by John Erianne

Created on: March 22, 2009

I've been a fan of The Sims since my young niece introduced me to the series in 2000. Being a writer, I was immediately attracted to the idea of creating these original characters from scratch and building their stories. Throughout the original series and the sequel, The Sims 2, I created a number of complex storylines that envolved me deeper and deeper into the game. I also, marvelled at how the AI (artificial intelligence) improved over the years. For instance, in the original, you couldn't allow the game to play freely, unattended, or you'd return to find at least one Simmie dead from starvation. With the <em>Sims 2</em> you could leave the room for awhile and return to find you're Simmies alive, usually (although several of them might be unhappy or in need desperation). When Maxis announced the release of Sims 3, and the first information made it clear that the newest incarnation of the Sims would be smarter and the game more streamlined, with open, connected areas instead of separate sub-neighborhoods, I was ecstatic.

The new game engine for The Sims 3 boasts a number of new and upgraded features:

CREATE-A-SIM

The new version of the CAS combines the best of Body Shop with new and improved features from the old CAS in one easy-to-use tool. In addition, players have to ability to style and color their Sims in almost limitless ways. Improved personality features, allow for more complex and original character creation with dozens of personality traits to choose from.

BUILD MODE

The new build mode cleans-up a lot of the flaws of the old build mode. Lot placement is now much more exact as well as object placement within the house itself. Remember having to use a cheat to place objects at a 45-degree angle and not being able to center objects? That is now a thing of the past. More design feature allow for greater creativity with less fuss when building houses and community lots.

OPEN NEIGHBORHOODS

Like the original, most of the activity in the Sims 2 was center around the home. Expansion packs added neigherhoods and opportunities to leave the house, but it was almost like playing a separate game. The interaction between what was going on in the home and on a community lot was limited to the Sims own memories. In Sims 3 life doesn't stop in the neighborhood everytime a Sim leaves one lot for another. An open, seamless neighborhood means that Sims not live, play and work in real time with plenty of bustling activity all around. This means more complicated

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