Before Ambitions, when your Sim would go to work, your interaction was limited to selecting how your Sim would behave while you observed it from afar. For example, you could push it to work really hard to increase your job performance, or you could have it spend time mingling with co-workers to strengthen your relationships. Either way, you were fairly detached from your Sim’s workday and would often find yourself fast forwarding through your daily rat race so that you could back to the real important stuff, like cleaning your shower and improving your skill at preparing mac ‘n’ cheese.
But all that’s going to change in the Ambitions expansion thanks to the introduction of a new and improved career mode. “Instead of sending your Sims off to work all day, The Sims 3 Ambitions lets you pick a career like firefighting, investigator, architect, ghost hunter, stylist or doctor and then guide your Sim to make choices and succeed (or fail) every step of the way,” explains Grant Rodiek, Associate Producer on The Sims 3 Development Team.
This means that your new career will require you to take on a much more active role during your Sim’s workday, making it play more like an RPG or a point-and-click adventure game. For example, as the firefighter, we received a call about a house fire and got their as quickly as possible with our cherry red fire truck. We broke down the door, and quickly put out the flames. We were rewarded for responding quickly and minimizing the amount of damage done to the homeowner’s property.
From what we’ve seen, a similar rating system is in place for the rest of the new careers. As an interior decorator, we were asked to redesign a Sim’s garage and were provided with a list of new furniture and accessories the customer wanted to have added. Using the editor interface, we made the changes and managed to please our client. But there’s always another, more evil, way to do things in the world of The Sims. Pick the stylist career for example, and try your hand at dishing out the most horrible haircuts possible. It’ll horrify your customers, but the sweet sound of their Simlish screams will make up for the lack of Simoleons in your bank account.
Above: The new tattoo system lets you design and share your own custom ink jobs
The Sims 3 Ambitions is scheduled to release on June 1, 2010. In the meantime, you check out some snapshots of the new careers and skills in action. Also, if you’re a longtime Sims fan, be sure to join us on our tour through The Sims 3 Studio at Electronic Art’s Redwood City Campus.
New careers and skills in Ambitions
Above: Playing doctor with strangers in The Sims 3 Ambitions. There's a new upgrade for this profession, which will make it more interactive
Above: A taste of what The Sims 3 Team is calling “Sim Noire.” Detectives will have to question witnesses, spy on other Sims, and solve cases
Above: If you feel like your Sim’s story needs more excitement, try making him/her a ghost hunter
Above: As a firefighter, you can spend your days bro-ing out with the guys before saving the day
Above: As a stylist, you can make your customers look horrible on purpose so you can enjoy the sweet sound of their screams
Above: You can tackle the tattoo artist career to trick your neighbors into taking off their pants
Above: Build homes as an architect, or make them look their best as an interior designer
Above: Tinkering with your toilet is for noobs. The inventor skill is extra handy at crafting dangerous devices
Above: The sculpting skill is good for those who like working with their hands… or chainsaws
May 10, 2010
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