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A Builder's Suggestions

Hi everyone,

I'm a huge fan of the Sims and have been since the original game. I bought The Sims 3 predominately to build, and have been somewhat happy with the options we have in the game. However, there are many, many improvements that can be made. Listed below are some of the things I think would enhance building in The Sims 4.

Walls, Roofing & Chimneys

- Curved walls - This is such a common request that I was hesitant to post it, but it's a must. I'm surprised that we haven't gotten any in The Sims 3, but for whatever reason, we haven't.
- Different wall heights Yes, it is possible to change the height but it can often play with the routing and can be an absolute pain to do a lot of the time. Please offer different heights of walls! Not all ceilings are standard 8ft ceilings!
- Free placement - It would be great if we could create a house without the grid. Possibly using measurements, but that would be getting too technical. Even if the grid was smaller, so many more opportunities would be opened.
- Disable auto-roof as default - Only a very small request, but I absolutely hate how auto-roof is the default option when roofing.
- Optional overhang - Not all roofs have overhang. This is actually a really big request that I would love to see in the game. It can really improve the look of certain buildings and is difficult to hide if it isn't desired.
- Re-colourable roofs - When I started playing The Sims 3 with no expansion packs or stuff packs, the options for roofs were extremely few. I would love to be able to change the colour of roofs!
- Re-colourable chimneys - I think everyone was shocked when we couldn't recolour the horrid (in most cases) brick chimney. Sure, some fireplaces offer a different style, but we still can't change them.

Flooring & Foundations

- Transparent flooring - Another common request. This would give the possibility to create skylights and even platforms on which sims can stand on to view what's beneath them.
- Curved flooring - A must if curved walls are introduced, but with the ability to create curved paths as well. Even if it were just as simple as the curved pool tool currently in The Sims 3 (although I would hope they could improve).
- Different foundation heights - Already possible with certain techniques and I believe Island Paradise is going to introduce it, but it would be great if it were available to us right from the get-go.
- Free placement - The smaller grids in The Sims 3 was great, but I'd like to see The Sims 4 go a step further and be rid of the grid. Like the what I said above, even if the grid were a lot smaller, that would be nice.

Windows & Doors

- Ability to move up/down - I think the reason this wasn't offered in The Sims 3 was because it would play with the lighting, but EA and Maxis have the chance to play with this. The ability to move windows up and down would offer so many more possibilities!
- Expanding the size of windows/doora - Okay, so this one is expanding on the concept of moving windows up and down. Rather than just sliding them, we could increase the width/height of windows and doors, offering even more customisability to the already very customisable objects. This idea could be repeated on other objects too.
- Customising glass - Instead of just having clear glass in windows, we would have the ability to have coloured glass. This could offer amazing colours from the light coming through the window. To expand on this idea, adding patterns to glass could also be a cool idea, but would be difficult to implement because of lighting.
- Opening windows - This idea could be used as ventilation, particularly on a hot day if Seasons is included in the base game (even if it is an expansions, this would still be a great idea).

Garden

- Re-colourable plants - Some plants in The Sims 3 are just dying to be re-coloured. They could be better suited to houses if they were customisable and there'd be so many more variety in gardens.
- More ground cover - I would love to see 3-dimensional ground cover as opposed to the current 'paint' ground cover. This is different to just raising the terrain, because the flowers would just sit on top of it. Instead, the flowers would sit in a bed of dirt. Gardens would look much more appealing.

Furniture

- Customisable curtains - Yes, they can be re-coloured but they can't be moved upwards, downwards or to the side (in increments). I was surprised this wasn't in The Sims 3, but again, it's probably because of lighting.
- Customisable paintings - I would love to be able to recolour paintings. Not only this, but possibly resize them and move them in all directions. Also, I'd love to have different frames.
- More details - Things like light switches and power points would be really nice to have. They wouldn't have to be used, but having them would be a nice touch.
- Soft decorations - I've always hated that there are no cushions to put on chairs, beds and even around the house. There are a few that can be placed on the ground, but they can only be used in few circumstances.

Of course, there are so many more things I'd like but haven't popped in my mind while writing this. If you've made it through reading all of this, then I applaud you. Feel free to post your suggestions. I'd love to read them and anything I haven't yet realised I want. Thank you for reading and take care!

Itzmee

Comments

  • FlidgetFlidget Posts: 25
    edited May 2013
    I want all of these.

    Being able to build split-level and being able to build more than five floors high I think are also pretty frequently requested.

    And to that I'd like to add my personal requests of getting the spiral staircase and the basement tool in the base-game.
  • yanti68yanti68 Posts: 19,017 Member
    edited May 2013
    Yes to all the above! I would be so happy if these were included in the game. :D
  • rsedorothyrsedorothy Posts: 1,898 Member
    edited May 2013
    Yes from me too. I'd love curved anything from doorsteps to grand stair cases if they would. It would be great if we could build stairs one step at a time changing the direction as we go.
  • CinebarCinebar Posts: 33,618 Member
    edited May 2013
    I like your ideas. Auto roof off by default is not a small one though..it's a huge deal with me.

    I get so sick of having to remember to turn it off, first.

    I miss the different types of roof styles in TS2 and I also miss if you placed one then the other side yourself it all blended together..

    TS3 can't do that..there is even a tutorial here somewhere of how to get the different type sizes and shapes to mesh together..when in TS2 they just did..and now they don't.. :x

    Please, please, no more black hole surround of the basement!! I miss placing windows (advanced building) in a basement from TS2 and being able to see the surrounding ground above...or some Sims feet pass the window or the tree trunk out my Sim basement window. :hunf: I hate the surrounding blackness of the basements in TS3!

    It's a huge deal to me.

    Curved stair cases..a must.

    Ladders to the loft in a barn..a must.

    Double windows that only take up one tile.

    No more 'can't interfere with object' if placing a roof next or below to a window already placed etc.

    Half walls ! Bring them back!

    Stage heights..no more useless platforms an inch thick.

    No more need for steps if the inside of the house has a concrete slab step up..Sims should be able to step up onto a stage like foundation and or concrete slab or split level area..no more need for stairs like had to be used in TS2..and TS3 doesn't even have a second foundation they can use. :x just a silly too low platform.

    On MTS there are stair thingys/objects for TS2 that make the wall look as if it is at an angle next to stair cases..no need for railing. It is a wall fix for TS2.
    These are placed next to the stair cases and the walls angle themselves correctly as if 'cut' to the shape of the stair case.

    I hope we get something like that for TS4 if this isn't already in the build mode options.

    For those that don't know..here you go:




    http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=403889




    "Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.
  • bethyGracebethyGrace Posts: 709 Member
    edited May 2013
    Hi! I like your suggestions. I enjoy building as well, and it seems like you have give this some thought by the intelligent way you've written it out. I've picked out a few of your ideas I think would be really good and practical, and I like that you're realistic about what would be easy or difficult to implement :)
    Itzmee wrote:
    - Different wall heights Yes, it is possible to change the height but it can often play with the routing and can be an absolute pain to do a lot of the time. Please offer different heights of walls! Not all ceilings are standard 8ft ceilings!

    I agree with this, though I'm not sure it would be a feature that a lot of players would use... for builders, it would be epic. No more reliance on constrainfloorelevation! And it could make more interesting staircases a little easier :) I've often wished we could use half walls the same as normal walls, and build flooring off of them - just as a simple way of doing a L or U shaped staircase :)
    - Free placement - It would be great if we could create a house without the grid. Possibly using measurements, but that would be getting too technical. Even if the grid was smaller, so many more opportunities would be opened.

    I think a half size grid would be awesome, but we do at least have the 'hold alt to disable the grid' feature :)
    - Disable auto-roof as default - Only a very small request, but I absolutely hate how auto-roof is the default option when roofing.

    Haha, totally agreed. It should be disabled by default and only used when people want it... which should be never XD
    - Re-colourable roofs - When I started playing The Sims 3 with no expansion packs or stuff packs, the options for roofs were extremely few. I would love to be able to change the colour of roofs!
    - Re-colourable chimneys - I think everyone was shocked when we couldn't recolour the horrid (in most cases) brick chimney. Sure, some fireplaces offer a different style, but we still can't change them.

    Agreed agreed agreed!!! I can't see why this hasn't been done already, and it would be a really natural extension of CAS :)
    Flooring & Foundations

    - Transparent flooring - Another common request. This would give the possibility to create skylights and even platforms on which sims can stand on to view what's beneath them.

    Yes! This would be great, and would create a lot of cool architectural opportunities. Fish pond under the living room floor? Heck yes!
    - Curved flooring - A must if curved walls are introduced, but with the ability to create curved paths as well. Even if it were just as simple as the curved pool tool currently in The Sims 3 (although I would hope they could improve).

    I have to say, my main reservation with curved walls is all the extra content you would need to make them work. Floors, foundations, objects... and how would windows work? In your vision, do you see us being able to put windows on curved walls? ... Object clipping would also be fairly horrendous. I agree that they would look spectacular, but I worry it would be much more work than everyone realises.
    - Ability to move up/down - I think the reason this wasn't offered in The Sims 3 was because it would play with the lighting, but EA and Maxis have the chance to play with this. The ability to move windows up and down would offer so many more possibilities!

    you already know I am rooting for this!!
    - Soft decorations - I've always hated that there are no cushions to put on chairs, beds and even around the house. There are a few that can be placed on the ground, but they can only be used in few circumstances.

    I like this idea a lot. Pillows and blankets really make a house feel lived in, and it would be nice to be able to use them to make spaces more "homey" :)

    Great ideas overall. I hope opportunities for builders are extended and improved in practical ways like these :)
  • PalomaPlay1PalomaPlay1 Posts: 59 Member
    edited May 2013
    Naturally curved walls can not miss in this new series, in my opinion it would be unforgivable if it were not so. And I agree with almost everything you say. The size of the windows I see a slight exaggeration, but hey ..
    They could make a better design tool manageable and practical, and leave all the good they included in the sims 3, that's for sure!
    And to change the user inferface both live and in the way of build and buy, because they get tired. A greeting!

    Edit: It would also be cool to have glass floors or bright like some I saw in the sims 2 and 3, created by users. And you could design your own the space for the house you want to build, I do not know what I mean ..
  • cianeciane Posts: 16,996 Member
    edited May 2013
    Really great suggestions. The only reason I moved from sims 2 to 3 is because of CAS. Boy, was it disappointing to see that some things could not be CAS'd.

    I want to have a plain version of everything offered as well. It took time to add the stencils, why wasn't a plain no-stencil option available. And if only the stencils could be recolored, then having a plain version wouldn't be as important (though I still think some stencils do not work with all designs where the plain versions would).
  • kirstybloodlust7kirstybloodlust7 Posts: 529 Member
    edited May 2013
    I agree with everything you said
  • luckycrth91luckycrth91 Posts: 91 Member
    edited May 2013
    I dunno if I would call this a builders request, but an interior heating and cooling system would be great - that is if other things (that aren't build mode things) were included as well; in addition to having opening windows. Speaking of doors - screen doors!

    I also think that ceiling/wall lighting should be in build mode, not buy mode, though this too would get a little over the top (I feel the same way about water fixtures as well - build, not buy mode)...and while we're on the topic of lighting, where's the freakin' ceiling fans, EA? I could've sworn I've seen these in previous games pre-TS3.

    Furthermore, L-shaped, U-shaped stairs and stair wells would also be great to have, and I think counters should connect in corners with island counters.
  • CK213CK213 Posts: 20,525 Member
    edited May 2013
    Don't forget stairs.
    L-shape and U-shape staircases would be very helpful.

    You have to go through all kind of painful tricks to try to create those stairs and sometimes it's not worth the affect they have on walls and auto-ceiling tiles.
    Screenshot-949.jpg

    Screenshot-948.jpg

    I gave up on them in this house because the windows were more important than the staircase.
    Screenshot-951-1.jpg
    The%20Goths.png?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds
  • Freakyteen22Freakyteen22 Posts: 93 Member
    edited May 2013
    I'd love to have ramps, (being in a wheelchair, it'd be nice to have a game that somewhat relates to me) whether its a long ramp or a short steep ramp it'd be useful.

    I love the idea of different wall heights, it'd be great to build a garage of a different height and to connect it to a house; kind of like a raised ranch.

    Or for when you create a pool, to make it more shallow or deeper, so its not the same all the time. And to have high diving boards for our much braver sims. Maybe the possibility of building a higher diving board.
  • artlove1artlove1 Posts: 1,236 Member
    edited May 2013
    I would like to have the grid stay. I use it all the time, especially when building.


    Something else, have lawn care. Have grass that needs cutting, and the plants need pruning, etc

    and L shaped stairs, a MUST!
  • GreenCatsGreenCats Posts: 9,318 Member
    edited May 2013
    I absolutely love all of your suggestions. A big yes please from me! x
    You can still find me on my old My page (http://mypage.thesims3.com/mypage/GreenCats), and see more of my game-play pictures and CC-free uploads at gcsims.com
  • ShawneeMoonShawneeMoon Posts: 32 New Member
    edited May 2013
    On the subject of roofs: the ability to have different types and colors on the same lot would be nice. Sometimes the old shed out back just needs a rusty tin roof :wink: Take a drive out in the country side and see what I mean. :lol:
    I'd like to have tray ceilings with lighting too. Everyone else's ideas would be so wonderful to have in Sims 4.
  • Shoofly_pieguyShoofly_pieguy Posts: 20 New Member
    edited May 2013
    I would really love for the building system to be totally rewired for sims 4, and to give us the ability to make nearly drafting program levels of realistic homes. My main request would probably be along the lines of the gird removal, except instead i would love it if we were given a variety of different wall lengths because a single wall unit in the sims 3 is so long. Love all these suggestions! A more sophisticated build section is definitely a must for the sims 4!
  • elsievdmelsievdm Posts: 588 Member
    edited May 2013
    Better Cars and more variety
    Better Baby/Toddler cribs and a stroller..
    Re-colorable roofs is a Cool idea, with a Color wheel for color intensity, like in Create-a-Style..
    Glass brick walls, see-through glass floors and roofs...
    Building Foundations that comes with IP- hight settings and normal foundations

    More plant variety and flower variety...
    More kinds of roof types,grass,glass,Rusted an broken, other tile types and corrugated iron 2 versions, normal and Rusted..
    More Terrain paints
    Better doors and windows that goes together like sets..etc...
    Better wood-patterns for very rough Wood,weatherd Wood/bamboo,mouldy and old weatherd wood, baboo nice and old, (Shanty wooden planks of diff. colors in one pattern).etc...
  • CK213CK213 Posts: 20,525 Member
    edited May 2013
    I posted in the wrong thread.
    Tabs will get you in trouble. :P
    The%20Goths.png?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds
  • aricaraiaricarai Posts: 8,984 Member
    edited May 2013
    Itzmee - you've got fabulous ideas here!

    I'd like to add different style doors - like pocket doors or accordion doors. Also with the ability to leave them open (weather permitting, of course!).

    I would like to see ceiling beams (different thickness) with the ability to create really customized ceilings.

    And I would love if there was a way that CFE wouldn't be needed to achieve the builds that builders want to build. That cheat can be a royal pain sometimes!
  • yanti68yanti68 Posts: 19,017 Member
    edited May 2013
    I would like to add these to your list Itzmee:


    * Skylights

    * Tool for adjusting the width of the arch

    * Roof height adjusting tool (like Sims 3)

    * Glass Domes

    * Ability to build more than 5 floors

    * Greenhouses

    * More roof decorations for period builds

    * Ability to create different shapes for pools (like in Sims 3). Infinity pool would be nice too. Without using cheats.

    * Ability to build interactive yachts, ships and boats and not just boathouses

    * Triangular shape windows for log cabin builds

    * Grand staircases and spiral staircases
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