Sims 2: Nightlife Interview by _Tom McNamara_ (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED])
IGNPC: The situations create themselves, and you just write about them. So what part of the franchise in particular are you working on right now? Rod Humble: I'm coming up to speed, and I'm enjoying working with the team and Tim [LeTourneau], focused on Nightlife, and, going forward, working on what kind of experiences we're going to be able to bring to our customers. IGNPC: And what can you tell us about Nightlife right now? Rod Humble: Well, we just announced it last week. So, we're doing the usual routine of telling you the stuff we know for sure we're going to be able to build, and then later on, our "surprise features" will be things we can actually get done on time. IGNPC: What can you tell us about the game right now? Rod Humble: Well, it's an attempt to enhance and deepen the community lots from the original Sims 2 products. There are things to do outside your home, and the ability to create new stories out there--going to nightclubs, and casinos, and going out and meeting people. First of all, you'll be able to make new friends, and start off new relationships and stories. And secondly, obviously, you can date and find more compatible mates out there for your Sims and see how that affects your home life. IGNPC: So it's more about filling a niche that you felt was missing from the original Sims 2? Rod Humble: Right. There really isn't a good place to meet friends currently. Sims 2 University did that for the younger-age Sims, but when you get past that level… There are places to go and socialize, and community lots right now tend to be where you go to shop, so in Nightlife, these locations are going to be about socialization and meeting people. IGNPC: So, would it be fair to call Nightlife the Sims 2 version of Hot Date? Rod Humble: I think it's fair, I think there are going to be people who are going to say that, so we may as well embrace it. But I hope that, as with University, we can add a whole bunch of new, deeper gameplay experiences, where people will say, "Hey, they really were a bit more bold with that." Actually, Tim, go ahead and say--I've got Tim right here, over my shoulder… Tim LeTourneau: So, the other thing I was going to say is that one of the things that we've added… Specifically, because we don't want--You draw comparisons to Hot Date, and as the producer of Hot Date, I can't complain too much about drawing comparisons, because it actually was one of the very most successful expansion packs. One of the things we did is…We want this to be a Sims 2 experience, so we've added a new Aspiration to the game that's going to be part of Nightlife, which is the Pleasure Seeker. And it ties into a lot of the gameplay that we're adding and a part of Nightlife. It's about the Sims going out, it's about the Sims seeking fun, having fun. And the wants and fears that that [Pleasure Seeker] Sim is going to have are really going to relate to that idea of seeking pleasure in life. (http://media.pc.ign.com/media/739/739565/img_2702449.html) So, obviously, there's a lot of comparison to Hot Date, because it's about dating and going out, but it's not solely about that. It really is… For every expansion pack, you want to do something that adds gameplay and really brings people back into it, reinvigorates that gameplay, and allows them to tell stories. And Nightlife is really about telling a community story: getting them out, having them interacting with people from throughout the neighborhood, and then, with these others veins, like the Pleasure Seeker Aspiration added to it. IGNPC: So if somebody wanted to buy the expansion pack just to get things like new furniture, new objects, maybe new jobs, would they be satisfied with Nightlife, or is this oriented toward this new model you described? Tim LeTourneau: I would say that it's always our goal, as we design expansion packs, to support all the different play styles that our players have. And we recognize that there are some players, that the only reason they're going to buy the expansion pack is to get the new objects to decorate their houses. So it's absolutely incumbent upon us as designers and game makers to support that style of gameplay. There are going to be people who just want to see what new building tools there are to allow them to build different or more dynamic houses. So as we design expansion packs, we always have to think of all of those different play styles. ************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com
