"The more things change, the more they remain the same," so goes the old saying by Alphonse Karr.  That holds true for the next installment in Electronic Arts' life simulation series, The Sims 3,  considering some major changes have reportedly been made to the context within which sims operate.

Players of The Sims 3 will find that they've been given a much bigger sandbox within which to play around. The simulation will reportedly take place in a wide-open, constantly changing neighborhood. Furthermore, what you do outside of your Sims' home is now just as important as what you do inside - everything has been completely integrated.

That's not all, though: the individual bladder and sleep-deprivation meters of previous games have now been replaced by a new system of discrete moods. Apparently, the aim of this new system is have players focus less on more primal activities and more on exploration.

If you'd like additional information on what else has changed in Electronic Arts' The Sims 3, such as the new open hometown and the revamped character creation system, you may want to pick up the April-May issue of Games for Windows Magazine.