Free Download: Framed Medals

July 2022: Downloading from this blogger post no longer works, so please head over to a new page listing all my TS4  custom content. All free. DOWNLOADS

This CC I created long ago for my own game, but I thought it might be interesting to a few of you, also. So, because I'm rather lazy updating my blog bar a few video releases this Christmas, here is a new download for you - framed medals!

This item includes 10 swatches for variety. Five of the medals are the top 5 ranks medals from the Military career, but you won't need the career (which requires StrangerVille game pack). You will need the Paranormal stuff pack, though, as this object is based on the small framed silhouette portrait from that pack.

Winterfest at House of Saxor

(Year 228) Just like any family, the House of Saxor has their own routines and traditions to secure a good Winterfest. Their huge penthouse at 1 Torendi Tower in San Myshuno is larger than the average home (link to previous tour of the estate below), so they tend to focus on seasonal decor for the rooms they use the most, and where they intend to entertain their many Winterfest guests. Central in the planning are Butler, Severine Phlum, and Cook, Ms Anila Rossell.

Left to right: Butler Severine, Duke Victus and Duchess Gloria in Cordenza's drawingroom.

The planning started several months ago. At the 3M (Monday Morning Meeting), attended by the household members who are on the House's pay roll, and assisted by the Butler occasionally. At these meetings all activity is planned, and in Fall the upcoming Winterfest will naturally take a certain bit of the agenda. In houses like this, a dukedom in fact, Head of House is in charge and also is the one communicating with the servants via the Butler, but Duchess Gloria (72) gets wholeheartedly involved with most affairs taking place within the home.

House von Heimlich: Finally the Heir was born!

(Year 228, Windenburg) The Duke and Duchess von Windenburg are thrilled to announce the birth of their second set of twins, two boys, this Fall. All are healthy and sound, and the dukedom finally got not jut one possible heir, but two! Duke Merlin (76) is not getting any younger and certain not alarming health issues were reported.

Locals could read the news this morning, as the announcement was made public both at the gate of Estate von Windenburg and - as is tradition - in front of the historical Quad Manor in Windenburg's Oldtown (former estate of Duke Merlin's ancestors).

MAZALooM Medieval Episode 3: First War

Another weekend means another episode of my mini series MAZALooM Medieval. This story and cast tell the story of the founders of some of my current TS4 families. In the first season covering 5 weekly episodes you'll follow 5 heroes, and all of them lead to my Region 12.

See previous blogpost for an introduction to the cast with links to family trees an more. Episode 4 will release next weekend, but the 5th and last episode will be a few days delayed due to Christmas.

I hope you'll enjoy :)

Catching up - Picture Post

(Year 228) I've focused a bit too much on my community's origin by playing Sims Medieval, and it's time to check back on my actual game and trying to speed things up a bit. I think residents aged only one year in 2021, so unless someone changes gear (*pointing-at-self*), I will never get to know how my 100+  households will fare.

So, for a start I dived into my huge screenshots folder to look for stand alone pictures from houses that I rarely write about. Perhaps I used to have plans for them, maybe I even wrote a starting episode long ago, but then got too occupied with council and nobility. So here is a quick catch up.

Premiere: Mazaloom Medieval!

Brand new video series has landed, directly from Simmerville Studio :) This is the story and cast that tell the story of the founders of some of my current TS4 families. In the first season covering 5 weekly episodes you'll follow 5 heroes, and some of them will lead to my Region 12.

This series is created differently from most of my other series. Tech limitations with Sims Medieval forced me to think a new, and hopefully you like the style. There will be a new episode posted every weekend, perhaps the 5th and last episode must wait until I'm back from Christmas vacation, but that will be before end of December anyway. For the first time I actually created most of the episodes *before* releasing anything.

See previous blogpost for an introduction to the cast with links to family trees an more.

I hope you'll enjoy :)

MAZALooM Medieval Cast

The premiere of my brand new video series MAZALooM Medieval is just around the corner. So, I thought it would be a good idea to give you a brief introduction to the cast ;)

Cast and story is actually the origin to many of the families in my current TS4 universe. I had lots of fun trying to match the Sims Medieval looks and limitations with my existing historical facts - that are actually quite many. From my early notes I even knew the DNA of the cast, as well as the birth year of their children etc. Thankfully, I had very restricted notes describing their everyday life except knowing when they got their peerages.

Historical video series coming

It's been quiet on the blog because I've been busy elsewhere, in Mazaloom kingdom to be exact. You might know that I love history and detailed backgrounds for my sims, and although I never played their first decades, I have their full family trees with the main events of their lives. This Fall I grabbed the Sims Medieval game, and I had fun playing out the assumed origin of some of my most noble Houses. And naturally, I had to make a video series based on it all :)

King Baltazar II of Mazaloom

The main royal House of the series was never really given much focus in my game. I don't play royals, only nobilities like dukedoms, baronies and a bunch lords/ladies. House de Froux was top of the bunch back in the early days, and they kept going for a couple generations, before they expired. The throne was taken over by another house and finally ditched as result of the Great Revolution, taking place in Year 118.

My Business - 03 - Photographer

Here is another short video in the "My Business" series! This time you'll meet Photographer Shariff Potterfield from Newcrest. Over the decades he portrayed more than half the population, and now you get to see his underground studio. Please note that this video does not include any Moschino pack features.

Many sims in my Region 12 has jobs or businesses that are not really in-game features, but with money cheat it's easy to pretend and transfer some earnings.

House von Kaching: It's a girl!

(Year 228, Gloomville) House von Kaching announces that yesterday a daughter was born to Lady Merielle and The Hon. Edward. Both child and mother are with good health.

The girl will be named Rosine Beatrice von Kaching, and her proud grandfather, Baron Bud of Gloom, has already been observed strolling in their garden.

Servant Call Bells

(Y228) When a finer household includes Servants, the estate will need more organizing than the regular home. The higher level of society, the more Servants and the better organized home. Still most finer estates have their original Servant Call Bells.

When bell number 2 rings, the Butler at Dresden Farm knows exactly where to go.

Back in the early days high nobility estates like castles and large manors had a system of the traditional Servants Bells. Normally there would be one to six wall mounted bells in or near the kitchen, each connected with a string to one specific location. When the Duchess was in the main living room she could push a small handle - often hidden behind a curtain, to get the Servants' attention. In the kitchen they would see what room in the house to seek, and based on their responsibility within the household, one Servant would walk over to that room.

Download - 8 Solid Color Photo Studio Backdrops

July 2022: Downloading from this blogger post no longer works, so please head over to a new page listing all my TS4  custom content. All free. DOWNLOADS

(January 2022: DOWNLOAD LINK WAS BROKEN - fixed)

I love taking photos of my sims to decorate their wall. Sometimes they create several copies, and then visit relatives to gift them one. Show me the Granny who would not appreciate a portrait of her grandchild?

But this post is all about the  photo backdrops. In the past I created 3 new versions of TS4 Photo Studio (GTW pack), with each their theme: In-game destinations, noble backgrounds and Victorian paintings. My top society often make use of the two latter. But most of my sims are actually quite regular, they need backdrops that are less complex.

The Impossible Spouse

(Year 228, Brindleton Bay) We know that the young Duke Charlopold de Cavalier dated Luna Villareal back when they both studied at University, but we also know that Charlopold's old fashioned mother, Old-Duchess Claudine never approved on their relation. The Villareals were more  known for their shady businesses than anything else, and Luna Villareal is nothing but a commoner. The future duke would need to search higher!

Well, there has been a couple years already, and now that Charlopold was crowned Duke de Cavalier, being Peer of the dukedom of Brindleton, as his elderly parents stepped back to live a quiet life at a privately owned manor near by, Charlopold might have thought that he has become the one to make his own decisions. Will it be possible to marry Luna anyway?

My Business #2 - Meet Janitor Amy Raven

Two years after the 1st episode, here is a new! Meet Amy Raven from Muggerdale in Gloomville. She worked as a Janitor for a  couple decades, a job that hardly pays well but gives her the freedom of making her own day - mostly out in the free.

Many sims in my Region 12 has jobs or businesses that are not really in-game features, but with money cheat it's easy to pretend and transfer some earnings.

Evergreen Harbor - New Direction

(Year 227, Evergreen Harbor) Here comes a delayed report from last Fall's 10 years anniversary for the green revolution that is still taking place at Evergreen Harbor. Back then the 3 maker markets were founded, some of them still in development.

Francine G. Spencer (left), The Hon. Edward von Kaching with Lady Merielle, and Paula Ching Lady Mugger.

This minor anniversary was on the calendar of the Barony of Gloom. The soon to be crowned, The Honorable Edward von Kaching and his fresh wife, Lady Merielle, spent nearly a full day in Evergreen Harbor. The pregnant Lady Merielle worried a bit for the pollution, but went on with the program. Edward's elderly aunt, Paula Ching Lady Mugger, insisted on joining them despite never officially representing the barony.

The Butler Academy

Because several houses in my Region 12 (and beyond) have live-in servants, it's time to focus a bit on their traditional education. The classic courses were designed by the National Butler Academy, and is currently offered by the Butler Academy in San Myshuno, as well as Windenburg Business School in Windenburg *.

Serving a high nobility house is actually a highly rated profession (especially by the families who had this kind of work for generations). Teens can switch to a private high school at the age of 22. The Butler Academy has status as a High School and offers several Servant studies associated with an upper class finer house; Butler, Cook, Governess, Maid and Gardener (industrial farmers/gardeners will rather study at Landgraab Science Institute). Students will choose classes like «How to Serve and be Served», Handiness, Cooking, Gardening, Gourmet cooking, Parenting. There will be additional lighter classes as Mixology, Baking and Piano as well. Students must reach minimum 2-5 skill points in their chosen classes to get their diploma. Houses that hire might have additional skill requirements.

Calendar Year 228

Year 228 is about to start in my Region 12, and the high nobility houses share headlights from their events calendar. The year is roughly planned a year in advance, making it easier for their busy network to reserve time for the upcoming celebrations, and to avoid that big events conflict. Most events are set for a season rather than a specific date, details will be shared later in formal invitations. Each district will normally host one or two major events per year, and most houses will accept only one invitation per season.

Windenburg Treasures at Historical Museum

(Y227) This weekend was the grand opening of the brand new section at Municipal Muses in Gloomville, one of Region 12's historical museums. The new addition is simply a full floor in the basement where half the area is dedicated a more or less permanent historical exhibition, and the other half will be used for changing themes.

Opening night saw a good crowd, and after a couple short speeches noble guests got a guided tour by the museum's Curator, Nancy D. Roxenfox. This prominent group included Duke Victus of Meadows, who is the Historical Museum's Patron, his teen daughter Lady Corva, and of course Duke Merlin von Windenburg with his wife, Duchess Mandy.

From left: Duke Victus (53) of Meadows with daughter Lady Corva (21). Duchess Mandy (41)
and Duke Merlin (75) von Windenburg. Nany D. Roxenfox, museum's Curator.

The first of many changing exhibitions to come is some of the old items of the dukedom von Windenburg, owned by either the Trust or by House von Heimlich. When their estate was recently renovated, a closed room was discovered in the cellar, hiding numerous long lost items.

A Man for his Ties (Free download)

July 2022: Downloading from this blogger post no longer works, so please head over to a new page listing all my TS4  custom content. All free. DOWNLOADS

(Year 228) Well, let me just say that we need more casual suit jackets, but that did not stop me from creating some more variety to one of Maxis' formal jackets as well. Because, there is a new guy in my Region 12, Fritz Mervil and he is not unfamiliar with mixing formal with the casual.

So, while this is basically about a free download, I'll also introduce you to Fritz. He has been and will be quite central in several aspects...

In-game Photo Challenge

 Grab your camera and read on! I'll post a challenge because I just did it myself, and had some fun :)

This can be done in many ways, and you don't really need to follow my rules rigidly, as long as you end up with 9 large photos on your exhibition wall.

Reg12 NEWS - Year 227

Year 227 is complete, and here's the annual NEWS edition!

The clip is just 4 minutes, and contains standard rubrics like News, Finance, Showbiz, Job listings, and of course various Family notes. NB the clip includes spoiler re the Free Will Show winner!

Hosts to tie it all together are Paulo Caliente and Antoinette Morck. This is the last time Antoinette Morck is co-hosting, as she moved to Region 11 to run the Moo-moo Cow Farm.



You might find a few how I play tips, and most news have more details on this blog or in the community section/residents registry linked from top of this blog. There is also some related content in my As Sims Go By video series.

House of Thebe: Revival

(Year 227) The high nobility House of Thebe was semi-dormant ever since the last Baron of Myshuno passed away, 20 years ago. He had only 2 daughters, but luckily one of them had a son. This son, Rainert Ross turned 25 this year.

This Winter Rainert got crowned Baron of Myshuno, as well as becoming the new Head of House of Thebe. His mother, Duchess Ribra Lynn of Rossie, held the House going, but had no right to make any changes as she naturally switched her last name to Ross, when marrying to Rainert's father, the Duke Jarret of Rossie. However, she never officially switched houses.

Rainert is now known as Baron Rainert II of Myshuno, or Rainert R. Thebe as he took his mother's maiden name in order to bring on the old House of Thebe, which is one of the oldest houses we know. The legendary Princess Cordelia Thebe is just one of several well known historical members.

The Free Will Show - Day 25 (The End) just aired!

The final episode just aired on my  Youtube channel, and we finally have a winner of the free Will Show - yay! Only two contenders left in the house as this episode starts. How did your favorite do?

The winner will of course not be revealed here, but will be guesting a TV-show in a few weeks. Then you will also learn how the winner established a new life in the Free Will house.

The Free Will Show - Final episode airing this Friday!

Spoiler alert! It feels like forever, but there were "only" 25 episodes in the main show. And now the final one is recorded, practically edited with only the second half score count yet to be calculated. I think I know who will  win it all, but I can't be 100% sure before it's calculated. I won't do that until the premiere day. 

As you will know, two contender are already out. One died and the other got that 4th red lamp lit - which means bye-bye. This left only two contenders back, namely Sonia and Ramona. This final episode will also see a contender leaving the show, but who will it be?

Expanding your community lots

We all want more lots, more community lot settings and multi functional malls. So far this is all more or less restricted, but nobody can stop you adding features to your standard community lot.

The old library at Gibbs Hill in Britechester got some new features!

I often add one or more extra features that has little or nothing to do with the lot category. Those tiny corners might not attract the NPCs, but the point is to create more arenas for my active household to enjoy.

House von Heimlich: Twins birth announcement

(Year 227, Windenburg) The Duke and Duchess von Windenburg are thrilled to announce the birth of two lovely baby girls this Winter. All are healthy and sound, and family life at Estate von Windenburg will definitely take a twist.

Girls can not be in line of Successors to the Windenburg dukedom, but we would like to state that right now that is of less importance. Having three daughters is a blessing!

Free download: Fruit Bowl

July 2022: Downloading from this blogger post no longer works, so please head over to a new page listing all my TS4  custom content. All free. DOWNLOADS

So, I did not really plan creating CC today, but suddenly I have some fresh bowls of fruit on my hands! I was tired with the base game all white fruit bowl, AND I always had problems finding it as I normally would not search for clutter like this in the §250 range of the catalog. So, I decided to make a change...

The bowl now comes in 9 new versions, plus the 3 original alternative swatches (top shelf number 2 and 3, old white not pictured). There are now 2 striped, 2 dotted, 1 with ceramic pattern (not 100% seamless, but will work if you just pay attention to the placement). 4 one colored, but with a slightly darker trim.

Our Brand New Farm Life - Part 3 of 3 (Fall)

(Year 227, Fall) In this mini series we'll follow Antoinette Morck and Salim Benali and their 5 kids moving from a tiny rented flat in San Myshino, to run the Moo-moo Cow Farm in Henford-on-Bagley. It's not only a long distance to travel, but even more an extreme change to how they live their lives. There are 3 parts each representing one week in a different seasons.

If you missed their first 2 weeks, you might like to start here.

*) This is a not-in-game thing.

3rd Week - day 1

I'm Antoinette Morck. Last two weeks taught me that faming is real hard work! 

I moved to Henford-on-Bagley with my patner Salim and our 5 kids, Mangela, Selinda, Joshua, Conny and Poblo, Four of the children go to school, and they are old enough to help out with our Moo-moo Cow Farm. The four cows Pinky, Princess, Klaira and Nameless need our daily attention, and we also grow just a little vegetables for our own consume. On top of this, recently the children got a kitten from their "aunt" Catarina Lynx in Brindleton Bay (my brother Ray lives with her). This week we'll try to make better profit and to optimize our routines.

The Free Will Show - Then they were 2

Episode 24 of the long running "the Free Will Show" is up (video link below), and well - be warned: it ends with only two participants left in the house! I was expecting to create the final 3 episodes of this show, but this episode got way more dramatic than I could hope for. This includes several dramatic fires AND the death of one contender! This is the first death on the show (except from the two cowplants that died some episodes ago), and I nearly found myself crying. Yes, I wanted to get rid of all but the winner, but seeing the character die with the "cameras" rolling felt awkward, indeed.

So, the result is TWO contenders waving goodbye already. The dead participant obviously, and the one with the lowest episode score. Death of a contender removes the contender's score, which then can not affect the system of the lamps at the end of the episode. Because one lamp must be lit, and all had just one more lamp to go, there had to be two departures.

Diego Lobo - Poodles, Manicure & Yoga Romance

 (Year 227) Diego Lobo (47) has been a celebrity ever since he started out as an Art Critic as a teenager. When his father, Santiago Lobo, died, Diego became Head of the House of Lobo, but never established his own family, which would be the obvious thing to do to secure the future of your House. Diego lived a rather eccentric life in his rented Uptown mansion, which he shared with two poodles. Recently he was warned that House of Lobo will expire unless he reports at least one more member, forcing him to involve his less successful Sim City relatives.

The two Poodles became 4, and it became a challenge managing 4 large dogs in an apartment, especially when Diego is busy planning his next art performance.

The Free Will Show - Final Episodes this Fall!

I never gave it a serious thought until today; but The Free Will Show might actually be among the longest running The Sims shows ever created! Ha, now that it all will be over in just 3 episodes, I must admit that I can't hide my excitement for it to end.

When the show started more than 3 yeas ago (August 2018), I was expecting to produce 10+ episodes mostly to explore the Free Will mechanics of The Sims 4. Honestly, the free will dynamics are not all that great, at least they require that you direct the sims occasionally, otherwise they mostly focus on their basic needs. It took several seasons of the show to see the first hug between two contenders! Hardly anyone ever flirted, and nobody put up a fight - ever.

From season 4 I had to implement the red lamps simply to make sure that the show would eventually end. Right now all the four contenders have 3 lit lamps each, meaning there will be one contender kicked out in every coming episode! So, in just 3 more episodes we will know the winner! The winner gets to keep the Free Will House that is located in Brindleton Bay and becomes a resident of my Region 12. In addition, she or he gets §1,000 for every single point of their final score!

Royal Chamber issues Warnings

(Year 227) The Royal Chamber moderates the long list of Houses every ten years. This job is normally handled by the regional Council, but when there are requirements not met or conflicting interests, the chamber gets involved.

The main rules:
* Minimum 2 members counted within 4 blood line steps.
* Net worth of House must exceed §250,000 (same family name households combined).
* Only 1 high nobility peerage per House.
* Maximum 1 peerage of each level per member of House.

* Non-legit child can be a central member (aged 25), but can not become next Head of House or hold any peerage or noble title.

A warning has today been issued to the following Houses:

Planning your Farm Produce

(Year 227, Cottage Living) I like my farmers to have different goals for their efforts and produce. Although most of them grow a little bit of everything for own consume, they often have a bigger amount of one or two selected species. This might be according to their Farm Rights, which force them to deliver a certain amount, or they might have specialized in specific products or markets, such as preserves or animal treats etc.

Does your farm have such a main goal?

House von Heimlich: Updates

(Year 227, Windenburg) It is with great gratitude that Duke Merlin and Duchess Mandy von Windenburg announce the expecting of a baby to be born this Winter. Our daughter, Mirarda Rosewood Heimlich (4), will not be a legit heir to the dukedom, and therefore neither in front line to become Head of House as a male heir is required for both. We and our supportive community all hope for a baby boy.

Mandy (Rosewood) Heimlich, who married to Merlin Edvard Heimlich this Spring, recently had her investiture as Duchess von Windenburg. We'd like to reach out and say thank you to all supporters. Those stating that a commoner should not become the Duchess von Windenburg were not obeyed, but neither totally ignored. All opinions were listened to.

The Organization of a High Nobility House

(Year 227) Ever wondered how my dukedoms are organized? Then search no further, because here comes a map showing the command lines. In fact, this example is representative for all the high nobility houses, which currently include 4 dukedoms and 3 baronies.

The following is valid for the House of Ross, where Jarret Emanuel Ross is Duke of Rossie, and his brother Bennet Ross is Baron of Shiningham.

The Duke:
Head of House is of course on top of the organization, in this case Jarret Ross with the title Duke of Rossie. He is in charge of the person 1st in line of Successors, the Duchess, and the Butler. In addition he leads the Rossie Trust.

House of Hump: Founded

(Year 227) A new House was approved by the Royal Chamber; House of Hump. Last week there was a small ceremony at the Council House, where Head of the new house, Doctor Nivert Hump (54) received his framed Coat of Arms, as a symbolic approval.

Siobhan F. and Nivert Hump, with Mayor Dougham.

While the Royal Chamber is formally in charge of approving this kind of matters, whenever there is no complicated issues and no peerage nor noble title involved, the regional Council normally handles the matter on their behalf.

Anyone can apply to register a new House if certain requirements are met:
* Net worth of minimum §250,000 (can include multiple similarly named households).
* Minimum 2 central members of the House (limited to Head of House and his/her descendants)
* Coat of Arms not conflicting with existing Houses.

Our Brand New Farm Life - Part 2 of 3 (Summer)

(Year 227, Summer) In a new mini series we'll follow Antoinette Morck and Salim Benali and their 5 kids moving from a tiny rented flat in San Myshino, to run the Moo-moo Cow Farm in Henford-on-Bagley. It's not only a long distance to travel, but even more an extreme change to how they live their lives. There will be 3 parts each representing one week.

If you missed their first week, you might like to start here.

*) This is a not-in-game thing.

2nd Week - day 1

I'm Antoinette Morck. Our first week as farmers started rough, but I think we gradually found a better routine. That was before we were forced to get the fourth cow, though...

When we bought Moo-moo Cow Farm we did not realize that we had to keep 4 cows for milk production. It was challenging enough for our household of 7 just moving from San Myshuno to Henford-on-Bagley. On the picture above our farm is centered, the Watson Chicken  Farm is our closest neighbor (right), and the Rossie Palace is up there on the hill across the River Bagley (left). It's a nice neighborhood, indeed.

When in Love with a Bicycle

Have you ever been in love with a bicycle? And even worse - a digital bicycle?

Whoever purchase the The Sims 4 expansion pack Cottage Living before September 2nd will get access to 3 extra items, including the cutest TS4 bicycle I ever saw. I think it will be perfect not only for Henford-on-Bagley residents - I also have a previous Duchess in mind :)

After 2 weeks of playing I'm thrilled with this pack, that released on July 22nd. Hoping what's left of Summer will be a chilly and rainy, with plenty of days and nights for gaming (j/k).

New Household Index

(Year 227) Yay! After all these years I finally took the time to create a Household Index! This new feature includes all my current 100+ households, with lots of key info at one glace. 

See who are the household members (name and age), their financial status (if great or bad) and fame, any lot challenges, what farm animals they have and what they grow commercially. Their address is of course given, and also whether this is formally registered as a House (with Head's Coat of Arms) or a regular household.

Our Brand New Farm Life - Week 1 of 3 (Spring)

(Year 227, Spring) In a new mini series we'll follow a family of 7 moving from a tiny rented flat in San Myshino, all the way to Henford-on-Bagley. It's not only a long distance to travel, but also an extreme change to how they live their lives. There will be 3 parts each representing one week, starting with the dreams & moving, then there will be improvement of farm and routines and blending into the local community, and finally a quick summing it all up.

OBS: The first part is a long read, come back with a cup of tea when you got the time needed, or prepare for just scrolling the pictures. The next two chapters will be shorter.

This Fall, head of the household will be guesting the HIP Studio show, that will return!

But first - let's get to know this big household!

Antoinette Morck (42) might ring a bell with many, well known from co-hosting the annual Reg12 NEWS. However, she is more of a private person, and never worked hard on building fame beyond the expected minimum. Not many knew that she lives together with Salim Benali (51), and that they over 6 years had a total of 5 kids!

Mugger Farm attends the Fair

(Year 227) Today the second Cottage Living special edition of my Screenshot Folder video series (phew) was released. Instead of the 3 remaining videos focusing on just 3 households, I chose to dedicate each of them to the households of each of the 3 hoods. So, today you will meet the residents at Shiningham Hall (Ross), Cracrow Cottage and Crumpleton Cracrow - all at Finchwick! Embedded video link at end of this article.

Here on the blog today's focus will be on Finchwich also, but not the households. A farmer from far outside of Henford brought her daughter (8) to enter the contests at the weekly Finchwick Fair!

Janet Mugger runs the family farm, Mugger farm, at Muggerdale in Gloomville (aka the poor hood of Willow Creek). She was a teenager when her parents were no longer around, and although her only brother had plans of moving to Brindleton Bay, he stayed with Janet until she was old enough to run the farm by her own.

Online Residents Registry Upgrade

(Y227) Cottage Living comes with lots of new animals and produce, and my online residents registry had to be upgraded with some of the new content. Farm Rights were updated (although the system is being looked into on request by the MIDDLE party), but even more interesting is that HOUSEHOLD INFO has been added to each personal bio-page.

Politician Fanny Silverbone has her hands full at home - 2 cows, chicken coop, and more than 30 produce plants.
Plenty of chores for herself and hubby George, and their 2 children, 3 dogs and 1 cat!

In the past each bio page was including personal stuff only, but now you will see all members of the household with name/age if you point at their mini icon, and link to their personal bio page for more info if you click the icon.

Screenshots - Cottage Living Specials

So, I'm having a blast with this new expansion pack, The Sims 4 Cottage Living! Farming was much anticipated, and this pack adds most of what I wanted. Although I was hoping for pigs and sheep, I realize that my farms will get way too busy with their cows, llamas and chicken. The lot challenges are cool, and I'm lucky to have nearly no bugs - just a couple minor things that I can easily ignore for now.

I'll share screenshots in 4 special edition videos of my Simmerville's Screenshots Folder series. Each video is just a couple minutes long, they are the perfect little break entertainment, but you might also spot some details that can trig new ideas for your own game.

House of Saxor: Splitting up

(Region 12, Y227) House of Saxor reports major changes to their organisation.

Duke Victus (53) and Duchess Gloria (71) of Meadows. The Duke now Head of House of Saxor.

Auphor Saxor (86), ex-Duke of Meadows and now Baron of Verde, has changed last name from Saxor to Sax-Donnersmalt. He left the Meadows dukedom to his son, Victus Amador Saxor, years ago, but while a high nobility Peer has the privilege to step back at any time, this is not possible for Head of House. So, Auphor Saxor stayed Head of House of Saxor, despites leaving San Myshuno for Oasis Springs.

Misc pictures #2

(Year 227) I'm still out of town missing out on the Cottage Living release, but in a few days I'll join the farm life, and I can't wait! I've planned Henford-on-Bagley in detail, in my online residents registry you'll fin all HoB residents, and for some I even created a back story including local ancestors (linked from top of blog's front page). The biggest surprise migh be that Agnes Crumplebottom is registered with a son (!). Portraits must of course wait untill I get back to my game.

Meanwhile, here's a quick post with a few recent pictures...

Janet Mugger at my old Mugger Farm is one of my old households that will soon be joined by farm animals! They also have a dog, cat and toddler - but no money, so I guess it will be an interesting upgrade.

History of Henford-on-Bagley

(Year 227, Henford-on-Bagley) Right before TS4 Cottage Living expansion pack release, here's my take on the Henford history!

It's both fun and challenging trying to blend in a new world with my existing history of 227 years, not the least because Henford-on-Bagley is actually the main seat of one of my most prominent families and dukedoms; House of Ross. They held the Rossie dukedom since the very start, and throughout all these years they contributed to the development of this countryside community, not the least the trades of various farming crops.

Geographically Rossie is 3/5 of Region 2, located just outside my focused Region 12. Rossie covers the districts Henford-on-Bagley, Britechester and Hollow. This places the Rossie dukedom among the largest peerages of the entire Mazaloom, territorically. 

Misc pictures #1

 (Year 227) I'm out of town for the Summer, meaning I'm off my game. When I get back home the Cottage Living will just have released, and I'm looking forward to catching up with everything.

Meanwhile I will share some screenies gathered over the last months. I'll keep the text at minimum :)

This is Chaos Kessler (33), a hopeful Actor residing with his father, Psychologist Salvador Kessler (81, known from my As Sims Go By video series). Chaos' twin sister Micka is currently in University. Chaos had to practice a romance scene, and invited a co-actor over. Typically, his old dad walked in on them, and I have no idea what he might be thinking...

Monastery of Similius in need of Green Eyes

(Windenburg Year 227) Long ago I posted about the little monastery located in the middle of Windenburg's Isle. The place has a story back to Year 100, when the monastery was moved from The Bluff after war damages. Today the old, still off-the-grid lot is home to 4 monks.

Monastery life is not only about praying, singing and meditation.

Llamas everywhere!

(Year 227, Oasis Springs) So, we are eagerly awaiting the Cottage Living pack and with llamas introduced, TS4 will take a giant step forward, for sure! It's funny how a game with the llama as a legendary cultural element from the very start took more than two decades to add the animal itself to the mix. We have all been waiting for this moment- the wait is not over until July 22nd, but at least we find ourselves counting days.

As long as I can remember, there were always numerous of small hints of the llama being an important element of the simmish culture. Llamas on t-shirts, naming the Sim City football team, and many of the popup text events featured a llama reference, also, even if we never ever saw a single llama or knew exactly how or when they were such a big deal to simkind. At the moment I'm accessing neither my game(s) nor the internet, so I won't dive into all those reference details.

Charlotta Mu. Crumpleton

So, I'm out of town for a few weeks, and while not accessing my game, I thought why not introduce one of the two new Region 12 Councilors? You already met Charlotta Crumpleton in my As Sims Go By video series (season 3), but only in the background. Next episode (#3) she will be a lot more in focus as she leads the Science and Education Dept., and will discover a remarkable, long gone event involving Landgraab Science Lab. The episode will also give you (my take on) the truth about Johnny Zest.

Her full name is Charlotta Murderia Crumpleton. She is Head of House of Crumpleton, has turned 60 and married the 16 years younger Gunther (Munch) Crumpleton from Windenburg. They have twin sons Markus Christo and Martus Milton (8) and two cats. Both sons will of course be signed up with a private high school, but it's probable too early even telling what their likes and talents are. According to Charlotta's Head of House certificate, this house is meant to focus on painting and the Interstellar Smuggler branch of the Astronaut career, but nothing is written in stone.

Dancing with a Stage on your Head

Oh my, I just could not help myself! Sims Sessions has ended, and I think it was a great feature with a good festival vibe to it! My only negative (in addition to some duchesses now wearing festival t-shirts with their super exclusive jewelry), is that it lasted too short. In my corner of the world it's Summer and in addition we are almost back to normality from the C-19. So, I had no chance to play as much as I'd like to. 

I managed to squeeze in 2 visits to the festival. I would much appreciate such events to go on for longer. I understand there are legal rights involved, but why not replace the top artists with other sims singing songs that are already in the game and less restricted, after the main program expired?

Well, I ended the fest with a bang! Miko Ojo just had to try using the Sims Sessions stage as head. And my oh my was that thing huuuge!!! She felt like she was about to sabotage the entire Sims Sessions festival, so she rather walked over to the Church of Similius to dance in front of the stage she was wearing on her head!

Updated Heading

Not really worth a blog post, but as Google/Blogger has some problems uploading a header without a blurry result, I had to post the image on the blog. It did not help a bit, so forgive me for leaving the blurry header as is, and I'll give it another try eventually.

It was on time the header got an update as it still thought it was 2014 with all TS3 graphics. You might recognize a few of the new faces, and you might even smile when you notice who is smelling the fart from that cow. The cow will be there for the Cottage Living release only, so the farting will not go on forever...

The Free Will Show - More Horror

LINK to Episode 21 was added end of this post! (You might need to reload page)

It's the show's 4th season, and well, because it is meant to be the final season there ought to be more drama! Ramona has a clear lead, but a win is not yet in her pocket. Next episode (day 21) is to be released this Sunday, and will feature vampire bit, volcanic activity and death! Here's a few screenies.

Have you never before heard of the Free Will Show? 4 contenders stay in a house where they live by free will,  building a score from a list of everyday tasks that they randomly tend to. Cleaning floor or plate is the typical small task that gives them some small points, but there are also negative scores which can make huge impact on the ranking. The contenders are not aware of what will affect their score. In each episode we get their episode score, and the lowest will get a red lamp lit. They only have 4 lamps, and having all 4 lit will mean getting kicked out. The last standing wins the house and becomes a resident of my Region 12 + wins cash equaling to the final score (x 1000).

Cottage Living - Mega picture thread

You probably watched the The Sims 4 Cottage Living in game trailer launched today, but if you like me, felt there was too much info to absorb at just one look through, you might like to join me sharing a few  screenies in this post.

The info is sorted by World, Animals, Crops, Canning and Embroidery :) I actually planned 5 posts, but perhaps it will be better to get it done with right away.

Sims Sessions Music Festival - picture thread

(Year 227 Gloomville - Click pictures for a better view) The festival Sims Sessions featuring Joy Oladokun, Glass Animals and Bebe Rexha, might be the event of the year in Gloomville (aka Willow Creek), so the group of 6 students staying at Mossy Lane Dorm in Britechester took no chances - they had to be there!

There was another reason for me selecting this group though; as visiting sims will have festival gear replacing the top in one of their outfits, why not send a group of students - they will have their outfits adjusted at graduating from University, anyway :)

A new term starts at Mossy Lane dorm

(Year 227, Britechester) This Fall the popular Mossy Lane Dorm, known to be the temporary home of high nobility University students, is full again! It means the place will be rather packed for the coming term. The group include students who origin from San Myshuno, Gloomville, Brindleton Bay, Rossie and Windenburg. Several of them would probably never have met if it was not for Mossy Lane. 

They started off the term with attending the Sims Sessions music festival at Gloom Garden in Gloomville. It's only a 60 minutes bus drive from Britechester - lots of pictures to be posted later today, just wanted to introduce the 6 students first :)  

From left: Paula Mox, Leon De. de Cavalier, Lizzy Rab-Saxor,
Wolfgang Munch, Micka Kessler and Rohan Elderberry.

The dorm is located at Gibbs Hill in Britechester, Rossie. The standard is a little higher than the regular dorms, and living a bit away from campus might give the m ore serious students a better focus. It's also a fact that anyone staying here earning a degree with honors will be gifted 1% ownership in Mossy Lodgers, Inc., the company that owns the dorm. There is normally a few years waiting to stay here, and the queue is ranked by ownership - some finer houses might benefit from this in the long run.