The Dating Game

Given that Nightlife is heavily influenced by the dating game and building new (and more complex) relationships with other Sims, the new Attraction System plays a major part. When creating a new Sim, you will see an additional tab at the point of choosing an Aspiration (image below). Its all about 'Turn On / Offs', as you can see in this image. Sims will be more romantically attracted to other Sims with the same personality traits that your Sim has selected as Turn Ons. Likewise, Sims will be less attracted to any other possessing traits you select as Turn Offs.

So, take your Sim out to that busy Downtown Lot and let them 'scope' the crowd. Any Sim that shows signs of compatibility will sparkle. In the example Tim showed us, one guy was blown out simply because the girl he was trying it on with didn't like his blonde hair! A bit harsh I thought (are people really that shallow??), but a quick trip to the mirror to change hair color could soon fix that! No matter though, because this cool cat pulled out the big guns... Cologne! His next victim was a pushover once she caught a whiff of his Eau De Toilette. So then it begins.. The date is now on, and the timer is counting down.

Yep, that's right.. Sims have to date in super speed or face being blown out in a spectacular public dumping ceremony. You will see a date progress meter which shows how you are getting along, with ratings of horrible, bad, lame, okay, good, great and dream date. Each time your Sim progresses a level, his date timer is increased giving them more time to impress. Tim pointed out that at this stage the date timer is a work in progress. It was added for challenge value, just as we had in University when the Headmaster made a visit. The development team are aware that this could hinder the storytellers out there, so there may or may not be changes afoot to make this an option, rather than a restriction.

Night Life? That must be the Vamps then!

Remember the Zombies of University? Welcome the new character of TS2, the Vampire! Tim introduced us to Count Alex, a Grand Vampire. I got the impression that these guys were a challenge to handle. You can't just go into Create A Sim and make a vampire (although you can dress a Sim up in the red and black cloak in preparation). Vampires are generated after building up a relationship with an existing Vamp and being bitten. Nasty business! There is a fix though. You can hunt down the Gypsy Matchmaker and have her change you back to human again if you wish, but you will be missing out on some great benefits.

The crypt looked like a great place to sleep, and had the added bonus of scaring the underwear off any unsuspecting Sim that chose, or was dared by others, to lift the lid and take a peek inside! Also, Vamps motives do not decay at night (unlike their toes?) and I loved the added detail that we have come to expect from EA, in that Vampires do not cast any reflection in the mirrors! Tim showed us how Vamps can 'stalk' around (a great animation with the cape pulled half way up above the face) but given that Count Alex just got out of the crypt, he was wearing his underwear, which kinda took the edge off it! Oh, and they can of course change into a bat and fly (nice and quick way to move around the house without having to go around all the furniture).

The down side to being a Vampire of course is daylight, and leaving your Vamp Sim out in it will cause them to slowly burn up (a fantastic animation that many people will be inflicting on innocent Sims for their own enjoyment no doubt).

Tim explained that although Vampires didn't really play a part in the dating and socializing game that Downtown was designed for, there are many storytellers and movie makers working with horror content, so they wanted to provide them with the tools and sets they needed. This is in much the same way the band items were added to University (there were many people crying out for tools to make music videos).

Who's gonna drive you home... tonight?

And so on to the much talked about cars. Yes, your Sims can now drive, but that doesn't mean that you can! Tim went into overdrive with cars, but not (as some might expect) to hype them up. Tim wanted to play them down. He explained that cars should be treated as "just another object" and that he was adamant that Nightlife should not be known as "the car pack". Players have been demanding cars for their Sims since the early days of TS1, but Tim believes this was for the wrong reasons. So, before you ask.. NO, you can't get in your car and use the cursor keys to drive about the 'hood. There are many driving games out there that do this job admirably. The game play design of adding cars was to add to the efficiency of running a house, just as they are in that thing I keep being reminded of, "real life". As expansion packs add more and more needs to domestic life in the game, tools have to be put in place to streamline the process. The addition of cars is to allow Sims to move around more quickly and efficiently, as moving around is becoming a more integral part of a Sim's life.

So what are the benefits of splashing out on a Sim-Mobile? Kids missed the school bus? No problem, any Teen or Adult Sim can jump in the car and take them. Same goes for any missed carpools. Sims can just sit in the car and listen to music if they choose to, or they might want to invite a friend to 'make out' or even 'woohoo'. And yes, the windows do mist up (it's a natural privacy curtain), and yes, the axel does get a workout as the car rocks from side to side!

When your household buys a car you get to set the owner (you can change the owner at any time), which allows you to have a multiple car family without the kids driving off in dads dream car by default. Garages can be built separately or as part of a house, with the garage door winding up and down automatically. By the way, when I say 'part of a house' I mean that literally. You can drive right in to the living room if you like.

Build me up, buttercup!

Build Mode is a part of the game close to my heart as I'm, more of a "build them up, knock them down" player than a "family first, career second" enthusiast. So, you can imagine my delight when, after hassling Tim and the team on pretty much all of my trips to EA, I finally got to see my much needed half-height walls! And the team didn't do them half-heartedly (excuse that one) either! Sure, you can have a simple mini wall, but why not go all the way and use the added features of glass divides, wooden moldings or even railing atop your beloved room divide? Of course, you can even use your wallpapers on the bottom sections to ensure that they blend perfectly. I'm in heaven!

Pools can now be enhanced with diagonals, meaning that you can create swimming pools of all shapes and sizes to enhance your outdoor areas.

Create A (new) Sim

I had been asked to find out more about the 'Create A Sim' aspect of the Expansion than any other, so what can you expect to see when creating that all important fun loving, dancing, singing, car driving vampire? Well, the toddler age group has been sent a lifeline with a complete makeover! There are new Tux's for both sexes, seen here sporting pink numbers for the wee girlies and formal black for the boys, making their appearances at the inevitable weddings far more realistic and memorable. You can hear in your mind, the wailing of "aww... how sweet" from distant relations just thinking about it! Toddlers also get a new range of winter clothes, including hats in the shape of bears, frogs and more.

I should probably mention at this point that EA are aware of peoples desired to have a lot more interaction with babies and toddlers which they are definitely going to explore and develop, although Tim pointed out that a "Toddlers" expansion pack is unlikely. Expect any enhancements to be included in future releases.

A handful of new hairstyles have made the cut for all ages, and University hairstyles have now been made available for adults too, meaning that (like some self confessed EA staff) you can still have your college hair style much later on in life. New additions for louts that choose to hang around Downtown are the "Puffa Jackets", most likely known by a completely different name in your region of this small world, but shown to the left for reference. Sorry, I didn't get a picture of the goggles (supposedly a fashion item Downtown). No sign of Hoodies though, almost certainly indicating (thankfully) that vandalism and street crime are being saved for a very distant EP. Much to the delight of some EA staffers though, it has been noted that finally, there are some decent jeans for female Sims to wear. Bowling outfits have also been included, as seen in the many Bowling screenshots released to date.

That was a long read.. any more?

More? You want more? Well, sure, there are many things that I didn't mention here (and I'm sure many things that I didn't even get to see in the game myself), so there is always going to me more. You'll find out for yourself when you play in Mid September, the slated release date for Nightlife.

I think it goes without saying though, that you don't have to be interested in using the dating system for this EP to be a great addition to your game. There are, as is usually the case with the Sims expansions, many areas of the game explored and enhanced to renew interest and help you push your imagination further.

And of course, the next Expansion is already being worked on, so we can probably expect an announcement about this around the time Nightlife ships (maybe even in the box, as they did with University, although this is not yet confirmed).

My thanks to Tim and the EA UK team for the opportunity and information, and to my UK Sims Community colleagues who attended, making the day informative and enjoyable.

/Steve