Hello people!
I have seen so many medieval!CC and such great challanges that I'd like to try... And though I'd love a medieval hood, I have no idea where to start!
I can download clothes, acessories, recruit my friend to build me castles and time appropriate houses since I'm abismally bad at it, have sims plant for living, have kings and queens and so on and so on... but there is so much more and I don't know exactly what to do!
What about the school bus? And homework? Green bottles for babies are really not appropriate, but how else to feed babies? Car pools? Houses with more than 8 sims because how else would the nobles be able to have staff?
Does anyone here have a medieval hood? Can you give me any tips?
Thank you!

(Also, I'm not really sure if this is the right place to post this, so ): )

I play 1950s neighbourhoods so I can't exactly give much help. But for feeding babies there is a breast feeding mod here on ModtheSims, as well as a "more sims in a household" mod for your families with Staff. I think there are default replacement carpools for Medieval hoods (such as horse and carriage) which also applies to the school bus (though I could be wrong) and as for homework I slightly recall a replacement that gives them a quill and paper instead, much more appropriate.

I have tried a medieval hood but I get bored of it too quickly after making some castles and downloading a few things from MTS (just type in "Medieval" and you should find a lot of stuff). Really 1950s is the furthest back I'd go.

Start at Plumb Bob Keep: http://www.medievalsims.com/forums/...b717a076000f466 They have exclusively medieval stuff, including awesome default replacements for Maxis stuff, a ton of period-appropriate add-ons, custom careers, and several sweet new crafting stations for things like mining.

Then look at Rebecah's stuff at Affinity Sims: http://www.affinitysims.com/IPB/fil...ms-2-creations/ You'll find some really great stuff like waterwheels that produce flour, churns that produce butter, and animals that move, breed, make noise, and produce and appropriate product (chickens produce eggs, sheep produce wool, etc.). You can butcher the animals for meat that you can use to stock the fridge, too. WARNING! Rebecah's animals will create NPCs to make them move around and interact. You CANNOT just remove the animals from your Downloads folder if you decide you don't like them, because that will corrupt your 'hood. You can remove them safely, but it takes a bit of doing. Search for how to safely remove a multi-PT mod, and you'll come up with the right method, since multi-PT mods have the same problem and the same solution.

Then have a look at Boiling Oil's section of Leefish: http://www.leefish.nl/mybb/forumdisplay.php?fid=34 Some of his more obvious mods are cross-posted at Plumb Bob Keep as well, but there are some at Leefish that would work very nicely with a medieval game that were not cross-posted.

Swing by the Default Replacement Database: http://sims2defaults.dreamwidth.org/ It has reasonably comprehensive lists of default replacements sorted by the item being replaced, including replacements for pesky modern hairs and clothing. There's a wide variety of looks (Maxis-match, semirealistic, shiny...), although the exact options are kind of random -- some things have lots of options, and some have none at all.

Finally, stop by Almighty Hat's Dreamwidth: http://hat-plays-sims.dreamwidth.org/ Hat has default replaced a ton of things I would never even think of to be more medieval-friendly, like the tickets you get from the ticket machine that came with OFB.

After that, it depends on what look you want. MTS has some nice things, and so does the Medieval Smithy: http://themedievalsmithysims2.blogspot.com/ Katvip has done conversions from Skyrim and other games, which are posted lots of places. Search for "katvip sims 2" and you'll get lots of hits at many of those places. Here on MTS, there are UI replacements, CAS screen replacements, music files, and all sorts of other goodies.

For playstyles, have a look at the Medieval Charter Challenge and the Warwickshire Challenge (which were specifically designed for medieval games) and the Build A City Challenge and the Prosperity Challenge (which were not, but which could totally work in that setting too).

And the A #1 most important tip: Have fun!

May I suggest this wonderful little trash barrel? Not only does it work as deco and your Sims can throw their trash into it... your Sims can also raid the barrel looking for a tasty morsel left over after the lord's dinner party last night. You can also download this trash can replacement, which will convert the outdoor trash can into a trash barrel. The author of both creations has created a good amount of stuff to fit with your medieval themes, so download as you please!

I have a medieval hood, I kept my downloads like defaults separate by by making a second sims 2 folder. When I play my main hood I rename the second one Sims 2 medieval and when I want my medieval hood to load I rename the other folder Sims 2 Modern. Whichever one reads as Sims 2 will load.

Keep in mind your computer specs when it comes to castles, only the well of had castles, but if you have a very large castle with many floors and los of sims it will be hard to play. I have my royal family in a medium sized castle. They have one married couple as live in servants who have a nice but plain living area in the basement. She is the cook and he is a knight/odd job man. They also have the butler, maid, gardener and nanny come daily. My NPC's all wear defaults. I use a daily gardener and inaccessible flower and bushes mod. As you can imagine a castle garden can easily become over run, this makes it so I don't have to worry too much.

I then have two noble families. Noble's and royalty will intermarry. One family is of higher ranking closer to royalty. The lower ranking noble family run a posh restaurant as I needed something for them to do. Being Knights is also something noble sons might take up, that or the church. Unlike real life you will want your nobles to do more or they will become rather boring. My noble ladies sew, knit (Affinity Sims) play the harp (Plumb bob keep I think) read, dance, have babies of course, visit each other. I have a royalty career which my Earl and King are both in. My noble's are in manor houses.

The merchants also have higher and lower ranking.
In this class I have a tailoress who runs a home clothing business. Which is enabled by a mod.
The blacksmith who has the coolest anvil ever which was made for me as a scuba present (secret Santa present) by Nix sims here: http://nixedsims.wordpress.com/2014...-anvil-dr-bots/ Nix has great medieval stuff. Obviously an enchanted blacksmith anvil, but that's okay by me.He also sells things at his home
The Stone Mason. He is starting small, but very skilled stone masons' would be the upper class merchants. So far I built a cave out the back of his house and he goes in there to dig. He sells the rocks and a small pile of deco cannon balls. recently another very cool upload was put on Plumb Bob keep, one being a 'work bench' which sims can use a pick axe on to mine different metals. These look like large rocks. He has started selling buckets of iron and coal. On here there is a sculpture workbench and I have that lined up for him to do a bit later. Right now I see him as the lowest rung of the stone mason 'career'.
The Tavern Owner runs a home based pub, but he does have a few beds upstairs which I will have customers sleep in later. He has a modded keg which is rather fun and sells food off an iron looking plate. I forget where that is from. Could be simwardrobe or Plumb bob Keep.
The bakery couple also run a home business. Most are right now. That has a combination of real and fake foods. I consider him to be the baker and she helps him.
The DR I have in a default medieval medical career. I will open him a home business selling health potions. It really cures disease might have come off Plumb Bob Keep.
The farm Is a larger lot at the end of a road and is run by a family.
The Monastery is more in it's own class. After reading they were the ones to produce the wine I have given them a large vineyard and a stomping the grapes set. Plumb Bob Keep. They are in a monk career.

Then there are the peasants and so far I only have two families. The men work in peasant careers while the woman are home having babies and make some money at Bek's (Afinity Sims) wash tub.

Plumb bob Keep, medieval Smithy, Nix Sims, here and Affinity Sims are the main place I go for my cc. I also use Bek's milkable goats, but beware they do create NCP files and you can't just pull them, that's the same as deleting sims. You milk the goat and get a pale of milk. her chickens also produce eggs. The butter churn from there also makes a container of butter. Plumb Bob Keep also came out with harvestsable fruit tress and the other berry bushes. I have about 7 gigs of cc for this game so i can't list all of it, but I hope this gives you some ideas.

nearly forgot, I also have an evil wizard and infallibly good witch, both who have small-medium sized castles. His job is to cause the royal's and noble's trouble while she is there to protect them. There is a fantasy element as I also have a lot with a dragon it for knights to make a pilgrimage to and pet dragons from here. I will be making a hunter next. One of the 'work benches' on PBK is a rabbit hutch which gives pelts. As you can see there is a LOT you can do with a medieval hood.

A few Pictures

Yes, I forgot that. I do the same thing with renaming my folders so I can have a modern game and a medieval one on the same computer. The downloads in one game won't affect the other, so you don't have to worry about the chickens corrupting your modern 'hood by accident.

With a bit of planning, you can make things mesh together, too. The sheep give wool, for instance. I don't know of a functional spinning wheel, but you can find a deco wheel and deco thread/yarn. There are looms available at Plumb Bob Keep or here on MTS. You can get a dyer's vat on MTS as well, to "dye" your thread or fabric. There are plenty of decorative fabric bolts (here, at PBK, or at Around The Sims 2) and an invisible recolor of the sewing machine at PBK and I think here as well. (Sophie-David cross-posts a lot, and I think it's one of his.) So you can set up a supply chain: sheep provide wool. X bales of wool equals Y skeins of thread/yarn, but only if you have a spinning wheel on the lot. X skeins of thread/yarn let you weave Y amount of cloth or knit Z number of items using Rebecah's knitting needles. Dying your thread/yarn costs X amount of money. X amount of cloth equals Y bolts of fabric, and X bolts of fabric equals one outfit after Y number of hours at the sewing machine, and maybe that number goes down as you gain sewing badges.

Or perhaps the baker has to get milk from someone with a cow, flour from someone with a mill wheel, and eggs from someone with a chicken before he can bake bread. Perhaps the chandler (candle-maker) needs her own beehive (by Gwenke) before she can make wax candles (by Rebecah). You can really get intricate if you want to.

Or you can just handwave it. Whatever is the most fun for you.

Oh yes, I forgot about the beehives. Again medieval ones are on Plumb Bob keep and they give honey. I haven't got a candle maker yet, so thanks for the reminder Esme. My Baker actually lives at a mill and I imagine the farmer delivers the flour to him and that he turns it into the flour.

The only problem I have with staff is that they insist on using the royal rooms to pee and wash in and even insist on sleeping on the royal beds upstairs. I wish I could make certain parts of the castle off-limits to them, although I guess they have to clean...

You could use the "lock door" function that came with OFB, perhaps, or Inge Jone's key system. (You can lock a door with a particular color key, and only someone with that color key in their inventory can go through the door.) There's a limited number of colors -- four or five, maybe? -- but you could have a limited number of doors to the royal rooms and lock those. Any doors past that would be protected by the lock on the outermost door.

Has anyone mentioned a nursing mod yet? You're right, bottles are out of place

http://www.leefish.nl/mybb/thread-1247.html

JoeandSarah, thanks for the information about Becca's animals. I've had them in the past and did not know about their creating NPCs.

Yes, they can cause problems if you remove them though only in the hoods that had been present in your game and loaded while they were in your DL folder.

I have breastfeeding and bottle feeding. You can get bone, pewter and I think it's wood? bottle defaults. Between Almighthat and Plumb Bob Keep I have nearly everything defaulted down to the bills and pen they use to restock the shops with. The more defaults you get the more you need as the smallest things, like that pen, stick out like a sore thumb.

Anything that moves about the lot or if it's a type of sim such as a dancing clown, fortune teller etc, all create an NPC.

Aaargh! Another thread full of interesting ideas and links that aren't remotely compatible with my current 'hood! Darn you all! :-P

*chants to self* I will not start setting up a Medieval 'hood. I will not start setting up a Medieval 'hood. I will not start setting up a Medieval 'hood. I will not start setting up a Medieval 'hood. I will not start setting up a Medieval 'hood. I will not start setting up a Medieval 'hood. I will not start setting up a Medieval 'hood. I will not start setting up a Medieval 'hood. I will not start setting up a Medieval 'hood. I will not start setting up a Medieval 'hood.

Some good ideas here though. Medieval 'hoods look like they'd be a lot of fun, and they're pretty popular so there's lots of CC available (and people to ask for advice/suggestions). I love your pictures, Jo :-)

Of course you can Laura, you just need to make a new Sims 2 folder... lalala.

It would be cool if someone made a remesh for the baby bottle which looked like an old feeding horn.

You should check out the ogre thing on the front page of MTS, too. That's a little more fantasy than medieval but it's a good idea for families with too many children.

Oh, my co sleeper mod, linked in my signature, might be worth a look too. It's an invisible and height changed copy of the crib, so you can place a baby or toddler "in" a normal bed next to its mother (or sibling, if you like).

For families with servants I sometimes use apartments. One large lot contains 4 apartments: the mansion, the gardener´s shack, the gatehouse (for the janitor with their family) and a guest house for the teacher, personal doctor, mistress and so on. Sometimes I use a seperate apartment for the kitchen where the cook with their family live. They are under the obligation to make 4 group meals per day and give them to their employer as a present.

I'd also need to add a couple of days to my week! I'm starting a new job in 15 days (eeek!) and before then I need to move house..... I have little time to play my beloved Pleasantview/Widespot 'hood, let alone to start a new one! :-(