TS2: Bon Voyage Preview

On Friday 20th July 2007, I was once again invited back to Electronic Arts in Redwood Shores for a Community Event to have a preview of the upcoming Sims 2 Expansion Pack, this time being 'Bon Voyage'. These events are great for our community as they allow us, the fan sites, to be first to present you with all the information you want to know about the upcoming expansions. We can see the packs from a Sims players' perspective and will come away with more of the juicy details than a magazine journalist will do, so big thanks to EA for keeping these events going!

This preview will hopefully share loads of new info with you, to help you decide whether The Sims 2: Bon Voyage will be on your shopping list when it hits the stores on September 5th 2007.

Disclaimer stuff: Please note that the version of the game we were playing was 'Alpha', meaning that final decisions have not yet been made regarding gameplay and content. Features which I talk about here may not make the cut into the final release of the game. Likewise, other changes might make this info contradict the final shipped version of the game. The User Interface screenshots had to be taken with a digital camera so the quality is a little lacking, sorry.

Bon Voyage! (Have a good trip)

Bon Voyage will be the 6th Expansion Pack for Sims 2 and once again takes its basic idea from a rather successful Sims 1 EP called Vacation, or On Holiday, depending on where in the world you bought it. But as you should by now expect, the actual content and gameplay is quite different. With Bon Voyage there are three distinctly different locations of the Sims world which your Sims can visit, each having unique themed objects, games, dances, characters and more. Rather cleverly, the NPC characters from each area behave quite differently to each other, fitting their surroundings perfectly.

Lets take a look at the new features in a bit more detail... I know you want to see the details ;-)

We're all going on a, summer holiday...

The concept of travelling has bought new challenges to the game as each trip your Sims take ads to their traveller ranking (which starts out at "Stumbling Sightseer") and can earn them new benefits in the game. They can also collect up to 45 mementos of their travelling experiences, each of which is a challenge to find in itself. These combined features make taking vacations a very rewarding experience for both the Sims, and you, the players!

Tour Guides can take your Sims on far flung adventures, new friends and relationships can start with the locals and you may even experience the presence of a folklore legend!

The Travel Agent

The fun all begins with a simple phone call. Direct a Sim to use the phone to call the travel agent and plan a trip where he or she can select up to 8 other Sims to join them on the trip of a lifetime. These guests can be both friends and family, so is a great way to rebuild relationships with those who have strayed over time. You can choose for the trip to start immediately, or on any given day in the next Sim week. Booking early can save a lot of money on airfares, with the scale ranging from an immediate flight costing §1000, to just §600 when booked 7 days in advance.

The duration of the vacation is also decided when booking, and this can range from 3 to 7 days and also affects the cost of the total vacation. Rooms at hotels and resorts are charged by the night, so a full on week vacation in a 5§ resort could cost a few thousand Simoleans for the family (quality ranges from § to §§§§§). At this stage you don't need to specify where you want to go, those choices are presented after you leave home.

Time off work is not required to take a vacation as time in the family home effectively stands still while you are away, just as it does when you visit a Community Lot.

On the day of the trip, a Taxi will arrive to collect the party and their luggage. As you can see here, Taxi's sport ads for vacations and come in new colors such as green and red. Sims leaving for vacation can be identified by their snazzy brown suitcases, waving to remaining Sims on the Lot as they pile into the taxi.

Checking In

Once your Sims are safely in the taxi and on their way, you are presented with your vacation options. Bon Voyage ships with 3 unique locations for your Sims to visit and you can of course create your own as well, but the base locations each have their own style: Takemizu Village is a far Eastern resort, Twikkii Island is a tropical beach location, and Three Lakes is a mountain retreat.

At this stage you also choose which vacation Lot you will stay on from the following choices:

Takemizu Village:
Flaming Dragon Hotel
Jade's Exclusive Villas
Steaming Dragon Hotel
Takemizu Village Resort

Twikkii Island:
Blossom Wood Hotel
Double Palm Resort
Potterhouse Bungalows
Twikkii Beach Hotel

Three Lakes:
Axe Wood Campgrounds
Blau Hills Resort
Hunter's Bedrock Inn
Sky Vista Motel
Three Lakes cabins

Once you arrive at your resort, each Sim needs to identify their choice of available rooms. The larger and more luxurious the room, the more it will cost per night. All that's then left to do is head over to the ConciergoSum Desk and get checked in. Sims can also check out from their vacation early by using this desk, should things not be going to plan!

Continued...