Episode 2: "The Move"

	Later on, Bob invited Mortimer Goth over to say his goodbyes. "So how soon will you be moving, Robert?", Mortimer asked. "Betty wants to get her last promotion, and then take a leave of absence with good standing," Bob answered.
Betty had been going to work for a few days expecting her promotion, but it hadn't come yet. Once she got to work, she was given a surprise notice that she was now being moved into Superstar status! Her boss understood her need to take a leave of absence, but said she was always welcome to fly back and do some feature work. When Bob went to work, he was escorted into a private room. He thought that maybe they were going to let him go, but discovered to his surprise that the SpySim Organization wanted to recruit Bob into service. Bob was very excited about this opportunity, but was more excited about moving away also. His new manager mentioned that he could move and live whereever he wished, and the Organization would contact him when the need arised. Although they reached the top of their careers, thankfully none of it would interfere with their real dream to move to a new location. That location would be a place that Bob read about in books called Calvin's Creek.
	It was time for the Newbies to get things packed and ready for their big move. Bob had already arranged for a moving truck to pick up all of their boxes and move them to their new home in Calvin's Creek. Betty started going through the dresser to pack up their clothes. Bob, on the other hand, was pretty tired from packing everything up, and he was ready for bed.
"No, you ain't movin' with us," Bob said has he sprayed the roaches around one of their boxes holding their kitchenware. Bob sighed, "After today, we will no longer have to worry about these pests and crazy thieves.
	In the morning, Bob went to the used car lot and bought the only car they had available. It was an old clunker, but Bob was okay with that. He was a very talented mechanic and would be able to keep it running on their long trip. "I'm going to miss our home, Bob." Betty was beginning to cry. She was starting to have second thoughts about it all.
After many months of planning, it was time to leave SimVille behind and follow the road to adventure and their new home in the city of Calvin's Creek. Bob needed to give the movers some time to get everything moved to the "secret home" that he wanted to surprise Betty with. He had spent a great deal of time with building contractors to make sure that everything was built "just right". He knew Betty was going to feel homesick, so he hoped this time was well spent.
	So on the road they went. Neither Betty nor Bob have really ever ventured north of SimVille, so they were excited to see many things.
One such thing they saw was a huge farm and a herd of cows. "Wow, Bob," Betty pointed, "I've never seen such creatures back where we live." Bob smiled and continued to drive North.
	"Bob!", Betty shouted to get his attention. "Bob, pull over! I've never been to the State Fair! It looks like so much fun. Could we park and spend time here for awhile?", Betty pleaded. Bob considered it for a moment, and he realized that they weren't in a rush to get to Calvin's Creek. They would need to give the movers some time to get their belongings to their new home. So Bob said, "Sure, honey. Let's find us a parking spot."
And so, Bob and Betty Newbie enjoyed their time at the State Fair with many other sims. They played games, won some stuffed animals, ate cotton candy, and saw some really great shows. They also saw the Tragic Clown that everyone had been talking about back in their ol' neighborhood, but he was restrained at the gates and not allowed in. Bob never had the pleasure (or disappointment) to meet the clown, but he had heard from passing security guards that the poor clown was crying his eyes out and trying to perform tricks which failed.
	Many hours later, Bob and Betty were back on the road and continued their drive to Calvin's Creek. They entered a rural area of a huge city called Vonsville.
Through the big city, the Newbies went. Betty thought she heard some odd sounds coming from the car. "Bob, sweetie," she prodded. "I think we should pull over and give the car a rest. It's sounding kind of funny." "Nah," Bob said. "We're getting closer to Calvin's Creek; don't worry about it. This baby is just fine. Fixed it myself."
	Later . . . "Um, Bob," Betty prodded again. "Why is the car stopping?"
"$%&#*!!!!", Bob shouted. Apparently he had ripped his shirt trying to fix something on the car. Betty had never heard a word quite like that, but she looked around and saw that they were stuck in a really bad place on the freeway. She got out of the car and walked to the impatient man stopped behind them and asked, "Excuse me, may I borrow a phone?" The man grumbled as he held up his arms in frustration; no phone in sight. Betty could hear another unintelligible, shouted word from their broken down car. From what she could see, Bob really needed a new shirt, and now his pants were stained in oil. Oh, and he smelled pretty bad too.

In our next episode, the Newbies get a tow into the outskirts of Calvin's Creek where they grab a bite to eat! 

Originally published at Sims Online Stratics on Wed., 10/25/2006 at 11:45.

Episode 1: The Decision

	We begin our story here in this simple yet quaint, little home located at 7 Sim Lane in the small neighborhood of SimVille.
Meet Bob and Betty Newbie. They have made many friends since moving in here such as Michael Bachelor, the Pleasant Family, the Goths, and also the Roomies Sisters. Life was well.
	Betty had developed a career in the entertainment industry. She had worked all the way to becoming a Broadway Star. She wasn’t that far away from being a Superstar, as a matter of fact.
Bob had also worked his way to becoming a Grand Prix Driver. Life as an Xtreme Athlete was risky, however it did pay off. Together they made many improvements to their little home, but it just wasn't enough for Bob. It's true that they could have bought a new home down the street, like Michael Bachelor did and that huge mansion on 2 Sim Lane. Bob wanted something more, though. Something such as a change in surroundings.
	One night before bed, Bob discussed his ideas with Betty about finding a new home. "I'm fine with the home we have, Bob. Just because I am a broadway star, doesn't mean I don't like the simpler things in life."
Betty gave it some more thought. “Well," Betty considered, "I wouldn't mind a change of scenery. And I am getting tired of my stardom. I wouldn't mind taking a break from it all and getting away from all of this."
	So Bob and Betty invited their friends from the neighborhood to let them know of their plans to move. They got to talk to Chris and Melinda, whose relationship just started to blossom, Jeff Pleasant, and also Melissa Roomies. Even the policewoman showed up to say farewell. Well, she actually came to break up the party, but she was nice enough to say that the Newbies would be missed in the neighborhood of SimVille.
"You will be missed, Mrs. Newbie," the policewoman said, "but let's break it up for the night. People are trying to sleep who are staying here in SimVille." Now, the police officer didn't mean that to be rude, but perhaps it just came out that way unintentionally. She really did mean the best for them. Bob, on the other hand, thought, "Well, there are some things I won't miss about this neighborhood."
	Figures. The policewoman lectures Betty about a social gathering going on too late, but later on after she leaves a burglar shows up to see what he can steal. "Yeah, I'll miss them too," he thought while looking around at possibilities that wouldn't be there once the Newbies moved. "Yeah, just one more time. It's the least I could do," the burglar rationalized.
"Good morning, Mrs. Newbie. I just wanted to thank you personally for your lovely painting before you move away," the burglar said as the sirens blared loudly.
	"Nobody can catch me! Ha, ha, ha...," the burgular laughed as he ran away from the Newbie's home right past the unsuspecting policewoman who figured this was just some other party prank.
Yeah, the police officer showed up, but she didn't catch the thief. Bob finally woke up and realized what happened. "I have had it with this neighborhood," he thought loudly to himself.
	"I am SO sorry, Mr. Newbie," the policewoman said. "The thief was just too quick for us. I'm afraid we couldn't catch him." Bob just stared at her as she turned and walked away.
"Errrrggg," Bob growled. "I am getting sick of these huge roaches too! This neighborhood has become infested with them for some reason. Why is it whenever we don't make our bed, there are roaches coming around? It never used to be this way before. Disgusting!"

In our next episode, follow the Newbies as they prepare for their move and take the road to their new home in Calvin's Creek!    Originally published at Sims Online Stratics on Mon., 10/23/2006 at 19:59.

Introduction

Fans of the original "The Sims" game know who Bob & Betty Newbie are. They are the Tutorial Family that you can play to help you learn how the game works, and a good majority of us have played with them.

Here is a unique story that I have written about The Newbies which takes them from the original "The Sims" game and moves them into the online world of "The Sims Online". It was a wonderful chance for me to do some roleplaying with the characters and an interesting way to experience "The Sims Online" while contributing as a reporter for Sims Online Stratics. I always felt that there was more to the game than just greening, building skills, and playing pizza. I always thought it was about playing the game "The Sims" but online with other Sims players. I wanted to share my experience and inspire others, so I wrote this story and made it different than "Starrfoxx's Super Road Trip Across Alphaville". I loved this story and had so many ideas for it, but sadly EA Games merged all the cities into one and called it EA Land, and then later they closed the doors on the game completely. I do want to continue this story in some form in the future, so we'll see where it takes us!

At the time I was playing The Newbies, I was playing a "progressive" game throughout the neighborhood where I was going through the base game and each expansion about every three months. This story begins later during that play when the Newbie's are near the top of their careers.