Apartment Life - The Brokes

[strangetomato]

I managed to get AL to work for me, but it involved uninstalling the game and starting over (I was getting some crazy graphics error, so I reformatted everything again - a bit extreme maybe, but it worked). Right now I'm just running AL and the basegame and that works, so I might add everything back in now and see how that goes. I think the problem is basically that this game is beyond the capabilities of my PC. I don't have the 2.4 GHz CPU that they reccommend for Vista, so I'm not sure what effect that has on the game and the computer. *crosses fingers*

Anyway, the point of this post was not to talk about technical things (and how I'm probably toasting my PC), but to show you something that I've been enjoying about this EP: the trailer park apartment complex. It's so perfect for the Brokes. I moved them out of their original trailer and into this apartment (which I added across the street from their original place). I figured that they'd move into an even cheaper place after Skip died. It would make sense.





Here they are, moving in. The landlord looks an awful lot like Dustin. Could he be his real father? Brandi will probably end up finding comfort in him as a replacement Skip, either way (even though they did fight-argue within their first five minutes of talking).




I love this so much. I was worried for a moment that teens wouldn't be able to use the playground (the adults can't), but they can. I'm so relieved. If I know anything about teens, it's that they love hanging out at the playground (I sure did). I wish they had an animation for just hanging out on the equipment, though. I would love to see a bunch of teens just hanging out there, smoking.

See the llama rider things? I was so PUMPED when I saw those. :D I get a little more excited with every llama detail they add.




Dustin helps Beau on to have a ride. (Toddlers can only interact with this item in the playground, and they need help - makes sense.)








The cuteness, it burns.

(Way to leave him unattended, Dustin. He fell off, by the way. o_O)




I also added this Pleasantview condo complex. It fits right in with that side of town.

I love all the new interactions too. If all goes well, I'll probably post about them later.



 

Comments

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

I saw Ripp doing that when I reinstalled this time. :D It's because he starts the game with his aspiration meter slightly in the red (which makes sense). The fridge swing is considered a teen immaturity behaviour, which they do when aspiration is low.

(On the same note, I think Ripp's low aspiration is also meant to encourage the player to call up Ophelia and launch that love triangle. It's so suggested by the game.)

I've been getting some lag with the last few EPs. The graphics are not a problem... it's just the processing speed, I think.

I feel the same way about preview posts like that. I'm glad to actually have the new EP when it comes out for once. It helped to cheer me up (well, not all the tech. problems, but they seem to be "resolved" for now. *crosses fingers again*

[cindyanne1.livejournal.com]

I totally agree with Maxis pushing that Ripp/Ophelia/Johnny triangle. Ripp's friends with Johnny, but he wants to date Ophelia. Throw Johnny and Tank being enemies in there and then it can really turn into a mess. ;)

Or you can have Ripp date Ophelia, have Ophelia invite Johnny over (since she wants to do that too) have Johnny catch Ripp and Ophelia together, then have Johnny beat both of their asses into the ground (Maxis jealousy at work!) and have them all be furious at each other. :P

Then have Ophelia get scared to death by a ghost the same night. *brushes hands*

Ummmm not that I've done that or anything... ;)

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

They're definitely meant to become entangled in some way. The ultimate result of that relationship is up to player. The fact that Johnny and Ripp are (almost) friends too makes it one of the more interesting set-ups in the game, in my opinion. I've played it out a couple of different ways.

I have to say that I find your hatred of Ophelia slightly disturbing. It's not just disinterest (like my feelings for Ajay), but HATRED. To each their own, I guess, but I have to say that I feel sort of uncomfortable when you bring it up all the time.

Anyway, I digress. *repeats to herself* If you can't say anything nice...

[cindyanne1.livejournal.com]

Hee. It goes back to the days I first played the game and a much-beloved child of my very first sim family wanted to go steady with Johnny. I didn't even know, at that time, that Johnny was a playable character (I was very new to the sims) and I did the whole relationship from her end starting when she brought him home from school once. They fell in love and were so cute. Then, she rolled the want to go steady and didn't have that option. I could not, for the life of me, figure out why. So I posted about it (on TSR I think) and was told that Johnny was already taken. I was like, "Wut?" lol, and I felt so bad for my poor little Sim girl. So that was how it started. Juvenile, I know... but its the sims, after all. ;)

I do like your version of her though.

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Something very similar happened to me the first time I played Strangetown, but with Nervous Subject's daughter (she was three bolts with Johnny). I felt bad for Ophelia, if anything. I mean, she's the one who has to watch the "other woman" move in.

[cindyanne1.livejournal.com]

Hmm... I never thought of it that way before. *hangs head in shame*

:D

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

And then there's the (most likely) murdered parents... how could you not feel bad for her?

*heaps more shame on the pile* :P

[cindyanne1.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm definitely going to make her a good witch now. ;) (I already turned Olive into a baddie.) Ophelia can be my Light aspect witch and that way I'll play with her a lot. :)

And all this gives me SUCH an idea for the new simstorytellers challenge... new kid on the block. Mayhap I could write my old game's scenerio from Ophelia's standpoint? Wear the other shoes so to speak?

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

That's a very cool idea for that challenge.

[dothesmustle.livejournal.com]

Yes! I remember making him call Ophelia and she had the "Can I Bring A Friend?" pop-up...and guess who showed up? ;P Though, poor Johnny was distracted by Tank, who constantly tried to beat him up. I also remember Buzz giving Buck lessons on that career reward in the backyard. I remember the oddest things sometimes.

I've been meaning to ask you this. Technically by the game, Johnny is the oldest, then Tank, and then Ophelia, then Ripp. (I think..Ophelia usually has two days left, I'm not sure, maybe Ophelia is older than Tank?) So, I assumed you just ignored it, made Tank the oldest and Ripp, Phi, and Johnny are the same age? I was just thinking about it the other day for some reason, haha.

I usually just get lag in Maxis neighborhoods. It's odd, my custom neighborhoods run smoothly, the second I open up Strangetown it's Lag Time. I get the most lag with the Smith family. :(

When my game isn't lagging, Johnny, Ripp, and Ophelia live in a dorm together and I moved Tank in with Frances *winkwinkwink* :D

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

That's funny. When my Ophelia asked if she could bring a friend, it was Olive. o_O

I have been taking their age differences into consideration, but only a little. I tend to view Tank, Johnny, Ophelia, and Ripp as being essentially the same age, since those age differences are not much in sim terms (with transitions instead of birthdays). It just made things much easier to simplify things and send them to college at the same time.

I just get lag when there's weather or on BV lots. Then, it can get pretty laggy.

Awww... heehee. Tank and Frances become roomates a lot now. I'll bet Frances is happy (and maybe even Tank too? *wink*).

[dothesmustle.livejournal.com]

Sometimes sims bring the most RANDOM people over when they "bring a friend." Once, my sim called over his professor and the professor brought my sim's grandmother with him...I'm pretty sure she's never met him before in her life. (She was a CAS sim..so no university)

I forgot you used transitions! That's definitely easier than using actual ages. (I'd imagine it can get pretty confusing when you actually use years.)

I don't get much lag at BV lots..though, the last time I went to a BV lot was around the time FreeTime came out. So who knows how bad it could be?

[(Anonymous)]

In my story, I use transitions, but I also count their age in simdays/years. I put them in Uni once they are 18, so Ripp must wait two years before he joins the others. Actually, Ophelia comes in a residence with Tank, Johnny, and that alien girl of La Fiesta. Since Johnny dated her, Ophelia get closed to Tank and tries to ease him with the whole alien stuff. They're now engaged. And recently, Johnny is engaged with the alien. BUT, Ophelia invited Ripp in Uni in order to have friendship back with him, and I could definitely see him stealing his brother's fiancée. If you read a little French, here is my version http://montsimpa.canalblog.com

gab75

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

I considered being more precise about the years when I first started out, but it's too hard, but each day equaling a year, etc. Sim time and aging is so odd, and I like the sim realism of the transitions better, anyway.

The idea of Ophelia ending up with Tank is interesting. I think I've seen that once before (and there was that little flicker in my story too). Great idea.

I should be able to read French fairly well, but I haven't touched it since grade 10. Shame on me. I could try to pick up the plot from the images, though.

[(Anonymous)]

Thank you ! I would definitely appreciate to know you did look at my blog ! It's half Pleasantview and Strangetown, though, but the Strangetown chapter have a "(Z)" in the chapter line. Will, think I see Ophelia as someone not confident at all, I think she was quite disturbed by Johnny infidelity so she searched for comfort in someone who looked steady, and that was Tank ! Not always a good reason to do a couple nor to get engaged so I don't know what will happen with these two...

gab75