The Roomies are exactly what the name implies: four people sharing a house, not unlike Summer Holiday, Travis Scott and Liberty Lee.
This is their spacious house in Oasis Springs:
And here are the four Roomies, from left to right: Mitchell Kalani, J. Huntington III, Zoe Patel and Gavin Richards.
Mitchell (left) wants to be a Joke Star. Fat chance with his current job as Assistant Dishwasher! Gavin (right) is an aspiring Bestselling Author who currently works as Blogger.
J. Huntington III values nothing more than physical fitness and dreams of being a Bodybuilder. Maybe he should change careers; I can't see working in Quality Assurance being of much use there.
Zoe is the only one of the quartet who does not have a job at the start of the game. Like Summer Holiday, she sees herself as a future Friend of the World and will do anything to make and maintain friendships.
It is now Monday morning, and Zoe has just gone out to greet Geoffrey Landgraab.
Later, she has salad and a drink for lunch. This is something I like about TS4: A Sim can have a meal with a drink, or just a meal, or a drink only - the possibilities of doing things simultaneously are far greater than they were in TS2.
After work, J. goes jogging. (I wish I knew what "J" stands for - it's a shame that no proper name was given to this Sim!)
Gavin spends the hours before bedtime writing.
Turesday morning sees Zoe first washing up the dishes from last night's dinner...
...and then preparing breakfast. One of her characteristics is "clumsy", and it shows in some activities: she clangs the dishes about and spills a lot when stirring the mixing bowl.
Mitchell meets and greets Katrina Caliente.
I have him quit his job as Assistant Dishwasher and start in the Entertainment career instead: He now is an Amateur Entertainer. In TS4, Sims can find jobs on the computer or the phone.
On Wednesday, all four Roomies have breakfast together.
Zoe spends the day alone at home again, but she does not stay alone for long: Whenever another playable Sim walks past, I send her out to greet them. Here are Don Lothario...
...and Summer Holiday. The two ladies have similar interests and views and get along very well.
Tonight, Gavin prefers reading instead of writing. An aspiring Bestselling Author should do both, he knows.
On Thursday, Mitchell meets the Landgraabs.
Meanwhile, J., Zoe and Gavin enjoy a lazy late breakfast on the settee.
Unfortunately, the computer breaks, slowing down Gavin's progress as a writer a little bit. The computer is quickly replaced (not repaired - there is enough money to the household, and nobody is in need of handiness skill), and Gavin can keep writing.
On Friday morning, Mitchell decides to have a liquid breakfast only.
Today, Summer Holiday has come over again, followed by Carley Hillmann. Carley is a non-playable but shows in Gavin's relationship panel as his romantic interest, and in Mitchell's as enemy. I wonder what the story is behind that!
Saturday sees Zoe using the computer for the first time. She loves to socially interact with other Sims, and so chatting online and setting up a social network profile with followers is the right thing for her.
Gavin and Carley spend time together, but Gavin does not show any flirty wants for her.
Out in the back yard, Mitchell entertains Zoe and Summer with the comedy routines he has written.
Meanwhile, J. decides to visit the gym.
There, he meets Don Lothario and Eliza Pancakes.
He shows the want to chat with Eliza, and I watch them for a while.
Sunday morning starts harmless enough: three of the four Roomies meet in the kitchen, all intent on making breakfast. Clumsy Zoe is at the stove.
So far, so good.
But then, a fire breaks out - the first one I witness in TS4! I lean back and watch.
Without me telling him to, J. drops what he was doing, grabs a fire extinguisher and sets to work on saving Zoe's life.
It does look pretty scary, and for a while, I don't know where it is going to lead.
Scary indeed!
But finally...
...the flames die under J.'s vigorous attack, and all Zoe needs is a shower and something to eat.
By the afternoon, she even feels well enough again to go for a run.
So this was my first fire!
It took me pretty long to finish the week at this household, and I must admit I wasn't too keen on playing the Roomies. Their house is not my favourite, and I wasn't overly interested in their lives. Maybe I've already had enough of TS4 for a while. Well, the next household to play will be a family of three generations, so maybe I'll enjoy that more.
Siblings (twins?) Cassidy and Ollie Purdue...
...share this house on the bank of the river in Willow Creek:
I think they are supposed to be twins. Their genealogy shows them as brother and sister, and they are exactly the same age (young adults, of course - what did you think?).
Cassidy has the Musical Genius aspiration, and her brother wants to be Painter Extraordinaire - two creative young minds.
So, on their first day in Willow Creek, Ollie paints...
(His first painting. An interesting take on the ongoing Llama theme in the Sims-games.)
...and Cassidy practises on her guitar..
(Ollie's second painting. This reminds me of some of the creatures in "Spore", a game Will Wright - the creator of The Sims - introduced in 2005 or 6.)
On Tuesday, Cassidy welcomes Nancy Landgraab.
Ollie's paintings of the day include this yellow-orange abstract work...
...another Llama...
...a rather intense portrait...
...and this fairy in blue.
The game crashed on me, so it is daylight again here but still Tuesday, when Ollie paints this abstract landscape, which I rather like:
Cassidy talks to Vivian Lewis and Nancy Landgraab when they happen to walk by.
This dark blue skyline will look good in Ollie's bedroom.
Cassidy shows the wish to earn 50 Simoleons in tips. So I have her take her guitar outside and play on the small stretch of land between their house and the next, where many Sims walk by. However, this bit does not count as "public", so nobody stops to give her a tip.
Meanwhile, Ollie paints his first Impressionist painting:
In order for Cassidy to fulfill her tips-wish, I have her travel to the "Blue Velvet".
She meets several Sims we already know there, such as Travis Scott (right)...
...and Summer Holiday in a pretty pale blue outfit I've not seen on her before.
Hard to believe, but this girl in pink is Liberty Lee - looking very different from her day-to-day outfit!
It is Wednesday early morning when Ollie is up and at his easel again.
Today, he finishes his first "Realism" painting: a piece of watermelon. Different styles of paintings become available as a Sim increases his skill, and each style offers a small, medium or large painting. There is a certain cost for the material, but when the painting is good or excellent, it can be sold for much more than the initial cost.
When a Sim enters the "Confident" mood, they can paint something otherwise not available for them. Here, Ollie first produces a singer...
...then a kitten...
...and then some... umm... splashes.
Meanwhile, Cassidy goes to the "Solar Flare", a lounge in the other part of the neighbourhood.
While an unknown townie is telling jokes at the mic (or maybe she is reciting poetry, I really can't tell), Cassidy hits the strings.
After a while, she switches to her own guitar (she brought it along in her inventory), and someone else takes her place at the lounge's own guitar.
She soon has an appreciative audience and gets all the tips she wanted.
Thursday is rather boring with Cassidy practising...
...and Ollie painting.
After having finished another Confident painting, Ollie takes a break and chats to Giulianna Riley and Alexander Goth.
After a while, Giulianna leaves, and Olivia Spencer-Kim-Lewis joins the small group. She is easily bored, though, and does not stay long. I wonder what she will be like to play when I get round to her family.
Ollie goes back to his easel.
The first painting he produces on Friday morning is this beautiful soft pastel.
For a change, brother and sister have breakfast together.
Later, they travel to the Museum, where Ollie wants to look at some paintings (a wish of his).
He admires the old masters.
Cassidy is not that interested in the museum's exhibits and stays in the garden, playing her guitar for tips.
The museum has a self-service bar where Ollie gets a drink.
Cassidy meets Summer Holiday on the way to the toilet.
Back home, Ollie has to deal with the broken sink in the kitchen/dining area...
...and is still cleaning up the mess when his sister prepares their dinner.
This beautiful ship is Ollie's first painting on Saturday morning...
...followed by another work in soft pastels.
The siblings visit the Lounge together today.
While Cassidy plays for her growing audience...
...her brother has an animated conversation with a townie by the name of Georgia Valentine.
Later, he has a drink at the bar.
Ollie surprises me on Sunday morning by wishing to play the guitar. I indulge his wish briefly, but he should focus on painting really.
"We've had a good week so far, haven't we," Cassidy says to her brother.
All of a sudden, the siblings can't cook anymore. Whenever I click on the fridge or the stove to have them prepare a meal, the amount of Simoleons is taken from their account, but they can't do anything. Hoping this will fix the bug, I replace the cheap kitchen equipment with a new fridge in cheerful red and a better stove.
The problem persists, however. All that is possible for them is to have "quick meals" from the fridge, such as crisps, yoghurt, cereal, orange juice or milk. Maybe they will have to move house next round.
Sunday evening ends with Ollie having to repair the toilet and the sink.
It was interesting to play two Sims so focused on something specific in their lives. Ollie's paintings were always a surprise, and Cassidy learnt new songs all the time.
