Regional Differences

This is a sub-page of The Sims (Windows).

To do: Split the page up into different subpages? Verify whether or not the Kanzenban skins are present in the Japanese base game, or if they are exclusive to the Kanzenban Editions. Check the expansions for any more changes. Check for any other translation differences. There is definitely more. American and European versions of Double Deluxe bonus disc have different content. (American version only has mcdonalds pepsi stuff, while European version has AOL wicker stuff)

The Sims has three primary regional releases to account for the different markets the game was released in: North America (United States, Mexico, and Canada), International (Europe and South America), and Asia (Japan, China, South Korea, and Thailand). The game was also translated into 14 different languages.

Naturally during the localization process, changes were made to the game. Some changes are exclusive to a specific regional release, while some changes are exclusive to a specific language setting. These changes were made to accommodate certain regional conventions, and to make the game slightly less American in its overall presentation.

This page is divided into two primary sections: Regional Differences (which covers changes that are only present in one of the three regional releases of the game), and "Language Differences" (which covers changes present in all versions of the game, but are only visible when having a specific language set).

Physical Release Differences#

The changes discussed in this section are exclusive to the physical release of their particular region and cannot be found in any other release without modding.

Lot Differences#

Every lot in Neighborhood 1, the default neighborhood, received changes for each of the regional variations of the game. The changes range from simple gravestone rearrangements, to brand new looks for the exteriors.

The International Version largely saw houses be given the "New Amsterdam" Decorative Brick wall covering on their exterior with a red tile roof to match. While the Asian version uses a wider variety of wall coverings for their exterior.

Changes like the ones listed in this section are unique to the base game's Neighborhood 1. Additional neighborhoods from Livin' Large and Old Town from Unleashed did not receive any changes to their lots in International and Asian releases, not even removing the road markings present. (See below)

Interestingly all subsequent releases of the game in the Deluxe Edition, its subsequent repackagings, as well as the Complete Collection revert the changes made in the International versions and use the North American lots for Neighborhood 1, this includes a reinstatement of the road markings that had been previously removed.

Road Markings#

North America	International/Asia

On each lot is a segment of road for vehicles to appear and drive off on when taking a sim to work, school, or a community lot. All of the lots in Neighborhood 1 found in the International and Asian versions all had their road markings removed entirely, both crosswalks and lane dividers.

Lots from Neighborhoods 2-5, introduced with the Livin' Large expansion pack retain their road markings regardless of region. As mentioned above, the changes made regarding the road markings were reverted in all regions starting with the Deluxe Edition.

The change was likely made to coincide with the new neighborhood screen, for non-US English language settings.

2 Sim Lane#

North America/International	Asia

The Asian version did not receive a new exterior wall covering, and instead received a new roof color.

North America/Asia	International

Despite the International version appearing identical to the North American version from the exterior. The interior doors were changed from the Walnut Door to the Federal Lattice Window Door. The interior doors remain the same as their North American counterparts in the Asian version however.

The front door, which remains the Federal Lattice Window Door in all versions, had its door handle flipped to the opposite side for the International version, for some reason.

3 Sim Lane#

North America/Asia	International

The front door was changed from the Federal Lattice Window Door to the Windsor Door. The privacy fence at the front of the house was also removed.

But for some reason the newspaper is still present in the exact same spot.

North America/Asia	International

All interior doors were changed from the Walnut Door to the Federal Lattice Window Door for the International version. The interior doors remain the same as their North American counterparts in the Asian version.

5 Sim Lane#

North America	International/Asia

Rather than new exterior wall coverings or a new roof, 5 Sim Lane only received a change to its home graveyard for both the International and Asian versions. The graveyard keeps the placements the same as its North American counterpart, but changes the graphics used on three of the graves.

6 Sim Lane#

North America	International	Asia

For the International version, the White Picket Fence used for the patio area was changed to the Wrought Iron Baulistrade. The White Picket Fence and original roof was kept for the Asian version, while the exterior wall covering was changed to "Kobe" Japanese Wall Covering.

North America/Asia	International

All interior doors were changed from the Walnut Door to the Federal Lattice Window Door for the International version. The interior doors remain the same as their North American counterparts in the Asian version.

7 Sim Lane#

North America	International	Asia

For the International version, the White Picket Fence lining the flowerbeds in front and behind the house was removed. The front door was also changed just like 3 Sim Lane.

The Asian version keeps the White Picket Fence and changes the exterior wall covering to "Shogun" Japanese Wall Covering.

North America/Asia	International

All interior doors were changed from the Walnut Door to the Federal Lattice Window Door for the International version. The interior doors remain the same as their North American counterparts in the Asian version.

10 Sim Lane#

North America	International	Asia

For the International version, the front door was changed just like 3 Sim Lane and 7 Sim Lane before it. The Asian version changes the exterior wall covering to "Kobe" Japanese Wall Covering.

North America/Asia	International

All interior doors were changed from the Walnut Door to the Federal Lattice Window Door for the International version. The interior doors remain the same as their North American counterparts in the Asian version.

Sim Differences#

Eight out of the twelve pre-made Sims to play with in Neighborhood 1 received new appearances for the Asian version. These changes range from simple head swaps, to complete redesigns using customization options entirely from the base game. Most of the changes having been done to make the sims appear Asian.

It is worth noting that no Sims introduced with Neighborhood 2 or Old Town in expansions received changes to their appearance.

Bob Newbie#

North America/International	Asia

The beard and general taste in clothing is about all the two Bob Newbies share in common, as Bob was made to be much slimmer with a full head of graying hair and cleaner clothes. He also has a wristwatch now!

North America/International	Asia

Bob also received some slight tweaks to his personality. Becoming slightly neater and more playful, while also becoming shyer.

Betty Newbie#

North America/International	Asia

Like Bob, Betty was made much slimmer, but her change in outfit is much more drastic, trading her purple shirt and green pants for a pink summer dress and pearls.

North America/International	Asia

Also like Bob, Betty received a few tweaks to her personality. Becoming more outgoing and active, while also becoming grouchier and sloppier.

Strangely her and Bob are the only sims to have received any kind of change to their personality.

Chris Roomies#

North America/International	Asia

Chris just received a different head, she kept the blonde hair though!

Melissa Roomies#

North America/International	Asia

One of the more drastic design changes. Melissa bears little resemblance to her North American and International counterpart with a slimmer body type, new outfit, new head that is identical to another pre-made Sim, Bella Goth, and noticeably lighter skin, removing the only pre-made playable Sim with dark skin.

Jeff Pleasant#

North America/International	Asia

Jeff managed to (slightly) reverse the aging process and lose the graying in his hair. However he is still bald.

Diane Pleasant#

North America/International	Asia

Like Chris, Diane only received a different head. The head is otherwise identical to the one given to another pre-made sim during localization, Betty Newbie, save for the skin tone.

Daniel Pleasant#

North America/International	Asia

Daniel lost his curly red hair for straight black hair. He also received a cleaner change of clothes, now featuring shorts.

Jennifer Pleasant#

North America/International	Asia

Another one of the more drastic redesigns, Jennifer traded in her soccer uniform for an outfit worn by another pre-made Sim, Cassandra Goth. She kept the ponytail though.

Bonus Content Differences#

To do: Double Deluxe has different bonus stuff by NA/EUR versions.

NOTE: Stuff that were ONLY available as Maxis official downloads won't be covered, due to not coming with physical game discs.

Kanzenban Skins and Heads#

To do: Check if they're in the Japanese base game, or if not, check if they're in Kanzenban 2. Also, it's on Hajimete no SimPeople.

SimPeople Kanzenban (シムピープル先全版), is a release unique to Japan that combines the base game, plus the expansion packs; Livin' Large, House Party, and Hot Date on a set of two discs. This particular release of the game has the distinction of including exclusive skins (bodies) and heads (heads) with the game, a phenomenon that was not seen with any other release of The Sims in any other region. They're also included on Kanzenban 3.

In total 21 skins and 17 heads were included with the Kanzenban edition, with a good few being based off of Japanese culture.

The skins and heads reuse meshes included with all versions of the base game, often to varying results.

Adult Female#

Skins

Heads

Adult Male#

Skins

Heads

Child#

Skins

Heads

Language Differences#

The language the game uses during play is determined by the user upon installing the game, the languages available by default to install in is determined by which region the disc was released in, so for example the North American version has English and Spanish available for selection upon installation.

However all languages the game is available in exist in the game regardless of region. An enterprising player is able to change the language listed in the Windows Registry to any languages that game natively supports. So a player in the United States with the game originally installed in English could change the registry to run the game in German for example.

This section documents changes that are dependent on the language that the game is set to, these are present on all versions of the game but are not visible unless the player has the game set to a specific language.

Loading Screens#

The loading screen that appears after the intro movie plays changes depending on the language the player has the game set to. The logo displayed on the loading screen is typically changed to its localized equivalent for a given language.

Most languages that the game supports have their own unique loading screen graphic, but some do not and instead use a duplicate of the US English graphic.

The Sims#

While the game's title remained largely the same across the different language the original base game supported, mostly subbing out the The in the title.

Japan stands out having changed the name of the game from The Sims to SimPeople. Why this change was done is unknown, but it might have been done to keep the game in line with the other 'Sim' games. This and the console version are the only games to have that title, as starting with Bustin' Out (localized as The Sims) and the next mainline installment would retain the game's original title.

A common theory among fans is that the lack of definite articles in Japanese, and the way families are referred to in normal Japanese culture. This would make the normal title hard to properly translate, as the last name is typically placed on the left of the name. The SimPeople logo matched other Sim games internationally but not the stylized logo of The Sims series until the Unleashed expansion.

The Sims Livin' Large#

UK English typically does not have a separate loading screen graphic, opting instead to use a duplicate of the US English loading screen. However, some expansion packs, such as Livin' Large had their title changed when released in the UK, with the in-game loading screen graphic changed to accommodate the title change.

Erroneously, the full French title for Livin' Large (Ça vous change la vie) is not displayed on the screen unlike other languages, and the Simplified Chinese logo is slightly different to other language logos.

Swedish was given a duplicate of UK English loading screen graphic.

The Sims House Party#

The Sims Hot Date#

The Sims Vacation#

Like Livin' Large, Vacation received a title change and a new loading screen graphic to match.

Swedish was given the same loading screen graphic as UK English.

Starting with Vacation, a new logo is used for Simplified Chinese, opting to write The Sims in Jiǎnhuàzì rather than English.

The Sims Unleashed#

Starting with Unleashed, Japan received a brand new logo more in line with its other counterparts, with the katakana being moved to above "People" rather than below.

The new logo for Simplified Chinese, first introduced in Vacation, received some adjustments to its appearance. Being given a smaller stroke and removing the shading on the characters.

The Sims Superstar#

The Sims Makin' Magic#

The Sims Deluxe Edtion#

The Sims Complete Collection#

Neighborhood Screen#

International	USA

When the game's language is set to any language besides US English the neighborhood screen will look different. The most noticeable difference is that the roads are now black instead of grey with no markings present. The layout of the road also received a few changes, with the uphill bend on the left-hand side being much curvier. The single-lane divided road at the entrance being changed out for a shorter, single, non-divided road. And the entrance road letting out to a road with a considerable bend rather than a normal, straight street.

The lack of road markings was also carried forward into the lots themselves.

International	USA

The changes to the roads were even carried through to the Unleashed expansion pack, which saw a massive addition to the original neighborhood. Although crosswalks were given markings this time.

All changes to the terrain were reverted, and now is identical to the US English version.

English	Spanish	French	German	Japanese

At the entrance to Sim Lane (or on the island in the bay with The Sims Unleashed) is a sign that bears the game's logo. This sign will change its graphics depending on whether the game is set to Spanish, French, German, or Japanese to display the language's corresponding logo.

Any language that does not have its own sign graphic uses the English graphic.

Neighborhood Music#

Games that have their language set to US English use audio from the Modes/NhoodUS folder as the Neighborhood Menu's soundtrack. It contains three unique songs, that do not exist elsewhere in the game. Those songs would be used for all versions in the console port.

All other languages, however, use audio from Modes/Nhood. Consisting of a few duplicates from the Modes/Latin radio station folder.

An interesting note is that latin6, despite being named as a Latin station track, can not be heard on radio in any version. Causing its usage to be, in all aspects, limited to non-US English languages.

Miscellaneous Differences#

Storytelling Watermark#

English	Spanish	French	German	Japanese

The screenshots taken with Camera Mode are given a watermark bearing the game's logo in the lower right-hand corner. The logo changes depending on whether the language is set to Spanish, French, German, or Japanese to display the language's corresponding logo.

Any language that does not have its own watermark uses the English graphic, even in the Simplified Chinese version.

Control Panel#

The Control Panel is extended vertically when the language is set to either Japanese, Korean, Thai, Simplified Chinese, or Traditional Chinese to account for the larger character size. This change extends to the Needs, Personality, Relationships, Career, and House Tabs. This change also extends to the Inventory and Interest Tabs introduced with the Hot Date expansion pack.

For readability, all characters (even Latin characters) in the above-mentioned langauges were made to be aliased, rather than anti-aliased.

Clock#

English	Non-English

Having the language set to either US English or UK English will cause the game to use a 12-hour time convention, properly divided into A.M. and P.M. periods. All other languages use a 24-hour clock.

Family Name Ordering#

English	Asia

To comply with naming conventions in East Asia, the Family Name is written first when the game's language is set to either Japanese, Korean, Thai, Simplified Chinese, or Traditional Chinese.

(Lack of) Easter Eggs#

When the game's language is set to US English, the player is able to experience a couple of easter eggs during gameplay. The 100th Day Easter Egg that appears when the player navigates a household through 100 days of gameplay. As well as the Developer Message Easter Egg included with the House Party expansion pack.

However when the 100th Day Easter Egg is only available when the language is set to US English, UK English, or Default. Meaning that players who have their language set to, for example, Spanish or Korean, do not get to experience the easter egg.

The same holds true for the Developer Message Easter Egg included with the House Party expansion pack. Although it was only made available for US English and Default languages this time.

This exclusion was evidently a deliberate choice on the part of the developers, as comments from the string containers for the 100th Day Easter Egg explicitly tell the translators to not translate the easter eggs.

ZZZ - DO NOT TRANSLATE - EASTER EGG TEXT - Only Appears in English Version

However for whatever reason, the strings for the House Party Developer Message were translated in all available languages, despite its lack of availability for non-US English players.

To do: Fix the Thai strings, I'm fairly certain they weren't extracted properly.

That lack of availability is very much intentional! With a check for the game's current language in the object's scripting tree. Leaving it a mystery as to why the strings were translated in the first place. Could have something to do with a lack of any explicit instruction to not translate them.

Translation Differences#

Drew Carey#

To do: Investigate these strings in Danish, Norwegian, and Finnish.

The Sims House Party gave players the ability to throw, well, house parties. Depending on how the party goes, a variety of NPCs can show up. If the party does very well, the player will be visited by real-life actor and comedian Drew Carey.

However, due to his status as an American celebrity who is not recognizable outside of the United States, his name was changed in non-English languages to just "Celebrity".

Interestingly, this change only applies to the dialog box that appears when Drew Carey speaks. The name that appears when hovering over his sim in Live Mode, was instead translated from Drew Carey in most languages. Some languages, like Dutch, opted to keep the celebrity moniker.

Bild Interactive Bild#

xxx

Graphics Differences#

Sprites#

Original	Bild Interactive

Original	Bild Interactive

SimCity Times turned into a genuine Bild issue, right at your door! Though it couldn't be forethought back then, it would bear a curious resemblance to the tabloids that Sims receive everyday in addition to the normal newspaper, in the Superstar expansion pack. Despite the modified graphics, the object functions exactly as the original newspaper.

Textures#

Original	Bild Interactive

Original	Bild Interactive

The original texture for "today's" SimCity Times issues contains severe dead pixel artifacts, though players will hardly tell it through the game's zoomed-out isometric perspective. The German locale textures not only are 2x upscaled, but depict a real-world Bild headline.

Oddities#

Mashuga Translation#

While the sims of Neighborhood 1, Old Town, and every other location in the game received translated names in other languages. Frankie and Sylvia Marie Mashuga of Neighborhood 2 did not receive translated names in any language. The reason for why is unknown.

Translated Sim Example	Frankie Mashuga