There’s few TS2 custom builds that went directly to my favourites. Let me present you one of them, possibly my favourite TS2 (or The Sims of all time!) custom build ever: the “Down on your luck hostel” by joandsarah77, uploaded to ModTheSims on April 22, 2013.
One precious thing you’ll notice when you click the link is that the images uploaded to the descriptions have the Photobucket watermark on them. Now that’s sign of some semi-ancient internet times (semi because they’re only ancient to me, and I’m a relatively fresh human, I’m only in my early 20s).
Well, my images aren’t from Photobucket. Thankfully, putting up images has become way easier since the 2007-ish Photobucket times.
Click on the link to the ModTheSims page to read the full description the Aussie creator made for the hostel. This lot is classified as Apartment Building, and Sims have eight rooms to choose from. Rooms are apartments but they’re literally rooms; all the amenities needed for living, that aren’t a bed, are located in communal areas. They include: a kitchen (with a cook, should you want one; you’ll just need to install a mod for this), dining area, toilets, shower rooms, some skill development items (bookcase, piano, kids’ toys), and baby care items (not a cot, but a changing station and potty). Therefore, you can even raise a family of Sims paying peanuts and having to care for nothing but your sleeping arrangements. (And even if you can’t afford a bed, you could nap on the sofa downstairs).
Cyd Roseland’s beginnings in the DOYL hostel
I moved Cyd Roseland (Cyryl Różyczka in the Polish version) into one of the bigger rooms. He pays the rent of §253 per week. This is as high as rent gets in this building (the cheapest room costing only §65 per week), and Cyd has a nice balcony, too, to watch the street and the street ballet, in the words of Jane Jacobs.
Cyd moved in just as summer was coming to an end in Virgin River. He’s considering entering the Oceanography career, although the restlessness hidden deep(er) within his soul is pushing forward a want to seek adventures, professionally. His wants are always to teach his dog Porthos new tricks.
Cyd is currently unemployed. He’s trying to choose his career carefully and thoughtfully. However, he was quick to find Porthos a job in Services. Porthos is currently a Vermin Chaser.*
* By the way, as I was double-checking the name of this career level, The Sims Wiki told me that in the Service branch, cats always earn more than dogs… and that is the case for all three pet careers in The Sims 2. Why? I don’t know if it’s more expensive to keep a cat than a dog, perhaps cats take more Sim time to learn tricks? That’s a mystery to me atm, but if I find this out (which I probably won’t) I’ll let you know.
It feels kind of weird to be playing The Sims 2 using a wireless computer mouse. So I don’t; over the past year I’ve played enough Sims to last me a long time. (Which by no means I’ll never play it again; I love the freedom playing The Sims gives).
What kind of Sims would you move into this Sim hostel? What careers would they work in? What would be their life stories? Would they be criminals? Aspiring teachers? Low-paid medical staff? Unemployed scavengers?
I think it’s very interesting how Sims players connect people and their stories to places in which their gameplay takes place. (Play-s… place?) Perhaps it’s not a more advanced observation than saying that kids in school may be asked to write a short story having been given solely the place of action. But it is interesting and you can’t tell me otherwise.