The Sims 3: Generations Updated Preview - Teenagers Revealed

The Sims series continues to let you control the lives of little computer people as they commute to their jobs, socialize with each other using wild gestures and gibberish-language "socials," and sneak off to the potty. And the fourth expansion, The Sims 3: Generations, will add new content for the littlest little computer people--small children and teenagers. We've already covered the expansion's primary additions and gone in depth on the new features for small child sims in our previous coverage. This time around, we have the full details on what you can expect from teenager gameplay.

As we've mentioned previously, teenagers will have a host of new prank socials they'll be able to play on the people they ideally neither know nor love. These include the classic pranks we all remember from our youth, along with a bunch of booby traps that can be set throughout the house for unsuspecting family members or houseguests. Pranks include making prank calls, doorbell ditching (the dastardly act of ringing a house's front doorbell and running away before the residents can get to the door), egging a house, and a little something The Sims Studio calls "planting a flaming bag." Booby traps will include such things as toilets that overflow, sinks that spray, and showers that are loaded with dye. Naturally, sims that get pranked will receive a negative moodlet (temporary states in The Sims 3 that either enhance or detract from your sim's mood), but teenagers that pull off their pranks or booby traps without getting caught will earn positive moodlets. With a successful run of unpunished pranks, teens can earn an "uber prankster" moodlet.

Unfortunately, it's possible for sloppy pranksters to get caught--if not by the cops, then by their parents or guardians. Generations will include multiple new types of punishment levels for teenagers beyond the usual scolding, which includes being banned from using their favorite items in the house (the equivalent of revoked TV or computer privileges), being put in the dreaded time-out, and being grounded (unable to leave the house)--the even-more-dreaded punishment than the time-out. In such cases, teens can attempt to sneak around their punishments by using the forbidden household objects or by sneaking out of the house when grounded. Taking the new "rebellious" trait will actually give them a bonus in their quest to defy authority. Juvenile delinquents who take this trait will get a bonus positive moodlet after doing other socially unacceptable things, like copying homework or getting a tattoo. Teens who have less of a wild streak (or just know what's good for them) can otherwise try to commute their own sentences by doing chores or using the "beg for forgiveness" social.

Teen life won't be all chores and time-outs. Generations will give your teens the opportunity to socialize with the other kids in the neighborhood at parties. If they're lucky, their parents may take an adults-only vacation, leaving the teens at home on the honor system--which logically leads to the expansion's new house party system. With it, teens can invite their friends over by phone and use the new "break up party" social to quickly shoo all their guests out of the house before the cops come.

In addition to house parties, teens will be able to participate in after-school activities and clubs for sports and music, which will actually increase their skills if they attend. Then again, teens that prefer to not work on the school yearbook can prepare for perhaps the single most important event in their young lives--the upcoming school dance (and the most important dance of them all: the prom). The prom will be a magical night where your teens can get into the running to be voted king or queen of the prom, experience a first kiss, or decide to go steady with their date. The Sims Studio has not yet confirmed whether you can dump a bucket of pig's blood onto the prom queen, but sadly, this feature doesn't look like it'll make it into the game at this point.

The Sims 3: Generations adds lots of in-depth features for the youngsters in your household. The expansion will be released later this month.