Tutorial: Making real lakes swimmable

[JustTheBast]

This tutorial combines two tricks gleaned from other tutorials (swimmable ground (http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=131752) and underwater building (http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=85055)) and uses one custom object (transparent floor tiles (http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=34012)) to enable sims to swim in an actual lake, created with the water territory tool.

For seasoned experts, who only need to know the "what", not the long, tedious "how": we're going to build a surface of transparent floor tiles on the first level above the lake, push it down until it is submerged directly beneath the water surface, build a second-level surface on top ot it for the diving board and ladder, then push part of that down until it is lying directly on top of the water surface.

If you're not an expert, you should probably be at least a seasoned builder, who knows his way around the available tools, particularly the ground-shaping ones, and has successfully used the "constrainFloorElevation" cheat before.

Here's how to do it:

First we need a lake for our sims to swim in. Build one with the water terrain tool.

http://upload.modthesims2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=296510&stc=1


Now create a scaffolding for the swimmable surface by framing the lake in a large foundation rectangle. I like to use the platform type, because it doesn't block the light in the enclosed space.

http://upload.modthesims2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=296511&stc=1


Use the "flatten ground" tool and drag it all the way across the foundation rectangle.

http://upload.modthesims2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=296512&stc=1


The gives us a nice, flat grid on the first level to create our swimmable surface.

http://upload.modthesims2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=296513&stc=1


But first we prepare the support for the second-level platform that will hold our diving board. Extend the framing foundation into the lake and there extend it further to create a platform. It has to be built as an extension, because building it as an isolated foundation in the lake won't work properly unless the submerged ground there happens to be flat - and even then we'd have to flatten the first level again to bring it back up in line.

http://upload.modthesims2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=296514&stc=1


You can separate the platform in the lake from the scaffolding now.


:!!: Note: I had to fix the ground underneath the connection slightly first, because deleting the connection screwed with the elevation of the ground underneath, which screwed with the water level. Remember, if a piece of the bank is pushed down below the water level by any means other than the "Water terrain" tool, the game assumes you want it to remain dry land and adjusts the water level for the entire lot downwards. If you push "lower ground" on a piece of the bank, you can watch your entire lake dwindle and vanish!

In this case, I should have built the extension from a point of the scaffolding that was already above the lake.


Now we create our swimmable surface by placing flooring tiles on the grid provided by our scaffolding. Keep it well away from the bank of the lake and keep the shape simple. We're going to push this thing underwater later, and with a complicated shape that can get pretty annoying. For the sake of visibility in this tutorial, I've used a regular floor tile, which will later on be replaced with a custom transparent floor.

http://upload.modthesims2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=296515&stc=1


We no longer need the scaffolding, so we can remove it.

http://upload.modthesims2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=296516&stc=1


It's time to submerge our swimming surface. To do this we need to engage a cheat. Press Shift+Ctrl+C to open the cheat console, type there "boolProp constrainFloorElevation false" and Enter. This allows moving the ground and upper levels, even after they have already been built on, which is exactly what we'll be doing.

Now we find the submerged ground beneath one corner of the flooring and lower it. Thanks to the cheat we can do this, and the corner of the floor will be dragged down along with the lowering ground.

http://upload.modthesims2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=296517&stc=1


Keep lowering the ground until the corner of the floor above is JUST beneath the surface of the water.

http://upload.modthesims2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=296518&stc=1


We repeat this for the other three corners of the tile, until it is once again flat and submerged right beneath the surface of the water.

http://upload.modthesims2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=296519&stc=1


Now we can use the "flatten ground" tool to bring the entire floor to the same level. Be careful not to use the tool to liberally; only flatten the squares that have actual floor tiles on them. If you push down too much of the first level, it will automatically push down the ground underneath, and if that happens to a piece of the bank, it can screw up the entire lake, as I explained earlier.

This is also why simple shapes work best. Trying to flatten a very irregular shape, but no more than that, can get frustrating.

http://upload.modthesims2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=296520&stc=1


Our surface is submerged now. When our sims swim in this, it will look as if they're actually swimming in the water.

http://upload.modthesims2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=296521&stc=1


To enable Sims to swim in it, though, we need another level above this surface, where we'll place the diving board and ladder. If you place one of these on a level, then sims can use it to dive or climb into the surface of the next lower level, swimming in it like in a pool. So, if you place it on the first level, they can swim in the ground, and if you use the second level, they can swim in first-level flooring - which is exactly what we're doing.

Select the platform foundation again and, while holding the Shift key, build another platform on top of the already existing one, so that the supports of the upper and lower platform line up. (This is not necessary for it to work - it's just so it'll look nice, later on.)

http://upload.modthesims2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=296522&stc=1


The new platform will appear a full story height (16 clicks) above the submerged ground. We'll have to fix that.

For this we'll use the connecting chairs, because as long as the floorElevation cheat is on, they can push exactly measured dents into level ground. In this case, build three consecutive stairs into the submerged surface, creating dents that are 4, 8, and 12 clicks deep respectively.

It's probably best to do this over the middle of the lake, because these dents may push down the ground below, if it isn't deep enough, and in the middle this won't be so noticable.

http://upload.modthesims2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=296523&stc=1


Once we have those dents, we can remove the stairs again (Hold Ctrl and click on them).

Using the "flatten ground" tool, we extend the lowest dent a little to the side, to prevent interference in the next step.

http://upload.modthesims2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=296524&stc=1


Once more holding down Shift, we place two platform foundations into the lowest and second lowest dents we created. Keep them at least two squares apart to prevent them from interfering with each other. The platforms will be 8 and 4 clicks above the undented floor. These are the reference heights we will use to fix the other platform.

http://upload.modthesims2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=296525&stc=1


First we drag the flattening tool from the higher reference platform to one half of the too high platform, thus pushing it down.

http://upload.modthesims2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=296526&stc=1


The we push the other half down to the lower reference level. (We're going to lower it even further, later on, but this is the lowest we can go right now, without distorting the flooring underneath.)

http://upload.modthesims2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=296527&stc=1


Finally we fix any bits that still stick up, by pushing them down to one of the two heights.

http://upload.modthesims2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=296528&stc=1


Good, we now have a two-height platform, which we'll need later on. The higher part can be connected to the ground at the bank, and the lower part will hold the diving board.

Now we can do away with the reference platforms and level the dents out of the flooring.

http://upload.modthesims2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=296529&stc=1


Now we should apply the transparent floor tiles at last, because in the next step we'll warp part of the submerged swimming surface. I used RGiles ones (http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=34012), but I'm sure any other transparent flooring will work just as well.

It's best not to click/drag the flooring across the surface, because then the floor tiles will attempt to flatten all adjacent squares, which can - once again - screw with the banks of the lake. It's better to fill the surface by holding shift and clicking.

Also cover the lower platform with these tiles, so that it looks like the upper platform is standing on long supports, rather than on another platform.

http://upload.modthesims2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=296530&stc=1

As you can see, the tiles are not completely invisible - there is still an edge that can be seen from certain angles, and a shadow is cast on the ground of the lake.

Now comes another fiddly bit. We'll lower the low part of the platform still further, until it appears to be sitting right on top of the water. To do this, we find the ground underneath one of the supports of the lower end and push one corner down by 3 clicks.

http://upload.modthesims2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=296531&stc=1


Since the flooring is one click below the water and the platform is four clicks above the flooring, three clicks will put it right above the water.

Just like we did with the corner of the flooring, when we submerged it, we lower all four corners of the square, until it is flat again.

http://upload.modthesims2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=296532&stc=1


Now we flatten the rest of the lower platform, up to one square away from the sloped "ramp".

http://upload.modthesims2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=296533&stc=1


That last square will slope to extend the ramp down to the new lower level.


Note: Technically, you don't need to use a ramp. You could have two completely separate platforms and connect them with stairs - but since the two platforms are 7 clicks apart, not the usual 8, connecting stairs would run into trouble, and correcting for that would make this tutorial needlessly complicated.


http://upload.modthesims2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=296534&stc=1


Now we need to enter another cheat. Open the cheat console again and type "moveObjects on". This allows us to place the diving board and pool ladder on the platform, even though we have no pool. We need to pay attention to the green "footprint" squares of these objects. Both of them require an accessible, empty square of ground behind them, so that sims can get to them and use them. The required empty squares of the ladder and the board can overlap, though, as in the example below.

Afterward you can turn off the moveObjects cheat. We needed it just for this.

http://upload.modthesims2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=296535&stc=1


Now we extend the ground from the bank into the lake a bit, by using the flattening tool again. Stay exactly one square away from the higher end of the platform.

http://upload.modthesims2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=296536&stc=1


This way we can build a connecting stair from the platform to the ground. Depending on the elevation of the ground at this place of the bank, this may take a bit of fiddling with the ground heights to make things fit. In this case it fit perfectly.

http://upload.modthesims2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=296537&stc=1


And that's it.

You now have made your real lake swimmable for your sims. You can set the constrainFloorElevation property back to "true" now.

http://upload.modthesims2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=296538&stc=1


Because we pushed the platform with the pool accessories down to one click above the swimmable surface, the sims don't "fall through" the diving board, when they use it, and don't jump through the air to reach the ladder. And because the swimmable surface is not connected to anything else, except by the pool ladder, there is no danger of the swimmers escaping the lake and swimming around in the ground or the house floors.

http://upload.modthesims2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=296539&stc=1


For laffs, you could build a regular stair down to the submerged surface, to let your sims feel all messianic, as they walk on water - but then, the stair also allows swimmers to escape and start swimming all over, so perhaps better not.

http://upload.modthesims2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=296540&stc=1


If the visible edges of the floor tiles are too annoying, maybe they can be covered up with appropriate decorations, such as reeds and water lilies, as niol suggested to me.

I hope you have fun with this.

[niol]

Wow, cool... Thanks...
it's a hard work to show all these...:clap:


Just 3 things to add:
1. the land can be raised by 1-click, so stairs on the platform can be made because of the resultant 8-click-difference.
2. In my expereinces, the only way sims can swim through the swimming regions are through the pool accessories themselves. These cases happen very rarely randomly by the game, but not by users' controls.
3. May use
eddief66's
Almost Completely Invisible Floor Tils
(thread deleted...)
moonlight_muse
Invisible Floor Tile
http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=166311



Swimmable lake tutorial linkage (These're different methods to attempt to create swimmable lakes/beaches/ocean/sea/ponds or else) (alphabetically ordered in terms of username):


Custom object-based:

frillen
Triple Magic
http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=253468

Tutorials:

corvidophile2
Tutorial:Making a swimmable lake-The safe way (for all game versions) (terrain paint approach)
http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=171505

HabboArwen
Tutorial-SWIM in a lake (for all game versions) (terrain paint approach) (yes, it's back again.)
http://thesims2.ea.com/exchange/story_detail.php?asset_id=20008

JustTheBast
Tutorial: Making real lakes swimmable (for all game versions) (water tool + fake pool approach)
http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=158216

patul
Easy swimable real lake -Tutorial
http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=245795

sunni9676
Tutorial for creating pool lakes & beaches (for only the base game TS2 and/or EP1-UNI) (swim-pool approach)
http://www.modthesims2.com/showpost.php?p=179545&postcount=21
http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=85093

tkdjunkie
Tutorial: The Swimmable Lake Illusion (for all game versions) (terrain paint approach)
http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=131752


Trouble-shooting threads:
Help - Swimmable Lake
http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=190297

[JustTheBast]

1. the land can be raised by 1-click, so stairs on the platform can be made because of the resultant 8-click-difference.


Oh, I know how to correct for height differences, so stairs fit neatly. I've been fooling around with various build mode tricks for over a week now. I just didn't want to add that complication to a tutorial that is already this long, when I could have slopes that practically happen all by themselves in the building process. ;)

I expect that people won't actually want to build platforms that look exactly like this, anyway. It's more intended as a demonstration of the principle. You could, for example have a nicely designed "beach house" on stilts above the lake, which has stairs down to a diving platform on the lake.

I only have the split-elevation platform thing in the first place, because I know no other way of connecting a second-level floor to a ground that is actually higher than it.

Thank you, for your encouragement and your advice!

[niol]

Now, I hope the tile-edge modding will get to a point that the ugly side edges can be at least invisible. :)

[JustTheBast]

The edge is probably a global texture, not associated with any one floor tile, so I expect it would only be possible to remove it completely from all tiles or none, but not from a specific one.

[niol]

That'll depend on what type of mod/hack to be possible to do the job when accomplishable. Hopefully, it can be localised in a tile. But, the global one is eaisier seemingly.

[simsjeanie]

I'll try it this night! It seemed so complicated and this tutorial is super! Many thanks for sharing!!!

[mike19]

Now, I hope the tile-edge modding will get to a point that the ugly side edges can be at least invisible. :)

first i think the edges of the tiles could be explained as

the pipes for heating the pool water and maybe also the water supply to the sims house.

it's a shame theres no thanks button this is a brilliant method and tutorial

Thanks.

[rabi]

hey that was brillietnt :up: i really like ity
thnx :beer:

[Super_Roadie]

Ahah! Brilliant! i will add a swimable lake to my "rustic" hotel... maybe my favourite couple will go skinny-dipping! :D hehe!! :D can the lake still be used as a lake... I know that sounds strange... can you add the stuff like lillypads and stuff or even the fishing object (can't rmember who made it... but it's REALLY cool.. allows you to go fisihng in a lake!!) to the lake..or not..? Will try it tomorrow! :D Can't wait!! Well done have a Guinness on me! :Pint:

[shrekheatherbelle]

Excellent....will try this later!

fev

[crazylea007]

Can we not just download a house with a swimmable lake in? it will be so much easier!

[shrekheatherbelle]

Can we not just download a house with a swimmable lake in? it will be so much easier!

Yeah we can :) ....but some of us want to learn how to do it so that we can upload homes with swimmable lakes :)
Just depends on your preferances....to download.....or....to upload!! LOL

fev

[niol]

Can we not just download a house with a swimmable lake in? it will be so much easier! (just realised I made a wrong quote! :P)

Besides, one can download a lot with a swimmable lake. Delete the other things except the lake. Yet, one may not share without getting permission from the lake author...

[yukonpizza]

EXCELLENT tutorial, JustTheBeast!

I hope to put one of these on my next house for uploading (if I can manage to make it work as well as you Super Builders, that is!!!).

Thanks so much for taking the time to share your knowledge and tips with the rest of us! TWO THUMBS UP!!!! :beer:

[McDora]

Hey I've seen your characters and i wonder where can you download them? the clothes are so cool! And btw, you did a great job!

[JustTheBast]

Hey I've seen your characters and i wonder where can you download them? the clothes are so cool! And btw, you did a great job!

Thank you!

The two ladies demonstrating the lake were made by combining the fabulous Furry skintones from Genensims (http://genensims.com/skins/furry_01.htm) with meshes from Warlokk's Female Bodyshapes (http://www.modthesims2.com/member.php?u=4248). I had to edit the skins slightly in photoshop to make them fit the meshes.

The tail and ear accessories (recolours of Atreya's Animal Kingdom (http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=101798)) also come from Genensims.

[WolfoftheNyght]

This looks amazing! I can't wait to give it a shot when I get home! This is perfect for the Zen Park/Garden I wanted to make ^^ And those furry skins I have been looking for forever! Thanks x2 for you and 4 thumbs up! lol :D

[shiningbanana]

Okay, I tried this- I got to the step where you first start sinking the floor tiles into the lake, and then my game started to rebel. I clicked onto the corner of the tile area with the lower terrain tool, and I got the annoying little popup, "only exposed terrain can be edited". Confused, I placed a few floor tiles on another area of the ground, on normal terrain, and tried to lower and raise them, and it worked. The constrainfloorelevation cheat was on. What am I doing wrong?

[JustTheBast]

I clicked onto the corner of the tile area with the lower terrain tool, and I got the annoying little popup, "only exposed terrain can be edited".

Ah, yes, this happened to me sometimes. The game is a lot touchier about editing ground that is underwater, apparently, and it seems to have something to do with the angle of view. When you're trying to raise or lower ground that is both beneath water and underneath higher-level flooring, this warning will pop up, if your theoretical line of sight would be obscured by the upper levels, if they were visible.

If you couldn't see that bit of submerged ground with all the upper levels, including the roof, turned on, the game will refuse to let you edit it, even if you turn off the upper levels and can clearly see and select the desired bit of ground. And this only happens with ground that is under water.

You could circumvent this by temporarily setting "boolProp lotWater false", but that only helps with the later step, where you lower the diving platform a specific number of clicks. For the step where you lower the first corner of the swimming area you need the water to be visible, so the only thing you can do is to find an angle of view at which you can see and edit the bit of submerged ground past any already built structures that may exist.

I should mention this in the tutorial itself.

[willowsmum]

fabulous, i loved your 'in a nutshell' bit at the beginning and i loved the details you gave about what causes the lake water to lower (ive had this happen accidentally before and didnt know what was causing it) and i now know why my swimmers swim all over the lot i downloaded a while ago.

Brilliant tutorial, simple yet fully instructive, and great to see your characters enjoying themselves whilst awaiting their new pool! :D
thanks loads.

[Ellatrue]

I'm having no end of trouble placing the connecting stairs from the raised platform! It seems like no matter what I do, or how many clicks I raise the platform (lowering the terrain isn't an option at this point without messing up the lake), it simply won't connect at all! Could this be a problem since it is essentially raised up on a second foundation?

What am I doing wrong? Has anyone got any tips? I should have enough room to place the stairs... I'm honestly losing my mind here.

[patul]

The difference beetween the deck and the floor MUST be 4 clicks to be connected and the sims jump in the lake without be afraid. (Read the previous posts and the tutos)
For myself I prefer the this approach http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?p=179545#post179545
or the fake lake one.

[Ellatrue]

The problem isn't with connecting the deck with the lake, but the last step- connecting the platform with the land. I know the connecting stairs need a distance of at least 4 clicks to work, but since it's impossible to measure how many clicks high something is I just kept raising it little by little- none of the heights seem to work.

[patul]

Drag your deck to the ground, it will level the ground at 4clicks (if it is less) or level a wall 2 or 3 square from the river side at the deck level with the floorelev cheat to see where is the 4clix ground level. save before lakes are sensibles !

[Ellatrue]

well, matching it against a wall height was a good idea... but I'm still having problems.
I'm getting two different error messages- something along the lines of "level cannot be placed" and "under-stair break/distribution cannot be straightened" (sometimes placed).

[patul]

Have a look to the upper level non buits grids, they must be "over warped" (flatten them).It is for the 2nd msg.
The first must be something like "lower level cannot be placed" (I am french so I havent exactly the same :D ...I must translate :( ) try to place a tile, it may be better an you will see more easily. Could you provide pics ?
I hope I help you a littl bit :)

[niol]

Hallo Ellatrue,

As patul, suggested, you may flatten the level-grid layers first for the stair regions.

Yet, you may try to use the cheat "moveobjects on" to further increase your chance of getting the connecting/modular stair to work out.

N if either doesn't work, use both.

[niol]

Ellatrue,

I can't answer all of your queastions, especially the one in part 1.

But, for the question in part 4, the error message is refering to the invisible walls of the column deck, especially the normal one. A normal column deck is consisted of a floor tile at the top, a siding for the thickness of the floor tile, 4 surrounding pieces of in-game invisible walls, a central column, the column support and probably more... Sims can pass through the diagonal ones though!

As for the question in part 6, may read part 3 from this thread.
Tutorial more property-infos for connecting/modular stairs updated 1st May,06.
http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=151575
So, in this case, I'm afriad you've to add at least one or 2 extra levels for the house before the stair can be built from the house down to the deck.

[Ellatrue]

I'm going to start a new thread; I don't want to clutter the tutorial anymore.

***EDIT*** here it is:
http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?p=1446004#post1446004

[jhndvdprkr]

Small question... :rolleyes: do I have to do the whole platform part because I don't wan't my lot to look too 'unatural' with all the stairs, and I'd hate to use that cheat so much. :llama:
Will the green transparent flooring (from RGiles) look ok too?

:gjob:

[patul]

Hi,
You must have sufficient length to place the modular stairs, the sloped part (with stairs it you want to avoid the stairs to the lake) the divingboard and the ladder. But you must work on this deck, you can cut it later
Otherwise http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=171505 is a tuto for the fake lakes, perhaps more realistic.
For the tiles Rgile's green may give a "swampy" look, if it is your choice why not :) Perhaps can you use the niol's one more "coloured"

[Ellatrue]

You do need to use the stairs (one way or another) to connect the diving platform with the the rest of the lot, otherwise the sims won't be able to reach it.

[ULilsquirt]

Hi, I was having trouble placing the stairs from the deck to the land too and I was wondering if it had anything to do with the original height of the lot when you first placed the pool... would that change anything? I've been working with a completely flat lot and still can't place down any stairs, but I'm going to keep trying.

[patul]

Do you use the constr... cheat in this area ? may be weird grid lines on the first level. Try to flatten the area at the deck level.

[niol]

ULilsquirt,

may try to do it wit the "moveobjects on" cheat.

Oddly, this thread is saved from being locked just a few days before the locking process because of your question post :D

allo patul,
that's why I chose the acronym short-hands. :)

[Ellatrue]

I really liked the idea mentioned here of having a little lake house with the steps leading down. So, I made one following this tutorial. I can't take credit for the idea or anything, but I thought I'd share so you all can see the results. Thanks everyone for your help!

http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=221608

[Doggonesoccergul]

Hard work,but it might pay off, once I tried a different tuorial, and my swim fell into the diving board, jumped out of the lake to get to the ladder, and swam wherever she went, even in the house.

[skiingiggy]

Great job! I actually got it to work! It stinks that we have no thanks button.....

[L2Mast]

I don't know if anyone is still having trouble with connecting the stairs to land using this method, but after spending most of this last weekend trying to get it to work, I think I finally found something.

Instead of dropping the first level to below the water and then placing the second platform I placed both platforms (making sure they were both connected to the land), then deleted the lower level that touched the land, and then lowered the remaining portion of the lower platform as instructed in the tutorial. This brought the upper platform down with the first, and then I continued through the remaining steps, leveling the portion of the deck that touched land as the higher elevation with the portions over the water.

I found doing it this way that I was able to keep the "pool" connected to the land but I didn't have to worry about the lower level taking my water level down with it. The height of the second level was about half again the height of a regular deck (about six or eight clicks?) and it was no problem to connect my stairs from there.

I hope this helps somebody. I have put a couple of Sims to the test and they did great. I want to thank the originator of this tutorial, I wanted a lot that my Sims could swim in without having a pool, and also still be able to fish now that Seasons allows that (I'm going for a deserted island thing). This is great. Now if I could just get happy with my house.

[niol]

May try to use the cheat "moveobjects on" to help build the stairs.

[blackstallion681]

Great tutorial! Even I understood it, and my lake turned out perfect =)

[TwirlyGirly]

I am having the same problem L2Mast had - connecting the dock to the land using stairs. I tried the method L2Mast suggested, but I'm *still* not having any luck. If I use the method in the tutorial, when I try and add the stairs to connect the upper platform to the land, they simply won't place (even with *moveobjects on* cheat). Unlike when trying to put modular stairs in other locations where they won't fit, I don't even get an error message - the frame doesn't turn green *at all*. I finally figured out the game wants to connect the *lower* platform to the land..in order to connect the higher platform, one has to stack two platforms on land and use the stairs to connect the higher of the two land platforms to the dock. The end result is sims must first walk up 10-11 steps to a very high platform, walk across the platform, then down another 10-11 steps from the higher platform to the diving board/dock platform. That looks awful!

When I attempted L2Mast's method, building the two platforms one atop the other and connecting both to the land, then deleting the lower platform between the land and the "dock area", then following the tutorial to put in the floor tiles, lowering them, then lowering the two platforms to 2 separate levels - when I lower the upper platform to the higher height, it *does* screw up the land for me and lowers the water level!!! (It doesn't seem to matter how far away from the bank of the lake I place the dock - as soon as I get within one square of the bank when lowering the upper platform to the higher level, the land lowers and takes the water with it - exposing the floor tiles again).

Honestly, I am just about going nuts over this...do you have any suggestions? Or, could someone send me a finished lot using the method in the tutorial to make a swimmable lake, so I can see what I am doing wrong? I must have spent 20+ hours thus far fiddling with this! I can't understand how the member who wrote the tutorial did the connection so easily - my lot is perfectly flat (as was the lot he was using), yet, it doesn't work!!!

Any help you might be able to give me would be very much appreciated!!

BTW, I should mention that the lake itself works fine - if I pick up a sim and place them on the "dock", they dive into the lake, swim around, and get out using the ladder - just as they should. So, I know I'm doing the lake building fine - I just can't connect the higher end of the upper platform to the land the way I should.

[patul]

If you want a lot using this tut, try one of these :
- http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=198916
- http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=192596
:)

[TwirlyGirly]

Patul -

Maybe I'm misunderstanding the tutorial. According to the way I'm reading it, and in following the steps *exactly* as laid out in the tutorial, I should be able to connect the upper platform directly to the land using steps (4-click) *and still keep the "swim" floor tiles submerged*.

The Pirate's Cove lot you referenced does *not* do that - there is a flight of steps up from the upper platform, then another flight down to the land.

The Gardenia (second lot referenced) does connect the upper platform to the land, however, in doing so the "swim" floor tiles are exposed! While this still "works" (in that the sims can swim even with the floor tiles sitting on the surface of the water, instead of 1-click below - *as long as* the floor tiles immediately surrounding the dock are submerged), it does look odd to have the edges of those floor tiles sitting on the surface of the water. I suspect the individual who created the lot had the same problem I had - when trying to connect the upper platform to the land, the water level went down, exposing the floor tiles.

So - am I misunderstanding the tutorial? Or, is there a way to connect the upper platform directly to the land with a 4-click stair *without* lowering the water level and exposing the floor tiles???

In the photos accompanying the tutorial, is does not appear as if the floor tiles are exposed when the connection from the upper platform to the land is made with the 4-click stair.

TwirlyGirly

[patul]

That I did one time is to place the stairs BEFORE lowering tle deck, I use OFB to build (with the BGS) may be important ?

[niol]

For stairs, one may get some ideas here
http://www.modthesims2.com/member/showthread.php?t=151575
http://www.sims2wiki.info/wiki.php?title=Tutorials:Stairs%26Lifts%26Elevators

[simsjeanie]

I had the same problem. I tried and tried - and all of a sudden it worked. But I can't tell you, what was the point.
I have good results by using the following cheats:
moveObjects on
boolProp constrainFloorElevation false
then use the view from top
place a floortile on the spot where the stairs should end
then I fiddle around to place the upper square of the mod-stairs on the upper deck and the lower square on the floortile placed on the ground - and then patience . . . and fiddling.
And I remember I had the lower deck far enough and without connection to the ground.
Also, I have the area where the mod-stairs should "land" absolutely flat - minimum 3 to 3 tiles. You can lower or rise that area again after having placed the stairs.
And: as soon as you have managed to place the stairs turn off the cheats. Once I forgot it and everything was screwing up and I had to begin once more.
Hope this helps.
Sometimes the game does things you (or I) can't explain.
If nothing seems to work, I get good results by using the flattening tool over the ground. Sometimes there are areas absolutely screwed - a thing you don't "see" by just looking at it. After doing that everything works much better.
But be careful, not to use that flattening tool too near at your swimmable-lake-construction.
(Usually I save, place the lot in the lotbin, take it again and try then. Then you're much more relaxed. If you've ruined your lot just throw it away and get it again from the lotbin.)
good luck!

[ninapinacolada]

Hi

I just wanted to say thanks for the great tute and to let you know, that if you combine this tutorial with Eedgan's fantastic How to make an Island (http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=184564) tutorial, you can more or less get a swimmable sea :)

I tried it out, and even though I couldn't follow this particular tute exactly, the basic principles of it helped create a really good swimmable sea :)

Cheers,
nina

[Ellatrue]

When you place the stairs, it deforms the land tiles connecting to the stairs, which could cause screwiness if it is next to the water. Try moving the edge of the lake away from the edge of the platform, or deepening the water. Fiddling with the lake itself might help (but remember to save first- it's hard to get the water level to come back once it has gone down already).

In regards to the "How to make an Island" tutorial, the sea is only decorative, and not swimmable--sims will continue to walk along the land underneath the water, but they will not swim.

And now for MY question- A few people who have downloaded my houses with swimmable lakes are complaining about not being able to get the sim to exit from the water. It doesn't sound as if they messed with the water level or moved the pool objects. Is there anything that could be causing this, or a way to get around the problem? I have also had the sims ignore the command to use the pool later sometimes with this method, but they have always gotten out eventually or when I gave them a command to do something inside the house.

[niol]

Hallo Ellatrue,

nina did figure out what to do for her purposes including using the fake pool layer for sims swimming as if on the sea (graphically simulated by the lot skirt water layer as seen in Eedgan's How to make an Island tutorial).

Maxis implemented lot skirt water layer to connect the neighbourhood waterline to a given lot, so they can look smooth for that purpose.
Now, nina said she uses the fake pool layer for sims to swim in the sea. she actually meant to use the same method on the lot skirt water layer instead of the pond water tool water layer.

As good as it sounds, that should work out in my opinion.

As for sims unable to exit the swimming actions or else,
1. hacks or mods, expecially those about bhav.
2. the sims swam past the boundry as in terrain-paint-based swimmable regions. http://www.modthesims2.com/member/showthread.php?t=131752
In this case, a >4 click height difference is suggested or an invisible fence can be used to limit where a sims can swim to.

[aelflaed]

Hello!

I've been experimenting with this tutorial, and having lots of trouble in the same way Ellatrue and others have reported - the stairs from the 2nd level platform to the land will not place.

I have tried every trick I could, from this thread and Ellatrue's offshoot, and nothing helped. I have base game only, in case that makes a difference.

Yesterday, I finally got it to work! Although not with quite the same process as this. I am wondering if perhaps it has something to do with the default water level in the neighbourhood where you are building, which might explain why some people find this tute works great, and others can't make it happen.

In my game, I have built one swimmable pond, where I have had to attach the second platform to the first, and then that one to the ground, with a mostly-invisible slope where the underwater platform has to come out of the water to make that work.

Now, I have made another lot which is better, with the two levels of platform like JusttheBast said, only they won't work for me at 4 clicks high, and they won't connect directly over the edge of the water/land.

I think that might be because the water level is too close. I found that 8 clicks works, and building floortiles out over the land, placing the stairs and then re-building the pond under the platform and stairs.

I don't have a good pic of the first lot, but here are a couple of shots of the better version - one shows the stage when I built a set of guide platforms, and kept reducing the height of the top deck and seeing whether stairs would still place. At any less than 8 clicks, either the water level dropped, or the flooring created a canal underneath itself. The other photo is of the finished pond and decking, with sims using the stairs.

I can do more explaining of my process with more photos, if anybody wants me to. Sorry for the long post, but I thought it was worth sharing what worked for my game. Maybe it is useful to somebody else too.

[niol]

aelflaed,

1. connecting/modular stairs have to form from a plain upper location to a plain lower one.
2. may build the c./m. stairs along with the cheat "moveobjects on"
3. Modular stairs can form in less than a grid but in this case it has to be at least a grid away and so at least 4 click-high/step between the higher end of the platform/deck and the ground.
eg: the higher end is 4-click above the ground --then-> the lower end is 7-click lower than the the upper end; the ramp is to connect the upper and lower ends togher as the same level; the swimming level 1-click lower than the water surface is 4-click lower than the lower end of the platform/deck and so 11-click away from the upper end of the platform/deck.

Why 4 clicks? that's because it normally takes a grid for connecting/modular stairs to form and a grid holds 4 steps. Every step is 1-click-high. This is used for connecting the upper end to ground and the lower end to the swimming level right under the water surface.

Why 7-clicks between the ends? That's because 4-click (for differences used to connect the upper end to the ground) pluses 3-click (the height 4 clicks right above the
swimming level)

So, it's 7-click down from the ground to the swimming surface while 6 for the water surface.

For references, may read:
Tutorial more property-infos for connecting/modular stairs updated 1st May,06.
http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=151575

Since this tutorial was made before V1ND1CARE's
Tutorial on Wall Height Reduction Under 4 Clicks
http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=190663
the lower end can be lower then and probably the upper one as well.

[chippie]

I'm having trouble at the very beginning of making the swimmable lake. Just as I build the last piece of the scaffolding, my game crashes. Any ideas why?

[aelflaed]

Niol
Thanks for your info - it's always useful. How come the four-click stairs work in the tutorial then? I am absolutely sure my platforms were four clicks, level with the ground, and with a flat grid at least two levels above that point. I was able to have four-click stairs from the deck to the swimming platform, no trouble, but they won't place for the ground - unless they are minimum 8 clicks high, as I said. And they won't cross that border between water and land. Move objects cheat was no help in this case.

I have seen both the above links in the past, but might do with re-reading them in this context.

I will check out your post and links more carefully later, I'm due to go out now.

Chippie, maybe you have installed something new, that is crashing your game?

[niol]

chippie,

Sorry, I've no idea either :P , but if you post pix showing the state before crash, the probability to have someone be able to guess what happened may increase.


aelflaed,

For connecting/modular stairs to form, the ground has to plain first. Thus, builders deform the ground with the water tool after the stairs were made probably along with the cheat "boolprop constrainfloorelevation false" when necessary.

Surely, ensure to reserve some grids for re-levelling after the the above doing.

[chippie]

I've gotten it to stop crashing. I don't know how, but I'm thankful. Could it have had something to do with my neighborhood being a bit crowded? Or maybe the fact that I might have been messing around with boolprop earlier on the same lot? Anyway, thanks for the help.

[aelflaed]

For connecting/modular stairs to form, the ground has to plain first.

The ground where the bottom of the stairs was to go WAS flat - sometimes for several tiles around the area. I also tried placing them from different sides of the platform, and with platforms wider and narrower, so there were empty flat tiles either side of the stair tile.

Do you mean that the tile just under the edge of the water (under the body of the stairs) has to have a flat bottom? I didn't think that was possible at the edge of the pond, without leveling it to ground level. Which is effectively what I am now doing, although it still has to go 8 clicks above the ground.

I don't know that I tried deepening the water under that tile.

My version is working fine, it would just be good to know what the tutorial is not telling me, that was needed to succeed.

[niol]

chippie,

building a lot has nothing to do with how populated a neighbourhood is, I think.
But, some cheats may cause more instability.
Still, from your description, I see no clue.


aelflaed,

Before building the connecting/modular stairs from the 2nd level to the ground, ensure both the ending grids of the stair are flattened. Then, may well build the stairs from the higher end to the lower end occasionally probably with the cheat "moveobjects on".

If that doesn't help, I don't know. I can always make the stairs, so probably this's a new case to me, too. :)

Honestly, I did similar things just as JustTheBast did in this lot of mine. http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=73214
But, I just added the pre-NL swim pool as well to create the wavy look back to the pre-NL era.

So, I'm pretty sure this tutorial thread does tell all the necessary infos...
I wouldn't make a tutorial for this technqiue coz it's too long for me to make one unless I've got a lot of spare time and healthy fingers at the same time :P . So, we should thank JustTheBast for his hard work.

[aelflaed]

Niol, thanks for all the time you've put into this. I think we will have to put it in the 'who knows?' pile - I can't see that I am missing anything, it just doesn't work for me the way it is described, but it DOES work if I make the platform higher. Whatever.

I am very grateful to JusttheBast for making the tutorial - after all, mine may not be quite like his, but it works, and that's because of his discovery. I didn't mean to sound critical, just trying to find out what was happening.

Thanks again - I'll continue on as I was.

[chippie]

Now I understand what everyone's said about placing the stairs to the platform. It took me nearly an hour of fiddling to get them to place. And when they did, they weren't exactly where I wanted them. Is there a more reliable way to place stairs? Does anyone with the same problem have any suggestions, other than fiddling?

[aelflaed]

Chippie, did you try my version above? If it isn't clear, I'll describe more about it. However, if you did get the stairs to place eventually, maybe you need to concentrate on Niol's useful suggestions for making them work. Especially the bit about using the move objects cheat - if the grid has been messed with, it often helps to use the cheat even if the grid looks flat.

Hope that helps.

[niol]

If the stair is not facing the proper direction, then tile 1 grid for all the unwanted direction.

To ensure a grid is totally plain/flat, may do a click with the levelling tool.
May read tip3 carefully.

Further tips:
1. may first create a pond/lake/else of levelled/flat/plain bottom to help facilitate building the swimming layer and the platform(s). Plain grid-linings (whether visible or invisible) are often easier to handle with. May shape the bottom after the swimming region(s) and the platform(s) are done.
2. May outline the swimming region(s) and the platform(s) as reminders.
3. Leave a grid row/column untiled for the swimming region away from the platform. If the grid layer right under and 1-grid-around the platform is tiled, surrounding visible and invisible grid layers can be fixated. Such fixation can interfere with formation of connecting/modular stairs. And, I don't know why. This can happen to other build features, too.


For references,
Tutorial more property-infos for connecting/modular stairs updated 1st May,06.
http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=151575

[aelflaed]

Niol, I'm remembering something I think you suggested earlier, to build the stairs first and then do the rest. I did try that, and ran against the problem that it looked right, but the sims couldn't access the upper level. From the link you just posted, it's clear that those stairs remained fixed to the wrong level, although visually they were correct. Fair enough. I guess I should have done excavations before building the lake, making a pit on half the lot to get the correct two-platform level to connect to the street level. Remove all that, leave the stairs in limbo and do the lake and everything.

Tip 3 might possibly have been affecting my lots. The lower platform probably had a floortile, invisible or not, on the decking. Nothing on the surrounding tiles.

Looking at that link, you have stairs less than four clicks high - have to try that! Shame the thread has been closed.

Good Luck, Chippie.

[chippie]

I've tried using moveobjects on and have leveled the surrounding area and added floortiles on the decking to make sure the surrounding invisible tiles were level. Even with it all level, it wouldn't place the stairs. It doesn't even show the red stairs that indicate that there's a landing problem, it just shows a red tile. Guess its just a problem. I eventually got it to work by making the deck higher than it should be and having more stairs that stretched two tiles to the land.

[aelflaed]

Chippie, sounds just like my experience. But you did get it to place once, didn't you?

[chippie]

I guess you could say I got it to place. It just didn't get placed where I wanted it too. The decking is about 8 clicks above the ground rather than 4. No matter what I tried, I could not get it to connect at a height of 4 clicks. You can see what I mean in a new lot I've just submitted, where the lake is included.

[kalamity_katie]

Cool, I've been looking for more building ideas! Thank you, in fact, I am going to try this the next chance I get as my experimenting looked nice, but no swimmin' sims! Great job!

[niol]

The another possibility is that for some reasons, for a given lake, the deformation of a platform is just not matching the ratio even though the tutorial was followed, then, just readjust the platform height down a bit or up a bit.

Oh well, an another trick to solve this is to delete the deck block from the ground to the swimming layer leaving the upper deck alone. Then build the stairs and go back to re-build the previously deleted deck block with "undo-crtl_delete", as suggested in these 2 tutorials:
http://www.modthesims2.com/member/showthread.php?t=87464
http://thesims2.ea.com/exchange/story_detail.php?asset_id=27295&asset_type=story&user_id=370


The attached are 2 examples. Surely, they show more than just the problem & solution :P .
The Maxis rugs, I've been wondering about its properties after reading its material sources, are, just like the dance tiles, integrated into the floor grid layers :lol: !
So, rugs get deformed along with the floor :rofl: !

And yes, I'm making my wavy bloody terrain water :D !

[aelflaed]

I think I tried removing the lower layer of platform, but perhaps I didn't - it's all getting confused by now.

[niol]

lol, just hold on, will get there... :)

[aelflaed]

I've given up fiddling for now, and will upload two lots with swimming platforms. Assuming they pass, you'll be able to see how they came out. One is better than the other, but they both have their points. And neither is quite according to the tutorial.

[k1mm0]

Thank You!!! ever since I downloaded the houses with swimmable lakes I have been battling my brain to figure out how to do that! excellent tyvm for the tutorial.

[rimfire]

Thanks a lot! It works great except for one thing: Connecting it to the ground. I've tried it three times and each time the upper foundation is about two clicks too low to add stairs to the shore, and lowering the shore either screws up the water or it becomes part of the water. I ended up putting a foundation on the shore, and leveling that to the upper foundation--except two clicks higher, which is as low as it would go. Next time I'll try the upper level a couple clicks higher and just connect the two with stairs.

[darkwarrior5558]

This works well... thankyou. And i think using one of Numenors old creations could help in this case. But i'm too lazy to look up the link and download. :lol: