Hello everyone, this is my first blog post here on TSR. While I have been a member here for over a year now, it has only been the last few months that I have begun scouring this site and seeing all that is available. I have to say, it's a GINORMOUS catalog of custom content. Picking and choosing what to download is tough, deciding what to add, and what to save for another day. It's all great work, and for those who are creating this, my hat's off to all of you. I can only imagine the work and time that goes into making each item, and believe me, I do appreciate all that you do.

I guess I should start off by saying that I am a 37 year old male, Over The Road Truck Driver, single, and from upstate New York. I have been a fan of The Sims franchise ever since it first came out, and have bought every expansion and version since. Since I am an OTR driver, I often don't have time to play the game much. And recently, I took on a project of totatlly redoing the game, from all fresh content, to a New World, which I am still currently working on called Chateau Valley. It's a large world, with currently over 110 lots, and room for hundreds more if I so desire, which, uh, kinda, not so much.. I love creating it, but WOW is it time consuming! I looked at creating the new world as a chance to start all over again with the game. I have taken lots from each of the EA created cities, and placed copies of them into the new world, and many of the sims as well, to make the town feel more like, well, a town. Afterall, what is a town without people, er, Sims.

What I like best about the CAW program, is the ability to place lots precisely where I want them, and not have to worry about not matching the lot up with a road. Cause I am picky, and I like things neat, tidy, and orderly, I.E. in a straight line, and I can do that with CAW. Plus, there are those custom sized lots that everyone wants to use, and this is where you get them. It's a very good tool, but I do wish that there was the ability to paint terrains on each lot while in CAW, rather than having to go to Edit Mode, in the game to do that. I like to paint the edge of each lot, so that you have a good idea of what the size of each lot is, without having to click on it to see. It makes it easy to tell that way. Of course the terrain paint is free in the game, so it's just a matter of repainting the terrain the original color to make it normal again.

As far as the game itself, my favorite thing to do is build houses, although I'm not real good at it. I can make a lot functional, but asthetically pleasing like ya'all do, is something quite different. My weakness is definately landscaping. My taste tends toward old school traditional, with big houses and oversized rooms, and classic designs. Antebellum, Colonial, Georgian, and mansion types are what I typically end up making. I don't do so well with modern, contemporary, or rustic styles. I end up adding stuff that doesn't belong, and it just doesn't look right. lol 

Anyway, I'm gonna stop here for now, and continue another day. I'll post here about the world, and let you know how it's going. Happy Simming till then.

mtnmouse