Carl Ratcliff - Webmaster, Writer, Administrator, ModeratorI've been a game writer for seven years and have written a dozen walkthroughs. I hope to pursue writing as my profession some day. The Sims 3 was a major breakthrough for me, coming off a pattern of writing for the latest real-time strategy games. Covering something to such a huge degree of depth has been an amazing experience and helped me get a lot better at putting them together.
I'm a self-taught webmaster and pursue a degree in Management Information Systems at the local State University, where I hope formal training will help me refine my skills. My 'day job' is in adult education where I help high school dropouts to earn their GED by tutoring them in math and testing their knowledge.
I'm a big man-child at heart and love all things gaming and get geeked out over powerful computer hardware.
Pam Marsden - Relations Coordinator, Writer, Administrator, Moderator
I'm a 51 year old Adam Ant fan who works from home and who lives happily in Texas with my husband, 4 cats, and 4 birds.
My first experience with computer games was with casual games such as Virtual Villagers and Chocolatier. I was recruited by a popular game review site called JayIsGames.com. I was the Help Squad Coordinator for well over a year, helping answer questions, writing walkthroughs, and editing posts made by members so that they were written in correct English (
). Jay Bibby himself was my mentor and teacher. I learned a great deal from him and he really is a great guy through and through.
One day I stumbled upon a blog about Sims 3 and I was captivated. I rushed out to buy it, knowing nothing of the franchise or previous Sims games. I didn't even realize Sims 3 had just been released. Soon I was searching for some help with the game and I found Carl's Sims 3 Guide. He had a comments section on the Guide back then and I offered to use my knowledge and experience from JayIsGames to help him out. It wasn't long after that we formed a partnership and the Forum was born! Our goal has always been to create a friendly, safe, and fun atmosphere for all Sims 3 players to gather and talk about Sims 3. Now, as we've just celebrated our second anniversary, we continue to grow and offer more things for our community with Sims 3!Tom Schlueter (aka Metropolis Man) - Writer, Administrator, Moderator, Challenge CoordinatorHey, everyone. My name is Tom Schlueter, aka Metropolis Man (Metro). I'm a 46-year-old stay-at-home dad residing in Bloomington , Illinois, USA. I'm married (20 years this coming October) and have 3 beautiful daughters. My favorite pastimes are: playing computer games (are you shocked?), cooking, seeing movies and of course spending time at Carl's forum and visiting with everyone.
My role at the forum is primarily one of specialization—the Tournament and all of its challenges as well as the World Ranking. It's so much fun. Every day brings new players to the forum, new questions to be answered, new challenges to think about, and lots of leaderboard updates.
I've held a moderator position at the PhrozenKeep Diablo II forum for the last 4 years and have run many tournaments there, so when Carl and Pam extended the opportunity here for me to take a leading role in designing something really special from scratch I was very excited to do so. I feel really honored to be a part of the forum. It's a wonderful, growing community.
Wildredchild - Moderator (Currently on leave)
I am a mother of 3 beautiful daughters and wife to an adoring husband. We are owned by 4 Labrador Retrievers and a Husky mix along with 3 adult cats. I stay at home by choice to take care of my family, so therefore have time to devote to Sims 3 and the internet. I found this site one day when looking for information on fishing and immediately bookmarked it. When Carl first opened the forum, I joined and I tended to lurk in the background. I was asked to be a moderator on February 2, 2010 and I greatly enjoy being one. Working with the staff is awesome as each person brings their own strengths to the team.Ivar Winroth (aka Swede1992) - Moderator, Console Coordinator (Currently on leave)My name is Ivar Winroth and I'm a quite young Swedish guy from Gothenburg, but was born and raised in Huskvarna, in the province of Småland (go HV71!). I play violin in my spare time (mainly Swedish folk music) and has been active in Amnesty International a while now through a school group. Previously, I've also trained Jujutsu for about 6 years. I'm fluent in Swedish and English (just happened to be); if given time I can read French; I can hear and read Norwegian as if I was fluent (but can't speak or write it) and I can also read Danish just as fast, but most often I can't understand the spoken Danish.
I came to find this guide in December 2009 when I was looking for some basic information on gardening, joined this forum early January the following year and rose to become a moderator by late March. As a moderator I watch all discussions that are held here very closely (often participating myself), as much as my time allows, and spend a lot of time correcting spelling and grammar for a cleaner look of the forum. I'm also at least attempting to keep a nice, happy and friendly mood around the forum and my wish is that it is appreciated.
Diane Green (aka Saltypaws) - Moderator
I have been a sims player from day one. Owned every EP and SP that came out with every game. I remember playing until the sun came out a couple of nights out of the week and was fascinated by those little people. My sister first introduced me to Carl's site in October of last year and I lurked around for a while. I remember her telling me of some guy on the site that set fire to his sims (wonder who that was). I tried the bigger sites, but your post gets lost as soon as you post it, so I started posting here and have been here ever since. I think it will be great being a moderator. I will do the very best that I can do for the members and administration. I know my questions will be answered in a timely fashion and believe me, I have a few of those. I am not the most technical person in the world, but, I know enough to be dangerous and I will try to answer any question. I see more and more new members all of the time and I think that is so great. This is not a huge forum, but it is not the tiny forum it use to be either. Thanks to all who had a hand in choosing me for moderator and I am looking forward to working with all of you.
Amy (aka AriaGirl77) - Moderator I've played and loved The Sims ever since I was introduced to the game in college back in the day. I am a Legacy addict. But until just a few weeks ago I had never actually finished one, although I had MANY saved/unfinished Legacies. I found Carl and Pam's forum and Guide while doing searches to find more challenge rule-sets and I've been a regular participant over the years. I'm so excited to be a moderator here on the forums! In my non-Sims life, I'm a recently laid-off landlady/stay-at-home mom of twin girls. My husband of nearly 10 years likes to joke that working at an apartment complex was "just like real life Sims" for me!
Dianne Douglas (aka Schipperke) - Moderator
I took up Simming when I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2006 and needed a sedentary activity to help me get through the months of chemotherapy. The chemo is long since over, but the Sim habit has remained. Given the amount of time I devote to this pastime and my need to know everything about the game, I’m sure I would qualify as being totally Sims-Addicted at this point. I discovered Carl and Pam’s Forum in December, shortly after getting high-speed internet, and it felt like coming home. I love the Challenges best; that, and being able to talk to other people who share my fascination with Simmies. Outside the game, I live with 4 dogs (schipperkes, of course) and am retired. I am very honoured to be asked to be a moderator, and I promise to do my best to help this site continue to be the best Sims 3 resource on the Web.
Debi Silva (aka mtglady) - ModeratorHello! My name is Deborah (Debi) Silva and I currently live in Scottsdale, Arizona USA - aka the Valley of the Sun. Computers were a new thing in my generation and they were so huge. I started playing computer games when they first became available - yes I am that old. I dabbled in this game and that from the late 80's until I discovered Sim City in 1990 shortly after I had brain surgery. Playing that game was good for my hand/eye coordination and is still good therapy for me. When The Sims was introduced in 2000, I was ecstatic. I bought and played all of the EP's, then graduated to The Sims 2 and again bought everything that came out including all of the SP's. Now, I am doing the same with the Sims 3.
I have 14 grandchildren, with one on the way and one great-grandchild, with another one on the way. I am partially retired from the mortgage industry and I split my day-times between my family that lives near me and what work I still do. I save my evenings for my Simmies and, of course, this wonderful forum. I discovered it this past spring and since I found myself constantly here, I decided to officially sign up in July, 2010. I will try my hardest to do the best that I can for each and everyone. I have a fetish for good grammar and spelling so that is where I will start. Please feel free to contact me if you need anything. If I can't help you, I will refer you to someone who can. Happy Simming!
Amber (aka gerrr00) - Moderator, Spaminator
Hello, my name is Amber. I live near Fort Lewis, WA. I am a stay at home mom, married for over 11 years, have 2 children and way too many pets. My husband is a career soldier with over 14 years enlisted. He is gone a lot. This time around I couldn't find anything to keep busy with. I decided to buy a new computer to try out the Sims 3. I am happy to say that I've had a year long vacation from house work. That way I am able to devote as much time to the Sims that my children let me. I found the guide after I bought World Adventures. I discovered the forum and joined after a meteor destroyed the outside of my house and my garden wouldn't work. I had no idea about bugs and glitches until then. I have learned more than I thought possible thanks to the guide and forum. I look forward to keeping one of the best Sims 3 forums clean and safe. See you around!
Leto Kersten (aka Leto85) - Moderator, Video CoordinatorMy real name as well as my nickname here are both Leto. I've chosen that to show my trustworthiness; people can see I am real and easy to track on the internet (only if I want too BTW, haha!). I don't really have much to hide actually.
At the age of 15 I had a bike accident which resulted in amnesia (total memory loss). That was resolved 10 months after that, but still I have a bad memory. I'm noting this so people here know that besides having English as my second language, improving it can be rather hard for me. But, fortunately, if I finally have remembered something I can easily use it in several ways. And I am willing to learn, of course.
I have a background in DTP (desktop publishing) where I came in contact with the wonderful program Photoshop and since then I'm self-educating in photo editing, video editing, and learning how to make 3D animation.
In the freetime besides that, I'm learning Spanish (to train my memory; learning so many words as one language can contain and using the words in a lot of combinations can be the ultimate memory challenge), working out in the gym 3 to 4 times a week, and ,of course, I love to play The Sims 3 and being on-line here at this forum. The main fact that I like to be here is what counts for many of us: the friendly community and people who take you serious. Besides that, I have the ability to grow here, talk to interesting people from all over the globe, and improving my English, which is a very good thing.
Rob (aka Hosfac) - Moderator
My name is Rob, and I’m a 44 year old uncle of 3. While I have no kids of my own, I’ve helped raise my nephews since they were in the single digit ages, and I love them as I would my own children. I was originally born in the Yukon, Canada, but work brought my family to America when I was about 14 and I became a naturalized citizen shortly after my 18th birthday.
I enjoy music of all varieties, and I’m also a big film buff…but my passion has always been video games since the first time I set foot in a video arcade. I’m a big fan of the Final Fantasy and Zelda franchises, as well as several online games like Runescape, but my favorite above and beyond them all is the Sims (no surprise I guess). While I technically started with Sim City, I just couldn’t get into it. But the moment I saw an ad for The Sims 1, I was hooked then and there.
In the real world, I have had a great interest in environmentalism and humanitarianism for as long as I can remember. I also have a fascination with old cultures that revolved around a universal "code of ethics" (like Chivalry and Bushido), and read everything I can find on the subject.Sine (aka PJSim) - ModeratorSome of you may remember me from a while back as I was the first moderator here aside from the Admins.
The reason for my absence is that I have an on-again off-again relationship with gaming - as I do with most of my interests, like science fiction, blues music and most recently motorsports. I obsess about something for a while, then go off it for a long time. I always seem to come back to The Sims though, maybe because it doesn't end.
I've always enjoyed computer games, I think the first I remember playing was Lemmings; wicked game that was. Let's go! Also Tomb Raider 1.
I played both The Sims 1 and 2 and while I love a lot of the new things in Sims 3 and couldn't go back, I sometimes miss the utter insanity of the earlier games. There really ought to be bizarre side effects of using a telescope and your landscaping ought to eat your guests.
I've got no kids and no pets and don't plan to get any. I live in Copenhagen (capital of Denmark for the geographically impaired) but I wasn't born there and find it kind of strange. English is my second language - or more like third or fourth really - but that won't stop me from fixing improper use of your and you're.
In fact I like being a moderator because I get to correct other peoples posts. Now if I could just get moderator access to the rest of the interwebz...
Rachel (aka ratchie) - Moderator
Hi there my name is Rachel and I am a happily married stay at home mum of two beautiful girls and two wonderful boys.I am 34 years old and I live in the UK.
Because it is very difficult to leave the house when you have four children, I tend to spend a lot of time on the computer. I have played TS1 and the TS2 and loved them both so when TS3 came out I had to get it. After a couple of months of playing I had run out of ideas so Googled Sims 3 challenges. This is when I discovered Carl's Guide and the Immortal Dynasty challenge. After a few months of lurking I plucked up the courage and joined which is one of the best things I have ever done.
I love playing long generational Sim games and as you have all probably noticed I quite enjoy writing about them too. I have spent many hours happily reading other members Sim stories and it is amazing to see how the stories board has evolved over the past year. I hope I can do as good a job as all of the other moderators and staff and I am more than honored to be one of them.
Ana (aka Anushka) - ModeratorI'm Ana, 30 year old Bosnian living in Bosnia with my almost 3 year old son, while my husband is working in Sweden.
I'm a long time addict to strategic games, ever since Commodore 64. I specially loved SimCity and Sims 2 - I didn't really liked Sims 1.
I find this forum early on, looking for some gardening tips, and I lurked for a while before joining it for challenge tournaments - and that made me even bigger Sim addict!
Getting the offer to become a moderator came as a very pleasant surprise and I'm more than happy to be a part of such a fantastic team in wonderful community. I hope to keep up with high standards and am happy to contribute to such a great place.
Now, my family lost any hope they had that one day I might get over Sims!
Laura (aka Ausette) - Moderator
Hi there, I’m a 19-year-old Australian chick who studies science by day and battles trolls by night. You can usually find me lurking around the forum, avoiding my studies. I enjoy learning random trivia, watching terrible movies, reading book reviews, and playing classic video games.
I first found Carl’s guide in my mad rush to find as much information as possible about The Sims 3 before I bought it. I joined the forum shortly after, where my response was pretty much “Why are these internet people so nice?” I love this forum and all its members, and I’m really looking forward to making a difference here.
Laverna (aka lilygirl) - ModeratorI'm a 26 year old wife, nurse, and mom-to-be. I was born and raised in a small town in Alberta, Canada surrounded by 7 siblings, a dog, and many cats. I left home at 18 to attend university and have since earned 2 Bachelor degrees in Biology and Nursing. My family is the most important thing in my life (my husband and I are expecting our first baby in February 2012) followed, in no particular order, by my nursing work, crochet, watching the Edmonton Oilers throw away another hockey season, and The Sims 3.
I started playing TS3 when it came out after my husband (then boyfriend) introduced me to TS2 during the summer of 2008, while I was doing the summer portion of my nursing studies. How I managed to maintain the GPA I did, I have no idea as I spent almost every evening playing the game instead of studying. When TS3 came out, my husband and I bought a brand new Mac laptop with specs big enough that I could play the game and he didn't have to share his PC. I don't play any other computer games other than Sims Medieval every now and again.
I can't remember how I found Carl and Pam's forum, I must have been searching for something my Simmies had gotten me puzzled over. I didn't post anything for about 6-7 months after I joined, but now I have a Dynasty story going and was offered a moderator spot, for which I am very honoured and will do my very best to help keep this forum the safe and awesome place it is for everyone.
Norma Blackburn (aka Twinmum)
Hello there, I’m a mother of four beautiful daughters (three teenagers still at home) and grandmother of a delightful little girl, and yes two of my daughters are twins. Due to a back problem, I haven’t worked for 20 years and so have played a lot of computer games. I always liked the sim type games and if the game was called Sim Something, Theme Something or Something Tycoon, chances are I had a copy of it at some point in time.
I discovered Sims just after it was first released and quickly became addicted, buying every EP and most stuff packs. The same occurred when Sims 2 came out. Of course when Sims 3 came out, I fell to temptation yet again.
I stumbled onto Carl’s site back before there was even a forum and quickly discovered that it usually had the most useful information, so I made it my first place to stop when I needed help. When I came back after a couple of months of not playing Sims (shock horror!), I discovered there was a forum, so I promptly joined and have been here ever since.
I do have other interests besides The Sims. I am a huge Stephen King fan from way back and even collaborated with two other fans to write “The Complete Guide To The Works Of Stephen King”. I also enjoy making and collecting dollhouse miniatures.RicaLynnMy first name is actually Erica but I think only a four year old calls me that anymore. I'm 31 years old and still can't believe it myself. Due to an unexpected change in marital status, I'm currently in the middle of a move from my hometown in SE Virginia to Atlanta, GA to take care of my little sister's kids while she goes to school to become a teacher.
From the moment I played my first run of Oregon Trail on an Apple IIgs, I was completely and utterly hooked on computer games/gaming. Oregon Trail evolved into Zelda and Mario. Zelda and Mario evolved into chat room RP sessions which evolved into WoW and other MMOs. When I was taking a break from end game content, I came across The Sims 3 somewhere and immediately got myself a copy. During my first legacy, I found Carl's Guide to LTWs. I always kept it bookmarked for the information and it was over a year later I realized that there was a forum! I started lurking (like you do) then one day got the courage to finally join and try one of Metro's challenges.
Last Updated: April 7, 2012
