Progress Report
March 20th, 2006
I'm trying to do (semi) weekly updates just so you know that I'm still committed and excited about this project. It's just taking a lot more time to get this thing rolling than I thought it would. At first I was annoyed and depressed with how slow my progress has been, but then I realized, not only am I having to plan out a story (which takes awhile on its own) but I'm having to plan the sets, cast the "actors", furnish the wardrobe, create objects, recolor skins and hair, etc. At least it won't be like this for each chapter, most things will be able to be reused. I'll only have to worry about writing and doing sets.
I hope I haven't built up this story too much in your minds though. I mean, I'm really exicted about it, but I still have some kinks to work out. And perhaps it won't even be "your cup of tea." That's the insecure writer in me poking her head up. Haha! Go away, insecure writer! We don't need your kind around here. Besides which, you're supposed to be thinking of scenes and conflicts to write about.
I installed OFB last week. I haven't played it much, so I don't know if there are any problems with it. So far, so good though. *knock on wood* At least all my cheats are compatible. I also used Loverat's descriptive icon set to organize most of my downloads into in-game collections. That should make finding stuff easier. Although, I have a feeling it may prove to be a pain in my ass keeping it up-to-date when I download new objects in the future. Hmm…just had an idea… Maybe I can disable all my old downloads with the Clean Installer, extract my new downloads into my download folder, start the game up (in which only the new downloads will appear) and then shuffle the new objects into their respective collections. Then I can reenable all the old downloads. I wonder if that would work? I'll have to try it out.
Nostalgic Saturday
March 11th, 2006
A little update on the progress of Worlds Apart: I finished the default skins I mentioned last time. I've also created my first outfit (and probably the last for awhile…it took me forever! I'm so glad there are many talented clothes creators out there so I don't have to do it). I made some necklaces for my Sims and recolored some hairstyles for one of my characters. So…that means I still need to create the neighborhood and finalize the characters' looks. Concerning the neighborhood: I'm going back and forth on whether I want them to live in a downtown (Nightlife) neighborhood or the regular neighborhood. Perhaps I should just design the regular neighborhood and then make a copy of it for the downtown neighborhood then I will have identical neighborhoods for what ever I need. Is that even possible? Or even needed? I've heard that the Nightlife downtown neighborhoods load slower than regular ones (as you can tell I haven't actually played the game much since I've started this project). I don't know…I'll have to do more research.
As I also mentioned last time, I found an old entry about the Hillocks that I never posted. I had started writing it a little over a year ago, but didn't finish the story. I decided to post it "as is" simply for nostalgic purposes. I considered writing out the rest of the story, but decided that it doesn't really matter as I don't have have these Sims anymore. So, enjoy this little walk down memory lane. I know I did!
Slow Going
March 2nd, 2006
No new update to announce. In fact, it seems as if whenever I make headway in one area that I'm working on, then I have to go back and redo something else. What's the saying? "One step forward and two steps backward." Yeah, that about sums it up. For example, I had a skin all picked out for my main male character. It was all customized and ready to go. But then (due to story requirements) I ended up having to change the skin. So, I have to recustomize the skin. Also, I haven't been able to find the specific default skins I want for my NPCs, so I'm now in the midst of altering some skins and changing them into defaults myself. I'm also having to recolor some of my favorite hairstyles for my main female character as I couldn't find the exact shade I was looking for. As you can see, a lot of customizing is slowing me down. But, I want my Sims to look right since I will be staring at them a lot while doing the story.
However, I did work on my credits page today. (Damn, I've downloaded a ton of sh…stuff!) So, I can say I've accomplished something.
I found an old entry having to do with the Hillocks that is half-written. I haven't decided yet, but I may post it here even though it's not complete and I won't be writing about those characters anymore. But it could have great nostalgic value.
Another Person's Story
February 21st, 2006
Something cool: SofiellCrow is going to use my house (511 Kincaid) in an upcoming story of hers. I'm going to make a point of reading it so I can catch a glimpse of the house.
Ordering the Chaos
February 14th, 2006
Updated: 02.21.06
I'm currently in what you might call the "Pre-Production Phase." I've been busily downloading and installing objects, houses, lots, skins, etc. I'm also slowly outlining the story and figuring out what characters I need. This past weekend, I customized a skin from SimCribbling that will be worn by the main male character. I really like how it turned out.In an effort to impose some organization on the chaos of pre-production, this is what I have left to do:
Finish downloading and installing everything!- This is gonna take a while. Update: Is this ever really done? I always seem to be downloading more.
Modify/customize the theme for this site.- I actually have two templates that I really like so I may end up doing both. It's cool that WordPress allows you to change between themes if you want. I just need to figure out how to do it. Update: Done!
Come up with a title for my story!- I'm having a lot of difficulty with this. The working title is "Urban Myth." Some other titles I've been considering are "Myth Worlde", "Consensual Worlds", "Into the Fantasy". I'm horrible with coming up with titles. I do know that the tagline will be "slip into another reality." Update: I finally came up with a title that isn't too cheesy!
Decide whether or not to rename this site.- Of course this all depends upon me coming up with a title for the story first. Since I'll be focusing exclusively on this story and not other Sim stories, I've tossed around the idea of renaming "Confessions of a Simmer" to whatever the title of my story turns out to be. Update: I figured out a compromise.
- Create neighborhoods and downtown areas.
- So far I'm leaning toward the Veronaville map for my neighborhood. I seems to be exactly what I'm looking for what with the river running right down the center of it and all…I like how that clearly demarcates the sides as this aspect will be important to my story. I need to find some custom downtown maps.
- Write out script for the prologue.
- I already have the basic idea for this in my head. I just need to flesh it out.
- Cast the actors!
- One of the most important parts, I need to create the look of my characters. I anticipate this taking a while as I'm picky and want my Sims to appear as I envision them.
Once all this is done, I'll be able to begin taking the pictures. Wow…so much to do.