The Sims

[DrSpike]

Sim Porn - I guess it's only a matter of time really.

[lord of the mark]

I think those are all Sims2 screen shots.

Im discussing the original Sims, at this point.

[Blake]

Fundamentally they're not that different. The same game (rather buggy and awful) engine underlies both.

TS2 mostly just looks prettier :P.

[Kuciwalker]

What? I thought TS2 used a [very heavily] modified version of the SC4 engine, and isn't TS1 2D?

[Adagio]

You mean they don't use the Half Life 2 engine?

[Blake]

Originally posted by Kuciwalker
What? I thought TS2 used a [very heavily] modified version of the SC4 engine, and isn't TS1 2D?

What I mean by underlying game engine is the scripting language they use to move sims around. The GRAPHICS engine is different, and the file formats might be a bit different, but most of that scripting language code is the same.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Blake
Fundamentally they're not that different. The same game (rather buggy and awful) engine underlies both.

TS2 mostly just looks prettier :P.

then its a tribute to the non-technical aspects of the design, its fun and addictive despite the engine.

BTW, IIUC the people (in TS1) are 3d so they can move into any position, while everything else (homes, terrain, objects) is 2d, since you can only see it from a few fixed POV's. Im not sure all the technical language for this.

[DrSpike]

Originally posted by lord of the mark


then its a tribute to the non-technical aspects of the design, its fun and addictive despite the engine.

Or an indictment of the intelligence of the playerbase.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by DrSpike


Or an indictment of the intelligence of the playerbase.

:P

Im willing to bet that if compared the average IQ of the Sims playerbase, to the Halo playerbase, well .......

[DrSpike]

I think the Halo playerbase would win - immaturity is not the same as stupidity.

[Wiglaf]

THE SIMS SUCKS, LORD OF THE MARK. IT SUCKS. Apparently no one has taken you aside to tell you who the game is designed for. The people who play it are overwhelmingly middle aged women who still think that dolls are cool. They are the least productive members of society, who instead of working or advertising on craigslist are gaining weight and playing with computerized dolls that DO NOTHING BUT EAT, CRAP AND GO TO WORK REPEATEDLY UNTIL YOU DECIDE TO QUIT.

IT IS A DOLLHOUSE AND I AM PROUD TO SAY AS A MAN I DO NOT LIKE DOLLHOUSES. I never have and never will. Most adults agree with me that The Sims is actually worse than a dollhouse, this is simple statistics.

[snoopy369]

Originally posted by DaShi
It's true. And Asher owns a Mac.

You know that he does, right? (A Macbook Pro)

[DaShi]

Yes, that was my point.

[DrSpike]

Originally posted by Wiglaf
THE SIMS SUCKS, LORD OF THE MARK. IT SUCKS. Apparently no one has taken you aside to tell you who the game is designed for. The people who play it are overwhelmingly middle aged women who still think that dolls are cool. They are the least productive members of society, who instead of working or advertising on craigslist are gaining weight and playing with computerized dolls that DO NOTHING BUT EAT, CRAP AND GO TO WORK REPEATEDLY UNTIL YOU DECIDE TO QUIT.

IT IS A DOLLHOUSE AND I AM PROUD TO SAY AS A MAN I DO NOT LIKE DOLLHOUSES. I never have and never will. Most adults agree with me that The Sims is actually worse than a dollhouse, this is simple statistics.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Wiglaf
THE SIMS SUCKS, LORD OF THE MARK. IT SUCKS. Apparently no one has taken you aside to tell you who the game is designed for. The people who play it are overwhelmingly middle aged women who still think that dolls are cool. They are the least productive members of society, who instead of working or advertising on craigslist are gaining weight and playing with computerized dolls that DO NOTHING BUT EAT, CRAP AND GO TO WORK REPEATEDLY UNTIL YOU DECIDE TO QUIT.

IT IS A DOLLHOUSE AND I AM PROUD TO SAY AS A MAN I DO NOT LIKE DOLLHOUSES. I never have and never will. Most adults agree with me that The Sims is actually worse than a dollhouse, this is simple statistics.

dont freak out man.

First, my impression of the demographic is that its mainly young women, including teens like POTM.

Second, the Sims do lots of things, they talk, order pizza, play on the computer, read, and lots of other things. Admittedly its not possible for them to troll folks on the net, but they do a wide range of what people do.

As for eating, thats a strategic choice in itself. Do you have them make a meal only for themselves, or serve a larger meal - if you do the latter, you can get folks who come over stay longer, and increase your sim's social needs score - but if they leave early anyway, you may waste a lot of food. Then theres the clean up vs hire maid choice, though I think thats unbalanced.

as for work, do you stay in a not so great career path that youre already partly established in, or switch to a better one early? How soon do you do the training to get promoted? Is it worth switching careers to get a better shift, one that will make it easier to socialize with your neighbors?

Frankly if you think the game is what youve described, I doubt youve played it.