The Grunts - Week 1

Strangetown's past involves two well-known characters, Generall Buzz Grunt and Pollination Technician # 9, who settled in the town, founded a half-human family and assumed the human surname of Smith. Buzz Grunt and Polly (as he is affectionately known to his nearest and dearest) never got along, and things just got worse when Buzz lost a fight against his Alien enemy.

He could not think of anything else; the feud agains "the Aliens" dominated every waking moment, up to the point that his wife Lyla left him. (She died later and is buried on Olive Spectre's private cemetery.)

Now the General is a single parent to his boys Tank, Ripp and young Buck. While he and his oldest son are of like minds and loved all things military, Ripp feels he is so different from the rest of his family he isn't even sure they ARE family. 

He spends most of his free time watching TV, but because he does not want to depend on his father for pocket money, after school he works as an attendant at a nearby gas station. 

I am not sure if Maxis meant for this brown-haired boy to be Buck, because the Buck we know has blond hair. But it fits in with the General's aim to turn all his sons in to super fit model soldiers eventually, tying in with the household bio provided for them: "Tank has always lived under the hard thumb of his father, General Buzz Grunt. In this domesticated boot camp, can Tank prove his worth to this demanding Dad?" 

So, welcome back to Strangetown! We're going to spend a week at No. 51 Road to Nowhere (any association with "Area 51" is, I am sure, purely intentional :-) ), a house with a wooden tower in its backyard, obviously erected there to facilitate stargazing (or UFO searching), as there is a telescope at the top. 

We also find the Military obstacle course already set up, and another one is available in the General's career rewards panel. But it's not all work and no play here; there is also a swing set and a small outdoors dining table and chairs, as well as numerous rose bushes lining the house. 

The ground floor, clockwise from the top left corner: A single bedroom with a desk and computer (the General's, I assume), a toilet, kitchen and mess-like dining room, a lounge with an aquarium, TV and stereo. A staircase at the heart of the house leads to the upper floor. 

There, we have three single bedrooms, with the one in the top left corner obviously meant for Buck, as he is the youngest and it holds a toy chest. Next to the right is Tank's room with an en-suite shower, leading through to a work-out room holding a punching bag and an exercise machine. A larger bathroom is next, and the floor is complete with Ripp's room, fittingly sporting a "teenage angst" poster. 

As has been remarked by fellow player Twoyysforme, the layout of the house is a routing nightmare, and could be much improved. Right now, though, I intend to play it at its original set-up and see how things pan out. 

According to this bio, General Buzz Grunt is not a very nice person or loving father, but not all is lost for him: "The General likes to have his clocks set to military time. He used to enjoy barbershop quartet singing, but that is classified information." 

On opening the game, I find him having positive wishes about his sons, and especially Buck wants to get closer to his Dad. The General's job is General (duh!), but what he really dreams of is to have six grandchildren! One would think this is typical for a Family Sim, but Buzz's aspiration is Popularity. 

The oldest, Tank, is "wants to be just like his old man. He spends his days lifting heavy things, dodging imaginary bullets, and being bigger than the other guy, but deep down inside, he wonders if anyone really knows who he is" according to Maxis. Surprisingly, his lifetime want is to max out all his skills - not really what you'd expect from a Popularity Sim like him.

 Seeing as nobody in this family can cook, and Tank wants to skill, most of the cooking will rest on him. 

His younger brother Ripp is a Romance Sim who wishes to become a Mad Scientist - something I'd expect from a Knowledge Sim. So far, Ripp has no romantic interest and only one female friend, Ophelia Nigmos. His bio reads: "Ripp totally doesn't care what you think of him. He is going to do whatever he wants to do, which is mostly what everyone else is doing."

Young Buck has neither aspiration nor lifetime want yet, but as mentioned, has wishes involving his Dad and wants to make a friend. He strongly resembles his late mother.

It is Sunday when the game begins, allowing each family member to get started on their less than close relationships. Ophelia turns up on her own accord and is greeted enthusiastically by Ripp, who instantly goes about flirting with her - she rejects him (on the grounds of her being involved with Johnny Smith, I think), but "we can remain friends, can't we?" They can.

Since Tank's cooking is not yet at the stage where he can produce a really nutritious meal, plus this seems to be the only free day for everyone for the rest of the week, the General calls a taxi and orders the driver to drop them off at Oresha Family Dining. 

In the kitchen, I find a waiter by the name of Stephen Cho - a potential new resident for Strangetown. It's a shame that since I newly installed my game on this computer, my Sims are unable to call Service Sims of any kind on the phone just to chat.

Buzz wishes "to swing around" someone, and Buck wishes to be swung around - easy! (They had to improve their friendship a little before this interaction was possible, but it worked eventually.) 

Inside, a queue of hungry Sims are waiting to be seated. There is Vidcund Curious (one of the General's enemies), and the man in the blue shirt and white trousers is a townie named Nathen Lee - yet another potential new resident.

Buzz meets Chloe Singles and can't help but notice her green skin - we all know he does not like Aliens by default, but he really makes an effort to be polite here. 

Back home, Buck heads straight for bed, resulting in him waking up in the middle of the night. At first, he quietly plays in his room. Then I send him out to the obstacle course; I want him to be tired enough to go to bed again so that he'll be well rested in time for school. 

Monday means school and work for everyone. The General is still out when his older two sons arrive home. Tank proudly waves his A+ report to no-one in particular; Ripp could not care less, his Dad is still at work and Buck at school.

Ripp and Tank watch some TV together to raise their fun level before tackling their homework, but it is obvious from how far away from each other they sit that their relationship still needs a lot of work.

At 3:00, Buck happily skips off the school bus, brandishing is own first A+ report.

Class mate Zo Curious is with him, but because nobody really has time for her, she leaves soon afterwards, only living up the hill from the Grunts. 

Tank makes spaghetti with meatballs, and for the first time this week, the family sit down for a meal together, even if Ripp deliberatly appears in his undies to wind up his father. The General explains to his sons that, yes, indeed, he was awarded 55,000 Simoleons today for saving Strangetown from a satellite crash, but he still won't buy them a game console - there were more important things to buy first, such as more comfortable beds and better bathroom and kitchen appliances. 

On Tuesday, it is Ripp's turn to proudly return home from school with an A+. He would like to get some help with his homework from his Dad nonetheless, but their relationship is not yet good enough for that.

With some of the money awarded him for his heroic salvation of Strangetown from a satellite crash, the General has changed the lounge as well as the decor of the dining room and kitchen. He may have overdone it a little here, though - that red rug seemed like a good idea, but it is now a tad too much, I think. 

Still, the two older brothers keep up their effort to improve their relationship. "We could watch the football match together, or something..." Ripp hesitantly suggests. "Or something," Tank grunts, but they do sit in front of the TV for a while before starting on their homework. 

The brothers have breakfast together on Wednesday morning and nearly miss the school bus for it.

Nobody has been taking care of the house's surroundings; a hole dug by a stray dog "adorns" the pavement as well as old newspapers, and yesterday's bills are still in the mailbox. 

But working on their relationships has been everyone's priorities, and the General is rewarded with a welcome-home hug by his youngest that same day. 

It was also his only hug of that kind - at 6:00 pm, Buck grows into a teenager. His aspiration is Knowledge, which suits him - he wanted to skill every day. When he was little, he dreamed of becoming a "pet stylist to the stars" - a dream he now understands was unachievable, as this sort of job does not even occur in the game. Therefore, becoming a Game Designer is now his big goal in life.

Tank filled in the hole in the yard, and the General works on the rose bushes well into the night. 

Ripp and Tank engage in a pillow fight on Thursday morning before school. Who would have thought that at the start of the week! 

Tank not only rolled the wish to go to college, it also fits in with his lifetime want of maxing out all his skills, I think. And so he is off to La Fiesta Tech shortly after his Dad returns from work, just in time to wave good-bye.

Later that evening, Polly is seen walking to the back door. Uninvited, he walks in, and seeks out the General who is at the computer in his room. 

"You look as if you've seen a ghost," he jokes. Buzz has made so many changes for the better this week, he agrees that it is about time that the two of them bury the hatchet. He apologizes to the Alien, and the "enemy" icon disappears in their relationship. They may never become friends, but at least the old feud seems to have ended. 

"He's not such a bad guy after all," Polly thinks. "And he can make decent burgers!" 

Upstairs, Buck's bedroom has received a makeover. His chest of toys has made way for a chest of drawers; where his old, way too big wardrobe used to be is now a desk where he can do his homework. The powder blue colour scheme suits him, I think. 

The General does not work on Friday, and so Buzz takes care of household matters while the boys are at school. He is a firm believer in doing yourself what you can, and does not call the Repair Service for the clogged up toilet although he could easily afford it.

After school, Ripp sneaks into the workout room and trains long and hard enough to get fit. He always pretends he is not interested in what others think of him, but of course as a Romance Sim, he wants to look his best for any potential date.

Downstairs, Buzz has invited Camryn Lee over. He really wants to befriend her, and finds out that he feels more attracted to the townie lady than he thought. Two bolts are not three, that's true, but still.. At first, conversation is rather stiff. It's just been such a long time since Buzz had any romance in his life; Lyla left him when Buck was very little, and he is a teenager now.

Eventually, Buzz decides that actions speak louder than words, and gently puts his arm around Camryn's shoulders. She snuggles into him, and her smile is answer enough.

Saturday is the last day of the week with the Grunts - remember, it was Sunday when the game started for them. Ripp tries his luck with the paper girl, but while she gladly accepts his generous tip, she rejects his clumsy attempt at flirting. Sorry, Ripp!

His Dad is much more successful when later the same day he invites Camryn to move in - and she accepts! 

Camryn Lee - former townie; job: Hostess (she quites right away) 

Aspiration: Popularity; lifetime want: Have 20 best friends 

Bronze Badge in Robotics; Gold Badge in Restocking 

Inventory: empty 

I did not take note of how much money she added, but it must have been a few thousand, as the Grunts' bank account is now at 52,474 Simoleons again, and the General spent quite a bit of his awarded 55,000 on furniture and decor. 

The Grunts had a good week, really working hard on their family relationships. Only Ripp is still far from being on friendly terms with his Dad, but the brothers are all friends now, and the General has not only finally made peace with his old Alien enemy, but also found love again. Will he live long enough to welcome those six grandchildren he's dreaming of? 

Next, we'll check on Tank at La Fiesta Tech.