The Sims™ 3 Community Blog
: September 2013
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Mermaids are a new occult life state in The Sims 3 Island Paradise! Mermaids are a lot like regular Sims, but they like to spend their time swimming, preferably in salt water. As expected, Mermaids are more versatile in the water than regular Sims. They can swim faster, stay underwater indefinitely and, if they have the Evil trait, they have the special ability to Summon Sharks!



Mermaids Sims have beautiful fish-like tails when in water and scaly legs when on land. Their scale colors can be adjusted using the “Change Scale Color” interaction on the mirror. Female Mermaids will also be able to adjust the color of the seashell tops they wear while swimming with this interaction.




Mermaids have a “Hydration” motive that is fulfilled by water activities like swimming and bathing, and if you have The Sims 3 Seasons, even walking in the rain! It’s important to pay attention to this motive since Mermaids are creatures of the sea, they are easily dehydrated. If their Hydration motive gets too low they will start dry out! First they become chapped, then they get flakey (eww!) and finally they collapse from dehydration. If this happens, another Sim needs to revive the Mermaid by pouring water on them otherwise they’ll get a visit from the Grim Reaper!

Of course, Mermaids can have children. If a Mermaid falls in love with another Mermaid (woohoo!) they are guaranteed to have Mermaid offspring. A Mermaid and a regular Sim have a 50/50 chance of their children being Mermaids. 



Mermaids can eat the same foods as regular Sims, but they prefer tasty kelp and fresh fish. This makes them very popular with cats if you have The Sims 3 Pets! It is rumored that there is a secret, uncharted island known only to Mermaids. If your Sim is lucky and befriends a Mermaid they may let you in on the secret! 


Check out what Designer Alan Copeland has to say about the Baby Dragons he created for The Sims 3 Dragon Valley! The Armoured Black Dragon will be available as a bonus unlock when you own both The Sims 3 Dragon Valley and the Dukes of Bow Renn Faire venue - both available on The Sims 3 Store on now. 

Some have said that finding an Armoured Black Dragon is a bad omen and surely its presence is a sign of evil on the horizon but the truth is that these mysterious critters are beyond the trappings of traditional “good vs. evil”. They are born with an inherent understanding of many of the Reaper’s secrets, a burden that often makes them detached and distant.

For reasons the Armoured Black Dragons think best to keep to themselves, being around them gives the Mark of the Black Dragon moodlet, benefiting their companions with bonuses of Energy and Hunger. Every Armoured Black Dragon knows that the cycles of death are far, far, more logical than the cycles of life and will occasionally discuss those things with Sims to help them become more logical.  

Armoured Black Dragons have conquered fear by twisting it into a powerful tool to use against others. If they find a Sim particularly annoying they can turn their onyx stare into a curse so heinous that some have even transformed into a soulless zombie!  

Armoured Black Dragons have a kinship with the dead so they can summon ghosts that can haunt an area or give your Sim a chance to talk to those that have passed to the other side.  

But the reason the Black Armoured Dragon is arguably the most powerful of all of the dragons is its ability to summon a free pass for the next time the Grim Reaper is around in the form of a Death Flower! 

Armoured Black Dragons are exclusively unlocked for those customers that have both the World and the new “Duke of Bows Renaissance Faire” venue.  

00:42
11/09/13
Posted by: SimGuruFooLiz

Check out what Designer Alan Copeland has to say about the Baby Dragons he created for The Sims 3 Dragon Valley! For more information about The Sims 3 Dragon Valley, and the Purple Baby Dragon, click here.

Over the past few blog posts I’ve discussed the brazen, fire-breathing Red Baby Dragon and more recently the earth based Green Baby Dragon and its love for all things shiny or harvestable. Today I want to write about what is arguably the most unique of the dragons, a dragon that thrives on joy, humor and happiness. A dragon that is so dang cheery it literally pukes sparkles and rainbows.

This is the Purple Baby Dragon.

While Green Baby Dragons may have them beat in the tree hugging department, Purple Baby Dragons are the hipster-est of hippies in the Baby Dragon community. They want nothing more than to see everyone around them having a good time. In fact even the grumpiest of Sims can get a steady dose of Fun and Social just by hanging out with a Purple Dragon thanks to the Mark of the Purple Dragon moodlet.

While talking to a Red Dragon can raise your Athletic Skill and talking to a Green Dragon can raise your Gardening Skill, Purple Dragons will cheerfully discuss the particulars of raising your Charisma Skill so you can meet the Sim of your dreams.  

But what happens if your Sim is a bit of a wallflower or doesn’t know where to find the special someone?  No worries, the Purple Baby Dragon has more summoning abilities than any other dragon! Purple Dragons can summon up one of your friends, help throw an amazing party, or introduce you to someone completely new!  

But one of the coolest aspects of owning a Purple Baby Dragon is its Rune Charm ability. Purple Baby Dragons can imbue your Sim (or any Sim you choose) with massive bonuses to their mood, making them happier and more likable for up to twelve hours!



If you’re looking to meet that one in a million Sim, the Purple Baby Dragon will be your ultimate “wingman”.  

I love to hear your ideas and suggestions, so follow me on Twitter @SimGuruCopeland

00:34
11/09/13
Posted by: SimGuruFooLiz

Guten Tag, Simmers! For those who aren’tGerman linguists, Guten Tag means hello. We’re back from our German sojourn at gamescom and can’t wait to fill you in. The biggest news, of course, was the handful of our fans we brought to with us gamescom to participate in SimsCamp and they were among the first to go hands-on with TheSims 3 Into the Future. We’ve already shared some of the excitement around events relating to The Sims 4 (you can read about them here,)but this blog is all about the jetpack-fueled, Plumbot-centric, future-inspired items, and dream pod-inspired gameplay of TheSims 3 Into the Future.





The very talented and charismatic King Choi kicked it off with a special in-game demo showing off future technology. Then he went more in-depth on the Plumbots, and gave a hint as to what may change your Sim’s future if they take specific paths in the present world. To see everything King showed, you can watch his demo here.Afterwards, SimsCamp attendees were among the first to play the game. Yup. They got to play the game even before me! And, they have a lot to say about it.





SimplyRuthless , a self-described builder, loved all the new items, particularly the holographic plants. “Another cool feature that stood out to me as a builder was the plants section. There is a holographic plant that you can change the style of with 4 choices, as well as change the color of the light. And several outdoor plants are now able to be placed inside with no cheat…”


And while we don’t want to toot our futuristic horn, Curtis Paradis called it a “frickin’ sweet expansion pack.” Aw, shucks.Thanks, Curtis. See his thoughts on the game here.


And lastly, you’ll want to sit back and gaze at all the great screens from Simified,who said, “we had a lot of fun getting to test out and play the expansion.” 

Keep up to date with all things Sims by liking our The Sims 3 UK Facebook page!

10:58
02/09/13
Posted by: SimGuru_UK