Questions I Get Asked About The Sims 2...

I get asked quite a few questions about The Sims 2 such as where I get my custom content, how to make shorts, where to get The Sims 2 and how to optimise it for Windows so I thought I would make a blog post answering all of these questions with links to sites that will help.

The Sims 2 

Although I have all of the disks, I was one of the lucky ones who was able to get the downloadable game for free from EA many moons ago via Origin.  Unfortunately, they are not giving away copies any more.  There is an old petition on Change .org if you would like to sign it.

If you are on a Mac, The Sims 2 Super Collection can be purchased from the Apple Store with most of the expansion packs and stuff packs.  I do believe that it doesn't have Apartment Life which was the last EP for The Sims 2 unfortunately as EA only made it for Windows.  This EP not only had apartments but witches too.

However, if you are on Windows, Reddit has a great post which will help.

In order to run the game on Windows, Pleasantsims has all the instructions on her blog which I found to be extremely helpful. 

Custom Content

I usually get custom content from Tumblr and my favourite creator, especially for clothing and hair, is GoatsKickin'.

During The Sims 2 days, we had a store and all of the items have now been uploaded here.

I just recently found these really colourful items from Linacheries which I haven't downloaded yet but thought they were worth a mention.

For furniture, I really like Padre over at The Sims Resource.  He also creates items for The Sims 4.

If you are into building in The Sims 2, Mod the Sims have a great selection of build items either recolours or new meshes.  My favourite is Honeywells build set. 

Don't forget to check out BuggyBooz here on Blogger - they have made some awesome items for the home and garden. 

If you would like Sims 4 items in your Sims 2 game, there is a database where creators have converted them.  I actually look forward to when Maxis/EA release kits, stuff packs and EP's for The Sims 4 as a short while later they will be converted to The Sims 2!  

Also, I build lots for downloading and you can see videos of my speed builds over on my YouTube channel together with the download links.

Recording Gameplay

To record my gameplay of The Sims 2, I use OBS which is a free recording programme.

The version I have is 27.0.1 so you may need to scroll down the page to get it.  I find that any newer version will not record The Sims 2 as it's an old game.

Making Shorts

When I first started making shorts, I would chop my video up with my video editor into little videos and upload each one to Adobe Express which is a free online tool. 

You can also remove the background from your pictures by going to the little dropdown above entitled "quick actions" (you may need to wait a little while for it to load properly) and upload your image.  This is great for creating thumbnails for long-form videos if you are on YouTube.

I have now learned to make shorts in my video editor by watching tutorials on YouTube.  The video editor that I use is NCH Video Pad Video Editor which isn't a free programme but was just a one-time payment.

I hope the above helps and yes, I know I should update this blog a little more often...

Dag Dag!

- Minicart (Jules)

One Man and His Dog

As I've said before, I don't usually play with pets in The Sims 2 but after building 21 Trailer Creek and playing with the new family of Sam and Bob, I decided to make their own little series entitled "One Man and His Dog".

I took quite a liking to this little family and I enjoyed playing them.  I recorded my gameplay just in case something interesting came up that I could use for a short on YouTube and, as is usual in The Sims 2, nearly always, something happens which is of interest.

So, I chopped up my video gameplay which was over a period of 3 Sim days and created a "no commentary" video showing the antics of Bob whilst Sam was at work and things that they both got up to together.

Although I don't have time to play Sam and Bob on a regular basis, I will be playing them again and uploading videos to add to the series.

- Minicart (Jules)

21 Trailer Creek

I was watching Lilsimsie build a trailer in The Sims 4 and decided to create my own in The Sims 2. 

So I built 21 Trailer Creek and although the trailer is quite small, it is big enough for a couple of Sims.  There is also a front yard with a barbecue and seating area and although I didn't place any gardening plots, there is space for them if you want your Sim to do some gardening and perhaps be a little more self-sufficient.

To test the lot out, I created Sam and his dog Bob and, as you will see from the gameplay video at the end, Bob seemed very happy in his new home, digging holes and playing with his bone.  Sam on the other hand, although happy in his new home, had trouble with one of the neighbours who stole his gnome and then proceeded to try and sell his dog!  He asked her to leave and later went back to retrieve his gnome from her.

This lot is available for download should you want it in your game and you can download from one of the two links below:

Media Fire

SFS

Here's the speed build video if you want to see how I built this lot and also watch the gameplay at the end:

Minicart (Jules)

Harry and Heather

In my own Sims 2 gameplay in Pleasantview, I have quite a few families that I play rotationally, which I may have mentioned before.  One such family is Harry and Heather Barrington-Smythe.

Harry is one of the younger sons of my original couple, Charles and Victoria, who are now no longer with us.  Even though Harry is a romantic Sim, he is happily married to Heather and they have two children who are now at University.  This means that when either Harry or Heather are not working, they have quite a lot of free time to do as they want.  Their work schedules are such that Heather works in the morning and Harry works in the afternoons.

Harry enjoys gardening and fixing old cars whereas Heather has taken up flower arranging and also enjoys chasing after butterflies.

Heather knows that Harry chose her over all the other ladies that he dated in the past and she also knows that he has remained faithful to her over the years.  However, there is that little nagging ache inside of her that causes her to think that it would only take one little thing, one little instance in life, that would make him do something naughty.

Harry on the other hand, is quite convinced that he is a changed man.  Until Andrea Hogan turns up on his doorstep one morning when Heather is at work.

It could be the genie's lamp that caused this "little problem" or it could just be Harry's enchanting personality and charm that caused Andrea to suddenly have a crush on Harry.  Or maybe it was the rose that Harry innocently offered her on his doorstep.  Either way, hopefully, Harry won't ruin everything for a townie.

Minicart (Jules)

63 Camden Street

I really enjoy building in The Sims 2 albeit it's a little harder than in The Sims 4.  

In TS4 you can push and pull walls and add foundations to already built houses.  You can't do that in TS2 and although I have a few problems with roofing, I eventually get it right in the end.

The Sims 2 seems to be getting more popular these days, probably due to the gameplay which seems to be more in-depth and the Sims in 2 seem to react better to situations than they do in 4.  For example, Sims 2 Sims will look at the camera when waiting for the player to direct them to do something or if you as the player sell an object from their home or it gets taken by a burglar or the Repo Man, they will go over to where the object was, sigh and shake their heads or get angry that the item was taken.  Sims 4 Sims just don't seem to care in my opinion.

There are still many custom content creators out there, past and present, who have created and are still creating for The Sims 2.  Even expansion packs and kits for The Sims 4 have been converted to The Sims 2 and this is great for Sims 2 players like myself who can still get new content for such an old but brilliant game.

For me, I care more about my Sims 2 Sims than I have for Sims from any of the other iterations and so I want them to have nice homes to live in, which brings me to my build of 63 Camden Street.

This house is a 3 x 3 lot and will cost your Sim 87,420 Simoleons - nothing that Motherlode cannot fix!  It has one bedroom, one bathroom, a study and an open-plan living room/kitchen/diner.  It also has a back porch with a barbecue and plots outside for planting seeds.  And of course, as there are cars in The Sims 2, it has a nice driveway with a brand new shiny red car.

I did use custom content in this build which seems to bring The Sims 2 more up to date and modern and my Sims really love their new home!  Here are a few pics:

And of course, I made a speed build video for my channel on YouTube which shows some gameplay at the end of my Sims testing the lot out.

You can also download this lot for your game should you want it for your Sims.  The links to download are in the description of the video and also pinned to the comments section.

- Minicart (Jules)

The Bartletts

As I mentioned in a previous post, I play The Sims 2 rotationally and record my own gameplay.  I have quite a few families in Pleasantview who are the children of my original couple.  They also have children where most of them have gone to University.  The eldest son always comes back home but the rest of the family make their own way in life on new lots where they too will eventually marry and have children.

One particular family that I have are the Bartletts.  

As a teen, Charlotte was a Goth and has continued her "way of life" into adulthood.  She lives with her husband in Bartlett Manor, a large mansion on a hill.  

They have quite a few graves in their garden, due to the cowplant that they have fenced in next to the graveyard.  Unfortunately, sometimes they forget to lock the gate and a few unsuspecting neighbours try to steal the cake which the cowplant offers them when hungry.

To make matters worse, Charlotte decided to become a witch, albeit a good one, and she has learned quite a few spells and made quite a few potions.  She is really becoming quite adept at it.

I've never really played with witches in The Sims 2 as I prefer to play families, watching the children grow and learn and eventually go to University and then have children of their own but I'm actually quite enjoying playing a witch in TS2.  

But, I digress...

The Bartletts are really quite a "normal" family, living their day-to-day lives, going to work, taking their children (who are both at Uni) out to dinner and this next episode shows just how "normal" and happy they are.

Again, this episode is lots of short clips of my gameplay over a period of three Sim days.

- Minicart (Jules)

Rose Cottage

I don't usually play with pets in The Sims, mainly because in The Sims 2, you cannot control them.  So I thought it would be a good idea to come out of my comfort zone and create a little cottage that is pet friendly and move in a Sim with her cat.

At one point in real life, I had six cats.  Yes, you read that right - I had six cats.  I love cats.  I just don't usually play with them in The Sims.

I used to have a ginger tom named Rhubarb and he was absolutely beautiful but unfortunately, he has now passed away.  He was very friendly and wanted lots of cuddles, rather like a little dog.  

So I decided to create him in The Sims 2 for my Sim.  So here is Rhubarb and he lives with Jane in Rose Cottage.  He seems very happy there and Jane adores him, giving him lots of cuddles and treats.

If you would like to have Rose Cottage in your game, you can download it from the link in the video.  Unfortunately, it doesn't come with Jane and Rhubarb but it does have furniture and a brand new car in the garage.

And, if you'd like to see a few of Rhubarb's antics, check out this short video:

- Minicart (Jules)

Making a Greek House

Whenever I start a new game in The Sims 2, I like to start with young adults at University.  I feel that this gives my Sims a good start in life by learning skills and meeting their lifetime partners.

When doing this, I enjoy making a Greek House for the boys and another for the girls.  I do this separately to allow more Sims to go to Uni in my hometown, such as sons and daughters of my Legacy family and their grandchildren and cousins.  I then create a partner for Sims that have been born to families and they all join the Greek House that my original Sims have made.

These Greek Houses become bigger and better as time goes on, with families contributing items such as televisions, pool tables and anything else that the Greek Houses may need, including career reward items that families have two or more of.

I tend to cheat a bit when I first make the Greek Houses, such as taking items from the dorm to place inside the house, just to start them off.  However, I only do this once and then either delete the old dorm or replace everything in build/buy mode.

So, for posterity, I decided to create a video on how I do this, using my Sim that has just gained access to the Secret Society.

If you would like to see how I create a Greek House in The Sims 2, or if you ever wanted to create a Greek House but wasn't sure how to do it, then hopefully this video will help you or at least give you an idea.  Of course, you can cheat some Simoleons to build the house but I just prefer to take the stuff from the dorm, as my Sim has already paid for it in rent 😃

- Minicart (Jules)

1571 Melody Drive

Even though The Sims 2 is an old game, I think the graphics are pretty good and the gameplay is amazing.  Sims in The Sims 2 seem more "real" and have great personalities.  To me, they are smarter than the so-called "smart Sims" that EA made out The Sims 4 to be.

Obviously, things change over the years as far as the look and feel of video games and The Sims are no exception.

Building houses and lots in The Sims 2 is harder than it is in The Sims 4.  Regardless of what anyone says about this latest iteration of The Sims, TS4 build mode is very advanced, allowing the player to push and pull walls, laying foundations after the house has been built - I could go on.  I do not consider myself a builder but I enjoy building and I do find The Sims 2 a lot harder to build in than The Sims 4.

I tend to have a lot of trouble with roofing in The Sims 2 but admit that I am getting better and I do accomplish it in the end.

When you look at Sims 4 builds, they are quite modern and "up to date" and doing this in The Sims 2 is a little harder but not entirely impossible.

Thanks to all of those wonderful custom content creators that are still out there, creating new stuff for The Sims 2, you can make your Sims 2 build look more modern for your Sims and allow you, the player, to play this great game with a new, modern look.

Apart from mods to make the water look more sparkly, the grass greener and the world more open, new and colourful UI and a host of other stuff, creators are converting Sims 4 objects to Sims 2, allowing the player to have the expansion pack objects from The Sims 4 into The Sims 2.  It's like having extra expansion packs, game packs and stuff packs for a game that, unfortunately, EA no longer supports.

There is now a conversion database for Sims 2 content that has been converted from The Sims 4 and a hashtag of "4t2" on Tumblr to find this content a lot easier.

I think my Sims in The Sims 2 deserve better so I tend to use a lot of custom content in my game and in the more modern builds that I place for download.

When I was scouring the internet for ideas on my next build, I came across a really modern home that I wanted to re-create in The Sims 2 and came up with 1571 Melody Drive.

This home has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a study and a kitchen/diner/lounge with a garage that houses a brand-new sparkling Mercedes which I downloaded from Mod the Sims a while back.

I also created a speed-build video for YouTube and as you will see at the end of the video, my Sims tested out the home and seemed very happy with it!

Here's the video if you want to check it out and if you would like to download this lot for your game, the link is pinned to the comments section.

Dag Dag!

- Minicart (Jules)

The Barrington-Smythes

It seems that "shorts" are quite popular these days.  YouTube has a "shorts shelf" for videos of one minute or less and which are now monetised for those who qualify.  Tik-Tok is also very popular with short videos although they have upped the watch time to 10 minutes at the time of writing this.

I have also noticed that quite a few people enjoy "no commentary" videos.  In a way, this also closes the language gap where actions can speak louder than words.  And of course in The Sims, well, everyone knows Simlish :-)

Which brings me to today's video.

For a little while now, I have been recording my personal gameplay.  I play rotationally in The Sims 2 and, with each rotation, I record it and make a little video out of it by cutting it up into lots of little shorts and piecing it all together without any commentary.  This seems to go down quite well with my subscribers although it does take quite a while to complete.  Gameplay can be around 6 to 7 hours and a video can end up being just 20 or 30 minutes.  However, it is fun to do!

My latest episode is The Barrington-Smythes.  This is Part 4 where my couple are left alone with their cat Abbey after their children have gone to Uni.  

If you like shorts then you will love this episode of The Barrington-Smythes and if you like "no commentary" videos, you will surely enjoy this offering :-)

- Minicart (Jules)

The Sims 2 Secret Society

As with the Open for Business expansion pack for The Sims 2, I have also been asked how Sims can join the Secret Society at University.

I don't always get my Sims to join the Secret Society when playing, only my Legacy or Goth-type family, so as to keep the Society a bit of an enigma for others.

Although Sims are able to go to the Secret Society house where there are some cool things, such as career reward objects and lifetime aspiration reward objects, I usually have these things after a few generations, in my Greek Houses which I set up from scratch.  They are also able to hack their grades and seem to automatically know about the "secret handshake" which only members can perform.

So, I decided to make a tutorial showing you how your Sim can join the Secret Society in The Sims 2 University.  It took just over three Sim days which I thought was pretty good, considering that my Sim had to get skill points, do his term paper and make friends with three of the Secret Society members during that time.

You can check out my video here:

9 Mill Lane

I have been building quite a few Sims 2 lots lately, recording as I go and turning them into speed builds for posting on YouTube.  My latest is "9 Mill Lane" and I'm pleased with how it turned out.

I did use custom content in this lot, mainly for the flowers in the garden which are converted from TS4 Cottage Living to TS2.  These plants are seen as "objects" and don't need watering or trimming, so that saves your Sims a lot of time in the garden!  As with all lots, if you download this, all custom content is included in the file.

As you will see from the end of the video, my Sims seemed to settle in very well in their new home 😃

So, without further ado, here is the video - enjoy!

Open for Business Tutorial in The Sims 2

I have been asked a few times how to start up and run a business in the Open for Business expansion pack for The Sims 2 so I decided to make a video!

Here you will see my Sim opening the "Just Flowers and More" business lot in Bluewater and she seems to be making a pretty good go of it.

If you ever wanted to run your own business in The Sims 2 but didn't quite know how, this video is for you!

Greek House Shenanigans

 

As a die hard Sims 2 fan, I really enjoy sharing my gameplay with others.  Every day on Twitter, I post a snippet of my Sims 2 gameplay which my followers seem to enjoy and I get quite a few likes, views and retweets.

I decided a while back to put all these little snippets into separate little videos and post them on YouTube as long form videos but alas, viewers didn't seem to be as enthusiastic as my Twitter followers.  So, I decided to post some shorts on YouTube.  Little snippets of my Sims 2 gameplay, just like I do on Twitter.

Again, viewers seem to love these little snippets and I have gotten quite a few views and gained some extra subscribers in doing so.

So, I had another idea...

How about if I put little snippets, a few seconds each, into a long form video.  Scenes that switch from one to the next quite quickly would hopefully keep the viewer more interested to see how the video plays out rather than watching something that is more drawn out, so to speak.

So, I thought I would give this idea a go and "Greek House Shenanigans" was born.

In my personal Sims 2 game, I have three Uni students that live in a Greek House.  Two are brothers and both are of the "Romance" aspiration.  One is now engaged, having had his fun in his early years and is ready to settle down.  His younger brother however is just starting out and has met a few young female sims that he is interested in.  Not happy with dating just one sim however, he has three of them which he is seeing and canoodling with.

They haven't found out about each other yet but I'm sure that if they do, all hell will break loose.

Until then however, my sim is having a lot of fun as you will see if you watch the video above.

I was able to get quite a few little snippets/scenes into this 2 minute and 27 second video so I would love to know what you think of this "new style" of video that I have made.  If you enjoy "shorts" then I think this video will be right up your street!

Let me know in the comments section below!

Cheers!

- Minicart (Jules)

Simlish Days of Yore

 

Simmed Up Magazine kindly asked me to write an article about objects that we had in earlier The Sims games and which we do not have in The Sims 4 for their March 2022 issue.  

Whilst I was writing this article, I came across loads of stuff that I had forgotten about in The Sims 1 which we never had again and some which we did in later games, such as the nectar maker which was shipped with World Adventures in The Sims 3.

So, having written the article, I thought it would be great to make a video of all the objects that we had in The Sims 1 and which we didn't get again and release it just in time for The Sims 22nd birthday on the 4th February.

Bearing in mind that the original The Sims is now over 20 years old, I still found myself chuckling at the antics and funny, quirky little moments that these objects gave.  Even though my article covered The Sims 1 and 2, this video only covers TS1 for the simple reason that surprisingly there were such a lot of objects that we had in game back then which we don't have now.

Many thanks to The Goth Family, especially Bella, who modelled the objects for this video!

- Minicart (Jules)

The Wedding

 

There has been a lot of talk lately about a new game pack on the theme of Weddings coming to The Sims 4.

I have only had a couple of weddings in the past whilst playing TS4 but it didn't seem as exciting as previous The Sims games.

The Sims 2 has always been my go-to for comparisons as I feel the game had so much depth to it and so whilst playing my own personal game, it got to the point where two of my Sims were to be married.  I decided to record everything and I'm so glad I did!

There was quite a lot that I had forgotten about, such as the cutting of the cake and making a toast.  Of course the in-game wedding vows video also came into play which brought back so many memories!

My Sims booked their honeymoon before the wedding and the car automatically came to pick them up after the party was over, taking them to their chosen vacation world.  I think this is a lovely touch to the game, something that we haven't had since in The Sims, as with a lot of things.

If EA do release a wedding pack for The Sims 4, although it will look pretty, as does the game, I am not sure if it would bring the gameplay that we had in TS2.  I would love to be proven wrong but so far...

I would love to hear what you think - let me know in the comments section below!

Cheers!

- Minicart (Jules)

BURNING to DEATH!

After Willow extinguishes herself in the river, she returns to the police station to find what looks like four remains of sims, albeit no names are attached to these lumps of charred bodies.  Confused, Willow decides to travel to the local school, somewhere she hasn't been before.  New places always hold excitement for Willow.

She proceeds to cast a few fire blast spells around the main door of the building and before long, a few sims gather, screaming and shouting and waving their arms about as usual.  Willow is having a lovely time casting spells and consuming Essence of Magic Elixirs in-between.

Just lately however, Willow isn't really paying attention to where she stands.  She seems more content in casting fire blast spells and tends to stand in the midst of blazes whilst she casts the next spell.  This really isn't a good idea but Willow being Willow does what she wants.  To her own detriment I might add.

This occasion is no different.  Willow casts yet another fire blast spell in the midst of an inferno and catches herself alight yet again!

This could be the end for Willow.  There is no water around apart from a fountain that is unusable and she isn't able to put herself out.  The only water she can see is a river quite far away.  Willow jumps on her broomstick and makes her way around the roads to the river.  Running across the field and up the mountain, she decides it would be better to turn around and make her way to a swimming pool.  

Screaming and waving her arms in the air, she finally arrives at the sims house, only to be saved by the householder who happens to have a fire extinguisher.

Willow goes home to freshen up and as she is a bit of a sucker for punishment, she decides to return to the school where various sims are still there shouting and screaming and a couple of fires still burn brightly.

Willow again proceeds to light a few fires and catches a few sims alight.  It seems her aim is getting better.  She decides to stand and practice some magic while all mayhem breaks loose.

Not one, but two sims burn to death in this blazing inferno that Willow has created.

Once the Grim Reaper has reaped the souls of these two unfortunate sims, Willow proceeds to show him an internet cat video.

- Minicart (Jules)

Gardening in The Sims 2

 

I really enjoy gardening in The Sims 2.  It is somewhat different to what we had in The Sims 3 and now, in The Sims 4.

First of all from build mode you have to place earth dirt, one square at a time, just like laying a foundation.  Then the Sim can fertilize each square before digging and planting the seeds.

There wasn't much to choose from by way of seeds.  When starting out, a Sim can only plant tomatoes, however, once a gold talent badge had been acquired for the gardening skill, a Sim could then plant tomatoes, cucumber, strawberries, pole beans, peppers and eggplant which was the majority of seeds available.

Purchasing a ladybug loft will keep all the bad bugs away from your plants and having a compost bin allows your Sim to compost all kitchen waste, and even the newspaper, to use for fertilizing the earth next time you want to plant something.

Gardening seemed a lot harder in The Sims 2.  If you overwatered your plants, they would drown and die.  Talking to your plants kept them happy and vibrant, allowing their health level to increase, but this could only be done once you had a gold talent badge for gardening.  Once this is achieved, it is a lot easier to keep your plants happy but until your Sim gets to that point, keeping your plants happy is hard work.

There were three trees available in gardening in The Sims 2, namely Ambrosial Lemon, Ambrosial Orange and Ambrosial Apple, all of which can be purchased fully grown from the gardening section in build mode.

These trees need to be trimmed, which is something we didn't have again in future The Sims releases.  Trimming your trees keeps them happy and of course, as with all plants in The Sims 2, talking to them keeps them healthy and all plants then give great quality fruit and vegetables.  All produce can be placed in the refrigerator for future use and if you have a juicer, fruit and vegetables can be placed in there for a fresh and healthy drink!

Bushes, such as rose bushes, and hedges all bought from build mode would grow, spurting out little shoots that had to be trimmed.  This is something that we never had again in The Sims.  Weeds would also grow not just within plants but on the grass too.

I have quite a few little snippets of gardening in The Sims 2 so decided to pop them all in a video.

Do you enjoy gardening in The Sims 2?  Or perhaps you prefer gardening in The Sims 3 or maybe 4, or maybe a mixture of each?  Let me know in the comment section below!

Cheers!

- Minicart (Jules)

Willow CATCHES ALIGHT!

 

In the last episode of The Evil Witch of Dragon Valley, Willow created an inferno at the Police Station and then went on to the Bistro to see what mayhem she could cause there.

Quite a lot of Sims turned up to this spectacle of fire, even bringing their children and babies, which they left on the grass with a bottle while they jumped around, waving their arms in the air and screaming at the sight of the blaze.  With babies crying and children screaming, the Bistro turned out to be quite a mess of flames and burned Sims.  However, this didn't deter them from asking Willow if she would pose for a photograph in between the fires going out.

Willow, being an evil Sim, takes great pleasure from seeing others suffer and she tends to take her time with casting fire blast spells as she is very busy heckling other Sims and laughing maniacally at the suffering she bestows upon them.  Because of this, unfortunately no-one died so Willow decided to return to the Police Station to see if she will have better success there.

She casts a few fire blast spells but unfortunately no-one turns up.  Maybe Sims are getting more wise to Willow's antics and have decided to stay away.  I suppose you can't blame them really but I'm giving them too much credit as, whilst Willow returns home to feed her beloved familiar cat Tabitha and of course, the cow plants, a Sim turns up at the Police Station to do the usual jumping about and screaming.

Willow decides to go back to the Police Station and cast a few more fire blast spells.  A couple more Sims turn up, much to Willow's delight, and she casts a few fire blast spells at them as well.

I have said this before, if you live by the sword, you die by the sword and this could be very true in Willow's case with regard to fire.  Willow tends to stand in the midst of blazes when she casts spells sometimes and this time is no exception.  Whilst casting her final fire blast spell in the midst of a blaze, she catches alight.  There is no option to "extinguish self" and she just stands there with fire billowing from her back.

Is this the end of Willow Mendip?

- Minicart (Jules)

Police Station INFERNO!

As we all know, Willow is very fond of fire.  There are a few places in the little town of Dragon Valley where she has lit fires and killed quite a few Sims.  However, there are some places that she hasn't experimented with, one such place being the Police Station.

Now, one would think that lighting fires outside of the Police Station would be a very silly thing to do.  But, we are talking about The Sims and Sims police aren't the brightest of bulbs in the pack.

So, after playing with Tabitha for a while and chatting with the butler, Willow makes her way to the Police Station.  

After lighting a few fires outside, quite a few Sims come running, waving their arms about in the air, jumping up and down and screaming, as per usual.  Willow continues to light fires about them, consuming Essence of Magic magical elixirs inbetween to fill her magic bar until she receives a telephone call from her agent.

An opportunity of a radio commercial is being offered for simoleons and fame.  Willow accepts.

She then continues to light more fires at the Police Station, setting Sims alight and fire blasting bushes and dead leaves with the fire blast spell until the area looks like a blazing inferno.  Leaving these poor Sims to get on with putting out the fires and/or burning to death, she then pops along to the Business Office to record the commercial.

Unfortunately, no-one dies at the Police Station so after recording the commercial for Llama Musk perfume, Willow decides to venture to the Bistro.  Another venue she hasn't tried out yet, but she won't be eating there...

- Minicart (Jules)