webbymom

[webbymom]

I'd heard about the App troubles...

But until now, I'd not experienced them. Well, too bad for me, but today I wanted to go into the game and build a tiny house. Or some house. Small. Just diddle around and build a cute thingy. I mean, it's been another few months since I've even wanted to open the thing. So this was good, right?

I started the app. My saved credentials were not right, for some reason. I copied. I pasted. It no worky. Then I got lost in the rigamarole that is logging in to the app and now... I have no game available. I fear I have created some kind of new "EA ID" that has no record of my past purchases or something. I don't know. My "EA ID" should have been "WebbyMom" or "WebbyMom11", but it wasn't. Apparently, THAT word has a disallowed word or character in it! After several attempts at getting in, I got desperate, so I made one up one the spot (EA ID, that is) and settled for WMom11. (Really? "Webby" is not allowed as part of an ID?? What the....??? ) Well, sure enough, it took the shortened version - but now, once in, there is no game there for me to play.

I'm done. I'm sorry to say that I'M DONE. Done with a CAPITAL D! I am not [usually] stupid when it comes to tech - computers, websites, logins, security, etc. But this freakin' app has made me feel so, and the fact that I had to bumble my way through with little to no help in the app to explain things properly and then "get in" only to not have the right stuff in order to see my freakin' stuff....

Done.

The Sims 5 can kiss itself in the nether regions. I will be moving on to other pastures. EA has gotten the last penny out of me a few months ago when I bought the crap that I thought might be slightly fun and wasn't. Sad, really. A sims fan since the day TS2 came out and they've done this to me. Yep, it's come that far. Tch, tch, tch.

Well, we'll see how it goes when Life by You comes out in September, and, at some point, possibly Paralives. Maybe I'll tell stories again, or make houses again, or make my own entire towns and maybe even save games or mods or who knows what??? But today was the last straw with TS-ANYTHING for me. :(

[webbymom]

Picking it back up at the bookstore...

I ranted too long to make sense of the last post's title, which referenced going to the bookstore.

Yes. The bookstore in Sunset Valley in THE SIMS 3.

I was so disillusioned by TS4's newest and brightest crap that I said to myself, "What the hell! Let's open TS3 and see what I can do there!"

Oh. My. Goodness.

Dudes. Do you know they have a COLOUR WHEEL?? For like, EVERYTHING???

And do you remember that sims can literally travel down a street and go to the bookstore WITH NO LOADING SCREENS?

And do you remember CARS???? * faints *

Seriously, while the game takes longer to load on the front end, while EA has lost the fact that I do actually own some more worlds and store stuff than what they give me credit for, and while I don't have ALL the stuff I DO still "own" turned on to keep "performance" specs up (not even sure that's needed on this machine, but what-evs)...

This. Game. Is. Fabulous.

And it's HARDER. I have a much harder time keeping ONE SIM fully up on all their needs than I do in TS4. And I LIKE that. Seriously, TS4 is so easy. It's too easy to make money, too easy to keep everyone happy all the time, too easy to advance at work...

Maybe I'm just a freakin' good player and other folks may find it harder in TS4, for whatever reason. I mean, I'm a bit of a perfectionist and I've been playing "perfect lives" sims since the day TS2 came out... so there's that. ;) They don't call me "The Controller" for nuthin'!!!

But honestly, I found this more challenging. I decided to create a single sim, get them into a house they could afford at first, get them a career, and make it to the top of that career (it was a life wish to become CEO... which I did. :) ). Let's call her Rita - since that's her name. ;)

Oh, the things that broke and clogged and rotted! Oh, the horrible (but funny!) bad passes that Thornton Wolfe (the boss!) made to my poor sim! Oh, the fun in the park on days off of work, and the meetings Rita had to squish into times when she was not working and also not dying - just for that one... last... promotion...

It was fun. I even re-built Rita's house, and bought her some better stuff and let her learn handiness and a bit of fishing and painting...

I could pick an outfit - shirt with sweater-vest and belt, skirt, and shoes - and COLOUR COORDINATE them! I could make her doors match her windows and her walls coordinate with the carpet and the sheets match the bedspread...

I know it's been a few years since I've played, so I'm a bit rusty, BUT - - - I found it more challenging to keep one single sim going and really happy in TS3 than raising an entire family (mom, dad, 2 kids) in TS4. So there's that.

Sure, the sims walk around like they have sticks up their butts (a long-time pet peeve of mine re: the TS3 sims LOL) and the UI is old-fashioned and the build-mode tools are SO much less than what we have now in TS4. But to be honest, I found the UI to be direct, precise, and intuitive. While I re-built her a house and was AGHAST that I could not lower the roof more than "X" amount, I really didn't care, because it was the GAMEPLAY that was really engaging me again.

Rita made it to the top of her career (apparently, Level 8 was the top back then!) which was yesterday in my time. I'm going to start another sim off in Sunset Valley with a new goal. Maybe even make a couple! Kick it up a notch, look after TWO sims and get them to the top of their careers as fast as I can, or their lifetime wishes fulfilled or whatever. Maybe they will be Rita's neighbours! Wouldn't that be cool? Since there are no loading screens?????

Sims 5 needs to be better. With offerings coming our way like "Life by You" and "Paralives", they seriously have to up their game at EA with this genre. I'm rather doubtful that I will buy ANY more EA kits, packs, or EP's for TS4. I will dip back into my currently-working family now and then to keep them going and make a few more TS4 memories, but they have strung this thing out far too long and it's at the point where they will lose players to the boredom and mediocrity that they are currently asking money for. It's time to move on to the new and better stuff.

As for me, I'm moving back to old and better stuff and finding the joy there once again. My TS3 adventures will continue while I wait the rest out. I have pre-ordered Life by You, and I'm following the progress of Paralives. I'm dabbling pretty much daily in Disney Dreamlight Valley, and I have tons of those crazy little casual games that keep me entertained when my brain is too taxed to decide what to do next with my little sims' live. ;) Sad to say, I don't need or want TS4 to be part of my evening entertainment on a daily basis anymore.

Nothing has been as funny or quirky as TS2 since TS2. Nothing has been as open - both in world terms and in creative/pattern/colour terms - as TS3 since TS3. TS4 started on a flat note (no pools and no toddlers) and has tried to play catch-up ever since. NINE YEARS of catching up. And I'm feeling, sorry to say, that they've not actually succeeded in catching up.

Honestly, I'm just not that invested anymore. I'm hoping that new games will bring back that old TS2 "oh-my-gosh-this-is-so-cool-and-fun" thing for me, but I will wait and see. Maybe I'm just done with life simulation games. But maybe - just maybe - Rod Humble/Paradox or Alex/Paralives People will surprise me. Maybe they have something up their sleeves that will delight life sim fans all over again.

Remember that crazy gold helmet you could get in TS2 to wear when you learned stuff to make you learn faster? But if you used it too long, it could make you die?

Yeah. Quirks like that. Silly things that make no real sense, but give you a laugh - or even a game-based panic-attack where you have to quit without saving... that's the kind of thing I want. I don't need reality TV in a sims game. I need more of a "are you kidding me, you want to do WHAT right now???" kind of a game. Something that gives me a laugh, lets me be creative when I feel the urge, lets me escape from some of the harsher realities of life, and lets me control virtual little people to the Nth degree, because I can't do that in real life and doing it in virtuality is OK.😛

That's it. That's all I have to say about it for the moment. If I get the urge again, I'll be sure to post. Ha! Love to all!

[webbymom]

So, on the way to the bookstore...

Just popping on totally randomly and after many years to say a couple of things sims-related. Well, really to rant a bit, about a couple of things sims-related... ;)

I just spent over $100 CAD on a couple-or-so kits, and the two newest TS4 EP's - High School Years (since I'd passed on that earlier, and, of course, Growing Together). I was very excited for the new worlds, the new gameplay, and getting some more clutter in my game. FINALLY. After a couple of years of not really having much interest left in TS4, I was excited to get the whole, intense, deep, family mojo going - baby, infant, toddler, child, teen with high school, young adult with Uni, young adult with job/marriage/kids, start all over again...

I'm sorry to say that I was disappointed. Not really by the kits, they are what they are, but by the EP's. I played through HS Years while awaiting the arrival of GT, and it was OK, I guess. To be honest, I was hoping to explore more with a new "legacy" type of family once GT came out. But I suffered from MANY crashes once I'd finally downloaded it.

To be fair, I struggled with the game crashing due to mods - but I didn't put them in until they'd been updated. I spent four days starting over and over, testing and testing, with mods that were supposedly updated, but obviously something was wrong... I literally started FOUR FAMILIES in that time, ended up chucking all mods out the window (ooooh, the pain of build/buy without cheats!), and starting again.

It went OK - but I was so DONE by then. Sad, really.

None of THAT was EA's fault. Not at all. But here's the thing I noticed whilst starting over and over and over...

San Sequoia is barren. Empty. Lifeless. Like, you can't even search for frogs or fish there. There are no collectibles that I am aware of in the world AT ALL. (correct me if I'm wrong...)

Apart from collectibles, there also aren't that many people around to befriend/romance/marry - like, they're all adults or older and already paired up, for the most part. I don't know how I'd start a single, YA sim out and find someone to make a life with! I really don't - I tried! I had to move them to Willow Creek!

Literally, I gave up and moved my last sim from my last attempt to Potter's Splay in Willow Creek. Frick San Sequoia, I said. I can always visit the rec center just as easily by a loading screen from Willow Creek as I can from down the frickin' road!

My sim met Zoe Patel - she was serving drinks at the local bar. He romanced her REAL FAST LIKE and they got married within 24 hours and very quickly had a baby. Which then turned into my FOURTH infant in this fiasco. And we are on the way AGAIN to making some milestones.

(Poor little gal still hasn't gotten to the high chair yet, as did 2 of my other infants in this journey... )

Life was better - Zoe could trot around her neighbourhood, even while pregnant, and gather flowers and mushrooms and dug up stuffz to make a bit of side cash while hubby was off at work... And I realized that the RICHNESS of those two original neighbourhoods were never really matched in later EP's - except for Windenburg, they did a pretty good job on that one. Again, still early on.

I've heard that they are all worried about computers and how more worlds means more resources used and how they have to keep all those stats down for those who play on lower-end machines.

Well, folks, here's the thing. I've PAID for a higher-end machine. I know not everyone can, I get that. But I have one. And, for once in the last two years, I was looking forward to a pack that I now feel was hyped up beyond what it would do or give me, which was dumbed down, specs-wise, so that everyone under the sun could play the game. In the end, this long-time simmer feels shorted. I wanted to like the world. I wanted to play in it long-term. But you can't even get a decent-sized lot to build on, let alone one that faces the sun for the right times of day so you can bloody well see what the frick you're building or living in! The life has been sucked right out of it, which is sad, being as all the screenshots were so pretty. But why have an entire wharf when you don't even have a fishing spot on it? Why have parks and "empty areas" when there are no collectibles to find? No secret portals to other places to discover? Oh, and the "secrets" of San Sequoia are just folks telling you about their gender preference or how to be OK with some bad news you got???

Seriously. I can't even.

Know what I did? I opened up The Sims 3. And guess what?

So. Much. Better.

I'll write a new post about that later, since this one is long enough. ;)

[webbymom]

Another carpet tile! This is a nice basic carpet that can go anywhere. I’ve included all the sorts of colours that I would actually use in the game. And maybe a couple I won’t use too much. ;) Find details at www.thetangledwebby.com!

[webbymom]

Guess who’s making carpets? Check it out on my blog: https://thetangledwebby.com/

[webbymom]

[Slightly Off-Topic] Rant

I’ve been watching videos today on YouTube. Doesn’t matter what topic I’m watching today, because this is a rant about things I’ve seen over MANY topics.

Most of what I was watching was done professionally. Some of what I watched was done not-so-quite professionally, but it was high quality information, even if I did have to turn the sound up a bit. ;) And they were friendly and smiled a lot and were really engaging. I can easily put up with “home grown” videos when the person shows they know what they’re talking about and can do it with passion and punch.

And then I hit, yet again, THAT ONE video that was probably full of good information, but after the third time they said “then you just wanna go ahead and...”

I hit the kill switch.

Look. People. Hear me on this. No one should say “go ahead and” for ANYTHING more than ONE time in a single video. And less is better. I don’t care if you’re deep-frying a turkey in your backyard or polishing your nails or doing a cooking demonstration with your Instant Pot or making cut-outs for a scrapbook or laying down washi tape in your planner or telling me how to build a rocket ship to get to Mars! If I hear “so just go ahead and...” ONE MORE TIME, I swear I’m going to explode.

Do you not LISTEN to your own videos before you call them good enough to upload? Did your English teacher not warn you about repetitive phrases in your essays EVER? Do you NOT want to put out the best product you can so that you can get followers and repeat viewers?

Because honey, I ain’t gonna “go ahead and” do NUTHIN’ you are telling me if you “go ahead and” keep on the way you are going ahead with your videos.

‘Nuff said. I’m gonna go ahead and stop ranting now.

[webbymom]

Gramma’s Living Room, much?

Again, trying not to move most of the “types” of things around, I took this from dank, old Victorian to something [hopefully] slightly more “modern country” - and I’m not even sure I’m using “country” properly with this build. ROFL

I removed the bathroom cupboard (??) from the corner and replaced it with a cat scratcher. Some of the other rooms also had pet stuff in them, so I’m assuming this family will be needing a pet. :D Brought the colours from the entry into this room, particularly the walls and flooring.

Gramma’s curio shelf got a new coat of paint - gotta keep the heirlooms! And a second window was added to brighten up the place!

[webbymom]

The roof is on! And it was a PITA, but I think I wrangled it well enough. Started the landscaping out front - how much do I love the shrink function for all the plants??? <3 First room to be re-done is the entrance. Two before pictures from above, and the rest are afters, as you can see. Changed out a few of the objects for a slightly more “contemporary country” look and added a couple of bits and some clutter.

[webbymom]

This is where I got to last night. I haven’t decided on whether to add a second floor. I’m thinking that a second floor would be MOOCHO challenging! :D

[webbymom]

The Mish-Mash Challenge

I’m kinda comin’ up with sumpin’ here, folks. So bear with my while I “think out loud”. ;)

In TS4, we have these pre-made rooms available to purchase and plop down on the lot. Then we can tweak as we need from there. I’ve not used many of them at all. And I’ve only saved one or two “rooms” to use later.

II do have the niggling sense of discomfort that this has been a heretofore highly overlooked feature that I could have been using more until now. But I digress...)

Today I have challenged myself to build a house using only pre-made rooms. Of course, hallways will have to be added, but I’m talking about all the regular stuff. Kitchen, living, bedrooms, bathrooms, studies, family room, laundry, pets, whatever. You name it - even the outdoor patio! - I’m going to use a pre-made room.

And I got to thinking that this could be a fun sort of challenge! So I’m throwing it out there. Join me if you will. * happy dance *

Here are my “rules” - as of right now, which is the first think-through I’ve done:

1) For now, I’m only using the pre-made rooms that come with the game. I’m not going to use rooms from the Gallery. (Maybe the second go ‘round...)

2) I’m allowed to change the style of windows, doors, arches, that kind of thing, so that the whole house has a coherent look to it.

3) I can add hallways. I can also add floors or basements with stairways as needed.

4) I can have as many rooms as I want in the house, just as long as they are pre-made. ;)

5) As needed, I can change the position of a room’s door and/or windows. However, I can’t move any of the furniture. “Aha!”, you say, “And therein lies the catch!” Yes. Yes indeed.

6) I can change the style and/or colour of all walls and floors. (Because I want to use my new CC, yo...)

7) I can change the colours of any and all furniture as needed.

And this is one thing I haven’t totally decided on quite yet...

8) I may or may not allow myself to change the STYLE of furniture as long as said furniture remains in the spot the pre-made room had it. For example, I might want a country vibe, and I may have chosen a room with that general vibe, but is that desk “country” enough for my taste??? I might change it out for another desk. That kind of thing.

So there you have it! That’s what I’m doing tonight. I think I’ll post pics of my progress as I go, too. Here is the current “mish-mash” of rooms that I’ve chosen:

I have one kitchen/dining, one living room, one study, two kids’ rooms, one bathroom, and one master bedroom. I will definitely be adding a laundry room of some sort, either indoor or outdoor, and an outdoor room for an outside family area. And, if I get so inspired, I might add some more rooms in a basement or second floor, or maybe a second bathroom..

My theme for this house is, as I hinted at above, “country”. I don’t usually like country too horribly much, but I’m going to try not to over-do it. Plus, the CC walls I just downloaded from #javabeandreams, with their white trim, just kinda said, “country would be good” to me. LOL (They’re not particularly “country” at all, they are just lovely colours - SUCH lovely colours! With white trim. Heeheeehee!)

So join me, if you will! Put your own mish-mash house together, use my rules or your own rules and then share! Let’s see what we come up with!

[webbymom]

Whew!

I did it! One level at a time, which entailed 2 or 3 sims days at a time (or whatever those levels take), I managed to get Rod to Chief of Police!

Along the way, he has done about 100 loads of laundry, eaten on his back deck 65% of the time, has gone to work “focussed” 80% of the time, met, befriended, fell in love with, and got engaged to one lovely Lyric Song, reached Level 6 of both the Cooking and Charisma skills, plus 5 in Fitness, 8 in Handiness, and 9 in Logic, plus a smattering of other minor skills. ;)

Lyric will be one happy wifey. :D

[webbymom]

Good Grief. Save Me Now.

Actually, despite the title to this, there is probably nothing you can do. I’m working Rod up the ranks down at the station, but OH. MY. GOSH! Is this career boring or WHAT? After level 3, you are HIGHLY familiar with the routine, and probably one solved case ahead of where you need to be. After level 5, you are rolling your eyes so hard they hurt when you get that message, “Search for another case file and get back out there!”

I’ve no idea what will happen by the time I reach Level 9. I may have gone completely grey by then. I might be found drooling and glassy-eyed as I come out of my office one evening.Or I’ll just have stiffened into a solid form on my chair, mouse frozen in my hand, Rod standing there at home after a hard day at work, needing a bath and a potty and food and sleep but not able to do anything about it since I turned free will off...

I’ll letcha know.

[webbymom]

Got a new sim going

Doo joo noe... whenever I watch a Let’s Play video from James (The Sims Supply), I always feel like I need to start a new sim and do something interesting.

I think it would be more interesting if I did a “Let’s Play”, too. :P

Anyhoo, I did start something with someone else’s game save the other day, and it crashed two sim days in. Scrapped that idea. I’d already started a “Rags to Riches Extreme” Sim, but got bored with her and didn’t want to go back to that. In the end, I made a new sim with a new goal - Meet Rod Harding:

He’s a bachelor and he is going to be the sim I get to the top of the police/detective career! Yup, never quite made it to the top of that one, so that is my goal. I’ve done the doctor and the scientist, so cop is next.

We’ll see how it goes. :D

[webbymom]

I might be mad...

... currently downloading TS3 again.

[webbymom]

Some more of my castle - bits of the interior and some completed landscaping.

[webbymom]

Windenberg Castle Thus Far

[webbymom]

WIP - Windenberg Castle. Getting ready to play The Princess Challenge!