More Awesome Than You!

Does it have a use? I've never seen any birds attacking my crops, just decoration or does it boost growth?

Decoration, mostly, but if you have your sims view it long enough, it comes to life and scares them. :)

AWESOME!

HOLY CATS! The animated snowman was creepy too. What are those EA folks smoking?

Animated snowman?  Is that a Seasons thing, or one of the holiday packs?

They must either be smoking something, or just be warped. I have seriously wondered about the creaters of the Sims 2. They call it a wacky sense of humor, etc. But I find nothing humorous about their purposeful creation of the impovershed, the mismatched, the colorless, and the truly ugly; all when they could have created sometihing elegant, colorful, and beautiful -- or at least something balanced somewhere between the two extremes.

I also don't appreciate their sadistic fetish about killing off my Sims. Especially killing them with things that should normally be wonderful parts of life, like sitting in front of a warm fire on a cold night, or gathering around a Christmas tree to celebrate. I customize and mod everything to bits -- all so I can play a decent game, pleasing to my eye, without burying most of my Sims before their very short lifespan has been fulfilled. If I wanted some adreniline pumping slaughter, I'd buy a shooter. I play the Sims to relax and enjoy myself.

Come to think of it, I remember being told in Sims 1 that the price of having eternal sims, was some chances of accidental death in the game. Well, now my Sims are NOT eternal, by purposeful design, and STILL MaxisEA adds *multiple* new ways for them to accidentally die with practically *every* expansion.

Think about it for a moment. If you have all the expansions up to and including Seasons, and you play without a protective mod in your game, what are the odds your Sim will never live long enough to become an elder?? He/she can die from kissing too long, sitting in a hot tub too long, eating spoiled food, sitting by the pool too long, running with a scissors, catching a random plague, getting hit by lightening, getting hit by hail, getting burned up while cooking or sitting in front of a fireplace, taking an elevator ride, getting burned up from being too close to a Christmas tree or outdoor Christmas ornament, running on the treadmill to long, getting hit by falling sky debris, fixing a broken appliance (even if the Sim is skilled to the max), flying a kite, drowning in the pool, or too much whoopee. And if he is sloppy, he can even die from a sudden attack of flies. In addition, female Sims can also die of pregnancy, even if their hunger never goes into the red. (I may be forgetting some other peril, there are so many.) And all that isn't even counting the chance to become the undead because of a wandering vampire autonomously biting him or her.

Trying to avoid death in this game is like constantly dodging a bullet, if you don't have protective mods. Ridiculous ....

Gawd blimey, I wish it were so. I've never had a single accidental death in the entire sims 2 run, bar fire, even then the pleading with the grim reaper usually works. Or resurrection. I wish there was MORE realistic random illness and death in the game. I wish kids could die. Or sims during childbirth. Actually I really want it to be autonomous, I won't direct my sims to die but I'm looking forward to the first lightning strike. My sims eat and play outside in the rain continuously but no luck so far.

And for all your complaints about it, there are people out there that complain there aren't enough ways to kill sims, or that they're too invulnerable, or, etc. I understand your point, but if the game isn't what you wanted it to be, don't play it. Or just happily make and use mods to make it more like what you want.

Honestly, I get tired at all the bitching people do about games when they're not exactly as people wanted it to be. It gets taken to a zen level that just makes me want to scream at people to stop playing the game if they hate it that much.

what


If it were at a "zen level," then you would be unperturbed by it.

Amjoie, a lot of those deaths you mentioned - kissing too long, drowning in the pool, too much woohoo - only occur if the player is not paying attention to the game and fails to notice that the needs bar (hunger or energy) is getting dangerously low. So those are avoidable deaths, and you really only have yourself to blame if your Sim died just because you didn't notive their hunger bar was in the red. Also, the running with scissors death was only possible if you downloaded the object - if you didn't want your Sims to risk death, then get rid of the download, there are plenty of other ways for your Sims to increase their fun.

FWIW, I agree with Witch - I wish there were more chances for random death - the ones already in the game (hit by satellite, swarm of flies etc.) all seem to have a pretty low chance of happening. For as long as I've played TS2 (which was since it first came out) I have seen NO satellite deaths, NO fly swarm deaths, no hail deaths, nothing. The only 'accidental' deaths I have ever had were ones caused by deliberately taking out the pool ladders.  ;D

That's been my experience too.  Sure, now my game is heavily modded, but I remember back when I only the base game and didn't realise there were mods for the game.  Even back then the only non-old age deaths were when I removed the pool ladder, or sent my sims to cook then took out the kitchen doors and the smoke alarm.

I don't use any 'protective' mods, hoping to get an occasional accidental death. I took out all fire alarms ages ago (and continue to take them out of any new houses - I don't want the NPC generated.) I ignore them if they get sick and just have them do what they would anyway. Let them stomp on roaches and lay around gazing at the sky.

I've had two 'not old age' deaths in my game and they were both on purpose. I removed the ladder and drowned a sim once and recently started a black widow and poisoned one. And it was *hard* to get them to die both times. She (the recent poisoned one) had to go sooooooo red before she'd die, way lower than I let them get except on purpose and for a long time.

I have elevators on lots I play a lot, and they break all the time (and sims enjoy whoohooing in them), but it doesn't kill them. I guess I micromanage too much to let them do much that's dangerous. And I keep them too happy - they're usually platinum or gold, sometimes a little green. Their needs are never red - maybe tinged a bit, but not that 'Red - Danger Will Robinson' thing. Anyway they're tough little buggers and never die.

Have you ever actually let (or tried to get) a sim to die? Mostly it is nowhere near as easy as all that :)

PS: Forgot, but I also make them repair everything themselves (again, I don't want the NPC) and they don't die from that either. I made one poor sim with 1 mechanical get shocked from the dishwasher all day. But I let her take showers and eat and all, so eventually she fixed it without dying from it.

I had a sim catch pneumonia the other day and decided to see if she'd actually die from it--I basically let her run around on free will rather than take care of her. Despite her getting so stinky she was attracting flies, eating out of the garbage can constantly instead of the fully stocked fridge (sloppy sims, honestly ::)), picking fights with the social bunny, passing out in a heap all over the house, etc. etc. ...she still made a full recovery.

...At least until I got annoyed and dropped a satellite on her head. ;D

I had a romance couple who'd each finished their life goals of woohooing with 20 people and lived long happy lives.  It seemed that the perfect storyline for their deaths was that they died in an elevator crash while woohooing happily away with each other as happily married elders the night of their golden anniversary party.

I used boolprop to break that elevator dozens of times, sending them crashing down each time.  Finally, he died of starvation, standing next to the elevator.  I sent his weeping widow on a few more elevator crashes, then finally had to use the insimenator to have her commit suicide.

Unless you're going to drown or starve your sim, it's pretty hard to kill them.  Runs with scissors seems to be broken now too (or perhaps I have a conflict, not sure).

The thing with sim deaths is that it's nigh impossible to get them to die of anything that you'd NORMALLY expect them to die of, but plenty of potential WTFbombs, which can sometimes prove fatal in highly publicized cases.

I dont' want accidental deaths, and I *do* watch my Sims. But I have had them die of pregnancy, with hunger still in the green. Just acted weird for a second or two and then keeled over dead. I have had them die from trying to fix an appliance when their skill was at max. I even had a repairman work on an appliance and get killed. I've had a Sim autonomously go swimming instead of going to bed as I had directed, and drown, while the partner was busy doing something (which I was watching). I've had a Sim who was autonomously poking a fire in the fireplace. catch on fire and die. I've had a Sim who was cooking, with about 3/4 of the cooking skill completed, die from a flash stove fire -- instantly swallowed him up in flames -- and that was with the alarm installed. He was engulfed in flames long before the fireman arrived. I've had a romance Sim keel over after too much whoohoo, before I realized that it could happen. I've had a Sim watch the clouds, because I love watching clouds, only to get hit by a fallen satellite. Sure, it happened before I realized you can't watch clouds in safety. But watching clouds *should* be an enjoyable experience, not a potential death sentence!

Spontaneous combustion, new with Seasons, can and does happen after getting too hot from *any* cause. And I have had Sims dangerously hot from too much making out -- which my Sims often do autonomously. I never thought to stop them from kissing. Who would have guessed you could die from kissing? I had a Sim dangerously hot from sitting in the hot tub too long on a Sim owned business. Whether or not they combust after overheating is a roll of the dice. And that is too much of a chance, for me. Because no one should ever die from kissing or soaking in a hot tub.

I had a Sim die from disease, even after lots of bed rest, which is not supposed to happen but did happen in my game. I've had a Sim get "paralyzed" (looked like a zombie) from eating food which was fine when he took it from the serving plate and started eating, but which spoiled part way through his meal. (I restarted that game, so I don't know if the paralyzing would have resulted ultimately in death or in recovery.) My Sims very first elevator ride resulted in "the plunge."

I've had a tree hit by lightning, very close to my Sim. As quick as that storm came on, my Sim would never have had a chance to get to safety before the lightning struck, if there had not been a tree in the yard and it had targeted him instead. And for sure, he could never have gotten out of a hot tub or pool quick enough to avoid a strike. So I built a greenhouse around all my Sims outdoor activities to entirely prevent the possibility.

I started getting mods to prevent accidental death, because it was happening in my game way more than I wanted it to happen. I'm not complaining needlessly. I have been disturbed by the degree of accidental death in my game. I don't appreciate how the game was coded. That's my perspective, because that has been my experience. Your mileage may vary. Shrug.

For those of you who want more accidental death in your game, try IRL burying a son, an aunt and uncle, a best friends husband, and then watch your elderly parents struggling with disease, all within a few years time. Add a few trips to the hospital for yourself, being confined to bed between trips, with your own life in uncertain balance -- then tell me how much fun it is to watch death in a game that is supposed to be played for fun and relaxation.

Not all of the MaxisEA target audience is +/- twenty-something looking for any kind of excitement to validate their existence. Not all of us think death is a kick. Some of us have lived long enough to know from experience how short life can be, and know that death isn't fun when it causes the deepest and longest lasting pain a human can feel.

That being said, I do enjoy the Sims, immensely. That's why I play. But I enjoy the game in spite of MaxisEA, not because of them. The game is only enjoyable because of the mods I chose to put in it, not because of the orginal coding. The game should have been coded so that the risks could have been adjusted to the game play style, on a sliding scale of risk at the whim of the player. If that had been the goal, it could have been easily coded for customization. That would have made everyone happy. But MaxisEA is saying on one hand that the game is "for however you want to play it" and then forcing a certain style of play on the other hand. And that was my original objection. My perspective, and IMHO. You are free to disagree ....

Excuse me?

The problem here isn't twenty-somethings. It's you taking the game WAY TOO SERIOUSLY. If the sims 2 has become an escape for you, you need to stop and join a book club or something. Of course life is short and painful, but that shouldn't have any bearing on how much you seem to be reacting to a computer game. You need to seperate real life from the sims. Don't complain to us because you have no perspective.

LOL

I'm not taking the game too seriously, and it isn't any more of an escape than TV or a book.

I object to the coding of the game. That was the point.

Lots and lots of people have complained about MaxisEA for lots of different reasons. Complaining in this forum has become an art form. So I complained. So what? Did I ask you to agree with me?

Or is it that you are uncomfortable hearing a perspective that dramatically differs from your own ....

No, excuse me!

Isn't disagreeing with how MaxisEA coded the game at least half of what modding is all about?  Sure some if it is bugfixes, but the rest is changing the game to suit our personal preference as to what would make it "better". 

Whether I agree with amjoie's specific complaint, or not, how is it different from complaining that they can't have triplets or quads?  How is it different from complaining that the nannies are stupid?  How is it different from complaining that employees at businesses don't behave right? How is it different from complaining that the skins aren't realistic? How is it different from every other complaint I see on this site?

Yes, I know mods exist to alter all of those examples.  That's precisely my point.  If they hadn't annoyed somone in the first place, the mods wouldn't have been created. But,not everyone has the skills to make the mods they want.  Some of us have to hope that someone else will make them.  And horrors, if we look around and don't find what we want, sometimes we even talk about our ideas, to try to inspire someone to create it.

The only time I've ever had a non-old age death was when I first got the game. I had created a couple, moved them into a lot, shortly thereafter, the female sim became pregnant. I had no idea that the pregnancy state would be so unrealistic. It became a loop of the sim being too tired to eat, too hungry to sleep, rinse, lather, repeat. Then the grim reaper showed up and despite the frantic pleadings of her sim husband, she died anyway. I was horrified! :D
Anyway, I learned to keep a better eye on my pregnant sims but still use cheats sometimes (usually for energy) because their motives decay so rapidly and I find it highly unrealistic. Not that zombies, vampires or werewolves are realistic either but I don't play those, heh. I've been pregnant twice and not only could I continue to work, I never nearly starved to death, peed myself or passed out from exhaustion. ::)

edited to correct typos

Amjoie, I want whatever makes your game so interesting.  Honestly.  It's boring when every single sim dies of old age, unless I deliberately try to kill them.

I won't go on again about the deaths I've never experienced in my game, although I do have 4 sims who are proof that lightning strikes aren't fatal - at least not in my game.  I have another sim who combusted in a hot tub, but survived.  She was visiting the lot, my playable tried to put her out when she just vanished.  When I played her lot later I half expected to see the "sim has died on another lot" message, but no, she survived.

For the record I'm not +/- twenty-something, and I have seen close family members die.  I have also struggled with an illness that has nearly claimed my life a couple of times.  I "have lived long enough to know from experience how short life can be, and know that death isn't fun when it causes the deepest and longest lasting pain a human can feel."  My real life experiences don't change the fact that I do want to see more accidental deaths in my game.  Maybe the issue here isn't to do with age or real life experience of mortality (as you seem to think), maybe it's more to do with how attached you and I are to our sims.  I dont think I'm as attached to my sims as you seem to be to yours.

The only truly accidental death I've had was when I could have used it least. I had a female Sim who had married an elder, he had an adopted teen girl, and the couple had just had a baby boy. Dad was getting old though and the same they that Grim came for him, his young wife decided to relax on the lawn. Naturally, a satellite falls on her head, and the poor teenager is left to raise her baby brother on her own.
I love these twists though, and if my Sims don't die spontaneously, I will often make them have an 'accidental' death, just to add some more drama.

I may be wrong here, but judging from Ellatrue's post and the part of amjoie's post that Ellatrue quoted, I think her problem was more the implication that there's something wrong with people that like the deaths in the game:


 As well as the implication that people who enjoy the deaths in the game haven't encountered much suffering in real life, that was what bugged me about amjoie's post, and I thought that was what Ellatrue was trying to say.

I've hardly had any accidental deaths in my game, the only ones I have had happened when I stupidly left a friend playing the game while I made coffee. So I just exited without saving.

I've only had one accidental death. My four year old however has had many. Now I max his sim's motives and stop the need decay so I don't have to explain why his sim fell asleep and the scary man came and took his sim away.

This may be a case of EA/Maxis sadorandom telepathy and contrariness. Those who want more accidental death never get any, and those who would rather play a more realistic game where death risks are comparable to those in real life (old age, disease, fire) seem to get the ridiculous satellite-smash deaths and other glitches. You can also see this effect with the telescopes. If you don't want M-preg in your game, your male Sims have a 100% chance of abduction, while those eager for alien half-breeds end up resorting to cheats to get them.

I've noticed that the sims I actually give a crap about and which I've spent the most time playing with seem to suffer the most WTFwasthat?! events. Townies, which are a plague in my game, seem to be immune to everything save deliberate homicide. Obviously, the more time spent with a sim increases the chances of borkination or undesirable events. They suck you into giving a crap about pixels, then try to delete them. I get just as irritated when my computer corrupts a text or image file, which fortunately hasn't happened in a long while, but those generally take less time to recreate.

That was amjoie's response to the people who jumped all over his/her original comment:



 
The second comment did come across somewhat that way, but I took it in the context of amjoie getting defensive about all the negative responses to his/her first comment.

I also should have made it clear I was responding to the collective dogpiling, not just Ellatrue alone.

I should probably clarify, since my post has obviously been misunderstood. :)

I wasn't saying that actually being twenty-something predisposes someone to the "death is a kick" perspective. No, not at all. I was saying that MaxisEA seems to have made the *generalization* that its target audience of twenty-something prefers to see lots of accidental death in the game -- ala the same generalization that twenty-somethings prefer to engage in shooters because they think death is a kick. It was a commentary on the game industry *generalizations,* and not on an age group. It's the whole "violence sells" mentality, when aimed at the youth market.

I was making a comment that the target audience of the Sims 2 should be aimed at a much wider and more diverse group of people, some of whom want the *option* of playing a different type of game. I don't really believe the hype that the Sims 2 creators have a wacky or offbeat sense of humor. I think they were told exactly what to create because of marketing goals, so that's what they created. I think the marketing goals are warped, not the artists. I may be wrong, of course. :)

My other comment was reactive. It was in response to all the posts that said, "I want more death, I want more death" -- not just in this thread, but throughout several forums over a period of time. That's hard to hear, when you personally wish death never existed. So I responded with, basically, "you want more death, then experience death IRL, and see if you still like it." I realize I am sensitive in that area, because I have struggled with recent loss, etc. And I know you are all talking about a game function, not the real thing. It's just hard to hear, sometimes, and this was one of those times  ....

Now back to our regularly scheduled program.
............

Kyna, we all play the Sims 2 so differently. That is why the game is wildly popular, because (especially with the use of mods) the game allows for so much variance in gameplay. Your boredom threshold is different than mine. What amuses me, and entertains me, is different from what you need to stay amused and entertained. That is to be expected.

It really isn't an issue of me being attached to a Sim or Sims. Right now, I'm starting all over with brand new Sims in a new hood -- or will be once I am done with my testing in the test hood. So there is no level of attachment. Rather, it is more on a philosophical level. I'm really not an emotional basket-case, and definitely not a bleeding heart -- but I do hate death, for a whole variety of reasons. I do not want death to pop up unexpectedly in a game, ending my enjoyment of whatever I was doing. I want more control than that. In a sense, I don't want to have to "fear" something in a game. I don't enjoy that, and don't find it exciting. I find it wearing and annoying. It is more the philosophical attitude of : "This is supposed to be a 'god' game, so let me be a god. Don't set parameters on my godhead capabilities. Give me the options to make the game the way I want it."

I used to routinely save copies of houses and "remove" the copied occupants via nefarious means, in order to have an empty but fully furnished house for another hood. Back then, I used the pink flamingo to do the deed. Sims are pixels, and I had no problem with deleting pixels. Now that I have other options, I don't kill off Sims, because it's easier and better for the game to do it another way.

So please understand that it doesn't bother me if you feel the need to arrange for the death of a Sim in order to spark some drama and not be bored with your game. It doesn't bother me that MaxisEA put that capability into the code. However, it does bother me that they forced me to "live" in an environment filled with the increasing possibility of accidental death, if I would prefer it to be different. So, if it comes right down to base motives, this is more a control issue than anything else, I guess.

wow, Amjoie...I think you have bad game karma. :p  I've only ever had one accidental death and that was when uni first came out and a roomie went upstairs to repair a computer and got electrocuted when I wasn't looking. 

I'm sorry, but you're either wildly exaggerating, have hacks in your game that encourage sudden, random deaths, or your game is corrupt. There is no way half the deaths you described could actually happen in a normal game.

I have to agree with Orikes, and like most people here, I have had very few accidental deaths in my game. Maybe 3  or 4 since I bought the game in Dec 2004.

I could see it happening, though.  How many of you actually send your sims cloud watching?  Also with the insanity of the body thermometer in Seasons I can see a lot of death by combustion happening, which pisses me off...I don't die if I sit in the hot tub too long.

The spontaenous combustion is annoying, but is also relatively new. That's one that I did download a hack for because it was a little too silly how extremely easy it was. The rest, though... I mean, unless a kitchen is poorly designed, there's no way a sim could go up in flames before the fire truck gets there. I've had sims catch fire when the stove didn't and the fire truck got there in plenty of time. Same thing with pregnancy deaths. Who has ever seen a sim suddenly just keel over because they're pregnant? The only accidental deaths I ever had were when I first started playing and I had pregnant sims starve to death. If a sim had their needs bars mostly full and still keeled over, something else was going on.

If you constantly have Sim Stove Death, your architectural design is lacking. Make kitchens with two doors, make them large enough so panicking Sims don't trap other Sims, install your alarm, and try not to let Sims with no cooking skill make anything. :)

I have had some Sims cloud-watching because it got them out of my hair while skillinating or micromanaging other Sims. On the other hand, I was open to the chance they'd get mashed by space debris. It didn't happen.

For those of you clamouring for more wacky deaths, I just found Death By Swarm Of Angry Beez!

http://www.pc-sims.com/smb/showthread.php?t=6158

Of course, you have to select it. The main purpose of this item is to add a working honeybee hive to the game, with edible honey.

To prevent some kinds of motive decay / potential death / illness, this same site has sleeping pills, a first aid kit, a visiting doctor, diet pills, and more.

Anyone else found any Wacky Death Objects or, conversely, mods that prevent Wacky Deaths? That way the thread can become a resource for both types of player.

1. Bad netiquette: Your quote of me above makes it look like I wrote the phrase you quoted, which I did not. If you want to say the list is improbable, fine, but don't make it look like I said it.
2. Flame bait: "... you're either wildly exaggerating or ... [and] There is no way half the deaths you described could actually happen in a normal game."

There was a recent thread about accessories blinking blue since Pets. The person who started the thread has had no end to problems with it. I have not had the problem. So, do I immediately tell that person they are wildly exaggerating or their game is corrupt, because no way could the game do it? Is that a reasonable response, just because their game is acting different than mine?

Besides, this game is known to be bonkers when it comes to probabilities, because they are coded very strangely. A string of deaths in my game should come as no surprise, even if you never had any in yours. If deaths are coded into the game, and set with probabilities, anything could happen. Since seasons, some people have had a penguin on every lot until it becomes a nuisance -- and some people have yet to see a penguin. Go figure.

For the record, I started playing this game the day it came out. There were no mods, in the beginning. Some of the deaths happened then. Others happened when I was testing a fresh install of the base game/old expansions, along with an added new expansion. I don't use mods when I test a new expansion. I had no indications of the fresh installs being corrupted, so you can rule that out. Others, like the Sim dropping my instruction to go to bed, and deciding to go swimming instead (resulting in death), can be chalked up to "stupid sims."

Some deaths are just quirks in the game. The pregnancy thing happened to other people, too. It might have been before the first patch, I can't remember the timing that well. But I remember reading about other people who had it happen to their Sims. It was explained, at the time. Something to do with the way disease deaths are on probabilities and that the game sees pregnancy as a disease. That was when I started looking for the first "no disease" mod.

One reason I may have had more deaths is because I have probably played the game for many more hours than most (not all) of you, who have a life. I have been confined to my bed for almost three years, and before that I was not able to stand for very long, so I spent a good deal of time at my desk. The things I can do on a computer have filled my days. I do have many programs on my computers (Mac and PC), so I don't play the Sims nonstop or anything; but they do give me a more engaging way to occupy my hours than watching TV all day long, and I enjoy the game.

The other reason I could be experiencing more accidental deaths is playing style. The type of house, type of furnishings, type of Sim, number of Sims on one lot, etc, could all affect probablilites. And, when I test a game, I poke and prod it to see what's under the hood. That might also have something to do with it.

One thing for sure, I really thought my experiences were the norm. It has come as a real surprise that the people posting have not experienced the same thing in their games. Of course, others may be having my experiences, but not be reading this thread or posting. That is also possible.

Then you have exceptionally stupid sims, and a knack for rolling the least likely odds. I play an average of 15 hours a day, every day, myself. Last accidental death I had was the hot tub with a visiting sim before Pescado posted a fix for that about 3 weeks ago. Before that...um. Been over a year. I can't figure out for the life of me how you got a sim to die in a pool without removing the ladder.

This is (was?) a Maxis bug.
First time I've heard of that happening in TS2 (the repairman dieing), but I seem to remember it happening in TS1.
Sims are normally smart enough to autonomously get out of the pool as well.
How low were these Sims motives at the time?
This can't happen, unless hunger was really low before it started the woohoo interaction.
This is extremely rare.

Get warmthfix to fix retarded Maxis logic.
I have no idea how you managed this, the plague normally cures itself before killing the sim.
No clue about this one. You could've tried forcing an error though, and seeing if that would've fixed it.
Which is not normally fatal. Are you keeping the motives really low for some reason?

Can lightning hit a sim in the hot tub or the pool?
Most of these seem to result from you not taking care of your sims' motives properly. Only a few are actually sadorandom.
Some people either have no experience with death, or take the opinion of "they're only pixels made out of binary data wrapped into a package format", and so see the difference between a Sim's life, a real life, and, in BlueSoup's case, a Second Life.
I think most players share your feelings about the original coding, and I am fairly sure that most people would've quit playing around the time that Uni came out if they were still running on purely Maxis code. However, EA made the game as modifiable as you like it: with the proper tools, it should theoretically be possible to completely disable all death using an extremely dangerous INSTALLDIR hack.

OK, you want less accidental death. Fine.

However don't try to justify your opinion with a bleat about how hard and miserable your life is currently, the assumption being that others don't suffer illness, bereavement or hardship to the level you do, guilt tripping anyone won't make you right, it's still just your opinion.

Nice try at a save about Maxis' goals for twenty-somethings, but these are your words, not the words of Maxis. I am fifty this year and don't need pixellated excitement to validate my existence, I do enjoy playing a realistic sims game, though sim deaths do not trigger the grief I may feel for real life people who have died.

I am sorry you're grieving and ill, maybe take a break from the sims if it triggers uncomfortable stuff for you.

1. It's usually good netiquette to edit down extensively large quotes so that you're not spamming other readers with stuff they've already seen. My bad, though, for not being more clear that it was a cut.

2. It's not flame bait. It's an honest opinion. You also verified it with the rest of the text in your last post. Most of the deaths you described were the result of a variety of early game glitches, were not intended to be part of the code.

As for the comparison between the blue flashy accessories and this, you're comparing apples and oranges. I never doubt someone when they say they're experiencing a glitch. With the sheer variety and scope of the types of computers out there, what people put on computers, and the weird way software can act when put in those myriad environments, I never ever doubt a glitch. What I do doubt is someone claiming that the code is doing, and INTENDED to do X when everyone else has seen it do Y.

You *ARE* exaggerating, or you are misunderstanding most of your glitched deaths for intended code proper deaths, which they are not by your own admission.

He was tired almost to the point of dropping over. I instructed him to go to bed, and turned my attention back to the other Sim, expecting him to do as he was told. Well, he didn't. He went swimming. I found out he did that only when I saw his thumbnail change and double clicked to see why. There was a tombstone instead of my sim, next to the pool. So I quit without saving. When I reopened the game, I wanted to see it for myself. I directed him to go swimming. Sure enough, almost as soon as he entered the water he got to the "fall asleep standing up" stage. He curled up in the water, and Ol' Grimmy came. This was either in the base game or with Nightlife. I don't know if it would still happen after more expansions. I haven't checked. Test it out, if you want to.

With the stove fire, I was on a big lot, with a deep set back (large pond in front of the house, and a big garden area around a long fancy walkway. The Sim was engulfed by flames immediately. The stove didn't catch on fire. The stupid fireman started near the sidewalk, and by the time he made it all the way across the lot, my Sim was ashes. I learned to set houses closer to the sidewalk, with a clear access to the door. But that was before the "no fire" mods I have now. I use no stove fire, no BBQ fire, ever burning fireplaces that don't kill, no Christmas tree fires, no reindeer fires, etc. Now I can build any way I want.

The fireplace death was before I knew fireplaces could kill a Sim poking them. I had all the objects far enough away from the fireplace itself, so I thought the fireplace was safe. My Sim got up off the couch to poke the fire, which I thought was a harmless activity, and I turned my attention to another Sim in the family. Suddenly I see the fire thought bubble, and the Sim I was watching ran to the living room. It was a good sized fire by then, and the Sim who had been poking the fire was ashes. I quit without saving. I almost always quit without saving, so I wasn't losing Sims, but I still didn't like them dying by accident.

The only death I still don't understand was the disease death (he got sick when a bunch of balloons popped and left an invisible trash heap on my property and I had roaches everywhere). I had done everything I was supposed to do in order for the Sim to recover. But I guess the disease code is really strange, with a lot of random wackiness. And the fact that I kept calling the exterminator, but the roaches kept coming back, might have had something to do with it. I had discovered the invisible trash heap before the death, though (the maid kept going out to the yard, and I was curious why so I followed her -- she took a garbage bag out of clear air where the balloons had been), and removed it, so at the time of death the lot wasn't corrupt.

The one that really made me mad was the repair of the dishwasher, when he was maxed out in mechanical skills. I had maxed him out specifically so it was safe to make repairs. And then he got toasted. I was not a happy camper. I do have to admit that I laughed when the repairman died in another house, though. That was kinda funny. I thought the repairmen were immune to it. I felt better about my Sim when I found out even a professional could get killed trying to make repairs. :P

With the kissing, be sure to prevent your Sims from making out when they are already getting hot from being outside or exercising or something else that has raised heat like being in a hot tub together. I haven't had many couples that autonomously make out (most will kiss tender or hug, kiss up the arm, or serenade each other) but I have had a few loving couples who do a lot of autonomous making out. This was one of those couples. If he instigates a make out, and then she immediately instigages another make out, and one was hot to begin with, it can result in combustion.

The hot tub temp goes up really fast, even in winter. So unless you mod, watch them in that. It can be nasty.

I will admit readily that most of the deaths were due to my not understanding what could kill in the game. But that is moot. It doesn't come with instructions, for the most part, concerning these death traps. So until it happens or you hear of it happening to someone else, you don't know. And when warnings are given, like "be sure to give your Sim mechanical skills before making repairs," and those warnings are heeded, the Sim should be safe. It was the same with stove fires. They can still occur with skilled Sims, and with Nannys (over whom you are supposed to have no control). The game is designed for the possibility of accidental deaths. Period. No matter what you do.

I was ready to post this when it told me there were three other posts. So I'll answer those, too:

Venusy:

I'm glad to hear the pregnancy thing was a bug. Last I heard it was just part of the disease randomness. I hope they fixed it.

My Sim got out of bed after whoohoo and died. That's all I know. Maybe he was low on motives. I coudn't swear he wasn't. I honestly don't remember. It was a few expansions ago.

I already talked about the pool. He fell asleep. No time to get out. And I talked about the stove fire. I already talked about the plague, too. Might have been the presence of roaches. Dunno.

I have the fixes I need to enjoy my game, but I wish MaxisEA had given me the option originally. I am really grateful for the fixes. :)

My Sim didn't die from the plunge. I didn't say he did, and didn't mean to leave that impression. Sorry that wasn't clear. But the plunge happened on his first elevator ride, so I took out the elevators because I realized death by elevator was possible. I had been looking forward to elevators, so this did not make me happy.

I know the game can be modified. That wasn't ever the issue. I wanted MaxisEA to give us the option, and not dictate accidental death, that's all.

Witch and Orikes:

I don't care for flaming, or forum fighting. Please stay on topic and don't get personal. Thank you.

...................

You know, I really never expected this kind of grilling. I didn't like Maxis EA code, and said so. I shared my game experience. I found out my experience has not matched some other people's experience. But I sure didn't expect people to raise their eyebrows in disbelief. And I do think this is the first time I have ever seen anyone actually defending MaxisEA code. LOL
 

Personally I'm getting so tired of all my Sims dying in Platinum of old age that I'm thinking of using this:

http://isleofthyme.squarespace.com/sims2ros/

to keep the game interesting.

And it's not like Maxis doesn't give you a couple of ways to ressurect dead Sims, or that you can't just exit without saving.

Tough. You started by bleating about your poor hard life and how that means the game affects you personally. You laid that stuff out on the table.

Don't try to tell me what I may or may not talk about on the net.

In my response to you I acknowledged your personal issues and how it makes the game difficult for you. As myself and others have suggested, if it upsets you so much, don't play the bloody thing.

PS The topic is The Scarecrow, not how the sims' deaths upset amjoie.

And if amjore's complaining bothers you so much, then don't read it. Whether you believe her or not doesn't matter to me. You can talk about what she said without attacking her for it.

Amjoie... this is Maty.  Flaming, and arguments in general are widely encouraged.  Don't tell others how to post when you hijacked a thread in the first place.

Also with all your random deaths, are you absoutly sure its not a hack thing?  Ive been playing the sims2 since it came out and i have never experienced, nor read about anyone else having as much "Accidental" death as you do.

Maybe your just crap at playing.

Then you're both in the wrong place -- being mean, flaming and fighting are part of the charter here. :)

And speaking of 'staying on topic' -- the topic in this thread was about what the scarecrow in seasons does, not the many ways sims can or can't die.  So take your own advice....

I know that. But internet fights about internet fighting are the best! That way, everyone else just throws up their arms in exasperation and does something equally pointless, like panic and loot.

(EDIT: God, my Engrish is horrible today.)

Well, there is a difference between "good-natured" mean picking on someone, ala Pescado, and actual flame bait. Flaming is always in bad taste, because it isn't fun for anyone. I have no problem with someone being "mean to me." I expect a certain amount of razzing, etc. That's the tone of the forum. But the flaming goes beyond that to actual attacks, designed only to cause a senseless fight, usually because they think they have found a weakness they can exploit for fun and excitement. Meh.

If you read the whole thread.. there was no one actually flaming you until you started accusing people and making a song and dance about it.  Poor Orikes was just offering his opinion before he got hit with "Bad netiqutte and you're flaming"

edited to spell "you're" right  :D

I did.


Quote me an actual 'attack'? I agreed you're sad and sick, as stated by yourself. I expressed sympathy. I offered a resolution. Where's the flaming? I missed that part, though I could start if you like...

Seriously, though, what is up with the assholey behavior in this thread? Of course everyone's entitled to be as flamey as they like; I'm just genuinely baffled at the snittiness. Seems to me like amjoie is handling it fairly well.

Just an observation, my babies.
/me puts on her shield of +10 to Flame Indifference

Well the reason i was going to respond to this thread in the first place is...

What animated snowman?  The snowman in Seasons is animated?  Ive never seen it! Nor the scarecrow but ive never used one of those yet, however i had my sims out building snowmen every day of winter. 

Ps Nailati, i really like your new avatar a helleva lot better than your old one  :D

IMHO, the first flaming in this topic was this comment:

 "For those of you who want more accidental death in your game ... (insert real life experiences of mortality and illness here) ... then tell me how much fun it is to watch death in a game that is supposed to be played for fun and relaxation."

The implication being that there is something wrong with those of us who have had many similar experiences, yet still find accidental deaths in the game to be fun.  The other implication being that if we find death in the game fun then we are inexperienced and don't know that "death isn't fun" in real life.  These remarks were offensive and insulting to those of us who are long past 20-something and who have experienced normal life events.

The flaming wasn't personal, it was directed at all of us who want more accidental death rather than flaming a single individual.  I acknowledge that it is highly likely that Amjoie didn't realise how insulting her remarks sounded, and probably didn't intend to be offensive.  But if she hadn't made those remarks, then I doubt this thread would have degenerated to where it is now.

How about this though?


I don't see any evidence of her depending on Sims for her happiness. I think she already explained her train of thought, and I think she's handling it fine. Sure, I am willing to admit, some of the deaths she ranted about could've been avoided with watching over her Sims more. With the whole RL rant, she is just explaining why she didn't like seeing death, not that Sim deaths cause her a mental breakdown.

EDIT: Yes, she didn't word that sentence about RL issues all that well, but didn't she explain that she didn't mean any offense by it?

Diala, Witch was referencing a flame thrown by Amjoie.  It was Amjoie who accused others of validating their existence through the game.

OK Kyna, you beat me to it, but you said it better, so that's good.

Yes, that's entirely right, I was offended at the implication that I was a young idiot who knew no better than to enjoy sims' deaths because I hadn't much real life experience.

ETA: amjoie:
ETA2:

Yeah, she tried to slide out of that gaffe by attributing the goals to Maxis but was not successful for those who read her original words.

Yeah, old Tereza was getting a bit hard on the eyes. Now you can imagine all my posts being spoken in the Dr. Girlfriend voice. It's fun.

On-topic: Dammit, I want disturbing animated snowmen and scarecrows. Aspyr needs to hurry up with that shit.

After re-reading the post in question, I can see how people can be offended, but like I said in the last post that I edited, didn't she say she meant NO offense from it? The whole issue cleared up for me then.

Lucky for you, not sufficient for others.

Im not entirely sure how you could make a comment like that *without* meaning offence.  Its a extremely offensive comment!  Just because you add "No Offence" after a statement doesn't make it better.

For example, Diala you're fat and ugly.  No offence.

See i bet you'd still get offended.   :P

No, I just laughed.

So, basically all you want is an apology for that comment? Because I don't see what else she can do for you. I just interpreted it as a poorly written statement, not something she meant genuine hatred in writing.

No. My point is, just because your adding no offense at the end of a statement doesn't mean you don't mean offense. 

Hey guys, look! Floorbunnies!

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v28/Nailati/crap/untitled3.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v28/Nailati/crap/untitled2.jpg)

No, my point is that you can't come into a forum, start throwing flames around, then make remarks like "I don't care for flaming, or forum fighting. Please stay on topic and don't get personal. Thank you." when people respond.

Well, you can ... if you want a flame war.

Well, I had no intention to offend, nor was it designed to be a flame. I did explain that ....

I have rather enjoyed everyone talking about me like I'm not here, though.

Besides, what is all this bellyaching about offense. I thought you all agreed this forum was for flaming and fighting. Such thin skin for a forum where flaming is supposed to be the norm. LOL

And that last statement was the kind of ironic "good-spirited" mean teasing the forum is noted for ....  :P

But I doubt she meant offense, as this post (http://www.moreawesomethanyou.com/smf/index.php?topic=7851.msg217307#msg217307) lead me to believe.

There seems to be no point in arguing over this, though.

I've rather enjoyed refreshing the page and noticing that you're watching the topic, and speculating as to why you might not be posting.  But my speculations regarding your behaviour will remain private.

Tigerlilley and Naillati: The creepy animated snowman may be from the Holiday SP, which was bundled in with the base game when I bought it this January. You have to assemble the four segments in buy mode: base, middle, head, hat. In game, clicking on it gives the option for animation. It's definitely pre-Seasons, however.

I tipped that comment from amjoie for a response too. My speculations tend to scream, 'attention whore', which I'll choose to share publicly.  :P

She. :)

And I wasn't intending to flame at all. I was simply calling on something that seemed like BS. As amjoie has gone on to defend herself from the 'flames', it's become clear that most of the accidental deaths were the result of a. early game glitches, b. poor house design, c. poor playing. And honestly, that's what my initial comment on the topic stated.

Here you go again. 'Bellyaching'. You've got to stop this projecting of your emotions onto others. You made offensive comments, I didn't like it, neither did others. Noting something, then responding to it is not bellyaching. If I'd whined about it without addressing it, it would be bellyaching.

That was a tease, Witch. I said it was a tease. Lighten up.  :)

Sounds like the times I've accidently clicked "Adopt" intead of "Maid".   :D

Oh, it's all sweetness and light now? Grow up.

amjoie, I think you should just apologize for that statement. While I didn't think it was meant to offend, others did, and it is best to clear up the air while you have a chance.

Do you think it would help? Sure, I'll try anything if it might help.

My earlier statement was unintentionally offensive, and I'm sorry. Please forgive. I mean that. I had no intention of offending anyone.

AHAHAHA exactly.


Oops sorry. Im a shocker for constantly getting the sex of people wrong on the net.

Hey thanks Lorelei. I actually can do that animated snowman thing. But only recently so I had no idea that it was included in the pack. Mostly cause I got it from well.. uhm Arr! And got it for a reason I now don't remember. But now I can see for myself if the snowman is creepy or not! Ha. Simple pleasures.

It's also available on the official website: http://thesims2.ea.com/exchange/object_detail.php?asset_id=67&view=maxis&search=1&asset_type=object&hideFramework=&languageCode=&hideFramework=&languageCode= (http://thesims2.ea.com/exchange/object_detail.php?asset_id=67&view=maxis&search=1&asset_type=object&hideFramework=&languageCode=&hideFramework=&languageCode=)

you beat me to it! I was going to say, I downloaded it at the sheep pen.

Actually, its been up on the official site forever it seems.  If I'm not mistaken, I've had an animated snowman in my game since Uni.

I've had that snowman, I had no idea it animated after being built though, I'll have to try that. Winter is coming in my hood. I just love Seasons, it really makes the game feel more complete and real.

Oh. All right then.

I personally don't mind most accidental deaths, but it's obnoxious that they can be killed so many different ways by fire and electrocution. I mean, things that shouldn't normally kill someone in their right mind (ever heard of unplugging the computer? I've had the reaper come for a repairman too, so yeah, wtf?). And I would like the opportunity to place things like a bookshelf and an armchair by the fire.

Well that was fun. Entertained me all morning. 20-something hm? I feel like I just got carded at a bar. Quite the compliment, my gray-hair usually keeps that from happening much anymore.

Chill! that's why they give you the resurrection phone, its just added difficulty to the game, thats all

About the 20-something comment: I've read lots of reviews of The Sims, and if EA/Maxis is going by reviewers, they could very well think that what people like most about the game is Sims dying for stupid, random, unrealistic reasons on a regular basis. My problem with the deaths isn't that they happen often in my game (they don't). It's that they're highly stupid. Causing a flaming inferno while cooking an omelet doesn't happen, and if someone does set something on fire accidentally, they don't stand there screaming about it waiting to burn to death. I caused a kitchen fire when I was about 10 and knew to get the baking soda, for crying out loud. I am also not terribly fond of the game designers' sense of "humor" in a lot of areas, because calling it sophomoric is an insult to sophomores.

This game is also a relaxation and "escape" for me. Especially in the building of houses that I can't currently afford, and the manipulation of my little people so that they enjoy their little lives. I am a (usually) benevolent goddess to my pixel people. Some of us are Utopian players, some of us aren't, and there's nothing wrong with either style.

Anyhow, I have nothing against giving my Sims a good scare now and then, and am going to buy them a scarecrow now. It's too bad it doesn't do something more interesting. Maybe it could be possessed around Harvest time or something.

It's a damn shame.  I keep having visions of a vengeful Great Pumpkin stalking around the lot causing 'Death by Pumpkin Implosion' or something equally silly.  Now that'd be animation... er, NPCification, actually.  Right, whatever.

ETA: Ew, just had a transmogrification thought, where the GP makes a sim's head into an actual pumpkin, then practices a form of cannibalistic murder by making pumpkin pie.

Hmm, well, without commenting on the various issues that have cropped up here, this thread has left me with one impression: it might be cool if one of the Mod Gods put together a variable-deadliness mod that would let you choose just how likely premature death would be in your game overall.  I seem to recall Inge made an experimental "no deaths at all" hack once, but I have no idea how well it worked or what happened to it...

I agree with Neriana, that is how I play ( I have had two accidental death since the start of the Sims 2. One was the pregnecy thing in the very beginning and the other  was dying from fixing a microwave.  What was real strange with the microwave, I called the repairman after the death and he would not touch the microwave so from then on out I wouldn't have them fix anything, just called the repaimen.) but my 12 yr. old son (when he plays) burn them up, locks them in rooms and lets them go swimming without a ladder. He also make the most god ugly sims just for laughs. To each their own. It's just a game.  That's what I like about this game, it's an open end game you play as you like.  This game can be played by any age group it just how you play the game that suites you.  There are many things that can drive you nuts in the game but all in all the game does have a huge number of things going on at the same time,  input from yourself on top of the games input, it really is amazing when you think about it, and with all the great modders out there it's even better.

You can sit on this bunny's face.
(http://www.taosfineart.com/bunny%20chair%20%20360.jpg)

I hate to interrupt this derailment but where is this FREAKIN scarecrow?

Decorative -> Sculptures, 850 Simoleons

yep. i've had it forever. didn't know it was animated, though.  it always seemed kind of silly to me to build a snowman when the weather was perfect all the time.  :D

heh.. I looked there..guess I missed it. :P

Yeah I play to relax and escape too. Get up, get ready, run to work, run home, eat/do chores, take care of kids, make sure homework is done, learn stuff to do better at work, and maybe watch some tv or something for fun, sleep, rinse, repeat is what I do every day. It's boring to me to have my sims' lives like that also. In order to relax and escape I want to get away from the tedium of everyday life and have stuff happen.

Ok the deaths aren't terribly realistic, but neither is turning from a 2-year-old to a 10-year-old in 1 spin or being forever happy because I sent some kids to college, not to mention alien abductions or vampires or whatall. It's a game - I can accept the game rules/world just as well as I can suspend disbelief for a book or movie as long as it's internally consistent.

I don't think enjoying those aspects that take it out of the humdrum of daily existance is either childish or sophomoric. I have no objection to mod (or even EA provided - tho I wouldn't hold my breath) options so everyone can have it however they want - quite appreciate those - but do a bit resent the comments that seem to be implying Maxis is/was catering to teens with those portions as surely adults wouldn't want them.

please make it stop

(http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d192/kewian/tell-me-when-its-over.jpg)

I agree Sagana.  Being 21 myself, and having my own share of real life death and illness you come to realise one thing.... No matter how realistic the sims can look ITS JUST A DAMN GAME.  That and if you resurrect them they have no memory of dying so you can just go on pretending that the accidental death didnt happen.

I still stand by my comment that in order to have THAT MUCH accidental death as amjoie claimed, one must be rubbish at playing.  Use the pause button!  

In order to return this thread to the scarecrow, and so everyone can have their say, I just put up a poll about accidental death in the Sims 2. Have fun voting. :D

Ah.  I have that, but I don't think I've ever used it, so I didn't know it was animated.  I'll definitely have to check that out next time I play.

I had it and never used it too! Again with the perfect weather, a snowman looks silly on grass.

Do the inflatable cat and cauldron do anything special or is it just the snowman? I'm not a fan of yard decor so I've never even purchased one to see what they do, if anything.

They kind of wiggle some. I think that's if a sim touches or looks at it or something. The Halloween objects depress me, you can't throw a proper costume party or have kids trick or treat. Just some boring decorations. There should at least be a smashable pumpkin.

There's an inflatable lit-up pumpkin head that kind of sways around a bit - I just put that in front of a fresh grocery shop for the first time. Otherwise I don't know about the other ornaments.

Yes all tree yard decos are animated when your Sim views them.

Was suggested I view this thread...

Gee...when I joined up a couple days ago, I had no idea I needed to bring my eBay stores discussion board requisite asbestos undies along with me to this site...

Truthfully, I kinda forgot about the scarecrow.  Now one of my poor sims is gonna have to be sacrificed...

And, in my real life, I've had plenty of death and sadness.  That still doesn't prevent me from directing sims with 2 mechanical points to fix the tv.  Sometimes certain sims should not continue living...especially ones that continually attempt to burn down the house while cooking in spite of having more than enough cooking skill points...in my experience, some sims are just firebugs.

The scarecrow is nonlethal and cannot kill or harm your sim.

well, don't you think its time you fixed that maxis bug?

 ;D

...who says I haven't?

I can't see anything named 'scarecrow' in the ffs directory, nor in the director's seasons cut...

I think Pes has already discussed the fact that his personal game has some mods and shinies that are his, all his, and which are not likely to be shared, either because they are being tested, or because they are niche interest mods (the niche containing a population of one), or because he's special.

Case in point: how many of you / us own a Perpetual Drink'n'Wet BrynneSim (no drinking required!)?

For all we know, his version of the scarecrow roams around the lots and shoots fatal laser beams out of its eyes at random. :)

Other possible Pes mods: a Cycle Of Death series, similar to the SimSlice Cycle Of Life, wherein cute, fuzzy lambies, cowsies, chickies, bunnies and squirrelies are both edible and endlessly replenishable; work vehicles replaced with Black Helicopters and other military vehicles, the Hate Mail mod, the L33T Haxx0R computer system, the No Means No electric gate, the Stop Annoying Me With Mindless Fun-Boosting Behaviors That Don't Boost Your Skills mod, new deaths such as Death By Exploding Whale, Death By Vegetable Ingestion, Death By Killer Clown, default replacement ANGRY! eyebrows, extra-tall fences with barbed wires on top, land mines, and entire vast tacts of land converted to bunker lots and cave houses.

Actually, that all sounds kind of cool.

Death by Killer Clown ROFL I want that one!!!!!

I had my first accidental death by satellite the other night.  One sim went outside to use the telescope, but the other one was topping off a logic point and using it already.  So I had the first sim pop a squat on the grass and "stargaze" for a couple of minutes while he waited.  Then I started watching a sim in the house and heard the thing hit.  Grimmie was out there using his phone already by the time I realized what was going on, so it was too late to save him.  It was pretty neat and totally unplanned.  I resurrected him later because I wasn't done with him yet.

Is that you Jeanie?  Sounds like a seance...

Is that you Jeanie?  Sounds like a seance...
[/quote]

It is indeed.  A lurker steps into the light.   :)

You know, I was kind of disappointed in Maxis this time around.

I was totally  waiting for the ladybugs to swarm and eat my sim alive. Or the fireflies, if you catch too many. Come on, Maxis, what's the matter with you?



All kidding aside, I did kind of expect something nasty from the ladybugs.

Put a 1/2 dozen of their houses on your lot, and it will slow to a crawl -- that's pretty nasty. :)

I'm curious about the animated snowman as well.  I've never seen it -- though I've seen the "evil" snowman made by some of my grumpier Sims.  I'll have to try viewing the scarecrow more -- I'd like to see the animation.

I've been playing Sims ever since Livin' Large came out (back when), and between TS1 and TS2 I've only had one accidental death.  I left my first TS1 family alone for a few minutes while I took a potty break, and came back to find the husband burned to death from a kitchen fire -- I was too new to the game to realize the need for smoke detectors and the desirability of cooking skills.  I exited without saving, and have never left the little folks alone again.

Actually, I did have a Secret Society member eaten by a cow plant recently -- I was trying to get my Sim over there to feed it, but wasn't fast enough.  I resurrected the poor thing and put her in a dorm.

I have tried desperately to get various Knowledge sims electrocuted so I could fulfill their want of being brought back from the dead, but have never been successful even after multiple successive electrocutions.  I once tried to let Loki Beaker die through illness in order to advance a story line, but he kept getting better.  I changed the story line.  All my Sims die of old age -- it's just the way of things.

Actually, when talk of TS2 first started, I wasn't sure I would buy it.  I was in my mid/late 40s -- I'll be 51 this year, for those who care -- and I had seen enough of my elderly relatives die, and I was suffering impending empty nest as my children grew up.  I liked the fact that my Sims were immortal and the little Sim children remained forever children.  However, addict that I am, I bought the game and have never regretted it.  I've come to enjoy seeing my Sim children grow up and establish lives of their own -- much as my own children are doing now -- and if I want to keep an elder around, the elixir of life is available.  Inevitably, though, I allow them to go out with hula girls and a Mai Tai in hand -- perhaps thinking of it like that is helping me come to terms with my own inevitable demise  ;D

So ... how about the scarecrow, eh?  :D

That's such a fabulously funny piece of bathos. If I hadn't seen it I wouldn't now be digging soggy cake crumbs out of my keyboard. ::)

Oh what a letdown.

Put the scarecrow on a lot.  Had the wifey sim look at it a lot.  It scared her.  She laughed and went back to talking to the trees.

It may be like a ghost scare -- it's full effect depends on the personality and motive level of the scared sim.

yeah, i want the pescado version with laserbeams as well :)

It isn't. The scarecrow scare is harmless.

uh, maybe to sims it's harmless... but I jumped off my chair about 6"...so it scares some people (and no I never watch horror movies of any kind, so it's probably THAT kind of people)...

I got Loki Beaker to die of disease by locking him in his bedroom with the mini-fridge, a wall speaker constantly playing salsa music and no bed or bathroom access.  Sleep deprivation seems to help it along, but it still took forever.  It must have been five or six Sim days.   /Loki-killing tips

That's funny  ;D  I did something similar.  I forced him to go to work, since that was always said to be a no-no with illness.  And I wouldn't let him sleep or eat - poor guy kept passing out.  Then he'd go to work and he'd get to eat there.  Eventually he was in such a state that the Social Bunny showed up, and Loki beat the crap out of him -- which made him feel better.  I kept at it for 10 Sim days and kept reinfecting him with the virus from the biotech station, but he would not die of disease or starvation and actually got well several times, so I finally gave up.  (it was really rather distasteful to me -- it's not the way I like to play the game, but I had this album concept, plus I wanted to see how this affected his child ....... Well, I was never any good with albums, either.)

10 days!  I couldn't look at him that long.  It is distasteful, that's true, so now if I want someone to die of disease for a storyline I just use the Insimenator to dispatch them quickly.  This was in my more experimental days, and I was surprised at how long it took.  He entertained himself by making crank calls, though.  He died just as someone was stomping into the house to shove him.   :D

the only sims ive killed on purpose were the makeshift parents of these beautiful toddlers (that would grow up into stunning adults) that i wanted for my adoption pool.  I had great fun with good ole testingcheats rodneys death creator, death by flies, satelite, disease, etc.. the deaths ive never seen before in the game.

After the first Maxis template adoption I now create my own kids to be adopted. Never making that mistake again.

Don't kill toddler parents just for adoption pools. It will clog your neighborhood with crap files. Just make them all as adults, and de-age with the aging cheats.

the scarecrow... I read in this thread that it can 'come alive' and scare your sims so I think it's kinda interesting and decided to try it.

well, I ask my little bro to join me watching what the scarecrow would do, then I make one of my plantsim view it and suddenly the creepy music plays followed by the scarecrow coming alive :D we both jumped off our seat lol... my bro immediately begging me (he's only 11 ;)) to stop the queueing actions of view the scarecrow (I queue about 5-6 actions, all are 'view the scarecrow')

that's the second thing in Seasons that made me jump :P the first one is, yeah you guessed it, the thunder :D