Gambling has Returned / Awesome CC!

Wow, didn't see this coming...gambling has made a return to The Sims! I figured they couldn't do it because of the rating and more overly concerned parents than back in the days of The Sims 1. Slot machines and a blackjack table were added as premium content that is part of a new casino to The Sims 3 Store. The objects also add the new gambling skill. I particularly like how a SimBot acts as the dealer on the blackjack table!

Supa sad face :(

SimBot does its best Kirby impression.

YOU'RE WINNER !

An odd thing happened while I was visiting the casino. I heard a townie playing slots and it sounded like he was saying "Well done!" Just another one of those rare times when it sounds like sims can speak English! My only gripe with the casino so far is that other sims don't join mine at the blackjack table, they're more attracted to the slot machines. You can't even ask them to join like when they watch TV or do other sorts of activities. Thanks to the awesomely generous blewis, I got to add the new tablet to my game too. While I don't have any pics to share of it right now I enjoy it very much. It's possibly my favourite out of all the premium content.

On top of that I downloaded some of the awesome edible food by NewOne at One Billion Pixels. Thanks to her I'm craving a tasty salami sandwich! Although the food aren't additions to the cooking system I highly recommend adding them to your game because you can use them with Around The Sims 3's Functional Bakery set. Oh, and I haven't even tried douglasviega's revival of the cleaning robot from The Sims 2 Open For Business, Nonamena's LN Gig Scheduler, Cherry92's Toddler Social, and Simlogical's animated cat door!

I'm kind of glad I added all these things at the same time because it almost feels like I added something in between a stuff pack and a full EP, renewing my interest in The Sims 3 (which is why I haven't blogged in a while on top of EA taking down my collection files). Hopefully I have more time tomorrow to play around with the stuff I haven't used yet.

NOTICE: Sims 3 Store Collections

Hey everyone, so you might be wondering what happened to all the collection files. I really hoped to give back to the Sims community but it looks like I've been shot down. I wanted to wait a while before saying anything in case the issue was resolved quickly but that's definitely not the case now. They were taken down by Mediafire in what seemed to be a sweeping motion to take down illegal software, assuming my files were illegal too. I sent a counter-claim a couple of weeks ago but haven't got anything back yet.

It's unfortunate, especially considering collection files don't redistribute the store sets themselves. They're just references. I'm guessing mine were taken down because they're labelled with the proper names of the corresponding sets, making EA think they're illegal warez.

The bottom line: Until further notice, my collection files will no longer be available. I'm deeply sorry, it seems like I have no control over this issue at all.

Sims 1 Sims in TS3?

I didn't think it could be done, but I managed to fit the Ultimate Venue that comes with the Showtime Limited Edition into Twinbrook. I deleted the Pidgin's house and replaced it with a 64x64 lot using the in-game world editor. If you place it just right it won't even distort the terrain or anything. Not sure why EA didn't just make it 64x64 in the first place.

Anyways, this post isn't about the placing of the Ultimate Venue as much as what I saw once I had a sim perform inside it.

Why hello there, Sims 1 era sims! It's been a while!

No, I'm not complaining about this. I actually find it kind of cool. I knew that big show venues were going to have these less detailed sims showing up to make show audiences look huge without killing our computers, but they seriously look like Sims 1 sims converted to 3D to me. It's giving me flashbacks to the beginning of the very first Sims 2 trailer...

Not sure if EA intended it or not, but seeing that crowd in Showtime gave me a huge dose of nostalgia. Makes you think "What if," doesn't it?

I guess that result would have been like how you were able to play as the Tony Hawk character copy and pasted from the very first Tony Hawk's Pro Skater game in Tony Hawk's Underground 2. Kind of interesting in concept, but definitely not something I would have wanted for the next entry in the series.

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