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The Sims (Windows)/Unused Text

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This is a sub-page of The Sims (Windows).

The Sims have spoken. Many objects have strings and leftover scripting that indicate that other things may have been planned for the game.

Something in common among most of these is that they are deliberately untranslated by the game's localization team: As also documented below, exclamation marks (!) are used on developer notes attached to the strings for the means of telling translators that that specific text does not need be edited, frequently because nothing in game uses them anymore. For an external observer, they (rather unsurprisingly) unveil artifacts from multiple development phases, and a The Sims that wasn't[footnote 1].

Many of those strings would end up in the console ports and Bustin' Out.

(Source: Blayer98, Leo Gruen, LUCPIX, Trussive, SodaDog)

Sub-Pages

TS1 people subicon.png
People
Joe says, "No can do. I’ve got an appointment with the Avon lady."
TS1 baby subicon.png
Objects
If your shower speaks with you, go see the doc.
TS1 help subicon.png
Help System
You did not know these.

Miscellaneous Unused Text

Executable

Within the base game's binary are related text for what appears to be an old intention in launching a trial version for The Sims. Several other games from the Sim series of its time had demo builds, such as SimCity 3000.

demo
The 30 day expiration of this pre-release has expired.

An early version of the game's copyright info. Overall, the legal attributions are more well-defined in the final versions, and ASCII characters are used for such. It shows consistency to a previous belief, among the community and the development staff, that the game would be at stores towards the end of 1999.

Sims.exe
String Final Equivalent
Maxis is a division of Electronic Arts
Maxis is a division of Electronic Arts™ Inc.
The Sims is (c) 1999 by Maxis/Electronic Arts.  All Rights Reserved.
©2000 Electronic Arts. All Rights Reserved.

Early Credits Sequence

The game contains strings for a rather over-the-top staff roll that does not go into further tangents other than those out of the core The Sims team. May have been used as a placeholder. The set that appears in the final pinpoints all of the game making's branches.

UIText.iff
credits
ID String Final Equivalent Translation Note
0-64
The Sims



(c) 2000 Electronic Arts



All Rights Reserved








The Sims was created by








Alex "Code Wranglin Mofo" Zvenigorodsky

Will "Don't Ask, Don't Tell Design" Wright

Roxy "Please Ask, Please Tell Design" Wolosenko

Paul "PEACE OUT" Wilkinson

BJ "How Big Is That MAX File?" West

Chris "Well, Duh" Trottier

Kana "Bringin' Home the Yogurt" Ryan

Michael "Web Monkey" Perry

Trevor "Don't Call Mascot" Perrin

David ".com" Oester

Rob "I Don't Get It" Martyn

Charles "Can I Have it in Blue" London

Tim "Le Prosthetique" LeTourneau

Mike "I Just Got It To Crash" Lawson

Bob "Cat in the Furnace" King

Don "Ground Up" Hopkins

Eric "It's Got a Beat, and I Can Dance To It" Hedman

Stefan "Silver Screen" Gustafsson

Etienne "Call me Steve" Grunenwald

Knut "Schlimmer Hund" Grossmann

Gabriel "Bugs For Money" Gilscarbo

Wende "You guys are nuts" Gauthier

Jamie "Boss" Doornbos

Jamil "110%" Dawsari

Claire "Ask, Tell" Curtin

Eric "Better Than Lifelike" Chin

Jeff "Cat Herder" Charvat

Eric "Purgatopia" Bowman

Luc "Le Bisquit" Barthelet

Patrick "Da Mayor" Barrett

Sean "I Should Have Written The Credits" Baity

Melissa "Laugh Til You Barf" Bachman-Wood








and










Jim "Tricky Bit" Mackraz








Special thanks to everyone at Maxis,



and everyone not at Maxis.










Extra special thanks to
EA Canada
Bullfrog
and the Maxis Framework Team

For a bunch of great code








And most of all Electronics Arts,

without whom the project would never have shipped.














That's All, Folks!
GAME DESIGNER
Will Wright

PRODUCER
Kana Ryan

ART DIRECTOR
Charles London

SIMULATOR ENGINEER
Jamie Doornbos

GRAPHICS ENGINEER
Eric Bowman

DEVELOPMENT DIRECTORS
Jeff Charvat
Jim Mackraz

ENGINEERS
Patrick J. Barrett III
Don Hopkins
David Oester
Trevor Perrin
Alex Zvenigorodsky 

AUDIO SYSTEM ENGINEER
Paul Wilkinson

LEAD ANIMATOR
Eric Hedman

ARTISTS
Jami Becker
Eric Chin
Bob King
B.J. West

ADDITIONAL ARTISTS
Margaret Foley-Mauvais
Dan Goldman
Stefan Gustafsson
Minds Eye Media
New Pencil Inc. 
Ocean Quiqley

DESIGNERS
Claire Curtin
Roxy Wolosenko
Luc Barthelet

ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS
Chris Trottier
Tim LeTourneau

ASSISTANT PRODUCERS
Melissa Bachman-Wood
Sean Baity
Chris Baena

PRODUCT ANALYST
Michael Lawson

AUDIO DIRECTOR
Jerry Martin

SOUND DESIGNERS
Kent Jolly
Robi Kauker

COMPOSERS
Jerry Martin
Marc Russo

ASSOCIATE COMPOSERS
Kirk Casey
Kent Jolly
Robi Kauker
Jonathan Mitchell

SINGERS
Frank Biner
Marchino Brazil
Sandy Cressman
Molly Mastick
Laurice McCoy-Ozjuwah
Dan Mendoza
Dave Meniketti
Glenn Walters

MUSICIANS
Celso Alberti, Drums
Darol Anger, Violin
Marchino Brazil, Percussion
Dix Bruce, Mandolin
Steph Burns, Guitar
John R. Burr, Piano
Kirk Casey, Guitar
Myron Dove, Bass
Mary Fettig, Flute & Clarinet
Art Hirahara, Piano
Dan Joseph, Piano
Jerry Kuderna, Piano
David Lauser, Drums
Glenn Letsch, Bass
Gary Lillard, Bass
Jerry Martin, Guitar & Synthesizers
Kenneth Nash, Drums & Percussion
Jim Nunally, Guitar
Eddie Ramirez, Trumpet
Marc Russo, Sax & Synthesizers
Avram Siegel, Banjo
Steve Smith, Drums

DRUM LOOPS COURTESY OF
Spectrasonic's “Burning Grooves”
Ilio Entertainment’s “Eurotech”

MUSIC MIX ENGINEERS
Francois Lafleur
Ken Marshall
Jerry Martin
Marc Russo

VOX PRODUCER
Claire Curtin

VOICE TALENT
Gerry Lawlor
Stephen Kearin
Sean O'Connor

ADDITIONAL VOICE TALENT
Laurel McCarl Kapros
Paul Rausmussen
Melissa Roberts
Elizabeth Knudson Sibley

LEAD TESTER
Jamil Dawsari

ASSISTANT LEAD TESTERS
Gabe Gils Carbo
Etienne Grunenwald

TESTERS
Andrew Blomquist, Syruss Flyte,
Justin Holst, Matt Lewis,
Jason Morales, Shaun Morton,
Ed O'Tey, Chad Schnittjer,
Peter Trice, Kinh Williams,
Duane Gundrum, Aaron Bennion,
Colin Clarke, Terry McElroy,
Robb Reck, Daniel Hiatt, Scott Parker

COMPATIBILITY & TECHOLOGY LAB
Michael Jung
Dave Koerner
Jay Miller

CUSTOMER QUALITY CONTROL LEAD
Tony Alexander
Benjamin Crick
Jacob Fernandez
Darryl Jenkins
Dave Knudson
Andrew Young

ONLINE DESIGNER
Michael Perry

ONLINE PRODUCERS
Darren Futa
Marti Holguin

ONLINE ENGINEERS
Louis Ewens
Feng Qiu

WEB SITE DEVELOPERS
Red Hill Studios

LOCALIZATION MANAGER
Knut Grossman
 
LOCALIZATION TESTING
Gregory Touilliez, Alvaro Corral,
Dirk Vojtilo, Natasja Hagemeier,
Giulio Marchionni, Sami Valkama

PRODUCT MANAGER
Steve Perkins

PUBLIC RELATIONS
Patrick Buechner

MANUAL LAYOUT
Golden VizComm

PACKAGE DESIGN
Soo Hoo Design

ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT
Wende Gauthier

CONSULTING PRODUCERS
Danny Bilson
Paul DeMeo

MAXIS GENERAL MANAGER
Luc Barthelet

EXECUTIVES IN CHARGE OF PRODUCTION
Lucy Bradshaw
Rob Martyn

SPECIAL THANKS TO:
Karen Ahn, Christopher Alexander, 
FrANK Barchard, Jeff Braun, Dan Brazelton, Colin Boswell,
Michael Bremer, Daniela Castillo, Jenna Chalmers,
Max Chandler, Colin Cherot, Ede Clarke, Mike Cox,
Mayor Theresa Denton, Kelly Farrell, Michael Gauthier,
Jim Gasperini, Frank Gibeau, Bing Gordon, Martin Griffiths,
Trish Halamandarais, Kristi Hein, Michelle Hinch,
Phil Hinkle, Kevin Hogan, Creighton Hurt, Joell Jones,
Forrest Junod, Joe Keene, Eric Kornblum, Mike Larson,
Frank Le Ouay, Cisco Lopez-Fresquet, Stephanie Lonon, 
Jenny Martin, Eddris Malikyar, Rob Matthews, Don Mattrick,
Justin McCormick, Christine McGavran, Sid Meier,
Terra Morais, Kaz Okuda, Patrick Ratto, Josh Rose, 
Colleen Schuman, Ihssan Sekandari, Gerry Shaw, David Shiner, 
Eric Todd, Don Walters, Andrea Weber, Ilona Webb, 
Cassidy Wright, Charlotte Yates,
Walnut Creek Model Railroad Society, Inc.

and Everyone at Electronic Arts and Maxis!!!


Dedicated to the memory of Dani Berry
! Old Credits

UI Strings

UIText.iff contains many strings which are used and naturally some that aren't (funny how that works, eh?).

Context: Neighborhood Menu

6-12

These suggest that "Community Spaces" — either as fully playable properties or mere interactive elements in the Neighborhood Menu — were originally going to be in the base game but didn't appear until the Hot Date expansion pack, which released over a year after the base game launched. Also, in the final game there is no marquee (or even a mention of it) in the neighborhood, and judging by existing "SimEstates" and "Marquee" UI graphics, the marquee may have been where you originally created a family before the feature was changed to simply be an option on the neighborhood screen.

MoveInModeStrs
ID String Translation Note
12
Community Space
!move in label
11
You cannot place a family in community space.
!move in dialog
EvictModeStrs
6
Community Space
!evict label
7
You cannot bulldoze community space.
!evict dialog
8
Sorry
9
You cannot bulldoze the SimEstates marquee.
!Neighborhood Screen: Dialog: Sims Marquee: Text

4-5

There is no house here to bulldoze. is used, instead.

EvictModeStrs
ID String Translation Note
4
Nothing to Bulldoze
!Neighborhood Screen: Dialog: Empty Lot: Bulldoze: Text

Notes: Appears when empty lot is selected with bulldoze tool.

5
There is nothing here to bulldoze.

8-11

In the final game, generic lot-buying strings appear, not identifying them as pre-made.

MoveInModeStrs
ID String Translation Note
8
Purchase Pre-Made?
!
7
Do you want to buy a pre-made home?

These foresee an impossible scenario where the player would be refrained from accessing a Neighborhood Menu feature as they're meant to place a family in a vacant house.

MoveInModeStrs
ID String Translation Note
10
Sorry
9 Error: Dialog08: Title

Notes: Appears when attempting another activity before placing the family in a house. Not easy to reproduce.

11
You must first place this family in a house.

Context: Create A Sim

22-23

The minor characteristic that makes these unused button label texts different from their final counterparts is that all their letters are capitalized.

DesignCharStrs
ID String Translation Note
22
DONE
!
23
CANCEL

Context: Object Placement

2

Objects always snap to the center of the tile or to a slot. While the game can handle objects elsewhere perfectly fine it's strange to imagine the player seeing this.

PlacementErrs
ID String Translation Note
2
Must be at center of tile
7 Placement: Build Mode: Tooltip

Notes: Can occur if attempting to place an object that is not in the center of a tile. Not easy to reproduce.

3

Oddly, this error message is on the set of strings related with the Terrain Tool. The objects in the game can not be selected or picked up by players when terraforming

DirtToolErrs
ID String Translation Note
3
Object requires flat surface
!Build Mode: Placement: Terrain Cursor

Notes: not used

3-4

No objects use the flags defined for this (4 & 5 in object data - wall placement flags) so it is unused by the game. As stated before, the objects always snap to the center of the tiles in which they can be placed. None of the final objects can be specifically placed in the tiles' corners.

PlacementErrs
ID String Translation Note Snapshot
3
Must be in corner
7 Placement: Buy or Build Mode: Tooltip

Notes: Can occur if certain objects need to be placed in a corner. Not easy to reproduce.

Modified object with its wall placement flag set as 6: corner required.
4
Can't be in corner
7 Placement: Buy or Build Mode: Tooltip

Notes: Can occur if certain objects can't be placed in a corner. Not currently used.

7

No object meets this condition. Probably refers to older mechanics of adding pond/pool tiles in game.

PlacementErrs
ID String Translation Note
7
Must be over hole in floor!
!Buy or Build Mode: Placement: Tooltip

Notes: not used.

9

Error message that foresees objects that could only be placed inside the houses. No object in the base game has this specific placement rule, however - at least not until later expansion packs first featured objects as ceiling lamps.

PlacementErrs
ID String Translation Note Snapshot
9
Must be placed inside
7 Placement: Buy or Build Mode: Tooltip

Notes: Can appear with certain objects that must be placed inside. Not currently used.

Object with its "Expression" myroom placement manually set as 2.

11

Unused in favor of the more generic Can't intersect other objects..

PlacementErrs
ID String Translation Note
11
Must be on its own tile on the ground
7 Placement: Buy or Build Mode: Tooltip

Notes: Can occur if placing some object under other object. Not easy to reproduce.

13-14

In fact, the objects in the game are assigned to a given "weight" value that may prevent their placement on certain surfaces depending on how high it is. However, even when users manually modify an object's weight to a value that is unsupported by a surface, the error messages below fail to trigger.

PlacementErrs
ID String Translation Note
13
Can't support the weight
7 Placement: Buy or Build Mode: Tooltip

Notes: Could occur if object that is too heavy is placed on another object. Not currently used.

14
Can't support the size!
!Buy or Build Mode: Placement: Tooltip

Notes: Could occur if object that is too large is placed on another object. Not currently used.

15

Similar to 11, Can't intersect other objects. is used in cases as the one described in the translation comment below:

PlacementErrs
ID String Translation Note
15
Can't find a place to put it
7 Placement: Build Mode: Tooltip

Notes: Can occur when placing multi-tile object on top of one another. Not easy to reproduce.

19

All the objects in the game can be placed on a grass tile.

PlacementErrs
ID String Translation Note
19
Must place on floor tile
7 Placement: Buy or Build Mode: Tooltip

Notes: Can occur with object that must be placed on a floor tile instead of terrain. Not currently used.

22

An error message within the game's code hints at a feature that never saw the light of day: the ability to place objects diagonally in the world. This concept was designed to be enabled through a "wall placement" Expression flag set to "diagonal required" within an object's init scripting tree. However, the final release of the game lacks any remnants of this functionality, with no objects capable of being placed against diagonal walls and no pre-rendered 45º sprites to support such placement. One of the few tangible vestiges of this abandoned concept reside in the alpha channels of certain doors and windows, suggesting its potential inclusion at some point during development.

PlacementErrs
ID String Translation Note Snapshot
22
Must be on diagonal
7 Placement: Buy or Build Mode: Tooltip

Notes: Could be used for items intended for use on diagonal walls. Not currently used.

Modified object with its wall placement flag manually set as 6: diagonal required.

25

It's no wonder this ended up unused!

PlacementErrs
ID String Translation Note
25
User should never see this message!
!

32, 35

Can't intersect other objects. is used, instead.

PlacementErrs
ID String Translation Note
32
Must remove objects on wall first
7 Placement: Build Mode: Tooltip

Notes: Appears when attempting to remove a wall that has an object placed against it (i.e. a picture).

35
Must be placed on counter
7 Placement: Buy Mode: Tooltip

Notes: Appears when attempting to place a kitchen sink on any object other than a counter.

39

Older string for what reads Must be on first story in the final build.

PlacementErrs
ID String Translation Note
39
Can't effect first level from second level.
!Buy or Build Mode: Placement: Tooltip

Notes: not used

41-42

Other instances of specific building failure states that went summarily reduced as a multi-purpose Can't intersect other objects. tooltip.

PlacementErrs
ID String Translation Note
41
Can't intersect second-story object
7 Placement: Build Mode: Tooltip

Notes: Appears when attempting to place stairs and there is an object in the way on the second floor.

42
Can't place on end table
0New 7 Placement: Buy Mode: Tooltip

Notes: Appears when attempting to place computer on an end table too small to support it.

LocalKeys

Refers to the game's hotkeys — 161 as its ID, presumably so they could be changed by the localization teams easily.

  • A for Anti-Alias. Manual toggling works, but is removed in versions patched in Vacation onward, when is always forced it on by default.
  • S for Shadows. Again, removed in Vacation and later expansion packs, in favor of the shadow detail level setting in the UI.

Expansion Packs

Livin' Large

The "Concoctanation Station”

There is a duplicate I'm not in the mood to work. string. ID 3 is unused while ID 14 is used. While not every language translated the duplicate ID 3 string, Danish, Norwegian and Finnish did and interestingly enough have different translations for ID 3 and the used ID 14 string. All three of those languages were (officially) added in the Unleashed expansion, meaning this translation was possibly retro-fitted.

Minua ei nyt huvita tehdä kokeita!
Minua ei nyt huvita!

Madame Blahbatfry Crystal Ball

You are already solving a crystal ball riddle.
You are already solving a crystal ball riddle.
This dialog appears when the user is in the middle of solving a riddle and gazes into the crystal ball.

Translation notes indicate that the Sim would receive the riddle then have to check in with the crystal ball the next day after completing the task. However the way the scenario works in the final game the Sim is told by the tracker object when they finish a riddle without any Sim interaction. If the Sim does gaze into the ball again they will be reminded of the riddle.

Hot Date

Downtown Controller

Nobody gets a free lunch. No §§, no grub. Sims need full bank accounts if they want to stuff themselves downtown.

An alternate ID 1 line for when your Sim does not have enough money to pay for their food. The game explicitly calls the used ID 0 string. While this is translated it is likely just an oversight since the tree that manages the eating controller is hectic enough. It is possible that the used string was intended for the "classy" restaurant and the unused one was intended for the "diner". Regardless this is unused.

All right people, you know the drill. This town has a strict 2 AM curfew and don't pretend like you don't know. Move it!
OK, OK, let's go people! It's 2 AM. Some people need to get up in the morning. Everyone go home. Now...I mean it.
Don't you people ever sleep? Perhaps you just moved here, so I'll go light this time. Downtown closes at 2 AM. Now let's move, nothing to see down here, go home now.

Apparently, at one point all of downtown was supposed to close at 2AM. The controller does not check the time or ever display the following messages in case you're wondering they are translated.

Restaurant Podiums

Dear patrons. The restaurant is now closed. Thank you, and good evening.
Dear patrons: the restaurant will be closing soon. Please enjoy the remainder of your evening. Thank you.

Apparently at one point the restaurants were intended to close. The strings are translated but there is no call to them in the podium object or any code which seems to reference the time or any attribute (which could be set by the downtown controller object) to see if the restaurant is closing.

Footnotes

  1. This sub-page comprehends the unused strings universally observed in in all Sims copies. In special cases — by that, we mean the German Bild Interactive build — for whatever reason, it's furthermore observed a unique share of placeholder text that is a worthy complementary read.