Exploring Sims 3: Part One

Welcome to beautiful.....Sunnyside Valley? Maybe? Anyway! It's the home neighborhood of The Sims 3, which I just received in the mail. I'm eager to start exploring the game.

I quickly whip up a couple of Sims. They're nothing too impressive:  I preferred getting started to exploring all of the face-changing options. Tobias and Melissa are old favorites of mine. In Sims 1, Tobias was a zookeeper who spent most of his days with his best friends Benny Greenbriar and Lars Marcos. In Sims 2, the trio were joined by Melissa Fairchild, a tomboyish gal known for avoiding responsibility and being awesome. Tobias became a writer in Sims 2, one who scowled at the very notion of gainful employment. Tobias' traits are on the left, Melissa's on the right.

I inspect the new Buy mode and find it up to snuff. Indeed, it's rather intuitive.

Since I couldn't figure out how to move them onto an empty lot, I moved them into this empty trailer. Here are their initial furnishings.

I set Tobias and Melissa as siblings to ward off any accidental romances. The new social interation menus are interesting. While previous games had highly specific categories (Talk, Flirt, Hug, Kiss, Entertain, etc), Sims 3 uses broader categories (Friendly, Romance, etc).

As dusk falls, Tobias is working on his writing skill and Melissa is painting. They both want to succeed in those fields. I intend to let them establish a nest egg to work from, then they'll quit work and focus on their true callings.

Why is he going to bed in a tuxedo? Those aren't his bed-time clothes! Is he insan- .

..oh, right. Yes, he is. Carry on!

Here's an example of Sim3's new element, moodlets. Moodlets are tied to actions and the environment, and give the Sim's mood either a boost or drain it. They often pop up in response to the environment:  Melissa is a little spooked that it's dark, while in another room she might appreciate having paintings around.  Tobias is a hardier soul: he played chess for several hours in the dark.

Off to work he goes! In a tuxedo! ...you show those boys down at the police station, Tobias. (Tobias wanted to be a cop, while Melissa wanted to be a soldier. I've no idea why. They're loons.)

...what's this? Ooh. Options. I tell Tobias to chat with his partner. He soon becomes fast friends with her.

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I double-click on Melissa to see what her options are, and the camera takes me across town! To this place! I can move the camera off their house.  Dude.

More to come!