It’s that time again!  If you’re fairly new to the site, when fan events take place I create one big sticky post containing all of the news, previews, reports, images and videos.  This makes it easier for everyone to get all Ambitions information from one main post  and also keeps the site free to include other non-fan event updates.  So, with that being said, lets get started!

The latest updates:

  • 5/16/10 at 9:35 AM – added part 2 of BlackGarden‘s TSR Sims 3 Ambitions preview
  • 5/12/10 at 8:13 PM – added interview with Grant Rodiek from SimFans
  • 5/12/10 at 8:11 PM – added list of lifetime achievement awards from SimFans
  • 5/11/10 at 9:52 PM – added 3 more links to SimTime’s report
  • 5/11/10 at 8:17 AM – added link to Molly360’s impression
  • 5/11/10 at 6:09 AM – added link to part 1 of SimFan’s report
  • 5/11/10 at 6:02 AM – added link to SimTime’s report
  • 5/11/10 at 5:59 AM – added 2nd batch of information from attendee Molly360
  • 5/10/10 at 9:44 PM – added information from attendee Molly360
  • 5/10/10 at 8:43 PM – added part 1 of BlackGarden‘s TSR Sims 3 Ambitions preview
  • 5/10/10 at 8:35 PM – added link to SimFans article about new Education career
  • 5/10/10 at 12:42 PM – Posted hands-on report from Tidus
  • 5/8/10 at 8:44 PM – Added SimFans request for questions
  • 5/8/10 at 8:44 PM – Mega Post Created

The sites of which who are attending:

(banner by Simillion)

Ghost hunter

There’s a strange new kind of entity wreaking havoc around the neighbourhood. There are spirits on the loose. Luckily, your Sim is pretty business-minded and they’ve spotted the opportunity to make some money a mile off.

In the ghost hunting profession most of your jobs will involve going round to another Sim’s house and hunting down some spirits. And then when you find them you can zap them with your big gun. Grant told us that as you get more skilled at ghost hunting, you might be able to talk them into leaving instead.

As you arrive at a job, the lot will be filled with fog and spooky music will be playing. All you have to do is look around the lot for signs of spirits. Spirits are a little different from ghosts. So don’t worry, you’re not going to be zapping away the ghost of your great aunt Betty. The spirits don’t look like Sims, they look a lot more like Casper the friendly ghost, and just like Sim-ghosts, they are all different colours.

(Quick note: some of the pictures we’ve seen seem to show the ghost hunters hunting real ghosts, like the one on the right here. I’m not sure if this is because higher up the ghost hunter career you do hunt ghosts instead of spirits, or just because EA are using a bit of artistic license.)

When you “banish” a spirit, your Sim yanks out their big zappy gun, and sucks the spirit up. From there, the spirit appears in your Sim’s inventory, and at this point they’re just like any other collectable. You can find out a little bit about the spirit, like their age, and what kind of spirit they are (“friendly”, “lonely”, etc). You can collect them up, or sell them for a tidy profit at the science lab, to supplement your income.

In addition to these “normal” jobs, your ghost-hunting Sims will also get some sort of “special event” jobs at rabbit holes. These are pretty cool, because despite your Sim disappearing inside and going out of your control, a bunch of special effects appear around the rabbit hole, and it looks awesome.

Check out the other cool bits of information at Blackgarden’s TSR Blog (part 2) – thanks GeorgeOfPlay!

SimFans.de: Why can not always change the color of Rabbit Holes to the Create-a-style tool?

Grant Rodiek: These buildings are very complex and structured differently than regular objects. But with The Sims 3 dream careers, many color options are added to existing Rabbit Holes. In addition, there is a new Rabbit Holes, like a new stage, or the new restaurant! This is a disused train. That looks really great.

SimFans.de: If I want to place in Sunset Valley, a fire station or a salon. Is this easily possible?

Rodiek Grant: Yes! In the houses ton of Sunset Valley are already pre-new building. This can easily be placed on empty land. Or you take the new neighborhood tool and placing it out of hand new plots in Sunset Valley, and then build your own fire station, a junkyard or the salon.

SimFans.de: The fans constantly asking us for new objects for children. Now dream career is not really a suitable add-on for children’s toys and furniture. Are there still new things for children?

Grant Rodiek: Of course! We have a fire truck toys and a music box, which you can raise. It then turns a small garden gnome to appropriate music. This is really cool. In addition, the inventors produced toys. But this caution was called for. If inferior materials used, may ignite them. There is also the previously mentioned Children’s Back-station.

More questions and answers with Grant Rodiek at SimFans (scroll to the bottom for full interview)

If you meet the desires of your Sims in The Sims 3 Ambitions, you’ll be able to get new lifetime achievement awards.  Here’s a list of the new ones featured in the expansion:

  • “Profession Simoleon Booster“ 10,000 (more Simoleons for completed jobs)
  • “Efficient Inventor“ 10,000 (faster completion and less need material for inventions)
  • “Suave Seeker” 18,000 (?)
  • “Artisan Crafter” 20,000 (faster and better creation of sculptures)
  • “Fireproof Homestead” 30,000 (no more fire on home lot)
  • “My Best Friend” 40,000 (spawns simbot / servo / robot)

Source:  SimFans

The greatest innovation in Create A Sim mode is the ability to give your Sims tattoos. And not just one that no one sees. Numerous body painting in different location are possible.

Choose The Sims 3: Ambitions you can, where you want to place the tattoo. That you are the first choice of the four regions of the body back, arm, chest and abdomen and feet are available. Is your selection made, you can refine them still. If the tattoo, for example, in the upper arm and shoulder area or would you rather be lying on the biceps, the forearms adorn or be seen on the back of the hand be? These four positions you can select the arm and prove to wish all of them. In the back you can, for example, the neck and shoulder blades, or decorate your Sims miss a dead smart ass antlers.

Have you found your desired location, you can already choose the first motif. Many motifs are available to you. bishin of animal motifs on Chinese characters to graceful scrolls much is there. This is also good because you can not own motives unfortunately add.

Here you can customize existing motives in many ways. So you can freely determine the size and transparency. The colors can change it. The tattoos will always have a stroke, can determine the color of her, as well as a main color and a side suit that shape the visual appearance. As with the change of a pattern, you can define the colors available.

On five different levels you can join the many motives to an entire tattoo. At each level, you can here the size of the subject and also determine the colors and designed so as countless combinations. This you can then load in the official Exchange, and so are other players also available.

Existing Sims can miss her about the tattoo chair a tattoo. Whose body jewelry at some point no longer suits need not worry: The tattoos are removed at any time.

‘All about Tattoos’ from German fansite SimTimes (roughly translated to English)

Such a hat would do well

So many innovations in the general gameplay is, there are so few extensions in Create A Sim mode, apart from the possibility of tattoos. Who is on headgear, which is fully at his expense. Three construction workers are helmets and Detektivhüte it that are different but not formally. Added to this fire helmets and motorcycle helmets.

At hairstyles can look forward to five new haircuts female sims, all of which are about medium and modern look. The gentlemen can adjust to six new hairstyles. The new hair never goes beyond the shoulder and is quite varied.

Less varied, however, is the new fashion. Except for new skirts and outfits for architects in the everyday clothes we could find nothing. The aprons are planned for the inventor. In the women is exacerbated by a rather old-fashioned apron that can attract the modern housewife of yesterday like.

Character embossing

In The Sims 3: Dream careers are added just seven new characteristics. In addition to ambitious, eccentric, dramatic, environmentally friendly and torn your Sims can also be the born businessmen and-women or cracked sculptor.

Born businessmen, for example, receive more money for selling things. Torn sculptors have a flair for fashion and know what is in and what is out. Dramatic Sims are very emotional. All of life will affect their moods and feelings.

Eccentrics are born inventor, because they have the natural tendency to invent crazy things. Acumen pays the other hand, for the detectives. Environmentally Sims is very important to recycle and save energy.

Did you create your Sims, you can in the relationship now, the options “Select Fixed friends Festivals friend” and “fiance / fiancee.

‘CAS and Traits’ from German fansite SimTimes (roughly translated to English)

What’s new in buy mode

The acquisition mode was extended with particular objects, which are primarily focused on the new professions. Among the many volumes of work is also a copy is for children. Here the little ones can make the funny bricks from The Sims 2: Open for Business.

Many objects are also only added by the sculptor or the inventor, so the buying mode this somewhat slimmed occurs, as usual. The highlight of the normal, non-career specific objects, the bike and the trampoline. The latter acts as a veritable magnet for Sims want to have fun. We are still foremost a Bodensprinkler in memory. The decoration objects you can move on each floor and it injects a small curtain of water up as soon as a Sim enters about him. The whole thing happens even in different colors.

Realism fans can make leaps in the air, for the washing of laundry is moving into the world of the Sims. Dirty clothes can wash her in the domestic washing machine or in the local laundromat. After a few moments (about 90 sim minutes) you can either pack the clothes in the dryer or hang on the clothesline. Clean laundry makes for your Sims to short-term good mood.

The build mode

The building mode has been enhanced by some new windows and doors and of course walls and floors. There are new multi-story columns, for up to three floors high. New is also that the angle of your roof you can now determine more accurately and more individual. With just a few clicks it determines the roof slopes of individual roof parts.
New Cheats

“Oh my God” – that was the reaction from us on one of the new cheats. Shocked, we stared at the monitor in front of us. And Sims developers Rodiek Grant said dryly to us that the purchase of the expansion pack if only for this cheat code worth altogether. What had happened? Not knowing we gave one in the neighborhood on the cheat DiscoMaptags and suddenly all the icons began to plot in different colors flashing. Our problem was that we just right over the city center were and were mostly a by flashing.

The Cheat Code AllowBuyBuild allows you to access at any time on the buying and building mode. Even if it should just burn. Thus it bypasses the barrier, which occurs in such cases normally. A third cheat allows you that you let an NPC at an older age group.‘New Features’ from German fansite SimTimes (roughly translated to English)

NEW OBJECTS

It turns out I’m not very good at this, because I didn’t write the names of everything down.

So you’re about to here the ‘thingy’ a lot!

Yes you can now do laundry! New object include a washer, dryer and clothes drying rack (thingy). If your sim has a shower or changes clothes, and dirty washing pile appears on the floor, if you have a nest sims, they should go place these in the laundry basket, if not they will stay on the floor getting a negative moodlet. Also if you are not a fan of this new addition to the game there’s good news, just don’t place any of these items on your lot and there will be no dirty clothes….. This is a fantastic feature!

Trampoline! Yay! Rex went off and had a play, and it was fun! Although he is a clumsy sim, so kept falling off, resulting in a negative moodlet. Yes you can invite others to join although I only invited one other and I’m not sure what the maximum for it was.

There was a lawn game I didn’t really like, I also don’t know what it was called, and it took up a lot of space but was a great social object.

Lemonade stand……. No I saw this object right at the end and didn’t find out the name or see it work! It’s an object for children, so they can now make money, it very similar to the lemonade stand in Sims 2 but they sell baked goods instead!

FOG EMITTER – OMG this was one of the best things I came across! I’m not too sure where I found this, because I turned the BUYDEBUG cheat on, so I may have found it there! While in build mode it looks like a green ball, but once in play mode it disappears and emitted fog! It’s very cool, and gives a brilliant eerie feel to your lot!

Digital Photo frames – Now the photo’s you’re your Sims take can go it these frames and some of aren’t small!

Music box – These were lovely; again I got it using buydebug. But the little dance the sim did to it was adorable!

BUILD MODE!

Although I didn’t look to see if there was anything new, there were two new bloody brilliant tools!

NEW ROOF PITCH TOOL! – This enables you to adjust the size of different parts of your roof! It’s very easy to use!

COLUMN SIZE ADJUSTER – Again easy to use! This allows you to adjust the size of the columns you use in your builds, up to 3 stories high!

There is much, much more to read about.  Check out Molly360’s impression for more!

It wanted details and it gets details. I have taken the tattoo tool under the microscope and answers all fan questions on this subject.

The tattoo is a very powerful tool. Virtually infinite combinations are available. First it decides you for a part of the body. The SIM body was divided into 4 areas for placing tattoo. The chest and abdomen area, the back, arms and legs. I want to make a tattoo on one arm, I chose this area. Now I get four more sections. Where will I place my tattoo on the arm? On the back, on the upper arm, forearm or wrist? I choose the upper arm and plus the right arm. Now I’ve found my desired location. Now do I have an extremely wide range of subjects available. We have done to include the cost of all, there are 42 tattoos in the game. For each match is something and tattoos may be made even one above the other to get to even more combinations. A few examples of themes: Animals dolphin, rose, birds, and Tribles in the forms and Blumenmuster, and and and. Clicking the tattoo at the predetermined location is appropriate – Alternatively it can be deleted of course.

I choose a red Rosenblüte to some green leaves are created with black outline. These are the three standard colors of this subject. Red as primary color (flower), and green as a secondary color (sheets) and black as stroke. Now, I can change these 3 colors at will. I choose the red and click on the color wheel for a yellow tone. Now my flower is yellow. Just as easy as with clothes in the match. Two things I like but still with the tattoo. It looks somewhat pale and small and my SIM wants a most conspicuous tattoo. I move simply both slider bar, one for the size of the tattoo and one for the transparency of tattoo to top. Now fits all  dignity I have the game home could I save all on the Sims 3 Launcher in my upload SimFansDE account to the official exchange on diesims3.de and show all my friends there which can download my tattoo design in their game, if they the expansion pack have dream careers. Class!

There’s more info at SimFan’s Part 1 of The Sims 3 Ambitions report (English roughly translated from German)

And that, when the Sims in two different ways. If your Sims earn their support by writing, painting, or fishing, must they are no longer called “” unemployed”settle.” You can register in the City Hall as independent. Surprisingly, it is about that there are other job titles for self-employed Sims according to ability and their skills.

Also your Sims now have the option to acquire community land. As owner, the Sims on land in the purchase and construction mode switch and enhance their own property. The estate is valuable, more quality you can achieve it with the site. We bought a park as a test and saw the upgrade matrix, that to the next stage a few picnic benches we lack. They placed fix and already our country was a level more valuable.

Your land are valuable, the more they earn. Who is expecting a new open for business, but is disappointed. You can set employees nor otherwise great business things do. You can sell items from your inventory or sell directly in new shops. Other Sims to automatically manage the acquired land and you as the owner then periodically receive your profit. Thus, behind only another share purchases to previous rabbit hides holes. We could not unfortunately striking differences during our time.

SimTimes – hands on with The Sims 3 Ambitions (English roughly translated from German)

Twinbrook consists of numerous properties located settled to a reservoir. Heart of the city is a great place just before the Town Hall, which directly up to the reservoir extends over a wide staircase and draws an idyllic picture there.

Twinbrook built the most land. Here you can find all new land, such as the fire station, the beauty or the laundry where the Sims to wash their dirty linen. You can import existing families from other neighborhoods, relations with the former Sims are lost but.

Twinbrook reminiscent of his style forth to the South of the USA. Everything is still somewhat ländlicher designed as sunset Valley and everything seems to be from wood. Therefore, there are also new representations of rabbit holes. The military building, for example, looks like an old rental barracks which fits perfectly in a forest.

SimTimes – what’s new with Twin Brook (English roughly translated from German)

  • Doctors can give shots, only sims (I think!) that the doctor is treating.
  • The trampoline was about 5×6 (in sim-tiles) i think!
  • It’s is (upper part of the firehouse) a living quarter, there is a gym, kitchen and pretty much everything your sim needs while on call.
  • No new foods, because they added loads in WA.
  • Q:  What happens to Sunset Valley and Riverview when you install this ep?  A:  The new career buildings like the fire house should just pop up and be there.
  • No hot tubs
  • New pre-made houses that are nice ones, and some…. the one on the marshlands that look like shack’s
  • Firefighter, doctor, private investigator, tattoo artist, architectural designer, these are all career’s.  But inventor, and sculptor you have to go to city hall and become self employed.

Posted by Molly360 over at the official Sims 3 Forum

  • I didn’t see a pier but the are some lovely new bridges (in Twinbrook) and reworked rabbit holes as well as a errie bog/marsh lands area, with flog covering the floor, this comes from a new object called the fog emitter!
  • The fog is for effect! and works well! also if your in the ghost hunter career and go to a hunted lot it suddenly appears as you arrive.
  • There are about five new hair styles for both males and females, also uniformed head ware, and……..yes crash helmets.
  • Played the career of the ghost busting (was touched on little).  I loved it, to start with you catch or help cross-over spirit’s which look like these little whirls of color. I then progressed to poltergeist again swirling colors but they are possessing furniture.
  • My favorite object was a music box, there a little interaction the sims do, they rock in a very loving way to the music, it’s very cute!
  • With the ghost hunting career, I started off a bit confused! There was no car pool, till grant told me to look in map mode, and then tags come up on lots, that’s where you have to go and ghost hunt.
  • New traits…. I didn’t try them but here they are:  Born salesman, Eccentic, eco friendly, dramatic, perceptive and savvy sculptor
  • There are a few new features adjustable columns up to 3 story’s high and the new roof pitch tool, which allow you to adjust the size of different parts of your roof.
  • The trampoline is very cool, and yes you can invite others to join. I didn’t try the motor bike, because i became distracted by a new interaction,,,, Detonate, which just means you can pretty much blow up everything!
  • I didn’t see any new rabbitholes, but there are some reworked one like a new dinner. there are new community lots like a laundary place thingy, and fire house…oooo and a junk yard….. nearly forgot that one!
  • Yes it’s still a rabbithole (hospital), for that career you work mainly on community lots around town.
  • New lots, more so two new gnomes, which i’m not going to talk about, because some should just be left a secret
  • Robot is not servos it is …..SIM BOT!  No he can not fly, that was an effect in that movie, done with sony vegas. I’m sure you could recolor him, but i didn’t get long with him.  You can buy him with your life time rewards…40,000 of them, and i just got him at the end of the sesion, He eat scrap mental, smash objects by turning his arms round really fast like a helicopter and he doesn’t shower.
  • Yes you can make your own (say, Firestation), some object like the sculptor thingy (i really should have wrote names down), inventor bench and the architect’s workplace you can buy and place in your own home.

Posted by Molly360 over at the official Sims 3 Forum (thanks Tea_and_Blues)

The stylist has the power to transform your townies’ clothes from threadbare to designer flare, their hair from looking like hay to “hey good looking” and their makeup… is also something you can edit in this particular profession.

As a stylist your Sim will have working hours when they should head down to the salon. How much or how little work your Sim does is your choice. You could just hang out with your co-workers, and mess about all day. Or you could wait for a potential client to come in through the door. During your working day, you’ll get special assignments to make over certain Sims. These pop up like opportunities.

The client will come along with a story about why they want or need a makeover, along with a list of requirements. These might be something like 3 x everyday clothes, 1 x formal wear, 1 x shoes, 1 x accessory, new hair style, new hair colour, new makeup. That’s not a restriction, that’s just the minimum you need to do to complete this client’s makeover. So if their swimwear was offensively hideous, you could change that as well.

So you get your client to step up to the new stylists’ object, and you’ll find yourself in something that looks a bit like Create-A-Sim, but with a slightly different background. It allows you access to change hair, facial hair, eyebrows, makeup, and clothes. There are also some extra hair styles that are only available from the stylist, including a really cute new ponytail style for women. After you’ve changed all the different things the client asked for, they pay you for your work, and off they go.

As a stylist, your Sim will also have a couple of new socials available to them. They can compliment a Sim on their style to increase their relationship. Conversely, of course, you can also insult their sense of style, which will upset them.

Continue reading on about the Interior Designer and Firefighter careers over at BlackGarden’s(TSR) preview on The Sims 3 Ambitions – Part 1

SimFans shared with us a new career which will be introduced in The Sims 3 Ambitions – the Education Career:

New Career! “Education”
Level / Title
1. Playground Monitor
2. Teachers Aide
3. Substitute Teacher
4. Elementary School Teacher
5. Middle School Teacher
6. High School Teacher
7. Department Head
8. Assistant Principal
9. Principal
10. District Superintendant

How interactive are the new careers?
I’d spent my time playing on the investigator, stylist and architect careers. The new careers are fully interactive, there are tons of new objects for each of the “professions” (as they are called in-game) for example there is a large desk to draw up designs for new houses and styles (architecture and sylist). For example, if you are a “Private-eye”, you can break into people’s homes and snoop around. Dig through their trash and mailbox for blackmail evidence. You will get calls with different job offers, for you to accept them.

What new hairs are in the game?
There is around six hairstyles per gender (not sure how many with hats), most of the female’s are shoulder or lower-neck length are kind of wavy. The male’s are short and stylish. I like both sets of gender hairstyles.

What new traits are there – what do they do (description of them)?
There is a new trait named “dramatic” which I gave my stylist, and she pretended to faint on the shop floor, which was quite funny . I’m pretty sure there’s one new trait for each career, although that could be debatable. There’s also an “eco-friendly” trait, with new recycling bins to put into your homes, and will get a positive moodlet if they carpool with other sims or take their bike to work/venues.

What’s the new furniture/plants like?
There are TONS of new objects for the home, including modern and stylish new lounge sets. I’m pretty sure there’s about 3 new beds available. OOH, and there’s a new laundry system. This is optional, you can put in a washing machine and dryer (or go to the new laundromat in town), and when your sim changes or hops in the shower, they will leave a small pile of clothes on the floor which your sim can pick up and drop into the hamper, washing machine or washing line (for eco-friendly sims). Should you choose to have a washing machine and dryer in your home, your sims will get positive moodlets for each time they do a batch of laundry.

How is the tattoo system?
I hadn’t played around with the tattoo system much, but Grant did. He showed us where you can put tattoos (there are about ten different places you can put tattoos). You can scale the size and customize them fully. I put a llama tattoo on my first sim’s arm.

Is the Renovation mode good? How have they combined everything together from build and buy?
Renovation mode is just like build/buy mode in my opinion, although you get either interior or exterior design jobs depending on your client. My first job as an architect was to install new windows and doors to fit the inside of the house. Overall I’d say the renovation mode is no different to the buy/build modes, but the gameplay is extremely well put together. Such as taking photos of your projects for your portfolio.

Is CAS in the game good?
Assuming you’re referring to the stylish career, CAS in-game is basically a wardrobe with your customer in. It’s just like the normal CAS but you choose outfits and hair. My first job as a stylist was to put together a senior citizen’s outfit for a new elder. I’d put a couple of outfits together, but having little to none experience and artistic skill my first customer had stepped down from the block looking like a clown; literally! .

Is Twinbrook a nice town? What style does it follow? Are the new rabbit hole styles more modern?
Twinbrook is a huge new town, which had been flooded (if I read the town description correctly this morning), and is now half-swamp half-town. The swampy areas are very dank and misty. The other side of Twinbrook has brand new shops such as the Laundromat, The tattoo parlour and stylist shop and much more. I really enjoyed having a look around Twinbrook, and the place looks really great.

There has been talks about a consignment store – does it work well?
There is a consignment store in-game, although I don’t know much more about it. I didn’t visit it. Sorry!

How does the self-employment work?
Grant said something about going to city hall and registering yourself as self-employed, I don’t know much more after that. Again, sorry!

Is the portfolio you mentioned like the skill journals?
Nope, it’s like a small inventory for snapshots and ideas for your profession, for example once you’ve completed a look or a new interior design, you go into camera mode and take a picture of it. The pictures will end up in your portfolio which you can show to your new customers and improve your overall score.

Other
I also just remembered that Grant Rodiek said that your sims can “woohoo” in the time machine, and if a child is conceived it may come out older (or younger) than your couple! I thought this was such a funny and clever idea.

Grant told us about meteors (and the new “death by meteor” ) and earthquakes. He showed us a small house fire (what the scale of the event was totally random).

Posted by Tidus over at the official EA UK Sims 3 Forum

Ask your own questions!  That’s right, SimFans is accepting your questions as they’ll be a part on the event come on Monday.  Better hurry though, they’ll stop taking them on Sunday night!

Ask your questions here at SimFans