Chat With Makin’ Magic Associate Game Designer, Jenna Chalmers

MaxisKitty (Sep 25, 2003 6:00:19 PM)
Hello and welcome to the Sims chat with Jenna Chalmers! She is a designer on the Makin’ Magic expansion and ready to answer questions you have about the upcoming game.

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:00:58 PM)
Hi all. Thanks for coming :slightly_smiling_face:

Scary69 (Sep 25, 2003 6:01:30 PM)
Can only certain Sims use magic or they all have to use magic???

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:01:30 PM)
All Sims have magical power inside of them. But before they can really use their magic, you must add a “wand” to their inventory. You can get them a wand from new objects like the “Wand Charger”

Iamabbw (Sep 25, 2003 6:02:33 PM)
Will the dragon count as a family member like the dogs and cats?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:02:33 PM)
No. The dragon is an independant spirit. He is not a full-fledged family member.

Zsky2 (Sep 25, 2003 6:03:47 PM)
Hello, what will making rollercoasters in Makin’ Magic be like?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:03:47 PM)
We wanted to give you pieces to play with…so that you could build your own rollercoaster…

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:04:37 PM)
you will have various track pieces….and also larger “ride” pieces.

nathan7056@aol.com (Sep 25, 2003 6:04:54 PM)
how do you live in magic town.

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:04:54 PM)
Magic Town has three residential lots.

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:05:20 PM)
In order to move there, it will cost you simoleons and magicoins….

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:05:36 PM)
you earn magicoins by performing magic in magic town.

kitkatbarish (Sep 25, 2003 6:06:05 PM)
What are some of the new skins?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:06:05 PM)
Personally, i LOVE the new skins in this pack…

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:06:36 PM)
in create-a-sim we did a bunch of stuff from different periods of time…

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:07:24 PM)
in addition, there is a spell called “Shed Your Skin” which lets you completely change the look of your sim for a limited period of time.

Irishlass (Sep 25, 2003 6:08:49 PM)
If we have The Sims: Unleashed, will out pets be able to do anything magical?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:08:49 PM)
If you have Unleashed, you will have an extra spell to cast on you pet. :wink:

NiGhT_PhOeNiX (Sep 25, 2003 6:09:26 PM)
will there be breeds of dragons? or differnt colors of the dragon?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:09:26 PM)
When you buy the dragon egg….

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:09:44 PM)
you have to take proper care of it.

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:09:53 PM)
depending on how well you do….

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:10:15 PM)
you will get a well-behaved dragon……

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:10:34 PM)
or…

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:10:38 PM)
not :slightly_smiling_face:

Iamabbw (Sep 25, 2003 6:10:53 PM)
Can sims get attacked by the bees from the beehive?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:10:53 PM)
yes.

skppy1225 (Sep 25, 2003 6:11:50 PM)
What are MagiCoins used for?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:11:50 PM)
Magicoins are use for buying some of the magic ingredients for spells and charms as well as buying lots in Magic Town.

pic620 (Sep 25, 2003 6:13:21 PM)
I like my old house can i move my old house to magic town?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:13:21 PM)
No sorry. Just like moving to a new lot in the old neighborhood, you can’t take it with you. :slightly_smiling_face:

AlmoANDKelbel (Sep 25, 2003 6:14:26 PM)
Will every family have their own spell book?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:14:26 PM)
No. The family shares the information in one spellbook.

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:14:47 PM)
This is helpful in unlocking all the information in the spellbook.

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:15:33 PM)
it would be a pain to have each family member have to unlock it all.

buschnut (Sep 25, 2003 6:16:40 PM)
What are the bubble-like lizard toys in some of the sreenshots?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:16:40 PM)
That is the kids “charm maker”….

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:17:05 PM)
Kids use it to combine ingredients and make spells.

vampiress_kittycat (Sep 25, 2003 6:17:58 PM)
Who are some of the new characters we will see ?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:17:58 PM)
Magic Town has lots of new characters…

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:19:01 PM)
for example you buy some of the ingredients from a Fairy and others from a Vamipress

siggyb2too (Sep 25, 2003 6:20:26 PM)
Are there any spells for kids and their grades? Mine are ready for Military School. :slightly_frowning_face:

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:20:26 PM)
There is a spell where the kids can send a “clone” to school in their place….

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:20:53 PM)
which i guess means they could stay home and study :slightly_smiling_face:

shortcakejermz (Sep 25, 2003 6:21:39 PM)
will there be ghosts in magic town?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:21:39 PM)
One of the stages, the “spook show”, has a spell that musters up some ghosts….

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:22:10 PM)
if your skill is high enough….you may even get them to dance for you. :slightly_smiling_face:

ShrimpandSeafood (Sep 25, 2003 6:22:51 PM)
Does every mixture of ingredients make something?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:22:51 PM)
No. You will have to use your spellbook to learn how to mixthe ingredients.

Zsky2 (Sep 25, 2003 6:23:23 PM)
I have seen some mushrooms in the screenshots, can sims pick mushrooms?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:23:23 PM)
Yes they can. Mushrooms are a magic ingredient,

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:23:42 PM)
all you have to do is figure out how to get them to grow :slightly_smiling_face:

MaxisLucky (Sep 25, 2003 6:24:05 PM)
What are the recommended system specs? Win 98/XP/2000 450 MHz processor or faster with 128MB RAM 1.3 GB free hard drive space

rymndchn (Sep 25, 2003 6:24:38 PM)
Are the spells that children can make, different to the ones that adults make?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:24:38 PM)
Yes. They have some similar ones…and unique spells too.

Guest (Sep 25, 2003 6:24:56 PM)
Do you keep MagiCoins in your inventory?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:24:56 PM)
Yes.

Guest (Sep 25, 2003 6:25:49 PM)
What happens if one of the family members move out….how do they get the spells?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:25:49 PM)
Each family member holds their own spells in their own inventory.

ShrimpandSeafood (Sep 25, 2003 6:26:08 PM)
Will the Genie from Livin’ Large get updated with Makin’ Magic?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:26:08 PM)
Nope. The genie is magical enough as he is :slightly_smiling_face:

The_Gunman (Sep 25, 2003 6:26:23 PM)
Hello Maxis Jenna,Will there be any spells to make more money?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:26:23 PM)
Of course!

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:26:51 PM)
Rain of Riches will create tresure on your lot that you can sell or enjoy…

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:26:59 PM)
of course, if it backfires……

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:27:06 PM)
you get….Rain.

GeishaGreen (Sep 25, 2003 6:27:19 PM)
Can dragons cast magic spells?

Rtraf (Sep 25, 2003 6:27:28 PM)
Can children use magic to make a play mate?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:27:28 PM)
Yes. They sure can!

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:27:50 PM)
wait :slightly_smiling_face:

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:27:56 PM)
Dragons. no.

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:28:01 PM)
Kids yes :slightly_smiling_face:

GeishaGreen (Sep 25, 2003 6:28:42 PM)
What use are the pink flamingo ladies?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:28:42 PM)
They will help entertain your guests.

SimStash (Sep 25, 2003 6:29:02 PM)
About how many spells are in the game?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:29:02 PM)
Oh goodness….

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:29:08 PM)
two.

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:29:12 PM)
just kidding

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:29:21 PM)
there are tons!

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:29:44 PM)
depends also on what you count….

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:30:09 PM)
some people will enjoy the backfire as much as the positive outcome…

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:30:18 PM)
so thats like two speels for the price of one :slightly_smiling_face:

cameron (Sep 25, 2003 6:31:10 PM)
Can you make a living off of magic? Or will you still need a job?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:31:10 PM)
Magic does not replace your career…but since you can create money, you may not be interested in going to work any longer….

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:31:35 PM)
like the kids…you can send a clone to work in your place…

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:32:00 PM)
Even though you don’t need a job…you will still want to work on those skills…

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:32:13 PM)
especially logic, mechanical, and cooking.

MMfan (Sep 25, 2003 6:32:35 PM)
Can dragons eat toadified sims?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:32:35 PM)
Would we do that… :wink:

thesiddog (Sep 25, 2003 6:33:21 PM)
I know this is off topic but…Your name is Jenna Chalmers, I saw a building in Sim City4 called Chalmers Inc. or something like that. Was it named after you?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:33:21 PM)
Yup. lots of the building in SimCity are named after people at Maxis.

equusgirl (Sep 25, 2003 6:34:00 PM)
Hey MaxisJenna, what’s the dragon like? And how do you make it a nice dragon?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:34:00 PM)
THe dragon is SUPER cute. Make a nice dragon by taking good care of him before he hatches!

Irishlass (Sep 25, 2003 6:34:44 PM)
I’ve heard there’s a spell that can make you famous… is this true?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:34:44 PM)
Yes. if you have Superstar, you can give yourself a fame boost!

Aa ServoPro.com visit ronalchn (Sep 25, 2003 6:35:37 PM)
Do gnomes and pink flamingos who are turned into garderners and hostess’ permanent?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:35:37 PM)
No. It is a temporary change.

winie143 (Sep 25, 2003 6:36:50 PM)
Will the sims get to plant new things in their gardens?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:36:50 PM)
There is a new “vine plot” you buy in build mode…

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:37:36 PM)
then you can purchase a grape or elderberry sprig in Magic Town and come home and plant it.

MMfan (Sep 25, 2003 6:38:52 PM)
Hi MaxisJenna,are there spells to teleport a sim?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:38:52 PM)
There is an “ability” you can earn that gives you the power to telepot yourself around the lot….

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:39:00 PM)
Very helpful!

Guest (Sep 25, 2003 6:39:31 PM)
do nice dragons look different than mean dragons?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:39:31 PM)
Yes, they are a different color.

shortcakejermz (Sep 25, 2003 6:40:36 PM)
whats the use of the snakes, i saw some in the screeshots

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:40:36 PM)
The snakes are a backfire for “Shed Your Skin”….get it? ;-p

Irishlass (Sep 25, 2003 6:41:58 PM)
Is there a spell that you can cast to conjour up food?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:41:58 PM)
Yup. Its called “Horn Of Plenty”…but if it backfires….watch out for plenty of horny toads

Qwertyuiop2k11 (Sep 25, 2003 6:43:02 PM)
Jenna how in the world do you keep up with all these questions? :stuck_out_tongue:

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:43:02 PM)
YOu should see all the ones i Can’t keep up with :slightly_smiling_face:

SEKhorselover (Sep 25, 2003 6:43:24 PM)
How many dragons can you have in one family?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:43:24 PM)
Lots

Qwertyuiop2k11 (Sep 25, 2003 6:44:02 PM)
Can you make your Sims live in a haunted house?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:44:02 PM)
We did alot of new cool creepy architecture…

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:44:22 PM)
stairs, windows, doors…wallpapers…etc///

jfade (Sep 25, 2003 6:44:34 PM)
What types of vines can they plant?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:44:34 PM)
grapes and elderberries

gamegirl815 (Sep 25, 2003 6:45:23 PM)
what do u mean by “ability”?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:45:23 PM)
as you cast more and more magic, things start to grow on your lot…

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:45:42 PM)
one of the things that might grow is a “magic crystal”…

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:46:25 PM)
these crystal have the power to bestow you with magical abilities…

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:46:49 PM)
like being able to teleport yourself or put out fire …

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:47:08 PM)
which is particularly helpful if you have a “bad dragon” :slightly_smiling_face:

SiMan (Sep 25, 2003 6:47:40 PM)
Does the skeleton have a difference with the robot of livin’ large?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:47:40 PM)
well…for one….its cheaper…

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:48:19 PM)
but the skelton maid doesn’t perform all the services the robot does either.

Poisoned Kandy (Sep 25, 2003 6:50:08 PM)
can two dragons have babies……

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:50:08 PM)
No. sorry.

Joe_The_Coffee_Man (Sep 25, 2003 6:50:28 PM)
In the screenshot there is a machine, and it looks like you put your mood crystal thing in it. What does this thing do? Is it a mood changer?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:50:28 PM)
Hmmm….

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:50:41 PM)
i think you are think of the “charms”

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:51:09 PM)
the magic charms you make are in the shape of the “plum bob”

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:51:28 PM)
they are different colors for different charms

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:51:49 PM)
(the plum bob is the green thing above the sims head)

anamo52 (Sep 25, 2003 6:52:42 PM)
do you need unleashed to have the pet dragon?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:52:42 PM)
Nope! You don’t need Unleashed. You buy the dragon egg from the Vampiress in Magic Town

Bronco907 (Sep 25, 2003 6:53:00 PM)
what does the butter churn and the gargoyle bench do?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:53:00 PM)
BUtter churn is a skill object that makes….

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:53:06 PM)
butter :slightly_smiling_face:

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:53:21 PM)
butter is also and ingredient

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:53:50 PM)
the gargoyle bench makes gargoyles….kinda like the gnome workbench…

Guest (Sep 25, 2003 6:55:14 PM)
Makin’ Magic looks much more detailed than the other packs. was there a different art team for this one?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:55:14 PM)
Some of the art team members were the same. But much credit goes to Bob King who drove the art for Makin Magic.

Adam Lachlan (Sep 25, 2003 6:55:59 PM)
MaxisJenna, the previous Sims games have come with excellent music. What is the music for Makin’ Magic like?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:55:59 PM)
The music for this pack is some of my most favorite we’ve ever done

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:56:31 PM)
its kinda gypsy carnival-y…kinda european circus-y

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:56:55 PM)
hard t o describe…. but VERY cool

MMfan (Sep 25, 2003 6:57:00 PM)
Are there ‘marry me’ spells?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:57:00 PM)
Yup.

Bronco907 (Sep 25, 2003 6:57:33 PM)
Can only one person ride the rollar coaster at a time or can many people ride at a time?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:57:33 PM)
yes.

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:57:49 PM)
One sims per car….

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:58:11 PM)
but once the car leaves a particular section, the next car can start…

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:58:35 PM)
so more than one sim can be on the entire coaster at a time.

Matt (Sep 25, 2003 6:58:52 PM)
Do you need to have Unleased to plant that garden thingy?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:58:52 PM)
nope

ShrimpandSeafood (Sep 25, 2003 6:59:29 PM)
Whats your favorite objects Jenna?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:59:29 PM)
I like the new skill objects….the spinning wheel and beehive and stuff…

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 6:59:59 PM)
i also love the new kitchen collection and the new bed is beautiful!!!

ShrimpandSeafood (Sep 25, 2003 7:00:39 PM)
What does the spinning wheel do?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 7:00:39 PM)
Makes Golden thread. (and is a mechanical skill object)

MaxisLucky (Sep 25, 2003 7:01:02 PM)
We’re getting to the end of the chat – We’d like to thank you all for coming and particularly our guest Maxis Jenna.

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 7:01:25 PM)
SHall we take one more?

MaxisKitty (Sep 25, 2003 7:01:46 PM)
send in your best question

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 7:01:51 PM)
heh

ShrimpandSeafood (Sep 25, 2003 7:03:02 PM)
Can you make a spell that will make this chat last longer? :slightly_smiling_face:

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 7:03:02 PM)
i wish :slightly_smiling_face:

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 7:03:16 PM)
ok… ONE more :slightly_smiling_face:

Qwertyuiop2k11 (Sep 25, 2003 7:03:58 PM)
Can you make a spell so we can have a chat every week? :stuck_out_tongue:

MaxisKitty (Sep 25, 2003 7:03:58 PM)
we will be having chat events every thurs at 3

MaxisKitty (Sep 25, 2003 7:04:14 PM)
spell granted :wink:

Qwertyuiop2k11 (Sep 25, 2003 7:04:47 PM)
Will there ever be chats like this for TS2 or SC4?

MaxisKitty (Sep 25, 2003 7:04:47 PM)
yes

Matt (Sep 25, 2003 7:04:55 PM)
when will it be released?

MaxisLucky (Sep 25, 2003 7:04:55 PM)
We have not announced a release date for Makin’ Magic yet. Stay tuned to thesims.com for announcements!

Always_Smile (Sep 25, 2003 7:05:03 PM)
over all, is Making Magic the best Sims game out of all of them?

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 7:05:03 PM)
To be honest, i had TONS of fun making this expansion pack. …

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 7:05:24 PM)
The new location, skins, objects, music….

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 7:05:46 PM)
i LOVE the look of the stuff we did for this pack…

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 7:05:58 PM)
plus the new gameplay…

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 7:06:32 PM)
collecting the ingredients and mixing the spells…

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 7:07:22 PM)
This is my favorite pack we’ve done!

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 7:07:41 PM)
Thank you guys soooo much for your great questions!

MaxisJenna (Sep 25, 2003 7:07:55 PM)
I hope we can do this again sometime!

MaxisLucky (Sep 25, 2003 7:08:54 PM)
Thanks for coming everyone. Look for the chat transcipts posted on thesims.com soon!