Tolkien Sims!

[Lalwendë]

Erm, not sure if this is the place for it, but as it relates to a game...

I loaded the original Sims game onto my laptop and was looking at created content available for download and found The Simarillion (yes that's the correct spelling!), a website full of Tolkien inspired content. I've decided to post a link to it simply because it's so good! Not only is it great for fellow players of the game, but her interpretations of characters from The Sil are really interesting and intelligently interpreted.

So, if you want a Ted Nasmith tapestry or a Palantir in your Sims' house, you will find it there. You could also set up Angband (there is a Melkor, but no Orcs), Mordor, Valinor, or Rivendell and have your own Tolkienian soap opera going on.

I am tempted to e-mail the site owner and ask if she could make two Balrogs - with wings, and without.

[Lalaith]

That site is just amazing. Such attention to detail...so much stuff....you could browse for hours. I love the "winter walls."

[Lalwendë]

I liked the 'Carpets of the Valar' - which seemed to be based on the emblems drawn by Tolkien, as seen on the cover of The Sil. And the Scion of the White Tree floor lamp was rather interesting too!

I keep telling davem that it's a 'creative kind of game'...

[Estelyn Telcontar]

That is a wonderful site, Lal - thanks for sharing the link! I immediately bookmarked it for future perusal but couldn't tear myself away from it once I started looking...

[narfforc]

That is absolutely amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Bêthberry]

Link isn't working for me.

>>>Cannot find server or DNS Error
<<<

[The Saucepan Man]

That's quite a site that you've found there, Lal.

Mind you, I bet Feanor and Fingolfin don't have to spend all of their time cleaning the bathroom and cooking for their mother, which are my main recollections from playing The Sims game ...

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by The Saucepan Man

That's quite a site that you've found there, Lal.

Mind you, I bet Feanor and Fingolfin don't have to spend all of their time cleaning the bathroom and cooking for their mother, which are my main recollections from playing The Sims game ...

Hmm...even Dark Lords can cook you know...

...and sometimes Melkor likes to kick back with a nice game of snooker with the lads. Wonder which mountain range they were discussing dominating here?

[The Saucepan Man]

Hehe. Those are great.

Somehow, I never imagined Angband with green tiles and decorative floral arrangements ...

The first scene clearly shows the very moment that Morgoth first taught Sauron the best way to serve flaming Balrog wings ...

*groan*

[Kitanna]

Ah, this reminds me of all the hours I spent working on my LOTR Sims neighborhood. There was a time when I had most of the walls and floors off this site.

[the phantom]

All of the clothing and such is very nice. I think Finwe looks particularly cool.

Mandos looks just as I imagined him.

Varda is smokin' hot. No wonder the elves have all those songs about her.

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by The Saucepan Man

Hehe. Those are great.

Somehow, I never imagined Angband with green tiles and decorative floral arrangements ...

The first scene clearly shows the very moment that Morgoth first taught Sauron the best way to serve flaming Balrog wings ...

*groan*

Just be thankful I did not depict them in the very camp lavender bedroom I designed for them.

Originally Posted by Kitanna

Ah, this reminds me of all the hours I spent working on my LOTR Sims neighborhood. There was a time when I had most of the walls and floors off this site.

I had a whole LOTR neighbourhood too, with the Makin' Magic expansion pack (on my old PC) but I hadn't found this site back then. But I did have Faramir!

[Formendacil]

Originally Posted by The Saucepan Man

The first scene clearly shows the very moment that Morgoth first taught Sauron the best way to serve flaming Balrog wings ...

Of course, Balrog wings exist literally in the same way as Buffalo wings...

[The Saucepan Man]

Originally Posted by Formendacil

Of course, Balrog wings exist literally in the same way as Buffalo wings...

You mean Balrog's have chicken wings ...

Actually, they are so named, because when Sauron first cooked them under Morgoth's instruction he left them in the oven for too long and the smoke filled the kitchen and spread from one green-tiled wall to the other like great wings.

[Durelin]

Wow, amazing site! If only I didn't have The Sims installed on my crappy computer, which tends to frizz out whenever I try to add any items or skins. Ah well, I will try these. They seem more reliable than the ones previously tried.

Originally Posted by Saucie

Actually, they are so named, because when Sauron first cooked them under Morgoth's instruction he left them in the oven for too long and the smoke filled the kitchen and spread from one green-tiled wall to the other like great wings.

Ai ai, it's a poll question! *flees*

[Valesse]

Before my computer crashed years ago (The good old crashing in the good old days, you know, they were REAL crash... not these manbiddy-pambiddy...etc.) I had made a one Lord Aragorn sit in a great hall of stone-- it cost a fortune and looked amazing (I spent an hour or two just designing that room) and he hated it!

Now I have the joy or watching Turgon (Glamdring at his side) make apple sauce!

Thanks oddles, Lalwendë.

[davem]

Try this

[narfforc]

Middle-earth Sim City.................yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee h.



Great Site Davem.

[Anguirel]

I found this once when Googling Caranthir to see if I could find some decent fanfiction...

Celegorm doesn't have his trademark golden mane, but aside from that...no complaints!

[Fordim Hedgethistle]

*pant pant pant*

-- DROOL --

[JennyHallu]

Careful with that, Fordy, you'll get your keyboard all slimy.

[Lalwendë]

If you have both Sim City 4 and Sims (original version) installed on your PC, you can download characters you've created in the Sims to live in your cities, so you really could have Sauron in Barad Dur and so on, if you have any custom skins downloaded (maybe from the site I posted the link to).

I'm not sure that cities with roads, power stations and skyscrapers are very Middle-earth, but if you used the cheat for money, you could create something appropriate by sticking to little towns and having farmers' markets and so on.

Anyone with a really good graphics card could conjour up some really funny scenarios to take screenshots from! Especially if they enabled the 'disaster' option on Sim City - which if I remember rightly includes a volcano?

[JennyHallu]

You could have an appropriate Ninth Age city I suppose...

[Ibrîniðilpathânezel]

My, my, I know this is an ancient thread, but I had to say something. This is what got me lurking around here for a while, since the site in question (and all the stuff on it) is one of mine. We all have our little guilty pleasures, don't we? I was so touched by what I read that I decided to lurk around and learn more about the community -- and I liked it. So hello and thank you from a new poster/long time lurker.

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Ibrîniðilpathânezel

My, my, I know this is an ancient thread, but I had to say something. This is what got me lurking around here for a while, since the site in question (and all the stuff on it) is one of mine. We all have our little guilty pleasures, don't we? I was so touched by what I read that I decided to lurk around and learn more about the community -- and I liked it. So hello and thank you from a new poster/long time lurker.

Awesome! You've given a Tolkien and Sims fan hours of fun with your skins and furniture! I have to say it was really good to find some Tolkien skins that were not based on the film characters/actors for once. Not only was it more fun to have the more unusual characters in the game but they are lovely to look at...and I couldn't stop laughing when Sauron caught Guinea Pig Disease

I'm off for another look now to see if you've done any new stuff.

[Ibrîniðilpathânezel]

I've done new stuff, I just haven't gotten it posted since... last July, I think. It's been a bad year, and posting new things on the site can be a real time-consuming headache. But I have new stuff that will show up in time, both in meshes and skins and objects. Glad you've been enjoying it.

Sauron caught the guinea pig disease, eh? In my game, once upon time, Gandalf wound up with a foundling on his doorstep (don't ask me how that happened; I've never heard of anyone else getting a foundling, especially not when it's a single person living in the house!); it turned out to be a boy, so he named him Frodo. He got Frodo a guinea pig (as this was long before Unleashed and pets came along). The guinea pig loved Gandalf, but bit Frodo every chance he got. Poor little tyke wound up with the disease and... well, so much for foundling Frodo. Then there were Melkor and Sauron and the swimming pool of death. I'd forgotten to put in an exit ladder, and guests that used it kept dying until I realized what had happened. It seemed bizarrely appropriate, especially since the two of them didn't appear the slightest bit interested in it, but every guest they had practically made a bee-line for it. Sigh. And then there's my Yavanna and Aule. They have to live in separate houses, despite the fact that they love each other, 'cause when they're together for too long, they start getting on each others' nerves. Why does this remind me of the two of them in the Silmarillion...?

[Lalwendë]

Oooh, a foundling! I've heard rumours that could happen, and also rumours of twins! I got an alien abduction once but it was very annoying as it reversed the character's personality...

The swimming pool without an exit ladder is a good way of killing off characters in order to create ghosts - so long as you bury the urns on the lot. I made a haunted monastery that way once, and I invariably try to create at least one ghost in each lot. You could create the dead army that way. Hmmmm...or maybe Saruman after he's been punished by the Valar? I did make a mini website dedicated to ways to kill Sims characters once

I managed to cure Sauron's Guinea Pig disease though by making him go to bed and drink lots of coffee all day long. Morgoth had to support him by going and getting a job

[THE Ka]

Originally Posted by Lal

Anyone with a really good graphics card could conjour up some really funny scenarios to take screenshots from!

I've had Galadriel get into a fight with Elrond once, it was definately worth his three days of stalking around her house/feeling depressed . Unfortunately, I was being stupid and never took a photo of it, and that was before my computer crashed, so I lost all of them.
Thankfully, you can access all of the photos you take in the game from the collection file in the game now.

Only thing is, I dunno if I could ever have the random chance of having another overly-aggresive Galadriel again. She fought everytime she went out shopping... So annoying after the first five minutes.

Gandalf wound up with a foundling on his doorstep (don't ask me how that happened; I've never heard of anyone else getting a foundling, especially not when it's a single person living in the house!)

I've never had that happen, that would be neat though!
As for twins, I have that happen all the time with the wrong couples. So, they end up having four children instead of two, which is a pain when they'd rather be depressed all the time raising the bunch.

~ Ka

[Nerwen]

I know nothing of Sims. What's guinea pig disease?

[Azaelia of Willowbottom]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

Oooh, a foundling! I've heard rumours that could happen, and also rumours of twins!

I've never heard of a foundling! That's awesome! Perhaps it doesn't happen in Sims 2. I came to Sims so late that I got the deluxe sims 1 on sale a mere few months before Sims 2 came out, so I never got to discover all the little twists of that game, and I liked Sims 2 so much better that I never bothered with going back to the first game.

Before loading the Open For Business expansion pack mysteriously deleted my sims, my Aragorn and Arwen (whom I'd raised from babies in my Rivendell house...gah, so much time!) had twin girls. One of them had Arwen's pointed ears, and one didn't. Weird.

I never had the pets expansion for Sims 1. Did the guinea pig disease just kill Sims? I've never heard of a Sims 2 Sim dying from a cold.

[THE Ka]

What's guinea pig disease?

I believe it's only in the first Sims, and it occurs when you buy a guinea pig with cage. If you're lucky enough, you might have your Sim survive at least a few days before they finally announce their new found speciality. Or, you buy the one guinea pig that isn't in a perpetual bad mood.

The Sims 2 Pets (I love this expansion, though I really wish they had horses, or the vet career at least. I mean, pets, come'on...) has a wombat instead. I've had practically every kid in the sims bitten by one (because Sim children are obsessed with wombats for some odd reason. Your Sim family can have a parrot, three dogs and a million odd cats, but that kid still has a 'want a wombat' aspiration that: Won't. Go. Away.), but no disease as of yet. In the second Sims, they will randomly catch an illness ranging from 'cold' to the ever so popular 'flu'.

Though, I kindof wish they'd throw in a 'Wombat Disease' for good measure, since you can have your Sims turn into Werewolves (I've been trying to turn some of my LOTR Sims into wolvies, just for the comic aspect of merging Werewolf with them). Apparently the Nightlife expansion has vampires, but we all know werewolves are much more fun.

One of them had Arwen's pointed ears, and one didn't. Weird.

That is always annoying, but I guess it helps to tell them apart until they can change their appearance in the mirror. Though, methinks they have inherited something from their grandfather and grand-uncle *dun dun dun*.

~ Ka

[Oddwen]

I too only played Sims1 for a few brief weeks. I now have all the Sims2 EPs, and while I have done *gasp!* no LotR stuff at all, I have done a tiny little Barrow-Downs neighborhood. (Which reminds me, I need to send a bunch of you on vacation...mwahaha...).

[Aganzir]

Ibrin, those are just awesome. This is the first time I almost regret buying the Sims 2.

Originally Posted by Azaelia of Willowbottom

I've never heard of a Sims 2 Sim dying from a cold.

Me neither, but one of my little brother's sims once died from food poisoning. And one male sim got pregnant and gave birth to a green child after an alien abduction.

Originally Posted by THE Ka

I love this expansion, though I really wish they had horses, or the vet career at least.

Me too! Though I'm not sure if it was very easy for a sim to take proper care of a horse, given how much time it takes in real life as well (I don't have a horse (at least yet ), but I know some who have).

Originally Posted by Ka

Though, I kindof wish they'd throw in a 'Wombat Disease' for good measure, since you can have your Sims turn into Werewolves (I've been trying to turn some of my LOTR Sims into wolvies, just for the comic aspect of merging Werewolf with them). Apparently the Nightlife expansion has vampires, but we all know werewolves are much more fun.

Lommy and Gandalf's child has a become-a-werewolf aspiration, which quite amuses me. I haven't managed to turn anyone yet, but I'm quite looking forward to it (besides, I want to turn myself!). I have some vampires as well, but they are actually quite boring.
In the Seasons EP the sims can do gardening, and I've heard that if they do it too much something might happen to them, I don't know what exactly. Probably they turn green or something.

I don't have many Lotr sims, Aragorn and Gandalf (who died already) and some minor characters like King Fréalaf. What I have instead is characters from our little Middle-earth RPG (with which also Fréalaf has to do), and there weren't many of them at the beginning, either. Now that they've had time to get children there are over 100 of them. One Rohir family has nine children at the moment. I feel sadistic.

[THE Ka]

Originally Posted by Aganzir

I haven't managed to turn anyone yet, but I'm quite looking forward to it (besides, I want to turn myself!).

oooh! oooh! I know how. It is very tricky, but here is a few things you'll need. First of all, like any good werewolf, they adore children and toddlers. So, since you have a child there already you are set. Next, you need to befriend the leader of the pack, which is an alpha-female in most of my neighborhoods, though it changes at random. Anyways, I've found its the chow looking one with black fir. All potential werewolves have glowing eyes at night, so if you see one come up to your door then have one of your sims interact with them, in this case the kiddie.

Apparently, if you have them at a certain relation status, they will 'accept' the sim into the pack by giving them a bite and volia! Werewolf child, in this case. Since pets tend to take a much longer time than human sims at keeping and making relationships, it will take awhile. Also, for some reason everytime I've had the pack leader in my house they shread apart my sofa, so be prepared to loose some valuables at times... Unless you try to scold them, which I don't know yet if that hinders any chances of turning your sim into a wolf.

Originally Posted by Agan

In the Seasons EP the sims can do gardening, and I've heard that if they do it too much something might happen to them, I don't know what exactly. Probably they turn green or something.

They turn into dryads. The way in which they do is very ironic too, it is caused by using too much pesticides on your plants and fruit trees...
My friend has Seasons, and had a laugh over it. They do turn green, like with alien children (which any sim, male or female, has a chance of bringing home after being abducted), but I think they have some ability in relation to nature, not exactly sure though.

Originally Posted by Agan

Now that they've had time to get children there are over 100 of them. One Rohir family has nine children at the moment. I feel sadistic.

Yes, yes you are.

It always amazes me how when I want a family to have children, they either don't or they only have one, and when It's a sim with a romantic/money aspiration or something, they have twins. Every single time. I never said I was a reasonable 'sim god', just one with a good sense of humor.

Originally Posted by Oddwen

(Which reminds me, I need to send a bunch of you on vacation...mwahaha...).

Eep! Well, if you must, at least for moi make it tolerable with some snow, or sand. I'm tired of temperate.

Btw, I love modthesims2, such a lovely resource, and amazing work is there especially in some of the theme sets.

~ Ka

[Azaelia of Willowbottom]

In addition to being green, the PlantSims can talk to trees and also can have spore children (they seem to be clones, and are only descended from that one Sim. But they're oh so cute when they're babies!).

...and Ka, thanks so much for the info about making werewolf Sims. You mean that obnoxious big black dog with the creepy glowy yellow eyes that won't stop barking on my Sims' porch at night is a Werewolf?! Way to not even make it look like one, Maxis.

Watch out, Aragorn, Arwen, and family. I may not be able to resist the temptation.

BWA HA HA. Mine is an evil laugh. Can't wait for Spring break so I can go home and play that one out. Unfortunately Sims2 doesn't work on my laptop. Crummy Intel video card.

I've been afraid to download from modthesims2, though I've been admiring stuff there for ages... But if you all are using it and it works fine, maybe I'll go for it. I also don't get all that stuff about meshes, which is why I generally tend to just stick to the Exchange on the official website.

[THE Ka]

Way to not even make it look like one, Maxis.

Exactly.
Werewolves don't stand there and bark all night, dig holes in your tulip garden, and pee on your stoop.

It is *almost* on the same level as that extended edition TT scene where Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas end up in a gigantic pile of skulls in Dunharrow. It looked almost like a bowl of captain crunch when the camera pans out.

The first few times I saw the bloody thing I had my sims chase it off as it was bothering all my other darling pets (which have far more personality than their owners sometime. Sims are there to serve sim pets half the time... And to stand in the wake of the common skunk attack.). It wasn't until later that the werewolf thing clicked, thankfully I am quite content blaming Sim creators for their lack of proper werewolf ettiqute.
I was waiting for a rather sneeky but elegant dog to come strolling up and maybe howl once or twice to tempt my Sim's curiousity, or mine.


Ugh, I know about video card problems. My old computer had problems with the first sims, especially neighborhoods, so half the time I'd only see some lots, or it wouldn't finish loading the selected lot.

Meshes can be very annoying when the creator either gives you a vague link or none at all, and simply credits another creator. It can lead to a long search. Thankfully, most of the middle earth and related creators on the site are wonderful at giving credits and links. Most of the meshes are in the comment box below. Though, meshes are vital to downloads as bones are to muscle. The Download FAQ is a good stop. A little tedious, but good.

~ Ka

[Gwathagor]

OH...that site? Ibrin runs that site? I came across the simarillion sometime last year and thought it was really cool. Weird! It's a small internet, I guess.

[Ibrîniðilpathânezel]

Yeah, I run that site. It's actually one of the two sites I run, both of which are in serious need of updating, but Real Life has gotten in the way of that for far too long. One never quite realizes how bad post traumatic stress disorder can get until everything hits the fan in too short a time and all one's coping mechanisms disintegrate. But it's getting better, and the fact that I'm actually THINKING about updates is a vast improvement over the emotional/creative nadir I've been in for the last three years. Believe it or not, little things like a positive post on a forum make a world of difference. Thanks.

[Morthoron]

The site caused you traumatic stress from posting? I would just ignore other posters in that case, or just not go to the site at all. Post traumatic stress disorder is a real problem on the internet. Some people think they can post just anything without regard to other people's feelings -- I know, because I've gotten into some really stressful arguments on some forums.

Hmmm? What? Not 'Post' as in 'posting' but 'Post' as in 'after'?

*begins perspiring profusely*

Oh my, this is awkward. Heh...ummm...never mind.

*slowly backs his way towards the door*







...By the way, great site you have there, Ibrin. It's intriguing to see so many multi-faceted and talented folk 'round here. One would think this was a cerebrally challenging site.

P.S. Glad to hear you are feeling better and getting back into the swing. Please join our terrible RP, as it seems the rest of our troop have become downright recalcitrant.

[Ibrîniðilpathânezel]

Don't sweat. The site was not the cause of my PTSD (nor posting on it); the majority of that distinction goes to my family (very long and very ugly story, and not worth darkening the doorstep of this most worthy forum). The PTSD and its attendant issues are what've been squashing my creativity over the last four years, since the six week period in which 5 family members and friends died and my coping mechanisms went kerflooey, along with a lot of my various creative ventures. That's probably a goodly part of why I haven't committed to joining the creative venture into RP MarySueDom. But I have been thinking about it...