The 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway!

It's the most wonderful time of the year! We're counting down the 12 days until Christmas, and we'll be giving away prizes every day! Starting today, a new post will appear on Facebook showing some of that day's new FA creations. You must comment on the post in order to be entered (multiple comments will not increase your chances of winning).

We'll be choosing three winners a day! When the next day's post is ready, the winners will be tagged on the previous day's post. If you're a winner, you can send us a message on Facebook, or you can send me a Private Message here. We use the random number generator from the lovely people at Math Goodies to pick the winners: https://www.mathgoodies.com/calculators/random_no_custom

Prizes include the expansion pack, game pack or stuff pack of your choice and/or free VIP in increments of one month, six months or twelve months! 

Good Luck, Have Fun and Happy Holidays!

We Want Your Screenshots!

Every day when we announce the winners of the previous Lottery, we use a screenshot that has been submitted by you guys.  The images can be anything you would find in your game, but they must be PG-13, and they should not have any text (this includes your name) on them.  (Also avoid images that are overly photoshopped, meaning no lens flare, borders, etc).

While we love every image that gets published, we are in need of landscapes and pictures that show off the great outdoors.  We accept images from any Sims game, as well.

As a bonus, from now on, if we use your picture on our Facebook page for announcing the lottery, we'll link back to your profile so everyone will know it was yours _and_ you'll get 3 days of free VIP access.

Side Note:  If you need some tips on how to take better screenshots, you can't go wrong reading this 'Scene Creation' tutorial by FredBrenny - http://wiki.thesimsresource.com/index.php?title=Scene_Creation_a_Brief_Summary   While it is aimed more towards making a set look good, the information on lights and arrangements can make a difference.

But Degera, how do I upload a screenshot?  Make sure you are logged in, and click Account at the top of the page.  Then click Edit Screenshots.  

Now you'll see a page with two tabs.  The first tab displays any images you have already uploaded.  The second tab is Submit Screenshot.  Click the Submit Screenshot tab.  

Enter a title.  Change the category if you want to using the dropdown menu, but there is no Sims 4 category (boo!) so you can skip this step if you're submitting for Sims 4.  You don't have to add a description, but it's always nice to have more information.  

Now the important part!  If you do not change the Public option to Yes, then no one will be able to see the screenshot.  So, using the Public dropdown menu, change it from No to Yes.  I can't stress this enough - if it is not public, I can't see it and therefore won't be able to use it.

Now upload the image to the site by browsing to the image on your computer and click Submit Screenshot.

You can do this as much as you want to, in fact, the more the merrier, and the more chances that we'll use one of your pictures!

** After some testing, we've discovered that the screenshot uploader does not like images that are over 1 MB in size, and it seems to eat .png files, so using a .jpg format is your best option.  Thanks to Howdy Simmer for bringing this to our attention.

The 170k Facebook Likes Giveaway Winners!

Before I announce the winners, let me explain how the winners were chosen.  First the names (account names, twitter names, etc) were collected and placed into a spreadsheet.  This resulted in a list of 1,716 names!  Ouch!  To make things a tiny bit easier for myself, I separated the names between those that participated on Twitter and those that entered on Facebook.  This guaranteed that there would be winners from both sites.

Next, I used the random number generator from Math Goodies ( http://www.mathgoodies.com/calculators/random_no_custom.html ).  This allowed me to enter the numbers assigned to the names on the spreadsheet, and quickly find our random winners.  I picked 12 from Facebook and 12 from Twitter (24) to start with.  Then I went back and did it six more times, from the combined pool for a total of 30 winners.

** Winners, please send me a PM here including your valid email address (click on my name above to go to my minisite, then click the Message button under my banner.) You will have 72 hours to contact me in order to claim your prize!  If I don't hear from you in that time, your prize is forfeit.  Another name drawing will be held for any unclaimed prizes.  This will continue until all prizes are claimed.  (If for some reason you can't get the Message option to work, send an email to [email protected] but please make that a last resort.)  Should your name appear twice because you use a different tag on Twitter than you do on Facebook, please be honest enough to admit it so we can select another winner.

*** Winners list updated July 2, 2015.  As before, if the card goes unclaimed for 72 hours, the prize is forfeit and new names will be drawn.

*** Winners list updated July 9, 2015.  As before, if the card goes unclaimed for 72 hours, the prize is forfeit and new names will be drawn.

Winners:

 ~ $100.00 Amazon Gift Card

  Charnaye Staton McQueen CLAIMED

  Synthariel @synthariel CLAIMED

 ~ $75.00 Amazon Gift Card

  Jackie Chuculate CLAIMED

  Mluvlps @Mluvlps X

  Cinderellimouse @Cinderellimouse CLAIMED

~ $50.00 Amazon Gift Card

  Annabel  @H_Lebanna CLAIMED

  Sabine Veuger X

  Chap Meggins ‏@MegLovesGames CLAIMED

~ $25.00 Amazon Gift Card

  Me @TheEpicNerd014 CLAIMED

  Luana Tavares @pringtella CLAIMED

  Sandie Magnano X

  Remy Nguyen X

  LaTaiya Sells CLAIMED 

  Amy Page X

  SimmerDownSouth @laneymajor CLAIMED

~ $10.00 Amazon Gift Card

  Amanda Morrow @LialaneGraest CLAIMED

  Heather @CallunaMuse CLAIMED

  Jessica Holly @Hollybelle33 CLAIMED

  Albesimmer @albesimmer X

  lessthanzero1013 @LessThanZero_13 CLAIMED

  Wee Albet @Weealbet CLAIMED

  Katey Lunn @diablura28 X

  EmSims81 ‏@EmSims81 CLAIMED

  Shawna Jones @shawnagjones CLAIMED

  Lauren Figg @lawnfig CLAIMED

  Dulyne Grant CLAIMED

  Stella Barrientos X

  Megan Rorer X

  Tianna Kelly X

  Lindsay Easterling X

  Dawn Frederick X

  Claudia Schlager X

  Agata Kol X

  Rochella Duijs X

  Kristine Knowles X

  Jacob @Jacob_Frittata CLAIMED

  Sandy Gallia ‏@sandygallia X

  Jocelyn Wing @SkeleJocelyn CLAIMED

  KellyHannah @kellyhb5_MTS CLAIMED

  Slothlax ‏@Slothlax CLAIMED

  TheDutchSimmerx @thedutchsimmerx CLAIMED

  Cookie @simcookster CLAIMED

  Asia Slim Kingston X 

  Alishi Chu CLAIMED

  Samantha Elizabeth Davis X

  Megan McMahan CLAIMED

  ElderJymm @JimTracy4 CLAIMED

  DrDeath @CMDR_DrDeath CLAIMED

  Ferenc Nagy @Crash78 CLAIMED

The 170k Facebook Likes Giveaway!

We now have over 170,000 likes on our Facebook page, and over 10,000 followers on our Twitter.  To say thank you and show how much we love you guys, we're celebrating by giving away over 25 Amazon Gift Cards.  The cards range in amount from $10.00 up to $100.00!  (Use your card to buy the latest Sims 4 Stuff Pack, or anything you want.)  This giveaway is open to everyone, all over the world, except where prohibited by law.  You must have a valid email address in order to accept the prize.  

To be entered for a chance to win:  On Facebook, like & share the contest post.  On Twitter, fav & retweet the contest post.  (Doing it on both sites will double your chances to win!)

Winners will be chosen randomly from both sites on Saturday, June 27, 2015 and will be announced on this blog post.

Good Luck!

Facts About The Sims Resource

As I am in charge of TSR's Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc), I am often asked questions about the site.  I thought I'd compile some of those answers (in no particular order) here.  If there's something you'd like to know, however, feel free to ask in the comments!

1. Our record for visits in one day is over 167,000 users, of which 98,000 were unique.

2. We have 965,485 downloads available over all four Sims titles.  There are 96,661 downloads for the original Sims game.  684,629 downloads are available for The Sims 2. And 167,539 available for The Sims 3, and 16,656 for The Sims 4, with more new content published every day!  

3. Our most popular download category is Hairstyles.

4. We currently have 81 Featured Artists.

5. The site was created in 1999 by Steve Bonham and Thomas Isaksson. That's 15 years of custom content!

6. We accept submissions from everyone, beginners and professionals alike. Our Featured Artists get paid for their work.

7. Our site staff have been playing the game and creating for years. Meet them here - http://www.thesimsresource.com/helpcenter/staff

8. We have a huge active forum, with information for every game as well as support for our Workshop program, and where you can request that our artists make something for you, here - http://forums.thesimsresource.com

9. We accept screenshot and story submissions! Looking for some great Sim stories? Check them out here - http://www.thesimsresource.com/stories/browse

10. Each registered member gets his or her own minisite with a blog included.

11. Want to start creating? We have extensive tutorials available, helpful information on our forums, and you can even contact us on Skype to join our Learning and Creating chats.

12. All of our downloads are free, all the time, but we do have a VIP program for anyone who wishes to support the site. Learn about it here - https://www.thesimsresource.com/shop

13. Speaking of our VIP program, we give away days of VIP service to the winners of our daily Facebook lottery. If you can't afford VIP, you can enter the lottery every day for a chance to win!

14. We currently have 160k followers on our Facebook page, and over 9k on our Twitter.

15. Having trouble with the site? Advertisements are the worst offenders, so we've added a Report Ads button on the bottom of every page. For other issues, please send an email to our support team - [email protected]

I hope you found this information enlightening! 

The Sims 4, My First Impressions

Hi guys! Many of you know me as Degera, a lot builder and member of the staff, in charge of Social Media as well as lot submissions. I've been playing the Sims since 2001, and submitting my creations to TSR since 2002. So when a new Sims game comes out, I'm usually the first one in line. But I was reluctant this time. I wanted to keep an open mind, but I was hearing so many negatives about the game that it was affecting my ability to remain unbiased. That whole 'No Toddlers/No Pools' debate was only part of it. There was also to be no CASt, which as a lot builder is something I felt was integral. Plus they were bringing back loading screens between lots, which was something I did not miss from the first two Sims games.

But I put all of that aside, I pre-ordered and held my breath, with a hopeful 'wait and see' attitude. I wanted to make my own opinion. I downloaded the files last week on Origin so when midnight on September 2 hit, I was ready. I fired up the game and dove in. And... I don't hate it. I know that's not a ringing endorsement, but it's honestly better than what I expected.

The first time you start the game, you will be taken to Create-A-Sim where you will go through a tutorial section on making your very first Sims 4 sim. And if you're not careful, you can get stuck in CAS - it's like a spider's web. You find yourself pushing and pulling to get that nose exactly the way you want it and when that doesn't work, you sort through the available pre-made noses to find something, anything... The next time you look up, two hours have passed, and you still haven't picked out your Sim's hair!

There is a fair amount of clothing options, and of course any gaps will be taken care of by our CC creators. What I like most about this new CAS, however, is the Styled Looks option. For each clothing section (everyday, formal, sleepwear, etc) there is a set of pre-made outfits that include shoes, accessories and makeup. That's right, you can change your entire outfit, plus shoes, all accessories and your makeup with the push of one button! Making your sim look good has never been easier.

 

Got your Sim sorted? Then let's move him/her in and get started. The tutorial you followed in CAS will stay with you, walking you through all aspects of the game as you go along. This is handy if you have never played The Sims before, but for me, I was completely annoyed by it within minutes. And you can't shut it off. You have to let it run the full course at least once for it not to appear again. If I could get in touch with any of the developers, this would be one of the first things I bring up - please give us an option to turn off the tutorial and never have to see it again!

Now your Sim is moved in and ready to explore the world. Press the M button at any time to see the map view. Wait... is that the map? Yes. It really is that small. The map of each world is divided into neighborhoods. Each neighborhood has approximately five lots inside it (some less), and either they will all be venues, or they will all be residential, with one section in the middle set aside for a huge park. But don't be too discouraged, because you can swap between the two base game worlds at any time, for any reason, which effectively doubles the number of venues and homes. It's still only a fraction of what we had in The Sims 3, but I'm reminding myself that this is just the base game and there will be more to come.  

But Degera, you're asking, how's the gameplay? Overall it's incredibly smooth. I have not experienced any severe bugs or glitches. Yes, there are loading screens everywhere. You can walk around in your neighborhood without loading, but if you go into another world, neighborhood, or even into another venue, you will have load time. The time varies depending on whether or not you've been to that location before - first time loads are longer.  

A couple of minor bugs that I have noticed include:
1. After playing the same family for a few days, I could no longer see the names of other Sims when I hovered my mouse over them.
2. Sims will walk through the front door of my lots and stand on the inside to knock to be invited inside - which, when invited, they end up going outside.
3. Curtains and paintings will not always drop when the walls go down, but putting the walls back up and removing them again takes care of it.
4. Some of the cheats that were listed as shipping with the base game don't seem to work - for example, the hide headline effects toggle won't get rid of the plumbob as it should.

Other issues, not bugs:
1. Not having CASt makes it nearly impossible to match any furnishings. I complained about this earlier on our Twitter feed. Everything that is supposed to be black, for instance, is a different shade. In this image of my new dining room, I thought the table was black until I got the lights in place and I realized it's just a very dark brown.
2. Having the Tutorial (or Tips) always appear and not being able to get rid of it is massively annoying.
3. Having to be on the lot itself, or in the process of moving in a new family, in order to bulldoze the lot is frustrating.
4. If you want to move a lot, or turn it, after you've built it, be prepared to re-do all of your landscaping.
5. Those of you that use Edge Scrolling will be frustrated because it won't scroll if your mouse pointer is over a menu or a part of the UI (especially on the bottom of the screen). It does work, you just have to make sure your pointer is directly above the white bar at the bottom.
6. Notifications can't be recalled once they close, so if you miss what it's saying for some reason then you've missed it completely.
7. Maid service is spotty. This might be a bug, or the maid might be lazy, it's too soon to tell.
8. If you're playing a single sim and they leave the lot to go to work, you have absolutely nothing to do until they get home again.
9. You can't send a sim to a venue for a night out while you stay at home with another sim. You will go to the venue and the sim left at home will be unplayable/in limbo until you return.

If you've already discovered a workaround for some of these issues, if you found some that I missed or if you haven't experienced these problems at all, feel free to let me know in the comments.

When it's all said and done, those of you looking for a quirky, fun game to play will find it here. Our artists will bring the CC that we need soon enough, so go ahead and play to form your own opinion!

Winners of the Black and White Screenshot Contest!

We would like to thank everyone who entered the 'Black and White' screenshot contest! We had over 150 entries total when it was all said and done.  That's a ton of pictures to sort through and try to pick just three.  There were some outstanding entries and our judges had an impossible job.  (Thank you to Sim_man123, AudreyMay and NRMann for offering to judge this contest.)  Now, the winners are...

First prize goes to Daniluvsims with this breath taking snowy landscape - http://www.thesimsresource.com/screenshots/details/id/162362/

Second prize goes to Ramonna with this mysterious lady in white in the woods - http://www.thesimsresource.com/screenshots/details/id/162641/

Third prize goes to Shea Stone with this woman with rose petals on the piano - http://www.thesimsresource.com/screenshots/details/id/162590/ 

Congratulations!

And as we said, we had so many entries, and there were some fantastic ones that we feel deserve a special mention:

http://www.thesimsresource.com/screenshots/details/id/162371/  by Nisuki

http://www.thesimsresource.com/screenshots/details/id/162790/  by Polinasid

http://www.thesimsresource.com/screenshots/details/id/162568/  by Bluegardenia

http://www.thesimsresource.com/screenshots/details/id/162737/  by DOT

http://www.thesimsresource.com/screenshots/details/id/162458/  by Blue_Girl

http://www.thesimsresource.com/screenshots/details/id/162513/  by Any-sim

http://www.thesimsresource.com/screenshots/details/id/162287/  by HeavenSent418

Great job everyone!

What's Black and White and Red All Over!?

A Newspaper!  (Get it?  Red / Read).... ok fine!  Black is the new white! Or maybe white is the new black... who can say for sure! What we can tell you is that we're having a screenshot contest and the theme is Black and White!

Take a screenshot in one of your Sims games (Sims 2 or Sims 3) and either transform it into black and white using an editing program, or simply make it as black and white as possible using objects and clothing that are already black and white.  It never hurts to add a pop of color here and there, but the majority of the image should be black and white! Your shot can be anything related to Sims, but it must be PG-13.

Upload your screenshot to TSR, with the title 'Black and White!' To do that, click on Account at the top of the front page, scroll down to Edit Screenshots and click. Choose the tab at the top that says Submit Screenshot and fill in the information. Also, make sure you change the Public to Yes or no one will see it. 

You may enter as many times as you like.

Entries must be submitted by 10PM EST on Saturday, August 9th 2014. Winners will be announced by Thursday, August 14th, 2014.

The first prize winner will see their screenshot on our Facebook page and will also receive a full month of VIP access to the site (no advertisements, use of the download basket, etc).

Second place will get two weeks of VIP access.

Third place will get one week of VIP access.

(If the winner is already a VIP, the time will simply be added to the number of days left on their current account.)

Good Luck and Have Fun!

The TSR VIP Lottery on Facebook

Many of you play our Facebook VIP lottery every day but I bet you've always wondered how it works...

1. What is the lottery?


The VIP Lottery on Facebook is a showcase for four of our Featured Artist's creations that have been published within the last few days.

2. How do I enter?


Visit our Facebook page ( http://www.facebook.com/TheSimsResource ) and locate the most recent lottery post (It should be pinned to the top of the page). Look through the four images and click 'Like' on the items you love.

3. What's the prize?


Two days of VIP access (Learn more about VIP here - https://www.thesimsresource.com/shop ).

4. What if I am already a VIP?


That's great! The two days will be added to your current VIP balance.

5. How do you pick the winners?


We randomly select two names from a list of people who 'Liked' the post.

To be more precise, we make a list of every name that appears on each image (so if each image has 50 likes, we'll have 200 names). Then, using a random number generator from the people at MathGoodies ( http://www.mathgoodies.com/calculators/random_no_custom.html ), we enter 0 and the number of names on the list and get a random number. Finally, we scroll down the list and match that random number to a name.

Since we're picking two winners each day, we do this twice.

6. Can I win more than once?


Yes! It is entirely random.

7. How do I know if I've won?


We announce the winners on Facebook and Twitter in a new post before we start the next day's lottery.

8. Where do you get the screenshots you use to announce the winners?


The screenshots we use are from the Featured Screenshots, in the Community section of the website ( http://www.thesimsresource.com/screenshots/browse/category/user/ ).

Winners of the 'Holiday Spirit!' Screenshot Contest

We would like to thank everyone who entered the 'Holiday Spirit' screenshot contest for our Facebook Cover! There were some outstanding entries and our judges had a truly hard time picking only three winners. That said, the winners are...

First place goes to Lily-chan with her adorable snowman builders - http://www.thesimsresource.com/screenshots/details/id/160037/

Second place goes to Tahnee6277 with her happy friends in front of the tree - http://www.thesimsresource.com/screenshots/details/id/160000/

Third place goes to Nisuki with her lovely sims in their holiday home - http://www.thesimsresource.com/screenshots/details/id/159912/

Congratulations!