Sims - Neighborhood Walk-By/Visiting Community Lots

[SimsDiva]

I hope I'm posting this in the right forum... I'm still learning the lay of the land around here.

I'm playing my latest re-install of the base game (I have none of the EP's at this time).  I'm concentrating mainly the Broke house, as usual.  With previous installations, I didn't have a problem getting Brandi to meet a potential hubby thanks to a walk by, but this time around it's pretty slim pickin's.  Most are either teens or women.  So I thought I'd send her to one of the community lots in search of a potential mate instead.  No luck.  If anyone besides her is there, it's the same sitch. 

Is there anything I can do to increase the amount of townies on community lots, or the likelihood of a walk-by?  Just thought I'd ask before I gave up and made a CAS Sim for her to meet and marry.

[notveryawesome]

I just have her hire a gardener, who usually turns out to be the male gardener (I forget his name). I have her chat him up whilst he's on the lot, and then call him on the phone until their relationship is high enough that she can invite him over to woo him. If you don't get a male gardner on the first try, just keep calling the gardening service and cancelling out of the transaction until you get the male gardener.

Edited to correct typo. I've been doing this a lot lately.

[SimsDiva]

I didn't think of that.  I don't use a gardener that often.  Too busy decorating inside to think about the outside, usually.  Good idea, though.  I'll give it a shot. 

[SaraMK]

To increase the number of sims on a community lot you can add this code to your userStartup file: intProp maxNumOfVisitingSims # (where # is whatever number you think your computer can handle... probably no more than 10-20).

There is also a more frequent walk-bys hack on modthesims2.com, but I don't recall if it is compatible with the base game or if it requires some EPs. You could check that out, since it dramatically increases the number of walk-by sims.

[Emma]

You can also use Jeff's visitor controller to control the type of sims you get visiting a community lot. I use this mainly for my single's bar, children's playground and teen hangout community lots I have in my game

[witch]

Why not use TwoJeffs' find a mate crystal ball if you want to get Brandi a husband?

[miros]

Yes, I like to stick one on a Community Lot for instant dates...  Don't know how it would work without NL tho.

[Marhis]

There is also a more frequent walk-bys hack on modthesims2.com, but I don't recall if it is compatible with the base game or if it requires some EPs. You could check that out, since it dramatically increases the number of walk-by sims.

Yes it is (I swear: it's mine  ): here: http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=213064 and also here in Peasantry: http://www.moreawesomethanyou.com/smf/index.php/topic,6947.0.html.

This + twojeffs' Visitor Controller, and you'll have a parade of single male sims just in front of her house. A bit scary mental image, maybe, but it works.

[notveryawesome]

There's also a 'call everyone' hack that allows sims to call anyone in the neighbourhood. I use the version that's for NL and up, but I think there's also one for the base game alone.

[cwykes]

There's a very nice female gardner who always seems to turn up at my houses. 

[notveryawesome]

I normally get a female gardener at all of my lots, except for the Broke household. I've often wondered if there's some sinister plot behind that, like maybe Brandi is meant to hook up with the gardener. I always play her as a black widow, so the gardener is always the first to go. Poor guy.

[gali]

Create a male sim that fits Brandi by aspiration and interests - Brandi is an Aries, and mates Gemini or Taurus; preferably Taurus, who is attracted most to Aries.
Give the male the same interests as Brandi's: money/health/fashion/sports/travel/weather.
Aspiration - Brandi is Family sim, mates good to Knowledge, or Family males.
Put the male in a starter house, choose a job for him.

With cheat: use Inge's teleporter painting/bush, and summon him to Brandi's house. Try to befriend them thus, she will be able to invite him again. Success guaranteed.

Without cheat: the most successful strategy is, to choose for Brandi the same job as the male's job. If he doesn't passes-by, some day she will bring him home from work. It always works.
Another strategy: send Brandi each day to the community lot, they will probably meet soon.

Brandi is very pretty sim. Don't mate her to a townie, most of them are ugly.   

[SimsDiva]

Wow!  So much helpful advice.  I really appreciate it!   

I'll make a note of everything suggested here, and grab the mentioned hacks.  I've only just begun to get all the hacks here on MATY, so there's a lot I don't have yet, and what I do have, I've yet to install.  (I keep hearing they are all must-haves!)  Same with MTS2 hacks... don't have many & have none installed yet.

Where is the 'call everyone' hack... is it here on MATY, or somewhere else?

Gali... thanks for the pointers about the best type of mate for Brandi.  I will definitely keep it in mind.  And I agree... Brandi is a very pretty sim, and shouldn't have an ugly hubby! 

[SimsDiva]

You can also use Jeff's visitor controller to control the type of sims you get visiting a community lot. I use this mainly for my single's bar, children's playground and teen hangout community lots I have in my game

Crap.  It requires NL.  Is there a version of this for just the base game?  (I'm looking, but thought I'd ask anyway.)

[SimsDiva]

There is also a more frequent walk-bys hack on modthesims2.com, but I don't recall if it is compatible with the base game or if it requires some EPs. You could check that out, since it dramatically increases the number of walk-by sims.

Yes it is (I swear: it's mine  ): here: http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=213064 and also here in Peasantry: http://www.moreawesomethanyou.com/smf/index.php/topic,6947.0.html.

This + twojeffs' Visitor Controller, and you'll have a parade of single male sims just in front of her house. A bit scary mental image, maybe, but it works.

Got it!     I may have to wait a bit on using twojeff's Visitor Controller, but this one will help bunches!  Thanks for pointing me to it, Marhis!

[J. M. Pescado]

Create a male sim that fits Brandi by aspiration and interests - Brandi is an Aries, and mates Gemini or Taurus; preferably Taurus, who is attracted most to Aries.
Give the male the same interests as Brandi's: money/health/fashion/sports/travel/weather.
Aspiration - Brandi is Family sim, mates good to Knowledge, or Family males.
Put the male in a starter house, choose a job for him.

Gali, Gali, Gali. When are you ever going to realize that behaviors like this defeat the point? If I could just go and MAKE a perfect mate like that, I'd be married, too. UNFORTUNATELY, IT DOES NOT WORK THIS WAY.

[jsalemi]

Brandi is very pretty sim. Don't mate her to a townie, most of them are ugly.   

Brandi always has 3 bolts with John Burb, and in my main game ended up married to him with 3 kids.  They made great-looking kids together.

[gali]

JMP, creating the perfect match in the game is a legitimate move - otherwise,  why the official guide gives you all the "lies and propaganda" about aspirations and astrology signs?

Brandy is one of my favorite sims (because of Bob and Betty from TS1), and I hate to see her married to some Goopy, Benjamin Long, or Abhijeet.
 
Taurus doesn't have always the same interests as Aries, and I give the male to read magazines, to add the mutual interests with Brandy.
So, I don't cheat here at all.

Jsalemi, I know that -  but John Burb is married already, and my sims *never*  get divorced or cheat on their mates. So, John Burb is out of question.
Besides, John Burb is not a townie, and if I play the basic game - all the townies are ugly. Only in Nightlife EP they added some very pretty townies male sims, and I even matched some of them with my custom-made female sims.

[jsalemi]

Jsalemi, I know that -  but John Burb is married already, and my sims *never*  get divorced or cheat on their mates. So, John Burb is out of question.

Ah. Well, that would limit her options, yes.

[SimsDiva]

Brandi always has 3 bolts with John Burb, and in my main game ended up married to him with 3 kids.  They made great-looking kids together.

What are these bolts I keep hearing about?  Is this an EP specific addition to the game?

[Venusy]

What are these bolts I keep hearing about?  Is this an EP specific addition to the game?

The attraction system was added in NL, so yeah, it is an EP specific addition.

[SimsDiva]

Thanks Venusy.  I don't know which EP I'll get first now.  I had planned on Uni just because it was released first, but I'm hearing a lot of things about NL I'd really like to put to use, too.  Hmm... decisions, decisions...

[jrd]

I'd get NL if your choice is between those two. Uni adds very little to the normal game: it is almost a separate game inside TS2.

[SimsDiva]

Really?  I didn't know that.  NL just got the edge over Uni, then.  I'm most interested in something that adds to the game as a whole.

[dizzy]

The best EP/SP IMHO is Glamour Life. Pound-for-pound, it has all the best improvements of the game and the most stable engine for about $20. You can't beat that with NL or Pets.