Willow Valley, a BaCC: updated 2/14/18

[raebeth47]

Lorin,

I've been busy lately, and updates will continue to come slowly. Glad you're still reading!

Spoiler:

Jessica and Pau are doing well for themselves, and I do love them.
I'm hoping Ariel's puppies will either be a blend or look more like her.

[raebeth47]

Update!

Summer 4: Pederson

[Lorinsv]

Nice to see a new Willow Valley update!

Spoiler:

I have a hard time managing large families. You're more of a taskmaster than I when it comes to skilling so I know that must take up quite a bit of their time, but what do you do the rest of the time - play to their wants or leave them on free will or...?

Still really like the look of the White Cauldron, and that the view from the house looks like a real neighborhood now! I laughed at the picture of Liouba's fly-by visit to her family. The triplets looked great on their birthday, I think Lana is really pretty.

Congrats to Meadow on becoming a Tycoon, that's always a gratifying development

[Anne]

Yippee, a Willow Valley update! And it came out on my birthday as well

Spoiler:

I love how you're doing the whole witch gene thing! Rada seems like a fun heir, as well.
Quite a huge family, though! And they're all bringing friends home from school... How do you stay sane while playing this?
Can't wait to read more! Willow Valley is still my favourite BaCC to read! Also makes me want to play my own again, but I first want/need to finish my Apocalypse!

[raebeth47]

Lorin,

Spoiler:

It does get pretty intense playing big families. Generally I check needs first, then wants to get them platinum if possible, then required social time and skilling, and then free will. That varies sometimes depending on what's going on. Usually if they're platinum, have needs in good shape, and have finished their "chores" (skilling and socialization), they'll get free will time.
I love seeing the witches come and go on their broomsticks. Definitely looks like a neighborhood from pretty much every house!
Now I need more businesses to catch up to my tycoons.

Anne, happy birthday!

Spoiler:

Seems reasonable to have witchcraft be genetic, although if any of the kids had been knowledge sims and rolled up the want I would have made them witches as well. Rada should be fun - should have more of a chance to get to know her next season, with only 4 teens in the house.
I pause a lot, and it takes me a while to play. I usually only play one sim day at a time, and it usually takes 45 minutes to an hour. One of the reasons these updates are so slow in coming!
Glad you're enjoying the BaCC!

[katrisims]

Hello!

It took me quite a while, but now I'm fully up to date. You've got quite an impressive population going on, wow! And I'm enjoying seeing all the different families, their stories and drama.

Spoiler:

Catriona was always very interesting to me, now I'm quite curious to see how things will work out with the pregnancy and all. I feel sorry for her, Andrea being the way she is. At least it's maybe a little better these days than it used to be.

It'll also be interesting to see how things continue developing for the Ottomas family. It's not going to be easy patching things up, not if Peter keeps on going on dates with other ladies and whatnot!

And wow, there was a lot going on in the latest college update! It does tend to get a bit complicated when a 'hood gets big enough, doesn't it?

Anyway, I mostly just wanted to let you know that I'm reading and enjoying Willow Valley. Keep up the good work!

[raebeth47]

Katrisims, sorry, missed your comment. Thanks for reading!

Spoiler:

Catriona is one of my favorites. And although, as I said, I'm not going for a teen pregnancy epidemic, it seemed oddly appropriate for her.
I really have no idea what's going to happen with the Ottomas family. We'll see.

Updates!
Uni 1A
Uni 1B

[Anne]

Fun updates!

Spoiler:

Ha, all that romantic drama! You now almost have me convinced I need the InTeen in my game as well, because commited relationships for young adults and adults is really cool. Just have to figure out if it conflicts with any of the other things I've got in my game.
I think that's indeed what happens with the Secret Society jackets. If one Si in a household has gotten in, they show. Or perhaps even one playable Sim in the entire university.
Loved these updates! Really want to add a universty to Blueberry Island now...

[raebeth47]

Anne,

Spoiler:

So far the committed relationships for YAs and adults is my favorite feature of InTeen.
I think it must be one playable sim in the university, since I'm seeing the jackets with all the other households as well, including the dorms where no one's in yet.

[Lorinsv]

So glad to see an update!

Wow, so many Uni students from Willow Valley! Looks like they are all having a fun college experience too. I think adding the option to keep their aspirations is a good idea, it seems that many times nothing suits them better.

You're doing so well with the challenge! I'm actually aiming for your current ratio of 1 SM point for every 2 Playables.

[raebeth47]

Update! Summer 4: Thayer

Lorin,

Spoiler:

Yeah, Uni gets a little crazy with all the students. I'm considering maybe not sending everybody to college, but we'll see. Some sims just really need to keep their aspirations.

I'm not really aiming for a particular ratio, but at the moment I am focusing on the SM rather than increasing the number of playables.

[Lorinsv]

Spoiler:

Love all the blond(e) kids!

Do you do anything special with their trust funds or are they just a measure of what the family has achieved financially?

[platformperil]

Spoiler:

How do you handle 11 sims in a house?! That's insane, I keep getting lost looking at them.

I love this BACC so much, I often go back to the beginning and read through it again and again.

[raebeth47]

Lorin,

Spoiler:

I feel a bit sorry for Julia and Ginny, as they're the odd ones out.
Trust funds are mostly just a measure of the family's wealth. My general rule is a minimum of $10k, ideally deposited as soon as they become children. With the bonuses from Monique's computer, that'll get them through university. Ideally, if possible, I like to bump them up to $20k before they go, but in a household the size of the Thayers that isn't always feasible. Generally, if the parents' cash reserves reach $100k, I'll give each of the kids another $10k. There is some variation - I'm playing the Ottomas family as struggling for cash, so those kids will only get what they can earn themselves.

Platformperil,

Spoiler:

Sims in the Thayer household get a lot more free will than normal. As far as needs, I mostly just let them tend to themselves, unless I notice a need being low. I have a notebook where I keep a checklist for skills and friends to make sure they get their daily obligations in, and then I focus on wants for sims who aren't platinum. After this, though, I'm glad to play a small household like the Carrs. And yes, I mix them up sometimes, too.

Glad you're enjoying the BaCC so much! I occasionally read it through from the beginning, but the story's gotten long enough that that's quite a proposition these days.

[katrisims]

Late comment is late, but I'm glad to see you updating! ^^

Uni 1B:

Spoiler:

That's a lot of uni students! And since they tend to be buddies, when one of them gets abducted, it starts going in an endless parade.

That reminds me, I have the cow mascot head but I've yet to try it. *makes mental note*

I don't think InTeen would be for me otherwise, but I'll admit the committed relationships for grownups are pretty cute.

It feels a bit weird to say "hooray for the fire", but since it's a BaCC... Hooray for the fire!

I like your luxury dorm. It's quite something else than the Maxis-made dorms my sims generally start their college years in. I should try my hand in building a different dorm one of these times.

Evil witches are something I should also play with more. I currently have a couple of nice ones, but evil ones not really. Angie's dorm room looks interesting with all the dark magic stuff, the lamp especially is pretty cool.

Thayer:

Spoiler:

It's been a while since we've seen the Thayers, then. And it seems I'd forgotten they were so many. I sweat only thinking about trying to play an 11-sim household!

Hooray for solar panels and more money!

Toddler training two at once is a task in itself. Meadow looks suitably exhausted.

Whoops, pancakes for breakfast - best not to tell Lyov!

In a household of this size, the genie money must come handy. And at Lyov finding the genie Not Hot.

Meadow and Lyov look great as elders. And that is really some Family Sunday, any house must be bursting at the seams!

That's an interesting strategy with hiring college students for managers in stores. I'll have to keep that in mind.

Hooray for burglary, too? At least they got the Thayermobile replaced!

Fun updates once again!

[raebeth47]

I've been on a bit of a streak lately and have another update!
Summer 4: Carr

Katrisims,

Spoiler:

There are quite a lot of uni students. I was kind of surprised there were no abductions in the dorms, but I'm sure that will change as more of the older students get abducted.
I'm considering building a second luxury dorm, as there's a lot of demand. Also, I don't like playing more than 6 students in a household.
I haven't really played with evil witches before, either, but their stuff is really cool looking.

The Thayers were quite hectic. I kind of don't think I'll be doing the 10 kid want very often.
Faina was hungry, and she's not a grilled cheese sim, so I figured why not have something different.
The genie money was very welcome. It gives the kids nice trust funds, more on par with their cousins.
Meadow and Lyov have aged well, and had a huge golden anniversary party. That'll probably be the last time all the 2nd gen Pavlov kids are in one place.
I still have to see how the college student strategy works out.
We have to have the Thayermobile!

[Anne]

Yay, fun updates!

Spoiler:

Holy Plumbob, the Thayer family is BIG. I'd probably get a nervous breakdown playing them. :') You seem to be handling it just fine, though. Teach me, master! (but seriously - do you let part of them run on free will or do you spent aaages micromanaging?)
I love seeing all the other families' houses in the background! It really makes it feel like a neighourhood
Good to see that Meadow ages into such a graceful elder! She's still quite young in my BaCC, but she'll be around for a long time. Love her!

The Carr household looks like so much fun to play! Congrats on the second uni, by the way. I think I'm going to use your method of acquiring new buildings as well, once I get my first uni. In my previous (unpublished) BaCC, I used to go with the 5 graduates = new building, but your method makes way more sense.
I recently built a dance studio as well, and used Nadezda's as an example. I'll be sure to give you credit once that chapter comes out!
Nice move, moving in Tosha! I've never played her, but she looks like fun. Makes playing an all elder household way more fun as well

[Lorinsv]

Spoiler:

Whoa, the Carrs are one rich family! What was that about the §15,000 rebate for the 5 top-level businesses?

Neat idea moving in a teen townie. Going by her inventory, perhaps Tosha had spent her family out of house and home!

Congrats on the new Uni and the nice population boost!

[raebeth47]

Anne,

Spoiler:

The Thayers are definitely difficult. I pause a lot when playing them, and do a mix of micromanaging and free will, although I tend more toward the micromanaging side of things. I click through the list fairly frequently looking for needs that urgently need to be met.
I love the neighborhood! I'm playing my trailer park challenge right now, and there are no near neighbors. It seems so empty.
I do love Meadow, and I hope she has a long elderhood.

The Carrs are fun. I had been waffling back and forth on moving in Tosha, and had pretty much decided to give it a go with just the elders and the dogs, when Tosha came walking by. I'm not one to ignore a message like that!
I figure my $100,000=building method is a lot more like how real universities operate. Plus it gives families the opportunity to put their name on a building, which is nice.

Lorin,

Spoiler:

I've decided I'm going to make the Carrs maintain their millionaire status.
The $15,000 is a tax credit - all my households get a $3000 tax credit for each level 10 business, off of their 5% of net worth taxes. That encourages them to run the businesses to get them up to max rank.
I'm wondering what the inventories of the adult townies who have been in Willow Valley since the beginning are looking like these days.
Excited about the new Uni! I'm going to try to focus on getting rich sims to donate for more universities more often.

[katrisims]

Spoiler:

Wow, that's quite some money the Carr family has - and quite some taxes, even with your rebate rule! I've got a couple of millionaire families in my old alphabetacy 'hood, but I don't often have anyone that rich.

Aww, Marvin is a cutie. And green puppies!

Phew, that was a close call with Joe! I'm glad Nadeza was able to put him out. It's always a bit of a scare when a sim manages to catch fire (how they even do that I have no idea)...

Nadeza seems to have aged well, and I'm glad Joe still finds her attractive.

That's a lot of teen stuff going on. I suppose it's no wonder that Nadeza wants to have Tosha living with them after their own kids are all off to college. I like Tosha, and I'm curious to see how things go with her.

Fun update!