Players have much more finely graduated control over many physical aspects of the characters they create. The Create-A-Sim system in the Sims 3 refines the powerful tools featured in the Sims 2. Sims are now quick to pull out their mobile phones and keep one another informed, even if only about the latest gossip. Events that take place on the other side of town can have an effect on situations all across the neighborhood, just as the player's characters may influence the rest of the community with their actions (or inaction).
No matter which Sim the player is currently following, however, all the characters in the neighborhood are active whenever the game is being played. Instead of playing each family discretely on its individual lot, players can now take their characters anywhere in town - to a friend's house, out to a restaurant, to a favorite park, or even to work. In The Sims 3, players interact with an entire neighborhood. In earlier Sims games, players interact with a household of virtual computer people.
