#you get some sims screenshots too as a bonus

[zahhakblog]

can you draw more mituna shenanigans please

yeah!!!!

[holocene-sims]

grandma aoife's bakery 🍰✨🥧

[l-1-z-a]

🎭 Removed memories and 3D icons in The Sims 2

There were more 3D memory icons above a Sim's head. Like "friends, divorce, engagement" displayed over their head. The textures have been removed :( You can see a 3D fire icon above a Sim's head on the cooking channel on TV. It's cropped, but you can catch a glimpse.

The developers added these icons everywhere they could. Then they decided there were too many and removed them. Out of curiosity, you can check out a gallery of screenshots.

Features that were planned: a silver wedding anniversary (not to be confused with a golden one), calling the boss to work from home (resulting in either a promotion or demotion), a graveyard icon above a lot in the neighborhood (if marked as such), a joking skill (with successful and unsuccessful jokes). The stick-and-bundle object for a runaway teen was removed (it's still present in memories and as a 3D icon for a runaway teen). Volleyball gameplay.

Grave variations were planned, along with a TV dish object, and the old PlumBob design resembling The Sims 1.

First memories included: first kiss (with an animated arrow striking a heart), first cooking attempt, first food fire, first time learning interests, first steps (with a different look), first repair, first move, first failed joke, first successful joke, first book read, first best friends (removed), first friends (in the base game), first chess win, first fight, first discovery of another Sim's cheating, and first romance.

Other removed memories: ran away from the wedding, got a job, peed pants, lost a friend, lost a best friend, couldn’t pay the electricity bill, reached level 5, silver wedding anniversary, some party (icon with a bear wearing a hat), cockroaches!, "I’m the best!", best writer, birthday, cheating without getting caught, job promotion, job demotion, received a bonus at work, got electrocuted, best long-time friends party, fire! The old divorce model was removed, as well as refusing a teenager's love confession, death of a child, death of a spouse, adopted a child!, and maxed out all skills!.

3D icons were found in game/sims2/res/sims3d/objects(0-9).package using SimPE.

More screenshots under the cut. All screenshots available in "The Sims 2 development history" (RU: История разработки Симс 2) forum thread. There are really a lot of these 3D icons 😮.

[soaps-mohawk]

The Cottage Part 3: The Main Floor Bedrooms

Alrighty, here's the main floor bedrooms in all their glory. This is where Dr. Keller and 'Mega sleep. I tried my best to match my vision within the confines of the Sims while also not using CC so it would be playable if you want to download and use it. I did not confine myself to using just base game so there's a lot of packs in here so you might have to replace some things if you're not like me and haven't spent ungodly amounts of money on this stupid game.

Sims Builds Masterlist

Anyway, here's the room Dr. Keller is staying in. It's small, it's simple. You can bet your ass John and Kyle would have found a way to both sleep in it and let her have the bigger bed upstairs, but since Dr. Keller is the only one 'mega wants to see and she is the medical professional, for now this is where Dr. Keller resides. Spoiler but she will eventually move into her own little place in town once 'mega has settled a bit so she won't be here forever, so don't worry. I might do a build of that place even though we won't really see it in the story.

 And awkward walls down screenshot time, here's the full room and also a bit into the downstairs bathroom. Yes, Dr. Keller does get her own bathroom basically, free from the stinky men. So that's at least a bonus for her.

And here's a better look at the bathroom with walls down since it's hard to get good screenshots with walls up in small spaces.

And the moment everyone has been waiting for, the main room. Again, it's blue because...idk I can only build with blue. Whatever. Here's a look from the window facing into the room

A closer look at the closet and bathroom. I always imagine the shower as fitting that whole wall so it's a big shower, but again constraints of the game.

 And a screenshot from the door. I have to preface this with...I did some rearranging in the backyard between these two next screenshots so the second screenshot looking out the window is what it looks like in the final version of the build.

 And of course the window. The second place 'mega will spent her time right now in the story (as of chapter 37 when this was originally posted if you're seeing this later). I forgot to add curtains so just imagine there's curtains on this window too.

Part 4 ->

[lightningzbolt]

Scene Awsten Hair (And some bonus clothes)

While I made hair for Awsten before, I was never satisfied with the shape of the scene hair, and for a long time I felt this base mesh from Backyard Stuff, which I kept thinking was from Cool Kitchen Stuff, for awhile, would be perfect. But the bangs went the wrong way, so I decided to mirror the mesh in Blender, as that is like the only hair related thing I can modify, but then the UV mapping on the back was off, if you wanted to know why I screenshotted a lot of low angles, so I fixed that. And I'm really picky about which direction bangs fall. :)

Due to it being a mesh edit, it should not require any packs, tho due to the UV mapping editing, this hair is just standalone. Not to fret! In case you REALLY want this hair mirrored with the default textures and UV mapping, I made that too.

Pictured above is how Awsten normally treats me in this game. Due to how I made all this hair for him, I am able to have outfits for him and up to 4 different hairs with all different colors. The tricolor I use all the time, red & black for a few specific outfits, blue for just one, and now scene for two. This only matters to me really, but in case you're like me and like your Sims to change hair style and color a lot.

Scene Awsten Hair

Mirrored Backyard Stuff Hair

As a bonus, as I'm never gonna get to share these otherwise, I made some shirt and shoe recolors for him, the shoes and long stripes shirt are extra swatches onto vanilla stuff, the striped t-shirt is standalone. I spent like an hour on the damn shoes, I am sharing them. Oh and fingernails too. Those come with a second swatch for Jack, so two swatches. All should be base game. The shoes and tshirt come with extra swatches, the long sleeved shirt just has the one.

Striped T-shirt

Sneakers

Long Sleeved Striped Shirt

Duel Color Fingernails

[abbysimsfun]

Sims In Bloom: Generation 2 Pt. 12 (Life As a Landgraab?)

After Eva and Johnny returned to his rent-free luxury suite at the Landgraab-owned apartment complex across the plaza, Heather stayed the night with Malcolm.

She woke in the night to pee and found Malcolm’s father, Geoffrey, up late reading in the kitchen. He straightened his glasses when he noticed her. "Can't sleep? Sometimes these big windows let in too many city lights for me, but reading helps."

"I am a little hungry," she admitted. "Dinner was nice, it was just...I felt like Nancy was watching me eat, and she only ate, like, three bites of her own food."

Geoffrey nodded. "She was counting your calories," he admitted. "She only lets herself have so many a day, and once she's counted all her own she can't help but count everyone else's, too."

"Don't you hate that?"

"I've just learned she sleeps like the dead, and if I eat when she's not around, she can't count a thing." His belly moved as he laughed. "Now that you mention food, I could go for First Breakfast. Malcolm says you're a great cook, and I think we've got enough bread for French toast!"

Heather laughed. Geoffrey was kind and sincere - the total opposite of his wife. "Is that like second breakfast? Are we hobbits?"

"We wouldn't need to be if my wife just let people live. But she's got very specific ideas about success that she learned long before she met me. I know my wife and I know she knows better, but I can't lie and say I don't love her strength of will - when I'm not hungry, of course! You'll get used to her."

Heather shuddered. She couldn't imagine getting used to Nancy Landgraab. "I don't want to sell the clinic," she breathed as egg-dipped brioche fried over the stove. "And I really like Brindleton Bay. All those strays help keep me and the animal shelter in business."

Geoffrey smiled. "You fit in well there. I've read some of the online reviews since you took over, and it's nothing but praise for you and your skills. You should be proud."

"How could I walk away from that? Would you?"

"I walked away from plenty for love, including my own last name," he said. Heather plated his toast, and he took a bite and swallowed before he continued. "It's too soon for anyone to talk about marriage, even though all my wife ever thinks about is lineage, but you make great French toast, you're a great vet, and you'll make a wonderful daughter-in-law to anyone someday. If you want it."

With her plate of food, and Malcolm and his parents asleep upstairs, Heather took in the stunning midnight lights. Floor-to-ceiling windows wrapped around the entire penthouse suite, giving incredible views across San Myshuno Bay in every direction.

A far cry from her childhood in Henford-on-Bagley, she considered a potential life in the big city. Her uncle lived here, and Dylan, and soon Holly and Kris would live here, too. This could be her life. Life as a Landgraab, with Nancy for a mother-in-law.

(She did this brooding stare out the window autonomously. After she made the French toast she decided instead of eating, despite the fact she was starving, she wanted to play the piano. I cancelled that and told her to eat her food. But then she picked up the food and headed back toward the piano and I thought she was going to try to play piano with a fork in her hand, but she did this instead.

She didn't even know I planned to make her do this for the plot/screenshot, anyway, and she served up exactly what I wanted her to do with a bonus side of French toast. I just adore her.)

Heather tidied the kitchen and snuggled back in bed with Malcolm, dozing off until they were ripped awake by sunlight streaming through the massive windows.

"Good morning," she said, cuddling into his shoulder. They'd always parted before sunrise, but his king-sized bed with memory foam - and that view! - was a pretty spectacular way to wake up.

"Mmrrnph," he grumbled, turning away and pulling the covers. "I need coffee."

"Never mind," she muttered under her breath, throwing back the covers as she stood so he could freeze.

With the blanket on the floor, he stumbled groggily out of bed. "Sorry," he said, squinting into the sunlight. "It's so damn bright! Don't be like that. I hate mornings."

"It's fine," she said, fighting her disappointment with a plastered smile as they both got dressed. "I have to get back to Brindleton to open the clinic, anyway."

He leaned in for an awkward embrace, but he pulled back when his phone pinged with an incoming email. "I'll text you later," he said.

Making her way downstairs, Heather tried not to overthink his pre-coffee demeanor, but before she returned to the Simmerloop Superhighway, she detoured to her uncle's penthouse in the Arts Quarter. ->

<- Previous Chapter | Gen 2 Start | Gen 1 Summary | Gen 1 Start

[gladlypants]

Hey! I uploaded a ton of lots to the gallery today (id: gladlypants) Some were recent builds I was doing while I was waiting for GT, some I just furnished today, some I built last summer before HSY released and forgot about, and then vault Cleo’s grandparents’ house. I had a lot of fun practicing building over the last few weeks!  :) 

It’ll take me a bit to get all of these tray files up, will have to go back and take interior screenshots and all that. There are names of each and short descriptions under the cut, numbered like the screenshots, cuz I just felt like talking about em, and gallery images suck. I’ve playtested most of these at some point, except Charles E. Cheese’s, the shells, and the Batchelder house.

Lmk if you want any of these now for your new pack gameplay and I’ll shoot you a temporary dl.

1. Charles E. Cheese’s - Heavily branded for the feline version of Chuck, Charles! It’s a restaurant and I haven’t playtested it, sorryyyy, but I don’t foresee any issues. There’s a pizza vendor kiosk inside too if you want to change the lot type or have typical Dine Out problems. Intended as a kind of party space for kids. The upstairs feels a little chaotic to me but maybe not idk. ♥

2. Raymond’s Noodles - A little local noodle restaurant I built for a sim named Raymond I was playing in a recent rotation save. It’s small and cute. ♥

3. The Schneider House - a big ol’ traditional style Windenburg house. I was also playing a household on this lot, and I really loved it!

4. Batchelder Craftsman - I love the style of this house. Named for Batchelder tiles, which I am pretending this one has throughout! (reference)

5. Gray 2 Story Craftsman - The household I played the most in my rotation lived in this house and I love the layout, so it’s probably my favorite of the Craftsman shells I built, even if it is a little plain looking on the outside. It has an awesome, huge main bedroom suite! 

6. Green Family Craftsman - f*ck those rooves. This one has a a sunroom and a bedroom for grandparents/stay-overs. (reference)

7. Blue Craftsman - Built this one like a house my sister-in-law lived in here for a long time, it’s a common style and layout in older neighborhoods where I live.

8. Black Victorian Shell - It’s supposed to a small detached row house. I built it with the idea of using it for renting to roommates but you can use it however you like obviously.

9. Cleo’s Grandparents’ House - a desert mcm! Still has the camper in the yard that Cleo + Devon lived in before they got locked in the vault.

10. Single Mom House - I built this for one of my gallery households, who is a single mother and teenage daughter. It’s a little shabby, with some craftsman features and some Hispanic decor for them.

11. The LaFollette House - also built for one of my gallery families, a single military dad and his two daughters. I intended this one to be the same as the Single Mom house, but remodeled to be more modern and spacious.

12. The Gilbert House - for a gallery household, it’s a little retro inside!

13. Split Level Family Home - also for a gallery household, this one has very feminine style decor, except for one of the bedrooms for a teen, and a huge unfinished basement (just walls.) 

^^ Also this “Colorful Craftsman Shell” that I forgot about and don’t think I’ll get around to furnishing/finishing it anytime soon. It has a bonus attic room. You’ll need to move the back door, place it on a bigger lot, or lower the foundation because I didn’t leave space for steps there. 

And a big modern “apartment building” with one furnished unit and a gym and indoor pool downstairs, which is kind of unfinished but idk if I’ll get back to it.

Sorry for the wall of text, thank you if you read it all. ♥ 

[culdeefell-sims]

Tee shirt collection! Artemis Fowl, the Owl House, Ducktales

On my journey to learning how to Sim, I've uploaded a few simple tee shirt retextures + a bonus sweater.

All graphics are designed by me and also available for purchase IRL on my Redbubble, linked in the title. I'm still figuring everything out, so my style of graphics absolutely WILL change time and time again.

The designs from the shirts are references to Artemis Fowl, the Owl House, and Ducktales 2017.

Including the following designs:

-Artemis Fowl "Randomosity" Tee (T-E)

“Very well, I promise. So, what did you get for me?" Angeline paused for a beat. "Jeans." "What?" croaked Artemis. "And a T-shirt" Artemis took several breaths. "Does the T-shirt have any writing on it?" A rustling of paper crackled through the phone's speakers. "Yes, it's so cool. There's a picture of a boy who for some reason has no neck and only three fingers on each hand, and behind him in this sort of graffiti style is the words RANDOMOSIY. I don't know what that means but it sounds really current." 'Randomosity,' thought Artemis, and he felt like weeping.”

-Artemis Fowl Various Designs Tee (T-E)

Various references to the different books in the series. I've even included a variation on the D'Arvit design in the new movie Gnommish, though we do not talk about that movie.

-Artemis Fowl D'Arvit Sweater (T-E)

The text bar on her chest displayed one word in block capitals. It was the same word that she had shouted just as the hydrogel had frozen the text display: “D’Arvit,” swore Holly under her breath, which coincidentally was the same word frozen on her chest.

-The Owl House "Be Gay, Do Witchcraft" Tee (T-E)

Be gay. Do witchcraft. Perhaps I ought to make one for Eda, too.

-Ducktales McDuck Family Field Trip Tee (CU)

Huey made matching tee shirts for all his family! It's a shame they're all, well, Huey-sized. (Wish I could've found a better quality screenshot from the episode!)

Unisex, bgc, download on Patreon! Let me know if you use, please? Free to recolor, re-edit, however you please, as long as you credit the graphics to me.

[mosneakers]

Do you have any tips and tricks for someone (me) starting a sims story to post on Tumblr? Asking for a friend (it's me. I'm the friend)

omggg you're askin me? 🥺

I'm not sure I'm the best simblr to ask because I'm not in it for the trends or popularity; I'm all about the interaction and finding others to talk to at length about my delusional fictional universe that's been going on for over a decade now lol. But let me try:

*puts on my mother glasses* There are two ways to go about it; depending on your goals. There are plenty of exceptions, but simblr sorta has a formula you can follow. Get ready for some contradictions haha

if you aim to appease the simblr community:

reshade/gshade mixed with photo-editing is generally a must. Simblr users will gravitate to pretty pictures, so even if you're an excellent writer, people usually won't give it a second look unless something attracts them to it. The sims is pretty ugly without filters and such, and it will enhance the experience as well. Bonus if you crank up the mxao and depth of field but I prefer to take it a little easy on those lol

CC. Not necessarily a must, but simblr in particular usually hates vanilla sims. same explanation as above, slather those suckers in skin details!!

poses poses poses. readers love reading stories with poses and they spit on screenshots with only game animations! (tbh those game animations do get pretty repetitive after a while so I kinda get it)

Read stories. I'm not much of a reader personally, but there's a huge imbalance in the reader-writer ratio on simblr, and lots of simblrs will return the favor if you read theirs too. Be careful, though; getting stuck in a transactional mutualship can lead to tricky dynamics. Only reach out to other stories if you're genuinely interested in following more stories, not just to gain readers.

BUT, with all that being said, as an "elder" of the simblr community, please consider this as permission to say screw any and all of those above tips if they don't align with your goals.

If your goal is to just have fun and relax:

reshade/gshade. Because let's be real the game's graphics are very depressing. It's not actually a must if you're just enjoying yourself, but if you find the right settings and just play, so you can spend minimal or even no time editing your photos. There are lots of tutorials that explain how to set it up. If you can't figure it out or don't feel like it, that's also not a big deal.

I can be a controlling sim god when it comes to my stories, and I have most things planned out. HOWEVER sometimes it's a little fun to let the sims drive their own storylines. If something is just not working, I consider that a sign to let the story flow in a slightly different direction. IF you're planning on writing gameplay stories/writing as you go, as I do. (which has its own challenges lol)

Sometimes it can be tempting to let readers sway the way the story is going. Sometimes that is a strategy that works. But if you have a storyline that you're confident in, own it and let it play out. Even if the whole community (and your spouse) wants that alien character to go die, you have him there for a reason, trust in the power of your storytelling 😜

Despite being a pose creator, I find using poses kinda tedious and sucks the life and immersion out of the story and gameplay personally, if used too much. Trust me, I do use my fair share of them, but I do try to use the game animations whenever possible. When I do use poses, I personally prefer to keep the expressions very maxis-y.

Don't try to be like any one particular simblr. With a community where we all pull from the same CC and game pack pools, there's bound to be overlap in aesthetics, storylines, and concepts. Definitely find inspiration in all your faves but do what works best for you but don't feel some sort of way if your screenshots don't look exactly like PastelPlumbobPixelLlama's game, despite you downloading all the content and presets from their resource page! You have your own style babe and it's way more unique ♥

Post a "New Story/New simblr" post to get the word out about your story.

PLEASE don't ever get discouraged by notes because you are perfect and creative and if others don't understand your genius that's them problem ok <3

sorry it's so long ;-; there's probably more but that's what came to my mind off the bat.

[berylgrace]

okay will you please share your sims screenshots of fics? <3<3

be warned, you have just opened the floodgates for me to overexplain every decision.......... under the cut for the sake of how insufferable i am

HWFG!!!!

starting off with Here I Go Again (mamma mia au for anyone unfamiliar). now i actually have a lot more than what i'm showing here but let's say they're... more prequel focused. and thus. kinda spoilery... but they may come later!!! anyway

just picture slipping through my fingers playing and you can tell exactly what's happening here <3

SAY I DOOOOO... I DO I DO I DO I DO I DOOOO

and a bonus, non-spoilery prequel type - silena, annabeth and piper out partying in the world's hottest girl summer ever

moving swiftly and embarrassingly onto my url namesake, the beloved miss beryl. i chose the best of what i have which is admittedly SO MUCH

this one is my FAVOURITE okay let me explain (though - obvious). left is 1979 (age 20) beryl: playful, flirty, youthful. retaining some of the country aesthetic from where she grew up. modelling a lot around this time, beer ads, cars, that sort of thing. anything that required a hot blonde in a bikini or white shirt. this is also the year (in my fic) that she has an agent, sends out headshots regularly and is not against using her feminine wiles to get roles. middle is 1986ish (age 27) beryl: full blown celebrity of the 1980s. glamorous, sexy, demanding. big hair, tan skin. many many magazine covers, tons of movies. she is hollywood. this is how she meets zeus, and later has thalia. right is 1993 (age 34) beryl: the year she wins her oscar, gets back with jupiter, and has jason. she's slightly thinner and paler in this one, with lighter hair, following with the vampy 90s look, swapping red lips for brown. career definitely at a high but the rest of her life beginning the downward spiral.

here's a better look (bad quality SO SORRY) at the differences in makeup, skin and eyebrows (though this was before i lightened the hair) to get a feel of the differences between 80s (left) and 90s (right) beryl.

and, for fun, two party looks.

now prepare for an entire lookbook because i have a problem!!! remember you asked for this... if only you knew. as always, left is 80s, right is 90s.

(everyday category) big shoulders, big jewellery, vs vampy, almost soft-goth.

(formal category) award show chic! a lot more ostentatious for the 80s side but fully glamorous both ways.

(athletic category) definitely took inspiration from like, 80s celebrity fitness tapes (lbr i mean cher) for the left, and then the sporty bright colours of the 90s.

(nightwear category) pretty simple, standard. a big robe for either if someone is at the door.

(party category) some of my FAVE looks. an 80s LBD with big hair, and a clueless-inspired ensemble <3 ugh i love playing dress up can you tell...

(swimwear category) no comment just me being obsessed with sims custom content.

(hot weather category) one thing about me is i am OBSESSED w the like, 80s supermodel in just a thin white tee and shorts look. it's SO good. i can't pull it off being too breasty but it's stunning so ofc that. and a sweeter, softer 90s look to follow.

(cold weather category) this 80s one is my FAVOURITE possible of them all? something about the brown colour pallette and the big loose shapes and layering is very 80s movie to me, like this is always how they look in the films and probably how she did too! the 90s is more playful and cooler tones, shifting into different trends.

that's all i have that's worthy of being seen I SAY AS IF I DIDN'T JUST WRITE AN ESSAY... um yeah i have a sims addiction and being a writer i love making my own fanart this way it's so dumb and entertaining. anyway, hope you enjoyed lol, probably more to come later.

[ecofinisher]

Valentines stuff I didn't post during the 14th, because I didn't.

I made a heart with lights on the wall 😐

I picked four random couples, cause I didn't have enough time to search for poses and all that only for said day. (Also I heard about the malware hidden in some mod pages, so I rather avoid the pages for a while)

Ok I added a platform, because otherwise, you couldn't see the heart.

I just realized I had a fourth couple and forgot to screenshot them.....

Don't ask, but I don't like the new Goth version and stuck with the old ones. The only thing I would change would be Bella's skin.

Ah yes, Ayesha Ansari and Xander Clavell in Sims 4 are so unrealistic 💀

Bonus: Ok not a bonus, but that was my previous plan on S3, but I disliked it somehow

Like I had spontaneously the idea to do something for Valentines day on said day and had two ideas in mind. A couple dancing in the middle of the heart or more couples dancing around the heart. I found this on the gallery from the Seasons pack. I just wanted to see, if this would look any cute, but the teeth are bothering.....

But we all know, they DON'T WANT TO DANCE THE WAY I WANTED. And for some reason Gerda was nauseous (Story Progression made her pregnant 😭)

*Sings something romantic in Spanish* Oh by the way, they're Rollan & Gerda from Snow Queen.

7/10 rating for my creation. Weirdly they look better here than in S4.

This was my idea, but they were all on the wrong spot. Then I had a plan C and filmed all couples from the near slow-dancing. THEN JAMIE'S HUSBAND DECIDED WITH ME HAVING THE ACTIVITY TURNED OF GO TO WORK AND BREAKING THE ACTION BY HIMSELF!

With some cute music each couple dancing would be cute :3 Except I didn't know what to put on it 😂 (Watch me put Amy MacDonald over Rollda, because the movie did the same)

Right you become a James Bond-rip-off, when you get Level 10 in Law Enforcement. He's also the dumbass, that decided to leave the dance for work. (He's also a workaholic, so....)

Fun fact: Both their names mean the same thing, but when I made him I just gave him a random name xD

My child-me had weird Sim-ships. But hey, I had a cousin get interested into the game, because of Leighton!

River the rizzler 🤣 Okay, this is what you get from being around a Langerak for too long. (Also I like seeing her in a smoking somehow🥵)

Can't take her expressions here serious.....

It's been raining the whole time and all just enjoyed the party. That's the spirit!

The Adrinette of Sims. Don't ask me why, I think it doesn't make sense.

Ayesha out of nowhere decided to get her husband wet.

Well, that's all. I just wanted to share this here as well. Did it on said day on Instagram, but pictures remain there in low quality.

[dexaroth]

opinions on open world/creative/base building games

the one thing that always gets me about games that either are centered on or have elements pertaining to being able to build stuff like a base/house or a city or reshaping the world to your liking is that they always leave out some key elements that are practically quintessencial to engaging with the building at all

speaking from experience (and from playing acnh recently) those types of games either dont encourage the player enough to put effort into things or the things you can build end up having little to no practical purpose

the first game that comes to mind of the latter is vanilla minecraft. arguably infinite possibilities, but you're limited to the blocky style and you can quite easily beat the game and go on for irl/ in- game years without building a base at all. let alone homes or cities, since theres only you and villagers but they arent really company since theyre too busy hrrrnging their way with other villagers. theyre just a game element and i doubt anyone ever thought of them as genuine npcs. you can build castles, spaceships, anything! but theyll always be unnecessary compared to shutting yourself in a dirt hut - or villagers for that case. and even if you ignore that (and modding ands multiplayer for that case lol) then you still have to come up with the ideas for actual buildings yourself, AND then. even if you have everything in mind. building it is so painful, even with scaffolding. ive seen this opinion multiple times but minecraft simply doesnt benefit from its survival aspect. theres nothing thats worth digging all that ground and building that huge castle when it comes to time spent. its so cumbersome and unfun

the sims' house building id say is practically unparalleled - though it has plenty of limits (and furnishings behind paywalls of course) it still suffers because youre not an actual player. that house is for sims only, for people that arent you. and even if you could play there, you'd still be stuck in the game world that you cant influence like you can house lots.

while i havent played it, theres also technically house flipper but its one of those simulator games that dont have much in replayable/satisfying game loops to keep you going, and your house isnt the center point either. it also suffers from the no npc things. youre fixing houses, yet its all done through menus and no interaction (which id say works well for the game's workflow, but not belivability imo)

then theres something like terraria. it gets bonus points from having a housing system, but it still doesnt ask enough of the player and because of its genre ive always found it annoying to have to build their houses anyways. a huge majority of the good blocks are gated behind the end game, and by the time you get to build a nice house, you practically dont even need one. the enemies can also be countered somewhat easily and the npcs are, again, just that. shopkeepers that most of the time just die like boss fodder. ironically that always encouraged me to build their houses far away so they dont die.. not very helpful in creating a sense of community

the forest has a really good system and a lot of replayability, though there are barely any furnishings and everything is made out of logs. of course its not meant to be the end-all of building games and its focused on survival, but you have very good reasons to build a base, and you can get quite creative with them

and last but not least, the one that made me think about and write about this in the first place - new horizons. the creativity it allows is amazing. there are many screenshots that are incredible and barely look like the game at all. and even though there are literal hundreds of villagers and theyre more expressive than ever, they still fall flat. the islands, again, can be amazing. but almost everything is entirely cosmetic, the predefined paths and fences are very limited and so are the color choice for furnitures (though im guessing a lot if not all of these are limitations due to the console hardware/storage size). they have nicely introduced more custom design spaces and even a horizontal mirroring tool, but not an actual tiling editor.. even with the dlc they introduce stuff like wall partitions and room resizing, but the partitions can only use the main wallpaper and you cant resize the rooms in your house. and even though its nice to have a nice house, again.. outside multiplayer, theres not much purpose to them (SPECIALLY when i have to sit through loading screens to get to any of them. are you kidding me??). at best you can have a toilet to get rid of the fruit points, a kitchen for cooking and i guess a bedroom for going to dream towns.. or you could have a bed, an oven and a toilet in your room. you know. ugh

it has a lot of strengths with the kind of toy/dollhouse vibe(??) its going for, like how the house's insides are completely different from their outsides but it also means you cant have cute stuff like seeing your island from outside, seeing your villagers through windows, or just having an actual big house n stuff.

idk man.. they always seem to either lack a reason to build, or if they give you reasons to build theyre so weak you can often just not build at all. maybe im asking too much but is there ever gonna be a game that gives you a reason to build and keep going at the same time? :(

imagine if you still had villagers like acnh, but they had good dialogue and commented on your stuff/decisions, while also only moving in because you built a shop or a market or a city to live in. and the reason you built that is because your goal in-game is to be a chef or an adventurer or something, and you werent limited to an island or pre-made furniture.. something in-between the sims' cartoony realistic proportions and acnh's childish toy designs when it comes to aesthetics.. could you imagine

[strangecowplant]

How do you take such big/HQ in game screenshots?

SRWE, I usually use 7680x4320 resolution and crop out what I don’t need later! I’ve stopped using the HQ mod because its just not worth it in game (the difference is minimal and not worth the trouble and space) I do still use some hq cc though for rendering

What Reshade/Gshade preset(s) do you use?

For CAS I usually default to this but also often use this and this, and for gameplay I change it a LOT but currently I’ve been digging Birdie and Raíces + special shout out to my beloved Moonflower! *note - I use Reshade 5.8.0 with shaders to mimic gshade of which i literally cannot find the tutorial for atm I’ll update this if i ever find it and change options around in presets as i go to make it work for the specific sim/setting

How do you get transparent pictures in game?

Two things, both require reshade! 1: Chromakey shaders 2: Hide UI shaders (for added cleanliness) I recommend using a plain cas background to get the cleanest png ie, one without a floor like this one (the floor chromakey setting is too finicky to work well) as a bonus this means you can use old slider required shoes without needing the slider bc no floor! :-)

What do you use to edit screenshots?

Photoshop 2021 - heres how I do 3D/CA edits *gameplay pics are usually untouched sans sharpening

How to 🏴‍☠️? How to get past paywalls?

DM me if you need any help to safely get the game - do NOT use tarac For paywalls check this post!

Computer specs?

My laptop is old and dying and coughing up blood but for posterity’s sake here she is: MSI Leopard Pro GP62 6QF - GTX 960m, i7 Processor, 16gb RAM

Why did you block me?

Not that you should even ask bc its not your business why someone blocked you to make themselves feel more comfortable in a space, but I’ve seen some pretty condescending ppl online crying about being blocked so; the usual reasons: you’re a shit person (ie terf/racist/homophobe/prolifer/zionist ect), you posted non cc in cc tags a bunch, you’re a perma-paywaller, I just dont vibe with you/you give me red flags/im uncomfortable (and if you’re block evading to read this then thats quite telling!) you have anything to do with disgusting media ie harry potter, I personally don’t have interest in what you post and tumblr is being a piece of shit showing me your blog too often (this is 100% on tumblr) do not ask me or anyone to unblock you, move on

[ablegaming]

Gran Turismo 7 accessibility review

Game title: Gran Turismo 7

Platform(s): Playstation 5, Playstation 4

Languages: Matches your Playstation console's default language setting. Czech, Danish, German, English (United Kingdom), English (United States), Spanish (Latin America), Spanish (Spain), French (Canada), French (France), Indonesian, Italian, Hungarian, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Russian, Romanian, Finnish, Swedish, Vietnamese, Turkish, Ukrainian, Arabic, Greek, Japanese, Korean, Thai, and simplified & traditional Chinese are available.

Age rating: ESRB E 10+, PEGI 3

Multiplayer: 2-player local split-screen multiplayer. Online multiplayer up to 20 players in a game lobby. Online profile photo, nickname, cover photo, about me, default greeting, post race greeting, and social links can all be set.

Genre/theme: Racing simulation, circuit races, rally races, championships, license trials, car collection, car customization, screenshot and photo editing.

Violence: None, aside from causing some occasional minor damage to other racers' cars.

Maturity: No sexuality, nudity, swearing, or drugs & alcohol references. A driving experience gamers of all ages will enjoy.

Difficulty modes: Setting a new standard for accessibility, several assists are on by default when starting a new game, and they remain on until you turn them off, making the game very approachable. After trying out various amounts and levels of assists, I found that most of the starting assists really did help my hands a lot. I eventually turned off the visual displays for the drive line and brake zones, but I kept corner markers displayed on-screen (I don’t have very good depth perception), auto-braking around turns (to save my left hand/arm the stress of constant braking), a little bit of ABS, and some traction control (to decrease the amount of counter-steering needed, especially on dirt tracks and rainy levels).

Even when the braking is set to automatic you can still mess up by going into a turn too fast and skidding off course or crashing, so letting off of the accelerator and doing some light manual braking will still be helpful, you won't literally fly off of the track going around a turn crazy fast like you would with the braking assist turned off. You can get a serious boost in speed if you turn off auto-braking and get good at braking manually in GT7, but I've found it to be much harder on the hands. Several of the assists can be turned way up or way down, or off entirely, giving you the freedom to choose every aspect of the game you'd like to fine-tune to your needs and preferences.

The difficulty mode is set to Normal by default but can be set to either Easy or Hard as well, race prize money is not affected by changing difficulty.

There are unlockable bonus races that aren't required for the main story completion that can range up to 5-chili pepper difficulty level; these almost always have increased tire wear and fuel usage, requiring pit stops during the race.

Complexity: As complex or as simple as you'd like it to be; Gran Turismo 7 can play very casually with several assists on, or it can be a hardcore realistic racing sim, and everything in between. Cars can be incredibly fine-tuned and customized or can be driven stock, but some upgrades will likely be needed for later races and championships, and upgrades generally make the game easier to control.

Instructions, saving, story recap, menus, & waypoints: There is a link to the online manual on the main menu screen. Controls and skills are learned and practiced by playing through the license trials. Menus are mostly pretty easy to navigate and find what you're looking for, but the text size is kinda small. In-game notifications are clear and reliable, creating a marker on which gaming mode area to select for your current goal.

There isn't much of a story beyond collecting cars and winning all the championships, as is true of the Gran Turismo series as a whole.The Cafe is your source of obtaining new goals and rewards, and also offers some brief history about the cars and manufacturers.

In-game notifications can be turned off. Autosaves often, after every race; I had the game crash a time or two and never lost any progress (in earlier builds, they release update patches often). Can turn opening movie and demo off to speed up load time.

Subtitles: Relies entirely on subtitles, the text is fairly small and appears at a medium pace.

Text customization: "Skip conversations using cancel" is the only dialogue option available. Unit of measurement can be switched between mph and kph.

Voice acting: None

Volume settings: Balanced BGM (background music) and sound effects mode, enhanced sound effects mode, race BGM focus mode, menu sound effects level, play race BGM, race BGM level, race sound effects level, replay BGM level, replay sound effects level, music replay volume balance, music replay master volume level, other BGM level, engine sound level, transmission sound level, tire squeals level, rivals engine sound level, broadcast mode, and audio output mode: 2 channel stereo or 7.1 channel surround are all customizeable. In-game notifications for the current song playing pop up in the upper right corner, and songs can be removed from the default playlist.

Photosensitivity: Exposure, color saturation, bright level, and dark level can all be adjusted.

There aren't many flashing lights in the race track environments (primarily on a couple of the road courses in Japan), the main flashing light issue is on the heads-up-display, as it flashes blue, white, and red while shifting gears (the entire heads-up-display can actually be turned off in the in-race settings menu though). Additionally, whichever setting you hover the cursor over in the Settings menu flashes between dark gray and white. Some cars emit a bit of an exhaust flash when shifting up a gear, this is more noticeable on night levels.

These can be remedied a bit by playing in a well-lit room and adjusting screen brightness (TV), backlight (TV), contrast (TV), and color settings (TV). Additionally, wearing blue light lens glasses, tinted lens glasses, or even sunglasses may be helpful.

Motion sickness: Driving in first-person perspective is really accurate with car interiors and is well done but may be too much too for gamers who struggle with fast images/high speeds, I personally found this to be a bit better in third-person camera mode. The camera can be changed with the press of a button, so you could even switch between camera modes several times in a race if different perspectives on certain turns or lighting areas are easier for you. There are four camera angles to choose from: third person (behind the vehicle and up about 25–30 degrees), first person, dash-cam, and front of the car. The sideposts and lamp posts blend together in a slightly disorienting way on particularly fast tracks/driving fast cars, but this can be remedied by placing your eyes’ focal point directly in front of the car.

Colorblindness settings: Color saturation can be customized, but no colorblind mode.

Controller rumble: Yes, vibration level can be customized or turned off entirely.

Remappable controls: 100%, every button can be remapped.

Quick-time events: None, aside from timed starts and early start penalties on some of the tougher races.

Physical impact: Low with assists on, moderate with all assists turned off. I haven't tried this game with a racing wheel or wheel + pedals setup. There are lengthy optional endurance races you can take on, which I found to be too fatiguing and painful, but completing these isn't necessary.

I played through the game on Playstation 4, but a friend of mine who played through it on Playstation 5 messaged me after reading this review to let me know that the Playstation 5 Dualsense controller caused him some additional pain and fatigue due to the controller's adjustable trigger tension level. Thankfully, the trigger tension can be turned down or off entirely to relieve this.

Adaptability and input: To play one-handed, a racing wheel + pedals setup will likely be needed. Can be played with Sony Playstation 5 Dualsense controller, Sony Playstation 4 Dualshock 4 controller, Fanatec GT DD Pro racing wheel, Fanatec CSL Elite racing wheel, Fanatec Podium racing wheel, Logitech G G29/G923 racing wheel, Logitech G PRO racing wheel, Thrustmaster T-GT racing wheel, Thrustmaster T-300RS racing wheel, Thrustmaster T-500RS racing wheel, Thrustmaster T150 Force Feedback racing wheel, and Thrustmaster T80 racing wheel.

Upgrades that can be purchased for each car include increasing the steering angle, installing a handbrake for easier drifting around turns, as well as nitrous boost.

Overall accessibility score: 4.5/5.0 (Please note that this score does not reflect the entertainment or enjoyment value of the game, it represents the range of accessibility for gamers who have specific limitations.)

With Gran Turismo 7, Sony and Polyphony have set a new standard for excellence in accessibility in racing games. A wide range of languages, complete control remappability, compatibility with several racing wheel setups, in-depth lighting, camera, and sound settings, along with all of the gameplay and visual assists you could ever want, all add up to an incredibly approachable driving experience. Some mild photosensitivity and motion-sickness, but these can be remedied by various means, and aren't anywhere near as intense as you'd expect from a driving game. The greatest accessibility omissions are the lack of voice acting and text customization settings. Who knows, with all of the updates being released for this game (and maybe a little encouragement from us) there's a chance text customization settings could be added one day!

My review can also be read and listened to (text-to-speech) at Medium.com:

https://medium.com/@AbleGaming/gran-turismo-7-accessibility-review-8597bb979988

[theglowworm2008]

Get ready for an extremely ugly Rags to Riches challenge!

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything about the Sims. Honestly, I got a little burnt out/bored of it and had a less than minor fling with my first ever Animal Crossing game that had come out on the Switch. There have been other flings between, mostly involving Horizon Zero Dawn and it’s sequel, but I digress...

For this generation, I’ve decided (Since I ended up slipping off the Sims wagon every time it got to be too much) that I would not allow myself to edit my screenshots. 

That’s right. We’re going nude. Base. Vanilla. *Cringe*

It’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make on all of our eyeballs for the sake of actually making it past the children phase of a first gen. 

HOWEVER...!

I’ve also decided that I wanted to make this generation a lot more challenging (Even despite never having played this challenge...) by using mods. Lots of mods! 

[insert evil laugh here]

@adeepindigo is touching on my mischievious little heart with her SimNation Travel mod (Now my sim will have to pay every time she leaves her home world) as well as her Simulation Is Not Free (Which makes it so I need a membership to the gym in order to take that “free” shower). There’s also a rehaul in careers and pay thanks to Kuttoe and health care changes, owed specifically to adeepindigo, once more, that will make us need to purchase meds to literally live in some cases. We’ve got tax returns, bill overhauls, university needs before many careers/promotions can even be tackled, etc.

This may or may not be a fun challenge, depending entirely on perspective. 

So, sit back, try not to gouge out your eyes and enjoy the ride. 

Oh, and “Hiiiiiiiii!” to those I haven’t spoken to on here in a while! 

Without further ado, here is Kinley Bright, a Clumsy, Hotheaded, Ambitious individual who is willing to tackle homelessness for a life of luxury and simoleons! Our bonus personality traits are Greedy, Everyman, The Commander (SOL) and Business Savy. And, thanks to another mod, Kinley has no interest in children right now (Thank god!). We are plopped down in the Baggend (Uuuuh... don’t remember what this one was called.. xD) world (As this was the only one without any freaking homes on it in this save) and, now, poor Kinley is going to have to do quite a bit of traveling to find collectables (Seriously.. why aren’t there more collectables in the new worlds?!). 

Are you ready? No? That’s cool. Neither am I. 

[tiredassmage]

23-26 of the SWTOR asks?

Ohhh, some fun ones I don't generally think about!!! And some that I do. A good mix!! Thank you so much for the ask, I love this silly little dress up sim, I mean... Star Wars video game.

23. Share some of your favorite quotes/dialogue with us!

I don't think anything is going to ever top one of the Agent-specific dialogues to be found on Ziost; truly, I was so floored it was a voiced, actually in-game line because I almost couldn't have found a better sentence for Tyr's thoughts, and that was

"If that's the case, I think he overestimates the capabilities of the Empire's Intelligence apparatus."

The level of self-dig from this coming from Cipher Nine, successful surviving operative of Imperial Intelligence turned Commander of Sith Intelligence (genuinely not doin' too hot atm, fair enough) is just. The absolute audacity of him to say it to Lana, essentially his boss in Sith Intelligence, is just... It was a truly exquisite experience, lol. Genuinely, I thought I bullshitted that line in my head until I found it in someone's playthrough video.

I also, generally speaking, have a soft spot for Rishi - and Shadow of Revan as a whole is probably my favorite expansion (bonus for number 11, I guess, lol).

Also this moment in the Jedi Consular story on Belsavis. Local Jedi Consular laughs in the face of a prison guard. Another moment where I thought my character was LOSING THEIR MIND. This one wasn't necessarily a specific line of dialogue, but the fact that the Consular was actually laughing in the middle of them being in something they. Probably. Shouldn't be laughing at. I'm not exaggerating when I say I lost my marbles over this one for a good 10 minutes. I barely made it through the rest of the cutscene because I just COULD NOT believe... Like, I got it. That was my reaction, too, buddy, but DAMN. Lmaoooo.

24 & 25. Do you have a primary/preferred stronghold? Mind sharing some screenshots of your stronghold(s)?

So, I'm, generally speaking, not rich enough in SWTOR to own strongholds, much less decorate or unlock them, and if I ever get around to being that rich, in the few times it has occurred, I have usually played dress up first and... yeah, so, lmao. Have been to a guild's setup on Yavin that I really enjoyed, but I haven't yet gotten a character far enough along that I would like that one for, so the only one I own outside of the starting apartments is the Vaiken Spacedock Penthouse, which is coming along. It's not coming out perfectly how I wanted, but it's probably the most I've gotten into decorating to date.

This, possibly unsuprisingly, is meant to be Tyr's space since he's my beloved blorbo main; specifically this is sort of the more private half I have set up for him. The inner room facing the inner Fleet is set up somewhat similarly, but is more the public entertainment space, and the back room is developing into an area meant for Alliance related work and discussion. I'm mildly amused by the double agent having a safehouse/crash area in the middle of the Imperial Fleet because there's no way that wouldn't be highly on his mind, but I imagine it's also for the sake of appearances, mainly. Much of it is still space dedicated primarily to maintaining the facade of Commander and loyal senior Intelligence operative.

26. Who is/are your favorite non-companion NPC(s)?

Yuon Par is actually the best and nobody will change my mind. Out of all of the mentor figures, she's the one that I personally packbonded the most with, for sure, and, to this day, my main Consular loved her to bits. Bapping SWTOR like a cat, what happened to my favorite Jedi Master????? I miss her, Tails....

I also find, perhaps specifically with Tyr, OG Keeper/the eventual Minister of Intelligence intriguing if only because of the sort of personal explanation I have headcanon'ed for Tyr's dynamic with him - a sort of mentor and almost father-figure, though Tyr would have never actually told him this and I doubt either of them really spoke on it, ever.

I could probably populate a list of them almost exclusively from the Jedi Consular and Imperial Agent storylines because I do think they're my ultimate favorites

Honorable mention to Satele Shan, who I distinctly remember being WAY too excited to meet for the first time like I'd known her from something before and for the LIFE of me I cannot remember why I felt like that was just a reference I knew. Also Darmas for being my favorite rat from the Smuggler story. <3 Thanks for making Corellia so interesting, you devil, you. <3