The way I play the game is rather interesting. I've created a crap load of sims, single sims, sim families, the works. I'll use cash cheats for my larger households (anything more then 4 sims), and the motives cheat when I need to perk everyone up on a lot fast. As far as my tendencies in aging, I tend to bypass the baby and toddler stages a lot. I'll teach toddlers how to walk, talk and potty so that they have the memories, but once they do, I aged them into children immediately. From there I let them age naturally. Once a teen gets to 4 days until adulthood, that's when I send them to college. In college, it depends on my like of the the sims as far as who I play. Some of my young adults I let take a natural course, so I speed the schooling process up to a certain point, then let things take their course. Once they're adults, it's on to moving them into their own lots and starting their own families. I'm VERY selective in my sim breeding. I hook up sims that make the best looking offspring (though not the best in the personality department...lol). My largest family is in it's 5th generation, with the 1st generation mother and father passed on. I tend to keep my Elders happy and healthy so that they live out there final days positively. I'm pretty much sensible and "nice" to my sims, though there are a few that I experiment with making their lives a living hell (Don't we all?). The most major aspect of my gaming is building relationships. I have lots of sims, and many of them all have varied relationships with each other. Some are friends, some are enemies, and everything in between. I've got a pair of sims in particular who have hated each other since childhood. Their both in college now, and having them on the same lot is like striking a match in a room filled with gas. Always fun to watch, lol.

In a nutshell, while the game is adding a lot of new bells and whistles, it also seems to be taking away from the core aspects of it that make it "The Sims". This isn't the 1st time EA has totally F'd up a franchise. The Need For Speed Series of racing games had been for YEARS one of the best in the genre. But then EA releases NFS Underground, NFS Underground 2, NFS Most Wanted, NFS Carbon, NFS Pro Street and finally NFS Undercover. The only one of that series of releases that even remotely had success was Most Wanted, because it took things back to the old days of the series, where you raced fast cars and avoided the cops by any means necessary. The other games were just EA releasing garbage to try and hook the "casual" gamer just to make a buck and capitalize on the popularity of all of the recent racing films. Same can be said about TS3. There's nothing that they've announced that personally captures my interest as far as the new stuff, and no mention of any of the old features we've all come to know and love. About the only feature that's caught my attention is the traits feature, but is that alone enough to convince me to make a purchase when the rest of the game looks to be a total let down? Not a chance. The sad part is, their still gonna market the crap out of it the next few months and hook all of the newbie (damn that Newbie Family) users into buying it.

Referer: She looks absolutely awesome.

Caleb_71: Paula & Sharon look excellently made. Looks like you put lots of work into them. I especially like your Brandi. I love seeing what makeovers people give the pre-made sims. I've made over just about all of the pre-made sims in my version of Pleasantview.

Roxy pretty much hit it on the nail. For the "Casual" Sims player, those things might not be enough to deter you from buying TS3. But about 70% of the members here on InSIM alone are NOT casual players. I'm not a "Die Hard" Sims player, but I do put in at the least 14-18 hours a week playing the game. And like most people creating custom content is a big part of it. Who wants sims all dressed in similar clothes, living in similar lots with similar furnishings? No one, that's who. And being able to create my own or download content from other users is part of the process of it as well. But the key is THERE'S NO MIDDLE MAN. If it's from a paysite, ok. You make a lil' donation to the site and get what you're looking for. If it's from a free site, even better. You DL it, thank the creator for sharing and keep it movin'. But once you start talking about content not only being available on one site, but having to pay a fee just to access it, that's wrong on all possible levels. I'll use XBox Live for example. Downloadable Content is available for tons of games. Recently Capcom released a DLC pack for Street Fighter 4 that has new attires for the female characters, of which you have to pay a small fee to download. That's TOTALLY acceptable. The content is coming from the publisher themselves, so they have full right to do so. About 75% of the major CC for Sims games DOESN'T come from the publisher, EA. It comes from individual creators. EA might release a few items here and there, as well as obvious stuff packs and so on, but nothing on the lines of what the CC creators churn out.

So you take that into account when and/or if it's confirmed that TSR & The Exchange ends up being the only place for TS3 content. You'd end up having to subscribe to access said content. Where's the money go, hmmm? Damn sure doesn't go to the creator in full, does it? Nope. TSR would take a percentage, and EA would take a percentage. Anyone else seeing something wrong with this? If I'm going to actually fork over cash for a DL, I want my cash to go to the person who put in the time and effort to MAKE the content. All EA did was make the game. The content is and should be the SOLE property of the creator. It's like the Creative Commons licensing agreement in music. There are various computer programs that can and are used to make music, such as Frooty Loops & Reason (Which I use both). Just because the music is MADE using the programs, it doesn't make said material property of companies that published/distributed the software. It's YOUR creative property, not theirs. Same thing should go for CC and TS3. The problem is no one for some reason is taking EA to task on the issue because it's a video game that costs 50 bucks as opposed to an advanced piece of software that costs 400. But it all falls into the same category. It's like someone who makes Airbrushed T-Shirts. You go out, you buy a bunch of solid color T-shirts, bring them back to your studio, do you work on them, and sell them yourself. Should the company that manufactured the shirts get any residuals for it? Hell no!!! They got their money already. Once a product is in your possession, as long as you're infringing in the manufacturer/distributor/publishers copyrights, you should be able to do whatever the hell you want with it.

Another rant, I know. But EA is good for monopolizing an intellectual property. Look at what the did to the NFL with that Madden series of games? It's why Major League Baseball opted out of dealing with EA Sports, because they didn't want their IP to be limited to only one distributor. EA needs to be taken to task on this. The problem is no one really has the stroke to do so and make any headway in their effort.

Point blank and period, if there's no CC, I ain't buyin' it. Being able to make my own stuff is the sole reason I play TS2. If I can't in TS3, I'll stick to TS2.

On topic: Like Pescado said, more then likely someone will eventually make some sort of mod similar to the Insimenator down the road. But don't hold your breathe. It'll take cracking the initial code of the game to make, and seeing as EA is potentially going to be stingy with said code, it might not be for at least a year or more before you see such a mod.

If I might be so bold to speak on this subject, I'll give you the perspective from two angles, a business angle, and a gamer's angle:

Business: For EA Games to even entertain the idea to have one universal medium for downloadable content for TS3 is not only fiscal suicide, but a quick way to make devoted users lose all trust they've built in well over 9 years since the 1st game. The sole reason why TS2 became a hit and is STILL a hit 5 years after the base game was released is because of one word, variety. There are thousands of message boards and sites (be they paysites or free) that offer user created content for the game. This brings a healthy median of users into the fold. When you find something cool on one site, it makes you seek out others. When you find something even cooler, but see you need a SP or EP to gain access to it, what do most people do? Go get the damn EP. I had the base game, Uni and NL for a good long time, but because I saw I wanted to be able to do more, I went and got the other EPs over time. Why? Because there was easily accessible and FREE content available for them. Now you take all of that and put it on one site where users have to subscribe to access the content, it creates a number of issues. Number 1, an issue of availability. Do you have any idea how large a site like that would have to be? Especially if it's the ONLY place you can access CC? Anyone who runs a site knows it costs money, hell...it costs money to run this site, and this is a "free" forum. EA might have deep pockets, but they ain't THAT deep. Number 2, convincing people it's worth it to subscribe. The very fact that you'd have to subscribe to access content would put 9 out of 10 people off from buying the game forth right. Number 3, Pirating. You know damn well that such a site is going to get pirated...HEAVILY. People will subscribe, horde much CC as they can, and make it accessible via PTP sharing or Torrents. And EA will never be able to keep up with the sheer volume, thus...they lose money. Like I said earlier, a fiscal nightmare.

Gamer: One of the main reason I play TS2 is the ability to create. To customize things to my liking, be they via Bodyshop, SimPE or the various hacks and mods available. The CC/Modding community of TS2 is pretty much the life blood of this whole thing. We all come together here because we enjoy the game AND sharing our creations. If EA limits what we can do, what we can share, and what we can create, what's the point even making the game? I use this analogy for all of my fellow car people, but that's like giving someone a spanking new 2009 Lancer EVO and saying you can only paint it white. Once you pay for the car, it's YOUR car. As long as you're not painting something stupid like a Swastika or a naked woman on it, you should be allowed to do to it whatever you want as long as it doesn't infringe on copyrights. Same goes for TS3. You by the game, you should be able to do with it what you want. They can (and should) provide a minimal creation tool such as Bodyshop with the game. Chances are some tech savy user will end up cracking the games code and making a Mod program for it anyway. But as far as creating and CC goes, there is NO WAY anyone should profit from it. If you wanna be a douche and put your stuff on a paysite, if you made it...go right ahead. And if it's EA own content, they can feel free to charge for it as well. But a vast majority of us share content free of charge. If that's what the people want, that's what they should get. Because we're the ones buy the game. Will the issue of CC distribution hurt the sales on the game? Hell yea. Because CC IS the game. It's the driving force behind the entire series. Take that away from users, or at the very least make them have to pay to access it, and you're killing your own progress.

Your Bella and Brandi are one word...HAWT. Bella's got that whole "Come Hither" gaze. I've remixed most of the pre-made sims in my game as well. Can't have a hood full of stylish sims with a bunch of maxis MESSES running around also. As far as Christine's cleavage, you haven't seen some of the other recolors I've made. She was purposely made to be total babebage.

("Babebage" is a trademark of Kaoz666)

Here's the latest edition to the 4th generation of my neighborhood, Dorsey Goodchild.

The story behind Dorsey is a funny one...in that he wasn't a planned offspring. His mother Christine I had intended to use in a story after she became an adult (I still am, it's just that she'll have a much more interesting backstory now.), but she ended up shacking up with his Father Quamae. Now because they're both a pair of my more detailed sims, I decided to see what the offspring would look like...and hoped it wouldn't be a freak of nature. As it turns out, Dorsey is absolutely gorgeous, and is the 1st Inter-Gender sim I've had born. (I have a few Mixed couples, but none have had kids yet as most of them are in College still.) He bares a stunning resemblance to both parents, which is also a 1st for me as normally my offspring look like either the mother or the father, never both. I decided to play through his toddler phase fully so he could have all the memories in tact, and he was quite the handful. It was cute how he'd follow Christine around everywhere...when he wasn't playing in the toilet. He's now in the child stage, but thanks to skillin' him up with Smart Milk, he's a little genius. I figure when he becomes a Teen I may as well make him a knowledge sim since that's kinda how his personality is, always exploring and wandering all over the place.


Christine give Dorsey LOTS of attention.

Dorsey with Quamae (Quamae ain't even out of his freshman year...damn Romance Sims...)

Looks cute now, but he was beatin' the crap outta that poor bear a few seconds ago.

Nothing like seeing some pretty gals, and these are pretty gals indeed. Loving them all. Here's one of my favorite gals, made for an upcoming story I've been diligently working on a "script" for. Her name is Christine Goodchild.

I made that unfortunate mistake once. I throw a Sports Party at one of my Sim's house, and Don was one of the guests invited. Problem was, so was 4 other females he'd had "outings" with. I wasn't paying attention and the idiot went on and kissed one of them with the others in the same room. They all proceeded to smack the taste outta his mouth, one by one. It was the funniest thing I'd ever seen. Easy to say poor Donny's aspiration points were in the toilet by the end of the ordeal, and I had to do some user damage control to stop him from going bonkers. After a while he actually mended fences with two of them...the other two still hate his guts. Don's easily my favorite Pre-Made male sim.

It's how one of my CAS females "freed" herself from an abusive, controlling Husband. Of course the lot wasn't very big and it damn near incinerated that whole first floor of the house, but she's moved on to a more fulfilling relationship. Kinda makes me wish there was a "Killed that useless, controlling skank/jerk" memory, LMAO! Yes, I do weird things to my Sims, but don't we all?

I pretty much balance things out. I make both genders one and the same. If I make a pair of sisters, I'll usually make 2 male sims down the pipe to compensate. I've hit the point in my game where many of my 1st Gen sims are either elders or damn close to becoming Elders, so there's been some what of a "Baby Boom" in Pleasantview. Add to the fact that I've downloaded AND created so many damn lots, I need sims to fill 'em, lol. Thanks to Bodyshop and Google, I've got as much fashion for my males as my females.

Step 1: Go to Buy/Build Mode

Step 2: Purchase Paladin's Incendiary Bomb

Step 3: Put in it my inventory.

Step 4: Visit a Community Lot, we'll say...P.U.R.E.

Step 5: Flirt up a few of my Sim Ladies and hope to lure out Mrs. Crumplebottom.

Step 6: Set said bomb next to her and set it for a 6 tile detonation.

Step 7: Watch that crotchety old bitch burn a painful, demonic death, and giggle while everyone gathers around in horror.

Step 8: Hope I get sent back to normal reality when the game crashes cuz ya killed Mrs. Crumplebottom.

In my game, Don's a total man whore. He pretty much flirts with anything that has boobs. All ages, sizes, the works. I set his turn on to fit and fat sims, so he doesn't discriminate...LMAO. As far as his look, I liked the cheesy cassanova look he had by default, so I just completed it by giving him an equally cheese "giggilo" styled attire. (I gotta get pics, you'll lol when you see him.) Don's also one of the prime targets on my "La Infant Terrible" (The Terrible Children) social group, made up of my fave Teen Terror Aric Edenwalt (3rd gen CAS) and the teen Alexander Goth, who I made equally sadistic. Once had then take turns beating poor Don with Mrs. Crumplebottom's purse. He's presently trying to get in the pants of one of my CAS Lorissa Landgrabb, Malcom IV's wife. What's more? Don WORKS for Malcom. Yea, I'm a sick bastard.

I just recently purged my DL folder of stuff I haven't used and probably never would in ages...right before adding about another gig of CC since my last post in this thread. This now puts my DL folder to 6.39GB...and I'm leaving it at that, lol. I needed some more recolors for cars, and furnishings for a story I've been planning since I joined back in November. Now I have everything I need content wise...I just need a cast. Not like I don't have about 178+ Sims to choose from, LMAO!