Oh boy you gave me some good ideas. I had chosen the Gretal's Revenge stove already, it seemed a perfect choice. I agree with you on the fence and I'll change that to stone, I have one in mind that should work out well.
The well is the Well of Wisdom from Dragon Valley. I found it while I was looking for medieval stuff to use.
I just thought of a radio that might work for some entertainment.
See ya
Ahhh! I've always used the plain, boring well that comes with the mill. I hadn't known about the one from DV! I'll have to look for it. Is it under misc deco, statues, or in buydebug?
The radio is also useful for starting your Sims off in learning athletic. There are other things you can use too (like that pull up bar, and the archery gauntlet), but the radio is good for a nice music buff at other times, and doesn't take as much space.
Whenever my Sims get a wish to buy expensive exercise equipment, I always delete it. Nope, that doesn't fit in a medieval world.
ETA: Oh, and what you mentioned about making a TV look like a puppet thing... you probably know that in Sims 2 there was a modded TV like that, right? It was pretty cool, and I used it a lot for my richer medieval Sims.
@MiaSkywalker I didn't know, actually! I never did play Sims 2! I was thinking of making a little medieval faire (not for this, just in general) and adding that in as a puppet theater! Then Sim could go and watch it but it wouldn't be in the house. I do want to play with the idea
@MiaSkywalker I didn't know, actually! I never did play Sims 2! I was thinking of making a little medieval faire (not for this, just in general) and adding that in as a puppet theater! Then Sim could go and watch it but it wouldn't be in the house. I do want to play with the idea
I think making a MOOed puppet show at a fair is a great idea. I hadn't thought of doing it when I made a medieval fair, but it would totally fit. I don't think I've ever seen images of a medieval fair where there wasn't a puppet show somewhere. But making it... might be a little difficult.
Ok, this is about to get very image heavy, so I've put everything in spoilers. I've started my build for @ADWilson a little early, and I've done quite a bit on it. I haven't done the detail decorating yet, but that will come later.
First, I wanted to figure out where this was going to go. I looked at a 30x30 lot first:
Then I realized that the incline was the opposite of what I needed, so I searched for another lot. I wanted one kind of far from the main area, because I was thinking of it being somewhat remote. So, I found this one. It's 40x40, which turned out to be a better size for the particular cabin I was making. It's flat, but that's OK.
I'm not sure the address right now, but I'll get that to you later.
So, here's the build as it went. I learned how to do stilts over water! It's both easy and tricky.
That was it for the outer build. Now I started working on the insides. I started off putting the kitchen on the left and the bedrooms on the right, figuring the bedrooms should get the larger portion of the house. I was following the images for which sides to put the windows on.
Now I had to change the roof a bit. I decided that the best way to simulate those windows was to use the dance studio roof pieces, so I had to make a number of changes.
Then it occurred to me - the sunroof area would work much better for the kitchen and dining area, NOT the bedrooms. It just didn't seem right. So... time to move everything around inside! It looked much better from above once the skylight area was over the kitchen instead of the bedrooms.
Now just general pictures as I was adding and changing things.
The roof looks a little odd from below once you put those skylights on it.
Oh noes! Water is getting into the foundation! It might cause wood rot!
You wanted some skilling objects, so I put a couple of things in the attic.
Some more images of the inside.
Now, for other stuff:
@ADWilson wasn't sure what using MOO with windows would do, so here's an example:
There's a way around it, of course. You can pick up the window and hit Escape, and it will fix it, but it's a pain if you have a whole bunch of them doing this. Plus, if you have two windows next to each other, fixing one sometimes messes the other one back up again. So, I just prefer not to use MOO when placing windows unless I absolutely must.
I also have several questions for you. Some of them have examples.
Which of these lights do you like best? Or do you prefer I use a different light completely?
Which of these two curtains do you prefer? These were the only two that fit these particular windows properly and without any clipping.
Some additional questions:
Would you prefer a different color scheme for any of this?
Would you like me to put in a garden? *
Would you like chickens and/or a beehive? *
If you don't want a garden, would you like me to put in the humble harvest stands?
* I was kind of thinking not. To me, this place is more for an angler rather than a gardener. But it could be for both, if you want it.
That's it for now. I'll work on this some more in the next few days.
Ok, this is about to get very image heavy, so I've put everything in spoilers. I've started my build a little early, and I've done quite a bit on it. I haven't done the detail decorating yet, but that will come later.
The 30x30 lot was nice, but the 40x40 gives plenty of room for expanding the space, indoors & out. The location of the lot is great too, secluded and with a really nice view all around.
Congrats on learning how to do stilts over water! That is one thing I haven't really messed around with (mainly because of the hassle I had trying to place IP type lots & user-created ones in other worlds so I gave up ~ could never get them to look right terrain-wise). Your idea of a pond is genius... some water, but not too much and fits in with the HS surroundings quite nicely!
Have never used the dance studio roof pieces and really like the way it turned out. I agree. Having the kitchen under all that that 'open sky' is a better idea than the bedrooms. Which is funny because when I camp, I enjoy looking at the sky/stars through the top of the tent but having all that openness over the bedroom would have me feeling a bit exposed even if nobody could see in. LOL
Maybe this will sound a bit like stereotyping, but I'm already picturing a male werewolf sim living here. I played one briefly to earn a badge or two way-back-when and that was it, but think it is time to give this type another go and actually explore what a were can do.
The backyard porch is really nice! that is plenty of room for lounging, eating outside or relaxing and looking over the lay of the land.
I also like the platform dining area.
Would have to be careful with taking pictures because of the open sky, but I really like being able to see the sky and trees like that... good incentive to play with walls up. The views through the windows is so pretty!
Oh noes indeed! Thank goodness this game doesn't do wood rot... or termites... stuff that would have us infrequent builders pulling on our hair. LOL
A skilling attic is a fun way to use that space
The skill items you used makes me think of the LTW Descendant of Da Vinci (never finished that one!) but I can also see an angler sim feeling at home here.
Ah yes, I see now! I have come across this 'walled window' look before. Never realized it had anything to do with MOO, silly me. I tend to put it on for landscaping and then forget to turn it off. And yes, it is a pain to fix when there are a number of windows (I speak from experience here! Every now and then I come across fix-one-and-discover-another-not-working-right... frustrating!) but now, thanks to YOU, I know the cause and can turn the code off before it plays tricks with my windows. Hopefully.
Which of these lights do you like best? Or do you prefer I use a different light completely?
That light is a perfect choice for the cabin. Since I am strongly considering a male sim, I find myself leaning towards B. Nothing fussy or flowery and the yellow in A covers up the glass design.
Which of these two curtains do you prefer? These were the only two that fit these particular windows properly and without any clipping.
The first curtain looks nice, but seems a bit formal in my opinion so I would go with your second choice. Is that birdhouses on the curtain rod? I don't think I have ever used that particular curtain before.
You made shower rooms. I guess no 'bathing the pond for this were'. LOL
Would you prefer a different color scheme for any of this?
Would you like me to put in a garden? *
Would you like chickens and/or a beehive? *
If you don't want a garden, would you like me to put in the humble harvest stands?
* I was kind of thinking not. To me, this place is more for an angler rather than a gardener. But it could be for both, if you want it.
I the wood! The blue looks great against it. Might I suggest pairing the blue with red in the curtains (pattern of some sort) to bring in another color to the bedrooms and that might be carried over to the rug... if you don't have the budget for rugs then that is one thing I can easily work towards obtaining... gives me something to buy when those 'buy something worth x' wishes pop up
I have had sims grow things in the garden, but haven't messed around with chickens or a beehive.
The humble harvest stands can go on a residential lot? I didn't know this! Yet another item that is vastly underused by me. I think I downloaded a lot that has this on it, but my sims haven't done anything other than browse/buy. I really should explore store items more (and see what all they can do!) because I know my knowledge is limited and that in turn limits my game playing. Might need to find my to-do list and work my way through it.
Hmm... part of me can easily see a second sim getting into gardening, etc and would love to see these things on the property... but... you were thinking not and I can definitely go with your line of thinking since gardening takes up quite a bit of time AND a Da Vinci sim or angler wouldn't want to mess about with those. I can always have the heir go that route and add/build a garden etc.
So no to a garden, chickens and beehive for now.
Not sure what purpose the stand does on a residential lot. If you think it fits with your idea then add it. If not, then don't worry about it.
Have never used the dance studio roof pieces and really like the way it turned out. I agree. Having the kitchen under all that that 'open sky' is a better idea than the bedrooms. Which is funny because when I camp, I enjoy looking at the sky/stars through the top of the tent but having all that openness over the bedroom would have me feeling a bit exposed even if nobody could see in. LOL
Oh, you just gave me an idea for a residential lot that only has a tent and/or sleeping bags for sleeping in, and no actual house...
Maybe this will sound a bit like stereotyping, but I'm already picturing a male werewolf sim living here. I played one briefly to earn a badge or two way-back-when and that was it, but think it is time to give this type another go and actually explore what a were can do.
A werewolf, eh? Maybe that handsome werewolf I made for the last exchange we did.
The backyard porch is really nice! that is plenty of room for lounging, eating outside or relaxing and looking over the lay of the land.
I also like the platform dining area.
That was the first time I've ever used the platforms. I'm going to have to playtest to make sure everything works. As for the backyard... the bench was put where it was with the idea of someone being able to fish from it. Of course, I don't think a Sim can really sit while fishing, but they SHOULD.
A skilling attic is a fun way to use that space
The skill items you used makes me think of the LTW Descendant of Da Vinci (never finished that one!) but I can also see an angler sim feeling at home here.
I hadn't actually thought of that. That's one of my favorite LTWs; between that, Renaissance Sim, and Illustrious Writer, those are the ones I use at least 90% of the time. Both the sculpting station and the easel can help your Sims make money, which is one reason I tend to put those in. I like it when my Sims can keep themselves solvent without ever needing to have a rabbithole job. Frankly, rabbithole jobs bore me, because all you're doing is waiting for your Sim to get home. Bah.
Come to think of it, I need to put a computer in somewhere. Gotta be able to write some books! That's another good way to make money.
I think I'm also going to put up some bookshelves and a bench in the attic, for your Sims to read skill books and recipe books.
That light is a perfect choice for the cabin. Since I am strongly considering a male sim, I find myself leaning towards B. Nothing fussy or flowery and the yellow in A covers up the glass design.
Then B it is. I think my favorite is A, but when too many are too close together, for some reason that particular one gets waaaay too bright.
The first curtain looks nice, but seems a bit formal in my opinion so I would go with your second choice. Is that birdhouses on the curtain rod? I don't think I have ever used that particular curtain before.
I don't think so. I think they're just blocks of wood. I mostly used the Hewnsman set, which looks very hand made, and uses a lot of wood block ends. Those do match the rest of the decor better than the first, which I agree is a little on the fancy side. The first one could be used, if we are making it for a female, and if I add some feminine touches throughout the house.
Speaking of, I don't think I uploaded any pictures of it, but I decorated the front porch a bit with some pots of flowers. I chose some things that I felt were rustic enough to work.
As for where those curtains are from, I have no idea. I think they're from Pets, but I can't swear to it. I can easily change the pattern to something two-colored. I was thinking solid felt more rustic, but I'll try a few things and run them by you.
You made shower rooms. I guess no 'bathing the pond for this were'. LOL
Actually, I have absolutely no idea how to make a pond swimmable. I know it's possible, but I have no idea how to do it.
I the wood! The blue looks great against it. Might I suggest pairing the blue with red in the curtains (pattern of some sort) to bring in another color to the bedrooms and that might be carried over to the rug... if you don't have the budget for rugs then that is one thing I can easily work towards obtaining... gives me something to buy when those 'buy something worth x' wishes pop up
Actually, I technically don't have the budget for ANY furniture. The walls and windows cost everything it would take in a starter. So I'm going to *coughs*cheat*coughs*. That is, I'm going to use Nraas DebugEnabler to change the value of every furniture item in the house to $0. It's going to take a LOT of time and effort, but it should make the house cost pretty close to a starter. Can't do that until I start playtesting, though, because that Nraas option is only available in Play mode. It does mean that, essentially, I have no limit for furniture, since none of it will end up costing anything....
Me, cheat? Naw, I would NEVER cheat in a Sims game! *coughs*
Frankly, the house was just too LARGE to fit into an actual starter budget. The site said the cabin was 44x28, so I made it 22x16. Yes, I cheated the depth a tiny bit to make it a bit more roomy. The pictures I saw of the inside of the cabin looked very cramped, and I don't really like cramped all that much. And Sims tend to hate it and give routing tantrums.
The humble harvest stands can go on a residential lot? I didn't know this! Yet another item that is vastly underused by me. I think I downloaded a lot that has this on it, but my sims haven't done anything other than browse/buy. I really should explore store items more (and see what all they can do!) because I know my knowledge is limited and that in turn limits my game playing. Might need to find my to-do list and work my way through it.
Not sure what purpose the stand does on a residential lot. If you think it fits with your idea then add it. If not, then don't worry about it.
Yep, you can! I put them in at least one of the lots I made for Skymyst. I know for certain I put one on the 🐸🐸🐸🐸 caravan lot (at the side of the house), and I think I put one in one of the other lots as well.
It's just for you having a more convenient place to purchase produce than having to go to the grocery store. If you're playing an angler, some of the fish cooking recipes require vegetables. This will allow you to get them without having to garden. If you have a garden, you don't need it. It's just useful if you don't want to garden.
You will still need to go to the grocery store for meat and eggs (the harvest stand does not offer those, only fruit, vegetables, and herbs), particularly if you play a werewolf. Heck, one of the fun things about playing a werewolf is that they occasionally get the urge to eat raw meat. If you keep a few patties and steaks in your inventory... num! And you get a nice little buff to go with it.
Hmm... part of me can easily see a second sim getting into gardening, etc and would love to see these things on the property... but... you were thinking not and I can definitely go with your line of thinking since gardening takes up quite a bit of time AND a Da Vinci sim or angler wouldn't want to mess about with those. I can always have the heir go that route and add/build a garden etc.
So no to a garden, chickens and beehive for now.
Yeah, you can always add it later. The wolf's mate can get into gardening, too. If you want, I'll leave you one perfect example of each fruit/vegetable in the fridge, to start you if you want it.
Oh! One thing I forgot, and I was thinking of, and I really want to add it, is a nectar maker. I may just put it outside, like an outdoor moonshine still. You WILL need to purchase the various fruits for it from the harvest stand or the store, however. I recommend a mod that lets you purchase all items from the store, even those that you'd normally have to go to France for. It will make your life easier.
ETA:
Forgot to answer one thing:
Ah yes, I see now! I have come across this 'walled window' look before. Never realized it had anything to do with MOO, silly me. I tend to put it on for landscaping and then forget to turn it off. And yes, it is a pain to fix when there are a number of windows (I speak from experience here! Every now and then I come across fix-one-and-discover-another-not-working-right... frustrating!) but now, thanks to YOU, I know the cause and can turn the code off before it plays tricks with my windows. Hopefully.
I've learned to turn on MOO for whatever I'm specifically doing, and then when I'm done, immediately turn it off. It tends to prevent headaches later. Particularly if you accidentally did something dumb like put an end table in front of a door so no one can ever go through it.
@Kgaff, just in case @hannahc1023 forgets posting here so long ago, I thought I'd look ahead at your build. (Since we end up building for everyone eventually, I'm just jumpstarting the next step.)
You said: I love to landscape and I can get a lot of stuff on a small lot. I love to use MOO to create a new piece of furniture. I have been working more with fog emitters and learning what they can do.
Building weaknesses: CFE! I have tried and tried but just can't get the hang of it. Also I don't know how to do stuff like swim-able ponds, basements that have outdoor stairs or homes built into hills.
Wishlist: I have been playing in Appaloosa Plains and would love a smallish ranch with enough room for a horse and a couple of dogs. Homes on 30x30 lots would be great and they could be contemporary, modern or rustic.
I thought I'd try to do something you normally don't. I have done walk-out basements and builds into hills before.
I looked at Appaloosa Plains and there is only one empty 30x30 lot. In fact, it might be the ONLY empty lot after all the auto-spawning venues are placed. It's on Bob-a-Link. Most of Appaloosa Plain's lots are really flat, so it'd be a challenge to slope it and still have room for a horse; but I could do my normal dug-out basement and stairs down to the basement from the outside.
I found this home intriguing and wondered what you think about it:
Notice the wrap around porch on the side and the drop off there showing another level below.
It's rustic look would fit the ranch and Appaloosa Plains well, I think. However, if you don't like it, I'll look for another.
I looked at Appaloosa Plains and there is only one empty 30x30 lot. In fact, it might be the ONLY empty lot after all the auto-spawning venues are placed. It's on Bob-a-Link. Most of Appaloosa Plain's lots are really flat, so it'd be a challenge to slope it and still have room for a horse; but I could do my normal dug-out basement and stairs down to the basement from the outside.
That looks like it will be very interesting!
Btw, I've made a mod (a simple XML mod; shouldn't cause any conflicts, because the XML I modified specifically has to do with the auto-spawning, iirc) that stops all of the EP venues from auto-spawning. If you want, I can post it, um, somewhere, that you can download it.
I definitely recommend letting all of the venues spawn on a world and then saving them to your library before installing the mod. Then you can place only the ones you want on each world
I created this mod because one time I started SV, and so many venues spawned that
There were no empty lots to work with at all.
Several of the townies actually lived in some of these venues, because they overwrote their homes, but left the Sims living on that lot. It was VERY weird.
I don't want to bother with the Showtime venues anymore, now that I've finished all the Showtime achievements that I'm interested in doing, especially since I have no interest in ever playing those careers again.
Yes, @MiaSkywalker - I would definately download your mod. I just usually go in and delete all the auto-spawned lots and then made a save as template where I do other stuff like delete stairs and fences and parking spots on commercial lots.
I actually found an empty AP save that is shared at modthesims. Like my IP world saves, I just need to create a folder in my saves folder and copy in the unzipped files. I'm going to see how fast it loads without any store stuff.
Ahhh! I've always used the plain, boring well that comes with the mill. I hadn't known about the one from DV! I'll have to look for it. Is it under misc deco, statues, or in buydebug?
I don't know where the well is in the catalog. I found it by this method: Sort by room>outdoors>Dragon Valley (for me it's about halfway on the slider bar) I don't know any other place it could be. It has a price of zero but I didn't find it in buydebug unless I overlooked it.
I made some changes today and will be posting some pictures for you later on. I have to make bread now YUM!
@ciane That is one cute cabin. I think it would be fun if it was rustic like that on the outside and warm and cozy inside sort of country like. Oh and you don't have to limit yourself to Appaloosa Plains, that would great in Hidden Springs, Riverview and even Barnacle Bay (I still like to play that one too!)
Also, if you are thinking of a ranch, you could go as large as 40x40. I think that would be manageable for one one sim.
Oh, you probably already know this, but, I found out the hard way. If you choose Hidden Springs, any walk out or dug out basement will flood if you use a lot at the lowest level.
Yes, @MiaSkywalker - I would definately download your mod. I just usually go in and delete all the auto-spawned lots and then made a save as template where I do other stuff like delete stairs and fences and parking spots on commercial lots.
I actually found an empty AP save that is shared at modthesims. Like my IP world saves, I just need to create a folder in my saves folder and copy in the unzipped files. I'm going to see how fast it loads without any store stuff.
Yeah, the only problem is that in the meantime they sometimes mess up other lots that were there before. They don't ONLY take up empty lots; they go for those first, but once those are all full, they will start taking up lots that already have something on them. It's very stupid, and can cause awful problems, like making some townies homeless.
I'm constantly tweaking things in the game, so I've created a lot of my own personal mods. I've only uploaded half a dozen or so to MTS; I have closer to 60-70 that I've made and actually use. I don't know why I've never uploaded this one. I would imagine other people would find it useful like I do. Personally, I don't think EVERY world needs to have a Vic's Flying Coffeehouse. Just... no.
@ciane
Had both excitement and frustration today lol Apparently, despite the fact that you can put 4 steps up to a foundation, or 1 step up to a platform, you *can't* put 3 steps between the two! Grr! Fought for a while with that before I just gave up and put the deck flat on the ground instead of raised. So I'm bummed that I don't get that look.
But I *did* manage to get CFE to work! I fought for a bit with it, too, until I figured out rather than stretching the wall up to make it tall enough, instead I had to shrink the lower wall to a foundation height then put a full sized wall on top! But it worked! *yay* this is a first for me
Here are some shots of the exterior building. This has already taken up pretty much the whole of the build budget for a starter, but I will still try to keep the cost as low as I can while getting the essence of the design in.
Let me know what you think so far
On a somewhat related note, the sim I had on the lot to help test things... had a bit of a grim fate. I saved and wandered off to do other things, not realizing that the live game wasn't paused, so the sim - lacking food and bathroom facilities - met a gruesome end I always feel so bloody guilty when that happens!! Hopefully the rest of the build will not be overshadowed by tragedy >.>
Oh, you probably already know this, but, I found out the hard way. If you choose Hidden Springs, any walk out or dug out basement will flood if you use a lot at the lowest level.
SO IT ISN'T JUST ME!!! I was getting so frustrated with this! Apparently this is true in Aurora Skies as well! I couldn't figure out what on earth I was doing wrong with my basements there!
@ciane
Had both excitement and frustration today lol Apparently, despite the fact that you can put 4 steps up to a foundation, or 1 step up to a platform, you *can't* put 3 steps between the two! Grr! Fought for a while with that before I just gave up and put the deck flat on the ground instead of raised. So I'm bummed that I don't get that look.
You CAN link the foundation to a platform with three stairs BUT you need the platform to come out at least two tiles so the stairs place (by holding down alt) and there is room to stand on the platform after coming down those stairs. I checked it out in my game just now. The foundation will an invisible tile out in front of it (for placing a tile out). This will confuse the stairs if there is only one tile width of platform. Plus, you know how stair placement is. You have to have a space at the bottom of the stairs. In this case, one more tile out of platform.
Using the alt key when placing stairs is the way to get ununusual number of steps to set down for things like hilly spots and foundation on hilly spots.
@Kgaff - I decided to split the difference and went with a 30x40 in Riverview. There are two lots of that size on Hidden Grove Lane, so the lot could be set on either of those depending on how you want it to face.
I've only just started, so this is very basic, but I wanted to have the foundation built into a hill that you hadn't done before. I'll have a walkout basement in the back and room for a stable. The hill is only on one side, so the horse and dogs should have room to maneuver without too much problem.
I know that right now it looks very blocky and big. I am hoping that when the upstairs is built, and the roof in place, is won't seem that way. It just has that wrap around porch that extends from three sides.
@ciane ALT!!! I always forget about ALT when placing stairs! I'm so glad I'm not too far along so I can go back and try it with the platform again!
There should be plenty of room for the stairs, several tiles out either end, but will definitely use ALT when I get home!
I guess I should ask, what kind of hobby/skill items do you either generally use or would like in this build? Currently I am planning space for a computer, easel, chess table, and stereo. The basement will be unfinished but is envisioned to be used as a sauna (I mean, come on, Scandinavian houses *have* to have a sauna!), bath, and exercise rooms. I can leave this unfinished for cost purposes or finish it off if you don't mind the budget growing.
There is also a small fireplace, outdoor fire pit, and am toying with a juice bar but may cut that out. The lot I've put it on has a beautiful view of the lake to offer all those big windows. I guess the original house was a vacation home so I want to have a few little 'luxury' and outdoor enjoyment items.
I can plan out a plantable garden, or just do a landscaped one if you prefer?
You've covered all the basics for skilling nicely. I say, "Go ahead and add what you feel it needs without adding in everything it could have." So a small fireplace and sauna are reasonable, but maybe skip the juice bar and exercise equipment. Sound like a good compromise? They get nice, without having everything right away. Sims have to have something to work towards, you know? A small garden and a little landscaping would be perfect. (I like to eat a lot of fruit and veggies, but I don't want to spend all my time in the garden.)
Oh, you probably already know this, but, I found out the hard way. If you choose Hidden Springs, any walk out or dug out basement will flood if you use a lot at the lowest level.
SO IT ISN'T JUST ME!!! I was getting so frustrated with this! Apparently this is true in Aurora Skies as well! I couldn't figure out what on earth I was doing wrong with my basements there!
Forgive me for being stupid, but what's a walkout or dug out basement? I live in SoCal, and we don't have basements here, so the terms don't mean anything to me.
I always use the basement tool for making basements, and have always done it on flat ground directly under the home. Is what you're talking about something different?
Using the alt key when placing stairs is the way to get unusual number of steps to set down for things like hilly spots and foundation on hilly spots.
You can use Alt when placing stairs? I never knew that! What benefits do you get for using Alt when placing stairs? I mean, when would you use it, and why? (Other than the example you've given in your post.)
Forgive me for being stupid, but what's a walkout or dug out basement? I live in SoCal, and we don't have basements here, so the terms don't mean anything to me.
I always use the basement tool for making basements, and have always done it on flat ground directly under the home. Is what you're talking about something different?
Nothing stu-...silly (ah, now I understand the bolded letter LOL) about it! Different places have different architecture features
A dugout basement is where you put a foundation in, delete all the interior foundation pieces leaving just a perimeter, then sink the ground in the middle to a full wall height and put a basement inside the foundation walls. There's a tutorial at the bottom of this page: carls-sims-3-guide.com/buildedit/houses/multilevel/
A walk-out basement is the same idea, but the house is on a hillside so part of the basement is exposed as wall. It's also known as a daylight basement. I live in Washington state, we have these kinds of basements all over the place!
I'm putting a dug-out basement on ciane's build. It's a way to basically get a lot of free space, you already paid for the foundation walls, sinking the ground is free, now you have a whole additional floor for nothing (but the cost of the stairs)
Forgive me for being stupid, but what's a walkout or dug out basement? I live in SoCal, and we don't have basements here, so the terms don't mean anything to me.
I always use the basement tool for making basements, and have always done it on flat ground directly under the home. Is what you're talking about something different?
LOL I never knew what they were until I moved, I lived in SoCal most of my life too!! A walk out basement has direct access to the outdoors without having to go upstairs. @ciane can explain the dug out ones better than me, she uses that method a lot instead of the basement tool.
@Kgaff - I decided to split the difference and went with a 30x40 in Riverview. There are two lots of that size on Hidden Grove Lane, so the lot could be set on either of those depending on how you want it to face.
I know that right now it looks very blocky and big. I am hoping that when the upstairs is built, and the roof in place, is won't seem that way. It just has that wrap around porch that extends from three sides.
That looks like it would work as long as there is enough room for a horse to run around, they get grumpy if they don't get enough exercise. I can't wait to see more
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The radio is also useful for starting your Sims off in learning athletic.
Whenever my Sims get a wish to buy expensive exercise equipment, I always delete it. Nope, that doesn't fit in a medieval world.
ETA: Oh, and what you mentioned about making a TV look like a puppet thing... you probably know that in Sims 2 there was a modded TV like that, right? It was pretty cool, and I used it a lot for my richer medieval Sims.
The only kind of garden I can grow is a virtual one.
Dragons - must haz dragons!
The only kind of garden I can grow is a virtual one.
Dragons - must haz dragons!
First, I wanted to figure out where this was going to go. I looked at a 30x30 lot first:
Then I realized that the incline was the opposite of what I needed, so I searched for another lot. I wanted one kind of far from the main area, because I was thinking of it being somewhat remote. So, I found this one. It's 40x40, which turned out to be a better size for the particular cabin I was making. It's flat, but that's OK.
I'm not sure the address right now, but I'll get that to you later.
So, here's the build as it went. I learned how to do stilts over water! It's both easy and tricky.
That was it for the outer build. Now I started working on the insides. I started off putting the kitchen on the left and the bedrooms on the right, figuring the bedrooms should get the larger portion of the house. I was following the images for which sides to put the windows on.
Now I had to change the roof a bit. I decided that the best way to simulate those windows was to use the dance studio roof pieces, so I had to make a number of changes.
Then it occurred to me - the sunroof area would work much better for the kitchen and dining area, NOT the bedrooms. It just didn't seem right. So... time to move everything around inside! It looked much better from above once the skylight area was over the kitchen instead of the bedrooms.
Now just general pictures as I was adding and changing things.
The roof looks a little odd from below once you put those skylights on it.
Oh noes! Water is getting into the foundation! It might cause wood rot!
You wanted some skilling objects, so I put a couple of things in the attic.
Some more images of the inside.
Now, for other stuff:
@ADWilson wasn't sure what using MOO with windows would do, so here's an example:
I also have several questions for you. Some of them have examples.
Which of these lights do you like best? Or do you prefer I use a different light completely?
Which of these two curtains do you prefer? These were the only two that fit these particular windows properly and without any clipping.
Some additional questions:
* I was kind of thinking not. To me, this place is more for an angler rather than a gardener. But it could be for both, if you want it.
That's it for now. I'll work on this some more in the next few days.
The only kind of garden I can grow is a virtual one.
Dragons - must haz dragons!
The 30x30 lot was nice, but the 40x40 gives plenty of room for expanding the space, indoors & out. The location of the lot is great too, secluded and with a really nice view all around.
Congrats on learning how to do stilts over water! That is one thing I haven't really messed around with (mainly because of the hassle I had trying to place IP type lots & user-created ones in other worlds so I gave up ~ could never get them to look right terrain-wise). Your idea of a pond is genius... some water, but not too much and fits in with the HS surroundings quite nicely!
Have never used the dance studio roof pieces and really like the way it turned out. I agree. Having the kitchen under all that that 'open sky' is a better idea than the bedrooms. Which is funny because when I camp, I enjoy looking at the sky/stars through the top of the tent but having all that openness over the bedroom would have me feeling a bit exposed even if nobody could see in. LOL
Maybe this will sound a bit like stereotyping, but I'm already picturing a male werewolf sim living here. I played one briefly to earn a badge or two way-back-when and that was it, but think it is time to give this type another go and actually explore what a were can do.
The backyard porch is really nice!
I also like the platform dining area.
Would have to be careful with taking pictures because of the open sky, but I really like being able to see the sky and trees like that... good incentive to play with walls up. The views through the windows is so pretty!
Oh noes indeed! Thank goodness this game doesn't do wood rot... or termites... stuff that would have us infrequent builders pulling on our hair. LOL
A skilling attic is a fun way to use that space
The skill items you used makes me think of the LTW Descendant of Da Vinci (never finished that one!) but I can also see an angler sim feeling at home here.
Ah yes, I see now! I have come across this 'walled window' look before. Never realized it had anything to do with MOO, silly me. I tend to put it on for landscaping and then forget to turn it off. And yes, it is a pain to fix when there are a number of windows (I speak from experience here! Every now and then I come across fix-one-and-discover-another-not-working-right... frustrating!) but now, thanks to YOU, I know the cause and can turn the code off before it plays tricks with my windows. Hopefully.
Answers to your questions...
That light is a perfect choice for the cabin. Since I am strongly considering a male sim, I find myself leaning towards B. Nothing fussy or flowery and the yellow in A covers up the glass design.
The first curtain looks nice, but seems a bit formal in my opinion so I would go with your second choice. Is that birdhouses on the curtain rod? I don't think I have ever used that particular curtain before.
You made shower rooms. I guess no 'bathing the pond for this were'. LOL
I
I have had sims grow things in the garden, but haven't messed around with chickens or a beehive.
The humble harvest stands can go on a residential lot? I didn't know this! Yet another item that is vastly underused by me. I think I downloaded a lot that has this on it, but my sims haven't done anything other than browse/buy. I really should explore store items more (and see what all they can do!) because I know my knowledge is limited and that in turn limits my game playing. Might need to find my to-do list and work my way through it.
Hmm... part of me can easily see a second sim getting into gardening, etc and would love to see these things on the property... but... you were thinking not and I can definitely go with your line of thinking since gardening takes up quite a bit of time AND a Da Vinci sim or angler wouldn't want to mess about with those. I can always have the heir go that route and add/build a garden etc.
So no to a garden, chickens and beehive for now.
Not sure what purpose the stand does on a residential lot. If you think it fits with your idea then add it. If not, then don't worry about it.
Thank YOU for the sneak peek, it's been fun!
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A werewolf, eh? Maybe that handsome werewolf I made for the last exchange we did.
That was the first time I've ever used the platforms. I'm going to have to playtest to make sure everything works. As for the backyard... the bench was put where it was with the idea of someone being able to fish from it. Of course, I don't think a Sim can really sit while fishing, but they SHOULD.
I hadn't actually thought of that. That's one of my favorite LTWs; between that, Renaissance Sim, and Illustrious Writer, those are the ones I use at least 90% of the time. Both the sculpting station and the easel can help your Sims make money, which is one reason I tend to put those in. I like it when my Sims can keep themselves solvent without ever needing to have a rabbithole job.
Come to think of it, I need to put a computer in somewhere. Gotta be able to write some books! That's another good way to make money.
I think I'm also going to put up some bookshelves and a bench in the attic, for your Sims to read skill books and recipe books.
Then B it is.
I don't think so. I think they're just blocks of wood. I mostly used the Hewnsman set, which looks very hand made, and uses a lot of wood block ends. Those do match the rest of the decor better than the first, which I agree is a little on the fancy side. The first one could be used, if we are making it for a female, and if I add some feminine touches throughout the house.
Speaking of, I don't think I uploaded any pictures of it, but I decorated the front porch a bit with some pots of flowers. I chose some things that I felt were rustic enough to work.
As for where those curtains are from, I have no idea. I think they're from Pets, but I can't swear to it. I can easily change the pattern to something two-colored. I was thinking solid felt more rustic, but I'll try a few things and run them by you.
Actually, I have absolutely no idea how to make a pond swimmable.
Actually, I technically don't have the budget for ANY furniture. The walls and windows cost everything it would take in a starter. So I'm going to *coughs*cheat*coughs*. That is, I'm going to use Nraas DebugEnabler to change the value of every furniture item in the house to $0. It's going to take a LOT of time and effort, but it should make the house cost pretty close to a starter.
Me, cheat? Naw, I would NEVER cheat in a Sims game! *coughs*
Frankly, the house was just too LARGE to fit into an actual starter budget. The site said the cabin was 44x28, so I made it 22x16. Yes, I cheated the depth a tiny bit to make it a bit more roomy.
Yep, you can! I put them in at least one of the lots I made for Skymyst. I know for certain I put one on the 🐸🐸🐸🐸 caravan lot (at the side of the house), and I think I put one in one of the other lots as well.
It's just for you having a more convenient place to purchase produce than having to go to the grocery store. If you're playing an angler, some of the fish cooking recipes require vegetables. This will allow you to get them without having to garden. If you have a garden, you don't need it. It's just useful if you don't want to garden.
You will still need to go to the grocery store for meat and eggs (the harvest stand does not offer those, only fruit, vegetables, and herbs), particularly if you play a werewolf. Heck, one of the fun things about playing a werewolf is that they occasionally get the urge to eat raw meat. If you keep a few patties and steaks in your inventory... num! And you get a nice little buff to go with it.
Yeah, you can always add it later. The wolf's mate can get into gardening, too.
Oh! One thing I forgot, and I was thinking of, and I really want to add it, is a nectar maker. I may just put it outside, like an outdoor moonshine still.
ETA:
Forgot to answer one thing: I've learned to turn on MOO for whatever I'm specifically doing, and then when I'm done, immediately turn it off. It tends to prevent headaches later. Particularly if you accidentally did something dumb like put an end table in front of a door so no one can ever go through it.
The only kind of garden I can grow is a virtual one.
Dragons - must haz dragons!
You said: I love to landscape and I can get a lot of stuff on a small lot. I love to use MOO to create a new piece of furniture. I have been working more with fog emitters and learning what they can do.
Building weaknesses: CFE! I have tried and tried but just can't get the hang of it. Also I don't know how to do stuff like swim-able ponds, basements that have outdoor stairs or homes built into hills.
Wishlist: I have been playing in Appaloosa Plains and would love a smallish ranch with enough room for a horse and a couple of dogs. Homes on 30x30 lots would be great and they could be contemporary, modern or rustic.
I thought I'd try to do something you normally don't. I have done walk-out basements and builds into hills before.
I looked at Appaloosa Plains and there is only one empty 30x30 lot. In fact, it might be the ONLY empty lot after all the auto-spawning venues are placed. It's on Bob-a-Link. Most of Appaloosa Plain's lots are really flat, so it'd be a challenge to slope it and still have room for a horse; but I could do my normal dug-out basement and stairs down to the basement from the outside.
I found this home intriguing and wondered what you think about it:
Notice the wrap around porch on the side and the drop off there showing another level below.
It's rustic look would fit the ranch and Appaloosa Plains well, I think. However, if you don't like it, I'll look for another.
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Btw, I've made a mod (a simple XML mod; shouldn't cause any conflicts, because the XML I modified specifically has to do with the auto-spawning, iirc) that stops all of the EP venues from auto-spawning. If you want, I can post it, um, somewhere, that you can download it.
I definitely recommend letting all of the venues spawn on a world and then saving them to your library before installing the mod. Then you can place only the ones you want on each world
I created this mod because one time I started SV, and so many venues spawned that
Just sayin'.
The only kind of garden I can grow is a virtual one.
Dragons - must haz dragons!
The only kind of garden I can grow is a virtual one.
Dragons - must haz dragons!
I actually found an empty AP save that is shared at modthesims. Like my IP world saves, I just need to create a folder in my saves folder and copy in the unzipped files. I'm going to see how fast it loads without any store stuff.
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The well is the Well of Wisdom from Dragon Valley. I found it while I was looking for medieval stuff to use.
I don't know where the well is in the catalog. I found it by this method: Sort by room>outdoors>Dragon Valley (for me it's about halfway on the slider bar) I don't know any other place it could be. It has a price of zero but I didn't find it in buydebug unless I overlooked it.
I made some changes today and will be posting some pictures for you later on. I have to make bread now YUM!
@ciane That is one cute cabin. I think it would be fun if it was rustic like that on the outside and warm and cozy inside sort of country like. Oh and you don't have to limit yourself to Appaloosa Plains, that would great in Hidden Springs, Riverview and even Barnacle Bay (I still like to play that one too!)
Also, if you are thinking of a ranch, you could go as large as 40x40. I think that would be manageable for one one sim.
Oh, you probably already know this, but, I found out the hard way. If you choose Hidden Springs, any walk out or dug out basement will flood if you use a lot at the lowest level.
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I'm constantly tweaking things in the game, so I've created a lot of my own personal mods. I've only uploaded half a dozen or so to MTS; I have closer to 60-70 that I've made and actually use. I don't know why I've never uploaded this one. I would imagine other people would find it useful like I do. Personally, I don't think EVERY world needs to have a Vic's Flying Coffeehouse. Just... no.
You can find the file here.
Don't forget to save all the venues to your library before putting this in your game, if you think you might want to use them someday.
The only kind of garden I can grow is a virtual one.
Dragons - must haz dragons!
Had both excitement and frustration today lol Apparently, despite the fact that you can put 4 steps up to a foundation, or 1 step up to a platform, you *can't* put 3 steps between the two! Grr! Fought for a while with that before I just gave up and put the deck flat on the ground instead of raised. So I'm bummed that I don't get that look.
But I *did* manage to get CFE to work! I fought for a bit with it, too, until I figured out rather than stretching the wall up to make it tall enough, instead I had to shrink the lower wall to a foundation height then put a full sized wall on top! But it worked! *yay* this is a first for me
Here are some shots of the exterior building. This has already taken up pretty much the whole of the build budget for a starter, but I will still try to keep the cost as low as I can while getting the essence of the design in.
Let me know what you think so far
On a somewhat related note, the sim I had on the lot to help test things... had a bit of a grim fate. I saved and wandered off to do other things, not realizing that the live game wasn't paused, so the sim - lacking food and bathroom facilities - met a gruesome end
SO IT ISN'T JUST ME!!!
You CAN link the foundation to a platform with three stairs BUT you need the platform to come out at least two tiles so the stairs place (by holding down alt) and there is room to stand on the platform after coming down those stairs. I checked it out in my game just now. The foundation will an invisible tile out in front of it (for placing a tile out). This will confuse the stairs if there is only one tile width of platform. Plus, you know how stair placement is. You have to have a space at the bottom of the stairs. In this case, one more tile out of platform.
Using the alt key when placing stairs is the way to get ununusual number of steps to set down for things like hilly spots and foundation on hilly spots.
I love the shape and those windows are perfect!
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I've only just started, so this is very basic, but I wanted to have the foundation built into a hill that you hadn't done before. I'll have a walkout basement in the back and room for a stable. The hill is only on one side, so the horse and dogs should have room to maneuver without too much problem.
I know that right now it looks very blocky and big. I am hoping that when the upstairs is built, and the roof in place, is won't seem that way. It just has that wrap around porch that extends from three sides.
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There should be plenty of room for the stairs, several tiles out either end, but will definitely use ALT when I get home!
I guess I should ask, what kind of hobby/skill items do you either generally use or would like in this build? Currently I am planning space for a computer, easel, chess table, and stereo. The basement will be unfinished but is envisioned to be used as a sauna (I mean, come on, Scandinavian houses *have* to have a sauna!), bath, and exercise rooms. I can leave this unfinished for cost purposes or finish it off if you don't mind the budget growing.
There is also a small fireplace, outdoor fire pit, and am toying with a juice bar but may cut that out. The lot I've put it on has a beautiful view of the lake to offer all those big windows. I guess the original house was a vacation home so I want to have a few little 'luxury' and outdoor enjoyment items.
I can plan out a plantable garden, or just do a landscaped one if you prefer?
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I always use the basement tool for making basements, and have always done it on flat ground directly under the home. Is what you're talking about something different?
The only kind of garden I can grow is a virtual one.
Dragons - must haz dragons!
The only kind of garden I can grow is a virtual one.
Dragons - must haz dragons!
Nothing stu-...silly (ah, now I understand the bolded letter LOL) about it! Different places have different architecture features
A dugout basement is where you put a foundation in, delete all the interior foundation pieces leaving just a perimeter, then sink the ground in the middle to a full wall height and put a basement inside the foundation walls. There's a tutorial at the bottom of this page:
carls-sims-3-guide.com/buildedit/houses/multilevel/
A walk-out basement is the same idea, but the house is on a hillside so part of the basement is exposed as wall. It's also known as a daylight basement. I live in Washington state, we have these kinds of basements all over the place!
I'm putting a dug-out basement on ciane's build. It's a way to basically get a lot of free space, you already paid for the foundation walls, sinking the ground is free, now you have a whole additional floor for nothing (but the cost of the stairs)
LOL I never knew what they were until I moved, I lived in SoCal most of my life too!! A walk out basement has direct access to the outdoors without having to go upstairs. @ciane can explain the dug out ones better than me, she uses that method a lot instead of the basement tool.
That looks like it would work as long as there is enough room for a horse to run around, they get grumpy if they don't get enough exercise. I can't wait to see more