It\u2019s been a little longer than I\u2019d hoped between blogs as the combination of E3 and my new SimRig not arriving yet (*sobs*) I\u2019m still behind the 8-ball in terms of setting up my ultimate Sims playing environment.
Since my last blog there have been two huge pieces of news in the land of Sims with the announcements of Pets expansion for PC and standalone game for consoles, and Sims Social coming to Facebook.
Pets = WIN!
![](\"http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad88/Pidgeo/bella_noodle-1.gif\")
Bella (left) and Noodle (right) are very excited that theywill be in The Sims 3 Pets soon!
As a gigantic dog wuss I am really looking forward to The Sims 3 Pets coming later this year. What will be interesting for me is how close I can simulate Bella and Noodle\'s behaviour and quirks such as Noodle being scared of and barking at the wind and Bella\'s insistence to \"do her business\" on everything but the lawn outside.
The addition of horses in the PC version of Pets will add a whole new element of interactions between Sims, domestic pets and horses as they go past. Bella for example at home with the Chihuahua in her is fiercely protective of the front of our house and due to the huge sunroom window that looks out to the street and ocean she can sit up on the window sill and bark when she feels it is necessary\u2026 which is often!
For the tiny wee dog that she is my goodness she can make some noise but on one occasion specifically she went absolutely ballistic beyond belief. Thinking something was wrong I raced out from my man cave at the opposite end of our block to see what was happening...
It was a horse trotting by :)
I wonder if SimBella will do the same thing the first time she encounters a horse?
There will be loads of different breeds in Sims Pets but even if a specific mix breed isn\u2019t in the game we should still be able to create close representations of our pets.
Bella for example is a Poochi \u2013 a Toy Poodle x Long Hair Chihuahua. I will bet 1000 SimPoints that the Poochi breed isn\u2019t in Sims Pets because until we saw Bella in the store (and immediately took her home!) we\u2019d never heard of a Poochi! Not to worry though as although I don\u2019t have confirmation of which exact breeds will be in the game, I bet the Chihuahua and Poodle will be. So for Bella I\'d select Chihuahua as she about 90% Chi, do a few tweaks within the Create-A-Pet and I\u2019ll have SimBella created in no time!
I really hope the gigantic St Bernard is in the game as I\u2019ve always wanted one of the gentle giants. Once I get more info on the breeds I will post it right here.
The Sims Social
The Sims are coming to Facebook! The Sims Social was announced last week during E3 so for those who may have missed it I encourage you to like the page HERE and check out the trailer HERE
For those dying for more news I have good news and bad news.The bad news is I don\u2019t have any more news right now but the good news is that we will soon\u2026 very soon ;)
Support options for The Sims
Over the last week I\u2019ve had a few requests for help on solving technical issues some Simmers have been having on the comments wall of MySims page.
Now although I absolutely want to help as much as I can unfortunately I\u2019m not the best option to get the quickest and most accurate support. We have dedicated support teams that can quickly action your support query and keep you updated every step of the way whereas due to the nature of my role I may not be able to respond for a few days if I\u2019m traveling for example.
If you are having issues here are a few different options for getting assistance.
- Check out the knowledge base at http://support.ea.com/ by selecting \u201CThe Sims3\u201D then the related expansion/stuff pack (if necessary) in the Get Help section towards the bottom of the page
- Go to http://support.ea.com/app/ask and submit your query any time.
- Call our Australian Support line on 1902 261 600.Operating hours from 9am - 6pm Monday - Friday, as well as pre-recorded information 24 hours a day. You can also e-mail the EA Australia support team at easupport@8-bit.com.au
- Check out the technical discussion forum here http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/forums/show/10.page
Wrap-up
I\u2019ll have some more news on the upcoming bachelor pad design comp I mentioned in the last blog soon and don\u2019t forget for the very latest Sims news as it happens be sure to like the global Sims Facebook page and follow the official Twitter account, as well as the EA Australia Facebook and Twitter for Aussie specific news
Happy Simming!
Pidgeo
Firstly thank you to everyone who has added me as a friend here on TheSims3.com. It\'s great to start connecting with you all.
For those that read yesterday\'s blog will know that my first competition will be around designing a bachelor pad and the prizes will be based around granting Sims Store wishes, so get those wishlists up to date!
Here is some more info on what you can get up to in Generations.
With so many wonderful new activities and features to enrich all of your Sims\u2019 life stages, The Sims 3 Generations also offers new ways to record and sharethese special memories and moments. And what better way to create specialmoments than to manufacture them through the magic of chemistry! That\u2019s right, your Sims can now concoct potions with unusual effects.
Sharing Memories
Little Leo\u2019s first steps, pretty Paloma\u2019shigh school prom, flirty Frank\u2019s wild bachelor party, and more\u2014your Sims are bound to create some pretty memorable moments and wouldn\u2019t it be nice to share them with your friends? A record of your Sims\u2019 memories is kept in their very own scrapbook which you can access through the Simology panel. Many memories are captured automatically, with a snapshot taken of the specific Sim!
Snap Happy!
You can also create a custom memory using the Capture This Moment tool. This tool allows you to create a memory for your Sim at any time you fancy! But your options don\u2019t stop there. You can also post these special moments to share with your friends online via Facebook or TheSims 3 website! Just go to the Memory Detail page and select the appropriate options.
Captured on Video
Sometimes a snapshot isn\u2019t enough. Forthose really vivid life moments, maybe you want to capture some video to remember them in even more detail. To make their own video recordings, Sims must first own a video camera, which they can purchase in Buy Mode. Better cameras enable your Sims to take longer videos, so make sure they shop wisely!
When you\'re ready to record, use the video camerato enter a special first-person view to capture your shot. A timer counts down the amount of time left during which you can record. Once that limit is reached, the camera automatically shuts off.
After your Sim records a video, a disc appears in their inventory. Your Sim can play it back on higher-end televisions. To help keep track of these video memories, you may want to rename the disc. Grandparents will be so excited to watch videos of their grandkids, and married Sims will enjoy a walk down memory lane watching their wedding video.
Chemical Reactions
A little of this, a little of that ...swirl it and mix it ... and what have you got? Your Sims can employ and improve their logic skills in new endeavours when they sidle up to the Chemistry Lab Station. Whether doing a little research to discover an unknown potion or concocting an old favourite, your Sims can brew up some powerful stuff in no time. Once your Sims discover or make a potion, it can be found in their inventory. Sims with advanced logic skills can even mix potions into drinks and serve them to unsuspecting Sims. With many different potions to discover, your Sims are sure to manufacture some interesting moments!
One question I\'ve been asked a few times in both the Sims community and the other communities I manage is \"We want more events, and not just in Sydney!\"This is definitely something I want to ensure we do. It\'s way too early to say how such events will take place and where but we definitely have the desire for community events on our radar at EA Australia HQ.
For those who haven\'t picked up Generations yet or want to get another copy to share the awesomeness with a friend, the guys over at SimlishSims.com are giving away a copy so head over and enter their comp... after you finish reading my blog hehe
I\'ll have another blog tomorrow as we\'ll have LOTS to discuss ;)
Happy Simming!
Pidgeo
With the launch of Generations today I was going to spend a lot of time talking about all the positives and excitement but as a \"SimGuru\" it is just as important to bring awareness when there are issues too, and unfortunately there has been some issues with the latest update to the Sims 3 Launcher.
The development team are working hard on finding a permanent fix but in the meantime if you are experiencing issues please check out the manual update instructions HERE
On behalf of everyone involved with The Sims I apologise for any issues you\'ve had and we\'re working on getting it totally fixed as soon as possible.
Now onto some positives :)
I am really excited to start playing Generations and to be totally honest getting to spend some quality time with Sims 3 again. For any gamer, having their gaming PC/Mac blow up is a disaster and for me it\'s been no different as I can\'t start playing Generations yet! <sobs>
The good news however is that I have a new PC arriving in the next few days and then it\'s HARDCORE SIMS TIME!
Now as I\'ve just turned 31 yesterday it may be a wee bit early but I\'m looking forward to giving the mid-life crisis a good go in Generations and it\'s this part of the game that I am going to run my first competition.
I will have more details in the next few days but start thinking about a bachelor pad as well as get your Sims 3 Store wishlists up to date ;)
Lastly I\'d like to pose a question to you guys...
What are the things you\'d like to see from your Aussie SimGuru in terms of information, blogs, competitions, events and the like? Send me a message here on TheSims3.com!
I look forward to hearing from you and I\'ll discuss some of the responses and have a few more details around my first competition in tomorrow\'s blog!
Happy Simming!
Pidgeo
