Yet another scenario gameplay thread

New leaves in the wind - The Tanaka cousins

Aimi and Yukio are “that cousin” to each other. They will go to great lengths explaining that they got their surname from different ancestors. It’s a common name, after all. But that doesn’t change the fact that they are on the same family tree and on occasion are expected to share the same continent.

Aimi and Yukio have arrived early at the extended family’s vacation home in Yukimatsu for the New Year’s celebrations. It’s awkward, but they are confident that the rest of the Tanakas will join them soon, resulting in other sims to interact with and being able avoid each other. Too bad a snowstorm is coming, that will prevent all travel from and to Yukimatsu...

The Tanakas’ scenario is Survive the Holidays. It starts them out as enemies with a festering grudge and can result in them either becoming friends or enemies with benefits. The scenario is also bugged. Before they haven’t solved it, the sims cannot go through a loading screen. That’s why the snowstorm backstory (and the game was kind enough to send me an actual one without the need to cheat it in).

So what drove the Tanaka cousins apart ever since their toddler days?

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Is it the fact that Yukio is a cat person, but Aimi a dog person? That they both like turquoise, but she calls it blue, while calls it green? Her preferring the ski over the snowboard, and him exactly the other way around? Or that she could listen to traditional music and zen music for hours, while he immerses himself in Tween and S-Pop, exactly the music the other cannot stand?

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Yes to all, and the fact that both have an outgoing trait (Bro respectively Self assured) worsens the situation, because they just won’t give each other a break. They actively seek the other out to pester them.

It’s not as if the Tanakas didn’t have anything at all in common. Sadly the thing they do have in common is their bad luck (Clumsy trait):

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New Year’s Eve and the Tanakas are still at each other’s throats.

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It started out harmless, by Aimi deciding to fulfill the Spa Tradition I put by doing yoga, while Yukio retreated to the bathroom to take a mud bath.

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But then she found the mochi and obliterated them all.

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Aimi: “Yeah, sorry, I thought it was a group serving! Only after I grabbed a share did I realize it was a single and by then it was too late.”

True story, by the way. Also, according to the game they both had a wonderful holiday, because they checked all the goals. But the true test will come tomorrow, when they are supposed to visit a shrine together for good fortune in the new year.

I started on my second scenario, Perfectly well-rounded, and placed my new sim into my rotational save. The one where the triplets are adults. There's a chance we'll see them over the cause of that new scenario, but I won't force anything. If they decide to write themselves into the story it's okay, if not, that's okay, too.

Here's my scenario sim:

https://abload.de/img/screenshot3122e2k4u.png

Name: Tamara Donner (from Sims 3)
Age: Full Adult
Career: Technically Governor of Michigan, but incognito during the scenario, so unemployed

Aspiration: Party Animal
Traits: Outgoing, Adventurous, Hot-headed
Likes: Purple, Red, Electronica, Singing, Dancing
Dislikes: None so far

Household blurb: Tamara Donner is a succesful politician, but worldly power doesn't make a person immune to midlife crisis. And so, when the government receives some puzzling gossip from the state's industrial capital, Tamara jumps to the occasion to perform an undercover mission to gather firsthand intel. Goodbye Governor Donnor, Welcome Back Party Girl Tamara! Even if it's only for a week or two...

Tamara arrived in Detroit late at night the next day. After unpacking her things in a spacious, but barely furnished, apartment in the Arts Quarter, she went to bed almost imediately.

When she stepped out onto the neighborhood plaza early the next morning, the game sent me townies for the most part. The only played sim in the crowd was Josh Wayne, the current mayor (the sim with the paper cup):

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Naturally Tamara couldn’t chat Josh up. In fact, if she wanted to stay incognito, the Governor had to actively avoid the fellow politician as well as all paparazzi, journalists and individuals like the High Judge of Michigan, who was living somewhere in this city, too.

The next played sim to cross Tamara’s path was - tadaaa! - Gavin Reed, one of my main characters. Time to put the best acting face on...

https://abload.de/img/18.11.21_21-44-37knkao.png

Tamara: “Hello, I’m Tammy! I can’t believe I’m in DETROIT now! I could SCREAM!”

Gavin: “Take it from one who was born here, girl, screaming doesn’t help.”

Tamara: “This is totally AWESOME! Think of all the opportunities! I’m gonna throw lotsa parties!”

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Gavin: “'kay, do that, don't let me stop you. Well, I guess I’ll see you in the statistic of crime victims sometime next week. Fraud, most likely, although I see a decent chance for mugging, too. See ya!”

And with that the man walked away. From his last remark, Tamara took him for a police officer, and indeed Gavin entered the police station and didn’t leave it again that morning. Tamara made a mental note to browse the police database later to learn with whom she had been dealing.

Aspiration Progress so far:
- Greet 10 sims - Check

https://abload.de/img/screenshot3125i1jwb.png

This is a good mix of major and minor characters, all technically played sims, but some more regularly than others. Gavin is not included here, because the introduction failed due to the man's single fame star. As Police Lieutenant Gavin is somewhat well known in the city, but not what I'd consider a real celeb.

Day 25: 704,786
First snow
Ulrike completes Fabulously Wealthy

Day 26: 801,347
Harvestfest – the sims check all the goals, but it’s not really a holiday celebration. Everyone is too itchy from the goal being in sight
Ca. 30 Lilys revert to dirt piles
Emil receives 37,913 simoleons interest from his completed aspiration

Day 27: 896,907

Surviving the Holidays

Okay, this may be confusing, because this scenario will use the same setting and sims as Too many toddlers and Perfectly Well rounded, but it will play out in an alternate timeline (like so many of my side-saves) and ten years before Perfectly Well rounded.

I'll post three scripted prologues before delving into gameplay.

(this will serves as the anchor post for the thread's table of contents)

Prologue 1: David Allen (post 1 of 2)

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Detroit. December 2038.
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“Dear diary (that I don’t have, because that wouldn’t be manly)! Today is the day! I’m off work and on my way home, to be a perfectly passable dad! I just feel it! No stupid mistakes and no tears, not for the Allen household, no, Sir!”

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David (internally): I mean, what could go wrong? I’m entering a kids’ room, not a lair of deviant androids. The worst about this place is how it’s near impossible to get a good picture of.
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David (internally): And I did it before, the proof’s still up on the wall! When I made the stars and snowflakes garland with the twins, everything was fine.

I managed once. I’ll manage again.
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Things started out promising. David put up the playtent together with his son and daughter, Archibald and Kendra Allen. With two camping enthusiasts for their parents, the twins were already able to help, and the few grips they couldn’t do on their own, they at least understood. Whenever he noticed that, David felt accomplished.
But then again, teaching the twins survival skills had never been a challenge. Connecting to them as persons was where the father failed.
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Fortunately “Prince Roland” and “Prince Archibald” were perfectly able to pursue their conflict for the throne of Enroth on their own. The twins hardly noticed that David didn’t actively participate in their pretend-play. David grunting monster noises when prompted to and otherwise looking sufficiently proud seemed to be enough to earn him the “Played with dad” checkmark.

Until Archie waved his toy sword around a little too carelessly and slit part of his sister’s disguise. At this point David uttered a quick “Careful, Prince Archibald!” into the boy’s direction.
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Archibald immediately broke from the make belief game. When his sister still hesitated, he said “Oh, come, it’s no use! It’s like always... he will NEVER change!”

“Now, now!” David said. “That wasn’t a ban on weapons, Archie. Just a warning to be careful for your two’s own damn sake!”

“That’s not IT!” Kendra replied. “You don’t even GET it!”

“Can’t you make sense for once?” David sighed internally. But he hadn’t forgotten his resolution for the afternoon and so out loud the man said: “Can’t you explain?!”
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The children sat down. To David it felt like a jury settling down to decide the final verdict over a criminal, only he was innocent! Yet Kendra refused to take off her mask, to hide her mimic behind it. The girl wasn’t crying, not even sniffling, but there might be a silent tear or two...

David: “So what have I done that was so bad, huh? Archibald?!”

Archibald: “I’m Archibald Allen NOW. In the game I was Prince Roland. Kendra played Prince Archibald.”

Kendra: “We told you who is who, but you forgot. Like you always forget. You never pay attention!”

David: “Okay, I slipped. But that’s hardly the end of the world. ‘sides, it’s stupid. You are Archibald in real life, I don’t see why you childishly insist on playing Roland... if not with the explicit intent of confusing me!!!”
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Archibald: “I... d... d... don’t wanna do that! And you PROMISED! We’ve had this row before, dad, and you promised you wouldn’t mix us up again!”

David: “I did?”

Archibald: “What would you do when a criminal promised he’d do better from now on, but then did something evil again, dad?”
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David: “I’d say “Grow the fuck up, Daniel!” and then punch him in the guts.”

Kendra: “That’s not fair!”

David: “Is, too, Kendra-darling! I told you all about our ex-criminal janitor, didn’t I?”

Archibald: “Yeah, and we memorized all your co-workers. And that is what is not fair!”

Kendra: “We’re supposed to learn all about your life at work, but you don’t make an effort to learn about our life here! You don’t... You probably don’t...”

David tore into the doorhandle and had left the room before his daughter had finished her sentence.

Kendra: “...love us.”

Prologue 2: Gavin Reed (post 1 of 2)

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The next morning, at the Detroit Police Department Central Station, the officers of the morning shift trickled in one by one.

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One of those was Gavin Reed, a detective of the homicide section. The man had applied for transfer to the more prestigious paranormal investigations section, (especially since that one was still lacking a Lieutenant, and Gavin felt more than qualified to fill that slot), but every time Captain Fowler had rejected the appliccation. Only the safely dead, the Captain claimed, were patient enough to endure Gavin’s inappropriate jokes.

Gavin: “‘morning, Chika!”

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Chika: “Good morning, detective.”

That was a new tune the detective was playing! A human supremacist to his very core, Gavin would never have greeted an android first. But as of this fall the man did so regularly. Strangely enough there had been no change in his treatment of androids in other regards.

So there had to be an ulterior motive here. But what was it, the receptionist android wondered?

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Gavin was about to pass by Officer Mack and System Administrator Miller, when the duo stopped him.

"How?” the officers prodded, “Pray tell, how can you tell Chika apart from Rika? They look identical! They ARE identical in all respects!”

Gavin: “You’d like to know that, huh, Alakay?”

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Alakay, the lion who danced when should have fought! That was Gavin’s derogatory for Alexander Mack, and the nickname normally served to humiliate the man utterly. Today it gave the officer hope to maybe get an answer out of his co-worker. If Gavin alakay’ed Alex, chances were he’d follow up with a show of his own greatness.

However...

Gavin: “See, that’s why you are a beat cop, but I’m the detective. - Toodles!”

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Alexander: “Danggit! Not even other androids can tell our receptionist twins apart! And neither can Antony, despite being our resident android overseer. So what’s this man’s secret?!”

Susan: “Maybe he just hit an insanely long streak of getting a 50% chance right? But, no, scratch that. Gavin isn’t guessing. I noticed him look at Chika intently before saying its name.”

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Gavin quickly changed and then took a seat at his desk in the “bullpen”, the DPD’s large main office. At eight desks only, it seemed irregularly small, and wouldn’t have met the specifications twenty years ago.

But in 2038 a large chunk of the staff consisted of androids and those didn’t need desks.

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Gavin can see them neatly lined up along the wall, in their tiny boxes. Directly logged into the DPD’s system, the digital officers upload their patrols’ results and receive new instructions.

Detectives like Gavin thus can access always the most current data about the goings on in Detroit.

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So far the androids’ presence hadn’t bothered Gavin, in fact, in the past he had glossed over the devices’ very existence, the way you didn’t actively acknowledged the dishwasher in the cafeteria, when you didn’t need to load it (what Gavin never did, anyway). The bots being no more sophisticated than Antony’s drones, bullying them wouldn’t have brought Gavin satisfaction. On the same account they had never posed a threat to his position.

But as of last month there were more advanced detective androids, one prototype at least is currently in testing right here at the DPD, and that one’s existence had shaken Gavin Reed to his bones.

Suddenly the lesser androids staring at him makes the man feel uncomfortable...

Note: "Alakay" wasn't in my poll, because he is only on the wrong footing with Gavin, not with the other five listed sims And also it's Gavin antagonizing Alex, the other way around Alexander doesn't seek confrontation with Gavin (or with anybody). In my rotational save Alex later married Rika.

Prologue 2: Gavin Reed (post 2 of 2)

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Rika: “Good morning, detective Reed.”

Gavin (internally): I already greeted Chika, so if this one greets me now, it must be Rika.

Gavin (out loud): “What is it, Rika?”

Rika: “I’m here to inform you that Detective Collins is off the Henry Ford Park case. Captain Fowler gave it it to you instead. You should find the files in your folder right now.”

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Gavin: “Yes, I see them. Swell! - What’s with the judgemental look, tincan?!”

Rika: “I merely mimic the staff’s feelings about the re-assignment. Sorry, Sir.”

Gavin: “Oh, do you? And what is the staff feeling, ey?”

Rika: “They are well aware that it was you who pointed out Collins’ mistake in the investigation to the Captain, a calculated move to score over your senior.”

Gavin: “So you’all think I should let the murderer run around unchecked for a couple of weeks longer, just because I coincidentally got assigned to the same workplace as Ben? Is that it? Nah, I've got a phking a job to do!”

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Rika: “You could have called Detective Collins’ attention to his mistake...”

Gavin: “Great, your social module is working, wish we could say that of all our toasters. Now vamoose!”

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Over at the opposite wall Connor Stern and Hank Anderson were discussing poor Ben Collins’ defeat, too.

Connor: “Admittedly I’m more concerned about you than I am about Detective Collins. I know you two are good friends, so this must get to you...”

Hank: “Sure does!”

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Hank: “I think I’ll bury myself in work to get over my disappointment... Like setting up everyone’s shedules for the rest of the year. It’s my duty as Lieutenant anyway.”

Connor: “Dad?! I joined last month only, but I already know that you only ever do the timetables on pain of death!”

Hank: “Oh, I feel much more motivated with you at my side now! Totally soaring and stuff! - Ah, I see Antony Deckart volunteered for the holiday shift. We need another one. You know what the neat thing about Gavin Reed is, son?”

Connor: “There is one?”

Hank: “He’s a father, but not a husband. Not even living with the kiddo’s mom, officially as single as single can get. That means Gavin is first in line for taking the shifts at all major holidays. - And into this year’s slot he goes. Merry Christmas, Gavin Curtis Reed!!!”

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Hank (chuckling): “Things to do before turning sixty: Abusing your power - check. And that I tell you, Connor, I feared I’d never score that particular checkmark!”

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Meanwhile Tina Chen, Gavin’s best friend (with benefits), rushed over to Gavin, but not to congratulate him on his victory over the senior detective. Never one for smalltalk, Tina outright demanded for Gavin to let her in on his secret. The secret of how he could tell the identically looking receptionist androids apart.

If there was one saving grace about Gavin Reed, then that was the man’s reluctance to lie.

Tina: “...so that means when you told Alakay you being able to tell Chika from Rika was connected to you being a detective, you really meant that. You do not see minuscle differences in their faces, it must be... something behaviour related? Some minor quirk of Chika’s that only you noticed?”

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Gavin: “You got me there. Behaviour is too phking strong a word, though. And my uncanny android identification power will go away after the holidays, so I want to enjoy it while it lasts.”

Tina: “Now you confused me. Damn! I was sure I had worked it out.”

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Gavin: “Did, too. See, Chika is lagging a bit, like the used computer it is. It’s most notably when it types.”

Tina: “Okay, I figured something along those lines. But how is your ability to see this temporary?”

Gavin: “Cuzz the ST300s will go into extended maintenance in the time between the years. Afterwards Chika will be up to spec again.”

Maintenance... a short respite from their burdens and personality problems... it was what the humans and androids both were looking forward at this time of the year.

Thank you for your kind words @mightysprite !

I played through two of the three holidays today (taking care not to travel as not to trigger the auto-complete bug) and completed the scenario. Of course the DPD's timetable doesn't care for something as ephemeral as a "scenario" won. Duty is duty, you gotta see it through. So tomorrow I'm going to play the third day and then start writing the captions.

Prologue 3: Antony Deckart (post 4 of 4)

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Daniel: “I... I have to give it to you, I hadn’t expected you’d do that. Repairing 302, I mean. So the man who shot our ornamental fish is a decent person, after all...?”

Antony: “YOU hit the fishtank!”

Daniel: “Because I was aiming at you, but you dodged. So it was your fault!”

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Daniel: “Aaaaanyway, you know my backstory, my previous owners planning to replace me, and me losing it as a result. So you’ll know what watching you just now felt like for me. Going through the trouble of cobbling together that skeletal replacement arm when no standard model was available... to keep 302 running... when other humans discard androids for far lesser damage...

Heck, Antony, I’m afraid I misjudged you! I never knew you cared!!!”

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Antony: “Haha! Well, municipal funding is a thing, something you won’t have had to trouble yourself with back at fancy Park Avenue! But I admit, it wasn’t just having to do with what we have. I’d really have missed the old girl if we’d had to invalid it out. Or any of my androids.

But that’s the problem, actually. I’m the resident “android lover”, that quirk makes me an outsider among the humans. And I know that whenever I talk to an android, there is nothing listening in that plastic skull. It’s only simulated.

So in the end, when I talk to you, I only ever talk to myself... that has to change! I promise that during the upcoming holiday shift I will make an effort to bond with my partner, who’ll be a real person!”

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Daniel: “Here’s a happy thought for you, officer: maybe you won’t have to make that effort, because you’ll spend Christmas in the hospital!”

Antony: "Daniel, you little sh...!!!"

Daniel: "Oh, go complain to my programmer at CyberLife! Since I'm "not real", they must have threatened you just now!"

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Real person or machine, self-aware of simulated, none of that mattered when you were getting actively attacked by one of your androids. Defend... overpower... in between insult the opponent, not because you believed the machine would feel hurt, but as an automated reaction to lower your own stress.

Daniel was lightning fast and agile, but just like his human opponent he preferred ranged weapons. In a brawl the lithe PL600 wasn’t a real match for a human, especially tonight, when Antony still had his mechanical tinkering aid equipped.

https://64.media.tumblr.com/b37169212f5e8a56ee3909176b17e2d8/498987355babc404-58/s540x810/1da2b1cdc2c04f13c71baccf80dabf006c6b101a.png

Knowing that, Daniel aimed a bit lower...

Antony: “Ooof... NOW you earned your ticket to the scrapyard! Attacking a human in full sight of another officer...”

However...

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Godefroy: “Will you stop with that noise already, Tony?! Some of us are trying to work here!”

Antony: “It started! Daniel, I mean! It tried to kick me in the family jewels!”

Godefroy: “Right, about that... You will immediately uninstall that mod! Using our Daniel, that cannot harm a fly, as your sparring partner is just creepy.”

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Godefroy: “Look, Tony, if you need a punching ball that badly, I hear you’re partnered with Gavin Reed over the holidays. Nobody here would mind if that one acquired a couple of new scars.”

(Meanwhile Daniel: “It’s not a phase, mom, I really am a deviant!”)

Note: Godefroy Wilson is not related to Marlon Wilson.