the object in question. From there a floating head of their current sim appears, with a
range of different actions the sim can perform surrounding it in a circle. Players then
simply move the mouse over to the action they want and click on it. While moving the
pointer around, the sim’s head actually tracks the cursor, watching it wherever it goes.
This menu functions identically to a pop-up menu in Windows, but with several distinct
advantages. The first is that it does not look like a pop-up menu, and thereby players do
not associate it with boring Windows functionality. Second, the menu only lists the
options that are available for the current object at that time. A normal pop-up menu
would list all of the objects possible, with currently unavailable options grayed out.
Third, by having the sim’s head in the center, the menu brings players closer to the core
of what they are doing: directing the sim to perform a certain action. The directive they
are giving to their beloved sim is more intimate than it would have been through a more
sterile, bland, and standard pop-up menu.
Controlled Versus Autonomous Behavior .................
InThe Sims, players are able to direct their sims to perform certain actions: take out the
trash, call up a friend, take a shower, and so forth. The sims will also, however, function
on their own without the players’ direction. The sims contain enough internal logic to
tend to their most pressing needs, whether it is to eat, to go to the bathroom, to play a
pinball game, or to read today’s paper. As players make additions to the house or pur-
chase further possessions, the sims will walk over to new objects and either applaud or
complain about them, their reaction dependent on how much they like each particular
object. This communicates to the players whether the sim is generally going to be
happy with the new possession or if the sim would rather it were not there. Since the
way the house is set up is a big component of the sim’s total happiness, this provides
crucial information to players about how to best set up the house.
Chapter 20: Game Analysis:The Sims 389
The sims have some
intelligence of their
own, which frees up the
player from having to
worry about every last
detail of their lives.