Taking Another Route...

As some of you may know, I have had nothing but problems with this game for 5 years.  When I first tried to install my game onto my own laptop, it wouldn't, and I had to buy a new hard drive.  Then when I did finally get it installed the Create A Sim function was weird and when I made really fat or really thin Sims they would look all disjointed and not human.  Eventually, most towns and finally all towns would not load, and when I took the laptop to a technician he discovered that the drivers for my laptop had been discontinued, so I had to uninstall all the games and install them all on my brother's laptop.  That had worked for a few months, until one day I tried the Edit in Game function in Create A World, and the game just froze after five minutes of trying to edit a lot, crashed, and shut itself down.  I tried everything EA told me to try, and I even took it to a technician at the same store as before and he reinstalled windows and updated the drivers on my brother's laptop, but that has only seemed to make it worse.  Now when I try to use the Edit in Game function the graphics flick between my brother's custom desktop and the basic desktop, which I discovered is because the Base Score for the laptop has since been lowered because he reinstalled windows.  It was 3.9 before, and is now 3.4, which is weird because I thought that a computer's base score is part of the hardware.  I tried upgrading it, but it remained the same, which, again, was weird because I was sure it would upgrade to the old 3.9 score, but it didn't, so now I'm stuck and only able to use the Create A World program without the Edit in Game function, meaning I can't edit any lots and thus can't finish my world.  For now what I'm trying to do is work my way around these obstacles.  I went online and found out the sizes of all the rabbitholes in the game and downloaded pictures of each one so I know what they look like, and in Create A World have made lots that they will fit into and named them after the rabbitholes I'm going to use in them.  When I get the money (my 21st birthday is coming up, so that should contribute at least), I'm going to buy a decent gaming computer.  I'm already over a quarter of the way there, so maybe after my birthday and the money my brother owes me is totalled up with what I already have, I might be able to afford the one I want.  For now, here's a picture of what Isla Parrot looks like with some empty lots.

The Power of Gifts

I might not have any pictures of my world to post right now, as I had to uninstall and reinstall everything because the Edit in Game mode kept freezing, but I do have something nice to tell you.  Two very kind friends from the Sims 3 website sent me a number of gifts today, for which I am extremely grateful.  They didn't even ask for anything in return, which makes them even more generous.  To thank these members I have promised that when my world is finished I will send them something special with my leftover SimPoints.  They are much kinder than the other member who sent me a gift recently.  This person sent me a random item of clothing, and in their note asked me to send them something, which I found strange as if that were me I would save up my points and send people gifts later.  I went onto the store to figure out how much it had cost him, which turned out to be 25 points.  I then went onto my page to see if I could find them to send them a gift back, only to find he was insisting I send him the Lullabies and Nursery Rhymes set, which would have cost me 2000 points!  He kept stating that to return the favour I had to look on his wishlist for items he wanted, all of which we extremely expensive.  I then looked on his page and found out I was not the only user he was harassing for gifts.  So for being greedy, he'll get nothing, because I can't stand greedy people.  Oh wait, I did get him something, I got him REPORTED to EA for harassing other members for gifts.  Be warned, I do not take kindly to scammers.  To those who were generous to me, thank you, and I promise I will pay you back as I have said.

Grrrr.... >:(

I'm getting just a bit angry at this.  I feel like I'm never going to get anything done in the Sims 3 and Create A World!  My brother's laptop keeps crashing whenever I attempt to make my criminal hideout for Isla Parrot, so I can't post a picture of it yet.  The reason I have to use my brother's laptop is my Sims 3 games stopped working on my laptop because my graphics card was outdated and when I asked the guy who fixed it if he could show me how to update it, he tried but there was no way to update it because it was a discontinued model.  I guess it's a blessing in disguise - the graphics on my laptop were terrible anyway (it was a Vista, his is a 7).  This now means I can make really thin or really fat Sims without them looking like part of their body has become detached and moved in the opposite direction.  Anyway, when I finally finish my criminal hideout on Isla Parrot I promise I'll post it (when do I ever not post my progress?!).  Until then, please vote on my poll, it would mean a lot to me.  Thank you to whoever already has.

The Coast is Cool

I would love to live on a tropical island, but sadly I live in Glasgow, Scotland, which as most of you will know is pretty cold most of the year.  Conversely, last Summer was super hot, and of course I missed it all because I was working.  Anyway, Isla Parrot is the closest I'll probably ever get to living on a lovely sunny island.  I have been working (slowly) on the vegetation for the cove around where the shipwreck is, and here is a picture of it.

Please let me know in the comments if you think it needs any improvement and any suggestions are welcome.  I would also like to know your opinions on whether or not to add an alternative shipwreck at Coral Cove.  I want to use as many world objects as possible to make my town more interesting, but I don't want to overdo it and make it look unrealistic.  Also, please vote on the poll, it would mean a lot to me!

Life's A Beach

Recently I've been focusing mostly on Isla Parrot, which is my tropical island in my world, which seems to be going well.  Due to the new new terrain paints I downloaded a few weeks ago I've managed to make the shoreline look a lot more realistic.

I've also added a shipwreck to the island, which isn't quite finished yet as I'm planning on adding some oceanic vegetation to the object to make it look a little more decayed, as if the ocean is reclaiming the ship.

The only thing I'm a bit disappointed about is that the lava boulders I received when I downloaded Sunlit Tides are not very big.  I wanted them to be bigger so that the volcano criminal hideout would have a matching environment to blend into, so I've had to place several of the different sized boulders together to make it look realistic, then added a tropical plant.

I'm thinking of using the Asian rocks that come with the World Adventures expansion pack as larger rocks around that area because they look a little similar, so it's not a total loss.  I hope to post more later in the week, until then, please feel free to visit my Sims 3 profile or have a look around my blog.  There's a poll to answer now, and I'd appreciate it if I got at least a couple of votes on it.

My Sims 3 Profile: http://mypage.thesims3.com/mypage/PrincessCheerio16

And So It Begins...

Hi there everyone, this is Lauren (also known as PrincessCheerio16 to the Sims 3 community), starting my first Sims 3 blog.  I wanted to make this to show off parts of my world that I'm creating, and also to show the progress of my world as I go along.  The name of it is a not-so-hidden clue on this site (you've probably already guessed it), and although I didn't really want to tell anyone about any of it, I know that no one would really want to steal my ideas (unless they turn out to be particularly good!).  I'll start with the background story of my town, as told by my character.

"Hi there, my name is Lauren, and I have lived my whole life in Monster Springs.  That’s not to say I have never travelled out of Monster Springs, as I do enjoy travelling, but it has everything I need locally and I could never see myself leaving my home.  The region is split into 12 different districts: Isla Parrot, Esmeralda Bay, Port Saffron, Buttermilk Ridge, Motorburg, Kodiak Valley, Swandale, Coral Cove, Cosmoville, Peacock Heights, Lycanborough Wynd and The Ark Science Park.
Isla Parrot is a small island on the coast.  The buildings mostly resemble tropical and Caribbean designs, and the lifestyle is exactly the same!  With several resorts and plenty of beach space, the locals and tourists alike enjoy a life mostly spent outdoors under the sun, with plenty of fun activities for all ages.
Hundreds of years ago, before Scottish and Irish clans settled in our town, the Spanish made a voyage to our land and started a colony here.  It was the Spanish which named the land “Monster Resortes”, hence it’s modern name.  Most of the Spanish settlers left after they felt the land was not prosperous enough, but those who stayed were wiser, and most reside in Esmeralda Bay.  It’s a similar area to Isla Parrot, but the buildings were erected in the Spanish Colonial style.
Just along the Western coast from Esmeralda Bay is Port Saffron.  Port Saffron grew and prospered from the old docks, the same docks which are now integrated into The Strip of Port Saffron.  The many casinos and bars attract the rich and poor alike, and the many hotels and arenas hold a host of many extraordinary activities and shows.
Further along the coast is Coral Cove, a lovely little, New England style seaside town.  It’s mainly a fishing village, and many of its residents enjoy watersports and sailing.  The lighthouse is one of its main attractions and brings in a great number of visitors from the surrounding areas and even further afield.
To the East of the town is a quaint little suburb known as Swandale, where my family home is!  Not much really happens here, but most of the residents are friendly.  There is the odd park and specified parks for cats and dogs, as well as the community pool and the retail park.
In the Centre of the town is Cosmoville, the buzzing hub of nightlife, fashion and shopping.  Its many high-rise buildings and skyscrapers make tourist Sims feel as if they could be in New York, and the local sports stadium only adds to the atmosphere when the local team plays.  However, there is a seedy side to Cosmoville: many of its residents do not feel too safe leaving their homes at night, and for some reason none of them wish to share why…
A little further North lies a district of the town known as Peacock Heights, an elite community with the most expensive manors and mansions in the town.  Many of the residents are well known, high-powered business men and women, celebrities and legacies, and much is known about their lives, whilst some residents are very elusive and retreat to Peacock Heights to escape the spotlight.  The elite retreats and exclusive country clubs make this area difficult for the less affluent to venture into, but nevertheless, the self-made millionaire Sims do often find themselves mingling with the so called “riff-raff”.
Lycanborough Wynd used to be similar to many newer areas of the town, mostly Swandale, but has run into such a state of disrepair in the last 50 years that it is almost completely a ghost town.  The ponds and lakes lie stagnant, houses and former businesses lie empty and crumbling, and only the odd resident remains (odd being the operative word).  Venture here and you may find some other unusual places and items you cannot find elsewhere.
Although most of the town is neat and nice, there are some areas that are less desirable.  Motorburg used to be a hub of industry for Monster Springs, but over the years as Cosmoville grew and the science park was built, Motorburg fell behind the times.  Now many of its factories and warehouses lie empty, and are often used by criminals to pursue their next heist.
Lastly, there is The Ark Science Park.  This is in conjunction with the local university, and employs a massive amount of the town’s residents.  Its many research facilities, modern hospitals and schools make it a hub of education and technology, and many who attend the schools find themselves in further education or employment at one of the many facilities on the park’s campus.
The whole town is divided by the Arista River, which starts at the Aurora Falls and flows through the town until it reaches the ocean.  It is this river that most of the town’s fishers have prospered from, although some prefer to fish at the coast.  The fishing industry is a large part of life in Monster Springs, particularly for those who live in Coral Cove."

This is as far as I have written about my town.  Hopefully soon I'll have a few pictures of the various parts of my town.  For now, here is the waterfall I've made.

Promise I'll try to post more soon, although this town is taking a while!