AMANDA DYAR: The Sims 3 Supernatural is an upcoming expansion for The Sims 3. The action relocates to the town of Moonlight Falls where supernatural creatures and Sims with otherworldly powers are the norm. What all can you tell us about the town of Moonlight Falls and the secrets we'll find in the town of the upcoming expansion?
MEGAN MYERS: Moonlight Falls is a town unlike any other with its towering falls, foggy hills, and mysteries that lurk around every corner. The neighborhood families all have rich histories and hidden secrets from the spell-slinging Crumplebottom sisters to the plasma-deprived Van Goulds. With tons of new venues to visit and collectibles to find, Moonlight Falls is full of activities for every Sim.
AMANDA: One of the most important new features in The Sims 3 Supernatural is the ability to play as various monsters from the worlds of horror and fantasy or gain special powers such as psychic abilities and witchcraft. Can you tell us how some of these special character classes will affect gameplay; for example if I'm a vampire will I have to stay out of the sun or sparkle, will I have to consume blood to survive and can I be friends with a Sim who happens to be a werewolf despite these two creatures rivaling histories?
MEGAN: Yes, if you’re a vampire, you will have to stay out of the sunlight and consume plasma to survive. If you play as a werewolf, you’ll have to learn to balance your lycanthropy skill that dictates your transformation from human form to wolf form and back. As far as rivalries go, the game does have the vampire families pitted up against the werewolf families in town. However, players can certainly choose to overcome that rivalry and create friendships or even romances between vampires and werewolves.
AMANDA: One of the most important features in The Sims 3 is the ability to create your own family through ‘WooHoo’ and ‘Trying for a Baby’. Will this feature carry over to The Sims 3 Supernatural, and how will the new creature types affect a Sims ability to have a child?
MEGAN: All supernatural Sims in The Sims 3 Supernatural will have the ability to ‘WooHoo’ and have children. For inter-supernatural romances, offspring will have a 50% chance of inheriting the supernatural characteristics of one side of the family. For example, the child of a werewolf Sim and a fairy Sim would be either a full werewolf or a full fairy. This same scenario would play out for the offspring of a Supernatural Sim and an ordinary Sim. Of course, if two of the same supernaturals were to have a child, the child would inherit their characteristics.
AMANDA: Another important new feature in The Sims 3 Supernatural is magical item and elixir crafting. How deep is this crafting system and what types of items will players be able to create with it? Which enchanted item or elixir would you say is your personal favorite and why?
MEGAN: There are more than 30 different elixirs for Sims to create in The Sims 3 Supernatural, each with its own unique recipe of ingredients that are required in order to craft it. The effects of the elixirs will vary greatly. From the ability to create an elixir to turn an ordinary Sim into a supernatural Sim or vice-versa, to crafting an elixir that will decrease a Sim’s need to sleep to even an elixir that will cause a Sim to be attacked by bees, The Sims 3 Supernatural has a large variety to choose from. My personal favorite is the Clone Drone elixir which will clone a Sim. I love filling my house with clones and having five different versions of my Sim hanging out together, playing video games in the living room!
AMANDA: With EA's recent acquisition of developing company PopCap, a crossover from PopCap's highly popular title Plants vs. Zombies with The Sims 3 Supernatural only makes sense. Can you tell us where the idea for this merging of two great titles originated, how the Plants vs. Zombies items will affect gameplay in The Sims 3 Supernatural and if we can ever hope to see The Sims in a PopCap developed game?
MEGAN: When we were thinking about content for the Limited Edition of the game, PopCap’s Plants vs. Zombies came up, and we immediately knew it would be a great fit. Both games have common factors of broad appeal, irreverent humor and of course, zombies! Our first thought was that the Plants vs. Zombies Peashooter would be the perfect enemy for Sims to ward off zombies. We were excited to bring this content into the Limited Edition version of The Sims 3 Supernatural. Additionally, the Limited Edition pack includes creepy chic clothing for players to dress their zombies for a night of mischief and mayhem, all from the world of Plants vs. Zombies.
You can pre-order the limited edition or learn more by visiting the official Sims 3 Supernatural website.