Memorable Moments - Fiction / Science Fiction

What is a memorable moment

Anything that happens in your life, is stored as a memory.  There are different strengths of memories, but every single thing that happens is a memory.  Most memories are really basic average memories, that are just there.  Others are stronger, they come to recollection more often, and are much more powerful (often emotional).  There are two major types of memories. The stronger, more personal, memories that often involve friends, family, or situations that are very close to you. Others are more typical memories that just are. The memory of drinking coffee this morning, mixed with memories of thousands of other morning if drinking coffee.

For example, if you drink a cup of coffee every morning for 15 years.  That's pretty much the same memory. Each one a little different, but overall they blur into one.  If you ask yourself, oh do I remember the third cup of coffee I ever had on that soft summer day. Probably not. That was 1 out of thousands of cups of copy every single morning, each it's on memory. However what about that one day 360 mornings ago when you spilled coffee on the floor, tripped on it, and ended up in the emergency room for 2 days.  Well...that's a memory that is different from all the other coffee memories. Something happened that you won't forget. The other mornings just all blend together, this memory stands out from the rest. So is a stronger memory.

So overall I am going to be speaking about memories on a small scale. Memories you get from reading books, watching a movie, playing video games, or other basic stuff outside the realms of basic reality.  The point of this blog post is to list out some of my memorable moments in the world of fiction, science fiction, and fantasy. Let's get started with a list, as listed below.

Memorable Moments

They are listed below, in no particular order:

1. Sonic Boom - The sonic boom was a special move that was introduced in Street Fighter. This was very memorable for me. I really could relate to the characters in Street Fighter growing up. I watched the movies, played the games, and collected some of the action figures. I wasn't a super fanatic, but as all things fantasy, fiction, and science fiction...it was a definite interest of mine.  When I first saw the sonic book, it was the entire experience that drew me in.  Everything from screaming Sonic Boom and hearing the words vibrate, all the way to the kick flip that sent the attack towards an enemy.  I use to go into my PE clash and do a kick flip and scream it, boy did I feel the power when I did that.  It was something I did as a kid and really liked, and could relate to. I occasionally think back on it, and anytime I see the Sonic Boom on TV, or think about it, it always brings a smile and some nice memories along with it.

2. Inuyasha special moves, spoken dialog - I know this is strange, but another memorable moment comes from the Inuyasha series.  Specifically the words they speak when doing special movies.  Listening to any of the episodes, anytime I hear them scream the name of one of their special attacks, I feel a rush of energy and it immediately gets my attention and gets my heart going. It makes me feel the power, and energy behind the moves, makes me feel as if I am there, standing there seeing this happen. Most of the memorable moment here comes from hearing them call out the moves, but not all of it. Seeing the moves as well in their entire affect is memorable, but it's that initially battle call they make when first using the move.  Wind Scar, Wind Tunnel, and so forth.  Even some of the more...odd moves, like "Dance of the Dead" and so forth, always get me fired up when listening. This is similar to the sonic book listed in #1, but I wanted to separate them since they are both separate memorable moments for me, and related to two totally different things.

3. On Bakh Fight Scenes - I have seen a lot of fight movies, and a lot of fight scenes have meant a lot to me over the years. But nothing quite like some of the fight scenes that I have seen in the various On Bakh movies. They hold a special place in my heart. He has one of the most unique fighting styles out there, and even months after watching one of his movies, I find myself daydreaming I am in his position, and can feel my mind taking me through the moves. Almost see myself enacting in his style, and tearing the enemies apart.  Out of all fight scenes I have seen in all movies, these are the ones that are burnt the most into my memory, and I am specifically speaking of all the On Bakh movies, not one in particular.

4. Valkyrie Profile Lenneth - Lezard Valeth Quotes - The voice actor is absolutely amazing. What more can I say. Hearing him speak feels me with awe and wonder, and really activates my imagination.  He speaks with such authority, and really riles your emotions when playing the game, and really gets you immersed into the stories, considering that he voice acts his part of the game so well, it's almost unreal.  It helps that all of his quotes are so well written, that they are very easy to find yourself musing over.  Overall a very good experience, and definitely one of my more memorable moments.

That's it for now, those are the biggest ones I can think of. If I think of more later, and/or acquire more, then I will happily add them to this post.  For now, thanks for reading!

The Uncanny X-Men #2 - Plot Summary + Notes - Thoughts

Plot line


The X-Men are currently in the city, and they get an urgent summons from Professor Xavier. Each member of the X-Men is racing back to the mansion.

Angel flies back, but he takes a rest and ends up getting swarmed by girls that want to kiss him, and get his autograph.  Jean Grey helps him by using her Telekinesis to float them into the movie theatre. She uses too much energy carrying all of those people, and starts feeling faint.  Angel flies her back to the mansion.

Beast runs up some buildings and lands on top of a train, which takes him back.

Cyclops and Iceman are together. Cyclops see's a building collapsing on some construction workers, so he uses his beam on Maximum blast and turns the construction wall to dust, saving the workers lives. Afterwards they are thanked, then they pay an Ice Cream truck driver to drive them back to the mansion. They also have to pay for the icecream snacks that IceMan ate while driving in the back.

Once they reach the mansion, Professor Xavier creates another mental projection. It shows this guy named Vanisher walking into a bank, demanding money (he has a gun) and then vanishing before the police can capture him.  After that, there is some horse playing among the X-Men, and then Professor Xavier breaks them up and takes them into the Danger Room to start their training.

Professor X tests out Angel's endurance by trying to get him to catch something that is going really fast. He flakes out, and then ends up having to rest. Beast is sent in, and has his strength tested.  He passes his test. Afterwards Jean is tasked with holding up something very large to build up her endurance.  She holds it up for a good bit, and then Cyclops has to come in and save the day at the last minute.

During these scenes Iceman is showing off his machine gun pellets, and ice grapple as well.

It switches scenes to the Pentagon. Several high profile members of government are sitting down and talking about some very top secret government plans which detail the Continental Defense Plans.  Vanisher appears within the room, tells the officials to be ready..he's coming in two days and getting the plans, and then he vanishes.   He is then seen surrounded by street mobsters, and gangsters. Each of them vying over his power. They all agree to serve him.

When all of that is done it shows Professor Xavier calling one of his government contacts. He is calling F.B.I Agent Duncan to get an update on the situation with Vanisher. They are then provided with a Military air Taxi.  They use it to arrive at the location where they are expecting the attack to take place.

It switches scenes again, but this time to the top secret plans. It shows them laying on a table (in a briefcase) surrounded by 3 armed agents.  Vanisher appears in the room, takes the plans, and teleports out. He reappears in the hall way and lets a guard grab him, then teleports away again outside.  At this point he encounters the X-Men.

Angel takes him into the air, but he is still able to teleport away. Beast then grabs the case, but then looses it again to the Vanisher.  Cyclops knocks the briefcase out of his hand, and Jean Grey uses her power to keep the case away from him.  Vanisher ends up teleporting behind Jean Grey and using Sleeping Gas.  She starts to get sleepy, and vanisher grabs the case.  Iceman throws an Icefist but it's too late, Vanisher ends up teleporting away to safety.

Over the next day or so the X-Men are getting a lot of bad publicity.  They are being called failures.  They end up rough housing a bit. Angel uses his wings to blow away the Iceman, who then ices over his wings. Then Cyclops works towards unfreezing his wings.

Professor X does another video and shows the teleporting at 20,000 frames per second. Then it shows a few things about Professor Xavier contacting the F.B.I Agent with a plan. Then he ends up taking the X-Men to face off against The Vanisher and all his petty criminal goons.

Within a few minutes the X-Men side step and Professor X ends up coming out. Vanisher thinks he's just a human, but quickly learns otherwise.  The Professor ends up doing something in his mind. He first instills a great deal of fear, Then he forgets how to control his vanishing power, then he forgets who he is, and what he's doing. Complete memory loss.  The drain took so much out of The Vanisher that he reverts almost to a child.  Completely helpless.

The criminals aren't happy that their boss is gone, so they attack the X-Men. The peddy Criminals are quickly taken care of. Beast takes their guns, while and knocks them into a hole that is cut by Cyclops, and then Iceman throws over an ice roof.  The remaining thugs have their own weapons turned against them by Jean Grey, while Angel takes care of the last few.

The military police arrive, and think Professor Xavier is just another civilian, they have no idea he is the leader of the X-Men.

That's the end of this issue.

Characters, Enemies, and Special Notes


The X-Men all have the same powers, but some additional details are revealed in this comic. Also some limits are imposed on some of their powers as well.  The details are below:

- Beast - Beast can use his hands and feet to climb literally anything with ridges. This allows him to scale up most standard buildings, and other structures. Also his overall physical strength is increasing over time, and he continues to get stronger with continued practice.

- Jean Grey - She has the same powers in this issue, but they imposed a limit on her.  Now she feels physical strain when lifting too much weight. The Professor told her not to lift more than what she is normally able to physically carry.  However, with continued practice, she can hone her powers to allow her to lift heavier weight. Upon overexertion she becomes tired, weak, and has the potential to faint.

- Cyclops - It's still too early to gauge the full potential of his eye beam, but during this comic he sets it to full power and turns construction material into dust. So it's much more powerful than originally expected.

- Professor X - A lot more about his powers are revealed. He actually has the power to alter someones mind, memory, and mental functions.  He can cause people to forget things, as well as damage their mind.  He can instill certain emotions of fear as well, by manipulating certain parts of their brain.  He seems to be able to alter, rewrite, and remove/block memories as well.

- Iceman - He learned a total of 2 new abilities. The first is the ability to use his hands as rapid fire machine guns that shoot ice pellets. The second ability is to make an ice hook rappel that can be used for climbing to higher surfaces.

- Angel - He has the ability to flap his wings and create strong gusts of wind. These winds are strong enough to knock an opponent off balance, or stun someone temporarily.

They face off against a new enemy, he is listed below:

The Vanisher - The vanisher is another mutant that the X-Men have to go up against. He has the ability to teleport from one location to another, in the blink of an eye.  He can disappear from any location (whether on the ground, or in the air) and reappear in another location of his choosing. It makes no mention of any limitation pertaining to distance, or the amount of times he can teleport during a small time.  He can also vanish even if someone has grabbed hold of him, or is holding him at the time.

Note: They still refer to Jean's power as Teleporation.

Note: This is the first issue they actually started naming their training area. They call it "The Danger Room".

The Uncanny X-Men #1 - Plot Summary + Notes - Thoughts

This is the first series of X-Men to ever be released.  This is where it all started.  This post contains heavy spoilers.

Plot Line


The comic starts in Westchester County New York, at the mansion of Professor Charles Xavier.  The team of X-Men are called telepathically to the training area.  They come in and make Professor Xavier comfortable, and then perform a mix of training, free play, and excercise.

First the beast is called, he practices his agility, his leg work, his cannonball ability, as well as his agility precision.  Next up Angel gets to fly his own obstacle course.  His obstacle course is setup to test his flying ability, speed, and precision in the air.  He has to fly through the obstacle course and avoid hurting himself.  Upon his completion, Iceman steps up and is given some free time. He tries to joke around some as a snowman, but Professor X orders Beast to test him. Beast throws a cannonball at Iceman, which reflects it with an ice slide, which is then grabbed by Beast.  Cyclops steps up and knocks Beast into a wall, and then starts drilling down on Icemans ice block he sets up. After that the X-Men tackle him, and the rough housing begins. After a few minutes of this Professor Xavier calls a stop to it, just as Jean Grey arrives at the mansion.

She comes in and displays her Telekinetic powers to the team, and then officially joins as one of the X-Men. All of the men (Except Cyclops) are very flirty, like rabid wolves.  Staring at her, trying to get her attention, showing off and so forth. Cyclops has a lot more respect and contains his composure.  They spend some time getting to know each other, and getting familiar with each others personalities.

The scene shifts to Magneto, the evil mutant.  He is watching Cape Citadel from a long distance.  His intent is to make the base surrender to him, and then continue with his evil plan.  He starts off by sabatoging one of their missle launchers.  That makes the papers. Then throughout several days other launches fail, machine guns go haywire, a tank gets destroyed and then finally he leaves a magnetic message in the skype telling them to surrender the base.

He then comes down to the base and forces it to surrender. He walks right in the front door, repels all of the people away from him, and protects himself with a magentic shield.  He then goes up to the commander, and wraps him (along with his men) in a magnetic shield.  The end result is that the entire personnel for the base is sent outside of the base, and the base itself is surrounded by a powerful magnetic force field keeping them all out. He then has full control over the base.

The X-Men are prepared by Xavier and are sent away on the mission. They drive a custom Royles Royce and then they take a private jet (mind controlled by the Professor) to the base.  They meet with the captain, who gives them permission to help (although he is stunned because they are all costumed and doing amazing things).  They try different things on the field, and nothing works. Finally Cyclops ends up using all out beam power to burst through the shield, causing him to almost go unconscious from strain. The feedback from his shield going down knocks Magneto off his feet, severely weakening him.

He launches some heat seeking missles, that head straight for Angel. He dodges them and Iceman uses some of his grenades and is able to disable all but one of the missles.  Beast tells him to fly low, and when he does Beast catches the final missle with his feet, and then Jean Grey moves it out into the water and detonates it.  Afterwards they turn their attention to finding magneto.

Magneto traps Angel in a lot of metal, and then Cyclops blows it away to free Iceman. Magneto then ignites a tank of Rocket Fuel and sends it to the team. Iceman covers them in an ice igloo, while at the same type Cyclops blasts a hole underground saving them from the blast. After the smoke clears they blast their way out of the rubble and Magneto makes his escape, leaving a giant magnetic force field behind. It doesn't last long, but it gives him time to escape.

The X-Men are then congratulated by the General of the base, and he says he will always honor them. Now that the mission is a success, they are on their way back to the base.

Characters, Enemies And Special Notes


This is the first issue of Uncanny X-Men and the first appearance of the X-Men team.  The team within this comic consists of:

- Cyclops (Slim Summers) - He is second in command of the X-Men besides Professor X. It does not directly specify this, but it's obvious as he gives commands when they are on the ground.  He has what they call (at this time) an "Energy Ray".  His eyes generate this natural energy anytime they are open. It fires this beam of super powerful energy that can severely damage or destroy anything in front of it. Whenever he is not in costume, he wears glasses. At this point in time it doesn't reveal anything about the glasses, but you never notice him without them.  When in costume he wears a visor that restricts the use of the ray. There is also a precision system built into it.  By using a dial on the side of the visor, it allows him to shoot the beam at different intensity levels. He seems to cause some level of strain upon heavy uses of his ray.  It seems it could even go to the point of passing out, I'm not sure how much further than that. He almost passed out during the comic from overdoing it. He doesn't seem as childesh as the rest of the team, and seems to be very devoted to Professor Xavier and their mission as a whole.  He also uses his eye beam at maximum power during one scene, and that allows him to cut through Magneto's Magnetic barrier.  It is hard to say the full extent, because it's hard to fathom the power behind the magnetic shield.  The shield was able to withstand any attack from the humans, including tank fire.

- Beast (Hank McCoy) - His outward appearance is that of a very strong man.  His abilities however, are that of a very powerful animal.  He is extremely agile, strong, fast, flexible and durable. Much more so than an average human. His physical strength resembles that of a very large ape.  He is also very capable with his feet. He can use them and manipulate objects as well (or better) than he can with his hands.   He can use them to hang off of objects, and perform tasks.  Several times he is also seen using his body as a human Cannonball.  He can throw his body (rolled up into a ball) into a wall, object, or enemy and bounce right off of it.

- Iceman (Bobby Drake) - He has the ability to create, control, and manipulate ice.  When in costume he freezes up his entire body to resemble a snowman. Then he puts on a pair of shoes (kind of like his trademarks). He does a variety of things in the comic with his ice abilities. He is seen creating ice shields and forcefields, creating igloos, throwing ice grenades, freezing things, creating loops to propel items back from the direction they came, using ice slides and ice poles, and some other things. Also whenever he is in the area the overall temperature drops in the area, and things very close to his body start to freeze.  He is also able to encase his entire body into a very thick block of ice. All of his ice walls, blocks, and slides are extremely strong and made of hard ice that is hard to penetrate by normal means. Within this comic his age is revealed as 16. He is the youngest of the X-Men, and therefore the most childish. His dream is to prove himself as an effective member of the X-Men, and sometimes he tries too hard.

- Angel (Warren Worthington the Third) - He is (for all intents and purposes) a bird-man. He has every single characteristics of a standard person, but with additional appendages and some structural changes (Which aren't actually mentioned in the comic, but they are obvious).  He has a pair of wings that extend out of his back. They are large enough to support his weight, but small enough to be able to hide under his clothes (In straps) when he is not in costume.  From reading, you gather that his body is built more aerodynamically correct than a standard humans. He seems to have very precise movements when in flight, and can make on the dime turns in mid-air.  Also he is seen practicing a new ability, the ability to hover in one place.

- Marvel Girl (Jean Grey) - She is a new member that joins the X-Men about a quarter of the way through the comic.  Her ability is Telekineses.  She is able to lift, move, and manipulate objects with her mind.  She has extremely intense focus and can do several telekinetic things at one time (including more complicated things) with almost surgical precision.

- Professor X (Charles Xavier) - He is the owner of the school, and leader of the X-Men. They follow his word without deviation.  Each member also gives him their utmost respect.  He is a telepath.  He is able to read peoples minds, and project his thoughts into other peoples minds.  He is also capable of long distance mental communication with his team of X-Men.  He is also seen controlling their private jet with his mind. Presumably it was created to be controlled by his mind alone.

The enemies within this comic are:

- Magneto - His real name is not revealed within this comic.  He is the first enemy the X-Men encounter.  He wears a full red outfit, with a front-face almost fully closed in helment.  His entire outfit is made of metal.  He has the ability to manipulate metal in any way, and it seems he can do so with any type of metal.  He expressed the use of several abilities within this comic: He can fly (by lifting his metal suit), create magnetic force fields and protective barriers, bend/break/destroy metal, repel gunfire, control metal with surgical precision for any purpose, and repel anything/everything away from his body.  His personality in this comic is an extreme hate for humanity, and an extreme desire to dominate.  He also has a very large ego. On the subject of his powers, I want to point out something about his magnetic shields. During one of the scene's he creates a very strong magnetic field around the base to keep the humans out.  That shield is so strong that nothing in the Human arsenal is able to penetrate it. Not even tank fire. However, Cyclops was able to penetrate it using maximum power on his eye beam.

I also noticed a few mistakes with this comic, and a few notes.

- Note: Cyclops was given the first name Slim in this issue. There was no mention of Scott. Not sure if they had not created the name yet, or if they ended up just not releasing it.

- Note: They released Icemans age of 16, and he was the only one who had his age released.

- Error: When Jean was first showing off her powers, she accidentally said "Teleporation" which is an improper term.  Teleporation is teleporting from one place to another, she uses Telekinesis. That is the only place in the comic where it calls it Teleportation. Obviously a typo error.  This was on Page 9, bottom left panel.

Sims 3 - Mini Gardening Guide

Sims 3 is a great game. I have already written one blog post about some of the bugs/quirks in the game, and various alternative fixes for them.  I wanted to write another blog post devoted to Gardening.  This game has a very deep, and thorough gardening system that did not exist (this deeply) in previous games. This guide assumes you have the latest version of the game + all EP's and all SP's (pretty much everything that EA offers for this game).

Basic Structure/Layout

My original approach to the crop structure was one I took from some of the Harvest Moon games (the standard 3X3.  Then I realized there were several issues with watering, and reaching all of the crops. So after a lot of trial and error, I settled in a line structure. Each line consists of 2 crops thick and the line can run as far as you want.  2 crops, then 2 crops, then 2 crops and so forth to form as long of a line as you can handle.  However, I don't just stick with one line. I have a total of 3 identical lines running parallel to each other, with one block space in between each one.  This is the perfect setup for me for several reasons.

1. You can get to all of the crops pretty easily.
2. It allows me to leave line breaks in JUST the middle line.  These line breaks are for Sprinklers, explained later.

I always made sure each one of my lines were of identical length, at least at the end if you take into account middle line sprinklers).  Then I surround my ENTIRE set of 3 lines with a fence around the entire thing. I place a gate if needed, or a door running straight from inside my house, to the garden. The reason I do this is because of the zombies. They will actually come and destroy your crops, unless you have something preventing them from getting to it. This is almost unavoidable if they are left uncovered. I noticed this problem right off the bat. I am guessing dogs/cats can also destroy them, so this is another good way to prevent your animals from getting into the garden at all. Focusing the effort on just you and your crops.

Watering - Handling Itself

Before I start discussing the handling/care of the crops, I want to let you know about the sprinkler.  Tending a large set of crops can be VERY time consuming, so setting up your watering system JUST right prevents you from having to water, saving all of your time for weed pulling, planting, and harvesting (general tending).

Setup line breaks in the MIDDLE line, based off the range of the sprinkler. Go into buy mode and select the sprinkler, and then try to place it to see the water area of coverage. Make your middle line, line breaks in such a way that you can place sprinklers inside them, and get the coverage area to cover as much of your crops as possible (if not all) throughout ALL 3 lines.  That's another reason I do the lines..it allows for maximum coverage of crops, and allows more focus on quantity of crops.

Once that is done, get someone Handy to tweak the sprinkler. At some point you'll get an option to auto-water.  Fix ALL of your sprinklers up with that, and then turn them on. After that just make sure they stay repaired if they ever break, and your done.

Harvesting/Tending/Care

The rest of it's easy. Get your crops together..you can buy them at a store, or find them laying on the ground.  Then start planting whatever you can find. Make sure you only plant what you want. You don't want 50 apple tree's, and just 3 wolfsbane. You want to even it out.  So at first try building a few of each that you have, and then continue adding as you begin to harvest.  Then that's it. Whenever you see the options available just select Tend to take care of everything (weeding, harvesting) or if you have limited time just harvest.  After awhile the plants die after a certain number of harvesting, when that happens just replant something in their place.

I recommend an Alchemy bench near by so you have something to do with all of those crops you harvest.  A standard person can handle some decent long lines, although I have over done it before. Just keep up with it the best you can and it'll get easier and easier.

Fertilizer

Each crop can be fertilized with different types of fertilizer.  Fertilizer increases the "quality" of the crops. I generally just fertilize with whatever I want. However, if you research you can find that each type of Crop works best with a "Favorite" type of fertilizer. This increases the affectiveness.  However, all I did was randomly apply fertilizer to random stuff..and I was still achieving "Perfect" crops on a lot of them. For specifics on fertilizer, you can check here: http://sims.wikia.com/wiki/Gardening_(The_Sims_3)

Sims 3 - Glitches, Errors and their respective solutions.

The Game

I am a very strong Sims fan. I have played various Sims games since they were first released. Starting with the original "The Sims", I started getting my first experience literally weeks after the first original base game came out.  I played "The Sims" throughout it's entire release lifetime. I would spend months sometimes away from the game, and then always come crawling back when the newer expansions hit the market.  I experienced the full Sims (original) experience with all expansions, stuff packs, and loads of custom content.

From there, I expanded my experience over the years into Sims 2.  Eventually resulting in total installation of all expansions, all stuff packs, and hundreds of hours worth of collection custom mods, clothes, hair, and various other aspects of sim-ness.

Over the years, they finally released Sims 3, and currently that is the game I have been played. I have all expansions, all stuff packs, and the latest (as of 3/9/2013) patch.  Currently the most recent expansion was University.

Throughout the time period I have been playing this game (to date) there are several errors/issues that (as far as I am aware) Electronic Arts is not ever intending on fixing.  Because of this, I have brought it upon myself to find the solution to these problems myself. Some of these are major bugs/issues with the game, while others are simply user error that is easily resolved.

Room Mate Obsession, Infinite Room Mate, Daily Room Mate

This "User Error" deals with a situation where every single day, a new room mate is added to your lot. Even if you dismiss/kick out a room mate, it still does not allow you to go 24 hours without suddenly having another random strange Sim living with you, sleeping in your house, and just overall hanging out with you..while sleeping in your bed.  So...overall..is this an error....Actually.. it's not.

The "Room Mate" system has an enable/disable feature. So..when Enabled, the system will check (every day) to see if you have a Room Mate. If not, it randomly adds one.  Well..this is setup based off your preference. If configured right, then it'll add two room mates. So what is happening is the system has this enabled..so when you kick out a room mate, well suddenly a new one comes bright and early at 8:00 in the morning, the next morning.  No matter how many you kick out, they are always back.

Solution: Go to your smart phone.  Select Real Estate services...and room mate services. You'll see an enable/disable option. If it's enabled, then that is why this is happening. Simply disable this, and the problem is solved.

Crash While Save

There are some situations where a Sims game might crash while saving. This is the most annoying error /problem with the game. Nothing irritates like losing a ton of gameplay, or build progress.  I had a specific issue that was a save crash error. Mine was specific.  If you go into build mode, and place down some walls, and then leave and try to save...it crashes. This isn't a situation that occurs all the time, but only when certain conditions are met.   So if you are having that kind of issue, look below for a solution that I found that works EVERY SINGLE TIME...however, if your having just general save crashes, then there are a host of other solutions that have worked for various people online. I have listed these solutions I found online below..I actually tried ALL of these solutions for my issue, before I actually found a solution (that I created) that actually fixed it..and did it the right way, without any negatives.

Alright, the basic fixes to try (if your facing general crashing while saving issues) are as follows:

1. https://help.ea.com/article/dep-settings-for-sims-3-on-vista-and-windows-7 - Follow these instructions.

2. Try running the base game by bypassing the launcher. Go to the base game folder..It's going to be in the folder that all the Sims games were installed in, whatever that path is. It's different depending on whether it's Physical, Steam, or Original digital download. Once in the main install folder for the MAIN game (not an expansion) then go to game/bin and select the TS3W.exe file.  Then go to options an run in Windows XP compatibility, as well as "Run as Administrator" check box.

3. Turn off virus scan, firewalls, windows defender, and so forth. Anything that might hinder the application from performing certain actions.

4. Uninstall Daimon Tools, or UTorrent..if you have one of those two apps installed. Someone said (somewhere I found online) that these are not compatible, and in some situations cause errors/issues.  So uninstall them just to rule that out.

5. Upgrade your Bios, Graphics driver, sound card driver and/or any other drivers you can safely figure out how to install, especially the Graphics/Display driver.  This is a major cause for a lot of people's crashes.

Now for my issue. The issue I had was experienced by THOUSANDS of people around the time Seasons came out..it has been a persistent issue with some people ever since.  So what happens..is your playing your game. You decide you want to do some building, so you head into build mode. Add some walls (expand your house) do some other stuff, spend hours going through perfecting the house..then go to live mode, save and BAM it crashes on you. You rage out, break your laptop/computer, throw it out the window..accidentally drop it on your car, and cry yourself to sleep...or maybe not..Anyway, the first part is true.  So what causes this.  Well after HUNDREDS of hours of testing, the general community consensus has narrowed the issue down. Most people don't have ANY issues with this build mode/save glitch. But when people do run into this issue, it's generally narrowed down to building walls. People generally who have this issue can build anything else, except walls. If they try a wall and save it, then it messes up.

This issue was originally thought to be caused by seasons, but it's not. It's actually caused by a corrupted lot. When this happens it means SOMETHING you did, or something that happened on the lot or during the course of playing, ended up corrupting the lot. So in CERTAIN situations (building walls is one of them) some strange programming error is throw, and the game is shut down.  Now that we know why...let's figure out HOW to fix it.  Well I doubt they EVER patch the game to fix this. Because it's almost impossible to replicate, without extensive testing..and the lot can get corrupted in a thousand different ways. The fix that was detailed online was very...dangerous.

The general fix was this....save the sim/lot to the clip board, bulldoze the lot, and place the sim/lot down again. Problem solved...yes, it is solved...BUT..not entirely.  I mean it's resolved, but at the expense of losing some of you temporary date (moodlets, external house hold relationships, and other minor things). Not to mention it's risky..what happens if the game glitches, or the clip board clears itself, or they get stuck in the clip board.  You lose it forever, completely gone.  Have to start over from scratch.

So what do you do instead.  Well you check the size of your LOT.  Find another lot somewhere in the city with the same size.  Then just MOVE the lot. It'll move the house, the sims in it, and everything 100% as is into the new lot.  Then bulldoze the glitched lot, move it back in, and go back into live mode.  Then save. Then go into build mode, build walls, whatever you want, and save again. No problems. Problem solved. Generally once fixing a broken lot, GENERALLY you won't ever have to deal with this issue. People play for THOUSANDS of hours without running into the issue. BUT if the evil issue DOES raise it's ugly head again..guess what, now you have a fix that takes less than 5 minutes to implement with NO negative impacts..and if the issue is caused by a corrupted lot, then this is 100% GUARANTEED to fix the issue.

Sims Not Losing Need Bars

So...you noticed your Sim is suddenly not losing their needs. Their energy or hunger has been the same for several days. So why..well generally this only happens if you were messing (in some way) with the boolproptesting check.  That is a very dangerous cheat, and you need to know A LOT about what your doing it before you start messing with it and ALWAYS turn it off when your done.

So first things first, let's make sure you didn't disable them. Type in "BoolProp testingCheatsEnabled true" into the panel. Click the option to enable/disable their needs.  I forget the option but just make sure it's set to the right setting. If that isn't the cause, then simply reset the sim.

Simply type "resetSim Firstname Last Name". This will set their motives to neutral, remove all mood lits, teleports them back homes, and reset's their bars.  This will fix the issue. Reset each Sim in your house hold, and your done.  Not sure if testing cheats is required for this to work. Either way, make sure that you disable the testing cheat when your done.

Woo Hoo Refusals

So...let's say you have a girlfriend, lover, wife (Etc...) and you find yourself WooHoo'ing all over the house. In the tub, in the bed, and so forth. At first you WooHoo several times a day, sometimes several times in a row. Never have a problem. Then one day your "other" starts turning you down all the time.  Glitch...not really.  Here is how I have seen it work, and kind of mapped out the behavior myself.

Well the first thing I noticed, is that when you first go steady or get married, the WooHoo'ing seems to almost always work.  Most likely this is caused by a new relationship. In real life the general situation is..within the first beginning period of time you end up being together, sex is very....very deep. It happens a great deal more often, than a couple that has been together longer. This isn't "Always" the case, but a general rule of thumb. Well they built that overall idea into the sims as well. Newer relationships have no "Restrictions".

Then several factors are taken into account.... zodiac sign compatibly, attractiveness, mood, traits, and several other factors.  So what do you do (taking all these factors into account) you find yourself in a situation where your "other" isn't wanting to Woo Hoo. Well...that isn't actually a glitch. Unless it's a newer relationship, or the situation is perfect...there are certain road blocks built into this. Just as in real life you have to build up to it. When you first starting talking to your other, you'll notice it says "Simname thinks simname is OK.". After a minute it'll change it "Simname thinks simname is being flirty".  Then finally "Simname thinks simname is alluring". At this point it's easy to get them to WooHoo. So I don't think this is a glitch. I think it's a system built into the game to resemble "Foreplay".  Trying to jump in right often generally fails (unless conditions are already correct), in those situations it requires a little bit of time and effort to get the mood right, or your Sim ends up shoving you off.

Stupid Zombies eating my plants

Soo....not a glitch. However, assuming you like Gardening, you might start planting a lot of stuff. Then a stupid zombie comes along and starts eating them.  Not a glitch, but annoying and fixable nonetheless. Simply build a fence with a locked gate (to everyone but you). Problem solved. I generally build a fenced in (smaller) area outside, then put a door leading from my house to it. If the zombie can't get to it, they can't eat your flowers either.  Also a good way to keep from getting "Zombie Attack" while you try to tend to your garden.

University Life Glitches

I noticed a few people came to this post from a search term asking if it was worth installing the game with the current glitches in University.  Honestly, the answer to this is yes.  There aren't really a lot of glitches in University at least not bad ones. They are no worse than without it.  Not to mention within a short period of time they released that new patch, and will no doubt release another within a matter of weeks mopping up some other glitches.

Overall there are a few minor glitches, but nothing game breaking and nothing too annoying.

In Closing

If I run into any other errors/issues with Sims, then I will post here what they are, and the solutions that were found. However, so far those are the only real issues I have encountered personally during game play, as well as some that I know exist and have found solutions for that I know work.

Evanescence - The Last Song I'm Wasting On You

OK, so one of my favorite groups (currently) is Evanescence.  They are not my only favorite group, but one of them.  Anyway...I have heard practically all of their songs throughout the course of the last 1 to 1/2 years.  So I am familiar with most of them. Well yesterday I was playing an old CD of tracks and I ran into one that I had originally missed this entire time. The track was titled "The Last Song I'm Wasting On You".  So as usual, when I listen to music I try to put a big focus into what the music means, and what the hidden "symbolism" means throughout the songs I hear.  So I listened to it several times and got the word down, did some digging online, and then listened to it again. I think I have a good handle on the overall meaning of the song.

The song is copied/pasted below for the lyrics, in plain text. My thoughts on meaning interpretation are added in as bold text. I could (and probably am) wrong in some respects but this is what I gather from the song, for now.

Sparkling grey,
They're my own veins.
Any more than a whisper,
Any sudden movement of my heart.
And I know, I know I'll have to watch them pass away

To me, after reading online and listenging to the song a few times, means suicide.  Sparkling grey could be the flash of a razor blade (like you shave with).  Also saying "They're my own veins" she is able and wanting to kill herself at this point.    Saying that it won't take hardly anything to end her life right at that moment.

Just get through this day

Self-motivation to try to talk herself out of the suicide.

Give up your way, you could be anything,
Give up my way, and lose myself, not today
That's too much guilt to pay

This i'm not entirely sure about.  MAybe she's talking to herself, again more self-motivation to try to prevent killing herself.  Maybe this is her way of saying that she has too much guilt for the people she leaves behind upon her death (maybe).

Sickened in the sun
You dare tell me you love me
But you held me down and screamed you wanted me to die
Honey you know, you know I'd never hurt you that way

Again..this is (to me) reference to depression. She got extremely depressed and didn't get out for a long time, and was stuck inside.  Her "boyfriend" at some point held her down and screamed at her about wanting her to die.  Perhaps he was drunk, and/or in some ways abusive.  

You're just so pretty in your pain

Not sure what she is referring to. Maybe she feels inside that she deserves the situation she is. Again if this is referring to an abusive/drunken relationship I know (from what I read) that emotionally they sometimes feel that it's there fault (even though obviously it's not).

Give up my way, and I could be anything
I'll make my own way
Without your senseless hate... hate... hate... hate.
She is telling herself that if she does not give into suicide, and forces herself to make it through this, that the sky is the limit. She could have anything, or be anything that she wants to be..without him, and without him hating her all the time.  Again, this would be accomplished by her moving on and leaving him, and starting a new life for herself.

So run, run, run
And hate me, if it feels good.
I can't hear your screams anymore
So i'm a little confused on this part. It seems again she is talking to her lover at this point.  Telling him that if he feels better to hate her, then go ahead.  She is getting to a point where she can block out him screaming at her all the time.

You lied to me
But I'm older now
And I'm not buying baby
Again as in an abusive/hurtful/alcoholic relationship..perhaps he lied to her several times about "changing" and about "not meaning to do what he does" but now shes not a child anymore. She has learned to see past his "lies" and knows not to trust his deceitful words anymore.

Demanding my response
Don't bother breaking the door down
I found my way out

Again, either two things to me. She is probably in the bathroom here. With the razor blade, racing through thoughts of suicide. He is at the door screaming for her to respond, and trying to break the door down. She has either found a way out (by suicide) or by getting over/past him and leaving him.

And you'll never hurt me again.

Again, referring to the above line. He is incapable of hurting her anymore, because she moved on.

So these are my personal interpretations of what I think the song is about. Now again, these could be off..and as you can see, some of the lines I really am not sure about (currently). I'm going to continue trying to work through the lyrics and online research, and I may rewrite my thoughts above as I get new opinions on this song.  Old song, but a good one. I had heard it a long time ago, but just went through it as I did with all the others. Just hearing it again for the first time in a long time, sparked it as one of my favorite (current) songs.

Dishonored....Great game, even better developer

This is going to be a shorter blog post.  The developers of the newest first person shooter (Dishonored) surprised a lot of fans by staging a Q and A event on Raptr. It turned out to be very popular and they are currently answering fan questions right now.

The event can be reviewed Here.

Don't hesitate to make an account and ask your questions now.  My question was pertaining to the mind set of the little girl, at the end. And how the developers would react in her situation.  There were a lot of really good questions here, and I have  been continuously tracking the developer answers.  I wish more developers would participate to this degree.  I enjoy Raptr a great deal. I liked Playfire as well, but their trackers aren't working at all. I'll have fun there more once their trackers are totally up and running again.