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.

Thank you for the clarifications with population control.

Can you please copy and paste these questions/answers (and the others from pg 24 of the first thread) in a separate stickied locked thread at the top - then just add new ones to it whenever you answer more? It would be so much easier for anyone coming onto the boards to find the answers in the same place and cut out the clutter that is created in the separate threads.

Thank you again for taking the time to answer our questions!

1) So one night a month, we need to keep our Sims indoors or be on the look out so we can run from them? We've been told they are slow, so this shouldn't be too difficult.
Can we adjust the lunar phase like seasons in TS2?

2) We are going to need a way to differentiate the days within the Lunar cycle. Is it linked to the days of the week? If so could you please explain how this will work?

3) Since the mini Zombie Apocalypse is a temporary state, does that mean any neighboring Sims that may be bitten will also change back at dawn? On the next full moon, will the same Sims be Zombies or will it be a random different set?

Edit: Sorry, trying to make my questions easy to follow.

SimGuruKarsky wrote: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.

You just made my night! This is the best addition ever

Please sticky this, it is very important for the sanity of many. xD

Also, thank you for answering all these questions!

Ohh I see so we can't gain celebrity status

Though I am guessing they will still be, or at least treated, like a celebrity

I guess I'll have to start a new family for this expansion again.

Lucky for me I saved my Sims' exact appearances

Kind of disappointed that zombies won't be check on/off-able. If someone doesn't want zombies in their game, they shouldn't have zombies ever, no matter -what- the moon conditions are. People who like to play their game realistically* should be allowed to do that without having to think "oh, the moon is going to be full, zombies are coming...", as that's obviously not realistic and not what they want in their game. I guess in that sense, they shouldn't buy the expansion pack at all, but what if they want the new furniture, beekeeping, fortune telling career, etc**?




* I'm not one of those people. I like fantasy. But even if I don't sit in that camp, doesn't mean I can't voice concern for them. Not to mention, I love zombies but I know there's a lot of folks who don't.
** I've bought expansion packs before despite not at all being interested in their focus just to have new furniture, clothing, etc before. That's why I bought Showtime, actually. The concept bored me but I really liked the clothing and props.

(Yay! I'm one of the first posters!)

This needs to be stickied.


I have to say, I'm unhappy when I found out it was check-boxes not sliders(Found out BEFORE you posted this...About a week or 2 ago?)

And so were a lot of people...I was really hoping for sliders...

EDIT:
Oh, and I hope you all know, its not check-boxes for individual creatures...Its like, 'story profession' or something check-box and ya da ya da ya da.

I love this expansion and most of the creatures introduced, but I am not a Zombie fan. I am a little disappointed that I don't have the options to just shut them off. I loved Saint Row 3 but hated the stupid zombies in the game. Must be a fad these days. With no options to not have these creatures in the game leaves me hoping for a mod already to just have the option not to have them in my game.

BUT..all the rest of the creatures are a-okay by me!

Terrific News!!

Thats cool that zombies will be out on the full moon!!!

We can't turn off zombies? Seriously? UGH! That's so disappointing. I HATE zombies! Can you please introduce something so we can turn them OFF without it affecting the other creatures?

I'll just have to avoid zombies I don't want an apocalypse on my hands...ever.

Anyhow thank you for answering some of our questions

Wait so they can still TURN other sims? -_-
Better than nothing I guess...

Yeah this Definitely needs to be stickied

- and check boxes aren't ideal but at least we can stop our sims from becoming celebrities (it became rather bothersome)