3.5.7 Downsizing

Welcome back to I Don't Play The Sims 3 (A Legacy)!  Last time, Liang actually left the house and had to treat someone, Sheng and Tai went to prom, while Hunter finally gave in and died.  Arrian became an Adult, Prince became and Elder, Xing and Yu Jie became teens, and Liang hit the end of his lifebar.  He managed to sneak in his LTW however.

LTW complete, Liang is now ready to retire in peace and enjoy his days of elder freewill.

Or not.

I get him home from work, queue up the action to retire, and he promptly dies.  That's not what I meant!

Jill can't even come mourn for him because she's busy having her Elder birthday in the garden.

Liang Yat Sen.

Tai:  Dad?

Arrian:  Liang!  Jill, come quick!

Where's my wife?

It is time.

I wish Jill were here...

Ah well...

Liang goes peacefully at the age of 92.

Liang, you were Jill's late night China love.  You cheated on her with Arrian, but only because I made you - and when you did you rolled up the wish to marry Jill, showing me where your true feelings lay.  You gave the family a new name, and snuck in your LTW right under the wire.  I was happy to have you.

Jill:  Does it look bad?

You should get changed.

Grim helps himself to the Juice.

Jill's lost a bit of her youthful spark, and is looking a little bareboned, but she still makes a lovely elder.

Arrian's having a Midlife Crisis of course.  She doesn't have anyone to divorce, so she wishes to buy a new car instead.  We have plenty of money these days, so I indulge her with a ....  Ford?  Thing?  I don't know cars.  Hatchback something.

Arrian has another wish I've been meaning to fulfill.

Tiberius has somehow elderfied, even though I thought he was the same age as Arrian.  Odd.

These two are happy to flirt their relationship back up to high levels.

You'd think they'd notice they have a teenage son together, but sure, holding hands.  Scandalous!

I think the proposal catches Tiberius off guard.  Arrian's youthfulness has led me to playing her in a carefree way, but she's looking more mature these days.

Thankfully, he accepts!

Sorry about tricking you into giving us a child?

Arrian at least puts on her dress and they have a lovely wedding.

Until it's interrupted by Errortrap reseting Arrian.  Tiberius is nowhere to be found.  They're married, but he's not part of the household.

This isn't exactly as I planned it, and Arrian looks a little sad, but it's time for her to move out.

That's right.  The heirpolls are in, and Yu Jie is the winner!  Since Arrian's sons didn't make heir and the game is really lagging on me lately, I decide to move Arrian, Tai, Xing, and Prince out.  Tiberius was supposed to go with them, but alas.

Tai was the runner up, so let's hope nothing happens to Yu Jie.

Sheng received zero votes to his brother's 8, and isn't quite sure why.

Sheng:  I'm much nicer than he is.

I think Yu Jie's evil face was too compelling.

Yu Jie also had my vote, with Tai as a close second.

With only three sims in the house, which hasn't happened since Lucas was born, there's not much going on.  Sheng and Yu Jie concentrate on their skilling.

While Jill is denied freewill elderhood in favor of the garden, which takes forever for her to finish.

The washer broke.  Fascinating reading!

Finally Jill catches a break and gravitates toward the rocking chair, as elders should.

At this point, the lag has made the game almost unplayable.  The camera moves so slowly or not at all, I don't even want to take pictures.

I move them to a new neighborhood, but it doesn't help.

I ask for help on Boolprop, moved out half the family, reset sims, clear caches, dust out my computer, close down other programs, anything I can think of.  But nothing helps.  I build them a brand new house on a smaller lot - still nothing.

Finally, after days of desperate googling and trying things to fix it, I'm about ready to give up on the game when I come across an answer.  I discover that the lag only happens when I have Jill selected, and the forum I've discovered advises me to empty her inventory.

Jill is carrying 5 gravestones, the high school diplomas of the entire family, a couple cars, and over a thousand fruit in her inventory.  I place the graves in the family inventory, cheat to delete the diplomas, put out some parking spots for the cars, and stash her fruit in one of her adventuring chests, and the problem disappears.

More important, this solution came from none other than Livvielove on another forum!  Livvie is my sole commenter at this time, AND manages to indirectly save my legacy from the past.  Go Livvie!  I love you to bits!

Problem solved, Jill is left to enjoy her bath in peace... wait...

She WOULD be left to enjoy her bath in peace if the car hadn't teleported on top of her.  I sell it.

Now for the peace.  Finally!

I reduce the garden down to three of each plant, and don't replace them as they grow barren, for several reasons.  First, I want to prevent more inventory bloat, so limiting the insane amount of fruit is a good start.  Second, Jill deserves some freewill elderhood, so though she'll still tend to the garden, it won't take her all day.  And third, I don't think anyone will maintain the garden once she's gone, so I may as well prepare for the day when the whole thing goes.

Jill enjoys her freewill time and makes good use of the swimming pool.

Peach:  Can I be real now?  I've been waiting forever.

Soon!

We have plenty of seating, but Jill chooses the floor.  That's what freewill means!

She's joining Nackerbell and the vampire gnome we got somehow.

Sheng maxes his logic skill, but it doesn't really matter.

It's time to grow up!

Sheng rolls Natural Cook as his final trait.

He's not bad looking.  I don't think there's anything wrong with Sheng - he just doesn't have the charm the other kids had.

I finally discover that you have to click the option to make elders use canes.  I've just been stashing them in their inventories and thought they'd use them like umbrellas, but no.

Jill gets to be the first to use a cane properly!

She's heading for the rocking chair, naturally.

Home from graduation, Sheng invites over his girlfriend Mendy.

Mendy still looks a little boyish to me, but it's Sheng's choice, not mine.  She's still a teen, so we have a birthday!

She somehow gains weight for her birthday.  Interesting.

I miss their first kiss completely, so here's me missing the second.

She hasn't even graduated and already she's got a proposal!

Mendy tries hard to trick me into writing romantic dialogue.  She keeps looking at me and giving me these sassy flirty faces, but I'm having none of it.

Sheng at least dresses appropriately for their impromptu wedding.  I'd use the arch but I don't want her disappearing like Tiberius.

I girl her up a bit.  Mendy's got a real pretty face and an interesting personality.  I get the feeling she'd have gotten along great with Hunter, alas.

I've since discovered that story progression isn't going to do it for me, so I try to move things along a bit and help them start a family.  I don't know if it works - I've long since stopped hearing lullabies - but at least they have a chance.

Two sims is just ridiculous for a Legacy, so it's time to bring Peach into the world of the living.

Luckily, I had Tessa prepare this potion ages ago.

Oooh, bubbly!

Oooh!

Peach is adorable!

She's Brave, Neat, Inappropriate, and a Vehicle Enthusiast.  I thought she might be Evil because she's always heckling Yu Jie even though they're best friends, but that might be the Inappropriate trait.  At least she's not Good.

I don't mess with her IF outfit, but I do give her another one.  I channel my inner Barbie, which is getting quite old and rusty, and dress her up in doll clothes.  I also highlight the green of her hair, which I think is adorable.

And since it's been ages since I got a chapter out (for me, anyway), we'll call it a day here.  Look forward to more updates, and as always, Happy Simming!