Erik Swain: Week 1

Welcome to No. 35, Mendoza Lane, in Desiderata Valley's Downtown. Several freshly graduated students have recently moved to this neighbourhood. 

One of them is Erik Swain. 

Unlike what his Maxis-written bio says: "Erik is here to follow his dreams of being a successful artist. Maybe he'll meet the love of his life along the way", Erik fancies himself as a future Captain Hero and has NOT met the love of his life at uni. Maybe that special someone is out there somewhere - we shall see. 

This is the first time I really play him this round - so far, he has been seen and heard but not been focused on. His last few days at uni are here.

His modest house comes with only very basic and not very nice furniture. Because he has been parsimonious with his student grants, Erik is able to do something about this right away.

The house looks better now (and soon after I had taken this picture, I made a few more improvements), and all he has to do at the moment is to wait for Mr Humble to deliver his computer and start the job hunt.

Unfortunately, on this Monday there is nothing available in Law Enforcement. Not to worry; it is only the first day, and Erik can use his time off to build some more skills and get a good head start once he'll find a job in his dream career. 

Hannah Bell, Cyd Roseland and Trish Traveller are the Welcome Wagon and share a meal with Erik before the phone rings and one of his many friends from uni invites him for an outing to Crypt-O-Night Club. 

Sadly, my game crashed just as the group got off the taxi, and so there are no pictures of the outing - but the next time I played, Erik was getting off the taxi in front of his house, so he must have "been there" somehow.

On Tuesday, luck is definitely on Erik's side: First he finds a job as Patrol Officer and has all morning off, making good use of the time by doing the crosswords, talking to a friend on the phone, paying the bills and acquiring another body skill point.

Then, after a long shift on his beat, an exhausted but happy Erik returns with a promotion to Desk Sergeant. He had the necessary skills and was in a good mood, so I guess he would have been promoted anyway, but the right decision with a chance card didn't hurt, either. 

His time behind a desk at Police Headquarters is already over when Erik is promoted to Vice Squad on Wednesday. 

Since logic skill is now needed, he invests his bonus in a chess table and two more chairs.

But playing chess on his own, although useful, doesn't really satisfy him, and so Erik invites two of his former uni mates over. Kevin Beare and Castor Nova live just round the corner and are happy to join their friend for a meal first and some games of chess later. 

And of course, Thursday sees another promotion for Erik: He is now a Detective, and the first thing he detects upon coming home from work is a stray cat named Noodle.

The fingerprint gun is now his, and strangely, he finds fingerprints from an unknown elderly lady on his settee. Did he buy it second hand?

Just as Thursday slips into Friday, a burglar approaches Erik's house. Maybe not the wisest of moves, since a representative of the Police force lives here!

What have you spotted worth stealing, Sierra? - Believe it or not, she nicks the mirror cabinet from the bathroom! Then she proceeds to take the chess table and the colourful rug. Erik, aware of strange noises coming from his open-plan living/dining/kitchen area, calls his colleagues for help. But by the time they arrive, the burglar has gone. 

"My rug! She has taken my rug!" Erik can't believe it, and of course he instantly wishes for a burglar alarm, which I buy of course. There are still several hours left of this night, and so Erik goes back to sleep.

His traumatic experience of being burgled doesn't deter him from his job, and he is rewarded by yet another promotion: Meet the Valley's latest Lieutenant! Erik has the weekend off, and so this was his last promotion before I will play him again. 

To celebrate, Erik invites his latest friends over, Hannah Bell (who was part of the welcome wagon) and her husband Issac. They enjoy a fresh batch of vegetable soup together before the rest of the evening is spent between the chess board and just talking.

Saturday gives Erik a chance to sleep as long as he likes, and then he makes himself a sumptuous and leisurely breakfast of omelette.

He passes the day doing this and that and the other, and when Opal Contrary walks by, he greets her and politely invites her to help him finish the leftovers of yesterday's veggie stew. Opal (slightly cross-eyed) wonders how anyone would choose to live here in Downtown - she loves her suburban family home in Desiderata Valley. 

Every day of this week, some stray dog or other (not always the same one) has been digging up Erik's front garden, and he has diligently filled in the hole every time. Sunday is no exception. 

With no work to do and no urgent skills that want acquiring, he decides a bit of culture is in order and walks to the Mostly Modern Art Museum. 

Several Sims he knows - and some he don't - are there, but he doesn't stick around very long.

Instead, he heads home and invites seven of his friends old and new to a house party, which ends a roof raiser.

I enjoyed playing Erik's single Sim household - he was uncomplicated and easy to keep happy, as well as being out for work much of the time.

His friends are mostly still from his time at college, but he is branching out with the Bells and has met some other residents of The Valley. So far, nobody has really caught his attention, but we'll se what happens next time I play him and it'll be spring, or maybe another playable Sim will meet him while I am playing them.