If you were making a historical neighborhood, which time period would you choose?

[NollemD]

Personally, I like doing historical neighborhoods, because they provide exotic places with different cultures -- cultures that are different from (well, to a degree) modern-day Westerners. I really like creations from Parsimonious or All-About-Style, which heighten my interest in historical neighborhoods, most of which are distinctly European and so far very few have been Asian, African, Latin American, or American Indian. My favorite is the English Tudor time period, because I can use whatever that is available in the game to create an authentic Shakespearean neighborhood, like Veronaville. My second favorite is the Victorian time period, because I don't have to download many clothes for men and boys; I can simply use the game's costumes. Just a quick look on All-About-Style's page on Victorian clothing may have one think that fashion has not really changed much for men and boys in two centuries. :rofl:

Got any ideas for making a historical neighborhood? Currently in my game, I have a custom neighborhood called Sunnyview that is part-modern and part-Victorian with a royal family that lives in a "castle" that has been handed down for generations, as the story goes. It just looks a bit funky, so I have to constantly make stuff up as I go to integrate the time-inappropriate fashion for both of them. My reasoning is that the contemporary part of town is the normal, real part of town, and the Victoriana village is the backwards village that holds traditional values and customs, and there is a culture war between the progressive contemporary part of town and the Victoriana village. :blink:

[sushigal007]

I occasionally want to make historical hoods, but the amount of hard work and stuff I'd want to download put me off every time. I guess it's why I like sending my sims on holiday - I have themed subhoods without having to do the work. XD But if I ever did, I'd choose Victorian, with a bit of steampunk thrown in, and medieval Arthurian style. And finally maybe a slightly more modern 60's era, with funky bobbed hairstyles and giant eyelashes and bright, shiny minidresses and Beatles.

[minpinz]

1920's or 30's for sure

[Bwinney43]

Not really a time period but I love post apocalyptic things. I'm currently working on a Downloads folder that will turn my whole game into a post-apoc setting :D

To keep in topic, though, I've always loved medieval. I love looking at pictures from peoples games and love reading their stories. It takes so much dedication to find everything for a themed game so I really respect them.

[LilGeek]

The fascination with the medieval period and the following 3-400 years makes me so puzzled.. It was terrible, terrible times! People died left, right and centre of everything from plague to hunger, and it was a miracle if a non royalty lived past 35! And then we've not even brushed upon the religious insanity of the time, how women and children were treated and what the living conditions were... Now, I know Sims isn't realistic, but I wouldn't put my Sims through those centuries!

I think I'd opt for a Native American themed hood, or an Eskimo hood. Before they're ruined by nosy Europeans, obviously (damn you, travelling forefathers!).

[VerDeTerre]

I'm fascinated with medieval times in Europe and just started such a hood. It's hard to explain why, LilGeek, when most of what you said is quite true. They were not great times! I do have strange feelings about them, nonetheless, and I love watching my Sims play a pseudo version of the earlier times.

Some of the things that draw me to those times are purely aesthetic. I love the music and the textiles. I loved that so much was handcrafted and I admire the simple and yet ornate style of tapestries, illustrated manuals, and fabric. I love the gardens and the lack of telephone wires and cars. I love the quiet that I can imagine existed outside of the city. Castles of stone and poorer dwellings of wood or mud are beautiful. I would love to spend time baking bread in one of the large kitchens.

[Mrmo]

Why not the 50's or 60's. Rock n' roll, big cars and all of the other fings. The clothes and so. No, I was'nt born back then if you wunder, I just say it would be cool.

[NollemD]

The fascination with the medieval period and the following 3-400 years makes me so puzzled.. It was terrible, terrible times! People died left, right and centre of everything from plague to hunger, and it was a miracle if a non royalty lived past 35! And then we've not even brushed upon the religious insanity of the time, how women and children were treated and what the living conditions were... Now, I know Sims isn't realistic, but I wouldn't put my Sims through those centuries!

I think I'd opt for a Native American themed hood, or an Eskimo hood. Before they're ruined by nosy Europeans, obviously (damn you, travelling forefathers!).

I speculate (and this is only my speculation!) that people are fascinated by the medieval time period because it is the time period known for its kings and queens, castles and knights, medieval chivalry and code of honor, and the art of courtly love. The bygone era is also the setting for traditional fairy-tales and folk-tales, and the source for finding the roots for common European surnames. However, I am pretty sure that if one would actually live during the era, one may find that the times were not as pleasant as one would wish it to be! Feudalism was the dominant economic system, and the Church had overwhelming influence over the people and governments. War, famine, and pestilence were prevalent in much of Europe and limited the population growth. Despite tough times, people lived on and reproduced.

[punkrockgoth1988]

The fascination with the medieval period and the following 3-400 years makes me so puzzled.. It was terrible, terrible times! People died left, right and centre of everything from plague to hunger, and it was a miracle if a non royalty lived past 35! And then we've not even brushed upon the religious insanity of the time, how women and children were treated and what the living conditions were...

I think I'd opt for a Native American themed hood, or an Eskimo hood. Before they're ruined by nosy Europeans, obviously (damn you, travelling forefathers!).

I tend to agree. I've never been particularly taken with tales of medieval times. Actually, I'm not all that taken with the dark history of humanity as a whole. However, I would love a game that simulated the lives of the um... (I can't remember the term I want to use) original people of the Americas without the taint of those who intruded upon it. However, at the same time, I doubt a truly realistic simulation of those times will ever exist, seeing as history is written by the victorious and even now so many of that history is lost by time.

[FranH]

I've been playing a medieval hood for the last 2 weeks-and while I don't play it 'accurately', it must be said that we should be very glad we're alive now..because living back then was a toss up between horrible and terrible, with lots of dire thrown in.

Not fun at all.

[VerDeTerre]

...living back then was a toss up between horrible and terrible, with lots of dire thrown in.

Not fun at all. No, not fun, but funny the way you said it :)

[GEGNER]

Does steampunk count?

I'm currently making a bunch of cliff houses in a gothic victorian steampunk neighborhood.

It's fun.

[Bwinney43]

Does steampunk count?

I'm currently making a bunch of cliff houses in a gothic victorian steampunk neighborhood.

It's fun.

I love steampunk! It's such an interesting style. I have a few steampunk outfits in my game. I only dress specific sims in them, though. Ones that I feel fit the style.

[maxon]

The fascination with the medieval period and the following 3-400 years makes me so puzzled.. It was terrible, terrible times! People died left, right and centre of everything from plague to hunger, and it was a miracle if a non royalty lived past 35!
Arrrggghhh - I'm sorry this one always grates on me and I can't resist.

It was true that the AVERAGE age at which people died was in the 30s for much of the medieval period throughout most of Europe BUT you have to bear in mind that many, many people died as children. In order for the average age of death to be 35, there would have to be a lot of people living beyond - well beyond in some cases - 35. If you survived childhood, there was a good chance (though not a great chance) you'd see your 40s, 50s even 60s and 70s.

Anyway, you're right - it's not an attractive period of history. I don't get it either.

[Gcgb53191]

I had an idea when I installed my game again. I made my CAS sims and pretended it was the 50's and with each generation I would decorate the house with stuff that'd fit the time period but I kind of forgot about it later on :rofl: But if I wasn't so worried about downloading too much CC I would of gone through with it but I think should have started even earlier, I just prefer the 50's hehe

[GEGNER]

I love steampunk! It's such an interesting style. I have a few steampunk outfits in my game. I only dress specific sims in them, though. Ones that I feel fit the style.

It only started this weekend when I saw someone's amazing steampunk project.

Because it's not like it's a competition I'm stealing a lot of their stuff and making one myself.

[Bwinney43]

It only started this weekend when I saw someone's amazing steampunk project.

Because it's not like it's a competition I'm stealing a lot of their stuff and making one myself.

Would you mind providing a link? I'm always interested in other peoples games and content.

[GEGNER]

Would you mind providing a link? I'm always interested in other peoples games and content.

Oh sure. It's this person's LJ: here (http://ja-viera.livejournal.com/)

[Bwinney43]

Oh sure. It's this person's LJ: here (http://ja-viera.livejournal.com/)

Much obliged :) Going to check it out now.

[CocoMouse]

Whenever I try to make these themed neighborhoods, I end up never playing them... I think I just like downloading stuff for them :D I've made (or started to make) a wild west town, post-apocalyptic, and tribal... And then sometimes I just randomly pretend my normal neighborhoods are Victorian and make everyone wear Victorian clothes for a while

[LilGeek]

It was true that the AVERAGE age at which people died was in the 30s for much of the medieval period throughout most of Europe BUT you have to bear in mind that many, many people died as children. In order for the average age of death to be 35, there would have to be a lot of people living beyond - well beyond in some cases - 35. If you survived childhood, there was a good chance (though not a great chance) you'd see your 40s, 50s even 60s and 70s.

I am aware of this fact, even as the silly English major I am! It was late, and I wasn't in the mood to venture into a wordy post.. Who says a game-forum can't be educational? Thanks for clearing it up, my OP does sound a bit dire..

[vhanster]

I usually prefer the epic-fantasy style, but if I have to choose a historic era, it's probably the modern era.

... If that's not allowed, then I guess I'll go for the medieval/dark ages.

[kjd73170]

I'd like to try a 1920's Berlin (Before the ugliness) with people dealing with issues as a hood. Something with cabaret's, restaurants, cafe's, bars. Fill it with all sorts of unsavory and normal characters. Move them all in to apartment buildings and let the sparks fly....

Imagine the young cabaret singer living next to the family man who has to work long hours to support his family. Or the political activist below a shy reserved office worker..... Things like that. Everybody has issues with each other but they all enjoy a beer and a bratwurst.

Decorate it like a sort of run down European city post WW1 brick and half timber buildings sort of way with cobblestone streets, Include a train station, the tram system (it's here somewhere) and old cars.

I have always been fascinated with this place in time. So many wonderful things could have come from it, such potential.......

[pico22]

I am most fascinated with the really dark period of the Middle Ages, roughly from the 5th up to (but not including) the 12th century, the period when most of Europe was in constant flux. It can't be recreated in (any) Sims game, though, and I don't know of any other game dedicated to it.

Berlin in the twenties theme seems like a good idea. I don't think it could be done well in TS3 but it is probably possible in TS2 - not Berlin itself, of course, but a Sim city as much like it as possible.

[Deryn]

The Flower Power Era of the late 60's or the Disco era of the 70's. but if I had to choose I'd go for the 60's, because of the tie dye clothes, free love movement (perfect for those romance sims) Hippy movement (Pleasure sims), and creating eight Sim Communes living off the land would be just perfect in the sims.

[Peni Griffin]

So would you actually make an Isherwood sim, and a Sally Bowles sim, and a Frau Schroeder/Schneider? And would you do Cabaret, I am a Camera, or original Berlin Stories versions?

The Berlin Stories is one of my endlessly-reread books (and Isherwood one of my binge authors - others are Diana Wynne Jones, Louisa May Alcott, and Arthur Ransome; what that says about me I don't know), but I can't watch either of the movies. I understand Isherwood was told by his friends that he wouldn't like Cabaret and therefore decided not to look the gift horse in the mouth and stayed away from it.

I couldn't pick one time period, myself - they're all interesting if looked at from the correct angle. I'm fine living in the modern era, especially since if I'd been born ten or twenty years earlier I would probably either not have lived to grow up, or would have grown up an invalid; in fact it's my theory that anybody who was transported to another time would quickly want to go home to his old familiar set of advantages and disadvantages. The past looks like a golden age to a lot of people simply because it's stable - we know, or think we know, the worst that happened. But people actually living then didn't have that advantage.

But this is a game, and we can deal with it on a fantasy level if we care to - much like the unofficial motto of the Society for Creative Anachronism: "Living the Middle Ages as They Ought to Have Been!"

I am attracted to the idea of an "Alien Zoo" hood, with sims drawn willy-nilly from all over human history, so Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, and Morgan Le Fay, lacking a feudal system to support them, live between the March girls and the Bennets; Melanie, Mammy, and Scarlett are trying to rebuild a burnt-out Tara while Rhett and Ashley suffer through alien pregnancies; the tenement where Nancy, Sikes, Fagin, Oliver, and the Artful Dodger live is suddenly next door to Hercule Poirot's rigorously symmetrical apartment building; etc. But you'd need such a wide range of CC to do it properly that there's pretty much no point if you don't make your own.

[HarVee]

1830-1920, or in other terms "The Wild West" and/or "American Old West".

[Darby]

I don't have a favorite time period, but my favorite theme is jungle-island, ever since I played Sims 2 Castaway (PC version).

As with some others in this thread, I've not been much of one to see the appeal of the Medieval era. Or maybe I'm just over-saturated with movies about King Arthur and fantasy novels, too many of which seem to be placed in Medieval-like settings.

Nonetheless, if I ever go for a theme besides jungle-island, it'll be Medieval, because I quite love the "look" it comes with. Plus, there's oh so much lovely Medieval CC available to use.

Post-apocalyptic is good, too.

The problem with historical and themed neighborhoods, of course, is getting it to look right in all aspects. Being overly perfectionistic, this makes it hard for me to seriously consider embarking on a major themed neighborhood, except for the jungle-island 'hood I already have. Since it's more of a location thing, rather than a time period thing, the things that are out of place, like NPC clothing, are a bit easier to overlook and accept. And I've got a fair bit of grungy CC that takes makes modern items, like kitchen and bathroom equipment, look less out of place.

[Tempscire]

I have 2 non-contemporary 'hoods that I work on (and these days, by "work on" I really mean "think about" and "download CC for," argh).

One is a 40s-ish but post-WW2 hood, give or take a decade, because 1)I can't quite decide when I want it to be, and 2)it's a lot easier CC-wise to sort of smush some decades together, especially for clothing. I'm going for sort of generic psedo-retro rather than historical authentic as well, for similar reasons...not to mention all the aspects of the game that can't be controlled in an authentic manner. I'm most interested in contrasting rural, suburban, and urban lifestyles. The latter will have the most ethnic diversity, the suburban will the kind of Leave It to Beaver-ish, the rural is where I feel free to say "and 30s-ish!" It's amazing how long it took the countryside to modernize through the 20th century.

The other is an anachronistic Magic Town sort of place, with aspects of medieval fantasy joined up with Victoriana. Women allowed to wear pants as needed, a castle full of werewolves and vampires up the cliff, gypsies at the edge of the woods, some serf-like farming cottages, some Victorian- and Tudor-styled apartments in a "village." Stuff like that. I keep the special CC for it in a folder titled "Rustic Mystical."

[Misanthrope]

Medieval is a bit too... dry? I can't think of the right adjective. It's rather bleak-looking.

Anyway, I prefer Renaissance and Ancient Roman.

[Bwinney43]

...Plus, there's oh so much lovely Medieval CC available to use.

Post-apocalyptic is good, too.

I think that's the biggest appeal for a medieval hood for me. There is so much CC out there to completely deck out your game and make it seem like it's 100% medieval. I don't think I'd ever actually go and start downloading everything but I still enjoy looking at others stories/pictures.

Now post-apocalyptic kind of wore on me. I used to hate that grungy look and the worn down houses and such. As I've been reading journals, though, (and lurking around on GOS) I've come to actually love post- apocalyptic and find myself snagging up any and all downloads that I can. I'm well on my way to have a post-apocalyptic game and I'm actually pretty excited about it. Though I haven't decided if I want to have to different sets of user files or if I just want to use Strangetown as my guinea pig.

[maxon]

The Flower Power Era of the late 60's or the Disco era of the 70's. but if I had to choose I'd go for the 60's, because of the tie dye clothes, free love movement (perfect for those romance sims) Hippy movement (Pleasure sims), and creating eight Sim Communes living off the land would be just perfect in the sims.
Y'know - that would be fun. I could recreate Emma Peel.

[omglo]

The 1970s or 1920-30.

[Macaroodle]

I've got a retro hood called Golden Plains that's a combination of the '20s through the early '60s. There's no racism or prejudice, and the sexism is dialed back quite a bit (gotta have drama somehow). If I played it more realistically, it'd be depressing, which would bring up the question "why am I playing again?" :lol: It's a remake of my retro hood that I started several years ago. That one was doomed to borkage eventually since I deleted a couple sims and goodness knows what else I did before I knew better. Besides, it had all the Maxis townies, dormies, etc. and I just wanted more control.

Anyhoo, I'm still building it up and trying to figure out sims' characters. I'm trying to have lots of community-owned lots that they're able to go to- Virgil Loudon runs the town's grocery with the help of his wife and a couple employees, and I'm going to try to have him sell produce and maybe fish. Sam Gundlebumps runs the bookstore and will sell the custom novels my authors write. Downtown, Ambrose Elliot III owns the fancy Hotel Elliot where all the rich sims go for a meal.

Downtown is named New Amsterdam City and is loosely based on New York City. I'm still arranging buildings and neighborhood decorations so it looks convincing. There's an area off to the side where the rich have their mansions, a London-influenced area for my Bertie Wooster sim and his friends, a rough neighborhood, and lots of inbetween areas. My mafia family (who don't actually kill anyone, LOL) are going to run a speakeasy once I move them into the right house.

A while back I played the Progress Over Time challenge, but I lost interest somewhere in the second generation (the Victorian era). This is probably where I learned that playing too dark of a game depresses me, heh.

Off and on I've toyed with the idea of making a medieval-ish neighborhood, but if I did I think I'd make it in Sims 1. The main reason being that there's a really neat wheat-growing set of objects that some really talented hackers made that I'd miss too much if I tried it in Sims 2. Besides, my peasant/serf sims would always be protesting their low aspiration scores and needs bars. Whee. :|

Apocalypse just doesn't interest me at all. I can picture cheerfuling-up a medieval hood, but an apocalyptic hood just sounds so unavoidably bleak.

Oh, and I've also thought about making a Jane Austen neighborhood that's a mix of Regency and modern day with maybe some steampunk thrown in. I've kind of lost interest in it lately, but maybe someday I'll give it a whirl.

[SusannaG]

Golly, I've tried a lot of eras over the years.

Roman. Medieval. Tudor. Eighteenth century. Regency. Victorian. Edwardian. 1920s. 1970s.

I'd say there's the most CC for Medieval and Victorian hoods, from my experience. And a real deep dearth for the period between about 1600 and about 1750.

[Babahara]

I speculate (and this is only my speculation!) that people are fascinated by the medieval time period because it is the time period known for its kings and queens, castles and knights, medieval chivalry and code of honor, and the art of courtly love.
Yeah, they just forget that 90% of the population were peasants who had nothing to do with all that, could work for 12 hours per day and receive only meager food in return. Merchants were more lucky, I guess, but life in medieval times is genuinely terrifying. I once read a book on how simple peasants lived, that was beyond horrible.


Sometimes I do themed-subhoods, mostly as vacation destinations. I would get bored playing them all the time as a main hoods. So far there's one tropical pirate island, an all-winter mountain ridge with a tribe living in caves, another planet where aliens live, and something vaguely resembling Japan.

But no favorites, I'd get bored playing either of that as a main hood for sure. There's much more stuff for a normal hood than there is CC for themed hoods.

[kjd73170]

So many others as well, Paris between the wars or post ww2, That'd be interesting because of the clothing meshes and building customizations...

St. Petersburg. at the beginning of the revolution, The palaces and opulence of the Royal family with the stark contrast of the average man.... That could be visually stunning.

London 1968 - The height of the swinging 60's in London would definitely pose a challenge to any clothing designer. Besides there are mods for British cars of the era...

Rio De Janiero modern day - many sims living in close quarters. A carnival every night! One word - bikini's.

New York 1970's - Disco and change - all of the male sims in polyester suits driving bad cars to a remake of Studio 54, Really great areas next to really bombed out areas.

[RowenaLupin]

I'm currently doing a 50s Hood. It's really easy too, and mostly requires object downloads and a few clothing/hair downloads, and its a lot easier to be realistic. But the 50s hood won't be around for ever. After 2 full season cycles, I'll hit 1960, and have more fun that way =D It's kind of like Sims through the times where they all start off in the 50s and see how far I can get until I hit the 60s up until now. That way the game doesn't have to be too heavily modded. Although, I'm still looking for 57 chevy belair's... can't seem to find them

[Mrmo]

Member "DBCAB" http://www.modthesims.info/member.php?u=42950 have some chevys. Did you look at them?

[jeffrompas]

I love Colonial Era America with the contrast between the settlers and the natives, where the settlers live in a city surrounded with wooden fort and whatnot. Also the 1920s, because of Art Deco, the ladies fashion, and the love of old cars. <3

[kjd73170]

I'm currently doing a 50s Hood. It's really easy too, and mostly requires object downloads and a few clothing/hair downloads, and its a lot easier to be realistic. But the 50s hood won't be around for ever. After 2 full season cycles, I'll hit 1960, and have more fun that way =D It's kind of like Sims through the times where they all start off in the 50s and see how far I can get until I hit the 60s up until now. That way the game doesn't have to be too heavily modded. Although, I'm still looking for 57 chevy belair's... can't seem to find them

Vovilla has a TON of 50's cars.... Some posted here, some on his site.

[Simsica]

One day maybe, when I learn how to use Any Game Starter, I'm going to try some other era. But for now I've forbidden myself to download anything new and the thread about Any Game Starter freaks me out - I always give up already at the first page. But when I do finally decide to devote it the time it deserves, I'll most probably build myself a nice futuristic hood. History - the real thing, not the science of history - freaks me out even more than the AGS thread, so no revisiting of the ugly old times for me!

[Mootilda]

The main thing to remember about the AnyGameStarter is that it does not support most collection packs.

[Simsica]

Collection packs - meaning stuff packs, like Glamour Life Stuff and such?

[Mootilda]

No, collections packs. Packs with multiple EPs and SPs. Like "Best of Business Collection", "Fun with Pets Collection", "University Life Collection", etc.

Numenor left the community before most of the collection packs were released, which means that the AGS doesn't support those collection packs.

Most of the problems that I've seen have been because people install the AGS with one of the unsupported collection packs. The only known solution is to uninstall and reinstall your game.

[Simsica]

Oh, goodie. Have none of those. Thanks :)

[punkrockgoth1988]

The main thing to remember about the AnyGameStarter is that it does not support most collection packs.

:'( Well that just... I understand that those would have been quite a bit more complicated to set up properly. Just installing Fun with Pets induces a headache for me. Those packs were set up so weirdly. When I installed on a laptop, I wound up being able to play the game with an older disk... This after installing in order and patching as I went, which was the same thing I did with my main computer. I don't understand how it happened... I only got FWP because I wanted FFS. Hmm, wonder if there is some awesome person out there that could figure out how to do the same thing for the combo packs. I doubt it would be of much use though.

[Mootilda]

It's not a question of it being too complicated.

The problem is that Numenor left the community, without leaving us the source code for AGS. This means that someone would have to re-write the AGS from scratch. I suppose that I'm the obvious choice; I completely understand how the AGS works.

In order to work on this, I would need to have all of the associated registry keys for each of the collection packs, since I have no intention of buying and installing the collection packs myself.

However, this is really getting off-topic. Here's a reasonable thread for discussing AGS and collection packs:
http://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=450094

[farawayy & so close]

Maybe the fifties. Architecturally and interior design-wise, I think there is something so cute about fifties homes. From the social aspect of the game, it'd be interesting to play around with segregation and race politics. Maybe some interracial marriage drama. Huh! Maybe I'll do that! What a cool thread :]

[Darby]

the thread about Any Game Starter freaks me out - I always give up already at the first page.

I completely understand this. Lots of Numenor's stuff requires special installation procedures, and I have to be in a particularly alert frame of mind before trying to tackle them. :lol:

That said, the AGS really isn't at all complicated to set up. Simple download and installation of the program, then click and follow easy step-by-step directions for setting up an "anygame".

It's worth the effort! You'll love it!

[kjd73170]

Nothing for nothing, my CC is pretty much just items and recolors, Game mods tend to scare me. Not saying they're all bad but.....

Especially after a sims apocalypse of a corrupted hood/reinstall of the game. I'm sure something was wrong before I did some mods, but they were the last thing I installed before TS2 sh*t the bed.

AGS should work okay, please back up your stuff before tackling this though. As an IT professional, I ask kindly, please please please back up your stuff.

[Darby]

AGS should work okay, please back up your stuff before tackling this though. As an IT professional, I ask kindly, please please please back up your stuff.

Always good advice, of course, but as someone who has over 700 compatible mods in her game, I can assure you they're not as scary as you think, as long as one does one's homework regarding them. ;)

[maxon]

Oh, goodie. Have none of those. Thanks :)
Good. Well, here's the other news: AGS is actually pretty straightforward once you do it.

[SingleClawDesigns]

My design style sense personally is eclectic ,and try as hard as I may I can't keep that from happening in the sims as well. I've tried 3 times to do victorian, as I love the houses from then. Its just never worked right. Kudos to those who can strictly play medieval as I've always thoughtthose wh ocan do that must be extremely high willed.

[Asiya]

I have 3 neighborhoods, all themed. One is 1960s era ('flower power' as an earlier post said), the second is 1800s mexico and the third is arabic. The last two are desert neighborhoods.:llama: I'm using mostly mods... I hid all maxis clothing and hair (jordi).

[Simsica]

Darby, I already love the very *idea* of AGS :)

But I'm scared of re-installation, should the need for it arise, and I'm sure if I'm distracted enough while doing it I'd end up having to re-install. You know, Murphy's laws?
I haven't had to re-install in years. And I've messed with the program files of this game so much over the years that I don't remember what I changed, when or why... I only know that I want my game to be exactly as it is now, with all the changes.

Back on track - I do have a historical era I wouldn't mind seeing recreated: the disco age, 1970's. I love the glitter, the colors, the spirit of the era. And the music. That's the age when the house music was born. And the house music is my music of choice.
Jackville? My Sims would sleep in nightclubs. Wait. Some already do...

[Sunbee]

AGS is pretty straightforward, and that said, I have an apoc themed permagame, a medieval themed permagame, and a "I'll let my 9 year old play this' themed permagame.

[nuidyaforever]

I was planning on using AGS for my many varied ideas, but then I figured out that it would eat more of the hard drive than swapping out separate download folders would.

As for the OP's question about historical neighbourhoods, well, if I was picking a time period... I wouldn't. I also don't like playing "modern" hoods, and I love creating new cultures - it's the reason I play - but I don't like historical ones either. I Sim to get as far away from Earth as possible. So, when I want to play a hood with a culture that's different from modern Earth, this is what I do: I create my own.

Since I don't like being too restricted when I play or having too much planned at the start for the Sims to develop in their own way, I start with a basic idea
and let the Sims and the events the game throws at me decide the rest.

Here's one of my examples: I started playing my Nuidya Tribe hood nearly five years ago, when it was just a basic concept. By the time the founders' grandchildren were elders, the Nuidya had their own language, customs, calendar, holidays, you name it. The only things they didn't have were technology and the concept of social status, because they just didn't turn out that way. (The interesting thing is that I never actually saw them developing the way they did at the start. That's the fun bit.) In fact, they ended up being so well-developed that the culture outgrew the constraints of the game, so the tribe decided to become nomads and left me scrabbling around for a new neighbourhood.

Towards the end, I was rebuilding the hood so much they were practically nomads anyway. I plan to write books about them.

None of my new hoods will be "Earth past or present" either, although I am working on a Test of Time challenge hood set in a post-apocalyptic future. The thing I tell myself here is that just because most CC is designed to be "modern" or "historical" doesn't mean it has to actually be that time period in a game that I use it in. My hoods can get away with looking like as long as they're [I]not.

Well, that's all I have to say. Take it or leave it, just don't assume that I'm being nasty about Simmers who play modern and/or historical games, because I'm not - just saying it's not my style and this is.

- VT

[Simsica]

Hi, nuidya :) Just wanted to say - if you ever write those books, I'd read them.
So, your Sims left. I wonder, where did they go? Do you know?

And about AGS - I'll try it out. You've convinced me. I surrender. Just stop already! You make me seem cowardly, and that's a trait TS2 doesn't recognize. It's a TS3 thing, and I don't recognize TS3. I can be either shy or serious, in various degrees of both. Not cowardly. :jest:

[StrangeTownChick]

Victorian. Definitely. I've always loved the Victorian era for some reason. A hobby of mine is miniatures, and my dollhouse is Victorian. I've actually made a few Victorian sim houses, but to have a whole Victorian neighborhood.....I think my mind would explode from sheer wonderment.

[Babahara]

What's good about AGS? As far as I understand, it can allow you to exclude some EPs, but I surely misunderstand something. Because such an opportunity would only be good for creators to make sure that their creations don't use stuff from some later EPs or SPs.

[maxon]

What's good about AGS? As far as I understand, it can allow you to exclude some EPs, but I surely misunderstand something. Because such an opportunity would only be good for creators to make sure that their creations don't use stuff from some later EPs or SPs.
Well, you can use it to set up different games as each installation has a different Downloads folder and other game files. So you could set up for yourself a Victorian game with only Victorian CC or a fantasy game with the elf ears and so on. It's a bit like swapping in and out different Downloads folder but without fiddling with the files. This sort of thing can reduce load times spectacularly. OTOH, it does take up space and, if you use the same hacks and core CC, you end up with duplicates. Swings and roundabouts really but it does mean you can load up a Victorian game without having to prep for it.

[Sunbee]

Well, since I have 360 gb free space with six different AGS environments . . . hard drive space is not my issue. If you have more than one gamer using the computer, well, my son can't screw up my game. He clicks on the icon with his name on it, and away he goes. And some of my hacks are not the least little bit age appropriate for that munchkin.
I was able to use AGS to help iCad figure out which stuff pack wasn't playing nicely with her lovely columns in neighborhood view and I helped test the Apocaborg Apocalypse ruleset in a restricted environment--so it's useful for someone who can't/doesn't create but is willing to test stuff.
I have a cc free hood for my occasional lot building attempts for upload here (not yet succeeding at that). I have a 'what is conflicting with something' playtesting hood so I don't spend hours loading my tens of thousands of nicely behaving files. Takes about ten seconds to load--compared to half an hour for my cc loaded games but doesn't look at all pretty to my eyes. (Clothes are usually my big offenders--default replacements and then things that use the mesh I default replaced.) I have a base game only game mainly because I wanted a base game only bodyshop to play with clothes. (Heh, floodfill.)
The one thing I can't do--I think--which I would like to, is put in Almighty Hat's World Lit by Fire lighting mod in my medieval game. But I can safely run inteen in my games and not in munchkin's--so that's a good thing.

[nuidyaforever]

Hi, nuidya :) Just wanted to say - if you ever write those books, I'd read them.
So, your Sims left. I wonder, where did they go? Do you know?

Aww, thanks - you just made my day. :)

My Sims - well, ex-Sims, now they're no longer in game - are currently wandering the strange and dangerous land known only as "My Brain", looking for a new world to inhabit. They told me they wanted one with lots of warm weather, as few cities as possible and plenty of potential mates for them and their cats. (That last one may be tricky, since they tend to avoid strangers) And they want it fast. They're a quirky bunch, but there's "cats and brightly coloured patchwork everywhere" quirky (the Nuidya tribe) and then there's "Hey, look, a talking sombrero... in a field of flowers... on the moon..." quirky (no joke, this is what goes on inside my head half the time).

They're going to be a tough act to follow, TS2-wise.

- VT

[Babahara]

@Maxon
Thank you for clarifications. A useful program, indeed.

[StrangeTownChick]

It's not exactly historical, but I've also always loved the book Bumped (cannot remember who it is by!) For those who haven't read it, it's about a world where a virus has made all adults unable to bear children, so the teenagers have the babies and the adults adopt them. I've toyed on and off with the idea of making a neighborhood following this theme. The only thing holding me back is the intense amount of hacks required, and the intenser amount of commitment required.

[Simsica]

They're going to be a tough act to follow, TS2-wise.

- VT

I know what you mean. My Sims didn't left me, but I managed to lose them and all I now do is try to recreate that same feeling of community I once built and lost. Just because I thought I had too many backups.
Every once in a while my neat points jump up to 10 and I just have to delete stuff to free space on my HD. Then I return back to normal and suffer the consequences.
Needless to say, to avoid similar tragedy of deleting all of my backups, I now keep even more of them, with a txt that says: "This is a backup. Do not delete under any circumstances! Not even if you're cleaning up your disk."
I don't think it's going to work when the neat-eyed monster returns. Neat-eyed monster just loves the right click-delete action too much. Then it immediately follows with right click- empty recycle bin. Every time. It doesn't even see any txt files in there.

[theBloodRaven]

I'll personally choose Victorian era. It's such an interesting and galant time, and at least a very beautiful era, with lots of elegance. All my favourite actual character are victorian-like. In fact I'm a total fan of cravats!

[PolterGeist44]

I'd want to make an American Civil War or American Revolution hood. I were interested of those events during history classes so definitely something like that would be awesome.

[simsample]

I used to have a stoneage neighbourhood, which was inspired by the 'Simstones' set.
http://modthesims.info/d/172481

It was great fun, but it became too difficult to stop sims in ordinary clothes spawning with the later EPs.

How would you all go about keeping things authentic? For example, with the Simstones there was a carpool replacement, and I gave the paper girl and mail carriers custom outfits. Any tips?

[FranH]

It is difficult to run a custom historical hood when there's not a lot of default replacement stuff for that time frame.

I'd recommend doing a clean empty template, and building it from scratch, of course. That means the townies and downtownies are limited in number and only those necessary are spawned by the game when you need them.

Of course default replacement roads are de rigeur-who ever heard of the Neanderthals walking on pavement? :rofl:

Other tips: get the Visitor Controller from Simbology and keep everyone who can be out of the lots-ban all the NPCs, animals, etc. That way if you do have any spawnage it would be restricted to lots where you don't have the control-but you can do the same at those, as well. (I do..hate witches and the like to show up..)

Other ways to do the clothing: if your family on a certain lot can afford to, teleport a few townies in, and make them part of the household, and thus selectable. Once they're selected, then you can change their clothes (which is permanent only if they've moved in), and then make them move out.

That's the only advice I can give right now. Too bad there's not a lot of options for automatically changing the clothing of all the NPC's, etc.

It would be far easier on the historical aspect.

[Darby]

There are alternatives to adding townies to a family in order to change their clothing. In my Castaway-themed 'hood, I put one of Pescado's Clothing Tools on a community lot, and every time a townie needing a makeover wandered in, I'd make them selectable, use the Clothing Tool to change their clothes (entire wardrobe) and appearance, then make them unselectable again. I've not seen any reversion to their old clothing/appearance at all, even with NPCs like grand vampires and witches.

ChristianLuv's Gussy Up plug in thingy supposedly works the same way, but without even the need to make the townie selectable. (I have it, but haven't tested it yet.)

[Peni Griffin]

That Gussy Up Program is so easy to use I'm abusing it mercilessly in Strangetown, where basically everyone has to be remade to suit the weather.

Click on character (including self - so you need to exercise discipline not to be cheaty). Choose "Gussy Up...Buy Clothes/Plan Outfit/Check Clothes/Change Appearance/Plastic Surgery/Change Everything/Maybe a couple others."

If you choose "buy clothes" you get to obtain for free, and then Plan Outfit for, everything except Outerwear, in turn. Not sure what the deal is there. The clothes the chosen sim was already wearing will be added to your household wardrobe.

If you choose "plan outfit" you get to choose from among the clothing in your sim's household and among those in the chosen sim's household, along the same lines.

If you choose "Change Appearance" you get the mirror makeover screen and have all the usual options except jewelry. I thought it might be because none of my Strangetown households have jewelry, but I had one sim buy some and it still didn't work.

If you choose "check clothes" the sim changes rapidly (including a brief nude phase which will shock sims around him) through all the sets of clothes and then back to the one appropriate to the situation. Since during the "plan outfit" stage any outfit planned is immediately changed into, this is an important thing to do; it also allows you to check how awful your newly-transitioned sim's randomly selected clothes are without taking him to the wardrobe.

Haven't tried the others.

Since the plug-in works by temporarily adding the sim to the active household, it does not work on sims with only one household member - can't leave the household empty even for long enough to change clothes.

[Sunbee]

Default replacements, including Sunni's do it yourself NPC template. For more popular themes, there are already default replacements. For a partial list of available items throughout the clothes catalog, look here: http://sims2-defaults.livejournal.com/ It's not quite up-to-date but should give you a good idea of which simmers make lots of default replacements so you can look for their other items. If there's nothing suitable this: http://le-plat-du-jour.livejournal.com/22703.html#cutid1 is very easy to follow. Most of my modern hood NPC's use Phaenoh's default replacements from here at MTS. You can't go too wrong for dystopia with Psychosim here: http://psychosim.livejournal.com/ My medieval NPC's use Sunni's defaults, also here at MTS. Add the various nospawn mods by Pescado, hiders for whatever you haven't replaced, and you should be set.

[sushigal007]

That Gussy Up Program is so easy to use I'm abusing it mercilessly in Strangetown, where basically everyone has to be remade to suit the weather.

I love that plugin so much. My only teeny tiny problem is the lack of Outerwear and jewellery, but I have other clothing mods for those. But it's a godsend for making over townies.

[StrangeTownChick]

In my one and only themed 'hood, I simply regard townies as "outsiders" that live nearby.

[Bodhie]

Hum...I have neither the patiente (cose my Sims2 is running on the minum system requirements) and the space to store all the edited hack needed for such project . But if I could ? I probably will go either ancient Egypt/ Ancient Rome/Greek with all the gods and goddess statue ! And I would probably try to make something in Versaille Time (Marie-Antoinette) or maybe Sissi time . That would be something XD

[fruitsymphony]

Maybe some kind of famous painting, could be inspiration for a neighbourhood. Such as Edward Hopper or American Gothic.
I like paintings who have a weird atmosphere and little bit unrealistic feeling.

[DigitalSympathies]

The 1980's and 1990's for me was the favourite part of my legacy and I plan to go back to it one day.

[alisha-gore]

Victorian Era!

[Julieryc]

Regency England!

I'd also like to try out a medieval game, if only because there's so much CC and I have an entire folder's worth of medieval content saved.

[Fnus]

I love the medieval times, so that's kind of what I'm playing (coupled with a challenge, of course!), but I'm not so good at spotting period-proper things as other people.. Mine is just more 'As long as it's not modern or caveman times, it will do!', so I guess that's what I like to play. (:

[PaulaMestre]

I recently started a medieval neighbourghood, but it didn't last a week!!! I wanted to keep it as real as possible, so my sims led pretty hard lives... They lived mostly off the land and the breeding of animals, which is a really hard working life for very little pay... No money for shopping or any kind of luxury, no regular baths or a clean shirt every day. Even my poor queen, who led a pretty relaxed life comparing to everyone else, suffered three or four miscarriages (I'm using InTeenimater and it happens a lot... :( ) before giving birth to an heir! It was actually making me depressed to having them work so hard for such a miserable life so I went back to my modern neighbourghbood and got happy again!:jest: