Cleaning and Sims Saturday
Aug. 8th, 2020 11:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
crossover_chickThe "cleaning" part was for both my Mom and me -- she was very busy taking on the house this morning! Which was -- honestly a little annoying, as I was trying to make my breakfast (another parfait) and I made the mistake of mentioning that the yogurt was in a water puddle in the fridge for some reason (I think stuff sometimes freezes and then melts near the back), and then suddenly there she is with a rag, wiping down all the shelves while I'm trying to get my fruit. >.< And of course this led to my brain having a couple of anxiety moments about eating chemicals later on, because I can't have a day where I'm not worried about SOMETHING at some point. . . *deep sigh*
Well, trying to keep myself distracted now so I don't end up in an obsession spiral and make things worse. And I have to say, most of the day was all right:
-->Got all my cleaning down for another couple of weeks -- took a while, as it always does, but the dusting wasn't quite as bad thanks to us being stuck in the AC with the windows shut most of the time. *shrug* Whatever speeds up the process by a few minutes!
-->After cleaning and lunch (yes, I ate it without issue, it wasn't until nightfall and my shower that my brain really started ramping up), I settled in on the computer, catching up on a few things before starting the YouTubes:
A) Well, I say that, but this first item on the list is from right before I went to bed last night: a late-night listen to a couple of campaign ads that show up on the "Atomic Radio" mod – Kennedy and Washington! (No, not those ones, though I'm sure that's the reason behind the last names.) Washington's is particularly interesting in that it focuses a LOT on hating taxes and making America great again. . .the mod came out in May of 2016, if you're curious. ;)
B) Then the main video(s, two parts) of the day – James Turner, Dr. Gluon, and Deligracy all play a custom board game Dr. Gluon designed with their self Sims via a multiplayer Sims mod! . . .It was glitchy as all hell! XD I mean, it looked awesome – he did stuff like have a path wind through an over-sized house, and included a slip-n-slide shortcut – but in practice, it was very hard to play. Mostly because I think they made the rules too complicated. The goal was to collect as much honey as possible – and while the obvious method of "stopping at beehives" was included, we also had minigames (where you win one honey for being the last off a treadmill, or getting the most expensive item from a dumpster dive), and there was going to be honey awarded for keeping your needs up and collecting plates from buffet tables. The problem was, the Sims' failing needs ended up driving them to do things to try and fulfill those needs, even with autonomy off! And certain minigames just straight up failed as the Sims got too uncomfortable. Couple that with a really awkward method of "rolling dice" (a man trapped in a giant die-shaped room, who was SUPPOSED to play with various numbered ducks out of a toy box, but near the end was just always going to his phone for fun), and the fact that James and Deli had VERY limited ways to interact with the game thanks to the mod (anything in the basements they couldn't actually click, meaning Dr. Gluon had to move everyone around), and – yeah. Their plan was to go three times around the board; they didn't even make ONE loop before they had to quit so James could walk his and Deli's dog. We'll see what happens now that they've playtested it and are ready to make changes!
C) That was followed up by a more serious short video from Plumbella, regarding Sims 4 and skintones – namely, how the current system isn't inclusive enough (too many light skintones, and the darker ones don't look great). Hair styles and eye colors were also named as problems, and she highlighted one of my own gripes with the game – namely, PETS get an awesome super-customizable "Paint" mode where you can literally paint words and patterns on them, but SIMS are confined to swatches. She's all for bringing back a color wheel or at least some good color sliders for Sim customization (she's not so bothered for clothes and furniture – to her, the swatches are more time efficient and ensure the game runs on more computers). I don't have high hopes for EA actually listening (because it's a serious issue instead of something funny like "I want to name cowplants"), but it's good that EA Gamechangers and other professional SimsTubers are looking at this and calling it out, at least. (I mean, guys, you've got BLUE and GREEN as skintones – you can't do a proper-looking brown or black?)
D) And then back to amusing, with a video from onlyabidoang showcasing something he's trying to make on the side – what might hopefully be a new in-game TV show mod for The Sims 4! The show is a wildlife documentary, in Simlish, showcasing some pretty awesome animal creations – cheetahs, gazelles, lions, and tigers! Even had the narrator getting chased by a tiger at the end, which made me giggle. XD I hope his mod project works out! Wouldn't mind having this actually in my game!
-->In between the two parts of the Board Game video, I hopped into Sims 4 myself -- we have moved on Geeker, Wheatley, and Chell in the Newcrest Adventures round robin, and it's time to renovate their new house!
. . .I have gotten like the kitchen and the gym done. XD Yeaaah, it's turning into one of those renovations, where I overthink every little thing and probably spend more money than my Sims can afford because I want to give them nicer appliances and stuff. Also a basement room, because giving my families basements to keep their weirder shit (and laundry rooms) seems to be a thing with me now. (Victor and Alice have a basement laundry and their bedroom with their coffins; Emmett and Nikal have a basement laundry, gym, and science lab; and now Chell, Wheatley, and Geeker will have a basement laundry and a medical lab for Wheatley!) I'm still in the process of figuring out where I want to fit everything and adjusting the house accordingly. So far, it seems to be going okay, but we'll see how long it takes me to actually get them settled. XD Ah, it's all right -- I like doing house reno. Trying to make the place look lived in and like a good home for my Sims. :)
-->And currently I'm doing a bit of the RP thing while I catch up on stuff. The "Board Game" videos were long enough that they ate into my writing time, but I might do some fun "comfort AU" stuff before going to bed. I think I've earned it with all that cleaning and all the stupid anxiety.
First things first, though -- have comment to answer. Tomorrow should be a little better, if only because all the cleaning will be done and my brain will have less to grab onto, anxiety-wise. Plan is to watch an OXBox/OXtra stream on Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout (what, I like the game, I like them, what's not to love?), and do some more Fallout 4 stuff -- though part of me is like "maybe more Sims 4 instead? Or in addition to?" We'll see how it works out! Night all!
Well, trying to keep myself distracted now so I don't end up in an obsession spiral and make things worse. And I have to say, most of the day was all right:
-->Got all my cleaning down for another couple of weeks -- took a while, as it always does, but the dusting wasn't quite as bad thanks to us being stuck in the AC with the windows shut most of the time. *shrug* Whatever speeds up the process by a few minutes!
-->After cleaning and lunch (yes, I ate it without issue, it wasn't until nightfall and my shower that my brain really started ramping up), I settled in on the computer, catching up on a few things before starting the YouTubes:
A) Well, I say that, but this first item on the list is from right before I went to bed last night: a late-night listen to a couple of campaign ads that show up on the "Atomic Radio" mod – Kennedy and Washington! (No, not those ones, though I'm sure that's the reason behind the last names.) Washington's is particularly interesting in that it focuses a LOT on hating taxes and making America great again. . .the mod came out in May of 2016, if you're curious. ;)
B) Then the main video(s, two parts) of the day – James Turner, Dr. Gluon, and Deligracy all play a custom board game Dr. Gluon designed with their self Sims via a multiplayer Sims mod! . . .It was glitchy as all hell! XD I mean, it looked awesome – he did stuff like have a path wind through an over-sized house, and included a slip-n-slide shortcut – but in practice, it was very hard to play. Mostly because I think they made the rules too complicated. The goal was to collect as much honey as possible – and while the obvious method of "stopping at beehives" was included, we also had minigames (where you win one honey for being the last off a treadmill, or getting the most expensive item from a dumpster dive), and there was going to be honey awarded for keeping your needs up and collecting plates from buffet tables. The problem was, the Sims' failing needs ended up driving them to do things to try and fulfill those needs, even with autonomy off! And certain minigames just straight up failed as the Sims got too uncomfortable. Couple that with a really awkward method of "rolling dice" (a man trapped in a giant die-shaped room, who was SUPPOSED to play with various numbered ducks out of a toy box, but near the end was just always going to his phone for fun), and the fact that James and Deli had VERY limited ways to interact with the game thanks to the mod (anything in the basements they couldn't actually click, meaning Dr. Gluon had to move everyone around), and – yeah. Their plan was to go three times around the board; they didn't even make ONE loop before they had to quit so James could walk his and Deli's dog. We'll see what happens now that they've playtested it and are ready to make changes!
C) That was followed up by a more serious short video from Plumbella, regarding Sims 4 and skintones – namely, how the current system isn't inclusive enough (too many light skintones, and the darker ones don't look great). Hair styles and eye colors were also named as problems, and she highlighted one of my own gripes with the game – namely, PETS get an awesome super-customizable "Paint" mode where you can literally paint words and patterns on them, but SIMS are confined to swatches. She's all for bringing back a color wheel or at least some good color sliders for Sim customization (she's not so bothered for clothes and furniture – to her, the swatches are more time efficient and ensure the game runs on more computers). I don't have high hopes for EA actually listening (because it's a serious issue instead of something funny like "I want to name cowplants"), but it's good that EA Gamechangers and other professional SimsTubers are looking at this and calling it out, at least. (I mean, guys, you've got BLUE and GREEN as skintones – you can't do a proper-looking brown or black?)
D) And then back to amusing, with a video from onlyabidoang showcasing something he's trying to make on the side – what might hopefully be a new in-game TV show mod for The Sims 4! The show is a wildlife documentary, in Simlish, showcasing some pretty awesome animal creations – cheetahs, gazelles, lions, and tigers! Even had the narrator getting chased by a tiger at the end, which made me giggle. XD I hope his mod project works out! Wouldn't mind having this actually in my game!
-->In between the two parts of the Board Game video, I hopped into Sims 4 myself -- we have moved on Geeker, Wheatley, and Chell in the Newcrest Adventures round robin, and it's time to renovate their new house!
. . .I have gotten like the kitchen and the gym done. XD Yeaaah, it's turning into one of those renovations, where I overthink every little thing and probably spend more money than my Sims can afford because I want to give them nicer appliances and stuff. Also a basement room, because giving my families basements to keep their weirder shit (and laundry rooms) seems to be a thing with me now. (Victor and Alice have a basement laundry and their bedroom with their coffins; Emmett and Nikal have a basement laundry, gym, and science lab; and now Chell, Wheatley, and Geeker will have a basement laundry and a medical lab for Wheatley!) I'm still in the process of figuring out where I want to fit everything and adjusting the house accordingly. So far, it seems to be going okay, but we'll see how long it takes me to actually get them settled. XD Ah, it's all right -- I like doing house reno. Trying to make the place look lived in and like a good home for my Sims. :)
-->And currently I'm doing a bit of the RP thing while I catch up on stuff. The "Board Game" videos were long enough that they ate into my writing time, but I might do some fun "comfort AU" stuff before going to bed. I think I've earned it with all that cleaning and all the stupid anxiety.
First things first, though -- have comment to answer. Tomorrow should be a little better, if only because all the cleaning will be done and my brain will have less to grab onto, anxiety-wise. Plan is to watch an OXBox/OXtra stream on Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout (what, I like the game, I like them, what's not to love?), and do some more Fallout 4 stuff -- though part of me is like "maybe more Sims 4 instead? Or in addition to?" We'll see how it works out! Night all!
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Date: 2020-08-10 12:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-08-10 02:49 am (UTC)