MsBarrows / Blog

Author: MsBarrows | Posted Sep 19, 2009

If you happen to notice any missing images in my blog here, or in any of my FA thread posts or forum stories, the reason why is pretty simple - someone apparently saw fit last weekend to abuse access to a Sims2 web site in order to steal the passwords of myself and several other TSR FAs and SAs (not going to point fingers since we don't have proof enough yet to narrow it down to any one specific site, though I can say it was not TSR), then try those passwords against other places on the internet where any of us had an identifiable web presence.

In my case I was lucky - I'd already been phasing that particular password out of use since I knew I'd used it on at least two Sims2 sites in the past that can now be characterized as being havens for so-called pirates. Whoever it was that did this only hit the jackpot on one location, my Photobucket account, which they promptly redirected to a (probably fictitious) email address, deleted many of my pictures, and replaced most of the remainder. One of the "replacements" they made - replacing a photograph of me with the same photograph overlaid with the word "ATWAT", which, yes, I am aware is the pirate's chosen name for an ex-TSR staff member that they apparently have an obsessive, fanatical hatred of - made it pretty clear that whomever did this is part of the pirate faction of the Sims2 community.

The first I learned of this was on Tuesday morning, when I got a phone call from my brother letting me know that my online portfolio, which I'd just spent weeks putting together, having only just completed it on Friday of last week, was screwed up. Thankfully I hadn't started shopping it around on job applications yet - linking to a site full of Photobucket's "Image moved or deleted" and "Violation of our terms of service" images would NOT have made a good first impression on potential employers. It might have been even worse then that  - one person reported that she had her family photo album replaced with indecent images.

As I say, I was lucky - I'm aware of someone who had been using the password which was stolen on their primary email account as well. I'm sure you can image the "fun" whoever did this had with password reset utilities over the weekend as a result. In all, the person or person(s) responsible for this is so far known to have vandalized Photobucket, Flickr, MySpace, Youtube, and other online presences of at least 5 people. No, I won't name names - it's up to those FAs or SAs to decide for themselves if they wish to make any statements on this latest vindictive behaviour against those of us who call TSR home.

Photobucket support gave me back control of my account, and I've since re-uploaded almost all my images. There are some missing, which I'll re-upload as I locate them. Thankfully I'm a packrat, so except for a few isolated images I'm pretty sure I still have local copies of just about everything I've ever posted to Photobucket.

In the meantime, to whomever did this, and to anyone in the pirate community that delights in, supports, and condones this kind of behaviour, I can only hope that the bad karma this sort of petty vandalism earns turns around and bites you in the ass.

Author: MsBarrows | Posted Mar 28, 2009 | 2 comments

I've hit 2,000 creations! Wheeee!

*Ducks before they can hit back*

Author: MsBarrows | Posted Feb 18, 2009 | 3 comments

Just noticed that my downloads have recently rolled over the three million mark. That's a heck of a lot of files! I'm glad that so many of you have liked my creations enough to download and use them over the several years that I've been active on TSR, and hope you continue to enjoy them.

Author: MsBarrows | Posted Feb 5, 2009 | 1 comments

School has me even busier then I thought it would, which is a bad thing since it means I have less time for working on CC for TS2 then I'd hoped. On the other hand I'm learning some new techniques for modelling, texturing, etc., as well as a bunch of new tools that are making it easier to get models done - which, obviously, is a good thing!

I'm hoping to at least publish some lots this month (they're built, I just have to find the time to take and format some preview pictures, and get them posted), and possibly even some new meshes if I can find a few spare hours a week to work on them. Next month, of course, we have March break, and I hope to really pound out some new items then using some of the better work methods that I'm currently learning.

In the meantime, for your entertainment, I've added a gallery to my minisite where I'll be randomly posting renders of things I'm working on in my courses. Models, textures, concept art, and so forth. Some items may later reappear as items for TS2; the shark model I'm currently working on, for example, might be interesting to turn into a tropy or a museum-type exhibit (or, as Windkeeper previously created... a pool toy!).

Author: MsBarrows | Posted Jan 7, 2009 | 1 comments

Yup, I's is going to get me some edu-ma-cation!

Starting next week I'm going back to college for a 2-semester post-graduate course in 3D graphics. I hope to get my currently rather out-of-date skills back up to speed with current software, get a portfolio and/or demo reel done, and then try to get back to working in graphics, preferably in gaming again.

This does means I'll be rather busy a lot of the time between now and next fall, so my output of custom content for TSR is going to remain slow, but I do plan to continue creating for, playing, and writing about Sims 2 for some time to come yet.

What do I think I'll find the weirdest about going back to college? The age difference! And to think that I thought I was a mature student when I first went to college for 3D graphics back in the '90s... ack!

Author: MsBarrows | Posted Dec 16, 2008 | 1 comments

I've been asked a couple of times to explain to people how the items in my Victorian build sets cross-link with each other. Ie, what ones you have to have (or make sure your downloaders know to get) so you don't end up with flashing-blue objects in your lots.

So here's the list of what is stand-alones, and what is connected:

Stand-Alone
- fences (requires any EP)
- modular stairs (which have special installation requirements)
- circular stairs (requires Apartment Life)
- gate
- column

Dependencies
- all windows and doors get their wood texture from a base game window, but require the Standard Straight window mesh for the stained glass textures
- all doors require the straight glass door with transom for their door handle texture
- the offset column and all window boxes need the regular column master mesh for their wood textures
- all window boxes get their soil texture from the 1-tile oleander straight window box

Hope that helps some of you solve any problems you're experiencing in using or recolouring these! I'll update this post whenever I add more objects to the set.

Author: MsBarrows | Posted Nov 12, 2008 | 0 comments

The "Gone Fishing" on my banner refers to my latest forum story, "A Fisher's Tale". You can stop having heart palpitations now! Unless, of course, it's because of how snuggly the main character, Albacore Fisher, is...

Author: MsBarrows | Posted Nov 6, 2008 | 0 comments

Just posting this to archive and keep handy some links to my older stories, now that I've moved on from the Soups to a new project.

Soup Stories:

Legacy A-R and family trees A-J, J-R, and Watson Clan - Melody's Memories - Rock Soup - Legacy R-Z and family tree R-Z

Other Stories:

Strange Happenings - Conjoined Hoods (Uncompleted)

Current Project:

A Fisher's Tale and family tree

I'll update this when and as necessary :)

Author: MsBarrows | Posted Oct 7, 2008 | 1 comments

Today I posted the final entry in my Soup Legacy. After three-plus years of playing them and writing about them, it's time to (finally) move on. Though I'll be easing myself into it - I'll be writing a few short stories to tie up some loose ends of the non-heir sim storylines.

And I'll be starting work on building my new play 'hood. I'm getting ambitious with it - I want to build a complete (though small!) city and associated ruralized areas for my sims to live in, and then use it as a setting for a Legacy as well as several challenges and site stories. We'll see how far I get before I decide I've bit off more then I can chew!

This also means I'll finally get back into heavy-duty creating after my more-or-less hiatus of the last few months, since for some of the things I have planned to build, I'll need to build some build-mode and furnishing sets first.

Author: MsBarrows | Posted Sep 8, 2008 | 2 comments

Easy answer: I'm gearing up to rebuild my play/storytelling 'hood from scratch (the Soup Legacy being in its final days). A big chunk of it will be a rather run down inner city sort of area, and I want a larger variety of nasty, dilapidated textures for that.

Plus, cyclonesue likes the crumbling set :D

Expect to see a whole pile of old, worn, ugly build mode items, new meshes, and recolours of existing meshes as a result of this project!

I'll likely publish some of the lots as well, depending on a) my mood and b) how much CC they require.