Plumbot

Plumbot is the life state that will be included with The Sims 3: Into the Future. Plumbots are shown in the announce trailer and in some promotional images, which suggest that several different styles of Plumbot will be available. The trailer also suggests that Plumbots will be able to scan Sims in some fashion.

Sims will be able to buy pre-made and pre-programmed Plumbots. There will also be a "Create a Bot" feature, which will allow players to create Plumbots and customize existing ones. Plumbots will be able to have up to seven "trait chips", though not all will be able to have that many. Trait chips will allow Plumbots to have a variety of features, abilities and skill sets. Sims will be able to buy trait chips, or design and make them; and will be able to buy materials needed to make them Sims will be able to build a bot-building skill which will allow them to make better Plumbots, upgrade existing ones, and make more advanced trait chips.

Simology
A Plumbot's Simology panel will show the bot's name, gender, and quality (on a scale of 0 to 10). It will also show which trait chips are installed.

In the Q&A on July 30, it was mentioned the Plumbots do not age, but can have accidents. It was implied that Plumbots that are kept maintained will last indefinitely.

Motives
Like Servos from The Sims 2: Open for Business, Plumbots have 4 needs. Those needs are: Battery Power, Maintenance, Social, and Fun. Whether or not Social and Fun are greyed out depends on which trait chips are installed. Plumbots do not need to eat, and will not want to eat.

Battery Power
It appears that this will be the Plumbot equivalent of energy. The Live Broadcast on July 30, 2013 mentioned that Plumbots will be able to siphon power from household appliances. It also mentioned that there will be recharging stations for Plumbots, as well as a level 7 trait chip which will allow a Plumbot to use solar power during daylight. There will also be a level 8 trait chip that will let them use power more efficiently.

Maintenance
Unlike Servos and SimBots, Plumbots will require maintenance, though it is not yet clear how quickly this need will decay or what will affect how quickly it decays. It appears that Plumbots will be able to maintain themselves, at least to some degree.

Create a Bot
The announce trailer suggests that it will be possible to create Plumbots inside a special machine. The live broadcast from July 30, 2013 indicates that clicking on the machine will allow the player to enter Create a Bot, which is similar to Create a Sim, but oriented toward building robots. The player will be able to customize the Plumbot by choosing a Head, Body, Arms, and Legs, and will be able to color the parts in a manner similar to Create a Style. There is a "randomize" button, as there is in Create a Sim. The player will also be able to use the machine to customize an existing Plumbot.

Access to Create a Bot will not be free. Creating a Plumbot will cost §250, and customizing one will cost §100. Create a Bot appears to create Plumbots with no programming; the July 30 demo did not show how much it would cost to buy or make trait chips.

Basics
The very first of the five tabs is Basics. This is where the player chooses the Plumbot's name and gender.

Name: Type in the Plumbot's name.

Gender OS: Choose either Male or Female.

Voice: Choose one of three voice types.

There is a slider below the voice select buttons. It was not demonstrated but the labeling suggests it may control the pitch of the Plumbot's voice.

Head
The player can choose a head from the collection..

Body/Torso
The player can choose a torso from the collection.

Arms
The player can choose arms from the collection.

Legs
The player can choose legs or a hover bottom from the collection.

Trait Chips
Trait chips give Plumbots various skill sets, abilities, and features. Sims will be able to buy trait chips from the Bot Emporium in Oasis Landing, or design and create them with the Bot Workshop. Sims will also be able to buy a Trait Chip Bundle for 10,000 lifetime happiness points.

These are the currently known trait chips:


 * HandiBot (Level 3)
 * Fear of Humans (Level 3)
 * Competent Cleaner (Level 3)
 * Steel Chef (Level 3)
 * Sense of Humor (Level 4)
 * RoboNanny (Level 4)
 * Many Moods (Level 4)
 * A.I. Angler (Level 4)
 * RoBotany Gardener (Level 4)
 * Sinister Circuits (Level 5)
 * Silicon Smiles (Level 5)
 * Simulated Emotions (Level 6)
 * Musical Machine (Level 6)
 * Limitless Learning (Level 6)
 * Capacity to Love (Level 7)
 * Solar Powered (Level 7)
 * Holo Projector (Level 8)
 * Efficient (Level 8)
 * Office Drone (Level 8)
 * Algorithmic Artist (Level unknown)
 * Friendly Functions (Level unknown)
 * Sentience (Level unknown)

Gallery
"Trailer Images"=