justasimbeforeigo

[justasimbeforeigo]

Post-Apocalyptic Twinbrook 6

Southwestern Gas and Cafe (used to have gas)

The gasoline tanks have all run dry these days with no hope of getting refilled in the foreseeable future, but sims can still get food and drinks, also play a bit of skee-ball.

I played around with this one a lot, went back and forth changing the colors, top railing, gas pumps, sidewalks, etc. before finally settling on the final look. (However, I'll note that this lot is not my creation, please see the creator notes at the end of this post.)

Interior shots after the cut.

The proprietor looks very grumpy, though the patrons seem to enjoy visiting.

Creator notes: I didn’t create this lot, I just grunged it up to fit the neighborhood vibe. The creator is Flora2 over at Mod The Sims. It’s one of three art deco gas stations by her, and is called Southwestern Gas and Cafe. The clean, shiny original version can be found here:

https://modthesims.info/d/613285/art-deco-gas-stations.html

I highly recommend checking out all of her creations. They are excellent.

[justasimbeforeigo]

Post-Apocalyptic Twinbrook W.I.P. 5

Two-Story Swamp Shack

This house isn't very large. It essentially consists of two rooms, one per story, though the bottom floor has dividers to break it into two separate areas. The first floor is 7x13 and the second floor is 6x13. It does not have an indoor bathroom, but rather an all-in-one on the back deck. It also has a separate outdoor shower (not pictured).

It is shown here with and without landscaping so the build can be seen.

Surprisingly, fourteen sims live here. The couple has 11 (eleven!) kids and one grandchild (teen mother). It's cramped, but works. Two more cribs were added after these pictures. Parents have a partitioned-off bedroom on the bottom floor, while the entire second floor is the kids' room.

Click to see interior shots.

[justasimbeforeigo]

Post-Apocalyptic Twinbrook WI.P. 4

The Failed Art Installation House

This house started out it's life as a small art installation. It wasn't a very popular exhibit, maybe in part due to it's location right behind the fire station, who knows? But an enterprising young couple saw it for sale on Simterest and thought it would be perfect. They refitted the crumbling exterior with recycled sheet metal and finished out the interior with salvaged everything and called it home!

Interior and landscaping shots after the cut.

This house sits on a small lot, 15 X 10, so there's not a lot of wiggle room for expansion if the family grows, but there's a little.

[justasimbeforeigo]

Post-Apocalyptic Twinbrook W.IP. 3

Apartment House on Stilts

This apartment house wasn't originally planned for post-apocalyptic Twinbrook. Instead, the first floor apartment is patterned after a real-life apartment of family members. But after finishing, I thought it would be perfect for Twinbrook, after some "renovations."

The second floor has a lobby space and two NPC apartments and balcony access.

More interior shots after the cut.

The inside will get renovated to match the theme. This is a large one-bedroom apartment that the tenants have arranged to work as a three-bedroom.

Story progression has moved one single sim in. I'll have to fix that.

Inspiration pics below that got me thinking about "renovating" (or should that be "de-renovating?) the apartment building.

[justasimbeforeigo]

Post-Apocalyptic Twinbrook W.I.P. 2

The Elevated Cube W.I.P. (Probably Finished Now)

Just a little house for my post-capo-dystopian Twinbrook. Read after the cut for the inspo. The interior is quite small, but has the basics and the balcony holds further essentials. No electricity.

The Inspiration

I belong to an AI art group on Discord and this a pic from that group. Even though I have mixed feelings about AI art, the pics in this one's batch gave me Sims 3 vibes. So...I just went with it.

[justasimbeforeigo]

Post-Apocalyptic Twinbrook W.I.P. 1

Drive-In Movie Theater/Park W.I.P.

I'm on a quest to turn Twinbrook into a post-apocalyptic, post-zombie, dystopian world as part of my Roseville saga. Well...mostly post-zombie. Twinbrook was ground zero for the zombie apocalypse.

To that end, the big park where festivals are held is being turned into a defunct drive-in movie theater. I've left several of the park things (benches, chess, etc.) there, as well as the seasonal marker. So it should still host the festivals.

There is a concession stand in the base of the screen and an employees-only bathroom. The screen is three stories high, with three floors behind it, each getting progressively narrower, all are accessible by stair, but empty.

[justasimbeforeigo]

Roseville 18: May-October Love

That relationship that Craig started when Maura was barely gone turned out to be with Ellie Williams! Oh, Craig, she's younger than your daughter! No wonder Autumn is so unhappy about it. But Craig doesn't care, things are hot and heavy with his new love!

[justasimbeforeigo]

Roseville 17: Autumn is a mom!

Ah, young love! Chadwick has moved in with Autumn and Craig. Chadwick and Autumn wanted to get married, but in the absence of any civil authorities, they just said their vows to each other and called it good enough. Craig and Chadwick worked together to build a second yurt for the newlyweds.

In what seemed like no time at all, a baby was on the way. Little Moira soon joined their family. Bobby Dog has taken it upon himself to guard the new baby from any harm. And Autumn secretly worries about the wisdom of bringing a child into this dangerous world.

[justasimbeforeigo]

Sims 3 forever!

Just some random pics because I love this game!

Reblog if you don't plan on leaving The Sims 3

I’m sad because a lot of blogs I like are choosing TS4 and completely dropping TS3. I just want to know if at least some people are sticking with TS3 or both TS3 and TS4

[justasimbeforeigo]

Tag 9 People You Want to Know Better

Thanks for the tag @danjaleye

Last Song: Plateau by Nirvana. Acutally I was listening to the whole albumn -Nirvana: MTV Unplugged in New York. I miss that MTV series.

Last Show: You, on Netflix

Currently watching: The Serpent Queen, on Hulu Starz. Man, she was fierce!

Currently reading: Mother, May I, by Joshilyn Jackson

Current Obsession: "Wishlist", a sculpture I am just starting (but had in the planning stage forever), inspired by the Pearl Jam song of the same name. Oh, yeah, I'm a sculptor.

Tagging (feel free to ignore though if you don't want to answer):

@Satellite-Sims, @mystery-pixels , @pudding-parade , @tragicpixel, @thepettymachine , @miss-may-i , @Wannabecatwriter , @theneighborhoodchronicles , @camisulsul

#tagged

[justasimbeforeigo]

One of the tugboats has a classroom in it, complete with a chemistry station and a workbench.

[justasimbeforeigo]

I agree and second everything in this letter/post!

Dear Laura Miele,

I read your recent interview with VentureBeat where you discussed the future of The Sims.  As a long-time player of the series, I have concerns.

Firstly, there is no reason to ignore the elephant in the room.  The Sims 4 was originally built to be multi-player, but with the flop of SimCity 2013 (a multi-player simulation game) TS4 got a quick makeover.  While I could go on about the flaws of TS4 from its core to the stacks of micro-transaction packs built on a broken foundation, I will put aside those particular criticisms for a larger discussion.

The Sims is a life simulation game.  While you state that “Play with Life” is The Sims’s brand, I remember when it was about creating.  Create worlds. Create families.  Create chaos.  Create stories.  Create life. 

The Sims 4 has taken the franchise down a much different path.  While we can still create our sims, we cannot create the worlds they live in or even place lots.  We must purchase new packs for more locations.  We find linear action/adventure storylines implemented into packs like Strangerville or Star Wars: Journey to Batuu.  While I am a fan of sims lore, I find these particular packs irksome as they shift The Sims from life simulation to RPG.

It became a theme with almost every TS4 pack, especially those like Island Living and Eco Lifestyle–though less RPG–but more goal oriented to “saving the world” or in Snowy Escape “climb the mountain.”  A pattern like this is something I do not want repeated in the next generation of The Sims.

While I have seen many SimGurus argue that The Sims have a variety of players (which is true) and they want to appease players who want point-and-click adventures, it takes away resources and opportunities to expand the sandbox, which is the foundation of every life simulation game.

There are endless action/adventure RPG games, many made by EA.  There are few life simulation games and only one highly successful, The Sims.

While I know your interview addressed the future of The Sims and not TS4, I wanted to begin the conversation with those points as I now move to the future of the franchise.

The Sims has always been rated T for Teen, but lately a great many players have noticed the focus drifting ever closer to E for Everyone, which means including children as a base customer.  I understand EA sees an opportunity for sales, but making a life simulation game appropriate for children will limit TS5 in game play and intricacy as every aspect of the game will have to be easy enough for a five-year-old to understand.  

As an adult, this would be a major turn-off and opens to a more pressing problem I have seen questioned across the community here on Tumblr, forums, and Twitter.  The idea of making the next game compatible across all platforms, including mobile.  While I agree Xbox and PlayStation’s consoles are completely able to run a game such as The Sims, I would not want the game dumbed down for mobile.  It would mean a simple, depthless game–an issue that already disappoints customers of TS4.

Again, I understand EA wants to reach as many consumers as possible. You are a company that wants to make a profit and sees an opportunity to make more sales.  Making the game for children and mobile, may reach new customers, but it will ultimately lose a vast majority of players who desire a sequel that brings back that excitement like when we watched the trailer for Sims 2.

And you think the way to do that is to re-introduce multi-player, like The Sims Online?  You stated you believe the “social connection” is what is missing in the franchise.  I can tell you that is untrue.  Simmers are probably the most vocal gamers I know.  We have already made the “social connection” through the mediums we have chosen.  

While I know there are already people reading this–you may be included–that think, “just make online optional,” I must insist on the single player experience.

If you create Sims 5 to be like Roblox or Second Life, it will extremely limit the core of the game.  It will transition the game from life simulation to MMORPG.  While I cannot say “no one wants that,” I can confirm as a long-time player and one that knows thousands of other players, we do not want that.  

We do not want The Sims turned into IMVU and Second Life, which are glorified chat-rooms with an avatar and a marketplace to buy virtual, pixelated CAS items.  It is already an issue–of paid content–faced daily in our community.  I suggest EA not fan those flames.

We do not want the game to be centered around socializing as it is in TS4.  We want depth.  Memories.  Chaos.  Consequences.  And maybe an alien abduction every now and then?

I want to reaffirm that The Sims is a life simulation game.  A sandbox game where you play God and build worlds, houses, and manipulate lives of simulated people.  I do not see why you would feel the need to compete with Roblox or Second Life or Fortnite.  None of those games give the player the same experience as The Sims.  

Stop limiting the sandbox.  Embrace it.  Expand it for a better generation.  

Sincerely, MDP

[justasimbeforeigo]

W.I.P. - Tugboats in a Junkyard

A community lot in Twinbrook.

[justasimbeforeigo]

Roseville 16: Looking for Answers

Bramble Snow has moved her bedroom down into the basement so she can concentrate on her alchemy skills. She's looking for some sort of potion that will protect them from zombies. When she's not working on that, she goes with Hank to the garages where they've set up workstations. Hank gets on the radio trying to locate other survivors, there must be some out there. Somewhere. While he does that, Bramble works on chemical solutions: if alchemy doesn't work, maybe synthetics will.

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[justasimbeforeigo]

Roseville 15: Autumn Feels Better

The last few months without Maura have been particularly hard on Autumn, and Craig hasn't made it any easier. He got involved with someone else only three months after Maura's death. However, Autumn is feeling much better these days, even content at times. And it's all because she met someone new herself! She never expected to find any kind of happiness in The Time of Zombies, so it was a happy shock to meet this guy and fall hard for him. Even better, it turned out to be mutual! For the first time in a long time, Autumn feels hope stirring in her heart.

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[justasimbeforeigo]

Roseville 14: Time Waits for No Sim

Even during The the Time of Zombies, time marches on. As autumn rolled in, Rennie decided to do fall decorations just to add a tiny sense of normalcy.

Esperanza had a baby! It was a big surprise to most of the town since she kept her pregnancy a secret until near the end. She told Craig he's the father, but he doubts it; Esperanza has been a bit free with her affections. Even so, he brought over this play table for little Albert.

Rennie ran out and found some books on babies and child rearing. They are both perusing them whenever they have a spare minute.

Spoiler: He is the father.

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[justasimbeforeigo]

Roseville 13: Aftermath

Autumn's heart is broken and she knows she'll never be the same again. In the morning, Maura rose up from her sleeping bag and began to attack people, starting with the mailman. He escaped. Craig and Autumn just stared in horror and stunned disbelief until she went after Autumn. After the briefest hesitation, I can't believe this is happening!, Craig did the only thing he could; he shot her through the head.

He stood there for a long time unable to take it all in. Now they are all mourning, even the dog.

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