The Sims Medieval. Interview with Nicola Jenkins, Electronic Arts

The Sims Medieval is a new title in the famous The Sims franchise. This time your Sims will travel to Medieval ages to serve their monarch, embark on quests and conduct their jobs for the prosperity of their community. In Russia the upcoming project was shown to the media at the local EA Showcase event in the end of January, 2011. Read on further to our exclusive Interview with Nicola Jenkins from Electronic Arts to learn more about the game.

- Hello! Please, introduce yourself to our readers.

- Hi! My name is Nicola Jenkins, and I’m the International Marketing Manager for The Sims Medieval.

- Is it your first time in Russia?

- Yes, it is, and I’m loving it. We haven’t got much time to travel around because of being busy with the work. It is rather cold in Russia during this time of the year, though the people here are very friendly.

- How did the International Producer Tour for The Sims Medieval go? What countries did you visit during it?

- We went to Sweden, France, Germany and then came to Moscow, Russia.

- Give us some background about your career in the video game industry.

- I worked with The Sims series including The Sims 3 launch on PC and consoles (2009 and 2010 – ed. note) as well as the expansion packs for these games.

- Has The Sims 3 console launch met your expectations?

- It went very well, actually. There were positive results in the holiday season sales, and we are very pleased with this launch, what allowed the franchise to succeed on all the possible platforms.

- How long has The Sims Medieval been in works?

- The game has been in the development phase for 18 months, what is nearly two years.

- What was inspiring the team?

- The developers themselves wanted to do something for The Sims franchise in the Medieval style, but the idea has also been driven by the Community wishing to see the game expand into the Medieval time period. It is very good for the story-telling.

The team used a lot of historical information to provide the accurate details, feel and look for the in-game quests and their storylines. The developers also added to the game a lot of The Sims humor we all know and love in the franchise. Like in our of the quests the kingdom gets under attack of some Giant Chinchillas, and one of the brave knights has to save the day and slay these Chinchillas. Everything is very consistent with The Sims humor here.

- What are the connections of the new title with the previous games in the series?

- The Sims Medieval is a completely new and standalone game. Even though it uses some of The Sims 3 technology, a lot had to be recreated. We were building the title from scratch. You’ll notice it, particularly, if you look at the art design, styling, the gameplay structure based around kingdom building and quests. It is a very different game from the one we know as The Sims 3.

There is no Exchange or Store system within the game. The development studio created the whole catalogue of objects and items for The Sims 3 and made all of them really true and authentic to the appropriate historical era.

- How was the «Create-a-Sim» mode enhanced?

- In terms of «Create-a-Sim» we have all of the key features you know and enjoy using in the similar mode The Sims 3. You can edit various areas including the voice tone, and also select two minor traits affecting how your character behaves as well as one fatal flaw. It means that you have to choose one negative character’s trait this time. You have to overcome its effect later on to achieve your kingdom’s ambition.

- What are the differences in playing as a Good or Evil ruler in The Sims Medieval?

- You can choose positive and negative character traits to become a Good or Evil king or queen later on. It will surely affect your citizens in one way or another. For example, a Good king will be able to build a prosperous kingdom making it rich with the money coming from trade relationships with neighboring countries. Whereas an Evil king doesn’t usually attend to the needs of his people, what could result in an Uprising, since the monarch stays too much in his own world.

- Tell us about the in-game heroes.

- The Sims Medieval features ten hero characters within a game that you can create, control, develop and use in your quests. They can interact with all of the other Sims in the kingdom, and they help you, guide you during your gameplay. Heroes will be present at your kingdom, and you will see them. Just you might not use some of them during particular quests that you are involved in.

You can build relationships with various citizens the same way you were doing it in The Sims 3. There are certain levels of character traits to be activated by socially interacting with the other Sims. Obviously, your character’s traits will influence how well you get on with the Sims you meet.

- What can help to build up the kingdom’s Treasury?

- You earn Simoleons the same way as you did in The Sims 3, but this time this process is to the profession of your character: the Physician may treat the patients in the kingdom getting money for that and also to trade medicines and potions abroad. Any Sim has certain career responsibilities and a job to follow.

In The Sims Medieval you’ll see your characters conducting their jobs. You’ll see the Physician treating or the Wizard creating his spells and potions. You can help your heroes to progress. As you become more skilled earning enough experience points, you’ll be able to unlock more areas within their careers. For example, the Wizard will get new spells to learn and use within the kingdom.

- How important is the loyalty of the citizenry in the game?

- The monarch can adapt edicts, which are laws and legislations. These decisions will affect the citizens in the kingdom. Some of the populace will like them, while others will not. Everyone will be pleased if you increase the minimum wage rate, but not all will enjoy paying higher taxes. It all depends on how the monarch wants to rule his or her kingdom.

The citizens can rebel in your realm. You might also use one of your other characters to assassinate the king if he is having a really negative influence on the kingdom itself. The monarch has to care about the needs of his people or they will become annoyed, and the overall kingdom’s performance will drop making it more difficult to succeed in pursuing your realm’s ambitions.

- What are the ways to stay Creative in the game’s world?

- We have a lot of options for Creativity in The Sims Medieval. There is a Furnish mode, which allows you to customize everything within the kingdom starting from the smallest objects to the large land areas.

- What is The Sims Medieval soundtrack like?

- We worked very hard to make the sound authentic and realistic to the Medieval period. A lot of various medieval musical instruments were used for the in-game soundtrack.

- When can we expect the game to be released?

- The Sims Medieval will be launched for PC and Mac in the end of March, 2011.

- What are your favorite videogames?

- I enjoy playing Super Mario games and some strategy titles developed for PC. Also I like The Sims franchise a lot, and I had even been the fan of this line-up before I started to work with it.

- What picture do you have on your desktop?

- That’s a good question! I’ve got a family picture there: a photo of my niece named Alice.

- Name a few things that you associate with Russia.

- Vodka, cold weather and fur hats.

- What would you wish to our readers?

- I think, it is very important for all of you to get to play The Sims Medieval and understand it as such a different experience to The Sims 3. It’s been very important for the developers to deliver the fans a game letting them taste the new magic and the free will of the Sims.

- Thanks for your time, Nicola!

- You are welcome!

Greetings from Nicola Jenkins (Electronic Arts)

The Sims Medieval

The Sims Medieval

Bring your medieval fantasy to life with The Sims! The Sims go back in time and get medieval! The game takes them into the Middle Ages with all new features, new graphics and new ways to play. For the first time, players can create heroes, venture on quests, and build up a kingdom. In an ancient land of adventure, drama and romance, players will be able to get medieval like never before.

Features:

• Enhanced graphics, lighting, animations, and more lifelike Sims;

• Create heroes, build up their skills and send them on epic quests;

• A living world of Sims in an age of adventure, drama, and romance;

• Quests drive your kingdom’s story – Good or Evil, cruel or kind, romantic or warlike;

• Kingdom Ambitions – choose a ambitious goal for your kingdom and work to achieve it. Will you kingdom be the most wealthy, most enlightened, a conqueror or a peacemaker? The choice is yours.