#gp: bridgeport (ts3)

[thebramblewood]

Gwen was having a great day off until she nearly had another tense run-in with Elvira and then arrived home to discover a burglar had stolen her stove. At least Spike is safe!

Lilly: THAT'S MY BEST FRIEND!!!

-

Bar Patron: What are you running from?

Gwen: My hot-headed vampire ex. How about you?

Bar Patron: My exorbitant bar tab. Good luck with your... situation.

Gwen: You too!

-

Gwen: Aw, buddy. You must have been so scared.

[murfeelee]

Ranking ALL the Sims 3 Expansion Packs - tonitalks

WOW, Tonitalks and I have a lot of similar ideas about the TS3 EPs! ❤️

It’s like, on one hand, every TS3 EP is amazing (especially when compared to the pittance being sold in TS4′s EPs). But on the other hand, EA really dropped the ball in areas where it should have really gone further to expand core gameplay. Even the best EPs had glaring flaws, and tend to fall short of things TS1/TS2 did better. But on the whole, what we got was just enough to keep the TS3 fandom alive even 11 years later. Bless.

MY THOUGHTS (under the cut):

(Unless Tumblr’s flagged it, I could’ve sworn I made an updated Best/Worst post ranking all the TS3 EPs. But the only one still on my blog is my old one I made before I bought all the EPs, though it mostly still aligns with how I feel.)

Toni S A B C D F ranking system is mostly based on which packs have the most content and varied things things to do. Toni’s S A B ranks are her must-owns, while the C D F ranks are her most disappointing games.

S: Generations, Supernatural

Toni’s only complaint about GEN is the Imaginary Friends lifestate, which: same. Frikkin creepy. But the rest of GEN is a MUST-OWN for kids & elders.

And finally! A reviewer giving Supernatural the respect it DESERVES! ^0^ SN was stuffed to the brim; SO much content! Granted, it’s no Makin Magic, and I personally was underwhelmed by Moonlit Falls, as I like Midnight Hollow and Dragon Valley WAY more, but SN is still my favorite TS3 EP, regardless. Anyone who loves the “weird, wonderful and magic“ side of The Sims NEEDS SN. 💯💯💯 (Just make sure to mod the Zombies out or adjust your lifestate settings; whatever works to get rid of them.)

A: Seasons, University

Seasons is an excellent pack--Toni wanted a new world, which: same, but there’s just an ungodly amount of new content in SSNS, it’s the best and most well-made TS3 EP, period. 

To this day I’ve NEVER sent my sims to UNI. I hate school IRL, so unless my sims are going to effing Hogwarts I have no desire to ever bother with the school crap. Toni doesn’t like the 3 social groups, but I actually LOVE them. Almost all of my sims are either Rebels or Nerds. Crazy enough, I love the amount of new content UNI added, I just never use it for my sims’ schooling. I love the radio station, weather machine, whiteboard, skeleton set, etc etc.

B: World Adventures, Pets

For Toni, the main complaint for WA is basically the repetitiveness of the tombs, and their lack of replayability. Yes, technically this is true, as WA veers dangerously close to where TS4 went wrong with all the storyline GPs, as if they’re Castaways or The Sims Medieval. The main difference though is that we can create/download as many new tombs as we want, which 100% keeps WA fresh and interesting for me. But yes, It’s an excellent pack, which is crazy considering it’s the first one for TS3.

Toni's biggest criticism for Pets is how high maintenance horses are, which YES. Unless your sims are rich and own a lot of property, horses are almost impossible to own...but that’s how horses are IRL anyway, so IMO I don’t see that as a negative. The only problem is when you want horses in CC worlds that are too small, where you can't fit in enough 64x64 lots. (So it’s no surprise TS4 didn’t even bother. 🙄 )

C: Ambitions

Toni felt that more could’ve been done with the professions & careers, which, YES! Too many rabbithole careers, and not enough interactions. I freaking love that they added professions with playable firehouses and private investigators, but I too wish that every career could just be opened up; I hate rabbitholes. And she thought Twinbrook was meh, but I think Twinbrook’s one of the better EP worlds. (The Store worlds are where it’s at, though -- eff most of the EP worlds, tbh.) Overall I really really like AMB; it was headed in the right direction, though I can see where it could’ve easily let people down who were expecting a lot more from the professions/careers. (EA obviously learned NOTHING from AMB’s feedback, considering what Get to Work did....)

D: Showtime, Island Paradise, Into the Future

Showtime: Toni said “what was this game?“ 😂The Genies were a poor fit, the professions should’ve given us WAY more, there’s no acting career in “Hollywood,“ etc. Exactly. Not to mention the dumpster fire that was Simport. But I have a love/hate relationship with SHT. I actually treat SHT the way I do UNI & IP -- I really like the side content it added; I just never bother with the core game mechanic: superstardom, schools, and underwater. That makes 50% of the game useless for me, which is why I always get EPs on sale. ^_^

I agree with Toni that Island Paradise should’ve been like World Adventures, with different vacation locations. It could’ve been more like Castaways, with Tiki/Polynesian/Melanesian islands, Asian islands, Caribbean islands, Mediterranean Islands, etc. Plus, both of us didn’t like the mermaid system. Making them requires too much effort for them to not do all that much underwater. But to be fair, IP added A LOT Of new content. For what it did add, there is an impressive amount. Island Living sure can't say the same! 🤣

Into the Future however.... I understand why Toni was so hard with this pack. Trust: I ran the main thread at the officials that asked for a Time Travel expansion, so ITF holds a very special place in my heart, cuz EA for the most part kinda listened? ITF is awesome. It added some super cool content that I use religiously; ITF’s one of my top 3 EPs. But yeah, choices were made that had me like WTF?? Toni wanted ITF to be more hi-tech, which SAME! I wanted more of a Star Wars Blade Runner cyberpunk neon metropolis, and a steampunk/dieselpunk industrial dystopia. I have no idea where TF that “utopian” Willy Wonka zany Hunger Games nonsense came from. It was kinda retro-futuristic Jetsons Star Trek TOS in a way, which I like, but...? Choices. EA definitely could’ve done more with ITF, for sure. IMO itr needed to be more like WA, too. U_U

F: Late Night - I hollered! 😭

Y’all know I effing hate Late Night. Only reason I keep it installed is for the musical instruments & highrises. It’s certainly no Apartment Life, and it’s definitely no Night Life, but it’ll do in a pinch. The obnoxious Celebrities/Paparazzi, Twilight vampires, cramped Bridgeport...no thanks. Especially with Boroughsburg out here just SHAMING EA. SHAME! I wish someone would remake Bridgeport as a cyberpunk world, that would be awesome. Otherwise most of LN is useless to me. :\

_________________________________________________________

TL;DR

So basically, if I were to follow Toni’s S A B C D F ranking system, and classify TS3′s EPs based on its content quantity, and EA’s dedication to thematic cohesion, my list would be as follows:

S: Generations, Seasons, Supernatural

All radically overhaul the core mechanics of the game/world itself: age states, weather, and lifestates/occults.

A: World Adventures, Pets

World Adventures added 3 new worlds and cultures; and Pets added animals. It’s just arguable whether EA should’ve done more with them all or not.

B: University, Island Paradise, Into the Future

Chock-full of new activities & skills, but your mileage may vary.

C: Ambitions (AMB didn’t really come with as much as it should have)

D: Showtime (SHT included a lot, but not much of it made thematic sense)

F: Late Night (LN needed to commit to what makes a celebrity--music/movie/fashion/etc CAREERS--rather than the hollow lifestyle of a celeb)

[thebramblewood]

After a surprise encounter with her ex, Gwen tried to shake off the nerves as she embarked upon her biggest interview yet. All was going well until she questioned Emmy Starr's parenting methods a little too harshly and was shamefully kicked out in her bikini. But Gwen won't let her subject's threats deter her from writing a hard-hitting expose that might finally launch her through the journalistic stratosphere!

Elvira: I see you, Gwen Larkin!

Gwen: Shit.

Elvira: Did you forget I'm a vampire? You'll never be able to outrun me.

Gwen: If you want to talk, let's talk. Call off your sad little gossip hound, Elvira. She's ruining my life! You broke up with me. I'm allowed to move on.

Elvira: Tell me, when did you meet this new girlfriend of yours?

Gwen: That's beside the point! And you were ignoring me. Was I supposed to sit around waiting for you to pencil me into your schedule?

Elvira: [scoffs] Whatever, Gwen! You were never emotionally mature enough to handle me. But I've got bigger concerns now. I'll tell her to knock it off... [dripping with sarcasm] and I truly hope you're happy with that adorable child you're dating.

-

Emmy: Hey, girl! You made it. Get a load of this blizzard, eh? Did you remember your bathing suit?

Gwen: I did... though I'd hoped you were joking when you told me to bring one. [gestures awkwardly at half-buried toddler] Is she okay?

Emmy: Oh, she's splendid! Nanny couldn't make it in. Claimed the roads were blocked. [rolls eyes] Whatever that means. Now, let's party!

-

Emmy: How dare you insinuate I'm anything less than a brilliant mother! Get off my property now or I'll call the authorities! And you best believe your employer will be hearing from my attorney shortly.

-

Gwen: Who does she think she is to threaten me for telling the truth?

[thebramblewood]

Gwen's expose on Emmy Starr proves even more successful than she imagined. To celebrate, she and Kirby go on an art gallery date where Gwen ends up proposing... exclusivity!

Kirby: Now that we're a couple, we can come up with a cute portmanteau! Should it be Gwenby or Kirwen?

Gwen: [laughs] You've been holding onto those for a while, haven't you?

-

Kirby: This is fun and all, but I think you should invite me back to your place now.

Gwen: I... can't argue with that.

[thebramblewood]

Played a bunch in Gwen's save and will have some fresh adventures to share soon! In the meantime, have these cute outtakes! ❄️🩵

[thebramblewood]

Gwen enjoyed the karaoke bar so much she wanted to share it with Kirby, but it's something new in this city every damn day, I swear.

Jessica Talon: I'm fine. I'm fine. Perks of being a vampire. I can be literally split in half and I'll survive.

Bar Patron: Officer, are you going to, like, do something about this?

Police Officer: Give me a break. The academy doesn't exactly train us for this shit.

Gwen: What the fuck is going on in here on this day?

Kirby: Oh my god, how am I supposed to even get down the stairs?

-

Kirby: [endearingly off-key warbling]

Gwen: Shit, babe, brace for impact!

Kirby: This place is a fucking disaster!

Gwen: I promise it wasn't this weird the other night.

-

Kirby: What a weird night. I thought we'd never make it out of there.

Gwen: Should I make us some 3 a.m. fish and chips?

Kirby: Hell, yeah! I like your shiny new stove by the way.

Gwen: Thanks. It only cost me my entire promotion bonus.

[thebramblewood]

Spring has finally arrived and love is in the air!

Kirby: Ugh, put on a shirt! There are kids in this park.

Shirtless Townie: Are you sure? Because all I see is two grown women commandeering the seesaw.

Gwen: Do you think he had a point?

Kirby: That creep?

Gwen: Are we childish for enjoying the playground?

Kirby: No way! We're just young at heart, and he wouldn't know fun even if it punched him in his rock hard abs.

Kirby: [shouting] Have you ever thought about it, though?

Gwen: [breathlessly] Thought about what?

Kirby: Having- OOOOOOOOFFFFFFF!!!!!! Starting a family. Having kids.

Gwen: Oh! Well, I guess I've been too focused - ARRGGHHHH!!! - on my career.

-

Kirby: This is awkward, isn't it?

Gwen: No, it's perfect.

[thebramblewood]

Welcome to Bridgeport, where we'll be following the life and times of Gwen Larkin, aspiring news anchor and secret trashy novel writer by day, hot spot hopper and vampire magnet by night.

[thebramblewood]

I sense big changes on the horizon...

Kirby: [heaves exaggerated sigh] I’m bored! Are you ever going to be done writing that article? You know, I think we should move in together.

Gwen: [dumbfounded] You want… to live with me?

Kirby: Why not? You’re nearly at the top of your career and still stuck in this tiny overpriced apartment. I have five roommates. Maybe we could afford a decent place if we joined forces. Maybe we could even save for the future. I know it sounds scary, but I’m here practically all the time anyway. This would just make it official. Promise you’ll at least think about it?

Gwen: I guess I could do that.

Kirby: Good. Besides, there’s one more massive benefit you haven’t even considered yet.

Gwen: Oh? What’s that?

[thebramblewood]

Screaming, crying, throwing up!!!

Gwen: [ringtone chiming] Oh, that's my phone! It might be work.

Kirby: Leave it. This is more important. Gwen, you're the prettiest girl I know.

Gwen: [blushing] No, you are!

-

Gwen: What is that?

Kirby: It's my happy dance!

Gwen: Are you going to do it for the rest of the night?

Kirby: I might just do it for the rest of my life!

-

Gwen: This is nice. My ex couldn't eat any of the food I cooked. She just slurped down these disgusting plasma smoothies.

Kirby: Her loss. This is the best midnight spaghetti I've ever had.

[thebramblewood]

Bowling night with the gals.

I also gave Lilly-Bo Chique a makeover and she's a baddie now. 💅🏻💋

Gwen: STRIIIIIIKE!!!

Kirby: Fuuuuuuck, I'm about to have my ass handed to me. *the politest little golf clap ever*

*splat* Prophecy fulfilled :(

[thebramblewood]

First order of business in Champs Les Sims: renting an electric scooter and hightailing it to the nearest nectary for a full round of tasting and an impromptu crash course in nectar-making.

Nectary Employee: You haven't tasted anything until you've made your own signature nectar blend from scratch.

Gwen: I can do that?!?

This will be amazing in about 20 years. Or at least I hope so.

[thebramblewood]

She's working late 'cause she's a writer...

After checking off several major career goals, Gwen celebrated by asking Kirby out on an official date. Even though it's been a dreary winter, they had a lot of fun at the Winter Festival together - that is, until Elvira's number one fan spotted them kissing and wasted no time calling up the tabloids to smear Gwen's reputation.

[thebramblewood]

Go find whatever this complete stranger dropped in a hole, they said. It will be easy, they said.

Gwen: Well, these guys look like fucking creeps.

How am I supposed to stand on this and run through the door? [looks around suspiciously] Hmm. They must be here for a reason.

[grunting with effort] Budge already, you hideous oaf!

Thanks for the help. Sorry for calling you ugly.

-

Gwen: Please be the right hole. Please be the right hole. AAARRRRGGGHHHH!!!!! I didn't know there would be BUGS!

[thebramblewood]

Good talk, ladies! See you in the Bridgeport tabloids!

Elvira, texting: Hey hottie! Wanna hang tonite? 🦇

Gwen: [under breath] She’d better actually show up this time.

-

Elvira: I’m sooooo sorry for ghosting you, babe. I keep having to find new babysitters. They’re just too tasty to resist! Can you forgive me?

Gwen: Mm, depends.

Elvira: Oh, I want to hear all about your trip!

-

Elvira: I can’t believe you went tomb raiding without me! That’s, like, totally up my alley!

Gwen: I did ask you to come. But you’ve been a little preoccupied lately.

Elvira: Oh, well, there’s always next time, right?

Gwen: Is there? It seems like you’re always busy. I haven’t actually seen you in weeks!

Elvira: I’m a working mother, Gwen, with very specific dietary needs. I can’t just drop everything at a moment’s notice!

Gwen: Well, maybe that means our lifestyles aren’t so compatible!

Elvira: What are you trying to say?

Gwen: I want to travel the world! I want to go on adventures! And I don’t want to be saddled with some needy kid!

Elvira: Don’t you dare talk about Ty that way.

Gwen: Elvira, I didn’t mean-

Elvira: If that’s how you feel, you don’t deserve to be his honorary mother! And I don’t have to stand here and take it.

Gwen: Wait-

Elvira: If I ever see your face again, Gwen Larkin, I’ll rip your fucking head off! You’d better not test me!

[thebramblewood]

Tiny kitty in the big city.