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Mad Poster
Original Poster
#1 Old 27th Jan 2014 at 4:19 PM
Default FT Hobbies - How Do You Play Them?
The FT EP introduced hobbies to TS2. There were 10 hobbies to choose from, and as well as being able to participate in activities that increased enthusiasm in one of the hobbies sims were also assigned a "one true hobby". This was based on the sim's personality and was supposed to be the sim's "favourite" hobby. See the Wiki for more information on hobbies.

What I'd like to know is: how do you use the FT hobbies in your game? How do you decide which hobby activities each sim should participate in? How much attention do you pay their one true hobby? Do you go with the OTH that is generated by the game or do you pick one yourself and use a mod to change it? If you have a sim that enjoys a particular hobby, do you see them as enjoying one particular aspect of that hobby or do you see them as enjoying all activities relating to that hobby?

For example, if you have a sim who enjoys Music & Dance, do you see them as enjoying playing the guitar, the piano and the drums, DJ'ing, ballet, smustling and singing, or do you narrow down their interests and play as if, for example, they love playing the piano but don't really enjoy dancing, or they enjoy karaoke but not playing the guitar?

I will write a bit more about how I play later, but in the meantime I'd like to give a bit of info on how I subdivide the OTH's. I came up with different possibilities for each one, and I pick one or two (or sometimes a few) of those possibilities for each sim and encourage them to occupy themselves with the chosen options. For example, I have some Nature sims who love cats but have no interest in other animals or gardening, and some Nature sims who have beautiful ornamental gardens but don't grow fruit and vegetables. I've attached my Word document to this post in a rar file and I'd love to read comments, suggestions and critique on my ideas - especially if you can think of any things I've missed! I do use quite a bit of CC, so some of the options rely on CC objects with custom interactions - some examples, off the top of my head, are knitting, beekeeping and playing the harp.

I look forward to reading your replies! :-)
Attached files:
File Type: rar  Lauratje86_Traits_InProgress.rar (10.6 KB, 76 downloads) - View custom content
Description: A Word document with information on my attempt to introduce "trait-style" OTH's for my sims.
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Test Subject
#2 Old 27th Jan 2014 at 4:48 PM
I don't use the hobbies very much, though I do keep the one true hobby information in my spreadsheet of other details. Often the biggest effect the hobby has is on house decoration (and sometimes what activities I give them).

For example, I have one set of twins. Her hobby is sports, so she has some posters up of her favourite athletes and some cc athletic gear (like a tennis racket and dumbbells). Sh also tends to wear clothing that would allow for a high level of activity. Twin brother, on the other hand, likes science. This is harder to decorate for, but he has a bulletin board full of science-y items pinned up. It came more into play when he was a teen and decided to aim for the extraterrestrial scholarship!

Sometimes it'll also determine he type of business they open, if they are so inclined. I've had a nature loving sim open a flower shop and a sim with the arts and craft hobby just opened a gallery. It adds some personality, but I tend to consider the hobbies to be less influential than other aspects, so they only come into play when I want them to. Likewise, I usually go with the game provided one, unless a particular sim tells me they would really do better with something else.

My Test of Time neighbourhood: Test of Time
Mad Poster
#3 Old 27th Jan 2014 at 6:05 PM
My sims use the hobbies a lot. Not necessarily their one true hobby--but lots of my sims live off the land (which is seriously so much easier in sims than in real life: I want weeds that easy to pull, no deer in my garden, and infinite fish in the creek. Oh, and such cheap and efficient solar panels! Yes, please!).

I tend to break the sims hobbies down further: Hermia is a film and literature sim, but really, she could care less about film. (This is like myself.) She's always got a book to read or her notepad to scribble in handy. Tybalt is a music and dance sim, but he only cares about music as far as it relates to his ballet, which means he cares quite a lot but doesn't play an instrument. Of course he has an advantage in other kinds of dance, but ballet is his main thing.

Aspiration plays into it too: a knowledge sim with the games hobby probably gets to be a chess player, while a pleasure sim with the games hobby is more likely to play computer and console games, and a fortune sim will become a poker player.

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
Field Researcher
#4 Old 27th Jan 2014 at 7:00 PM Last edited by darthesp : 27th Jan 2014 at 7:12 PM.
I love Freetime because of the hobbies. All my sims tend to pursue their favorite hobbies and all of them will max hobby enthusiasm before they die. If they don't get around to it while they're younger, it's something they can do as an elder. I never cheat so all career reward objects must be earned (they're required to max certain hobbies IMO) and all objects purchased when cash is available.

I don't always decorate houses (pictures, statues, etc.) but sometimes, if my sims have enough cash, I'll decorate their bedrooms with posters or things relating to their favorite hobby, like the above simmer said.

I'll give you a breakdown of what I do per hobby.

Nature - one of my favorite hobbies because all my sims have produce gardens (in order to make pepper punch, which I consider essential for my play style). Pretty much everyone in the game will earn a card to the hobby lot just from tending their gardens but after a sim earns a gold badge in gardening they tend to leave the gardens in the care of the other sims in the household who still haven't earned a gold badge. For the Nature OTH sims, they will keep at their hobby by searching for bugs until they find them all. They will max hobby enthusiasm long before they catch all the bugs. Sometimes I'll send them to the nature hobby lot and keep them there, searching for bugs until they catch the last few. This is the only hobby lot I'll regularly visit.

-Alternatively, if they aren't maxed in creativity and have the slacker career reward on their lot, they'll use the reward to max enthusiasm after gold gardening badge is achieved. And sometimes I'll let them fish, but usually only if the lot is large enough to put down a small pond.

Film&Lit - This is all about writing. I don't force my sims to sit and watch the news or films because most of the time they'll stop doing it anyway. So F&L sims start with zero points in creativity (I keep them away from xylophones, pianos, etc) and earn it all by writing books. Not one of my favorite hobbies (in the game... In real life it's definitely my OTH! :D).

Science - Love this one. This one is all about the stargazing. My goal is to get all my Science OTH sims abducted; alien babies are just the icing on the cake. Science sims aren't allowed near a chessboard. Pepper punch comes in handy for long nights outside staring at the sky. If logic is maxed (via telescope) before hobby enthusiasm is, and the household owns the medical career reward, the sim will start on their mech skill to max their enthusiasm. I might put some ant farms around but they don't do nearly enough to build enthusiasm. Sims with low fun during the day will be forced to watch the weather channel.
* Any sim with science as OTH is given knowledge as their aspiration. Unless they have 10 outgoing points, in which case they get popularity as primary, knowledge as secondary.

Tinkering - There are no set rules for this one. I much prefer building the mech skill via fixable car than reading via book, but any kids with nothing to do (rare!) may get a head start on this one by reading mech skill. Tinkering sims make at least one car, and more if they've got lots of family members (they make good gits) and time to waste. If I get bored with car-fixing, I'll give them a robot station. I like to have the security bots on my lots so that's usually a tinkering sim's goal.

Arts&Crafts - Another favorite. A&C sims are usually the pride and joy of my sims' families because they're the ones who can make outfits and save me from having to go to community lots to buy more clothes! Kids start painting early and probably max creativity sometime in uni. They'll usually have a gold badge in sewing by the time they graduate. Pottery might be pursued later by elder sims who've retired from clothes making. I rarely touch toy making or flower arranging. If they need a quick burst of fun, they'll get to stare at art around their lot.

Sports - Ugh. One of my least favorite hobbies in the game, just because so many sims seem to get it (it's all those active, mean sims born in my game thanks to EA's messed up personality system). I never do the soccer net (energy sucker). Occasionally I'll allow a basketball court, but I'll monitor its use because of the energy suck. Sims in this hobby watch sports on TV when their fun is low, toss footballs or play kicky bag, and use either the business or athletic career rewards (sometimes both!) to max hobby enthusiasm. If they have neither, somebody in the family will have to enter those careers and earn them because I never cheat. There's actually a lot of things to do in this hobby but it's still not one of my faves.

Music & Dance - An easy one. They play an instrument - I don't care which - until their creativity is maxed. ...Unless they need body skill, then warm-up bar gets priority. It's a combination of those two things. An easy max because most of my young adults will spend days autonomously playing for tips at uni. I rarely use karaoke machines. Guitar and piano are prob my favorites because I like listening to them. M&D sims who end up on community lots will be given the chance to enter dance contests.

Culinary - At first I just made my sims read cooking books all the time. Then I changed things up and actually let them cook. They'll stuff the fridge with group meals and then move onto single plates for more popular things. If they have the culinary career reward, they'll use that to build skill & enthusiasm, too.
* I don't always follow this rule, but sometimes sims with this as a OTH will have grilled cheese as a secondary aspiration. I use it in moderation, however.

Games - Another least fave because of the way it was implemented. So...gamer sims are playful. Yet they hate using the only skill-building object that builds gaming enthusiasm - the chess table. Argh! These poor sims are forced to max their logic doing something they despise. But they do get all the other gaming objects - pool table, pinball machines, TV console-thingy, in order to make them happy.

Fitness - Yoga is the primary enthusiasm-building tool here. And if they have excess energy to burn (like all my sims in uni), they'll go jogging. I love jogging.

-As for your file, the only things I'd change on it are that flower arranging builds A&C, not nature (unless you have a mod to change that, or you meant something else by they 'like' doing it) & that toy-making is also A&C, not Tinkering; & that gamer sims don't really like playing chess because they're playful & it's attractive to serious sims - even though it does build the gamer hobby enthusiasm.

I'd also add using these career rewards - Slacker=Nature; Medical=Science; Architecture=A&C; Military=Fitness (I think?); Science=Science.

When I last played an uberhood and sent everyone to uni, I built specialized lots per hobby. So all the science sims were in one house and spent all night stargazing together; all the A&C sims were together and had a giant painting studio in one room & sewing machines & the craft tables & pottery wheels spread throughout the house; the nature sims had a massive garden out back, etc. It was fun; I liked that.
Scholar
#5 Old 27th Jan 2014 at 7:11 PM
My sims tend to be eclectic in their enthusiasms, especially since it is so easy to get certain enthusiasms (cuisine, games, fitness, nature, film&literature, arts and crafts, all develop out of activities sims have to do just to get along in life). The aspect I do not like is the One True Hobby and how it can so easily lead to early permaplat, which I hate (in fact I am in deep research right now as to how to undo a permaplat on one of my favorite characters. It involves much backing up, messing around in SimPe, and crashing the game, so far).

So I assign a One True Hobby that is not likely to be fulfilled early in life. Other than that, I just recently rediscovered that I like the hobby lots and the magazines.

edit: typo
Field Researcher
#6 Old 27th Jan 2014 at 7:28 PM
Quote: Originally posted by lucy kemnitzer
My sims tend to be eclectic in their enthusiasms, especially since it is so easy to get certain enthusiasms (cuisine, games, fitness, nature, film&literature, arts and crafts, all develop out of activities sims have to do just to get along in life). The aspect I do not like is the One True Hobby and how it can so easily lead to early permaplat, which I hate (in fact I am in deep research right now as to how to undo a permaplat on one of my favorite characters. It involves much backing up, messing around in SimPe, and crashing the game, so far).

So I assign a One True Hobby that is not likely to be fulfilled early in life. Other than that, I just recently rediscovered that I like the hobby lots and the magazines.

edit: typo


Lol, I completely forgot about the magazines! It's become so automatic for me to turn them down, maybe I should give them another try. The permaplat thing is one thing I despise about FT. On the one hand, I love the hobby system; on the other, I hate the BFFs, the permaplat, and how messed up some of the needs become if you use the aspiration benefits (for example, I never use any of the needs that give a boost to energy because then I'm going to have sims staying up all through the night, argh).

I know this won't help with your current perma-plat problem, but I'd suggest using this mod in future if you don't already. I like my sims to be miserable, thank you very much, and really earn that permaplat, and this mod effectively stopped all permaplats from the FT system, thank goodness. I'm not one of those players who has their toddlers and max skills like crazy so they end up becoming teens with all 7 skills maxed. Hell, my teens are lucky to have 3 skill points in anything by the time they go to uni (too much partying). So I don't know how this mod would work if you are one of those players. I can only say how it works for me.
Mad Poster
#7 Old 27th Jan 2014 at 7:37 PM
Just be aware that for some of us, Slower LTA Gain stops time on vacation lots. If you don't take vacations, no biggie; if you do, you pretty much have to plan ahead and pull it in and out of the folder. Which means they'll gain at the normal rate during vacations...But not everybody gets the glitch, so good luck.

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.)
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#8 Old 27th Jan 2014 at 7:42 PM
Thank you for all the replies - I always like to find out how other people play - and sometimes adopt some of their ideas! :-)

Quote: Originally posted by darthesp
-As for your file, the only things I'd change on it are that flower arranging builds A&C, not nature (unless you have a mod to change that, or you meant something else by they 'like' doing it) & that toy-making is also A&C, not Tinkering; & that gamer sims don't really like playing chess because they're playful & it's attractive to serious sims - even though it does build the gamer hobby enthusiasm.

Sorry, I forgot to mention that I use mods that change those activities to the (in my opinion) more sensible hobbies, as well as changing robotics from tinkering to science. I also randomise OTH's for my sims - or sometimes pick them myself if I feel that a certain hobby would really suit a sim - so it happens fairly regularly that serious sims have Games as their OTH.

That brings me to another (related) question - if you were picking OTH's for the premades, which hobby would you choose for which sim?
Scholar
#9 Old 27th Jan 2014 at 7:46 PM
I narrow down their interests, so not every hobby enthusiast is equally interested in all the categories. Alexander Baxter for instance wasn´t interested in nature or environment at all, ony in the fish he could catch for his cooking. Usually the characters have two or three hobbys, but some are focussed singlemindedly on one - just like in real life not everyone´s the same. Hobbys may change in time depending on household and peer group, so a scion of a nature-loving, animal keeping family may discover that he was never really in pets and join the college band instead. Or on the contrary a prison inmate might come to enjoy crafting and take it up his his hobby after his release. As always in my game everything´s on the flow and I refuse to set up hard rules.

The "one true hobby" I interpret as something my sims are escpecially talented at according to their genes. But it´s fully up to the individual if they wish to take up that path or not.
Most of my sims at least try their OTH out and it´s great fun for children to try to discover what it is. Something like a coming of age ritual "I´m six years old and go to school and I already knew my one true hobby when I was just a toddler!!!" Writing this up I realize that I really, really need to find a better term for it that my characters can use...

What annoys me is that the game cannot differentiate between heartfelt enthusiasm and simply performing the activity. Like when a sim has to study mechanics for university/job and suddenly the tinkering hobby club guy shows up. I wish the poor sim could yell at him and explain that he isn´t interested at all in this ****, but needs to cram it for the next exam. At least the less polite ones should be able to do so.
Mad Poster
#10 Old 27th Jan 2014 at 8:02 PM
Laura, I read your file, and I must say it's very interesting. Are you using a combination of Sims 3 traits for the second part of it, where the "Low-High Interest' section is?

I'll be interested to see how you get it developed. I do have a list of all the S3 traits and perhaps I'll apply some of them to it.
Mad Poster
#11 Old 27th Jan 2014 at 9:56 PM
Well, I use the OTH to determine my sims' aspiration once they grow up to teens. As follows:

If their OTH was:

Music and dance/Games >>>> Pleasure aspiration
Sports >>>> Popularity aspiration
Nature >>>> Family aspiration
Arts and Crafts/Film and Literature >>>> Romance aspiration
Fitness >>>> Fortune aspiration
Cuisine >>>> Grilled Cheese as primary, Family as secondary
Science/Tinkering >>>> Knowledge aspiration

This system really helps. And yes, I do try to take care of the OTH meter. Those whose OTH is Sports, I try to let them watch sports as much as possbile, those with Cuisine, I try to let them watch the The Yummy Channel for as long as possible as well. I try to get them to focus on their hobbies, but as we all know, life comes in the way, and they get busy with work and fulfilling their needs.

About specifications, I'm not sure if I have any sims of that sort, if they like music and dance, then they'll probably like playing all instruments/do all dances.
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#12 Old 27th Jan 2014 at 10:35 PM
I'm a bit all over the place with hobbies. Sometimes I will look at a sims OTH and decide what kind of sim they are based on that and their personality points. Other times I have a sims character already in mind when I make them and set the OTH to suit that. The sims OTH often reflects their roll in the hood or their LTW. Then there are sims whose OTH really is just a sidelined hobby, which might be quite different to their job.

The only special hobby I have is nature. If a sim happens to have that, it can override their motivation level. So an average sim who happens to roll the nature hobby will unlike other average sims, be allowed to grow eggplants and use them for free skill gain.

"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
#13 Old 27th Jan 2014 at 10:49 PM
Lauratje, some of the premades already have a 'favorite hobby' listed in their bios! Someone was thinking ahead. Sure, Mary-Sue doesn't get Arts and Crafts as her OTH by the game process, but her bio says she used to enjoy pottery but doesn't have time anymore. So I always switch her to Arts and Crafts. John Burb, I think it is, says something about puttering in his garden.

Where did you get those mods at, particularly the switch of the flower bench? I want that one!

Lucy, did you try turning the permaplat off with the batbox? (I've never done this, but there's an option there under the wants about it.) Maybe it's only for LTW permaplats, I don't know, maybe it'll work for you.

Darthesp, that's funny: all my family sims end up with tinkering, and I'm so sick of it. It doesn't make any sense to me why: that seems like a knowledge or fortune sim type hobby more. I know it's about the personality spread in terms of game process, but I really wish they'd get more cooking (big family dinners) and arts and crafts (sewing baby clothes: doesn't everyone with a sewing machine and a kid try this at least once?).

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
#14 Old 28th Jan 2014 at 12:06 AM
M.M.A.A., I also use that kind of system to determine the aspirations of my teens when they grow up-but usually they're already set for the aspiration anyway because of their zodiac personality, which most of the time, gives them the OTH. If it doesn't, I'll use it as the secondary aspiration.

It's too bad that Fortune sims never seem to have a fixed OTH. It would really be helpful at times.
Lab Assistant
#15 Old 28th Jan 2014 at 12:14 AM
lauratje86, where would those mods be? I'd definitely be interested in trying them in my game!

I use hobbies... all over the place, really. They make for good activities when my sims don't have anything important to do and they're being boring with free will. Also, since I recently implemented a motivation system in my game, they make great activities for low motivation sims when they're procrastinating their responsibilities :P

I also use them for after school activities for kids (and teens that aren't interested in getting a job) for families that can afford them. For example, a child with an OTH for Music and Dance could take lessons for an instrument or attend a ballet class. One with an interest in Sports could play soccer or basketball. Etc. etc. I have a special community lot specifically for this purpose; it works really well for keeping the kids busy and out of trouble.
Lab Assistant
#16 Old 28th Jan 2014 at 1:10 AM
Even though I've played TS2 often and for 7 years, I've only installed FT and AL in the last couple months so it is fairly new to me. I have to say I haven't paid as much attention to the Hobbies as to remembering to spend all these LTA points each time I play a new household. Those are kind of nice, especially for Fortune sims. The new sports activities are very good for my jocks who before had to lead a very sad existence wearing track suits and watching football but never actually doing any athletic, and I also like the car repair activity. I'm less fond of these random hippie chicks inviting everyone to their useless secret lots. I already have a library, maybe you should meet there. Meh.

I do look to see if the Sims have a "one true hobby" and sometimes they make sense, sometimes not. Like hmm, you are a natural at music and dance? Too bad you got knocked up by that Getaway Driver and live in a trailer park with your three D+ students. But for some of the newer or younger Sims who are not so well defined, it can help guide what kind of personality they might have.

I could never do a spreadsheet like in the first post though! My game revolves more around people getting married, divorced, having affairs, going to prison or college, dueling supernatural clans and the occasional murder. I'd say Freetime hasn't changed the way I play too much because things like an interest in ballet seem much less dramatic, but Apartment Life with its over-the-top witches and comically overpriced apartment buildings is really shaking things up! That and, the sudden mass influx of Hobby-Townies and Apartment-Townies with their bizarre clothing choices really makes the old neighborhood feel like it's getting gentrified and overcrowded.

Sorry got off topic and rambling.
Lab Assistant
#17 Old 28th Jan 2014 at 3:13 AM
My hood's religion, the Intercessionist Church of Heimlichbourg, is based on worshiping the aliens as gods- only sims with alien blood can be in the nobility and only those with alien skin and eyes can become vampires. This gives the science hobby unique importance, since making contact with aliens can have MAJOR social benefits for a sim who does it I basically treat a sim born with science as their OTH as a devoutly religious character, someone likely to join the church and spend their life contemplating the heavens!
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#18 Old 28th Jan 2014 at 3:18 AM
Quote: Originally posted by sonyablue
I'm less fond of these random hippie chicks inviting everyone to their useless secret lots. I already have a library, maybe you should meet there. Meh.


You can mod out those annoying hobby people so that you never have to see them unless you visit a hobby lot.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Field Researcher
#19 Old 28th Jan 2014 at 12:02 PM
I don't really have a rule in this respect. My sims usually have one or two hobbies and these more or less decide how they'll be spending their free time or even their career path. However, I don't necessarily choose the assigned "one true hobby" for that. I tend to go by 'instinct' and decide what hobbies to develop according to the given sim's overall personality and environment.
Mad Poster
#20 Old 28th Jan 2014 at 1:41 PM Last edited by gummilutt : 28th Jan 2014 at 2:07 PM.
I love-hate hobbies. I like the hobby activities and the added interactions between Sims, but I hate the hobby wants. They take over, and turn every Sim into a zombie that can only think about blogging. Not every person out there is a blogger, no matter how much they love tinkering or music and dance. It's not realistic.

But, wants-hate aside, I do enjoy hobbies. I consider it part of the Sims personality, and that may affect things like career choice, who they date, and how they decorate their home. How much it affects their life depends on the hobby and the Sim. For example, an arts and crafts hobby is more likely to have it influence their decorations and career choice than a tinkering Sim, partly because the game-options are more limited for tinkering and partly because I am not very tinker-y myself and can't relate as well as I can with other hobbies. Science is more likely to affect career choices than it is decorating.

I do tend to split the dual hobbies in two, like arts and crafts and music and dance. There may be a Sim that loves everything related to music and dance, but most of them will have a niche and stick to that. For example, a Sim will play violin or drums, not both. And someone playing drums is not likely to do ballet, whereas a violinist might. I realize that may be a limited way of seeing things, but eh, it works for me

Their one true hobby is the main contributor to life choices, but with some Sims I consider them to have two true hobbies. The one true hobby may also change during their life time. Being obsessed with music as a teen does not mean you will be as an elder, who knows, maybe you discover a love of chemistry and become a science-aficionado. And no Sim cares solely about their one true hobby, they'll do other things too. Maybe not as extensively, but it's still part of their life. For example, my hood is nature based, so almost every Sim will be interested in nature to some degree. Other hobbies depend largely on personality of the Sim, and to some extent their aspiration. For example, to me a romance Sim is more likely to care about looks, and therefore will be more inclined to be interested in fitness. A knowledge Sim is most likely going to be interested in something, so science, film/litterature, music/dance and arts/crafts. And so on
Mad Poster
#21 Old 29th Jan 2014 at 1:33 AM
Quote: Originally posted by joandsarah77
You can mod out those annoying hobby people so that you never have to see them unless you visit a hobby lot.


I'm curious. How many people actually use the hobby lots?
Forum Resident
#22 Old 29th Jan 2014 at 2:39 AM
What I like are the hobby objects (florist bench and so on) that Sims can make use of in relation to setting up either a home or a community lot business.

I will sometimes use a hobby interest to determine career path and/or business ownership. For example as sim who loves sports may want to open a gym or a shop selling exercise and sports related items. A creative Sim may wish to open a shop selling creativity related items and perhaps pottery they make.
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#23 Old 29th Jan 2014 at 3:37 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Charity
I'm curious. How many people actually use the hobby lots?


I do.. sometimes. I like the cooking hobby lot to enter the cooking contest. For some of my poor sims that $600 can be the difference between paying the rent or being tossed out on the street.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Field Researcher
#24 Old 29th Jan 2014 at 6:30 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Charity
I'm curious. How many people actually use the hobby lots?


Good question! I rarely do. I don't even think I've visited all of them. I too occasionally go to the Secret Kitchen for the cooking contest when my sims roll that want. I once used the Arts and Crafts lot as a meeting place for two sims who were having an affair. Their respective spouses weren't into arts so no chance of running into them there ...
Mad Poster
#25 Old 29th Jan 2014 at 1:23 PM
It varies a lot. Some people just have the wrong OTH - Pigeon Hawkins's is supposedly sports, but she'd far rather bang on her drums than toss a football, and I don't think she's ever sat still long enough to watch the sports channel. If their OTH seems to be accurate, they pursue it. I don't limit them to one facet but give them opportunities for all expressions of it and they often gravitate toward a preferred medium. Allegra Gorey expresses her artistic side by experimenting with media, but Ted Ottomas focuses on pottery.

If two people have a practicing OTH in common, it's often a bond between them. Frank Munny was able to approach the prickly, oversensitive Amanda Ruben in high school by calling her up to talk about nature; and Hall of Famer Valentine Hart has negotiated his way into his sports-mad crypto-grandson's life without disrupting it by coaching Little League. Wallys Beech has no idea that he could have a grandfather anywhere, but Coach is cool.

I use the hobby lots quite a bit. For one thing, you can run into YAs there without being on campus, so there's a much greater opportunity for mingling than on other community lots. Games of Glory is a great place for teens to mingle, Sam Bubbler is a mover and shaker in the Drama Acres art scene so she often arranges functions at My Muse II (despite her bitter feud with the hobby leader - I have no idea what it's based on, but they loathe each other, which adds some nice versimilitude - small-group politics in action), free food at Sue's Secret Kitchen, peaceful picnicking at Paradise Park, and so on. I have lots of musical types who use My Muse I as a hang-out, and though I don't have much luck at the sports hobby lot, my professional fitness buffs (actors and athletes) like to get together and head down to Platinum Gym.

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.)
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