Two new patterns headed your way!

The first pattern is a masonry/metal peeling paint texture (shown in both left and right pictures). It works a treat for masonry, wood and even metal (it's especially great for rust effects).  Unlike the faded fabric pattern I made last week, this one is very easily redesignable in the game and so you should be able to make heaps of variations! 

The second pattern is realistic brickwork!  I am no fan of the game's brickwork at all.  Far too new, clean-looking - almost artificial.  So I wanted a brickwork that not only looked more realistic, but was completely and easily recolourable too!  And I've done it at last: as well as the default pale red (shown below), I've made dark red Victorian, charcoal engineering brick, blue painted brick, damp mossy brick...  Very, very happy with this texture!  Both will be released later this week.

No Sims were harmed during Removal of the Ladder

My latest Sims 3 lot (a trashed-up horrible little play-park called Bless The Little Dears) has no ladder to the pool.  Before anyone starts pointing fingers, it was a totally deliberate act on my part.

Why?

Well, I just got sick of stupid Sims piling into the tiny (meant to be paddling) pool and ENJOYING THEMSELVES!  They were supposed to be having a beastly time.  So I took the ladder away.  I hasten to add that, unlike a small and unmentionable incident back in early Sims 2 days, I did this time wait until all Sims had climbed out of the pool before removing the ladder.  RIP poor 'Robert 'of Sims 2.  In memorium to a boy who'd just reached his teenage years; who in March 2005 drowned in an incident that could only be described as unmitigated cruelty...

Well, I couldn't resist.  I HAD to see what would happen if I took the ladder away.  I mean: I thought he'd just climb out!  Or something.  Stupid Robert.  RIP (Rest In Puddles).

EDIT: Midnight's right - stupid Sims can STILL go in the pool.  I want to find out how we can drain water out of pools.  Anyone up for making a hack?

If I did this, would you be interested?

I'm thrilled we can now make custom patterns from scratch for Sims 3.  I've uploaded one already, and I have a few more to come. 

However, for most textures I need, the in-game EA patterns are more than enough when modified.  But I also know of another player who simply hasn't the patience and would rather download ready-textured sets.  So, the question I'm asking is: if you prefer PLAYING, can YOU be bothered to paint everything yourself?  That is: would you be interested in downloading small (and free) ready-recoloured themed sets to save you the bother of creating them yourself?  If so, I'll upload my recoloured objects (I have two small sets at the moment: trashed-up bathroom and trashed-up park equipment).  They can easily be recoloured without changing the trashy look so they're simple to use. 

If there is interest, they probably won't be uploaded at TSR (TSR only accepts brand new custom patterns - not object recolours) but I have another location lined up.  Let me know what you think.  Interested, or not interested in downloading themed, EA-retextured objects?  Add your comments below - and thanks for your input!

First Sims 3 texture from the dark corner of TSR

It's still work-in-progress (or at least my learning is still work-in-progress) but I have my first-ever in-game pattern!  As usual, it lowers the tone somewhat, but it's not too bad a first attempt.  AND it's peeling paint! 

I hope to make another 4-5 textures.  If successful, I'll upload them so anyone else who misses predictably-vile textures can use them too.  I have no idea yet whether they package with uploaded lots or whether they have to be provided separately (I'm guessing the latter but it will be interesting tofind this out).

Of course, it's delightful to be right back in the days where recolours could do absolutely nothing to spare us from shiny silver/gold door furnishings!  So I'm sorry about the silver door handle and such - we can pretend it's a new replacement or something....

Blithering Idiot launches into patterns...

I think the Create-A-Style in-game tool is fantastic, and has more scope than first appears.  It's quite easy to make horrible and filthy surfaces with the in-built presets.  EA has done an incredible job.  However, there are still a couple of textures I miss, and I'll need them if meshing becomes a reality (which looks very probable). 

There are a few minor obstacles to all this:

(1) I have no knowledge of Photoshop (or GIMP)
(2) I have no knowledge about alphas
(3) I have no knowledge about channels
(4) I have no knowledge about masks
(5) I have no knowledge of .dds
(6) I never made Sims 1 stuff
(7) I've never made Sims 2 clothing
     (either 6 or 7 would have equipped me with the knowledge I need)

So my starting point isn't necessarily the best starting point!  It doesn't help that my best-known art package is (cough) Microsoft Image Composer.  This was issued in 1998 and expired in 2000.  I am STILL using it in Vista 64-bit despite owning the much more polished Corel Photo X2. 

Still, I've owned Photoshop for 20 minutes now and have made an amazing amount of - zero progress...  Murano and Blackgarden are being incredibly patient in trying to explain basic concepts to she-who-is-mentally-deficient.  If I ever get the hang of this, I will create a few yucky textures that would be impossible to create with the in-game tool.  That actually doesn't leave very many, but I hope one day to be able to make SOME at least!  Maybe I'll even be able to help any of the other lost waifs and strays who have never, ever done any of these things - maybe.  But right now, I'm one of those waifs and strays too.

Heck - my brain hurts! 

Tee Hee! We can trash things in Sims 3 too!

It was only a matter of time before the inevitable happened.  Venus has now been improved greatly and I'm finally figuring my way through the Create-A-Style possibilities to create rotten-wood windows and rusting sinks. 

At first, I'd been a bit uncertain about whether I liked this new direction for The Sims after being used to having full design control over my textures, but I'm achieving better results with the Create-A-Style tool, and many more of them too.  I used the same textures repeatedly in Sims 2, but there's no need for that limitation now.

This is a brilliant innovation by Electronic Arts - one I'd totally under-estimated.  I've certainly been vocal enough about wanting to add my own textures, but, with this tool, I'm not sure it's all that necessary (though I do miss customised terrain paints).  I just need to stop spending hours painting individual objects and get on with building something!!!

Are your sights set on June 2nd?

If so, don't talk to me.  Don't even LOOK at me!

Sims 3 doesn't dispatch for me until June 5th.  And I'm just going to spit, snarl and growl at anyone who says how marvellous THE GAME I STILL HAVEN'T RECEIVED is being.

I know this is a rather swift change of heart.  Not two months back, I was folding my arms, shaking my head and saying that Sims 3 wouldn't be on my PC.  But TSR announcing custom tools has changed all that, and better still, the awesomest, brilliantest Inge Jones (shameless fan-girling as I fondly remember superb prison-set hacks that so changed my game) has offered to share/swap coding info with TSR. Ultimately, whatever tools we have available to us, I think we can assume they'll be brilliant - again.

Oh, and for UK readers (and anyone else who subscribes to any English magazines), PC Format (long known for being sick and tired of Sims 2 dominating the Top 10 charts since forever and having unremarkable reviews of Sims 2 EPs) have given a three page glowing spread, saying how radically different the gameplay will be, the innovations EA have produced, the past annoyances that EA have stamped out.  They concluded (with a rare 91% game score) that the game is incredibly addictive.  Their only 'down' mark was also that the game is incredibly addictive(!).

It's STILL only May 30th. :(

Real custom content for Sims 3 - huzzah!

I only learnt about this today too: the BRILLIANT news that we will be able to create custom meshes for Sims 3.  It came just in the nick of time; I had given up on Sims (done everything I wanted in Sims 2, and no chance of doing anything similar in Sims 3 - sort of spelt 'game over' for me).  But this is great, great news and I'm suddenly looking forward to Sims 3 rather than giving a bored yawn.

I know precious little about the details yet.  Meshing is just one aspect; I also want the flexibility to create my own textures as well - it's no good creating nasty old oil drums and then see them appear in 'pink fuschia' cotton print fabric in the game!  But, if the world will steer towards the ideal, Sims 3 in the Cyclonesue corner will be business as usual, or perhaps we should say vileness as usual. 

Can't wait!

The World Wide Wait

Don't worry: I'm not here to threaten you with any vile creation; life keeps me otherwise occupied (a general purpose excuse for anyone serving time in jail, and it's good for me too).  I'm really just updating on my Simming position for all those of you who are interested (that will be the 2-3 people I arm-twist into this mini-site and forcibly make them read)...

So, what of my Simming?  Well, of Sims 2 I await inspiration.  The best is done, and is already out there.  I feel as though my ideas already repeat what is already even better in the Sims community, and I don't like doing repeats.  But my biggest, BIGGEST 'wait' (and possibly a big 'wait' of the entire Sims community) is whether it will ever be possible to make meshes for Sims 3.  No-one has said it will be, yet, and it feels to me the end of a marvellous era if it does indeed transpire that custom meshes are not going to be possible.  In all honesty, I share the majority view that it probably won't be possible.  Perhaps if I'd got off my butt and gone to EA myself, I might have asked how it would be possible to coat the world with rust and grime, but I didn't, and there we all are.

"But wait", you say, "you build lots too, so make Sims 3 lots instead!" (well, I know you didn't say that - it's called artistic licence and, as this is MY blog, I'll license my artistry all over it, thank you).  Yes, I build lots, but if custom meshes are not possible in Sims 3, then I won't be building any lots in Sims 3 either - because ALL my lots use essential custom items to make them ooze with horrible atmosphere (you can count with the fingers of one fingerless hand to see how many of my lots do not use custom content).  Without custom content, I will be left with no choice but to make dull, suburban, shiny semis, and I can't possibly lower myself to make something nice!  Ugh.

So, if Sims 3 does not offer (for me) the choice to create bad windows, rusty chemical drums and the like, then Sims 3 is not going to be for me.  Will I keep making stuff for Sims 2?  Well, if someone finds something of the ilk that I might possibly create, and it hasn't already been done before, then you can always throw it my way. 

I've done with asking myself rhetoric questions now  You can now ask your real questions - like why do I smell so bad...

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Ooh - a proper EDIT this time!

Good point, Midnight222!  Would I not just be rehashing all the same stuff again for Sims 3?  I'd certainly rehash my own stuff - I know I'd be doing that because I've already made all my favourite ideas, and those things would be missing from Sims 3 and someone will need to make them so that I can build vile lots.   I expect Sims 3 will be all shiny and fluffy with no sign of a rotten wood table anywhere, so I'd HAVE to rehash some ideas.  I really hope we're given the chance to rehash some vulgarity into Sims 3.  Maybe one day, as you say, Midnight - I surely hope so too.

HA! (now with new fake edit! Wow!)

It's all back.  Yes, that vile heap of utter rubbish I make in the name of The Sims has been restored.  Ripped with rage from the servers last week by Spooks of Poshness who only want pretty things to stay, it has since been dredged back and hopefully you will at least now make a sorry attempt to enjoy some of these items once again...

WON'T YOU!

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Totally fake edit:  (well, not fake, but I just wanted to write that it was so as to look modern and popular)...

Lot links are still broken.  I've pointed it out in my usual carping manner to TSR and hopefully they will soon be mended - because it KILLS ME to think you're populating your neighbourhoods right now with pretty little cottages.  Stop it - immediately!

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Edit of the Fake Edit:

Lots are looking good again!  Well, mine aren't necessarily looking good, but the links are working once again, and so you should be able to download them once more.  Well, I can, and that's what counts!