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#26 Old 2nd Apr 2016 at 9:41 PM
There's a special program for that.

I have never used it but I heard that it can create a virtual disk drive from your current one. It makes a virtual duplicate of that, so you can take the disk out and put another one. In that way, you'd have two disk drives and you should be able to use AGS.
But I can't remember the name of the program.

And if you want to take both disks out, there's a button that deletes the virtual disk drive. So you don't have to repeat the whole duplicate thing.

EDIT: Not sure if this will work, but you could try that.

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#27 Old 2nd Apr 2016 at 9:46 PM
Again, if you are not able to use AGS.
You can also use this method. http://modthesims.info/t/showpost.p...97&postcount=11

That's exactly what the AGS does if you create an empty game.

Catalogue of Custom Neighborhoods for TS2
All Hood Building Group neighborhoods are available here
Want to get rid of EA's sims in neighborhoods? Check out my Clean and Empty Steatlh Hoods and Clean and Empty Neighborhood Templates
My Simblr
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#28 Old 2nd Apr 2016 at 9:55 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Jawusa
Again, if you are not able to use AGS.
You can also use this method. http://modthesims.info/t/showpost.p...97&postcount=11

That's exactly what the AGS does if you create an empty game.


That's the one that would basically preclude me from doing anything else with my game until I finished this subhood though, right? I'll certainly give it a try if it comes to that, but I don't see much reason to go for that now when I only have all of five lots even drafted for the entire neighborhood.

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Trainee Moderator
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#29 Old 2nd Apr 2016 at 10:06 PM
No, you can play the game itself while you're creating the subhood!

If you create new neighborhoods, there won't be any stealth hoods attached to it but pre-existing neighborhoods with their stealth hoods already attached can still be played.
Meaning, you can create your university subhood but also play in your own neighborhood. Don't worry about that.

Catalogue of Custom Neighborhoods for TS2
All Hood Building Group neighborhoods are available here
Want to get rid of EA's sims in neighborhoods? Check out my Clean and Empty Steatlh Hoods and Clean and Empty Neighborhood Templates
My Simblr
Mad Poster
#30 Old 3rd Apr 2016 at 12:38 PM
Just for the record I play my game with all the stealth hoods disabled - I did not want townies in a remote military area And since I use the Ulitmate Collection, so AGS is not an option when I build.
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#31 Old 15th Aug 2016 at 9:20 PM Last edited by Zarathustra : 15th Aug 2016 at 11:02 PM. Reason: Adding screenshots
Been a while since I've had anything new to do with this project, but I haven't been ignoring it either. I've gotten my SC4 terrain to as close as I think it'll go, and have been going around the neighborhood making shells of the campus buildings (and a few neighborhood ones) so that I can get a sense of the end result from that end of things. Mostly, I've been drawing inspiration from Yale's campus in New Haven Connecticut, although there are elements from just about all the Ivy League schools somewhere already! The town outside campus is not based on any one place in particular, but I'm kind of going for the stereotype of a small New England coastal community that's been around since sometime in the 17th Century.

I know where many of the "what should I put on my campus" threads are already, and I have plenty of ideas from them in that vein, but I would still like some more general advice on this project, in two areas in particular.

1.) What do you think of making an Ivy League university (or whatever your country's equivalent of the Ivy League is) stand out from other universities, aside from the intangible elements of just having higher standards in... everything?

2.) What would you tend to think of as making a properly stereotypical New England village? At this point that's where I'm most stuck... I have a church and a little small-town downtown started, but what else would you want to see nearby in a university town like this?

I've still got lots of empty spaces on the map, both on- and off-campus, but I'll try to get some screenshots posted next time I start up the game, just so you can see better where I'm going with this!

EDIT: Screenshots are attached. Like I said, lots of gaps still to fill in, but you can see the layout and kind of where it's going (I hope! ) One other thing I'll add, since you can see it now, is that the campus area is a little monochromatic ATM... I'm adding flowers and awnings and things to get some variety in there, but since the aesthetic I'm going for from an architectural standpoint kind of calls for grey stone buildings and grey roofs, what other ideas can you think of to add some color to that side of the map? (the town will have plenty of color with different sidings and brickwork and whatnot, so I'm much less concerned there!)
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Mad Poster
#32 Old 16th Aug 2016 at 4:57 AM
New England is not a colorful place, except in the fall - so if you put in a lot of trees that are colorful in the fall, and set the seasons to all-fall, that should help.

Also, college campuses are often hung with banners celebrating or advertising various college events - sporting events, theater productions, art shows. Is there anything you can do to simulate that?

Ponds and flowers in the open quadrangles will also show in hood view. to a certain extent. How about some nice fountains and other campus landmarks? You can brighten up hood view with things in the air - the balloon, bird flocks, maybe hang gliders above the hills out back.

From my southern and midwestern perspective, the chief attributes of New England are: It's tiny, it's cold, its stony, there's too many trees, and by the way, it's cold! So I'm afraid that's all the use I can be to you.

Ugly is in the heart of the beholder.
(My simblr isSim Media Res . Widespot,Widespot RFD: The Subhood, and Land Grant University are all available here. In case you care.)
Top Secret Researcher
#33 Old 17th Aug 2016 at 6:20 AM
Hi- Is a (mostly) sims 3 player allowed to comment? I live in New England, if that qualifies me. Peni Griffin is right about the cold, the stones and the trees, lots of pine trees and great autumn colors. There is almost always water: ocean or lakes or ponds or streams. Stone walls are common, as are lighthouses. Clapboard colonials and occasional Victorian architecture is found. There are almost no Craftsmans- I didn't even know that style existed until the Sims.

I think some campus pictures from the Seven Sisters schools (the all women colleges started when the Ivys did not admit women) will inspire you, especially Bryn Mawr College and Mt. Holyoke. Finally, heaven is working on a New England world. Here is her thread in CFF, and there are more pictures on her blog: http://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=569326
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#34 Old 18th Aug 2016 at 1:57 AM
Next question (as I'm moving on to working some on the off-campus part of the neighborhood: What kinds of venues or lots DON'T work for a university? Obviously things like stores work fine, since they're included in the UNI subhoods already, but what about restaurants? No owned businesses or apartments in UNI subhoods, right? Etc..., Etc.

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Field Researcher
#35 Old 18th Aug 2016 at 2:38 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Zarathustra
Next question (as I'm moving on to working some on the off-campus part of the neighborhood: What kinds of venues or lots DON'T work for a university? Obviously things like stores work fine, since they're included in the UNI subhoods already, but what about restaurants? No owned businesses or apartments in UNI subhoods, right? Etc..., Etc.


If you are asking whether or not to place a restaurant at the University it depends if you want a small college like town feel to it as well with a restaurant, college bar and campus book/clothing store. Hopefully that is what you are asking.

As for your second question, I am not sure on that. I don't believe so though.
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#36 Old 18th Aug 2016 at 3:05 AM Last edited by Zarathustra : 18th Aug 2016 at 3:24 AM.
No, I mean from a "will it work properly in the game's mechanics" standpoint... will a commercial lot in a UNI subhood, equipped with podiums and restaurant stoves, properly spawn the NPCs necessary to function as a restaurant?

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Test Subject
#37 Old 18th Aug 2016 at 5:40 AM
Owned businesses don't work in uni subhoods, but restaurants do; they will spawn the NPCs necessary without any conflict. I know this from playing in Beacon Falls a while ago, which had a uni subhood attached with a few restaurants. As for apartments, I'm not sure. I haven't tried to make university apartments yet, but this thread states that you need a mod from MATY (it doesn't specify which mod and that isn't an ideal option anyway) or you don't need one at all. I'd suggest you try making university apartments in a test university subhood.
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#38 Old 20th Aug 2016 at 5:41 AM
OK, gradually getting a bit more done with the off-campus part of this subhood, and I'm relatively pleased with it thus far, even if only one of those buildings has any sort of interior just yet... that being said, I'm also kind of concerned that it's not on the same "scale" as the campus portion. The university feels like part of a much larger town, yet making the off-campus areas match up with that level of development would require rental properties large enough to be outside the budget of just about every UNI student I've ever heard of, in addition to starting to make it feel a little overdone for a university subhood like this.

...If that makes any sense...



Maybe a picture would help.
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Mad Poster
#39 Old 20th Aug 2016 at 5:12 PM
Restaurants work great - I made some specifically for LGU, for separate upload, and have built some on my own campuses.

Apartments don't, and owned businesses on campus aren't even an option when a college student calls the real estate office to buy a community lot.

A few large houses would be useful, because uni students don't have to live alone. Almost everyone I knew in college who lived off-campus did so with a group of friends. Affording a large off-campus house is a good incentive for making that grant money; and if you keep the place occupied, only the first group that moves in will have to cough up the rent - everybody else moves in free. You'll also need houses suitable for players to turn into Greeks if they want them. Not every lot in the subhood needs to be used by every player. Some of them will be treated as hood deco by some people, and that's fine.

You could use Lot Adjuster tricks to simulate a house divided into several apartment units with a separate ground-floor entrance to each unit, placing a bunch of small lots in a row.

Ugly is in the heart of the beholder.
(My simblr isSim Media Res . Widespot,Widespot RFD: The Subhood, and Land Grant University are all available here. In case you care.)
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#40 Old 22nd Aug 2016 at 1:32 AM
I've kind of been trying to think of ways of making a dorm-zoned "apartment" that would work, so I think my next project may be to make one of those and upload it on this thread to see what problems people can find with it. If I can get that to work, it could make a big difference in the "downtown" portion of my off-campus neighborhood.

Also, what makes for a good potential Greek house? I know next-to-nothing about collegiate Greek life, since I wasn't in a fraternity when I was at university, nor were any of my close friends, and my school didn't allow off-campus Greek houses anyways (they all lived in a special huge dorm... it was a weird place). Plus, since my real-life university experience wasn't impacted much at all by Greek life, my Sims have never really been sent in that direction either, on the rare occasions I've played a Sim through their college years...

So what do I need?

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#41 Old 22nd Aug 2016 at 2:45 AM
Real-life Greeks have damn all to do with Sims2 Greeks, so that's not a factor.

In sims, the Greeks function as social hubs. A small group starts it and it expands by inviting more friends to join. The game rates Greek houses by the number of friends the members collectively have. Periodically, members will get "visit campus" in their queue and wander off, bringing back random stuff. The higher the ranking, the better the stuff. Most common is pizza, with raises to ratty furniture, electronics, games, and deco. If you start the house with no Greek letters on the wall, they will bring letters back from visiting campus.

Members of Greek houses dress normally at home, but also run around in togas, and they are the only ones who can throw toga parties. This is exactly like every other party, except that guests and hosts wear togas (or, in the case of non-member guests who can't figure out how to fold the sheet, pajama pants or lingerie).

Greek houses can become very wealthy if you keep them open by never letting them empty out, so that the grant money accumulates. I've had Greek members in Drama Acres buy and furnish businesses, vacation homes, and other high-end purchases that they could never have managed on their own, shortly before graduation.

But the main fun of the Greeks is that they are where people from all walks of sim life can come together and expand their circles of friends. Something is always going on in a well-populated Greek - courting, caught cheating incidents, studying, breaking, repairing, gardening, hot tubbing, dancing, fighting, music, art, cooking, eating, blowing bubbles - and the brothers and sisters generally bond for life. Because anybody can join a Greek just by calling them up and going through the pledge process, poor and poorly-connected sims can launch themselves into the heart of sim society.

In order to start one, all a sim needs is a lot and a phone. They call up and ask for a charter. Everything else can be built from the ground up. Established Greeks are likely to be in large residences, with the letters on the side and room for everybody. I started each of the LGU Greeks with two members in a large, empty residence donated by older members supporting the foundation of a new branch at the new college (IRL fraternities and sororities are sometimes nationwide, and in that case often provide important business contacts - you wear your Phi Beta Kappa pin to a conference and other Kappas will treat you as if they know you) and the player is challenged to expand the membership and furnish and decorate the house. But any multi-bedroom house with good social space could function as a Greek. As could a campground if you wanted to go that route.

Ugly is in the heart of the beholder.
(My simblr isSim Media Res . Widespot,Widespot RFD: The Subhood, and Land Grant University are all available here. In case you care.)
Needs Coffee
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#42 Old 22nd Aug 2016 at 3:12 AM
A Greek house is just a large house with as many bedrooms/beds as you want members, add to it whatever you like.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
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Mad Poster
Original Poster
#43 Old 2nd Oct 2016 at 11:39 PM
OK, I have at least a first draft of the exterior of every building ON-CAMPUS, so while I'm sure this will end up changing as I move along further, this is at least in the ballpark for what it will eventually look like. With only a few exceptions, these buildings are just empty shells at this point (stadium, theater, and library being the exceptions, just because I needed to be sure that some of the things I wanted to put inside them would fit!), so there's not much more than what you see here.

A couple things- this still looks very monochromatic to me, and I'm still not sure what will really be the best way to bring a little more color besides gray, green, and blue (school colors are blue and gold) into it... I like the "banners" hanging in front of the theater, but that's not really fitting for a lot of buildings... and I'm hesitant about changing the color of the buildings themselves too much, just because they're such a cohesive style all across campus.

I'm also not sure how much off-campus housing is necessary... I kind of want it to be a lot, since there's lots of empty space across the river (you can sort-of see that in one of the shots), and also because more houses on the back side of campus could introduce some color there, but I don't want it to be TOO big.

Aside from that, I'd love just "general" feedback on the campus at this point too!
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Needs Coffee
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#44 Old 2nd Oct 2016 at 11:50 PM
It is very monochromatic. Could you add more colourful plants?

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#45 Old 2nd Oct 2016 at 11:58 PM
Quote: Originally posted by joandsarah77
It is very monochromatic. Could you add more colourful plants?


When it's FINISHED finished, I'll take pictures in Autumn, so there'll be a little more variety at least as people are looking at it, but I want it to look good in all seasons, if possible! There's not much variety in the colors for full-scale trees though... I can probably find afew places to add in decorative maples along some of the paths... Some of the little outbuildings could probably be red brick without it feeling 'wrong'... that might add a little more variety too.

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#46 Old 3rd Oct 2016 at 12:03 AM
What about flowers and shrubs. Slightly different roof shades?

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#47 Old 3rd Oct 2016 at 12:08 AM
Quote: Originally posted by joandsarah77
What about flowers and shrubs. Slightly different roof shades?


Flowers don't show up in neighborhood view... I could put in more shrubs in some of the gardens though. More roof shades would just be DIFFERENT shades of grey though. With the exception of the blue "retractable" roof over the Coliseum, other colors just looked wrong.

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#48 Old 3rd Oct 2016 at 12:37 AM
I guess that's true, the flowers that I have showing in hood view are probably all cc ones. I guess you are stuck with some red brick outbuildings since I can't think of anything else.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Mad Poster
#49 Old 3rd Oct 2016 at 11:42 PM
Wow, Zarathustra - I think it is stunning! The grey and similar look actually works for me, since it is a University, and buildings can be uniform; an image of unity that is portrayed. The Coliseum looks fabulous. I am also very impressed by the layout here. Fantastic job!
Test Subject
#50 Old 4th Oct 2016 at 8:16 AM
Maybe you could add, somewhere around the student union or a quad/courtyard, some evidence of student activity/organization--I'm thinking the balloons that came with Celebrations and stuff like that. The kind of place where students are handing out flyers, fundraising for clubs, collecting signatures, that kind of thing.

Or maybe some public art like a sculpture garden or murals, especially if this school has an art school. Sometimes there are pubs or cafes on campus that are covered in murals. (Well, I don't know about Ivy League schools, maybe this is just at more "liberal" campuses here on the west coast!)

It looks beautiful!
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