Thinking about laundry

[AllenABQ]

I've been pretty scarce lately due to real life (omg... there is such a thing?) LOL

In the middle of buying my first house.  I close on May 20.  I just spent time yesterday at Home Depot purchasing my first washer/dryer combo and refrigerator. I feel like a sim on move-in day watching my bank account go down as the place begins to slowly fill up with stuff.

And all this brought to mind why they skipped doing laundry in the game.  You wouldn't have to have the sims changing clothes to do it and thus complicating the graphics.

Here's how it would work:

You have buyable objects: washer, dryer, heck throw in a cheap clothesline (end-to-end or circular) that can take up yard space.

Attach the hygeniene score of every household member to whether or not "Do Laundry" is performed.  The score decays a bit the longer you go between loads.  At a certain point if no laundry action has been performed, the max possible hygeniene you can acheive starts going down. So basically it means you've got to perform the action at some point every once in awhile or else the whole household takes an ever-increasing permanent hygiene hit until its done.

"Do Laundry" would consist of animations of running the washer and probably a separate one for transfering to the dryer or hanging clothes out on the clothesline then maybe a final action for "Put away Laundry" after which hygenie would be adjusted.

For sims who do not have these objects in their home, "Do Laundry" has them leave the lot for a short time with a laundry bag and then return home with an appropriate charge deducted for a trip to the laundromat.

Anyway its a thought.

[yetyak]

I like this idea, Allen!  How about a bad memory of turning the white load pink with the red sock?  And congrats on your first house!!!

[Simlover]

Brilliant

[TaWanda]

 I've always wanted laundry as an alternative to just scrubbing toilets and cleaning the kitchen as a way to gain cleaning skill. I also have thought it would be great if Sims with low skills could cause the washer to overflow with suds. They already have the animation with the fountains. Tying it in to hygeine would be interesting, would washing your clothes increase your hygeine?
 Enjoy your new homeand all the challenges and rewards that go with it.

[J. M. Pescado]

This would be funnier if it came with a dryer minigame where you take on the role of either a pair of pants, or a sock, and either try to eat the socks or avoid being eaten by the pants, in that early preview Spore game-style. If the pants successfully consume the sock, the owner will find the digested remains of the unfortunate sock in his pockets later as a ball of lint.

[MissDoh]

Personally, I already find it annyoing that they have to do the dishes, take out the trash, etc so no way I want them to do the laundry.

For people that like this idea though I must admit the way you propose it is interesting.

[Skadi]

and if the hygiene score in the home drops really low, enough for someone to get a stinky cloud, then the maid would refuse to "do laundry" and would take a drop in Daily relationship witht he smelly person.
This could be fun, just as long as it isn't an expansion pack in itself: The Sims 2: Laundromat Fun and Suds!
-Skadi
www.completesim.net

[Ness]

I love the idea!

I also love the pant-attacking-socks minigame!

* ness WANTS this!!!!

[Ancient Sim]

I have always wanted this and never knew why it wasn't included.  Maxis themselves even seemed surprised that so many wanted it.  It would be great if they could wash their clothes and change into different ones and I still hope they bring something like this in eventually.

[skandelouslala]

Personally, I already find it annyoing that they have to do the dishes, take out the trash, etc so no way I want them to do the laundry.

For people that like this idea though I must admit the way you propose it is interesting.

Same here

There's always ready not enough time in the day for them to do what they need to do.  Seriously, who takes 3 hours to eat breakfast lol

Anyways...I'm too lazy to have them even order groceries so laundry doesn't sound appealing to me.

[pamysue]

Anyways...I'm too lazy to have them even order groceries so laundry doesn't sound appealing to me.

I would have to home the Monique's computer would add an Express-Do Laundry to the delivery service or my Sims would all stink.

[wishy-washy]

The machines could break down once in a while too, my washing machine always shakes and starts moving across the floor when too much clothing gets put inside. It makes a terrible racket, but it's pretty funny.

[Ellatrue]

For someone named "wishy-washy," you're not very competent with washy things. 

[BeckerCheez]

Hehe this reminds me that The University of Tennessee at Knoxville sent me a laundry bag as an acceptance gift.  Whee!    If there were laundry objects, I would be able to recreate my house...we have a spiffy laundry room.   

[greeneyedsims]

Hehe this reminds me that The University of Tennessee at Knoxville sent me a laundry bag as an acceptance gift.

 

They're still doing that?  LOL!  That's where I went to school!  I stayed in Massey Hall.  ahhh, the olden days.

I love the idea you present Allen!  I've actually wanted this in the game for awhile now.  I would also love to have a laundry-mat that my Sim could own...any Sim who couldn't afford their own washer dryers, or who didn't have space for them, could go and do their laundry there.

--green

[Minena]

I love your concept of this laundry thing. I think it would be fun to have a laundry room and/or a laundromat business. Hell have the servo do the laundry if you don't have the time

[kacidama]

Your rich sims could have a laundry service that could collect and deliver.  I love this idea and have always wanted to make a kind of utility room.  Heck the maid could do laundry - and can you imagine the lazy-slob teens hiding piles of dirty socks/undies under their beds?

[SimMoon]

Attach the hygeniene score of every household member to whether or not "Do Laundry" is performed.  The score decays a bit the longer you go between loads.  At a certain point if no laundry action has been performed, the max possible hygeniene you can acheive starts going down. So basically it means you've got to perform the action at some point every once in awhile or else the whole household takes an ever-increasing permanent hygiene hit until its done.

It would be funnier if the "flies" anime shows up when they get "X" dirty along with the toxic green cloud and eventually the family gets roaches inside the house if they don't do the laundry. I think modders all over the .net would be making hacks for that one. LOL!!

SimMoon

[AllenABQ]

Wow... didn't think so many people would like the idea.  Got to admit, it DOES have humorous possibilities built in.  And even if we didn't get JMP's full sock-eating game (I LOVE the idea by the way!), there COULD be all kinds of "problems" that might occur.  Like cheaper washers have a random chance of eating a clothing item and it would disappear from the household never to return.  (Maybe leaving some poor sim standing in undies if it was their everyday wear that got zapped.)

Clothes lines would lower environment scores.

Piles of stinky laundry appearing around the house as the days go by (tip of the hat kacidema).

Yeah this could have a lot of potential.

Any Maxoids listening??? 

[Ellatrue]

I am almost tempted to learn Flash just to make a sock eating game.

[Pegasys]

While I was putting away laundry today I thought about the laundry issue. I think the biggest issue is that there is already enough time spent in home maintenance and chores for our Sims, so adding laundry would take away - but if they did something like shorten other chores/tasks, for instance, cutting in half the time to take showers (I always fast forward through their showers, and heaven forbid they step in the tub!) then I'd welcome laundry and all the humorous aspects that would go along with it.

[lovemysims]

In addition piles of dirty laundry should appear around the house until the laundry is done. Like dirty dishes they would kill the environment score. The sims would then take thier piles like they do thier plates and wash them.

[ElfPuddle]

And think of all the Dons who wouldn't buy a washer/dryer...just so they could hang out at the laundramat and pick up dates!

[baratron]

You know, I've never actually fancied the idea of having laundry in the game before, because there are enough chores already. But I really love this implementation! It sounds amusing enough to offset the boredom of yet another chore. Especially if the maid or Servo could do it, and it gained your sims' Cleaning skill...

Any Maxoids listening??? 

You could always go to the Official BBS and suggest it on their official Suggest An Idea thingy... Just make sure you don't get your brain sucked out in the process. Maybe wear a tinfoil hat to protect you while you're posting, or have a loved one stand by with a crowbar or mallet to whack you over the head, just in case...

[ElfPuddle]

LOL!!
If you're going to sit at your computer wearing a tinfoil hat, please either
1) ensure that no photographic equipment is near...you wouldn't want anyone to see you like that.
or
2) send us the pictures so we may mock and poke you!