babies, and even become the evil overlord. But any actual evil behavior (rape, murder, torture) is conspicuously absent from the game.
Not that EA would want the ESRB rating.
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But you don't actually get to *be* evil. Sure, you can practice an evil speech, do an evil dance, steal candy from babies, and even become the evil overlord. But any actual evil behavior (rape, murder, torture) is conspicuously absent from the game.
Not that EA would want the ESRB rating.
Yeah, this is a game where even the ugliest aspects are still adorable. It still leaves room for satisfyingly naughty behaviour, from theft to fist fights to influencing others to embarrass themselves. What's unique about Sims in this fashion is the fact that your characters can autonomously gravitate toward antisocial behaviour, and the game actually rewards you for giving in to those urges. Even Grand Theft Auto punishes you for things you are rewarded for in Sims, and that game is rated M and even ban
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But you don't actually get to *be* evil. Sure, you can practice an evil speech, do an evil dance, steal candy from babies, and even become the evil overlord. But any actual evil behavior (rape, murder, torture) is conspicuously absent from the game.
"Evil" is an imaginary thing, like the devil. Evil is a fantasy motive. It's not simply doing bad things like rape, murder and torture. Evil is doing those things simply because one is "evil". The bad things may be less extreme, but that's exactly what "evil" is in the Sims 3: your sim having Wishes to do bad things because they're Evil.
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You can even steal things for a living, I just wish you could get into houses without having to chitchat long enough for them to invite you in.
I've got some nice spotlights in my yard from downtown.
Just one of the many... (Score:1)
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Play Sims 3 before making this claim. It's really packed full of content and options. I'm always interested in the expansions but ambivalent towards the "stuff packs" which give you more clothing and objects to interact with. They seem to have moved that content to their online store which is ridiculously priced.
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Stupid question but can you still create your OWN stuff for Sims 3?
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Stupid question but can you still create your OWN stuff for Sims 3?
You can by modding but it was never possible to create custom objects using the game GUI. The unfortunate truth is that with each subsequent major release the modders lose a little creativity because of the increased detail introduced in each new game. For example, Sims 1 was a 2D game so it was much easier to make really wacky and unique objects, whereas Sims 2 is fully 3D which requires much more detail, accuracy, and specific interactivity.
What's impressive about Sims 3 is that you can change the colou
Next expansion (Score:2)
The Sims 3: Money printing edition.
Your sims get to churn out endless expansion packs while trucks bring bucket loads of money to your door.
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surely they would bring truck loads of money?
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DRM (Score:1, Interesting)
So, what exciting new DRM will be available in this expansion?
Report from the wife. (Score:1)
The Sims: Living Large Pack - This pack basically adds 5 extra neighborhoods and a bunch of NPCs that would eventually be included by default in other Sims.
The Sims 2: University - Now you can pack that brat away! Send your kids to college add extra abilities, new career paths. All things told, something you could have lived without.
The Sims 3: World Adventures - Look's suspici
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You can live without it, but frankly it's lots of fun when you start adding in 3rd party modifications that make the uni students actually behave like uni students, suffering student poverty, passing out drunk, being promiscuous, getting into fights as a result of all of these...
The Sims 3 is a very different game from the Sims 2,
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I know, I know, subconscious desire? If that be the case, then by going by her sims game, she wants to be a lesbian with five children, an evil scientist, have a five story house that makes no sense on how to get around, be young forever from her water cooler of life, have a robot friend that was built by her, and ride a helicopter to work everyday.
Besides the children, any one of those is way too cool for me to
cut to the chase... (Score:1)
The Same 3 (Score:1)
I bought the original Sims, and all the expansion packs. I enjoyed playing the game, so when Sims 2 came out, I bought the game, but it's more of the same, with upgraded graphics. I didn't bother purchasing any of the expansion packs for 2, and the chances of my buying 3 are slim to none. I love Morrowind and Oblivion, but at least there's some differences in those two games. There wasn't much between Sims 1 and 2.
have to agree with the already tag (Score:1)
This is obviously something that was developed parallel to the sims3 (at best) or removed from the sims3 (at worst) but it gives me a chance to rant so its all good hehe. I for one miss proper expansion packs, you can blame consoles and maybe thats true ( im leaning toward that opinion myself) but this DLC shit has got to stop. Slightly off topic i admit but....(and its a big, round full bodied but) Has any1 here actually bought a piece of dlc that they didnt regret (specifically X360). The mass effect addo