Hahaha, this is a good question! I’ve never given him much thought before. 😛 I’m not sure if there’s much logic behind him besides being a “mascot” for the mountain vacation destinations (lumberjacks + mountains/forests go together, I suppose?). Even as an American I can’t think of any other meaning to ascribe to him. (But that could also be because I am a city kid who is uneducated in the ways of the wilderness. :D)
But you’re right, he is funny. I especially like this lil tabletop version:
😀
Hello friend! I meant to answer this forever ago, I’m sorry. 😦 First of all, I’m so happy to hear you like my blog! *squish* It means a lot. 🙂
Secondly, I checked my blog and I see what you mean, you’re absolutely right. Well, on my screen I see two pictures, but I can see how it would be annoying if you were trying to scroll through everything. : I’m sure a lot of it has to do with different monitors and screen resolutions (for example, it might look okay on my screen, but totally different on someone else’s!). Truth be told, I’ve been meaning to change my theme (or at least give it a bit of a facelift) – but the last time I changed it was such a hassle I swore I’d never do it again. 😛 (We all knew that wouldn’t last long.)
I want to apologize for the inconvenience – I can’t promise my theme is going to change any time in the near future (busy work schedule + my extreme laziness is not a good combination), but I’m going to keep this in mind when I search for a new one! I’ll try to find a nice one where the banner scrolls with the rest of the page. 🙂
Lucky you, anon! I don’t have my game open at the moment (busy fooling around in bodyshop again), but I remembered to take floor plan screenshots this time! 😀
Loosely based off a floor plan I found online. 😀
[short answer which was originally shorter but I started rambling so I should’ve actually titled these “long answer” and “longer answer”]
Hey! No worries. 😀 You could install both! In fact, if you’re going to use the genetic/townie skins, their geneticized values are most likely based around the default skins. If you’re only going to use one skin set – for example, Lilith’s Feathers skin set – you can use the default AND geneticized/townified versions because the geneticized/townified skins fit around the defaults. Basically, they will fill in the spectrum of skin tone shades between your typical four defaults. So if you’re sticking with one skin set, you could almost certainly install both and everything will be genetically sound.
Unless you have another default skin installed – then you’ll have to decide with default skins you want. (Friendly reminder to everyone reading that you can only have one default for something installed at a time!) If that’s the case, you can certainly still download the geneticized/townified skins, but it may require some tinkering in SimPE to ensure that all your skin tones fit properly on the genetic spectrum (thus ensuring that any future Sim babies born don’t have a skin tone lighter or darker than both of the parents :D).
Tinkering with genetic values in SimPE isn’t difficult, but it may be beyond the scope of what you were really asking me here, so I’ll put it under a cut in case you didn’t need all this additional information. 😀
[long answer, with a rambling explanation as to how this stuff really works and partially copy-pasted from a similar ask I did awhile ago]
Basically, in TS2, there are four default skins – S1, S2, S3, and S4. If you only want to use defaults, your skin defaults will only replace those four colors. But, of course, many of us want a little more variety in our skin tones, and that’s where geneticized/townified skins come into play!
But Fi, what does “geneticized/townified” mean? (Not implying that you didn’t know this already, abundanceofpixels! Only that this is a topic that I get asked about frequently and sometimes it helps to explain the very basics. :D) The simplest way to explain it – skins are geneticized on a scale, with values ranging from “lightest” to “darkest”. The four default skins have assigned values of 0.1, 0.3, 0.6, and 0.9 (going from S1 to S4). To geneticize skins, therefore, simply means going into SimPE and assigning each skin a value around the pre-existing default values.
So a custom skin lighter than S1 (the pale default) would have a genetic value smaller than 0.1. If your custom skin is a shade between S2 (0.3) and S3 (0.6), for example, it could have a value of 0.4 (or 0.45, etc.).
I use Mayberries Invasion skin as my default, but I wanted to use several other skin sets as well (as listed on my resources page). For example, I also use Lilith’s Honey skins. Since I’m currently using a different default skin set, there’s a chance that if I merely downloaded the geneticized Honey skin set and threw it in with my Invasion defaults, the geneticized skins would not fit properly on the spectrum around my defaults. For example, the lightest Honey skin tone might’ve been lighter than my S1 default, but its genetic value may have placed it on the spectrum between the S1 and S2 defaults.
SO, I took all the custom skin sets I wanted to use, and in a notepad file, I arranged them in order from lightest to darkest, then set about assigning values on the scale to fit them around my defaults. Here is part of my notepad file:
My default S1 skin is the lightest of all the skins I have in my game, so I started the scale after 0.1. Everything between S1 and S2 are skins darker than S1, but lighter than S2 (ordered to the best of my ability – it gets tedious clicking back and forth in Bodyshop, and depending on how many skin sets you’re using, it’s often hard to discern if one is really “lighter” or “darker”, as sometimes it’s just a different shade :3).
THE WHOLE BLEEDIN’ POINT OF THIS, basically, is to ensure that if an S3 and S1 Sim have a baby, for example, the skin tone of the baby will come from anywhere on the spectrum between 0.1 and 0.6, and not lighter or darker. Think of all the genetic possibilities! Here’s an example of one of my Sim families. I don’t know the exact genetic values for the skin tones of the parents, but Nate has a significantly lighter skin tone than Tabitha, which opened up a wide range of genetic skin tone possibilities for the kids. And sure enough, they had quadruplets – and each one has a different skin tone. 😀
None of this is critical to playing the game – for example, you don’t have to have all your skin tones fit around a certain genetic scale. You can have as many skin tones as you want, they can be custom, they can be geneticized, they can be on a completely arbitrary scale. But if you’re anal about genetics, like me (and honestly the genetics system in TS2 is freakin’ amazing and one of my favorite parts about playing the game), then you might need to tinker around with genetic values SimPE if you want to use a wide range of skin sets. Again, that’s only if you care about “correct” genetics. 🙂 There’s no right or wrong way to play the game, so if you want your TS2 game to defy human laws of genetics, physics, etc. (I mean, the game has werewolves and vampires and alien babies, so you can pretty much take that as your cue to do anything you want) – GO NUTS!
THIS TUTORIAL SPELLS OUT EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW! I’m pretty noobish when it comes to SimPE (I’ve only started getting more confident with it over the last year, as I’ve been doing more default replacements), but this tutorial explains everything about TS2 genetics in clear and easy-to-follow language. It seems daunting, but it’s really very simple!
Oh, and if anyone is unclear on what “townified” means – a townified skin means there’s a chance it will spawn on any newly-created townies. 🙂 Otherwise, your townies will have your basic four default skins. Again, townified skins aren’t necessary for playing or enjoying the game, but it’s definitely a way to add more variety to your neighborhood (and the genetic pool).
I’m by no means an expert on this, but if you have any additional questions, feel free to reach out! (Posting this publicly because I get a lot of asks on this, and it’s easy to have everything in a handy post. :D)
Hey anon! I get asked about townie creation a lot, so today I spent some time doing a bit of a write-up on how to generate custom townies in the neighborhood. I see you’ve already got your empty templates installed, so feel free to skip ahead to the part about townie creation.
Basically, if you don’t care about creating each individual townie yourself (down to the last detail), you can force your game to batch-create townies (assuming you have the notownieregen mod installed and your game hasn’t already spawned some) by following option B outlined in my small “tutorial.” Of course, you’re free to spawn even more townies if you want some more, but keep in mind this will create many additional character files in your game.
Unfortunately, I’m unaware of anything that will force them to pass by or visit community lots more frequently. : (I don’t think it matters how many townies are actually in the hood.) But hopefully this helps you create townies if that’s what you’re looking for. 🙂
(regarding this lot)
You’re all so kind, thank you so much ;___; ♥
The school is jam-packed with CC, so I’m not sure about uploading it as-is. Also, uploading lots in general is time-consuming for me since I try to track down all the required meshes and recolors that don’t package. I’m forever finding less and less time to play TS2, and when I do, I usually just want to play. So I’m not going to say no, but I also don’t want to promise I’ll upload it (like I’ve done so many times before) and never get around to it. If you don’t mind having the building shell, I could try to do that? I’d be more than happy to point out any WCIFs you’d have if you’d like to decorate it yourself.
Sorry for being a lazy loser. :< I hope you understand.
♥
(You sent me this message so long ago I’m not sure if you were buying TS2 for 2015 Christmas or 2016 Christmas, lmao WHOOPS.)
But anyway! The best thing about TS2 is that you can basically play however you want! Are premades your thing? We have tons! Do you like creating a completely custom neighborhood – terrain, lots, Sims and all? You can do that, too! One of the things I don’t like about TS4 is the lack of a real “sandbox” mode. I don’t like being restricted to certain neighborhood layouts or being told I have to put certain lots in certain places. Then again, I haven’t really spent too much time with TS4 so I don’t know if this has been modded in any way. (I know literally nothing about TS3, so I can’t speak for that game.)
So, really, the best piece of beginner advice I can give (even though it sounds super lame lmao) is to play however you want! There’s no right or wrong way to play any of these games. The TS2 community has so many different styles – from gameplay to aesthetics – so you’ll definitely find something that fits you. Feel free to play with premades, feel free to start a legacy family, feel free to start a BaCC or an asylum challenge. Feel free to do nothing but decorate neighborhood terrains or build lots and take pretty pictures. 😀
For more specific beginner tips, such as finding CC, much of it will depend on how you’re going to play. If you want to play with premades, feel free to jump right into the neighborhood! If a completely custom hood is more your style, you’ll want to first install empty templates to prevent your game from generating Maxis townies. (And if you hate Maxis face templates, you can use default face replacements so your newly-generated NPCs and townies will not spawn with them. There are a bunch of different kinds, I use these.)
Speaking of default replacements, we have a whole default database! This is a great way to replace Maxis clothes to cut down on the number of custom clothing files you have in your game, or to ensure that townies and NPCs walk around wearing something that fits your gameplay aesthetic. 🙂
Looking for hair? Look no further! We have a database for that, too. 😀 You can sort by creator, Maxis-match or realistic, natural or unnatural colors, or even by different textures (such as waves or dreads).
If you don’t particularly enjoy or have time to spend building lots, the Sims Community Project is one of my go-to places for lots. And we have a nifty new blog by @holleyberry you can check, too! All of the lots from the aforementioned places are CC-free (which I love) – so you can install them without having to worry about dumping a ton of content you didn’t want into your DL folder, and you can feel free to redecorate with your own content!
Buy mode is a little harder for me to recommend because I use things from so many places. D: I keep meaning to work on my resource page, but that’s the most daunting part of it. I’m going to be lazy and link you to a past ask I’ve answered that has a couple of good places to start (including my sporadically-updated sideblog for CC finds). And for build mode you can check out some of my recommendations here. 🙂
Last, but not least, MODS! I play with a ton of mods, as my resource page shows. But if I were to do a reinstall, the first three I’d add are a camera mod, lighting mod, and ACR. ACR has been SUCH a game-changer for me, I don’t know how I ever played without it! It’s definitely made my neighborhoods a lot more fun (and dramatic ;D).
WHEW, this post spiraled way out of control. I should probably put some of this under a read-more… But anyway! I hope this helps you (or anyone else) looking to dive into TS2! As always, if you have any other questions, feel free to message me! I promise I’ll try to answer it sooner…
Oh gosh, this is hard! I’m definitely going to leave someone out! To name a few off the top of my head: @deedee-sims, @didilysims, @darkestdawn, @taylors-simblr, @olivemuenda, @ofgodsandllamas, @meliesims, @knightsims. I’m sure this isn’t everyone, but these are BaCCs I’ve either been following for a long time, or that have been updated recently. 😀
I haven’t really paid much attention to rules (not playing a proper BaCC myself) so I’m not sure how strict each one is, but I know I’ve definitely given DeeDee’s ruleset a read-through. 🙂 I think a lot of BaCCs use Nepheris’s ruleset as a base.
Hmmm, I’m sure I’ve talked about it at one point, but I’ve never made an official post or anything proclaiming “THIS IS HOW I PLAY”. 🙂 (Also, my tagging system is inconsistent at best, so any such post may be buried forever…)
But anyway! I primarily play rotation-style. I have a bunch of different households that I play for one season at a time (5 days) before moving onto the next household. 🙂 It’s kinda like a BaCC, but also not like a BaCC at all because I don’t have any infrastructure or rules or anything, I just kind of build stuff whenever I want to. x) (I call it @vimpse style!) It helps me stay interested (for the most part) without making it too challenging or too much of a chore, especially since my play time is limited these days. But I wish I’d been more organized with it from the beginning, and made masterposts on LJ for each round (a la @deedee-sims :D) with family summaries at the end of each rotation. For documentation purposes. 🙂 Maybe one day!
I’m also attempting a (half-assed) legacy challenge, because I enjoy legacy challenges and I’ve never actually completed one myself. (Or made it past the first gen, if we’re being completely honest…) For me, the most exciting part of legacies is seeing how genetics are passed down through the generations, which is why I decided to take this ugly-as-sin Sim I made in Bodyshop to be the founder. 🙂 Let’s see how long it takes to breed out some of those features!!
I have an uberhood, which I was also dreaming of playing rotation style, but I’ve only done a handful of lot makeovers so far. And apparently I can only focus on one project at a time, so 99 times out of 100 I’m playing in Sycamore Cove. 🙂
Hope that sheds some light on the (erratic) way I play my game! 😀
Hello! I created most of the main “playables” (Alfred, Sheila, Chase, Nate, Xavier, Audrey, Clara, Stellan, Evelyn, and Shena). Tabitha is an extracted born-in-game Sim from my last neighborhood, where I created both of her parents. 🙂 Zynlos was made by the lovely @deedee-sims. ❤ And Keffria is a townie.
Some of the townies are Sims made by other people (@lilithpleasant, @starlla, @voleste, @syreni-sims and @iabee) and the rest are just game-spawned. I’m slowly going to be aging up/“killing off” the game-generated townies as my neighborhood grows, and any new townies I introduce will be other people’s Sims because it’s more fun that way (and more interesting genetics!). 😀
simper fi 