The entire staff here at SimsVIP would like to thank The Sims UK for the opportunity to attend the Into the Future UK event. Our UK Staff member Hortensis was invited to attend, and she has put together a special preview. Thanks Hortensis! 🙂
A note from Hortensis:
My thanks go out to SimsVIP, and everyone working behind the scenes to make attending the event possible. In addition, I would particularly like to thank EA UK for hosting the event and looking after us so well.
The Sims 3 Into the Future Preview
On the 1st October 2013 I was one of a few lucky simmers invited to attend a community day held by EA UK . We were able to play Into the Future for a short time and have our questions answered by SimGuruLauren. I hope that the information you find here provides answers to some of the questions you might have and that it gives you an exciting insight into what the pack has to offer.
I can say right at the start of my preview that this pack has exceeded all of my expectations and I found the game play to be very engaging. I could have never envisaged at the outset, when this pack was first announced, that it would end up containing all of the very cool content that it does.
I also have a confession to make, the game play involves some mini quest aspects that I became so absorbed in that, at times, I did forget to make notes, however, I CAN promise you screenshots in abundance!
The story begins in the town of your choice as the time portal is compatible with all worlds, including store worlds. The time portal will either be placed automatically or can be placed from buy mode as necessary and this will allow your Sim to visit one of three destinations in the future. A visitor, known as Emit Relevart, will appear on the lot bearing gifts in the form of the Almanac of Time. This is the key to your Sims time travelling adventure.
The default world, known as Oasis Landing, looks very clean and clinical with an extremely futuristic and hi -tech feel. Throughout my game play session I was constantly capturing screenshots as there are just so many new things to see.
One of the best ways to get around and see everything is to use a jet pack. I was most impressed by my sims ability to use one without any practice at all.
But as it turned out she wasn’t quite the expert I thought she was and she ended up legs flailing helplessly, head first on, or should I say IN, the ground!
Of course another incredibly cool mode of transport is the new mono rail which glides effortlessly around the world.
As you can see below these aren’t the only futuristic options for getting about. Just about everything in this word hovers from the obviously hovering hover boards to the taxis.
There are so many things to discover and play with including my new favourite instrument the laser rhythm-o-con.
The Dreampod which is a new bed that not only performs the usual functions but also allows you to manipulate your sims dreams, which in turn can influence your sims mood and needs.
And other hi tech equipment including the holographic computers, the new Air Tube elevator and of course the new plants which enable you to change not only the colour but the type of plant too.
Another really welcome feature is the inclusion of the all new Nature’s Soil rugs, these allow you to bring what were previously outdoor plants into your sims home without using cheats.
Whilst on the subject of plants the screenshot below shows some of the new plants included with the Into The Future pack.
The above picture also shows my sim in her robot form. I believe she was able to transform at will as a result of her ‘bot fan’ trait, she also has the ‘unstable’ trait which is the other new trait available.
Bots are the new type of playable sim which have their own needs and new interactions. They are able to perform interactions and functions which are dependent on the trait chip/s that have been installed. Trait chips can be made from collectibles that can be found in the world. Bots can take part in competitions at the Bot Arena even if they do not have trait chips installed and if they are lucky enough to win can receive cash awards and trophies.
The Nuts ‘n’ Bolts Bot Emporium provides instant access to the Create a Bot interface where time can slip by unnoticed whilst metal is shaped and coloured into the machine of your dreams. The choice and variation is huge and Create a Bot alone is very entertaining.
My bot started out looking like this.
But as I had planned a trip to the Utopian version of Oasis Landing I transformed my bot into a far more colourful personality.
The Utopian world is a very bright and happy place where sims walk with a spring in their step and giant flowers grow. To access this variation of Oasis Landing, or the alternative Dystopian future, you must return to the world from which you arrived and complete a mini quest. The Almanac of Time will guide you to reach your desired outcome.
One of the things I loved about being in Utopia was the range of colour the world is capable of displaying; all so very pretty.
Whilst in Utopia I had my Sim play with the giant flowers. She was able to shake them or collect dew. Below you can see the result of her shaking the flower.
But she was also able to collect dew too without getting quite so wet!
Finally, I spent some time exploring the Wasteland area where my bot excavated, caught and collected many new items but never quite managed to get the required items to unlock the mysterious doorway found there.
The Dystopian aspects of the world remain something I can very much look forward to discovering once the game releases on October 25th in the UK. Those in the USA can look forward to exploring even earlier on October 22nd.
One last completely random fact; there is a new toilet roll holder which has a colour channel allowing the paper to be customized. I was actually very pleased about this.
In conclusion, I found the Into The Future pack to be really rich in unique content, I liked the depth of game play and in particular I thought the quest based content was pitched just right. I also thought that the concept of moving into the future had been very well executed. As I mentioned at the very start of this preview this expansion pack far exceeds my initial expectations.
Please check out the screenshots if you would like to see more of the items this pack brings to the game including the Create a Sim hairstyles, in game lessons and even more screens of the world.
Happy Simming,
Hortensis
Screenshots
