The Sims 3: Hands-On Event Report | Part 2

1. Can the shape of furniture and objects be modified as well as the colour with Create-A-Style?
   Posted by Skypeia
   
   Not that I saw. I used CAST for a good while and didn't identify any means of actually changing the shape or structure of an object. It's unlikely that we would be able to do that in-game anyway.
   
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2. How does CAST apply to the game? How many different textures/fabrics etc. are included in the base game?
   Posted by Jan_831
   
   CAST is applied in the way that you can create a custom style for almost every object in the game. When you want to re-style an object, you use the CAST tool and click that object. Then the CAST interface appears and you are able to experiment with different swatches of textures, and colour them using the colour wheel. You the drag and drop that style onto other objects around the one you just re-styles to apply the same colours. I also found that once you style an object and you place a similar object near it or next to it, it uses the same colours. I.e, when I placed a counter and re-styled it. I then placed an over-head cabinet near it and it automatically used the styling from the counter below.
   
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3. How customisable is the furniture? Can we change shapes and designs or just colour and patterns?
   Posted by Dobbydude
   
   As previously said, you can only modify patterns and colour with the Create-A-Style tool.
   
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4. Is it possible to fully customise our Sim's cellphones using CAST?
   Posted by Lara4484
   
   It isn't possible to restyle a Sim's mobile phone. It isn't something you can now remove from your Sim's inventory so I didn't identify a way of re-styling it.
   
   Related to cellphones in the game, you are able to assign a specific ringtone to your Sim's phone. Cellphones also give your Sim the option to take photos using it.
   
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5. Are there any new tools similar to of the sledgehammer tool and the eyedropper?
   Posted by Evionthecool
   
   The main one that stood out was the Create-A-Style tool which you use to select which object you want to customise.
   
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6. Can you import your own wallpapers etc?
   Posted by Snootysim
   
   There is a custom content panel present on the the Create-A-Style, so I assume that it's possible.
   
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7. Can we customise baby blankets? If not, will this become possible in future expansion packs?
   Posted by Ninstroyer
   
   The cot itself is fully customisable as are the vast majority of objects in The Sims 3 using Create-A-Style.
   
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8. Can you still put lights in the swimming pools and if so change the colour of them like you can in The Sims 2?
   Posted by Pamela01
   
   Yes you can still put lights in the swimming pools and you are able to customise them using either the pre-set recolours or re-style them using CAST.
   
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9. Can we give cars metallic effects?
   Posted by Sibi4
   
   To me they already looked metallic, but if a car isn't I'm sure it's possible using Create-A-Style.

1. How customisable is the neighboudhood itself? Can we change things like the foliage? Move Lots? Change road layouts? Rotate houses? Modify community lots?
   Posted by Dobbydude
   
   This may be one of the things I was most confused about myself.
   
   I saw no way of modifying the physical neighbourhood. I couldn't find any option to put neighbourhood decorations down or place new lots myself. I found that it's only possible to build on blank lots already placed around the neighbourhood. I think this might have been because the road layouts are much more realistic, rather than all being straight, therefore harder to place things like lots.
   
   If we are given an external programme that allows us to make our own neighbourhoods or modify existing ones, I'd imagine you'd be able to place your own lots and decorations using that.
   
   One thing I did spot is that it's now possible to change the lot type without having to use cheats. It's simply a button on the panel that appears when you click on a community or empty lot.
   
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2. Will we be able to design our own neighbourhoods, i.e be able to use terrain tools and put roads down where we like etc?
   Posted by Mandythesim
   
   At this point it doesn't appear that we can. I shouldn't think it will be possible in the base game or in the main game at all. Hopefully we'll see a smaller package such as BodyShop or HomeCrafter that will allow us to create our own neighbourhood layouts and designs.
   
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3. Will be we able to customise tombstones and urns?
   Posted by Lara4484
   
   I actually had to kill a Sim yesterday to find out whether or not this was possible. Agnes Crumplebottom was the first Sim I saw when I decided to do it so she became my guinea pig.
   
   When she died, Grim popped up and did his thing, then Agnes turned into a ghost and disappeared into her urn, which looked more like a small metal bin, rather than an urn. When I placed the urn outside, it became a small plaque like grave marker.
   
   Therefore leading me to conclude that the style of grave that a Sim recieves isn't influences by wealth or type of death, although the grave will have a small metal plate on it showing how the Sim died. Agnes died of starvation so it featured a crossed knife and fork.
   
   Although I can't be 100% sure, my instinct tells me that the style of grave is influenced by how fufilled their lives were, in terms of meeting short and long term wishes. Meeting their lifetime wish would be likely to ensure that they end up with the large obelisk-style grave, with the bog-standard gravestone in the middle and the smaller plaque for Sims that haven't achieved many of their wishes.
   
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4. Is there a limit to the amount of floors our buildings can have? If so, what is it?
   Posted by Talia05
   
   Yes there is. 6 overall, 5 if the building is using a foundation level or basement.
   
   Will we get...?
   
   I thought I'd do a bumper list of these since it's pretty much Yes or No.
   
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5. Can you build community lots, if so what types?
   Posted by Simrealtor
   
   From what I found, in the base game you are able to build lots such as parks, gyms, library's, swimming-pools, cemetaries and fishing lakes/ponds.
   
   I'm fairly sure at this point it isn't possible to build lots such as restaurants/cafés, clothes shops, grocerie shops etc.
   
   This is because they are actually ploppable community objects which act as rabbit-holes. Your Sim will go into the building and emerge after carrying out the interaction you wanted them to do. With the restaurant, you're able to make your Sim sit outside while eating, but they simply emerge with food and sit at one of the tables outside instead.
   
   One thing I did like is that Sims are able to take on part-time jobs at some of these lots and take classes relevant to that lot. For example, my Sim took a cooking class at the restaurant, and then a charisma class at the town hall. They cost $400 simoleons each and your Sim gains a skill point for every class completed. I think the advantage of this is that it doesn't take aslong as it would than if a Sim studied at home.
   
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6. Will you be able to turn furniture and objects at a 45 degree angle or other angles? Will you have to use a cheat to make this possible?
   Posted by Evionthecool
   
   Most, if not all objects are now, by default, rotated at 45 degree angle intervals. You don't have to use a cheat to make this possible as it's a default part of the game.
   
   
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7. Will we be able to have driveways that curve or turn?
   Posted by Mandythesim
   
   As previously said, there is no fixed driveway. You can simply put the car-parking space anywhere you like on the ground floor of the lot.
   
   You could probably use floortiles in order to create something that might resemble a curved driveway as you can place the parking spaces at a 45 degree angle, but there is no official driveway object, curved or otherwise.

The big-screen TV from Apartment life: No, although you might be interested to know that the more expensive TV's are HD enabled! Which gives your Sim a positive moodlet.

Hotdog Stands: No.

Vending Machines: No.

Murphy Bed: No.

Spin-the-bottle game: Not that I saw.

Bear rug from the The Sims 1: No.

Walk-in closets: Nothing you can take from the buy menu. You should be able to make them youself though. Mind you, your Sims don't actually need a dresser at all now. They can change outfit by clicking on the Sim themselves and "Change Outfit".