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Takissis Shell Challenge - October Challenge

TakissisTakissis Posts: 521 Member
edited September 2020 in The Sims 4 Lots
October Shell Challenge

Entries due by October 31, 2020.

There is a theme for this month. This month I would like to see this simple home turned into either a fall scene or a spooky home. I look forward to everyone's creativity! I can't wait.

This is just for fun. There will be no winners announced. I will, however, walk through each entry and give a review. This is will probably be punctuated by my own rambling commentary, so come prepared.

The rules are simple:

*Do not move or delete any exterior walls.
*Do not use any CC.
*Give credit to any work not by you (such as artwork).

Everything else is fair game. Change the interior walls as desired. Use whatever doors, windows, or other features desired. Change the roofing, fencing, wall height. Change anything you want except no moving or deleting of the exterior walls. Decorate inside and out, including landscaping. No limit on budge or packs used.

Tag your lots with #TakissisSC4.

Gallery Link to Shell

Please post your entries with the following:

Your Gallery ID:
Lot Name:
Gallery Link:
Slideshow Link (if any):
Feedback Requested?: Yes or No
Additional Information/Backstory/Credits:

Pictures (if you have more than 5, please use spoiler tags):

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Post edited by Takissis on

Comments

  • TakissisTakissis Posts: 521 Member
    Reserved for future use.
  • TakissisTakissis Posts: 521 Member
    Reserved for future use.
  • TakissisTakissis Posts: 521 Member
    Reserved for future use.
  • AlJayAlJay Posts: 1,649 Member
    Looks like fun :)
  • LionessInMNLionessInMN Posts: 478 Member
    Ooooh... yes, this one I will do! I have a concept for it.
  • icanhassimsicanhassims Posts: 790 Member
    Yay! Another challenge series!! <3 Am I missing seeing the link to the shell somewhere?
    Get 25% off with the code: SIMS4FORUMS My Sims 4 Portfolio
  • LionessInMNLionessInMN Posts: 478 Member
    The link wasn't on there so I just searched the gallery for his ID and newest. @icanhassims
  • icanhassimsicanhassims Posts: 790 Member
    Good idea, @LionessInMN! Thanks :)
    Get 25% off with the code: SIMS4FORUMS My Sims 4 Portfolio
  • LionessInMNLionessInMN Posts: 478 Member
    Your Gallery ID: Nihlia
    Lot name: Toreador Manor
    Gallery Link: Toreador Manor
    Slideshow Link: Imgur
    Feedback Requested?: Sure
    Additional Information: Oh what fun! This shell told me it was a gothic revival wanting to get out and I hadn't done a vampire house in forever. My usual builder Sim didn't test this, but Caleb Vatore did because its his house now in my game. :)

    Photo highlights:

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  • TakissisTakissis Posts: 521 Member
    Yay! @LionessInMN, this is so lovely! I love the dark gothic vampire look. And you named it Toreador, so my inner geek wants to go play VtM now. From what I've seen on the images, I like that you kept to a central color throughout, and I love your little crypt "shed" in the back. Really good job in the living room. I like the layout you used and the decor. I have a hard time with things in the middle of the room looking natural, so things just all get placed on a wall. But you did a good job of it!

    I'm gonna place it and walk around a bit sometime tonight. I'll have a more in depth review typed up then.
  • TakissisTakissis Posts: 521 Member
    Two side notes.

    1. I'm really sorry I didn't put the link for the shell in the original post. It is fixed now. I don't know how I managed that mistake.

    2. Interestingly enough, @LionessInMN, I don't know if you know what VtM is, but I've been rewatching VtM: LA by Night recently. It seems quite the coincidence that you named it Toreador Manor while I have it streaming in the background.
  • rosemowrosemow Posts: 163,521 Member
    edited May 2020
    Torreador Manor is a lovely Gothic vampires family home! @LionessInMN :) Very nice wall texture, colour, bats on roofing and great landscaping to reflect the Vampire theme and Forgotten Hollows world! Very nice seating and chess areas on balcony and porch. Very lovely gothic themed interior furnishings! The blue and white colour scheme is very nice. and nice open plan living areas layout. The crypt room with the purple curtains is very nice! Very nice furnishing and design of each of the bedrooms! The vampire themed soft toys in the kids rooms are cute! Very lovely curtains and windows used through the home! The living room is lovely! Sims will enjoy playing or listening to piano music there, have fun playing chess or enjoy sitting near the fire reading books. The statue and family portraits on the walls is a nice touch. Very nice easel painting area on landing! The candles there and in the living room are very nice :)
  • icanhassimsicanhassims Posts: 790 Member
    No worries, @Takissis, I forget things aaaalllll the time. :) Thanks for updating with the link. <3
    Get 25% off with the code: SIMS4FORUMS My Sims 4 Portfolio
  • TakissisTakissis Posts: 521 Member
    edited May 2020
    @LionessInMN, Okay, I'm able to look more in depth now. I think I'm going to make a save file for each of the challenges and fill up Newcrest with them. Unless they don't fit, then I'll have to think of something else. :tongue:

    **General Disclaimer - I debated when I put the challenge together, whether or not I would offer feedback with my opinions on what worked and didn't. I decided that although I'm still learning and very new at this, I want everyone's opinions regardless of skill on my creations. Therefore, I'll offer mine, and those I'm critiquing can either take them or leave them. They have the option of asking for no feedback in the entry. Everyone should be aware that these are only my opinions and should be taken with a grain of salt. **

    And, my apologies, this is a bit long. I tend to be rather verbose if y'all haven't figured it out. I also tend to ramble off subject, so...here we go.

    Starting with the exterior, I like how you kept the theme very dark and Gothic but still added contrast. You even used a slightly different shade in the roofing on the sides, so it stood out. I like the accents on the roofing you used, which you didn't overload on. You kept with the dying landscaping without it looking patterned or repetitive. You did add to the exterior walls and change the back wall, but I like the change, so good job. I've been dying for a build to use those gates from the debugs. I'm glad you added them. It adds to the overall feel of the lot. I so love the small crypt in the back. It looks almost like a Gothic shed (please know that is not meant derogatorily. It's cute in a creepy and spooky way.

    I think I would have tried to line up the right side roof as that break in the roof is a bit distracting, but that might have been intentional on your part. (Specifically, on the right side of the building the right edge of the smaller and larger roofs do not align). I would have pulled out the eaves on the front two third level top rooms (I forget what they are called). It seems the only place you didn't and it looks off. I would suggest that when you are doing the terrain landscaping, you also do a small edge under the building itself. It makes the edges looks more built there instead of placed. You did so it around all the landscaping, which looks good, but it might have added an additional touch to it. The only changes I might have made to the balcony is to add just a little more color too it. I like the touch of red from the candles, but I think I would have tried to add a little more red just to add just a bit more contrast. Maybe the creeping vines with the red roses? It doesn't do much, but might be just enough.

    Speaking of the spooky crypt. I love it. I love the colors, the use of red. I'm generally not a fan of warm lighting, but I like what it does in this room. You do have two small places where the rose bush clips through the walls. But other than fixing that, I wouldn't change anything.

    First Floor

    First off, I love your clever use of space. I would never have gotten all this into that little bit of room. I need to work more on that. Good job at keeping with the navy, white, and black theme in all the rooms. Cute touch with the flower troughs above the cabinets. And I like how the color in the kitchen is predominately white with hints of blue and black. It brightens it up. (Side note, figuratively, we could argue that vampires don't need a kitchen, therefore it could be bright, but that's just the silly voices adding to the stories in my head.) I like the corner edges you added to the kitchen as well. It's not something I would have thought of doing, but I like the result. It allowed you to put the bar as you did, (which I just love) without having to try to square together a cabinet edge next to it. Which would have made it look all wrong. Oh that's a half wall behind the stove. Even cooler!

    Looping together the main room on the floor, again, awesome use of space. I like the lady statue in the center as a centerpiece. I also adore the little touches here and there, such as the red keg next to the bar (I'm going to assume there is a tru blood concoction in there of some type.) I love what you did with the fireplace, with the fairies on both sides on a complimentary tile; again a nice touch. The use of lighter colors in the bathroom is an interesting choice that works well. It adds a very Victorian feel to the room that stays in theme, but is unexpected. It totally works. I am so stea...erm...um....using the entryway as inspiration. I like the idea of having a small sitting area there and the double arches.

    What would I have changed?.....I really struggled to find anything I didn't love on the first floor. The only thing I might have done is add fish to the fishbowl (which I will admit, I haven't done in the past, but was recommended to me that I should). Everything looks like it placed right. There are no gaping blanks anywhere. Hmm...Okay, I might have tried to find a theme/color matching flower to put in the vase next to the back door. But then again, the vase looks good there too.

    So, no, love the first floor.

    Second floor.

    Okay, at first glance, the llama statue looked like a dragon. So from now on, I will consider it a dragon, which to me makes it 100 times cooler. There is more gushing to be done on the second floor, just like the first. I like the little art room. I didn't even realize there was a blue easel option. Nice little balcony over the back door. Let's see, you've got a toddler, child and probably teen or young adult room. I like each of them. The decor is limited, but I imagine, in keeping the theme, it would be. I want that castle IRL. I'm gonna have to buy my daughter a similar one. My favorite of the three is the child's room. Though, I want all the toys in the toddler's room. I am curious how all three feel about having to go through the teen's room to get to the bathroom though. With three mirrors, I assume you were going for shared space. There's even a ottoman to sit on while one waits to get a free sink. I don't think I've seen that rug in the bathroom before. I love it.

    Hmm...changes. Not a lot I would have changed here again. I might have tried to have a hallway entry to the bathroom, but that's just aesthetics. I can see why you wouldn't want a lot of posters and such on the walls, as you were keeping to a theme. I might have tried to add a bit more in that regard, but I understand the limitations of the "rules" you were following in your decor. I think I might have tried to make each of the rooms just a little bit more different by using different wood tones in each, just to add a little variety. However, that might just be me.

    Third floor

    Nice little details in the master bedroom and good use of space again. I like the two mirrors on each side of the bed. The radiator used as an accent on all the floors, I have to say I love. It adds an ancient feel to it. I always struggle on what to do with all the space in large bedrooms. Having the two coffins there instead of having them in another room is a cool addition. It means the room is actually used, instead of just a facade for the neighbors. Of course, they shouldn't be up here anyway, since...well, ya know the coffins, but you know what I mean.

    Okay, what would I have changed? You have three or four different shades of wood in here. I think I would have tried to match those a bit better, but that is honestly the only thing I can think of.


    So..I told you this would be long. If you read this far..umm...welcome to the peek into my strange mind? :tongue: I hope you got something out of all that. Overall, I love it. I had to call my husband in here to take a look at it because I was gushing so much. Thank you for participating in my little challenge. I was really afraid no one would do it. Lots of love!

  • LionessInMNLionessInMN Posts: 478 Member
    @Takissis Thanks for your in depth review :) You are totally fine offering feedback. You have great detail and I want to hear opinions. Everybody can improve somewhere.

    I had a LOT of fun building this one! The name Toreador was intentional as well as the fact that I added all of the creative skill items because that clan is the more artistic one. I hadn't done a vampire build in forever, and I think Caleb really likes his new house. He was in the premade Maxis house before I moved him.

    You actually did a masterful job on the roofs in the shell and I almost didn't change them other than to change the slope. I finally did because when I changed the slope it completely messed up the blending. The eaves were a problem. When I pulled them out on the right side, I couldn't get the small roof and large roof slopes to blend no matter what I did. I wish we could adjust that more finely... or if we can, I wish I knew how.

    I really debated whether to add a kitchen and bar, but the more I thought about it the more it made sense. There is a plasma fruit salad recipe that people with high enough vampire skill can make. His plasma fruit tree is outside for him to harvest. Also, when he marries his lady love and they have kids, they will need to eat food from the kitchen until they turn to teens and acquire their vampire appetite. The bar was for potions, like sunlight resistance which was the reason for the wolfsbane and garlic. Caleb wasn't entirely pleased when I told him to water the garlic plant and complained about it for about a half hour. Its worth it in the long run for the potions though so he went along with it.

    I like the suggestion about terrain painting around the building, which I don't always do! I checked for clipping but I guess I missed the rose bushes :( Clipping really irritates me so that is high on my list of things to look for. On the fishbowl, I guess that is a bad one to use, because I added fish and if they don't show on download its broken. I wanted to add the dining out fish tank, but that would have broken my use of only one pack. Fish are very important for plasma (especially for Caleb) so that's why it is there. When I redid the house for his needs in my game after uploading, I added the big one and changed the living room to fit it.

    The wood colors is the bane of my sims building existence :( I originally had the light wood in at the desk in the master bedroom but the blue was all wrong so my choice was the wrong shade of blue or the wrong shade of wood. *sigh* So, I went for the darker wood because of the gray inlay. I had a different desk in there for a while with no inlay but it didn't seem to fit the old world theme. I hate wood colors.... hate hate hate. (ok rant over)

    It is a llama dragon!!! I was almost gleeful to put it in there. It is probably the coolest llama thing in the game which I almost never use!
  • TakissisTakissis Posts: 521 Member
    @LionessInMN I feel you on the wood colors. I have the same problem. The build I'm working on currently, I've had to take a step away from it because of the wood shades. Nothing I wanted to do matched, and I always scraped the whole thing. Which would have been irritating since I was on the last room of the mansion with only landscaping to go.
  • SerraNolwenSerraNolwen Posts: 731 Member
    This first shell challenge was pretty fun!

    Your Gallery ID: SerraNolwen
    Lot name: Fountain of youth house
    Gallery Link: https://ea.com/games/the-sims/the-sims-4/pc/gallery/0F6A14E78CF511EA865C6B07E7FA6E3B?category=all&searchtype=ea_origin_id&sortby=downloads&time=all&searchquery=SerraNolwen&max=50&maxis=false
    Slideshow Link: https://imgur.com/a/tyWZWJq
    Feedback Requested?: Yes please! :)
    Additional Information/Backstory: I managed to not realise I could change the walls inside the house until I looked up the challenge tag, so I guess I made things a little more difficult for myself with the tiny spaces, but it was fun trying to work with it and figuring out new ways to place things I might not have tried otherwise. I also gave myself an extra challenge of picking a few random packs and limiting myself to that content. I've been doing that recently because I noticed with the amount of assets I could use, I had a tendency to just fall back on the same ones all the time, forgetting some really cool items, so I wanted to see how I could make just a few packs work together. With the packs I got, I decided to make it a house for a very health-conscious (and wealthy) couple and their child. I hope you like it!

    Pictures (If you have more than 5, use spoiler tags or include a slideshow link):
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  • TakissisTakissis Posts: 521 Member
    @SerraNolwen, I'm glad you found this challenge fun. I think I'm going to continue doing them if enough people are interested. I'd like to apologize for not getting to reviewing this sooner. I was engrossed in a build yesterday and didn't come up for air.

    I love what you have done with the Fountain of Youth House. It's a completely different direction for the house than I imagined. At first glance I thought this was a community lot, but I realized it was a home once I started looking closer. I love the gorgeous simplicity of this design. Its beautiful. You have such interesting design choices that I would never have thought of. And I love the modern look of it, but you kept the traditional roofing. It's different, which I always enjoy.

    I placed it next to LionessInMN's vampire version. It's a stark contrast! I think I'm going to have some confused Sims running around.

    **General Disclaimer - I debated when I put the challenge together, whether or not I would offer feedback with my opinions on what worked and didn't. I decided that although I'm still learning and very new at this, I want everyone's opinions regardless of skill on my creations. Therefore, I'll offer mine, and those I'm critiquing can either take them or leave them. They have the option of asking for no feedback in the entry. Everyone should be aware that these are only my opinions and should be taken with a grain of salt. **

    I'm going to try to not be as verbose in this one, maybe...we'll see. :tongue:

    I almost don't know where to start here. I really love what you have done to the exterior. Tdhe large windows gives the whole place a bright, airy feel. Perfect for a wellness area. I was confused in the beginning why you chose such dark greenery, than I realized it was the seasons effect that turned it dark. I changed it to summer and all the color came out. Much better. I'm just in love with the front fountains. I've never found something I wanted to do with those waterfalls or those pavers for that matter. It's a simple design, which fits with your theme, but it's so pretty in its simplicity. The backyard is lovely. You have another pool, gardening area and a place to barbeque. The planter boxes under the windows is a nice touch. I like the minor variations on the windows and using the wide, short windows for the bathrooms is very clever.

    As far as improvements I would recommend for the outside, There are only a couple minor tweaks I would have done, but they might have been conscious choices on your part to fit with your theme. For example, the empty space on the right exterior between the fence and wall, I would have added a little bit more greenery there, even if it was just a couple of the white flowering bushes. It looks slightly unfinished there because it's the only space towards the front that is empty. Also, I like that you used the terrain paint tool on the edges, but to fit the theme, I would have cleaned it up with the erase tool a little. There's a few areas that looks like they got away from you. Otherwise, the exterior is very lovely.

    First floor, I have to say I loved that you challenged yourself to limit your pack use. (I'm having severe problems with that of late. ) There are a few things I had to pick up to figure out what they were, so that's a good thing. I love your kitchen. You managed to make it look fresh and clean but still add a little character to it. The contrast with the black appliances works well. I would have expected white or beige, but in looking at the black, I think you made the better choice. I love that clock in the dining room. It's my favorite one. I always forget to use them though. Another clever choice in not using a lot of curtains. It adds so much light and open feel to all of your rooms.

    I like your little nook next to the stairs. I would have put something on those shelves though, such as the square potted plants or something. You have a small clipping of shrubbery in the living room that stands out. You could probably just rotate it slightly to fix that.

    The second floor is a lot more decorated and a definite contrast to the first floor. I like the open simple design you had on the first, but I'm a sucker for decor. You did manage to keep it all minimal too, which fits to your theme. Beautiful. I love the master bath, specifically the cabinets you used. It's very pretty. I love the little reading nook in the hallway. I didn't know those colors were available on those items. I need to expand more. Cute little kids room with the orange and black. It even has bat wallpaper. It almost has a Halloween feel to it but you added in enough colors to detract. Cool look. Nice added touch with the sauna. I like how throughout you have added contrast to your wall colors. The rooms aren't all one color. It's very well done.

    I can't say I'd change much on the second floor. I can see the reasons for the choices you made. It all comes together quite nicely.

    Overall, a very different design than I have done in the past, but I love it. Thank you very much for doing my little challenge. I hope you jump in next month's as well!
  • SerraNolwenSerraNolwen Posts: 731 Member
    Ahah, I can imagine how stark the contrast is with this and Lioness' manor right next to each other.

    I'm glad you like my build. Thank you so much for the thoughtful and detailed feedback. Sometimes, when you spend a while on a build, you don't notice some things anymore (like that clipping. It annoys me so much now XD). I wanted to keep one side of the house paved, but looking back on it, I think I should have paved only one tile-wide and put some greenery along the fence. That might have looked better. As for the shelves, I'll admit I kind of gave up on finding things that would fit on them. So few things are actually small enough for the slots on shelves! I'll take a look at those plants, though. I might just have assumed they would be too big. Thanks again!

    And I look forward to your next shell challenge. I hope I'll have some time to do it.
  • TakissisTakissis Posts: 521 Member
    Just a reminder, you can make most things smaller by selecting it in build mode and hitting the [ key and larger with the ] key. Just be sure to place it in another lot before you share to the gallery, so you can double check that everything downloads properly.
  • icanhassimsicanhassims Posts: 790 Member
    Your Gallery ID: icanhassims
    Lot name and Link: Romantic Victorian
    Slideshow Link: https://icanhassims.weebly.com/romantic-victorian.html
    Feedback Requested?: Yes please
    Additional Information/Backstory: This Victorian will make you swooooon with romantic energy, from the elegantly designed rooms to the bountiful gardens and fountain out front.
    Pictures:
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    Top-down views (4 photos)
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    More detailed views of the home can be found on my website: https://icanhassims.weebly.com/romantic-victorian.html
    Get 25% off with the code: SIMS4FORUMS My Sims 4 Portfolio
  • TakissisTakissis Posts: 521 Member
    Beautiful @icanhassims! My parents are gonna be here in a few minutes for a visit with their granddaughter, so I will have to walk through your house this evening, but I wanted to leave a quick first impression. I love what I have seen so far. I can't wait to take a better look.
  • icanhassimsicanhassims Posts: 790 Member
    Enjoy your visit, @Takissis! I look forward to your review and feedback tonight. :)
    Get 25% off with the code: SIMS4FORUMS My Sims 4 Portfolio
  • JojoMOMSTERJojoMOMSTER Posts: 1,957 Member
    Tempting shell, very tempting
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