The Sims 2 Designer Diary #4

Designing Stuff for The Sims 2

Tim LeTourneau - Senior Producer
Brooke Harris - Associate Producer
Matt Brown - Technical Director
Charles London - Creative Director
Patrick Barrett - Game Designer
Claire Curtain - Game Designer

One of the reasons The Sims appeals to so many people is that so many people contribute to what the game becomes. We thought it would be cool to give everyone an opportunity to be a fly on the wall at Maxis. For instance, one of the things that a lot of people don't realize is the amount of detail that goes into designing and making virtual objects and furniture. Below, you'll find a summary of the kind of meetings we hold as we develop The Sims 2. This particular meeting begins with the discussion of a most essential fixture: the toilet.

Tim: "OK guys...why do we need it?"

Brooke: "Well, we could start with bladder motive."

Believe it or not, we have to decide with each object whether or not we need it and what its purpose is. The toilet is kind of a no-brainer. Sims have this thing called a "bladder motive," and it's got to be taken care of. Now, anyone who has played The Sims knows that sims are perfectly happy using the floor, but I think we'd all prefer they didn't, so the toilet is an obvious choice.

Tim: "OK, we need it. What do the sims do with it?"

Again, it seems obvious, but it's a discussion we have to have.

Matt: "OK, so the sim needs bladder relief. They [head over] to the toilet. If there is anyone in the room they 'shoo' those people out."

Brooke: "Wait, what about spouses? I don't send my husband out of the room when I use the toilet."

Charles: "OK, too much info, Brooke."

Laughs break out around the room.

Claire: "No, you're right. They shouldn't shoo out sims [with a high relationship rating]. So they will use it in front of them."

Brooke: "What does the player see?"

Patrick: "Well, they have to be pixelated."

Brooke: "Whole body or just parts?"

The team eventually decides to "censor" out only parts of a sim's body, while using the restroom, for comedic effect. The team then discusses how items, like the latrine, can be used to further The Sims 2's more-detailed memory and relationship systems. Do sims have "favorite" items they'll tend to use more often, and will the use of those items affect their interpersonal relationships? The sequel will actually have a "reaction system" that will govern a sim's reaction to a stimulus, like seeing an object in a certain state. There is a tremendous amount of detail that goes into the design of each and every object for The Sims 2. But it's not just the objects.

One of our goals is to clearly express the personalities of sims and to make each sim feel unique in The Sims 2. We want to let players play "normal" sims with recognizable personalities, but we also want them to be able to play more "extreme" sims if they're in the mood to push the envelope. Players should also have to think about the personalities of their sims in relation to each other. If they put an incredibly neat sim and a really sloppy sim in the same house, players should have to work at it to make things run smoothly.