Jun 08 2008
Hey guys, just wanted to let you know for any who are interested that the SimScribes forum is back up and running! I have upgraded it to phpBB 3.0 and deleted all of the nasty spam. My apologies if I deleted some legitimate posts or users during the process…but I tried to be careful. Also, it has a new address, though the old URL will redirect to the new one for the time being.
Hope to see you there!
Apr 14 2008
So. You probably knew this was coming. I have decided to go in a completely different direction with Gnomesby. Again.
Yeah, yeah. I know. I can never make up my mind. But, after months of struggle, I think I’ve finally figured put my problem. What I’ve been trying to do, rather unsuccessfully, is build a ‘hood like Jade’s. I mean, come on, who wouldn’t want their own version of Thyme? Not an exact copy, mind you, but something just as creative and cool and immersive? Every time I read her site, I’m like, “Dayum, woman! Why can’t I do that??” And then I try to do that, and I fail. The reasons are numerous. For one, I’m not Jade. Obviously. As far as I’m concerned, the woman is a genius. There is no one like her in the entire Sims 2 community. And there never will be. She’s like Highlander, you know? THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!
Secondly, aside from being not-Jade, I happen to be very much ME. And me is pretty much all over the place. I change my mind constantly, I’m terrible at organizing things, I have no discipline to speak of, etc. And I’m not saying all that to put myself down. Not at all. I just know what kind of person I am. Trying to shove my flibbertigibbet brain into a differently-shaped box just isn’t going to work. I’m not patient enough for this large-scale ‘hood-building. I miss writing stories. I miss having just one or two families on which to focus. I hate that I can’t build my perfect dream town because The Sims 3 isn’t out yet.
So here’s what I’m going to do: I make no promises, of course, but the next time I post, I will be posting a story. It will still involve Gnomesby (I refuse to change the name of this site!). It will also involve some characters you might know from my old site. And we’ll just see what happens from there.
Mar 31 2008
I spent some time this past weekend working on Gnomesby’s town square, so I thought I’d share a few pics. It doesn’t have an official name yet, so it’s just “Town Square” for now. Exciting, eh? It’s also unfinished, but that’s OK, because this is just my first pass — I’ll go back later and tweak everything to my heart’s content. (And I can already tell this lot is going to need a TON of tweaking. Oy.)
Myron Luxton enjoys a cup of hot cocoa
So far this community lot includes a rollerskating rink (which will be switched over to an ice-skating rink in winter), espresso bar, drinks bar, vending machine (which dispenses hunger-satisfying snacks, woot!), hot chocolate machines, chess tables, numerous places to sit, restrooms, and a bandstand/stage for summer concerts and plays.
It looks a little weird now with no buildings around it (except for the Great Hall), but that will change in due time. Also, I apologize if the pics are a little dark — I fast-forwarded the game to see how the lighting would turn out and had only taken a few pictures before nightfall.
Mar 24 2008
The past couple of nights I have been working on another of Gnomesby’s oldest structures, the Old Church.
The Old Church has been around for as long as the Gnomers (as they like to call themselves) can remember. There is evidence that a smaller, much older structure preceded the current one, and some of the markers in the cemetery go back several ages.
Mar 22 2008
Hey, folks! I thought I’d give you the scoop on what I’ve been up to with Gnomesby lately. Mostly I’ve been researching cool stuff and downloading even cooler stuff, but tonight I finally fired up the game and did some building. I’ve decided to do what I’m calling a “first pass” of all the buildings in Gnomesby. That means exteriors only - no interiors (which is usually what takes the most time, at least for me). I have a list of all of the buildings I want in Gnomesby, but I don’t know where they’re going to be or how they’re going to fit together. So this is just a way to get a feel for how things are going to look eventually.
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Tonight I worked on the heart of Gnomesby, the Great Hall. The name may change, but that’s what I’m calling it for now. It’s basically the government center of town; the aldermen and alderwomen have offices here, and there are town meetings in the Assembly Room. I may also put the Chamber of Commerce, Post Office, Historical Society, and a gift shop somewhere in here, too. Not sure how much I want to cram in there. Anyway, here’s The Great Hall:
