The Sims 2 Nightlife Updated Q&A - Dating, Dining, and Vampire Biting

Developer Interview

Senior producer Tim LeTourneau gives a brief rundown on what's in The Sims 2 Nightlife.

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If the past is any indication, The Sims 2: Nightlife is but the second in what will most likely be a long line of popular expansions for The Sims 2. After all, the first The Sims sold millions of copies, and its eight expansion packs added millions more. The Sims 2 was released last year, and the first expansion, The Sims 2 University, was released earlier this year. Nightlife is being aimed for release this fall, which is probably fitting since there will be some new paranormal gameplay added to the main game, just in time for Halloween. Whenever we have questions about The Sims, we know we can usually throw them to senior producer Tim LaTourneau, who has overseen almost all The Sim PC games to date. We recently asked Tim for more details regarding Nightlife, and he was kind enough to oblige us.

Experience the joy of crashing and burning in Nightlife.

GameSpot: We're familiar with the existing aspiration system in The Sims 2, which lets players put their sims on the fast track to professional success or higher social standing. What exactly is the new pleasure aspiration, and why did you feel it was necessary for Nightlife? After all, wouldn't the existing romance aspiration cover the social aspects of Nightlife?

Tim LeTourneau: The aspiration and wants and fears system is a significant addition to The Sims 2 gameplay from the original game. It's a system that traverses the entire world of The Sims from birth to death and everywhere in between. We wanted to be able to add to that experience in Nightlife. The pleasure aspiration does have social aspects, but it also has aspects of every other aspiration as well. These are sims that want to experience all that life has to offer, and they are focused on trying a little bit of everything.

GS: What are some of the wants and fears that go along with the pleasure aspiration? For example, the romance aspiration is essentially about "hooking up" with as many people as you can. Does the pleasure set look to party all night long?

TL: One part of the aspiration is definitely about getting out, both with friends and on dates. You're going to see these sims wanting to do things like "Go on a Date," but they also want to have fun as well. You'll see them wanting to "Do the Smustle," which is the new group dance that has been added to Nightlife. Sims also want to do fun things at home, and they are interested in a variety of skills and experiences. Variety is the spice of life.

GS: Will there be a new career track that's geared toward the pleasure aspiration? Once again, for example, in The Sims 2, romantic sims steered toward the slacker careers, whereas knowledge sims seemed to like the medical profession, and so on. Will the new aspiration have any effect on sims' professional development? What will happen when a sim attempts to (pardon the pun) mix business with pleasure?

TL: They will definitely have specific tracks that they are attracted to, but more likely you will see them interested in changing careers. Sims get bored doing any one thing for too long.

GS: When we look at Nightlife, we're reminded very much of the Hot Date expansion for the original Sims. Hot Date opened up a whole new world of dating interaction. Will Nightlife do the same? And what kind of new interactions can we look forward to? Are there new kissing moves? New wooing interactions?

The club sharks get a refill before heading back into the fray.

TL: It's natural to draw comparisons to Hot Date. It was one of the most popular expansions for the original game. I think that the most important thing it provided was the opportunity to get sims out of the house to experience something new and similar to the lives that we lead. Dating was part of that and Nightlife takes that gameplay to the next level. We introduced a date score and an outing score for time out with friends. These new features are tied to the wants and fears of both your sim and his or her companion. During dates your sim will be driven to fulfill the wants of both sims. Going out will be a whole new way to max out the aspiration bar. There are cool new socials tied to dining and dancing. "Slow Dance" is one of my favorites, and it unlocks new nested socials like "Head on Shoulder" and "Dip Kiss." There are plenty of new ways to heat up your date.