SimsPlus!

Vima - Whoohoo! There's a party going on right here! Normally, I hate music on a site, but in the spirit of House Party it works! :) However, I do feel sorry for you guys with 56k or less modems entering such a heavily scripted page.

They lines make the text a little hard on the eyes, but I've seen worse. The cheats section is small, yet very descriptive. The site is easy to navigate and the object descriptions give you a nice view of what's to come and how it will affect your sims.

The purpose of this site is to basically bring new base objects. Patrick J. Barrett III has really come through for the community by partnering Dave to showcase many new objects...and I do mean new.

Farm lovers adore the pig, though he's slightly rough and a little pink. I love the "Country Closet" outhouse, though it can be a mess for my Sims. Some of the older objects are a little jagged and I really prefer smooth edges and a little more texture in the objects. It's always fun to see what they will come up with next and their recent teaming with SimFreaks has created something very cool...though ordinary looking at first.

The skins are few, but they look really cool! The exterior walls look great. I nice collage of textures. There are a few good roofs, though I like the when color variations are offered. Sometimes you find the right style, but the color is all wrong.

The patches could come in handy if you like making Art Studio paintings or have trouble installing your game. Also there is a mailbox patch for those idiots who thought they'd get rid of the mailbox so they wouldn't have to pay bills. ;)

Friendly to PC and Mac users with helpful installers to do the work for you makes downloading is a cinch, even if you install somewhere else. I wish every site had this! HINT HINT!!

I'm so happy that the creations from this site have spawned so many great things through the community. A lot of people complained about the competition when they launched, but others embraced them and took advantage of their open cloning policies to create even more fabulous stuff. Leaving this site with 3 out of 5 martinis with an extra olive.

Skyler - Oh what a site! Great colors! But then I like blue :) I think the main page is laid out nicely. Lots of info and easy to read. I like the white lettering against the dark blue... No straining of the ol' eyes here ;) The scrolling test is rather annoying though, I personally don't need to read all the way back to November 2000. However I check this site often, not everyone does. I generally don't care for sites with music, this ones no exception but it is festive with the pending release of House Party!!! Love the pic too :)

Pop up adds... Phooey! I also always get hit with a pop up window asking to join the mailing list for updates. I've joined a number of times due to the fact that I wasn't receiving any updates. Finally one came! Oh joy! :) The members get a sneak release of objects to come. I saw there was some astronaut them going on. Too bad I don't know how to get to this "special" area for these unique items :( I'll live, I always have Sim Freaks!.

This site has some great info, and help for people needing it. Unique cheat info with DETAILED instructions, and best of all a patch for the dreaded missing mailbox AND trash can!

This site has some great downloads! Puffy the porker for starters! What a slob he is! My Sims just hated cleaning up after him... He died I personally just love the installer this site has! It's really just so much easier to click a button rather then doing it manually... I know, I really musn't over exert my self! LOL :) I also really like the track lighting, I usually can place it on a wall, it lights up a room beautifully, and you can hardly see it! I don't clash with any interior designs. And the street lights add such class to my finer homes.

All in all I really do like this site a lot! The loading is a wee bit slower than I like, but I also have a sorry dial up connection :( I hear it's much faster for people living in the 21 century! LOL :)

I say cheers to Sims Plus with four martini glasses! Now it's ladies night, and the feelings right, oh yes it's ladies night (oh what a night) :)

Squeegee - I am essentially a frequent visitor to this site. I know that first of all, the site is sort of "busy". Lots of bits and pieces to load up on the first page. And I know that it isn't a problem with the folks who use the higher connections. But it's a nuisance for the people using the 56k connection and lower. My mother is one who is lucky to get connected at a rate of 33.6 on her ISP. I know because I have surfed around the Sims community on her computer and it's not fun. I remember waiting the length of the start of "The Drew Carey Show" to the first commercial and that was about the amount time that SimsPlus took to load. I like how the download area is set up. But the blank blue page as soon as you get to the downloads has always made me think that there has yet to be some loading to be done. The fact that all of Patrick's downloads use the "exe" format makes it a site that stands out. I am fully aware not many can do this. But it's something to mention in a review.

The "Patches" section is a important positive mark in my book. It goes above and beyond the line of duty to make patches for known problems for the game. I am not sure of he has done this during working hours or not. But I know of many times where I had to refer a Sims player to SimsPlus so that they can try to install those patches and fix the issues that they were having within the game.

I have never met Patrick and I know he posts from time to time on the SimWatch newsgroup. He is always helpful with answering questions and these patches on his site match his qualities.

Now, I try to be "hard but fair" as a reviewer. I can see the love that is placed into Sims related websites as well as see the negatives. But I also have to be honest.

Patrick is a fan of the game, he is also a employee of Maxis. And he has the ability to make brand new objects for the game that sets his work way out of the bounds of other Sims fans who have to settle with "T-Mog" and programs of that nature. So, this alone sets his website "above" any other Sims related website because the objects are unique in that no one else can do the same things as he can.

Now, I am not knocking him because of that. He can be a fan just like anyone else. My only pet-peeve is that "SimsPlus" has been a "spotlight" site at the official Sims website. And I just don't agree with that. I actually felt that when SimsPlus was in that spotlight of the week, that Patrick should have exempted the site do to the fact that he has tools to use that others do not (EDITH) that would place his site above others. If I was in his shoes I would go through great pains to not get any awards because I have an advantage over others who can't play on the same level playing field.

Now, I say this and it has no bearing on my review of the website itself. But I don't think I could not mention it and then turn around and still be truthful to the people who read these reviews.

In my opinion, the SimsPlus "Patches" feature is a major positive because it was done to help others and because of this I submit the rating of four martinis.

Mason - Flaking ;) Get it together girl!

Sister Cecilia C. Simser:
Church of Simmintology. - Oh my, why if it's not the very holy grail of sims sites, I myself have never been here but this will give me a chance to see what all the hubbub is about...Well yes look at that, it all starts out with a little movie and me not having a spare dime for the popcorn. Well now, the night club in the film is just like the Lounge, I think I see Vima and my Goodness but that girl there looks just like our Skyler, bare midriff and all. Hmmmm, but no Piety corner for me? Where is the management?

Ok movie is over, nice little break but, we had better get moving along. Let me just collect The Good Book and my extra hankie. Let's go!

Well now there does seem to be everything from objects to cheat codes, not that I nor the Lord condones cheating!! No, no indeedy.

Everything is so prettily laid out, no need for a tour guide nor a bag of bread crumbs to find your way back out! No strange animations to mesmerize you!

The help section is just chalk full of information and patches. Everything is MAC compatible as well, for the PC challenged folk out there, the Lord does not discriminate and it appears that neither do the good folk here at SimPlus, Praise be!

Well enough about that lets get to the objects section my favorite...um hmmm, nice, nice, yes this is what I like to see. Original objects, everyone doing his/her own work! Thou shalt not steal! I can tell you that the Good Lord will not be a party to stealing, oh no he will not!! There is only one person who benefits from that sort of behavior. And who might that be?? Oh yes as my Dear Sister "The Church Lady" would say, could it be SATAN? Yes indeed it could...but luckily I can see no evidence of "His" handiwork here. Amen!

For the layout, and the objects, and of course the propaganda surrounding this site I shall give it Four and an half communion cups and a bit extra for my newly downloaded pet project, Pig farming! Oh but won't the folks back at the Donna Reed simulated cooking academy and recreational facility get a kick out of this?
Hmm, wonder if Vima will let me keep "just a couple," in my corner tonight, until I can get them back home?? Good thing she offered the limo, I don't relish a ride on the bus toting pigs.

Be Good my dear children and happy Simming!
(NO, no Skyler I did NOT say SINNING.....Oh dear Heavens help us!)