GameSpot has posted a designer diary that takes a look at the development ideas behind The Sims 2, the upcoming sequel to the wildly successful series The Sims. Written by Senior Producer Tim LeTourneau, the diary covers topics such as team assembly, feature ideas, and types of gameplay.

One of the planned features discussed is the various stages of development Sims will undergo as they mature:

We decided on six distinct age ranges that make up the classic periods of life: babies, toddlers, children, teenagers, adults, and seniors. Each stage is punctuated by "big life moments," rites of passage we all equate with growing up: a toddler's first steps, a teen's first kiss, getting married, and kicking the bucket. Players will have to navigate through each of these stages and face the strategic challenges that each age presents. In this dynamic playspace, the best opportunities come when different age groups interact: the moody teen who torments her younger sibling, the crotchety grandpa who complains incessantly to his children, or the baby who throws up when played with a little too exuberantly by the baby-sitter. What happens to these sims as they grow through each of those stages deeply affects how they develop and the way they behave. To keep track of that development, we have given players a measurement called "life score." A sim's "life score" directly reflects the kind of life the player has helped the sim lead. Players will be rewarded for exploring both the positive and negative sides of life.

The rest of the diary covers subjects such as house building, Sim intelligence, and other design options.

GameSpot - The Sims 2 Designer Diary

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