Behind the Scenes: Belladonna Cove | Episode 3.2

Vivian and Etsu Cho being really cute together!

So … it didn’t dawn upon me while I was filming episode 3.1 that poor little (Cutie-pie) Etsu only had a teddy bear to play with. That’s when I went looking for something else, something different, in terms of toddler CC. Even default replacements would do! I do like the activity table that comes with the game, but for me it looks like it’s made from plastic, and I prefer things that are made of wood. Because of durability. But an unimportant detail, I guess!

Anyway, I found the activity table conversion, the quilt bed blanket (so, so useful! More on that later), the rocking horse and then the rocking chair. I’m not sure if Vivian will be using the rocking chair while Etsu’s still a toddler, but if the Cho ladies end up in the Riley household (I think I’ll move the Riley family to the Cho’s apartment, because that will make things a little easier – no stairs, for example), then I’m sure the rocking chair will be used.

(Because Vivian will definitely want more babies!)

And about the quilt bed blanket. I was playtesting, seeing that it has been a while since I played with toddlers, and I was feeling sorry for poor Vivian, who was exhausted all the time and had absolutely no help. As I said in the episode, being a single mum (and dad, but dear Sally is a child, so things are easier now for Timothy) is challenging and (once again!) exhausting. So the bed blanket helps a lot!

Also, seeing that it has been a while since I played with toddlers, it has been a while since I played with nannies. And gosh, I’ve forgotten how annoying they can be. The nanny took three bottles from the fridge and then placed each bottle on the floor, one by one. Even though Etsu wasn’t hungry at the time. Then there’s the fact that the nanny didn’t wash Etsu. I guess nannies wait for clouds of green stink before they decide to bathe the child they're looking after.

I do have the Baby Controller (check it out over here), and it will make things better with nannies, but I've never tried it out before. Since episode 3.2 I’ve been testing it, but I want to play around with it a bit more. Oh, and another thing to figure out: I wonder if there’s a mod that limits the amount of skills a toddler can gain. I think a method I can use is to remove skill points with the Sim Blender (I believe that's possible, will have to check as soon as I can!) but I’m still curious if there’s a mod available. Well, another thing to add to my list.

Oh, and I'll speak about my thoughts on toddlers and skills in the next blog post (why I would want to remove skill points, as mentioned above) because I really want to get in to my gameplay rules! I'm excited for that! Rules, my own rules!