I know it says "Future", and Sims 3 is the first game in the main series...but...

[AdamantEve]

"A Shining Future" is the name/theme of this billboard. It looks like a car ad. Is that the year?

http://i.imgur.com/adllq.jpg

Is the year in The Sims 3 2941? 0_o

I love this kind of stuff. I would love the completely incidental, meaningless-to-absolutely-everything detail that the in-game world is set in the year 2941. :)

[jje1000]

Considering that the Mausoleum in Appaloosa Plains has a similar date, I wouldn't doubt so (but I question why). Maybe the Simworld has a different date system from us?

[AdamantEve]

What does the Mausoleum say? Does it have a date on a plaque or something? :o

That would be very nice. In a fantasy situation the "year" doesn't matter at all or hold any relevance to the real world, but it's still cool to me to think that in The Sims, they're about a thousand years ahead of us on their calendar. :)

[EmotedLlama]

It looks like it could be a serial number or something.

[HystericalParoxysm]

It says 2941 (Something) Avenue so I'm gonna go with address rather than year.

[AdamantEve]

Aw. That's significantly less interesting.

[Miss Puff]

Does that mean the Mausoleum is where the shining future is? :blink:

[Shhh]

It look like it says 2941 Conlrat Avenue.

[treeag]

Since TS3 is set quite a few years before TS1 I guess those cars are considered new in TS3 world.

[simbalena]

2941 Central Avenue?

[Miko09]

Does anyone notice that the address is the only thing on that billboard that is remotely readable? Plus the Mausoleum has a similar date/address? Sounds like a mystery to me

[r_deNoube]

Does anyone notice that the address is the only thing on that billboard that is remotely readable? Plus the Mausoleum has a similar date/address? Sounds like a mystery to meWell, that's great fodder for those of us who love meaningless/meaningful/incidental details. This is the first evidence I've noticed of Simlish uptake of the Hindu-Arabic numerals, but, it would be a natural process for anyone in the human family -- just look at a billboard in Hebrew or Korean and see if the European-style numerals don't jump out at you. Wikipedia says truly:
The "Western Arabic" numerals as they were in common use in Europe since the Baroque period have secondarily found worldwide use together with the Latin alphabet, and even significantly beyond the contemporary spread of the Latin alphabet, intruding into the writing systems in regions where other variants of the Hindu–Arabic numerals had been in use, but also in conjunction with Chinese and Japanese writing (see Chinese numerals, Japanese numerals)."Significantly beyond" is right, if they've penetrated Simlish! Also, the nearly-Westen-looking street name font, compared the the classical Simlish characters in other parts of the billboard, could also be compared to the Japanese use of multiple writing systems -- but again, I hadn't noticed that in (non-CC) Simlish previously.

Or (dropping, for the moment, my eternal struggle to find in-character, story-usable interpretations), somebody could have been in a hurry, or new on the job. Maybe they got the overall look of the billboard right and didn't sweat continuity with base game details. Even the supposedly classical Simlish on that billboard seems, to my eye, a little too much like mirror-writing. (I'm not sure whether they should get or lose points for sneaking the Toyota logo into it.)

[Tempscire]

This is the first evidence I've noticed of Simlish uptake of the Hindu-Arabic numerals, but, it would be a natural process for anyone in the human family -- just look at a billboard in Hebrew or Korean and see if the European-style numerals don't jump out at you.
Regular numbers have been used in The Sims for a while. Off the top of my head, the TS2 Free Time soccer outfits have player numbers on the back using Arabic numerals, and the Apartment Life body paint outfits did as well, I believe. In TS3 there are some business-y chalk drawings that include real-life numbers, too (these (http://zx-ta.livejournal.com/11524.html)).

[r_deNoube]

Regular numbers have been used in The Sims for a while. Off the top of my head...Thank you! I am jotting all this down.

[MannyR_]

I think it reads "2941 Central Avenue, Twinbrook", according to a Sims fansite on their Twitter.

[SimmerDeluxe]

It's from Saturday Night Live http://www.funnyhub.com/videos/pages/mikes-marbleopolis.html (2:26)

http://u.jimdo.com/www29/o/s3be76760a9f0cd63/img/iff4a90cfa36d5917/1332285387/std/image.jpg

[MannyR_]

Darn, I was about to post that, I looked at your Twitter account, SimmerDeluxe and went almost running to post it, and I find this, hahahah.
Now that I look at it again... it's much clear to me that it wasn't Twinbrook but Lynbrook, and the image is the exact same, even the "Mike's Marbleopolis" part, but in the Simlish billboard that part is mirrored.
That's a direct easter egg.

[coltraz]

Bahah, wow. Nice. You've got to get yourself some marble columns!

[ani_]

That's a direct easter egg. about what?

[AdamantEve]

All that and it ends up being a reference to an SNL sketch?

:|

[DaBoogadie]

Now I have to fire up Appaloosa Plains and check out the Mausoleum.

[r_deNoube]

All that and it ends up being a reference to an SNL sketch?

:|Now I want to use the word "Piltdown" in a sentence.

[Miko09]

What?! Holy shitballs I can't believe it. I've seen that exact sketch so many times that I don't know why I didn't pick it up. Kinda...neat? This doesn't make up for the long list of bugs EA. If you spent more time testing the game instead of creating elaborate easter eggs, you wouldn't have so many fiesty fans.

Also with a game rated teen and a mostly teen demographic, who was supposed to get this reference? Is SNL cool and hip now? Do the kids all gather around on saturday night with a liter of soddy-pop and a bag of salt water taffy to get a harty laugh? Heck, half the older crowd here were scratching their heads over the billboard's reference

[simbalena]

They thought Katy Perry would make them profits and now we discover that they think SNL will make them profits. Not sure I like the direction in which they are heading.

... but can't wait for the Lana Del Rey EP :anime:


Hey that actually makes sense... she has a pudding face and likes Video Games!

[crocobaura]

Maybe that's a hint to OFB-like businesses?

[Nicolabean]

You've got to get yourself some marble columns!

Maaaawble Columns.


she has a pudding face

Are you serious? She's gorgeous.