Mac's 'Hood

Mac wrote:

I rotate them, playing one season at a time

Hah! Figured out quotes! Go me! haha

On to my question -

Mac, I play one season at a time as well, but do you also play University?

If so, how do you marry up the time line in Uni with the one in your hood? I can't seem to quite get it right and end up having younger siblings in Uni sooner, or later, than they should be from their older siblings.. causing age discrepancies.

FiestyChihuahua wrote:

If so, how do you marry up the time line in Uni with the one in your hood?  I can't seem to quite get it right and end up having younger siblings in Uni sooner, or later, than they should be from their older siblings.. causing age discrepancies.  

I pretty much ignore seasons when a YA is in univ. Remember, I only play the second semester of their senior year, they get the benefits of a univ education without going through all the boring nonsense. (Overall, I find the whole university expansion annoying. Most of the people I knew and hung out with went to university to learn something. The univ module in the sims is far too much partying and rah-rah.)

But on to details:
Let's say that I'm playing Jean and John Doe in the spring, and daughter Katie, a teenager, goes off to college. Her line is separated from her parents', they play out the rest (if any) of spring. Katie's gone. At the end of spring, Jean and John are set to summer

Summer. I play Jean and John as usual for one season - they are then set to autumn. I then play Katie's final semester and return her to a house in the main hood when she graduates and set her season to autumn.

Autumn: Jean and John play their autumn, Katie plays hers as a separate family.

Hope this helps

That helps a lot although I wasn't sure what you meant by only playing out their senior year.

So one season in your hood is equal to the entire University experience? Just making sure I understood.

I think you have it Feisty-C. The entire college experience counts for a season for the YA sim. I actually play one semester, the last.

There is a "College adjuster" which you can find here that allows you to pick the semester. You have to pick your major first. You should be sure to check your YA's abilities versus what's required for the senior year second semester.

In Simwardrobe under Sims 2 - Objects - Other Objects you can find a green vase that allows you to set the season. I find it useful when returning uni students to the main 'hood as well as coordinating the season for brand new sims that I add. (Like Mai )

Oooh thanks Mac! You are a gem!

Ugh. Sorry about the double post earlier. When I posted, I got a maintenance page, went back and clicked to post. Apparently, the original post was there but I couldn't see it at the time.

FiChi, I play in a seasonal rotation like Mac does, but I play my hood a little differently. I play all four "years" of Uni, but sometimes use a mod that shortens the length of each semester. I'm sure it doesn't match up to a realistic passage of time, but I usually make each college year equal to a season in the regular hood. This mod allows you to shorten each semester from 72 hours to 48 hours, 36 hours, or 24 hours. I also started using this calendar, which allows me to change the season in a household in order to sync up my hood. I like the calendar because I use the version with holidays, and my kids get the summer off from school. They use the time to build skills. Most of my kids start Uni with most of their skills already maxed out.

Mac, I'm looking forward to seeing Mai in your hood.

OOh Cher.. thanks so much for the calendar link. That is a great idea! Keeping my gamed sync'd has been an issue.. especially as every new lot starts fresh at the end of summer. This should help a great deal.

I have a wee bit of time online before my grandbaby arrives for the day, so I thought I'd spend it chillin' in Mac's 'Hood.

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They have a little one on the way (child of contributed sims - yaaaay!   ).

Handsome Connor and lovely Leanne are going to make beautiful babies, no doubt. Can't wait!
You are definitely going to help keep our SP Offspring Project active and interesting, Mac!  

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Alan wanted to name her "Hotlips" but mom objected strongly, so they settled on Loretta (pretty close) ...

The next morning over breakfast: "Wow!!!  I had no idea!" "Neither did I!"    ...

Dorothea Depardieu, the daughter of attractiveness-challenged Germain and Agatha ...

On popular demand - well, one person demanded - well, I was the one who demanded ...

P.S. Is it me, or is Agatha becoming prettier? ... Let's not push it Mac! I think you've been playing this family too long!

I enjoyed my visit to Mac's 'Hood as always, Captain. Thank you for sharing!

I had to find an eligible sim for Elle's self-sim and came up with Toni's Mark   After some careful arrangements by the Neighborhood Administrator, he proposed - and she accepted.


They had a quiet wedding, just the twosome


Followed by a playful wedding dinner. BTW, doesn't Elle look smashing!  


Meanwhile, the elderly (over 30  ) couple, Gibson and Rona - both by Toni     also had a quiet wedding.


They do tart up well, though, don't they? An elegant wedding dinner!


They wasted no time and Gibson can't wait to meet his new child


And he's a good daddy, taking over feeding his son, Nathaniel, to let mom sleep


Toni Broadswood-Smythe and Frederick Weasley have had a little girl, Rhiannon (of whom more later). Fred's being a good guy, helping Toni consume some left-over pregnancy food - in this case pickled herring and watermelon - yum!  


Here's the extended family. Alas, only one of the grandparents (Nathaniel Broadswood-Smythe by Em  :) was by a site creator, so they can't be in the offspring thread. Seated in front are Fred and Toni and their toddler daughter Rhiannon. Standing in the back are Fred's parents Ron and Nisa Weasley and Toni's parents, Nerissa and Nathaniel Broadswood-Smythe


Aunties: Simone is Toni's older sister and Ginny is Fred's younger sister. They're actually sisters-in-law. Simone's son Gethin (Rhiannon's cousin) couldn't make the photo shoot - he's just out of college and busy starting his athletic career


A better picture of Ginny. Boy, does red hair ever run in this family. You can tell who Rhiannon's dad is, although Gethin got his dad's blonde hair.

Mac wrote:

BTW, doesn't Elle look smashing

Yes she does! What a beautiful dress!

Mac wrote:

They do tart up well, though, don't they? An elegant wedding dinner!

Wow!! Especially in that 2nd picture of them, so elegant!

Mac wrote:

After some careful arrangements by the Neighborhood Administrator...

Hahaha! I like that. We're "Neighborhood Administrators"!

I agree with you and Sandy. ElleSim does look lovely in her elegant wedding gown.

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Meanwhile, the elderly (over 30   ) couple...

Oy vey! If 30 is elderly, then put me out to pasture, captain! I'm a ancient relic!

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They do tart up well, though, don't they?

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...helping Toni consume some left-over pregnancy food - in this case pickled herring and watermelon...

Eeeeew! Gross!  
That one definitely is off the Barf-o-meter scale, Mac!

Mac wrote:

BTW, doesn't Elle look smashing!

Yes, Elle is a beautiful bride.

Rona and Gibson are a sweet couple. I like the tender way she put her hand on his arm at dinner, and he is clearly a doting father.

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pickled herring and watermelon

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Boy, does red hair ever run in this family.

In my old hood, it seemed that red hair was a bit more dominant than it is in real life. I had one red-headed parent who had many red-headed descendants.

Nice couples, mac! I especially like Rona and Gibson. And I like the group family photo. It's neat to see all of the generations together!

I don't comment much, but Mac's Hood in my reward when I am very good.

Ari's Katia   was engaged to Guido Genni, a born-in-game sim. But I wanted to post her offspring in the offspring project, so I had to have her break her engagement to Guido   Then I had to find a suitable Sugah's site suitor for her. It boiled down to Sugah's Dominic or Ari's Dax. The Neighborhood Administrator decided in favor of Sugah's Dominic   Ooooo! Those cheekbones!     (BTW his surname, and now hers, too is Azucar - that's sugar in Spanish. Esmee's surname is Sucre and Sofia's is Zucchero. Sugah just might have to challenge me with a Miss Finland  ) Anyway, Dominic invited Katia over and one thing led to another. Is that a smug smile or is that a smug smile???


When you get a gal like Katia, you don't want to take any chances. Dominic proposed - and Katia accepted!   He looks even more smug now!  


They didn't wait long to get married. They had a quiet wedding and she served him salmon (mac's one exception to a vegetarian diet!   ) That glow around her isn't from being a new bride but from her being in the zone for the culinary hobby.


Alas, their "Try for baby" didn't work right away, so it'll be a few RL months before they and their offspring show up in the offspring project.  

It turns out that Katia is at the top of the fitness career. Since he's just starting in the athletic career he needs to work on his bod. Little did he know that he got not only a wife but a personal fitness trainer. That sure wiped the smug smile off his face!

Mac wrote:

It boiled down to Sugah's Dominic or Ari's Dax. The Neighborhood Administrator decided in favor of Sugah's Dominic ... Ooooo! Those cheekbones!

Mac, I am so thrilled and honored that the NA ( ) decided upon my Dominic for Ari's beautiful Katia!!!
I like it that you're mixing up genes from different creators' Sims, too.
That's what I've been trying to do for our experiment in SP genetics.

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Alas, their "Try for baby" didn't work right away, so it'll be a few RL months before they and their offspring show up in the offspring project.

A few RL months? Bummer!
It's interesting ... ALL of the couples participating in the SP Offspring project in my Tres Lagos 'hood got pregnant on the first try.
My latest couple to have a baby (Em's Will & my Anaïs ) conceived after three tries.
But, it was meant to be, as they needed more time to earn money for another room in their L'il Love Shack, baby stuff, etc.

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Little did he know that he got not only a wife but a personal fitness trainer. That sure wiped the smug smile off his face!

Dominic and Katia are a sweet couple. They both look pretty grouchy in that one picture

Mac wrote:

Is that a smug smile or is that a smug smile???

Yep, that's a smug smile.

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Little did he know that he got not only a wife but a personal fitness trainer. That sure wiped the smug smile off his face!

That's a hilarious picture.

Sugah wrote:

I like it that you're mixing up genes from different creators' Sims, too.

That's how I'm setting mine up, too.

Sugah wrote:

I like it that you're mixing up genes from different creators' Sims, too.

Cher wrote:

That's how I'm setting mine up, too.

Yaaaaay, Cher!!!
Looking forward to you joining our experiment in SP genetics!

Just a quick update on Ginny Weasley, who you saw earlier in this thread. She became a teenager and quite a pool player. She won't have to but she might have been able to fund her college tuition by pool sharking. In RL, when I was in college, the house pool table was in a basement room but with an upper hallway gallery above making an excellent observation place. I spent a little time there but there were regulars who practically lived there. Every year, one of them - often the most active the previous year - would be missing. We used to say he "was on a traveling pool fellowship". After a year, he'd be back in school.  


Ginny's off to college now, probably going to be a physics major. She's Knowledge/Aquarius with a hobby of games. ( to Sugah for the outfit - perfect for a college girl)


I've been playing Ron and Nisa for many RL years. Now that their last kid is off to college and they're both at the top of their careers, it's time to say goodbye. They'll still be around in my retirement 'hood and show up now and then. Goodbye Ron and Nisa...

Ginny Weasley, paying for college as a pool shark ... who'da thunk?
I love it!!!

Mac, I'm so pleased you like the little denim dress she's wearing (and the knit one I've seen on your Sims, too).
Your support means so much and I thank you.

Goodbye Ron and Nisa! Sad to see you go, but hope you enjoy your much-earned retirement.

Mac, have you ever shared images of your retirement community?
I'd like to see it.

Sugah wrote:

Mac, have you ever shared images of your retirement community?
I'd like to see it.  

Not  much to see, Sugah, I just pack 'em in, 8 to a house. They're in a sub-hood, cloned from a shopping district. Since it's a sub-hood they're considered to be still participating in the main 'hood (which is the one I play).  Only 2 kinds of houses: 7 Dove and Chrysanthemum 1. Each house has a computer and a phone, so they can be emailed and called, but no other furnishings. It's just a storage area; I don't play it. The good thing is that they keep their friendships in the main 'hood, wander by quite often, although not as neighborhood welcomers, and 'come home from work' with newbies in their careers. They can be emailed, telephoned, and invited over. I could have left them in my main 'hood but it would be pretty crowded by now.

That little denim dress is really perfect for young simfemmes at univ. OTOH, I just came back from the gym at St. Thomas Univ. here in St. Paul and observed the campus fem-fauna on my walk. Dresses???   Skirts??? You gotta be kidding!

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Each house has a computer and a phone, so they can be emailed and called...
It's just a storage area; I don't play it.

Okay, I understand your retirement community better now.
I like that idea and have actually considered it myself.
Sometimes I fall so in love with my elderly Sims, that I can't bear the idea of parting with them.
So a pleasant place for them to all reside together, even if I don't play their lot(s) would be the perfect solution.

I'm following up with a brief story, this will eventually be continued in Mac's Families in the Offspring Project.
Caleb's Brandon Callahan and Elle's Jacqui were living together and got engaged. Jacqui started as a teen, then went to univ. She and Brandon are high in the artist career.
Thank you to Caleb and Elle!  



One thing led to another and soon Jacqui was eating pregnancy foods. (Pregnancy foods were contributed by bienchen83 on MTS2 but, alas, that post is no longer available although there are other yummy foods to be downloaded. The pregnancy foods included: Farmhouse Bread with Jam and Gherkins (shown here), Farmhouse Bread with Hazelnut Spread and Gherkins, Schnitzel with Vanilla Ice Cream, and Pickled Herring with Watermelon. Yummy!!!  


They had a quiet wedding, which was probably a good thing since her gown was just a bit tight around the waist    


But they still had a very romantic wedding dinner, just the two of them, and Jacqui looked radient!  


Meet Connie (actually: Completely Cute Child Connie Callahan - Oops! Wrong thread!      )

Mac, that's hilarious about Ginny being a pool shark. Many, many years ago, when I went back to college after several years out, I could identify the freshman girls immediately. They were the ones wearing miniskirts in January when it was 20 below.

I may try your version of a retirement community myself. In my last game, I wanted descendants to be able to inherit, so I let the elders die. It was hard! I also had the Daisybank Retirement Home for some of the elders. The grandkids would build skills by coming over and cleaning house for their grandparents, and learning to paint or garden with them. It's a very enjoyable set of apartments for those who play apartments. A word of warning, though: Fix the sunflowers in front of the one apartment door or the landlord will spend all day stomping around because he can't get to them.

Brandon and Jacqui are an attractive (an understatement) couple. I'm sure that baby is gorgeous, but you teased us with the back of her head!