Foundation vs Split Level Situation

[lazzybum]

So I'm trying to build a bowling alley lot and I would like most of the area be on a foundation, with the actually bowling area on ground level here:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v343/lazzybum/ugh.jpg

I'm using split level, but I can't put any doors on it like I wanted to (the back empty room is the restrooms) plus the entrance doors. But if I use the deck, then I cant connect all the walls to close up the building.

Could I still achieve my floorplan I wanted somehow? Or is it impossible & I have to rearrange rooms?

[joandsarah77]

To connect walls to foundation you need the cheat 'boolProp ConstrainFloorElevation false'. There are tutorials around on it. You could instead build on the ground and sink the ground down for the bowling alley adding steps and covering it in tile. It would make for sloping sides though.

[music2ologist]

To connect walls to foundation you need the cheat 'boolProp ConstrainFloorElevation false'. There are tutorials around on it. You could instead build on the ground and sink the ground down for the bowling alley adding steps and covering it in tile. It would make for sloping sides though.

You could do that, and add ordinary walls inside the slopes; but I wouldn't recommend it. Sunken areas are a nuisance to play. You have to keep twiddling the camera angle, as things and sims are hidden below.

[maybesomethingdunno]

I think placement of doors and arches are disabled for walls that are adjacent to the OFB stage. If you use "moveobjects on" to place them, their cut-outs won't update until you save and reload the lot. But the doors/arches aren't shifted upwards. They are as they would be without the stage present, so the door knob appears closer to the floor. There is also some clipping through the stage if it's a door opening and closing, but some tall archways look okay. (If the archway is short enough the Sim's head goes through the top.)

In my experience, if the stage area of two rooms are separated by a wall with a door/archway, the Sim should have no trouble going from the stage area of one room, through the door, and to the stage area of the next room as if it was normal floor. It just might look a little weird if it's a door or a short archway.

What would be great is if someone who excels in the repo method would make special "stage" versions of the doors and arches such that they would be raised/resized to look okay when used to connect the stage area of one room to the stage area of the next room. *nudge, nudge*HintHint*whistles innocently* :D Would still need cheats to place them, but that's okay.

[Josepina]

It's easy to do. Make the building with double height walls, type boolprop constrainfloorelevation false, then place the foundations. Then add the roof. If anything becomes warped in the process level it out.

[DigitalSympathies]

Random question, but how in the world did you get that DJ booth?! That's not from Nightlife, is it? o.o

I'd have to agree - I've built a similar bowling alley. For the roof, I'd think to avoid a pitched one and just go with a flat one to avoid warping or wrong levels.

[Ghost sdoj]

I remember seeing a DJ booth like that on a CC site a long time ago.

[lazzybum]

DJ Booth is from here: http://fabulouszombie.livejournal.com/1358.html

Thanks for the suggestions all. I tried the constrain cheat but it leaves a triangle wall, and leveling down the terrain to correct that, makes the floor uneven for me to use from the inside. I may try a thing where the whole thing is on a foundation and try to just do a lowered foundation section, instead of ground floor. We'll see!

[Josepina]

You can fix that. Place a foundation covering the sunken area then the bottom wall will be height of the foundation throughout the building. Delete the foundation then.

You may need to disable cfe before deleting it.

[lazzybum]

Thanks Josepina, that did the trick!

[maxon]

You could do that, and add ordinary walls inside the slopes; but I wouldn't recommend it. Sunken areas are a nuisance to play. You have to keep twiddling the camera angle, as things and sims are hidden below.
The objects hidden thing is easily solved by clicking the see objects on other levels button in options.

[DigitalSympathies]

DJ Booth is from here: http://fabulouszombie.livejournal.com/1358.html

Thank you for letting me find one of the greatest conversions collections I've seen yet! FUCK YEAH!

I'm actually really interested in how this all plays out. I've wanted a door in the middle of two levels for ages.

[Josepina]

I've been using the cheat boolprop renderselectedsimlevel false in my userstartup which also stops stuff being hidden on other levels. I didn't know there was a button that does the same thing. Strangely the description for this cheat is that walls will no longer cut away from selected sim.

[maxon]

I've been using the cheat boolprop renderselectedsimlevel false in my userstartup which also stops stuff being hidden on other levels. I didn't know there was a button that does the same thing. Strangely the description for this cheat is that walls will no longer cut away from selected sim.
Yes, it's in options. I'll try and find the proper name today.

[lazzybum]

I'm actually really interested in how this all plays out. I've wanted a door in the middle of two levels for ages.

This is it almost finished (I'm still debating on the walls/floor choices)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v343/lazzybum/Sims2EP92012-04-2620-56-20-93.jpg

Im not sure if that's what you mean by a door in two levels? :O

I've learned that in the ground level area, rain will go through it (even though I have a flat roof) and you can't really put windows on that room's walls. But I worked with it and I still like how it turned out :D

[Josepina]

Rain comes through my sunken area on my bowling alley too. I thought it was because I put a greenhouse skylight (thinking my greenhouse doesn't have the same problem at the same time lol). The sims never complain about the rain though. There must be a way to fix that.

Bowling alleys don't usually have windows near the lanes. You can put windows on the upper wall but they don't let light in. I suppose that is why the wall slopes when you make the dummy wall to allow for placing windows. Which would best work if using flat painted walls so it's not noticeable.

I like your bowling alley btw. What is that cute sign above the pinball machine?

[M.M.A.A.]

Well I had a similar problem with snow appearing under the area of hot-tubs: http://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=471608 maybe my thread can be of assistance, thanks to MSD.

[Josepina]

Yes thank you MMAA. Lazzy you can make a quater height wall to make a low second ceiling by adding a second floor ontop of the building. Beside the building (three squares away) lay foundation block 1x1, with two walls high ontop of it. Just one tile wall with another ontop. Lower this 12 clicks with the medium sized elevation tool then place your ceiling tile ontop and drag it across the building.

The grid adjuster might help with the pool. I've been really keen on making a low toddler wading pool but the game always sets the water depth at 16 clicks.

[lazzybum]

Lazzy you can make a quater height wall to make a low second ceiling by adding a second floor ontop of the building. Beside the building (three squares away) lay foundation block 1x1, with two walls high ontop of it. Just one tile wall with another ontop. Lower this 12 clicks with the medium sized elevation tool then place your ceiling tile ontop and drag it across the building.

Are these directions for stopping the rain in the lower room?

And the sign is another TS3 conversion here: http://wildchild111.livejournal.com/8394.html#cutid1

And this site updates ALL TS3 conversions (Bookmark it, it's awesome!): http://ts3-conversions.tumblr.com/

[Josepina]

Yes. You'd need an extra level to catch the rain. That will make the second level one quarter the height of a regular wall. If you didn't want to raise the roof at all it should be possible to find some transparent flooring. Or you could use an invisible recolor of the awning.

Personally I like to add height to community lot buildings, but you may not. I was being presumptuous lo.

Really nice link. Do you have any recommendations from the site?.

[lazzybum]

Ah ok thanks! Thats a neat trick. I might find me invisible awnings too since I get lazy xD

And for the site, its really up to your style. I have like half of the stuff. I don't really use the medieval ones, just a few. They're all based on EA meshes so quality should be fine for most.