The Sims 3 Ambitions preview ,

The Sims 3: Ambitions preview
by AJ Glasser May 12, 2010 13:42 PM PT
The second expansion for the Sims 3 on PC introduces playable jobs to the base game as well as a slew of new items, Traits, and locations. Find out what's new, what's the same, and what's fixed in AJ Glasser's hands-on preview of Ambitions - and brace yourself: they've added laundry.

What's New?

Laundry: You knew this day would come; the premier life simulation game couldn't avoid laundry forever. Ambitions, however, allows players to opt-out of the nasty chore of washing, drying, and putting away clothes by attaching the function to washer/dryer machines and the clothesline item. Don't buy any of those and your Sims won't need to do laundry.

Eco-friendly trait: Ambitions introduces several new traits, but the one I saw the most of in my hands-on preview was the Eco-Friendly trait. Sims bearing this Trait can't stand to waste things or hurt the environment; my Sim's mood would dip whenever my Sim rode in cars alone (instead of carpooling), took normal showers instead of short showers, or used a washing machine that wasn't the high-end eco-friendly kind. They can also prepare organic food and buy eco-friendly clothing.

Interior Decorator: Ambitions adds new several occupations as well as building on classic Sim jobs like Firefighter or Doctor. I spent a lot of time with the Interior Decorator/Architect job and about half as much with the Private Investigator and the Firefighter. Most of the jobs function between set hours of the day with jobs popping up on the city map like Opportunity bubbles. Clicking on the bubble tells you what the job is, how difficult it is, and how much money you can make. Completing jobs earns your Sim experience points to fill the Responsibilities gauge toward a promotion.

The Interior Decorator had to build an extension onto someone's house using a checklist and a budget set by the client to make sure she put enough bookshelves at the right price in the client's addition. My Sim could also boost the client's satisfaction by taking measurements and showing the client around the finished room sort of like the tour you had to give the principal of the private school in Sims 2 to get your kid into private school. Strangely, the client Sim in my hands-on play didn't mind the interior decorator throwing down an isolated room on his front lawn that could've passed for a murder shack - but if I'd skimped on the comfy chair, he would've deducted some money from the Interior Decorator's pay.

Consignment Shop/Junkyard: The new southern-looking town in Ambitions introduces both the Consignment Shop and the Junkyard mostly to compliment the Sim jobs where you create stuff (Inventors, Sculptors, etc.). Sims with these jobs can go down to the Junkyard to dig up stuff to use in their creations and can then turn around and sell whatever they make to the Consignment Shop.

Tattoos: In addition to crafting funky hairstyles and redoing a Sim's makeup, the Stylist job also lets Sims tattoo clients. Your Sim can also get their own tattoos as the salon, but be careful - tattoos can go very, very wrong.

 What's the Same?

Having sex in weird places: The Inventor Sim can create a time machine, and true to Sim tradition, you can WooHoo other Sims in the time machine. Doing so might cause a strangely-dressed adult Sim to show up on your doorstep claiming to be your kid from another era.

Going to the Hospital: The Doctor job is a hybrid of classic gameplay and the on-the-job gameplay of Ambitions. The Doctor still has to go to the hospital for a day shift, but he or she also gets house-calls during off hours where they have to go to a client's house. Similarly, the Firefighter is required to be at the Fire Station for shifts and is on-call for emergencies at all times.

Breaking into people's houses: I'm pretty sure you could always "break" into a Sim's house in Sims 3 just by ringing a doorbell and pushing past whoever answered it, but Ambitions formalizes the process for the Private Investigator. Instead of having to ring the doorbell, for example, the P.I. could pick the lock on a door and tiptoe through the house just like the non-playable burglars in the Sims. However, if a Sim sees you or an alarm goes off, the jig is up and you'd better run for it. Oh, also, you can break Sims out of jail.

SimBot: Fans of the original Sims remember Servo, the lovable Sim robot who could be nanny, butler, and maid to Sims willing to purchase him. The beloved bot returns to Sims 3 through Ambitions as a Lifetime Achievement award or as something the Inventor can create.
What's Fixed?

Text notifications: Instead of flooding your screen with long blocks of text that eventually shrink, all text notifications in the Sims now appear in a single window with tabs for each new notification. Definitely saves on screen clutter.

Revamped Opportunity menu: The job bubbles now apply to all Opportunities so you can see exactly who the Opportunity is for, which Sim is assigning it to you, where the Opportunity is (without having to snap out to the city map to find it), and what you'll earn.

 What I think:

I think it's a little sad that your playable Sim can't hire other Sims employed in Ambitions jobs; it'd be kind of fun to order around an interior decorator. Other than that small gripe, I'm pleased with the amount of content Ambitions introduces to the base game. I just integrating the expansion with my base game and all its custom content goes smoother than it did with the last expansion, World Adventures.

Source: GamePro

 Adam Said:  Wth?  Wooo, Having sex in the time machine, that's exactly what I wanted to try out. Lol