GameSpot's The Sims: Livin' Large Preview

Developer:
Maxis

Publisher:
Electronic Arts

Target Release Date:
Fall 2000
 
After you've finished reading our preview of The Sims: Livin' Large, be sure to check out our other Maxis preview of SimsVille here
By GameSpot Staff
05/09/00

Page 1 of 3

With the success of SimCity 3000 and The Sims, one would forgive Maxis for sitting on its haunches while it basks in the glory of its two latest strategy games. But the Walnut Creek, California-based developer headed up by Will Wright isn't taking any breathers. Already, the company has started development on two new games centered within the Sim universe.

One of these games is the anticipated expansion pack to its people simulator, The Sims. Called The Sims: Livin' Large, the add-on adds five new career tracks that will spawn more than 50 additional jobs for your Sims to choose from, as well as three new decors for your humble abode. While there's still no multiplayer component, Livin' Large adds a number of quirky new gameplay features that are standard Maxis fare. To find out more about this game, we sat down with Maxis executive producer Sinjin Bain for a few minutes.

We'll let Sinjin take it away from here.

GameSpot: Let's get the most important question out of the way first. What is the deal with the game reviewer being the bottom rung on the journalism career track?

screenshot
Click to enlarge.
Sinjin Bain: Well, actually typesetter is the lowest rung of the journalism career. The journalism career track was constructed on a huge "reticulated career curve," where the typesetter is extremely low on the "curve" and all the rest of the jobs (including game reviewer) are packed very tightly at a much higher place on the curve. So really, game reviewer is virtually at the top of the ladder! What you should be asking is what the game reviewer "skin" will look like. I'll keep my lips sealed on that for now.

GS: You're a cruel, cruel man. Do the Sims retain their own unique brand of gibberish, or will they have actual spoken dialogue?

SB: The Sims will retain their now-famous SimLish language with thought/emote bubbles.

GS: A lot of people complained about the camera's sluggish behavior in The Sims. Have you addressed this problem in Livin' Large?

SB: The graphics performance will remain the same. Players seem far more interested in getting new objects that give more new gameplay than asking for performance improvement, and that is our focus with Livin' Large!

Next: New changes