Q&A from the EA forums. Interesting new supernatural entity population control options (which appears to also be available, now, for other EPs).
FOLLOW UP Q&A
MORE OF YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED!
We’re back to answer more of your questions and this time, we’ve grouped together all your queries around advanced population options.
As you may have heard, we’re including advanced settings for controlling the population of some of the Sims types in the game, including some of the types introduced in previous expansion packs. With the new settings you’ll be able to control the population growth of: vampires, fairies, werewolves, witches, pets, horses, and celebrities. You can allow your populations to continue to grow as normal (the default) or turn population growth off completely for each of the supported Sim types. However, the control is global and cannot be configured differently for each world or saved game. Of course, you must have the appropriate expansion pack for some types to appear at all.
Check out our responses below and let us know if you still have questions. Also, we’ll be posting more responses to your questions on other topics next week. Stay tuned and keep them coming! It is great to see so many of you excited for The Sims 3 Supernatural and asking so many questions.
Advanced Demographic Options
Will we be able to determine the number of pets in the neighborhood? Mainly unicorns.
Answer - You’ll be able to control whether or not the game populates the world with horses and pets, but not specifically unicorns. Who doesn’t like unicorns?
I would like to know if a zombie population slider will be included with the rest of the sliders? In the chat celebrity sliders and vampire, werewolve, ect. sliders were mentioned, but not zombies! Sorry if this is repetitive
Answer – The population control settings are on/off checkboxes and not sliders. Zombies are not one of the Sim types that you can control from the new settings. If you are interested in having more or less zombies in your world there are other ways that their population can be effected, such as using your Sims to turn other Sims into zombies through the new “brains” interaction. Also look for zombies to appear in the world on a full moon, those zombies will be cured the following morning. Sims can also make elixirs that create or cure zombies, therefore increasing or reducing the amount that you have in the world.
Is it possible to choose different settings for amount-of-occults in every new saved game, or is it just one slider for every game?
Answer - The new population controls affect the game globally just like the other settings in the options menu and are not associated with individual saved games.
So, say that I start a new game in Bridgeport, and I set the vampire population to zero. Will the pre-made vampires stay as vampires? Or will they turn human?
Answer - Vampires that already exist in Bridgeport at the time you un-check the vampire checkbox will remain as vampires in Bridgeport, The existing vampires can still “turn” other Sims however the game will not auto populate new vampires to the world after you un-check the box.
I know that you can control Supernatural Sims and celebrities. But are PAPARAZZI going to be controllable as well, or is that not possible because they will not be part of the playable population?
Answer - You can’t directly control the paparazzi population with the new settings but there are two new options that will allow players to limit the celebrity populations in different ways, and as a result, the paparazzi that are drawn to them will be reduced. One option will allow you to prevent your active household from gaining celebrity status and the other option gives players the ability to control whether or not the game tries to maintain a balance of Sims with celebrity status in the world.
I did watch the video (not live) but would like to know it the population control will be available “without” the EP, via a patch or update? I am not planning on buying the EP but would already like to control vamp and celeb populations I already have.
Answer - The new settings will be available in the options menu if you have one of the expansion packs installed that includes one or more of the specific Sims types that are supported. The new settings will be released through a Game Update that will go out with the launch of The Sims 3 Supernatural.
