News:March 2010
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Blog: Changing Your Sims' Neighborhood, One Job at a Time
POSTED ON 03/30/10 05:24 PM

Learn more about architectural designers, stylists, and tattoos in this fun blog that shows how The Sims 3 Ambitions Expansion Pack will change your Sims' neighborhood one job at a time!

Read the blog

Simify your Fatboy!
POSTED ON 03/26/10 07:18 PM

The Sims 3 and Fatboy have teamed up to create the ultimate gamer seat!

Check it out

Viva la Bathroom Giveaway!
POSTED ON 03/25/10 05:29 PM
Join us for the Viva la Bathroom Giveaway! This giveaway takes place today only on The Sims 3's Facebook and Twitter pages. Fan & Follow us for a chance to be randomly selected. For more information go to the following links:

The Sims 3 Facebook

The Sims 3 Twitter
Boxshot Announced!
POSTED ON 03/25/10 08:00 AM

The boxshot for The Sims 3 Ambitions Expansion Pack has been announced!

Game Update for: 1.11/2.6/3.2
POSTED ON 03/23/10 09:05 PM

To install this update, please start your game and use the “Updates” tab in your Launcher.


This game update includes:

  • Base Game: Fixes an issue where Sims continuously perform the "Be Invited Inside" interaction on other Sims’ lots.
  • Base Game: Fixes an issue that causes Sims to get stuck in the “Grab a Slice” interaction on pizza.
  • World Adventures: Fixes an issue that causes the game to freeze when attempting to save a household on a base camp.
  • High End Loft Stuff: Fixes an issue where the family inventory loses functionality after using the Create a Style tool on an object.
  • High End Loft Stuff: Fixes an issue that prevents the fulfillment of the “Buy a Video Game System” wish when buying the “GUGA JoyToy 3” and “Console 7” video game systems.
  • High End Loft Stuff: Fixes and issue that prevents the “Presenting the Perfect Private Aquarium” Life Time Wish from counting fish in fish aquariums.
  • Shop Mode Update: Fixes problems caused by the font and updates the In Game Store to the latest EA Webkit version.
Before installing an Update for The Sims 3, an Expansion Pack, or a Stuff Pack, it is a good idea to run through the following checklist to ensure your game continues to work smoothly.

If you have any questions about the below steps, please visit the Technical Support forum on the official Sims 3 community found at this URL: http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/forums/show/10.page

Step 1: Disable Custom Content

Custom Content is all Sims content that did not come from an official The Sims 3 Update, The Sims 3 Store, Expansion Pack, or Stuff Pack. Custom Content is created by 3rd Party Developers that are not regulated by Electronic Arts or The Sims 3 Development Team and may not work with new updates. Custom Content may cause the game to behave unexpectedly or not function entirely.

To disable your custom content, undo whatever you did to install this content to get your game back into an unmodified state. If you placed it in a Sims 3 directory folder, move it to a new folder that is outside your Sims 3 file directory. Your Sims 3 file directory can be found using the paths listed below:

Windows File Directory: C:\Documents and Settings\USER\My Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3

Mac File Directory: User/Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims/

Once you have installed the official update you may re-enable your custom content. If you experience problems, disable it again until the 3rd party developer updates their content to work with the official Update, Expansion Pack, or Stuff Pack.

Step 2: Back Up your Save Files

It’s always a good precaution to back up your save files before installing an Expansion Pack, Update, or Stuff Pack. To do this, copy the “.sims3” folders found in the Saves folder onto your desktop or another file directory.

Your Sims 3 Saves folder can be found using the paths listed below:

Windows File Directory: C:\Documents and Settings\USER\My Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Saves

Mac File Directory: User/Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims/Saves

After the Update is installed, run the game to verify your saves still function correctly.

Step 3: Let the Update Complete Entirely

Updates can sometimes be rather large and may take a while to download and install completely. Cancelling the update before it has completed may cause unexpected problems, so it is always best to let it finish entirely. Do not close the Launcher until you have confirmed the update is completely installed, as this will cancel the update.  

 

Game Update for: Create a World Tool Beta V1.6
POSTED ON 03/23/10 07:16 PM

To install this update, please start your game and use the “Updates” tab in your Launcher.

This game update includes:

  • Create a World - Updating compatibility version of Create a World Tool – Beta to be compatible with The Sims 3 to ensure it continues to function with in-game features and the Exchange.
Legacy Challenges
POSTED ON 03/23/10 06:44 PM

Love playing The Sims 3 but need a little challenge for your game? Try The Legacy Challenge! Check out the rules and guidelines written by a fellow Simmer.

The Legacy Challenge Rules

We wish all of you the best of luck in your Legacies!

Community Spotlight Interview: ruthless_kk
POSTED ON 03/17/10 04:36 PM

We interviewed one of the community's top creators - ruthless_kk. This versatile creator is often known for her fairytale-like cottages and Victorian homes. See what she has to say about her building style, challenging lots, and more!

Read the interview

The Sims 3 Blooper Blog!
POSTED ON 03/11/10 01:00 PM

Welcome to Sunset Valley Blooperville!

The amazing part of a Sims Developer’s job that keeps us coming back to work day after day is the sheer number of hilarious and unexpected moments that occur in our game, typically as the result of portions of the game that are “works in progress.”

Just like any movie, television show, or heck, typo filled IM conversation, we’ve got bloopers piled a mile high. The simple truth is that any video game is incredibly complex. The formula is quite simple:

100 People X Animation X Sound X Engineering X Modeling X FX X Design X Sims = Chaos!

I don’t recommend you use that formula in a paper for school.

Some bloopers are simply from text. For example, Townies and Sims created by Story Progression get their names from a huge pool of names. These names come from members of the development team, famous people we like to reference, and in some cases, old census data from the United States circa 1901. Don’t ask! These leads to hilarious names, such as your friendly neighborhood pizza guy “Torgo Pendragon” or a lovely baby named “Charity Slaughter.”
       
               
                   Click to enlarge                   Click to enlarge

Cars also lead to some of our most amazing bloopers. They are incredibly complex objects that involve pretty much every development discipline and every level of difficulty. For a while, once Sims entered their cars they never left them, so in a sense the Sims BECAME their cars. Just imagine the possibilities: Sims playing chess in the park…as cars. Sims going home for dinner…as cars. Sims fishing at the beach…as cars?
 

How about a night on the town? Just you, a limo, and your favorite duck.

Death is another favorite of ours. The engineer who does the programming death has been doing so since The Sims 1 – it’s more or less “his baby.” We always try to implement Death so that he has a slight bit of randomness, but this often leads to the unexpected. New for The Sims 3? Death protesting! Can you blame him though? Nuclear power is dangerous. Though I imagine it’s only good for his personal business…


Click to enlarge

Animation bugs are also high on the list of hilarious. Our Sim rigs can be quite complicated. This is only made more complex by the fact that Sims can do so many things and often times in many different ways. Why is this funny?

Well, how about a Sim taking out the trash becomes a Sim doing break dancing?



Or the always hilarious Sims throwing a toddler?


It’s important to note that no toddlers were harmed in the production of The Sims 3!

Graphics and rendering bloopers don’t always result in awesome hilarity, though sometimes we’re pleasantly surprised. I’m a native of Texas so it’s hard not to be familiar with the gigantic waving Texan at the State Fair Grounds in Dallas. Or, his distant cousin in an early version of The Sims 3.

That is actually my Sim’s shadow! But wait, there’s always more!

Oh hey there! I didn’t see you there FLOATING SET OF EYEBALLS.

Stay tuned for more Blogs from The Sims 3 Development team! Until next time, have a good time Simming!

grant (aka SimGuruWalrus)
The next Expansion Pack has been announced!
POSTED ON 03/04/10 01:00 PM

Widen your Sim’s horizons with a bunch of killer new career opportunities. With The Sims™ 3 Ambitions, decide whether your Sim will be the brave town hero or cause loads of mischief among their neighbors. Make your Sim save the day as a brave firefighter, change the town as a leading architect, or live on the edge as a tattoo artist. Will your Sim find success as a billionaire high-tech inventor or eke out a living as a bumbling mad scientist? Will they uncover secrets as a private investigator by dusting for prints or roughing up a suspect for information? Their future is entirely in your hands!

  • FEATURES
    For the first time ever, you control your Sim’s actions and interactions while they’re on the job.
  • Be a hero or mess with the neighbors as a firefighter, private investigator, doctor, ghost hunter, and more!
  • Choose how your Sim’s career progresses—will they work for good or evil, pursue creative endeavors, rise to success as a mogul, or shirk responsibility as a slacker?
  • Your Sim’s on-the-job choices now change their town and affect other Sims as well. Modify the town’s structure as an architect or set neighborhood fashions as a stylist.
  • Enjoy all-new skills and activities! Master the arts of inventing, sculpting, and tattooing, and use your skills to earn Simoleons.

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

ESRB RATING PENDING—May contain content inappropriate for children. Visit www.esrb.org for rating information.

The Sims 3 Ambitions Trailer
POSTED ON 03/04/10 12:14 AM

Be a hero or revel in chaos with The Sims 3 Ambitions.

Watch video on YouTube


 

Subscribe to our YouTube channel - get FREE stuff!
POSTED ON 03/02/10 06:37 PM

Want to score some sweet TS3 goodies? Today only, we will be selecting random subscribers to our YouTube channel to receive The Sims 3 stuff. Make sure you're subscribed to our channel!

Subscribe to The Sims YouTube channel

SIFF Film Festival – Now Showing!
POSTED ON 03/02/10 04:47 PM

A group of top machinima artists as well as builders and designers have gathered to showcase their latest and greatest machinima in the community-created SIFF, or Sims International Film Festival! Head over to the Red Carpet, mingle with the stars, grab a seat and check out the premiere screenings.

 

Attend the film festival

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