Round 1: Wozny 1 -- Mating and Relating

We have finally made it to the last house in Round 1 of Sunset Valley! It only took me a year and three-quarters to get here. *rolls my eyes* 

The last house belongs to Holden Wozny and his new bride, Faith. For the longest time, I read Holden's last name as Wonzy until I noticed the "z" came before the "n." I suspect his name is a nod to Steve Wozniak. I digress..

Me: Hey, guys, you don't know how happy I am to see you. Aw, sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt an intimate moment.

Holden: No worries.  I was just giving Faith a hug before she leaves for work. We believe it is important to always have a moment together before parting. With her being in law enforcement, I know there's always the possibility that I'm saying goodbye for the last time.

Me: That's sweet, Holden. A little morbid, but sweet. Maybe you guys could lead a marriage seminar in Sunset Valley.

Me: Lord knows there are many couples in town who could benefit from your services.

Holden: I hear what you are saying, but I couldn't possibly get up in front of a group to speak. I prefer to communicate through the written word. As a matter of fact, I am headed out now to gather research for my first book.

Me: I see you have found a new friend.

Holden: This is an exquisite find! I thought it was only a myth that pygmy tortoises existed in Sunset Valley.

Me: I can tell you two are going to be great friends.

Holden: Yes, now all I need is to find a mate for Humberto, and I can begin my research.

Me: Research? Exactly what kind of book do you plan on writing?

Holden: A nature book, of course.

Me: I'm sure your book will fly off the shelves. Good luck, and see you next round.

SP UPDATES:

Wait. Didn't Harry just move in with Jennifer? And didn't Talia just have triplet babies with her (ex) husband?

The Casanova in question is Galen Hickey.  Right after I got this message, the one below popped up:

This made me laugh out loud. Coby was living with Galen and Katrina. I think he was tired of the drama and decided to get his own place.

And finally, the last SP message of the round could not make me any happier!

They got back together! True, they will probably break up at the beginning of Round 2, but I can be happy while it lasts. :)

3 Things I Wish I Knew Three Years Ago

Now that I have almost completed the first round of Sunset Valley, I have learned a couple of things about Story Progression's inner workings and the game itself that I wish I had known when first started out.

1) I wish I had known about the Face One Virus. When I first started playing, I didn't know all of the townies were generated with the same face. I thought The Sims 3 behaved more like The Sims 2 which generated the townies from a set of templates. For more details about the Face One Virus, see my legacy blog entry where I explain it in more detail. Since I initially allowed the homeless to move in, I have a lot of townies running around with the same face. I am seriously considering annihilating them with Master Controller so that their genetics don't overrun the town.

You can prevent this situation by installing Twallan's Register Mod and configuring Story Progression to generate townies from your Sim bin. See Twallan's FAQ for more details about managing immigration.

2) I wish I had known I could limit the number of romantic interests a Sim can have. This didn't really become a problem until Generations. With the introduction of the Romantic Reputation system, Sims with multiple love interests have a difficult time maintaining a steady relationship. This is a big part of the reason why you see my Sims break up so often. Twallan's Story Progression Mod has a setting under the "Flirt" menu that specifies the number of romantic interests a Sim can have at a time. By default, it is set to zero, which means there is no limit to the number of romantic interests a Sim can have. I have now changed this setting to 1. I am hoping that will reduce the volatility in the Sims' relationships. I don't think it will help the current young adult/adult generation much, but I am hoping it will help the future generations.

3) I wish I had known the EA team was going to release so many darned neighborhoods. Ok, I put this one in for the lols, but seriously they have already released eleven neighborhoods and there is at least one more on the way (Moonlight Falls). Sheesh! It's going to be 2050 before I finish this thing. Hopefully, I live that long.

Round 1: Wolff 1 -- Llama Tail

Me:  Good morning, Morgana!

Morgana:  *nom* No time to talk. *nom, nom* I just got off work and now I have to go back an run a clinic. *nom, nom, nom*

Me: You Medical Sims are some of the hardest working Sims in town.

Morgana: I don't mind the long hours. It gets lonely in this big house with Thornton spending so much time at the office.

 

They crack me up with their medical gadgets. Lily and her husband got checked out.

I hear illness is coming back with Seasons. I wonder if sick Sims can go to Medical Sims for a cure.

Me: Aww...Clark (Sauer) Baker is having some fun with his stepson, Topher. How sweet!

Morgana: *wistfully* I know Thornton could be just as good of a father as Clark if he would only consider it.

ROFLMAO! Game, you rock! Of course it would be Molly French who contracted Llama Tail. Ok, that's not really fair to Molly. She's been rather tame in this save.

Me: Not a bad job, Morgana.

Morgana: I probably could have gotten to the sixth patient if Nick Alto hadn't scared her off.

Me: He probably got wind that you're working with Jennifer Martinez, rather than Vita, so he sabotaged you.

Morgana: Those Altos! They are so...so...so mean!

Me: Mean? You're a good Sim, so I guess that's the worst you could come up with.

Morgana: I am not good all of the time. Every now and then I can convince Thornton to take a skinny dip.

Me: Well, he is your husband and you're in your own private pool, so it's not that scandalous, Morgana. Anyway, keep it up, and you may get that baby after all. See you next round!

Ok, I have been struggling with this update for a month. Morgana and Thornton gave me nothing to work with. I am impressed that Morgana didn't go and get herself knocked up. I guess the Dislikes Children trait trumps the Family-Oriented trait.

Anyway, here are the SP UPDATES:

Shocker. *rolls my eyes*

Katrina doesn't strike me as the type to go around smashing Loveseats; she'd just set your whole place on fire.

What? Adam and Talia broke up? When did that happen? Dude, your (ex-)wife just gave birth to your triplets!

I approve.

That's what you get for a being a deadbeat mom. Araceli is one of Hank's baby mamas. And speaking of Hank...

Ok, ok, I know this is just Story Progression moving them to a bigger house, but I like to think of it as Hank and Pauline settling down with their family.

There is just one more update left and then we move on to Round 2!

Round 1: Williams 1 - Goin' Legit

There are only three lots left in Round 1! First up is the Williams family.

Me: Wow, Marley, you have a gorgeous view. That is a great spot to eat breakfast every morning.

Marley: It's ok.

Me: Ok? If I had that view I would never leave my house!

Marley: Don't get me wrong. The house is beautiful, and my family loves living here. I am feeling guilty about how I acquired it. You see, my wife and I were art thieves.

Me: Really? Apparently, you were good at it.

Marley: Yes, we were very good at it.

Marley: We were so good that we were able to put my wife through nursing school.

Marley: But our daughter, Malika, is getting older, and I don't want her realizing all she has came to her illegally. Also, my "boss" will be retired soon with Nick Alto coming to power. It's the perfect time to get out.

Me: Well, I can understand your reasoning, and of course I support a Sim who wants to earn an honest living. What are you going to do now?

 Marley: Excuse me for a minute, I hear the phone ringing.

Marley: Naw, Nick, I'm not interested in the job. I'm goin' legit, man...What? I don't care if you need me for this one last job. There will always be "one last job." I'm done...Come on, man, I've got a baby girl...I understand...you do what you gotta do. Can I at least think about it? Ok...yeah, we'll be in touch...no, you have a good day.

Me: That didn't sound too good.

Marley: He said he would expose me if I didn't do one last job for him.

Me: He's blackmailing you? Not surprised.

Marley: It's all good. He's giving me fodder for my new career.

Me: What new career?

 Marley: I'm going to write suspense novels about an art thief.

Me: Well, they do say to write what you know about. Good luck, and watch your back!

SP UPDATES:

Their house is pretty crowded with two adults, three toddlers, and only one bedroom.

Talia's roommate, Noemi, married Fiona's ex-husband and moved into a new home.

As for Talia, she had triplets (two girls and a boy) with her husband, Adam. I renamed the triplets, but the SP message didn't pick up on it. The triplets are actually named Julia, Lena, and Fabian.

Ooh...I bet Corny and Agnes are getting together to plan Agnes's wedding.

 Could these two be any more different? I don't expect this to last long.

Pablo's ex-wife has moved on to Casanova, Galen Hickey. I know I have said it before, but Katrina, Fiona, and Jennifer just can't stay away from the Casanovas and gigolos.

I don't find it a shame at all. This opens the door to a Pauline and Hank reunion!
***

Ok, so Marley and Aimee wanting to "go legit" was inspired by both of them starting off in the Criminal career, but wanting to switch to Writing and Medicine. Nick Alto did actually call Marley to discuss art, so  that's where I got the idea of them being art thieves.

Round 1: Wainwright 1 -- Skip to My Sue, My Darlin'

Me:  Good morning, Sue.

Susan: Well, it's about time.

Me: Yeah, I know it has taken me a while to get to you guys. I have been going through a rough time.

Susan: Please spare me your personal problems. Save that for your shrink. I meant it's about time  because you skipped us!

Me: *blushing* You are right, I did.

Susan: Didn't you learn your ABCs? Wainwright comes before Wan.

Me: I know, I know. I was so eager to get to Pauline's lot, that I accidentally skipped you guys. My apologies.

Susan: I know you have your pets, but you could at least treat the rest of us like we exist.

Me: You've made your point. I am going to slink off now and check on Boyd.

Me: Hey, Boyd! *gagging* That looks pretty tasty...eww. Gotta love you slobby sims!

Susan: Well if he would let me hire a maid, he wouldn't have to eat spoiled food. And if he would let me hire a repairman, I wouldn't have to fix this stupid toilet.

Boyd: Why pay someone good money to do something that we are fully capable of doing ourselves?

Susan: So you fix the toilet next time.

Boyd: I would, buttercup, if you wouldn't jump ahead and fix it first.

Susan: I asked you do it last month, dear, but you've been too busy watching your nature documentaries to fix it.

Me: Speaking of nature, I think you two need to get out and get some fresh air. How about a trip to the park?

Me:  It's busy as usual. Spencer and Irene Funke caught my eye because they were swinging in perfect unison.

 Me: I can't remember if these two are twins. I'll have to double-check the next time I play them.

Me:  I think they might want a new computer for Christmas.

Susan wants to be a Chess Legend, so she is building up her logic and chess skills by playing a match against Coby Frederick.

Coby: I can't believe I took a job working on Vita Alto's campaign. I might as well be working for Satan himself.

Coby: I shouldn't have said that out loud. She'll probably send one of her husband's thugs after me.

Boyd: This was a great idea. My hobbies and interests normally keep me indoors, but there is nothing like being one with nature and taming wild beasts.

Me: Wild beasts? You caught a minnow, not a shark, Grizzly Adams. Anyway, I will see you two next round.


SP UPDATES:

Fiona has adopted a dog. Hopefully, this male will stay loyal to her.

Aw, Jared and Connor are keeping the family bonds strong. I guess Jared was commiserating with his brother over his failed marriage.

Speaking of Connor's ex, Jamie is duking it out with Katrina over Casanova, Shelby Donner. I don't know why you two are fighting over Tamara's sloppy seconds.

 Gage decided to move out of the house that he was sharing with the other Townie boys.

Could it be that he is preparing a love nest for his bride-to-be? Congrats Agnes and Gage!