Lol, I mean, yeah, you're right... but wouldn't it be more fun if there was more to the story than that? If only...

I mean, there *are* two medieval-themed Sims-spinoffs, The Sims Medieval and TSM: Pirates and Nobles. And they *are* very specialized, to the point where they aren't even really sims games, to be honest, but more like a role-playing game with life sim elements. You can't even get a whole lot of new playables either, since not even your spouse becomes controllable, they just casually hang around your place. Which is bothersome if you're the monarch, cuz the castle is always full of a bunch of people.

"Give us the rights to the furniture, and the DJUNGELSKOG will go unharmed. You have 24 hours."

Yeah but that's clearly not what I meant. I "remembered" it as being two completely separate games, one more TS2-like. With that said I did recently start The Sims Medieval and am quite liking it so far, although thus far my only playable character is drunkard queen Firestarter. I'm looking forward to get to the rest, even if there's not a whole lot. I think it does a pretty good job merging Sims and RPG, somewhere inbetween Stories and some of the console games, but I could see how someone who just wanted a "real" Sims-game set in medieval times would be disappointed. A free-play mode or something would have been neat.
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Random thought: Since moving on from playing in Pleasantview to Strangetown, I'm of course starting to see downtownies I recgonize from the Pleasantview-Downtown in Strangetown-Downtown and obviously their names are changed, but as far as I can tell, they seem to have the same surnames in both. "Ash Alioto" was Bråke Hovlund in Pleasantview-Downtown and is Tore Hovlund in Strangetown, The Diva's last name is Alsjö in both variants. I just thought it was curious. Never seen it mentioned before either.

That's probably a coincidence. Ash Alioto in one of my custom hoods had a first name beginning with A (I forgot it), but his surname was "Futa," while in my Crystal Pleasantview, his name is "Todd Zaidi."

Sure, I just found it interesting it was like that with at least two people, the first ones I saw that I actively remembered. I tried looking in SimPE but couldn't see their actual names so I guess I'll just keep an eye out for the ones whose surnames I do remember from Pleasantview.

I want to overhaul the entire magic system. There's a lack of integration of magic into the sim world that bothers me, but it's hard to come up with concrete ways to fix it. I'm also not a fan of the current alignment system, because it's so basic. It would be better if there were different schools of witchery with their own alignment systems and standards.

The walls and floors of this game drive me crazy. I avoid colors that cause epilepsy, so I always end up using the same colors. And when I want to experiment, I realize that there are so many wacky walls that I never use, but nonetheless like them, so I end up creating a David Lechapelle music video set.

There are a lot of walls that are too bright, with woods and/or wood bases that have no matching flooring. I tend to prefer more muted colours and there is a real lack of those with the default content so I'm one that usually has a bunch of CC walls and floors that I use instead.

I think the thing that really drives me crazy is the tile section. There is just no good tile floors at all. Maxis went from having good looking matching sets in TS1 to really bright red and pink floors that match with nothing. 'Tis a good thing I converted my favourite TS1 walls and floors to TS2.

@HarVee That is why in a game without cc I have ended up combining the most extravagant styles with dozens of tests to choose "the least ugly" xD Or "ugly but pleasant".

I have respect for those that can make good looking houses without CC because I certainly could never do it. Although I have been trying to use more Maxis walls and floors in my builds, it's just hard to find the right combination of colours when 85 percent of the colours clash. "Ugly but pleasant" is probably the best way to describe Maxis content combos.

I've noticed in recent years I'm slowly moving more and more towards a vanilla game. These days I strongly limit my CC to only specific creators, and use default replacements to minimize additional CC, and every so often I delete anything and everything I can to keep the total low. I even periodically delete non-essential mods so that I slowly am getting back to vanilla gameplay.

It makes me wonder if I could go full vanilla, considering I haven't since like 2005. I'm not against it, I just know that I do still from time to time get the itch to download. I've tried vanilla a couple of times in both 3 and 4 which doesn't ever last more than a month or so before I just need to download something. But I've never tried in 2.

But my mods folder is definitely the smallest it has ever been and I keep it small. And I do like to get rid of stuff if there is a shirt I know I've never used or a mod that I know I won't miss. So I know I am on the vanilla slope in that direction.

But full vanilla? Idunno.

I'm finding it very relaxing and fun now to play my medieval hood-it seems so much simpler than the regular game and less distracting than I'm used to. Because back then there weren't all these toys to amuse or interfere with pixels-no cars, telephones (although I cheat at that-how are they supposed to communicate otherwise?) jukeboxes, etc.
It takes some adjusting to keep the pixels happy and content, but there's much less junk lying around the house.

That allows them to develop their skills and relationships with what's at hand, which is a challenge given that back then the literacy rate was pretty low and electronics had not been invented yet.

Or is that "ugly but boring"?

I'd strongly advise that you at least keep your essential mods (nounlinkondelete etc.)

Personally I've never played vanilla, and I have no wish to do so. On the first day I played, Andrew, my very first Sim, came out of CAS with CC swimwear and underwear. The swimwear I downloaded, the underwear I made myself - a fairly crude alpha edit and recolour of the swimwear. (Andrew agrees with me that all the Maxis teen male underwear and swimwear are far too long!) Within a few days I'd joined MTS, posted for the first time, and downloaded my first mod -- Phaenoh's Phone Book on the recommendation of joandsarah77.

I knew about Sims CC even before I got my game, because I'd stumbled across stuff from MTS, InSimenator and TSR when Googling for real clothes.

I don't know if boring is the right word. Ugly? Sure I can agree with that. However, Maxis has some interesting walls and some of them are even the opposite of what I would call a boring wall.

Yes of course, if I were to keep anything the anti corruption mods would be top of the list. But I do wonder if I could play without CC hair, clothes, etc. Objects is probably a yes. Hair and clothes is probably a no.

I have two projects basically finished and absolutely ZERO motivation to take pictures or write up a description for either.

It must be going around. I am in the same situation.

It's a natural part of the process. Don't push it. Letting the project rest a bit before you do this part will give you a chance to see things you wouldn't have noticed if you'd done it all in a swoop.

The average Sim in my game lives in a house with Paste paint on the walls (maybe Beachy Keen in one room). The floor will be covered by a §2 a square carpet, or, if it's in Veronaville, Smitty's Distressed Floorboards. They will dine off an inexpensive table, typically a NuMica Allinall Card table, or perhaps for larger families, The Talking Table. (I have an basic and inexpensive 2-tile CC table too for a little variety.) When they're dining they'll be sitting on Tea Party in Teak chairs. Somewhat wealthier families might run to Simple Sit Chairs, while really hard up Sims will get their dining chairs from PatioPlastics. Some poorer families have a mixture of Tea Party in Teak and PatioPlastics, with the wooden chairs not necessarily matching each other. Sofas and armchairs also typically come from the bottom end of the Maxis range. Only on beds do they usually spend a little more, as there really is no doubt that higher quality beds do give Sims a better night's sleep. Again though the beds will all be Maxis, unless it's a Christianlov EasyBed, which looks exactly like a Maxis "#4234" and costs the same.

But they will be wearing skimpy exotic (erotic?) CC underwear and swimwear, and their Everyday, Formal, Sleepwear and Athletic outfits are all likely to be CC with minimal coverage too. Males are more likely to be wearing CC clothing than females, as Maxis did make quite a few sexy outfits for women. (So my female Sims often wear the Maxis outfits that everybody else here hates -- the "raver" outfits for instance.) When it comes to hair, I like emo type styles for the boys, and similar (if a little longer) for the girls. There are 3 or 4 Maxis hairstyles that please me, but I like all my Sims to look different, so CC hair is a must. I think I've got nearly enough suitable male hair, but I could still use quite a bit more female hair.

So all told, I don't use a lot of Build/Buy CC, and I could just about get by with vanilla in that area, but for Body Shop/CAS stuff, I need my CC!!

@simsample How old is pixelated Simsample? I saw you link to an old mod that had a picture of him, but I didn't want to hijack that thread. Have you had the same Sim this whole time, or do you remake him?

@omglo In my current neighbourhood which is around 10 (real) years old, he is almost elder and has used the elixir a few times. His parents were in this hood too. But he has been in many neighbourhoods, and suffered many fates. My favourite thing is to just put him in a neighbourhood as a townie, so that he turns up and annoys you whenever there is a party. I had him in Sims 1, sims 3 and sims 4 as well!

That's what he did to Dudley

@HarVee you have him in your town already? That was quick! Glad to know he's doing his job!

The sims 2 has made me too serious when it comes to my sims. I saw a simmer on discord say they sometimes just give a name like "Broccoli Pleasant" or "Pandemica" to their sims, and made me think how I just can't bring myself to do something like that anymore, since it would bother me how it wasn't perfect.

For reference, back when I was playing the sims 4, my most iconic household was named Fart, lived in a house shaped like a (REDACTED), and contained Hipster Ariel. And where did I end up? I once deleted a Pleasantview hood I had so many good memories with, with sims I loved, because I had Brandi marry a townie, then didn't like him, divorced them, and made them live in the yellow castle house from the bin. And that wasn't perfect. So in the trash it went.

My mom was right, I really need to loosen up, there is no other university student this frigid...