User blog:Duskey/What's next after Late Night?

So Late Night is out next month and from the various previews from fan sites, it looks pretty awesome to me. I'm especially thrilled about the fact that it's more simulation centered instead of opportunity centered which both WA and Ambitions were. I'm normally quite allergic and suspecious about sales-speak, but the idea of the open neighborhood and partying all night in The Sims 3 sounds quite appealing. I'm also quite excited about fame coming back to the Sims, I never got to try it out in Superstar, but I've heard many good things about it. Lastly, I'm glad to see that WooHoo wishes are making a return. That and the new CAS sliders (not to mention a plethora of sexy outfits) makes Late Night a tad more adult, which I don't mind at all. I was actually a bit disappointed about how WooHoo had been down-played in The Sims 3. I remember reading a preview before The Sims 3 came out (which I can't find at the moment) about moodlets. The EA dude used lots of examples for cool moodlets (none of which are in the game). One of them was "WooHoo with the missus" and he'd be happy all day. While this is technically true it's only the 8 hour "very happy" green smiley face. No WooHoo moodlet and no WooHoo wishes (They also scrapped a "Wanton" trait before TS3 was out, can you believe that?)
 * Looking forward

EA has stated that they're only focusing on one EP at a time and one SP at a time, which I tend to believe despite the fact that they're spitting them out every 3 months, but I can't shake the feeling that Late Night is in the "finishing touches" stage where all the talent and decisionmakers have moved on and it's only Keith, the slighty odd intern who's left fixing the remaining issues (No offense to any Keith's out there and if EA has an intern by the name Keith: 'sup?). I bet the developers are currently flinging around ideas for the next expansion pack, but what could it be? Prior to the announcement of FLS, LN and Medieval, plenty of rumors were buzzing, but a few sneak previews and EA's Studio Showcase put an end to that. Since then it's been pretty quiet on our The Sims game rumors page. Our only future lead is the release date of the 3rd stuff pack thanks to Bart Smit a Dutch retailer, notoriously known for employees leaking game release dates to the public, WE LOVE YOU! <3
 * Spitballing

So how do go about guessing what the next EP will be about? Personally wherever I go, I always read two themes people keep nagging about: Pets and Weather (in that order). So unless EA are completely pants-on-head-retarded (Stop snickering) they're bound to come out sooner or later. The EP after Late Night will be the 4th. Pets for TS2 was 4th. Unleashed was 5th, so we might be getting there. If EA do go ahead and make The Sims 3: Animal Friends(I made that title up, you saw it here first!) I just hope it contains something other than animals, canine or feline. I'm not an animal person as you might've guessed by now, but Pets for TS2 stunk. Unleashed was okay since it had Gardening in it too, which I like very much.
 * Pets

If we look at sales figures, Pets also sold a lot more than eg. Seasons (5.6 mill vs. 1 mill units) and I'm guessing EA likes your money. Just a hunch.

Recently an EA employee named Melanie stated that they (the developers) would have included weather in Late Night, but decided to postpone it to make weather a great addition to an Expansion pack instead of a minor feature. This smells a lot like fancy sales talk. Maybe it rained at one point when they were coming up with stuff for LN, someone commented and that constitues as "would like to have included".
 * Weather

I'm almost certain that a magic EP will be the last one as has been the case with Sims 1 and 2. I have a feeling the magic EPs are where the developers have a bit more leash in making what they want and Makin' Magic in particular feels a lot like a: "Lets just do some crazy stuff and see where it takes us" EP. Magic can also seem... disruptive is perhaps the best word for it, to some players, which would be another reason to hold it off until the last EP.
 * Magic

Associate Producer Grant Rodiek has stated in an online Q&A session with fans on Twitter that a more relaxing vacation themed EP for The Sims 3 is not out of the question. Personally I would hate that. I never got the point of Vacation and Bon Voyage, I could never figure out what to do with my Sims. WA was a breath of fresh air in that department, despite its other shortcomings. Grant also said the same thing when someone asked about a pets expansion, so either he's tight lipped or they honestly had no idea at the time.
 * Other


 * Q: But Duskey, what EP would you like?
 * A: You're only asking me so I ask you afterwards and you can me tell me what you want, right?
 * Q: ...
 * A: I mentioned The Sims 3: 40,000 with Meerkat Marines (tm) in a comment on SimPrograms

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-- Duskey talk 21:42, September 16, 2010 (UTC)