IKEA STUFF (ENGLISH VERSION)

Thanks to The Sims Team to take care of us, to answer to our questions, especially to Andrea Wendland, Sherrie Dandan, the Community Managers, Bim Majekodunmi - Lead Producer, Lakshmi Jayapalan - Lead Designer and Shannon Copur - Senior Producer, for this EP (and also to all the ones we see during the 2 days and work yet in the video, the sound....) for their patience in front of all that questions. They really are nice to keep smile during so many time.

About the IKEA Stuff pack...

After H&M, a new membership with IKEA...

How do you have the idea ?

The community has been asking for IKEA furniture for years. And many of the producers have this kind of furniture at home, so we thought why not work with IKEA and create a stuff pack.

What does this stuff is composed of ? Existing furniture or new creations for Sims (like for H&M stuff) ?

It is filled full of IKEA furniture. They worked closely with IKEA to try to show a large variety of the IKEA collection.

Is there new clothes or only furniture and decoration ?

Because IKEA does not sell clothing, they only added furniture and decorations.

In France, Ikea is used a lot by students or young couple because the furniture are not expensive. Is it the same in the stuff pack ?

Yes, it is the same in the pack. The Sims will be able to afford the IKEA furniture, just like us in real life. Most of the time, when you just enter the working life, they need inexpensive yet fashionable furniture... And also IKEA shops have a quite nice furniture...

General questions about the Expansion Pack.

- How much time you have to make the EP ?

It takes them around 6 months to create an expansion pack.

- What are the main steps of construction of the EP ?

First there is a brainstorming between different parts of the Team to know what they can actually do in 6 months. Then, there is the marketing research. If the marketing surveys report that it is a good idea, they move forward with other brainstorm meetings to incorporate new functionalities in the game... (There is of course more steps, but we didn't have time to go trough them all... I regret it...).

- Did you take care about desire or ideas of the players ?

The community ask for a lot of thing and all the team search for making the EP close to the players's wants. (Andrea ask us very seriously what players wants, and I say Medieval things, more info about how they work, with interview of the team, Aliens, the Farm (but I think they won't make it...horses looks quite difficult to make), more realistic stuff, more relations between Sims... I hope I don't forget anything, however the other web masters ask also for things).

And after seeing the game, i could say “yes, they care”, because we ask for magical, and there it is !!! Also with the butler or the spiral staircase (even if we wait for it !!)

- Do you really think that The Sims 2 and 3 can cohabit ? Or do you think that when the 3rd opus arrive, everybody stop buying Sims 2 ? Is it for this reason that you don't want to stop EP for Sims 2 ?

The team hopes that the players are not bored with all of the EPs, and they think that The Sims 2 and 3 can cohabitate. In fact they also have a lot of demand to make a new EP for The Sims 1, so...

- What is the purpose of the llama things ?

At first, it’s just a joke because Will Wright likes llamas, but after a while, it’s begin to be usual to put a llama in the clothes / stuff in each EP. For this one, you can see it on the clothes, it’s one of the painted body (more information comes with the second part of this interview).

Another information which came during the conversation...

May be you don't know, but a new code is available since Free Time to change the elevation of the ground of the neighborhood. With this cheat code, you can put your land more close than water (and make more beach placeable lots). Unfortunately, they didn't remember the exact code... (we have to search for it !!)

All the pictured showed in the “IKEA Stuff” part are taken from the US official website. They are still the property of EA Games.