Holy Heart Attack

So, as most of you (if not all), know, I am a big MTS person. I spend a lot of time in there. Occasionally, I pop into the Sims 3 Discussion forums just to see what's new. I'll hand it to those guys over there; they usually know what they're talking about. The leaks about Supernatural turned out to be true, even if EA waited months before "officially" announcing it.

So, when the Seasons leaks started happening from members who have been pretty right about these types of things, I started to get excited. Of course, we don't know all the details: when, exactly how good, etc, etc. Then, on August 2nd, EA officially announced the Sims 3 Seasons with a release date of November 13, 2012, just two months after the release of Supernatural. Even better, they released it with a trailer. If you haven't seen it, check it out! It is amazing and almost makes me want to cry tears of joy.

It seems to be everything I could have hoped for in an expansion pack regarding weather: gradual seasonal change, ability to work with all released worlds, including custom ones, options to control and set the length of order of the seasons, and OMFG umbrellas and the return of slow dancing. Speaking of, slow dancing was showcased in the first producer chat and there were dips and spins involved; yay! The festivals look super cute, the seasonal lot marker that allows for lots to change with the seasons (which will help immensely with storytelling), the holidays, new party types, and even aliens. Heaven is in heaven.

Is it November yet?

Daybreak Cottage

Welcome to Daybreak Cottage

This quaint, beach cottage is decorated in cool, soothing colors and is perfect for newlyweds, empty nesters, or even young roommates. Situated right on the beach in Starlight Shores, the calming sound of the ocean and the smell of the salt breeze is sure to relax you as soon as you walk in the door.

The home features an open plan living area with living, dining, and kitchen moving seamlessly from one to the other. It has 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths, though one bedroom is currently in use as a studio for a writer and artist. The master suite opens onto a small, private deck overlooking the ocean and is perfect for sipping tea and reading a book as you watch the sun set.

 Lot Details:

• Lot Size - 20x30
• Furnished - §67,238
• Unfurnished - §29,114

 Daybreak Cottage Download

Mediafire

Custom Content Included:

 Tammy_Trauma's Lattice Pattern

Tammy_Trauma's Dark Blue Roof with White Trim

Custom Content Required, Not Included:

Granthes' OMSP
Davey DaVinci's Mini TVs
Cmomoney's Shelf Clutter Pack
QBuilderz's Match Things! Painting Set
Huge Lunatic's Bamboo Garden Edger
Ewelina20's Abstract Paintings
Menaceman44's Larger Recolorable Tissue Box
Around the Sims 3 Artist's Workshop
Around the Sims 3 Decor for Kitchen and Bathroom
Around the Sims 3 Box of Artwork
Around the Sims 3 Office Chair 
Shakeshaft's Richmond Cozy Corner
My Sim-Style's Vintage Paintings
Aikea Guinea's Indoor Plants

Astra Sims' Large Palm
Djehmli's Scattered Shells Pattern

Store Contemporary Comfort Bedroom (480 points)
-ONLY bed, end table, dresser, reed basket 

Store Buccaneer's Bounty (850 points) 
-ONLY anchor, clamtastic, and captain's wheel 
Store Warbling Wind Chimes (250 points)
Store Grandmother's Cooktop (100 points)
Store Comfy Couch with Slipcover (100 points)
Store Woodland Counter and Island (75 points each)
Store Woven Wicker Trunk (25 points)
Store Murano Retro and Ripe Fruit Bowl (25 points)

Store Kitchen Cage Hutch (25 points)

Store Big Cheese Coat Rack (25 points)
Store Exotic Pineapple Lamp (25 points)
Store Banquett Fan (free) 
- get from in-game store 


Sit back, relax, and let the stress melt away!

Piece of Heaven

Good news is, the job is going well. Granted, it is certainly not something I want to do with the rest of my life. Probably not even something I want to continue when James and I move to wherever we will be going next. However, it works to keep me busy and enables me to save money for many things: a new computer (yay for shiny new stuffz), my husband's arsenal, a babymoon, and, maybe even an actual baby.

Bad news is, the job keeps me from simming as much as I used to. I am more motivated to work on it when I have time but I have less time so I don't get as much done as I have in my head. The Kidds have pretty much all but been abandoned and I am not really interested in continuing them. Not that I was that far along anyway. I am only in Generation 4 of the Avendales. I would love to attempt a random legacy AND I had an idea for a non-legacy more soap-opera-y type of story. More on that later, maybe. Plus, I haven't uploaded anything in forever! I have some override mods that I feel are useful, but small, sitting in my mods folder that I use, that I just haven't cared enough to prepare an upload post. Should probably do that at some point.

I'd love to work on a lot or 3. Or upload my split level from Aberstrathe. That house may just be my pride and joy because of the detail in it. I had been saving it for the world download but that's never gonna happen. I'm not even being optimistic about it anymore.

It also appears that a lot of people would like me to host another story contest. I'm interested. Just need to find the time and come up with a template that is different than last time. And find judges, of course. That might be the hard part!

Maybe I will start working on the lot and the overrides soon. Then see where I am in the Avendales and contemplate if I can handle 2 stories at the same time.

Lazily Passing the Days

Okay, well not really. I just started a new job on Friday so, hopefully, it will keep me busy. But lately sims just seem to bore me. I am completely out of inspiration for everything. I sit in front of my computer and stare and stare wondering if I should build or play. So I open up my legacy and play and then got annoyed with the toddlers and quit. So I open up my saved CAW world and stare at it, trying to figure out what lot to work on, and close it without making any changes. I then think of either starting a brand new CAW world or attempting a Random Legacy. So I open a new CAW world and stare at the vast expanse of green and close without any changes. Having nowhere to start is rather daunting. Then, I think I realize that I don't want to start a new legacy, random or not, in a crappy town. So I A) need to finish Aberstrathe, B) need to make a new one, or C) find one that I can be happy with. A and C are the more likely choices but, to be completely honest, I am a picky bitch. So, for now, I shall sit and wait for some of you in #create and just chat about randoms and hope something will inspire me.

Mindless staring commenced.

Riverview Butt Kicking!

Okay, honestly, it's more like heaven butt kicking. The score is heaven - 0, Riverview - 1. Or 10. Well, lots. Honestly, it seems every time I open CAW there is something else to discourage me from continuing. First it was lagging, then it was me having lots of interiors to do, then it was realizing that I had made some lots too small and needing to redesign entire acres of land. Finally, after numerous crashes, borked saves, and redoing the same "gently smooth" action at least 20 times, I finally got things going again.
Or so I thought. Ugh...it's so frustrating. I look at it and think "Oh, I don't have that much to go" and then I start making lists in my head.

• Spawners
• Terrain
• Bushes/plants
• Interiors on at least half of the built buildings
• At least 14 complete builds to go
• 3-4 tombs to plan out, build/decorate, then booby trap

And the list just keeps going on. I've had really no testers so I have no idea what I might even be missing or have screwed up somewhere and need to fix later. And this is all BEFORE I start worrying about a population to go with it. And creating custom rabbit holes to release separately for those who like to use the insides for stories.

Will I ever get it finished?

I did finish some adorable houses that I really love a lot, rearranged some of the suburb 'historic' downtown area, and added a butterfly pavilion. I had planned on going with a similar landscape of outside of the pavilion but Kayla showed me some lovely pictures of New Zealand so now the pavilion is more tropical. 

That last is the butterfly pavilion. Am trying to think about to add a small, man made waterfall inside and, until I can figure it out, I've taken a break from it. But I think I have a pretty start. They are kinda crappy pictures but taking pictures in edit mode is harder than live mode and, I'm building so no sims at the moment.

Mummy, I No See You

So, Jessica Ivy and I were exploring tombs today. I am in the process of making my first one and figured I would play some to see how things were set up, traps laid out, etc. I discovered a weird glitch. As a mummy would pop out of its sarcophagus, my sim would get stuck in an ever-lasting loop doing whatever animation she was currently doing. First time, I just reset my sim, teleported her back and went on my merry way. Second time, I was rather amused and let it play through a bit to see what would happen. Below is the product of that experience:

Mr. Calvinotep Larimoropolese (yes, that's his name) wanders out his tomb, ready to attack Jessica Ivy. 

 "What, no reaction? Okay, what about when I do....this!!!"

 "Hrrm, nothing."
"Maybe if I ignore it, it'll go away," she's thinking.

 "What about....now!"

"Eureka, I've got it."

"Some mild groping appears to be in order. And...nothing, what are you, an abomination of nature? This ALWAYS works."

"Ah, well, one more time for good measure."

"Whenever you're ready princess. Just you wait."

Pets Patch = Epic Fail

Okay, okay. So I didn't actually download the patch myself. Some well respected modders in the community have been downloaded it and have noticed some extreme bad stuff. Slots no longer work on CC. According to the modders who are in the process of testing this right now: "it actually affects everything that contains slot resources in the package - which will be almost every object ever but only noticeable on ones where the slots are used for interactions".

From what they are seeing, EA changed how slots work so their content will be seamlessly updated. But any custom content that (as mentioned above) contains the slot resources in the package, the slots will not update to this new version. It will have to be hand fixed by each creator. It doesn't seem like there should be a problem for anyone that does not use third party content. 

I AM one of those people who uses third party content, and love it, and am extremely disappointed that such a thing has occurred. I have a good number of CC cribs, tables, beds, etc and am not interested in losing them, just so I can play the game. Therefore, even though my Pets was preordered and is available for pickup tomorrow morning, I doubt it will be installed and patched until there is either a fix or my favorite creators get a chance to update their items. 

Creators out there, I feel for you! I hope that you don't get too discouraged and will fix your lovely items for us. Not that I blame you if you choose to do otherwise. This is a sad, sad day for the modding community, especially given that there was no warning, notice, anything from EA to even hint that this could be a problem. Epic fail EA, epic fail. 


So, the Avendales may have to wait even longer for me to get back to them.

Story Time Contest

I am currently hosting a contest over on MTS that is a little bit different than most. Instead of building or creating a sim, this one involves writing a short story that will be developed through 5 chapters. If you are interested in participating, please check out the thread over there. The application round is now open until October 15, 7:00am PST. Hopefully I will see some of you around!

Story Time Contest Link

St. Simmin's Chapel

At the request of my dear friend Kayla, I am posting my St. Simmin's Chapel for your downloading pleasure. It was created to be one of a few wedding locations that I added in Twinbrook for my legacy. I do warn you that it was a fair amount of CC and store content as it was not originally intended for release. Of course, you always have the option of not downloading the required content and just making it your own. It is zoned as a small park and sits on a 30x30 lot. To see pictures of this lot in an actual wedding, please see my blog: Chapter 2-4: Going to the Chapel.

 

 

 

 

 

 St. Simmins Chapel Download

Mediafire

Custom Content Required, Not Included:

Around the Sims 3 Church Set and Flowers Market

Joninmobile's Recolorable Calla Lilies

Hekate999's Build Your Own Cathedral and Rose Window II Add-On

Awesims Nook Seating Set

Purplepaws Romantic Conversions from TS2

SR's Chandeliers (Tonnes only)

Whitewaterwood's Two Tile Wishing Window

Lemoncandy's Syngonium

Menaceman44's Larger Recolorable Tissue Box

Store All of Me Mirror (75 points)

Store Divided Partition (25 points)

Store Victorious Coffee Table (50 points)

Store Monarch Dresser (75 points)

Store Vaindenburger Chair (100 points)

Store Masked Chair (75 points)

Store Bon Vivant Buffet (75 points)

Store Porterman Glass Door (100 points)

Store Flambeaux Wall Lamp (25 points)

Store Cellar Arch (free)

Store New Years Nectar (free)

Store Statue of an Unknown Seamstress *

Store Divine Divan *

Store Romantique Dresser *

Store Romantique Chaise *

Store The Roundabout *

* All items marked with * were part of the Storybook set which is no longer available.

Contest Closing

The contest is now coming to a close. There have been 4 entries, though there is still time for a few more. The entries can be viewed on the EA forum. Also, sim points have been added to the prize so if there is anyone who is interested, get cracking!

The timer has now been changed and can be found here.

Winner will be announced tomorrow unless I get a bazillion entries between now and closing time.

3 Years Ago Today...

I married my best friend and the person I could always count on. Leading a life in the military, either as the Marine or the wife, is not an easy life to live. The constant moving, deployments, training, politics, and moving again make the days rather trying. However, it's always easier when you have someone there for you. I couldn't ask for a better someone than my husband. Sure, our relationship is not perfect. Sure, there are times when we want to kick each others shins until they're purple, but, as the sun goes down and we crawl into bed together, there is no place else that I would rather be.

 

 

Out with the Old, In with the New

So, this is NOT a sim post, at all. Just a random, excited post from a girl who got her very first, brand new car. After 7 hours at a dealership, wheeling and dealing, bargaining and saying no, we finally worked out a deal that we were happy with and I am the VERY proud new owner of a 2011 Inferno Orange, 6.2 L V8,  6 speed manual transmission, RS detailing package, Camaro SS. I am a lucky woman!

 

Butterfly Lagoon

Out of sheer boredom the last couple of days, I have been browsing contest forums. They always seem like a good way to rouse my creativity and get my working on something. Sometimes you just need a little inspiration, you know?

Anyway, this contest was for a remodel of a home in Sunset Valley. I chose Mosquito Cove for a multitude of reasons. 1) When I first bought the Sims 3, it was the first house I ever moved someone into and 2) it has SO much potential. I love the pretty, scenic lots and that pond is just asking for help.

So, after much work and head scratching (no exterior walls were allowed to be demolished), I can up with a rebuild that fit the criteria but just looked much more inviting. It now has 2 bedrooms, full bath upstairs and a toilet and washer downstairs. The pond has been upgraded, beautiful flowers and garden added, butterflies and pond spawners have moved in, and, of course my favorite, a covered, arched footbridge leading to the house. No more ugly, divided pond with terrain look.

I am rather strange so I came up with a story for how the house turned from that hideous shack that would look rather well situated in the swamps of Twinbrook to this lovely home you see before you: When Emmanuelle Bellamont had to leave her beloved french country side, she was devastated. She had been offered a fantastic, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in Sunset Valley, and she knew she had to take it but wished she could bring her lovely estate with her. When she came across Mosquito Cove, she knew she had to have it. Though it would require much money and work, the location alone was worth it. When she finished, she had a garden for her growing her own ingredients, furnishings in warm colors, and a homey feel that almost competed with her native town. Unfortunately, shortly after finishing the renovations, Emmanuelle gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and decided to leave Sunset Valley and take her little Claire back to France to meet her father. This home can now be yours! 

Now for the pretty pictures!

Before:

 After:

It does require some store content and 2 pieces of custom content.

• Provence Set from the Store (I used almost everything from this set)
• The chair and sofa from Club Vaindenburger set from the Store
• Faire End Table and Faire Wheel Barrow from Faire Folk Life from the Store
• Bumper Crop Expansion Set by QBuilderz
• Dicke Berta Stove by Plasticbox

If you do not have these items and do not wish to buy/download them, please be aware that your lot will not look exactly like the pictures. Without these items, the game will replace them with something you already have though the colors may be quite...off. Enjoy!

Download Butterfly Lagoon

Mediafire

Sim Contest - Win a Role in the Avendale Legacy!

Alright everyone! I have decided to have a contest here for a sim. The winning sim will receive a character role in my legacy story, found here. Since Generation 2 just started, chances are your sim will be interacting with Shane and Tanner. What is in store for those two as the years go by? Is there a sworn enemy, yet undiscovered, to stand in the way of their dreams? A seductive temptress to lead them down the path of immorality? Or perhaps an older mentor, to give them the advice they're lacking from the loss of their mother? Your sim may prove to be the answer.

Now for the RULES:

• Must be a single sim, of any age. (Keep in mind that, according to legacy rules, any sims placed using Edit Town, may not be added to the legacy family. In-game born sims can join the family).
• Sim MUST be unique: no binned sims, no sim from previous contests or uploads, and absolutely, NO sim stealing.
• 3 photos need to be included: 1 headshot (shoulders up, white background, good lighting), 1 full body shot (white background, good lighting), and 1 scene shot that gives an idea of who they are.
• You MAY include one extra photo (for a maximum of 4, as long as you have the required three) of whatever you want, regarding your sim: hobby, a shot from their past to go with the backstory, anything goes as long as it follows any other rules posted.
• Included character bio: aspiration, likes, traits.
• Sim must also have a backstory that gives me and any judges an idea who of they are. This sim will be a new resident to Twinbrook so their backstory should include where they are moving from and why. 500 words maximum.
• NO CC allowed shown or packaged with the sim (see below for exception).
• NO photo-shopping images.

Now for the Contest Details:

• Contest will start immediately. As in, now. Like right now....get to it!
• Contest will end on Sunday, September 18th, at 11:59pm PST. Click here for a countdown.
• Entries should be submitted via comments.
• Any comments received/edited AFTER the close of the contest will not be valid.
• Entries from anonymous posters will NOT be accepted; please have either your own blog or a homepage on a large site like thesims3 or MTS. Anon comments/entries will be deleted.

This contest is NOT a pretty contest. The winning sim will be chosen on uniqueness and ability to add something to the story. Looks will play a part but is not the entire point of the contest.

Now, as a side note, I use LadyFrontBum Nice default skins with her Silk face. I also use Escand's default Oh My! eyes. This is just a note to let you know that your sim may look different in my game than your screenshots. If you have LFB Nice skin/Silk face and/or Escand's eyes, that may be used in your screenshots because it will be how it shows up in my game, but is not required. This is the ONLY exception to CC rule.

Story and Riverview Update

I am pleased to say that I have finally caught everyone up with my legacy. For quite awhile, I had been posting once a week and working ahead. That turned into being almost a generation ahead of what was posted so I switched tactics. I am now updating as I finish a chapter which will make things more interesting and will give my readers a chance to participate when it comes time for new heirs and such. I have many ideas and plots that I'd love to use but we'll see if they make it in. You can find the updated story here, along with other information regarding my stories. Stay tuned for more juicy details and chances to participate and become part of the legacy.

In other news, I have, once again, started working on Riverview. It has been so long since I have worked on it that I almost forgot everything that still needs to be done. And, geez, it's a lot. At least routing is pretty much done. Just lots and lots of lots to finish. And spawners. Can't forget those pesky things. Oh, and bushes for armiel. She'd never forgive me if Riverview was barren of bush. And...well, you get the picture. The list goes on and on. Hopefully I will have some update pictures in the near future and, maybe if you're good, a beta version for people to test.

So, back to the grind of CAW for now and, soon, to the Avendales!

As a side note, I just want to really, really, thank my lovely friend Wally for being so supportive and listening to me whine and complain. Definitely deserves a great big thank you and hug!

War. War never changes.

After changes required a couple of times (lemme just tell you, taking pictures for 6 lots is time consuming and so easy to botch), my lots were finally approved! This was my first multi-part upload, my first trashy, extreme CFE lots, and my first time doing an animation for a thumbnail. All in all, a lot of firsts and I am proud that it is up. Though, needless to say, rather relieved it's done as well. Now I can continue my work on Riverview and work on my stories as well.

If you want to download any of these lots please visit my thread, A Series of 6 Fallout Homes on MTS.

Fallout Lots and Legacy Stories

So I finally finished the Fallout lots. They are ready for moderation in the MTS queue. I will link them as soon as they are ready.

I also have taken to posting my legacy story on my other blog, located here. I shall be updating the story as I finish a chapter, rather than the once a week that I started at. Also, due to asking around and inspiration from Benno's blog, I will likely be doing an heir poll as the time gets close each generation. So stayed tuned if you want a chance to affect the outcome of the story.


Lastly, I will also be working on the story of the Kidd's, as you saw in a previous post (the family at Melon Avenue). Hopefully, I can start working on that one soon and be ready to have it up in the next couple of days. I haven't decided if it will be a legacy or just a story of the already made generations. Needless to say, IF it does go legacy, it won't follow the traditional rules of the legacy challenge. Anyway, stay tuned for all kinds of updates soon!

Two Fallout Structures Done!

I love it when inspiration hits me! I was able to push myself to get two of the houses done today. Hopefully, I can get another 2 done tomorrow. I may end up adding some clutter to Minefield but we'll see. Anyway, here are the shots!