End of the Line Dynasty (4x4)

[Trip]

I haven't explored Barnacle Bay at all, in spite of owning it, but Coral is really pretty after your makeover and I hope that #10 looks like her! With Simon's green skin and bright blue eyes, of course. I'm glad that they really seem to like each other.

[hazelnut]

I think it's a glitched out performer of some sort. I see them around occasionally and like to think of them as troupes of performing fleas

That would make sense: there have been a few magicians and acrobats around town.  And I love the flea idea .

Oo, I love the makeover you gave Coral, as seen in that picture where she's super happy about the fire. Ah, daredevils.  Gotta love 'em!

Also, I have to second the compliment on Coral's makeover. I love your use of that WA outfit; you've made it modern and edgy without being too out there. Excellent use of accessories. 

Thanks.  I did spend quite a long time on her makeover.  I happened to be in a messing-about-in-CAS mood when she joined the household and I'd been wanting an excuse to use that hat.  The rest of it evolved from her favourite colour (blue) and being in the business career but also a daredevil from a family of pirates.  It just seemed to suit her personality.

Whew! Finally caught up! About the separate wishes, the one that includes last name is a special wish to WooHoo with a celebrity. If you read the fine print, it mentions something about that. One of the benefits of being a celebrity, I suppose!

Hello again!   Ah, more celebrity stuff...  I hadn't noticed there was a difference, although I think the others have occasionally produced wishes about their other halves with their full names.  I'll have to pay attention next time it happens.

I haven't explored Barnacle Bay at all, in spite of owning it, but Coral is really pretty after your makeover and I hope that #10 looks like her! With Simon's green skin and bright blue eyes, of course. I'm glad that they really seem to like each other.

Coral definitely falls into the 'non-clone good looks' category of townies.  Her brother, not so much, although I like his hair colour and freckles:



I hope number ten looks like her, too.  Simon's features are a bit too clone-y for my taste.  Keeping the interesting colouring would be ideal, of course, but I'm really quite surprised to still have rainboos in town 3.

[hazelnut]

This is mostly a rant about bugs but scroll down to the end if you just want to see some funny pictures.

My computer's been increasingly slow and crash-prone for a while and pretty much stopped working two or three weeks ago (the last two chapters were posted from a borrowed computer).  It's now had a RAM transplant and everything ought to be fine - except that my dynasty file has started behaving oddly.  Before the fix, it was very laggy - conversations were irritating because it took so long for the choice of interactions to appear each time and build/buy was almost impossible - but the game was working normally.  After I got it back the other day, I was disappointed to find that the lag was still there and was affecting objects, too, notably the inventing bench.  It could take a minute or so for the actions to appear.  Replacing it didn't help and neither did resetting the Sims.  Then Odessa had a baby (the game was a little way ahead of the story) and the real trouble started.

Odessa and Dude, who'd driven her to the hospital, got into a limo with the baby.



Then Moe got in and the others popped back out onto the pavement, insisting that they had pathing issues.



Moe and the limo disappeared.  Completely.  Moe was still in the family tree but his portrait panel had gone.

While I was looking around for him, Dude wandered off to the beach and Odessa put her newborn daughter down on the ground so that she could dumpster dive.  As you do.



It gradually became clear that no-one could interact with the baby or an increasing number of objects and that they couldn't visit lots.  They could 'go here' when a random patch of ground was clicked but couldn't go to any houses or community lots.  They wouldn't 'go home' either.

By this time it was getting late, so I saved the game in a huff and went to bed.  The following day, I noticed that Moe was in the family picture for that save in the main menu, although he was still missing when I opened the game.  He did reappear with a reset but he'd lost all of his wishes and moodlets.

The working day started and I realised that none of the carpools had appeared - and their inability to visit lots meant that 'go to work' also cancelled.  Then Simon disappeared.

I went back to the save just after Coral's makeover and found that it had the same problems, although nobody disappeared during a fairly brief test.

Playing my Isla Paradiso game, which is in a different folder, it was very laggy for about half an hour but gradually settled down to normality.  Next I tried playing from one of the later Monte Vista saves in the 4x4 and that also seemed to be fine.  OK, maybe it was a temporary problem or only the recent saves were affected.  I randomly picked a save from Simon's early teens and started playing.  I told Simon to go to the park in the Motive Mobile and this happened:



Does that make anyone else think of Ron Weasley?

The car bounced up and down at the end of the bridge for a couple of Sim hours, with Simon's head sticking through the roof on the ascents...



...before it pulled itself together, made a smooth landing and drove off to the park.  The trouble was, it was now nearly time for school, so I sent Simon back home again and, as soon as he reached the end of the bridge, the Motive Mobile took off again.  Then I noticed it had been joined by another car.



A global reset sent all of the adults off on the free holiday I'd just turned down, while Simon stood in midair and fidgeted.



Resetting him again did get him back home and he dutifully boarded the school bus, which drove off and reached the bridge:



So now I'm torn between frustration at not being able to play and laughing my head off at the flying vehicles.

Off to try some more ideas...

[Trip]

The bugs sound infuriating, but I can't stop laughing at the flying vehicles! That's too weird not to laugh at!

Hopefully you get things back in working order.

[Snufflesxx]

I was laughing so hard at the flying bus and my parents wanted to know why I was laughing so much, so I showed them but they were just confused.    I suppose it's a Sims thing. I hope you get your games sorted out, though. Bugs can be so annoying, especially when your game gets slow and laggy. I hate that.

[hazelnut]

The bugs sound infuriating, but I can't stop laughing at the flying vehicles! That's too weird not to laugh at!

Hopefully you get things back in working order.

It was too funny not to share .  Presumably it's just a really extreme kind of routing issue.  Maybe moving them to the clipboard and back will fix it.

I was laughing so hard at the flying bus and my parents wanted to know why I was laughing so much, so I showed them but they were just confused.    I suppose it's a Sims thing. I hope you get your games sorted out, though. Bugs can be so annoying, especially when your game gets slow and laggy. I hate that.

My husband thought I was mad, too .

[Ausette]

Oh heavens, as debilitating glitches go that's one of the best ones I've ever seen! You're right, it's a very Ron Weasley situation and the fins and blue paint on the car don't help . I'm not sure what might have caused it, but this screenshot suggests a certain issue:



Broken intersection. If you look at the square at the end of the road you'll see that the pavement goes all the way around instead of becoming a crosswalk where the intersection touches the main road. It would therefore not act as an intersection and probably cause issues for cars turning around near the house. I'm not sure if it's the cause or sole cause of the problem but it certainly wouldn't help, and it would suggest that roads in Barnacle Bay may just be buggy in general.

[hazelnut]

Oh heavens, as debilitating glitches go that's one of the best ones I've ever seen! You're right, it's a very Ron Weasley situation and the fins and blue paint on the car don't help .

And Simon's quite close to being a redhead .

I'm not sure what might have caused it, but this screenshot suggests a certain issue:



Broken intersection. If you look at the square at the end of the road you'll see that the pavement goes all the way around instead of becoming a crosswalk where the intersection touches the main road. It would therefore not act as an intersection and probably cause issues for cars turning around near the house. I'm not sure if it's the cause or sole cause of the problem but it certainly wouldn't help, and it would suggest that roads in Barnacle Bay may just be buggy in general.

Ooh yes.  Well spotted! 

All of the other junctions appear to be fine: it's just that one.  I wondered whether the world had got glitched somehow but the road was the same in a new game.  I even went as far as starting a new Sims folder and downloading Barnacle Bay again.  Still pavement instead of a crossing .

I found several people online whose Sims had fallen through the bridge while walking across it, suggesting it may also have a fault, and someone else who'd had severe routing problems with this house, although there was no mention of flying cars.  They filled the town with LLAMAs as a way around it, which isn't an option here.  I suppose I could use teleporters and miner tunnels instead but I don't really fancy relying on them for another three-and-a-bit generations.

Moving the family to the clipboard and back appears to fix the immediate problem but I'm now worried that it could come back at any time.

[hazelnut]

A Change of Plan

Moe aged up to elder, followed a few days later by Dude…



… who was pretty relaxed about the whole thing and saw no reason to grow up just because his hair had gone grey.



Other members of the household took more notice of the passing of time.  Moe and Odessa started a family while they still could…





…and Simon rather belatedly asked Coral to go steady.



Initially, his mother hadn’t been too keen on his choice of girlfriend: Coral was a member of the richest family in Barnacle Bay, after all.  How would someone from such a privileged background settle into their hectic life?  Besides, she hated children: hardly ideal in a dynasty mate.  But Coral proved India wrong.  She was happy to muck in, spending her days off digging for materials that Simon thought might come in handy for future inventions…



…and, however much she claimed to dislike kids, she was always the first to rush into the nursery when little Elizabeth cried.

*   *   *   *   *

One Sunday, she dragged Simon away from his inventing bench, called the limo and directed the driver along an unfamiliar route.  It brought them to a headland Simon had never visited before.





“What is this place?  It’s beautiful.”
“Pirate’s Hideaway – an old family secret.  It used to be a real hideout once but it’s been abandoned since the Goldbeards moved on from piracy into politics.  We used to come here for picnics when I was a kid.”
“Um, Coral.  I’ve been waiting for the right time and place and I think this is it.



“Will you marry me?”

*   *   *   *   *

Then, the next day, everything changed.  It started when the mayor phoned India.

“Dangerous?  But it looks just fine…
“Oh….
“But we have to stay here…
“Yes, I know it sounds mad but it’s a condition of my inheritance.  The family has to stay in the same house all the time we’re living here…
“Well, I suppose in that case, we’ll have to.  I need to make some arrangements, though.  Can I get back to you later?”

How do you get hold of the Grim Reaper without anybody dying?  He wasn’t in the phone book, after all.  She couldn’t even begin to think where to look.  Then he called her.

“Really?  It’s OK...?
“Thank you.  We’ll go at once.”



“Dude!  Odessa!  Get the baby and come here now!”

And she summoned the limo.





“So what’s happening?  Why all the rush?”
“The bridge is unstable.”
“What?”
“Yes, I know it looks fine but the mayor says there are cracks in the supports.  It could collapse at any moment, so they’re closing it to traffic for the foreseeable future.  No school bus and no car pool.  Since the road only serves the one house, a proper repair ‘isn’t a high priority’, so goodness knows when it’ll be fixed.  He was going on about budget cuts and having to concentrate on maintaining the road on the main island.  So we’re moving.  Right now”
“But I thought you said that wasn’t allowed.  You remember, when I said it’d make more sense to move nearer work.”
“It wouldn’t be, normally – but Grim just called and…”
“Hang on.  The Grim Reaper phoned you?  You sure it wasn’t a prank call?”
“Oh yes.  I know his voice – we’ve met a few times.  I told you my family has a rather unusual relationship with him.  Anyway, he said ‘his people’ had been watching us and had heard about the problem and it’s OK to move, just this once.  In the circumstances, staying put isn’t an option.  He’s found us another place.  Ideal for a dynasty, he said.”



“And this is it?  It’s just an empty field.”
“Apparently Grim knows some builders.  He’s promised us some kind of house by the end of the day – and there’s plenty of room for expansion later.  Come on, let’s go into town instead of waiting around for them to turn up.  I could really use a coffee.”

*   *   *   *   *

Soon after the move, Elizabeth grew from baby to toddler.



Simon also had a birthday but barely noticed it.  He was working long hours, holding meeting after meeting in the hope of impressing his bosses.



He’d almost stopped inventing – there just weren’t enough hours in the day for a hobby as well as a high-pressure career – at least, until friends at the science lab asked for help with their research and provided him with an intriguing box of bits.  He cut the down on the overtime for a while and spent his evenings and days off at the bench, welding and assembling.



Gradually, the various parts took shape and then…



“Greetings, father.”
“Er, what?  What – who are you?”
“I am Danica, a SimBot.  You created me and yet you don’t even know that?”
“Well, no.  Not really.  I thought some of the pieces looked sort of humanoid but I didn’t expect…”
“I see that I am unwelcome.  Farewell, father.  I shall seek my fortune elsewhere.”



“No wait!  Come back!  I was just surprised, that’s all.”



But she jetted off.


Next chapter


The unexpected extra move was, of course, because of the bugs affecting the bridge and road outside the house.  Thanks to Nutella for the Get Out of Jail Free card .

[Rhoxi]

Glad you were able to make the move--even if the flying cars were pretty hilarious! Also, yay for a toddler with clearly unique features! She should bring some interesting genes to the family.

[hazelnut]

Glad you were able to make the move--even if the flying cars were pretty hilarious! Also, yay for a toddler with clearly unique features! She should bring some interesting genes to the family.

They were very funny indeed - but I'd gladly have missed them for an un-glitched game  . 

I keep changing my mind about Beth - she was definitely unique as a toddler, a remarkably cute kid and then a - ahem... distinctive teen.  As of this moment, she's about to become a young adult.

That last screenshot also tells you something else about the household...

[Rikki8528]

They were very funny indeed - but I'd gladly have missed them for an un-glitched game  . 

I keep changing my mind about Beth - she was definitely unique as a toddler, a remarkably cute kid and then a - ahem... distinctive teen.  As of this moment, she's about to become a young adult.

That last screenshot also tells you something else about the household...

Odessa's pregnant again?!   

[hazelnut]

Odessa's pregnant again?!   

She is.  It suddenly occurred to me that I’d only got a future spouse if everything went according to plan, and I’ve already had one fruit-defying baby in this game.  The other home-grown spouses were born after the heir.  This time, the spouse would be older, so it seemed a good idea to have one of each sex to choose from.

Of course, this meant that the house was full but Moe was already into extra time and Dude was nearing fifty, so that seemed unlikely to be much of a problem.  What I failed to take into account was Simon’s SimBot.  Fortunately, it seemed to be OK, maybe because he’d started the opportunity before Odessa’s second pregnancy.  All that happened was that Danica said that the house was full and she’d have to go.  I’m not surprised she wanted to leave, anyway.  Simon seemed to be locked into a constant cycle of “Ew!  A SimBot!” which seems ridiculous when he built her in the first place .


Births, Deaths and Marriage

Odessa went into labour outside the bookshop.



She’d known she was close to her due date but there was a sale on and she couldn’t resist browsing through the entire shop.  Maybe she should have sent in one of the others with her list instead.  Still, she had found a couple of obscure recipe books she’d been wanting for ages and Coral rushed over in response to her panicked phone call, so it all worked out OK in the end.



Although Moe had been the one who was really keen to have a second child, he seemed to have lost interest during her pregnancy and he didn’t even leave his own patients to be with his labouring wife.  Odessa was worried that he was losing it in old age.  Should she say something to his boss?  On the other hand, she’d only heard good things about his work and he was assiduous in keeping up with the latest research.  It just seemed as though there was no longer room in his brain for his home life as well as his job.  Maybe she should just make the most of their time together without expecting him to be an involved father.  After all, India and Simon were happy to help out with child care and even Coral, who claimed not to be the motherly type, loved Beth like her own daughter.



Odessa left Coral in charge of the kids and made plans for a romantic night in – and then maybe a few dates to follow.  Who knew how much longer Moe had left?

*   *   *   *   *

The Pesce children had birthdays.



Beth started school and suddenly everything was ‘Mrs Scott says…’, while Andrew became a heart-meltingly appealing toddler.



Even his father left his journals unread for once and spent most of a day off teaching him to talk.



Sadly, it was the last thing he did.



Grim arrived just in time to hear Andrew’s first sentence, “You ‘tinky”.



Not realising that Andy hadn’t quite sorted out pronouns yet, Grim was understandably offended.

*   *   *   *   *

Moe’s death upset everyone.  Although Coral had lost her own father shortly before, they’d not been close.  Her new family meant far more to her now.  Simon was shattered by the loss of his ‘Uncle’ Moe – so much so that he forgot to dress before leaving for work.



The paparazzi had a field day: was Doo Peas’ new power broker really up to the job?  And why was he crying about his promotion?

The following day, India and Dude took Andy off to the library to give his grieving mother a few hours’ peace.  They'd just settled in with his favourite book when Grim paid them another visit.





India almost called Grim worse things than ‘stinky’.  Moe was barely at the end of his lifespan – she’d expected at least a few more days together.  Still, she was drearily aware that the family needed to stay on the right side of Grim, so she settled for dignified grief – in public, at least.

*   *   *   *   *

Simon and Coral had been planning a big wedding.  They’d been waiting for Simon’s last promotion and for the family to have enough spare cash to landscape the garden into a suitable venue for a big bash.  Now, after two deaths in as many days, they just wanted to be together.



“Si, let’s get married now.  Just us: no guests, no party.  I want to live to see our child grow up.”



“But what about the Big Dress I’ve heard so much about?  Don’t you want a chance to wear it?”



“I can still wear The Dress – and The Hat, for that matter.  Come on, let’s get changed and go somewhere quiet.”
“Pirate’s Hideaway?”
“Perfect!”

[hazelnut]

Births, Deaths and Marriage (continued)

So Simon married Coral in the same place where he had proposed, both of them trying to put their sadness aside for now but not entirely succeeding.



Then Coral had an idea.  It had been ages – could she still find it?  Over in those bushes somewhere, wasn’t it?



Yes, there it was.



“Si!  Come over here.  I want to show you something.”
“Haven’t I seen it all already?”  He grinned.
“Oh, you!”



“No, I didn’t mean that.  Or maybe that as well… but what I was talking about was the real Pirate’s Hideaway.”
“I thought this was it.”



“Well, yes, the whole place is called the Hideaway but there’s nowhere you could stash contraband out here.  The real hideout is underground.  We found it when we were playing here, years ago.  Kidd was too scared to go in but I did.  It was the best place ever for playing pirates – and then I used to hang out here as a teenager.”

*   *   *   *   *

Now which way was it?  This place was a real maze.  Oh yes, past that lifebelt and then turn right.



“I’d forgotten how dark it is down here.  I wish I’d brought a torch.  I can’t even see my hand in front of my face.”



“That’s because The Hat’s in the way.  I can see, a bit.  Where are we going?”
“Just around the next corner… yes, there it is.”
“A bed?”



“Yes.”  It was her turn to grin.  “So what do you think?”
“I think it’s probably full of mould and cobwebs.”
“Coward!”
“On the other hand…”



“So, about that child…”

*   *   *   *   *

Coral hadn’t been looking forward to pregnancy.  She’d seen Odessa throwing up and, later, waddling around and it didn’t exactly look like a bundle of laughs.  She waited for the nausea but it didn’t come.  And yet, she’d been so sure – and she felt different.  Didn’t she?  Or was she just imagining things?  Then, finally, she realised that she was, indeed, pregnant. 



As the pregnancy continued, the novelty rather wore off.  She still felt happy and fulfilled – high on endorphins, probably, she thought – but she’d give anything for a decent night’s rest.  She’d always been a light sleeper and the energetic little creature inside her bump didn’t make it any easier.  Sometimes she thought it must be an octopus, not a baby.  How many limbs did that thing have?  She took to wearing a sleep mask and napping whenever Wrigglebum stopped kicking.  Then, one evening, her sleep was thoroughly disturbed.




Next chapter


Summary – Generation 9

Parents tried for baby within 4 days of start? Yes

Heir: Simon
Traits: eccentric, excitable, ambitious, lucky, schmoozer
Lifetime wish: CEO of a Mega-Corporation

Unique maxed career: Business
Two unique best friends: Tam Rao, Lee-Roy Johnkins
Three unique skill challenges: Gem Collector, The Scrap Collector, Discover How to Make the Ultimate Invention
Four unique opportunities: Technical Arguments, Inflate Away, Exposition on Explosion, No Whistles Here

Buildings owned: Hogan’s Deep-Sea Diner, Divisadero Budget Books, Ever-Fresh Delights Supermarket, Little Corsican Bistro, Outstanding Citizen Warehouse Corp., Wilsonoff Community Theatre
Properties owned and fully upgraded: Ye Olde Library*
Vacations used: none so far

*I wasn’t planning to buy any properties yet but discovered when they took Elizabeth to the library to read the toddler books that there weren’t any.  Now there are two children’s bookcases, plus assorted toys, a cot and a potty.
 

RIP, Moe Pesce and Dude (La Mer) Gold.  Dude was the first Sim who had difficulty achieving the headstone requirement: he rolled far fewer wishes than any of the others.  Maybe he was just content with his life as it was .  I started him on inventing as much for the wishes it usually spawns as to help Simon.  As it turned out, none of Simon’s opportunities involved taking inventions to rabbitholes and, although Dude maxed the skill well ahead of his son, Simon was the first to get the SimBot chain, so I couldn’t halt it at the first stage for Dude and stockpile palladium.  Fortunately, Coral dug up several pieces when she was mining - and Dude got his large headstone with a couple of thousand points to spare, thanks to some large property-related wishes.

[Rikki8528]

Oh wow! I might need to buy Barnacle Bay...