APARTMENT LIFE (ENGLISH)

First I want to apologize for the English translation. It's not my first language, but I try to do my best. Also I'm sorry for the videos. Some needs Quick Time to be saw, and their quality are not very good.

I would also say right now thanks to all the persons who help me to make this report.

Thanks to Maria, Frof and Fangotick for their questions. I hope they will find the answer to their questions in this report or in the interview.

Thanks to the Sims Team to take care of us, to answer to our questions, especially to Andrea Wendland, Sherrie Dandan, the US Community Managers, to Bim Majekodunmi, Lakshmi Jayapalan and Shannon Copur, Lead Producers for this EP (and also to all the ones we see during the 2 days and work yet in the video, the sound....).

Thanks to EA Games to invite Urbania to discover this new EP and give us a chance to report the wants and the questions of the community.

Thanks to Michael Brumm from the German site Simtimes to give some additional pictures, to Wouter and Jorrit Stuifmeel from the dutch fan site Simparool and Dirk Meidel from the German fan site Simplaza for their kindness during all the event.

Thanks to the others Sims Fans to share about our main hobby.

(You can clic on the pictures to enlarge)

EP Apartment Life

1- What are the new things of this EP ?

- new jobs ?

No new jobs because there is a lot of new other content.

- New interactions between the Sims ?

Yes, a lot. For all ages.

For toddlers first... 2 toddlers can now hug each other. An Sims can play « peek-a-boo » with the baby.

For kids : on the play menu, they can swing around (an adult do it).

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The teens have a new action with them, in the fight menu (a kind of teasing action).

For all ages, there is a new type of dance (classic one, with a dip), and ages after teen can also make a dance kiss (more polite than the actual one)

From teen to teen (adult to adult and elder to elder), there is a new type of kiss (not very good one) named kiss suck face...

- New Clothes ? Hairs ? Jewels ? Genetics ?

There is some new hairs, clothes and jewels, but the EA Team don't finish to make it so there will be more than the one I see (specially for the teens and the kids).

For the new hairs, it is the same thing.

See the new families to have a look of the new clothes.

For the jewels, I see new rings, new bracelets, new earing (look like the ones of Bon Voyage, but I couldn't compare because only the new EP was on computers).

- New stuff ? Construction mods (spiral staircase, round wall, ceiling, corner staircase...) ?

For stuff, there is a lot of totally new kind of objects. Let me tell you few examples.

2 beds… Do you remember the vibrate bed in the Sims 1 ? So they made it on Sims 2 !!!

The other bed is a “Murphy bed”. What does it mean ? It’s a bed who have to be placed on walls, because it can fold up to the wall. On day, Sims have more place to move on the bedroom (or in their small studio) but they cannot put some other objects under it, even when the bed is folded (you have to keep the place empty).

Another very good thing is a real closet. You have to enclose it by walls.

There is also a very huge aquarium with seahorses, crab, star, and a moray eel.

Some new tools for kids are available : 4 different outdoor games...

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For the one who want to make a more realistic grocery, you can now propose some sodas and snack owing to these machines.

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For construction mods, there is new fences, new doors, new windows, new half walls (one can be used as a fence because look like one)... I also see a new type of roof decoration, very nice... And for build on old building, you can also decor your walls with different pipes.

The main thing is the SPIRAL STAIRCASE !!! You are waiting for it and at least, EA makes it !!! Thanks to them. There is 3 different type of stairs, for all the apartments you design. The pets can also run over it, as for common stairs.

Other thing really important is the ceiling !!! You can place ceiling like a floor and all floors can be turn on ceiling (I didn't test it, so I don't know how it work... Sorry for that).

A new type of door, as the one of Bon Voyage, permit to make the apartment. Don’t forget to make it in the good side…

For the ones who wait for round wall, the team explain that they have a lot of things to fix (place some objects near the window for example) that makes the thing complicated... We have to wait...

- New district ? New families, houses, community lots…. ?

Named Belladonna Cove, it’s a pretty one, with a part decorated like a town and an other part like landscape. The new district’s decorations made a “atmosphere” for each part.

New different families (with single parents… Stories about them wasn’t write, so I cannot tell you more about it), houses (some are very very nice, as you can see in the photos) and community lots (I recommend the Central Park in three parts...).

In the community lots, you can now learn a new funny dance... Very very nice to see... The learning especially, because your Sims have more and less gift for this danse !!!

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- New characters ? NPC ? Like a Watchman ?

There is a lot of new NPC.

The main one was the landlord. He is the one who take care of the rental building. In the vidéo you can see a new game... To skip.

Vidéo n°10

There is also five new groups of characters you can meet in commercial lot, like townies, who have their greetings and their interest (not really new hobbies, more some different class of persons...). See the interview for more informations about it.

- New special character ? Playable or like the Big Foot ?

There is 3 different types of new special Sims... Just look to these videos to discover it.

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Happy ?

You can play with this Sims, like the Vampire for example.

To know a little more about these new characters, please read the 7th point of this article.

- new musics ? Who are the star who will sing on the EP ?

Music is more important in that EP, with around 20 new musics (not new category) in college rock, pop and techno. Europeans are luky because they have more « songs » than american... The star is a large pop band, more popular for young people...

- new codes ?

One permit to build a residence and change from residential lot to shared building.

Another one is used to put 2 posters (or 2 shelves, or 2 paintings...) on the wall… It could also be a window and a moulding.

2- Sims can live in apartment, not only in houses ?

- so we can see building with more than one flat, so also more than one family playable in the same building ?

Yes. You can control 4 different families, but if you want, you can make more flats : you have NPC families who will rent the additional flats.

- what happen for example for the school bus ? Will we see all the teenagers / children exit the building ?

It look like they go. For the NPC child and teen, they enter and exit the bus and that's all. For the kids of controlable families, they do the same thing, but as they didn't grow up (not yet), they didn't bring back some homework (you didn't find a pile of homework when you jump on another family).

- What's going on for the mail box ? Did we have several mail box (one per family) ? And for the garbage can ?

The newspaper is give in front of the door of each family…

The mail box look like being more than one, but no, because only the family you control can use it. Just in case... Don't worry about the amount you see, the bills have to be fixed.

Same for the garbage can.

- Does this EP looks a little Sims Academy ? Will we lock on access to an apartment to people in particular ?

Yes. Your door is loked for the other persons on the lot... But if you say hello to one... All enter in your flat...

The others doors (uncontrollable families) are also locked. You have to knock on and after, if you are lucky, they open and you can see the stuff in (and disappear again when you close the door).

Vidéo n°13

- Will we control only one family by the time or we have to take care of all the families ?

Only one family can be controlable by the time.

- What happen to the others families when we play ?

Nothing special happen. Sims don't grow up. The relation points stay, for NPC families or for controlable families.

- How many Sims can be controlled at the same time ?

8 maximum, as in a normal residential lot.

- How will we pass from one family to an other ?

You have to go back to the neighborhood, clic again in the lot and choose a new family.

3- Sims can rent or own the apartment ?

They can only rent an apartment.

- If they rent it, how will they pay the rental ? Same method than the hostel in Bon Voyage ?

It's not the same method than in hotels in Bon Voyage, because the rent is due for a week, and the rent is automatically take each monday (it's take as the nanny or the maid), for the following week.

- May the Sims be expel if they don't pay ?

No. First the landlord complain, after he re-complain (more loud) and if the Sims still don't pay, the bailill come and take furniture.

- Is there a kind of syndic of joint ownership ?

No, the only reference is the landlord. He check every day if everything is OK, and the tenant can say when there is a problem. He / she's not paid by the lodger.

He / She cleans the common areas, but not your flat (you can have your own maid), repair the broken things and also kill the bugs (the actions “call the repair man” or “the bugs killer” are not available on phone in the shared lots), but only if you ask him / her. You can also complain about the noise to him / her.

4- What are the interactions between neighbors ?

- Can we organize block party (like the one takes place last Tuesday) ?

Yes you can, but in fact, the lanlord organize this kind of thing each saturday... But you can make parties when you want !!

- Can we create some « wars » of neighbors (this one doesn't like this other, so make noise, let the dog pee in front of the door...) ?

Of course... If the neighbor make a lot of noise, you can bang on the wall or complain for it at the door. If the noise continue, you can complain to the landlord, but not really more. Relation points will decrease and after a while, you can figth... Like normal ennemies do.

Vidéo n°14

- Can we have pets in the apartment ?

Yes. There is no problems. If the dog pee in the common areas, the landlord will clean and that's all. I don't know if they can or not enter the other apartments, but I think not (as wolfes in the Pets EP).

- New hobbies can be available ?

No, but new interests with the social groups.

5- Regarding to the building ?

- Actually, the lots are more for « individual houses ». Will we have some new type of lots ?

With the new code, you create apartments lots, but it's only like University dorms or Bon Voyage Hotels. There is not a new placable lot.

- Can we create our own building ? What will be the restraints (number of floors...) ?

Yes, of course. For the restrictions, as usual, without the code, you cannot build up to 5 floors, and the main restriction is to use the special door for apartments.

- Can we create functional underground car parks ? And storage rooms where we can put cupboards / shelves ?

Not really… To have a specific parking or a specific storage room, you must link the apartment to the the storage room or the parking directly, with no possibilities to go to the common parts of the lot. If not, it’s considerate as a community storage room or parking. For the storage room, there is new shelves you can put on walls (look like more realistic).

- Do we have some new lift ? Smaller, more old ?

There is one more lift, very cute, with an iron door... Not smaller, but as you can see in old building in France.

- May you do more realistic stairs (in 2 parts, with landing in the middle) ?

Not yet... But be happy with the spiral stairs...

- Are we free in the type of flat (from the one room to the duplex with 9 rooms) ?

You can do some small rooms on top on the last floor of the building (like a maid bedroom) and a hudge apartment with 9 rooms... You are totally free.

- How we fix the rental ? Can we fix the rental ourselves (or it's like Bon Voyage) ?

It's a little like Bon Voyage because the rental is based on the size, on the decorations, of the environnement (pool, huge lot...). It also depend of the other buildigs next... If all are very huge and build with expensive tools, the rental will be more expensive.

- How many flat can we make in one building ? How many families can live in a building at the same time ?

As many as you want... Or to be honest, as many as your computer can support. But there is no limit in the game. Just remember that you can control only 4 families in a lot.

6- How can we distribute the flats ?

- Do beginning apartment can be made (less than 20 000 §) ?

In fact, rent is really less expensive than buy a new house, so it's more easy for begining families to rent a flat per week. They have to buy furniture, but it's still less expensive..

The bad thing is you cannot change the flat when you are in (just change the furniture, the wall paper and the floors unless you use a code of course).

- What is the average price for a flat ?

As I see, between 50 to 200 § per week, but the Lead Producers says that it's not totally fix.

- An old woman can have a big flat and a family with 3 children a little one ?

If you think you can manage the situation, why not... It could be a good beginning for a Sims Story.

- Can we make furnished / unfurnished flats (to rent) ? Do the price will change or not ?

You can build the flat you want... But if you put a playable family in a totally furnished apartment, only few feature stay : fridge, stove, ceiling lights, counter, bathroom things... For the unplayable characters, they keep the all furnished flats, because they cannot buy these items.

7- The new special Sims.

A lot of us waiting for the magic, so it's very good that EA made it...

There is in fact 3 different kind of witches… The good ones are dressed in white, the bad ones are green (not the alien green, a new one), dressed in black and the neutral ones are in grey.

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I see a lot of different witches, so they might be a lot in the neighborhood (at least, one man and one women for each kind of witches).

You can of course became a witch. How ? Just became friend with one and wait a little... After the transformation, you need to learn... You cannot be a witch with no cast spell !! You can make potions, buy some items, create it... Just do it !! Enjoy the different ways and look to all the funny possibilities...

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There is 2 new secret lots, one for good witches, one for bad witches. I didn’t have time to visit it, but if you look to the other reports (especially in the fan site phosworks), you will find some pictures. And look to the one of Mickael in Simtimes, you will discover the landlord of the bad witches's castle… Very very special !!!

I didn't really have time to look to all the possibilities of the wich, so enjoy the photos and videos. If you have more questions, just say it, I will report them to the EA Team (thanks again to them to take the time to answer to the fans.)

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Good things / Bad things

GOOD :

- the new special Sims... Not only one, but 3 new !!! That's very nice, because you have different ways to play.

- The spiral staircase. The fans ask for it long time ago.

- A lot of new build items, specially the ceiling !!

- New interactions between the Sims (and also with the toddlers).

- New social groups, with really specific things...

And I'm sure I didn't see everything !!! So it must be more good things.

BAD :

- All the neighbors react for fire, even if they are not in the room (that’s not good at all…).

- The Sims can only rent the flat, they cannot own it and rent it to another Sims.

- No home buisiness available in rented buildings.

- There is lot of thing to discover, so I'm not sure that the players can see everything, and play with all the content.

Not enough time to test all the possibilities lol

In fact, I wasn't one of the fans who want to see again Magic in Sims. Before the fan day, I was not very interested by this EP... Thats also why we prepare a lot of questions.

And of course, when I discovered the EP, I saw a very complete game, who really give more interest to the basic game. I think, if the Team fix the small problems (we test a « alpha-beta » game, not the finished one), that this EP can be one of the essential ones for the players. More than Nigtlife for example. I have to say that I really enjoy this new EP, and I hope that is a success because the Team make a very good job !!!

More Reports about this fan event

- The Sims Resource

- Sterling Sims 2

- EdenStyle English article (also exist in Spanish, in Italian, in Dutch. and in French.

- SimTimes (this article is not avalaible yet)

- Sim Plaza