My wedding anniversary was this week, and I have been married to my best friend for 22 years now. The other thing that I have been doing for almost 20 years (December) is playing The Sims.<\/p>\n
At the time, there was one base game, and one expansion pack out. Christmas in Arkansas was marked by a massive ice storm. Power was out across the state because the trees could not handle the weight of the ice, and would topple down, taking power poles with them. We went to stay with friends who had power, I picked up the game from Wal-Mart to help occupy my time.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Very shortly thereafter, I went back and bought the expansion pack, ‘Living Large’ which was like a party pack. In quick order, I also discovered on-line custom content. I was burning backup disks of files from ‘The Well Dressed Sim’ (Brianna was one of my favorite designers for a long time). Around the SIMS<\/a> – Parsimonious Sims<\/a> – Persimmon Grove<\/a> were some of my most frequented and favorites.<\/p>\n Eventually, I took a class offered by one of the big sites or forums back then and began making my own custom content. There was lessons on cloning an object, recoloring things (I made a sofa with a tulip pattern on it), transparencies\/alphas channels (a coffee table with glass), etc, and it was free, just because this community has always been so awesome and supportive (and greedy for new custom content makers).<\/p>\n Eventually SIMS 2 came out in 2004. I couldn’t play it on my computer. In 2005, I bought The Holiday Edition. I could barely install it, but I was determined. Eventually, like many others, this became my favorite version of the game. 18 years later, I still have an active version on my laptop, and constantly struggle to get my load time down vs all the custom content that I think I need.<\/p>\n I bought and have SIMS 3, and have played it a bit, but pretty much ditched it to go back to 2. I was not interested in 4, except superficially (yeah! Sims!) and the growing investment (which has never been all that cheap) seemed to be growing exponentially.\u00a0 As of today (5 Sept 22), all 56 of The Sims 4’s DLC, including every expansion, game, stuff, and kit pack, is $984.44 USD. That is a HUGE investment.<\/p>\n Base Game<\/strong> (19.99)<\/p>\n The SIMS 4<\/p>\n Expansion Packs<\/strong> 39.99 each (*12 = $479.88)<\/em><\/p>\n Get to Work Game Packs<\/strong>\u00a0 19.99 each (*12 = $239.88)<\/em> Outdoor Retreat Stuff Packs<\/strong> 9.99 each (*18 = $179.82)<\/em> Luxury Party Stuff Kits<\/strong> 4.99 each (*13 = $64.87)<\/em> Throwback Fit Kit Game Total: $984.44<\/strong><\/p>\n However, my best friend owns and plays it, and has been having a ton of fun. She recently convinced me to jump on the bandwagon and join her in the madness. I’m enjoying myself, and learning all of the little vagaries of a new SIMS game.<\/p>\n Wish me Luck.<\/p>\n I’m still a diehard SIMS 2 fan, and my husband and I both LOVED SIMS 1: Making Magic. What’s your favorite SIMS game or expansion?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Discovering the Other Love of my Life My wedding anniversary was this week, and I have been married to my …<\/p>\nDespite the High Cost of Living, It Remains Popular<\/h3>\n
\nGet Together
\nCity Living
\nCats & Dogs
\nSeasons
\nGet Famous
\nIsland Living
\nDiscover University
\nEco Lifestyle
\nSnowy Escape
\nCottage Living
\nHigh School Years<\/p>\n
\n(Game packs are intended to be smaller than full expansion packs but larger than stuff packs.)<\/p>\n
\nSpa Day
\nDine Out
\nVampires
\nParenthood
\nJungle Adventure
\nStrangerVille
\nRealm of Magic
\nStar Wars: Journey to Batuu
\nDream Home Decorator
\nMy Wedding Stories
\nWerewolves<\/p>\n
\n(Stuff packs for The Sims 4 typically include 1-3 objects bringing new gameplay, in addition to clothes and existing objects.)<\/p>\n
\nPerfect Patio Stuff
\nCool Kitchen Stuff
\nSpooky Stuff
\nMovie Hangout Stuff
\nRomantic Garden Stuff
\nKids Room Stuff
\nBackyard Stuff
\nVintage Glamour Stuff
\nBowling Night Stuff
\nFitness Stuff
\nToddler Stuff
\nLaundry Day Stuff
\nMy First Pet Stuff
\nMoschino Stuff
\nTiny Living Stuff
\nNifty Knitting Stuff
\nParanormal Stuff<\/p>\n
\n(A\u00a0kit is a very small add-on pack which only adds a few new items, in addition to gameplay changes in some kits.)<\/p>\n
\nCountry Kitchen Kit
\nBust the Dust Kit
\nCourtyard Oasis Kit
\nIndustrial Loft Kit
\nFashion Street Kit
\nIncheon Arrivals Kit
\nBlooming Rooms Kit
\nModern Menswear Kit
\nCarnaval Streetwear Kit
\nDecor to the Max Kit
\nMoonlight Chic Kit
\nLittle Campers Kit<\/p>\nKeep Calm and Join the Dark Side<\/h3>\n