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Round Robin Build Exchange

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    MiaSkywalkerMiaSkywalker Posts: 3,436 Member
    edited April 2017
    @CreativeMetaphor:

    Looking at DV, I can see five more lots that would (probably) need updating:
    • City Cairn Memorial Lot (graveyard)
    • Heart and History Art Gallery
    • Swimmer's Safety Practice Pool (I probably won't bother with this, other than to completely change it to something else)
    • McCafferty's Pub (Visitors Allowed)
    • Dragon Tavern (No Visitors Allowed?!?)

    I don't bother with pools; I generally put a pool in the gym, and ignore the regular pool. I could turn it into a poolside club.

    I'm baffled why they set those two taverns to "visitors allowed" and "no visitors allowed". It might be because they assume you have no EPs, and want to make it base game compatible. But if you have something marked as a pub, and then don't have that EP, doesn't it change that lot automatically? I wouldn't think it would need to be pre-set that way.

    I could see updating the graveyard, and putting a tomb underneath it. That would be fun! Maybe I'll just do that for funsies later, because I think it would take a while, since I'm still learning about making tombs. (Question: Do you have the Grim's set? There are some pieces from that which would look awesome in a crypt.)

    I don't know what those taverns look like. Giving one of them a medieval look, and adding some store content to it as well, could be fun. I made a medieval tavern before, but I wouldn't mind updating one of these.

    I would like to set Dragon Tavern to a Supernatural Hangout, but you don't have that EP yet. :( I might do the pub, instead, and maybe make it have something of a fantasy look to it.

    I haven't actually LOOKED at any of these lots yet, so I can't swear to them needing updates. But I'm guessing so, since both the gym and the library needed updates rather badly.
    Post edited by MiaSkywalker on
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    creativemetaphorcreativemetaphor Posts: 1,543 Member
    @MiaSkywalker
    Oh, you're probably right, those are probably roof walls. Didn't think of that. Still don't think that area would be usable, though. I would probably get a "ceiling is too low" message for many items, and I've found that putting things that are usable by Sims in those kinds of areas, sometimes makes them unusable.

    Hm... I've made several houses with rooms tucked insides rooves, and had dressers, bookshelves, easels, chairs and beds along the short walls useable to no ill-effect, provided the partial wall was at least about as tall as half a wall and the objects didn't stick through the roof. Granted, I haven't tried it with everything, and I don't think the stairs ever went into those areas, they were off full-sized rooms, but I've never had a problem with it. So you can give it a try if you want otherwise it's fine. You could also just delete the roof wall and put a normal wall there, it's so close that it won't likely cause any visual issues from outside.



    For you, here are a few pics of my playing tonight:
    Gable roof with the castle walls around it
    DoubleGable%201_zpsygjpxbna.jpg
    DoubleGable%202_zps5pjdvkae.jpg

    or hip roof
    Hip_zpsdz1x4mt8.jpg

    Which table do you like for the great hall? Or do you want one for the head table and the other for the others?
    Tables_zpslt5dptxn.jpg

    And just a peek at the window seating!
    WindowSeats_zpsvaxgns3x.jpg
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    MiaSkywalkerMiaSkywalker Posts: 3,436 Member
    edited April 2017
    Hm... I've made several houses with rooms tucked insides rooves, and had dressers, bookshelves, easels, chairs and beds along the short walls useable to no ill-effect, provided the partial wall was at least about as tall as half a wall and the objects didn't stick through the roof. Granted, I haven't tried it with everything, and I don't think the stairs ever went into those areas, they were off full-sized rooms, but I've never had a problem with it. So you can give it a try if you want otherwise it's fine. You could also just delete the roof wall and put a normal wall there, it's so close that it won't likely cause any visual issues from outside.
    I've done the same, BUT I've always used walls to check the height, and didn't place anything if the roof didn't clear the wall. I've never tried to place anything in what might be a roof slant area. Yes, I know those areas can be used in real attics, but Sims sometimes fuss about weird things.
    For you, here are a few pics of my playing tonight:
    Gable roof with the castle walls around it
    DoubleGable%201_zpsygjpxbna.jpg
    DoubleGable%202_zps5pjdvkae.jpg

    or hip roof
    Hip_zpsdz1x4mt8.jpg

    Which table do you like for the great hall? Or do you want one for the head table and the other for the others?
    Tables_zpslt5dptxn.jpg
    And just a peek at the window seating!
    Ohh! I think I prefer the way it looks with the single hipped roof, rather than the two gables. Yes, you can see more of the roof above the castle turrets, but the other way has an odd humpy look that doesn't look right. In the original, it shows that the castle walls go considerably over these roofs, which hides them. (And keeps them safe from flaming arrows, I would imagine, which would have been more to the point to a medieval lord.) Yeah, the five floor limit in Sims 3 bites. :angry:

    Both tables look good! You know what? I have rarely used the one on the right, so let's use that one! Always nice to use something new. :)

    Those seats look great! They appear to be modular; I rarely use modular seats, but they can certainly have a nice effect. (I just never think about using them, for some reason.)

    Your build has a real OLD medieval feel to it, which makes sense, because the keep you're doing has that kind of feel, too. :) Luckily, our Sims will still get indoor plumbing, and won't have to worry about the drafts that come with old castles like this. ;)

    ETA: You know, another possible option for the roof - and yes, I know it's not in the original, but it's something to consider - would be a mansard roof, and use the turret-like fencing on the top of it. I don't KNOW how that would look, but it might work. Something to try, at least.
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    creativemetaphorcreativemetaphor Posts: 1,543 Member
    @MiaSkywalker What's even cooler about this is the 'plumbing' will even be period correct! Keeps like this had cisterns of water which could often be kept high up in the castle and allowed for gravity-fed water plumbing! (One of the castle plans even had sinks noted!) The toilets would have been either built over a shaft to a cess pit (yum) or even a room extending out from the wall and hanging over the moat! Gross! But totally period. I've chosen to put the toilets inside the wall utilizing two shafts which extend the height of the castle.

    Even baths would have been done indoors, when they were done at all, so yep! Even the plumbing is totally correct :mrgreen:

    Will use the single hip roof (might lower the pitch a bit to make it look better) and will have a small room inside it :)

    And just because I can't tell my L from my R half the time, you want the red Tudor table, not the rustic wooden one, right?
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    MiaSkywalkerMiaSkywalker Posts: 3,436 Member
    @MiaSkywalker What's even cooler about this is the 'plumbing' will even be period correct! Keeps like this had cisterns of water which could often be kept high up in the castle and allowed for gravity-fed water plumbing! (One of the castle plans even had sinks noted!) The toilets would have been either built over a shaft to a cess pit (yum) or even a room extending out from the wall and hanging over the moat! Gross! But totally period. I've chosen to put the toilets inside the wall utilizing two shafts which extend the height of the castle.

    Even baths would have been done indoors, when they were done at all, so yep! Even the plumbing is totally correct :mrgreen:

    Will use the single hip roof (might lower the pitch a bit to make it look better) and will have a small room inside it :)

    And just because I can't tell my L from my R half the time, you want the red Tudor table, not the rustic wooden one, right?
    Yeah, the Tudor one. :) I couldn't remember which set it was from or the name, until you said it just now.

    (I'm also dyslexic; an uncommon form where I forget my left and right. I have no trouble with letters or numbers, but boy, directions are a bear sometimes. So I get what ya mean there!)

    Btw, you want to know a really cool way to hide those ugly hot tub things that end up on the floor below? Create a small basement around them, then put a tomb marker inside. Bam! The player never has to see those hideous things! And if you want that basement used for something else, then just put walls around the hot tub area, and put a tomb marker inside that small room. It will just look like a black area to the player, and you never have to look at it during play. :)

    Funny the interesting ways that the tomb objects can be used in regular lots, huh? You could probably use a hidden room marker instead, but as Kgaff discovered, that often has other consequences. (Like, being unable to edit it if you NEED to for some reason.)
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    creativemetaphorcreativemetaphor Posts: 1,543 Member
    @MiaSkywalker Oh neat!! May have to try that

    So I'm gonna call it a night (waaayyy later than I should - yet again :lol: )

    I've made the top floor 4 bedrooms, 2 baths.

    AND YO EVERYONE!!! I've discovered that the castle walls actually give me the ability to go above 5 floors! I put them on the roof, and I can put more things on top of them, just as long as they aren't "walls", so I could double height it, or add a decorative top edge, or whatever! And I can put another FLOOR!! And stairs and everything! Just not 'walls'! Horray!!

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    aricaraiaricarai Posts: 8,984 Member
    Finally got this little baby uploaded to The Exchange! Goodness me that took some work.

    Click the picture to go to the Exchange. Click here for more pictures!

    The%20Aruba%20Square_zpsbknqyx5b.png

    Once again, thank you so much for letting me participate! I had a blast!
    I'm officially back in lurker mode! <3:mrgreen:


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    ADWilsonADWilson Posts: 6,755 Member
    @aricarai Hooray! Glad you were able to get this BEAUTIFUL build uploaded, but even more happy that you participated. <3
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    KgaffKgaff Posts: 1,614 Member
    edited April 2017
    @MiaSkywalker Oh neat!! May have to try that

    So I'm gonna call it a night (waaayyy later than I should - yet again :lol: )

    I've made the top floor 4 bedrooms, 2 baths.

    AND YO EVERYONE!!! I've discovered that the castle walls actually give me the ability to go above 5 floors! I put them on the roof, and I can put more things on top of them, just as long as they aren't "walls", so I could double height it, or add a decorative top edge, or whatever! And I can put another FLOOR!! And stairs and everything! Just not 'walls'! Horray!!

    Beware - sims can walk through castle walls like they're not even there. I built a small castle once with them and everyone just walked through where ever they wanted! If you want them to use doors, you must have walls behind them.
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    cianeciane Posts: 16,996 Member
    @creativemetaphor - I could only get one of my pics to upload through the launcher to my media section this morning. I got the message that I needed to delete stuff. I have gotten that message before. I keep the screenshots cleaned out and the downloads folder is usually in the EA folder rather than the Sims one. I did have to install a couple worlds though and maybe I forgot to move those out. Any way, here's one pic for you to tell me if you have all the chairs or not. They are just for museum viewing seating and I plan to use all you have.
    screenshot_original.jpg
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    creativemetaphorcreativemetaphor Posts: 1,543 Member
    @kgaff Oh! That's good to know! Also, no rooves - but if you just want a visual, you can at least visually go higher for effect - non-functional towers maybe? But good to know it isn't 'solid'!

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    creativemetaphorcreativemetaphor Posts: 1,543 Member
    @ciane I think the only one I don't recognize is the second to the end. Where is it from? Probably Supernatural - all the cool stuff I like and don't have seems to be from there :lol:
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    creativemetaphorcreativemetaphor Posts: 1,543 Member
    @MiaSkywalker Grim's set? Doesn't sound familiar... what is it?

    And I think I'll use the table you didn't pick in the kitchens! That'll look nice and rustic enough once I CASt it!


    Oh and question - outside of it being a castle, do you have any specific requests for anything? Besides no electronics, do you have a specific #of bedrooms, any specific do-or-don't include skill items, a piece of decor you just must have, etc? Just so I can incorporate it early on :)
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    cianeciane Posts: 16,996 Member
    @ciane I think the only one I don't recognize is the second to the end. Where is it from? Probably Supernatural - all the cool stuff I like and don't have seems to be from there :lol:

    No, that one was a freebie bonus that came with a sim point bundle. I just threw it in on the off chance you had it.

    I did need to delete DV from my DL folder; but because the launcher had already failed with those pics, it didn't like retrying. Maybe after a restart of my computer I can show you the pics. For now, I'll just tell you what I did without pics and you can say, "What were you thinking???" or "Hmmm, I'll wait for pics."

    The smallest tower I used for a uni-sex bathroom for museum guests on the main floor. One floor above, I made into a VIP bath that has a ladder inside going up into a storage room/janitor's closet for extra towels and t.p. That room was divided into two, so it has a door with another ladder behind it that goes up into the security guard's room. That has a bunk and a computer desk to monitor all the museum rooms. (I KNOW! How weird to go through a storage room to get to security! I was thinking it was well hidden that way.)

    The other, bigger tower has the bookstore/gift shop on the main floor. It has stairs leading down to the basement where patrons can attend workshops/classes on glass making and painting. (I don't have Ambitions on my laptop; so no sculpting wheel, but room to add one.) The basement also has a shower facility with three showers (in case of glass blowing or sculpting accidents) and a bathroom.

    The higher tower rooms include an exhibit from other cultures off the current medieval exhibit in the main show room on the second floor. That exhibit room has stairs up to an artist's exhibit. That exhibit room is also divided into two with a door that has a ladder behind it going up to the final tower room, which is the artist's pad. There I have a bed, dresser, easel, end table, and table to hold paints.

    Outside I've added a courtyard patio with fridge, pizza oven, sink, counters, and recycle bin. There are currently three bistro tables with three Bravo Bistro dining chairs at each (that I really hope you have. They cost 150 in the dining chairs.)

    Sorry, I know pics would be MUCH better. I'll work on that.

    Also, I turned the foundation around the stairs into planters for the yellow Bohemian Garden flowers.

    The section in between the stairs would be a great place for live music, but I don't have Late Night installed (so I am still thinking about that spot).

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    creativemetaphorcreativemetaphor Posts: 1,543 Member
    edited April 2017
    @ciane your descriptions sound great!! Can't wait to see them :)


    Perhaps between the stairs you can do a lovely statue or fountain garden?

    Edit: Pretty sure I have the bistro table/chair so no worries
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    cianeciane Posts: 16,996 Member
    @creativemetaphor - I deleted some pics from my media section so the last pics for the LL build are gone now. (They'll change anyway.)
    top tower rooms - one for guard and one for current resident artist:
    screenshot_original.jpg

    One floor down, you have the tower rooms that were split in two with the doors hiding the ladders to the off-limit chambers.
    screenshot_original.jpg

    This is the second floor with the medieval exhibit and multi-cultural display room as well as the VIP bath. (The toilets won't break!)
    screenshot_original.jpg

    This is the main floor with its entrance, guest bath, and bookstore:
    screenshot_original.jpg

    Below is the basement workshop area. That class curio cabinet you may not have, but think of it as a placeholder for the sculpting wheel:
    screenshot_original.jpg

    Here's the outside as I currently have it:
    screenshot_original.jpg

    I can get rid of the center foundation (or keep it) and put in a bar because, really, all museums like to ply their guests with nectar and drinks to get them in the mood to let go of vast simoleans to fund art.
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    MiaSkywalkerMiaSkywalker Posts: 3,436 Member
    Kgaff wrote: »
    Beware - sims can walk through castle walls like they're not even there. I built a small castle once with them and everyone just walked through where ever they wanted! If you want them to use doors, you must have walls behind them.
    That's because those walls are classified as columns. Same thing goes with the boardwalk roller coaster supports. And the tent pieces from World of Wonder.

    In fact, if someone without the castle set were to download a build made with the castle set, all the castle set walls would be replaced by the siren's pillar, iirc. It can look REALLY weird!
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    MiaSkywalkerMiaSkywalker Posts: 3,436 Member
    @MiaSkywalker Grim's set? Doesn't sound familiar... what is it?

    And I think I'll use the table you didn't pick in the kitchens! That'll look nice and rustic enough once I CASt it!


    Oh and question - outside of it being a castle, do you have any specific requests for anything? Besides no electronics, do you have a specific #of bedrooms, any specific do-or-don't include skill items, a piece of decor you just must have, etc? Just so I can incorporate it early on :)
    Technically Grim's is a venue, so I shouldn't have called it a set. You know, this thing. It's got some great pieces in it, including some doors that look really good in medieval builds. I have never used the PC door, or the venue itself, but I use a lot of the pieces that come in that set. The windows are fab for castles and gothic builds! It also has these premade dormers that look really awesome in Victorian builds. :)

    I'm not sure when Grim's comes up in the DD, but I think it's on the rotation a couple of times. The DD thread can help you by giving you exact dates and times for when things will come up, and at what price. There's also a CYS discount calculator, if the set qualifies. (Grim's doesn't.)

    If you check the DD thread, you'll learn about some nice cascades, that will get you plenty of sets and compilations for free, or really, really cheap. If you're interested in getting anything from the store, and haven't checked out the DD thread, I definitely recommend you give them a peek.

    Warning: Haunting the DD can become addictive. There's an adrenaline rush you get from seeing that green download button, you wouldn't believe it. :)
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    creativemetaphorcreativemetaphor Posts: 1,543 Member
    @MiaSkywalker Oh yes! I came by it rather late, but I definitely know of the DD thread and have managed to snag many wonderful things because of it!

    I have seen Grim's manor but haven't managed to snag it yet.
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    creativemetaphorcreativemetaphor Posts: 1,543 Member
    @ciane looks great! I could go either way with the space between the stairs, either remove the foundation and put a bar, or keep it and I can fill in a piano or maybe make it decorative?
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    KgaffKgaff Posts: 1,614 Member
    edited April 2017
    I decided to take a break from building today and play with the build that were made for me.

    First is the house @ciane made
    My sim, Sadie loves it here. She walked into the kitchen first thing, looked around and went straight to the bakers oven. I was surprised when she chose to make a birthday cake
    Screenshot-5_zpsj6klxhjh.jpg
    Screenshot-6_zpskkzzb1u0.jpg
    Screenshot-7_zpsseckbd7a.jpg

    Then she adopted Buster
    Screenshot-10_zpsr33zk7xt.jpg

    Sadie has since adopted a horse and another dog. They all are enjoying the house ciane built.

    ********************************

    Next is Mt Vernon by @creativemetaphor

    I made George and Martha. I think George's reaction as he entered the house says it all
    Screenshot-5_zpsplho3hru.jpg

    Screenshot-3_zpspaugpd61.jpgScreenshot-6_zpsfwytes1x.jpg
    Screenshot-10_zpskktranrl.jpg
    Screenshot-13_zpsrucq54dq.jpg

    They are both wonderful houses. Thank you for making them for me <3




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    cianeciane Posts: 16,996 Member
    edited April 2017
    Love the pics @kgaff! A birthday cake! And Buster is so cute!
    You'd did a great job making George! And I love his facial expressions!
    It's great to see pics of someone enjoying a build you made. I love following Addy's story and seeing the house that I built so long ago still being used this far into her legacy.

    @ADWilson, I did return to your build today. I took down all the blue fencing and replaced it. Then I played with a reddish wood. The house is just under 33k right now, but I did add a bath upstairs too.
    There was one tree I hadn't used yet from LL. Do you like this one or not?
    screenshot_original.jpg
    This was playing with the reddish wood:
    screenshot_original.jpg
    I think I liked the black better.

    Overviews:
    screenshot_original.jpg
    Upstairs:
    screenshot_original.jpg
    I did get a bath added back upstairs for you. :mrgreen:

    Post edited by ciane on
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    ADWilsonADWilson Posts: 6,755 Member
    Shame about the troubles you've been having @ciane so whenever is fine, no rush. I'll admit that I am interested in seeing what the different look looks like.

    I agree! It's quite fun seeing others use something you made. Yes, that house of yours is really nice for a legacy family! I have a hard time multi-tasking so when the RR is over, I'm looking forward to returning to it and continuing their story. :)
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    cianeciane Posts: 16,996 Member
    @ADWilson - I got those pics in between you reading the original post and commenting!
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    ADWilsonADWilson Posts: 6,755 Member
    Sneaking in while I was commenting @ciane :lol:

    I like the red on the bedding, the curtain and rug but am not keen on the reddish wood & also think the blackened wood looked better.
    A second bath is always nice when there are two sims living on the premises so thanks for thinking of that.
    Sorry to be such a pain, but I'm not liking that tree either.
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