Breathless’ blog

Michael, all that you achieved in your life, in music, in the music videos, in fashion, in charity, in breaking down boundaries - will remain with us forever. I doubt even our grandchildren will live the day when another legend like you walks the Earth again. It's been three days and I still can't believe, still don't want to believe...been burning candles and listening to your songs that you left here for us, and I can't decide whether to SMILE, or CRY, or be angry at all all those people who just DON'T CARE, and my mind fails at registering the fact that you weren't INVINCIBLE after all.

Wherever you are, I pray that you're at peace at least, at long last - I know you've had a very troubled life. I pray for your soul and for your kids and all your family. May rest in peace among the stars in the sky. Much love from Hungary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d30jrfZIh6g

It's been like at least half a year anticipating this game, for me anyway, 'twas about that time when I first caught glimpse of it in an online store. Having all the original Sims games and their expansions, I've had my expectations up quite high...but to be honest, I'm not sure the game managed to meet them all.

Having played the beta for some weeks, I actually went back to the city to get my pre-ordered copy just after I got home on a Tuesday afternoon. In that few weeks, I got quite addicted, even despite some obvious things simply missing from the game, what just didn't stop bugging me. But I shrugged it off, saying it's beta, and the retail version will prolly contain them anyway, no need to get jumpy about it. And apparently, I was wrong. When I got back home the second time that Tuesday afternoon (more like early evening by that time), and installed and started the final version of the game, I was like: "Wth?..." I couldn't spot any differences between the beta and the final version, apart from a build number. I think. Not even really sure about that.


Okay, so what do we have here? Hardware requirements are pretty friendly, I don't think anyone is in serious trouble because of that nowadays. The same old system of the game is still here too: be born (or created), grow up and learn, work and spend the money earnt, enjoy your spoils, die. About creating sims: what you read everywhere is that how much simpler it all became. Well, I might be wrong, but I don't remember this particular thing having been any more complicated in Sims 2 either. Sure you're given more flexibility, but that's mainly thanks to the Create-A-Style function, with which almost everything can be customized: patterns, full infinite color spectrum (that doesn't always displays the exact color on the sim tho, somehow), all absolutely freely variable, not only on sims but on most house items as well. Just think of it: freedom is basically limitless this way, but it really complicates the processes, because if you really wanna get creative and unique, you'll find yourself spending hours only to create one character... The personality traits part is actually a nice thing, it really adds more flavor to the sims and makes it more interesting (or just longer?) to explore the possibilities they open up.

Once the family is done and moved in and has a hosue, comes another new feature that sweeps everyone off their feet: seamless neighborhood. Great. No, I mean, really, it is indeed much smoother than having to wait minutes for a new place to be loaded every time ur sim goes somewhere. And the neighborhood also seems to be alive, or at least tries to: wherever you go, you'll find other sims (more-usually-than-not just flocking to the area themselves, but still) minding their own business, conversing, or whatnot. But honestly: that really such a big new awesome invention? I mean, it's 2009 AD, c'mon. Anyway. The first thing you'll notice in the HUD are the moodlets. You know, those small squares that tell you how the sim is actually feeling: horrified at some happening or another, totally tired in need of sleep, fascinated by an interesting object, fulfilled because their wishes came true...you name it. All having an effect on their current mood of course, which is also displayed in the moodlet's description. What you don't get, are the different levels (ie. colors) of the mood meter: it's simply green everywhere. Personally, I preferred the way it was in Sims 2, easier to get the info from, especially with several family members, if you see that the background of their thumbnail just dropped from white to red, then having to always select them to check, but oh well. That's just one of the really minor nuisances to spoil Sims 3.

A much greater one, that's surely the biggest letdown of this game for me, is what I just dubbed "the dark side of the seamless neighborhood". Forget about selecting the town you want your sim to live in, as there aren't options: the vanilla game only comes with Sunset Valley equipped. Yep, that's right, back to Sims 1 - wtf? Prolly the creators themselves felt that it's quite not okay (to put it nicely), somewhere around the time when they released the game to manufacture, because you get a free neighborhood once you sign up to the official Sims 3 community, and there clearly wasn't enough time to do it properly, despite even the new items, because most of the places are the very same as in Sunset Valley, their names included. Go on playing though, you'll notice some nice things: sims can invest in shops or some other public places, take classes to learn different skills, collect minerals and insects which can either be put in a terrarium or sold for money... But as the money's rolling in and you'd want to buy more advanced stuffs, you'll come to unearth some not-so-nice "features" too. Or, well, you could unearth them, if they weren't missing - the items, that is. For example, okay we get a lot of curtains by default, but where are some smaller statue-like art pieces? Where has the hot tub gone to? Where's the damn diving board for my pool? ... No, ain't joking, those all are missing. As well as any and all greenhouse stuffs (except the sprinkler, found in a quite odd category) - but oh wait, you don't need a green house, as there are no seasons either. Again. You can have a garden (just plant anything anywhere, no special earth anymore either) and produce all kinda fruits, but there's no device to make juice of them. You have sea (in Sunset Valley, but that's the only included neighborhood anyway), and like 3 or so marked beach locations, but the sims can't swim in the sea. You have books to learn some skills, but not for others - what's with that? Sure you can't perfect your painting skills just by reading, but if anyone tells me you couldn't even learn some basics from books, I'ma smack them. Really. And where's the billiard table? And the card table? And the aquariums, even if they were just decors? Okay, there IS one of those, in which ONE fish can be put (regardless of size, really...you get the info on the weight of the fish you catch, and there are quite many types, but you can put in a 30-something kg one into the small bubble aquarium on the table just as nicely as a 1 kg one...some programmers should read those logic skillbooks?), but to actually have a "perfect aquarium" desire with THAT? Doesn't even have to be cleaned anymore, you just have to feed the fish - can't even just watch it, really. Or try to create a pond in your garden: you'll find (with some luck) the only water lily to decorate your little lake with, and that too tends to just appear at the bottom of it if you go there next time. Yay for diversity. And for f's sake, really: could someone just tell me what prompted the programmers to drop highlighting the action in progress in the action queue? It's okay that it's logical that the first one is being carried out, but since the sims are sims, they never started something 'til they got to the place or object needed, now you just can't know that either anymore, unless zooming in on them just to check.

*sighs* Really. I feel like the poor sims took one step forward, and god knows how many more back. I feel like the programmers just sanctified and made some earlier hacks officially and by-default available (45° rotation, aging, etc), and forgot (or ripped on purpose) just so much more that's always been default. Toilet paper, notepad and pencils, bottles of perfumes, and the like - just decors, but really nice small details. Plants not needing watering (and trimming outside), console/computer having no different games to buy, clothes just changeable at will without having to be bought - really small details, but ruining the feeling nonethelss. All sims having a cell phone (from child up) by default is great, but the need for the ~normal~ ones is no more at all, they're at most decors. And while actually having to have a number of acquaintances/friends to increase the charisma skill sounds very logical, I miss that one "memories" tab from Sims 2, where the important events in the sim's life were recorded (that reminds me, no more diary-writing either).

It could be so much more, if it wasn't missing many of those most-enjoyable things. Right, some stuffs must be left for expansions too (well, not right, but understandable), but while Sims 2 was a huge step ahead after the first part with its expansions, I have a feeling that we don't enjoy this release because it's Sims 3, but only because it's Sims - that same thing that made the previous two parts addictive. But it's old, damnit, and having to resort to getting the same items everytime and everywhere if we want that "top" luxury level (aka the beautifully decorated moodlet) once more like we already had to in two previous vanilla games, well...I'd say it really gives seamless neighborhood and create a style the kick in the btm.