Sims talk: Free Time

[strangetomato]

I've been pretty excited about this expansion pack since I first heard it mentioned as a possibility. I'm sure that you've noticed that I fully enjoy the leisure activities already available in the game, and these things are especially great for storytelling. More hobbies means more possibilities for creating unique character details.

These are the things that I'm really looking forward to:

- The sewing machine! 
- More things to cook.
- The messy art supplies on the desk.
- An actual object where toddlers can interact.
- Some really nice clothing - sweater vest and cardigans.
- Don't Wake the Llama game.

Have you watched the teaser video on the TheSims2.com? There is a little Grunt brothers cameo appearance in it, about 3/4 of the way through. Well, not really, but there are three guys working on a car together, and they have the same hairstyles (in the same colours) that the Grunts do (well, the "Buck" has the hair that I put on him, but close enough). You can see it here.

The new arts and craft objects really excite me the most. My Buck Grunt really NEEDS a sewing machine, and you can bet your ass that he'll be getting one as soon as it's possible. He'll be sewing up some mighty fine curtains. The sports thing, while less exciting to me as a person, will make it possible for Johnny to be into sports a little more than just "in theory". And maybe we'll see him coaxing his less athletic friends into playing with him, despite their protests.

It's kind of funny that I'm already planning how I'll use this EP, since I haven't even installed Bon Voyage yet, even though I do own it. Why am I so reluctant about it? I just have a bad vibe from that EP. Is it just me? I do really want to have some of the details, but maybe not others. I want to get those massage tables really badly, and the sauna (sauna woohoo - awww, yeah!), but I don't want vacation obsession to infect the game, and I'll miss the honeymoon limo. Destination weddings, on the other hand, would be nice. I'll have a few weddings coming up (not exactly soon, but still). Why am I such a wuss about BV? I'll be eating up Free Time as soon as it hits the shelves.

How do you feel about Free Time? Do you have (or plan to get) Bon Voyage?

Comments

[madame-ugly.livejournal.com]

I'm still not interested in Bon Voyage. My big beef is the whole secur-rom thing. I'm sure I'm pre-worrying about something that probably wouldn't even affect me, but that's just the way I am. The only thing about BV that I wish I had was "new" turn ons/offs (like being turned on by unemployment, that cracks me up). I'd like to have it for the animations, too (especially if you can do "dirty" things with the massage animations--my whore house could use that). I was interested in Big Foot too, until I realized you couldn't have your sims marry/breed with him (and when I saw a snap of him I was mighty disappointed--just not what I had expected).

BV seems VERY buggy. And it's BAD bugs, like NPC's spawning at game destroying levels (there's a fix for that at MATY) and vacation sites just not working correctly. And quite frankly, a lot of my sims don't even have jobs, so what do they need to take a vacation from?

I also avoided BV because of the SimPE thing. But now that I have inSim (and use it to adjust ages) I could probably live without SimPE (though I'd have to go on a cloning binge lest I want someone and not be able to have them).

I agree with you on the Free Time interest. I think FT will make Open for Business that much more fun. Sims could really outfit their own stores with handmade stuff (though the thought of all those teddy bears makes me gag). But I want to see how buggy it is before I get too excited. MATY has a thread where people can make predictions on what they think will be messed up with FT. The safe bet is the whole car repair thing will be effed up and bird watching/birds will cause lag like the bug houses/water balloon fighting do.

I'm also still leery of the whole secur-rom thing. But I'd be willing to risk it for FT (after FT has some MATY fixes and inSim is updated).

I won't install any new expansions if I can't have inSim. I'd like to have simPE, too, but like I said, I can work without it. I also won't install a new expansion without knowing the major bugs and have their fixes/work arounds ready should I encounter them.

(I did like the video, especially the Grunt car repair part. But the video just makes me wonder how much of the cool stuff will either be "oh, we didn't have time to get to that" or just plain broken)

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it was that NPC bug that really turned me off from Bon Voyage. I have H&M, so I supposedly already have Secur-Rom (and it came with Teen Style too), but I think it maybe doesn't cause the same problems until you launch through BV. I was hoping they would patch BV again, and then maybe I would consider installing it. They can't have all the bugs out yet.

I always wait a long time before installing a new pack, but it will be hard to wait with Free Time. I don't want to be a bug tester (unless someone wants to pay me to do it). I'd rather sit back and let others do it, and then download the patch.

They've updated SimPE for Bon Voyage now, I believe. Does InSIM work with BV?

I want those turn on and turn offs too. Really badly. It would make it more interesting. And the massage tables really send out a siren song for me. I was thinking that one of my romance-minded ladies (like maybe Bella) could work at one of "those" types of massage parlors.

Big foot doesn't interest me at all. He never did. For one thing, the werewolf is already a big hairy beast, and the lack of possible interactions with him is lame. As is the fact that there are only male bigfoots. How is he any better than an NPC? They should have included something better, like centaurs or something (dirty, dirty centaurs).

Not feeling the teddy bears? *snicker* I wish they had included cooler handmade toys (and maybe not just the same mesh recloured). They seem to have no problem including trendy clothing in the game, so why not the craze for oddball stuffies? I also wanted knitting, and it would have tied nicely into Seasons. I think I read somewhere that they can sew new clothing at the machine (and curtains), so that's cool. I like the quilt too. It would be nice if it became available as a recolour of the bedspread after you made it, as well as a wall hanging (really, how many quilts actually end up on the wall?).

Doesn't that look like the Grunts? Not if you look closely at the faces, but it's still funny. All happily working on that car together. Then the "Ripp" even uses it to pick up a lady.

[madame-ugly.livejournal.com]

I was really hesitant to install the Teen Stuff because of the secur-rom thing. I almost took it back to the store. But then I read up about how it's not "as bad" (that's a technical term *snicker*) if you don't launch from that shortcut. So I put Teen in first and then Celebration and Holiday. So I still load from the Seasons icon/disk.

I don't know if inSim works with BV. I'm going to say "yes" but a check of the site would clarify. InSim didn't have the drama that simPE did, so I think it updated quickly (and it's not as complicated as simPE, either, so I guess it's easier to update).

I really wonder how the "make new clothes" thing is going to work. I have a feeling it'll just give access to the shopping screen and you can pick out new stuff and "make" it instead of buying it. Or maybe there will be some new clothing items that can only be accessed if you have a certain badge level for sewing? Will the sewing work like that, being a badge? It would seem the only way to do it.

Here's hoping that sims aren't obsessed with the new stuff, like they were with Pets. Having all wants related to "getting in the zone" or wanting to get a basketball hoop will irriate me (thankfully, MATY fixes those irritations).

I wonder what the "weird sim" will be. I hope it's not like the Plant Sim. I like plant sims but they're way to easy to get and once you have one they're way too easy to maintain. Fun, but boring (kind of like servos).

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Oh, I was hoping that it would be new clothes that could only be accessed through making it on the sewing machine, like any other work bench (it SHOULD work like the badge system). It won't make sense if it's ANY outfit. If my sims can sit down and sew a knitted sweater, I'll be pretty miffed.

Yes, they really should do something to prevent the obsession with the new EP features. That's very annoying. Especially when sims wanted a womrat cage, but then didn't even want a womrat. All my sims had an old womrat cage in the attic, which I suppose is actually pretty realistic.

Yes, I wonder what the "creature" will be too. I hope it's something good. There aren't a lot of obvious options left.

[madame-ugly.livejournal.com]

*snicker* The womrat cage thing cracked me up. All the kids want one but never the womrat. Unlike the birdcage, where they want the cage and the bird but then never want to play with the bird (or worse, do and leave the cage door open so the bird's constantly flying around the house disrupting the traffic flow).

I like your knitting idea. If Crumplebottom can pull that ugly red and green knitting out of her purse, other sims should be able to, too (so it's not an animation issue!). How incredibly cute would it be to have preggo sims knitting.

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's a realistic touch, for sure. Poor little unloved womrats.

I'm a knitter myself, so I'd have armies of sim knitters if they included it. Ophelia would be perfect as a knitter. It wouldn't have been that hard to include it - like you said, they already have that mesh and animation for Crumplebottom. It could work just like sewing, and they could end up with a scarf or an ugly toque when they were done. Then use the gift interaction to pass it off on a friend, and get upset when it doesn't fit them. It would be so great.

[madame-ugly.livejournal.com]

Ooh, they could knit little coats for dogs!

How freaking cute would THAT be?