Kate answers:-

Requests are only available to donors, additionally please note we do NOT offer any of the following:-

• Exclusive items for donors - if you contribute and request some new material it will be put on the website for everyone else to download for free

• Items that require skills/features we do not have - things like new mesh hairstyles or complex modded objects, houses for Sims 1, these are things that are simply not practical due to lack of skills or lack of time

• Reproductions of other Sim designer's content - at no point will we knowingly create replicas of other people's Sims content, pay or free

Please note also that we do NOT guarantee all requests will be fulfilled nor will we guarantee a time frame for requests we can do. Requests must be reasonable, it is simply not practical or acceptable for someone to donate $2 (£1) and then demand a full suite of multiple sets of furniture or hundreds of new clothing items or a load of houses. To an extent it does also depend on whether or not we like your idea. It is often the case that we'll be willing to do more work to fulfill a big request from someone who has only contributed a small amount if its a great idea we really like and we feel that lots of other visitors will also enjoy the end result! Please note also that you may also be requested to help with testing of items that are more complex.

Why are requests only available to donors - that's hardly fair is it?

The principle reason is lack of time, I used to accept general requests when the site first opened in 2003 but by the time I'd started releasing 3D design Sims 1 sets I got so many requests that there simply weren't enough hours in the day to do even a tiny percentage of them. We get heaps of requests (on average at least 200 a week, usually more) and we couldn't possibly fulfill all of them. Plus it has to be admitted, most of the things people request are either already available on other websites, completely impossible for us to make or they're just flat out stupid.

Since we don't have exclusive pay files on the site as a point of principle, by giving the request option to donors it does at least mean we can offer one perk to those who choose to give something back by helping me pay for the site and because less than 1 in every 100,000 visitors donates, it keeps the level of requests down to a reasonable and manageable level (usually).

So how much should I contribute if I want something?

Unfortunately I can't really set a guideline of how much to contribute for Sims 2 updates, if you are contemplating donating solely to get a request made then please discuss your proposed idea with me before you send in your cash so that I can let you know if we can do your request. Refunds are only available if it has been agreed that we can do the request but unforeseen circumstances mean that the project in question has failed and even so we wont top up lost Pay Pal fees.

For Sims 1 new Furniture set requests I'm sorry to say I've set a fixed minimum donation of £150 which can be contributed by multiple donors. The type and style of the set will remain my decision unless the full minimum is contributed by a single donor, even then the finer details of the project will remain my choice and I reserve the right to make something else of my choosing if the proposed idea turns out to be too much of a pain to do in the time I have available. We have recently lost the support of our Sims 1 editor so a lot of more complex items, especially commercial objects may no longer be viable.

Current request 'pot' for Sims 1: 23rd March 2008: £20

The amount is set so high because the unlike our Sims 2 sections, Sims 1 does not pay for itself. The bandwidth usage is much higher for Sims 1 furniture than it is for any other section, but the low traffic means the advertising income is much lower. If I create a Sims 2 furniture set then that set is near enough free for me to post to the website, the same is not true for Sims 1 and so I need to take on a particular amount of paying non-Sim design work so I can cover my monthly contributions to the website OR it needs to be covered by visitors. 

But I can't afford to donate and I really want something *waaaah*!

The only advice I can give you is to either find a site that will do general requests or learn to make it yourself. As the expression goes, 'you can't please all of the people all of the time' - we don't get paid to do this, we feel we do a great deal for the benefit of the Sims community and ask for virtually nothing in return so we deserve to please ourselves!

...but my idea is really simple, I'm sure it would be ever so quick?

Aside from the fact that this would be the thin end of the wedge, its seldom the case that 'unqualified' Simmers are fully aware of the scope of a particular project. I wouldn't class myself as an expert Sim creator and it has certainly been the case that I've taken on requests that I thought were simple initially, but which later turned out to be a pain in the backside (for example, the decorative gable vents for Sims 2 seemed simple enough initially until I realized the complications of designing anything base game compatible in the roof space, all in this 'simple' project took over 300 hours to complete).

What about conversions of existing items - for instance if I want an object/mesh that you've already made which doesn't require a particular expansion pack?

For Sims 1 items it involves me uninstalling my game, installing it and running it up between each pack without the EP in question, making the object and then uninstalling and reinstalling my game *again* for normal creating. All in its a process that wastes a good 10+ hours of my time and is very boring to do so is something I really wish to avoid. Obviously if you wish to donate to request such items then that is your prerogative, however the £150 minimum donation fee for Sims 1 will still apply - you'll need to either arrange for other donors pitching in the £150 to agree to also ask for the same item OR contribute the full amount yourself if you really want to request a no-EP item or items (which would be stupid given most Sims 1 EP's can be purchased from around £1 second hand).

For Sims 2 the situation is much simpler to the extent that all our objects and skins require the absolute minimum Expansions so anything that does require an EP is either impossible or illegal to convert to a no-EP state. By illegal I mean that we can't extract Maxis meshes and convert them 'as is' without any changes so that the EP they originally need is no longer required. By impossible I mean that we simply don't have the skills to create the code required to make expansion pack objects work with the base game - other sites might well be capable of doing such things, but that doesn't change the fact that no one here at Parsimonious has those particular skills. Conversions of existing houses with or without specific EP's is also only available to donors as it essentially requires the paintstaking rebuilding of the house in the right game environment - if you want a particular house re-built for this purpose please discuss your requirements before contributing.