Round 7 Starts Here!

YES!!! This is not only my post # 500 on this blog, but also the beginning of Round 7 of playing New Maximiliania, my all Maxis-made Sims, lots & houses neighbourhood.

Round 6 ended in July with a head count of 149 Sims - that's considerably less than the 230 I counted at the end of Round 1 back in 2008.

I've already showed you some pictures of the re-organized 'hood, and here are some more.

Approaching New Maximiliania from the Sea, you can tell it is not as densely built up and populated as it used to be: 

Only the lived-in houses have remained. The plan is to relocate them to one of the sub-hoods as soon as they stand empty, so that eventually, Old New Max will become obsolete.
You can see the pond in the middle of the road in the picture below. It is just one of several grahics bugs I have experienced in this 'hood, and not been able to fix them.

This deep hole in the ground formed when I tried to place a lot along that road. Another bug I have not been able to fix.

Downtown is still the original one I've always had attached to New Max, but I have re-organised it, too. 

The original shopping district, "Maximum Shopping", is still there, too, and has also received a make-over. You can tell there is still plenty of room there. 

The smaller part on one side of the bridge is where the more affluent houses and most of the original Veronaville residential lots are:

Across the river are some more apartment buildings, other residential lots and the long stretch of community lots which, put together, form Central Park.
St. Simius (created by Twoyysforme) and the Senior Residence (built by me) are here, too, as is the cemetery, Gamesend Grounds. St. Simius and the Senior Residence are the only lots that are not original Maxis-ones. 

At the top end of that long road along which Central Park is located, you'll find several more posh houses. 

Well, that's it - the scene is set!
And I am so pleased to tell you that last night, I have started to play the Aspir household. I have only completed the Monday there before I had to go to bed, but I can't wait to get back there later today.

My self-imposed rules for playing New Max are still the same:

• Each household is played for one Sim-week according to the alphabetical order of its surname.
• If there is more than one surname in the household, it will be played every time a name comes up on the list.
• Babies will only happen if a Sim needs them to fulfill their own (or their parents') lifetime want, or if by accident (i.e. Alien abduction).
• Career Chance Cards have to be played every time, and there is no going back without saving.
• Sims on Permanent Platinum are pretty much left to their own devices. I'll only make sure they have food in the fridge and greet every fellow New Maximilianian walking by.