EA has launched Sims Carnival, a collection of Flash-based games that can be played, modified, and shared with friends. Users are free to play pre-designed games, or to create their own. To celebrate the launch, Sims Carnival has also opened a “Galactic Game Challenge” that will award the best designer a cash prize.
The site offers a number of options that allow users to build their own games using tools that require no programming experience. Users can utilize a wizard that streamlines the creation process down to a few simple questions (What genre? How many enemies?, etc.), or they can choose to create a more customized game using the site’s downloadable editor (Windows only for now). They can also use the Swapper, which allows users to exchange a game’s default images for their own.
The site also allows developers to upload games that they’ve created in Flash independently, while retaining all of their links and branding. This could be a boon to developers looking to gain exposure in the somewhat-saturated Flash games market.
Each completed game can be embedded in social networking sites or blogs, and users can stitch together games to create a playlist. The site will soon introduce an API that will allow game creators to tabulate high score rankings, which can be distributed through email on a regular basis.
Gamers looking for a tie-in to the hit Sims series will be disappointed – it seems that the site is affiliated with the brand in name only. That said, Sims Carnival will likely appeal to much of the same audience. Many of the games are fun but not particularly complicated, and there’s good deal of satisfaction to be had from making your own game, even if there wasn’t much effort involved.
Want to try out a game? Try to fend off the ghosts of undead startups in Night of the Living Deadpool below:
I think that this is a really interesting move for Sims, and a positive one at that. You don’t have to be great at building Flash games to have a great idea – so I think it’s great that they’re making it more accessible.
The real impact will come when the API is released… All good stuff!
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Nice website, we do almost the same on http://www.pictogame.com since a year at least
very interesting article… thanks for share
Ag!
I have just wasted 10 minutes of my precious time with the game of this post
so when are we going to see: develop your own soft at php/ajx toolbox site.. where nothing needs to be hard coded.. just flow charted
Welcome to the era of game customization
Wise move on the part of Sims Carnival to allow people to upload their own Flash games. It may allow them to highlight better quality games than can generally be created through their own product.
I’m also surprised nobody has talked about how this, along with an API, directly competes with Kongregate, while taking advantage of the huge brand behind the Sims name. Or maybe it is just another outlet for Indie developers (the Fancy Pants Adventure is featured on both sites). It would be interesting to hear Jim Greer chime in on the conversation.
How is this TechCrunchian news?
Today is really a milestone day
FIREFOX setting a new GUINNESS World Record
http://vishtecho.blogspot.com
We love this idea! And it is great to see that EA is supporting Flash developers like we do. Please visit our sponsorship program at
http://www.fett...flash-developer
Vish, Could you spam another comment thread with this info? Not sure I got the message the first 4 times?
A good example can be found at http://www.pictogame.com/
Man, this look amazing! i love the sims series of games. EA is by far the best developers out there!
I managed to get into the closed beta of this site and it was great. Glad it’s open to the public now. I just checked out pictogame.com and it doesn’t seem to have the range of customization as the sims carnival does. You can make games from scratch (on carnival), thought I haven’t yet.
We launched a more generic, deeper version of this about two months ago:
http://playmockingbird.com/
You can start at the shallow-end-of-the-pool with pictogame-like functionality (just swapping images), and can go all the way to the deep end with our “advanced” mode that allows you to write your own rules (combine actions, set goals, create new genres).
What is with all the carnival games all the sudden? Carnival game for the Wii, EA’s Sims Carnival, and Disneyland has opened a new ride which is essentially just a carnival game that you ride through (you shoot, toss, and lob things just like in the carnival games). http://micechat...d-midway-mania/
Something must be in the air, because that is a whole of of carnival for for one year.
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Nice post
What’s up everbody, this is a new website by Brandon Arnett/Johnson.
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