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Mad Poster
Original Poster
#1 Old 14th Jun 2018 at 4:03 AM Last edited by gazania : 14th Jun 2018 at 4:51 AM.
Default A lot worth rebuilding?
I wanted to submit a lot for the Theme Catchup, but the health issues I thought would be resolved last month were extended another month ... another month of treatments. Hopefully, I can get on with my life after then.

Last year, I made a lot for the Arts and Entertainment Theme. Due to a family issue, I finished it in early July. The deadline last year was June 30th. I'm considering rebuilding it from the ground up in a new game like I did with the Newman lot, since I built this in a Hug-Bugged hood and though the Orb helps enormously, I like to be 100% sure and build it fresh.

Looking at it a year from now, though, I'm wondering if it's worth rebuilding and submitting. It may resemble Touch of Retro ... maybe too much. It's pretty obvious as to why ... it's a tribute to the dance studios of the 60s, and is very much like the style of the 60s. (I'm not sure anymore whether I based it off a building plan or a retro house. I'm not sure how to find out, but I know the interior is nothing like whatever plan I used.) The time frame is a little later than TOR, but only by about six years.



Here are some pics. Worth it, or just wait until the next theme? It might look too close to Rabbie as well. It features Michelle's Flamingo of Dance, but I would not include that with the lot. People can download it separately.



It has a crapload of CC, and that needs to be pared down. I could substitute the shoe racks for an enclosed CC cubbie since each pair of shoes is a CC item, which is one reason WHY the list is ginormous. That would tone things down quite a bit. You do NOT need my user-made CC pic on one wall, I could use Maxis lighting for the small lamps. I like the brick walls, though. Those stay!

The lot was shrunk, but perhaps I should not shrink it and put in a parking lot. Little dance studios like these usually had them. However, it does look somewhat cute as a shrunken lot, and can work well in a town setting. Just park in the public parking lot down the street!

Kind of mixed as to whether I should put a dummy ceiling on top. That might make it way too like Rabbie and Retro (maybe my skating rink as well), and this time around, I like it the way it is. As is, however, it may be way too simple. I would shrink the foundation, but I don't know if it would enhance the build any.

This also depends if my game is going to cooperate. It hasn't been liking me much when I build lately.

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

RIP Sunni ... truly a ray of light.
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Theorist
#2 Old 15th Jun 2018 at 8:08 AM
I'm not sure whether you're looking for feedback on this house, but if realism is something you care about, then in my opinion you need to get out of the habit of simply putting a flat roof on a house and calling it done. This is because flat roofs by themselves are too thin to look realistic. They make it look like the house has no roof at all. It is especially noticeable in houses such as this one which have windows that go all the way up to the ceiling. Many lot builders make this mistake.

There are three options to fix this, and if money is an issue then you might want to compare the costs for each.

The first option is to put a half wall around the edge of the roof. Half-walls are about 6 clicks high. If that looks too high for you, then try one of the other two options.
The second option is to add indoor foundation (stage tool) to the roof - the entire surface of the roof, not just around the edges because that looks weird. Indoor foundations are only 4 clicks high.
The third option is to add a 4-click CFE wall around the edge of the roof. The benefit of this is that it is only 4 clicks high, which is lower than a half wall. The drawback to this is that the cost is the same as a full-height wall, so this is probably the most expensive option, but in certain cases this is the way to go.

For this particular house, I would put a half-wall around the edge of the roof.
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#3 Old 15th Jun 2018 at 5:19 PM Last edited by gazania : 18th Jun 2018 at 6:28 PM.
EDIT ... Found the building plan after looking through those dozens of house plan pages! ScaryRob was right ... there WAS a facade or fake story on top. I was wrong. Fixed. I added extra support in front, but not altogether for support reasons. My daughter and I found ourselves liking the back better than the front, so we carried the back cut-out effect slightly to the front. Got rid of some windows in front ... not too practical for a community/commercial building. Using Metro windows still ... Tiggy's set is pretty classic, and is in most builds ... but carried the rectangle theme a bit further. Replaced door with Maxis door. Still CC because it's a recolor, but a Maxis base nonetheless.

That building now looks more modern than retro to me. Fine. I'm sure there are tiny dance studios still around. I can consider this a remodel if it makes me feel better. And it's still a tribute to the small dance studios of my youth. Not happy with the landscaping now ... it really doesn't fit a modern build. Playing around with different plants.


However ...

Each lot I've submitted so far has a different way of employing different cheats from my other stuff or exploring a new style. Each lot is a progression or deviation of sorts. This lot does not do that. Even Naftali had a challenge. I estimated the sizes of shipping containers used in actual container lots (there are a few real-life sizes) and adjusted the dimensions for the game.Also, I researched interior designs and based my build on an actual shipping container layout to make sure what I did made some structural sense. Maybe the challenge IS to remodel a lot that I thought "good enough" a year ago, but I now realize can use some more detail. What have I learned from these contests?

I'm trying to make this lot pop a little more, but am not sure if what I'm doing is enough. Still a WIP.

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

RIP Sunni ... truly a ray of light.
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#4 Old 25th Jun 2018 at 6:26 PM Last edited by gazania : 26th Jun 2018 at 2:34 AM.
Please excuse the double-post.

I decided to go for it. The worst I will get is "Sorry. Doesn't meet our standards. Get lost." Because of health stuff, though, I may have to be cutting things really close to the deadline.

While I found the inspiration building, I altered the one on my lot quite a bit. I was commenting to my daughter that I liked the side of the building better than the front. Her comment went along the lines of, "Well, why don't you carry part of the design to the front?" She had a point!

i did not shrink the lot this time. The original had a quirk that, while it never presented a problem in my game play, could cause a routing issue. So I had to do more (dramatic music) landscaping. I pared the CC list down to about 14 or so items. A few are recolors, and a few are build items, so that isn't too bad. No groups of vases throughout the lot. I will check without buy mode CC, though, to see what the lot looks like without it.

One good thing is that I know the routing on the inside of the building works. I have played the original lot for about a year now. I believe the lot only needs a little human-day testing. I am starting today.

And yes ... there is a half-wall on top. Thank you, ScaryRob.

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

RIP Sunni ... truly a ray of light.
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