June 2020
@KatAnubis, I like to try all existing families at least once. Some I go back to but many I don't. And like you, I also like to play with the more expensive furniture since starting from the bottom with the same cheap furniture for almost 6 years is a bit boring! Plus, since I've been playing the Sims since the original came out, I've done the start-broke-and-become-rich so many times over 20 years that I only still play that way occasionally! Mostly I either tell stories, explore new features, or test things for people who need help!
However, with the original Sims it was all new, so I played extensively with all the pre-made Maxis families , and did a lot of Rags-to-Riches gameplay!
Well, I checked and Betty & Bob Newbie were the tutorial house for The Sims! I thought so, but I wasn't 100% sure!
This is why sooooo many people remember them, because even if they never played another Maxis pre-made house, they probably played the Newbies! Which is why their run down furniture was included in this pack!
Here is a sample of the tutorial I found. The gameplay is slow since it shows the tutorial but you will know exactly what everyone is talking about with regards to Bob & Betty Newbie! And you can also see the original chairs, table, and TV that Eco Lifestyle used as models for the dumpster furniture!
https://thesimsdepot.wordpress.com/2017/06/30/the-original-sims-1-tutorial-with-bob-and-betty-newbie...
June 2020
June 2020
@KatAnubis, wow! that is amazing! That is what I've always been saying as well, since TS1! I've know so many people who only build in the Sims and others who only push boundaries (like finding all the ways a Sim can die), and other who tell stories. Then with TS2 onward you have people who only make Sims in CAS and rarely if ever test them or play with them. I think that is why the Sims is a game for almost everyone!
I probably encountered you on the Forums for TS2 and TS3. And Maxis Hydra sounds familiar as well! I was PugLove888 ever since TS2, but I was DogDog888 on the TS1 Forums!
I couldn't play TS2 when it first came out since my computer couldn't run it. I remember when it was released and when the first expansion pack (University) came out and longing for it! Then our computer died, and while that was traumatic, it did allow us to get a new one that would play TS2! TS2 is my favorite version of the Sims! I was so addicted to it that even I started to worry! I had made some stories for TS1, but since that game is static with no ageing (save from baby to child, unless you had Makin' Magic which you could go from child to adult), my stories were pretty limited. Then TS2 came and my toddler grew into a child and I got a bit sad and had to start taking pictures right before she blew out the candles to preserve those memories! (She was the baby that Pascal Curious was Alien pregnant with when you start their household in Strangetown). After that I made so many family stories and arranged them in that album with text.
Well, the tag line idea you came up with is a fantastic one because it is so true to the spirit of the Sims franchise! That is why all types of people love the Sims from the young to the elderly!
June 2020
June 2020
@KatAnubis, sadly I did not care for the TS3 open world. Most of this is because the game was so incredibly slow, and later it would stop for anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes before starting again... if it didn't crash altogether! However, even had the game run well on my computer I still didn't care for the open world in that they were always empty! I would spend most of my time in Map view looking for a Sim outside of the household to interact with and by the time my Sim got there they were gone. And often I couldn't find anyone at all, if my Sim worked days and only had time to socialize at night. It was really awful. In theory I love the concept of an open world, so if EA/Maxis ever plans on doing it again, I would like it as long as the game is playable and the world isn't devoid of Sims who are all stuck in their houses. If my Sim goes to a nightclub, I expect other Sims to be there!
So, I guess I feel the same as your TS2 friends! My favorite is TS2, followed by TS4, then TS1, and last is TS3. TS1 would be equal to TS4 or even higher, but it was a static game compared to the other 3, even though it had great gameplay and tons of charm!
My favorite thing about TS3 was the CASt color/pattern wheel! I was addicted to that almost as much as I was addicted to TS2! However, my zeal for making and saving patterns and color combos was partially my undoing, as it didn't take long for the massive amounts of color swatches I had accumulated to freeze up my computer anytime I had to go into CAS or even Build/Buy Mode! So it was a double edged sword! While I dearly miss it in TS4, I'm also relieved it wasn't included. But again, if they can make it to where it would work with a ton of swatches, I would certainly want the CASt wheel back for the next version of the Sims!
No, I don't think a Freegan would like to live in a mansion! Mine got upset because I had just started the game and couldn't find anything in the trash and she had to eat something so I had her make a dinner of salad for the family and she got a negative moodlet for having spent money on food! Well, it is a sight better than starving, I think!
June 2020
July 2020
@KatAnubis, it doesn't surprise me that you didn't have problems with the CASt wheel, if you didn't have that many swatches. I know a lot of people like you who had no problems with CASt … and everyone of those who I've talked to who did have problems with it were players like me who went hog wild with the CASt wheel !
I am surprised that you didn't have a problem with empty worlds. I'm not the only one whose complained about this.
I also understand that my computer was just an average computer... not the best but not the worst either. But even those with excellent computers still had laggy gameplay. They say today's computers can better handle the game.
I did some recolors in TS2 but I didn't use Photoshop (too expensive for me). But I don't remember what I used.
I don't use any CC or Mods for TS4, as it got too troublesome to keep up with in TS3.
I know that Freegans have no problem eating quick meals from the fridge... but the family needed to eat and the dad was busy gaining points so he could vote enough times to get a good NAP in the neighborhood, so the only other Sim old enough to cook in the family was the mom. I wanted to give them a better meal that a quick one... and the garden , while planted, hadn't grown yet as it was just the first day of gameplay for this family! No time enough for honey production at that point either! I have used honey a lot in my other saves!
July 2020
July 2020
@KatAnubis, well, as long as you maintain your Mods, (and I know a long-time player like yourself does), then that is wonderful!
My family was only a mom, dad, and child. Whenever a new pack is released, I always love to make a new family with all the new clothing and hair. So I made this family and another one that is bigger with more children and a toddler.
But I often have many of my Sims create their families in-game... I have one that I started with a single Sim when Get to work came out. He is a scientist I named Ned Maxis, who married Eva Capricosa (or however you spell her name) from Get Together. But before he married her he was abducted by Aliens and had a little Alien daughter, Maxine, (who is now a adult). Then Eva and Ned had a daughter of their own, and then Ned got abducted again and gave birth to another daughter! Meanwhile, Ned had a task at work to clone himself (I think, but I just might have been curious and tried it on my own ). That clone was an Evil Clone (with red eyes!) Then I had him clone again and he got a regular clone who is good with normal eyes . Finally, Ned and Eva had a little boy! So, Ned and Eva have 4 kids (two who are Alien) and live with 2 clones of Ned , one of which is Evil! It was a small house designed just for Ned originally, but I expanded it by building a massive basement!
I have another large family that started with a female Vampire and a male Alien, and now they have many children. But I do also like to make large families in CAS. I guess I just alternate how I l play based on my mood for that day!
I also have some single Sims that I often use to test new features of a pack. I find it easier to concentrate for such exploration if I don't have too many Sims in one house. Often for these types of households I usually don't have them work a regular job (I usually have them paint and garden or things like that), or else I use money cheats (and pretend it is an inheritance!). This frees me up to explore more new aspects or to test things for people who have problems in the game.
I don't have any Legacy Families right now, but I did in TS2 and TS3. I don't blame you for not wanting to take a chance on your Legacy families!!! That is another reason why I play either Maxis-Made families or new ones I create when a new pack is first used! It is too risky to use either a well established family or lot (especially with a large developed garden) with a new pack or patch!
I'm glad you retraited your Freegan since I think they would be miserable in a mansion! Sulani is so beautiful, so I'm sure they will be happy there!
July 2020