Face Factory for the Sims

Are you one of those players so involved with the world of The Sims that you would like to be a part of it? Do you think that cyber-world is more exciting than the one you live in and long for those far-off vacations, mumbling incoherently and gesturing in abject despair when you get too tired or need food?

Well, no need to bend over, grab your head and whimper, there is help for that kind of addiction.

Abacus Software and XMedia have released Face Factory, a program that will let those with marginal photo-editing skills cut out and put the face of themselves or their friends on the body of a Sim for inserting into the game.

First of all, this program is very easy to use ­ though to get it absolutely right, it will take some trial and error. Leave too much neck, and don’t position it right and the neck will look like there is a huge tumor growing out the side when in reality it is the joining of neck to shoulder than hasn’t settled into the right spot. Leave too little and you will have a gap between the Sim body and the head.

Also, when you put a real face into the game, it is not translated to a Sim representation. It remains a photo representation, and does look slightly out of kilter with the rest of the world.

To get started, you will need two photos (head shots) of the person who will undergo the transformation from human to Sim. The program installs easily and has an extremely easy player interface, which will guide you through all phases of this work.

Once you have your images in the computer, you will be prompted to pull up the face forward shot. It is advisable to take the picture on a solid background, because you have to cut out the face from the background. A series of tools are included to help with the project. After the face is cut out, and the background is erased, you will be asked to position the eyes, mouth, nose and chin with little cursor tags.

After this is accomplished, you pull up a side shot (the program wants an image of your model facing to their right, but you can flop a photo if it is on the wrong side) and cut it out, then position markers for eyes, nose, mouth, chin and ears.

Then you select a body and allow the program to render it. Voila, you now have a Sim with a human face that you can export to the game.

The game also includes other tools for modifying the face ­ performing a little cyber plastic surgery.

It should be noted that this product is neither endorsed by, nor affiliated with Maxis or Electronic Arts ­ makers of The Sims line of games.

This is a program that will take time to get down. And using a mouse to manipulate is ­ to use a photo-editing adage ­ like using a brick to paint a finely detailed picture. The faces do seem a little out of place in The Sim world, and do not seem proportionate to the body. The are a little small.

Otherwise this is a simple product to use that may enhance the game for some.

This program is rated for Everyone.

Gameplay: 7
This is a step-by-step process that can be time consuming, depending on the photo you are trying to use.

Graphics: 7
The design of the program is quite nice, but the quality of the art used depends on how the photos were taken, and how they are pulled up for the program to use. If you use black-and-white images, they will remain that way.

Sound: N/A
There is some sound, but nothing worth mentioning.

Difficulty: Easy
Just about anyone should be able to use this program. The interface is very user-friendly.

Concept: 7
This is a nice program, if putting your face into a game is something you really want to do. It is well designed and kept simple, which is a good thing.

Overall: 7.2
The simplicity of the program is wonderful, but this is a trial-and-error process to get it looking just right. If you’ve ever been told to "get a life," with Face Factory you can ­ in the realm of The Sims.