Do Not Commit Acts of Terrorism

Do Not Accuse Someone of Something They Didn’t Do

Do Not Kill

Do Not Steal

Respect Your Parents

Respect All People

Do Not Envy Other People

Do Not Be Motivated By Greed

Do Not Cheat On Your Partner with Another Person

Respect and Protect the Planet

Images|EA

Post from: Sims Gamer

And, with Sims 3 just days away, I see no reason why I shouldn’t share every single pretty picture that I can find. That way you can stare at your computer screen and slowly wipe away the drool that’s running down your chin as you take in the freakin’ awesomeness that is Sims 3.

Pay special attention to how well everything “fits”. I’m sure these were taken on a computer with more processing power than all of my computers put together but check out the great appliances and the lighting. I basically want you to bask in the glory of Sims 3 and sit on your hands until the game comes out.

Pretty, pretty picture time.

Images|EA

Post from: Sims Gamer

Not only will you have plenty of space to bitch about the delayed release [enough already, guys!] but you’ll also get to check out all of the screenshots of the Sims 3 billboards from all over the country-21 right now.

There is also a space for fan art, screenshots and videos.

You spend enough time screwing around on the computer anyway, why not friend Sims 3 and leave a comment or two and look at some pretty pictures?

Post from: Sims Gamer

In my defense, they hadn’t been very good about updated the content so after several times of heading over there and not seeing anything new…well…you understand.

I still go over there when I get the VIP emails to see what’s up and today I was greeted with a pretty cool piece by Richard Evans, Senior AI Engineer.

I won’t post the entire piece because what’s the point when you can go over there and read it yourself but I thought that I’d give you a couple of highlights.

Each Sim has a personality defined from a large array of traits, and these traits have a strong influence on autonomous behavior. A flirty Sim will preen and pose, while an un-flirty Sim will reject all but the most persistent suitor. Some Sims are family-oriented – you will see them playing games with their children and cooing over them; others dislike children, and can be heard complaining about them loudly.  All the Sims will express their personalities on their own, without needing constant input from you.

Sometimes, what looks like a coding problem turns out to be an unexpected side-effect of the Sim’s personality. Recently, a tester had invited another Sim over to her house. Now the AI makes sure that the guest’s autonomous behavior is appropriate based on his relationship level with the host – someone you barely know won’t turn up and start cooking food in your house, but a good friend is allowed to do so. But on this occasion, the guest came straight into the house, walked upstairs and went to sleep! After much debugging and soul-searching, the problem turned out not to be a problem with the code, but with the guest’s personality – she was insane, and therefore impervious to the norms of social propriety!

Pretty cool, no?

I enjoy the fact that you don’t have to worry about random neighbors showing up to take a dip in your pool or hang out on your couch and watch TV. I also like that the AI can be insane. Now that I’ve written that, I’m going to end up with a crazy cat lady next door to my Sims who moves herself in along with her cats.

I really hope that doesn’t happen.

On to the new pretty pictures:

Post from: Sims Gamer

Bella and Mortimer Goth as kids?

These screens are new to me and I decided that I’d share them with you just in case they’re new to you as well. I know that the “Bella and Mortimer” screen has been around for a while with lots of speculation about who the people in the picture are. Your guess is as good as mine but “mortbell” is part of the file name. Very, very interesting…

My favorite screenshot is the last one in the cemetary. I can’t wait to get my hands on this game and see what it’s like to be able to play ghosts. I wonder if there are restrictions on when you can control them-time of day restrictions. Like Vamps in that they only come out at night. Since the aliens and vampires are gone, I hope that the playable ghosts make up for the loss of the other two.

Images|EA

Post from: Sims Gamer

AND, here are a couple of new screens of Sims 3 in honor of Valentine’s Day. 

Smooching at the beach.

Smooching at night.

Image Source: EA

Post from: Sims Gamer

Images: http://thesims3.ea.com/

Post from: Sims Gamer

I’m not quite sure how I feel about the look of the Sims. I guess I’ll just have to wait until ‘09 to play the game and get a really good look for myself.

Post from: Sims Gamer