The Sims 2: Jeanette Biedermann pictures from her (now defunct) blog: "Jeanette meets Die Sims 2"
Fun Fact: You can still buy Jeanettes Sim on her album single. She shipped it with a file of her simself on her "Run With Me" single which she also had a Sims 2 MV with.
Unused thumbnails from The Urbz: Sims in the City, showing Jayde, Skid, and an unused character only known by "punk" in an earlier style. This implies at one point; these characters could be interacted with.
"Punk" can be spotted in an early trailer. He appears to be dressed just like Skid, only with a different color palette. It's also safe to assume that Skid might've been one of the first Urbz created. Not only because of his appearances in early promotional works, and he has an unused thumbnail, but because earlier models use his body/outfit as a base.
The unused Robot Street Performer also dresses very similar to Skid. (Goatee, t-shirt that rides up, saggy jeans with underwear showing) The Robot Street Performer can also be viewed in the same trailer that features "Punk"
looking at audio objects for images to use on the MP3 player screen, and everyone knows about the Radiohead cover on the Fun-Kadelic Frequency Stereo System, but these other album covers are... something lol
The Sims 2 Pets: Purple Pug and other Code-locked Pets
Did you know there's 3 animals hidden behind a code? Well I didn't. Only one of them had a render made for them. The others are just there as codes
Some countries (mainly Taiwan) advertised with them as if they were Pre-Order exclusives like the lost Elle Woods Sims 1 downloadable character which has essentially become lost media. But these pets aren't.
You can literally just check them in your game by typing in said codes:
Sims Trivia: According to Lyndsey Pearson way back in the late 2010s, the ‘Bella Goth story’ was inspired by Dynasty in the 1980s.
Stay with me here, this is going to be pretty in depth and may just blow some of your minds.
So Lynsey Pearson did a Q&A session on a fan site named Sim Media way back in 2008. The interview wasn’t very insightful, but she did share some details about the inspiration behind the storylines in The Sims 2.
She explained (when asked what was the inspiration for the storylines in TS2) that pleasant view was this huge tribute to 80s soap operas, with affairs, dramatic encounters and mysteries that were left unresolved.
Bella Goth’s story was inspired by Fallon Carrington in the original Dynasty series. If you’re unaware, dynasty was a true 80s soap and it followed a rich family known as the carrington’s.
So let me explain what happened to Fallon. Fallon was this mysterious, femme fatal character that was seen in the title credits wearing a red dress. She eventually goes missing from the show following a proposition from a guy and the family spend an entire season on the hunt for her. She is abducted by aliens, and she’s plagued by amnesia and can’t remember her family beforehand, or her children. Following her being ‘missing’, she’s replaced by a new actress who is visually different to the character beforehand, but still is seen in the credits wearing that iconic red dress. To add to this, a painted photograph remains inside the family home of the character after she’s been presumed dead following her absence.
Also lets not forget that Mortimer is an old man in the sims 2, who happens to be pursuing and being pursued by a younger blonde female who isn’t wealthy, but the game sets up this marriage. This is the same story as Blake and Crystal in Dynasty.
There are more instances where the soap opera aspect comes into play here, but I found this super interesting and hadn’t heard it mentioned since. Granted, the fan site isn’t around any more, but I was a member at the time. I’d love if she could shed some fresh light on this as the 80s soap opera aspect of Pleasantview has always made it my favourite of all the sims ‘hoods.
So yeah, I thought I’d share this trivia with you guys 🤣
The "Подслушано ФТС2" community went into more detail about the parallels between the plot of Dynasty and the story of The Sims 2.
Recently I came across an interesting post on Reddit that made me look at Bella Goth’s story from a new angle.
The author of the post says that in 2008, Lyndsay Pearson (a producer on The Sims 2) gave an interview to the now-deleted website Sim Media, where she said that Pleasantview was inspired by 1980s soap operas, including Dynasty. Since I love the modern version of Dynasty, I wanted to check out the original and understand what really connects it to my favorite game. Let me share, in a bit more detail than the original post, what interesting things I noticed in the show’s storyline and what parallels can be drawn between the show’s most iconic character, Fallon Carrington, and Bella Goth.
Status and personality: Fallon is the wealthy heiress to her father’s oil empire, a mysterious, intelligent, and sarcastic young woman. Like Bella, Fallon lives in a golden cage and cheats on her partners out of boredom.
Signature color: Like Bella, Fallon is a striking brunette who often appears in red dresses throughout the series, including in the opening sequence, credits, and promotional posters.
Mysterious disappearance: In season 4, Fallon runs away from her own wedding and gets into a car accident. For a time, her family considers her missing, just like Bella. Later, the wreckage of her car is found, and everyone assumes she died.
Amnesia and a different life: In season 5, it turns out that Fallon is alive. She does not remember who she was before the accident or her family, and she is living in another city under a different name, which resembles Bella’s life in Strangetown. In this state, Fallon marries another man, but soon meets her former fiancé and begins to recover some of her memories.
Alien abduction: At the same time as Dynasty, the spin-off The Colbys was launched (a funny coincidence of surnames). In the second season of the spin-off, Fallon, torn between her former fiancé and her husband, goes for a drive alone. In the middle of the desert (again, very Strangetown), her car breaks down and the electronics start behaving strangely. A bright light appears in the sky, an alien ship lands nearby, and Fallon, seemingly entranced, leaves the car and enters the spacecraft through a hatch. The ship then vanishes instantly. The show was canceled after this episode, leaving viewers without answers for some time.
Fallon’s “clone”: After the character returned to the series, the actress who originally played Fallon, Pamela Sue Martin, was replaced by Emma Samms, who looked noticeably different. This was a forced move by the writers, but fans built theories about Fallon being replaced, because a similar twist had already been used in the show (which I’ll describe below). At the same time, footage of the original actress continued to appear in flashbacks, and a portrait of the “old” Fallon still hung in the mansion, much like the portrait of Bella’s original version in the Goth house.
Aliens and experiments: Fallon’s husband finds her terrified in the desert. She claims that she was abducted by “people from the stars” who performed experiments on her. She also describes the spacecraft and a constant sensation of weightlessness. Her loved ones do not believe her story and dismiss it as hallucinations caused by a nervous breakdown and the desert heat, while doctors try to convince her that no abduction ever took place.
The UFO storyline in an otherwise realistic soap opera became quite scandalous and widely discussed, so the writers did not dare develop it further. Most likely, they were afraid of low ratings and the possible cancellation of the main series.
According to the post’s author, another storyline in the show also resembles the Goth family, namely Mortimer and Dina compared to Blake and Krystle. In season 1, Blake Carrington, a wealthy older man, marries Krystle, a poor but beautiful blonde woman. Unlike Dina, Krystle is a modest and kind woman who is not after money and sincerely loves her husband. Their marriage is quite happy, despite the fact that they come from very different worlds. In season 6, Krystle’s niece arranges her kidnapping and replaces her with a clone, Rita Krystle, in order to gain access to the Carrington trust fund. Rita is a former diner waitress who looks very similar to Krystle but is her complete opposite in personality.
Rita is repulsed by intimacy with the older Blake and often behaves in a crude and vulgar way. Her task is to slowly poison Blake, trigger a heart attack, and make him sign documents transferring his fortune to the niece, but their plan falls apart when the real Krystle escapes. In my opinion, this parallel with the Goths feels a bit forced, but at the very least the trope of an old rich man and a beautiful gold digger is there.
What do you think: could Fallon really have been a prototype for Bella, or are these just coincidences? I’d be very interested to hear your thoughts on this. And if you know of any other shows with storylines similar to The Sims 2, definitely leave them in the comments 💚
Оригинальный пост на русском / The original post in Russian:
Недавно я наткнулась на интересный пост на Reddit, который заставил меня взглянуть на историю Беллы Гот с новой стороны.
Автор поста пишет, что Линдси Пирсон (продюсер Sims 2) в 2008 году дала интервью ныне удалённому сайту Sim Media, где рассказала, что вдохновением в создании Новосельска послужили мыльные оперы 80-х годов и сериал "Династия" в том числе.
Поскольку я обожаю современную версию "Династии", мне захотелось ознакомиться с оригиналом и понять, что в действительности связывает его с любимой игрой. Расскажу вам чуть более развернуто, чем автор поста, что интересного мне удалось обнаружить в сюжете сериала и какие параллели можно провести между самым ярким персонажем сериала Фэллон Кэррингтон и Беллой Гот.
Статус и характер: Фэллон богатая наследница нефтяной империи отца, загадочная, умная и саркастичная девушка. Как и Белла Феллон живёт в золотой клетке и изменяет своим партнёрам из-за скуки.
Фирменный цвет: Фэллон как и Белла - жгучая брюнетка, которая часто появляется в сериале в красных платьях, включая заставки сериала, титры и постеры.
Таинственное изчесновение: в четвёртом сезоне Фэллон сбегает с собственной свадьбы и попадает в автокатастрофу. Для своей семьи она какое-то время считается попавшей без вести, как и Белла. Через время обнаруживаются обломки её автомобиля и все решают, что она погибла.
Амнезия и чужая жизнь: в пятом сезоне оказывается, что Фэллон жива. Она не помнит кем была до аварии и свою семью, живёт в другом городе под чужим именем, что похоже на жизнь Беллы в Китежграде. В этом состоянии Фэллон выходит замуж за другого мужчину, но вскоре она встречает своего бывшего жениха и частично восстанавливает воспоминания.
Похищение НЛО: одновременно с "Династией" запускают спин-офф сериала "Семья Колби" (забавное совпадение фамилий). Во втором сезоне спин-оффа Фэллон запутавшись в выборе между бывшим женихом и мужем катается в одиночестве на машине. Среди пустыни (снова Китежград) авто глохнет, а электроника начинает жить своей жизнью. В небе появляется яркий свет, рядом приземляется инопланетный корабль и Фэллон словно завороженная покидает машину и заходит в люк космического корабля, а затем тарелка мгновенно улетает. Сериал закрывают после этого эпизода, оставив зрителей на время без ответов.
Клон Фэллон: после возвращения персонажа в сериал актрису игравшую Фэллон - Памелу Сью Мартин заменяет Эмма Сэммс, непохожая на неё внешне девушка. Это вынужденный ход сценаристов, но фанаты строят теории о подмене Фэллон потому что такой ход уже применялся в сериале (опишу ниже). В это же время кадры с оригинальной актрисой продолжают использовать во флэшбеках, а в особняке продолжает висеть портрет "старой" Фэллон, прямо как портрет первоначальной версии Беллы в особняке Готов.
Инопланетяне и опыты: муж находит напуганную Фэллон среди пустыни, она утверждает, что её похитили "люди со звёзд" и проводили над ней опыты, Фэллон также описывает космический корабль и постоянное ощущение невесомости. Близкие не верят в её историю и считают это всё галлюцинациями из-за нервного срыва и жары в пустыне, врачи пытаются убедить её, что никакого похищения не было.
Сюжетная арка с НЛО в реалистичном сериале стала довольно скандальной и обсуждаемой, поэтому сценаристы не решились дальше развивать историю в этом направлении, скорее всего боясь низких рейтингов и закрытия основного сериала.
Другая сюжетная линия сериала по словам автора поста тоже имеет сходства с Готами, а именно пара Мортимера и Дины с парой Блейка и Кристал. В первом сезоне Блэйк Кэррингтон - богатый мужчина в возрасте, женится на бедной красивой блондинке Кристал. В отличии от Дины, Кристал - скромная, добрая девушка, которая не стремится к деньгам и искренне любит мужа. Их брак довольно счастливый, несмотря на то, что они из разных миров.
В 6 сезоне племянница Кристал организует её похищение и подменяет на клона - Риту-Кристал, чтобы заполучить деньги с трастового фонда Кэррингтонов. Рита - бывшая официантка из забегаловки, внешне очень похожая на Кристал, но полная противоположность по характеру.
👻🟪 The wallpaper that we know from the Goth family's living room has the pattern of a wallpaper in Disney's "Haunted Mansion" attraction!
Originally I had the assumption, that this wallpaper pretty much resembles the wallpaper that can be seen in the "Haunted Mansion" attractions of Disney's theme parks. But I thought that it might just be coincidental. (I thought that it just might be a similar kind of gloomy, century-old wallpaper.)
But then I noticed, that when you look at the wallpaper on a diagonal wall (please slide to picture 2), you definitely can see that the patterns are more or less identical! You can even spot the white eyes of the little heads a bit. (Hm, by uploading the picture to Reddit, it unfortunately became a bit more fuzzy than how it is when I view the original file on my computer.)
I couldn't find search results for "Haunted Mansion wallpaper" in connection with The Sims 1 when I did an Internet search. I only found some custom wallpapers for other versions of the game (The Sims 2/4).
So perhaps this isn't commonly known?
No matter what, I definitely like this wallpaper. :)
One question to everyone who plays the game in English: Could you please write down or share a screenshot of how the original name and description of this wallpaper are?
The German version translates to
Wall covering "Rest in Peace"
Made from the finest coffin material. This wall covering turns any room into a chamber of horrors.
and I would like to know how close the German version is to the original text.
🖼️ Creating Objects and Characters for The Sims 2 — David Patch’s Portfolio
David Patch, the art director of The Sims 2, posted samples of his work on his page, showcasing the creation of objects, characters, and promotional banners for The Sims 2 and its expansion packs. The artist’s own commentary is included.
This image demonstrates a new aspect of aging in The Sims 2. I used developer scripts to extract the characters from the game assets. The poses, lighting, and rendering were done in Maya. I later turned to Photoshop to add the logo, shadows, and the baby’s burp.
This illustration served as the background for a flyer at the E3. At the same time, it reflects my personal vision of the game.
A career reward from the expansion pack The Sims 2: University. The final model was created under my direction by Jason Leong and Steve Kody.
This is a special object that I created for the expansion pack The Sims 2: Nightlife. The final model was made by William Mendoza, and the concept sketch was by Brian White.
A career reward from the expansion pack The Sims 2: Nightlife. The final model was created under my direction by Tim Lageux.
A career reward from the expansion pack The Sims 2: University. The final model was created under my direction by Jason Leong and Steve Kody.
A Harajuku-style outfit designed by me for the expansion pack The Sims 2: Nightlife. The final concept sketch was created by Emmy Toyonaga.
An outfit designed by me for the expansion pack The Sims 2: Nightlife. The final version of the concept sketch was created under my direction by Eric Chin.
Another outfit designed by me for the expansion pack The Sims 2: Nightlife. The final concept sketch was created by Eric Chin.
The FryGuy outfit, designed by me for the base game. The final concept sketch was created by Emmy Toyonaga.
Simo_Jima-Front2.jpg
This pose was used on T-shirts that we handed out at the launch party for the game.
The image of Bella was used in our internal presentations. Later, it was included in the final game as a painting.
Above are all the outfits I modeled for the "Female – Adult" category in Create-A-Sim. This represents just one of the ten age groups, each of which contains roughly the same number of items.
Promotional banners created for a German gaming conference. At full scale, they measured up to 2.5 meters.
This image appeared on various backgrounds on the covers of 21 issues before the release of The Sims 2.
Source (RU):
Fan.Prosims — библиотека игр The Sims 3, The Sims 2 и The Sims
Sprouting Sims @awhyamihere - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
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