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Did you know? (About The Sims)
jackjack_k
Posts: 8,601 Member
Been doing some reading up about a few things, just thought I would share some things I've found or known about for a bit of fun.
A few of you may know some of them.
1. When Will Wright first started working on the concept of the Sims, one of the first things that came from those sessions was a Toilet simulator.
2. The Sims 2: Castaway and The Sims: Castaway Stories share almost no similarities other than being washed ashore on an unknown Island.
3. Dynamic Hair in The Sims 2 was not present in the version before the fire, and was added last minute.
4. Weather was not featured in the Sims 2 base game as they had issues with Rain entering the houses. However, "The Urbz: Sims in The City" has Dynamic Weather, and came out only a month later. Dynamic Weather is something we haven't had in the Sims games on PC. But has been in "The Urbz: Sims in The City", "The Sims 2" (console), "The Sims 2 Pets" (console), "The Sims 2: Castaway (console) and the Sims 3 (Wii).
6. Urbz was the first time Pets were available to players in full 3D!
7. The Sims 2 originally only required 800Mhz on a single core to run. EA were forced to change it to 1Ghz due to complaints the game ran slow.
8. The Sims 2 on console was originally meant to be the Urbz 2. However, the Urbz flopped majorly, so much so, that devs made fun of the game in the Sims 2. Using a metal detector, your Sims could find a copy of the game that had been buried (a reference to the E.T. games that were buried because they failed to sell) and your Sim will throw them away in disgust.
9. The overall layout and theme of Sunset Valley changed a lot during development, believed to be because EA didn't want a world too specific.
10. Will Wright chose to not work on the console version of The Sims as well as Maxis, and let another developer (The Edge of Reality) work on it instead. Believed to be because he wanted to work on The Sims 2 instead which started development in 2003. However, Will Wright decided to work on The Sims Bustin' Out instead of the Sims 2, and became just a contact when developers needed advice for The Sims 2. The Sims Bustin Out was his last project and a re-imagining of the Sims on console.
11. It was reported that developers were "unhappy" with how Sims looked in the Sims 2, as they were more refined in the version before the fire. It may explain why The Sims 2 & The Sims 2 on PSP, The Sims 2 on console, the Sims 2 on DS, The Sims 2 Pets on console, and the Sims 2 Castaway all have different designs. While The Sims 3 on PC, DS and Console all share the same design.
12. boolprop testingcheatsenabled were originally cheats that developers were considering patching out of the game after they were left in the base game. However, feedback from fans was extremely positive. The same happened in The Sims 4, where sizing up objects was used for decorating the worlds, and fans who tested the game and played it before it was released, said it would be too good to remove.
13. EA would not let Aspyr release anything beyond The Sims 2 Bon Voyage, for Mac. Aspyr said it was due to "licensing conflicts" but it came around the same time as Macs started using Intel processors and became less "niche" in Audience. EA then released the Sims 3 on both PC and Mac, with the Mac version running in emulation with poor reviews. Rather than letting Aspyr make a proper port.
14. The secret locations in the Sims 4, are apparently in existence because the Sims 4 originally had a story mode, according to a developer. And it would seem EA kept them in as little Easter Eggs than remove them completely.
(I would have loved to have seen the Story Mode as I'm dying to know how the Glade would have worked into it).
15. EA patched in a new world for The Sims 3 called Adventureland in late 2015. No one knows why, however it's an altered version of Sunset Valley. Different Sims live in the town, and the same houses that were originally for sale in Sunset Valley aren't always free in Adventure Land.
16. Pets can have Jobs in The Sims 2 Pets on PC, but not on the Sims 2 Pets on console. Pets cannot have jobs on the Sims 3 Pets for PC, but can choose from 4 jobs on the Sims 3 Pets for console.
(EA what are you doing?)
17. The Sims 3 on Wii was borderline unplayable, as the game was written to run at a certain disc speed that the Wii could not handle, which caused major bugs, game freezes, objects not displaying in Buy Mode, buildings to be inaccessible, and even options like "Change Appearance" or "Hire A Maid" to not show up in-game despite being mentioned in the manual.
It also destroyed Wii consoles and EA took it off the market almost immediately after being sold. However, if you play the game on the Wii U, the game runs fine.
18. The Sims 4 Worlds and Maps were constantly changing up until 3 months before release. Originally, the Map was supposed to be 3D and the two worlds included were supposed to be an American suburban world (Willow Creek) and an English themed world (which was scrapped). The English themed world included farm lands, woods and Tudor houses in the backgrounds, but none of the houses in the world were Tudor themed.
The English World was scrapped, and replaced with Oasis Springs last minute, and Oasis Springs was revealed in July 2014, while the English world and Willow Creek were shown of in August 2013.
19. The Sims Stories series was developed by Aspyr, who wanted to strike while the iron was hot, as Story Based Sims games were very popular at the time (the console versions of the Sims 2 all contain a unique story, and together outsold the PC game).
20. Speaking of stories, the PSP game was the only Sims 2 version to be developed by the team who worked on the PC game. It gives further backstory to Strangetown, and takes place a week after Bella Goth was abducted and put in Strangetown. The PC team wanted to expand the story further than what they could in the PC game. The rest of The Sims 2 games have no relation to The Sims 2 on PC nor do they look anything like it.
PC fans of the Sims 2 were angry that EA didn't release it on PC as well. Which was said to have inspired Aspyr to work on The Sims Stories franchise for PC instead.
The Sims 2 on PSP received critical acclaim, but like a lot of scores for early PSP games, the game was criticized for long loading times and the game freezing and locking up. This was actually due to faulty PSP models and the game has 2 second loading screens and runs perfectly on other models. Which is why the game received either incredible reviews or average to negative. The Sims 2 was not the only game on PSP to have review scores been sabotaged by faulty models.
21. The Sims 2 on PSP is also the longest game to be supported by EA and still sold in digital stores. EA cut support and removed the Sims 2 on PC for sale in mid 2014. In contrast, they Removed The Sims 3 and The Sims 3 Pets off the shelf within two years of being on sale (as the hype went down and it was most likely losing EA money keeping them available since the PC game was so much better conceptually.
A few of you may know some of them.
1. When Will Wright first started working on the concept of the Sims, one of the first things that came from those sessions was a Toilet simulator.
2. The Sims 2: Castaway and The Sims: Castaway Stories share almost no similarities other than being washed ashore on an unknown Island.
3. Dynamic Hair in The Sims 2 was not present in the version before the fire, and was added last minute.
4. Weather was not featured in the Sims 2 base game as they had issues with Rain entering the houses. However, "The Urbz: Sims in The City" has Dynamic Weather, and came out only a month later. Dynamic Weather is something we haven't had in the Sims games on PC. But has been in "The Urbz: Sims in The City", "The Sims 2" (console), "The Sims 2 Pets" (console), "The Sims 2: Castaway (console) and the Sims 3 (Wii).
6. Urbz was the first time Pets were available to players in full 3D!
7. The Sims 2 originally only required 800Mhz on a single core to run. EA were forced to change it to 1Ghz due to complaints the game ran slow.
8. The Sims 2 on console was originally meant to be the Urbz 2. However, the Urbz flopped majorly, so much so, that devs made fun of the game in the Sims 2. Using a metal detector, your Sims could find a copy of the game that had been buried (a reference to the E.T. games that were buried because they failed to sell) and your Sim will throw them away in disgust.
9. The overall layout and theme of Sunset Valley changed a lot during development, believed to be because EA didn't want a world too specific.
10. Will Wright chose to not work on the console version of The Sims as well as Maxis, and let another developer (The Edge of Reality) work on it instead. Believed to be because he wanted to work on The Sims 2 instead which started development in 2003. However, Will Wright decided to work on The Sims Bustin' Out instead of the Sims 2, and became just a contact when developers needed advice for The Sims 2. The Sims Bustin Out was his last project and a re-imagining of the Sims on console.
11. It was reported that developers were "unhappy" with how Sims looked in the Sims 2, as they were more refined in the version before the fire. It may explain why The Sims 2 & The Sims 2 on PSP, The Sims 2 on console, the Sims 2 on DS, The Sims 2 Pets on console, and the Sims 2 Castaway all have different designs. While The Sims 3 on PC, DS and Console all share the same design.
12. boolprop testingcheatsenabled were originally cheats that developers were considering patching out of the game after they were left in the base game. However, feedback from fans was extremely positive. The same happened in The Sims 4, where sizing up objects was used for decorating the worlds, and fans who tested the game and played it before it was released, said it would be too good to remove.
13. EA would not let Aspyr release anything beyond The Sims 2 Bon Voyage, for Mac. Aspyr said it was due to "licensing conflicts" but it came around the same time as Macs started using Intel processors and became less "niche" in Audience. EA then released the Sims 3 on both PC and Mac, with the Mac version running in emulation with poor reviews. Rather than letting Aspyr make a proper port.
14. The secret locations in the Sims 4, are apparently in existence because the Sims 4 originally had a story mode, according to a developer. And it would seem EA kept them in as little Easter Eggs than remove them completely.
(I would have loved to have seen the Story Mode as I'm dying to know how the Glade would have worked into it).
15. EA patched in a new world for The Sims 3 called Adventureland in late 2015. No one knows why, however it's an altered version of Sunset Valley. Different Sims live in the town, and the same houses that were originally for sale in Sunset Valley aren't always free in Adventure Land.
16. Pets can have Jobs in The Sims 2 Pets on PC, but not on the Sims 2 Pets on console. Pets cannot have jobs on the Sims 3 Pets for PC, but can choose from 4 jobs on the Sims 3 Pets for console.
(EA what are you doing?)
17. The Sims 3 on Wii was borderline unplayable, as the game was written to run at a certain disc speed that the Wii could not handle, which caused major bugs, game freezes, objects not displaying in Buy Mode, buildings to be inaccessible, and even options like "Change Appearance" or "Hire A Maid" to not show up in-game despite being mentioned in the manual.
It also destroyed Wii consoles and EA took it off the market almost immediately after being sold. However, if you play the game on the Wii U, the game runs fine.
18. The Sims 4 Worlds and Maps were constantly changing up until 3 months before release. Originally, the Map was supposed to be 3D and the two worlds included were supposed to be an American suburban world (Willow Creek) and an English themed world (which was scrapped). The English themed world included farm lands, woods and Tudor houses in the backgrounds, but none of the houses in the world were Tudor themed.
The English World was scrapped, and replaced with Oasis Springs last minute, and Oasis Springs was revealed in July 2014, while the English world and Willow Creek were shown of in August 2013.
19. The Sims Stories series was developed by Aspyr, who wanted to strike while the iron was hot, as Story Based Sims games were very popular at the time (the console versions of the Sims 2 all contain a unique story, and together outsold the PC game).
20. Speaking of stories, the PSP game was the only Sims 2 version to be developed by the team who worked on the PC game. It gives further backstory to Strangetown, and takes place a week after Bella Goth was abducted and put in Strangetown. The PC team wanted to expand the story further than what they could in the PC game. The rest of The Sims 2 games have no relation to The Sims 2 on PC nor do they look anything like it.
PC fans of the Sims 2 were angry that EA didn't release it on PC as well. Which was said to have inspired Aspyr to work on The Sims Stories franchise for PC instead.
The Sims 2 on PSP received critical acclaim, but like a lot of scores for early PSP games, the game was criticized for long loading times and the game freezing and locking up. This was actually due to faulty PSP models and the game has 2 second loading screens and runs perfectly on other models. Which is why the game received either incredible reviews or average to negative. The Sims 2 was not the only game on PSP to have review scores been sabotaged by faulty models.
21. The Sims 2 on PSP is also the longest game to be supported by EA and still sold in digital stores. EA cut support and removed the Sims 2 on PC for sale in mid 2014. In contrast, they Removed The Sims 3 and The Sims 3 Pets off the shelf within two years of being on sale (as the hype went down and it was most likely losing EA money keeping them available since the PC game was so much better conceptually.
More coming! What did you know already?
What else do you know that's not listed here?
Jackeline. She/Her.
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Post edited by jackjack_k on
23
Comments
They used the Tudor architecture stuff in Get Together, so the concept stuck around. Just not for the base game.
Yeah. I went on a hunt about that once and didn't find a single reference before 2013. An office fire destroying a whole lot of stuff in a game franchise in a major studio is a pretty big deal for years of complete internet silence. I won't believe it happened till someone from EA or Maxis confirms it, and that hasn't happened.
Maybe there wasn't a fire, but a Dev did say they had to start over.
Pretty sure they had whatever they needed but they had to put it back together again.
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When was that said, and where? I've not seen that story, only the stuff about the fire making them start over, and that wasn't before 2013. Is there anything before that about starting over? If so, maybe it explains why. I'm curious, because scrapping software and restarting is pretty tough on budgets.
Not to mention time consuming.... like years of time.
Links and information about this were posted on another thread. Sorry, have to study now and can't look it up for you. Maybe search for Maxis fire?
Anyway, for TS2 the first time the fire was mentioned was during the installation of the Sims 2 game. If you played the trivia (over and over and over cuz it's awesome) one of the questions is about the fire. There is also a gaming news article about it (link still available, just find it on DuckDuck). Maxis saying there was a fire makes it fair enough to assume this isn't a rumour. But according the gaming site, the scale of the file was small, but it destroyed the code and backups.
Pretty much TS2 had the same amount of time as TS4 from its 'restart' period. Olympus was scrapped mid project, yes? TS2 had the fire mid-project. Shocking difference though in regards to the quality of the output from Day One, but according to a lot of fans of the game TS4 is becoming more playable as time goes by.
BTW: thank you @jackjack_k for sharing this information. Really awesome
Development of the Sims 2 started as early as 2001 according to devs, but EA said development of the game we have now started in 2003.
I think the Maxis fire might have been a case of Chinese whispers. As apparently the original lead artist was fired as the project wasn't coming together. Idk there's so many stories out there. But yeah, EA said development started in 2003 on the final version which was only a year before the game came out.
So I assume they had everything they needed but had to put it together again.
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The only naysayers of the fire are you.
The fire is mentioned as a trivia question in the official game.
https://www.unseen64.net/tag/maxis/
I don't really get why this has to be a conspiracy theory. Or is it the fact that TS4 can't use mid-project change as an excuse to deliver poor quality when compared to TS2 a bother? if Maxis says there was a fire, why do you not believe the company?
http://www.mondostudios.com/interactive/SimsInstall/Simsinstall.html
Because this theory popped up on the net in 2013. That's the earliest it happened I just did a search myself.
Where is this trivia in the game?
Also, in the early days of the Sims 2 they used resources from other games to get the game into motion and they began switching things over from scratch. As someone who loves Bustin Out and Urbz, the Sims 2 looks nothing like either. The only similarity is some of the hairstyles were taken from Bustin Out as temporary placeholders. So Sims aren't bald before the art team got in.
All I have seen a dev say is that they had to rebuild the game in 2003 and EA called that the start of "official development". The previous dev time was lost and they had to get whatever resources they had into remaking the game.
It's not known how much of the game they had to rebuild, but judging from the footage before the redesign, it looks like a new engine and everything else was still there (furniture, objects etc)
Also Sims don't look as weird. The girl in Cas looks like the Renders of Sims2, which rarely looked as good as the Sims in the final version. I wish Sims looked like that.
Also the console Sims 2 games (minus the PSP game) were not made by the PC team in that office so the article says they were affected but they werent.
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If I remember correctly, the trivia was there when installing the base game from disk. I vaguely remember it. It had trivia about the toilet being the first object, trivia about simlish...and lots of other trivia.
I have the base game disc and haven't seen anything about fires.
Also, there's a huge in depth look at the development of the Sims 2 and none of them mention a fire.
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I wasn't saying there was fires. I was just telling you the trivia was during the installation...
That's okay I meant where in this fire trivia, not trivia in general
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As you know the trivia cycles the questions. You have to play the trivia multiple times maybe? No idea why you've never seen it.
It's nowhere on the internet pre-2013 which is why I raised suspicion. As yeah, I've had to install the Sims 2 quite a bit over the years and never seen it.
I did take it for granted, but now that others have pointed it out, it seems a bit off that no one spoke about it until a Mod The Sims thread made some rumours about it (rumours that said the game looked like Bustin Out originally which doesn't make sense as why would they make the Sims 2 look like a game already out) etc.
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I don't hang out in Mod the Sims forums; I just go there to download and find tutorials, so I don't know about that rumour. That being said, there doesn't seem to be much information floating around. While none of the developers who worked on TS2 are around any more, I reckon EA employees would know about it. I really don't have time to play the trivia multiple times to find the question. Perhaps you can do so if you want to find out for yourself whether it is true or not. Again, I base this off of what Maxis said--not Mod the Sims.
Well Mod the Sims are the ones that said it was in the trivia unless you saw it yourself?
All I'm saying is that there was a whole in-depth look at the Sims 2 production and nowhere did they say there was a fire. So it just seems off.
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That being said, memory is the most dishonest thing ever. The last time I installed (I uninstalled UC and reinstalled my games, UC was missing content and there was no way to remove something we're not allowed to talk about here) I can't remember what I saw for the trivia. I have it all memorised now, so I don't get answers wrong, so I play it mainly for the concentration part (which is hella fun).
Again, I've always taken for granted that this is truth and I can tell you without a doubt it wasn't from MTS. Please let me know what you find out; now I'm super curious.
@SimGuruDrake, posts like this are why it would be nice to have a General Sims section rather than just mixing this game-relevant stuff up with all of the Off-Topic Chatter.
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