25-03-2008, 12:45 AM
Aside from way more flexibility in the options that determine how your Sim looks (The Sims 3 offers separate wide-ranging sliders for both musculature and body fat, so you can make tons of different body types), every adult Sim now has five distinct Traits that define their personality -- descriptors like Outdoorsperson, Jock, Paranoid, or Kleptomaniac chosen from a pool of approximately 80. These replace the messy/neat, active/lazy, and other personality sliders to dictate interpersonal relationships.
Plusses: We couldn't resist an opportunity to apply high school-level math. If there are 80 traits, then there are 24,040,016 possible permutations (though this doesn't take into account that some Traits, such as Good and Evil, are mutually exclusive) of Sim types, from perfectly productive to just plain insane. We wouldn't be surprised to see a whole expansion pack dedicated entirely to new Traits somewhere down the line. Loves Dogs? Only Turns Left? Dances at Inappropriate Times? Cries When Eating? The possibilities are almost endless.
Potential Pitfalls: What if five Traits aren't enough to make a Sim seem "human"? A personality quirk like Kleptomaniac sounds fun, but it could end up dominating a Sim's life.
Plusses: We couldn't resist an opportunity to apply high school-level math. If there are 80 traits, then there are 24,040,016 possible permutations (though this doesn't take into account that some Traits, such as Good and Evil, are mutually exclusive) of Sim types, from perfectly productive to just plain insane. We wouldn't be surprised to see a whole expansion pack dedicated entirely to new Traits somewhere down the line. Loves Dogs? Only Turns Left? Dances at Inappropriate Times? Cries When Eating? The possibilities are almost endless.
Potential Pitfalls: What if five Traits aren't enough to make a Sim seem "human"? A personality quirk like Kleptomaniac sounds fun, but it could end up dominating a Sim's life.