Sims Gamer blogger, Amy Tucker is moving right now.  So, I’m filling in for her for a couple days. In honor of Amy’s move to her new house , I bring to you these videos of different types of homes in Sims 2.  Check out these Sims 2 houses:

Guest post by Kori Ellis

My husband is a HUGE fan of I Can Has Cheezburger [http://icanhascheezburger.com]. I’m not exactly sure why since he’s not such a big fan of cats but he’ll waste plenty of time looking at cute kitties with funny captions. *sigh*

If you go to the Sims 2 website [http://thesims2.ea.com/] you’ll find a couple of funny SIMS 2 examples which made me laugh. I’ve posted one of my favorites below but I also chuckled at the cow tipping picture.

I mean, come on! It’s the weekend! Who doesn’t need a chuckle?

Image|EA

Are your Sims’ baby things getting a bit tired and boring?

Do you yearn for more true-to-life baby and kid things?

Hopebayler has made some cool [if a little industrial] baby furniture and they all work [they're not just statues].

If the default color isn’t your style then you can find recolors at this link. The recolors offered are pink and blue and everything [including the diaper bag] have been recolored and look pretty cool.

Here are the things that babies and toddlers gain from using the objects:

Animated Jumparoo-They jump and gain fun
Animated Swing-Fun gained in swinging back and forth
Playmat-For infant only, gain is fun. Mobile is animated
Diaper bag-Gain bladder
Playpen-Nothing gained but toddlers can play with a doll while in it

Click here to download the items in the pictures.

Image|Hopebayler

Maybe I was the only one who wasn’t wondering how the Sims 3 would be protected [from hackers and warez people]?

Image|a.drian

I assumed that when I got my copy of Sims 3 from EA that it would have an annoying long code to enter just like all of the other Sims games that I’ve installed.

Sure Sims 3 is supposed to be THE game and is supposed to be the cool that cool is based on and all of that but it’s not like I expected it to come wrapped in barbed wire and have a body guard. [Though how cool would that be?!]

Anyway, I guess there have been enough questions to get The Sims people’s attention since Rod Humble posted a letter on Sims3 detailing what sort of protections they would be implementing.

I wonder if I can get a body guard with the first expansion?

Text from letter:

Hello everyone I wanted to share news with you regarding our copy protection plans for The Sims 3.

We’ll have more information for you as we get closer to launch about everything we’ll have to offer on TheSims3.com and The Sims 3 Store, but we have heard your requests over the past months and here is our plan for The Sims 3.

The game will have disc-based copy protection - there is a Serial Code just like The Sims 2. To play the game there will not be any online authentication needed.

We feel like this is a good, time-proven solution that makes it easy for you to play the game without DRM methods that feel overly invasive or leave you concerned about authorization server access in the distant future.

We’re really excited to bring you the game for the PC and Mac starting June 2, 2009. The extra time we’ve taken to polish the game has resulted in an even better game experience for you to enjoy and we can’t wait for you to see for yourself!

Thanks for your passion and your loyalty.
Rod Humble

Easter isn’t too far away and I feel that everyone should be visited by the Easter Bunny. To get the Social Bunny [the Easter Bunny's overly happy cousin] to show up, you have to pretty much deprive your Sim of any sort of contact and that can take a lot of time and a lot of patience.

I’m a “I want it right now” kind of girl and not to mention that the Social Bunny is just too chipper for me. That and he doesn’t give you anything other than a hard time for being sad/crazy.

So, here [click here], have an Easter Bunny.

Some things to note:

1. This is an older download. It was originally uploaded in 2006 but was update in 2007.
2. You have to “buy the “Crest of Bunny” object from Decorative > Wall and put it somewhere in your house. Now, send all your Sims to bed, and once they’re all asleep, wait for Bunny to arrive!”

Known glitches:

-This download is not compatible with original + Uni installations. No idea why at this point - it seems like the changes in maxis global functions was just too significant for me to manage between Uni and NL.
-Some users without all the EPs have noted unusual behavior, including having the hula dancer appear instead of the bunny. This seems to be related to users having OFB or not, so it is now being flagged as OFB required. Note that it may still work with different combinations of EPs, but is not guaranteed.

Still, knowing all that, I think you should give him a try.

Everyone deserves an Easter egg from the Easter Bunny!

Image|Echo

Who wants boring old onesies for their brilliant progeny? Not me.

Even when I’m outfitting my Sims’ kids, I still want cool and original clothes to make them stand out from the rest. And, let’s admit it, all of the Sims babies look the same so it’s nice to be able to easily find yours if you’ve scheduled a play date for your Sims.

Fakepeeps7 has made six different versions of an adorable “Little Llama Baby Outfit”. With six different colors, you’re bound to find at least one that will suit your needs.

Note that this is an “override” and it will replace the diaper that your babies where by default. So, if you are particularly fond of the diaper then don’t install these clothes.

Click here to download.

All six colors:

Images|fakepeeps7

If you’ve been a long time reader of Sims Gamer then I’m sure that you’ve noticed a “face lift” of sorts.

Sims Gamer has been moved over to EveryJoe.com but is still the wonderful, informative, amazing, fun…[you get the idea] blog that it’s always been.

What’s changed?

Well the header, for one. And I must say that I LOVE it.

I think that the whole layout looks great and is an improvement over what I had before. Also, I’ve picked up a couple of “category” blogs: Spirits and Cigars and I’m contributing to the Gaming category.

Think of this as Sims Gamer but with new clothes.

What I’m wanting from you guys is to know what you want to get out of Sims Gamer. I personally like the custom content and that’s why I feature it so much. I also am amazed at the Machinima that’s out there that’s been made with Sims 2.

While I like to write about what I find interesting, I know that I have a lot of loyal readers out there and maybe you guys want something else? So, let me know what you’d like to see.

Do you want more cheats?

Do you need tips on making movies?

Are you having issues with your game and need some tips on how to get your game to run better on your system?

I’m open to ideas and want to hear what you have to say.

Believe it or not, Spring isn’t that far away I know that some of you are just itching to get your Sims into something short and sassy.

Phoenix42793 has been gone from Mod the Sims2 for a while but she’s come back with a bang with this great outfit in six colors.

Click here to download for your own game.

Image|Phoenix42793

I was going to write about modeling hacks for you guys to download but then I checked my email box and found answers to questions that you guys had for a Sims 3 developer.  The first few are questions that I had and the ones from you guys are attributed to the asker.

I want to thank all of you who took the time to ask questions and to thank Grant Rodiek, Associate Producer for The Sims 3 for his answers.

What do you think is the biggest improvement that Sims 3 brings?

I’d say unique Sims, the neighborhood, and the creative tools.
With our new personality traits and deep skill building, not to mention our incredible Create-a-Sim experience, no two Sims will be alike – if you want it that way, of course.
The neighborhood is a first for The Sims franchise in that players can go anywhere in town without a load screen to hold you back. It makes the game seamless and far more enjoyable.
Finally, our developers have really made our creative tools far superior to any other Sims game. The aforementioned Create-a-Sim lets you make anyone you can imagine. Build/Buy is better and easier to use than ever. But the coolest feature is our Create-a-Style tool that lets you change the pattern or color on any piece of clothing or furniture in the game. The possibilities are literally limitless and so easy to use.

Since it’s been announced that the Sims in Sims 3 can “take care of themselves”, do you think that Sims 3 is moving closer to a pure game than a simulation or do you think that Sims 3 still walks that fine line like previous titles in the franchise have?

We’ve definitely tried to infuse more “game” elements so that under the surface there is a rich, deep strategy game. But at the end of the day, we’re still a game that focuses on the stories of your Sims, their lives, and how they live them.

There is a lot of buzz right now about Sims 3 not hitting its Feb ‘09 release date. Is this just in the UK market or will the US market be affected as well by the “evaluating the launch window” statement?

The Sims 3 will launch simultaneously worldwide on PC, Mac, iPhone and iPod touch June 2, 2009.

What got left on the cutting room floor that you really wish could have been included?

We’ve been working on The Sims 3 for quite some time. A large percentage of us came from The Sims 2, The Sims 2 expansion packs, SimCity – needless to say we know The Sims! We looked to our past projects to pick and choose the best features for The Sims 3 and we’re quite pleased with what will ship with the game.

Since we all know that “minimum system requirements” are just a bare bones estimation of what it takes to get the game to load [and not necessarily what will get the game to function well] what are the specs on the system on which you run Sims 3?

We’ve developed The Sims 3 to work on a wide range of PCs. If the players have the min spec at least, they’ll be able to enjoy our game.

Are there empty lots available in the game so that players can build custom houses from the ground up? – Jan

Yes!

Is canning and wine making available in the game? – Jan

We don’t have canning, but gardeners can grow excellent fruits and vegetables (and a few special things) to sell at the local supermarket, use to complete Opportunities, or even just as ingredients when cooking at home. We also have rewarding careers and lifetime wishes in the game like becoming a five star chef.

Are there any plans for an online component to Sims 3? - Lost Without Sims Online

The Sims is an offline, single player game that has significant community features for sharing, story telling, and more. The Sims has always been a very personal game experience, almost like a diary for some people, so while we admire and learn from features in online games, the Sims is fundamentally different.

Will Sims be able to do laundry? – Melissa

No, but there are a number of other household chores Sims can participate in such as gardening, making themselves a snack and tidying up.

Can you edit familial relationships of existing Sims? I.e. make neighbors related - Julia M.

You can have Sims get married, but once genetics are set, they are set in stone. There is a lot of flexibility for making interesting families in our game.

Is it possible to have your Sims have their pictures taken and then hang them on the house walls? – Frenchy

Your Sims can take photos with their cellphone and then hang the pictures on the wall. Also, highly skilled painters can paint portraits of friends and family. You can even sell these to be seen in the local art gallery!

Any new interactions for pregnant Sims? – Mike

One of my favorite things about pregnancy in The Sims 3 is that there are so many more little things that impact conception and pregnancy. For example, if the pregnant Sim is in a good mood leading up to the birth then there are higher chances that the baby will be born with positive traits. Ultimately it was still about balancing gameplay and realism and making sure that as a life moment it is a rewarding experience.

Are you still able to create babies? – Katie

Yes!

Any ideas on expansions that might become available for Sims 3 like a “superhero expansion”? – AJ

Right now we are focusing on making The Sims 3 the best game to date from The Sims studio.

Do the NPCs age alongside the player created characters or can multiple generations of a family have the same maid? – Jason

The town is alive and growing with your characters. Everyone ages and moves along with your character. So, the families maid will grow old and die just like the rest of the family.

Will there by aliens in Sims 3? – Jason

No, but we do have playable ghosts!

Will there be any car accidents or other disasters? - George-Ilias

While Sims need to have some sense of danger (burglary, fire, electrocution), things like car accidents are a little too real. It’s hard to keep them funny and humorous like the other unfortunate things that plague unlucky Sims.