Glass Block set

This new set has taken me months (literally) to make! I started it in November 2006, and finished it last weekend, so something in the order of six months then. Admittedly, a lot of Real Life pushed its way into that period, but six months!!! Anyway, I'm glad it's finished.

Glass Block Set Included in this set are several glass block window designs, a matching door, glass block walls (fences) and matching column. All share a set of eight glass colours. It's been a long time since I last bored you to tears with some screenshots, so I shall do that now. That beautiful bathroom set in the first screenshot is, of course, by Sunair - but you probably already knew that...

So: about that Incredibly Useless Set...

It's done - all 30 pieces of it (or thereabouts - by 5am this morning I confess I'd lost count).


Tree House Set
I mean - it doesn't even LOOK like a tree! It makes an interesting house, but it's still just a house decorated (somewhat inexplicably) with branches and foliage.

But I've uploaded it anyway - dedicated to anyone as batty as me.
Release date: Thursday 17 May.

EDIT: two bark recolours now included for the Circular Walls Set (thanks go to Figaro_Black for suggesting that one.

Got the thing!

The cause of my PC woes has been isolated and is being punished by acute disconnection from said PC and abandonment in clouds of dust that surround my desk. Stupid, useless, dead hard drive.

If you read my last-but-one blog, you'll note that Microsoft's suggestion of 'hard drive' was well down the list of suspects. They would have had me rip out my motherboard first. Thankfully, I know nothing about motherboards, so resisted the temptation.

Anyhows... Having a WHOLE DAY without "Stop: Machine_Data_Exception" errors (you cannot begin to imagine the bliss of that!), I am making THE most unbelievably useless set you could ever imagine! And of course I shall release it here, and then wail when no-one downloads it. Business as usual, really. Even I don't know quite what to do with this set...

More soon!

May's free set (from 8 May 2007)

Free for May are a set of glass floor tiles. But these are no ordinary tiles! They are visible from below as well as above, making them great for conservatories, biospheres, clever domed roofs which Tiko will tell you how to build, greenhouses - or whatever you like, really.


Double-sided Glass Floor Tiles

Blue Screen of Death

Yes, I'm being plagued with it: the infamous Blue Screen Of Death (otherwise known as BSOD in various IT Torture forums). For me, it is a random event that lies in wait; watching to see when I'm doing something immensely critical, urgent or unrecoverable - and PUFF! My PC is, without warning, restarted with the unhelpful advice of "There has been a serious system error". Thanks - I would never have guessed! The Event log said nothing helpful but pointed me in the direction of the IT-Guru-Supreme: Microsoft.

It's quite alright, apparently, this error. Easily fixed. Microsoft assures me that, if I replace my memory modules, swap the PSU, or maybe my twin CPUs, or better still, replace my motherboard, and replace each of the hard disks (oh, and to be sure, get new DVD and burner drives too, and maybe replace the IDE cables for every drive) it might be alright.

MIGHT! If I rip out the entire innards of my (relatively new) PC, it MIGHT be alright - or not.

And then they have the audacity to ask if I found their answer helpful. NO, MICROSOFT - I DID NOT FIND THE ANSWER HELPFUL!!!

Needless to say, in my continual rebuilds and tantrums, The Sims has been largely absent. But, today, I have uploaded a new lot in the ridiculously vain hope that my PC will miraculously mend itself.

Are you sick and tired of these windows?!

You must be! I certainly am!

SOMEONE (casts accusing stares amongst the crowds) managed to cock up these windows AGAIN!

Apparently, you don't like the windows in brilliant, zappy blue. Why not? Blue is a cool colour. Sometimes, it's a pretty, flashing blue. Lucky you, I say!

But no, as is usual in Simdom, objects are not meant to flash blue, so (sigh) I've fixed the incompetent error made by SOMEONE here, and have uploaded them again. In fact, for your own sanity, I just advise you add a link to these windows in your browser's 'favourites' menu and just download them routinely - once a month. Who knows? You might one day find a version that works correctly!

Here are the links to working windows (now tested by people competent to test - that is, NOT by me). You need to download BOTH windows (straight and diagonal). A big thanks to contrakat who brought the blue specimens to my attention...


Straight window
Diagonal window

(entire set)
Naturally, the windows shall remain free.

Thank you, Maxis!!!!

Maxis have listened, and have given us lot builders a patch!!!

Those of you who put up with my persistent whining have probably read my lamenting about the change Maxis made to lot packaging (lots would no longer pick up recolours of Maxis objects - like the invisible driveway). Maxis was attempting to curb lot-bloat at The Exchange, because many Sims players who use the 'upload to The Exchange' option were blissfully unaware of their entire downloads folder of recolours being bundled up with it. This then meant that our packaged lots we upload here and at other sites also dropped all the recolours, meaning we either had to do away with our recolours, or do away with playing Pets and Seasons.

When we raised the concern, Maxis said they were listening and would see if there was anything they could do. And they HAVE done! A shiny new patch for Seasons is out now. First and foremost, it gives us our lot packages with custom recolours once again(!!!), but it also fixes the persistent crying babies and the music career award rock hammer's audio problem too.

Find the patch here: http://thesims2.ea.com/update/?pid=Help_patches

THANK YOU, MAXIS!

Now what?!

So? Gas cylinders!

Just because you didn't think of it first! Do YOU have gas cylinders in your game yet? Did any nice, shiny gas cylinders arrive in the latest expansion pack! No? Well then!


Click the picture to download. Naturally, that is an order.

Back from the dead?

No, I'm not - yet...

But I'm still watching you!

This month's free set...

I know! I'm late, but they'll still be free for four weeks.

And yes, I called them 'plinths', but they're not. Well, whatever they're called, they're free from 16 March 2007...



Brick Plinths Buttresses
Any architects out there wanting to have a pop at me for showing total disregard for proper terminology can just shut up. There is no room here for intellect. This is my patch and I'll call my bits what I like!