What Is "Simming"?
The first thing to know is sim stands for simulation, or fake. All dogs, kennels, etc, in the SDC are fake. They exist only in the players' imaginations.
Ok, you say, sounds like fun. I get to own lots of beautiful dogs that are virtually odorless, barkless, and I don't have to waste time with my friend the pooper scooper. How do I go about getting my sim dogs?
The first thing to do is to join the SDC! (Be sure you read the club rules first, though, and agree with them.) Secondly, choose the five dogs you are going to start with. Decide which breed(s) you are going to raise, and do a little research on them.
To "create" your dogs, you will need somewhere to store their information. Many members use a file on their computer, or a notebook. Choose whatever works best for you. Now comes the fun part! Most people keep track of their sim dogs' information in lists like this:
Name: Evening Star
Nickname: Star
Registration #: (number)
Breed: Labrador Retriever
Color: Black
Markings: None
Gender: Female
Age: 3
Sire: Red Baron
Dam: Silverstar
Personality: Sweet, loving. Loves to play fetch and swim.
Record:
3rd in Dancing Lights, class: agilty
1st in Mylar Kennel Club Show, class: conformation
2nd in Mylar Kennel Club Show, class: agility
Points: 17 in agility, 10 in conformation
etc..
For each dog you own, make a profile for him/her like this, and record it where you please. You can also have pictures of your dogs, that you have scanned yourself, or picked up on the internet somewhere. Be careful, though, of where you take pictures from. Make sure they're not copyrighted. If you are having trouble finding pictures, ask fellow members where good resources might be.
It is important to register your dog, as because if it does not have a registration number from The SKC, then is really does not "exist". We do this to keep fair records of all the dogs, and so they may in the safe hands of the SPCA if the owner suddenly quits and does not distribute them to new homes.
After registration, you can either board with someone or open up your own kennel and submit it to the Establishments page!
Okay, so, now you have your first dogs. Congratulations! Now you're basically up and running. You can enter your dogs in shows or races, host events yourself.
To enter shows or races, read the information sent out by the host. Make sure you agree and follow all the rules set for that event. Simply reply to the host with the entry forms all filled out with your dog(s) information. Then you can wait for the results...and see how your dog did his his/her competition!
If you have further questions of to how simming works, please ask any of our members, or the office members.
