The short answer is we all care, but, I suppose I can't speak for all of us. So I'll say the vast majority of regular posters on this board care. Don't worry about the person who disagreed with your post. They live under a bridge in Norway and are frustrated because the goats that are crossing that bridge keep telling them that they're not worth eating, and they should wait for a bigger goat that's coming, because he will be big enough to be a really satisfying meal. But I can tell you that, when the big goat does come along, the under-bridge-dweller will meet their match, and we won't need to worry about them any more. If anyone wants to re-enact that little story, I'm sure someone will have made Sims 2 goats. (I know of cows, horses, sheep, chickens, and, of course, llamas.)

Of course there is the Off-Topic section of the site, but I always find the Sims 2 board friendlier.

Oh I missed a lot of this thread, but I'll try to stay on topic and just say that I have specifically explained the rules of my megahood to my partner because, in the event of my death, I expect him to carry on playing it.

Also Andrew and his friends are welcome to take residence in my Veronaville. My sims are only allowed to die via old age, and it's my understanding that Andrew ages in real-time rather than sim time so we've probably got the same amount of years left

I think the name of the thread is SIMS 2 random thoughts, There is a non sims 2 forum here where you can talk about real life things. So if you want to talk about anything else but sims 2, go there.

If nothing else, this whole conversation got me to make a booster appointment before even getting nagged about it! I was wondering if the mixed-bag option, which is currently the only one available because I got the one-shot vaccine initially, was a good idea. Then I realized that at this rate I'll probably get to collect the whole set, so I might as well get started! Come tomorrow, I'll be ready to rate the fevers from the booster as opposed to the original. (I run hot anyway -- I dread contactless thermometer screening -- and get extremely high fevers whenever I get sick. Another reason to freak out about this plague, but it probably means I'm getting better immunity from the vaccine!)

@AndrewGloria, Well, don't give me any of your Sims, as I would be obliged to make them divinities (and the religion mod doesn't work with mods I have much more use for at the moment) or fleshy SkeleBros to keep such a profound gift safe in my game that tends to range from a big muddle (current state) to well-organized tragic farce! More seriously, because I tend to label you as Andrew when thinking about you (even though I know you're not!) I'd feel very weird playing Andrew if you were gone. Besides which, Sims grow as they're played (Peni knows more about how this works, but playing wants-based and then trying to play challenges while staying wants-based makes that clear), so extracted clones are not the same as the originals -- just the closest anyone else can have.

I understand the feeling of wanting to keep one's creations around for the appreciation of others. There have been more times than I'd like to admit since When Things Changed that I have come very close to despair for one reason or another, and as I think I've said before, I've taken to spite as a backup reason to live if nothing else seems to have much value -- as in, "Well, even if my life is useless and getting worse by the minute, I have some ideas in my head that nobody else has, so they might as well get some use before their storage medium turns to mush!" On the Sims side of things, this has led to trying to create two neighbourhoods and experimenting with new playstyles. I hope before too long we get better ways of sharing our essence with each other and with the future, whether it be through Proxi or something deeper -- if there wasn't photography and relatively cheap printing a century ago, we'd be stuck with the rather unhelpful attitudes of those with power and the attendant interest in making themselves look good, rather than the reminders that life goes on and people are people. It gives precedent, and sometimes a bit of advice, although obviously, the usefulness of both is a bit limited. (Thanks to things like air travel and, thankfully, vaccines!) Go back further and you get the plague-and-invasion records of guilds and monastic orders, which were apparently written with the intent that someone would find what the authors learned useful, even if the manner of their learning it prevented them from surviving long enough to make use of it themselves. That's surprisingly useful as cautionary information on how badly humans tend to react when confronted with the Four Horsemen; we don't have flagellants roaming the streets, but we still have the same stress reactions that set them off. I think that we might be very close to understanding this from the inside, and that good games will play a role in it. We recoil from horrifying things, but we like the satisfaction of resolving the story...and yes, even the next chapter is a resolution of the one before. With the only "end" of TS2 being corruption (whether of game, or of player's world!) it's a good choice for working through these things without freaking oneself out.

I am in favour of the "MOAR death!" mod (it's not just cowplants!), given it's something I could have used a long time ago...but then my storylines would have been entirely different. Bianca Monty would have died early in my old megahood. Paris Prince would probably have been chomped in a decidedly ridiculous manner that was out of my control (I did wonder how he survived repeated cake-grabs!). That would have been better for him than his eventual, scripted-yet-chaotic fate, and maybe better for the megahood, as he wound up being a part of its doom by being a constant and horrifyingly zombified reminder of why people like him tend not to be both successful and long-lived in our world. I am an idealist, in a way, albeit a disillusioned one! When I first started considering making a new megahood, I was thinking it would be "No Watcher (or at least no Watcher-worship in any form), no Princes", all Maxis-match, all want-based, with no attempt at scripting it to resemble reality given how much reality sucked. Then I started messing around playing aliens in earnest as having distinct biology and (at least in the case of the Smiths) culture from human Sims, and ideas grew. Meanwhile, I was having to come to terms with how three too-good-for-our-world Sims from my old megahood had repeatedly shown up to let me out of The Contaminated Dreams and into lucid dreams, in some cases reminding me of the technique when The Dreams had me in such a panic I couldn't consciously remember it. (If you're curious, it requires realizing that you are dreaming and controlling it just enough to raise dream-self's hands in front of you, and count your fingers. By the time you count them all, you should be in control of the dream. My father read about it in some book when I was about 5, tried it and failed, and discussed it with me...and since I had recently discovered nightmares, I put it to use. Until recently I mostly used it to turn off nightmares in a hurry so I could go back to sleep, but given that The Contaminated Dreams kept repeating every time I fell asleep, staying in the resultant lucid dreams was a better way to get much sleep on the bad nights.) Of course, that meant they were in the lucid dreams, and I didn't feel it fair to kick them out given that they'd helped me, so I started having conversations with them. Lucid-dream characters are usually very boring to me because they're me and I know it, so I was surprised to have interesting discussions on the nature and virtues of humanity with Laurence Stratford in the kicked-off-of-Tropico rowboat (seemed a fitting setting) or rehearsing grocery shopping with both (not-a-zombie) Paris and Escalus Prince remarking on what would otherwise be the horrors of The Contaminated Dreams. It was when I tried introducing them all to some Real Life friends of mine after being rescued from a bizarre excursion to an old school of mine that started out as an at-school-in-underwear dream and became a can't-find-my-mask dream that I realized that this trio has the same presence in my mind as people I knew extremely closely for three years, only more vivid because I know them so much better. Like AndrewGloria's sims, these have their own life, whether in my game, in my imagination, or in my dreams. I could reflect how they're a gender-flipped version of the maiden-mother-crone archetype, or go even deeper...but that's better reserved for the rowboat. I guess they will be back in some form in future hoods that have a place for them, albeit with variations...and kept away from cowplants, hopefully. Those things are horrid, which is why they must be treated with humour if not avoided altogether!

I vaguely remember, back in the 2000s, people making sure there was someone who had all their login details in case of their death, to avoid that weird what-happened-to-them thing. I saw a few of those posts on various forums (including unsavoury begging for virtual items left on the account), and my mother got an email from the daughter of one of her old friends about that. Now we have trouble remembering our own login details because of how complex passwords are required to be, and of course, the temptation of biometrics to avoid all that...

Well, I sincerely hope no one was too worried about me!

We are in Nutcracker run-up, with four in the show, and on top of that we had the hell-cold or, more probably, bog standard influenza. Blech. Do Not Recommend. Also the oldest two (of six, hello, I'm a Family Sim) have both decided to apply for college with all that drama, oh my goodness, Sims have it sooooo much easier than Humans!

My sims are well, when I've had time to play lately (which hasn't been much, between spending a week in bed and running kids every which way) I've been playing a legacy. Founder Aesop married Marissa Bendett, their two sons Merlin and Galahad are in college (Merlin is a family/fortune, Galahad is a pleasure/knowledge). College takes too long to play. I still have cc I haven't found in my downloads folder (boo!), including the 48hr semester mod, and put into my game since getting the New Old Computer, and today my 1.5 year old smartphone decided touchscreen was an unnecessary feature, so . . . tech sucks and I break it, that's what!

Well, I'm returning at an odd point of the conversation!
Have been unwell all year, and gave up trying to play sims in amongst everything else - plus getting sick of the lagginess which wasn't fun really. I've checked MTS occasionally in case there was anything I needed to see, but have turned on my game only about twice in eight months or so.
Now, I have a computer upgrade and a fresh installation, and wow! I can actually play again. Health has stabilised somewhat as well. I hope I am now back! I've started reviving my Shantytown challenge, and blogging it on Pillowfort.
It's great to see you are all still here. <3

What is this "MOAR death" mod people are talking about? Sounds intriguing, I can't find it by searching.

I mentioned it in my post that started off this discussion. kestrellynn has brought out a mod that enables cowplants to eat non-controllable (i.e. visiting) playables. Evidently, if you have Seasons or higher, cowplants can't eat them in a vanilla game, they can only eat playables who are controllable.

Of course it's doubly irrelevant to me. Cowplants could theoretically eat non-selectable playables in my game, as my highest EP is Open for Business. But of course they never will eat them, as I'll never allow cowplants on my lots. I haven't carefully protected my Sims for nearly nine years, to let a cowplant eat them all now!

Ooooooh nice! Finally! Was really tired of having to add Sims to households just so that the cow plant can eat them!

Maybe the new cowplant mod should be named very dangerous cowplants.

FREEFALLDREAMS: After reading your long post I am sitting here remembering to breath. I so identify with your comments about life, the universe, and everything. And you write so well. You mentioned creating Sim worlds and I hoped to see them listed on your profile...sigh...I send you blessings, and a doughnut. Your BFF, The Oldest Woman in the World.

And then there are the WELLS; CC that can spread plague, and otherwise kill... also cause babies. I put them on community lots now & then, and am always sorry..

I was thinking about this the other day I always refer to AndrewGloria as "Andrew" in my head, but I don't think he's ever actually stated his real name which is presumably not Andrew. When I picture him I always picture Andrew (albeit slightly older and for some reason wearing a kilt). Makes me miss the MTS Yearbook - I loved having a nosey at everyone's names and faces. Totally not stalkery

What constitutes ice skating deco? I mean, ice, skates, maybe a hot chocolate and a space heater but maybe I have been ice skating at not very fancy places and can't think of much that would be purely ice skating deco? This is related to a WCIF I saw elsewhere and is my random thought about it.

I always loved that- the front pages are archived if nothing else, you and I are both on there!
https://web.archive.org/web/2018060...odthesims.info/

As am I! Oh I do miss the yearbook as well. It was kind of fun to see who was still with us on the site.

Oh @Charmful I didn't see that you had posted before I did! Yes, you have your hat on there! You look very happy! :D

In-game, I always give my sims gnomes. I think they are one of the most useful and funny items; sims can kick them, admire them and also steal them (I love the way they leave the lot after midnight to steal them back!). Also, playful sims can play with gnomes. What items do others use in almost every lot? And what do you never use? I never use those roof pieces that came with M&G; I have loads of recolours for them, but never build houses that suit them!

You're not far off the mark. Basically I look like an older, fatter, greyer, and much less intelligent version of Andrew. I really don't mind being confused with Andrew, he's better looking than me (though not as good looking as Julian), and has a wonderful future ahead of him. Whereas I have a wonderful future behind me! (Where did my future go?)

Why did they stop the Year Book? I presume participation wasn't compulsory.

Love Tubs

Cow Plants

I could have picked a better picture


I wear glasses now, if anyone wants to bump into me in the streets (since we've established on another thread there's more Welsh simmers here than originally thought)


I presume because it dropped in popularity. I'm not sure why, I thought it was great. People prefer a lot more anonymity online though these days.


I also never use the roof pieces. I'm not good at placing them, they always look kinda awkward. I also don't really tend to use the gnomes or flamingos, but I love them.

I actually never use gnomes! I'm more likely to put down a flamingo if I want a cheap yard deco and a sim that doesn't want judged harshly by the garden club. I use espresso machines in almost every lot, I know it's not realistic but they are really helpful for an energy pick-me-up (I say as I have Sim Blender and can easily save time by just upping their energy to halfsies)

Gnomes rule! Flamingos might not be harshly judged by the Garden Club, but they sure are by me! Espresso Machines by their nature (along with coffee makers) do not exist in my neighborhoods. When the pixels get tired, they take a nap if they have the time. If they don't, I might hit the blender to perk them up.

I'm now remembering a coworker who had probably somewhere around a hundred pink garden flamingos in her yard, and gave them as gifts when she left, so then suddenly instead of ONE house having ALL the flamingos, ALL the houses seemed to each have ONE flamingo... honestly not sure which was worse (or which version the Garden Club would look at most harshly)!

ETA: And as far as "always use/never use", at least of things that are more interesting than "hurr durr I always use a phone", I think I probably almost always use the cattails plant, since it works so well not only as cattails but as just kind of generic weeds/overgrown plants for unkempt lots with some history behind them.

For the longest time I would have said I'd never use the awful 'lips' sofa (as I always think of it) from UNI, but then it turned out to be perfect for the lobby of the e-whorehouse on my cyberpunk lot, so I guess I can't say that anymore... now I'd probably point to the "groovy" 1960's counters as something I can't imagine ever using... but who knows? Maybe they'll somehow be perfect for an upcoming project!

I have so many cc wallpapers I don't use lol. I also forgot there was a lips sofa, my eyes just pass right by it like nope XD. I haven't used gnomes much but I plan to actually because some sims are going to worship gnomes/fairies and I do have a mod so the gnomes should be unstealable. I was surprised to see that I had that then realized I musta used gnomes before and got annoyed they kept being stolen, got the mod to stop it and just ... forgot to use gnomes anymore lol. I've never used the flamingos that I can remember. I also tend to forget aspiration and career rewards exist, apart from elixir of life.

Edit: I looked at what gnome mod I had specifically, this one and I got the electric one https://modthesims.info/d/325941/gnome-security.html

What kind of anti-coffee world are your sims living in???

I think Fran's Sims are living in the middle ages. Coffee hasn't reached England yet. I suppose Fran's Sims are drinking good wholesome ale.