I Was Reading A Thread On MTS And Saw This At The Bottom And Just Stared Out The Window For A Couple

How To Dreamwidth: A Primer

the more friends ask me about dreamwidth, the more i realize i know a lot about this site that isn’t super obvious at first glance. so here is a primer for those of you thinking about making a dreamwidth account. this post ranges from your really basic starter tips to the completely esoteric things that come from using it for a decade.

2023 note: This post was written in 2018. While most of this post is still true, various features may have been changed or updated in the years since.

a what now? dreamwho?

Dreamwidth is a code fork of LiveJournal. A code fork means that they took LJ’s code (which used to be open source) and went their own direction with it. They still use the basic ideas behind LJ’s codebase, but have changed and improved upon it in various ways.

The core difference between DW and other websites is privacy isn’t an afterthought, but the central feature. You can lock posts, filter them to a select group, or make them visible to only you. I recommend reading through this section of DW’s FAQ for more on this.

When you make an account, you can subscribe (ie follow) and grant access to other users. Both of these are one-way – if A subscribes to B, that doesn’t automatically grant B access to all of A’s locked posts. Here’s more on this.

DW in general can be kind of confusing for people who have only used tumblr, but their FAQs are pretty good on the whole, and they’re searchable. If a website feature is confusing, start there.

okay, i have a journal. now what?

Customize it! DW doesn’t have all the latest and greatest features, but you can still make it your own. Here are some useful tips.

You can change your layout from Organize > Select Style. Mobile support is hit or miss, unfortunately, but there are some nice default layouts that work with it. You can also use this style for Practicality which makes DW fully mobile-friendly. If you’d rather design it yourself, Tabula Rasa is completely stripped down.

You can get premade DW layouts at the dreamwidthlayouts community. If you have trouble with your code, ask over at style_system.

Edit your profile! This is where you put your usernames for other social media sites, tell people a bit about yourself, and mention your interests. Your interests will be part of the interest search; it’s one way to find people.

Upload icons! Free accounts get 15 icons; paid accounts get 100 icons, premium accounts get 250 icons. You can use one icon in each entry and commment you make. It’s good form to put the maker of the icon in the comment section if you didn’t make it. If you got it from someone on tumblr, you can even link their blog using the code <user name=username site=tumblr>. (This works all across DW!)

While you can’t make pages, you can set a post to stick at the top of your journal, much like Twitter’s pinned tweets. Here’s how to do it.

You can also change how Dreamwidth itself looks, if you don’t like the red. Go to Account Settings > Display. Most other site display preferences are on that page.

While you’re here, look through the Account Settings > Privacy page. By default, your public entries will be included in site searches. You can turn it off at the bottom of the page if you want. You can also set it so your entries are automatically access-locked or private as well.

This got very long so the rest is behind the cut. (Now you really know I’m legit.)

Keep reading

Sims 2: What do you consider as a reasonable amount of polygons for a tree?

New Mods Finds

I tend to avoid reblogging, I should probably set up a finds blog, but for now, here's a list of all the new mods I've found and started using for The Sims 2 in the last few months:

Shiftable Everything by @lamare-sims

50 New Lifetime Wants by @lamare-sims

Invisible Kitchen Surface by @lamare-sims

PSBs From Planter’s Paradise Recolors Fix by @simnopke

Time & Weather Manager by @simnopke

Convenience Store Clerk Outfit Fix by @simnopke

Longer Novel Titles by @simnopke

Immersive Rain by @bstu

Fix for Old Pine Trees by sam&skye

Max Slope Value Mod by @catherinetcjd

Go Steady Wants Fix by zachjohnunlimited

Trait Based Skill Gain Speeds by @fwaysims

Amicable Unbonding by @equinoxts2

Community Espresso Machine Now Sells Espresso by VirtualAlex

Fix for Broken Break Up Want by @profesionalpartyguest

4t2 Little Campers Functional Toddler Skill Toys by @elvisgrace

Closest Fridge for Cooking by @picknmixsims

Leftovers Overhaul by @picknmixsims

Charisma Gain while Chatting by @picknmixsims

Rabbit Pen as Toy Dog Pen Default Replacement by @deedee-sims & @episims + Rustic Edit by @pforestsims

No Caffeine Jitters by @episims

Crib Teeth Animation Fix by @episims

Colour Traits by @episims + all the mods for them:

Toothbrushes by Color Traits

Gifts by Color Traits

Coffee Mugs by Color Traits

Pencils by Color Traits

Engagement Ring Stones by Color Traits

Compatibility Addons/Edits by @jellymeduza

I have a mod list with all the mods I use, but I tend to keep new mods 'in testing' for a while before adding them to my list. I also get lazy and sometimes don't get round to updating it for ages. So most of these amazing finds are not yet on my full list, but I'm pretty sure they'll all be sticking around so will be on there soon! Check it out for more mod recommendations.

I'll be releasing some stuff myself soon so keep an eye out👀

TS1 Goths as doll defaults

This was a very random idea, but I like how it turned out! They’re a little higher poly (700-900 polys) than the original dolls, but they’re lower poly than some of the defaults out there so I’m fine with it. They clip a little with the hands, but it’s what it is. I stole the default file from Epi btw and changed stuff XD

Have fun! :)

Download - Alternate

Membership applications for SimPearls are currently suspended due to circumstances beyond our control, we apologise for any inconvenience.

Please reblog and spread the word

Sims 2:

Because I'm working on a simple solution, but idk if its still an issue.

Experimenting with Replacing the Default Sims 2 Face Mesh

So, after uh, whew, months(!) of experimenting with attempting to change the default face mesh in Sims 2, I’m here to basically share what I’ve found to be possible, what I still am struggling to get working, and what parts of my findings are still useful for a LOT of modding and custom content purposes, even if I couldn’t achieve my initial goal. I’m really tired of this project and I’d rather move on to doing stuff that are more doable (and more quickly doable) for my gameplay goals, rather than trying to do what seems to be a gargantuan task for my level of skills. 

In this post I’ll mostly focus on what is doable *in principle*. There’s lots of subtleties and tricks in getting things to look decent (well, at least I think I got it to look decent) which I won’t go into. Or try not to. I go into tangents a lot.

I’ll also not go into step-by-step details. Mostly because I suck at it but also because this post will be super long anyway. If you wanna know, ask!

For those who just want a brief summary: What I could get to work: a default replacement face mesh, with working templates and sliders, for adult sims. Though the procedures are the same for the rest of the ages.

What I still have trouble with: Basically, getting the game to recognize different parts of the face. This means applying the templates to different parts of the mesh, and, of course, genetics, don’t work yet. I have ideas about what could get it to work, but I’ve failed to do it so far.

Awesome things you could still do: My major finding here is that face animations can be applied to *any* CAS object. Clothing, accessories, and of course, nude skins (see below, this was an outfit with a bit that changes with eyes, proof of concept). This means that you can have specific sims with additional face parts and/or accessories and clothing that respond to face animations, or alternatively, you can have skin tones/body morphs that have face pieces which will not mix together between the parents, but are still heritable (with some limitations)

Oh, and full disclosure, the tools I used were simPE and blender 2.9. Nothing else. Don’t know how to do other stuff.

Thank you @simnopke , @rudhira , @withlovefromsimtown​  and many others for your help and encouragement in all this! I think there’s potential for some really good modding here.

Keep reading

Index

Preparing For a Tumblr Shutdown Scenario - Where to Find Me Elsewhere.

Resources for Creating: My Go-To things: The Updated List on DW. Retired Post on Tumblr.

Resources For Playing.

GUID Database Revival.

Sims 2 Databases Database.

SimPE Material Definitions Index.

UV Maps Thread.

Game Fuckery Help and Linux List.

List of People's Experiments with Replacing Sims' Face Mesh. Other posts are organized by tags.

Update 5: added archives section. I think it warrants a reblog (updates aren't showing up on reblogs).

Sims 2 Databases Database

(Alright it's an index, I just had to)

Made it for myself, I might as well share. If there's something I've missed please let me know.

CC:

Sims 2 Object Default Database

Sims 2 Default Database [CAS]

Sims 2 Hair Database

Shoes Database

EA Sims 2 Store Items 2016

Sims 2 Functional Finds [Sorted by function]

Resource list: Clutter and decorative items [massive index at GoS]

TS1 to TS2 Conversion/Recreation Database

TS3 to TS2 Conversion Database

Sims 4t2 CAS Conversion Archive [EA]

Custom Clothing Conversion Database [Custom - ts4 only?]

Sims 4t2 Build/Buy Conversion Database [EA]

4t2 CC Database Build & Buy [Custom]

TSM-to-TS2 Conversion Database

The Sims spin-off games to the PC TS2 [&3+4]

CC Archives:

Sims Cave.

Sims Graveyard.

Liquid Sims - Community Archives.

Sim Archive Project, at The Internet Archive.

The Booty, at PSMBD.

Sims 2 Packrat, on Tumblr [Watch out for the recent SFS Hacking problem].

Resources:

CEP-Extras List, Huge Lunatic @ Sims 2 Artists.

Several Lists of Maxis Resources for Modding, under Notes. Pick'n'Mix Mods, own website.

Sims 2 Painting Sizes Database.

The Sims 2 Tutorials Database.

Sims 2 GUID Database Revival (Yes I'm shamelessly promoting it).

Update: added EA ts2 store items, Painting sizes db, Tutorials db. Update 2: GUID db Revival. Update 3: believe it or not, there's more - Shoes db, Sims 2 Functional Finds [sorted by function]. Update 4: Resource list: Clutter and decorative items, at @gardenofshadowssims Update 5: added archives section.

Preparing For a Tumblr Shutdown Scenario - Where to Find Me Elsewhere.

After reading the news about Tumblr I finally set up other accounts elsewhere. I'll open a Dreamwidth as well. Links are also in the profile description. Right now it feels a bit empty out there for sims 2, I'd like to find people from over here, over there.

Dreamwidth - I'll be posting downloads and such over there and on forums, the other (anti)social media accounts will reference it. Pillowfort - Felidae. BlueSky - @felidae-sims.bsky.social. Garden of Shadows - Felidae. Mod the Sims Felidae_Sims. Simblr.CC - Felidae.

Edit: Changed account at MTS, typos.. Added Dreamwidth account.