The Bell-Wirth Family: Week 1

Welcome back to Desiderata Valley, where I began my Fresh Start playing. This is the house of the Bell family, and we will first look at the pictures and biographies Maxis have put together for them. Their family biography reads: "The Bell family is doing wonderfully well, but will Hannah's sister moving in cause a critical disturbance?"

Here are Issac (it still irks me that his name is not spelled Isaac, as it should be in my opinion) and his wife Hannah in front of their house. According to Maxis, "Isaac has a good life and has started climbing the ranks in his dream career. Can he balance both reaching for the stars and keeping his family happy?" He is a Popularity Sim who funnily enough dreams of being a World Class Ballet Dancer but currently works as a Mime. Hannah "... met Elizabeth Aspir in High School. They have been inseparable ever since. Even marriage and raising their own families hasn't weakened their relationship." Although Hannah's current job as a Backup Dancer seems to suit her, she aspires to be a Professional Party Guest, which is rather unusual for a Family Sim.

And here they are again, this time with their son Daniel, and welcoming Hannah's sister Sharon Wirth, who has just arrived by taxi - not just for a visit, but to live with them. Sharon is another Sim whose current job does not match her lifetime want: She is a Romance Sim who wants to become General, but at the moment is trying to make a living as a SimJazzer Instructor. Maxis says about her: "Sharon has decided to move in with her sister's family until she becomes a bit more financially stable. She has found herself very interested in Mr. Mole, but has had a difficult time getting to know him…". 

It looks like Issac and Sharon do not get along all that well. Daniel and his Mum are watching TV together. By the way, Daniel already shows a lifetime want in spite of only being a kid: He dreams of being a Prestidigitator, and his bio reads: "Daniel loves drawing and seems to have inherited his mother's artistic abilities. Will his mother let him develop on his own or only nurture his artistic qualities?"

The order in which Maxis have put the pictures in story mode seems to be in reverse - here we have little Daniel as a toddler with his Dad teaching him to talk, by the looks of it.

Back in the present day, Issac can be seen in the back working out on the ergometer, while Sharon and Hannah practice dancing and Daniel joining them.

From here on, the pictures are my own. The ground floor of the Bells' house shows a generous porch and double front door through which one enters the living room with a TV, settee and armchair. To the left are a kitchen and a dining room, and in the top left corner a single bedroom and bathroom, obviously meant for Sharon. The largest room with big windows and one mirrored wall is taken up by dance and fitness equipment.

Upstairs, Daniel's room is in the bottom left corner. Just across the hallway, he has his own bathroom. The top right corner is Hannah's and Issac's en-suite.

On this Monday, the first thing I want to tackle is to find the adults the jobs they need in order to reach their lifetime wants. Mr. Humble's delivery of a brand new computer will be most helpful with that.

But today, only Hannah is lucky: She will start tomorrow morning as a Golf Caddy. Not sure whether you can tell that I have put a pair of specs on her nose - that should increase the chemistry between her and her husband, and here she seems indeed to be thinking of him.

The welcome committee consists of Marcel Jocque, Faith Goodie and Sanjay Ramaswami. 

A lively meal of lunch meat sandwiches ensues, prepared by Issac. Skills are sadly lacking very much in this family - nobody has more than one cooking point, if that! But I am sure that they will all learn, especially with autumn about to begin. Not much else happens today. Daniel learns how to his homework with his Dad's help, and everybody makes a phone call to a friend.

It is only just gone four on Tuesday morning when Hannah has to get up for work. She certainly did not have such ungodly hours in mind when she decided to pursuit the Slacker career! Loyally, her husband gets up as well.

Sharon finds a job in her dream career and starts as a Recruit right away.

Issac makes use of being up so early and works on his dance moves - he has been lucky, too, and will start work later today as an Aerobics Instructor.

Of course young Daniel is not left all on his own - a Nanny, Mallory Day, looks after him while all the adults are out working.

Hannah starts the promotion round: "Yaaay!! Meet Desiderata Valley's latest Gas Station Attendant!" :-D

Her husband follows an hour or so later with a promotion to Backup Dancer.

This calls for a celebration! Bowls of Comfort Soup are washed down with something bubbly.

Last but not least, Sharon returns with a promotion to the Elite Forces of Desiderata Valley's army.

She has just changed into her everyday clothes and gone out to rake the leaves when townie Christian Love walks by. Of course he is greeted - with this surname, he is eligible to become a proper resident of the 'hood.

When Hannah returns from her night shift at the gas station early on Wednesday morning, it is with a promotion to Convenience Store Clerk.

Sharon has the day off and invites her love interest, John Mole, over for the day. He arrives with friend Marcel Jocque in tow.

They are joined by Mary Gavigan who happens to walk by.

While everyone is tucking into Sharon's lunch offer of grilled cheese sandwiches...

...Issac prefers to boost his energy with a mug of coffee before he is picked up for work. Eating grilled cheese is certainly not advisable when you're about to get on stage and dance!

His wise decision is rewarded - he comes home with a promotion to SimJazzer Instructor. (It really was due to a chance card, but he had all the necessary skills anyway.)

Issac has the day off on Thursday and takes care of household matters, such as paying the bills, before he starts working on the skills needed for his next promotion.

Sharon is now a Drill Instructor. At this rate, she will soon reach her lifetime want!

Hannah has been promoted, too, and proudly announces that she is now a Record Store Clerk.

I have Sharon do a spot of gardening before everyone goes to bed.

Sharon is promoted yet again on Friday. Now that she is a Junior Officer, the career rewards object becomes available, and she runs the obstacle course to increase her body skill. I guess her choice of sports wear does not quite tie in with that!

The Bells are both promoted today, too: Hannah is now Party DJ, and Issac a Pop 'n Lock Performer.

Daniel will soon be a teenager, and there is no need for a nanny anymore. The lady who has just been dismissed here is, by the way, not the same nanny that first came to look after Daniel. This new one's name is Ericka Phelps.

For a change, everyone is here in time for their tea, which consists of spaghetti with meatballs, made by Issac.

There seems to be a misunderstanding with the childcare agency - yet another nanny is sent to the Bells' on Saturday morning. Just like the two before her, she is politely dismissed.

I was waiting for a chance to send the whole family to a community lot, but with their ever-changing work schedules thanks to daily promotions, it just wasn't possible. Therefore, while Issac is at work, his wife and her sister take Daniel to Kiddie Care Castle.

Sharon meets Matthew Smith - a townie who will sooner or later move to Desiderata Valley for good. (He is the elderly gentleman.)

Daniel meets David Ottomas - a teenager, and not all that interested in what the little boy has to say. Maybe they can be friends once Daniel grows up, too.

And it happens that very same evening! I thought he'd had another day, and so did not arrange a party, but Daniel did not seem to mind. Since he already had a lifetime want when the game started, I only needed to select his aspiration. My dice fell on Knowledge. 

The first thing that happens on Sunday morning is Hannah returning from her Party DJ shift with a promotion to Projectionist.

Later that day, she invites her best friend - Elizabeth Aspir - and her family over. Here, she and Hannah patiently wait until Pauline has finished eating. Daniel tells his young friend that it will not be long now before the first snow fall - always an exciting moment for kids!

Issac comes home, greeting the Aspirs who are still there. His smile is not only for his guests - he has just been promoted to Dance Video Star. 

The week seems to have consisted mostly of promotions. Some friendships with townies who will eventually become residents have been struck up, and Daniel has now his teenage years ahead (and a makeover of his room). Who will be first to reach their LTW? Is Daniel going to go to college? Will Sharon pursue her romance with John Mole, or focus on her career?

Kevin Beare: Freshman Year

You all know Sim State Uni, and the playable pre-made Students Maxis has put there for our enjoyment when the Campus Life expansion pack came out, right? Our first campus stop this round is here at the Urele-Oresha-Cham Fraternity House, because the Sim with the next surname on my alphabetical list lives here. But let's first look at the house itself. This is the front, inexplicably with a piano out on the front lawn.

At the back is a walled garden with a hot tub, deck chairs and other seating. According to what Maxis says about the fraternity, the Urele-Oresha-Cham House is the oldest Fraternity on campus with a long and prestigious history. Can the brothers keep the historic house united or will their drastically different personalities divide them instead?

Indoors is nowhere near as grand as the outside lets expect: If you enter by the front door, you stand in an empty staircase. To the left is a small bathroom. Straight ahead is the biggest room of the house, with shabby settees, two pinball machines, a dining table and chairs, a TV and stereo as well as a bubble blower and fruit punch machine. A kitchen with another dining table and chairs takes up the rest.

Upstairs are two bathrooms and five bedrooms with a total of eight beds, but only two desks, with one single computer for everyone who lives here. Another two sets of stairs lead to the attic.

Here in the attic are a second TV and stereo as well as two more settees. You can tell from the furniture that everyhing apart from the electronics is on the cheap side, and there is not a single book shelf to be seen - studying does not appear to be very much in focus in this house.

Let's now look at the Sims who live here. This is Kevin Beare, the reason for me playing this household. Kevin is a Freshman and has not yet settled on a Major. He is a Family Sim and dreams of seeing three of his own kids graduate from college one day. His Maxis-written bio reads: "Kevin is the charming nice guy that just can't seem to get the girl. He's often been called the 'Teddy Bear' of his Frat house." 

Here we have Joshua Ruben, whose brother Martin Ruben lives elsewhere on campus. As a Fortune Sim, he wants to have six pets reach the top of their careers eventually - sounds like an easy way to make money (easy for him, of course!). "Joshua doesn't know where he wants to focus his studies. He's too easily distracted by sorority girls and pizza", says Maxis. As for sorority girls, he is indeed the only person here to have a love interest: Tiffany Sampson, whom we shall meet further on.

Ashley Pitts (right) and Castor Nova (left) are the other two residents here, with Ashley being the oldest - he is already in his Sophomore year, while the three others are all Freshmen. His bio says: "Ashley isn't very popular but he's too focused on himself to notice. He spends an awful lot of time staring at himself in the mirror." His aspiration is Romance, and his lifetime want is to become Rock God - he looks an unlikely candidate for that, but you never know! Castor "is the cool man on campus that marches to the beat of his own drum and makes all the girls swoon. He enjoys coffee shops, music and a good conversation", according to Maxis. So far, I can't see any swooning girls near him, though. As a Knowledge Sim, he is more interested in becoming a Media Magnate than anything else.

As before when I was playing Campus households in New Max, I make sure everybody has their necessary skills and writes their term papers; after that, they can pretty much do what they like, apart from forming and maintaining friendships. As you can see, I have moved the piano into the large hall.

Also, I have bought a cheap book case.

Kevin wants to meet someone new, and seeing as he needs to have children for his lifetime want, he can start looking for a prospective mother of those three kids right away. Much to my delight, the second NPC student walking past is a three-bolt match! But will Vamsi Simpson be as keen on finding her better half here at college, too?

Fraternity and sorority members often spontaneously leave the lot and return with pizza, and Ashley is the first to do so today.

Everybody needs logic points, and so I decide to sell everything in the attic room and invest in a chess board, chairs and a wall lamp for the upstairs hallway.

Joshua, who had not yet settled on a Major, shows the wish to declare Biology, and so he does. It might come in useful for his pet-related lifetime want.

Kevin is my reason for playing here, and it is only fitting that he be the first to finish his term paper.

The campus coach appears, and on his command Kevin works out until nearly all his needs are red.

Ashley discovers how nice fruit punch tastes. Funnily, his body temperature drops considerably.

Next, he spends many hours at the bubble blower. Oh dear! Hopefully, this will not have a negative effect on his exam.

All four students have their end-of-term exams at the same time, and nearly all of them attend in a more or less precarious state - of dress and of needs. But they all return home with an A+ and their name on the Dean's List - can't complain, can I!

The start of the second semester sees a cheerleader and a Llama mascot visiting the Greek house. Nobody pays them any attention, though, since everyone is busy skilling or writing term papers.

This time, Castor is first to finish his term paper.

Because they all need skills, I have the boys do the jobs around the house themselves. Kevin gains cleaning skill while raking the leaves... 

 ...and Ashley improves his mechanical skill repairing a broken tap. 

On a fine autumn morning, Jared Starchild, another playable student here at Sim State Uni, walks by, and Joshua runs out to greet him.

The large common room looks quite a mess with paper cups strewn everywhere. What to do? Cleaning those up does not make any difference to the cleaning skill.

Asking people over is always a good idea, and now that everyone has finished their term papers, they deserve something of a party - especially as I have not managed to send them to a community lot this "year". Here are Ty Bubbler, Erik Swain and Jimmy Phoenix, all playable students whose household we shall visit soon.

Jared Starchild is the only one of their group who was already known to guys at the Greek House, and he has brought along his dorm mates, including Sam Thomas. As soon as he steps through the front door, he is asked to pledge, and pledge he does! This means that he can be ordered to do ALL the cleaning, and he sets about his immense task right away.

Meanwhile, the others perch on one of the shabby settees, listening to Erik Swain going on about some more or less interesting subject. Kevin can be seen in the back; apparently he has taken pity of Jared and joins in the efforts to clean and tidy up.

As a reward of sorts, I have him ask his three-bolt-lady over. The welcome kiss was Kevin's idea - not mine! But Vamsy Simpson does not mind at all, and soon we have pink hearts flying.

Late at night, Kevin decides to serve spaghetti. One can't live on pizza all the time, right? 

For the four boys, the year ends on a high - again, they all have made it to the Dean's List and got their A+, as well as their student grants. Next time we'll stop here, Ashley will be a Junior, and the other three Sophomores. 

Of the money they received after the first semster, I bought better beds for everyone. Next I guess they will invest in better showers, and some lamps - there is very little lighting in most rooms. I really enjoyed playing this Greek House and bringing it up to Level 4. There was always someone "visiting campus" and bringing back pizza, and new friends were made. With all that and working on their skills and term papers, there simply was not enough time to visit a community lot. Maybe next time!

And do you remember what Kevin's Maxis-written bio says about him "not getting the girl"? Well - he was the only one this "year" to have any romantic interaction!