#ea: you wanted a new lifestage

[zosa95]

[alice-in-strangetown]

Sims Tag

tagged by @nervosims

1. What’s your favourite sims death?

Hm... it might be the satellite in TS2. It’s really rare but not rare enough that it doesn’t happen. And it’s so sudden when it does happen!! I’m always a little bit afraid of letting my sims stargaze or cloudgaze because of it, especially if I’m really attached to them.

2. Alpha CC or Maxis Match?

Definitely Maxis Match, but sometimes I like to lean a little bit Maxis Mix. Maxis Mix is kind of what people mean when they say “Maxis Match” for TS2 anyway and you have to call it “True Maxis Match” or something if you’re actually matching TS2′s style. I think the “True Maxis Match” style is really cute too if only because it’s really nostalgic. I kind of hate most of the Maxis hair but I’ve been trying to lean into more of a True Maxis look for clothing in TS2 lately.

3. Do you cheat when your sims gain weight?

No, I wouldn’t even think to do that! I do think the rate at which sims both gain and lose weight in TS4 is a bit ridiculous so I have a mod that slows them both down. In TS2 and TS3 I just let whatever happens with their weight happen but the “fat” body type in TS2 hardly looks different from the thin one anyway, which is a bit of a shame.

4. Do you use move objects?

Does anyone not?

5. Favorite mod?

I want to say Lazy Duchess’s Autonomous Proposal/Break Up mod because I really, really love that mod but it actually might have to be Midge the Tree’s edit of simler’s Romantic Standards because that’s really what makes all of the incredible romantic drama in my neighborhoods possible and I would miss it terribly if I ever had to play without it!

6. First expansion/game/stuff pack you got?

Hm... I guess it must have been Livin’ Large since that was the first one that came out. (Not to brag or anything but I’ve been playing The Sims since the year 2000~ 💅)

7. Do you pronounce “live mode” like aLIVE or LIVing?

It’s pronounced like “living” and I will die on this hill! The three game modes are all verbs!! The one you build in, the one you buy in, and the one you live in!!! Making one of them randomly be an adjective throws the whole thing off grammatically!

8. Who’s your favorite sim that you’ve made?

The sims that I get attached to are usually born, not made. I really rarely actually make sims in CAS. Um... you’re not going to make me choose a favorite child, though, are you?

9. Have you made a simself?

Oh lots of times! I used to make sims of myself and my family all the time when I was younger. I think it would feel a little weird to actually play with my simself now (at least in my usual play style) but sometimes it’s fun to see if you can recreate yourself!

10. What sim traits do you give yourself?

Like Sims 3 traits? Maybe clumsy, friendly, frugal, good, and absent-minded? I would hate to actually play with that sim though because the absent-minded trait is SO annoying in gameplay! In Sims 4... maybe clumsy, gloomy, and outgoing?

11. Which is your favorite EA hair color?

I don’t think I have one. In TS2 they’re all fine and in TS4 a handful of them are really bad but the rest of them are fine. I don’t think there’s any that I particularly like.

12. Favorite EA hair?

I used to really like shortperm when I was younger and I still think it's cute. That’s what my hair looked like when I was in high school.

13. Favorite life stage?

I think teens in TS2 are really fun so it’s a bit of a shame that the lifespan I use cuts it a bit short. I’ve also quickly grown really fond of the new infant lifestage in TS4. They’re just too danged cute I can’t stand it!!!

14. Are you a builder or are you in it for the gameplay?

I mean, I’m absolutely in it for the gameplay but I also have fun building!

15. Are you a CC creator?

Sometimes! Mods more often than cc but I rarely find time and energy to work on them so I haven’t made much.

16. Do you have any simblr friends/a sim squad?

Yeah, I’ve definitely got some friends here 💜

17. What’s your favorite game? (1, 2, 3, or 4)

It’s definitely Sims 2. I think all of the games have their strengths though (even Sims 4)

18. Do you have any sims merch?

Is it kind of a crime that I don’t? Maybe I should.

19. Do you have a YouTube for sims?

I do! This one is for edited Let’s Plays (so far just The Sims 2 for PSP. I haven’t uploaded there in a while but I have some recordings on my computer so I should be active again soon. We are going to finish this game!). And this one is for stream VODs. I stream The Sims 2 every Monday and Friday on Twitch and for the month of June, we’re fundraising for the Transgender Law Center so we’ve got some extra fun stuff going on~

20. How has your “sim style” changed throughout your years of playing?

I can’t really remember what my sims used to look like when I was younger but my play style has definitely changed a lot! When I was younger, I used to micro-manage my sims so much I might as well have turned off autonomy! I prefer to let my sims shape their own lives now and I actually hate having to make decisions for them.

21. What’s your Origin ID?

It’s batsandbabydolls! I have a few builds up for download there.

22. Who’s your favorite CC creator?

Um... obviously everyone at @the-crypt-o-club. No I’m not biased! 😉

23. How long have you had a simblr?

I guess I first made it in 2016 but I didn’t actually start using it until late 2019. I usually just shove everything on my main blog so it’s a miracle I have one at all.

24. How do you edit your pictures?

I use GIMP. The edits I do are usually pretty minor though because I use reShade when I take pictures I care about enough to edit.

25. What expansion/game/stuff pack do you want next?

I haven’t bought High School Years yet, but I might have to because teenagers in TS4 are boring as hell without them! I’m just really irritated that they released it separately from Growing Together since it feels like that pack fleshed out every life stage except teenagers and they definitely worked on both at the same time because they were released one right after the other and EPs take a long time. Everything from that pack other than the active high school feels like it could have been part of Growing Together if you ask me! (If you mean what pack do I want them to release next, none. Please let Sims 4 die already 😌)

25. What expansion/game/stuff pack is your favorite so far?

Sims 1: Makin’ Magic Sims 2: Uh... Nightlife? (they’re all really good is the problem) Sims 3: Late Night? Generations? idk man not a single one of them is bad!! Sims 4: Might be Growing Together tbh. Or maybe Parenthood? Vampires and Paranormal are definitely up there too. They obviously don’t flesh your game out as broadly but I do really like them.

I’m tagging @blairmace, @baticeer-sims, @deathpoke1qa, and @livinginalandfill​

[kriskalutz]

Listen I absolutely do not see them taking the time and effort to suddenly make babies, after 8 years, suddenly into proper sims with CAS options and stuff. But I can see them making them behave more like the chickens from Cottage Living. I know that sounds weird but hear me out.

1) Babies and chickens are both essentially objects in the game. The main difference is that up until this point, chickens were the ones walking around the lot. They can even interact with other chickens and animals like the fox on their own, their coop and chicken feed. We saw the baby crawling around and interacting with a grown sim in the thing. Babies will probably just be crawling around and interacting only with Sims and very specific objects like certain toys and bottles. Otherwise they’ll just be spamming the same idle animations over and over. Point is, a lot of this is probably going to be cute animations and storytelling and less babies actually becoming interesting enough to not just instantly age up. In fact nothing will probably stop you from just leaving it in the crib its entire baby lifestage and just checking on it as usual. Or the floor. Or whatever overly priced baby item EA throws in that eventual Baby’s First Kit.

2) The baby was also seen with new hair and an outfit. Assuming they’re not an actual lifestate and CAStable, the haircut might be the same for all babies, just showing off different colors based on genetics instead of being bald. The clothing will probably be something that you have to buy or make yourself (Sewing Skill?) akin to the already existing onesies made in Knifty Knitting. And the outfits you can get for animals (like the chicken) in Cottage Living. I wouldn’t be surprised if the outfit that baby was wearing was more like a ‘naked‘ diaper outfit that all toddlers wear and you have to manually go find/make the other outfits. The diaper might not even be considered an ‘outfit‘ so to speak but treated more like nails when your sim goes to the nail salon: anytime you change your baby’s diaper, you have the option to give them a different patterned one and they’d work with every outfit (doubt it but its a cute idea).

3) Chickens don’t have skills so babies probably won’t either. Honestly this is me just hoping more than anything. I play on short lifespan, reaching level 3 with a toddler is hard enough now that I’ve only got 3 days instead of 4. I don’t want to even think about how hard it would be to skill a baby! They’d probably change the aging again if skill building became a thing and we all know how well things went last time they messed with aging.

4) Chickens (and Llamas and Cows) can be put in a Sim’s inventory and carried around, mostly as a means to take them to the Fairs in Henford-on-Bagley. Now I’m not saying that they would do that to the babies, but if they did that would mean you could actually bring your child to go meet their relatives, take them out to the park with the rest of the family, etc. Also I’d laugh. I’d laugh so hard if they did that.

[igglemouse]

Sims Summit Thingy...

My thoughts...

EA has this tendency to make very cringy events, no matter what game they are talking about, it’s always very very corporate and usually some one on a stage telling corny jokes and wasting time with a musical thingy thrown in there while the last like 10 minutes of the event is what people actually were waiting to see. They have not learned from other publishers that people really just want news and trailers. I feel bad for some of the people that were involved in that. Like Kelsey. That’s stuff they should do in between events on their youtube channel.

I don’t really play Sims Freeplay or Mobile so won’t comment on those.

The overwolf thing is...interesting. I wonder if they will let creators monetize on this platform and if so it means EA could be trying to find some way to get some kind of cut from CC creators. We’ll see I guess.

I’ve always wanted the baby lifestage so I am happy that finally we will be getting that. They really didn’t show much else for Sims 4.

Sims 4 and Project Rene? So, a few things here, we’re not exactly sure what Project Rene is, it could very well be Sims 5 or it could be Sims: Whatever, not sure at this point. The title doesn’t actually matter, what matters is if it is a mainline sims game or is it a side project? Seeing as how they have their best talent on it and not some smaller team then I think it’s safe to assume it is a mainline sims game especially since they have started to slow down content for Sims 4.

I can’t have strong opinions on Project Rene, there isn’t much to say about it since all they really showed was that you can edit furniture further (yes like in Paralives) and that there could be a color wheel but it’s important to remember if it is really ‘years’ away then this could be cut or changed, who knows. Also, I hear the fear of mobile but this is pretty common nowadays for a game to have some kind of mobile/device integration. Until they actually announce what they plan with this though I’ll hold my opinions. 

Same for them mentioning that you can play with friends. I don’t think that is a bad thing, it is a bad thing if they try to force you to do it though like SimCity. I think it could be cool to share a save with 3 other people, idea wise, that could be very fun if executed properly. Kind of hard to imagine how this would work but I guess that is their job.

Paralives...I see this coming up a lot and I’ve just been burned by too many crowdfunding games to care until it comes out and it can be played and I was a patreon for it. Too many of these games make big promises and feature creep into basically not coming out. I hate to be harsh but I would not be surprised if Sims...project Rene, came out before Paralives. I hope to be wrong but as a Gamer™ I’ve learned to react to what has been released, and nothing more than that. ESPECIALLY with crowdfunded games.

I’ve learned the best thing to do as a Gamer™   is to just enjoy what is released and to hype up things releasing in 30 days or so. So I’ll forget Project Rene until the next announcement and I’m currently hyping Warhammer 40k Darktide! I played the closed beta and loved it!

[storysims]

ŞŦŘΔŇǤ€ŘVƗŁŁ€ CAS REVIEW

Maybe it’s because we really didn’t see too much of CAS in the trailer, but I was absolutely floored when I opened my game and started dressing my sims.

Thanks to the EA Game Changers program for give me an early copy of Strangerville to review!

My one big complaint with CAS this time around is that we didn’t get any new clothes for toddlers. Since it’s a gamepack and not as focused on the younger lifestages, it makes sense. But still, I would’ve liked to see a cute dress or a new pair of jeans.

Children of both gender frames get the top on the right and female framed sims get the dress on the left. 

I cannot stress enough how much I love both of these items. I picked my favorite swatches of each to show off, but they’re all adorable! The jacket + tshirt is especially cute with different designs for each swatch.

There is a “secret” section of CAS items for adults, and that’s where you’ll find the conspiracy theorist shirt + colander hat from the trailer!

With something that was so prominently featured in promotional material, I think these should’ve been unlocked in CAS from the get go. They’re not. If you want these items, you have to purchase them from the vendor stand outside StrangerVille Plaza! 

The colander hat (incorrectly labeled as ‘tinfoil hat’) is §25, and all 7 swatches of the top are also §25.

Here’s where the gushing starts. ≧◡≦ CAS for adults, as a whole, is amazing. The level of detail in every single piece is phenomenal. Much like Get Famous, the team really seems to have stepped up their game with things like textures, rips, folds in fabric, etc.

And finally, a pack with good, wearable content for men! One of my biggest complaints with CAS from older packs is that men really get the short end of the stick. We’d either get things that were totally unwearable or just plain ugly. There’s a definite “western” vibe to this pack, but the vast majority of content can be matched with other packs extremely well! Most things can be worn outside of Strangerville and fit in just fine.

Without unlocking items through a vendor or career, the item breakdowns for CAS are:

KIDS ITEMS

One full body outfit

One top

MASCULINE FRAMED ITEMS

Two hairs

Two hats

One necklace

Seven tops

Three bottoms

Two full body outfits

One pair of shoes

FEMININE FRAMED ITEMS

Three hairs

Two hats

Two necklaces

One bracelet 

Nine tops

Six bottoms

Four full body outfits

Two pairs of shoes

There’s also a new trait! Sims can now be paranoid.

“Paranoid sims feel that danger is around every corner, and that people are always talking about them. Paranoid Sims feel a sense of security while hanging out in basements.”

It’s worth noting that there’s also a new aspiration! However, its only goal is solving the mystery of StrangerVille.

Overall, I’m incredibly happy with CAS. There’s a few things I would change (and probably will when S4S updates), but the same could be said for any pack! It all comes down to personal taste.

In my opinion, CAS doesn’t justify buying the pack if you’re not into the gameplay this one offers. But in conjunction with build/buy and the new neighborhood, it definitely comes close.

[whimsyverse]

So...yeah. I tried to play without mods, I really, truly did, and I enjoyed it for a very, very short while...the game is just such a hollow shell of what it could be, and I love that there are so many amazing people in this community willing to put in the effort that EA won’t to flesh out the admittedly-fun systems they put into place.

I just can’t play this game without mods.

Anyways, just like before, I have a lot of mods, and I like to give credit where it’s due without having to link to the mod pages every single time I reference them like before. So this post is going to be an archive of the mods I’m currently using, both for my benefit as well as to give props to the mods I like. I’m not planning on going into much detail about each mod here...which means I probably will because I always write too much.

Please note, I haven't used a lot of these yet, so I can't wholly vouch for their quality, but they all come from reputable sources with good reviews from other players, so I can at least attest that they work!

(mods in no particular order...or maybe they are, who knows what I’ll be doing by the time I get done with this list?)

Etheria Romance Overhaul - I liked a lot of what I read about this, including a ground-up remaking of the TS3 attraction system (which was woefully incomplete in itself, like everything in that game). I also liked the promise of unbalanced relationships - you liking someone who doesn't like you back. I miss that from TS2. Whatever the case, this is a huge mod that is worth a look for anyone who wants their Sims' romances to seem that much more realistic.

MC Command Center - One of those "everything and the kitchen sink" mods that would take longer to describe what it doesn't do than to try and tell you everything it does. One of the primary things I like it for is that it makes it easier to edit Sims on the fly, which is a pretty big draw for a project like this.

Better Sims - Not gonna lie, this one had me at the name. The promise to be able to add more personality and variety to the Sims in my game was nice too. I saw EA was adding some of this functionality in an upcoming patch, but I'm not holding out hope that they'll do better than this.

Interaction Sorter - There are a lot of social interactions in the Sims 4, and the game does a crap job at sorting them for easy use. Figured this might help.

Little Ms. Sam's mods - Lots of stuff here, some little, some not so little. I picked up a few, including the New Potions mod and the Personal Objects mod to stop people from randomly breaking into my room and using my computer. Ugh. The nerve of some people.

Improved Practical Spells

Mermaids Can Take Mud and Soak Baths

New Vampire Powers

Slower Writing

Wonderful Whims - Another wonderful "everything but the kitchen sink" mod to add some life to the game.

Social Network Interactions Crossover

Autonomous First Kiss - I am always trying to get the game to take a little goddamn initiative. It sucks that everything relies on you pushing things forward, romance especially. I'm always looking for mods to tweak the autonomy just a bit.

Invisible Fence - Stay off my lawn >:-(

Control Any Sim - Another helpful tool for this nightmare project of mine.

Stand-Alone Robot Arm Accessory - needed this for literally only one sim, but it looks pretty neat regardless.

Pack Tests (Frankk) - just needed this to make some other mods work.

Permanent PlantSims (Gulbasaur) - PlantSims should be permanent regardless. Every other occult lifestage is...

Hates Children Tweaks (Zuperbuu) - I grabbed a few random “tweak” mods that improve the performance of certain traits or mechanics, just to improve the experience.

Height Slider (GODJUL1) - A marvelous effort and one of the most popular mods out there for a reason. Not sure why EA hasn’t bothered trying to implement height into the game yet...

Helaene Socials - some tweaks to the social mechanics and some traits and how they interact with each other.

Argue Pack

Emotions

Insult Pack

Good vs. Evil

Neat vs. Slob

Pet Lover

Easy Sentiment Cheats (lazarusinashes) - this one allows me to play with sentiments more easily for the prepping stage.

Mega Siblings (MiraiMayonaka) - makes sibling interactions more interesting.

The Personality Mod (MissyHissy) - another mod that attempts to insert a little personality into the game.

No Mosaic (Moxie Mason) - I’m a pervert, what can I say? (also, the mosaic is a bit unimmersive)

Don’t Prep Food Where You Angry Poop (Scumbumbo) - these two mods are just common sense. I don’t know why, but my sims always seem to go out of their way to use bathroom sinks to clean up after themselves.

Don’t Wash Dishes Where You Angry Poop (Scumbumbo) - ditto

Copy any Outfit (Scumbumbo)

Self Configurable Autonomy Mod (Scumbumbo) - this one allows you to customize the autonomy of sims, which we used to have to download dozens of mods to do!

Menstruation and Fertility (Neon Ocean) - A little more immersion.

No Intro

Walk in Style (onlyabidoang) - Allows you to change walk cycles on the fly (sometimes I just plain forget to set them in CAS)

Personality Please! (PolarBearSims) - another mod that inserts a bit of personality in the game.

Spellbook Injector (r3m) - a mod that allows you to download custom spells (the spells I downloaded follow):

Vampirify (Vampire Creation Spell)

Climatio (Weather-Controlling Spell)

RoM SpellCurses SageProof (TwelfthDoctor1)

Forbidden Spells (Kuttoe)

Meaningful Stories (roBurky) - another mod to make the game more immersive.

Uncomfortable Overhaul (roBurky) - a tweak to the uncomfortable mood.

Fitness Controls (PolarBearSims) - improvements to the fitness mechanics.

CAS FullEditMode Always On (Tmex) - saves some keystrokes!

Simulation Timeline Unclogger (TURBODRIVER)

Robot Dermal (voidsims) - for aesthetics on a couple sims

XML Injector (Scumbumbo)

Storytelling Socials (lazarusinashaes) - for immersion