A Quick Overview 

As the Covid vaccine rolls out worldwide, humanity is beginning to see the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. While much of the northern hemisphere braces beneath a last ditch winter chill, change is coming.  As we hold on to hope that things will get better, even the Sims community shows signs of a brighter future.  This week, Sims FreePlay launched their Art Deco update; Sims Mobile plunged into a player-pleasing party update, and Sims 4 honored its Black players in a sensational Black History Month tribute.  

On February 15th, Sims FreePlay launched their roaring twenties Art Deco live event: Belle Hotel.  During this event, players send their Sims to craft candles, glassware, jewelry, and pottery in return for ritzy black and gold prize packs.  These packs include such twentieth century digs as geometric, gilded wallpaper, gleaming gold light fixtures, luxurious quad-sized windows, fresh jazz instruments, elaborate black bars, and more.  The grand prize for this sumptuous event is the Belle Hotel, a multi-story lot replete with a reception desk, lobby, outdoor pool, hotel rooms, and a grand gold dining room perfect for swinging jazz performances. 

Sims Mobile began the week with a fresh Wumples, which offered players a laundry list of tasks to complete in return for two new children's clothes options - a t-shirt for both sexes and a skirt for just female children. 

But the biggest news of the week by far was a long anticipated gameplay update to Mobile parties.  Until now, mobile parties have been limited to player "main lots," but after February 16th, players gained the ability to throw parties on any lot they choose.  Game Changers collectively demonstrated this ability with a series of "alt-lot" parties which also showed off upcoming anniversary event prizes.  Simmerdown Mal's Edgewater Quay party, for example, featured the DJ BobPlum Booth and karaoke machine.  

To continue highlighting this fresh feature, Sims Mobile rolled out a new anniversary-themed competition on Twitter.  To win prizes such as SimCash, a luminous dance floor, or diamond-studded head gear, players should follow the Sims Mobile on Twitter, take pictures of their partying Sims, and then upload them to Twitter with the hashtags #TSMHouseParty and #EAGiveaway.  Don't forget to tag the official Sims Mobile account! This competition closes Friday, February 26th.  Sims Mobile will announce the winners on March 5th.  

If this were not enough, Sims Mobile Game Changers also dropped more information about the upcoming Sweet Treat Showdown.  This event, triggering on February 22nd, will offer cake-baking players party items like a disco ball, heart-shaped glasses, a fashionable men's military-style jacket, a smoke machine, a colorful DJ Booth, a new banged hairstyle, and a karaoke machine.  

Players can look forward to two new Wumples events on the horizon: Wumples Wishlist #51 will offer a poster and a glass of strangely colored milk as prizes, while Wumples #50 will offer two snowglobes. 

Bugs addressed and squashed this week included a strange phenomenon in which the Sims Mobile app mysteriously disappeared from the United Kingdom app store.  It has now reappeared, much to the relief of thousands of UK players. 

​In a heartwarming tribute to its incredible Black players, the Sims 4 team highlighted several game changing people of color this week to celebrate Black History month. Among the honored were Xviva, Spring_Sims, XMira, EbonixSims, Foreign Simmer, Oshin, and many others. The developers also reported that they finally pinpointed the issue plaguing console skin tones. They expect a fix for the blotchy, reddened tones in March. Sims 4 players can look forward to a special anniversary gift from the Sims team, in collaborating with custom content creators, February 25th.

That's all for now, but keep it locked on the Simmer's Digest website for more detailed information!

Until next time, stay safe, love your loved ones, and happy Simming.

To celebrate both the game changing alt-lot party update and the Sims anniversary, Sims Mobile revealed a new Twitter-wide competition for its dedicated party-hopping players.

Prizes for participating players will include one of the following:
- 50-Carat Pack, includes 50-Carat: Party Hat, Top Hat & Bracelet
- Dancing Llama Drama & Holiday Gift 2018 Packs
- Party Animal Level 1, 2 & 3 Heirlooms & 250 SimCash

To enter:
1. Follow @thesimsmobile on Twitter
2. Upload an image(s) of your party
3. In your caption #TSMhouseparty & #EAGiveaway & tag @thesimsmobile

Competition closes Friday 26 February 11:59pm AEST. Winners will be announced on 5 March.

EA's User Agreement Applies: https://tos.ea.com/legalapp/WEBTERMS/en/PC/


Pictures of the offered prizes are listed below.

How will you party?

The latest highly-anticipated Sims Mobile update did not come without a few unexpected glitches.

On February 8th, Firemonkeys studios rolled out a fresh Sims Mobile feature that provided an overhaul to the game’s current game play. Before February 8th, Sims Mobile restricted its players to four playable Sims. When a certain Sim completed four living “traits” in game, the Sim asked to be “retired,” leaving a game slot open for a new Sim, usually of the next generation.

This generations style game play was the heart of Sims Mobile since its global inception in March 2018.

However, as the game gained popularity, many dedicated Simmers began holding onto favored Sims, choosing not to retire them for either long periods of time or not at all.

This resulted in some Simmers advocating for more playable Sim slots. Holding onto certain Sims while building relationships and birthing Sim babies created a backlog of “NPC” or “non-playable character” Sims that Simmers were itching to introduce.

The newest “playable/passive” feature in the Sims Mobile allows players to make any playable Sim a “passive” NPC at any time. When a player renders a Sim “passive,” they free up that Sim’s playable slot. Then, players can promote a previously non-playable Sim to “playable.”

​This brilliant compromise preserves the all-powerful number of four, upon which Sims Mobile’s events and underlying mechanics hinge, but allows for more freedom and flexibility in gameplay.

But this change did not come without hiccups.

Game Changer Simmerdown Mal noticed first. When she made her forever Sim “passive” and then reactivated her as “playable” her Sim lost the ability to retire at all. Mal’s only option was to make passive and remove her completely, which Mal would never do to her forever Sim.

Other players also noticed that after becoming passive, some Sims lost critical relationship stories. This caused Simmers to lose treasured connections with other players, forcing them to start the grueling relationship story build grind all over again.

Firemonkeys is currently looking into these troublesome issues. According to Game Changer Salix, players who have experienced these glitches should report them on AHQ, EA’s bug-reporting forum.

Firemonkeys studios has successfully overhauled the Sims Mobile’s gameplay experience several times since Maxis’s
departure. One of the most jaw-dropping updates rolled out November 2019, and it allowed Simmers to finally own and renovate new lots in game.

Before that point, Simmers owned one tree-lined lot on a simple street. The multi-lot update expanded Briny Heights to eventually include a lot by a river’s edge, a rocky cliffside lot, the large Landgrabb mansion lot, the resort-worthy Edgewater lot overlooking the Simville sea, and the cozy eco lot amongst a cluster of flowers and a babbling brook.

The update left Simmers salivating for the ability to party on onr of these new lots. After all, what was the point of decking out new digs if one couldn’t flex said new digs on her friends? Then, in November 2019, Simmers were limited to partying on the original “main lot.”

Nearly two years later, Sims Mobile delivered on this party desire.

On February 16, 2021, the Sims Mobile will undergo a major server overhaul which finally allows Simmers to party on any of their owned lots.

To do this, Simmers must:

• ​Move a Sim into the desired party lot
  
• Select “Have a party Here” from the right tab
  
• Choose the party theme
  
• Place party decorations

A playable Sim MUST live on a chosen lot in order to throw a party there.

This update promises to deliver hours of party fun for a long time to come.
​
Where will you party first? Tell us in the comments or on Twitter!

​In Sims FreePlay, both Influence Island and the newest SimChase are in full swing! This season of Influence Island, aptly named "Rustic Wedding," encourages players to cajole and convince neutral NPC Sims into "clan mates."  These efforts are rewarded with network tokens, and players may use these network tokens to spin for prizes.  The prizes are, of course, wedding-themed with a farmhouse chic twist: quaint wooden barrels filled with flowers, a romantic wedding aisle, simple but elegant wedding chairs, a wooden gazebo hung with flowers, and far more. SimChase:Wedding Wrangle leads players through a dizzying gamut of events.  Beat the NPC "rival" at these events, and players win more wedding prizes such as long reception tables, a vintage camera, drinking tables, a dance floor, and more. Players can look forward to more wedding-themed events in the future with Art Deco events on the March horizon. 

​Sims Mobile stunned its players February 4th with an enormous gameplay overhaul.  For years, Sims Mobile players have begged Gurus for more playable Sims and the ability to hold parties on any lot.  The Sims Mobile February update, triggering on February 8th, provides just that.  Now, players will be able to make any Sim "passive," freeing up a playable Sim slot, and then essentially "promoting" any Sim they'd like in the former Sim's place.  This change essentially allows players to have 60 playable Sims at their disposal.  

Additionally, as long as an active Sim is on a given lot, Simmers will now be able to throw parties on any lot they own.  This encourages Simmers to spruce up their homes and gussy up those spare lots to show off their varied build skills. 

This is, of course, not all.  This update brings a heaping helping of new events --the Royal Romance Treasure Hunt on February 8th, three new Wumples Wishlists, and an Anniversary Sweet Treats event on February 22nd.  

These events offer players the chance to dig, investigate, bake, and mix their way to elaborate, royal items such as crystal chandeliers, gilded bookshelves, glass slippers, royal beds, gothic tables and heavy curtains, queenly dresses, and outfits fit for princes. Female Sims can even win a hairstyle befit with a crown.  The anniversary Sweet Treats event offers such party-worthy items such as heart-shaped glasses, a new bar, a karaoke machine, a new DJ booth, a straight-banged female Sims hairstyle, and more.  

​Sims 4 Gurus celebrated Black history this week by highlighting its unforgettable Black players.  Gurus exalted Ebonix, XMira, It'sMeTroi, and the many more wonderful game-changing Black players who make the game what it is.  Gurus also teased they have an anniversary surprise for their players on February 25th, a surprise they worked closely with its fans on.  

That's it for now, but keep it locked on the Simmer's Digest website for more detailed coverage of the latest events. 

Stay safe, get vaccinated, and remember that you ARE Black history. 

The world is changing, and the Sims community is not immune to the constant change.  As players worldwide grapple with coronavirus, with political change and unrest, with the changing seasons and times they continue to lean on their beloved games to navigate the world.  This week, FreePlay unleashed news of updates for the next two months; Sims Mobile wound down their latest Sweet Treat Showdown, and Sims 4 rolled out their newest stuff pack: Sims 4 Paranormal. ​

Easily the most demanding of the three games, Sims FreePlay Game Changers revealed the mobile game's newest slew of events this week.  Players can now look forward to a rustic wedding update in February and a glitzy Art Deco update in March.  In fact, the brand new Influence Island event, Rustic Wedding, began January 27th.  Players are currently cajoling and charming their ways into the hearts of several Sim NPCs to gain network credits. These credits earn, this time around, such romantic prizes as quaint barrels overflowing with flowers, rustic folding chairs with pastel upholstery, simple suits and maiden-like dresses, and awnings swaddled in flowers. The adjoined SimChase, which begins on February 3rd  and offers wedding seating, a dance floor adorned with fairy lights, a rustic wedding camera, elegant loveseats, and long banquet tables for the perfect wedding reception. 

Mid-February and March will bring a daring Art Deco update gilded in gold. The Belle Hotel Live event begins on February 15th, the Influence Island: Suite Success begins on March 15th, and the fresh SimChase: Bar Brawl, begins on February 27th.  Throughout these events, Simmers can expect to win stunning works of geometric, Jazz-inspired, early 20th century bliss.  Suite Success will offer diamond-shaped mirrors, luxury vanities, glittering archways, and the lights and storage pieces of the swing generation.  Bar Brawl's prizes include stunning gold fountains, impressive Art Deco bar stools, bars, barbacks, and other shining pieces perfect for a Sims speakeasy. The Belle Hotel live event offers a tantalizing set of roaring twenties prizes complete with a huge 20th century hotel as a grand prize.

The Sims Mobile wound down the final event in its most recent update this week.  The current Sweet Treat Showdown: Charming Crafts, began January 25th and gives players the opportunity to mix and bake their way into Sweet Treat fame.  Correctly baked rounds give sweet and royal tokens as a reward.  Players exchange these tokens for crafty comforts such as hobby shop shelves, hobby carts and pinboards, mannequins, rocking chairs, sweater dresses for females, and more.  The grand prizes for this event are a crafty sewing table, a long bangs hairstyle for men, and a 50's flip curl hair style for women. 

Mobile players are looking to the horizon for the next big update.  

​Simmers in the Sims 4 community are absolutely a buzz about the newest Paranormal stuff pack.  Released on January 26th, Sims 4: Paranormal has shocked players with robust gameplay, stunning build/buy items, and Create-a-Sim items that suggest the effortless, haunting beauty of New Orleans. Even players who didn't purchase the pack received a free update to their games: Sims can now experience the fear moodlet, adding a fresh aspect to gameplay. 

Gameplay for this pack is enormously robust.  Simmers can hold seances to summon spirits and the infamous Bonehilda. They can also earn a paranormal license through Guidry the Ghost, visit and build haunted houses, and dispel naughty spirits with their wits and skills.  Sims can master the medium skill, search for haunted items, and find frightening thrills in every corner of this pack.  

That's all for now, but stay tuned on Simmers Digest's website for more in-depth coverage. 

Stay safe, wash your hands, and happy (haunted) Simming!

☀️ Warm it Up or Cool it Down ❄️

Currently, Sims Mobile’s gameplay does not include changing seasons. Thus, mobile Simmers must get creative to mold their homes in the fashions of fall or the wild chill of winter.

Simmers can take a leaf from LaPrem or Ester to “warm up” or “cool down” rooms and terrain.

☀️ Warm-up your rooms with
-Using natural materials like reclaimed wood or hardwood for flooring and wallpaper
-Fireplaces, particularly festive ones
-Accents in red-based colors such as red, orange, gold, and deep browns

❄️ Cool-down your rooms with
- White Garden Stroll tiles that mimic snow
- Accents in blue-based colors such as green, silver, blue, and purple
-Festive ornaments that suggest snow: snowpals, raindeer, and sleighs

What is your favorite seasonal trick?

With 2021 on the horizon, many Simmers may heed the tempting, siren call that is the remodel. For players who want to ring in the new year in glitzy, glamorous style, here are a few tips for designing instant luxury for any Sims home.

Cherry, Jade, MiMi, and Pink Moon are all luxury design experts. Note their skillful use of the following design elements:

-Use white as a backdrop: white is one of those neutrals that suggests the kind of high-class clean that’s nearly intimidating. Using white cabinets, counters, tables, rugs create a uniform background for skillful, moore colorful accents

-Eat in kitchen: Big beautiful open-convept kitchens are all tbe rage, particular in modern manors. Slide a glass or intricately carved table into a big kitchen space to thoughtfully fill the room.

-Stay smart about space: Adorn rooms with high-quality objects with low clutter. Walking areas should look spacious, clean, and highly functional.

-Marble furnishings and plush carpets create an upper crust atmosphere

-Ceiling lights, especially intricate chandeliers, suggest luxury

What are your favorite luxe living tips?

After a show-stopping update that brought not only fresh playable events and purchasable packs but also highly-anticipated base game updates, the Sims Mobile team delivered news of the second half of this astonishing update December 28th.  This portion of the update comes stuffed with the usual: a brand new Treasure Hunt, a fresh Sweet Treats Showdown, three new Wumples Wishlists, and an avalanche of new purchasable packs.  

Sims Mobile will kick off January with a new winter-themed Treasure Hunt. On January 11th, players will dig, dust, and excavate to earn relics and golden bunnies.  These in-game tokens purchase a variety of fresh new items that Simmers can use to decorate their homes or jazz up their Sims' wardrobes. 

Players can look forward to earning the following common prizes: 

• Lanterns by candlelight 
• Celebratory bulbs
• Evergreen Coniferous Tree
• Stone and Timber Lamp
• Evergreen Shrub
• Wooden Park Bench
• Wooden Arch Door
• Wooden Arch Window
• Wrapped up Snow Friend
• Sweet Snowboarding Jacket
• Warm and Comfy Outfit
• Stable Soarer Sled
• Tranquil Timber Arbor
• Stone and Timber Gate
  

If a player successfully excavates all the aforementioned prizes, they can unlock the grand prize chest for 1,000 relics and 320 gold bunnies. 

Inside the grand prize box, players will find: 

• All Year Round Skating Rink
• Friends Together Firepit
• Happy Half-Up Braid

Sims Mobile will round out January with the Sweet Treat: Charming Crafts event.  On January 25th, players will bake, mix, and sprinkle their way through a reality-show baking contest.  Players who successfully out-bake the game's "rival" chef will earn two kinds of tokens for their efforts: sweet tokens and royal tokens.  Sweet Tokens purchase common prizes.  Royal tokens purchase rare prizes.  After collecting all the common and rare prizes, players immediately unlock the grand prize. 

For Sweet Treat: Charming Crafts, cute and kitschy worthy of even the most discerning of knitting enthusiasts are on the menu. 

Players can look forward to the following prizes: 
Common: 

• Hobby Shop Shelves
• Keep it Tidy Hobby Cart
• Hobby Shop Pinboard 
• Lovely Loom 
• Keep it Tidy Craft Materials
• Dress it Up Mannequin
• Embroidered Floral Top

Rare:

• Familial Rocking Chair
• Hobby Shop Desk
• Handmade Sweater Desk

Grand Prize

• Crafty Sewing Table
• Long Bangs Look 
• Fancy Flip Curl

Three new Wumples Wishlist events will hop into game January 9th, January 20th, and January 31st.  Players complete a laundry list of energy-expending activities in return for decor or Create-a-Sim wardrobe items. 

Wumples WIshlist #46 offers hanging holiday cards, standing holiday cards, and 10 fashion gems. 

Wumples Wishlist #47 offers a lovable lion hat, handsome hamster hat, and 10 fashion gems. 

Wumples Wishlist #48 offers Orange you Glad and Apple of the Eye Wall art alongside 10 fashion gems. 

This update is brimming with brand new packs for purchase.  To ring in the new year, the Sims Mobile team has compiled a series of glittering, luxurious build and CAS packs from which Simmers can choose. 

The Bronze, Silver, and Gold Luxe Living packs, for $4.99, $7.99, and $17.99 USD respectively, will trigger in-game on January 6th.  If players purchase all three packs, they will unlock the fourth pack, Boutique Bedroom, for free.  Essentially, Boutique Bedroom awards the player with an enormous, king-sized four-poster bed which comes with two floating end tables.  Sleek and elegant, this Art-Deco inspired bed is a unique asset that many Simmers will find difficult to pass up.  Similarly, the Bronze, Silver, and Gold Living packs boast a variety of swanky, eye-pleasing furniture for the early 20th-century connoisseur.  

The Sims Mobile will also offer several "boost" packs to help players through the notorious grind that is Treasure Hunt and Sweet Treat Showdown. 

In addition, three more purchasable packs: Wintery Retreat, Wonderful and Warm, and Collection of Crafts will also populate in-game on January 11th, January 19th, and January 25th respectively.  Wintery Retreat offers comfortable, cabin-worthy decor, while "Wonderful and Warm" dresses the Sim man in your life in cozy style.  Collection of Crafts compliments the Charming Crafts Sweet Treat event with adorable knitted decor, pastel-colored storage, and hand woven rugs.  

As always, Simmer's Digest extends a massive thank you to Game Changers like Simmerdown Mal for the graphics and information that make these news roundups possible.

​What are you most excited for in this upcoming update?

Building in the Sims Mobile is often a labor of love, one that requires gargantuan creativity and saintlike patience. Sims Mobile, as a relatively new iteration of the Sims franchise, has limited build objects and even more limited build features; Sims Mobile houses do not have balconies, basements, pools, porches, flat roofs, functional staircases, or a moveable mailbox.

Players like TSM Lhyn, who manage large palatial builds despite Sims Mobile’s limitations, do so through sheer persistence, know-how, and a healthy dose of good old-fashioned glitching.

I sat down with Lhyn recently, hoping she would impart some of her knowledge unto us mere Mobile building mortals.