Producer Blog: What should I do first?

Another producer blog!

When I first introduce people to SimAnimals Africa for the Nintendo™ DS, their first response is usually, "Wow! There's a lot to see and do!" … but the second thing they say is usually, "What should I do FIRST?" My answer? Check out the goals!

Everything in SimAnimals Africa is connected. Trees attract elephants. Fallen trees attract termites. Termites attract aardvarks. With so many different things going on, sometimes it helps to have a few tips. This is where the goals come in. Every stage in SimAnimals Africa has a series of goals which can help you out in a lot of different ways. Just tap on the little claw icon in the upper left corner of the Touch Screen and the goals will pop right out. One of the first things goals will do is teach you about the connections between plants and animals. Is your savannah feeling a little empty? The goals will tell you to try growing more grass! When you do, you'll probably get a visit from a zebra in no time. Keep attracting zebras and you'll probably find the King of the Jungle himself prowling into the neighborhood looking for dinner! It all starts with completing some goals.

The more advanced goals are also great ways to build up your game. If you keep completing goals, you'll find that you've put together a very healthy and balanced eco-system. True, you'll still have to watch out for animals that over-eat, or plants that aren't getting enough water, but you'll have a great little world full of fun critters to play with.

Finally, the best part about goals is that completing them rapidly fills up the Happy Bar. If you want to quickly unlock new levels (and new animals) then completing goals is the best way to do it.

And what do you get for completing all the goals in the game? Well … let's just say that you'll never need to worry about getting more animals again.

So… you've got your game… you've got your goals… but still there's just SOOOO much to do? Maybe you should invite a friend into your game! If you and a friend both have SimAnimals Africa for the Nintendo DS, you can do some really exciting things.

First of all, you can invite your friend to join into your game. Your friend will be able to play your game with you, at the same time! Think of how much more you can do with another hand in the game, planting trees, petting animals, finding collectables, and completing all those goals! You can really get a lot more done with an extra hand helping you out!

Finally, you can also trade plants, animals, and other collectables with each other to really get an edge. Can't locate that last hard-to-find fish to complete your collection? Maybe your friend can, and will trade you for that rare flower they haven't seen yet.

Of course, you don't have to do any of these things to enjoy SimAnimals Africa, but I hope you'll give some of them a try!