In My Initial Post About The Rural Build I Mentioned That We Keep Our Traditional Rural Homes As A Way

In my initial post about the rural build I mentioned that we keep our traditional rural homes as a way to preserve and honour our roots as Zimbabweans.

I wanted to keep that same idea in my gameplay.

So in ancient Zimbabwean culture, a family would grow and expand into their own community/legacy on one compound. The idea was that we would operate as a small tribe because everyone stayed connected. As the times have changed it’s not common to have these huge legacies staying in the same place anymore, especially since most folk now live in the city. But the sentiment is still apparent.

What happens nowadays is that when a person gets old they tend to want to go back to their ancestral home and live out the rest of their days there. They prefer this to being put in nursing homes because they prefer to keep their liberties as home owners, though without feeling like they’re getting in their younger children’s way.

Their children and grandchildren can then come to visit them there for the holidays.

I’m gonna implement a similar system in my game (for this particular hood) and have it be a vacation location because it’s supposed to be completely separate from their normal everyday lives. I like it because it feels familiar to how myself and many other Zimbabweans grew up.

It’s the perfect device to aid legacy gameplay too, because when the grandparent sims pass on I can have their elderly child move there too and so on. And eventually I plan to build other similar lots in the same area so that different families can have their own compound and that will create more gameplay opportunities too.

It’s a big project and quite ambitious. Idk how long I’ll keep at it, but for now I’m really into it so I’m doing as much as I can.

Born to play the sims, forced to have a life outside of it.

Ah yes, almost forgot to upload what the ‘apartment’ building looks like.

I don’t actually have apartment life because I play Super Collection so I did my best. Also that (dura)wall around it is realistic to how properties in Harare are typically constructed. There’s always a durawall for privacy.

This week’s random gameplay screenies ~ ft one of my test hood comfort families

Mac Simmers, Rejoice!

A long time ago, Huge Lunatic extracted the content of three Stuff Packs and put them in neat package files that a Mac can use. Those three packs were: Ikea, Teen Style Stuff, and Kitchen and Bath.

You can download all three from the link at Garden of Shadows.

Installation is easy, but the package files do NOT go in your Downloads folder. They go in the Mac equivalent of your Program Files.

In Applications, right click on The Sims 2 Super Collection and choose Show Package Contents. Click to open Contents->Assets->Expansion Packs->Bon Voyage->TSData->Res->Catalog->Bins

This is where the buy and build packages go.

Almost done! Next, you need to go back a level, to Contents->Assets->Expansion Packs->Bon Voyage->TSData->Res->3D. This is where the bodyshop packages go.

Once installed, it is the same as owning those Stuff Packs. There are no custom content stars in the catalog, and recolors of the objects work just like on a PC.

There will be a folder named TSSBedding. Ignore it, or trash it. I messaged Huge Lunatic, and apparently the bedding is tied to the beds somehow. That folder seems to contain the bedding texture files, but nothing else. She does not recall what she was thinking at the time. Hey, it WAS a long time ago.

a birthday shoot, shameless slander, and a peeping tom. Man, what a weekend the girls have had.

Started off great with a night at the media studio for Chenai’s birthday shoot. The girlies got all prettied up and had themselves a good time trying out the newest photo hub in town.

Looked like the night ended on a perfect note. That is, until Marie and Batsi started with their cliquey act again…

Like she’s right there you guys. At this rate Chenai might be considering new living arrangements. These girls can be so fake sometimes.

-Next Day-

Marie decided she’d go on a date with the new guy she met some weeks ago at a chill spot. What she didn’t expect though, was to get followed into the restroom literally 15 minutes into the date…

Our girl was NOT having it.

Told him off and the creep had the nerve to try and downplay it, talking about some “wE’rE bOtH rOmAnCe SiMs So I kNoW yOu WaNtEd iT” like ??? Sir?? Goodbye. Date immediately cancelled. He’s lucky she didn’t call the police. She was just too shocked.

Audacity.jpg

Yeah. Never again.

—

So I never did character intros bc I hated the first batch of screenshots I got for this household which means I’m posting in the middle of the story. Nonetheless I’ll still give a brief description of each girl:

Chenai, the one in red. - she’s supposed to be my main sim for this storyline. She’s freshly graduated from uni with a physics degree and no sensible job prospects. So far she’s in education but she’s only there for the money. She wants to save and get her home place since right now she’s renting a cheap dorm with 2 other girls. She’s tried to be friends with them and on the surface they seem to get along, it’s just that those two tend to exclude her sometimes and she’s not sure if she’s all about that flaky business. She’s evil, a tinkerer, and unstable.

Marie, the one in blue. Nobody knows where she came from; but rumour has it she’s some D-list celebrity’s secret child and she’s trying to climb the ranks to make a name for herself in the entertainment industry. Currently in the slacker career she’s well on her way but shows no signs of talent or unique skill that would make her stand out. The most she’s got going for her rn is her charisma and good looks. She’s found a best friend in Batsi, though no one can figure out why they get along since they couldn’t be any further from each other personality-wise. Marie is a diva, coward, and has a green thumb.

Batsirai AKA Batsi, the one in pink. Batsi had a harsh childhood that set her up to join the military as soon as she turned 18. She’s often perceived as abrasive and intimidating because of her resting expression and aversion to speaking unless she likes you. As she rapidly advances through her military career, Batsi begins to wonder what the next step will be for her with 24 on the horizon. She’s been wanting to start dating since she never had the luxury as a teenager. But it’s hard when you’ve got her reputation and the men around you are all so beneath her standard. In the meantime, she embraces and enjoys the bond she has with Marie. She likes Chenai too, but that girl tends to keep to herself too much so it’s hard to stay close. Batsi is an angler, absent minded, and has commitment issues.