Click here for the previous week with this household.
The Landgraab mansion is our stop for this Sim-week. Here it is in all its splendour, as seen from the street...
...and the back, with the annex I added a long time ago. It holds an indoor swimming pool.
Prezioso Landgraab is the youngest family member. He is originally of the Picaso family and now married to Lilo Landgraab, one of Malcolm Landgraab's twins.
For quite a while now, he has made me worry about the soundness of my game: He already was on Permanent Platinum but upon entering the game some time later, he was suddenly unemployed, not on PP anymore and showed changing want slots (sometimes four, sometimes six, when really he always should have five). To my relief, I find him now still with the job I left him with last round; he is trying to reach PP again by becoming Hall of Famer and is currently working as a Superstar.
Her twin brother is Lance. You can tell the half-Alien origin.
Lance's wife is Gesine, nee Gavigan.
Here is Lilo, dreaming of some relative or other.
Castanea is the oldest family member at 56. She was one of Tybalt Capp's plant babies, married Malcolm late in his life and became a widow relatively early.
And look who is still here - the weird townie named Caryl Lee who suddenly developed very strange symptoms: Her voice is now male, and nobody can do more with her than a handful of interactions. She is best friends with Lilo but can not be asked to move in, neither can anyone say good-bye to her.
In Castanea's bedroom, a collection of framed family photographs is displayed on the dresser. The left one is Malcom's and Castanea's wedding picture, the middle one shows Lance and Lilo as kids and the right one shows them as teenagers, shortly before they left home for college.
On this Monday, Gesine's sister Gerlinde comes visiting on her own accord and then spends several hours alone, watching TV.
Reluctantly, I move the family to a Maxis-made house where to my knowledge I have never played before, hoping that some of the problems are left behind. But quite the contrary - now it is not only Prezioso who appears to be faulty, but the others as well. They can't be directed to talk to each other or anything else, and activity queues are jumpy.
Still, I try my best to have them settle in the house. This is the ground floor, as decorated and furnished by Maxis. There is a small pool at the back of the house, a kitchen with breakfast counter and dining table, and other rooms with settees. There is also a toilet, and two sets of stairs.
Upstairs are a single and double bedroom, each with ensuite bathrooms.
Prezioso has plenty to choose from, but he can not eat - every time he tries to sit down for a meal or get something from the fridge, the action drops out and he "jumps" back to where he stood before. This is very annoying, and I begin to fear for his life. On the other hand... maybe it would be better, seeing as I can not seem to be able to fix him.
On Tuesday, I try another move - this time, only temporary: I am sending the family on a trip.
They arrive at Three Lakes, and much to my relief, all lots seem to be there.
Castanea checks everyone in. She is fully directable - for the moment!
See what I mean? Here, Castanea, Lance and Lilo are enjoying room service. Prezioso was at the table, too, but then "jumped" back to the corner and could not finish his meal.
What am I to do?
After many, many attempts, finally everyone is in bed and asleep, where I still find Prezioso and Lilo on Wednesday morning.
The day is spent largely trying to get everyone to eat (with a lot of persistence, it works!). When left to their own devices, Lance and Gesine are showing as much love and affection for each other as always.
I then have Prezioso call a taxi to take them to a community lot. Much to my relief, everybody boards the taxi just fine. But upon arrival at the community lot, I find that the game has autonomously gone into build mode - the taxi is not there, nor are any of my Sims, and I can not change back to live mode, either.
By this stage, I really have enough of the game and quit.
Next time I play (about a week since my last attempt), I decide to send the group on a tour. But it doesn't work - the tour car keeps pulling up, but either nobody gets in or only part of the group, and as soon as the car is gone, the Sims that were supposed to be away on their tour can be seen standing next to the phone booth again.
This keeps happening over and over again, and finally I decide to have Castanea check everyone out and end the holiday prematurely.
But - this does not work either! The shuttle that is supposed to take them to the airport duly arrives, but so does the tour car... and the group do not leave.
Again, I quit without saving.
Finally, I manage to send the holiday makers home. When they arrive back at their new house, it is Tuesday again.
The day passes like most days have been with this household now: Some go to work, some don't; some take showers or baths, make meals and even eat what they have cooked, while others - like our poor Prezioso here - just drop with tiredness and nearly die of starvation.
Lance and Castanea manage best to uphold normality, it seems.
Once more, Prezioso really WANTS to sit down to eat, but can't!
The next day, Wednesday, he somehow manages autonomously to grab a bite at the breakfast counter, but falls asleep on his plate. Still, at least he got to eat something, and his death is not imminent anymore.
Let me end this very trying and not at all fun-to-play week with the Landgraabs by showing you a picture of one of the bathrooms here, all furnished and decorated by Maxis.
I have not moved out Prezioso - at least not yet - and he has not died - at least not yet!
This was a most unsatisfactorial series playing sessions, leaving me rather unmotivated to keep going with this neighbourhood.
Hopefully, things will be better with the next household on my list.
