Well That's an Interesting Mix

Found this stray dog in my game today. Looks like it's a mix between a dalmatian and a poodle? Easily the most interesting mix I've seen so far.

Pondering About Mr. Ponder

Billie Ponder is watching an awesome performance. He's going to throw...air?

Karaoke is back! Yes!

Somehow, the new fireflies spawned in Twinbrook.

Overall I'm liking Showtime so far. I still consider Pets to be the best Sims 3 expansion so far, but I think Showtime ties with Late Night for second best. I'll post more detailed impressions later.

(It just occurred to me that Billie Ponder looks like Draco Malfoy. Pure coincidence, I swear!)

My Sim: Zoe Payne (SSX)

Finally, a post about one of my sims! :P

Traits:
Adventurous
Athletic
Daredevil
Brave
Rebellious

Skills:
Athletic
Martial Arts
Trampoline (Hidden)
Darts (Hidden)

Any SSX fans out there? This week, the classic PS2 franchise was reborn with a new game involving Team SSX racing former member Griff Simmons around the world. They're hoping to conquer the deadliest descents in the world. Since The Sims 2 I've occasionally remade SSX characters because they fit perfectly with the lighthearted atmosphere of the game.

Zoe's bio, courtesy of the SSX Wiki:

“Zoe Payne was born in the rural outskirts of Baltimore, Maryland in 1981 and from a very early age she liked to go fast. She latched onto anything that would put the wind in her hair, even managing to get her tricycle up to highway speeds on the hill outside her house. Zoe received her first pint-sized dirt bike at age nine - and never looked back. The only thing that ever got in her way - was winter. But Zoe discovered that snow offered up became a dominating force both in the world of professional snowboarding and on the moto-X circuit. But the overwhelming media attention, endless sponsorship responsibilities, and the daily bureaucracy of two professional circuits forced her to exit the spotlight in disgust. She tried to find her way back to the fun, the adventure. It was a while travelling the globe that she developed an idea. Seeking out fellow snowboarder Mac Fraser and longtime friend and surfer Tane Mumea, Zoe hatched the idea for Team SSX.”

In short, Zoe is an adventurous soul who doesn't take crap from anyone. The choices for her traits were pretty obvious. I was kind of reluctant to make her a daredevil because of the silly "Watch This" interaction, but if Zoe were to catch fire I think she'd just brush it off.

As far as hair & makeup goes, I think I did pretty well. The game crashed just as I was done my first attempt, but then I nailed the hair colour the second time around. Couldn't find any suitable war paint so unfortunately that had to be left out. 

The Sims 3 doesn't have enough variety of intense winter clothing (probably because we're yet to get seasons), so right off the bat I couldn't go for a straight replica of her getup in the new game. What I ended up doing fashion-wise was more of a combination of her concept art and the final design. The top is from Town Life. I figure that's as close as I can get to her armour in the game. I forget where the skirt is from...High-End Loft Stuff I think? Funny thing is that I know there's a pair of base game pants that the guys have which look exactly like what she wears in SSX, but I couldn't find it for females. It was an unfortunate setback...but looking at her earlier concept art Zoe still looked like Zoe, so I chose a skirt that looked similar yet still matched the overall style I was going for.  The leggings are from the base game slightly darkened. The shoes are base game as well. I didn't use any custom content this time around.

Currently she's living in a large house in Twinbrook with fellow SSX characters Psymon Stark and Ty Thorsen. The story takes place shortly before the team starts their journey around the world. More SSX characters will be added to the fold as I make them. Griff will probably be moved into Starlight Shores.

I would like to do more profiles on some of my other sims (not just SSX characters, but my original sims too), let me know what you think! I plan on making Zoe an acrobat with Showtime, so I may do an update about that too.

And here's Zoe eating a sandwich.

Random: Downtown Deer

Another day, another deer jumping about downtown.

That is normal...right?

In all seriousness though, good thing there's only one deer in my Twinbrook save or else it could end up being more than just a cheap joke. :P

More Twinbrook Beauty

One of the horses from my sim's horse ranch ventures along the outskirts of Twinbrook. So much open space that's finally being used for something. Still can't get enough of this place.

Twinbrook = Amazing

Twinbrook + the dynamic shadows mod from Mod The Sims = Amazing.

Check it out! Don't forget you can click on a picture to enlarge it! :D

The water reflections with the Late Night patch makes it even better. I'll try out Starlight Shores once I get Showtime but only time will tell if I stick with it. Twinbrook's managed to remain my favourite EA world. I've been adding a lot of the post-Ambitions stuff so it's more fun to explore than it was already. I love the swamp area and it's been a great place to try out the More Magic set. It actually makes the issue of fog going through houses feel more like a feature than an oversight on EA's part.

Random: Dude Bro Truck

Whoever takes a camo-styled pickup truck to work has to be awesome, right? Twinbrook is always an interesting place.

Hopefully I can make more posts about my sims...eventually. :P