23
16
30
Dear Readers, This is the first edition of our Holiday Mini-zine! The staff worked extra hard this month to be able to give you two magazines! Our goal is to publish a mini-zine for each major holiday! Now, these are not meant to be grand and filled with a lot of pages. These are meant to be fun for any simmer. No matter if you’re a builder, Sim creator, story writer, player, etc. We want to add a little bit of everything for everyone! We hope you enjoy this issue and don’t forget to check out issue 2 of ABC Magazine on October 30! Register at our site for news, tips, tutorials, contests, and more. There are a lot of fun things to find in this issue, and read carefully! You never know what might be in Nik’s Fan Games! We would love to hear your feedback, suggestions, and ideas, so stop by our forums or leave guestbook comment. If you would like to be considered for a feature in our magazine, write me or Nik with your builds and we’ll see if we can use it! We will publish our second Holiday Edition in December for Christmas, so if there is anything you would like to contribute, feel free to write me with your ideas. We will accept games, contest ads, and we may choose YOUR build for an interview or review. Thank you all for your support and comments! We love hearing from you! Enjoy!
pepper090889 Editor
Tomb Building Tutorial By Mom2Elias
Daring Adventurers! You've explored all there is to explore. You've gathered all the riches, cracked all the puzzles and conquered all the dangers. But have you tried your hand at tomb building? Tomb building is a challenge all in itself and if you are ready for it, here are a few helpful tips to get you started: 
Opening the Menu. World Adventures is REQUIRED for tomb building. If you don't have it, you won't have access to the tomb building materials. Before beginning, you need to enable testingcheats. To do this, press Ctrl+Shift+C and enter "testingcheatsenabled true" (without the quotations as show here):
Nothing visually happens yet. Open the blue box again, but type "buydebug" and press Enter.
Now when you enter Buy mode, you will see a box with a "?". In the screenshot shown below, it is located above the Comfort category, but if you do not have Pets, it will be located where the Pets category currently is in my screenshot.
Once you have built your tomb, you will want to link your tomb items ONE PAIR AT A TIME. This will prevent damage to brain cells. It can get very confusing if you have too many loose triggers and behaviors.

Triggers Versus Activated Behaviors. Speaking of damaged cells, I'm going to rewire your brain for the concept of triggers and activated behaviors. Yes, you read that right. Our brains take shortcuts when processing information. Let's take the direction "turn on the light". Without thinking about it, you go and flip a switch that turns on a light. You didn't physically turn on a light; you turned on a switch that then turns on the light.
The light switch is a trigger that is linked up to the actual light, which is an activated behavior. The light switch is either on or off and the light is on or off. They are two separate actions that are linked together. Another way to think about it is with the good old "If, Then" statements. If I flip the light switch "ON", then the light will turn "ON". Understand this and you will have so much creative freedom when tomb building.

Linking. With the concept in mind, let's link two tomb items to show you how it's done. I'm using a set of stairs and a treasure chest for this example. The treasure chest is found in the buydebug menu we brought up, but the stairs can be any standard set of stairs in the game (spiral staircases do not work for this). Now, we need to know what we want these two items to do so using the "IF, THEN" statement, I will outline how this link will be set up: IF a Sim OPENS the treasure chest [Trigger], THEN the stairs will APPEAR (or UNHIDE) [Activated Behavior].
To begin, you must open the menu by pressing Ctrl+Shift while clicking on an object. This allows you to access the menu that set up that object with a link to another object. For our purposes, we will begin with the stairs. In order to create an activated behavior that UNHIDES the stairs, we first need to hide them.
Now you the stairs are covered by floor tiles, matching the room around them. (Note: If you do this on bare terrain, you will have a hole in the ground. If you wish to have stairs outside, I'd recommend them in a "paved" area, not in the grass.) Let's set up the first half of our "IF, THEN" statement: "IF a Sim OPENS the treasure chest". This will be our Trigger. When you open the menu, there will be two options that mention Triggers. When setting a LINK between two objects, always choose Link Triggers.
We want the stairs to UNHIDE when we OPEN the chest, so select OPEN.
The Trigger is set. Easy right? Now let's set the Activated Behavior. The second half of the "IF, THEN" statement says: "THEN the stairs will APPEAR (or UNHIDE)". Again, we are setting up a LINK so make sure to select Link to Activated Behavior.
Because we want them to reappear, select UNHIDE.
You have now linked your first tomb items! To verify that it is set up correctly, hover over the two items with your cursor. You should see a pink/purple link connecting the two items when you hover over the treasure chest and a green line connecting them when you hover over the stairs.
If you do not see these lines, clear the links by selecting "Clear all links to and from this object" on both the items and try again.
If you want more than one Activated Behavior to happen when you Trigger and item, you can do this by repeating the steps with the second behavior. For instance, IF a Sim OPENS the chest, THEN the stairs will APPEAR (or UNHIDE) AND the door LOCKS. Set up the first link exactly as I described above, then repeat the IF part of the statement, also known as the Trigger, but then click on the door for the Link to the Activated Behavior portion. When you finish linking the three items you will see lines connecting the door and the stairs to the treasure chest.
Treasure Chests, Treasure Spawners (the green and yellow Speech bubble), floor and wall holes, dive wells, and sarcophagus' can all give treasure and you can set the treasure you want the tomb item to give by doing the following: Open the Tomb Building Menu on the Treasure Chest or other item and select Treasure Component.
Now you can select for the tomb item to give a treasure one time, regularly, or both.
Then select the treasure type you want to be dispensed from the list provided. The "$" are money bags. Ancient coins can be given this way or with the pile provided in the buydebug menu, but the buydebug coin pile does not respawn.
If you want the Treasure Chest, the only tomb item that allows this, to give more than one item at a time, select Set Treasure Chest Info. You can then select for the chest to give up to 5 items.
Storyline progression is what makes your tomb unique. You want to know who built the tomb and why. What are they hiding? To help pass this information on to your explorers gradually you can drop hints with plaques and observations. As an example, I'm going to have my Sim exclaim, "Wow! Where did those come from?" when the stairs appear.
First, because I want the message to appear when the stairs appear, the activated behavior, I click on the stairs and open the tomb building menu again. Then click on Activated Behaviors, NOT Link to Activated Behavior. We have already set up the link, now we just want to add a few dazzling details.
Then select UNHIDE because that's what are stairs will be doing.
Next choose the option Set TNS on Activation.
Now enter the text you want to appear. Viola! Instant personalization.
Lastly, we want sparkles! No, really, I mean sparkles. You can set the link of the items to sparkle, letting your explorer know that the tomb item activated something. This is very important, especially when you have tomb items that are linked in separate rooms. The sparkles, or Cause/Effect, act as a hint to your explorers as to what direction to look in for something new, like the now apparent stairs.
You always select the Activated Behavior for this, not the Trigger. So clicking on our Stairs, select Activated Behavior again.
And again, choose UNHIDE.
Finally, select Turn On Cause/Effect FX. Very easy.
Now don't forget to test your final product! I highly suggest linking and testing ONE ROOM at a time if possible. It's easier to locate the issues that need correcting.
If you have specific tomb building questions or other tutorial requests, feel free to post your request on our website in the Forums.
To Buy, or Not to Buy? By Jonny
Su Su fellow Simmers! We all have one question when it comes to the Sims 3 Store, Buy…or not Buy? For this review, however, that question is thrown out the window as all the objects in the set are FREE! The Halloween theme seems to be greatly appreciated by the Sims developers as they have given us a free set once every year. Read more to find out what's in these spooky sets. First off we have the 'Halloween Treats'. Included are 6 'spooktacular' items. Upon download, you'll receive a candle chandelier, jack-o-lantern floor lamp, a ghost shaped mirror, black table with a web patterned tablecloth, mysterious cat sculpture, and a pack of four ghost shaped wall shades. The problem with these items is that they have a quite noticeably tacky 'Halloween decoration' appearance. The main use for these items is to allow your Sims to have a more atmospheric Halloween themed party, so I would recommend this set if you're the kind to have your Sims throw Halloween parties or like making Halloween themed houses. The biggest problem, however, is that there isn't quite enough; so we're going to need more items.
Fear not, for next the 'More Halloween Treats' set was released. The two frightful hairs give your Sims a reason to dress up when the time of year comes around. This set also contains a more authentic jack-o-lantern, combined with a gigantic ghost light and a buffet table. Once again, these items would be most suitable for a Halloween party or themed house, but not much good when Halloween's over. I know what you're thinking “Hang on a second you promised more items.� Admittedly there aren't many items from this set but this is to be expected from a free set. The buffet table is a great addition as it is a functional object, unlike the majority of the free items. The jack-o-lanterns look much more realistic in this set and could be used in creepy forests or houses. As for the giant ghost, it does take up a lot of space and is so bright it can hardly be seen as anything more than a white blur. Thankfully the items do not end there. The final set provides us with 6 more free items. If this isn't enough free items to get you in the Halloween spirit then nothing will be. The items in this particular set aren't as horrific as the title 'Gory Goodies' sets them out to be. Included are a coffin coffee table, Moe P. Cuddlebones, which can be considered one of the most adorable bears yet, a spider-web mirror, and three decorations consisting of a ghost with treats, a skull wall hanging, and a gravestone cake, complete with glass cloche. This set is of a decent size for a Halloween freebie, and it has some pretty good items which can be used after the holiday is over. I know what my little gothic Sims will be getting for their birthday! With all of the above included we are left with a total of 9 objects and 2 hairs, all for free! Whilst some of the objects may be better off left in store where your game won't get clogged up with their uselessness, some items can be used after the holidays have ended. I would recommend downloading this set only if you plan to use the objects. Even if you want to have a little Halloween house just for the holidays that's fine, you can always uninstall and wait for next year to install the whole lot again! Overall this set receives 3/5 plumbobs. I would be inclined to rate it higher if the items weren't such a tacky Halloween style, or if they had a wider range of use for decorating rather than just for Halloween themed parties or houses. Until next time, Degg Degg! If you are interested in this set you may also like the Gothique Library or the Gothique living + sleeping rooms. Both complete with a variety of gothic styled furniture and decorations.
For more Information or to download any of the items in this article please visit The Sims 3 Store.
Knight Family Museum
Want to go somewhere with a bit of history? A beautifully decorated location that tells a story within its walls? Well, “The Knight Family Museum� is perfect for you.
A Build by Rawr2019
This home once belonged to Grace Knight and her daughter Emma. Grace was a witch, artist, and sculptor. No one knew about her secret life until her untimely death, when Emma convinced the mayor of Hidden Springs to make her old home a town museum.
A Build by Rawr2019
Now you can go there to see Grace's paintings, sculptures, old spell book, and even her old bedroom. This is a wonderful place to take the family for a little history and a nice evening meal.
Download here: http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=4570220
Quiz: What should your Sim be for Halloween? 1. What is your Sim mostly likely to do to celebrate Halloween? a. Throw a party. b. Sleepover with friends. c. Go to a Haunted House or Graveyard. d. Donate to a charity via mailbox. 2. What is your favorite Halloween item? a. Web-o-Wonder [ web mirror ] b. Moe P. Cuddlebones [ skeleton bear ] c. De-coffinated table [ coffin coffee table ] d. The Mysterious Cat [ black cat ] 3. How would your friends react when they see your costume? a. They would think it looks cool. b. They would say I look cute / pretty / etc. c. They would say I look scary. d. They wouldn't get it. 4. What is Halloween about to you? a. Dressing up. b. Candy. c. Scaring children and unsuspecting Sims. d. Making the children happy. 5. What is your Sim’s clothing like outside of Halloween? a. The latest fashion. b. Cute skirts and tops. c. Mostly black and gloomy. d. Hippie / Eco inspired. *Note: To see the costumes mentioned, look at the back cover.
Mostly A’s Look-alike
Mostly B’s Cute as a Pumpkin
Like IceBro, your Sim may prefer dressing as a celebrity or movie character. Whether it's James Bond, Marilyn Monroe, or a character from your favorite movie, your Sim would win any look-alike contest.
Like gngrsnp, your Sim may like dressing as a cute animal or creature. Perhaps a fairy or a dinosaur? Either way, your Sim will definitely make the other Sims in the room say "Aww."
Mostly C’s Dead-lightful
Mostly D’s Eco-treat
Like mattgstl, your Sim wants to scare the lights out of their friends. Whether it be vampire or zombie, your Sim really knows how to make Halloween a scream.
Your Sim may be eco-Friendly, or not. But like Mom2Elias, they do not stick to the traditional orange for Halloween, they want to Go Green! Literally. Perhaps a Wood Nymph or Forrest Fairy would do the trick?
Can you Spot the Differences? Can you spot the 5 differences in these photos?
Answers: 1) Kylie’s costume color.
2) Jonny’s Shrew is missing.
3) The skull on the wall is missing.
4) Jessica’s hair is different.
5) The table colors are different.
Scrambled Words You may want to grab a pen and paper for this. Unscramble the words to find the answer. Fill in the blanks as you go along.
Where do ghosts go on vacation? 1. lkbca tca _____
___
2. repavmi _______ 3. mestbotno _________ 4. ayagvedrr _________ 5. ckrit ro eatrt _____
__
_____
L_k_ E_ _i_ Answers: 1) black cat
2) vampire
3) tombstone
4) graveyard
5) trick or treat;
Question: Lake Eerie
http://compositionmagazine.webs.com
Simiam Post
Oct. 2011
Scout Troop Wins Prized
Halloween Night in the Museum Simiam Post Staff Writer: gngrsnp
Llama Scout Troop 102 won this year’s annual Halloween Night in the Museum. Arriving initially in their scout uniforms and makeup, the group proceeded to change into their costumes to begin their night of exploration, which would run from 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. the following morning.
When asked why the troop signed up for the event, troop leader Mysimson said, “The night will combine learning, merit skilling, and Halloween fun all in one evening.” Here’s what the scouts had to say about their evening:
Brunhilda Thropp – “I had so much fun telling scary stories ’til Kala started crying. Oh, and I went to the computer lab and put a scary spell on the computer and Timmy peed his pants. And best of all, I reanimated the mummy with a secret potion I made in the lab all by myself.”
Simiam Post
Oct. 2011
3TREES – “Well, I’m here helping because I owe 100 hours of community service. Never egg the mayor’s house. Anyway, I liked the Magic Room with the Spell Book and The Cursed Skulls Collection. At least what I saw of them. I swear I had nothing to do with letting that mummy out. Wasn’t me! One minute I’m checking out the Spell book and the next I’m attacked! I was out cold most of the night.””
Timmy Turner – “I want to be a pirate or an astronaut and explore space, but I’m scared of swords and there might be scary aliens in space. I like looking at the stuff in all the cases and pretending I’m the one that found them. Oh, and I learned to tell scary stories but can’t be inside or dark.” *shivers*
Cleo – “I like the Tiny-max Theater, the bugs and butterflies, and feeding the fishes. I can’t wait ’til all the other animals arrive. I’m working on my Mother Nature Badge right now.”
Simiam Post
Oct. 2011
May – “I like the gift shop. They had books on fairies. I didn’t bring enough money to buy one, but the lady let me read it right there in the store. I also like the magical creatures. They’re just like me.”
Genne Fleur – “I got to run the movie projector and learned to change the reels and how to make the computer play movies. I also liked the outside gardens and the art room and exhibit upstairs.”
Kala Atariki – “I like acting and costumes. Cleo and I gave a performance in the cafeteria. Then, I gave a one-man show to the scientist in the lab below. Gosh, they have the best costumes at the museum.”
Simiam Post
Oct. 2011
“I swear it wasn’t me!” Special event: Every full moon, the truly brave can sit and watch the curator give a demonstration using the spell book.
Pray he gets the spell right, this time. (Chuckle) Best seats are on/by the stairs, that way you can be the first one out if…. (Boy, does that gnome collection seem to grow.) Please, again, on the way out don’t kick the gnomes. It could be you out there one day.
Simiam Post Brunhilda Thropp by blacksheba1973 (Evil, Genius, Computer Whiz)
Yoda Halloween 4 by yoda65 (Excitable, Inappropriate, Eco Friendly)
Keven Mysimson by coraltheo (None)
Genne Fleur by gngrsnp (Loves The Outdoors, Artistic, Good Sense Of Humor)
Oct. 2011
Timmy Turner by typicalgemini (Over-emotional, Inappropriate, Heavy Sleeper)
sim By 3TREES (Mean Spirited, Shy, Athletic, Vehicle Enthusiast)
May by Bruitforce22 (Perfectionist, Photographer's Eye, Artistic)
Kala Atariki by gngrsnp (Virtuoso, Star Quality, Loves The Outdoors)
http://simsrelations.forumotion.com/
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/446946.page
The Haunted House A build by Bellili Story by Bellili Review by IceBro
Are you brave this October? Are you ready for anything, ready for...a bit of horror, maybe? Then pull on your mask, get your candy bags ready, and prepare for a bumpy ride, as this is one haunted house you won’t want to miss. But first, let us do some research. Like we all know, nothing is as it seems. Each little thing has its own little story. Well, this house has a story of its own. - IceBro
“This house hasn’t always looked like this. It used to be the house of a wealthy couple and they used to be very happy. Everything in their life seemed perfect, so the man asked his love to marry him. A day before their marriage, she left for her parents’ and never returned. His fiancé, his love; gone forever. Her parents couldn’t tell where she left to, as she had never really visited them. Oh, how happy they were, how much they loved each other. It was all gone now. Not long after, the house fell in despair and no one ever saw the man again. Years later, there was a group of friends on vacation who thought it would be fun to break into the house. People heard their screams, but no one dared to enter. It’s been told their remains are still in the house.
The Haunted House A build by Bellili Story by Bellili
Maybe someday someone will notice the flowers that the unfortunate man left for his fiancÊ. Even after all these years they still lie there, waiting for a hand to pick them up, waiting for a real person to smell the scent of the flowers and to love the person they came from.� - Bellili
The Haunted House A build by Bellili
Review by IceBro This house features beautiful Victorian architecture. The creator used the patterns very well to get that look of old and abandoned. The fog features and all the other little details she added completed the house to give it that very spooky look. Where sometimes the house lacked in darkness, the dark and sinister wall paper and overall disuse fixed the spot. This is a true gem and I would say it’s the perfect house to download this Halloween. Just beware, when you enter the house, you might not ever return. Creator: Bellili To view Bellili’s Showcase Thread, go here. You can download this house here. Expansion Packs: World Adventures, Ambitions, Late Night, Generations. Stuff Packs: High-End Loft, Fast Lane, Outdoor Living, Town Life. Store Items: Yes CC: No Score: Architecture: 7/10 Atmosphere: 8/10 Story: 9/10 Reviewed by IceBro
Sanderson House A build by pepper090889
Built for mwjessica723’s Halloween contest, Sanderson House is a witch’s fantasy. Made for the Sanderson Sisters, this house includes the spell book, one loft bedroom [ with 3 beds ], one bathroom, and an eat-in kitchen. Completely furnished and landscaped with an eerie fog that creeps through the walls at night. This house was built based from the movie Hocus Pocus.
Download Sanderson House Today! And don’t forget to leave a rec!
KylieS21
Bobby Singer’s Salvage Yard
Bobby Singer is the father figure to Sam and Dean Winchester, notorious ghost hunters and kickers of demon butt.
Bobby Singer’s Salvage Yard
KylieS21
By day he runs a small town salvage yard, the rest of the time he serves as researcher and backup plan to the boys. With a small library of his own and several years hunting experience himself, he is a highly valued member of the team.
KylieS21
Bobby Singer’s Salvage Yard
Come and explore his world; from falling down water towers to secret basement safe rooms and car parts galore.
Try not to trip on the books on your way out.
Download Bobby Singer’s Salvage Yard: http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=4749525 Don’t forget to leave a rec!
mattgstl
Haunted House CafĂŠ
Once home to the Goth family around 100 years ago until they moved up to their current home, this house has seen many generations. But now this is no longer a home, but a cafe.
mattgstl
Haunted House CafĂŠ
Much of the rooms are the same as it was left, but the main change is the new cafe open 24/7. So, do not be afraid if you hear a bump in the night, be very afraid.
Download here: http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=4732631
Credits Tomb Building Tutorial – Mom2Elias To Buy, or Not To Buy – Jonny -Halloween Treats -More Halloween Treats -Gory Goodies
Happy Halloween
Knight Family Museum – Rawr2019 -Knight Family Museum
Supernatural Museum Sleepover – gngrsnp -Brunhilda Thropp – blacksheba1973 -Timmy Turner – typicalgemini -Yoda Halloween 4 – yoda65 -Sim – 3TREES -Keven Mysimson – coraltheo -May – Bruitforce22 -Genne Fleur – gngrsnp -Kala Atariki - gngrsnp
The Haunted House Review – IceBro
For more Halloween Builds check out mwjessica723’s Halloween Contest!
Links -Composition Magazine -Sim Relations -ABC Fan Games -ABC Legacy Contest
-The Haunted House - Bellili
-ABC Request Team Sanderson House & Sisters – pepper090889 -Sanderson House -The Sanderson Sisters
-ABC Magazine Website
Bobby Singer’s Salvage Yard – KylieS21 -Bobby Singer’s Salvage Yard
Haunted House Café – mattgstl -Haunted House Café
Feel free to advertise your Halloween builds on our site on the thread titled “Happy Halloween”
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/441826.page
The ABC Staff