State of the Aquilegia

[aquilegia]

Hey there! I haven't been updating here for a while for various reasons, the big one being that my computer had been getting more and more painful to use. It was terribly slow and acting strangely -- I probably could have used a new Windows install, but that wouldn't have helped with the fact that the motherboard and processor were a decade old, and the video card only a year or two newer. It really killed my creativity to only be able to have one program open at a time, and that their processing times meant it could take up to half an hour just to build one package.

However! I rebuilt it completely a little while ago and it works like a dream, and while I've been trying out other games now that they'll actually run and run well (I can finally play Dragon Age ;_;), I haven't abandoned TS2. Far from it -- now that I have a good computer, creating is fun again because the tedious button pushing parts go a lot faster, and I can keep a whole bunch of programs open at once so referencing what I need to tweak is super easy.

I have a whole bunch of goodies I've already made to put up -- a ton of texture replacements for base game clothes, and nice, matching recolors of some base game build items -- and I'm in the process of making a whole bunch more. Immediately in the works are skirt conversions for teens, elders, and M sims, a new 8-skin Maxis matchy skinset, and a trans* bodyshape basic set.

(On that note: repositoried clothes, or no? I could either give the AM clothes textures and repository the other ages, or I could repository them all to the AF clothes. Thoughts?)

I'll also have some TS3 stuff up, but that will happen more sporadically because TS3 meshing and texturing is a giant headache (the in-game recolorability means the creating end is waaay more complicated) and most of the tutorials are bare bones.

Comments

[lovelyxwow]

I personally would prefer to not have repositoried clothing--I never know if something I want for teens I'd want for adults too--but that's just me. In any case, it's exciting to hear that you're busy busy creating! :D

I too wish the tutorials for ts3 creating were more extensive now that it's been out for 5 years. I couldn't figure out how to create patterns with more than one channel to save my life! :P It's a shame that there doesn't seem to be much for ts3 that needs creating, other than hair retextures and perhaps new paintings or clothing.

[aquilegia]

Yeah, the tutorials are really disappointing! Some of them basically say 'look at TS2 tutorials for basics' which, fair enough, but when someone who's used to TS2 meshing can't figure out how TS3 packages are put together and why from tutorials, something is wrong. :/

And the pattern tutorials are just ugh, terrible. Once I have a better handle on how the channels thing works I'm going to write one of my own. I actually have some background in technical writing for laymen, unlike 99% of the people who write creating tutorials in this community.

[lovelyxwow]

I've said it before, but a pattern tutorial would definitely be helpful. When I can play again, I may take a stab at trying hair. If not, I guess someone somewhere appreciates black tattoos, sims, and small lots, yes? :P

[digitaldollies]

Yay, I know the feeling of a funky computer and also missing creating so I'm glad you are able to get back to it.

As to respositioried stuff. I hate it, for some reason it only ever shows in the main age/sex area, all the other have weirdly shaped nude bodies. :(

It could very well be that I'm doing something wrong, but I follow all the directions, plus sometimes I may just want something for one gender or age. My AF bin is waaaaaayyyyy to overloaded, plus I use bodyshapes a lot there.

[aquilegia]

Wow, that's a really weird problem! It sounds like the repositoried files are somehow not 'seeing' or finding the textures they're supposed to reference, which they should be able to so long as the master file is in the downloads folder at all. Then again, this game still manages to surprise me with all of the weird things that still go wrong for people.

I think I'll just make the files as one does normally, and if I feel ambitious do repositoried versions for people who like that. Clickybutton work isn't so tedious anymore so it's no longer a big deal. :)

[azaya]

Personally I don't care for repositoried clothing, but that's only because people tend to repository to the adult files and my adults have plenty of stuff as it is. But that's just me.

Trans* bodyshape set? Omg. 8D

[aquilegia]

Yesss. :3 I'd been wanting one for a while, ever since Twisted FATE had worked on one before disappearing, but it took quite a bit of fiddling, getting frustrated, and returning before I finally got the transwoman shape right. It takes into account the changes in muscle mass and bodyfat a woman on hormones has, while still maintaining the underlying bone structure (so far as I can make it out, anyway) and fits with the Maxis waistline so there's a lot more versatility available than there is with only full body meshes. And, of course, it will be for teens through elders.

The fat morph was the real bear there -- since the M fat morph is so much fatter than the F, it was hard to get it shaped well yet still match the waistline -- but I finally managed to do it and I'm really pleased with how it turned out. It isn't the hourglass shape of the F fat morph, but I think it's still quite feminine and certainly looks like plenty of women I've seen with a more 'apple' body shape (which is really common where I live).

The transman shape I am still poking at -- fortunately I already have the androgyny shape as a base, which made my life easier. It isn't dramatically different than the androgyny shape (mostly more muscle mass in the torso and narrower hips and butt), so some androgyny clothes will transfer across without the need for conversion. I'll also make more androgyny clothes, since those are still pretty scarce!

... Obviously, I am pretty excited about this. X)

[azaya]

I AM REALLY EXCITED ABOUT IT TOO 8DD I don't usually use bodyshapes because of the need for linked skins and suchlike, but I will definitely make an exception for trans woman and trans man shapes! Can't wait, agh.

[quinctia]

I love repositoried clothing, hate repositoried buy/build (I don't want to keep a coffee table in my game for the end table to work, wahhhh), but, in the end, I can always do it myself if I want.

[aquilegia]

Depending on how ambitious I feel (which is much more so now that I don't feel like I'm wading through molasses just to run a color action), I think I will have both repositoried and non versions to download. Clothes only, I am still full of ??? about objects and the best I can do with those is recolor and retexture. X)

[quinctia]

Yeah, I don't make clothes that often myself, but, when I have, I'll make unrepositoried items first. That way it's easier to make sure I'm referencing the right files when I make repositories ones for myself...which I then share. So whether clicky work is worth it is often weighed out by how you're going to want to have it in your own game. ;)

I tend to go crazy with options. I'd probably be more of a creator who offers things if I simplified the way I offered stuff. XD

[aquilegia]

True that about the clickybuttoning -- although I have to say I'm a lot more inclined to offer a few more options now that importing a texture in SimPE is almost instant, rather than the five to ten seconds it took on the old computer. O_O I don't know how I put up with it, but now I have a better idea of why I felt so burnt out on creating...