My Horse Ranch/Breeding Program

[DoubleWe]

How do you gift horses? I've only done it with something out of personal inventory but I think a horse could not be in inventory. So how do you do it?  
By the way Thomas' Estate looks really good either. You're a natural in building it seems.

[Dellena]

There's a couple ways you can do this.  The first I've done, the second is in theory since I haven't tried it yet:

1.  Use the testingcheatsenabled true cheat and then click on the horse you want to add to your household (use your camera to scan over to the appropriate ranch so you see it).  Shift+click on the horse and you should see the option to Add to Active Household.  Presto, the horse is transferred.  This is what I did with Orion.

2.  Use Edit Town.  Click on the household with the horse.  Split household and evict the horse and then merge it with the new household.  I haven't tried this method yet so if someone does, please let me know how it goes.

I'm also trying to figure out how to save a household with a horse I'm 'selling' so that I can upload it to the Swap Shop and they retain their skills.  I'll have to save them as a household but you can't have a horse alone in a household.  So I might make a very small lot with a 'groom' on it.  Move the horse to that household, then save the household for sharing.  It would mean if someone wants that horse, they would have to insert the household with the groom but then move the horse to the intended home and then ditch the horse groom.  That's the only way I see that working.

Thanks for the compliment on the house.  I've always had a passion for houseplans.  Long before Sims, I'd love to buy houseplan magazines and just look through them and seeing which ones I liked and how they'd best work.  Now I do the same thing online but with Sims, I can build them!  Almost every house I've built has been inspired by a design I've found online.  Often I've had to alter some things to better fit the Sims with regard to building restrictions and sim pathing.  But the inspiration is there.  Here's the log cabin I used as inspiration for Thomas's house:

http://www.greatland-loghomes.com/plans/plans1.php?plan=Kingsville

I also use tons of custom content which is why I don't do much in the Shop and Swap.  I find the game content too limiting with doors and windows, in particular.  It drives me nuts to not have matching windows and doors.  So I often get custom content where the designer has 'completed' the EA content with matching doors and windows to ones EA started.  Like the matching double door for a single door in EA content.  Or all the other windows you'd want to match one in EA content.  I like things to match.   And stairs.  Bless the stars but why can't we have the modular stair foundation piece back from Sims 2, OR use the spiral stairs idea and make half landing stairs (which someone has recently done with custom content, praise be!).  It's annoying to have to use building cheats to try to make half-landing stairs because then you're limited on wall coverings or they're warped.  A half-wall height interior foundation piece would make me dance in joy for days. <laughs>

I'm thinking of setting myself a challenge of trying to build the following house based solely on pictures with no floorplan.

http://www.seddoncc.com/portfolio/english_manor.html 

But it would be lovely!

[Miss Estella]

Dellena, Wonderful! I do love to build on the Sims 3, however most of mine don't turn out the way I want it, so I usually stick with actual gameplay!

Joria, I have that problem a lot too, although I usually go, "Estella! Its just a game!", close my eyes and do it. I hate parting with my sims. I almost always turn aging off, but eventually I'll put my sims to rest and have their son/daughter continue their legacy.

Great news! I just have to update my graphics card thing, and shall be getting Pets in a week or so.

[Dellena]

Great news! I just have to update my graphics card thing, and shall be getting Pets in a week or so.

Excellent!!!

[Miss Estella]

I know. I am understandably excited!

[Joria]

I also use tons of custom content which is why I don't do much in the Shop and Swap.  I find the game content too limiting with doors and windows, in particular.  It drives me nuts to not have matching windows and doors.  So I often get custom content where the designer has 'completed' the EA content with matching doors and windows to ones EA started.  Like the matching double door for a single door in EA content.  Or all the other windows you'd want to match one in EA content.  I like things to match.   And stairs.  Bless the stars but why can't we have the modular stair foundation piece back from Sims 2, OR use the spiral stairs idea and make half landing stairs (which someone has recently done with custom content, praise be!).  It's annoying to have to use building cheats to try to make half-landing stairs because then you're limited on wall coverings or they're warped.  A half-wall height interior foundation piece would make me dance in joy for days. <laughs>

I'm thinking of setting myself a challenge of trying to build the following house based solely on pictures with no floorplan.

http://www.seddoncc.com/portfolio/english_manor.html 

But it would be lovely!

I never use custom content anymore.  It has too often buggered up my pc and cost me hours of game play not to mention so badly corrupting files I have to uninstall and reinstall everything and lose the games I didn't files saved for.  It makes me sad because there is often so many lovely and wonderful things folks have come up with.  I truly don't understand why, if others who are not working for EA can come up with these things, EA doesn't do it in the first place!  Sims 2 got old and boring after awhile but the amazing things you could do in building kept me playing for years and wishing we had more of the stuff available for Sims3.  (NOT seasons though!, although I did like being able to build a real green house.)

As for those house plans for the English Manor.........DROOOOOLLLL!   Now that is the lifestyle to which I'd like to become accustomed!  Looking at all the pictures I think the hardest part will be those ceilings and the wonderful beams.  It is truly a gorgeous house.  I can see many things that CAN be done building it, and I know others who use cc have done those ultra high ceilings, (saw them on YouTube), but it would be a huge challenge.
Do please post pictures if you make it!

[DoubleWe]

The log house is pretty cool and the other is a great challenge ...for someone who likes to build. I would probably die over it.   
Because of the ... I don't know what it was but I couldn't play that household anymore so I had to built the lot again (different this time) and tried again. Still not possible so I had to create a new household as well and hopefully I can still play that one after playing another family.   
   
I kept a few names, so this is my jockey sim Hanna riding her stallion Mephisto.   
   
   
The typical Andalusian mare is Andromeda with her first foal Adhara(girl) (you noticed I'm using star names here?)   
   
   
My second mare Cassiopeia (yes I kept this one too) and below is her first foal (boy) Achenar.   
   
   
   
I needed to buy the stone hearted reward because my sim was so shocked when Mephisto tried for a foal with Cassiopeia when he was Andromeda's mate. The end of it was that I had two sad horses because they lost a friend (my sim) and one sad sim because she had to witness such a betrayal.   
In real life horses don't mate for life so why here?     
   
So far Mephisto won Beginners Jumping Competition and Racing Tournament.

[Dellena]

I never use custom content anymore.  It has too often buggered up my pc and cost me hours of game play not to mention so badly corrupting files I have to uninstall and reinstall everything and lose the games I didn't files saved for.  It makes me sad because there is often so many lovely and wonderful things folks have come up with.  I truly don't understand why, if others who are not working for EA can come up with these things, EA doesn't do it in the first place!  Sims 2 got old and boring after awhile but the amazing things you could do in building kept me playing for years and wishing we had more of the stuff available for Sims3.  (NOT seasons though!, although I did like being able to build a real green house.)

{removed link as it contains CC, which is not allowed on this forum}It costs me a subscription, but I share the subscription with my niece who also plays Sims 3.  I've learned over the years which artists can be trusted to do really good content that's safe and tested.  There's some artists on there who SHOULD be working for EA.  The items they create are just marvelous.  I didn't see anything in the Forum rules about not discussing custom content so I'm going to share some of the favorite artists here.  Feel free to edit my post if this isn't allowed.

As for those house plans for the English Manor.........DROOOOOLLLL!   Now that is the lifestyle to which I'd like to become accustomed!  Looking at all the pictures I think the hardest part will be those ceilings and the wonderful beams.  It is truly a gorgeous house.  I can see many things that CAN be done building it, and I know others who use cc have done those ultra high ceilings, (saw them on YouTube), but it would be a huge challenge.
Do please post pictures if you make it!

I'm not sure I'll be able to reproduce the beams in the ceilings but since I tend to look down most of the time, should be ok.  The hard part for me is first figuring out the floorplan.  I've roughed out the ground floor.  The first floor will be most guess work.

{removed all links to this site, due to the use of custom content}

I am sorry, but I did look at this site and it is filled with CC that is not allowed.  We are not saying that all custom content is bad, but you still have to be careful with third party content.  Saltypaws

[Dellena]

My apologies, Saltypaws.  The Forum Rules state to not discuss or link to Mods but it is unclear regarding custom content - they are two separate things. 

5. We assume no responsibility for any damage to your game or computer as a result of using mods, hacks, and/or third party custom content. Many sites which host them also offer code designed to break the game's Teen rating. As a family friendly site, we cannot endorse any sites which link to such content. DO NOT discuss or link to any mods on this forum.

The site I linked hosts no mods whatsoever.  Maybe a little clarity in the Forum Rules would be wise.  If there are other rules listed elsewhere which cover this topic, please point me in that direction as I want to be sure and follow the rules.  I'm also unclear as to whether I can post any pictures of houses I've designed which use custom content although I'm not uploading the houses for people to use, just to see them as requested.  Again, if this isn't allowed, just let me know.

If anyone is interested in what I was discussing, I'm open to private messages.  Thanks!

[Pam]

My apologies, Saltypaws.  The Forum Rules state to not discuss or link to Mods but it is unclear regarding custom content - they are two separate things.  

The site I linked hosts no mods whatsoever.  Maybe a little clarity in the Forum Rules would be wise.  If there are other rules listed elsewhere which cover this topic, please point me in that direction as I want to be sure and follow the rules.  I'm also unclear as to whether I can post any pictures of houses I've designed which use custom content although I'm not uploading the houses for people to use, just to see them as requested.  Again, if this isn't allowed, just let me know.

If anyone is interested in what I was discussing, I'm open to private messages.  Thanks!

Thanks for pointing this out about the rules.  I'll ask Carl to take a look and possibly make a change.

[Pam]

Just to clarify a little further, Saltypaws was right to remove the links.  My understanding of the rules has always been that we do not allow links to mods or third party custom content.  There was a time earlier in the Forum's history that when we said "mods" we meant both.  Over time, we've come to refer to them as two different things.  A change in the wording of the rule will likely prevent future misunderstandings.  In the meantime, no harm was done.  

I'm also unclear as to whether I can post any pictures of houses I've designed which use custom content although I'm not uploading the houses for people to use, just to see them as requested.  Again, if this isn't allowed, just let me know.

We do allow pictures of houses with third party content at this time.  Just be sure to point it out and don't upload it to the Swap Shop.  Another option would be to upload the images to the Gallery and post a link to the album rather than posting the images directly to the Forum.

[Dellena]

I think I'll start a blog for that so there's no problem.

[DoubleWe]

Acrux has just been sold for 11K and Hanna was promoted to level 7. I'm really proud of them. However she still doesn't like that Mephisto is shifting his mates. Solution 1 would be to keep her in the house while he tries for a foal, the 2 one would be to purchase a new stallion.

[Miss Estella]

Just because I'm just a very obsessed person, I'm planning out what I'm going to do with my ranch before I actually get the game!:D So anyway, the main concept I want to focuse on in my ranch is racing, so I'm going to have primarily a racing stable, (thinking about BriarWood Racing Stables as the name) so that would mean that my breed would be Thouroghbreds, Quarter Horses, or Anglo Arabs. I'm leading towards Thoroughbreds & Anglo Arabs because I don't think there's Quarter Horses as one of the breeds, but perhaps I'm mistaken. I'm going to start out with two mares and a stallion I think and I want racing names for them, do give me ideas. So far I'm thinking the stallion will be named Philosopher, the mares Sweet Delilah (barn name is just Delilah), and Flamin' Ginger (barn name just Ginger). I think Delilah would be an Arabian, the other's Thoroughbreds. I'd also start with two sims- Sharon Enright and her teenage daughter Laura, who would own, train and ride Delilah alongside school. I've already planned their facility which includes a small farmhouse ajoined to an indoor jumping arena and a full race course. Connected to that will be the four stall barn. In front will be a pasture, corral, and training race and jumping course. To the other side of the farmhouse will be a small retirement/stallion pen and a brood barn.

What do you think? I know what I'm thinking: "Obsession alert!" lol

[DoubleWe]

Miss Estella: I don't think there's so much space on one lot but what about expanding?