Shared neighborhood - ground rules

[simmiecal]

I thought we could start posting ideas about what ground rules we would want to have in the shared neighborhood. Once we get several ideas together, we can do a vote to determine which ones will actually be in the game.

I'll start:

I'd like to ban the exlir of life from the neighborhood. I'd like us to develop and live out each sim "life" without artificially extending any age. This is something I started doing in my own game. Each simmie has a story: some can't get enough time to skill and take longer to get promotions. For some, their careers take a backseat to having children because - like in real life - they're not getting any younger and if they're going to pop out a couple of simmies, they better get started.

[Motoki]

I agree with this except I feel like if a sim gets a want to drink someone we should be able to fullfill that want. What do you think about that?

[Baa]

No purposely deleting other peoples homes. And if someone does somehow get deleted, do not upload the neighborhood. Because if everyone downloaded that, nobody would have the lost family.

So basically, if the hood get's corrupted, don't upload it. Common sense.

And no, I don't mean dead Sims. If a sim dies, let 'em die.

[Assmitten]

How about an agreement not to maliciously kill off our created sims? I think there should be a ground rule about NPCs too...maybe to not kill ones who are engaged to our Sims? Other NPCs could be fair game.

I like the idea of creating stories as we go along, but maybe there can be small update to hand off to the next sim--"Joe Carr is in love with Motoki" or so-and-so is furious with Brynne.

[Motoki]

Here's my take on some rules, feel free to disagree!

I think any non-playable sim that is not engaged to or going steady with a playable sim should be fair game to do whatever the heck we want to up to and including offing them. Playable sims should definitely be off limits for purposely offing. Natural death is fine and accidents are too and should be allowed to happen. I will trust that you guys won't arrange "accidents".

I think pleading for a sims life is okay but the resurrect-o-nomitron is not, otherwise what the heck's the point of death? Personally, I'm in favor of disallowing the aspiration rewards entirely as I find them too cheat-ish and they remove any challenge.

[simmiecal]

Hey Motoki -
I just noticed, you're "Lord of the Nannies".  HAs that always been there and I'm just blind?

I'm all for disallowing reward objects as the only one I still play with is the smart milk but I didn't think anyone would go for that.

[cheriem]

I like a lot of the aspiration rewards!  I especially find the makeover surgery booth, at least in Pleasantview, since the Pleasant girls are ugly!  I also like the boxing bag for keeping children fit.

[Motoki]

I meant the aspiration rewards, I've got no real problems with most of the career ones, but that energizer machine and the elixer of life etc are very cheaty to me.

I suppose the love tub could be okay. I use it more to give my poor sims a hot tub than for any effect it has.

[simmiecal]

I meant the aspiration rewards, I've got no real problems with most of the career ones, but that energizer machine and the elixer of life etc are very cheaty to me.

I suppose the love tub could be okay. I use it more to give my poor sims a hot tub than for any effect it has.

Ditto - as long as the career reward is earned and not gotten with a hack or a cheat.
But we shouldn't exclude the hot tub.  That means that dirt poor sims like the Brokes could have a hot tub. The should have to come up with the 5,000 simoleons (or whatever it costs) in order to have a hot tub.

[cheriem]

Some of those rewards can't be gotten that way.  The only other way to keep kids fit is to take them swimming.  I generally don't have room for a private pool.  So unlock career rewards is one of my favorites.

[Motoki]

re: nixing the love tub

That's fine with me. I can certainly live without it. I guess I would say any reward that involves skill building (besides the smartcap which I think is a cheat) is okay. I think the camera and the surgery machine are okay. Not sure how I feel about the cow plant. Sometimes they get wants to drink people etc and it's an easy way to get rid of townies or npcs lol.

[Bangelnuts]

I meant the aspiration rewards, I've got no real problems with most of the career ones, but that energizer machine and the elixer of life etc are very cheaty to me.

I suppose the love tub could be okay. I use it more to give my poor sims a hot tub than for any effect it has.

Ditto - as long as the career reward is earned and not gotten with a hack or a cheat.
But we shouldn't exclude the hot tub.  That means that dirt poor sims like the Brokes could have a hot tub. The should have to come up with the 5,000 simoleons (or whatever it costs) in order to have a hot tub.

the rules seem Fair enough to me. However I think game fixes like no whats this should be allowed. as well as custom make up and furniture etc but no cheat objects or hacks

[cheriem]

I think that's fine so far.  Oh, so thaaat's what the cow plant does!  I was wondering???!!

[Motoki]

Anything that fixes annoyances is fine with me. I know the phone hack is a bit cheaty with regard to making friends, but I simply cannot abide by that incessant phone ringing! Custom makeup and hair is fine with me too but I think we should start the sims we upload out with default Maxis content and then let everyone change their appearance later in the game.

[cheriem]

Agreed.  How about the hacks from CBoy that help furious state?

[Bangelnuts]

Agreed.  How about the hacks from CBoy that help furious state?

I dont use taht so I dont know much about it

[humybyrd]

I think this would be a great project if we actually do it I would like to join in.  Been bored with my simmies lately need a reason to get back in. I play with CC and Mods but wouldn't miss too many of them since I use the coffe pot the most it would be the only hack I would have to have (I just hate how the whole promotion system works in expecting a dead ass tired sim to pull a double shift just because they got promo'd).  I could contribute a family and story for them, I love the hoods created so far and having a high end machine can play just about any size house without too much issue. The only real cheat I do is to initially make my sim have enough money to move into the house I want (motherload). I have tried to wait it out but find I end up with an entire hood full of poor folk and into 3rd generation before they break poverty. I do make them furnish the house the hard way though.  I saw mention of an original thread for this project? where is it? (or rather - whats its name?)

[Bangelnuts]

Anything that fixes annoyances is fine with me. I know the phone hack is a bit cheaty with regard to making friends, but I simply cannot abide by that incessant phone ringing! Custom makeup and hair is fine with me too but I think we should start the sims we upload out with default Maxis content and then let everyone change their appearance later in the game.

I agree .I just think most of us will change the appearance of the sims because lets Face it Maxis has the worst taste in hair and make up not to mention color yuck. and by CC furniture I was referring to recolored maxis items to avoid having to send too many meshes. hair meshes are generally small but furniture and other object meshes can be quite large in size.the same with skin meshs they tend to be huge. so Im thinking maxis default skins should be used

[JadeEliott]

How about things that allow your sim family to work from home?

and custom careers?

I like to play "alternatively" to just get up, go to work, come home, make babies/dinner, sleep.

:-/

Also, wondering about Monique's computer, that allows skill building from it, but you still have to work for them, and you can write articles and get paid a reasonable amount of money.

[Motoki]

I like Monique's computer and use it and in general I'm in favor of opportunities for working at home and really hope to see some in the next episode. I don't have a problem with custom careers either, but I don't think we should include them with the neighborhood but rather like people get them and other custom content at their leisure if they want. As long as the custom career doesn't give them a bajillion dollars a day I don't have a problem with it.

[simmiecal]

Here's what's been rolling around in my head.  Please comment on what you like and don't like.

1. Everyone participating contributes one family and one building. Everything at this point is ONLY Maxis made - no CC, no hacks. Every lot gets loaded into the neighborhood. All players agree to play at least two families - the one they created and another one. We spread it around to make sure that all families will be played by someone.

2. Some people who enjoy building can contribute other buildings: upscale homes for sims to "move up" to when they get more money, community lots. etc. Any shortfall in buidlings, we'll just use existing Maxis made ones. (Which I hope we don't do...I really hate them.)

3. All players install the same neighborhood and start at the same point. Each player will be responsible for updating stories for the two families they are assigned to. (Although free to post as many stories as they want.)

4. We come up with a weekly, semi-weekly, or some other rotation where each player gets to pick a "random" event that each player must make happen in the neighborhood. We could alternate - one time good, one time bad.

5. Once we start playing our neighborhoods, people are free to use custom content to alter appearances of sims (hair, clothes) and buildings.

6. Only agreed upon "behaviour mods" will be used by everyone. It is not mandated that you use the mod, but you shouldn't include any mods that the group hasn't agreed won't significantly alter behaviour / rewards.

7. Cheats are only allowed to correct system errors.

Mod's I have which I think might be ok:  abortbedmaking, breakupfix, doorbellquieter, marriagepostmortem, noagingswarm, noreunionmemory, nowhatsthis and removal of the censor blur.  Also, I think Inge's doors should be allowed. I know a lot of people have the phone hack. I don't, but I don't mind if other people want to use it.

Mods I also have that would like to use but won't mind if they're not allowed:  Crammyboy's nudist hack, Inteenimater, marriagetraditional, nodormieregen, nossrespawn, eatmoretalkless, nodriverwatchout.

As I proofread this, it looks like I'm giving pronouncements. I hope it doesn't come across this way. I just thought if I put down what I was thinking others can add to and subtract from it but at least we'd have a starting point to work with.

What does everyone think?

[baratron]

I'm just in love with you all . The fact that you're having such a rational discussion about the rules:
"This is what I think"
"I agree. How about this?"
"I disagree. This is why."
"OK, that's a fair point. How about this other thing?"

Trying to imagine the mess that would result from trying to discuss ground rules in virtually any other Sims community I've ever been to... eeek .

OK, carry on .

[Motoki]

I know some people won't like this because it will increase the file size of the download, but at this point I almost feel like we should just decide the plot, characters, what houses are to be used etc and premake the neighborhood in an original setup state like the Maxis ones, then everyone can build on it from there. It doesn't have to be super huge and have loads of lots and playable characters to start with, people can add more later.

I just like the idea that we can presetup relationships like so&so is enemies with such&such and I would really like everyone to have the same set of townies. I know we can use the default pleasantview ones but they are ugly and I am sick of them lol.

[humybyrd]

I agree, right now just getting the neighborhood set up will be a big thing.  I also like the idea of getting rid of the townies except for the ones that cannot be duplicated (can we make vampires?) and having everyone contribute some townies (am I wrong in asuming that the game will generate the NPC's as needed for shopping?). This is a great idea. Perhaps making the houses without wallpapers and just a default floor if needed for above ground floor building will decrease the filesize and allow users to add their own style yet have the same content in the basic start up.

[MissDoh]

Some of those rewards can't be gotten that way.  The only other way to keep kids fit is to take them swimming.  I generally don't have room for a private pool.  So unlock career rewards is one of my favorites.

Kids do get in shape by playing tags outside and they can also exercise with the stereo in case you did not know that.

Career rewards are fine to use since the Sims earns it, but it is the same for aspiration rewards they did earn it too.

What I would propose is that we can only use them once and we have to decide on which lot we want to use them.  What I mean is that the thinking cap for example can only place in 1 family, another family could use the elixir of life and another could use the energizer.  Once the item is used we cannot place back another one to replace it so we would have to use it wisely.