I am pretty terrible at builds, and my decorating is kind of simple. That is the biggest reason I download houses from the gallery to use in my game.
I think I only had to alter two houses I downloaded. One house the Sims couldn't get to the fridge, so I had to move a few things around so they could have access to it. Another house was made as a starter for 8 sims, which I usually make, but the rooms were all walled up. So, I went in to knock some walls down so my Sims had access to them.
Most houses I download are functional, and look really nice in my game too.
Gameplay and building is my stronger suit so I tend to like to play my builds. I work full time too so don't always have the time to playtest all my builds and I mod and I playtest, so time can be limited at times. But I try to playtest my builds when I can. Shell challenges are a bit harder to playtest for, but tried sharing the ones I know I've playtested with and if there are any routing issues I don't know about, sorry in advanced, I'll try to fix them. I admit it was easier to playtest when I had freetime, but I find myself busier during than pandemic than before it.
“Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.” –Helen Keller
I build for myself and remodel Maxis and lots dl'ed from the Gallery. I have submitted several lots, simple lots without a ton of clutter (my personal pet peeve) and have received a moderate amount of dl's...which always surprises me as my builds don't have all the "la de da" associated with the more "popular builders."
When I dl from the Gallery I try to find the builders I love, the ones I know don't have mega clutter issues. Much easier when it comes to remodeling.
In my house, dog hair sticks to everything but the dog.
Honestly, I used to be guilty of this. I would make lots that LOOKED really awesome, but would need a lot of work once someone downloaded it from the gallery. Sometimes the Sims couldn't even walk through the front door, or there wasn't a bathroom, or something ridiculous like that. Once I realized I was doing it, I felt like I had been really lazy with my builds, so now I make sure to AT LEAST have the basics in everything I put on the gallery - and make sure it's functional too. I do make speed builds, so if I feel like the part that I wasn't going to add isn't relevant to the video, I won't add it into the video, but I do try to make sure it's there for those who want to play on the lots that I make. I do builds from TV shows and movies, so that's why it was "easy" for me to get lazy on it. Just because they never show a bathroom doesn't mean it won't be needed in the game! :P
But no, I totally understand what you mean though. Playtesting is super important! People download the lots because they want to play with them, so those lots should be ready to play. :)
Sometimes builders forget to have a survace to chop up your food on.
Or they forget that if people are buying Starter Homes, they don't have much money - unless they're tacking an extra 50 grand on - or they need storage room for their collections, or they need to be able to hang up their practice tools for whatever their job is. That's why Maxis' houses look so bad - they're cheap.
Some of the 20x15 builds that look fantastic and hold maybe two people, unfortunately cost, what, S100,000?
This so much! I was looking for a nice starter home for my sims couple and came across a really nicely made starter home in the gallery, the only issue is it costed something like $200,000. It was even titled as a "starter home" and even saying in the description "Perfect starter home for your new family" to say I was floored is an understatement. I mean I guess it gets the "realism" trying to buy a first home is like. lol.
Give our Vampires back their fangs!!! Reverse the Nerf!!! Occult simmers should not be shoved aside for the "realism players"! It's time Occult lovers/players started to demand equal treatment. #JusticeForOccults
"That's uh, lot of clutter but okay okay... wouldalsolikeabookshelfforsomesortoffunactivitybutyaknow"
-sees a clutter open book ontop of a desk-
"RAGE! RAGE! RAAAAAAGE!"
As soon as I saw that house I groaned. So much work to do to make it useable. So much clutter. 😖
I watched the live stream and Ashley's video explaining the concept behind the home. It is meant to be styled in a boho and eclectic manner, it is not minimalistic design. The clutter is on surfaces and they are assigned to the correct slots. The kitchen has a clear counter for food prep. Most of the artwork is one piece created to look like a gallery wall. I follow quite a few sims interior design blogs, this clutter does not even compare.
This home is also used in the trailer and they probably did not want a modern PC on the desk so to make it looked lived in Ashley went for the open book. It is so easy to remove it. In the video she mentions the plate on the table and says she playtested the build.
As a builder who worked only with alpha content and is now creating vanilla lots I came here to learn. I agree that builds are sometimes not hash tagged correctly and that people need to be more transparent about cheats. However players build for all sorts of reasons. I created a build for a shell challenge, it was a Cyberpunk lot and the few people that downloaded it are probably are not using it for residential. I playtest (I also have a sim present for changing lighting) everything but shell challenges are designed for looks and build techniques.
Also there has to be give and take. Everyone here is you need to playtest but when I ask for feedback or comments barely anyone replies back.
> @trophy said: > Also there has to be give and take. Everyone here is you need to playtest but when I ask for feedback or comments barely anyone replies back. This right here. I never really get any feedback (or a comment) on my builds. I'd greatly appreciate it if I did because that would help me to improve building. Occasionally, I do find a few mistakes. If they're small, I leave a comment. And if it's a mistake harder to fix, I fix it myself (like a stairs issue for example) and share it on the Gallery again. I also include a comment on what I've changed in the description.
I put lights absolutely everywhere, dim rooms annoy me in the game and irl! I just like to see what I'm doing.
I wish the lights in the game actually threw out more light, because I don't like placing so many "subtle saucers" everywhere, but I do. Every time.
Lol same. I always end up using the same few lights because most of them are so dim.
If you're not opposed to using CC, my friend Ravasheen made a "flood" light, ceiling light that uses a smaller version of the subtle saucer light mesh.
But, that one single light, will light up almost the entire ground floor if there are no walls. That's the only lights I ever use in any of my personal builds (besides some table lamps, just for decor purposes). Even when I have NO CC in my mods folder, I will always make sure that I have that light in it.
I love to build but I'm not "popular" or well known. All of my houses can be used by my sims and I test them and play with them. Even the ones I do like for the last challenge is playable but they would need to adjust the roof so it doesn't look like a dome.
When I build, I use it, it's how I know if I need to fix something. The most common mistake I make is not allowing enough space between the sink and toilet if the bathroom has to be 3x3.
If you're not opposed to using CC, my friend Ravasheen made a "flood" light, ceiling light that uses a smaller version of the subtle saucer light mesh.
But, that one single light, will light up almost the entire ground floor if there are no walls. That's the only lights I ever use in any of my personal builds (besides some table lamps, just for decor purposes). Even when I have NO CC in my mods folder, I will always make sure that I have that light in it.
Honestly, I think part of the issue is people have the bb.movoeobjectsalwayson mod installed in their game. And when they playtest their builds, objects work just fine because the move objects cheat is enabled. People have to be aware that the cheat will allow sims to use objects that are unusable without the cheat enabled. I think that people need to be aware of this issue and make sure to playtest lots with bb.moveobjects off. Also, the whole double booth thing in restaurants does not work. You need a booth and chairs, The game green flags the placement of double booths so builders naturally assume double booths function just fine but they do not. Double both = Two booths across from each other and a table in the middle
If I see a house on the gallery that would suit the family I'm playing with, I place it unfurnished. That's the only way I've found to avoid routing issues with MOO. I also remove the majority of plants that have been placed with MOO. I couldn't place a fridge one time because a bush outside was placed too close to the wall.I do look for No MOO builds and appreciate the builders that take the time to playtest and mark their builds as No MOO such as @MDianaSims .
This is also a huge issue and due to the shrinking down of Live objects. There are other issues with live objects as well. like shadow areas in Willow Creek, Osasis Springs, and Newcrest. This is due to making bb.showliveobjects items smaller than the original. This causes a weird shadow on the main map that can not be removed but does not seem to interfere with gameplay. Personally, I like gameplay, so when I build I have stopped using crazy amounts of MOO. Because I am a part-time creator but a full-time game player if that makes sense.
I feel like majority of popular builders now just make things for looks rather than function. I see so many builds that are totally unplayable as they put so much stuff that you can barely even see the rooms
I am not even talking about Clutter, that's a thing in itself but I am talking about basic pathfinding and, quite frankly, a lack of understanding how the game works. Basic things that still are made by seasoned builders, who should have played the game at some point, not people uploading their first stuff.
Two bars? No, that. does. not. work.
You will only get one bartender, period.
Same with Two DJ booths?
No, only one of them will be active. And you have no control over which one unless one (like the unmodded nightclub in Windenburg) one of them is in a club area behind a locked door.
.
Ummm People build these big lots because they can have large parties and you can hire another bartender and another DJ as well as as many musicians as possible. There are people that use these builds for storytelling online and have all this action in the background. So this type of thing I understand but when they are not accessible is annoying. Also, people who build a lot, I use to in Sims 3, do not really play. They are inspired by the build and the design.
I know I've been using MOO a lot lately for landscaping and curtains, so doesn't mess with routing, but does allow for placing objects. I also used MOO a lot for a pool recently.
“Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.” –Helen Keller
Here is a prime example, and it's one of the much hyped Gamechanger-created lots:
5-6-1 Shinrinyoku - Caveat, I do not know which of the four(?) game changers tasked with this world did this one.
I just moved in a couple of childless vampires. So yes, the master bedroom will be cramped because two coffins take a lot of room, BUT:
1. No dresser or wardrome in the master suite, instead in the "walk in closet" was a TV bench, I guess "because it looks good", it had zero functionality
2. Two enormous platforms in the kitchen just to hold two lamps and serving no function other than being a waste of space
3. WAY overboard with platforms in general, for being a rather large house it is almost impossible to redecorate since it is impossible to move furniture around with the way the platforms are set up.
Point 3 is the most telling, and typical sign of a creator not having anything but their own ideas in mind; a Maxis house in the same location would have been "Empty" and "Boring" but it would have been VERY VERY easy to repurpose. However this house I will have to either tear down and rebuild from the ground up, or download a better house from the gallery to make function. And yes, giving that it originally had two large bedrooms instead of now a media room and a master bedroom... This house would have been really bad to raise a family in; there is literally no space for any toys or pets, it's all just Platform Mania.
Here is a prime example, and it's one of the much hyped Gamechanger-created lots:
5-6-1 Shinrinyoku - Caveat, I do not know which of the four(?) game changers tasked with this world did this one.
I just moved in a couple of childless vampires. So yes, the master bedroom will be cramped because two coffins take a lot of room, BUT:
1. No dresser or wardrome in the master suite, instead in the "walk in closet" was a TV bench, I guess "because it looks good", it had zero functionality
2. Two enormous platforms in the kitchen just to hold two lamps and serving no function other than being a waste of space
3. WAY overboard with platforms in general, for being a rather large house it is almost impossible to redecorate since it is impossible to move furniture around with the way the platforms are set up.
Point 3 is the most telling, and typical sign of a creator not having anything but their own ideas in mind; a Maxis house in the same location would have been "Empty" and "Boring" but it would have been VERY VERY easy to repurpose. However this house I will have to either tear down and rebuild from the ground up, or download a better house from the gallery to make function. And yes, giving that it originally had two large bedrooms instead of now a media room and a master bedroom... This house would have been really bad to raise a family in; there is literally no space for any toys or pets, it's all just Platform Mania.
You can get rid of the platforms very easily by just lowering them and they will merge with the rest of the room. It won't affect furniture placed on them.
Here is a prime example, and it's one of the much hyped Gamechanger-created lots:
5-6-1 Shinrinyoku - Caveat, I do not know which of the four(?) game changers tasked with this world did this one.
I just moved in a couple of childless vampires. So yes, the master bedroom will be cramped because two coffins take a lot of room, BUT:
1. No dresser or wardrome in the master suite, instead in the "walk in closet" was a TV bench, I guess "because it looks good", it had zero functionality
2. Two enormous platforms in the kitchen just to hold two lamps and serving no function other than being a waste of space
3. WAY overboard with platforms in general, for being a rather large house it is almost impossible to redecorate since it is impossible to move furniture around with the way the platforms are set up.
Point 3 is the most telling, and typical sign of a creator not having anything but their own ideas in mind; a Maxis house in the same location would have been "Empty" and "Boring" but it would have been VERY VERY easy to repurpose. However this house I will have to either tear down and rebuild from the ground up, or download a better house from the gallery to make function. And yes, giving that it originally had two large bedrooms instead of now a media room and a master bedroom... This house would have been really bad to raise a family in; there is literally no space for any toys or pets, it's all just Platform Mania.
You can get rid of the platforms very easily by just lowering them and they will merge with the rest of the room. It won't affect furniture placed on them.
Oh I know. My point however is that the build, as is, is built more as a tutorial for platforming than actual functionality. The main criticism of it is that it isn't built as a generic "Move family in, start playing" situation, it is a display case for "what can I do with only one pack and base game items".
Here is a prime example, and it's one of the much hyped Gamechanger-created lots:
5-6-1 Shinrinyoku - Caveat, I do not know which of the four(?) game changers tasked with this world did this one.
I just moved in a couple of childless vampires. So yes, the master bedroom will be cramped because two coffins take a lot of room, BUT:
1. No dresser or wardrome in the master suite, instead in the "walk in closet" was a TV bench, I guess "because it looks good", it had zero functionality
2. Two enormous platforms in the kitchen just to hold two lamps and serving no function other than being a waste of space
3. WAY overboard with platforms in general, for being a rather large house it is almost impossible to redecorate since it is impossible to move furniture around with the way the platforms are set up.
Point 3 is the most telling, and typical sign of a creator not having anything but their own ideas in mind; a Maxis house in the same location would have been "Empty" and "Boring" but it would have been VERY VERY easy to repurpose. However this house I will have to either tear down and rebuild from the ground up, or download a better house from the gallery to make function. And yes, giving that it originally had two large bedrooms instead of now a media room and a master bedroom... This house would have been really bad to raise a family in; there is literally no space for any toys or pets, it's all just Platform Mania.
You can get rid of the platforms very easily by just lowering them and they will merge with the rest of the room. It won't affect furniture placed on them.
Oh I know. My point however is that the build, as is, is built more as a tutorial for platforming than actual functionality. The main criticism of it is that it isn't built as a generic "Move family in, start playing" situation, it is a display case for "what can I do with only one pack and base game items".
I think it would be very difficult to find one building that meets everyone's criteria of "ready to play". People should be willing to make changes to adapt the buildings to their play style or necessities for the family they are playing. Everybody went overboard with platforms at the time because they were new and she probably had to incorporate them in her build.
Here is a prime example, and it's one of the much hyped Gamechanger-created lots:
5-6-1 Shinrinyoku - Caveat, I do not know which of the four(?) game changers tasked with this world did this one.
I just moved in a couple of childless vampires. So yes, the master bedroom will be cramped because two coffins take a lot of room, BUT:
1. No dresser or wardrome in the master suite, instead in the "walk in closet" was a TV bench, I guess "because it looks good", it had zero functionality
2. Two enormous platforms in the kitchen just to hold two lamps and serving no function other than being a waste of space
3. WAY overboard with platforms in general, for being a rather large house it is almost impossible to redecorate since it is impossible to move furniture around with the way the platforms are set up.
Point 3 is the most telling, and typical sign of a creator not having anything but their own ideas in mind; a Maxis house in the same location would have been "Empty" and "Boring" but it would have been VERY VERY easy to repurpose. However this house I will have to either tear down and rebuild from the ground up, or download a better house from the gallery to make function. And yes, giving that it originally had two large bedrooms instead of now a media room and a master bedroom... This house would have been really bad to raise a family in; there is literally no space for any toys or pets, it's all just Platform Mania.
You can get rid of the platforms very easily by just lowering them and they will merge with the rest of the room. It won't affect furniture placed on them.
Oh I know. My point however is that the build, as is, is built more as a tutorial for platforming than actual functionality. The main criticism of it is that it isn't built as a generic "Move family in, start playing" situation, it is a display case for "what can I do with only one pack and base game items".
I think it would be very difficult to find one building that meets everyone's criteria of "ready to play". People should be willing to make changes to adapt the buildings to their play style or necessities for the family they are playing. Everybody went overboard with platforms at the time because they were new and she probably had to incorporate them in her build.
As I said I don't remember who made 5-6-1 Shinrinyoku, but James' starter is great, and so is the house I moved to instead, the (former, now residental in my save) rental across the street made by Deli.
Comments
I think I only had to alter two houses I downloaded. One house the Sims couldn't get to the fridge, so I had to move a few things around so they could have access to it. Another house was made as a starter for 8 sims, which I usually make, but the rooms were all walled up. So, I went in to knock some walls down so my Sims had access to them.
Most houses I download are functional, and look really nice in my game too.
https://www.ea.com/games/the-sims/the-sims-4/pc/gallery/DA8EFFD360F911E786BB8C22C78BD130?
https://www.ea.com/games/the-sims/the-sims-4/pc/gallery/3D361652233811E78CE0FCCDE2785077?
https://www.ea.com/games/the-sims/the-sims-4/pc/gallery/BF6AF037D0D911E883E9526B46B29011?
https://www.ea.com/games/the-sims/the-sims-4/pc/gallery/49913982E29911E682267CC7D57F72DD?
https://www.ea.com/games/the-sims/the-sims-4/pc/gallery/E16B9C8DE02311E68770A009AE90941D?
Gameplay and building is my stronger suit so I tend to like to play my builds. I work full time too so don't always have the time to playtest all my builds and I mod and I playtest, so time can be limited at times. But I try to playtest my builds when I can. Shell challenges are a bit harder to playtest for, but tried sharing the ones I know I've playtested with and if there are any routing issues I don't know about, sorry in advanced, I'll try to fix them. I admit it was easier to playtest when I had freetime, but I find myself busier during than pandemic than before it.
"That's uh, lot of clutter but okay okay... wouldalsolikeabookshelfforsomesortoffunactivitybutyaknow"
-sees a clutter open book ontop of a desk-
"RAGE! RAGE! RAAAAAAGE!"
As soon as I saw that house I groaned. So much work to do to make it useable. So much clutter. 😖
When I dl from the Gallery I try to find the builders I love, the ones I know don't have mega clutter issues. Much easier when it comes to remodeling.
But no, I totally understand what you mean though. Playtesting is super important! People download the lots because they want to play with them, so those lots should be ready to play. :)
Check out my YouTube channel!
youtube.com/simplysimmer19
This so much! I was looking for a nice starter home for my sims couple and came across a really nicely made starter home in the gallery, the only issue is it costed something like $200,000. It was even titled as a "starter home" and even saying in the description "Perfect starter home for your new family" to say I was floored is an understatement. I mean I guess it gets the "realism" trying to buy a first home is like. lol.
I watched the live stream and Ashley's video explaining the concept behind the home. It is meant to be styled in a boho and eclectic manner, it is not minimalistic design. The clutter is on surfaces and they are assigned to the correct slots. The kitchen has a clear counter for food prep. Most of the artwork is one piece created to look like a gallery wall. I follow quite a few sims interior design blogs, this clutter does not even compare.
This home is also used in the trailer and they probably did not want a modern PC on the desk so to make it looked lived in Ashley went for the open book. It is so easy to remove it. In the video she mentions the plate on the table and says she playtested the build.
As a builder who worked only with alpha content and is now creating vanilla lots I came here to learn. I agree that builds are sometimes not hash tagged correctly and that people need to be more transparent about cheats. However players build for all sorts of reasons. I created a build for a shell challenge, it was a Cyberpunk lot and the few people that downloaded it are probably are not using it for residential. I playtest (I also have a sim present for changing lighting) everything but shell challenges are designed for looks and build techniques.
Also there has to be give and take. Everyone here is you need to playtest but when I ask for feedback or comments barely anyone replies back.
> Also there has to be give and take. Everyone here is you need to playtest but when I ask for feedback or comments barely anyone replies back.
This right here. I never really get any feedback (or a comment) on my builds. I'd greatly appreciate it if I did because that would help me to improve building. Occasionally, I do find a few mistakes. If they're small, I leave a comment. And if it's a mistake harder to fix, I fix it myself (like a stairs issue for example) and share it on the Gallery again. I also include a comment on what I've changed in the description.
If you're not opposed to using CC, my friend Ravasheen made a "flood" light, ceiling light that uses a smaller version of the subtle saucer light mesh.
But, that one single light, will light up almost the entire ground floor if there are no walls. That's the only lights I ever use in any of my personal builds (besides some table lamps, just for decor purposes). Even when I have NO CC in my mods folder, I will always make sure that I have that light in it.
https://ravasheen.com/downloads/flood-saucer-light/
Same. I'm happy if a build has more than one download and love. lol. Then at least I know someone is using it besides me.
This is also a huge issue and due to the shrinking down of Live objects. There are other issues with live objects as well. like shadow areas in Willow Creek, Osasis Springs, and Newcrest. This is due to making bb.showliveobjects items smaller than the original. This causes a weird shadow on the main map that can not be removed but does not seem to interfere with gameplay. Personally, I like gameplay, so when I build I have stopped using crazy amounts of MOO. Because I am a part-time creator but a full-time game player if that makes sense.
Sims 3 Studio back in the day
My Sims 3 showcase
EA ID: svlyn2
Ummm People build these big lots because they can have large parties and you can hire another bartender and another DJ as well as as many musicians as possible. There are people that use these builds for storytelling online and have all this action in the background. So this type of thing I understand but when they are not accessible is annoying. Also, people who build a lot, I use to in Sims 3, do not really play. They are inspired by the build and the design.
Sims 3 Studio back in the day
My Sims 3 showcase
EA ID: svlyn2
5-6-1 Shinrinyoku - Caveat, I do not know which of the four(?) game changers tasked with this world did this one.
I just moved in a couple of childless vampires. So yes, the master bedroom will be cramped because two coffins take a lot of room, BUT:
1. No dresser or wardrome in the master suite, instead in the "walk in closet" was a TV bench, I guess "because it looks good", it had zero functionality
2. Two enormous platforms in the kitchen just to hold two lamps and serving no function other than being a waste of space
3. WAY overboard with platforms in general, for being a rather large house it is almost impossible to redecorate since it is impossible to move furniture around with the way the platforms are set up.
Point 3 is the most telling, and typical sign of a creator not having anything but their own ideas in mind; a Maxis house in the same location would have been "Empty" and "Boring" but it would have been VERY VERY easy to repurpose. However this house I will have to either tear down and rebuild from the ground up, or download a better house from the gallery to make function. And yes, giving that it originally had two large bedrooms instead of now a media room and a master bedroom... This house would have been really bad to raise a family in; there is literally no space for any toys or pets, it's all just Platform Mania.
You can get rid of the platforms very easily by just lowering them and they will merge with the rest of the room. It won't affect furniture placed on them.
Oh I know. My point however is that the build, as is, is built more as a tutorial for platforming than actual functionality. The main criticism of it is that it isn't built as a generic "Move family in, start playing" situation, it is a display case for "what can I do with only one pack and base game items".
I think it would be very difficult to find one building that meets everyone's criteria of "ready to play". People should be willing to make changes to adapt the buildings to their play style or necessities for the family they are playing. Everybody went overboard with platforms at the time because they were new and she probably had to incorporate them in her build.
As I said I don't remember who made 5-6-1 Shinrinyoku, but James' starter is great, and so is the house I moved to instead, the (former, now residental in my save) rental across the street made by Deli.