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Sims 3 Poll: Which items would you like to see next?

Date Posted: 13th Nov 2014 at 2:55 AM

While Sims 2 modding for me is just about at an end, I do have a few items for Sims 3 that are either ready to go for DzMD, or in the pipeline. While a few Dozerfleet items are acceptable for MTS sharing, those items or characters that are NOT specific to Dozerfleet Comics are items I'm most willing to share on MTS as well as DzMD.

But before I make a submission to the moderation queue, I'd like some thoughts on this from the community. This is the Sims 3 poll. I've made the Sims 4 one a separate poll.

The following items are in consideration, and you can leave a comment to vote on what you'd like:

Shareable on MTS, DzMD Pending

The following are being readied for sharing for Sims 3 on DzMD, and are readily-feasible for MTS:
  • The Phaemer VIllage Peacekeepers (Note: Keet Kabo's beak effects incomplete. Set contains Keet Kabo, Time Capsule, the Socratic, Bolte Chipotle, Jackal Semicolon, Chancellor Avori, and Major Gosmerid. While Dozerfleet characters, they are similar in nature and tone to the Guardians of the Galaxy - and more compatible with the game. Set comes with the Peacekeepers' street outfits and their space travel uniforms for off-Phaelon missions.)
  • The Grillitan Diner Sign (Atavera mesh remake) (pending)

Shareable - MTS-Ready

The following have already been added to DzMD, and are awaiting your vote for inclusion on MTS:

Again, just leave a comment to vote on which of these you'd most like to see on MTS. Most - if not all - of the items listed above, will be on DzMD regardless.

Note: DzMD uses Sims3Pack and .package files, similarly to Sims Resource. MTS uses .package, and .sim files. This may lead to delays in MTS releases from DzMD releases, given the file format regulation differences.

* "SCALLOP" stands for "Security-Centric Alliance Lending and Learning Of Phaelites." It's a long story, going back to Sims 2-era aliens.
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Good, Bad, and Ugly News on Upgrades

Date Posted: 11th Nov 2014 at 5:37 AM

The Good

I now have a Blu-ray burner. I can fit all of Dozerfleet Labs on a single DVD still, but now possess the ability to copy my entire life's work to a mere eight BD-Rs, seven if I leave off the EA data. Which means if I use dual-layer BD-R's, then I'm looking at compressing my whole life down to only four or five Blu-Rays. That includes any surviving videos from the SWOCC and Ferris State days. Now I just need to find these discs in an M-Disc variant, and I can have a system restore that will last a lot longer than I will. "Written in stone," says Millienata, the makers of M-Disc tech. And that seems more and more like the way to go.

If an EMP hits, an M-Disc would be totally unaffected. Theoretically, it could even survive a nuke. Meaning, someone else could find it and kick-start Dozerfleet Productions anew, long after I'm a pile of ash.

Even if sudden, extreme conditions destroyed the dyes making up an ordinary Blu-ray, my data on an M-Disc would be safe. And I have a burner that can get me there. That way, I don't lose everything if my hard drives crash and the Cloud gets wiped out by terrorists. And it's way more convenient than DVDs, which I've found to be not as useful as I'd hoped.

On the data front, I'm much more secure with my storage media than I've ever been before.

The Bad

Given my work schedule heading into the 2014 Christmas season, time for experimentation will be very limited. The cost to get the burner set me back a little, so other R&D projects which might cost me real-world money will be put on the back burner.

Also, there's a discrepancy between my 2014-fresh burner, and my not-quite-five-year-old PC. Turns out, 2010 and 2015 don't like each other. Who would've guessed? Anyway, the heart of the matter is this: no 3D Blu-ray. My monitor can't handle 3D, and my ATI Radeon 4200 doesn't like it either. So for the time being, all my 3D work will have to continue using anaglyph tech. Which is great, if you want to watch a slideshow of my Sims 3 artwork for Sodality on DeviantArt and have a pair of Trioscopic or red-cyan glasses. But if you wanted to see The Amazing Spider-Man in 3D on my new drive, you'd be outta luck. In fact, I've had to drop 3D for everything except Sodality. Even the sequels to Sodality, like Battle for Metheel and Phaemer Village Peacekeepers, have dropped the 3D act. Maybe someday, 3D. Maybe someday. I have a lot of hope for you; but today isn't your day.

The Ugly

And this is the biggest wall-banger of all: No HD playback! Turns out, I need an HDMI or DVI port in the back of both my monitor and my PC before Blu-ray discs will send their full hi-def feeds to my monitor. Even though it's a 2010 version of VGA, my only cable option is VGA. And VGA is analog, and unable to handle Blu-ray HD demands. So when I put The Hobbit 2 in my Blu-ray player, the footage down-converts to DVD quality before playing.

So yes, I can buy and watch Blu-ray movies at home now. And I don't have to borrow the living room from anyone to watch them anymore. But if I watch them from my home workstation, then they won't look any better than a DVD. So while I would love to start buying my films on Blu-ray, my visual quality might not immediately look any different from a DVD. Therefore, for the time being, it still makes more sense to buy DVD movies and save a little cash! Ugh!

The Downright Obscenely Hideous

The desktop, wonderful as it is, won't last forever. But it'll take me at least another seven months before I can afford a Microsoft Surface Pro 3. By then, the Pro 4 might be out. Life can be challenging without a laptop/tablet for on-the-go purposes. And that setback is partially due to the cost of the Blu-ray burner.

One ray of hope, however, is that the DzMD pipeline should be able to move along just fine in the mean time. However, Sims 3 modding is nearing an end for me. I'm considering making the Grillitan sign into a Sims 3 light. And a Sims 4 light, once tools to do that with are made available. Otherwise, the Phaemer VIllage Peacekeepers are my final entry in Sims 3 creations that I'm considering for DzMD and MTS uploading. Without a system that can handle the game's optimization (or lack thereof,) it's simply no longer practical for me to be using it extensively. Sims 4, as time goes by, may eventually prove useful enough that I rarely need Sims 3 anymore. Only time will tell.
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Journal initiation and updates on DzMD progress

Date Posted: 10th Nov 2014 at 10:21 PM

Now with things back in the swing, it seems appropriate that viewers now have a way to know what is coming down the pipeline from Dozerfleet Machinomic Downloadables, a line operating through Dozerfleet Labs.

Sims 2 news

Apart from the stretchSkeleton set, which appears to remain popular even this many years after its initial release in 2007, there are few plans to bring back to MTS any of the old Sims 2 items. Gerosha Chronicles and Stationery Voyagers characters can be found at the DzMD index page for Sims 2 downloads, located here at the Dozerfleet Labs blog on Tumblr.

If there are enough requests, then there may be a release of the redux of the Bachelor's Paradise House, the original version of which had some level of popularity on MTS back in the day. All other properties from back then not sent to MTS may be found at DzMD.

Items not returning to either site include:
  • The Gray Champion (improved version requires content from All About Style)
  • Becka Rangers: Nemo Thunder (Taken down for personal reasons)
  • Denny Levens, first husband of Candi Levens / Ciem (character is no longer Gerosha canon, as of Earth-G7.)
  • Khumar and Lindsay Hamilton (exiled from canon as of Earth-G7.)
  • Honeybee Samuel (Sam Wrikon himself remains canon in Earth-G7, but his supernatural bee form hasn't been canon since Earth-G6.)
  • Kelly Stables
  • Dhalia Lorrice
  • Any characters from 90 Has No Secant or Cursed is the Ground (The entire Meshalutian series has been canceled.)
  • The Multis Canis Arborem Latin Frat Sign (It's inaccurate Latin for "The Many Dogs of the Many Trees.")
  • PSE1 Sky Projector Recolor (rendered obsolete when Seasons was released)
  • Domino's pizza box override (was based too much on the Pizza Hut mod.)

Other items that are being restored on DzMD may or may not be returning to Mod the Sims, based on popular demand.

Sims 3 news

Based on popular demand, some items that will be added to DzMD for Sims 3 may also be added to MTS. Most Gerosha items, however, will remain exclusive to DzMD. The cast of the upcoming Blood Over Water novelization may make it to MTS. The fanfic of Q-Basic Gorillas could also see quite a few of its entries become future MTS uploads, though the Ice Chimps' future on MTS depends on whether or not their chest symbol can be ported.

The Phaemer Village Peacekeepers are being considered for MTS, but no promises yet. No Stationery Voyagers characters, however, for this game, will be available on MTS. Only a few will be added to DzMD. This does NOT include humanized versions of the Stationery beings. Otherwise, expect most items for Sims 3 on DzMD to remain there. Tiemess the Jithy Knord will be a DzMD exclusive, since his hair requires Photoshop post-editing and his proper hair mesh has yet to be made.

Sufficient popular demand could lead to a release of the Triangulum on MTS for Sims 3. Also, the Greatest Adventure characters have been re-made for Sims 3. They could very well appear on MTS and DzMD, but will be on DzMD for certain.

Sims 4 news

Once all items for 2 and 3 have been sorted properly, the focus will shift rapidly to Sims 4 items and support for them. The Sharknado 2 T-shirts were only the beginning. A practical Ciem costume has been made. More costumes could be coming down the line.

But the best part of Sims 4 are the Sims themselves, by far. Even if some of the cool cheats can be ignored, with all the game's flack in its early release, no one can take away the fact that it has some of the best-looking characters to date. Even in bad lighting, they look good. Also, the game's optimization is remarkably improved over that of Sims 3.

As a result, ramping up release of Sims 4 downloads should take very little time.

Here's a foretaste of what's being planned for DzMD:
  • Most Gerosha Chronicles characters, adapted for Sims 4. This doesn't just include the basics like Ciem and Emeraldon. It also includes the Agents of SCALLOP and Miriam's MSS friends like Stung Hornet.
  • The Mosquatlons and Inktactillia Keepers from Stationery Voyagers
  • Slender Man (?)
  • Human Cast of The Trapezoid Kids
  • Dr. Strange
  • The cast of Sharknado
  • The cast of Inception
  • Citric Sid
  • The Phaemer Village Peacekeepers
  • SCP-811
  • Turtle Man from The Master of Disguise
  • Vito Corleone. Now that I have the game, I might make another attempt to upload him here. The only reason he wasn't approved the first time was due to lack of actual in-game screenshots, which won't be an issue this time. For certain, though, he will be on DzMD.

All other entries coming to DzMD that make it to MTS will be based on either popular demand or perceived demand potential.
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