Thanks, IHate!
I just noticed there is a Heart button on the SimFile page. I always thought that was the number of downloads and never even considered clicking on it -- until today. I think I owe you and your SimFile account several heart clicks!

I find that subsequent generations have even MORE story/feeling for me because I've seen them grow up from little kids I try to get a feeling for what a sim is like and what their goals might be as they grow up and that's an exciting part of the game for me. If you put effort into the new characters rather than just seeing them as X's son or daughter, it gets really fun.

I just started plugging my info into a copy of your spreadsheet. It's fabulous! It is so much better than anything I could have done on my own.
Thank you for sharing!

Played some more Sims 3....more thoughts:

- I'm really, really, really not fond of the "Sim1 thinks that Sim2 is interesting" stuff. I hate to say this kinda stuff, but it makes the experience feel a little--dumbed down. In the Sims 2 you could watch their body language and notice the actual point social interactions go downhill.
- Some of the animations in TS3 are weird-looking. It just has the feeling like all the body parts were animated seperately and it gives a really disjointed feel.
- I do like how you can adjust the lifespans in-game though.
- It took me forever to figure out how to get new clothes. Turns out you don't have to buy them, you just go to the closet and it takes you back into Create-a-Sim. That feels anticlimactic.
- Dogs can drink from the toilet. I want that in TS2. It's perfect.
- I like the ability to pick separate shoes. My Sim is permanently barefoot. Riding a horse barefoot probably is a bad idea.

About that cute theme, Maternity & Beyond...The Sims 2 Download section has the most uploads.

Of course. You can actually use all the uploads in Sims 2

TS2 had the most in performance art too. More than TS3 and TS4 combined, in fact.

Actually had time to play the game yesterday - had to pause a couple of times and spend a few minutes trying to remember if a few interactions were part of the game, or due to a mod. Been playing a heavily modded game for so long, the lines are pretty blurred.

I am not sure what you meant there lol
I have TS2, TS3 and TS4...so in theory I could use all the uploads. (That's in theory, in practice I have too much fun with TS2 right now, to even bother or play the other games. ahah.)
There was 10 uploads for 2, 1 for 3 and 3 for 4 when i checked before posting. I felt proud of the TS2 community.

I mean that:

I have 152+ families in my big hood. But I can easily add more lots to subhood(and more, and more, and more) for a while to come. (And stuff to furnish more as well).
I have really accumulated clothes and hair, but with this number of Sims, some still have the same hairstyles and outfits. So - more can easily be used.

Actually, I do own both 3 and 4 (BG only because I found both boring) - but I am not sure the above is even possible; so I cannot see how a lot of cc can actually be used.

Rare problem for me- I know many of the interior aspects of a building I'm working on, but have no clue what I'm doing with most of the exterior yet! Kind of hard to make rooms fit together when you're not sure what borders you'll end up with...

@Justpetro
Thank you, I get it now.

Really? I never know what the outside will look like (except in Jo's foundation challenge). I build the rooms logically and the exterior shape takes care of itself. I bet you find, when you're done with the inside, that you know exactly how to finish out the exterior.

That works for me sometimes with smaller buildings, but this one... well, let's just say it's not small...

I have never played Sims 3 or 4, and having read reviews when both were released, I am not inclined to buy. I'm keeping an open mind about Sims 5, but not going to get my hopes up. I have seen photos and watched a couple YouTube videos and, while I think the graphics are great, I don't like the look of the actual Sims as much as I like Sims 2 pixel-people.

Now, I do LOVE the idea of a dog being able to drink from the toilet! But then, I love my pixel-pets almost as much as my pixel-people. I've been known to let my pets live multiple generations.

Oh, and I would love to pick shoes (or no shoes) to go with each outfit! There are some outfits that would be perfect for a scenario, if it weren't for the darn shoes attached.

Nah, the Sims 3 is just something I occasionally get the itch for. I always return to the Sims 2, though. I've seen a few videos of the Sims 4 and I like the look of it, but I'm not giving any more money to EA if I can help it. (Ever seen this video?)

Comparing animations from sims 1, sims 2, 3 and 4 is a cool vid to! ahah!..It played right after the one you linked. (for me anyways)
Fact: regardless of the game, sims look stupid when eating pizza.

There's quite a few animation comparison videos if you look around.

When sims stop juggling coffee cups or water bottles, they toss them straight up in the air. This makes me wonder if the ceiling in that sim's house is covered with stuck cups and bottles.

$400,000 before I've even started on what promises to be a pretty expensive interior...

Yeah, that sounds about right!

Sims 4 - It was a gift in my case, so I did not spend money on it I actually prefer it to Sims 3. The toddlers are adorable, really - the Sims rather charming - but I really did not like the emotions or the multi-tasking nonsense (since when is moving to another seat every 2 seconds while eating and watching TV mulit-tasking anyway?). Please don't tell me I can mod it out - I am playing Sims 2

Cops and robbers is violent game.
I do not like how they kick lying sim.

When sims force other sims to move away from their path just so they can walk that extra 1 cm ...

I wonder what makes a Sim really ticked off when they're cheated by their lover.

On the several occasions I witnessed, even a fairly nice Sim with a good reputation just cannot let go of the grudge. This doesn't always come from cases when the crushed Sim is quite attracted to the two-timer either. It could even be between two Sims who have a decent chemistry at best. The Sim will constantly be picking off fights with both the cheater and their new love, creating a chain reaction of events that can only worsen. Both the disgruntled Sim's relationship and reputation will plummet in no time. I'm certain some of you may have noticed this behavior yourselves.

In my current scenario, I have one Sim who is actually neutral on niceness and nearly topped off on outgoing. My assumption is outgoing is what encourages the hostile reactions, yet I have a married couple who are also extroverts and they don't hold grudges as long.

So, I'm pondering which combo of personality traits can entice a Sim to have so much pride in his/her love(s). It's like what causes Sims to grumble over other Sims' farting while others laugh it off.

My wall of text for today.

I can't stand using Sims 2 without a mouse!
I've been away for a few days and I packed my laptop, minus the mouse by accident. As such, I've literally struggled to keep my sims needs up until I bought a new mouse... Which the dog then knocks off my laptop and breaks the clicker. Grr. At least I can use a combination of the touch-pad and the mouse, it's kinda working lol.