New computer!

So there have been several changes to my plans. I was originally going to buy a MacBook Pro with Retina Display since it could dual-purpose for both college and Sims. I really wasn't too thrilled because The Sims 3 has issues with playing on a Mac, but they're such nice computers that I just couldn't help myself. Then a miracle happened. The college I'm attending gave me a free MacBook Pro! So instead of spending my money on a laptop that had to be college-compatible, I'm now free to spend it on a purely gaming computer.

Meet the Alienware x51. Top-of-the-line gaming computer, incredibly speedy, and absolutely tiny which is perfect for college what with the moving and the sharing of small spaces. I've upgraded it and I'm in love. This thing is so powerful it'll have no problem running everything I could ever throw at it. Complete overkill I know, but I've been saving up for years to get myself a decent computer and this is what I want. Hopefully it'll still be advanced enough to handle not only The Sims 3 but The Sims 4 in its completion. I'll probably have to upgrade the graphics card halfway through The Sims 4, but everything else will hopefully be fine.

Operating System                  Windows 7 Home Premium, 64bit
Software                               Microsoft Office Home & Student 2013
Memory                                 16GB
Hard Drive                             2TB
Processor                              3rd Generation Intel Core (8M cache, up to 3.4Ghz)
Video Card                            NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660

Bring on The Sims 4!

They've finally made what a lot of us had already guessed official. Coming in 2014, the latest Sims base game will be released! This time around they've said that they plan on "returning to the game's roots," which I'm hoping means that the focus will be on the interactions between the Sims and all the little details that made the game so much fun in the beginning. I've been compiling a list of what my dream base game would have:

• More family interactions. (child dancing on parent's feet, family kiss, snuggling)
• Equal age group focus with a lot to do at each age instead of focusing mainly on young adults.
• No more cocoon babies! I want real arms and legs!
• At least the framework for big gameplay elements included in the base so that they fit in seamlessly later. (weather, pets, vacations)
• Better story progression and possibly more aging options. (whole neighborhood, just the active household, none)
• Plenty of build mode options like the ability to create a garage attached to a house on a foundation without cheats, greenhouses, and an attic tool.
• Better and more realistic animations. (getting in and out of cars, backing out of the driveway)
• Improved trait / personality system where the Sims are actually different people because of their traits / personality.
• In-game CAW where you can create your own lot sizes and edit the terrain.

Goodness I want so much! I know that there'll probably be very little of this, but a girl can dream right? All this new and exciting thinking has made me all nostalgic for those beginning days of The Sims 3, when they'd just announced its pending release and the community was in an uproar over that...remember those days?

That was what used to excite the community; can you image what The Sims 4's intro trailer will look like?! That's going to be a huge day. They've told us to keep the 3rd week of August open, so cross your fingers that we only have a few short months until we get some actual information!