Reblog If You've Ever Cried Over The Death Of A Fictional Character

Some tips for The Sims 3 Buy/Build

Install LazyDuchess’ Smooth Patch to alleviate lag, esp in Buy/Build and CAS.

Keep your CC merged and organized, esp your patterns, this will also alleviate a lotta lag across all modes.

When building on community lots, or any lot rlly, avoid going to the edit world menu, and just put testingcheats enabled into the cheat window, then shift+click the ground of the lot to enter Buy/Build mode. This makes leaving it to save a lot easier, with less “preparing” screens to possibly get hung up in.

Lower your settings, you don’t need any adjacent lots loaded, and you certainly don’t need super water on either. You can always switch these back on when you’re done.

While you’re at it, remove your HQ mod, and turn off your Reshade/Gshade preset, or at least turn off your depth shaders. I only ever turn on my depth shaders when I’m taking screenshots for better fps while playing. The DoF shader esp requires a lotta resources your game could be using to simulate all those 78 townie sims instead.

Save as… vs Save, I Save as… at least every third save. It’s also just good habit to keep backups.

When using the CASt tool, set down everything you plan to CASt first, then switch to a category like the wall tool to avoid eventual lag and drag when using it a lot. Love yourself. You don’t have to suffer using CASt tool in an overpopulated category like misc deco.

Utilize the clone option through testing cheats to duplicate already CASted objects, it’ll keep your design just like the dropper tool, but it’s a lot less time consuming, I promise.

Don’t be afraid to use the swatch save tool for objects you use often, esp community lot objects, as it helps to keep your aesthetic consistent. I also keep all of my favorite streetlamps, benches, and public trash bins etc in a convenient custom collection folder to speed up the process of doing multiple lots in one sitting. These handy tools are there, use them.

The issue with custom counters. They mess up sometimes, if you can’t recolor it suddenly, here’s how to fix that. Now if you can’t place down a cupboard suddenly, even though nothing’s in the way, and you’ve got moveobjects on activated, try putting it on the wall a tile over, and then try adding it to your desired spot again. Lastly if you set down counters or cupboards at a corner, and it messes up the textures, but you can still recolor it, you could do what the video I linked above does, or you could simply pull out the CASt tool, and switch it back to any of its original swatches and click the check, then feel free to recolor it as you want.

Railings will also do the “can’t recolor” trick too, but this is a simple fix, just delete it, and replace it, and you’re good.

“Oh no, I switched between buy and build mode, and now my catalogue won’t load, and I can’t click on anything at all!” Don’t panic, hit F2 and/or F3 on your keyboard, these are shortcuts for switching between them, and if you’re lucky it’ll load properly again. Should you get the bug where you load a category and it’s somehow empty, don’t fret, just click on a different category and this should fix it. Then if you get the bug where all the objects you put down disappear suddenly, sorry your game is haunted. Call an exorcist, or just reload, they might reappear if you do.

Tbh, if you run into any kind of major bugs, it’s likely a sign to either save immediately or just restart your game. These only ever show up when you’ve been at it a while ( at least for me ), therefore starting fresh wouldn’t hurt. Probably also wouldn’t hurt to check whether you might’ve installed something the game didn’t agree with by running Dashboard, or put it through the ol’ Save Cleaner.

Honorable Mention: Keep an eye on the texture sizes and poly counts of objects. I know it’s tempting to build these ultra hyperrealistic lots with clutter at every inch, but unless you’re just doing it for screenshots, or for your story, or using it very sparingly, it is not by any means recommended purely for gameplay. This is just the truth when it comes to any Sims game. You don’t want lag, or max memory crashes, or save errors? The Sims 3 is a 32bit game, that’s almost old enough to drive, be easy on it.

Followers Gift: A Couple of Random Mods

Thanks for the 200 follows! Everyone has been really nice and encouraging and it's been fun to share this hobby with others.

I know it's customary to give gifts when you hit certain milestones but I don't really have anything ready to share.

Soooo I dug through my archive of old mods from yesteryear and tried to find something that someone other than myself would be interested in having. I recognize this is the equivalent of giving someone something you found in the back of your closet as a last-minute birthday gift! 😋

Anyway, here's two older mods I figure people might be interested in.

Combo Washer/Dryer

The first is a combination washer and dryer. Useful for small spaces and apartments. It's pretty simple, you select do laundry and then when it's done washing, you select dry clothing. I made it as a cheap version but then threw in an expensive option as well. Because I hate free stuff in-game, you have to buy detergent pods in order to use it. You'll find all the objects (appliances and detergent bottle) in the laundry section. I edited the mesh for the base version to make it less wide so it didn't stick out so much in my bathroom so you have to turn on moveobjects to adjust it so it's flush against the wall. The light will be a little off as a result. Expensive version (pictured) is exactly the same as EA's.

Credits: Detergent bottle is from @aroundthesims and I squished it down to make it look different? (this was a while ago, I don't remember my rationale for this) The individual pod is a TS4 conversion from littledica. It sticks through the hand a little but the animation is 2 seconds long.

Download here (base version that you need) and here (optional expensive version)

Hang Out

The second is a mod similar to the TS2 feature where teens could hang out with each other and sit on the floor and talk. That's pretty much it. It's only for teens and kids but you can change it in the ITUN to make it for everyone Child+.

Download here

I hope you enjoy!

YOU ARE HYPERREAL - TS3 Normal Map Replacement

I edited Buhudain’s "You Are Real" face and body default replacement normal maps to make the details pop even more on the skin. First, can we talk about the impact these mods made? When I discovered them I was blown away, they immediately became an essential. Buhudain truly changed the game with these.

What I tweaked:

I edited Buhudain's 2048 px sized textures 

More visible pores and skin texture 

More defined muscles and veins (intensity controlled by the muscle definition slider in CAS) 

More light-reflective, shinier skin (intensity changes with the muscle definition slider in CAS) 

Sims with no muscle definition will still have slightly more glow to the skin and more detailed pores/texture up close

No bump map on the male body’s nipples so they won't conflict with nipple placements on any skins (female body has them though)

Includes naughty bits

The effect looks stronger on darker skin, I'm not sure why

I think you’ll be able to appreciate the texture if you use a HQ mod and you take a lot of closeup photos of your sims like I do. I think it still looks normal enough for regular gameplay, although you’ll have to decide that for yourself after you try it out.  

Photos were taken with bright lights, the effect is subtler in normal lighting.

If you already use Buhudain’s You Are Real mods, you must remove them from your Mods folder first before installing mine. 

You can put these files in your Overrides or Packages folder. 

What’s in the zip: 

My edits of You Are Real for the male and female body (young adults to elders) 

My edits of You Are Real for the male and female face (young adults to elders)

If you only install the body files, your sim’s faces will not be affected. 

If you want to install the face files to look consistent with the bodies, you can choose between the version which has EA’s wrinkles on the adult face, or the version which does not have EA’s wrinkles on the adult face. Only install one, not both!

Download: simfileshare / mega

Hi! 

Yesterday an anon asked me if I had a list of my hair retextures so you can better see which hair is which. 

I didn’t, but I know it’s been a pain in the ass to download any of my hairs without pictures, so I’ve compiled every single hair I’ve done into this google spreadsheet. 

The hairs have been sorted alphabetically by creator and color coded according to gender. 

I hope this is useful!

► View: GOOGLE DOCS

Scottish New Year

We all know around the world that the Scottish New Year is highly significant and steeped in traditions. Mostly stemming from pagan and even Norse traditions and customs, they are ingrained in us, well us old folk anyway. You all know this because our song 'Auld Lang Syne' (times long past), by Robert Burns, is used all over the world, which has always surprised me. There are many traditions at New Year but I'll stick to the ones I know about and practiced through my life. Auld Lang Syne, do it properly. You should be in a circle around the dancefloor to sing it, holding hands in the normal way, at the last verse you cross your arms over your chest and take hands with those on either side of you again, I see foreigners crossing the arms all through and that's wrong. When the song ends everyone should run onto the dance floor still linked together, then you all have to twist under your arms without letting go so that you face outward from the circle.

Haud Hogmanay

Hogmanay is our biggest night, the above is how to say Happy Hogmanay in Scots. This happens on 31st December as midnight approaches. Major preparations are in place for this event and right now people are scurrying about making sure their houses are absolutely spotless, Redding the House, that all the dirt from the old year is out. You should have all debts paid before the bells too but this is nigh on impossible in todays economic climate. We also call this 'The Bells' When the bells ring at midnight you should be doing several things. Here where I live we do still have the horns from the shipyards going off at midnight but usually you hear church bells too. As they ring you should be spotlessly clean, house clean, food ready for guests, you should be holding a drink in one hand and food in the other, you must have money in your pocket. This is to ensure food will be there all year long. Whatever you are doing at the bells is what your year will bring. Once the bells have rung out, signifying the start of the new year, you should open a window to let the old year out and the new year in. This is when people step out of their homes and go 'first footing'. Also as soon as the bells ring you must turn your calendar over to the new one. My new one is currently on the wall under the old one, I will remove the old one when the bells ring.

First Footing

Your first foot is the first person who will cross your threshold in the new year, it is hoped that this person will be dark haired, I wasn't allowed out of the door until we had a first foot because I was blonde, just in case I came back before a first foot, a dark haired person brings luck, a male is preferred. Obviously in old times dark haired people were few and far between in Scotland and the Norse areas, which favoured blondes and red heads. Now this person is also charged with traditions and they must have 3 things. Food, drink and a piece of coal. It is also lucky if they bring a coin with them. This is them bringing prosperity to your home. Never turn up at a Scots house in the week after New Year empty handed, on the off chance you are their first foot.

Food for Hogmanay

Many things are traditional, cock a leekie soup, even Cullen skink (fish soup, yuck), Haggis Neeps (turnips) and tatties (potatoes), most commonly steak pie is made for the bells. This came from a time when Hogmanay wasn't a holiday (it still isn't) and there was no time for food prep so often the steak pie was bought from the butchers. A meal will be enjoyed with the family and there should be enough for any unexpected guests, never run out of food or drink at New Year, yes we do have a whisky. Shortbread of course and my favourite 'bun', this is a type of cake, we have Madeira (plain), sultana or my favourite, which I just had, cherry bun. Clooty dumpling is also very much a part of it all, the leftovers from this can be fried in the morning for breakfast, I don't think many people make the dumpling from scratch now but I do remember my gran and mum doing it. The dumpling would have a coin in it , wrapped in greaseproof paper, it was considered lucky to find the coin. For some odd reason as a kid I always got the bit with the coin from my grannies clooty dumpling, I was the first grandchild, it was rigged. At that time it was a sixpence, which I called a wee shilling, if you don't get that, you never will.

Bonfires, yes we did but not sure this still happens, old pagan thing. Fireworks are loud just as the bells ring and they go on for too long in my opinion.

The celebrations can go on for a full 3 days and sometimes still do, people in a family pick a day they will host, we always did the 2nd when I was a kid. I remember in the morning waking up and finding the living room full of sleeping people while my mum would be in the kitchen making French toast for them all, along with some of that fried leftover clooty dumpling. It's not as busy at New Year as it was back then, with many people just staying up to hear the bells and just going to bed, like I'll be doing tonight, don't worry I do have my cherry bun and a wee dram of Jura Whisky to 'bring in the Bells'.

Ramblings and memories of an old Scottish Woman.

Translation of above Scots

May the best you've ever seen be the worst you'll ever see. May a mouse never leave your (pantry, larder, food cupboard) with a tear in his eye, May you be healthy and strong until you're old enough to die. May you always be as happy as we wish you to be.

*looks at books* too tired for you *looks at films* too tired for you *looks at art supplies* too tired for you *eyes fall on tumblr* oho ho

trying to explain to dumbass tumblr users that saying they benefit from systemic oppression on a certain axis is not the same as invalidating every struggle theyve ever had in their entire life

TS3 - Red To Gold Colour Mod for TS3 World  Adventures EP’s “FountainAsia2x2″ 

D E F A U L T   R E P L A C E M E N T 

I don’t work for Maxis The Sims 3 Studio in San Francisco, I don’t work for EA Shanghai, I’m just correcting Maxis The Sims 3 Studio employee’s job due to incorrectly and horribly wrong of Chinese dragon colour portrayal in Shang Simla’s World Adventures Expansion Pack.   

Do not just slap red colour to every Chinese object just because you think red is considered as lucky colour in Chinese culture. Especially this is statue and fountain to spurt water. To designers, please recall University subject of colour theory, culture, and art history.  

Chinese dragon is traditionally coloured GOLD. Not red. It’s obvious the employee who colored the Shang Simla’s dragon fountain must be taking stereotype from Mushu, comedic tiny red “dragon” from animated movie Disney’s Mulan (1998), didn’t consult to Chinese person at all. 

Chinese dragons are gods who control rain, weather, and seasons. 

Chinese dragons are kind, benevolent, powerful, who bring luck and prosperous. In Chinese New Year, there is Dragon Dance (the dragon has gold colour) as symbol for good luck. 

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Changes:

Overlay –> Change colour to Gold 

Specular –> More shinier to resemble gold dragon statue in real life

Buyable object has automatic gold colour default replacement from catalogue. 

Known issues: 

There are old thumbnails unchanged on CAS mode, please ignore it. The Dragon color is still gold. 

Dragon fountain in Shang Simla doesn’t automatically change to gold colour due to different coding in-game (it has different fountain stone colour too). ❗ You need to install Nraas’ Debug Enabler (Core mod by Twallan) in order to work correctly ❗

Follow these steps to reset the textures: 

Click on the fountain > Nraas > Debug Enabler > Options: The Water Breathing Dragon > Objects… > Reset Textures > (Choose one) All Sims3.Gameplay.Objects.Environment.FountainAsia2x2 or This Object

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Made with patch 1.67

TS3 World Adventures EP needed 

Do not reupload/make profit/link to adf.ly or donation, no sims3planet, no simsdom.

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[ Download ] 

For additional information: 

The only Chinese dragon fountain colours are gold, jade, greyish stone colour, white, black. Not red.  Images: 

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It's like EA revived Sims 2 using the Ressurect-O-Nomitron but only paid less so now it has risen from abandonware as a zombie.

Conversion of the Sims 4 Pastel Pop Kit’s ‘Luv 2 Work Office Chair’

Download after the cut

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