So my sims have apparently been cheating on each other with each other. I have a sim who has just recently married. When he was at university, I had him invite her and her family (she is actually my main sim, his only family is her) to the graduation but noticed there were two options for the same sim; one was 'girlfriend' and the other was 'wife'. Thinking it was just a glitch, I invited the 'wife'. After the graduation, they kissed and an odd notification came up as if they were doing something suss. And lo and behold, I checked his reputation and it thinks that he cheated on her. It's on their records and makes them look bad but their romance has been flawless so it's annoying. She apparently cheated on him twice. She got a romantic interest at the prom and I didn't realise that was still technically a 'relationship' and so even though she had not seen him and had grown up and gone to university and everything, it still thought they were in a relationship and the beginning of her relationship with her husband was counted as cheating... arghh. I think I can clean their 'slate' with a lifetime reward but that's just frustrating.
Beware of the same issue! I only realised the first time because of the interaction 'Confess to Cheating'. Wtf Sims 3.


Happy Simming!

So I had this issue with my Alephena save where after I moved Elliot as a roommate (I later dismissed him and moved him in as normal) a lot of random sims were showing up and becoming roommates without my permission. I kept dismissing them and eventually figured out the problem and so the solution.

Because I'm using The Sims 3 in windowed version, it cut the bottom of my photos. Basically, follow these steps:
1. Click on Smartphone
2. 'Real Estate and Travel Services'
3. 'Roommate Services'
4. 'Disable Roommate Services'

So, you wanna make a mermaid?



There are four options when it comes to making a mermaid sim, some of course are harder than others. To have a mermaid sim it's important to have installed the expansion pack Island Paradise (no Island Paradise means no mermaid). They are a life state, meaning that you can't simply make them in Create A Sim (CAS).

1. Breed a Mermaid.
This one is a lot more time consuming than the others and in away; pointless. If you've befriended a mermaid (see option 2 on how to do this) enough to have a mermaid baby, then you could have just skipped a step but if you would prefer not to have your main sim turn into a mermaid, than this one is for you.



It's simple. Befriend a mermaid. Sleep with a mermaid. Have a mermaid baby. Now it's a 50/50 chance if only one parent is a mermaid, as is the case with the other life states. So it's easy to see why this would take quite some time.

2. Be Given Kelp
So this is basically the shortcut version of the first option and the easiest to do. You'll need to build up your Snorkelling skill in order to build your Scuba Diving Skill. This gives you the ability to access the Diving Spots and meet mermaids. It might be a bit of work and a bit of luck when it comes to where and how soon you meet a mermaid.



I met a mermaid in Davy Jones' Locker. I met two and each one led me to a chest. Once you see one; greet them. They will end up in your relationships panel. From there you can Signal Mermaid to call them to your house and build up your relationship with them like normal. Once you're good friends with them, take them diving with you. You have to be underwater in order to Ask About Fish Parts.


If your relationship is good enough, the mermaid will give you Mermaid Kelp (it'll appear in your inventory). Eat this and... walah!





4. Buy It With Lifetime Reward Points
You can buy Mermaid Kelp from the Lifetime Rewards section, although it's rather pricey. However, it means you can skip out on everything else. If you have a sim with an aspiration that's making them tons of points then go for it, otherwise it might be the same to just meet a mermaid and friend them.

5. Cheat
You can use various chests in order to become a mermaid. You can:
 - make a mermaid your friend and adjust the relationship bar
 - adjust your diving skill
 - give yourself lifetime reward points
 - add a mermaid sim to the family
 - have an instant baby

With my newest character I'm going through the normal gameplay to climb to the top of her career after completing university. It's not quite a challenge but to follow it I'll put it under the challenge tab. It shall be known as: Amera; Super Detective. It's going to be cooler in my head than it is on the screen. I love my imagination :).

In the first post of Amera I was just creating her. Now it's time to move her into the world.



It doesn't matter where she lives to begin with because she's going straight to university. The cheapest place will allow me to pay for her degree with too much part-time work (or maybe none at all).

Tip: It's good to have extra money to buy candy bars to eat between classes, good-quality equipment to keep them happy and fulfilled alongside their studies and to be able to buy furniture on returning to the town.


Time to enrol.


Now, if you're not going to university straight away it's a good idea to skill up. The aptitude test recognises your skills and gives you scholarships based on how many you have and how far along you are.


I want to finish the degree as soon as possible to get started on her actual career and so I'm having Amera do the maximum amount of credits for two terms.





And off we go!

This is my #1 tip for anyone playing Sims 2, especially if you're playing it properly.

1. Buy a security system and a fire alarm.

There's no even bloody option to beat up the burglar and so unless you have a phone or an alarm the police won't be notified and they will get away. Even if you ring the police there is no guarantee they will be able to apprehend the thief. Because of the gameplay you cannot wall off the thief nor suddenly purchase a security system (same with the fire alarm) during the emergency as 'Buy Mode' and 'Build Mode' are switched off and inaccessible (this can be changed with cheats but that's Non-Vanilla).


So my Sims are poor and without the things they earned... because I didn't put in a security alarm. I bought back the items before I took the picture but the burglar stole: the bookshelf, one of the dining room chairs, the chess table and one of it's chairs, the easel and the TV. Notice the simoleon difference between the two pictures?


And then there's the fire. I'm actually not sure whether or not the fire can destroy items like in Sims 3 but I do know that it spreads and can stress your Sim out to the point they may die (I had a pregnant Sim die this way... it was not a good day). Sometimes it's a little difficult to make your Sim stop freaking out and just put the damn fire out. Save time and stress: put in a fire alarm.





Happy Simming!

Depending on the talents and Traits of your Sim, taking the Aptitude test before enrolling into university can get them extra credits or small scholarships. If you're playing normally I definitely suggest taking the test in order to give you as much of an advantage.

When you first move in a university mascot will come by and drop a green bucket with university goodies in it. This is where the interaction to take the test it. If you sold or deleted this you can purchase a new one from Buy Mode. The fastest way to find it is to go to 'Collections' and then to the University collection.

Note: it will help to level up your skills before taking the test.