 | Gold Award - Pocket Gamer
June 2009 |
Pocket Gamer 6/1/2009
9/10
"The Sims 3 has really raised the bar..."
Starting the game - On your phone's Games Menu, select "The Sims 3"
- Press "Select" or the "OK" key.
- Choose on/off to play with or without sound.
- After the splash screens, make your selection from the Main Menu.
Menu - Start Game: Continue a game in progress, or start a New Game.
- Goal Checklist: View a list of known goals in the game and their completion status.
- Help: View detailed instructions and information on how to play the game.
- About: View copyright and customer service information.
How to Play Welcome to the world of The Sims 3.
Start by selecting "Start Game" from the main menu and then selecting "New Game." Once on the Create A Sim screen, customize your Sim using the options to the left of the screen. Next, select your Sim's persona and then five traits for your Sim. Finally, name your Sim and you are ready to begin the game.
Once in the game, press left/4, right/6, up/2 and down/8 and the diagonal keys 1, 3, 7 and 9 to move the cursor around. Place cursor over an object and press OK/5 to interact with it.
In the upper left corner of the screen, the icons represent your queued actions. In the upper right corner are the current day, time, and game speed indicators. In the lower left corner, the icons represent your locked in wishes. In the lower right corner, there are needs icons. Green means the need is met. Red means the need requires attention. Across the bottom of the screen is the overall mood meter for your Sim; red meaning bad mood, green meaning good mood. Also, displayed is the current amount of Simoleons (the currency in The Sims 3) your Sim has.
Your Sim will sometimes develop Wishes to fulfill. You can choose to "lock in" a Wish, at which point it becomes an Active Goal or ignore it and it will expire. Up to four Goals can be locked in at any time. Complete all the goals to unlock a surprise. Check the "Goal Checklist" screen to see how many goals you have or have not completed.
Toggle Autonomous on/off from the options menu to select direct control over your Sim's actions or allow it to self-manage and act independently.
Town Map:
Once in the town map, your Sim can go to shops, head to work, or visit other Sims. If you see another Sim about, be sure to strike up a conversation.
Cooking Tutorial:
Keep the pots cooking, but don't let them boil over!
Press left/4 or right/6 to move the cursor, and then press OK/5 to keep the heat down.
Fishing Tutorial:
Bait the prospective fish by keeping the hook above it (using left/4 and right/6).
Press OK when the indicator is flashing to reel the fish in.
Fishing is a sport of patience, so don't be surprised if it takes a while.
Just remember to keep your cool, and enjoy the opportunity to relax!
Repairing Tutorial:
Move the repair kit using up/2, down/8. Press OK/5 to send a spark down wires to eliminate sparks coming from the capacitors.
Cleaning Tutorial:
Move the cursor (using up/2, down/8, left/4, right/6, 1, 3, 7 and 9) over the grubby spots and press OK/5 to wipe them away before the time runs out.
Gardening Tutorial:
To start a fruit and vegetable garden, upgrade your house. Your Sim will need to buy some seeds from the Hobby Shop. Fertilizer is also useful!
Saving/Loading Saving Prompts are ON by default - so you will be asked if you would like to save your game every time you move to a different location in the game. For example, leaving your home to navigate the Town Map.
You can also save at any time by pressing the Pause soft key, and selecting one of the following options:
Save and Continue
Save and Quit to menu
Save and Exit Game
If you would like to Quit without saving, intentionally:
Quit to menu
Q. How does my Sim's persona affect my Sim? A. A persona will give your Sim long term goals to complete specific to the persona. For example, the "Manic" persona has a long term goal of creeping out five Sims. Some personas also give you access to special interaction options such as "Watch Sleep" or "Talk to trees."
Q. How do I creep a Sim out? A. To creep a Sim out, go over to a Sim's house that you are an acquaintance with and eat out of their fridge. Also, you can be overly affectionate with a Sim that you are just acquaintances with.
Q. Why can't I build a garden? A. Once you have upgraded your Sim's house, a garden will be available in the front yard.
Q. How do I upgrade my house? A. After a few Sim days, the upgrade option will become available. Select the Sim's phone to access the upgrade option.
Q. When I am buying furniture why does it say "There is no suitable position to build that."? A. Sometimes your Sim's house will become full of furniture and appliances. Try selling or rearranging items to free up space for your new furniture.
Q. How many roommates can I have? A. You may only have one person live with you at a time.
Q. How many goals are there in the game? A. If you view the Goals Checklist screen, it will display the total number of goals in the game and which goals you have completed and discovered. Total number of goals will vary depending on your handset.
Q. What career paths are available to my Sim in the game? A. There are five career paths: Culinary, Business, Politics, Biology, and Criminal.
Q. [SPOILER ALERT] How do I choose the criminal career for my Sim? A. Once you have completed all the goals in the game, the criminal career will become unlocked.
Q. [SPOILER ALERT] How do I buy a car? A. Once you have completed all the goals in the game, the Pawn Shop will have cars available for sale. You may also receive a car as a job perk!
Please Note: Features may differ across handsets.
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