Yeah, a 36-year-old would kill you if you told them they were middle-aged. I view middle age as 40-59. I don't really see a need for an "older adult" stage. What would be the difference, other than a few more gray hairs?

Older adult is middle-aged, so it is unnecessary.

Hey! Middle Aged at 36?! geeze! I'm closing on that mark, bumping it up to 40 or 45 sounds a bit better.

I actually like the way age is defiened in TS2 - no need for more ages.
Specially
Young Child (5-8)
Child(9-11)
Preteen(12-14)
Teen(15-17)
is too much, child, teen, that's it.
Young adult is not needed if there's no uni - and I hope to god they don't waiste another ep for that.
If anohter life stage would be created, I hope it's middle aged which would extend from 45-60. You couldn't have kids then, but you wouldn't be all saggy and grumpy either.

I agree middle aged is more 40-50. I would never consider a 30 year old to be middle aged.

But im really getting excited about this. Im mostly excited for the pre-toddler and pre-teen type things. I really hope maxis takes all this into consideration. I think it would just be awhole lot better.

Personally, I don't think we need pre-toddler. The infants we have now have 0-1 covered, and the toddlers look about 2-3. Those stages are in small enough chunks already, why break them up even smaller? The interactions wouldn't be all that different, anyway.

Gradual aging would rock. I don't think it's impossible at all. Actually, it'd probably be a relatively simple matter. Although, it might mess up CC creators. Like with the proposed weight/fitness slider, it might make it so we can't have any CC clothes at all. Unless it morphs the mesh in game.

It's hard to tell what is going to be because notice in the photos the two elders that have kind of a smooth face? They look older because of the body and white hair but their faces still look smooth.

we NEED a preteen. it's ridiculous that a 7 yr old turn into a 17 yr old

I noticed that too. The "old man" in the gardening photo looks so young! I completely thought he was simply a "hip" adult with hair dyed white. I hope they'll work on that.

The age ranges should be:

Baby (0-1)
Infant/Toddler (1-4)
Young Child (5-10)
Preteen (11-13)
Teen (13-16)
Young Adult (17-21)
Adult (22-32)
Mature Adult (33-44)
Middle Aged (45-55)
Elder (56+)

That is about the natural/real order of things, teens are 13+, Preteens are normally childrens starting secondary school. Your a young adult when you enter college which is 16/17 depending on when your born of course and that stage normally ends when your 21 (which is the age that your allowed to everything that you couldn't before, no more restrictions on stuffl like sex and driving etc...)
I'd consider middle aged to between 45 and 60 so I put 45 to 55 to kind of make it even. But you could wittle that down too (for the game that is):

Baby (0-1)
Toddler (1-5)
Child (6-11)
Teen (12-16)
Young Adult (16-21)
Adult (22-33)
Mature Adults (34-50)
Elder (50)

So your just adding Mature Adult, I think having Preteen and Middle Aged is too much. They are working alot on aging for Sims 3, so I think the older they get the older they'll look. Example even if the six year old is with the eleven years old (in the child stage) the 11 year old will look older, perhaps taller could be one feature.

Funny how many people have different ideas on what the actual ages should be.

It's true Frankie! If they introduce gradual aging, that would solve it. I just hope they let us in on what's going on soon. As far as know, we haven't seen anything but adults and couple elders.

I think in the front cover I saw a teen girl but I could be wrong... she looked short, it's the one with dark hair over the shoulders and I think she has yellow on. She is a bit far away but walking towards the main group who are looking at the new plumbbob.

I don't think we need a stage between baby and toddler... but definitely one between toddler and child. A kid that didn't go to school, still needed their mommy, but played around and helped out the parents all day. That would be adorable. Maybe they would actually -interact- with their nannies. I'm thinking like, a 4-5-6 year old. Or they could go to school for a couple hours in the afternoon, like kindergarten.

Also an age between child and teen is totally necessary. One day they're playing tag and can't even sit in a hottub.. and the next they've got a job, boyfriend, and are about to go to college. it's like.. what?!

I don't feel like it's -as- necessary to have more than one adult stage, but it definitely makes sense to have something in between oh-my-god-i'm-legal and -im-about-to-be-so-old-i-pee-my-pants. Maybe like a young adult [but a new version of that... 20-35] and a middle age, which would be 35-50...

so that would take -teen- as a more literal interpretation, up to 19 would be teens.
but honestly.. up to 14, you're a pre-teen.

I also think there should be a short stage after elder and before death where the sims are obviously getting very old, stay inside, and dont feel well.

edit:
So I guess my list would go like this-
1-2 baby
2-4 toddler
4-6 young child
6-10 child
10-14 preteen
14-19 teen
19-35 young adult
35-50 adult
50-68 elder
68-70[varying] old age

I think it's more important to have many lifestages in the beginning of a sims life, than many at the end. Changes are more obviously physical from baby-young adult than from young adult-elder. I think those changes would be more in style, and interests.

If they hire the same voice actors for the sims 2 this is how I see it.


Looking at this from the sims 2 standpoint using the same voice actors for the sequel:
Babies and Todders I believe have the same voice - That's one
Children have the same voices - That's two

There could be room for a "kindergarten" stage... but -this- could be the 11th voice

Pre-Teens, I don't know about this one. Unless the voice actor for the teen male/female can pull it off. Otherwise they'd sound weeeird.

Teen and YA Males have the same voices- That's three
Teen and YA Females have the same voices- That's four

Adult Females have two different voice actors- That's Six
Adult Males have two different voice actors- That's eight

Middle aged and Adult can have the same voices, maybe older, too.

Elder Females have one voice actor? - That's nine, or ten. . .
Elder Males have one voice actor? - That's ten, or eleven. . .

But here is room for more age groups, they don't need different voices for each age. I say scrap the body meshes and make gradual aging instead. I think it'd be possible to make body morphs of growing up, instead of body meshes. And NO SPINNING. I don't do that on my birthday!

I know that you are not stating it as a fact but would you be able to post a link? I am curious to see if there is a translation of the French magazine by now. I want to know if there is new info that we may not know. After all, they did get to have a few new photos.

EDIT: Nevermind, I found it! I hope this is correct because if so, that means it is pretty much a given that gradual aging will exist! Wow, Sims' hair wil turn grey little by little over time? Yay!

http://bbs.thesims2.ea.com/communit...tem.127,item.23

I reeeally hope that gradual aging report is correct. That's all I've wanted since they first announced they were making TS3.

I wonder how the voices will work... Do you think they'll gradually change, too, or they'll magically switch voices on their birthday?

I think it has 10 voice actors because I guess some people will be voicing for all ages in different voices...does that make sense?

Yes, but that doesn't mean that EAxis used the same voice actors to do the NPCs, 9 would barely make up the age's, let alone the NPCs.

That would be cool, but I doubt it. For one thing, that would be ten times more work and ten time the file size, and for another, the PC Gamer magazine already confirmed that the same person who did the child voice for TS2 will be doing it for TS3. ...So it seems like they're continuing in the same style of one person per age.

You guys notice that The Sims voices were all different then in The Sims 2? I like TS2 voices better and am glad that they will be returning to TS3 because I have grown so attached to the voices that it will just be another getting used to new voices. I just love the teen voices and the children... too cute! Besides, I'm sure the teen voices can be of a higher pitch for pre-teens instead of new people doing it.

I like the speech thing in MySims, I think that would be really cool to have in TS3.

Imagine a little boy with a deeper than average voice. Can you say creeeepy?

Yes, I would love to have a slider for voices so that we would have a variety of choices.

I'm still holding out hope for gradual aging as I don't like the age groups we have in TS2.