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Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#76 Old 20th Apr 2014 at 10:49 PM
Andrew do your sims have inventories? I'm thinking they do, but I forgot what EP that came with. Just store your left overs in someone's inventory and it won't go bad. Also make sure to buy and use the birthday cake and store that in inventory as well. That can keep a sim family alive for a day. If you get very desperate send Brandi or Dustin to a restaurant and steal a meal. I had a homelss sim do that. Wait until a sim is served and immediately try and click and get eat to come up. If you are quick enough they can grab the plate and eat it. I don't think the Broke's would be nearly as desperate as my homeless sims though, get her a decent job and she will have money in no time.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
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Mad Poster
#77 Old 20th Apr 2014 at 10:53 PM
As far as the Brokes go, she 'pops' pretty early on, so if you can get her in an evening job like Law Enforcement right up front she'll get maternity leave and the associated free paychecks. She and Beau should both have a learned to walk want that he's almost fulfilled, so you get some easy aspiration points for them both--which if you have aging on (do you ever, Andrew?) you'll need to put towards smart milk to get him potty trained in his remaining time as toddler.
There's some really expensive stuff that can be sold, best to do it before the stuff depreciates at midnight, you can bulldoze the pool for a fair price, and criminal is one of the low-paying teen careers, so Dustin can change to something that pays twice as much, like athletic. Dustin has a steady girlfriend (Angela Pleasant) so date rewards are a possible money source.
Or, if you like, if you match their turn-ons, Brandi and Darren Dreamer have good chemistry, or there are several townies in Pleasantview that Brandi can get on quite well with. As a family sim, Brandi is usually happy to remarry.

Pics from my game: Sunbee's Simblr Sunbee's Livejournal
"English is a marvelous edged weapon if you know how to wield it." C.J. Cherryh
Mad Poster
#78 Old 21st Apr 2014 at 11:13 AM
Thanks everyone for another lot of very helpful suggestions! With all these ideas, I'm sure Brandi and her family will soon put their money problems behind them.

Yes Jo, my Sims do have inventories. There's not usually much food left over since I got the Variable Meal Controller, but even a half-eaten plate might be enough to keep the wolf from the door for a few hours. (Keeping something in inventory might be useful even in richer families for the day your Sim is ravenously hungry but has forgotten to restock the fridge.)

I had wondered about taking a job and going straight onto maternity leave. I'm sure employers won't like it, especially if she quits again without ever working, but I think Brandi might just do that. Her situation is pretty desperate, and, quite rightly, she probably cares more about her children than about her employer. Poverty has its effect on morality.

I do occasionally turn aging on, but will probably keep it turned off till the baby is born, to give Beau a little more time as a toddler. I'd quite like to see a walking, talking, potty-using toddler! I haven't used smart milk yet, but there's always a first time. (Because of fears of negative side effects, the only aspiration rewards I use regularly are money trees and love tubs.)

All told though, if though, if they're worth over §25K, the Brokes aren't really all that poor - just short of ready cash. So selling stuff they don't need is the obvious way forward. Practically it should be done as soon as possible, but from a storytelling perspective, I think it might take longer to persuade them to sell. Similarly about Dustin giving up crime. I see the Listers, the new family across the road, as crucial for both, so I'm playing them, to develop the relationship from their side, before playing the Brokes' lot. Annabel Lister has spent a lot of time chatting to Brandi on the phone, and her son Ian has made friends with Dustin at a youth club I've built for the Pleasantview teens. So I reckon we're making good progress. I wonder how upset they'll really be when their expensive stuff gets sold. Getting rid of the offending pool seems a very good idea, though I suppose the police might regard it as destroying evidence.

Brandi and Darren Dreamer? Brandi already seems to be thinking along those lines. . .
This was at the Listers' home, when Brandi and Darren both turned up, along with John Burb, to welcome the Listers to Pleasantview.
Mad Poster
#79 Old 21st Apr 2014 at 11:57 AM
Quote: Originally posted by AndrewGloria
Brandi and Darren Dreamer?


But, that means that Cassandra will have to marry Don and he's already cheating on her. XD
Mad Poster
#80 Old 21st Apr 2014 at 12:52 PM
Nonsense. Don and Darren are far from the only eligible bachelors in Pleasantview.

We're a long way off buying groceries now, though.

Ugly is in the heart of the beholder.
(My simblr isSim Media Res . Widespot,Widespot RFD: The Subhood, and Land Grant University are all available here. In case you care.)
Theorist
#81 Old 21st Apr 2014 at 1:32 PM
Occasionally when I had a sim on community lot, they would purchase small amounts of groceries (about $50 worth) to keep in inventory. They would purchase several baskets at a time for 'just in case' moments. The only problem was the adults trying to put it in the fridge when they returned home. I'm pretty sure if the fridge is full, they won't get any use from it. If there are children in the home, I would add it to their inventory for safe keeping in case of an emergency. Delivery is annoying because the sim is impatient and won't stand around waiting. They always go off to do something, then waste time when you cancel their actions. I also have a non-spoiling pizza in buy mode that I think is $5., not sure on the price but quick in those starving moments. I don't understand 'rich' getting all the advantages while poor are just left to suffer. Think of it as using coupons or getting food dropped off by some charitable organization to feed the children. Quite often my sims that fished or gardened would share food with the less fortunate.

When you forgive, you heal. When you let go, you grow.
Forum Resident
#82 Old 21st Apr 2014 at 4:57 PM
It looks like some of our Sims could benefit from a food bank or soup kitchen in thier community!

Duine, I quite like your idea of sharing garden produce and fish with nieghbors in need of a bit of help. How does one go about this? I beleive that being able to give gifts depends on how well aquainted Sims are.

Would be nice if we could give our Sims in need food coupons (food stamps) to use in exchange for groceries.
Mad Poster
#83 Old 21st Apr 2014 at 5:13 PM
That would just be a matter of having gardeners befriend cash-strapped neighbors. The Give Gift interaction doesn't require a very high relationship score. I have never seen a gift refused, though I have seen some greeted with marked lack of enthusiasm, which seems to depend more on the relationship score than on the quality of the gift. So if a gardener gives produce to a poor sim, the reaction might not be gratitude - but hey, who wants to be the recipient of charity, even when needed?

And anyone who's ever tried to push their zucchini surplus off onto acquaintances knows that lack of enthusiasm is a realistic response. (I've always wondered why the designers chose eggplant instead of zucchini. I'm practically the only person I know who even likes eggplant; and zucchini is the great surplus crop of America.)

Ugly is in the heart of the beholder.
(My simblr isSim Media Res . Widespot,Widespot RFD: The Subhood, and Land Grant University are all available here. In case you care.)
Theorist
#84 Old 21st Apr 2014 at 11:24 PM
Quote: Originally posted by teafortwo
It looks like some of our Sims could benefit from a food bank or soup kitchen in thier community!

Duine, I quite like your idea of sharing garden produce and fish with nieghbors in need of a bit of help. How does one go about this? I beleive that being able to give gifts depends on how well aquainted Sims are.

Would be nice if we could give our Sims in need food coupons (food stamps) to use in exchange for groceries.


I just trade with the gift giving to sims walking by or on community lots. I also had a 1x1 community lot fishing hole. Fresh produce and fish were always in good supply for those who enjoyed the activities. Sometimes toys were added if the sim had children. Jenny Smith always gave crafted toys to her grandkids too, then whispered in each child's ear that they were her favorite. :D

When you forgive, you heal. When you let go, you grow.
Inventor
#85 Old 22nd Apr 2014 at 1:06 AM
In the biggest household I've played (8-9 sims at one time), there's usually enough leftovers to hold them off for a long time. I have the serving selector mod, and if I make some Comfort Soup on 20 servings, I think they'll be okay for a while. That and the fact that I have the modded computers that allow for insta-groceries... I don't think my sims will ever go hungry.
Undead Molten Llama
#86 Old 22nd Apr 2014 at 4:08 AM
Quote: Originally posted by teafortwo
It looks like some of our Sims could benefit from a food bank or soup kitchen in thier community!


I always make a community-lot soup kitchen in my downtowns, because that's where my homeless Sims live, and since they can't have appliances on their lots, they've gotta eat somewhere. It's usually funded/built by the neighborhood's religious organization and is usually owned by said organization's leader. It is, in turn, "funded" by the members of said religion who live in the neighborhood, all of whom are required to tithe a certain percentage of their cash-on-hand + savings every week to the religious organization. (The percentage depends on how wealthy the household is.) That money is transferred to the religious leader via money transfers using Monique's hacked computer. Once there's enough money in the coffers (It doesn't require much, because I build a small and very simple lot with outdoor seating), the soup kitchen is the first thing that gets built and then all of my homeless have to go there to eat. (So, no more using grills to grill magically free hot dogs. )

I use Inge's patch for the "Shiny Time" stove that causes an NPC cook to spawn on any kind of lot, same as it will do on a dorm lot. That NPC (whom I think of as a volunteer) just keeps cooking, so anyone can go there pretty much anytime (except between 12AM and 4AM) and get a low-quality but at least hot meal for free. Then when I'm playing the convent/monastery I deduct what I think is a realistic amount of money from the religion's funds to cover the cost of running the kitchen. I have to make it up because it doesn't really cost anything to have that NPC cook there. The fridge doesn't deplete. Heck, technically, you don't even need to have a fridge on the lot with that patched stove; the food just magically materializes. But I try to be a bit realistic. And it's also an opportunity for the religious leader to travel to that lot and preach to the down-and-out, in hopes of drumming up some conversions, which in turn generates revenue for the religion.

The only bad thing is that, since it's a community lot, anyone can show up and eat there, not just the poor/homeless. I keep contemplating how to make that stop or to make allowances for it somehow (Like if any playables show up and eat, I should keep track and then deduct a fair amount for their meals from their household funds, pretending that they don't "qualify" for a free meal), but so far I haven't come up with anything really workable. Aside from banning Downtownies with the visitor controller, given that they're all "rich." I could ban everyone but playables...but not all the playables are poor/homeless, either. So, I just live with it. It's just more conversion possibilities, after all.

I'm mostly found on (and mostly upload to) Tumblr these days because, alas, there are only 24 hours in a day.
Muh Simblr! | An index of my downloads on Tumblr.
Mad Poster
#87 Old 22nd Apr 2014 at 5:11 AM
If you don't answer the door when the delivery person shows up, doesn't he just leave them (no charge)? I think the pizza delivery does the same thing.

Stand up, speak out. Just not to me..
Forum Resident
#88 Old 22nd Apr 2014 at 5:21 AM
Quote: Originally posted by grammapat
If you don't answer the door when the delivery person shows up, doesn't he just leave them (no charge)? I think the pizza delivery does the same thing.


In my game they will leave the item and there is a charge deducted. As in RL (real life) some Sims will order fast food even if they would be better off spending the same amount on groceries - which would provide several meals instead of just the one quick 'n easy meal.
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#89 Old 22nd Apr 2014 at 6:54 AM
Maybe if your sims have no money they might, although I would have thought they would do like the maid, gardener or nanny and take something.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Mad Poster
#90 Old 22nd Apr 2014 at 10:27 AM
@iCad...could you just use that thing there..ya know? lol
That ticket machine like..that charges visitor to spend time on your lot? I forgot the name..that is if I ever knew it.
Since you can grant free access to...(sim names) maybe it would be an idea to set the price at the highest possible, to discourage everyone else..than the one who have been granting a free access, aka the poor/homeless ones?
No idea if this works. But..who knows.

Je mange des girafes et je parle aussi français !...surtout :0)

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Undead Molten Llama
#91 Old 22nd Apr 2014 at 10:36 PM
That might work, actually. I'll have to give it a try. I don't necessarily want the place to generate revenue, and sometimes it isn't owned at all, so the ticket thingy wouldn't work. But I'll have to give it a shot the next time I use one. Thanks for the idea! :D

I'm mostly found on (and mostly upload to) Tumblr these days because, alas, there are only 24 hours in a day.
Muh Simblr! | An index of my downloads on Tumblr.
Mad Poster
#92 Old 24th Apr 2014 at 8:15 PM
iCad, do you use Pescado's business hacks? Because there's one that lets you ban poor . . . not sure what exactly his line is for poor, but it has to do with cash on hand and not total lot value. It's a little square box that pulls its textures from, I think, the toycrafting bench box . . . I don't remember what color it is originally but it's got brown wood default replacement textures from something in my game. Customer selector or something like that, under misc. misc.

Pics from my game: Sunbee's Simblr Sunbee's Livejournal
"English is a marvelous edged weapon if you know how to wield it." C.J. Cherryh
Undead Molten Llama
#93 Old 24th Apr 2014 at 8:37 PM
No, I don't use the business hacks. I use mostly Simwardrobe stuff to set number of allowable customers and what-have-you plus the Visitor Controller to allow/ban certain types of pixels from certain types of lots. What I'd really like to be able to do is ban everyone but the homeless from my soup kitchen lots, but I don't think there's really any way to do that, mostly because there's no particular flag or token that the Visitor Controller could look for to do so because there's no one characteristic that all of my homeless have that no one else has. They're not even necessarily poor because they all do things to make money. They save whatever they make and aren't allowed to spend any of it, in the hopes of being able to move up from their current situation. So they aren't necessarily "poor. " It's just that they don't yet have enough saved to escape homelessness according to my rules.

So...I think I'm just going to have to live with anyone using the soup kitchen except those that I can ban with the VC, like townies/downtownies and such. It's generally all right, I pretty much only use the lot when I'm playing a homeless household, and they only go there just long enough to eat and maybe do a little socializing, so it's not that bad.

I'm mostly found on (and mostly upload to) Tumblr these days because, alas, there are only 24 hours in a day.
Muh Simblr! | An index of my downloads on Tumblr.
Instructor
#94 Old 24th Apr 2014 at 11:34 PM
While we're on the topic of feeding the poor sims in our neighborhoods, I set up a community garden. (There's a tutorial on how to do it somewhere on MTS, I believe). This community lot has vegetables ready to pick - and because it's a community lot, it resets itself every time, so there's always produce to pick. When sims I play have an empty fridge - leftovers do not count - and not enough money to fill up the fridge entirely (is about 600 simoleons, I believe) - they are allowed to go to this community lot and pick produce to fill their fridge with. Sort of a city funded feed the poor program.
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#95 Old 24th Apr 2014 at 11:37 PM
That's a good idea. To make that a sim would have to buy the plot, garden on it until the crops were ready to pick and sell it back to the community. That's how I think it would work anyway. That could be combined with a soup kitchen and a few basic rooms for the homeless to sleep.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
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