Exploring Sims 3: Part Three

A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.

You can follow Sims as they go to the house and back. Or in Tobias' case, to the bookstore. Well, it's time to introduce a new player....Benny Greenbriar!

Benny is serious, cultured, fastidious, ambitious, and compassionate. In my games he's an introvert, yet pursues a political career. He enjoys playing jazz on his guitar. What will come of his Sims3 self?


Found some blank lots, I did. Here's a favorite basic design for a house. It's easy to play with.


Zooming out into map view, I find Tobias' home and zoom in. With a click, I tell Benny to go a-visitin'. That is excellent.

Hi! Tobias? My name's Benny. I'm your best friend whom you enjoy discussing philosophy and history with?  Seriously, in another life we're bros.

Benny: Classical music is your favorite, too? Outstanding. I love classical music. It is the very best.
Tobias: ...

You don't mind if I take your guitar, do you? I'm going to take it right outside.

Despite this slow start, Benny and Tobias are fond of evening chess games together.

 

In Sims2, I imagined Benny as being neurotic about cleanliness and dressing properly. Sims3 makes that more a reality.

You may've noticed the...ugliness of Benny's yard. Apparently I have to hand-paint it. 

Ta-daaaaaaa.

Tobias frequently spends the night.

...on the floor. I think Melissa's guitar playing keeps him awake.

Here's where Benny works.

Benny: I say! Who are you, good sir, and why are you a-burgling my goods?

More coming, including a day in town.

Exploring Sims 3: Part Two

Last update: I made a pair of Sims and moved `em into their house. On the second day, they've run off to work.

Uh...sure?

When Tobias returns home, he stinks and knows it. He wants a shower.

I soon learn a behavior of Good sims: they want to donate to charity. Tobias rolls this want every few days, and I'm oh-so-pleased to let him.

With a few writing skills under his belt, Tobias settles in to work on a sci-fi novel.

...huh.

After a few hours of typing, Tobias is burnt-out and wants to relax. He does this with a telescope, helping him improve his Logic.

Although Sims 3 lacks some of the options of Sims 2 (Yoga, meditate,etc), it adds others.

This is Blaire, Tobias' boss. She'll soon be a fixture at Tobias' and Melissa's house.

Enroute to work, I'm startled to see other people in town. Turns out there are always people in town. And they're always doing things.

Tobias kept complaining about the kitchen being messy, and I kept thinking, WTF are you going on about? Then I saw the fridge emitting green clouds whenever it was opened. The days of people eating food their grandparents made when they were younglings themselves are over.

Blair is used to Tobias being a kook.

Melissa wants to be a better soldier, even though she comes home stressed most days.

...and Tobias also wants to reach level five. He is confused.

Tobias is going to work in his WORK clothes! On his own!

...actually, I think he wore those as pajamas. Never mind. :-/

More incoming.

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!

Hoo-Riding

In the war for Los Santos' streets, most people agreed that the  Grove Street Families were back. Though reduced greatly in size from former preeminence following the Ballas' crack-fueld rise to power,  once CJ returned home from the East coast things started rolling Grove Street's way. They kept the Ballas and Vagos on the defensive, launching raids into their territory.

Of course, not every raid or attempt at a raid was a success. Witness the night of June 16, when -- following a raging party -- C.J. and a few of the Grove Street boys decided to go hit a Ballas neighborhood.

Of course, every hit begins with obtaining transportation. This guy is doing the family a favor. Yeah. 

The Families crew were far too drunk to drive, let alone make their way across town and work over a hood, but that didn't stop them from trying.

Their drunken recklessness caused things to go south in a hurry.

They took refuge near a Ballas-controlled factory, opening to spot a few of the hoods standing around while simultaneously hiding from the police.  

That didn't go so well. 

With more cops coming and their car mostly done for, they decided to steal the police cruiser to hit the Ballas with -- and then decided to use the police scanner to harass a few low-lifes.

Of course, on the way they hit Ballas.

It didn't take long for the cops to spot the four GSF gangsters laughing in a speeding squad car, so while CJ chased a crook on a bike, the police attempted to stall the cruiser.

Daylight was approaching when they finally caught up with a criminal.

At dawn, with half the riders asleep, CJ heads back for the Grove at full speed.

The police escalate their search....

...but fail to apprehend the drunken riders after their night of chaos and revelry.

Most agree the night went badly, for the Grove attracted far too much police attention and gained nothing.

I'm sorry, Dave, I can't do that.

This is from San Andreas, specifically from a mission that requires the player to go into the desert looking for two passed-out drunks, who then want you to help them look for their friend. Along the way, one of them needs to throw up...

Too bad that isn't how helicopters work.