So, what are YOU doing?

Tonight is, of course, New Year's Eve (I can feel you marvelling at my intelligence already - fancy me knowing THAT!). So, what will you be doing?

If you're going out on the town, visiting family, partying or hosting a party - have brilliant fun! Have a wonderful, riotous time. Lots of hopes and expectations for a good and prosperous 2006.

And if you're NOT doing anything special? Well, take a look around you. Yes, right where you're sitting. What you'll see are YOUR things, and maybe YOUR people too. Most of all, your home. Yes, be PROUD that you (a) get to stay all secure and comfy indoors with your things around you, that (b) you're not just 'following the crowd' and going out for the sake of it (a lot of people ARE - or have no choice), and (c) you have all that time for Simming without any obligation to be anywhere, or without the resultant 'morning after'! What better could you ask for? Me and my partner are staying put by choice. We love to have that choice and I hope you do too.

Have a real good evening, whatever you do. :-)

PS...

I bet you're REALLY glad, what with a great game on your PCs and consoles, that there is someone out here (yes - me talking about myself again) making you all this lovely stuff...

Lovey stuff that never, ever works, that is!

Did you see a puff of smoke rise from my industrial chimney stacks? Did you ever see anyone CLIMB my stupid ladders? And do your Sims fill up their motors at one of my gas pumps (or do they leap back in disgusted surprise when they find the gas pump is a mere floor lamp?)...

So, yes, a blog now full of staying-right-where-it-is elevators and a CCTV camera that's blind as a bat!

Enjoy your game. ;-)

Cheat!

As every good lot builder knows, the easiest way to achieve something is to cheat. And there we all are. Cheat to your heart's content. Bend and warp tiles into places they're not meant to go with 'boolprop constrainFloorElevation false' and 'locktiles', slap trees in the middle of your living room with 'moveobjects on' (that's your Sims' living room - NOT yours!), and centre the uncenterable with 'boolprop snapObjectsToGrid false'. Yep, in the lot-building world, cheating IS everything. For the life of me, I cannot think of a single lot where I haven't cheated in some way to achieve an effect.

With that in mind, I'd therefore just like to point out that the elevator in my last blog is also a cheat. Sure, my Sims are using it, but it doesn't travel up and down (now THAT would be some cheat!). Instead, it uses another of my useless creations: invisible modular stairs (I'm releasing those in my up-and-coming "Urban Renewal Elevator Construction Kit set). These invisible stairs are being used as 'elevator stairs' (Judyhugsnoopy has written a blindingly good tutorial on this in TSR's own Build-A-Lot forums - and it is SIMPLE). This cheat allows you to place a small portion of steps into a tiny space. Yes, this lift might only be 3 x 2 squares in size, but in it is a stairway to the next level.

Or you could simply save yourself the grief and go to one of those 'other' sites we all know about where people have already made working 'stair teleporters'... I suppose, if pressed, I would have to admit (through gritted zipped teeth) that I'm not good enough to make something like that, so therefore MY option is, simply, to cheat!

All arguments on a postcard to the usual address, please.

Urban Renewal

I'm working on a HUGE new project (well, the biggest since my "Industrial Age" series).

The "Urban Renewal" series will be a mixture of 'reality' downtown lots and various objects belonging to the concrete jungle. As well as lots (of course), there will be a 'security' kit (posters and CCTV), fences, safety signs set, and this elevator construction kit (and all those digital panels are ANIMATED!)...

And here is one of the lots queueing for upload...

I just need to get a move-on with it all! One lot in the series is already in my release calendar, but I have NO idea how I'll be ready with the rest of it all!!!

More on 'Happy Holidays'!

I spent the best part of today's holiday on making a CCTV camera for a new series of lots I'm designing (well, that's if two lots is a 'series'...). The gentle mood for this blissful period of artistic creation could best be described as: seething fury. The camera came out perfectly after just ten minutes - most happy about that. I then spent a maddening seven or so HOURS trying to make a shadow appear behind it (note the time difference: 10 minutes for a whole camera; many HOURS for its stupid, weeny shadow!!!)... And you can see here the happy fruits of my labour. WHERE IS THE STUPID SHADOW?!!! (the dark patch behind is a wallpaper stain - not a shadow) (answers to be in by no later than IMMEDIATELY - preferably with your spare shadows attached. Naturally, I will take all credit)

Weather's Last Laugh

Okay, so I snorted about not much snow about this time of year (because winter 'proper' is only just beginning in England). So, this was the view from my front window this morning...

I'm staying IN!

A Christmas Tale

My mail box seems to be flooded with emails from high street stores screaming "Buy Now!" and offering all sorts of expensive consumerist items I can surely live without, and mostly what I cannot afford. I figured therefore I'd design a more everyday typical Christmas scene. No snow, because most of the world isn't having snow yet. And no Playstation...

And a detail piccie (a big thank you to fw190a8 for the super grafitti)...

Finally, a glimpse inside...

<

Once the TSR submission system is up and running, this will be my next lot available for download.

Magic of a Guest Book

I've just spent a very happy morning reading my guest book. I haven't visited the early pages in a very long while and reading everyone's comments made me deliriously happy. When I first came to TSR, I figured everyone had a guest book and people who wrote in mine were just being polite. Now I know different!

Every creator already knows there's great satisfaction in seeing their creations downloaded. I DID worry about my zero-downloads jungle creepers in the week running up to Christmas but that turned out to be a site glitch! Yet it's something else altogether when someone returns and deliberately wants to sign a guest book or write a personal message.

Just want you to know that I appreciate all your wonderful words and comments.


Sue :)

PS: And if I hear ANYONE saying: "There goes Cyclonesue fishing for comments again!", I shall box a few ears!!!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

I wish you all a tremendous time over the holidays in whatever way you choose to celebrate (or not). Thank you all for your support, your comments and messages, the laughter and friendship I've enjoyed through 2005.

I look forward to you all pointing and laughing at my woeful creations for 2006! ;)

Day 1 of TSR v6

It's coming together!

It's been a rough day (for downloaders, creators AND the TSR development team), but I've just taken a look and it seems like most of my bizarre and useless items are back to haunt you.

Isn't that wonderful?!