Neo
05-27-2005, 08:56 PM
Recently I caught up with myself and asked myself a few questions about my sims stories. Here's what I had to say.
Neo: Hello Neo and welcome.
Neo: It's great to be here. Here, where I live.
Neo: It sure is. Tell us, how did you come up with the idea for your first hit series, "Nothing Sacred?"
Neo: An ex of mine had sucked me into the TV show "Dallas." Hey wouldn't it have been funny if I ended that sentence with "me."? Anyway, I became obsessed with the idea of episodes with continuing storylines and I wanted to do something like that myself. The Sims provided the perfect opportunity for that to happen. "Nothing Sacred" contained a similar setup, with the two warring brothers who live at home with their wives and parents.
So basically you ripped off Dallas for your own personal gain?
That's more or less accurate.
Fantastic. Now tell us about your other two series.
After nine seasons I decided that "Nothing Sacred" had run its course. I then though that it would be interesting to do a prequel series, one that explored how Guy Alden first came to Simsville and how he ended up marrying Crazy Laura and establishing his empire. There were of course a few twists thrown into the mix. Things you thought were true turn out to be false, and vice-versa. The Pets expansion pack contained 'Old Town' which was a perfect setting for a story which takes place in the past. I did have to be careful not to show any modern devices while filming.
All of your stories at some time involve guest spots by celebrities. Is there any limit to the degree to which you will whore out famous people for a simple ratings boost?
Not as yet.
Outstanding. Please continue...
My third series was also a spin-off to "Nothing Sacred" which was called "Posers-A-Plenti." It was based around the Sims Superstar expansion pack, in which sims lie, cheat, steal, and hump their way to the top. It ended after only four seasons, mainly because the release of Sims 2 was imminent and I knew I would be working on a new project at that time.
Yes and the 4th season really was quite unique. Tell us about it, won't you?
I would be happy to. The 4th season was filmed entirely in real-time as a tribute to the hit TV show "24" starring my man Kiefer Sutherland. Consequently it was longer and more detailed than past seasons. But it was a good way to give Posers a proper send-off. It also resolved the outstanding plot threads from the end of "Nothing Sacred."
Wow, with all that success you must be popular with the ladies.
Well it's not about that, it's about creating quality shows.
Come on, you must see a lot of action.
It's true I get more play than I can handle, but as I said it's not about -
I mean sh#t dog, they must be lining up for a piece of what you got. But to continue, how did you choose the cast for Sims Survivor I & II?
For the most part I sifted through the list of available user-made skins and then chose an equal number of men and women. One difference between Sims Survivor and the TV counterpart which inspired it is that the sims are not only voted out, they are cremated as well. This is only hinted at in Survivor I, as you can see the urns of past survivors in the final shot. In Survivor II, however, you actually see the voted-out sims being torched alive in the booth of fire. I cannot express to you the immense satisfaction I receive from watching a sim being burned alive.
I can well imagine. Any plans for a new Survivor series in the future?
I have an idea for a show called "Who Wants to be an American Citizen?" It involves contestants from impoverished or dictatorial countries that compete for a chance to become an American citizen. Like Survivor at the end of each episode one person is voted out, and then that person is deported back to his or her country of origin.
Sounds delightful. What inspired you to write your other side projects, "Unkept Promises" and the spoof on "Angel?"
I was taking a government class at the time in which we were studying social welfare. One of the books I read was titled "Rachel and her Children" which chronicled the lives of homeless people in America. It was very sad and I wanted to do a tribute to it but like all of my writings it quickly degenerated into hilarity. I've given up trying to write anything with a serious tone. Now "Angel" was a lot of fun and I left it open-ended so that others could finish it the way that they liked as sort of a contest.
Was not the contest a thinly-veiled excuse for failing to finish it yourself?
Precisely.
Terrific. Now I heard a rumor about a short-lived series called "SimQuest SNG." What was that all about anyway?
"SimQuest SNG(Socially Networked Game)" was of course a play on "SeaQuest DSV." After season nine of "Nothing Sacred" the character John Fox moved to The Sims Online and was to star in an open-ended reality show. Unfortunately the bitches at Maxis released the buggiest piece of crap ever known to man or beast and ended up causing me much suffering and heartache. Though John made many friends during his one-year stay in the end it was not meant to be. That's okay though as he returned for season four of "Posers-A-Plenti."
How do you come up with story ideas?
Well sometimes I just let the sims go about their business and occasionally they will do something totally unexpected or hilarious and I'll end up building a story around it. Other times I have a general idea of where I want the story to go. One time the game crashed and I lost everything. Instead of immediately rebuilding the Alden's house the way I had it I made up a story about a tornado which did extensive damage. The stories are somewhat constricted by the limitations of the game. For example, everyone who writes stories about The Sims has to write about someone drowning in the pool, getting walled up and starving to death, being electrocuted, etc. The "move_objects" cheat does allow you to reposition sims and other objects to create scenes that otherwise wouldn't be possible.
That's great. Finally I want to ask you about your current series, "Unnatural Selection." I understand you are finishing up the 1st season right now?
That's correct. I'm very excited about it as it's my first show using The Sims 2. Full-motion video recordings are available for the first time. In addition sims will pass on their genetic traits to their offspring, hence the title. Sims will also age over time, going from an infant to a senior citizen. The new possibilities should create amazing story opportunities.
Thank's for your time and I wish you all the success. We'll look forward to the posting of your current and past stories.
Thanks for having me.
Neo: Hello Neo and welcome.
Neo: It's great to be here. Here, where I live.
Neo: It sure is. Tell us, how did you come up with the idea for your first hit series, "Nothing Sacred?"
Neo: An ex of mine had sucked me into the TV show "Dallas." Hey wouldn't it have been funny if I ended that sentence with "me."? Anyway, I became obsessed with the idea of episodes with continuing storylines and I wanted to do something like that myself. The Sims provided the perfect opportunity for that to happen. "Nothing Sacred" contained a similar setup, with the two warring brothers who live at home with their wives and parents.
So basically you ripped off Dallas for your own personal gain?
That's more or less accurate.
Fantastic. Now tell us about your other two series.
After nine seasons I decided that "Nothing Sacred" had run its course. I then though that it would be interesting to do a prequel series, one that explored how Guy Alden first came to Simsville and how he ended up marrying Crazy Laura and establishing his empire. There were of course a few twists thrown into the mix. Things you thought were true turn out to be false, and vice-versa. The Pets expansion pack contained 'Old Town' which was a perfect setting for a story which takes place in the past. I did have to be careful not to show any modern devices while filming.
All of your stories at some time involve guest spots by celebrities. Is there any limit to the degree to which you will whore out famous people for a simple ratings boost?
Not as yet.
Outstanding. Please continue...
My third series was also a spin-off to "Nothing Sacred" which was called "Posers-A-Plenti." It was based around the Sims Superstar expansion pack, in which sims lie, cheat, steal, and hump their way to the top. It ended after only four seasons, mainly because the release of Sims 2 was imminent and I knew I would be working on a new project at that time.
Yes and the 4th season really was quite unique. Tell us about it, won't you?
I would be happy to. The 4th season was filmed entirely in real-time as a tribute to the hit TV show "24" starring my man Kiefer Sutherland. Consequently it was longer and more detailed than past seasons. But it was a good way to give Posers a proper send-off. It also resolved the outstanding plot threads from the end of "Nothing Sacred."
Wow, with all that success you must be popular with the ladies.
Well it's not about that, it's about creating quality shows.
Come on, you must see a lot of action.
It's true I get more play than I can handle, but as I said it's not about -
I mean sh#t dog, they must be lining up for a piece of what you got. But to continue, how did you choose the cast for Sims Survivor I & II?
For the most part I sifted through the list of available user-made skins and then chose an equal number of men and women. One difference between Sims Survivor and the TV counterpart which inspired it is that the sims are not only voted out, they are cremated as well. This is only hinted at in Survivor I, as you can see the urns of past survivors in the final shot. In Survivor II, however, you actually see the voted-out sims being torched alive in the booth of fire. I cannot express to you the immense satisfaction I receive from watching a sim being burned alive.
I can well imagine. Any plans for a new Survivor series in the future?
I have an idea for a show called "Who Wants to be an American Citizen?" It involves contestants from impoverished or dictatorial countries that compete for a chance to become an American citizen. Like Survivor at the end of each episode one person is voted out, and then that person is deported back to his or her country of origin.
Sounds delightful. What inspired you to write your other side projects, "Unkept Promises" and the spoof on "Angel?"
I was taking a government class at the time in which we were studying social welfare. One of the books I read was titled "Rachel and her Children" which chronicled the lives of homeless people in America. It was very sad and I wanted to do a tribute to it but like all of my writings it quickly degenerated into hilarity. I've given up trying to write anything with a serious tone. Now "Angel" was a lot of fun and I left it open-ended so that others could finish it the way that they liked as sort of a contest.
Was not the contest a thinly-veiled excuse for failing to finish it yourself?
Precisely.
Terrific. Now I heard a rumor about a short-lived series called "SimQuest SNG." What was that all about anyway?
"SimQuest SNG(Socially Networked Game)" was of course a play on "SeaQuest DSV." After season nine of "Nothing Sacred" the character John Fox moved to The Sims Online and was to star in an open-ended reality show. Unfortunately the bitches at Maxis released the buggiest piece of crap ever known to man or beast and ended up causing me much suffering and heartache. Though John made many friends during his one-year stay in the end it was not meant to be. That's okay though as he returned for season four of "Posers-A-Plenti."
How do you come up with story ideas?
Well sometimes I just let the sims go about their business and occasionally they will do something totally unexpected or hilarious and I'll end up building a story around it. Other times I have a general idea of where I want the story to go. One time the game crashed and I lost everything. Instead of immediately rebuilding the Alden's house the way I had it I made up a story about a tornado which did extensive damage. The stories are somewhat constricted by the limitations of the game. For example, everyone who writes stories about The Sims has to write about someone drowning in the pool, getting walled up and starving to death, being electrocuted, etc. The "move_objects" cheat does allow you to reposition sims and other objects to create scenes that otherwise wouldn't be possible.
That's great. Finally I want to ask you about your current series, "Unnatural Selection." I understand you are finishing up the 1st season right now?
That's correct. I'm very excited about it as it's my first show using The Sims 2. Full-motion video recordings are available for the first time. In addition sims will pass on their genetic traits to their offspring, hence the title. Sims will also age over time, going from an infant to a senior citizen. The new possibilities should create amazing story opportunities.
Thank's for your time and I wish you all the success. We'll look forward to the posting of your current and past stories.
Thanks for having me.