IllusoryThrall's Sims 4 Hub
- Challenges, Tips & Stories
I started this WordPress Blog back in 2012. At the beginning, I assure you, I had no idea what I was starting. I posted a few things… but it wasn’t for several years that my blogging really took off. I dabbled in a few Sims 3 stories (which are still accessible on this site – just check my retired & completed simlit section). By August 2016, however, I was well and truly hooked on blogging, although at that point, I was still waffling between Sims 3 and 4. The waffling didn’t take too much more time, though, before I was thoroughly addicted to Sims 4. Once I hit this point, I’ve never gone back. I still had (and have) periods of writer’s block and inactivity, but I always come back.
Sometime in 2023, this blog really tripled in traffic. And it did so on a very consistent basis. Which made me really start seriously considering the thoughts and ideas for it that I’d had in the back of my head for YEARS. The host I was on prior to this one, wordpress.com .. was great. It was cheap, it was reliable, and it was easy to use. However, the amount of customization and control I had over the website design and add-ons was, well.. very very low. And even if I doubled the cost of the plan I was on, it was going to remain virtually the same…. which is exactly the opposite of what this growing blog needed. With my challenges gaining in popularity, and my livestreaming, I really wanted to be able to upgrade the graphics, layout, and things that the website offered… By October, it was clear my blog was getting 25,000 to 30,000 hits per month on a very stable basis – so when I noticed that my two year subscription to wrodpress.com was ready to renew on the 26th, I decided, spur-of-the-moment, that there wasn’t going to be a better time to upgrade. So I immediately started looking for a way to pay for a new webhost, and researching where I wanted to go, as well as finding out exactly what upgrades I wanted and needed for the site. Originally, I was going to do a fund-raising stream for the money, but a very lovely friend of mine kindly donated the full amount I needed to pay for the next THREE YEARS of hosting. When that’s almost up, I will certainly be looking for ways to raise the money for the next web-hosting fee, but that’s a problem for future me. (If you’re interested in helping to support this site and my streaming, check out my Support Me page. 100% of donations will go to the website and my streaming.)
All that being said, I do try to be pretty transparent on the effort that goes into this website – the background work, the time for upgrading, the work involved in moving the site, as well as what it takes to keep my challenges updated. I’m also in a long process of adding a knowledge database to this website to share the Sims 4 knowledge I’ve accrued over the years (expect that to start happening by January 2024 – I do have a few other major things on my list before I start devoting a ton of time into the toolsnlinks section, but it’s coming.) This transparency led to the need to have a page devoted to collecting the posts about website news and information…. so that’s where this page comes in. Obviously, there’s no real reason to go back to the news I was posting at the very beginning of the website, but it’s there buried in the archives if you’re ever curious!
The REAL “work” started today.
Completed today:
* – approx 65% done
** – approx 80% done
Will finish those incompletes tomorrow. Brain has had enough for the day. I think 9-10 hours was more than enough of painstaking, page-by-page busywork. Thank god for Spotify. LOL!!
Continue reading →Okay, so I have finished dealing with the nightmare the first webhost I settled on had become. Refund is processing and new webhost acquired. I will not be able to do EXACTLY what I wanted with the other webhost, but at least they were honest about their capabilities from the start – the other was not.
Beyond that, I have the existing site data moved, and the base wordpress install finished. I’ve reproduced the original site structure on the new site, although it will be changing – but at least I’m starting from a place I recognize. Due to waiting for the refund to process and my Twitch payout, I will be doing the VISUAL upgrade and set up at the very end of this process, not at the beginning like one would hope.. but I think it’ll still work out.
Completed today:
The real work .. starts tomorrow. Wish me luck!!
Continue reading →I have some super good news about my blogsite… I’m moving to a new host! Not only am I moving, but it’s also going to be a BIG upgrade, and there will be some design changes – as well as the obvious link changes. This website address will turn into a redirect to the new website (which will have shorter URLs and MUCH better organization! – As well as a whole bunch of new features..!!). I don’t have a definite launch date yet, but know that I’m already in the process of setting up the new site and building it up. My existing posts and pages have already been moved to the new site, but they will end up looking a bit differently on the new site. The move WILL be complete before the 26th of October, because that’s when my subscription on this webhost will be up and I’ll need to move back to the free site model for the redirect.
This change has been in the back of my mind for a rather long time now, but it wasn’t until I realized I had only a few weeks until I needed to pay for another two years on this webhost that I decided it was time to take the plunge. I will also say, however, that this would NOT have been possible had it not been for a VERY generous donation from my friend and moderator SmokyGlo (https://twitch.tv/SmokyGlo), who funded the transfer. Not only is it funded.. but it’s funded for the next three years!! So much love to Smoky for this – I cannot even express how thankful I am.
All that being said, I will drop more posts about this as I work on the new site, but don’t expect any major content to be added to this site until I move things to the new site. I apologize, but the site migration will be taking up most of my time, obviously. I feel the wait will totally be worth it, though, and I’m super excited to be able to share more in the coming 3 weeks!!
Continue reading →My Blank World Save file has been fully updated and uploaded to my fileshare account for all new packs. I left the old one up for those who don’t have the newest packs, but I would just ignore it. (The one you want is the 20000077.save file!) Enjoy!
https://simfileshare.net/folder/179665/
Continue reading →Just typing up a short note to say I have officially begun working on my tips & tricks section. Today I finally dug into the Collections Helper which has been on my list for a couple years now. Updated the existing pages, and added Metals and Crystals pages to the Helper. More is in process, but not quite ready for publishing, so you’ll see them go live probably later this week.
And – yes, the Master Simmer update is still on my list, as is a full update and official launch for Misery 2 Mansions. Also on my immediate priority list are updating the all things simlish cheat sheet and my blank save file, and getting my links page onto my site menu (currently you can only see it if you go to the tools section.. oops).
Hope you’re all doing well! Take care of yourselves, and never forget to take time for “me” .. it’s important!!
Continue reading →For those of you who love the Not-So-Berry Extended challenge, I have added a Horse Ranch generation to the end of the Extended version, as well as some minor fixes in the middle of the challenges. All things changed are noted in the changelog except some minor formatting fixes throughout the challenge. Enjoy! (Will try to let you all know when the tracking sheet is updated to add the new generation!)
Continue reading →The full update to my Hard-Mode Decades challenge has been completed, including going through and updating ALLLLLL of the MCCC game set-up settings. (Which took most of the day.) Obviously, the spreadsheet is not done yet, but it will be on the way next! (There may be some minor typo fixes in the days coming, but for the most part, I think it should all be okay now!)
Continue reading →I’ve now finished most of the things I needed to change on the Decades challenge, fully updating it for all new game features, and using a way of handling war that is a mix of the way I introduced in my Timeline Adventure Challenge and the traditional Decades Challenge way of managing it. Be aware, that there are minor changes to pretty much EVERY page, so if you aren’t using my pages for reference, check your files to see what changed!! Also in this were some fixes for typos in the WWI and WWII methods I posted the other day.
Still on the horizon: a full revamp of the Decades Challenge Tracking Spreadsheet, and updated MCCC settings info in the getting started section. AFTER that, I will be doing Not So Berry, Master Simmer, then Misery2Mansions… and I will also work on a 10 gen legacy spreadsheet, a 100 baby spreadsheet.. then get back to working on my planned “help” section. As my free time allows, of course!
In other RELATED notes: I am in the process of getting set up to try to organize a full-scale Collaborative Decades save file, including all packs, worlds, and adding both venues, residential, and SIMS to it to match the decades and using the rule unlocks. This will entail a lengthy project, plenty of help, and a new discord server to organize it. Keep an eye on this blog or my own discord for more information!
Continue reading →Just as a note: I am in the process of majorly overhauling how war works in my “hard mode” decades challenge. I have 1910s and 1940s done, but have not finished the 50s or 60s, so be aware there are changes coming there. I have also done some other minor clarifications, and been informed that I very much need to fix the MCCC settings for the getting started part, so that’s coming, too. Will also be adding “science babies” into the challenge in the later years.
Continue reading →I have recently finished a Super-Sim spreadsheet for my own use, and figured I’d leave a blank copy shared for everyone else to use, too, because I think it’s an incredibly useful thing to have. Please, if you find anything missing or not working on it, let me know so I can fix it!
Spreadsheet Link (Google Sheets) – this link and some other challenge spreadsheets now have been added to my “Thrall’s Spreadsheets” page.
Next things on my list to do are as follows: my Not So Berry Challenge update, a Master Simmer Update, updating & continuing my Misery2Mansions challenge, Creating a Spreadsheet to track 100 baby challenges, and finally, to get back to adding information to my collections helper and other helpful info for Sims.
Continue reading → 
BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!!
Chapter One – Starting Anew
November 2025 Dev DiarySuperSweetBot Commands for Mods & BroadcastersOctober 2025 Dev DiaryProgress Report!Hacking Situation ResolvedHey all…
Welcome to my new webhost!!
Progress Report on Not So Berry & TimelineExtended Not So Berry 2.0 is coming!!
OMG A Thrall Post?? What?Not So Berry Updating
Jaynie’s Gems: By-The-NumberToday
