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Men are from Mars... Women are from Venus... Computers are from the deepest bowels of Hell!

Posted On Oct 06, 2008 | 2 Comments

Early Sunday evening... After spending all day yesterday burning files to safety on a bunch of DVD-R discs and transferring others to my tiny little 40 gig hard drive, I was ready to defrag and CHKDSK my precious external drive. It has just finished. All night long and half the morning to defrag, and from about 11:00 AM until about 5:30 (yes!) to complete CHKDSK. Whole lot of bad sectors. Something was really futzed up and I think it all started with a nasty power outage that must have zapped the drive in mid-read or something. And yes, kids, I do have my electronics plugged into a surge protector (not just a suppressor, mind, a protector). But although the hardware came through okay, apparently some of the files got corrupted. Just enough to really mess up my life over the past week.

Plus, my expensive office chair from Staples has flipped its hydraulic lid. It won't stay elevated! I sit down and gradually sink to the lowest setting, as if I were in a bog of quicksand.

Now that things have been cleaned up I can reinstall my Sims and get back to business. But not tonight. I have had all I can take of computers this weekend, and this stupid chair that won't stay at the proper height!

Time to fetch a mug of coffee with a shot of Irish and start rereading Harry Potter.

 

Something ate my Sims! Part 2

Posted On Oct 04, 2008 | Click here to comment

Well, nothing I've tried (and I've tried everything) has brought my ailing game back to life, so it's time to bite the bullet and start over again with a clean slate. This weekend's project is to find my game discs and reinstall the game from the ground up.

Luckily, I was smart for once and backed up my old game files before I recently installed Freetime and Apartment Life, and all the SPs. So all I've really lost is a lot of time and a few fistfulls of hair. Plus I think my language scared the cats at a few particularly aggravating moments.

The lot I was working on for publication when my game went haywire is still okay, I think. If not, the cats had better put their little earplugs in!

 

Something ate my Sims!

Posted On Sep 28, 2008 | 2 Comments

Well I don't know what happened, but my game self-destructed a few days ago and I still can't figure out what's wrong. It just, all of a sudden, started telling me it's not installed! So now I'm trying to find the box where I stored my older game discs (the base game, NL, UNI, OFB, Pets and Seasons) so I can reinstall the whole thing. I think the box was brown... :(

 

Apartment Life Poll

Posted On Sep 09, 2008 | Click here to comment

Apartment Life's been out for almost two weeks now, so I guess it's time to close this poll and tabulate your responses:

Question: Are you planning to get the newest Sims 2 EP, Apartment Life?
70.39% (126) Yeah! It sounds great.
20.11% (36) I might, but I'll wait to see what others think about it first.
8.38% (15) Probably not. EA's sucked its last dollar (euro, yen, pound, peso, dinar, etc.) out of me.

Well, I confess that I was one of the ones who intended to wait a bit, but I ended up jumping right off the cliff with the rest of the lemmings to experience all the wonderful new bugs and glitches. Was it worth it? Yeah, it's a fun EP! I'm not as blown away as I was by the Seasons EP, but I'd have to say that Apartment Life runs neck-and-neck with Bon Voyage as my second favorite.

Question: What interests you most about Apartment Life's new features?
56.42% (101) Multiple families on one lot
47.49% (85) Being able to rent and have roommates - more realistic (lots of people can't afford homes of their own).
41.9% (75) Spiral staircases! (Took them long enough!)
24.02% (43) Heating and cooling
33.52% (60) Ceilings
35.75% (64) Kids' playground
41.9% (75) Magic!
29.05% (52) New self-study options

Interestingly enough, I was least impressed by the features I thought I'd like most, and more impressed by the features I thought I'd like least. The magical element is disappointing. The witches' comings and goings are cool, but other than that it's pretty mediocre. I was really hoping for more similarities to the Sims 1 Makin' Magic EP: casting spells on unsuspecting Sims, having magical duels, that sort of thing.

Roomies are turning out to be more trouble than they're worth, and the much-touted apartment-sized doggie with his own pen is being roundly panned as nothing more than a big guinea pig with a cage that takes up way too much room for an apartment. I'm sticking with cats, small dogs and the birds, which of course requires the Pets EP. I guess if you don't have Pets -- well, go get Pets. Everybody should have a cat.

After waiting through seven EPs, we finally get spiral staircases. Whoopee. Except for the realistic animations (and the fact that pets can go up and down them, too) I prefer the curved and spiral staircases our CC creators have come up with. Here's anticipating that those same artists will now bring us some new staircases that curve both clockwise and counter-clockwise. Nothing worse than having your layout spoiled by a staircase that winds the wrong way.

Building is a real challenge with this EP but it's fun figuring out how to make your lot the way you envision it while working with the new constraints of the multi-family mode. It's also nice to have your Sims able to move into a luxurious home without having to use a cheat to give them the necessary funds.

Question: EA said Freetime would be the last Sims 2 EP. Do you think Apartment Life will really be the last one?
47.49% (85) Yes, they've exhausted the possibilities.
50.84% (91) Are you kidding? They'll milk this cash cow into the next century!

We're pretty evenly split on this question. Personally, I think EA's shooting themselves in the foot to abandon the Sims 2 bonanza in favor of the Sims 3. There are a lot more EPs they could dream up that we'd snap right up. But then, I swore I'd never abandon Sims 1. Now I can't even remember where I put the disks.

Thanks very much to everyone who participated in this poll!

 

Separates Poll

Posted On Jul 09, 2008 | Click here to comment

Time to close another poll. Here's what 214 of you thought about elder-enabled separates:

Question: I've recently started converting adult separates to work for elders. What are your thoughts?
85.78% (187) I like them! It's great to have more versatility.
12.39% (27) They're too much trouble, because you can't use them with regular elder separates.

Question: Would you like to have recolors of the conversions I've done so far?
75.23% (164) You bet! The more the merrier.
21.1% (46) No, I think your elder-enabled clothes have given elders enough variety.

Question: Would you like recolors to include elders, adults and young adults?
56.42% (123) It depends on the style. What's appropriate for one age group doesn't always work for others.
42.66% (93) Sure! It doesn't take up any more room in my downloads folder, and I like having a choice.

Question: Do you like to download several different colors/prints of the same style?
63.76% (139) Yes, if I like the style I want lots of different options.
33.49% (73) No, I limit myself to one or two different colors/prints of any one style.

Question: What colors do you prefer for elder clothing?
12.84% (28) I think elders look better in conservative colors (black, brown, navy, burgundy, etc.).
18.35% (40) I like brighter colors and pastels for women but conservative colors for men.
68.35% (149) I like a mix for both sexes.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to add their votes to the poll. Lots of good information!

Gina

 

Freetime poll results: Love it or hate it?

Posted On Apr 29, 2008 | Click here to comment

With 216 responses, here's how you answered the question: Now that the final Sims 2 EP, Freetime, has been released, what are your thoughts?

Question: Have you got Freetime yet?
6.48% (14) Yes, and it's a waste of money.
25% (54) No, but I intend to get it.
9.72% (21) No, and I don't intend to get it.
57.41% (124) Yes, and it's great!

Question: If you got Freetime, or intend to, why? (Check all that apply.)
70.83% (153) I love having more activity options.
56.02% (121) I want all the new objects and clothing, and I want to be able to download the recolors artists will create for them.
28.24% (61) I want to be able to download and use lots that artists with Freetime create.
34.26% (74) I just want to have the complete collection of EPs.

Question: If you haven't got Freetime and don't intend to, why not? (Check all that apply.)
7.41% (16) It's too expensive.
4.63% (10) The features don't interest me.
11.57% (25) My computer already has trouble handling the EPs I've got.
6.02% (13) I'm sick of having to upgrade my favorite hacks to work with every new EP.

Question: What Sims 2 version of a Sims 1 EP would you have preferred for the final Sims 2 EP?
31.02% (67) Makin' Magic! Just think of the possibilities for new activities, clothing, and cool objects!
20.83% (45) Superstar! Everybody wants to be rich and famous.
46.3% (100) Neither. I like new concepts, not recycled versions of old ideas.

Many thanks to all who took the time to participate in the poll. Your responses have changed my mind about getting Freetime, eventually -- but not until it goes on sale!

 

Using Elder-Enabled Separates

Posted On Apr 26, 2008 | Click here to comment

By now, people who know me and my work know that I'm dedicated to enabling the adult clothing in the EA/Maxis catalog to work for elder Sims.

So far, I've limited these conversions to whole outfits, but elders can use converted clothing based on adult meshes for separates as well. However, you must be sure that when you use an elder-enabled top, you only pair it with an elder-enabled skirt or pants. EA's insistence on making elders (particularly women) with paunchy midriffs means that clothing created for use with elder meshes will be wider at the waist than clothing created for adult meshes. Therefore, tops and bottoms based on elder meshes will leave gaps if used with adult mesh-based, elder-enabled separates, as illustrated below:

I hope this explanation makes it clear why you can only use elder-enabled separates with each other. I have several more sets of separates in the works, all of which will be interchangeable. Using these separates is a little more complicated than using whole meshes, but the versatility of mix-and-match separates is well worth it!

 

Whaddaya like?

Posted On Mar 01, 2008 | Click here to comment

It's time to close my latest poll, with 263 respondents (thank you!). Lots of valuable information for me and other custom content providers.

I was particularly surprised by how much the quality of the preview pictures influences your decision on whether to download or not. This factor even beat out subscriber/non-subscriber. Thinking about it, though, I realize that it makes sense that an artist who's creative and meticulous about their creations will also be that way about their preview shots.

Another surprise was how many "older" players there are. Fewer than 20 percent of those responding were under age 18. Goes to show you, this is far from being just another "kid's game."

Here are the final results:

Question: What is your age bracket?
19.01% (50) Under 18
28.52% (75) 18 to 25
25.86% (68) 25 to 35
13.69% (36) 35 to 45
9.51% (25) 45 or older

Question: What do you prefer to download (check all that apply)?
74.9% (197) Clothing
34.6% (91) Lots
37.26% (98) Build items (doors, windows, stairs, etc.)
27% (71) Floors, walls and terrains
67.68% (178) Furniture and furnishings
64.26% (169) Hair, makeup, etc.
17.87% (47) Complete or Celebrity Sims

Question: Do you prefer to download sets or individual items?
73.76% (194) Sets
23.57% (62) Individual items

Question: What would keep you from downloading (check all that apply)?
49.81% (131) Poor quality previews
60.84% (160) Too many meshes required, or have to go to other sites to download meshes
43.73% (115) Subscriber only items
7.98% (21) Not SA or FA - I think they're higher quality
72.62% (191) Personal taste - just don't like the style, color, etc.

Again, many thanks to those of you who took the time to respond to the poll. I hope it was fun for you!

 

Bit of a slowdown

Posted On Feb 20, 2008 | 4 Comments

Real life, including some health issues, has been intruding on my Sims time lately. I've also been working through some tutorials and Photoshop manuals to begin trying my hand at recoloring. Still, I have plenty of Maxis catalog clothing sets ready to be recoded to work for elders, and I hope to get at least one set published every week or so while I sort things out in my real life.

Abundant thanks to all of you who give me such great feedback about the elder-enabled clothing! It feels great to know that this is a gap that needs filling, and not just my own narrow preference for elders with a little more oomph! than Maxis programmers decided they should have!

 

January. New York. 68 degrees F, 20C.

Posted On Jan 08, 2008 | 1 Comments

I've experienced January thaws before here in beautiful upstate New York, but this is phenomenal. For the second straight day, the thermometer has registered nearly 70 degrees. For all you Celsius fans out there, that's around 20.

All the snow has melted away except for a few stubborn little icy chunks here and there in shady spots. It feels like an early April day here and Spring fever is bubbling. So what am I doing sitting inside typing this blog entry???

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