Long time no update
Don’t get too excited, this post is super boring.
How do you all like Sims 3? I like it, but I don’t think I love it. Yet. When I play, I don’t really feel like I’m playing a new game, because I feel like I play just as I did with Sims 2. It isn’t the same as the leap from Sims 1 to 2, but we all already expected that.
That said, I love the graphical enhancements of the game. The colors are so much brighter, and the scenery is amazing. Someone somewhere pointed out how they thought it was funny that the trees and bushes move with the “wind” now, but a Sim’s hair no longer moves like it did with Sims 2. And I think this says a lot for the game as a whole. It feels to me like they focused a lot more on the scenery of Sims 3 than the actual Sims.
Create-a-sim in Sims 3 is frustrating. You just can’t make a face move very extreme. Though I suppose there are already hacks on modthesims, I don’t like having to use hacks if I can help it. As usual, the hair / makeup selection that comes with the game is pretty lame. But compared to what came with Sims 2 it is great.
Having different body types is wonderful! I love that you can have fat, muscular, and everywhere in between. However, does anyone else feel like all their sims are super short? I hate that we can’t use the stretchskeleton cheat to make different heights. I really wish height was something they figured out for Sims 3. I think the default height looks weird–really, they all look very, very short. Big heads or something. I don’t know.
Also, I think the toddlers are scary, ugly string bean little things. Ick. They give me the heebie jeebies. And what is with the SUPER RIDICULOUSLY LONG toddler life stage?? Kill me now. They’re toddlers as long (it seems like longer!) as they are children.
When Sims 3 was still in the works, I thought I remembered reading that they were going to focus less on needs (bladder, hunger, energy, etc). What a bunch of horse shit. I find myself having to pay attention to them so much more in Sims 3 because they’ll get in a bad mood real quick if you don’t. No more forcing them to do things when they’re in the red on a need, it just doesn’t work as well.
I don’t like skill building in Sims 3. And I miss aspiration rewards. I don’t find most of these new rewards very exciting. And I miss the silly “supernatural” aspect of the Sims 2. Sure you can make Sims with blue and green skin, but it isn’t the same.
So, yeah. I don’t know. Some days I like it more than others. Maybe I’ll like it more once expansion packs come out and fill the game out more. Or once CC truly comes around. Though I’m skeptical that will work as well as it did with Sims 2. Modthesims for Sims 3 scares me at the moment. Yuck.
As many know already, storytelling in Sims 3 looks like a nightmare. And uploading to the exchange will not happen since they decided to shit on the pictures. Really, what were they thinking with that picture quality? It’s made even more ridiculous by the fact that each one of us gets a certain amount of space (a gig, I think?) for uploads. We should be able to pick the quality of our pics and allot our space as we see fit. Stupid stupid stupid.
I’ve come to realize, I don’t know how to take good pictures of Sims without pose hacks. Or maybe I just don’t know Sims 3 expressions like the back of my hand as I did with Sims 2 yet, so I get frustrated trying to portray anything. Either way, I’m not too jazzed about it yet, like I hoped I would be.
So that’s about it. I don’t feel much like talking in communities or taking pictures or making stories yet. I just play the game for now, and I don’t even get to do that as often as I’d like. I’ve managed to get myself into a busy summer. Or at least it seems that way. I’m traveling more often than usual this summer. Went to Colorado for work a few weeks ago. Been to Houston several weekends lately, went to Wimberley, TX the weekend before last. Next weekend going to DFW to see my parents.
After that, Andy and I are going on vacation to California for a week. I’ll be gone the first two weeks of August, the first in Colorado, the second in McAllen, TX, for work. I’m still doing Adventure Bootcamp every morning at 5:30. Oh, and Andy and I recently got engaged.
I just feel busy. I know it’s not busy compared to how a lot of people live. But I’m pretty lazy, and feel like I have a lot going on right now!
I’m also pretty grumpy at the moment about a shit project for work. Literally. A project about animal shit. And it’s just shitty (as in I hate it really bad). I’ll be happier after Tuesday is over because I’ll be able to ignore it again for at least a few days.
Maybe this fall I’ll find more time for Sims and actually creating things once again. I really miss it and hoped I’d just get right back into it immediately after Sims 3 was released. It didn’t quite work that way. Oh well.
I’ll try and update this site more, really I will.
Long time no check your blog! Has it been over a year?
I didn’t jump to get The Sims 3 because I don’t have a computer to run it, but now that I’m looking at it, I’m considering not even buying it. Okay, maybe I’ll buy it, okay, I probably will buy it. (See, I’m getting this kick-ass laptop [Its like, 4 grand!] for the college I’m going to – Steven’s Institute of Technology [its like, 50 grand!]- maybe if I’m lucky, I’ll be TAUGHT how to use fancy programs so I can learn to make meshes and whatnots. I wont be able to play this game without CC!)
But I’m sorta disappointed. Maybe I was so used to the amazing quality of the pictures and sims from the sims 2. But now I remember why it was amazing. Custom content. Maxis you know should really just make a base game and give everyone directions on how to hack the hell out of it. They do a much better job.
Everything just looks so Maxis. Its horrid. And from the pictures I’ve seen, all the animations look the same! I’ve played The Sims 3 on my iPhone and while I do enjoy the addition of character traits, its not that impressive.
Maybe once I play I’ll be addicted. But it’s been two years since I’ve even had the sims installed on this computer. Jee wiz. You were one of my favorites back then (picture taking, contest competing, blog blogging, story storying, etc.) So after being bored by how lame the hangouts become (although I did find an interesting post that highlights the stupidity of TS3 site & the storytelling factor, by slice) I logged into flickr. I noticed my stream was flooded with pictures that had nothing to do with Sims (Two years ago, it was nothing but sims) and happily stumbled upon finding out you were endgadged, looked at your Sims3 pics like a creep, and, as if something told me you would, Checked your blog. I’m lucky.
I’m Boopifer on Twitter, BTW, but I never log on. I followed you, you followed me, but I didn’t know if you knew who I was.
I still don’t even know if you remember me. Oh well. Write back?
Hi Erica! Of course I remember you! ^__^
You’re very right about the animations. They’re nearly all the same. There are some new of course, but it’s more like when there are new animations added in a Sims 2 EP. So much is the same I feel like I’m playing the same game a lot of the time — if it weren’t for the neighborhood that is.
The Sims 3 definitely runs smoother than Sims 2 on my computer. Probably due to lack of CC of course. Haha. But also the lack of loading screens is completely awesome.
Overall it just seems an even balance of “oh I wish they included this from Sims 2″ and “oh I wish they made this different from Sims 2″. Haha.
I probably need to stop comparing to Sims 2, but it’s hard not to when it was my favorite game for so long.
Since you haven’t played in so long, maybe you’ll appreciate the jump to Sims 3 more? With a computer like you’re getting, you’ll have to at least try it!! Hopefully it won’t be that long before nice CC starts coming out. I’ve seen Mel Calero is already making custom skin tones that looks really great (seen on flickr)!
Just a fan of your story so I came to drop by…
And I just wanted to mention about the CC. Peggy’s is really awesome, she just released a new CC ALREADY :O
http://www.peggyzone.com/Sims3ObjectFemaleHair.html
The skins are great too, but I’m amazed by what Peggy will bring for us.
Thanks for the tip! Love that hair, though the replacing thing scares me a bit. Not that I like the ugly hair it’s replacing, haha, but that it must be done that way…eek.
Okay no joke I was about to fall asleep and all of a sudden I was like! Holy crap has I Woke Up LA come out with chapter 9?! I haven’t read your story since like 2008! I can’t believe that I just randomly though of this XD I haven’t even played sims since god only knows when!
You don’t even know how much I missed your stories! You really should continue writing that or at least finish the series! You don’t know how many people are missing your work!! Well that’s my random rant for today, I really hope you take this to heart and finish up chapter 9
Hello !
I just really wanted to comment about your absolutely amazing skill: writing.
You would make a very good author because, if you haven’t noticed, people really love your series! I haven’t been a fan for very long, but once I became one, I was entirely hooked on your stories. Now, I am sure people have told you something much like it before, but it’s just so true.
So, that’s’ really all I have to say…. I just really wanted to let you know!
Lydia !