I downloaded the Greene family, and gave them each a bunch of fun outfits using the new clothes from my new packs And I started building their new home in Evergreen Harbor!
I wanted to go with A because @OJenn chose it, and I wanted to compare our build styles, but I ended up choosing B because it's 2 stories. I wanted the extra space after suffering through using no cheats and small single story homes with the last household I played. Anyway, I think the exterior looks pretty accurate. I've got a long way to go before it's finished, but this is what I've got so far.
The floorplan itself gave me a bit of trouble. Mainly because with the lot size I didn't have enough room to make the proportions fit properly.
But I was able to keep most of the rooms in the same places. I just had to eliminate some of the closets and stuff. I plan to make the garage area a workshop.
And the upstairs patio a gardening area since there's not much lawn space. And I just think rooftop gardens are cool
I've got a ton of decorating and landscaping to do, but I'm getting there, and having fun doing it.
@OJenn - Thanks for the link to the save file with the emptied worlds, but it won't load for me I'm gonna keep trying it. Once I do where should I put the package files so they'll show up in my game? I've never downloaded anything other then CAS or Build stuff lol. And don't feel embarrassed about the hobby thing! I thought it sounded like a cool idea You've done an awesome job with your house! I really love the exterior. This design style has always been my fav in the sims, and you've done it really well. The way you nestled the fireplace into the wall is great too. I can't wait to see more!
@JordanNicoleJJ - Aw It makes me so happy to hear that people have been paying it forward to you. I always love hearing about those stories. It's very nice being the one having done to them too Your Origin friend request went through. I think it's so weird that we're friends in game, but apparently weren't on Origin. Oh well, at least we are now. I know you didn't gift me the packs because you expected me to gift you something back, but I really want to! I looked and you don't have anything in your wishlist. I didn't wanna gift you something you already have. How about I gift you the knitting pack when it comes out? That way I can beat your boyfriend to it lol! That is if you want the knitting pack? Just let me know
I can totally relate to being more productive when having deadlines and a routine. It definitely motivates me, otherwise I'm pretty lazy lol Ah man, your job and D&D groups sound so fun. My husband and I use to play Magic with a group when we'd have free time, but it was always just guys. Which is fine, but every girl needs girl time. I live for gossip, especially if it's with nerdy girls like me. I really wish I had more gamer friends... Anyway, I hope you can find some time to enjoy simming again. I'm trying to do the same thing with setting aside at least one day a week to sim. I always love when we're all playing and posting.
@Mionax - Lurking is fun! I used to lurk on these challenges years ago and once I started posting I never stopped lol
@debjameswhite -I miss you my friend Do you have a plan to start playing this version of the challenge? I saw you told Jenn you were waiting to play so you didn't get too far ahead. Are you starting in Evergreen Harbor too?
@OJenn Your house is amazing!! I love that this challenge comes with floorplans -- that'll help so much! Plus it will be really cool to compare all of our building styles.
@Heckstress17 And your house looks amazing too! Man, you guys are really making me want to shirk all of my responsibilities and play Sims instead... I think I'm going to start playing in the evenings after work, or at least one evening a week, because it'll help me relax & I can keep up with you guys I'll play in Evergreen Harbor too, since I haven't gotten to explore it much yet, and it'll be more fun for me with all of us using the same world/lots/mates. I think I need to just wipe my game and start from scratch, because it's been so slow for me since the Eco pack released and my old games are still all buggy
I'd love the Knitting pack! I (or my bf) always buy packs on release day, so it's the only one I don't have haha. My bf and I got into Magic for awhile too, but I mostly just wanted to collect all the shiny cards, I'm not very competitive lol. I'm thankful to have a lot of gamer friends, everyone I know is at least a casual gamer. Before we started playing D&D, our typical hangouts consisted of us bringing our laptops to each others' houses and playing Sims the whole time...ahhh those were the days
@Heckstress17 - Oh I hope I didn't mess up the save file, yikes! When you download it you have to place the file in the saves folder Documents > Electronic Arts > Sims 4 > Saves. One thing to make sure of is that my save file number isn't the same as any saves you already have so you don't override them. If it has the same number at them off the file name just rename it before you put it in your saves folder. Let me know if that helps any, or if my gibberish made sense lol.
I really think you did great with the house and turning it like that, on the lot, is a great way to squeeze in the square footage. We've got the same idea for the garage space 😉 I find that garages are a great spot for an extra room in the Sims since we don't have cars. You've got me excited to see the Greene's makeover in your game! How are you liking the two of them so far?
@JordanNicoleJJ - I am on team #shirkresponsibilities but that's because I'd love to see some updates from you too! One day a week is basically all I can do right now. My husband and I play Final Fantasy together when he is home. It's our couples time ❤️ Which between his job, my job and our baby is a very small window of time sadly. So Friday is our "sim day" which just means he plays anything from RPGs to Civilization and I play The Sims. So don't worry if that's all you can do. I'm so excited to see your first post!
I used to always get very overwhelmed looking at the original thread of this challenge :''D I just wanna understand, am I supposed to play one family at a time or rotationally between families in each world or can I just decide to do it in either way?
I'm kinda considering putting my current save on pause and playing something else for a change. Been playing the Walk of Life Challenge for 14 generations now and I was always very curious about this challenge. Just never fully understood it
Awww @PeculiarPlumbob I would recommend playing in one world at a time as things might get a tad confusing. The challenge is set up to be played as one family at a time. But we've had some ambitious folks do all of them at once! ❤️
Feel free to ask any additional questions too everyone is really helpful here 😊
@Mionax Thanks! It kind of fun building as my Sims earn! Thanks for checking on that save as well.
@PeculiarPlumbob Welcome to the thread! I tried playing rotation-style in the very beginning, and it was too difficult for me to keep track of (and for the readers to keep track of, I think lol).
@Heckstress17@debjameswhite@OJenn What do you all think of still doing StrangerVille as a fixer-upper world (rather than the bulldoze+floorplan method)? I was looking at floorplans for it when I realized that the houses are really "built into the neighborhood" in StrangerVille, and it might look kinda strange (pun intended hehe) if the houses don't match the rest of the neighborhood. It's not as big of a deal up in the cliff area, but I was struggling to find matching floor plans for down in the "town" part. I had that idea, OR we could just build on the 5 cliff lots for the generational houses, then fix up those town houses however we like (or even turn them into more community lots) since they won't be part of the challenge. I'd still want to start on Slip 42 during the "single" phase though, cause it's such a fun teeny tiny lot lol. I briefly thought about asking to make both 5-gen worlds "fixer upper" worlds, but after looking at Del Sol, there are BARELY enough lots to 'fix up,' and honestly they all need completely rebuilt...
Also what do you think of this for the Del Sol story?
Del Sol Valley was known for being the home of many celebrities. It was a bright and shining city, regularly hosting tv show and movie productions as well as the famous Starlight Acolades. Thankfully everyone made it out before the tsunami hit, because it was so large it even reached the Pinnacles, flooding and destroying everything in its wake. It took years and millions of simoleons just to rebuild Plumbob Pictures, and by then, Del Sol's rich and famous residents had moved away to find work. On the bright side, property values plummeted, so you can finally afford to move here! You can't wait to "make it big"--and you intend to do that by rebuilding the city from the ground up. You will leave behind a legacy that will never be forgotten. You will be the biggest celebrity Del Sol Valley has ever seen!
Alright ya'll, my D&D group might hate me tomorrow cause I got started on the challenge instead of prepping for tomorrow
I also chose the Greene founders. Here they are after a little makeover. They fit Evergreen Harbor perfectly
I'm building both houses to see which one I like better. So far I have House A done (as done as it can be without money cheats, anyway). It looks okay, but I have no idea what to do with the roof, and I had to cut out some of the outdoor space to make the 2nd & 3rd bedrooms bigger, which makes the house look really blocky. I can't even afford the garage yet Here, have a deceptive pic of a good angle of the house that hides most of its flaws...
PeculiarPlumbob Welcome to the thread! I tried playing rotation-style in the very beginning, and it was too difficult for me to keep track of (and for the readers to keep track of, I think lol).
Heckstress17debjameswhite@OJenn What do you all think of still doing StrangerVille as a fixer-upper world (rather than the bulldoze+floorplan method)? I was looking at floorplans for it when I realized that the houses are really "built into the neighborhood" in StrangerVille, and it might look kinda strange (pun intended hehe) if the houses don't match the rest of the neighborhood. It's not as big of a deal up in the cliff area, but I was struggling to find matching floor plans for down in the "town" part. I had that idea, OR we could just build on the 5 cliff lots for the generational houses, then fix up those town houses however we like (or even turn them into more community lots) since they won't be part of the challenge. I'd still want to start on Slip 42 during the "single" phase though, cause it's such a fun teeny tiny lot lol. I briefly thought about asking to make both 5-gen worlds "fixer upper" worlds, but after looking at Del Sol, there are BARELY enough lots to 'fix up,' and honestly they all need completely rebuilt...
You know I really like the idea of using the lots on the cliffs for the 5 generations. I like the idea of "going into town" so there could be community lots there where people congregate. Honestly, I like both ideas but I will go whichever route you guys want ♥
As for the house @JordanNicoleJJ Plan A was a huge challenge for me (I think that's why I opted for it I definitely wanted to scrap it a few times). I had to build by box so to speak and I probably have like 10 different roofs on the house I think your house turned out great by the way.
@JordanNicoleJJ - Ahhhh! I love how you styled your founders! Iris' skirt with the jeans underneath is totally the look I went with in my game too. Plus her tattoo is so fitting. I'm seriously considering going back and adding some tats to my Iris Aiyden looks adorable too, and once again we we're on the same page with the boho-ish look. I'm loving the glasses on him. I hope your D&D group can forgive you lol your storytelling might be lacking for them tomorrow, but the backstories you've been coming up with for the worlds are perfect. The Del Sol Valley story fits perfectly! I haven't seen Strangerville yet, but I take your word for it being best suited to being a fixer upper world. Plus that makes it easier on us. It'll be a nice break to not have to build everything from scratch for a bit. I like your deceptive pic of your house I think it looks really good! You and @OJenn did a great job making the exterior look like the floorplan house. I'm super excited to see how you come along with floorplan B. I just finished decorating and landscaping in my game. I'm totally using money cheats, the place is suuuuper decked out lol I feel a bit guilty though knowing you and Jenn aren't motherloading to start off this gen. But if I had to rebuild and redecorate within a budget I'd lose my mind Oh and I'll definitely be keeping my eye out for the knitting pack release date. Resist the urge to buy it! I'll hook you up lol!
@OJenn - Oh no no, you didn't do anything wrong with the emptied world save! I'm sorry, I worded my last message about it badly. It was simsfile share that's giving me the problem. It says the file can't be found, or something along those lines. Your explanation of how to install it is very helpful though. I hope I'll be able to download it soon. I'm almost ready to begin!
@PeculiarPlumbob - Aw, yeah, the threads can look a bit overwhelming at first glance with so much information to be given, but it's really simple I promise! Trust me, if it weren't a simple challenge to play I wouldn't be playing it You're just gonna pick which world you wanna play in, delete all the lots (to be rebuilt by you later), and then pick which house you'd prefer to try building out of option A or B of the founder floorplans linked for the world you choose. Once you've built your house, download the founder couple and basically play with them like you would any other legacy family. The only real difference is when it comes time for your heir to marry each generation has 2 sims you can pick between for them to marry. Kinda like arranged marriage sim style I hope that didn't confuse you more. I'd love to have to join in and play with us! I love your signature btw
So here's Iris and Aiyden in some of their many many outfits I've never owned so many packs in a sims game before and it's awesome because there's so much great clothing and hair that I really have no need for CC now. Anyway, I love them, and completely agree with @JordanNicoleJJ that they're the perfect founders for Evergreen Harbor. You did an awesome job with them @OJenn
I've finished building and decorating their house and after bulldozing the world I'm ready to start! So be prepared for a huuuuge house tour. I went decorating crazy and plan to take pics of every inch of the house for the housetour Oh and one last question. Will deleting the community lots and not immediately replacing them with new builds of my own mess up anything with Eco Living? I really don't know anything about how the pack works yet.
@OJenn I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who had trouble with this floorplan
@Heckstress17 I wondered if you were using money cheats or not. It's IMPOSSIBLE to build these floorplans AND furnish/decorate on a starter home budget Especially when you're trying to match doors, windows, wallpaper, etc to the reference pic and have to buy the expensive stuff I'm going to try to do it without cheats though. I get really bored really quickly when my sims get rich, so this'll keep the struggle real for awhile Omg I looove your Greenes, especially Aiyden's long hair!! I went with a more "hipster" vibe for my Aiyden, and I went with a fun and colorful look for Iris. I also gave them like a million outfits I'm actually gonna post pics of them because they took me forever and I'm proud lol. I can't wait for your house tour!!
Tiny Update
Okay, I took a break then went back to floorplan A and "fixed" it. It's still not perfect (I hate roofs ) but it's a LOT better. I'm actually kind of proud of it I ran out of money, so they'll be living "legacy style" (bed, 1 counter, fridge, shower, toilet) for awhile
Also, because I spent longer making these two's outfits than I did building the house, I wanted to post their many many outfits
Iris - Everyday (3) & Formal (2)
Iris - Party (2) & Cold Weather (3)
Iris - Swimwear (2) & Hot Weather (3)
Iris - Athletic (2) & Sleepwear (3)
(I stumbled upon those colorful socks in CAS and decided Iris is going to have a thing for fun socks )
2nd everyday outfits because 1 just isn't enough. She just had to close her eyes for the picture. She's going to be difficult.
I'm trying Plan A. I ran out of money but I got the floor plan laid out 95%. This is a view looking at the back of the house since that is the way the floor plan looks.
@Mionax Omg your floorplan looks exactly like the pic!! You must teach me this sorcerery... Also I adore your Greenes. It's so fun seeing how everyone styles them differently!
@JordanNicoleJJ - I love all the outfits you gave the Greenes! They look ready to take on the environment together ♥ I feel like you did a much better job laying things out haha (I might need to revisit my garage/workspace area) I am not using money cheats so it's been rough going simolean by simolean but fun nonetheless!
@Heckstress17 - I am so glad you guys like the Iris and Aiyden! I am hoping they get along well especially since Aiyden has a certain trait lol. I am not sure how deleting the community lots will impact them. I left those alone in my save file because I wanted to see how they would change. I know sims get to vote on what they become and over time the outside and inside changes based on community votes. I am still so new to the pack, I guess we can all learn together!
@Mionax - You guys are doing so well with building, I am jealous! I love Iris' draped sweater look and how casual it is.
With the house under construction, Aiyden and Iris settled into their new careers. Iris as a Botanist and Aiyden as a Green Technician.
The community voted on a new N.A.P — Green Gardening! SO Iris has been hard at work on her garden.
And the community lots is starting to look a bit different after the final vote was cast.
Not sure which project won but construction is underway!
Aiyden was able to afford a fabricator which has been moved to the very unfinished workshop
He's had a few interesting fails, but he enjoys tinkering with his new toy.
Iris decided to split her time between gardening and nurturing small critters. Apparently they give you bio-fuel? I still haven't figured out what it's needed for.
It seems like it happened so fast but our eco-footprint changes and the smog was gone. It's currently neutral.
I'm a little sad but there is still more to be done in the town!
@OJenn - I don't remember who said it, but I also love Iris' barrettes. I think you chose the perfect careers for the both of them. I didn't know Green Technician was a new career. It looks interesting. He looks perfectly happy to be covered in paint on the job I love the shots of Iris spraying her plants on the stacking trellis thingy lol. Ooooh that little box houses bugs! I was wondering what that did! Anyway, the town looks better already. Iris and Aiyden must be doing a great job
@Mionax - Your house looks amazing! You totally nailed the floorplan! I'm so in awe of everyone making that roof work. It's one of the things that swayed me to build floorplan B. Roofs are my nemesis. Your Greene's are looking great too. I toyed around with the idea of giving Iris that same curly hair. I can't wait to see more!
@JordanNicoleJJ - I totally agree, building the floorplans and trying to worry about matching the details on a budget is a killer. Though I must say you guys are making it look easy. I get bored when my sims don't have to work for anything too, but I also get annoyed when I can't decorate with every item available to me This time the allure of shiny new things won out. I'm hoping since there's new things to do with the packs I won't be bored. I really do think Floorplan A fits the lot better then B. Your house looks so good. omg we should totally make "outfit tours" a thing I loved seeing all the different styles you chose for Iris and Aiyden. Making different outfits has easily become one of my favorite parts of the sims. Iris' 1st formal, and 1st cold weather outfit are my favs I like her athletic and sleep outfits with the colorful socks too. I think that's a cute quirk for her to have. I always forget about socks. Aiyden's 3rd everyday, and 3rd cold weather outfits are some of my favs too
Here's my Floorplan B house in all it's landscaped and smoggy morning glory The environment is really cramping my pic taking style.
The entryway
I often neglect my entryways, but I really like how this one turned out.
The Living room, which is right off the entryway.
It's an open floorplan which flows into the dining room.
I'm going for a very natural look with lots of wood, but pops of color. It took me forever to decide on this table and chairs and I'm still not 100% on it.
The Kitchen with built in laundry area.
It wasn't until I was taking these pics that I realized I'd forgotten to put a refrigerator I've since added one, but to be honest I like the look without it more lol
The laundry space
Off the kitchen is the garage space.
Which Aiyden is gonna use as his workshop.
The main floor master bedroom.
The master bath, which as usual is such a small space it's really hard to take decent pictures of it.
I'm really diggin' this wallpaper though.
Upstairs there's a big family room space.
The sliding glass door opens up to the balcony gardening space.
Then back inside there's a little area with a window looking out toward the water for painting.
Finally there's a nursery for when my founders are ready I just love that canopied toddler bed.
There's another bathroom, and a spare unfurnished bedroom.
and another bathroom downstairs that was too small to take pics in.
Now that the house is done, my next update will show Iris and Aiyden getting started sprucing up Evergreen Harbor #spoiler Aiyden's hot-headed trait has turned out to be more problematic then I expected
@OJenn I thought it was going to be a slow grind to furnish the house, but I put their degrees to good use and started higher up in their careers, so money has been coming in regularly. I have all of the necessities purchased after about a week of work. I had an...unexpected delay in the furnishing process and had to re-allocate funds...but I'm excited to share my progress I love seeing how we all built it a little bit differently. I still want to make floorplan B at some point, but I'm pretty set on A after it took me like three separate tries to get it "right" lol.
I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who took advantage of their degrees and started as botanist/green tech! I didn't know if I was allowed to, but I needed that money I also like that it will still take a lot of work to get them promoted, because they don't have any skills. You did a great job with these sims! I also chose Green Gardening for my first NAP, but the community voted in Self Sufficiency, which worked out because gardening is part of that too I love your scenery shots of the harbor. It's so difficult for me to get good scenery pics in this world. You got the "Maker Space" community lot - that one is my fav! I chose the Community Garden this time, and it's kinda disappointing. I'm not sure what happens if you alter that lot... I kinda want to find out but I also don't want to break the lot lol. The bio-fuel is for powering showers and sinks and stuff when you give them the H20 converter upgrade. I had to do that on my off-the-grid lot because I just couldn't generate enough water. The fuel lasts for a looong time though! My eco-footprint always changes to neutral in like one day in this game. It's kinda sad because I'd like to see the smog for awhile longer, but sims hate it so it works I guess.
@Heckstress17 I literally had to delete/change little details to be able to finish the shell, like leaving the garage "unfinished" and making all of the wallpaper the 2 simoleon plaster and using a cheaper tile in the bathrooms - that's how strapped for cash I was But starting them higher up in their careers has made the furnishing process much easier. Still difficult, but bearable I still want to try to make floorplan b at some point, because I love how yours turned out, but I need to play for awhile cause floorplan A burned me out on building for the time being I totally want outfit tours!! Your favs of Aiden's outfits are also my favs -- I think he looks so good in that maroon/purple-ish color!
Pshh your lot doesn't even look that smoggy! I think your pics turned out great. Your houses are always so colorful and I love that. I guess I'm just terrified of color (as you can tell from all of my black and white/neutral houses lol), so I'm jealous. I looove the little laundry space. And I think we used the same cabinets (different colors though)! Great minds think alike Oh man I'm jealous of your furnished, decorated, well-lit garage...mine is still a dim, empty mess Omg and their bedroom is so pretty too...can I live in this house? 100% jealous of their big corner tub. Great use of the roof space -- it's hard making gardens fit sometimes, but that's the perfect use for the roof! Eeee the nursery is SOOOO cute! I used that same bed and dresser combo. It's by FAR my favorite tod bed, and the dresser matches so perfectly! I'm glad they've brought in some really cute items for the tods/kids, we definitely needed some. That was an awesome house tour! I can't wait to see more
I told myself I was just going to get started, choose their careers, maybe play for an hour or so to make some money and furnish the house a little better...well I ended up playing almost all day yesterday, so I have a looong first update for ya'll
Rebuilding: Gen 1
The Greenes knew Evergreen Harbor had gotten bad, but they didn't realize just how bad until they docked in Port Promise. The contractors were rushing to get their house finished (well, finished enough to sleep in, at least), so they visited the local community center to kill some time and hopefully make some new friends. They met an older woman who taught them how to use the community recycler (which Aiyden took to like a pro). She also told them about the "Neighborhood Action Plans" -- a new program where the community votes for a plan to follow for the week.
They made their way over to the community board to cast their votes. "Self-Sufficiency" was in the lead, which encourages the community to fish for or grow their own food and repair any broken items themselves. It wasn't the worst plan, but another plan caught Iris' eye - "Green Gardening," which would make the neighborhood more suitable for gardening and encourage everyone to start their own garden. Aiyden also found a NAP he wanted to support - "Promote Creative Arts," which encourages the community to paint, photograph, write, and fabricate.
That evening, the smog cleared a bit, and Iris took advantage of the slightly cleaner air to get outside and start her garden. She planted a good mixture of fruits, vegetables, and herbs.
She also planted a cowplant! Aiydan wants to wait to have kids until they are completely settled into their home and careers, so this was the compromise: Iris got a cowplant baby
Night fell over Port Promise, and smog settled in over the harbor once more. In a way, it's kind of pretty.
The next day, Iris woke up bright and early to get some morning sun and do a short yoga routine before work. The smog was surprisingly clear, and she couldn't help but wonder if her gardening NAP won...
As they were heading out the door, they got a text announcement that the Self-Sufficiency NAP won. Iris didn't mind, but Aiyden was pretty bummed out. He was really hoping the neighborhood would appreciate the usefulness of fabrication (his specialty).
He was still in a sour mood that evening, and he took his frustrations out in his workshop. He learned a long time ago that Iris won't tolerate his angry outbursts, so he distances himself when he feels one coming on.
Unfortunately for him, his fabricator was in a "mood" too
Meanwhile, outside, Iris got the grub box set up and made sure the grubs felt well fed & loved.
She also set up the bee box and bonded with her new buzzing babies
As much as Aiyden may not like it, the NAP certainly helped bring down the pollution levels. By the end of their first week in Port Promise, they woke up to perfectly clear, blue skies
Iris' cowplant baby, Bowie, grew up so fast! And he eats so much now...
He's still pretty cute though. Terrifying and dangerous, but cute.
Her bee box was extremely successful - they produced a ton of fresh honey & beeswax, to the point where it started piling up, so Aiyden started using the beeswax to make candles in his free time just to get rid of it. The grub box...not so much. They got one serving of grub meal from it, and it hasn't produced anything since
Then the BIG surprise came... They only woohooed a couple times since they moved in, and they could've swore they used protection, but Iris turned up pregnant anyway. (Seriously, I SWEAR I selected "woohoo," not "try for baby." But apparently I accidentally hit "try for baby" at some point, because I don't have risky woohoo installed...)
Iris was over the moon about it, of course. She's gonna be a great mama.
Aiyden (like myself) was so not expecting that to happen so soon, and freaked out. They haven't even finished the kitchen, or either bathroom, or the laundry room, or...you get the point. The nursery was not a priority whatsoever, but priorities change...
Iris started working from home, which turned out to be way easier! She knocked out her work in an hour and spent the rest of the day reading to Bowie and resting. She decided she would continue working from home, even after the baby comes. It's just far more efficient.
Aiyden still went into the office each day, but he spent all of his time with Iris after work. They spent a lot of time cloudgazing, just appreciating the beauty of a clean(er) world.
They also bought a chess table for the garden and spent a lot of time playing chess. Even with pregnancy brain, Iris won almost every game.
By the time she reached her second trimester, she was having some difficulties and had to stop to rest and catch her breath during their matches.
Aiyden stepped up and helped out more. He decided he would feed Bowie until the baby arrived, because he didn't trust the "man-eating monster" around his unborn child. It was fine, until he forgot to feed it... "What's this...a gift, for me? You shouldn't have..."
At least it spit him up...
Iris was not comforting whatsoever... The conversation went along the lines of, "Bowie ate you?? I have to go milk him! I'll definitely get a research grant if I have real cowplant essence to study!!"
That incident built up some tension in their relationship. Aiyden spent most nights shut up in his workshop, and Iris focused what little energy she had into her garden. If they could afford a couch, Aiyden would have slept on it. Then, one night, Iris woke up screaming in pain. It was time.
Her screams of pain turned into screams of excitement as they welcomed a baby boy into the world. Everyone, meet Haven Greene. Aiyden was more scared than excited. He still worried about being able to pay the bills, being a first-time parent, and that man-eating monster outside their bedroom window...
But all of his fears melted away the second he held little Haven. He couldn't help but smile, and that smile never left his face. Aiyden actually ended up being the more active parent. He could hear Haven fussing from his workshop, and he always ran to check on him.
As a result, Iris was able to get back to some semblance of normal. She started doing morning yoga routines again. (I gotta rant real quick. Why can't pregnant Sims do yoga?? I understand no heavy weightlifting or marathon running or whatever, but pregnant yoga is literally a thing!)
She continued to work from home -- mostly because she did get that research grant! She wrote a lot of scientific articles regarding the care & keeping of domesticated cowplants.
Best of all, Haven really brought Aiyden and Iris' relationship back together. They also finally finished the kitchen and developed a new nightly tradition to make and eat dinner together and talk about all of the cute stuff Haven does. At first Aiyden was jealous that Iris got to stay home with Haven all day and he didn't, but he understood that Haven needs to bond with Iris too. They're slowly but surely figuring out the whole parenting thing -- together.
As the saying goes, "time flies when you're having fun," and Haven was outgrowing his bassinet fast. They spent most of their savings to furnish Haven's new "big boy" room, then it was time for him to age up...
Haven grew up to be an Inquisitive boy (my favorite trait!!) I think he looks a lot like Aiyden, but he definitely got Iris' skintone...that might be the only thing he got from her, tbh Overall, I'm happy with him. He's a total cutie.
And here's his "outfit tour" From left to right: everyday, formal, sleep, party, swim, hot, cold. He "inherited" Iris' love of fun socks (at least while Iris is dressing him ). I LOVE the new toddler 'patched' pants we got with the Eco pack! I wish we had more tod pants in normal denim colors. This swatch is probably going to be my new go-to for tod 'jeans' lol.
@heckstress17 - Your pictures look amazing as always even with a little smog sprinkled in. The way you decorated is so green! I love seeing all the plants in the house and the new decor items are my absolute favorite part of this pack to be completely honest. I love how open the house is and the garage workspace looks like the perfect spot for making! My favorite part is probably the second story and how it looks out onto the water, perfect for gardening. As far as Aiyden's hot headed trait, yeaaaah he has been interesting to deal with omg.
@JordanNicoleJJ - Its more than okay to start them out with the bonus money and higher position. Especially since they don't have any skills to push those promotions yet. I felt that would be fun to have that to "work for". Thank you and @Mionax for the pro tips on bio-fuel I had no idea. And yeah I kind of wish sims had to work just a little bit harder to change the environment. You know we love long updates here
I totally love that you spent the day playing! I have been trying to hold back but now I am going to jump in full steam! Omg Aiyden's face, when he learned about the pregnancy, is priceless. But it's nice to see he came around and is being a good dad. Now that Haven is a toddler I am anxious to see his big boy room!
Comments
I decided on Floor Plan B!
I wanted to go with A because @OJenn chose it, and I wanted to compare our build styles, but I ended up choosing B because it's 2 stories. I wanted the extra space after suffering through using no cheats and small single story homes with the last household I played. Anyway, I think the exterior looks pretty accurate. I've got a long way to go before it's finished, but this is what I've got so far.
The floorplan itself gave me a bit of trouble. Mainly because with the lot size I didn't have enough room to make the proportions fit properly.
But I was able to keep most of the rooms in the same places. I just had to eliminate some of the closets and stuff. I plan to make the garage area a workshop.
And the upstairs patio a gardening area since there's not much lawn space. And I just think rooftop gardens are cool
I've got a ton of decorating and landscaping to do, but I'm getting there, and having fun doing it.
@OJenn - Thanks for the link to the save file with the emptied worlds, but it won't load for me
@JordanNicoleJJ - Aw
I can totally relate to being more productive when having deadlines and a routine. It definitely motivates me, otherwise I'm pretty lazy lol Ah man, your job and D&D groups sound so fun. My husband and I use to play Magic with a group when we'd have free time, but it was always just guys. Which is fine, but every girl needs girl time. I live for gossip, especially if it's with nerdy girls like me.
@Mionax - Lurking is fun! I used to lurk on these challenges years ago and once I started posting I never stopped lol
@debjameswhite -I miss you my friend
@Heckstress17 And your house looks amazing too! Man, you guys are really making me want to shirk all of my responsibilities and play Sims instead...
I'd love the Knitting pack! I (or my bf) always buy packs on release day, so it's the only one I don't have haha. My bf and I got into Magic for awhile too, but I mostly just wanted to collect all the shiny cards, I'm not very competitive lol. I'm thankful to have a lot of gamer friends, everyone I know is at least a casual gamer. Before we started playing D&D, our typical hangouts consisted of us bringing our laptops to each others' houses and playing Sims the whole time...ahhh those were the days
I really think you did great with the house and turning it like that, on the lot, is a great way to squeeze in the square footage. We've got the same idea for the garage space 😉 I find that garages are a great spot for an extra room in the Sims since we don't have cars. You've got me excited to see the Greene's makeover in your game! How are you liking the two of them so far?
@JordanNicoleJJ - I am on team #shirkresponsibilities but that's because I'd love to see some updates from you too! One day a week is basically all I can do right now. My husband and I play Final Fantasy together when he is home. It's our couples time ❤️ Which between his job, my job and our baby is a very small window of time sadly. So Friday is our "sim day" which just means he plays anything from RPGs to Civilization and I play The Sims. So don't worry if that's all you can do. I'm so excited to see your first post!
Rebuild | Rebuild Vol. 2
@Heckstress17 Your house is coming along nicely. Yes, lurking is nice.
Origin #: madebymionax
I'm kinda considering putting my current save on pause and playing something else for a change. Been playing the Walk of Life Challenge for 14 generations now and I was always very curious about this challenge. Just never fully understood it
Feel free to ask any additional questions too everyone is really helpful here 😊
@Mionax Thanks! It kind of fun building as my Sims earn! Thanks for checking on that save as well.
Rebuild | Rebuild Vol. 2
@Heckstress17 @debjameswhite @OJenn What do you all think of still doing StrangerVille as a fixer-upper world (rather than the bulldoze+floorplan method)? I was looking at floorplans for it when I realized that the houses are really "built into the neighborhood" in StrangerVille, and it might look kinda strange (pun intended hehe) if the houses don't match the rest of the neighborhood. It's not as big of a deal up in the cliff area, but I was struggling to find matching floor plans for down in the "town" part. I had that idea, OR we could just build on the 5 cliff lots for the generational houses, then fix up those town houses however we like (or even turn them into more community lots) since they won't be part of the challenge. I'd still want to start on Slip 42 during the "single" phase though, cause it's such a fun teeny tiny lot lol. I briefly thought about asking to make both 5-gen worlds "fixer upper" worlds, but after looking at Del Sol, there are BARELY enough lots to 'fix up,' and honestly they all need completely rebuilt...
Del Sol Valley was known for being the home of many celebrities. It was a bright and shining city, regularly hosting tv show and movie productions as well as the famous Starlight Acolades. Thankfully everyone made it out before the tsunami hit, because it was so large it even reached the Pinnacles, flooding and destroying everything in its wake. It took years and millions of simoleons just to rebuild Plumbob Pictures, and by then, Del Sol's rich and famous residents had moved away to find work. On the bright side, property values plummeted, so you can finally afford to move here! You can't wait to "make it big"--and you intend to do that by rebuilding the city from the ground up. You will leave behind a legacy that will never be forgotten. You will be the biggest celebrity Del Sol Valley has ever seen!
@PeculiarPlumbob Welcome! I'm one of the resident lurkers.
Origin #: madebymionax
I also chose the Greene founders. Here they are after a little makeover. They fit Evergreen Harbor perfectly
I'm building both houses to see which one I like better. So far I have House A done (as done as it can be without money cheats, anyway). It looks okay, but I have no idea what to do with the roof, and I had to cut out some of the outdoor space to make the 2nd & 3rd bedrooms bigger, which makes the house look really blocky. I can't even afford the garage yet
You know I really like the idea of using the lots on the cliffs for the 5 generations. I like the idea of "going into town" so there could be community lots there where people congregate. Honestly, I like both ideas but I will go whichever route you guys want ♥
As for the house @JordanNicoleJJ Plan A was a huge challenge for me (I think that's why I opted for it I definitely wanted to scrap it a few times). I had to build by box so to speak and I probably have like 10 different roofs on the house
Rebuild | Rebuild Vol. 2
@OJenn - Oh no no, you didn't do anything wrong with the emptied world save! I'm sorry, I worded my last message about it badly. It was simsfile share that's giving me the problem. It says the file can't be found, or something along those lines. Your explanation of how to install it is very helpful though. I hope I'll be able to download it soon. I'm almost ready to begin!
@PeculiarPlumbob - Aw, yeah, the threads can look a bit overwhelming at first glance with so much information to be given, but it's really simple I promise! Trust me, if it weren't a simple challenge to play I wouldn't be playing it
I've finished building and decorating their house and after bulldozing the world I'm ready to start! So be prepared for a huuuuge house tour. I went decorating crazy and plan to take pics of every inch of the house for the housetour
@Heckstress17 I wondered if you were using money cheats or not. It's IMPOSSIBLE to build these floorplans AND furnish/decorate on a starter home budget
Okay, I took a break then went back to floorplan A and "fixed" it. It's still not perfect (I hate roofs
Also, because I spent longer making these two's outfits than I did building the house, I wanted to post their many many outfits
Iris - Everyday (3) & Formal (2)
Iris - Party (2) & Cold Weather (3)
Iris - Swimwear (2) & Hot Weather (3)
Iris - Athletic (2) & Sleepwear (3)
(I stumbled upon those colorful socks in CAS and decided Iris is going to have a thing for fun socks
Aiyden - Everyday (3) & Formal (2)
Aiyden - Party (2) & Cold Weather (3)
Aiyden - (best of) Athletic (1), Sleepwear (1), Swimwear (1), Hot Weather (2)
Origin #: madebymionax
2nd everyday outfits because 1 just isn't enough. She just had to close her eyes for the picture. She's going to be difficult.
I'm trying Plan A. I ran out of money but I got the floor plan laid out 95%. This is a view looking at the back of the house since that is the way the floor plan looks.
Origin #: madebymionax
@Heckstress17 - I am so glad you guys like the Iris and Aiyden! I am hoping they get along well especially since Aiyden has a certain trait lol. I am not sure how deleting the community lots will impact them. I left those alone in my save file because I wanted to see how they would change. I know sims get to vote on what they become and over time the outside and inside changes based on community votes. I am still so new to the pack, I guess we can all learn together!
@Mionax - You guys are doing so well with building, I am jealous! I love Iris' draped sweater look and how casual it is.
Rebuild | Rebuild Vol. 2
The community voted on a new N.A.P — Green Gardening! SO Iris has been hard at work on her garden.
And the community lots is starting to look a bit different after the final vote was cast.
Not sure which project won but construction is underway!
Aiyden was able to afford a fabricator which has been moved to the very unfinished workshop
He's had a few interesting fails, but he enjoys tinkering with his new toy.
Iris decided to split her time between gardening and nurturing small critters. Apparently they give you bio-fuel? I still haven't figured out what it's needed for.
It seems like it happened so fast but our eco-footprint changes and the smog was gone. It's currently neutral.
I'm a little sad but there is still more to be done in the town!
Rebuild | Rebuild Vol. 2
Origin #: madebymionax
@Mionax - Your house looks amazing! You totally nailed the floorplan! I'm so in awe of everyone making that roof work. It's one of the things that swayed me to build floorplan B. Roofs are my nemesis. Your Greene's are looking great too. I toyed around with the idea of giving Iris that same curly hair. I can't wait to see more!
@JordanNicoleJJ - I totally agree, building the floorplans and trying to worry about matching the details on a budget is a killer. Though I must say you guys are making it look easy. I get bored when my sims don't have to work for anything too, but I also get annoyed when I can't decorate with every item available to me
Here's my Floorplan B house in all it's landscaped and smoggy morning glory
The entryway
I often neglect my entryways, but I really like how this one turned out.
The Living room, which is right off the entryway.
It's an open floorplan which flows into the dining room.
I'm going for a very natural look with lots of wood, but pops of color. It took me forever to decide on this table and chairs and I'm still not 100% on it.
The Kitchen with built in laundry area.
It wasn't until I was taking these pics that I realized I'd forgotten to put a refrigerator
The laundry space
Off the kitchen is the garage space.
Which Aiyden is gonna use as his workshop.
The main floor master bedroom.
The master bath, which as usual is such a small space it's really hard to take decent pictures of it.
I'm really diggin' this wallpaper though.
Upstairs there's a big family room space.
The sliding glass door opens up to the balcony gardening space.
Then back inside there's a little area with a window looking out toward the water for painting.
Finally there's a nursery for when my founders are ready
There's another bathroom, and a spare unfurnished bedroom.
and another bathroom downstairs that was too small to take pics in.
Now that the house is done, my next update will show Iris and Aiyden getting started sprucing up Evergreen Harbor
Origin #: madebymionax
I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who took advantage of their degrees and started as botanist/green tech! I didn't know if I was allowed to, but I needed that money
@Heckstress17 I literally had to delete/change little details to be able to finish the shell, like leaving the garage "unfinished" and making all of the wallpaper the 2 simoleon plaster and using a cheaper tile in the bathrooms - that's how strapped for cash I was
Pshh your lot doesn't even look that smoggy! I think your pics turned out great. Your houses are always so colorful and I love that. I guess I'm just terrified of color (as you can tell from all of my black and white/neutral houses lol), so I'm jealous. I looove the little laundry space. And I think we used the same cabinets (different colors though)! Great minds think alike
The Greenes knew Evergreen Harbor had gotten bad, but they didn't realize just how bad until they docked in Port Promise. The contractors were rushing to get their house finished (well, finished enough to sleep in, at least), so they visited the local community center to kill some time and hopefully make some new friends. They met an older woman who taught them how to use the community recycler (which Aiyden took to like a pro). She also told them about the "Neighborhood Action Plans" -- a new program where the community votes for a plan to follow for the week.
They made their way over to the community board to cast their votes. "Self-Sufficiency" was in the lead, which encourages the community to fish for or grow their own food and repair any broken items themselves. It wasn't the worst plan, but another plan caught Iris' eye - "Green Gardening," which would make the neighborhood more suitable for gardening and encourage everyone to start their own garden. Aiyden also found a NAP he wanted to support - "Promote Creative Arts," which encourages the community to paint, photograph, write, and fabricate.
That evening, the smog cleared a bit, and Iris took advantage of the slightly cleaner air to get outside and start her garden. She planted a good mixture of fruits, vegetables, and herbs.
She also planted a cowplant!
Night fell over Port Promise, and smog settled in over the harbor once more. In a way, it's kind of pretty.
The next day, Iris woke up bright and early to get some morning sun and do a short yoga routine before work. The smog was surprisingly clear, and she couldn't help but wonder if her gardening NAP won...
As they were heading out the door, they got a text announcement that the Self-Sufficiency NAP won. Iris didn't mind, but Aiyden was pretty bummed out. He was really hoping the neighborhood would appreciate the usefulness of fabrication (his specialty).
He was still in a sour mood that evening, and he took his frustrations out in his workshop. He learned a long time ago that Iris won't tolerate his angry outbursts, so he distances himself when he feels one coming on.
Unfortunately for him, his fabricator was in a "mood" too
Meanwhile, outside, Iris got the grub box set up and made sure the grubs felt well fed & loved.
She also set up the bee box and bonded with her new buzzing babies
As much as Aiyden may not like it, the NAP certainly helped bring down the pollution levels. By the end of their first week in Port Promise, they woke up to perfectly clear, blue skies
Iris' cowplant baby, Bowie, grew up so fast!
He's still pretty cute though. Terrifying and dangerous, but cute.
Her bee box was extremely successful - they produced a ton of fresh honey & beeswax, to the point where it started piling up, so Aiyden started using the beeswax to make candles in his free time just to get rid of it. The grub box...not so much. They got one serving of grub meal from it, and it hasn't produced anything since
Then the BIG surprise came... They only woohooed a couple times since they moved in, and they could've swore they used protection, but Iris turned up pregnant anyway. (Seriously, I SWEAR I selected "woohoo," not "try for baby." But apparently I accidentally hit "try for baby" at some point, because I don't have risky woohoo installed...)
Iris was over the moon about it, of course. She's gonna be a great mama.
Aiyden (like myself) was so not expecting that to happen so soon, and freaked out. They haven't even finished the kitchen, or either bathroom, or the laundry room, or...you get the point. The nursery was not a priority whatsoever, but priorities change...
Iris started working from home, which turned out to be way easier! She knocked out her work in an hour and spent the rest of the day reading to Bowie and resting. She decided she would continue working from home, even after the baby comes. It's just far more efficient.
Aiyden still went into the office each day, but he spent all of his time with Iris after work. They spent a lot of time cloudgazing, just appreciating the beauty of a clean(er) world.
They also bought a chess table for the garden and spent a lot of time playing chess. Even with pregnancy brain, Iris won almost every game.
By the time she reached her second trimester, she was having some difficulties and had to stop to rest and catch her breath during their matches.
Aiyden stepped up and helped out more. He decided he would feed Bowie until the baby arrived, because he didn't trust the "man-eating monster" around his unborn child. It was fine, until he forgot to feed it... "What's this...a gift, for me? You shouldn't have..."
At least it spit him up...
Iris was not comforting whatsoever... The conversation went along the lines of, "Bowie ate you?? I have to go milk him! I'll definitely get a research grant if I have real cowplant essence to study!!"
That incident built up some tension in their relationship. Aiyden spent most nights shut up in his workshop, and Iris focused what little energy she had into her garden. If they could afford a couch, Aiyden would have slept on it. Then, one night, Iris woke up screaming in pain. It was time.
Her screams of pain turned into screams of excitement as they welcomed a baby boy into the world. Everyone, meet Haven Greene. Aiyden was more scared than excited. He still worried about being able to pay the bills, being a first-time parent, and that man-eating monster outside their bedroom window...
But all of his fears melted away the second he held little Haven. He couldn't help but smile, and that smile never left his face.
As a result, Iris was able to get back to some semblance of normal. She started doing morning yoga routines again. (I gotta rant real quick. Why can't pregnant Sims do yoga?? I understand no heavy weightlifting or marathon running or whatever, but pregnant yoga is literally a thing!)
She continued to work from home -- mostly because she did get that research grant! She wrote a lot of scientific articles regarding the care & keeping of domesticated cowplants.
Best of all, Haven really brought Aiyden and Iris' relationship back together. They also finally finished the kitchen and developed a new nightly tradition to make and eat dinner together and talk about all of the cute stuff Haven does. At first Aiyden was jealous that Iris got to stay home with Haven all day and he didn't, but he understood that Haven needs to bond with Iris too. They're slowly but surely figuring out the whole parenting thing -- together.
As the saying goes, "time flies when you're having fun," and Haven was outgrowing his bassinet fast. They spent most of their savings to furnish Haven's new "big boy" room, then it was time for him to age up...
Haven grew up to be an Inquisitive boy (my favorite trait!!)
And here's his "outfit tour"
@JordanNicoleJJ - Its more than okay to start them out with the bonus money and higher position. Especially since they don't have any skills to push those promotions yet. I felt that would be fun to have that to "work for". Thank you and @Mionax for the pro tips on bio-fuel I had no idea. And yeah I kind of wish sims had to work just a little bit harder to change the environment. You know we love long updates here
I totally love that you spent the day playing! I have been trying to hold back but now I am going to jump in full steam! Omg Aiyden's face, when he learned about the pregnancy, is priceless. But it's nice to see he came around and is being a good dad. Now that Haven is a toddler I am anxious to see his big boy room!
Rebuild | Rebuild Vol. 2