What's that new button in the nav bar? Why it's a direct link to all the latest info about The Sims 2 University Expansion Pack! College town, new young adult age group, earn degrees and open up new careers! Find out more in the Expansion section.
News
Please note I'm currently working on the new site. I didn't want to take the site offline though, so you can still visit it. However me working on the site while it's still online means a lot of the pages will appear wonky. But not to worry, it won't take too long. 
23 Dec 2004 - 22:30
23 Dec 2004 - 22:20
In honor of the coming New Year, The Sims 2 is sponsoring a new movie contest. Create a comedy around the theme, "New Beginnings", and you could win a Digital Video Camera!
23 Dec 2004 - 22:10
See how the gang in The Strangerhood celebrates the holidays.
23 Dec 2004 - 22:00
GameSpy chatted briefly with Sims 2 tools Producer Darren Futa to get a little more info on the free utility and what was coming next.
Sims 2 HomeCrafter Plus Released to Gaming Community
By Dave Kosak
Custom-made wall textures, floors, and even outdoor ground cover is now possible for fans of Sims 2
Tuesday afternoon, as a kind of 'Christmas gift' to the Sims 2 fan community, Maxis and EA published the Sims 2 "HomeCrafter Plus" utility to the Sims 2 website. This new little gizmo allows gamers to finally paint their own wallpapers and floors for their in-game homes. Fans can also adjust outdoor terrain with just a few swipes of the mouse.
We chatted briefly with Sims 2 tools Producer Darren Futa to get a little more info on the free utility and what was coming next.
GameSpy: Will people be able to upload and download new floors and wallpapers in-game? Will people be able to put them on the exchange at Sims2.com?
Futa: If a Lot includes custom Walls/Floors/Ground Cover, then that custom content will be uploaded and downloaded along with it (both on TheSims2.com and in the game).
When we were planning this tool, we decided not to include uploading of individual Walls, Floors and Ground Cover for a few reasons:
1) Adding that feature would have meant a later release date, and we really wanted to get this to our players before Christmas; and
2) We are perfectly happy to see the bulk of this content get posted on our incredible fan sites. They do such a great job with creating and sharing custom content, we can't wait to see the new HomeCrafter stuff show up there.
The HomeCrafter Plus is now available.
GameSpy: The Sims 2 community has been pretty active creating stuff since day one. What kinds of things most surprised you?
Futa: Almost every week, we get surprised by what's being done with the game. There are some really touching and funny movies that have been posted on our site, using really inventive angles, editing, and gameplay. Some players have figured out how to change the Create-A-Sim room while others have worked out a way to bring in custom paintings using the easel object. Something that is always close to my heart are all the skins and Sims that have been created using Body Shop. One player created an alien Sim that had a lizard-shaped head and detailed scaly skin. The best part was when I placed it in the game and created a child with a "normal" Sim, he came out half-lizard!
New textures? Done! Holiday objects are also available for simulated gift-giving.
GameSpy: That's a little bit touching and a whole lot creepy. Hey, what other tools can Sims fans expect in the future?
Futa: We can't talk about any specifics, but working on these tools for our fans will continue to be a priority. We have a lot of fun creating them, and even more fun seeing what the players make with them.
There you have it. Get painting!
22 Dec 2004 - 22:10
The Sims 2 Scoop newsletter brings us 2 new Sims 2 University screenshots!
22 Dec 2004 - 22:00
Onze collega's van Kidsplanet hebben een kijkje genomen op het Sims forum! Ze wilden wel eens weten hoe een Sim nu eigenlijk kerst viert! Neem snel even een kijkje...
Vieren de Sims ook kerst?
De donkere dagen voor kerst zijn aangebroken. Overal zie je fonkelende lichtjes en mooi versierde kerstbomen. Vieren de Sims eigenlijk ook kerst? En hoe dan? We vroegen het aan de leden van de officiële Sims website. Zij als trouwe Sim fans kunnen het ons vast vertellen!
Mammasims laat haar familie Huppeldepupjes bijvoorbeeld veel kaarsjes neerzetten en ze kleedt haar Sims huisje extra feestelijk aan; met de kleuren rood en groen krijg je een echte kerstsfeer!
Ook M!cHeLLe lijkt dit een leuk idee. Daarnaast zou ze de hele familie uitnodigen voor een kerstdiner: een traditionele kalkoen! Robbia heeft voor haar Sims speciale kerstkleding ontworpen, zodat ze er warm en sfeervol bij zitten. Volgens Suusje verdienen de Sims met kerst wel wat extra vrije tijd, een echte kerstvakantie dus!
Rynah en NAIRB zien graag een witte kerst tegemoet, ook in de Sims. Want wat is er nu mooier dan een dik pak sneeuw met kerst! Voor veel Simsfanaten zal het ook een muzikale kerst worden; Kikkert laat zijn Sim deuntjes spelen op de piano en Quark zet speciaal voor zijn Sims gezellige kerstmuziek op.
Ellen H laat haar Sims tezamen komen rond het haardvuur om daar met de hele familie knus iets te drinken. Katie Lupos, Bowlerke en Suusdegeweldige hopen dat de kerstman onverwacht komt binnenvallen om de familie wat cadeau´s te schenken. Natuurlijk mag ook een kerstboom niet ontbreken bij het Sims kerstfeest, vind L!sjeuhh.
Als we deze Sims fans zo horen, wordt het vast een hele bijzondere kerst bij de Sims!
21 Dec 2004 - 22:10
Get The Sims 2 HomeCrafter Plus, the hot new tool that lets you create unique design elements you can use to personalize your Sim's lots and homes!
The Sims(TM) 2 HomeCrafter Plus is a powerful tool that lets you create unique design elements that you can use to personalize your environments in The Sims 2. Use any paint program to create custom content such as floor tiles, wall coverings and ground cover -- and then combine them in new ways for endless variety. Preview them in HomeCrafter Plus before importing them to The Sims 2.
Installation Requirements:
You must have The Sims 2 installed in order to install The Sims 2 HomeCrafter Plus. Also, please make sure The Sims 2 and/or The Sims 2 Body Shop are not running when attempting to install or launch The Sims 2 HomeCrafter Plus.Installation
To install The Sims 2 HomeCrafter Plus, simply double-click the file downloaded from the link below, and follow the installation instructions.We strongly recommend installing to the default folder listed in the installation.
21 Dec 2004 - 22:00
Bring the festivities of Kwanzaa to your Sim's home with this decorative Kinara.
Kwanzaa is a seven day festival celebrating the African American people, culture, and history. Every evening of Kwanzaa, a family member lights a candle in a special candleholder called a Kinara. Each of the candles represents one of the seven principles of Kwanzaa, and the red, black, and green colors represent the Pan African flag.
20 Dec 2004 - 23:30
Happy Holidays Everyone,
I hope everyone liked last week's download on thesims2.com. Though I've got to say, I've been so impressed with the Christmas Trees the community members have been making on their own. I continue to be blown away by your creativity and ingenuity.
That's why I'm super-excited to give you the best holiday gift I can think of (and you thought we were done with the giving...). You guys get the exclusive announcement today, and tomorrow on the thesims2.com, The Sims 2 HomeCrafter Plus will be available for everyone to download. Customize Walls, Floors, and Ground Textures to your heart's content.
I know we've been really quiet about it, but isn't it better as a surprise? Here are a couple of shots of what things look like:
I'm counting on you to let everyone know that it's coming tomorrow. You've got the exclusive!
Also I expect to see some amazing screenshots by the end of the day on Tuesday once everyone has had a couple hours to goof around.
Have Fun and Happy Holidays (I think I know how some will be spending them!),
Tim
16 Dec 2004 - 22:30
The scent of pine will fill your home and your room will twinkle with this beautifully decorated Christmas Tree!
Since Roman times, trees have been decorated with lights to honor the gods of the harvest and light. Northern Europeans later adapted these rituals to fancy, new Eastern religions. Made even more popular in 19th century Germany, some contend the tree is really a throwback to the mythological Norse tree named Yggdrasil.
