Yay! Another project story! Looking forward to this, Hazel 
They say the third time is the charm, so best of luck in this attempt.
Thanks
. I certainly hope so. At least there won't be any new dynasties to interrupt this attempt...
Getting Started/House 1Once I’d decided to restart the challenge, I disabled most of my EPs and SPs with Game Selector – rather perversely, since I’d just finished installing absolutely everything on The New Computer. For now, I’m playing with just Ambitions and Generations, plus High-End Loft and Fast Lane.
Since Firefighter Superhero was where it all fell apart the first time around and I’d been planning to do it next with the Woods, starting with a firefighter seemed appealing. If the rescues didn’t appear, at least I wouldn’t be losing much gameplay.
I was originally going to clone Phil Gold as the founder, but without UL, he couldn’t have his hairstyle and he just looked wrong without it. I tried the teddy boy quiff from Fast Lane, which looked kind of OK in CAS but didn’t work as well in-game. Besides, he kept reminding me of Elvis Cridlington.
Following that thought to its logical conclusion, what about a family of kids’ TV characters? Fireman Sam was the obvious choice for founder. I briefly considered the squad from Trumpton, because I always had a soft spot for Cuthbert, but they were sadly lacking in personality. Did anyone have even a single trait? Sam is much more interesting as a character: even though he wouldn’t be able to learn inventing in this game, he could still be eccentric as well as helpful and heroic. Sadly, my attempts to create a Sim Sam weren’t very successful:
I was about to try something else when I remembered that there had been another Sam, a long time ago. She wasn’t much like Fireman Sam, apart from her name and wanting to be the Hero Next Door, although she did work with Station Officer Steele. Well, nearly: Christopher Steel was a colleague. I liked playing Sam but her lifetime wish was going very slowly and there were other things I wanted to try, so she was consigned to the Sim Bin after a relatively short time.
Was she still there? I poked around on my old backup hard drive and there she was.
After a minor trait change (athletic replaced by technophobe) and a wardrobe update, she was ready to go.
Sam arrived in Twinbrook and moved into ‘Swampy’, which doesn’t look bad from the outside, at least if you ignore the dam looming over the back garden.
Inside, it’s less inviting – definitely in need of a dehumidifier and redecoration.
Sam wasn’t impressed.
Fortunately, the house wasn’t intended as anything more than a postal address. She called a cab and went off to apply for a job as a firefighter.
She didn’t seem much happier about the station.
Then she rolled wishes to learn handiness and take a class, so I sent her off to the military base. I wouldn’t normally blow 40% of a starting budget on a class but hey, this project is supposed to be about trying out different things.
Sam quickly settled in at the fire station, tinkering with the appliances and having pillow fights with Alistaire Pine.
Outside work hours, she tended to wear her pyjamas. I was glad I hadn’t given her skimpy undies. (We can argue about the tastefulness of flame patterns for a firefighter some other time
.)
Yeah, that worked out well.
For a hardened criminal, Marigold Racket seems remarkably easy to shock.
As with my other recent firefighting Sims, Sam’s first few call-outs all cancelled. I was hoping that playing with few expansions would sort that out but apparently not. On the other hand, she was getting loads of opportunities – averaging about one per day. Some were for repairs and upgrades, so she went home between shifts and fixed stuff. Most of the jobs were for Alistaire, so she then had to trail back to the station to hand them over.
One visit home was different. I was aware that time was passing and the only NPC she’d met was the paper girl, so I missed paying a bill and then sent her over to meet the repo man. I somehow forgot to take any screenshots, so you’ll have to take my word for this. Ree Treave walked around Swampy, sucking up lights with that gun thing they carry, while Sam trailed after him, wailing about losing her only possessions (well, apart from her sleeping bag) – and, all of the time, both of them had little pink hearts spinning over their heads. Sims are so weird sometimes.
Finally, Sam was called to her first large fire and actually got to respond to the emergency.
After that, she started to fly through the career. She successfully dealt with the science lab space-time rift disaster, which I’ve only seen once before, when I didn’t have the graphics to appreciate it.
It meant a day with no lives saved, of course, but it was worth it. And soon after, there was an earthquake. Only a horrible person would celebrate such a disaster
.
By the Friday of week 3, Sam had almost completed her requirements. She sabotaged the TV once more and, moaning loudly, was forced to repair it.
And that was it. Handiness supermax completed.
The next morning, she visited her damp little house for the final time (and I forgot to tell her to collect the post, so her handiness certificate has disappeared into limbo).
One phone call later, she was the proud owner of an empty plot in the dry part of town.
Now she’d have somewhere to put her new personal fire engine and alarm. She drove over to inspect the place.
House 1 summarySkill: handiness
Samantha (founder)Traits: Handy, technophobe, charismatic, brave, daredevil
Career: Firefighter
LTW: (Firefighter Superhero – not yet completed: 22/30 lives saved)
Supermaxed handiness
Building/property: Brunton’s Boxcar Diner
Unique rewards: Discount Diner, Inheritance
