Two Steps Forward

Gameplay Notes:

When I played Fran’s family in TS2, I started out actually playing – monitoring their wants and fears, exploring the new Seasons expansion, etc. – but the story started to take over, and within a few episodes I was posing everything and not playing at all. Eventually I got bored with it, because my Sims were just mannequins and had no say in what was happening to their lives. I find the game more enjoyable (and unpredictable) when I let my Sims decide things – at least, most things: what they want to do at any given moment, what their short- and long-term goals are, and to whom they are attracted.

With Fran in TS3, I want to be very careful not to let the story get in the way of gameplay. The only posing I do with Fran is to sometimes turn moveobjects on and turn her around so I get take a better picture. Otherwise I’m really just playing her. Her wants and motives determine what she does on a given day. And as far as her attraction to Gavin, that was all the fault of Twallan’s Woohooer mod. If you download the Woohooer Scoring, you get two extra interactions in your Friendly social menu: “Consider Attractiveness” and “Gauge Attraction”. When Fran considered Gavin’s attractiveness upon their first meeting, she found him to be a 10 out of 10, which is, in the words of Twallan’s mod, “blindingly stunning”. So even though Gavin is a Sim I created, and I was hoping he and Fran would at least be friends, it turns out that she finds him incredibly attractive.

Now Fran, while Friendly, is also Unflirty. She’s not the type to throw herself at a guy; in fact, she doesn’t even know how. But she knows how to make friends, and because of her strong attraction to Gavin, she’s doing things she wouldn’t normally do, like ask him out for a drink (she wanted to become “Good Friends” with him). She just does it in a friendly way. And of course she’s developing a major crush on the guy, but she’s not going to try anything romantic unless the want pops up. In other words, I’m not rushing anything with these two. And actually, when she gauged his attraction to her, he found her to be a 1 out of 4, so he’s not really interested in her romantically at this time.

Anyway, I’m actually pretty far ahead of this gameplay-wise, but I haven’t had as much time to sit and write updates, so I’m behind in those. But I want to get caught up soon, before I forget everything!

28 thoughts on “Two Steps Forward

  1. “I blame the stove. They’re all different, right? I mean, I’m not saying my stove is deliberately trying to sabotage me…but…you never know. I’m watching you, stove.” I could not have laughed harder at this entry!!! A wonderful addition to the story Jen and a pleasure to read.

    Also thanks for the tip aboutt he woohooer, I haven’t used it but I love the idea of the gauge attractiveness. It really lets the dollies have a little extra control. Loves it! xx

    • Hee, I like that you call them “the dollies”. Reminds me of playing with my Barbies back in the day. I made up the same kinds of silly stories for them as I do for my Sims now! Some things never change. :)

  2. Elvis also recommended a few books on fishing bait. I had no idea that mattered – I had been just throwing my hook into the water and saying “here, fishy fishy”.

    Hilarious! She is too cute!

  3. Ha, ha! “Here fishy, fishy”! I’m going to be giggling like a total nutter over that one for a while, it reminds me of when my dad used to throw the bread out for the birds when I was little: “Biiirrrrdiiiies! Here, biiiirrrdiiieees!” It was even complete with this daft falsetto voice that drove my ma up the wall. Nice one, Jen.

  4. Fab update, Jen – It’s beautifully written and your photos are (as always) to die for. I love that you’re playing this and telling the story, instead of posing it. It makes it far more interesting to see what actually happens for Fran instead of *make believe*… Fran is real, isn’t she??!!??

    • Um, yes, of course Fran is real. She steals my blog from time to time. What, you think I just make this stuff up out of thin air? Pshaw! ;-p Thanks for your kind words about her.

  5. Oh, I LIKE Gavin. *swoon* He’s already got my heart, too. Can’t blame Fran AT ALL for that little crush.

    I love reading your writing, my dear. I do believe there should be a novel in your future. ;)

    • You are too kind, WebbyMom. I’ve tried to write books before, but I lack the discipline to stick with one thing for that long (sound familiar at all? Heehee) These little Sims stories are just the right length for my short attention span! So glad you’re enjoying them. :)

  6. WebbyMom, I thought the same thing, someday we’ll get to read a book. Really enjoyable little story about Fran and her growing attachment to her new home.

    • Gethane! Always good to see you. :) Thanks for visiting, and I’m glad you’re enjoying Fran’s new adventures.

    • Aw, I feel like my pics are crummy compared to some of the amazing ones I’ve seen on Living Sims and elsewhere, so thank you for saying that! :)

  7. Oh Fran she cracks me up, girl has some sense of humor…something she needs with her lack of money and island life. Gawin is hot, real hot…no wonder she has a thing for her, I wonder will they eventually get it going…i sort of hope so, but you never know with sims.
    Aah i play the same, let sims 2 do their thing…i don’t like poseing and neither have i got patience for it. I just let my sims write the story for me, after all it is about them.
    Looking forward to some more ‘stoves are different …’ updates…

    • Yeah, Sims can be really slow about things, if left to their own devices. But I’m determined to let them figure it out, even if Fran ends up an old maid (which isn’t so bad at all…I’m one myself! Heehee)

  8. Fran is lovely. I\’m glad you did a game-play note, it\’s always very interesting to see what people do behind the scenes. How long lifespan does she has?

    • Thanks, ani_, I’m glad you like Fran. I’m currently playing her on the Epic lifespan, so things are moving very slowly. I’ve played about 5 weeks of her life in Mariner’s reach, and she’s only about halfway to adulthood. I like it, though, she can have days where she just eats, sleeps, and catches fish, and I don’t feel a mad rush to make her do anything else. That could get old after awhile, but for now I’m enjoying it!

  9. Now how did I miss this update? Ooh he is dreamy. me likes Gavin, he’s easy on the eyes. whew.
    She’s so funny! great update as always enjoyed the heck out of your pics.

  10. Aw, I so love your stories, Jen, you have such a talent for writting! I love “Fran’s voice”, she’s such an adorable and funny Sim!
    Gavin is a hottie! I hope he won’t be too much interested in sexy barmaids!

    • Thanks so much, Sandy! I have fun writing for Fran, and I’m glad you enjoy her stories. :) We’ll have to see about Gavin and those barmaids…

  11. Today’s security word is “Ambrosia”. I couldn’t have said it better myself. jenba, all of your stories (whether they are just discussing a new house or a new town your creating, or if it’s like the wonderful Fran) … sheer AMBROSIA!! *jiggles*

    Jellyfish are freaky. I’m sorry. Ever since I saw that movie “The Sphere”, I am totally freaked by jellfish … no matter how big or how small. *shudders*

    Wow … what the hell was EA thinking with that guy ‘do?! GEEZ! *rotflmao*

    Gavin really is quite tasty. :O) I wish Unflirty Fran all the luck in the world. And I certainly hope that you enjoy your play and don’t let the story take over the fun of it. :O)

    • And my security word is “woohoo”, which is what I say when I see a comment from the Captain! Heehee.

      I don’t like jellyfish, either…they give me the heebie jeebies. I’ve never seen “The Sphere”, though…sounds like a good flick to avoid?

      Poor Unflirty Fran…if I hadn’t set Story Progression to disallow Steady Romances for Gavin’s household, I’m sure he would have been snatched up already. She needs to get her butt in gear!

  12. Awww Fran Romance! I hope he falls in love with her. Super cute! She reminds me how I talk to myself. Lol in my head.

    • LOL, that’s sweet! I talk to myself in my head that way a lot, too. Only I’m not as funny as Fran is. :-p

  13. Jen you have a wonderful sense of humor *cough* I mean, Fran has a wonderful sense of humor. I like the fact that you play the game. It makes for some interesting situations and hilarious bits for us to drool over.

    So Ms Fishing Fran, the mac and cheese burner, is also finding a bit of romance. This island rocks! I’m glad she’s finally learned to make pancakes. The poor dear could live off of them for a while. I mean, an exploding stove is just not reliable. Right?

  14. Yes, exploding stoves are very bad indeed! Thanks so much for your nice comment, Velvet. I’m enjoying this gameplay and the challenge of trying to make a decent story out of it. ;-p