The Sims Wiki:Featured article/Past Articles

Every two weeks on The Sims Wiki, we feature an article on the main page. We appreciate your input in selecting the article which will be featured.

February 15-29, 2012
The Sims Castaway Stories is the third and final game of the second-generation spin-off series The Sims Stories. It was developed for use on less-powerful computers and laptops, and was released on January 29, 2008.

The plot circulates around a group of Sims which survived the sinking of "Solomon Queen". The game consists of 24 chapters, and the player can choose the character with whom he or she will play the game, or create a custom one. Through the game, the player attempts to keep their character alive and happy, while either playing in an open-ended game (similar to the main series games) or in a guided story mode. Changes from 'regular' Sims games include new and unique "careers", the use of 'resources' in place of simoleons, and the use of a 'barter mode' instead of a Buy mode. The game was generally well-received by game critics, with some praising its unique use of the Sims game engine and low system requirements, while others criticized the game's limited replay value.

February 1-14, 2012
A Pet is an in-game creature that can Sims can own and interact with. Small pets, such as fish, have been available in each base game, but cats and dogs (and, in The Sims 3, horses) have all been introduced through expansion packs.

Cats and dogs first appear in The Sims: Unleashed, where small versions in predetermined breeds can be adopted by Sim families. These pets are reintroduced in The Sims 2: Pets, and can be created by the player in-game for the first time (through Create a Pet). The Sims 3: Pets introduces horses to the series, and allows even greater interaction between Sims and pets. Pets in all games can be adopted by a willing family, can be trained in various skills, and can be bred to produce offspring.

January 16-31, 2012


Weather is a game feature, first introduced in The Sims 2: Seasons. Weather includes precipitation - rain, snow, and hail, and air temperature. The likelihood of different precipitation types or temperatures depends on the current season on the lot being played.

Weather has an impact on the everyday lives of Sims. Heavy rain waters outdoor plants, and can spawn potentially dangerous lightning. Hot sunny days in the summer can cause Sims to more easily overheat. Heavy snow can cancel school for child and teen Sims. Cold wintertime air can cause Sims to freeze if outside for too long.

Weather is a feature in The Sims 3 for Wii, but has not yet been introduced as a feature in The Sims 3. Limited weather effects were made available through the Fog Emitter item in The Sims 3: Late Night expansion pack.

January 1-15, 2012
SimNation is the fictional country in which all Sims games take place. SimNation is geographically diverse, featuring coastal areas, mountains, deserts, grassy plains, and other unique regions. SimNation has its own currency - the Simoleon (§), and its own national animal - the Llama. The vast majority of residents in SimNation are Sims, though there are other sentient species, as well as wild animals (skunks, raccoons, bears, penguins and fish, to name a few) and pets.

Mention is made numerous times in-game to locations outside SimNation, both real (France, China, and Egypt), as well as fictional (The 'Old Country'). Therefore, it is very likely that SimNation is meant to exist on Earth, rather than on a fictional planet.

December 16-31
Betty Newbie (née Simovitch) is the daughter of Vadim and Fatima Simovitch. In The Sims 3 she is caught in a dilemma - Fatima wants Betty to reach stardom through Betty's talents in Arts but Betty is more worried about finding her true love. Later, she ends up marrying old friend of her, Bob Newbie, and takes his surname. She ends up not following what her mother dreamt for her, and she becomes a stay-at-home mom when her daughter, Brandi Newbie, is born. She didn't lived enough to see her daughter marrying Skip Broke, but not enough to see the birth of her first grandson, Dustin. She died while Brandi was pregnant.

December 1-15
The Sims 2, commonly referred to as TS2, is the sequel to The Sims. Released in September 2004, it heralded sweeping changes from the original: most notably, the isometric view of the original had given way to full 3D. Also, Sims now have life stages (Baby, Toddler, Child, Teen, Adult and Elder) which had them age from birth to death, and their genetics would be passed on to their children. Unlike the original Sims, where the player could spend forever raising their skills, the aging system in The Sims 2 imposes a time limit on this before your Sims die.

The main aim of the game is to lead a Sim from the start of life to death. Sims will need to build up skills and relationships with other Sims, so that they can be successful in their career. A player will also need to make sure a Sim is happy and well by fulfilling wants (including lifetime wants, avoiding fears, and fulfilling motives).

Sims' personalities are also given an overhaul with each Sim having an Aspiration, Wants, and Fears.

The Sims 2 shipped with 3 premade neighborhoods. Pleasantview is a continuation of the original Sims storyline 25 years later. The new neighborhoods are Strangetown, a desert landscape with paranormal occurrences, and Veronaville, which is based on several plays by William Shakespeare.

November 1-15 2011
Marriage is, from the beginning, a feature present in The Sims series. Marriage happens when two Sims agree in committing with each other. The commitment reasons may vary from love to money. Sims who attempt to marry for money are known as "Gold Diggers". Sims of every life stage can marry, and homosexual marriages may happen, but are labeled "Joined Union". When two Sims are not in love, have cheated on each other, etc., they may agree in divorcing, which will end the relationship between the two.

October 16-31 2011
There was no featured article for October 16-31 2011.

October 1-15 2011
The Sims is the first game of The Sims series. It was created to be a game with no primary objective, but to simulate a human's real life and create a human kind named Sims and to put them on a neighborhood. The player has full control over the Sims, and whether to fulfill a Sims' needs and wishes and decide their fate is in the player's "hands". The base game sold more than 15 million copies, and the franchise has sold over 100 million units as of 2008. Since its initial release, seven expansion packs were released, as well as a sequel (The Sims 2) and a prequel (The Sims 3), each of which have their own expansion packs. The additions and improvements added by the games that would follow made this game become so popular.

September 16-30 2011
Ghosts are the remains of a Sim after their death, and are a common life state in The Sims series of games. Ghosts in all games are somewhat transparent, and can also be colored to indicate how the Sim died. Living Sims are often scared when encountering a Ghost, and some can even be scared to death themselves. Ghosts in the earlier games have very little purpose, other than to haunt the lot where their grave rests, but ghosts in The Sims 3 are expanded on greatly, and they are able to be interacted with and controlled by the player. There exist many ways of bringing ghosts back from the dead.

September 1-15 2011
Fire is a disaster state in most games in The Sims series. Fires are usually caused by Sims with low skills (especially a low cooking skill), Sims using cheap appliances, or by objects being placed near open flames. Once a fire has started, some game modes are restricted, preventing the player from cheating to put out the fire. While a fire is burning, Sims will run towards the fire (defying all common sense to the contrary), then proceed to jump, yell and generally panic until the fire is put out. Sims panicking too close to a fire or attempting to put the fire out may catch fire themselves, and may even die from the blaze. Practicing appropriate fire safety can prevent tragic fire disasters.

Prior to September 2011, articles were featured on a monthly basis.

August 2011
The Sims series of video games has many "Easter Eggs" and other hidden features which add a unique tone to the games, and offers an incentive for attentive players to go exploring in them. Often-repeated Easter eggs include references to the SimCity series of games, other games by EA, references to past Sims series characters, possible hints towards future games or expansions, and references to a South American camelid and pack animal. Additionally, references are also made to real-world art, film and literature, including mentions of shrubbery and an embarrassing trait where a Sim can never be nude.

July 2011
There was no featured article for July 2011.

June 2011
The Sims 3: Generations is the fourth and most recent expansion pack for The Sims 3. The expansion pack is family-oriented, focusing mainly on adding new objects for the household and for adding new interactions. The expansion greatly expands on the younger life stages, adding a new dimension to the game when playing with child or teen Sims. Generations also re-introduced in-game memories, a popular feature from The Sims 2 that had been missing from The Sims 3.

May 2011


The Capp family lives in Veronaville, they resemble the Capulets in Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. Their name is a reference to the Capulet family in Romeo and Juliet.They are involved in a feud with the Monty family. Juliette Capp is currently in a secret relationship with the Monty heir, Romeo Monty. Also, the family can be traced to the youngest generation's great-great-grandparents, while in most families, it can only be traced to the youngest generation's grandparents. A common trait in the bloodline is gray eyes. the majority of the Capp descendants have gray eyes. Other traits, such as green, light and dark blue, and brown eyes, most likely come from the people the Capp family members may have married. It appears that the Capp family has the longest lineage in the game, besides the Monty family. All of the Capps (except Kent) are very fit, whereas most of the Montys (except Mercutio and Antonio's twins) are very fat.

April 2011


Agnes Crumplebottom aka Miss Crumplebottom, is a Sim in numerous games in The Sims series. She is most notable for her old-fashioned clothing and manners. She is also related to Mortimer Goth.

It is speculated that after the death of her husband, Erik Darling, she became embittered and detests seeing two Sims having any romantic interactions in public. When she sees any of these actions taking place on a community lot, she will promptly scold the Sims, smack them, or beat them with her purse.

March 2011


Traits are the building blocks of personality for Sims in The Sims 3. They determine a Sim's behaviors, abilities, and wishes. There are 63 traits in the base game based on mental, physical, social, or lifestyle aspects of Sims' lives and more are added with each expansion. Each trait adds to the complexity and uniqueness of a Sim.

February 2011


They appear to portray the stereotypical "perfect" upper middle class family from The Sims 2. But underneath the surface the Pleasant family is not so pleasant. Mary-Sue and Daniel treat their daughters unequally, favoring Angela when they were younger. Though, as teens neither has a strong relationship with their parents or each other, nor do Mary-Sue and Daniel as she is consumed with work and he is having an affair with the maid.

January 2011


Lolita Goth is a pre-made deceased Sim from The Sims 3. Her tombstone is located in the Goth family graveyard on their lot in Sunset Valley, where her ghost also haunts them. Her relationship to the Goth's is unknown since she can't be found in the family tree.

December 2010


Santa Claus is an NPC in The Sims and The Sims 2. He might visit your Sims if they have a Christmas tree. He comes in the middle of the night and leaves presents.

November 2010


The Sims 3: Late Night is the third expansion pack for The Sims 3. It offers an urban setting for Sims and focuses on late night activities. It will offer players a more mature, realistic and urban environment when compared to earlier similar expansions and has been described as being more about friend outings than dating. It is also more simulation-driven instead of opportunity-driven as the first two expansions for The Sims 3.

Sims will be let loose on a vibrant, active downtown scene, Bridgeport, where they’ll rub elbows with celebrities at the hottest parties, hit the local bar after work, tour the scene with their band, kick back in a plush hot tub, and discover what’s lurking as the lights go out and adventure begins after dark.

October 2010


Sarah Crittur is a large female dog who part of the Crittur family, along with her mate, Danny Crittur. She was introduced in The Sims 2: Pets expansion pack.

Sarah appears to be a completely white dog with a long tail. She wears no collar. At the start of the game she is expecting a litter of puppies. Her learned commands include Speak. Her personality consists of a middle alignment between Genius-Doofus and Independent-Friendly while being Hyper, Aggressive and Pigpen.

September 2010


Create a Sim (also known as CAS) is where Sims are made. It is used to customize a Sim's appearance and personality as well as the relationship within a family or household before adding them to a neighborhood. Once added to the game only superficial changes can be made to a Sim's appearance.

Create a Sim has improved dramatically since its introduction in the original game. The Create a Sim included in The Sims 3 allows the player to alter even minute details regarding a Sim's appearance and outfit, introduces a trait-based personality system to the game, and allows a player to create neighborhoods full of incredibly unique individuals and families.

August 2010


Olive Specter is a suspected murderer in The Sims 2. She shares her eerie, haunted home with her orphaned niece, Ophelia, in Strangetown. Olive is a many-time widow. She was also left at the altar by Earl E. DeMise, who died soon after.

Olive did WooHoo with none other than the Grim Reaper; suggesting Olive had more than a passing relationship with death.

There are a number of people buried in Olive's backyard along with family and former husbands - some of them are service people (maids, delivery people, etc.) There are many theories about Olive, and many unknown questions. How did all these people die on Olive's lot? Is Olive a murderer?

July 2010


The Sims 3: Ambitions, is an expansion pack for The Sims 3 released on June 1st, 2010. It's a career oriented expansion pack, with elements of The Sims 2: Open for Business and The Sims 2: FreeTime.

While on the job, the player has direct control over their Sims’ work and can choose how to spend their days. For the first time, players will be in charge of how their Sims’ career progresses and decide if they will work for good or evil, pursue creative endeavors or technical affairs, climb to the top quickly, or be a slacker. The future of a Sims’ success or failure is entirely in the hands of the player.

June 2010


Sunset Valley is the neighborhood that shipped with The Sims 3. It is very large compared to the neighborhoods in previous The Sims games, having a total of 97 lots and hosts a whopping 25 playable families. The main part of the town is the park, where sims can have a picnic, go fishing or take a stroll and maybe meet someone new; there are also cinemas, gyms, restaurants, shops, pools, and other recreational facilities.

May 2010


Lilith Pleasant is a pre-made teenager who lives in Pleasantview with her parents and twin sister.

She and her twin are complete opposites. While Angela dresses in a light green sundress, Lilith wears a black Gothic dress with black boots, while Lilith's room is "dark", with a dark red carpet and stone walls, Angela's room is a bright shade of pink. Despite being outwardly dissimilar, they have very similar personalities.

Lilith's memories strongly suggest that, when they were young, her parents favored Angela over her and it probably contributed to her bad relationship with her parents and her sister.

April 2010


The Sims 3: World Adventures is the first expansion pack for The Sims 3. The game is reminiscent of previous expansion packs The Sims: Vacation and The Sims 2: Bon Voyage as players can take their Sims away to vacation destinations. Sims are able to vacation in new locations: Shang Simla, Champs Les Sims and Al Simhara. These new locations parody the countries of China, France and Egypt respectively.

The main feature of the expansion are tombs that bring puzzles to the game. There also three new traits, Disciplined, Photographer's Eye and Adventurous, three new skills, Martial Arts, Nectar Making and Photography, and new lifetime wishes related to them. Lastly, the new creature, the Mummy also brings a new death, the Mummy's Curse.

March 2010


The Tragic Clown was first introduced in The Sims: Livin' Large as an NPC. He is also a pre-created, yet deceased, Sim in The Sims 3 who resided during his lifetime in the Sunset Valley.

In The Sims, the Tragic Clown visits depressed Sims who own the "Tragic Clown" painting in order to cheer them up. However, it doesn't help because the Tragic Clown is also feeling miserable.

In The Sims 3, the Tragic Clown is already deceased and buried in the Pleasant Rest Graveyard. His tombstone indicates that he drowned.

February 2010


Though an alien, Pollination Technician 9 is the patriarch of Strangetown, and father of four.

After retiring, he adopted the last name "Smith" and started a family in Strangetown, becoming a respected and admired community leader, with the exception of his neighbor General Buzz Grunt, with whom he is feuding.

He is married to Jenny Smith and is the father her two children. He is also the father to the twins Lola Singles and Chloe Singles through what seems like the alien abduction of Glarn Curious.

January 2010
Erik Darling is the late husband of Agnes Crumplebottom. During the couple's honeymoon, Erik drowned, leaving his young wife alone. His tombstone is located in Agnes's garden, along with his ghost.

December 2009
The Alto Family is a family in The Sims 3. They live in Sunset Valley and have a business feud with the Landgraab Family. The residents of Sunset Valley will have to pick the side of either the Altos with their uptown ideals or the Goth Family's more traditional views. They are described as Nouveau Riche and Evil. Both parents have either mean-spirited or evil as a trait, and it is clear that they have made enemies in town. Their daughter seems to be the white sheep of the family with the good trait.

November 2009
testingcheatsenabled is a debugging tools for The Sims 2 and The Sims 3 which is very powerful, but it might negatively affect the game and cause glitches. There are many actions possible with this cheat, including making Sims grow up, changing a Sim's aspiration or traits, spawning cheat objects, and making Sims selectable or non-selectable. In Create-A-Sim, hidden hairstyles, clothes, eye color, make-up and skin colors can be unlocked. Tombstone of Life and Death, Sim Modder and Rodney's Death Creator can be spawned when this cheat is enabled.

October 2009
WooHoo is used in The Sims 2 and The Sims 3 as an euphemism for sexual intercourse. The game displays a comic animation involving fireworks and an earthquake. WooHoo interactions can be carried out between two Sims, regardless of gender. The ability to WooHoo is dependent on relationship score and desirability. The "Try for Baby" ability is only available between Sims of the opposite sex. As well as in a bed, Sims could WooHoo in a hot tub and a changing booth, in The Sims 2 (with more added with each expansion), and buildings that offer tours in The Sims 3.

September 2009
Alexander Goth is the son of Bella and Mortimer Goth. He has pale skin and Harry Potter like glasses. He seems to share his father's intelligence despite his young age and is enrolled in private school. As a child of older parents, Alexander often wonders if he missed out on anything. His hobbies include optometry and number theory.

August 2009
Darleen Dreamer is one of the pre-created, yet unplayable Sims featured in The Sims 2 as she is deceased when the game begins. She resided, during her lifetime, in Pleasantview. She haunts the lot where her teenage son, Dirk Dreamer, and her husband, Darren Dreamer, still live. Her ghost is red because she was burned to death. Her grave is in the Dreamer's yard however it is possible to resurrect her with the power or the Resurrect-O-Nomitron.

July 2009
A Servo is a robot that was in The Sims: Livin' Large and The Sims 2: Open for Business. In The Sims, a servo could be bought for §15,000 and would clean, repair and do the gardening so the players' Sims would not have to. In The Sims 2, a servo does the same things but the player has complete control of its actions and it acts more like a Sim, with needs, aspirations, relationships and being able to "WooHoo". Servos are built on the Robot Crafting Station by Sims with a Gold Talent Badge in Robotics.

June 2009
The Sims 3, the latest simulation game in The Sims series is released this month. The Sims 3 will feature greater customization options for Sims and their environment using the Create-A-Sim and Create-A-Style tools, an open neighborhood allowing Sims more freedom and less load times for the player, and gameplay with short- and long-term goals that focuses on storytelling rather than managing the needs of your Sims. And with new community features and a Movie Mashup tool it is easy to create and share your Sims experience.

May 2009
When someone dies, the Grim Reaper will appear to take them away. A family member can plead with him to spare the Sim's life. The Grim Reaper can also resurrect a Sim (for a price, §) or turn them into a Zombie. The Grim Reaper is always shown with his black robe and cloak.

The Grim Reaper is also thought to be the father of Nervous Subject in Strangetown.

April 2009
Cassandra Goth was a bright, mysterious girl who enjoys having tea with her grandmother, Cornelia Goth. As an adult, she lives in Goth Manor with her aging father and bright younger brother after the disappearance of her mother, Bella Goth. She is engaged to Don Lothario, the neighborhood's womanizer, and appears to be unaware or purposefully ignoring that he has a couple of other lovers.

March 2009


Riley Harlow is the main character in The Sims: Life Stories.

After moving to Four Corners, Riley finds love with Mickey Smith, but their relationship is threatened by a jealous Agora Tchotchke and Riley's continuing feelings for her ex-boyfriend, Dylan Kincaid.

February 2009
Bella Goth lived with her husband Mortimer and their children in Pleasantview until her mysterious disappearance. Nothing is known conclusively what happened to Bella however many family and friends believe her to have been abducted by aliens. The search continues as her family is not willing to admit she is dead.

There are reports of someone matching her description seen in Strangetown. However when questioned claims no memory of her loved ones or past life. Her family is convinced that it is due to the alien experiments she was subjected to during her abduction.

Her story has captured Sims' interest throughout SimNation. Songs and poems have been written about her and the town, Belladonna Cove even erected a gold statue of Bella holding a platinum Plumbbob.

January 2009
Mrs. Crumplebottom is an elderly NPC sim-woman featured in The Sims: Hot Date and The Sims 2: Nightlife. She frequents Downtown lots in both games, and is usually considered an obstacle in the lives of Sims. She detests seeing any romantic interactions in public, and she will promptly scold Sims, smack them, or worst of all, beat them with her purse!

November 2008
Mortimer Goth and his family moved to Pleasantview when he was a child. As an adult, Mortimer began a career in Science and started a family. Soon after the birth of their son, Mortimer's wife, Bella disappeared, having been abducted by aliens. Mortimer rose through the ranks of the science career to become an esteemed mad scientist, accumulating a lot of wealth along the way, and attracting the attention of the Caliente sisters. Now retired and enjoying his golden years, Mortimer is romantically involved with Dina Caliente, unaware she is only dating him to get access to his millions.

July 2008
Don Lothario is one of the pre-created Sims featured in The Sims 2. He resides in Pleasantview, one of the neighborhoods that ships with the game. He wears blue jeans and a purple striped top, and has a black pompadour. According to the neighborhood back story, Don is the local womanizer, holding down relationships with four women at once. His love interests include the Caliente sisters Nina and Dina), the maid Kaylynn, as well as Cassandra Goth, to whom he is engaged at the game's start...

2008
An autonomous reaction is one which a Sim does that isn't player defined. These can be reactions to the environment, for example, a smelly rubbish bin, an unusual event, for example, a sim dying, a bad memory, a missing object or simply something for a sim to do if you haven't told them to do anything - providing free will is on. read more...

2008
When someone dies, the Grim Reaper will appear. If another family member wants to, they can plead with Death to spare the deceased's life. If Death is in a bad mood, he will take the corpse anyway; if Death is in a good mood, he will play rock, paper, scissors with that Sim. If the Sims wins, the deceased is brought back to life for a second chance, but if the Sim loses, Death will either take the corpse or be nice and turn the deceased into a zombie. read more...

2008
Townies are a class of NPC in The Sims and The Sims 2. In fact they are probably the biggest class of NPC. Introduced in Hot Date Townies are Sims who do not live in the neighborhood, but they live close enough so that they can come in to town. They are full fledged Sims with jobs and skills and personalites. read more...

2008
Mrs. Crumplebottom is a very old-fashioned, stern, and strict woman who appears to abide by a moral code from the late-1800s. She detests when two sims do any romantic interactions in public, including hugging, kissing, and flirting. When Mrs. Crumplebottom sees any of these actions taking place on a community lot, she will promptly scold the sims, smack them, or worst of all, beat them with her frumpy purse. read more...

2008
The Grilled Cheese aspiration is introduced in the expansion pack Nightlife as an undesirable and failure aspiration. All the want and fears are related to grilled cheese sandwiches. It is rumored to be inspired by Sims in Sims 2 cooking this sandwiches autonomously all the time. However, it might also be based on the tradition of giving the employees grilled cheese sandwiches to eat when there is a significant milestone in Maxis. read more...