iSims3

1UP Community: One of the most annoying issues I had with the previous Sims games was getting from point A to point B -- especially when other Sims were blocking the route. Can I expect to see something like Assassin's Creed's nudging system? Have you thought up something else?

Ben Bell, Executive Producer: The Sims 3 is set in a wide open neighborhood. This means that The Sims can traverse much longer distances than ever before. If you tell your Sim to go downtown, he'll walk outside, jump in a car, get out near the destination and then walk the rest of the way. At any point, your Sims can intelligently adjust their path to deal with obstacles that might appear as they travel. The A.I. system that we built to enable this kind of intelligent path finding is significantly advanced over our previous games. We're putting a lot of polish into The Sims 3 A.I. and I think you'll be impressed by their intelligence.

SCREENS: Click the image above to check out all The Sims 3 screens.

BB: When you play The Sims 3, you play as one household. However, you can choose to change the household that you are playing. What's different about The Sims 3 is that when you are playing one household, the other households in your town will develop intelligently: other Sims will age, get married, have children, go to work, et cetera. This means that the world is changing around you and no game will ever feel the same. If one of the Sims in your household moves out, you can choose to follow them and control a different household, or you can continue to play the same household.

1UP Community: Will there be changes to how maintaining friendships will work? I personally believe that keeping up relationships with your family, friends, and neighbors is one of the most grueling aspects of the Sims games. Will the game be more forgiving in how fast your relationships with other Sims deteriorate over time?

BB: This is great feedback. We definitely want you to feel like you are in control of your social game, and therefore all of your relationships.

SCREENS: Click the image above to check out all The Sims 3 screens.

1UP Community: Will the pool ladder still be removable after someone gets in?

BB: There will still be plenty of ways for devious fans to play in The Sims 3 -- including removing the pool ladder! Anything can happen in this new open neighborhood environment; we can't wait to see what players come up with. [Editor's Note: During GFW's visit to see the game earlier this year, design director Matt Brown dropped this detail: "Though if you do try to drown your Sim in a pool, he can realize what you're trying to do, because it's pretty clear that you've put him in a pool and then taken away the ladder... And now he can just crawl out of the pool, which he couldn't do before."]

1UP Community: The supernatural aspects of TS1 and TS2 have always been some of my favorite game features. Will you continue adding supernatural features in The Sims 3?

BB: The supernatural aspects in The Sims games have always been fan favorites, not to mention favorites within our studio! We're creating some fun surprises new and old fans are going to love in The Sims 3. [Editor's Note: Of course, love of the supernatural isn't unanimous. "I personally absolutely hate everything supernatural in The Sims 2," laughed Sims Studio head Rod Humble during GFW's cover story visit, "but the team loves putting it in by way of mocking. So the expansion pack team now designates, 'What supernatural thing do we put in to piss off Rod?' Because I really, really hate it."

Thanks 1up.com!