Imaginary Friends in the Sims 3... I'm not kidding!

[Cassini90125]

This is perhaps the oddest thing that EA has ever added to a Sims game:

Originally Posted by Gamespot article

However, the most interesting new feature in this expansion seems to be the imaginary friend; a character that your child creates after ordering a specific type of mail-order doll. After giving the doll a name, your child sim can summon an imaginary, child-sized version of the doll to be a playmate who will happily hop onto the opposite end of a seesaw and even run minor errands for you if you have a decent enough social relationship with it. Playing with your imaginary friend fills up your child sim's social motive in the same way as socializing with real people would. Even more interestingly (and more than a little weirdly), as children grow into teenagers, they can not only keep their imaginary friends around, but they can also develop a romantic interest in their make-believe buddies. So...yes. There's that.

The rest of the article is here:

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/puzzle/th...&mode=previews

There's no indication that these Imaginary Friends are in any way customizable like regular Sims, but still, as a Foster's fan the whole idea is fascinating. I am definitely looking forward to the next expansion pack!

[Mew]

...Dude. I kind of want to get this o.o;.

[Mac-a-lacka]

Interesting. I wonder what they'll look like.

[Nyo]

Yep, in the Sims 3 Generations the new creature is Imaginary Friends. They do a new creature every EP, so far there are mummies, Simbots and vampires.

[Cassini90125]

Updated info on Sims 3 IF's was released a few days ago. The details:

• Imaginary Friends are the cornerstone of a Child Sim’s imaginary world!

• If you use Create A Sim to create a family of Sims that includes a toddler, there is a chance an Imaginary Friend doll will appear in the Toddler’s inventory once the game is started. If a child is born during gameplay, there is a chance an Imaginary Friend doll will arrive in the mail some time after the Sim’s birth.

• To make an Imaginary Friend doll come to life, a Toddler will have to name him or her and then spend a considerable amount of time playing with and singing to their Imaginary Friend doll. If they have spent enough time with the doll, it will magically spin to life shortly after the Toddler ages up to the Child age.

• Once brought to life, a Child Sim can perform many of the same socials and activities with his or her Imaginary Friend that they could with a real life Sim. From playing on the new hopscotch court, to a good old pillow fight, your Sim can build a relationship with the Imaginary Friend in the same manner that they can with any other Sims.

• There are also a handful of new interactions available like “Clean Up for Me” or “Get Me a Snack” that children can ask the Imaginary Friend to do. But don’t forget, your Child is the only Sim that can see your Imaginary Friend, so other Sim’s may think he or she is a bit crazy when interacting with the Imaginary Friend!

• Sims who excel at making potions with the brand new Chemistry Set may someday be able to create a powerful potion that could turn an Imaginary Friend into a real-life, controllable Sim that is a part of your household!

More like traditional IF's than the gang at Foster's, but they can at least come to life later on. Sorry, no decent pictures to pass along as yet, but I'll keep my eyes open.

Sims with chemistry sets... there goes the neighborhood.

[Cassini90125]

An article from Carl's Sims 3 Guide on the subject, along with a few pics:

http://www.carls-sims-3-guide.com/ge...naryfriend.php

Dang, Sim IF's are odd-looking.

I haven't installed the expansion yet; still waiting for my favorite game hacks to be updated. Eventually I'll take and post some better pics.