he Sims Social 4 Comments The Sims Social: Celebrate the last days of summer with new Summer House theme

With the mass popularity of the Sims Social on Facebook, it's no surprise that Playfish / EA are continually adding new decorative items to the game's store, allowing you to personalize your home in new ways. Specifically, this week sees the launch of a "Summer House" theme of items, with items being available for your living room, bedroom and even outdoor areas. There are also plenty of decorative items here to take a look at, so we'll do our best to give you a complete guide to these new items. Check them out!

SolTrain Cubic (Shelving Unit)

    Costs: 35 SimCash
    Value: $5,150


SolTrain Chair (Buildable item)

    Costs: 2,250 coins
    Value: $1,800


SolTrain Kingsize (Bed)

    Costs: 79 SimCash
    Value: $11,700
    Sleep Stat: 11


SolTrain Rays (Lamp)

    Costs: 3 SimCash
    Value: $450


BasketCase Travel (Requires Level 30)

    Value: $350


SolTrain UV Lite

    Costs: 12 SimCash
    Value: $1,750


BasketCase XL (Requires Level 30)

    Value: $600


SolTrain UV XL (Lamp)

    Costs: 22 SimCash
    Value: $3,250


Summer Tones (Painting - requires level 30)

    Value: $750


Woody Divider (Requires Level 24)

    Value: $1,300



SolTrain BagelUp

    Costs: 5 SimCash
    Value: $750


Woody Boxout B (Kitchen cabinet - requires Level 26 - Buildable item)

    Value: $1,650


Woody Boxout L (Kitchen Cabinet - requires Level 26 - Buildable item)

    Value: $1,650


SolTrain Panama (Outdoor Bed)

    Costs: 49 Sim Cash
    Value: $7,250


SolTrain Snug (Buildable item - requires Level 30)

    Value: $2,200


Palm Tree

    Costs: 1,750 coins
    Value: $1,650
    Happiness Stat: 3
    Social Stat: 3


SolTrain Parasol

    Costs: 59 SimCash
    Value: $8,700


SolTrain Swing (Buildable item - requires Level 30)

    Value: $4,850
    Sleep Stat: 3


UltiMax Top Deck (Stereo)

    Costs: 59 SimCash
    Value: $8,700
    Fun Stat: 5


In addition to all of these items, there's a full set of windows available in the Build menu is a new "Alpine" theme, which consists of a dark tan, almost orange colored frame. Four flooring options are available for either Social Points or (at most) a single SimCash per tile, and the theme is rounded out with a "SolTrain Beach" wallpaper that costs 55 Social Points per square.

As with previously released themes, these Summer House items don't appear to be limited edition; rather, they should be available permanently in the game's store. That being the case, you should be able to save up coins, or Social Points, or have time to purchase SimCash long into the future to create this theme in your home as far into the future as you like. If we see this change, we'll make sure to let you know.

What do you think of these Summer House items in Sims Social? What kinds of items would you like to see released next in the game?

EA, Playfish developing 'the hell out of SimCity' for Facebook [Report]

Hey, if The Sims Social struck gold, it only makes sense at this point. Business Insider reports, citing nameless sources, that a China-based Playfish team has suspended all other projects to "develop the hell out of SimCity" for Facebook. Of course, the idea is that the second place developer is doing so to go toe-to-toe directly with CityVille, the number one game on Facebook.

Zynga's city-builder has held the top spot on Facebook for over a year, and EA is reportedly doing everything in its power to dethrone the king of social games. According to Business Insider, multiple sources within the company say that SimCity has been in development for over a year, around the same time that Zynga started work on CityVile. But when the game broke every record in the book over the past year, EA had no choice but to ramp up work on SimCity.

At the time, Zynga had more time and resources to pour into CityVille than EA did with SimCity, which had "doubled down" on The Sims Social. Since the game has now proven itself, putting a dent into Zynga's then spotless lineup, the veteran games publisher has placed a laser focus on the social iteration of game designer Will Wright's masterpiece.

According to the news outlet, Playfish's Norway and San Francisco teams are working on entirely new games for EA. And yes, it's OK to be more excited by that rumor than yet another city-builder. This better be good.

[Via IndustryGamers]

Are you excited by the thought of SimCity hitting Facebook? Do you think it could give CityVille a run for its (boatloads of) money?

Other Games Add Comment Sims Social survey lets you sound off on item prices, favorite features and more

It's that time folks - time to let your collective voices be heard! EA wants to know how much fun (or not) you're having with the Sims Social on Facebook, and they've released a fairly long survey to help you tell them. This survey contains all sorts of questions, ranging from the basics of how often you play the game, to allowing you to rate your opinion on item pricing (are they too cheap? too expensive?) and what some of your favorite features are in the game.

Of course, the point of all of this is to gather enough opinions to actually sway the way the game develops in the future. Hopefully, with questions dealing with how much we like to "build" items with parts (bookcases, double beds, etc.), and the option to say that you don't like it at all, we may actually see a lessening in those kinds of items, if enough users agree. You can even rank various gameplay features (decorating your house, visiting friends, customizing your Sim, etc.) in the order that you like them. In this way, perhaps we'll see more focus being placed on the most (overall) liked feature, and you'll be able to say you helped to make that happen.

Unfortunately, this isn't the kind of survey that will allow you to give your opinion on future item sets, but there are plenty of blank text boxes for you to say exactly what you want to the developers in a place that you know they'll see it. Again, this survey is prety lengthy (when compared to other Facebook game surveys anyway), so you'll want to make sure you have around 5-10 minutes to set aside to take it.

We've taken this survey as well, and if we start to notice any gameplay changes arising because of options listed here, we'll make sure to let you know. In the meantime, head over to this link right here to take the survey for yourself.

The Sims Social: Country meets chic with Country Kitchen items

Is it just me, or is decorating our houses one of the best things to do in the Sims Social? I know I could personally spend plenty of time rearranging furniture in each room, only to ripe it all out and start over again, and to help us do that with even more themes is a new Country Kitchen theme that has launched in the game this week. These country kitchen items bring in all sorts of shades of brown and ivory, and it's one of the most complete themes we've seen released in the game yet. Here's a rundown of what to look out for in the store to make this theme complete in your own home.

Plate Collection

• Costs: 4 SimCash
• Value: $600

Perfecto Fruitbowl

• Costs: 4 SimCash
• Value $600

Vintage Wines

• Costs: 6 SimCash
• Value: $900

RuralU Deluxe C (Kitchen Counter Piece)

• Costs: 10 SimCash
• Value: $1500

RuralU Deluxe (Kitchen Counter Piece)

• Costs: 12 SimCash
• Value: $1750

Antiquitate Deco (Wall Sconce)

• Costs: 3 SimCash
• Value: $450

19th Century Lamp

• Costs: 10 SimCash
• Value: $1500

19th Century Pot (Flowers)

• Costs: 19 SimCash
• Value: $2800

Antiquitate Oil

• Costs: 325 Social Points
• Value: $700

Basinuate Marble (Sink)

• Costs: 12 SimCash
• Value: 1750
• Clean Stat: 5

FrancoFaux Chaise (Buildable item)

• Costs: 225 Social Points
• Value: $500

Cereal Shelf

• Costs: 250 Social Points
• Value: $550

19th Century Mat

• Costs: 19 SimCash
• Value: $2800

Clox Fruitful

• Costs: 350 Social Points
• Value: $800

RuralU Trove (Wall Cabinet Piece)

• Costs: 600 Social Points
• Value: $1450

RuralU Charm (Wall Cabinet Piece)

• Costs: 800 Social Points
• Value: $2050

FrancoFaux Tableau (Buildable item)

• Costs: 800 Social Points
• Value: $2050

RuralU Latch (Hutch - Buildable item)

• Costs: 1100 Social Points
• Value: $3100

G King Counter (Center Island - Buildable item)

• Costs: 15,000 Social Points
• Value: $21,250
• Happiness Stat: 3

Normanity Chair (Living Room Furniture - Buildable item)

• Costs: 450 Social Points
• Value: $1050

FrancoFaux Cafe (Living Room Furniture - Buildable item)

• Costs: 650 Social Points
• Value: $1600

Normanity Sofa (Living Room Furniture - Buildable item)

• Costs: 700 Social Points
• Value: $1750
• Sleep Stat: 3

In addition to all of these items, there's also a Cooking Skill vent hood called the SuxDelux that's available to users that have reached a Cooking Skill of 40 or higher. This item has a value of $3650.

In the Build Menu, you can also find a selection of new windows in the same matching dark wood color, ranging in price from 750 coins for the RealOak 2 Pane to 6,000 coins for the RealOak 5 Pane. If you want the window in the picture above, with the quaint ivory curtains, that will set you back a whopping 39 SimCash. Along with this, there are five new wallpapers and three new floor tiles to round out the theme.

There's no listed time limit on any of these items, so if you don't have enough Social Points or SimCash available to buy them now, you should be able to save up and purchase them well into the future. Still, if you want to get your hands on these items while they're fresh, I really couldn't blame you. I just hope your kitchen is big enough to hold them all!

[Final Image Credit: Playfish/EA]

What do you think of these Country Kitchen items? Are you more of a modern fan, or do you like country / southwestern items? Sound off in the comments.

The Sims Social: Claim your free Pogo Arcade Machine

While you may already be the proud owner of one or two Arcade Machines in the Sims Social, if you're like me, you'll always be ready for one more - especially if it's free. Such is the case with this new goodie, a Pogo branded Arcade Machine, spotted by BadgeHungry. The single link to claim your reward has apparently been going around for about a week, but hasn't been heavily advertised. It does, however, still work (as of this writing).

To claim your free Pogo Arcade Machine in the Sims Social just make sure you're logged into your Facebook account and click on this link right here. This will take you to Facebook, where you'll be told whether or not your claim attempt was successful. Once in your house, the Pogo Arcade Machine will go into your storage, where you can then freely place it anywhere in your house (or even outside).

As for interactivity, the machine allows you to do two things: Play Games (no energy required), and "Redeem Tokens at Pogo." This link will let you earn 25,000 free tokens on the site, but unfortunately, doesn't come with any free Simoleons back in the Sims Social. But hey, we've walked away with a free Arcade Machine; it's that all we could really ask for?

Have you already claimed your free Pogo Arcade Machine? What other sorts of goodies do you hope come to the Sims Social? Sound off in the comments.