@SimGuruRyan, Lead Producer for The Sims 3 introduces the newest expansion, The Sims 3 Island Paradise, dropping anchor this June!

When we started work on The Sims 3 Island Paradise , we had one goal – to deliver you the content, features, and gameplay to not just create and play with an island paradise, but to create and play with what you envision an island paradise to be. We all have different ideas of what paradise means, so we strived to create an expansion that includes as many of those concepts as possible. Through features like sailing the open seas on a houseboat of your own design, scuba diving in search of sunken treasure, or relaxing in the lap of luxury at a mega resort (just to name a few!), The Sims 3 Island Paradise gives you the opportunity to both create paradise, and then play with it. As we continue to build Island Paradise, we’re focusing on a few major parts of the game to achieve this.



The first one is definitely the ocean. With the release of The Sims 3 Seasons , we enabled swimming in the ocean for the first time, and with The Sims 3 Island Paradise , we're really taking what you can do on, and below, the ocean to a whole new level. You might enjoy having your Sims sit back and relax on a sailboat as they venture off into the sunset, or maybe even go for a quick paddle on a rowboat. Alternatively players might be more interested in a speedboat or Jet Ski to quickly head out in search of uncharted islands veiled by a mysterious fog!

Players that love to build things can create fully functional houseboats using the complete suite of Build/Buy Mode tools to design and furnish floating abodes. And did I mention scuba diving?? For the first time ever in The Sims 3 , you'll be able to take your Sims under the ocean’s waves in search of sunken treasure! While down there you might even encounter some unexpected – or dangerous – marine life. The tropical ocean in this brand new world is packed with tons of all new ways to interact with your Sims, and our hope is that it gives you the feeling of your own island paradise, even if you’ve never before stepped your own toes into beautiful crystal blue waters.





Resorts are another area of the game that we're focusing on. Whether you're looking to build a sprawling mega resort, have your Sims stay in a stilt foundation bungalow out over the ocean, or even directly manage an exclusive beachside retreat, resorts in The Sims 3 Island Paradise provide these experiences and much more. With advanced Build/Buy features such as the ability to build out over the ocean, create pools using the new resort-specific Blueprint Mode, and place dynamic new resort towers to attract potential guests. For those of you with more of a business mindset, resorts allow you to manage and fine tune the characteristics of your resort down to the smallest detail – all while making a little money on the side! Utilize the Resort Star Rating System to see how your guests like your resort and then make crucial business decisions like adding fun amenities, hiring maintenance staff, or setting quality levels. All decisions tie into the popularity and overall success of your resort, so make sure your guests are happy… or don't! It's your paradise, and you get to make the decisions. But don’t worry, resorts aren’t all about work. If your Sims are looking to melt away into an extended vacation, resorts are the place to go! Belly up to the in-pool bars, eat until your heart’s content at epic buffets, or even test your skills at the fire walk pit and many other amenities! Resorts are a massive new experience that really offers fun for everyone, regardless of how you play The Sims 3 .



Of course, no The Sims 3 expansion pack is complete without all new careers, skills, collectibles, Lifetime Rewards, traits and places to WooHoo, of course!  We'll get into more detail of what those new items look like so be sure to stay tuned for upcoming blogs, Q&As, Twitter Takeovers and more. Also be sure to mark your calendars for our next Live Broadcast on April 16 where we’ll be showing an all-new gameplay demo and taking your questions live!

Until then, Sim-on Simmers, and get ready to spend your summer in paradise!

@SimGuruRyan

Hey Simmers!

You may have recognized some of these Sim-ified memes in The Sims 3 University Life Launch Trailer .





We recently invited Simmers on the forums to take these screenshots minus the captions to insert their own! Here are a few of our favorites:

By StarChildXenu:


By Joolster:


By Rawr2019:


By Archivist:


By rafraf :


We're seriously enjoying these captions you're creating and sharing with us! You can create and share your own too! Head over here to save the screenshots minus captions and to post them with your own text. We'll highlight more favorites soon!

Don't forget to check out Part 1 ! 

If you could be any icon from the 70s, 80s or 90s, who would you be and why?

I'm not much into following celebrities... but if I wanted to be similar to someone that was an icon in their field, I would choose J. Scott Campbell.  I really loved his comic book art back in the late 90's.

Did you have a favorite poster on your bedroom wall in high school or college and if so, what was it?

I had some pretty great Star Wars posters that complimented my X-wing model that I had hanging from my ceiling in my room.  In fact I still have that same X-wing toy, it is now hanging above my desk here at EA Salt Lake. If you can't tell, I love geeking out on Sci-fi.

My favorite TV Show growing up was…

Well during college I loved watching Arrested Development.  Love that show!

My college mascot and team colors were… 

Waldo the Wildcat and the colors were purple and white.  I was never into going to sports games though. I have no interest in that kind of stuff. I was mostly into studying art and doing activities in that department.

My favorite memory from college was…

I loved going to gallery shows at school. I also had a lot of fun working on building an indie videogame with my buddies.

In college, instead of studying, you’d catch me doing…

On the weekends I would go camping with friends in the mountains, and we would throw big bonfire parties. We had some pretty great times.

SARAH DAHL, QUALITY ASSURANCE TESTER

EA SALT LAKE

If you could be any icon from the 70s, 80s or 90s, who would you be and why?

Honestly, I’m not sure but I guess I’ll say Molly Ringwald because for a little while there she had like 12 movies out. And she’s a redhead, so that would be awesome.

Did you have a favorite poster on your bedroom wall in high school or college and if so, what was it?

I had a big N*Sync poster for the longest time. It was a teenage girl’s dream. I loved it.

My favorite TV Show growing up was…

I am a good ol’ Looney Toons girl. I had a Tweety Bird bedspread for the longest time.

My college mascot and team colors were… 

Wildcats and purple.

My favorite memory from college was…

Taking classes with my friends and being able to goof off when the professors weren’t looking… and sometimes when they were.

In college, instead of studying, you’d catch me doing…

Doing plays and playing some videogames. I’d always be at some sort of gaming system. I had a great group of friends who I’d hang out with too. I actually wrote my own Sim’s stories too!