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Mad Poster
#26 Old 10th May 2018 at 2:54 AM
Ninety percent of real houses are boxes. (Okay, yeah, I live in a railroad town and eighty percent of houses are kit houses in the first place, so my sample's biased.) There's nothing wrong with a square unless you want to upload. (American Four Square, for an actual historical style name to search.) A lot of the houses I build in my game are squares . . . or really cubes, in the end. Their roofs range from auto-roof friendly (sorry iCad!) to unbuildable in game.

I like them because they have separate rooms, so the environment score doesn't tank when some sim runs off to work and leaves her breakfast bowl on the counter. (I don't like open floor plans in-game or in real life.)

A couple of the big brands--I can drive down any street in the older parts of town and see all of these.

http://www.arts-crafts.com/archive/sears/ http://antiquehomestyle.com/plans/aladdin/index.htm

Pics from my game: Sunbee's Simblr Sunbee's Livejournal
"English is a marvelous edged weapon if you know how to wield it." C.J. Cherryh
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Mad Poster
#27 Old 10th May 2018 at 10:34 AM Last edited by Justpetro : 10th May 2018 at 10:54 AM.
Some boxes are prettier than others
I live in a boxy flat and it is open plan But it has a pretty (although tiny) garden and gables

Edit: @Sunbee - I grew up in a mining/railway (all trains had to stop there) town. The houses were boxes and the town was not very pretty. But Those Were The Days, My Friend!
Undead Molten Llama
#28 Old 10th May 2018 at 6:51 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Sunbee
Ninety percent of real houses are boxes. (Okay, yeah, I live in a railroad town and eighty percent of houses are kit houses in the first place, so my sample's biased.) There's nothing wrong with a square unless you want to upload. (American Four Square, for an actual historical style name to search.) A lot of the houses I build in my game are squares . . . or really cubes, in the end. Their roofs range from auto-roof friendly (sorry iCad!) to unbuildable in game.


Ain't nothin' wrong with a good ol' American Foursquare! Classic style, easy to build, and lend themselves well to lovely front porches. Even if you upload, a well-done Foursquare is a well-done Foursquare.

....Of course, if you use autoroof, the game'll probably give it a gable roof which would just be wrong, wrong, wrong.

So yeah, plain squares/rectangles aren't BAD, per se. Not at all. A ranch-style house is a plain old rectangle with a boring gable roof on it, after all. People live in squares/rectangles with simple roofs because they're easy/inexpensive to build. Simple as that. That being said, a Sim neighborhood full of nothin' but plain squares/rectangles is a little...Well, repetitive. But then, so are a lot of real neighborhoods. Suburban tract housing, anyone? :P

I'm mostly found on (and mostly upload to) Tumblr these days because, alas, there are only 24 hours in a day.
Muh Simblr! | An index of my downloads on Tumblr.
Mad Poster
#29 Old 10th May 2018 at 7:20 PM
ERGHH! I HATE diagonal walls. I know there's supposed to be a way to work with them, but I can't make anything look right on them. The Mashuga house was the first I'd ever encountered and that was just one big empty house because it's all diagonal.

"Fear not little flock, for it hath pleased your Father to give you a kingdom". Luke 12:32 Chris Hatch's family friendly files archived on SFS: http://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=603534 . Bulbizarre's website: https://archiveofourown.org/users/C...CoveredPortals/
Undead Molten Llama
#30 Old 10th May 2018 at 7:27 PM
The only place I will use diagonal walls in a sim-house is if I need to clip off a corner of a bedroom because of the layout of, say, a stair landing. Or if I'm making a decorative "bay window." Otherwise, because of animation and/or routing issues, they just create problems with wasted space and/or unusable objects. Counters, for instance, can't be interacted with when placed on a diagonal. Which is fine if you just need a (single, since they won't attach together on a diagonal) decorative one to put stuff on. But if you want Sims to prepare a meal on one or sit and eat at one (if it's an island counter), they're worthless.

So yeah, diagonal walls are great for creating interesting-looking spaces...if you're not going to actually play the lot. If you ARE going to play the lot, they should be avoided, for the most part.

I'm mostly found on (and mostly upload to) Tumblr these days because, alas, there are only 24 hours in a day.
Muh Simblr! | An index of my downloads on Tumblr.
Field Researcher
#31 Old 11th May 2018 at 9:12 AM
I dutifully download and put in my game all the diagonal versions of door and window completer sets, but I can't say I've ever used them, except in my download testing hood. To me they're a waste of a nice straight piece of wall I could have placed a buy object up against.

Though I do have it in mind to create a few of the kind of corner shops that have a diagonal doorway in the corner. But that'll have clear space on either side of it so no routing issues.

I don't put much furniture on a diagonal either, because I can never remember which bits work and which will cause the Sims to stomp and wave.
Mad Poster
#32 Old 11th May 2018 at 10:10 AM
I think the pixels don't like diagonals, either-every house that has more than one diagonal wall is not only problematic for windows, they don't have a high environment score from the occupants. I think it offends their sense of "line of sight" thinking.
"That's not a straight wall! Where is my straight wall!"
I avoid building any house with more than one small diagonal wall because of it and the ungainliness of them.

Receptacle Refugee & Resident Polar Bear
"Get out of my way, young'un, I'm a ninja!"
Grave Matters: The funeral podium is available here: https://www.mediafire.com/file/e6tj...albits.zip/file
My other downloads are here: https://app.mediafire.com/myfiles
Mad Poster
#33 Old 11th May 2018 at 12:29 PM
I don't think diagonal walls are necessary at all, except if you want to do something specific - I don't use them a lot.
Mad Poster
#34 Old 11th May 2018 at 2:19 PM
Which reminds me, I have to rebuild one of my new 'go-to' houses today and take out that diagonal wall. It's really annoying.

Receptacle Refugee & Resident Polar Bear
"Get out of my way, young'un, I'm a ninja!"
Grave Matters: The funeral podium is available here: https://www.mediafire.com/file/e6tj...albits.zip/file
My other downloads are here: https://app.mediafire.com/myfiles
Mad Poster
#35 Old 11th May 2018 at 3:52 PM Last edited by gazania : 11th May 2018 at 11:07 PM.
Quote: Originally posted by Justpetro
I don't think diagonal walls are necessary at all, except if you want to do something specific - I don't use them a lot.


The only time I use them is if I have plenty of horizontal wall area in a lot so that some diagonal walls won't cause any problems with routing or decorating, and it's essential in a building plan. I used them in the lighthouse with no problems.

Thanks to ALL free-site creators, admins and mods.

RIP Sunni ... truly a ray of light.
Mad Poster
#36 Old 11th May 2018 at 4:55 PM
The lighthouse to me is "something specific" and VERY pretty
Mad Poster
#37 Old 11th May 2018 at 4:57 PM
I like making bay windows, but I don't use diagonal walls on interiors very often. Someone should figure out how to make a usable corner sink. They're a pretty common feature of small mid-century houses around here and I'd really like to have one sometimes.

The most important thing to bear in mind when building is how the house will be used. This is easy if you're building for a particular household (at least, it is for me). A pair of Family sims will need more and bigger bathrooms than a pair of Knowledge sims, because the Family sims will need to accommodate a growing family and probably pets. They'll want space in or near the bathrooms for potty chairs and possibly litterboxes. Popularity sims may want more than one half-bath to reduce the amount of party time wasted on bathroom bottlenecks. A family with a professional musician will want room for multiple instruments, possibly a dedicated music room, while a family with an arts and crafts bent may want a full-blown art studio or a craft room. Many of us also "know" our sims' decorating and space use tastes as part of basic characterization. And if you have a lot of lovely bathroom clutter you want to use, by all means make your minimum bath size 3x3 and fill it up with cleaning products, hampers, and towel racks!

Building generically, so as to have houses ready to hand in the lot bin, is harder, and it's fairly easy to fall into habits so that you don't have enough variety in your stock. But this is where the "spending a lot of time building" factor comes in. Sit down one afternoon and focus on building starter houses for under $20K, on another day focus on middle-class family homes for a variety of family types (two-three bedrooms), on another focus on making the "poor" section of town and build crappy apartments, shotgun shacks, and trailers, each time turning out two or more finished lots. You don't have to decorate at all, and it will go faster (and be more boring, alas) if you limit your choice of floor and wall treatments to one or two cheap, bland options, just as builders tend to produce homes with white walls and gray or brown carpet, which the individual can then customize on move-in. Even if you never use the houses, the experience will stand you in good stead. Especially making all those roofs.

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.)
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#38 Old 12th Jun 2018 at 4:25 PM
Thanks for the advice!! I built this lil house that is still a wip.

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?u...e2dbd&zw&atsh=1
Screenshots
Mad Poster
#39 Old 12th Jun 2018 at 4:50 PM
That is not a bad start (I can't open the link, google is full of nonsense here today) - it will look much better once you have windows and doors in, painted it and added floors and wall paper. Keep going
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#40 Old 12th Jun 2018 at 4:54 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Justpetro
That is not a bad start (I can't open the link, google is full of nonsense here today) - it will look much better once you have windows and doors in, painted it and added floors and wall paper. Keep going


I have windows added in. I’ll post once I have the finish product and I may upload it to MTS
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#41 Old 12th Jun 2018 at 11:00 PM
I recommend using the Creator Feedback Forum for a first upload. In there you can get your post correct and look it over, make sure you have met all the guidelines and get tips and feedback. Your current picture is a thumbnail.

"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
#42 Old 12th Jun 2018 at 11:18 PM
I stink too and stop bothering improving my skills just so it could leave up to someone's artistic eye (although I'm fully aware I'm building it for myself and not showing it anyway). All I care for playability, so that's important regarding the layout.

P.S. Sorry for my bad english.
Forum Resident
#43 Old 13th Jun 2018 at 6:36 PM
I have a tendency to want to make things 100% even - but I'm slowly realising that they don't have to be.

What I like to do is learn the minimum room size that works for how I play, and then work up from there. I also use Numenors custom walls - they've changed my game and I can't play without them. The no-cutaway wall is great for being able to really get a feel for the rooms I build when I'm playing, and then unleveled wall simulates the constrainfloorelevation cheat on a wall only, and it's great for doing odd things (like split-levels and low walls where the roofs are and so on.

I also fret about my builds being good enough, but I am all about aesthetics - I like my buildings to LOOK as real as possible (but also be highly playable) so I spend a lot of time tweaking and will bulldoze anything I make too big. Sims don't need half as much space as I think they do sometimes, and it's easy to avoid overbuilding by starting with smaller lots first.

The 4x4 master bedroom and the 2x3 bath and single rooms are my standard starting sizes, and then I scale to fit (so expensive homes have maybe a 4x6 master with a 3x3 ensuite or something). I like to build in closets and storage cupboards and useable attics and basements, so I also try to include that in my plans, but I do build the box first and then lay out the inside. It's like a puzzle: does the house get a dining room and a front room? Or can it only accommodate an eat-in kitchen? And then that way it always looks the way I want it to on the outside.
Scholar
#44 Old 15th Jun 2018 at 9:07 AM
I prefer basing my builds on real houseplans, and prefer building more stories rather than sprawling out (modular stairs always). Since I usually have large families, 4 bedroom minimum is a must. I prefer having minimal furnishings and neutral decor so that each family can make the house their own.

Paladins/SimWardrobes downloads: https://simfileshare.net/folder/87849/
Forum Resident
#45 Old 15th Jun 2018 at 9:26 AM
Actually, can anyone give any tips on keeping a house attractive but cheap? I seem to suck at making starter homes.
Scholar
#46 Old 15th Jun 2018 at 9:37 AM
Quote: Originally posted by didyouevenmakeasound
Actually, can anyone give any tips on keeping a house attractive but cheap? I seem to suck at making starter homes.


Watch the number of windows and price of wallpaper and floors. That stuff adds up quickly. But as to attractive, well, spend a little money on the garden and outside of the house. That usually helps a bit.

Paladins/SimWardrobes downloads: https://simfileshare.net/folder/87849/
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#47 Old 15th Jun 2018 at 10:29 AM
Quote: Originally posted by didyouevenmakeasound
Actually, can anyone give any tips on keeping a house attractive but cheap? I seem to suck at making starter homes.


Use the smallest lot possible.
keep the rooms as small as possible.
Think about alternatives. For example, a sim doesn't need a costly TV for fun, they can look at a $12 painting and gain just as much fun.
Use terrain paint for paths or for a back patio.
Use only the cheapest floor and wall coverings.
Here are my 6 starters.
20K ones http://db.modthesims.info/download.php?t=521871
10K ones http://db.modthesims.info/download.php?t=504400 The 10K ones are not that pretty but they can be easily decorated.

"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
#48 Old 15th Jun 2018 at 6:37 PM
Skip the foundation. If your neighborhood style requires a foundation, don't make it solid; just lay enough down to support the house without that glitch that raises the tiles in the center.

Having skipped the foundation, you can buy the bare minimum of furniture (do this with move_objects on so you don't have to have a wall for your sinks and toilets) for your intended household. Arrange them on the ground in a way that flows well and has elbow room, but doesn't leave much excess space. Set up the walls around them, including walls for any roofed outdoor areas, rearrange to correct awkwardness that wasn't evident in the open space. Turn move_objects off and place doors, bearing routing protocols in mind. If there's a portal (door, arch, gate, or stairwell) between the stove and the dining table, for instance, the cook is likely to be pulled through it and take the long way around, setting the dishes down on any surface she recognizes as a dining table). Once you've got all that tweaked, place the roof to make sure you can. Once you've got a layout and roofed it, then you can move on to floors, wall-coverings, and ceilings. (Don't forget to take the unnecessary walls out of the intended outdoor spaces!) Check the price of the lot and edit up or down depending on what you have left. If you're pushing the budget, skip the landscaping (apart from terrain paints, which don't add to the lot value) - a lot of builders scrape the site and then seed grass, leaving everything else up to the home owner. Also see if there's any walls you can delete - there's no real reason a sim can't sleep in a space open to the living room for a few days. If you're well under budget, you can pick a few things to upgrade, prioritizing things that serve sim needs over things that only satisfy your inner interior decorator, so beds before wallpaper.

As for what constitutes essential items, that'll depend on the household make-up and your playstyle, but generally speaking, for a single adult sim fresh out of CAS you will need:

1 double bed. (Start with a double; that way you won't wind up having to expand the bedroom almost immediately.)
1 refrigerator.
1 counter.
1 stove.
1 sink.
1 toilet.
1 place to sit.
1 bookcase.
1 strategically-placed light.
1 phone
1 fire alarm

You can usually afford a little more than that, but absolutely everything else is gravy and can be bought once you've brought the essentials in under budget, or as the paychecks start coming.

Certain functions are more important than others. Since you only have one place to sit, make it as comfortable as possible. CAS sims have low cooking points, so it's better to have an expensive stove and a cheap counter (or a counter OMSP on a cheap table) than to be constantly hungry. Get the highest-energy bed you can afford. It won't be long before you can start buying new stuff and expanding, if you keep their needs met for a few days.

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.)
Forum Resident
#49 Old 15th Jun 2018 at 10:21 PM
My starter houses are usually quite cute. I build them in the same sort of style each time to be honest, but it's easy enough to do. My trick is to build small and then move my family as it grows to simulate real life.

I make a 4x4 master, a 2x3 bathroom, a small kitchen and a small front room (on two levels) and any left over space becomes a 2x3 single bedroom for guests or the first child(ren). I don't mind sim kids sharing a room and bunkbeds make it easy to have at least two in a 2x3, so there's some room to grow in there. The kitchen is usually a galley kitchen to make room for the front room, and then upstairs is the full bath and two bedrooms.
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