Gamescom: Medieval Sims Go Questing

Hey, you got RPG elements in my Sims!

If you were expecting EA's newest Sims game – The Sims Medieval -- to be just a re-skinning of The Sims 3 set in ancient times, you're in for a surprise. Taking the Sims out of the modern world is only one new aspect of the spin-off; now, you'll send your Sims on quests, and they'll even level up.

Yes, The Sims now has some RPG elements to help give players direction in the new atmosphere. Instead of following the lives of the Sims you create, you'll be using those Sims to complete quests and achieve a "kingdom ambition." Starting a kingdom requires you to pick some sort of aspiration for it – anything from being the healthiest kingdom to being the kingdom with the most buildings -- and you'll complete quests to achieve that overall goal.


Questing is a big change for the Sims, but it seems like it actually fits in the world. Once you accept a quest, you'll pick which hero Sims you want to control to complete the objectives. At first you'll only have a few Sims to choose from, but as you build your kingdom, you can choose from a wide array of Sims professions such as a blacksmith, wizard, knight and more. The solutions will differ depending on the profession of Sim you choose, so you don't always have to use the straightforward approach. The example I saw started off with an ailing king and charged two Sims with handling situation. Now, you could potentially just kill the king and put him out of his misery, but the demo took a different turn with a physician as the main hero Sim and a priest fulfilling the secondary role.

Before the physician was able to journey to the castle and see the king, she had to fulfill her duties and tend to the sick townsfolk. Failing to fulfill a profession's daily requirements (physicians must heal, blacksmiths must make weapons, etc.) can lead to your Sim being fired from his or her job. That's not the only punishment, though -- if your Sim is fired, they can be thrown in the stocks where other Sims can humiliate them further by throwing tomatoes and eggs.

In the physician's case, she positioned her patient onto a "medical" device that looked like it belonged in a torture chamber. The leeches came next, and the player had to drain just the right amount of blood before administering medicine. The patient wobbled out of the clinic, not looking much better than when she came, but the doctor avoided the stocks for the day. Finally, after a hard day of work, she was able to take some time off and diagnose the king with blood poisoning. Although it moved much faster in the demo, the quest would normally require the physician to complete research on the cure for blood poisoning and then how to obtain the ingredients (either purchasing at a shop or by harvesting in the world), make a potion and cure the king.

As the secondary hero Sim in this particular quest, the priest played a small role– traveling to the castle's small worship area and praying for the king's well being. In theory, you could have used the priest more to try and cure the king through some sort of miracle, which shows you how many possibilities there are for completing missions.

Completing the quest leveled up the physician and accrued some points to use toward adding more buildings to the kingdom. As your hero Sims level up and become more proficient in their professions, they're more likely to successfully complete quest objectives. Failure is an option, especially if your Sims aren't a high enough level or if they have a low Focus level, which essentially governs a Sim's concentration and replaces the Mood meter from The Sims 3.

Unlike The Sims 3, hero Sims that you create in Medieval will age but not die from Father Time. Things like a plague or murder can lead to the demise of mature Sims, but because this game actually has an ending, your Sims don't fade away as time goes on. Created Sims will also have two specific traits and one fatal flaw that dictates their personalities. Don't be too worried about the flaw – there will be quests specific to your Sim that can transform his or her negative attribute into a positive one.

Because medieval folks were a rowdy bunch, EA has also included dueling in this version of the Sims. The altercation I saw was between the king and one of his knights. I'm not sure what they were upset about as they both jabbered in Simlish, but eventually they pushed each other around and drew their swords. A 2D side-view of the fight popped up, and the demoer skillfully bested the king without killing him, though murder is always an option.

The Sims isn't just about the people you create – it's about constructing your own buildings and customizing a town you can be proud of. When you place a new building or new castle wing in Medieval, it unlocks the ability to create a new hero Sim with a unique profession. So adding a church will allow you to create a hero Sim that's a priest, and if you upgrade your castle to have secret chambers, you can house a spy Sim.

It's okay to point and laugh.
I'm sure we'll see more on creating structures later on, but for now all I saw was the ability to customize the interior. This is largely the same as The Sims 3, only the furniture and decor is designed to reflect the period. Also indicative of the times, your Sims will reside in the same building they work in. Outside the walls of your home, EA added a clever fix for easily communicating with other Sims around the township via carrier pigeons. These faithful birds will await your bidding outside of homes and workplaces to communicate with other Sims your character is friendly with. Not too shabby.

It's unclear how this new formula will pan out for The Sims Medieval, but it is a refreshing take on a game that was getting re-hash after re-hash. We'll keep an eye out for new details on this title and keep you updated when we know more.

Bron: IGN