retrotrut
01-24-2008, 03:50 PM
PREVIEW
Are you ready to discover FreeTime expansion pack with us?
CHECK OUT THIS LINK IN ORDER TO VIEW THE LATEST PICTURES OF THE UPCOMING EXPANSION PACK
http://www.edenstyle.it/espansioni_freetime_english.htm
it has been updated a few minutes ago
Hobbies
Hobbies are the most important new feature introduced by FreeTime.
Sims can now enjoy 10 new activities: cuisine, film and literature, games, tinkering, science, arts and crafts, sport, nature, fitness and music and dance.
While working on a certain hobby, hobby enthusiasm points will grow up in the related window, like skills.
These points will unlock new interactions: the ability to blog, browse the web, instruct, share hobby tips etc...
Cuisine lovers can unlock 3 new plates (see interview for more info), while Film and Literature lovers can watch new movies.
Game addicted can play new videogames and board games.
"Tinkering" sims can tinker on TVs and many other objects. They can also build train sets and restore old cars.
Sims that like nature can hunt bugs and bird-watch.
Artists can sew clothes, quilts, teddy bears, potholders and curtains... or make pots, plates and tea sets with the pottery wheel.
Sporty Sims can choose between many sports, like soccer, football and basketball.
Geeks can summon aliens and search for new constellations.
Body builders can drink protein shakes that make their training more effective for a few hours.
Music and dance lovers can dance, play the violine and compose music.
Every Sim has his own predestined hobby, that is highlighted in Hobby Enthusiasm window. It will be interesting to discover on what hobby our Sims are destined for!
Secret Lots
To receive secret lot membership card from one of the new NPCs you need to have high hobby enthusiasm points.
In these exclusive clubs you can meet other sims with your same interests and practice your hobby.
Secret lot membership is stated by a special icon placed next to hobby enthusiasm level.
Contests
There are 3 kinds of contests: culinary, dance and vidoegame.
To join a culinary contest you need to go in a lot that contains the judging table. You can submit both foods made in that special lot and at home. If you have many foods in your inventory, you can choose the one you want to submit.
Culinary contest animations are very nice: it's funny seeing nervous Sims waiting for the response!
To join a dance contest you need to click on a DJ booth. Then you can dance Smustle or Solo.
Videogame contests are very simple: you just need more PCs in the same lot.
In all these competitions Sims will win Simoleons.
Customization
In FreeTime you can customize many things.
For example, when you sew clothings you'll have a template. Then you can choose a pattern for every part of it. Once you finish to sew, you can also customize clothes name and description.
You can also compose music with a particular instrument.
Secondary Aspiration
One of the options that players will more enjoy will be for sure the possibility to choose a secondary aspiration.
In this way our Sims will have an even more complex and realistic personality.
To set a secondary aspiration you just need to click on Aspiration Benefits icon and choose the aspiration you like, Grilled Cheese aspiration included.
Aspiration Benefits and Lifetime Aspiration Meter
Lifetime Aspiration meter keeps track of your gameplay progress.
Fulfilling your Sims main goals you'll earn points to spend in aspiration benefits.
All Sims can spend their points for Motives benefits (lower motives decay) and Work benefits (ability to not be fired, less friends needed fot career promotions, more vacation days...).
You can also choose the 4 benefits that every aspiration have, plus your secondary aspiration benefits.
Here some examples...
Grilled Cheese Sims can eat without gettin' fat, paint grilled cheese sandwiches and lower bladder need decay.
Family Sims can cook Grandma's Comfort Soup, that can cure every illness.
Knowledge Sims can gain skill points easier and live like unsocial geeks with lower sociality and fun needs decay.
Romatic Sims can be more attractive for other Sims, lower hygiene and comfort needs decay and be the local legend (other sims will like to walk around their lot).
NPCs aging
When your Sim age you can choose up to 3 Sims to grow up with him.
When our Sim will grow up, a window asking who should age will show up.
This feature contributes to make the game more realistic.
The new creature
The genie of the lamp is the new creature. It's a remake of the famous Sims 1 genie.
It's not a playable Sim, like Robots or PlantSims, but your Sims can interact with him and express 3 wishes (money, a long life...).
If you choose money, a bag of simoleon will drops from the sky. If you choose for a long life, your age level (adult level, for example) will restart from the beginning.
We can do nothing in order to receive the lamp: a gipsy will randomly come to your lot and will leave it outside your door.
Children
In this expansion pack we finally have something new for children. For example, we have new furniture and the activity table.
With this table toddlers and children can play with blocks, draw and build skill points.
You can also put their drafts on the wall: that's so nice!
5 new careers
There are 5 new careers, with related rewards:
-Oceanography (koi pond)
-Entertainment (Star of fame)
-Architecture (Drafting table)
-Dance (ballet barre)
-Intelligence (audio augmenter earpiece)
The new neighborhood
The new neighborhood is called "Desiderata Valley" and has many new families. Read the interview for more info.
Conclusion
At the end, we can say that this expansion pack is very interesting and introduce some great features like hobbies, secondary aspiration, aspiration benefits and NPCs aging.
Hope you enjoyed this reportage! Thanks a lot to the producer Bim Majekodunmi (she is really a very very nice person), Lakshmi Jayapalan, and to EA Italy.
Are you ready to discover FreeTime expansion pack with us?
CHECK OUT THIS LINK IN ORDER TO VIEW THE LATEST PICTURES OF THE UPCOMING EXPANSION PACK
http://www.edenstyle.it/espansioni_freetime_english.htm
it has been updated a few minutes ago
Hobbies
Hobbies are the most important new feature introduced by FreeTime.
Sims can now enjoy 10 new activities: cuisine, film and literature, games, tinkering, science, arts and crafts, sport, nature, fitness and music and dance.
While working on a certain hobby, hobby enthusiasm points will grow up in the related window, like skills.
These points will unlock new interactions: the ability to blog, browse the web, instruct, share hobby tips etc...
Cuisine lovers can unlock 3 new plates (see interview for more info), while Film and Literature lovers can watch new movies.
Game addicted can play new videogames and board games.
"Tinkering" sims can tinker on TVs and many other objects. They can also build train sets and restore old cars.
Sims that like nature can hunt bugs and bird-watch.
Artists can sew clothes, quilts, teddy bears, potholders and curtains... or make pots, plates and tea sets with the pottery wheel.
Sporty Sims can choose between many sports, like soccer, football and basketball.
Geeks can summon aliens and search for new constellations.
Body builders can drink protein shakes that make their training more effective for a few hours.
Music and dance lovers can dance, play the violine and compose music.
Every Sim has his own predestined hobby, that is highlighted in Hobby Enthusiasm window. It will be interesting to discover on what hobby our Sims are destined for!
Secret Lots
To receive secret lot membership card from one of the new NPCs you need to have high hobby enthusiasm points.
In these exclusive clubs you can meet other sims with your same interests and practice your hobby.
Secret lot membership is stated by a special icon placed next to hobby enthusiasm level.
Contests
There are 3 kinds of contests: culinary, dance and vidoegame.
To join a culinary contest you need to go in a lot that contains the judging table. You can submit both foods made in that special lot and at home. If you have many foods in your inventory, you can choose the one you want to submit.
Culinary contest animations are very nice: it's funny seeing nervous Sims waiting for the response!
To join a dance contest you need to click on a DJ booth. Then you can dance Smustle or Solo.
Videogame contests are very simple: you just need more PCs in the same lot.
In all these competitions Sims will win Simoleons.
Customization
In FreeTime you can customize many things.
For example, when you sew clothings you'll have a template. Then you can choose a pattern for every part of it. Once you finish to sew, you can also customize clothes name and description.
You can also compose music with a particular instrument.
Secondary Aspiration
One of the options that players will more enjoy will be for sure the possibility to choose a secondary aspiration.
In this way our Sims will have an even more complex and realistic personality.
To set a secondary aspiration you just need to click on Aspiration Benefits icon and choose the aspiration you like, Grilled Cheese aspiration included.
Aspiration Benefits and Lifetime Aspiration Meter
Lifetime Aspiration meter keeps track of your gameplay progress.
Fulfilling your Sims main goals you'll earn points to spend in aspiration benefits.
All Sims can spend their points for Motives benefits (lower motives decay) and Work benefits (ability to not be fired, less friends needed fot career promotions, more vacation days...).
You can also choose the 4 benefits that every aspiration have, plus your secondary aspiration benefits.
Here some examples...
Grilled Cheese Sims can eat without gettin' fat, paint grilled cheese sandwiches and lower bladder need decay.
Family Sims can cook Grandma's Comfort Soup, that can cure every illness.
Knowledge Sims can gain skill points easier and live like unsocial geeks with lower sociality and fun needs decay.
Romatic Sims can be more attractive for other Sims, lower hygiene and comfort needs decay and be the local legend (other sims will like to walk around their lot).
NPCs aging
When your Sim age you can choose up to 3 Sims to grow up with him.
When our Sim will grow up, a window asking who should age will show up.
This feature contributes to make the game more realistic.
The new creature
The genie of the lamp is the new creature. It's a remake of the famous Sims 1 genie.
It's not a playable Sim, like Robots or PlantSims, but your Sims can interact with him and express 3 wishes (money, a long life...).
If you choose money, a bag of simoleon will drops from the sky. If you choose for a long life, your age level (adult level, for example) will restart from the beginning.
We can do nothing in order to receive the lamp: a gipsy will randomly come to your lot and will leave it outside your door.
Children
In this expansion pack we finally have something new for children. For example, we have new furniture and the activity table.
With this table toddlers and children can play with blocks, draw and build skill points.
You can also put their drafts on the wall: that's so nice!
5 new careers
There are 5 new careers, with related rewards:
-Oceanography (koi pond)
-Entertainment (Star of fame)
-Architecture (Drafting table)
-Dance (ballet barre)
-Intelligence (audio augmenter earpiece)
The new neighborhood
The new neighborhood is called "Desiderata Valley" and has many new families. Read the interview for more info.
Conclusion
At the end, we can say that this expansion pack is very interesting and introduce some great features like hobbies, secondary aspiration, aspiration benefits and NPCs aging.
Hope you enjoyed this reportage! Thanks a lot to the producer Bim Majekodunmi (she is really a very very nice person), Lakshmi Jayapalan, and to EA Italy.