SimmedUp Magazine Issue 8

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Issue 4 - Dec 2020

K8Simsley

Editor’s Letter SulSul Simmers, Welcome to issue 8 of SimmedUp Magazine. The community magazine, created by Sims fans for Sims fans.

I am K8 Simsley, and I enjoyed acting as the SimmedUp Magazine editor this month! The team that puts this magazine together is exceptional, and talent is abundant in this small group. I am truly honoured to be a part of this team and learn from them every day.

This month we bring a fantastic issue of Simmed Up! We highlight some incredible creators in the community, including Plumbaleena, known for her outstanding landscaping. KiaraSims4Mods - a unique and active modder in the Sims 4 community, Fidlos, a creative builder who builds for a cause, and many more amazingly talented Simmers.

Issue 8 features the extraordinary MissSimReno! Her unique builds and outgoing personality have made her a fan favourite, and her YouTube channel is rapidly growing.

She talks to us about The Sims, chats about building, and even shares her thoughts on extraterrestrial life!

With Spring starting to bloom in many parts of the world, Grace takes a look at the latest and greatest farming mods to help you add some interest to your gameplay and enhance your green thumb.

We also share our first ever Simmed Up Shell Challenge results by introducing you to Aneta Blake - the winner of this ‘just for fun’ building challenge. There are plenty more build challenges to come, so keep sending in your entries, and you could find yourself featured in an upcoming issue of Simmed Up Magazine!

Without further ado, I urge you to enjoy all that this jampacked issue has to offer, and I genuinely hope that you enjoy the read as much as I enjoyed creating it. If you have not done so already, be sure to join us on Twitter to stay up-to-date with all things Simmed Up related. Check out our Discord and Patreon channels to get behind-thescenes sneak-peaks of upcoming content, extra challenge entries, and other perks.

Until Next Time, Continue To Be Simtacular!

Recent updates to The Sims 4 brought players: • Improved hair textures on a few of the base game hairstyles.

• Expanded painting swatches for several Base Game paintings to be more diverse and appealing.

• Bug Fixes, Including: • Bust the Dust: • Retraining of the adorable Dust Bunnies to prevent their ever-sofrequent appearance • Slower dust accumulation.

• Nifty Knitting: • The ability to ‘resume’ a knitting project when interrupted.

• Proper tagging of knitting baskets in build/buy.

• Journey to Batuu: • Improved alien residents.

• Parenthood: • Improved teenage behaviour.

• Eco Lifestyle:

• Get Famous: • Fixed React with Disgust • Seasons: • No more puddle mopping.

• Added The Polar Bear Plunge Tradition to the game, so feel free to dive in if you dare!

• Cats and Dogs: • Kittens age-up when given age-up treats.

• Use pet poop as fertiliser.

• Get To Work: • Transform Some Grass task available in the science career.

• General/Base Game: • Toddlers are much less picky eaters and will actually eat.

• No more puddles when drinking water.

• Fixed Auto Solving Hygiene issues.

• Teens to Elders can play dolls with a toddler.

• Improved 21st Birthday icons.

• Fixed Insect Farms • Improved vertical gardens • Reinstated Community Boards in build/buy • Fix to the ‘plumbing required’ problem that was plaguing players.

• Added the ability to store bug grub in the fridge.

• Improved Traits and Trait-Related Behaviours.

• And of course, the addition of Bunk Beds (FINALLY)!!!

ISSUE 8 APRIL 2021

46 ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS CC SERIES BASE GAME T-SHIRT RECOLOR W/MADDYCATTS

50 TITAN ARCHITECTS #SHOWUSYOUBUILDS FT. SUMMERRPLAYS

56 MISSSIMRENO K8SIMSLEY ASKS ABOUT BUILDING, YOUTUBE,AND ALIENS

66 FAN ART: IZZY SHOWS US ANOTHER SIDE OF MORGAN EMBERS

70 RETRO CORNER GARDENING 101: GARDENING IN THE SIMS 3

76 MEET FIDLOS MINRAED TALKS WITH FILDOS ABOUT HIS BOTANICAL GARDEN

6 JUST FOR FUN TEST YOUR SIMS SMARTS

8 TIPS AND TRICKS FIND AND FIX BROKEN CC

12 #MACHINIMALIFE POSE & ANIMATION TIPS

18 INTRODUCING PLUMBALEENA

24 COOKING SIMS-STYLE WITH GRANNY RUTH

28 COMIC INTERVIEW W/SIMMINGINTHE6

30 CC TOP PICKS EDITOR’S CHOICE

42 INTERVIEW KIARASIMS4MODS

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YOUR SIMS #SHOWUSYOURSIMS

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SHOP TIL YOU DROP SPRING INTO STYLE

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BUILD A BETTER LIFE

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SIMSPIRATION

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SIMTOGRAPHY SCHOOL

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SIMMEDUPMAG SHELL CHALLENGE WINNER

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MAKING A SIMMER

THEMOMCAVE EXPLAINS GROWTH VS. A FIXED MINDSET

K8SIMSLEY SHARES THE TOP LANDSCAPING TIPS MINRAED TEACHES YOU TO TAKE GREAT PICTURES IN THE SIMS CONGRATULATIONS TO ANETA BLAKE!

STUNNING CREATIONS OF SIMARCHITECTUR

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LET’S GARDEN AND FARM IN SIMS 4

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SIMSCOPES

MOD REVIEWS WITH GRACE

WHAT’S IN YOUR SIMS STARS?

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WHAT MONTH OF THE YEAR HAS 28 DAYS??

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WHAT IS FULL OF HOLES BUT STILL HOLDS WATER?

WHAT QUESTION CAN YOU NEVER ANSWER YES TO?

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LEARN SIMLISH

Cuh Teekaloo!/ Hey there, how’s it going?

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LEARNSIMLISH.BLOGSPOT.COM/P/SIMLISH-DICTIONARY.HTML

Hooba Noobi!/ What’s up?

Wee-bow / I do when proposing!

GUESS THE CAS

LAST MONTHS ANSWERS: Q: A MOTHER HAS 6 GIRLS AND EACH OF THEM HAS A BROTHER. HOW MANY CHILDREN ARE THERE?

A: 7. EACH GIRL HAS THE SAME BROTHER

Q: JIMMY’S MOTHER HAD FOUR CHILDREN. SHE NAMED THE FIRST MONDAY. SHE NAMED THE SECOND TUESDAY, AND SHE NAMED THE THIRD WEDNESDAY. WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE FOURTH CHILD?

A: SHE NAMED THE FIRST MONDAY. SHE NAMED THE SECOND TUESDAY, AND SHE NAMED THE THIRD WEDNESDAY. WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE FOURTH CHILD? ANSWER: JIMMY, BECAUSE JIMMY'S MOTHER HAD FOUR CHILDREN! Q: WHO IS BIGGER: MR. BIGGER, MRS. BIGGER, OR THEIR BABY? A: THEIR BABY. BECAUSE HE'S A LITTLE BIGGER" GUESS THE CAS: TOOL TIME FAMILY

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Hot Tips For Posing, Animating and Creating a Machinima: A Conversation Between The Mom Cave and Sims Berrry.

I was incredibly fortunate to spend some time with the lovely Sims Berrry, where I learned so much about her and how she has been a trailblazer in the machinimator community. Sims Berrry (Bri) started creating machinima when she was 13, and she posted her first machinima when she was 14. In addition to creating incredible machinimas and completely stunning Sims, she also has created some great animations and a . tutorial for the T.O.O.L mod The Mom Cave: It is so great to meet with you today. To get us started today, I’m curious. How long have you been playing The Sims?

Sims Berrry: I’ve been playing the Sims since 2010. Started with Sims 1, skipped Sims 2 and started playing Sims 3. I think I’ve been making machinima with Sims 4 since 2015.

The Mom Cave: Wow! That’s quite a long time.

Sims Berrry: Yes. I was one of the first people who started making Sims 4 machinima. Machinimas were very new [in The Sims 4] at that time. There was no teleporter or pose player yet.

Throughout my time making Sims 4 machinima, I kind of started to discover a l l o f t h e t h i n g s t h a t a re h e re .

The Mom Cave: That’s amazing! Tell me more about that. Let’s go back to 2015, and making machinima. Nobody was doing it. What was that like?

Sims Berrry: There were only about 20 people. Most people were making machinima in Sims 3 and Sims 2. There wasn’t as much content in the game. And so, it was hard for people to get started in it. But, I just wanted to try something new. It was hard. You didn’t have Pose Player, and so you really had to abuse the “Talk to Self” interaction, and that was all you could do. You would just hope that they would do the right animations. It was also hard to make any serious machinimas because all of the a n i m a t i o n s w e re s o ex a g g e ra t e d .

When Pose Player came out, there still were not many custom poses or animations. So, you had to really rely on the in-game ones, and you had to type them in. I once accidentally printed out the whole sheet of animations and it was 100 pages of just code.

The Mom Cave: Oh my goodness! Well, thank you for kind of paving the way.

You were a trailblazer. Here you were, we had this new game The Sims 4.

I’m cracking up at the “Talk to Yourself” animation, because getting Sims to do anything now is hard, let alone back then when you had less control over

their actions when filming must have been a whole other level of challenge. I already want to lock them in pools half the time because they’re either setting their dorm on fire or getting each other pregnant in closets.

wanted to play Sims 2 on T w i t c h s o they could help me.

Sims Berrry: For me the worst is filming in Granite Falls because of the bears, who keep spawning. And so I keep transporting them to the basement. I think right now I have eight bears in the basement.

Sims Berrry: I think Sims 3 is the one I have the most content for. I grew up with it. I got it for my 10th birthday and kept playing it. I can’t really play Sims 4.

I can’t look at it as a game, but look at it as my filming tool. I prefer the gameplay in Sims 3. I started Sims 2, and that is fun as well. I like the struggle of a new save. I prefer to start a new save rather than continuing with multiple generations.

The Mom Cave: Sometimes the bloopers can be the best. What is one of your favourite and most memorable bloopers when posing Sims?

The Mom Cave: Of all the games you’ve played, which version is your favourite?

Sims Berrry: For me, the worst mistake I made when posing is that I accidentally The Mom Cave: What do you love the chose an animation that was for a dog most about making machinima? and I used it on a human character. So, that was just very, very cursed. Sims Berrry: I think it’s watching the stories come to life. It’s one thing to The Mom Cave: So, fast-forward to write a story down in a book. It’s now. You’ve kind of taken a break for another to be able to make them how school. What are you studying? you want them and seeing them play in front of you. It’s so exciting when you Sims Berrry: I’m studying math and have a machinima that you’ve been working on for years, and you get to programming. that one scene that you have been planning on from the start. And then, The Mom Cave: Wow! Could you create you finally get to film it. That is so a better pose player please? I’ve been exciting! This is what I love the most trying to get Twisted Mexi to and he’s about making machinima. ignoring my calls. I saw you’ve started a Twitch. What are you doing there?

The Mom Cave: Tell me about your gorgeous machinima, The Kenopsia Sims Berrry: I wanted to play games, Effect. What do you want people to but wanted to feel productive! I also know about it? wanted to try Sims 2, because I never played it before and most of my friends Sims Berrry: Kinopsia is a made up word for all are Sims 2 machinima directors. I a place that used to be bustling with

need pets in your scenes. people, but now is forgotten and empty. I thought it sounded nice and futuristic. After • No Music Notes - Removes the musical the Great War in 2023, humanity is facing notes. A must especially for those who the verge of extinction. To prevent that from t e n d t o wa r d s a m o re re a l i s t i c happening the remaining people create a Machinima. country called Axis, which is located in a simulation. Hundreds of years later a • No ZZZs - This one we were not sure if it rebellion starts when people discover files worked or not. I have tried this one and it containing information about the outside didn’t seem to work. She “hasn’t made world. her Sims sleep in decades.” (I feel this one on a personal level). But, definitely

The Mom Cave: I watched a couple episodes and I think you have done a great job with the aesthetic and the story. It really shows your vision. What an incredibly creative idea. How did you come up with it?

worth a try.

• No Mosaic- If you don’t want naked Sims pixelated for a scene, or you do not want to fool with Wicked Whims. I can’t deal with sweaty Sims, so this one will be great .

Sims Berrry: I’ve watched Hunger Sims Berrry Top Animation Creators: games, and then I kept getting ideas • FlowersSimFactory and kept adding them to a list. And then • [MRT] Animation Sims 4 I was like, “OK, I have like 50 ideas, I’m” • CornyMio just going to make a series.

• Angela Am • SovaSims The Mom Cave: Let’s talk about your • RASCGAL go-to tools and tips now. Now we have Sims Berrry Top Tips/Tricks: Pose Player, we have T.O.O.L., and we have MCCC. Also, who are your favorite In-Game Animations: There is this list on pose and animation creators that you The Pose Player website. It is not use, when you do not make them completely up-to-date as of this writing. yourself?

However, you can download it and search animations. You can type them Sims Berrry Top Mods: directly into Pose Player under “ P o s e b y N a m e . ” • Pose P l a y e r / T e l e p o r t e r • T.O. O . L . M o d • UI Ch e a t s • MCC C • Select-able Pets - Can control the pets (this was news to The Mom Cave!). They can move around, you can have them interact with objects. Some interactions that don’t work and can be a little glitchy. However, it is very useful if you

• Planning: Unless you’re making a short three-minute machinima, take time to plan. You want to plan out your lots and CAS, write your story down and get as organized as you can. This will make the process so much easier. We both agreed, about this. And, we both agreed that having it written down doesn’t mean you won’t change things. It simply

means that you have a plan. So plan with flexibility.

Mom Cave Top Tip: Using MC Command Center as a Teleporter: • You can pose Sims together, just as you would with a teleporter. MCCC/ SimCommands/TeleportCommands/ Teleport Lot (on the lot) or World (anywhere) Sim to This Sim. The Sim will teleport to the target Sim and will line up exactly how they would with a teleporter. You can pose as you would.

• Always start an animation with a static pose: Find a static (non-animated) pose as a go-to. Mine is at the top of my pose list. Always start there. Then, add the animated poses. Unpause your game to get them in the static pose and then re-pause the game. Cancel the static pose for both sims. Unpause the game.

This ensures that your sims are in sync

with one another.

Be sure to head over to Sims Berrry’s channel and get bingeing on her amazing content. I so appreciate her taking the time to chat with me, to teach me and especially for being one who paved the way for the rest of us machinimators. You can find Sims Berrry on all of her socials which are in her LinkTree / Simsberry

Steven’s Studios Rowen Jasper D’Violet Sims εяяσя404ρнιllιρs Crispy Cucumber Expressive Girl TAF

DIRECTOR OF PIXELS CORNER: Oak Sim Studios Scooby-Doo & the Reckless Parody (A Sims 4 Machinima) We catch up with the classic mystery gang on another one of their adventures! This time, they have been asked to investigate a dusty old mansion in the middle of Windenburg. Everything is going as planned, until they run into a familiar Sims 4 villain.

What's with all the dad jokes?

Where did Velma go? And what on earth happened to Scooby!? I guess you'll have to watch to f i n d o u t ! Wa t c h t h i s h i l a r i o u s parody, and other great content here: youtu.be/HN4zVDJbyy4

Special thank you to so many great animation and pose creators out there.

Here’s a few on the top of my own list : Sims Berrry (of course)

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You have made it through another month. Congratulations! We are now in April, which means spring is among us.

The flowers are starting to bloom and the birds are starting to make nest again. That only means one thing. This month I have decided to feature a simmer that is all about plants and the exterior of their houses.

landscaping, her interior of her buildings are also up there. The rooms are light with a very white color scheme.

Her interior is minimal, just like the landscaping. I would describe her builds very modern but with a homey feel to it.

Recently she has done a few collabs with other Simmers, and I am totally here for it. Sharing all the love with the community. She has done the exterior I have come across Plumbaleena while and the interior in two different collabs. scrolling through Twitter and needed to feature her in this month's issue Keep supporting each other in the Sims because of her fabulous landscaping. Community. It's one of the spaces to feel safe. Keep safe and happy Plumbaleena has been playing the Sims Simming. Are you going to be since 2000 and is floral obsessed. featured next?

When I mean floral obsessed, I mean plants everywhere outside of the building in a thoughtful way. She somehow makes the homes very inviting.

In every YouTube video she makes, she includes as many flowers as possible.

She mostly creates suburban townhouses and farmhouses speed builds for her YouTube channel. Even though her landscaping is very minimal, she does it in a way that just works. Not too many plants and foliage and not too little.

Even though she mostly does

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COOKiNG SiMS-STYLE WiTH

GRANNY RUTH Tossing Salad with Granny Ruth This �me of year, in the Northern Hemisphere, the season is turning from icy cold winter to spring days burs�ng with blooming flowers, bu�erflies and a lot of �me outdoors. But let’s not forget the Southern Hemisphere where summer is moving into autumn but the days are s�ll nice enough for picnics. Whenever I think Spring, I think of salads and I bet you don’t think salads fit with autumn but I have a great hearty recipe that would fit perfectly.

Ingredients For the ranch dressing (or subs�tute storebought): • • • • • • • • • • •

1/2 cup bu�ermilk 1/2 cup mayonnaise 6 tablespoons sour cream 1 tablespoon red onion minced 1 tablespoon fresh dill minced 1 tablespoon fresh parsley minced 1 clove garlic minced 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice Pinch of sugar Salt and freshly ground black pepper Parchment paper to line the baking sheet.

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For the salad: • 8 cups le�uce such as romaine, green leaf, or iceberg, torn into bite-sized pieces • 1 bulb endive cored and chopped • 1 pint grape tomatoes halved lengthwise • 4 radishes ends trimmed, halved lengthwise and sliced • 2 carrots peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced • 2 Persian or 1 hot house cucumber halved lengthwise and chopped

Instruc�ons To make the ranch dressing (or subs�tute store-bought): 1. In a medium bowl, whisk together bu�ermilk, mayonnaise, sour cream, red onion, dill, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste (I like ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper).

Refrigerate at least 10 minutes to blend flavors. Whisk to recombine before serving.

2. To make the salad: 3. In a large bowl, combine le�uce, endive, tomatoes, radishes, carrots, and cucumbers. Drizzle with salad dressing and toss un�l evenly coated.

Autumn chestnut salad 1. Ingredients 2. 3 slices crusty bread , cut into small cubes

STEP 1 1. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Toss the bread with the olive oil in a small roas�ng �n. Season with salt and pepper, spread out over a single layer, then bake for 12-15 mins un�l the bread is browned and crisp. Tip onto a plate lined with kitchen paper, then leave to cool.

STEP 2 1. For the dressing, mix the onion with the vinegar in a small bowl, then leave for 10 mins. Combine the mustard and oil, season with salt and pepper, then whisk un�l slightly thickened. S�r into the onions, then set aside.

3. 3-4 tbsp olive oil 4. 70g pack lamb's le�uce 5. 175g cooked chestnut , broken into bitesized pieces 6. 200g cooked beetroot (not in vinegar), peeled and diced 7. 4-6 slices serrano ham , halved 8. 1 ea�ng apple 9. For the dressing 10.

1 small red onion , thinly sliced

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2 tbsp red wine vinegar

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2 tsp Dijon mustard

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4 tbsp walnut oil

STEP 3 1. Tip the le�uce into a large bowl. Add the chestnuts to the bowl with the beetroot.

Heat a non-s�ck pan, add the ham, then fry quickly on each side un�l crisp. Just before serving, thinly slice the apple, then add to the bowl with the croutons. Add the dressing, then toss everything together un�l glistening. Pile onto 4 or 6 plates and set 2 pieces of ham on top of each .

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Love I

Is In The Air!

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SUGAR OWL BRINGS US THESE STUNNING MALE T-SHIRTS. GUARANTEED TO LEAD YOUR SIMS INTO SPRING AND RUNNING INTO SUMMER.

ID

ITEM ID

THE ISLAND TANK TOP

BY PAOPAE SUNS OUT, SO GET YOUR GUNS OUT, WITH THIS COOL PALM TREE STYLE TANK TOP. DOWNLOAD AT THE SIMS RESOURCE ID NUMBER: 1452501

Enhancing gameplay one mod at a time

Kiara over at KiaraSims4Mods has been enhancing the Sims 4 universe with new careers, aspirations, and interactions.

Her exciting creations add depth and realism to the Sims that many players think are lacking. From exciting new aspirations such as Architectural Designer or Chief of Medicine to new careers like Baker, Infectious Disease Control, and Rocket Scientist.

allow your Sims to share some exciting moments with their friends and family.

KiaraSims4Mods also adds gameplay for children and elder Sims, from schoolrelated events like field trips and school dances to a family aspiration that involves gameplay specifically created for elders.

“KiaraSims4Mods truly is a goldmine of potential gameplay enhancements.”

Sims

KiaraSims4Mods lets your experience life as a Simstagram Influencer, a Real Estate Agent, a Teacher, or a Pet Groomer.

Your Sims can even run an A n i m a l Shelter, star as a News Anchor, or become a Podcast Host!

We sat down with Kiara to discuss her mods, learn more about her creative talent, and talk about the future of this popular franchise.

On top of the plethora of Why don't you aspirations start by telling and careers us a bit about that Kiara yourself?

Who is Kiara? adds to the game, she What a great also creates question! I am a c u s t o m 30-year-old interactions femalewholivesin and events that improve gameplay. Events like Baby Florida! I work in education, and I have a and Bridal Showers, Animal or Toddler Bachelor's degreeinInformationTechnology Playdates, and Backyard Barbecues and close to completing my Ma s t e r ' s .

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I h a ve been interested in t h e list it below, but I fell in love with the Si m s since I was in middle sch o o l idea because the Sims 4 gameplay is a n d have played it through o u t massively lacking for elders. m y entire life. I played Sim s 1 , Si m s 2, Sims 3, and of course, I a m n o t only a player of the Sims 4 b u t a c reator! When I am not play i n g th e Sims, I often enjoy watch i n g m ov ies, sports, soap operas a n d enjoy creating mods when m y soap operas are on!

I h ave been browsing y o u r b l o g, and y ou have a dive r s e se t of mods. Which is y o u r fa vo rite type to crea t e , A s p i rations, Careers, Trai t s , E ve nts, or Interactions?

I used to ask myself this question every time, but I finally have an answer. It's the interactions that are my favorite to create because you can never have enough of them.

Interactionsaddsomuchtothegame, and I am kind of addicted to creating them. In my view, you're talking about endless possibilities of gameplay with interactions and especially the in-text notifications that can Randomly show what a Sim is thinking.

Your 'Quality of life' and 'Twilights' aspirations are geared towards elder sims. What inspired you to create theseaspirations?Doyoufeelthereis enough elder gameplay in the sims? If not, what is the one thing that you would like to see added for elders?

The Quality of Life and Twilight Aspirations ideas came from one of my Patreons who filled out my mod requests form. By the way, I do take mod requests if you want the link, I'll

Asforexpandinggameplayforelders, I would love to see where Sims could send their kids off to spend the weekend with their parents. It would be nice if the game could incorporate children going in between their parents' and grandparents' houses without moving them into the household. Like maybe grandma wantstoswingbyandtakethekidsout for dinner on their own.

O f a l l t h e a s p i ra t i o n s y o u h a ve created, which is your personal favorite? Do you have one specific one that you would suggest readers try?

I am not sure I have a personal favorite.I can'tlie,I hardlyplayed with aspirations beforecreatingthem,but the one that I did enjoy was the "Change the World" aspiration. It

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involves Sims in the political career, and sinceIenjoythetopicofpoliticsmyself.I have started to play more aspirations because of my own ideas. If I had to suggest an aspiration to readers, I would recommend readers check out the Architectural Designer aspiration!

Especially if you liked the Architectural Designer career from Sims 3! It's a nice touchtomakeoverhomes,younotonly gettheaspiration,butthereisacareer, event, and a "Ask Home Owner For Ideas" interaction that comes with it.

Your custom events add so much realism to the game. I especially enjoy the 'Prom Event,' the 'Field Trip,' and the 'Student Welcome Day.' event.

Do you have plans to create more events in the near future?

A n y upcoming secrets you w a n t

to

I love remaking Sims 2 and Sims 3 careers! I might even look at some of the original careers from Sims 1, haha! I feel they had some great careers that we could use in the Sims 4. Honestly, I want to overhaul all Sims 4 careers that are not active. I just think with the gameplay today, I'd love to see all careers have a location to work. It's something I want to do with my careers, but I haven't learned how to do it yet. I think all careers should have an office lot to go to and work! It's 2021, we should be able to follow our Sims to work, and the semiactive careers were a step in the right direction.

r e v e a l ? pack

I can tell you now I will be creating more events! I get a lot of requests on those, and there's so much potential gameplay to add with events. No big secrets,butIwillsayyoucandosomuch with events, so anything is on the table regardingthose.

Youlistawidevarietyofcareermods onyourwebsite,includingSims2and Sims3remakes.Asamodcreator,

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whichSims4careerdidyoumostwant tooverhaul?Why?

I was excited when Get to Work was first released.

Yet, sadly, EA has never added in more active careers. Do you find this disappointing? Do you wish that the option was there to make any or at least some professions active if you have this in your game?

This kind of expands on my previous answer, but yes, I find it disappointing.

We should be able to follow our Sim to work regardless of the career. Even if it just a generic office building, it would beamazing!Iwillalwayswishtheywould expandformoreactivecareers,andit's sad we only have three fully active careers. I will say I have started to play around with the career tuning files to see if I could make some of my careers active, but we'll see how that goes!

People are always talking about functional babies or cars in The Sims 4. What is the one thing that you wish EA would add to the game?

Thoseareinterestingideas!Ipersonally wish EA would expand on opening the world a little bit more. We had an open world in Sims 3. I miss the days where we could see our neighbors going to work and coming home or leaving their homes. The open-world makes the game feel more real, and I think this is a problem with The Sims 4. Though I am not sure, they can expand on this with the current system. If I could mention one thing else because it drives me bonkers!Thelackofrelationshipsinthe relationshippanel!So,theSims3hadinlaws, aunts, uncles, stepchildren, and stepparents, but for some reason, we have none of this in the Sims 4!

What does the future look like for KiaraSims4Mods?

Any exciting

developments in the future?

I think my future will be expanding my modding skills and create some things I haven't created before. Something I alsowanttodomoreofismakingvideos for my mods because it's fun. It's also nice to show Simmers what they are downloading. I am afraid to mention possible developments in case they don't come to light, but I'll list a few thingsIam*considering*.ThereisaVisit Doctor'sAppointmentmodinprogress, andIamnotsurehowlongIwillcontinue to work on that. It could be months before it is released! Other mods could be an online skill class mod where Sims can take skill classes online instead of going to the rabbit hole. I am working on an activities mod that works like volunteer opportunities in the sims game. Lastly, I am thinking of creating something for royal families and, of course,tonsofinteractions!

WhatareyourthoughtsonTheSims5?

Is this something that excites you?

Will you purchase the game right away or wait for improvements down theline?

The Sims 5 does excite me, but I hope they have an open-world format and include more in the base game. What I mean here is we should have things like pets, seasons, vacations, etc., and fame in the base game. Since I consider myselfaSimsaddict,Iwilllikelypurchase the game right away! I hope it will begreat!

Whatadvicewouldyougivepeople whoareinterestedincreatingmods fortheSims4?

I would recommend getting userfriendly with Mod Constructor, XML Injector, and Sims 4 Studio. These are tools that have helped me create mods, and I will say there are some nice Discordgroupsouttherethatcanassist you with help - Shout-out to all the creators who helped me. It's nice to have support in the community!

Finally, how can our readers find you so they can stay up to date on your activity?

You can find me on various websites and Social Media as KiaraSims4Mods (e.g. Twitter & YouTube)

Patreon - patreon.com/ kiarasims4mods Blog - kiarasims4mods.home.blog/ Discord - discord.gg/PgqsGCGs Mod Request form kiarasims4mods.formstack.com/forms/ kiarasims4mods_mod_request_form

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The Sims 4 CAS Absolute Beginner Series: Base Game T-shirt Recolor MaddyCatts

Part I: Getting Started Sul Sul Simmers!

First, I’d like to introduce myself. I’m Maddycatts, and I’ve been playing The Sims since it debuted in 2000. I’ve always enjoyed putting my own touches on my CAS and build/buy mode objects but the road has not been easy. I am definitely one of those persons who struggles with technology lol. Getting ideas from my head and into the game never happens as easily for me as it probably does for others but that’s what makes the little successes along the way soooo very rewarding.

sure everything is crystal clear and I will always use software or programs that are free to the public. If you use Photoshop, for example, the graphics part of my instructions will not be relevant because we’ll be using PaintNet but if you understand what outcomes you are supposed to produce you will definitely be able to follow along. So let’s get started shall we!

In this first series we will make a recolor of a base game item. That is exactly what it sounds like – we will take an article of clothing, in this instance, a t-shirt, and we will be changing the color to one of our own choosing. The actual graphics work will be covered in Part II. You know that girl. The one who tries five Today we will cover PartI:GettingStarted. times in a row to see how an item looks in Youwillneed: studio but it won’t show up and then realizes she never saved her edits in the 1.. A L a p t o p o r P C graphics program. I’m that girl. And the 2. T h e S i m s 4 i n s t a l l e d girl who watches a beginner tutorial on YouTube and wishes there was a 3. S i m s 4 S t u d i o i n s t a l l e d 4. Paint.Net graphics pre-pre-beginner version of it as she editor installed reaches for an aspirin? That’s me too!

Now. You certainly may not be as dense ( i n s t a l l t h i s b e f o r e y o u i n s t a l l B o l t B a i t ) as I am lol but you may be a newbie, easily 5 . B o l t B a i t p l u g i n p a c k f o r PaintNet distracted, busy or simply appreciate a slower pace when it comes to learning new things. If so I hope you will enjoy my As you already know from downloading series, learn a lot and have a lot of fun content nearly all items have a discovering just how flipping cool it is to .package extension. Package files are see YOUR visions come to life in The Sims. proprietary to The Sims and serve as a I deliberately go at a slower pace to make neat little container to hold the

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information your game items need in order to work. For example a lamp.package file will contain the data that controls what it looks like, how bright it is, whether it goes on the floor, on the wall or on a table, how much it will cost in buy mode, how many tiles it will take up etc. when we work with or edit package files it’s not necessary to know everything inside the container, but it is important to have the right program to open or extract the package file itself so we can take what we need out of the container.

T h a t i s where Sims 4Studio comesin.

Sims 4 Studio is an amazing program that lets you open package files in order to view or edit the game data they contain.

Throughout this series I’ll be referring to Sims 4 Studio as S4S. Once installed S4S can perfectly copy the package files from your game and make them available to you. This is why it is important to completely close The Sims 4 game when you are using S4S. It is actively pulling files from the game and the last thing you want is a conflict or a gamecrash. Yikes !

Think of S4S as helpful security guards for the game. They greet you at the door and let you enter, to do your shopping and then check your bags and let you leave the store a happy customer. S4S will open package files so you can work with the contents and then it will neatly package them back up again so it’s ready to be used in your game. There are a ton of things you can do with S4S such as viewing and deleting CC, re-categorizing items etc. but for now it’s going to let us create a gorgeous new T-shirt. Cool right?

means anyone who creates a new or improved feature for it is allowed to access the program data and make the new plugin available to PaintNet users.

This is one reason I love this program. Not only is it free but the learning curve is not as steep as with other design programs.

In addition it has a built in plugin that reads DDS files. Bolt Bait is a PaintNet plugin that comes with a ton of cool features, such as fill from clipboard/file that I simply cannot function without. I use it constantly and you will too!

So now that you’ve downloaded S4S, PaintNet and Bolt Bait go ahead and properly install them (in that order) on your device.

Now let’s get organized so we’ll keep the confusion to a minimum going forward. Do the following: • Go to the Desktop on your device.

• Create a folder named S4S Projects • Open your new S4S Projects folder and create another folder there named Swatches.

• Now for the last step. You will create a text document. Exit the Swatches folder you just created so that you are now in the main S4S Projects folder. Create a text document by right-clicking, selecting New and then selecting Text Document.

• Name the new text document* S4S Dat a .

• Now you will go into the Mods folder in your game. This is the exact same folder where you put your downloaded content. Within this folder create a new folder and name it AAA My CC.

Let’s move on to Paint.Net and Bolt Bait. * Note: If you have Microsoft Word PaintNet is a free, open source graphics installed you can certainly create the editing program. Open source simply new text document with this if you

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prefer. Just make sure it lives in the S4S mine to save links, jot down notes and ideas, record settings I’ve used and Projects folder.

most importantly to store HEX colour codes. When I find that perfect shade of red for a skirt and I know I will need that same exact shade of red if I ever want to create a matching top or jacket I’ll be glad I recorded the HEX code for that colour. For this reason alone you will fall in love with HEX/RGB colour codes. Because the colours are boiled down to numbers you will always get the same consistent re s u l t s .

Your new S4S Projects folder should now look like the one above. So we’re all set up nicely with our installations, our folders and a fairly good This S4S Projects folder is where your u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f t h e b a s i c s . creativity will live while you are C o o l ? C o o l ! creating. It keeps your desktop from becoming a disaster zone as well.

Y o u r S wa t c h e s f o l d e r i s s u p e r important because it helps you keep all of your patterns, images, samples and inspiration images all in one place.

In fact, over time you will probably end up with a ton of sub-folders inside your Swatches folder as you branch out and tackle different projects in t h e game.

The AAA My CC folder you created is where you place your finished projects. After you test them in game and see an issue or something you want to adjust you definitely don”t want to spend forever searching for these files, especially after a huge cc shopping spree. Placing them here makes life a lot easier and putting AAA in front of the file name means it stays pinned to the top of the list.

The purpose of the S4S Data file is to hold reference data. As you go along you will be so glad you have it. I use

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I’ll meet you here for the next instalment in the series - Part II: Extracting Package Files. Until then,

H a p p y Si m m i n g a n d D a g D a g !

s t t Ca

M @

y d d a

Y OU

AND YOUR BUILD COULD BE FEATURED IN O UR M AGAZINE !!

#ShowUsYourBuilds

o n m y c h a n n e l , m y b u ilds are mo s t l y n o c c a n d y ou can f i n d t h e m o n t h e g a llery. I a l s o l ov e to d o c c b u i lds and I s h a r e t h o s e o n The Sims R e s o u r c e . I l ov e to build family h om e s , e s p ecially mod e r n f a r m h o us e s.

My ot h e r pa s s i o n is San M y s h u n o a n d r e n ovating all t h e a pa r t m e n t s . I ’ v e done q u i t e a l ot o f t h e m so far, I focus on sto p mot i o n b u i l d s S om e ev e n s ev e r a l t i m e s .

I ' m Summer, I ' m f rom C a n a da a nd I've bee n a s i m s p l ay e r s ince Sims 1 . I g ot b ac k i n to Sims 4 in e a r l y 2 0 1 9 a n d r eally fell b ac k i n l ov e w i t h t he ga me. I s ta r t e d b u i l d i n g again and d ec i d e d I wa n t to s hare my bui l d s . I s ta r t e d w i t h I nstagr a m and Tumblr a nd then my y o u t u b ec h a n n e l l ater in The sa m e y e a r .

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Did you know that Summerr Plays is a ‘Select Artist’ on The Sims Resource With over 615,000 downloads.

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Can you start by telling us a bit about Thank you so very much! I suppose I yourself, who is MissSimReno would contribute my success to being In t h e real world? my authentic self, consistent, and allowing myself room to grow as a My name is April. I am a native New creator. When I started, I had no real Englander, a wife, daughter, and direction. It seemed like something fun friend. Oh, and cat mom. I work in to do in order to share something I was education and absolutely love what I so passionate about with others. Over do. It may be hard to believe, but I'm time, it really became something I took actually quite the quite seriously. I i n t r o v e r t , suppose I would t h e r e f o r e also say allowing becoming a myself to feel content creator uncomfortable was a bit when learning o f a s urprise. something new.

Prior to starting How long have my own channel, you been playing I had no idea The S i m s ? how to record my game,edit Since the year videos, create 2000. A family thumbnails, friend of ours had none of it.

The Sims and I S t e p p i n g would spend outside of my hours sharing a comfort zone chair with them, was c r u c i a l . taking turns playing the game.

You also began At the time, I was live streaming around 8 years not long ago. old, so I may have However, unlike been a bit too young. It was so much many other Simmers, you opted to fun though and I've played every stream on YouTube rather than iteration of The S i m s since. T w i t c h , w h y i s t h a t ?

You started your channel in2019, and your subscribers skyrocketed! You recently surpassed 26K subscribers.

Congrats on that by the w a y .

What do you attribute this success to, other than your t a l e n t obviously?

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To be honest, I had explored Twitch a bit before I made my decision. A few of my good friends use Twitch to stream as well, so it wasn't unfamiliar. In comparing the two, I just felt more comfortable with the platform (YouTube). One, because I was already using it, and two, everyone who

enjoyed my channel was already there, and three because at the end of the day it didn't seem to matter. I wasn't trying to grow multiple platforms at once. Streaming was simply an opportunity for me to explore different games and connect with those who support me outside of YouTube comments.

Are you enjoying doing streams?

Does it help you build better in The Sims? And are you getting used to interacting with your viewers in re a l - time? allowed me to meld my love of storytelling with my love of The Sims.

Yes, I really am enjoying streaming! I never thought I would because the On the other hand, building is quite thought of having people watch me the creative outlet. I'm not sure I can in real-time was quite anxiety choose! inducing. Over time though it became a very comfortable spot to be myself You are known for building family and have fun with my audience. homes in Sims 4, something that However, I will say that I make many find difficult. What is the best different design decisions when piece of advice you could give new building on stream. I'm not sure if it's builders about creating a family making me a better builder, but it is home? helping me step outside of my comfort zone even more... When I'm creating a family home, I t h a t ' s always a positive! often try to imagine the family that lives there. That usually helps I see that you also have some Let’s immensely with selecting particular Play videos on your channel, do color schemes or objects to include you prefer building or let’s play throughout the home. As for videos? exteriors, I often use Pinterest. This goes for a family home or any other That's a difficult question. Let's Plays kind of home I make. My best piece of allow me to tell stories, which is advice would be exploring different something I have always loved to do. architectural styles and then give it a As a child, I had numerous floppy go! Oh and don't be too hard on discs (yes, floppy discs) filled with yourself. short stories I'd write. Storytelling has always been something I have greatly What advice would you give to enjoyed - it was my creative outlet of someone who was just starting out choice. Therefore, Let's Plays have On Y o u T u b e ?

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Be yourself! Always be yourself. I also have these stunning map Everything else will come in time. It's overlays that are considered CC from okay to make mistakes and it's okay to t h i s c r e a t o r : feel as though you don't know what en.dershayan.de/fanart-maps you're doing. You'll find your groove.

Where do you get the inspiration for your builds? Do you browse certain You have quickly become what most online sources? would consider “famous,” have you met any other big-time Simmers? Are Yes, absolutely. I use Pinterest a lot, there any Simmers that you idolize but I also browse the site and want to meet (you know, the ArchitecturalDesigns.com very often. ones that you are worried you would Sometimes a build is inspired by a make a fool of yourself in front of)? particular family or sim I had in mind too.

I'm not quite sure I'd describe myself If you had to give up all you pack as "famous," but I don't think I ever but you could keep one expansion would! I do my best not to really pack, one game pack, one stuff idolize other creators because we're pack, and one kit, which would you all just people at home in our offices choose? playing a game we enjoy. I do greatly admire UrbanSims (Jenn), SpringSims I've avoided this question for so long!

(Steven) and DevonBumpkin (Aden).

Cats & Dogs is a critical expansion for They seem like very fun people to be me. It reminds me of New England, plus around, not to mention they're the build/buy objects are ones I use immensely talented. I've forged some very often. I'm a huge Harry Potter very rewarding and warm relationships fan, therefore I'd have to keep Realm with a few creators thus far and I'm so of Magic for a game pack. The incredibly lucky that we've had the Paranormal stuff pack is currently at chance to get to know one another, the top of my list too. I'm sure if I gave especially since they're all overseas. this extensive thought, I wouldn't be able to leave any of them behind.

If NASA called and asked you to create one build in The Sims 4 that Do you use any CC or mods in your could be sent into space (in the game? If so, which mods do you hopes that aliens would come across use? it and make contact), what would For my own personal gameplay, I do y o u b u i l d ? use mods and CC. I mainly use CC hair, An underground bunker because skin details, and clothing. Mostly I'm a that's where I'd be hiding if aliens Maxis Match fan. As for mods, I often m a d e c o n t a c t . use Slice of Life. Outside of that there aren't many! Most of my gameplay is quite vanilla.

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Any exciting upcoming plans or builds Lastly, how can readers find you to that readers should watch for? see your amazing building skills in Nothing special on the horizon - just action? going to continue what I'm doing YouTube is where all the magic whenever inspiration strikes! Though happens: there is one project that a fellow creator and I are working on that will https://t.co/Sry2BeTRCN?amp=1 continue to be a total and complete surprise.

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H E YA ! I ' M I Z Z Y (AKA@MORGYNEMBERISAGENDERFLUIDDADDY ON TUMBLR) I'M VERY NEW TO SIMBLR! I JUST STARTED IN NOVEMBER 2020 AND IT HAS BEEN ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE! BETWEEN BEING ABLE TO SHARE MY STORIES AND MY SIMS WITH EVERYBODY AND IT'S ALSO OPENED ME UP TO AWESOME OPPORTUNITIES LIKE THIS ONE! I'VE BEEN PLAYING THE SIMS 4 SINCE 2017 AND I'VE BEEN DOING SIMS EDITS SINCE 2020. I'M DEFINITELY A STORYTELLER, I LIKE TO MAKE COMICS OUT OF MY EDITS, MY STYLE IS VERY HEAVILYINFLUENCEDBY GRAPHIC N OV E L S AND COMIC B O O K S .

ALONG WITH BEING A SIMMER, IN MY EVERYDAY LIFE I'M AN ASPIRING AUTHOR, SO THIS HAS GIVEN ME A WAY TO MERGE TWO OF MY FAVORITE THINGS AND A U N I Q U E WAY O F S H A R I N G I T !

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You can find Izzy on Tumblr: morgynemberisagenderfluiddaddy

Your Old School Favourites From The Sims Franchise.

Gardening 101 Gardening in Sims 3 A�er an extended break, Retro Corner’s Mel is enough. With this trait, Sims have a much higher back exploring the world of Gardening in The chance of achieving be�er quality plants. Other Sims

3. benefits of having this trait include a higher

Collec�ng a plethora of different objects preference to watching the Gardening Channel including; insects, rocks, seeds, and fish was one on TV, the ability to talk to plants to gain a higher of my favourite things to do in the base game, social mood, and they are more likely to benefit and seeing as Spring is just around the corner, from studying a Science and Medicine major at what be�er way to kick off the season than a college, should the Simmer have University Life installed. retro a rt i cl e a b o u t Ga rd en i n g!

Each area was fleshed with so much to explore, *The Green Thumb Trait bodes well with Loves The challenges, rewards, skills etc. I par�cularly Outdoor Trait (Base Game), the Eco-Friendly Trait enjoyed the schema�c approach to these mini skills. Before the release of Ambi�ons, it was s�ll

(Ambi�ons), and the Gatherer Trait (Supernatural

~

As a star�ng point or booster in-game, Teen/ quite easy to establish a Sim’s income en�rely from growing and selling, collec�ng, and Young Adult/Adult/Elderly Sims can take a co mp l et i n g ch a l l en ges .

Gardening skills class at the Science Laboratory.

Gardening Basics 101

In addi�on, Sims can gain the skill through prac�cal ac�vi�es such as plan�ng, tending and

My first top �p is to assign Sims fer�lising plants, and purchasing and reading with The Green Thumb Trait.* This Gardening skill books from the Bookstore. If Mental trait that can be assigned Genera�ons is installed, Children can learn the to Sims aged Teen or above. This hidden Gardening skill up to Level 3. Once they trait enables the Sim to learn the Gardening skill age up, this skill will remain at Level 3 un�l 25% faster than other Sims, and they can also i n creas ed . revive dead garden plants if this skill is high

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~

TOP TIP: If your Sim has 40,000 life�me points, O utstanding ly Rare purchasing the Collec�on Helper will help you track and - Unlock the ability to plant Steak and burger locate seeds all over town. ~

plants (!)

A Sim can register as a self-employed Gardener if

The Omnificent Plant

they have Ambi�ons installed. They can also sell - Rewarded with three Random-qualityplantand, homegrown produce to the Consignment store unlock the ability to order omni plant seeds. for extra simoleons. If the Sim purchases the

~

Harvester from the Consignment store, and uses Once successfully grown, the Omniplant can it on their garden, they will boost the Gardening duplicate all plants, and even some fish and skill as well as harvest mul�ple produce at once. books! However, some plants such as The Death ~

Flower, or the Ambrosia Recipe book cannot be

Fer�liser is a helpful , but this is not necessary. duplicated. ~

Most foods, fish and even some objects can

fer�lise a plant. However, fer�liser doesn’t affect TIP: In Sunset Valley, the omniplant seeds can be found the quality of the plants or produce but rather whilst fishing or if you’re lucky, can be found behind the shortens the growth �me, while weeds increase the growth �me.

Landgraab Industries Science Facility.

T he Life F r uit LIFE FRUIT

TOP TIP: Play around and see what happens!

The Life Fruit is one of the fundamental If the Simmer has Seasons installed, plants will ingredients used in Ambrosia. When produced, become dormant just before and during Winter this dish can reset the Sim's current life stage, and and will remain so un�l Mid-Spring. However, Simmers can move these plants into an indoor

res u rrecti n g gh o st S i ms .

Greenhouse where they will be able to con�nue TIP: This rare fruit is best found around town. Look growing. But they must wait un�l 4am the next

for

"Special

Seeds"

near

the

Graveyard.

day for these plants to reset to a normal status.

~

T he F lam e F r uit FLAME FRUIT

WARNING: If Supernatural is installed, zombies may The Flame Fruit is a fundamental ingredient used destroy your plants on a night with a full moon. in Angel Food Cake. To find, Simmers must search

The Omnificent Plant

around the Graveyard in all towns for "Special Seeds" as there is a high one of these seeds will

This plant is unlocked through comple�ng a chain be a Flame Fruit plant. o f th ree o p p o rt u n i t i es : Uncom m only G ood

TIP: Look around the premade lots in Sunset Valley for - Unlock the ability to plant Eggs and Cheese fully grown Flame Fruit plants, all ready for harvest!

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T he Money Tre e

Re se ar c h Station.

The Money Tree is a rare but worthwhile investment that requires l u ck, l ove, a n d l evel 7 o f the Gardening skill.

Plasma Fruit MONEY TREE

Depending on the quality of the tree, up to five money bags can be harvested valuing between several hundred Simoleons to several thousand Simoleons. However, unlike other plants, the M o n ey t ree ca n n o t b e rep l anted .

These trees will last forever, and if cared for, the quality of Money tress will improve to perfect.

Perfect Money Trees will produce seeds that spawn nearby. However, if the tree is neglected, it will explode creating three large bills.

TIP: There is a one in four chance of a special plant seed growing into a money tree.

TIP: While fishing there is a small chance that the Sim will catch a box containing a money tree seed.

Shipped with Late Night is Vampires. One of the fundamental parts of a Vampires’ diet is the Plasma Fruit. Ea�ng these will sa�sfy their thirst mo�ve. Vampires have wants about ea�ng Plasma Fruit. Sims purchase plasma fruit from supermarket, or they can grow this fruit if they have achieved level 7 of th e Gardening skill.

TIP: Should a Vampire have the Vegetarian Trait; they must live off plasma fruit when not near a refrigerator.

TIP: If the Simmer has World Adventures installed, Plasma fruit can be made into nectar. Similarly, to ea�ng the Plasma Fruit, if a normal Sim drinks Plasma-based ne c tar the y w ill be c om e u n w e l l .

D e ath Flowe r

M ushroom s

The Death Flower’s func�on is excep�onally special. Should a Sim have The Death Flower in their inventory if they die through means other than Old Age, they can offer the Grim Reaper the flower. As the Grim Reaper is par�cularly interest in The Death Flower, they will happily accept and bring the Sim back to life. As a bonus, the Sim will have slightly raised Mo�ves.

Unlike other plants, the Death Flower cannot be sold or used directly.

Special Mushrooms came with Supernatural,

DEATH FLOWER

and are most commonly used for Alchemy Ingredients o r fo r fo o d reci p es .

Edible Mushrooms:

Truffles

White Caps

Porcinis

Non- Edible Mushr oom s:

The Death Flower can be grown from an “Unknown Special Seed” or a Death Flower Seed, unlocked from Level 7 of the gardening s ki l l .

TIP: Look around the Graveyard for “Unknown Special Seeds” TIP: If the Simmer has University Life installed and Level 9 of the Science skill, they can clone an infinite number of death flowers with the ZRX-9000 Science

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Mycenas

Glow Orbs

Red

Spotlight

C r ystal Flowe rs Shipped with Into the Future, Crystal Flowers are fundamental ingredients for crea�ng trait chips for Plumbots.

A Crystal Flower has 5 types of emo�onal charges:

Neutral

Rage

Laughter

Love

Kindness

Neutral is the most common emo�onal charge.

However, Sims can charge a crystal flower, changing it into other emo�onal charges. Sims must charge these flowers regular of the will lose power and eventually turn back into neutral.

There is also the op�on for Sims to reset the flower back to neutral.

TIP: Non–neutral Crystal Flowers can be harvested, and their emo�onal charge harnessed by Sims. As a result, a special moodlet is granted to that par�cular Sim. As you can see, Gardening in The Sims 3 is jam-packed full of different layers, secrets, unlockable, and bizarre yet humorous Easter eggs. I hope you’ve something as I have—I am so aiming to get unlock the Omni-plant! Keep an eye out for a special article all about Herbs and Nectar.

Until next time, Melissa.

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When the discussion of which theme Simmed Up would take for April I immediately thought of a beautiful botanical garden that I recently saw in progress by Fildos on his Twitch stream. I am new to watching Sims live streams on Twitch, and I typically only tune into building and build tours. One thing I often hear is a talented builder saying that the thing they dislike is landscaping. I am aghast. I want to offer my services because I love l a n dscaping the most.

I have never heard Fildos say such a thing when doing landscaping. In fact what I have noticed is that he pays much attention to the detail and ambience when creating the landscape as it comes together.

When I popped into my first Fildos stream I was hooked right away as I watched him finishing up the landscape for a cottage-type build for a challenge. I was drawn to the thought and care put into each element as i t w a s p l a c e d .

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When asked about this Fildos said, “I don’t consider myself a landscaper, but it’s been a thing that is growing on me. I do like to combine the flowers and try to give a cohesive look to the landscape”.

Nowhere does this show more than in his most beautiful recent build, Rivera Johnson Botanical Garden, a build created from his imagination and creativity rather than from a s p ec i f i c re f e re n c e .

Find this beauty of a build in the gallery under EA ID: fildos87.

Fildos’ Twitch streams are as chill as they come. He is thoughtful and kind and promotes a safe, respectful and supportive community.

I definitely rec o m m e n d d ro p p i n g b y .

The build was named in honour of Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson, founders of of Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR); considered to be a

groundbreaking organization in the queer liberation movement of the time.

But there is more to this story than a beautiful garden with a memorial touch; this build is very special because it was created as part of the Fresh New World fundraising project started by the Simmer Sierra Myst. The project involved 15 Sims 4 creators who designed and built an all LGBTQIA2+ Willow Creek world save while raising over $12,000 for True Colours United; an organization that supports homeless LGBTQ y o u th.

Fildos created this stunningly gorgeous and lush property for our enjoyment, but it is a testament to something big that should be recognized; the power of the Simming community.

Simmers represent diversity in the truest sense of the word, and when that combines with generosity and deeply caring hearts the possibilities are boundless.

You can find more about this project including the save file on Twitter by searching #FreshNewWorld & @sierraxmyst

Stop by truecolorsunited.org to learn more.

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Your Sim

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ms

Cover Image: @mysimsfeed

I’m Arya, 24 years old from Istanbul and studying Psychology.

I have been playing sims since sims 1 and I love gaming a lot.

Since I discovered simstagram community i have been trying to learn editing and using blender to reflect my art on to sims.

Besides that I am really interested in art and travel and currently making a blog about it.

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Gretchen Falcon con

Meet Gretchen Falcon.

Gretchen, bullied as a child for having heterochromia, decided that she won’t let anyone let her down and grow up to be a beautiful woman. Seeing her mother to be let down by so many men, she vows to never get married.

She embraced her difference, hence two-coloured hair and clothes. She gained confidence and love to meet other people, she’s a real party animal!

Traits: Noncommittal, Self-Assured, Outgoing Aspiration: Party Animal

Hi! I’m Aneta, a Simmer living in Ireland. I put my hands on The Sims 1 first time in my teen years when it just came out and since then I cannot stop playing! It helped me in ups and downs in real life, get away from reality and relax.

In mid 2020 I decided to start my own YouTube channel, AnetaBlake. My comfort zone are small and family houses but I try to challenge myself and build all sorts of lots. Recently, I decided to do a speed CAS video using Custom Content. I was amazed with such positive feedback and since then I’m pushing myself to do variety sims. I’m taking my inspiration from the positivity of small sims youtubers. They are amazing and sometimes you may come across a small uncovered diamond.

So if you are looking to watch speed builds (soon stop motion builds), CAS with CC or just relax with a let’s play (current one is Not So Berry Challenge), my channel is right for you!

Credit to Custom Content Creators: Pralinesims, Sims_House, Birba32, busra-tr, MJ95, Saliwa, ShakeProductions, SClub, RemuSirion, Nightcrawler Sims, Seleng, FashionRoyaltySims

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Twitter @stephy_creates Instagram stephy_creates/ Youtube.com/channel/UClspma4LoTbFA-kBdJWxAmQ

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Image by Dimitris Christou from Pixabay

When I was raising my kids, I had a saying that “Successful people fall down nine times and get up ten.” I actually think it’s a quote attributed to Jon Bon Jovi, but we won’t talk about why I know that (Hint: “OK Boomer”) One of the things about life is that it doesn’t always go the way we’ve planned. In fact, it rarely does. We make a plan, and boom, here comes life barrelling at us like a semi-truck.

We invest in a relationship, and get disappointed or hurt. We put time and energy into a project or idea, and it’s not received in the way we envisioned it would be. We make it to what we believe is the top of the mountain we’ve been climbing, only to find that it’s lonely, cold and not as pretty as we anticipated it would be. This is if we even get that far. Oftentimes, the climb ends up with so many pits and backslides that we can feel discouraged and give up. This can be especially true for those of us in a creative community.

Carol Dweck is a researcher out of Stanford University, who has studied human motivation and the human experience of success. On this scale are two opposing ends - a fixed mindset vs. a growth mindset. The research itself is focused on understanding the brain and how it makes connections as we learn.

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We use this idea a lot in coaching. When I get a client who comes to me seeking something for their life that is not there, I will often begin by exploring where they land on the spectrum of a fixed vs. a growth mindset.

As a professional coach, I view clients as whole people. It’s like they have a puzzle they’re holding that appears to have missing pieces. It’s not that these pieces are lost, but rather are somewhere to be discovered or even developed. My role as a coach is to explore this with my client.

And can I tell you how exciting it is to experience them finding these pieces oneby-one? Or, even better when they start to develop new pieces that didn’t exist before So, what is it that sets these two mindsets apart? Here are a few simple definitions of a growth mindset vs. a fixed mindset: If you’ve found yourself on the fixed end of the chart, great! It means that there’s a lot of room to grow. If you’ve found yourself on the growth end of the chart, great! There’s still room for growth. The point is that there’s always room to grow, and that is exactly what a growth mindset is about, growing in growth. So, how does one do this?

Well, here are a few things I’ve learned along the way.

Become Aware of Your Mindset: We can’t really change something until we

become aware of it. And, the more awareness we develop around something, the more likely we are to change it. I invite you to notice. That’s it, simply notice. The next time your video gets a dislike, or you find yourself feeling threatened by what is happening with that other channel or that other creator, just notice. It’s OK that you feel that way. You’re not wrong for feeling that way. What is important here is that you are aware of your feelings.

Embrace Your Imperfections: We all have them. None of us have it all together. We all have those growth moments, and we all have those fixed moments. We all have failures and we all have successes. We are perfectly imperfect beings. Embrace them. What is it about them that makes you You? What is it about them that makes you want to be different or better? What is perfect anyways, except a mirage?

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Embrace Failures: Allow things to not always go the way you had hoped or planned. Take time to sit with the feelings, and then ask yourself, “If I could do that differently, what would I do? What did I learn from that experience?” Sometimes we need time and distance from the experience, and that is OK too.

catch our “gremlin” telling us about what a failure we are, tell them to zip it. C h a n g e t h e w o r d “ f a i l u r e ” into the word “lesson”.

Take Risks: No one ever succeeded at anything without taking risks.

When you find yourself fearful about taking a leap, or even a step in a new

direction, ask yourself this: When was a time when I took a risk and Allow The Process To Have Value: succeeded? What is different now in We’re in a creative community, and my life because I did that? What would be different if I hadn’t? so the product is important. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not sitting for hours and hours developing a story Get Support: Create a small circle of without meticulously looking at each trusted people with whom you can detail. My hope for producing a share your failures and successes, and can give and receive feedback. machinima, or anything, is not that it Even better if they are from all will just come out however. I want it different beliefs and world-views. to be great, impactful and for my You might be surprised how much viewers to enjoy it. And, when I look you can learn about yourself when back at previous episodes, and go you have the opportunity to see WAY back to my very first episode from another’s eyes. there’s so much difference. I can see what I’ve learned and changed. I can Get Help: For many of us, anxiety, tell where I’ve grown and what I’ve depression and past trauma can done differently from the mistakes affect our mental health. When our I’ve made. It’s the process that mental health is off, it can be pretty created this growth, and not the hard to improve our mindset. Seek help from a licensed health episodes themselves. professional so that you can begin to feel better.

Change The Way You Speak: I have a gremlin. Her name is Negative Growth is a process, and processes Nellie. She likes to tell me all the take time. Growth is about things I’ve done wrong (usually at 3 development, and humans develop a.m.). She likes to tell me often that in a dynamic way. Going forward something is going to be too hard, three steps and back four is part of or that I’m not smart enough. She how we change. It’s an important also likes to sound like messages I’ve part of growth. What are some ways you’ve noticed growth, or barriers to heard from my past that I’ve worked growth in your journey? What are hard to heal from. But you know what lessons you’ve learned from these I tell her? “Zip it, Nellie”. experiences? My hope and wish for you is that you’ll take some time to I’ve share before about negative reflect on these questions, talk them automatic thoughts. When we face a out with someone and really give room to grow. challenge or failure, and when we yo u r s e l f .

Be Well.

TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THEMOMCAVE VISIT HER ON: TWITTER YOUTUBE TWITCH AND INSTAGRAM YOU CAN ALSO FIND THEMOMCAVE ON OUR WEBSITE WWW.SIMMEDUP.CO.UK

Q: I am really struggling with telling people how I feel. I think they won’t care or think I am trying for attention. Sometimes, I just need someone to talk to. How do you meet people who care?

A: It sounds like what you want is a friend. You want a person who you can reach out to and say, “I’m not feeling great today. Can we talk?” You want someone with whom you feel safe.

Sometimes, we tell ourselves things that simply aren’t true. These negative automatic thoughts can really start telling us a story. Identifying these negative thoughts, writing them down and then writing down an alternate thought can help. For example, “This person won’t care if I tell them I am hurting.” vs. “I trust this person and I know they care.” You can also ask yourself some questions about the thought. “What is it that supports this thought? Is this something I’ve been led to believe is true by someone else?

If so, what makes them right?”

Try thinking of the people you currently have in your life, and place them within “circles of support.”

Imagine three circles. The inner circle is small, and can only fit a few people, including you. These are people you trust the most. The middle circle are people who care, and are there just for you. These people are counsellors, therapists, coaches or other professionals. Someone who is just there to listen and help you. The outer circle is everyone else. They are still part of your life, and are important, but may not be part of your inner circle right now.

Lastly, meet new people! Find people with whom you share an interest and simply be curious about them. Take time to connect over the things you have in common, while also learning things from them that are different and new. This is what builds trust. With trust comes safety. With safety comes the feeling of belonging. You deserve all of these things.

With K8 Simsley

10 Tips for Creating the Perfect Garden Space!

Landscaping is hard work - in real life Build the House First. and The Sims. Thankfully, there are some simple tips that can help you While you may see YouTube creators create an absolutely perfect in-game doing the landscaping before they create their Sims houses, it is always garden-space. best to build your house first. When you go to furnish and build a home, you Terrain Paint: The God of Gardening. often need to move and adjust your shell many times. If your yard is full of Use terrain paint before you even landscaping, you could end up creating begin to place plants to outline where more work. Start on the inside and work you want your garden to go and line all your wa y o u t ! your pathways. Terrain paint can add depth to your build, make it look C o n s i d e r t h e Si m s finished. It will also L i f e s ty l e help you through When beginning to plan t h e planning your landscaping for p ro c e s s . any Sims 4 build, you L i ke t errain should consider the paint, the type of Sim that will te rra i n tool live in the space. Is it can be truly a single person? A large h e l p f u l for family? An elder? gardening.

Image these people in R a i s i n g and real life. What type of l o w e r i n g garden would suit them areas of terrain best? Creating a large, c a n help you expansive garden for an c re a t e a unique elder may not be ideal, just as g a r d e n. These tools it may not fit a single mom amid ta ke some practice, but the 100-baby challenge. Think about th e y can have a signific a n t the Sims that will live on the lot and use im p a c t on your builds. this t o c r e a t e a s o l i d o u t l i n e and a strong landscaping plan.

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Look Around for Inspiration.

Look at the world around your current lot. What types of plants are growing there? What does the terrain look like? A lush green garden might work well in Willow Creek, but it could be out of place in Oasis Springs or Evergreen Harbor. The world around your Sims can give you an idea of the type of garden you should be creating to fit in.

You must also look at the type of house you have built and use it as a guide. Just as you would pick furniture to suit a specific style, your garden should match your home as well. For example, in a modern garden, less is often more where a country home may have an overgrown garden full of wildflowers and weeds.

Stick with your theme and you are sure to succeed!

The Alt and Bracket Keys Are Your Best Friends.

Using Alt placement makes such a big difference when it comes to landscaping in the Sims. Utilize the alt key to place plants closer together or to manipulate things to suit your needs. Sizing plants up and down with the bracket keys will also help you create a great garden space. Plants in the real world rarely grow the same size and shape.

Next, choose the taller plants and bushes that will go at the garden's back or frame the areas.

Lastly, choose the medium-sized plants that will fill in the extra space.

Smaller bushes, rounded plants, and bulbous bushes should be scattered throughout but stick to less than five types of plants to create a cohesive look.

Choose a Color Scheme.

Much like interior design, landscaping should have a cohesive color scheme.

Decide on a color before you begin to pick plants. You probably do not want to mix red and purple plants unless you want to create a wildflower garden, so

choose a color palate and stick to it.

F i l l S p a ce s w i t h R o c k s .

Not every area of a garden is going to be lush and green. There will be holes and bare regions, even in real-life. Fill in these gaps using rocks. There are a plethora of stones available from the debug menu that work great in the g a r d e n t o f i l l vo i d s p a c e a n d c re a t e a l u s h l o o k i n g g a r d e n .

To access debug →Ctrl+shift+c →Testingcheats true [ENTER] →bb.showhiddenobjects [ENTER] →bb.showliveeditobjects [ENTER]

Stick to a Pyramid Scheme.

Start by picking out your base flowers. Low-lying flowers make an excellent base for other plants.

Choose one or two types to create the base of your garden are a .

Step Outside the Box. Use items that you would not usually find in a garden. A side table, kitchen cabinets, or a small statue sized up could be just what your garden needs to look beautiful. Experiment with various items, and don't be afraid to explore debug for exciting objects at l i t t l e t o n o c o s t .

Debug is the holy grail of landscaping!

Three Quick Laandscaping Tips…

Tie It Together With Fencing.

Fencing can help you to create a cozy garden space. Frame the entire lot, or line specific areas to create cozy nooks in your garden. Using hedges mixed with fencing can also work well to create a custom look.

Tree Huggers.

Using terrain paint and small plants around the base of trees can help tie your garden together.

The Garden is More Than The Lawn.

Your garden does not begin and end on the grass. Using plant boxes on windows and vines on walls can help to make a home look polished.

Cheat Your Way To The Perfect Garden Area • Make sure to use bb.moveobjects when landscaping –This allows you to place things freely and place them

closer together.

• Hold ctrl while painting to erase.

• Size up and down using [ or ] • Raise up and down with 9 or 0 • Hold Shift to copy the plant and place many – Unfortunately, this trick

Does not work in debug.

When it comes to landscaping, perfect is far from perfect.

Sure, a well-manicured garden can be good sometimes, but nature is rarely perfect. Experiment and have fun trying new plants and different combinations to find what works

When it comes to landscaping, there is no right or wrong.

Keep on Simming!

With Minraed This issue we will explore composition in square format photos, but first we need to learn a few rules so that we can then learn how to break them.

Hi, I’m Weigela and I will be your guide today. I am heading out to take some photos for my Simstagram and I thought you might like to join me. The theme is Spring and flowers. We’ll talk about a bit of theory about composition along the way.

So what is composition? Well it would be described as arranging the objects in a photo in a way that is most pleasing to the eye or that creates a desired impact.

They take quite a bit of care in how plants and flowers are arranged to catch our attention so when you photograph the arrangement it is almost as if the composition is already done for you .

In the Sims world many builders are doing this even if they don’t realize it Notice the way your eye wants to travel back and forth across the lines created by the arrangement of the plants, but the sign sort of stands out as a focal point.

This beauty of a photo was taken at Flower Shop & Cafe by Yukihyo6121 and can be found in the Gallery.

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This concept is called The Rule of Thirds and is the most basic and usually the first lesson a novice photographer will be taught about composition. The thing about photography and what each of us finds pleasing is subjective. Even professional photographers won’t all

agree on a theory or “rule” and that’s ok, but grasping the Rule of Thirds means that you can then learn how to break it with skill. This is exactly what we will do today; experiment with breaking the Rule of Thirds in square format photography for Simstagram.

Beginner photographers are generally discouraged from positioning their subject in the very center of the image. The grid is meant to help you compose a photo that draws your eye for the greatest impact. While the image to the left is pleasing and does show off the view nicely, consider the following image.

There is no real right or wrong answer; choose what works for what you are trying to show in your image, but look at these two and think about how your eye sees the images differently.

Toscana Vineyard by Ninnster

In the photography world square format photography is often not taken seriously, but I believe this is changing given the current popular trends. Personally I believe that there are spectacular, stunning and aweinspiring opportunities for creative expression in square format photography.

Fun fact; the first ever square format camera was created by Rollei in 1929 and is now a sought out item by photography geeks and collectors.

Unlike rule of thirds based compositions which draw the eyes back and forth, it is said that square format tends to draw the eye in a circle around the image; a concept that can be helpful when composing your square photos.

Square photos tend to be ideal for styles of composition that don’t work well in the usual photo dimensions, such as centered or filled frame compositions, the rule of thirds can still be judiciously applied with outstanding results.

The square photo above was the result of cropping the wide view original image below. The wide view is not a bad photo, but it really does not draw our attention to any particular part of the photo.

I might suggest that the image to the left is an improvement because it applies the rule of thirds in a way that the key objects draw the attention.

The circles point out “power points” in a composition; the place where the gridlines intersect. If you are trying to really make one thing stand out and catch the eye of the viewer you want to catch the power points.

When cropped further you can see the impact this concept has on the key part of the image that you really want to highlight. That is impact.

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It is not all about this one rule though, so be sure to explore some of the other composition styles that shine in square photos. Here are some examples to get you started. I hope you will enjoy taking these ideas and exploring square photos to make your Simstagram pop!

Above - leading lines Below - fill the frame

Above - negative space Below - central compositions

Thank you for joining us. Weigela Camillia can be found in my gallery. ID Minraed.

Share your square photos with us. Tag #SUPsimtography and #simmedupmag You can find me on Simstagram @minraed

Let’s Do Some Gardening and Farming!

By:Grace

Howdy everyone! Grace here again. This month’s issue features Spring as its main theme. Ahhh, Spring time. The time for plants to bloom again, and also a great time to plant.

Did you know that there are already gardening/farming mods available? Yes, you read that right. I will be talking about these mods and mention some gardening custom content that could improve gardening in-game and when put together, can also make you experience farm life in The Sims. It's fun and so realistic!

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First mod is KawaiiStacie’s My First Farm Animal Mod wherein Sims get a feel of the farming life. Sims can now have the Farmer trait, and unlock the farming skill (which is a hidden skill). This mod requires Cats&Dog to work. Aside from these features, you can turn pets into farm animals and you can either sell their produce (eg. wool or dairy) in the marketplace or for your own use in the household. It is a cute addition to the game because you can customize the pet to be a farm animal and adds a n e w u n i q u e t ra i t .

Second mod is Icemunmun’s Functional Chicken Coop, wherein your Sims get to take care of chicks and chickens! This is base game compatible. The coop can be found in Misc. Appliances or Outdoor Activity and costs 500 Simoleons with 12 available colour swatches.

This chicken coop allows Sims to interact with friendly chickens and chicks and Icemunmun came up with 13 interactions, such as set up coop, buy chickens, feed chickens, check for eggs, collect eggs, look for Easter eggs, observe, converse with chickens, rename coop, play with chicks, hug chicken, tell story and insult/use fowl language. As for egg collection, after collecting eggs, an

egg carton can be found in the Sims’ inventory. This is a great addition if you plan on making a farm, or just simply want to take care of chickens. Having this in game also adds four objects in Buy mode--the chicken feed, egg carton, eggs and Easter eggs. A fun add-on too is that a chicken will appear in the relationship panel and there you can see the relationship between your Sims and the chickens!

Speaking of chickens, the next mod is about BakieGaming’s free range chicken or animated chickens roaming around. This is pretty similar to birds roaming around in Sulani but the difference is, this mod does not

include any interaction. It’s in Misc.

Decorations in Buy Mode as “Animated Chickens” and comes in 2 swatches--one with breadcrumbs and one without. It costs 4 Simoleons. These chickens spawn on the ground in different directions.

It’s actually cute and funny to see chickens roaming around!

Next mod is the Dairy Cow mod and it was made with joint effort from Icemunmun, Pandasama and Mizore Yuuki. As its name implies, it is a mod wherein you can purchase a cow and take care of it. It comes with 7 swatches. You can feed it, and get milk from the cow and bottles of milk will be in your Sims’ inventory upon collection. Drinking milk can result to different buffs.

Just like with the Icemunmun’s chickens, Sims also get a relationship with the cow and it will appear in the relationship panel. It is also fun to interact with the cows, as you can talk to them like a regular Sim. Cows can also be fed with hay (hay pile and hay bale) and bag of cow treats, which can be purchased also in Buy mode.

The second to the last mod is a functional horse made by necrodog. This mod requires Discover University. Sims can now ride a horse using this mod, and just like the cows, these horses can be fed too. You can also pet them! It is i n Outdoor Activities in B u y M ode costing 150 Simoleo n s .

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Last but not the least, a harvesting mod for children and toddlers are also available. Now, they can be involved in gardening. This was made possible by jackboog21’s updated version of Harvesting for Children and Toddlers mod ( o r i g i n a l l y b y P l a s t i c b ox ) .

A s f o r c u s t o m c o n t en t f o r gardening, I’d like to feature some garden/farm decorations that also give a realistic touch to a garden or farmland. First is the pig farm decorations by soloriya. It includes two versions of piglets and two versions of pigs, hay, feeder, pig and piglet boxes, and water bowl.

Another gardening/farming custom content is the Functional Retail "Little Sprout" Seed Display by Menaceman44 wherein you can also purchase seeds and can be placed either in your farm or in a retail lot. Last but not the least, I discovered two different versions of garden signs, one is by Caigel and the other is from getsimscc.com.

Caigel’s garden signs are wooden signs with pictures of the different plants/flowers and in Buy mode, it is divided according to expansion/ game pack. Each sign costs 50 Simoleons. As from the ones from getsimscc.com, its garden signs are also wooden signs but with English or Simlish labels on it and each one costs 20 Simoleons.

So that’s it folks!

Happy Gardening & Simming!

In this month’s Making a Simmer, we have the privilege to talk to the very talented: Antoine AKA Simarchitectur. He is very well known in the community for taking famous architecture Buildings and building them in the Sims 4 .

SU: You're also a photographer, this must give you a keen eye for the details in your builds. How did you get into photography and do you have any advice for other simmers on getting the best out of their Sims Shots?

SU: When did you first find out about The Sims and what inspired you to As a photographer I always try to start b u i l d i n g ? capture either an atmosphere or an unseen detail. Therefore I often pay attention to the details in my I first played the sims as I was around 10 much builds.

I have always been into years old. As far as I can remember I photography i started to take it always liked building more than actually more seriouslybut around 5 years ago. The playing with the Sims. I don’t think I had biggest part of my work is focused on any specific inspiration back then but I royal residences or was already into big mansions and architecture. An advice I could classical give on castles. I remember spending a lot of getting the best out of the Sims time building second empire style manors would be first to use the tab shots and with the Sims 2 garden and explore all its possibilities, it's a game mansion stuff. changing feature!

SU: There is so much around us to boost our imaginations, being French you live in one of the most romantic countries in the world, would you say french architecture has a large f oundation in your work?

I definitely would! France has an incredible variety of architectural styles. As a castles and palaces passionate I have an almost endless source of inspiration in my own country are even just around me as I have the chance to live in Versailles where the most beautiful royal palace in the world is located!

SU: Landscaping is also a crucial part of architecture. Do you consider the landscaping when you build in the Sims?

I love landscaping in the sims. It’s something very relaxing to me. I always imagine a build with its landscaping for my mansion and regular houses. But to be honest I’m often frustrated by the game limitations. I’m dreaming of being able to create huge french gardens but as most of my castles and palaces often don’t let any free space to build a proper garden I just kind of skip it out focus on the architecture.

SU: How long does it usually take you to finish a build, because it looks like a lot of work.

As you can imagine it depends on my inspiration and my will to create a very detailed build or not. A huge mansion built on a 64x64 lot generally requires around 25 hours I would say while a big detailed palace can take more than 50 hours.

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@SiMARCHiTECTUR

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SU: Building a famous architecture SU: What buildings can we expect to building in the Sims can seem very see from you in the future? intimidating. How do you go about building one in the Sims?

I’m currently working on a big chateau inspired by the famous Chateau De It sometimes is as I always want to Maisons located near Paris. I would also respect the architects are their creations like to release new episodes for my but it’s also very stimulating as I have history of architecture series but I still to find ways to make it work in the need to clear which styles I’d like to game. But I try not to be too formal explore. Otherwise I have some other and I always keep in mind it’s the sims ideas like building the Akasaka Palace are only a game so the most important in Japan. But I prefer not to say too thing is to have fun. Architecture is a much because most of the time a new living matter, it’s meant to be played idea pops up in my mind. So stay tuned with! to see what’s coming n e x t !

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Aquarius Time to enjoy the smell of the ocean, or even a pool of water, what I am trying to say is, bring back that connection you have with all thing aquatic, that smell of salt in the air as the wave’s crash against the seashore. Even with all its many scary but wonderful. elements, the ocean is still beautiful just like you

Aries Aries it’s not all about Aries! Sometimes you have to take a step back and allow others to voice their opinion even if it does make you burn inside. Being able to see things from another perspective can change the hardest relationship into a real life partnership!

Gemini Hey Gemini, looking good! You’re such a beautiful soul, when you want to be. Keep that dark side under control this month, things are going to look bad, but remember all you need do, is look at what you do have, instead of wishing for what you don’t have.

Appreciation is sometimes the key to true happiness.

Leo And here we are again Leo, looking at the past wondering why we did what we did or said what we said.

It’s OK to let go. Reminiscing is OK, have fun with it, but when those memories start interfering with your now, that’s when it’s time to say enough is enough, and now is that time.

Libra Times are hard, I mean really hard but for you, you always try to see the best in every situation. Optimist, Maybe? But in a time of nothing but doubt a little optimism can go a long way. Share your smile Libra and it will always come back to you tenfold, even if it doesn’t feel like it right now.

Sagittarius You’re up on your high horse again, let it go. For some it’s easier to hold a grudge, but for you and in this instance it neither helps nor serves your purpose, so just let it go.

Once it’s done, you will feel so much better and everything going forward will suddenly be clear now that black cloud has gone.

Pisces February was an indecisive time for Pisces and the following months haven’t been too great either.

Hope is at hand, with April bringing in more light into your life, this will not only make you feel rejuvenated, it will open your eyes to what’s been there all along.

Taurus

Times have been super hard and not just for you. Even with your stubborn streak and bullish nature, you have been one of those friends that support any of yours that ask for it. Taurus, don’t you think it’s about time you started asking for help though? Think about it.

Cancer Super fun month for you Cancer. You’re truly enjoying life at the moment, the sun is shining, the air is fresh and you can taste freedom on your lips. This bird is gonna fly, just open your wings and everything you need is within touching distance.

Virgo This month is a tough one to answer, it’s as if you have no idea what to do, as if you have held your hands high and said “I just cannot take it anymore”. Help is at hand Virgo, whatever you do hold your head high, and remember your best is just as good as everyone else’s best, and never let anyone tell you any different.

Scorpio Oh no Scorpio, spilt milk? Well that’s OK, grab a cloth and wipe away those tears, I mean milk. Let it all out, all those pains, all those fears and have a good cry. Crying isn’t the sign of weakness you think it is, it’s a means of releasing that pent up frustration, I mean even a kettle has to let off steam somehow right!

Capricorn Time to glide into the limelight and show everyone just what you are made of. Whether it be taking pictures for your social media, or creating something for your home, show it off and let people know YOU DID THIS, take in that praise and allow it to help you tip toe into May.

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@simoleonerita

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@AnetaBlakePlays Aneta is an Irish Simmer who enjoys building beautiful properties and creating stunning Sims. She has been playing The Sims since its inception and runs a YouTube channel dedicated to her love of the game.

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Aneta creates builds and Sims that are both beautiful and unique. Be sure to check her out on YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook as AnetaBlakePlays and download this awesome build from the gallery using the Origin ID: AnetaBlake

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WITH SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL THE FABULOUS SIMMERS OUT THERE THAT ALLOWED US TO INTERVIEW OR FEATURE THEM THIS MONTH AND ALL OUR READERS. WE DO THIS FOR YOU AND THE

THANK

SIMS

OF COURSE!

YOU FOR ALL YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT.