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Mad Poster
Original Poster
#1 Old 15th Feb 2016 at 12:52 AM
Default Additional Ways To Make The EA Vacation Destinations "Special"?
I really like sending my sims on vacations (provided they roll the want to go, of course! :-D), but I'm starting to feel like the EA vacation destinations are lacking something. I still really enjoy Takemizu Village, but Three Lakes and Twikkii Island feel, well, kind of dull?

So I was thinking about this, and trying to decide what (if anything) I could do to make them more fun to send sims to, and I decided that perhaps it would be fun if each destination had its own "thing", you know, something that makes it different to the other destination and to being at home (other than the locals, that is). I don't really play with any of the supernatural stuff (apart from aliens *heartfarts*), so the secret lots, the ninja, stuff like that isn't particularly interesting to me.

So I am thinking about adding an unusual community lot (or more than one!) to each of the vacation destinations, to make them more interesting to play. I want to add lots that I don't have in my main 'hood (Land Grant University, renamed to Land Grant College in my game). So far I have come up with the following ideas.

Takemizu Village - no ideas as yet.... :-(

Three Lakes - botanical gardens, natural history museum.

Twikkii Island - aquarium, zoo, water-park.

I was wondering if anyone else has any suggestions for interesting/unusual community lots that you think may fit well in a vacation destination? All ideas gratefully received! :-D
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Scholar
#2 Old 15th Feb 2016 at 1:18 AM
This is what I added so far:

Takemizu Village:
- Tourists can visit Takemizu Metropolis, a modern, bordering on futuristic, city, and especially the gaming arcade there.
(I imagine Takemizu as technologically advanced nation and the village just tourist-money bait. Plopping down a more city-like lot and making believe it's several bus hours inland works for my game, but for many players I assume it might destroy the overall look of the 'hood).
- Come see the harbour and the latest Kabuki play in our open air theatre! Very historic and cultural, the kind of vacation pic you can show your boss (or teachers)!

Three Lakes:
- The old mine is now open for visitors. Go drive on a wagon or even take a hand at excavating! And deep within the structure our wellness grotto invites tourists in need of some relaxation, so be sure to bring your swimsuit!
- Three Lakes Dance School - where else can you learn the Dance of the Crooning Capercaille or the Fires of Fimbulwinter? (not to be confused with the same named drink, vistit the old destillery on the same lot for this treat!)
Note: Learning dances is taxing, so this lot needs top-quality furniture... or a good old cheat object, ob course.

Twikki Island:
- Beach Vacation not your idea of fun? Adventure Archaeologists are drawn to our campground near the ruins. All the facilities needed to analyse your findings are on site. And if you need a fence... um, mean a wooden fence, of course, not the criminal kind!
- Can you ever have too many waterparks? This one was in use during the Numchuck era already. We took great care to remove the remains of the sacrificial victims from the bassin next to the shrine. Ah, only joking. No sacrifices whatsoever. The log-rolling contest here was just for fun. Nothing bad happened to the loser (this is true, actually the winner recieved the honor of getting sacrificed).
- Yet another old temple ruin, yawn. Or, wait, this one is different! It's a pirate-hangout with disco, juice bar, pickled shark, stashs of coins, stuffed parrots to wear on your shoulder and cells. And almost real pirates, too, so what are you waiting for, kids? We even have a facepaint (hairstylist) expert!
- Though you said no supernatural stuff, I thought I'd also mention my coffin hotel for vampires. (It seems a little glitchy, though.) The building used to be an old lighthouse (no windows). So perhaps a lighthouse museum might fit your 'hood?

P.S.: Love the aquarium idea! Is yours up for download somewhere, perhaps?
-
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#3 Old 15th Feb 2016 at 1:29 AM
Twikki Island: I placed done over versions of every lot. Most I downloaded since someone had already done cc free makeovers it couldn't have been easier. I replaced each lot, went in and did some further changes. I also downloaded a couple of other beach lots.

I added coal walking and limbo to one beach.
Another got some fair ground stuff like a 'talent show' stage, ice cream and a couple of games. One is By C&K and is a 3 t2 conversion the other is by PC sims is looks a bit like a throw game at cans.
I also added in my own water park resort. Still lags something fierce though *sigh*

The others I haven't looked at.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Top Secret Researcher
#5 Old 15th Feb 2016 at 3:46 AM
Maybe you can make a kareoke/purikura place for Takemizu Village?

A cherry blossom park where they can have picnics or camp out.

A tea house where you can have tea with a geisha sim? Not sure how that'd work out though since we cant really control other sims there.
Mad Poster
#6 Old 15th Feb 2016 at 4:44 AM
As far as Three Lakes goes, the first and most obvious choice would be a ski area "base camp," but sadly, without skiing, that leaves a lot to be desired! So, what I've done for TL is to turn it into an old logging/mining town, and rather than playing up the tourism and sports drive, I play up the local history and the natural landscape. Old hotels are done in a way that makes them feel as thought they might have been started during a gold rush boomtown era, and there are a few lots I've created that are largely undeveloped forest, for Sims to be out in nature, away from the noise of modern life. Basically, look at the websites for the towns that are normally thought of as being focused on skiing (Vail, Aspen, Telluride, Durango, etc), but instead of looking at all the links for winter recreation, find the one somewhere on the page (there almost always is one) for summer activities, and go from there- it should give you lots of ideas!

Not so exciting as a ski area, to be sure, but still better than just a random assemblage of hotels and spas up in the mountains!

Welcome to the Dark Side...
We lied about having cookies.
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#7 Old 15th Feb 2016 at 5:22 AM
Snow activities are glaringly absent at three lakes where they should have done skiing and or tobogganing.
For a snow area at Three lakes. Some 'igloo' tents http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=317282

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Alchemist
#8 Old 15th Feb 2016 at 5:45 AM
I've been thinking about something like this too and have downloaded a few mods that I haven't gotten to test yet.

There's a mod here on MTS for buyable butterflies, which could be used to make a butterfly observatory. Affinity Sims has pet penguins, that I'm going to try to corral in my aquarium as part of an exhibit. Plumbob Keep has too many unique things to list.
Top Secret Researcher
#9 Old 15th Feb 2016 at 2:54 PM
I assume you need pets to have the pet penguin?
Scholar
#10 Old 15th Feb 2016 at 3:01 PM
I made a campground for Twikki Island with tents, hot coals, limbo, drum circle, fire juggling, bar etc. (Castaway items). It is a happening place 24/7 and is great for single sims or YA sims on "spring break".

Paladins/SimWardrobes downloads: https://simfileshare.net/folder/87849/
Mad Poster
#11 Old 15th Feb 2016 at 3:19 PM
It'd never happen since it's too TS2 specific, but I would have loved to a see a monthly theme or something alike that was holiday-focused, with lots intended for vacations and such. One of my households is currently on vacation in Twikki Islands, which is my favorite, but this time I rather wish there was more to do. These Sims are always very active, they spend very little time on their home lots, and it's dawned on me that Twikki Island (and the others) could really do with some more regular community lots. Bars, late night dancing, that kind of thing. And I've long wished to see residential lots intended as vacation homes for the BV destinations. I'm not very good at themed lots myself, so I've looked around for stuff, and it's hard to find things that would fit in BV hoods. Would be neat to see what people could do with it.

Creations can be found on my on tumblr.
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#12 Old 15th Feb 2016 at 3:58 PM Last edited by lauratje86 : 15th Feb 2016 at 6:21 PM.
Thank you for all of the suggestions, everyone! I am leaving Takemizu Village for now (I don't even have it attached to my current 'hood yet), but when I get round to attaching it I plan on doing some kind of semi-Japanese styled arcade/gaming place. They seem very popular in Japan! I want it to look like a traditional Japanese/"Far Eastern" building on the outside but be quite modern and "arcade-y" on the inside. As well as arcade games I want to have areas for video gaming (with really big TV's!), LAN gaming and board games, and probably some kind of snack bar or café. I'm not entirely sure what CC I'll use for it, but I'm sure that Crisps&Kerosene's arcade game will make an appearance, and SavageSims' Dance Dance Revolution machine (from the Booty) will make great deco! :-) And there will be loads of arcade games, both Maxis and custom, and an area that looks like a place where you can go and choose a prize if you win enough "tickets" playing the games. I'm thinking about trying to have a couple of locals (dressed in costumes) who will only appear on the arcade lot - I can ban them from other lots using the Visitor Controller - so that visitors to the arcade can spend some time with "Superman" and "Wolverine"! :-D

For Twikkii Island I am going to build an aquarium on a beach lot. It's going to be quite a tricky build, as I will be trying to follow several tutorials that I've never tried before, so wish me luck! :-D I am (sort of!) basing it on Dolfinarium Harderwijk, but with fewer marine mammals and way more fish! As it's going to be on a beach lot I want to have a "swimming with dolphins" area in the sea, using Rebecah's animated dolphins and a boat or two to make it look like sims can go on boat tours. Inside the actual aquarium will be a swimming pool like this one containing Rebecah's animated sharks and various fish, a large tropical "aquarium", several smaller aquariums (built as rooms using decorative fish), a cinema room with coloured lighting (Dolfinarium Harderwijk used to have a laser show, that's where this idea came from!), a café and a gift shop. And perhaps a special area for photos (or maybe even weddings?!) using Hafiseazale's 3t2 Under The Sea backdrop.

For Three Lakes I am going to build a botanical gardens with a butterfly house (I will probably use Solfal's Butterfly Garden Flowers from TSR). I'm loosely basing it on Keukenhof, but it will be a year-round attraction rather than being dependent on spring flowers like tulips, daffodils and so on. As well as the butterfly house there will be a rose garden, various other different garden areas (possibly including a small Zen garden), a café and a gift shop. And possibly a covered outdoor area where sims can watch "classical concerts" (grand piano, violin, singing).

For Three Lakes I also want to make a lot that is designed for Winter/snowy weather, if I have space for it. It will include an invisible ice rink placed over a pond, Jasana_BugBreeder's snowy slide hill and the igloo tents that Jo linked to in a previous post. I have been very much inspired by St. Croix Slopes (scroll down), an extra lot designed to go with the Isle St. Croix custom vacation destination.

I want there to be things that sims can only own if they've been to particular vacation destinations (and visited the appropriate community lots). I use a mod to make Buy/Build mode and sims' inventories accessible on community lots, so sims can "buy" stuff from the gift shops and "choose a prize" at the arcade. At Twikkii Island's aquarium they will be able to "buy" various different aquariums (including these ones), the Maxis/EA ship in a bottle and other fish/sea/ship related toys and decorative objects. At Three Lakes' botanical gardens they will be able to "buy" various potted plants and garden shrubs/flowers that I won't allow them to buy through Buy Mode when they are at home. For example, I think that I will pretend that Chrissy's No-Care plants are only available in Three Lakes, so that only sims who have visited the botanical gardens there can have them in their gardens at home (and only if they purchase them whilst on holiday, visiting the gardens). And for Takemizu Village's arcade, if I ever attach Takemizu Village to my 'hood, I will have various custom soft toys and decorative objects that sims can only obtain by "winning" them at the arcade.
Mad Poster
#13 Old 15th Feb 2016 at 5:39 PM Last edited by gazania : 15th Feb 2016 at 9:29 PM.
Quote: Originally posted by joandsarah77
Twikki Island: I placed done over versions of every lot. Most I downloaded since someone had already done cc free makeovers it couldn't have been easier. I replaced each lot, went in and did some further changes. I also downloaded a couple of other beach lots.

I added coal walking and limbo to one beach.
Another got some fair ground stuff like a 'talent show' stage, ice cream and a couple of games. One is By C&K and is a 3 t2 conversion the other is by PC sims is looks a bit like a throw game at cans.
I also added in my own water park resort. Still lags something fierce though *sigh*

The others I haven't looked at.


Yup. Castaways stuff for Twikki!

I just got BV in 2013 and am already finding the vacation destinations a little ... lacking. That was why I made my Yurt Hotel for Three Lakes, and am looking for other ideas. I can also use hotels in regular hoods, it seems, and as far as Justpetro and I know (I don't know Justpetro personally, so it's just a guess on my part), nothing should blow up or corrupt unless someone out there is holding out on info (even the Wiki does not deem this dangerous), so that can add to the variety. The Sims would just have to stay on the lot in a regular hood, and you don't get many vacation features, though. But many people in real life stay in a motel for a night or so in a town, so it's nothing odd.

Other ideas for the proper vacation hoods would indeed be small amusement parks for any of these. We now know for a fact that Crisps and Kerosene's carousel does not have a custom NPC, so that is one cool thing. I downloaded a ferris wheel from way back, but am not sure that has custom NPCs on it, though will not say yay or nay on that unless we know for sure. Stuff like that.

I was going to create a new vacation hood with a slightly different focus. I was thinking of those areas that have some sort of historical or cultural link to them and make a vacation hood based on these; thinking of Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts, the mansions of Newport, Rhode Island, Lancaster, Pennsylvania or Williamsburg, VA here as influences. Stick a few museums with really good cafeterias, such as the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Maybe that small amusement partk ... good for fidgety kiddies. I'll have to search here ... surely someone's done this, and I can get some inspiration. But it seems that making a whole new vacation destination is very difficult? I thought, though, you can use a Maxis vacation template and just make that the fourth destination. I'll have to look into that, Three Lakes might work with a little revamping.

Oh ... and thanks to that winery on Plum Bob Keep, I hope to make a hotel based around or near a winery. There are enough of these hotels in real life to get inspiration. Something for weddings and special romantic moments. Obviously not for the kiddies.

Those who are new to Rebecah's animal downloads (not lauratje86 ... I mean newcomers to the game) ... just be aware that some of these are custom NPCs. Do a bit of research, please. These are delightful, but since they are custom NPCs, you need to keep them in your game as long as all your hoods are in that game. Don't just pull the animal files out if you don't want them.

Also ... I KNOW there was a thread on this once that said it was safe, but it turns out it wasn't ... do NOT make a vacation home for your Sims by taking a played community lot, making it residential, then turning it back to a community lot when you're done. Turns out that can be a VBT. I've been trying to find that thread again to make that disclaimer. The OP thought it was perfectly safe, and at the time, apparently most of us here either missed the thread or didn't know any better. Lucky for me, I've reinstalled for other reasons since then, and dumped the hoods where I did this.

(Looking at this thread, it seems making a vacation hood isn't so easy ... http://modthesims.info/t/456739. Please ... lots of disagrees on this and reasons why it isn't as difficult as it looks? I don't care about secret destinations, though will that bork my created vacation hoods if I leave them out? I'd rather not put stuff outside of my My Documents files. I'm new at this. Keep it simple. Basic stuff only until I get the hang of it.)

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

RIP Sunni ... truly a ray of light.
Mad Poster
#14 Old 15th Feb 2016 at 5:58 PM
Yes, I agree, Gazania I always put a hotel in my regular hood. It gives me no problems at all (which I cannot say about the hotels in the actual BV hoods)!

A winery is a brilliant idea. (Personally, I will put something there to make them drunk too. They are on vacation, after all (but NOT when the kids are with them )
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#15 Old 15th Feb 2016 at 6:06 PM
Quote: Originally posted by gazania
Those who are new to Rebecah's animal downloads (not lauratje86 ... I mean newcomers to the game) ... just be aware that some of these are custom NPCs. Do a bit of research, please. These are delightful, but since they are custom NPCs, you need to keep them in your game as long as all your hoods are in that game. Don't just pull the animal files out if you don't want them.

Thank you for mentioning this, ganzania! :-) Very remiss of me not to do so!
Top Secret Researcher
#16 Old 15th Feb 2016 at 9:12 PM
Quote: Originally posted by gazania
Also ... I KNOW there was a thread on this once that said it was safe, but it turns out it wasn't ... do NOT make a vacation home for your Sims by taking a played community lot, making it residential, then turning it back to a community lot when you're done. Turns out that can be a VBT. I've been trying to find that thread again to make that disclaimer. The OP thought it was perfectly safe, and at the time, apparently most of us here either missed the thread or didn't know any better. Lucky for me, I've reinstalled for other reasons since then, and dumped the hoods where I did this.



Sooo what is the actual right way to make a hotel then? Would it be impossible to make a hotel in a regular neighborhood that's not a vacation area?
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#17 Old 15th Feb 2016 at 9:30 PM
I think @gazania that needs some more clarification. There is nothing unsafe with changing lot zoning so long as sims are not living on the lot.

"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
#18 Old 15th Feb 2016 at 10:54 PM Last edited by gazania : 16th Feb 2016 at 12:07 AM.
Every time I'm on a certain device, I keep getting sausage-fingers and hitting that delete button. Grrr.

But this may be a good thing. I can repost a slightly shorter version.

The right way to make a hotel lot:

1. Back up the hood in case you mess up. The entire game is even better. Take a fresh, unplayed lot. Do stuff to it. Save as a community lot.
2. Take a good look. Is there anything that is going to mess this hotel up? Do you have the right doors, the concierge's podium, and PLENTY of routing room, including around the podium? I like having two regular doors in the lobby as well.
3. Save as a hotel using the cheat. Make sure the lot says "Lodging" and not "Community Lot". Do NOT do what I did, send a Sim over there without checking, have the Sim book a room, and realize you did something stupid. Trust me. Don't do this. Make sure it says "Lodging" before playing it. (Good thing I backed up the hood first!)
4. If you messed up in build mode, using the dormtools cheat is perfectly fine. It happens.

Important, though ... the lot should be unplayed. No Sims have set foot in it. I believe others have done something similar with residential lots. I'll let them elaborate.

But do not do what this poster suggested if you don't have BV and think about making a vacation house in a regular hood. This is a newer version of this suggestion. I saw this suggestion way before 2013, before I got BV:

http://www.modthesims.info/showthre...=vacation+house

Fortunately, others found this thread. Older threads that haven't been corrected are still out there.

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

RIP Sunni ... truly a ray of light.
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#19 Old 15th Feb 2016 at 11:27 PM
Yes I posted back on that thread. Changing zoning with a sim on a lot is a very bad idea. With the other, yes you can have a restaurant at home but it's not something I would recommend. I see nothing about a sim being on the lot. There is nothing wrong with placing community lot objects and changing the zoning. I made a clothing shop by taking a res lot, changing to com, placed the clothing rack and changed zoning back to res. Of course no sims were on the lot. Unless I am missing something?

"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
#20 Old 16th Feb 2016 at 12:16 AM Last edited by gazania : 16th Feb 2016 at 1:47 AM.
From what I read, you can change the lot zoning as much as you like, just as long as you haven't played it at all. Change it to residential, then hotel, then community if you want. Repeat if it makes you happy. Do it again. Just don't open it up to any Sims. Community lots are a slightly different animal, and I believe Mootilda wasn't as concerned about these (I might be wrong) but more cautious and more knowledgeable ones than I am have indicated not to even mess around with zoning once you've played a community lot. Perhaps they were being over-cautious. I'm over-cautious by nature with Sims 2.

EDIT ... There is some switching around you oughtn't do, such as converting a beach lot into an apartment lot. But from what I read, residential/community/hotel lot zoning isn't bad.

http://sims.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_neighborhood_cheats

The VBT that one or two other posters suggested was that you can continue to change zoning once you've played the lot; particularly if you changed it to residential at any point. The suggestion I read was that you could take a community lot, move your Sims over there, change the zoning to residential, play it as a vacation house, then move them back to their original lot and change the zoning. And do this over and over. And I wish I could say that the link I posted was the only thread indicating this type of lot zoning was OK. That was the kind of zoning I was referring to.

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

RIP Sunni ... truly a ray of light.
Field Researcher
#21 Old 18th Feb 2016 at 4:21 AM
If you use the portal revealer from Simlogical, you can create beach lots that look like they belong in Three Lakes. Without the waves, beach lots have a totally different atmosphere and the slope of the hill in that hood looks great behind the water. I also added an invisible pond object for fishing at my beaches.

Other unusual things I've added: a giant tree house with objects for kids to play with at three lakes, a parrot preserve at Twikkii Island using an invisible recolor of the cage (you could also build an owl preserve at three lakes with a owl remesh of the bird cage,) and a hiking trail that ends at a cc waterfall at three lakes.
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#22 Old 18th Feb 2016 at 5:59 PM
Quote: Originally posted by aUserName
If you use the portal revealer from Simlogical, you can create beach lots that look like they belong in Three Lakes. Without the waves, beach lots have a totally different atmosphere and the slope of the hill in that hood looks great behind the water. I also added an invisible pond object for fishing at my beaches.

Other unusual things I've added: a giant tree house with objects for kids to play with at three lakes, a parrot preserve at Twikkii Island using an invisible recolor of the cage (you could also build an owl preserve at three lakes with a owl remesh of the bird cage,) and a hiking trail that ends at a cc waterfall at three lakes.

Some awesome ideas here, thank you! :-)

I've changed my plans slightly with regards to the lots that I want to build for the vacation destinations. I've decided that a botanical gardens would fit better in Takemizu Village (with its Spring/Spring/Autumn/Autumn seasons) rather than in Three Lakes (with its Winter/Autumn/Autumn/Winter seasons). And Japan is kind of known for its trees, so it fits in with RL as well (not that that really matters to me!). I do also still want to build an arcade in Takemizu Village, though! So Three Lakes will have a winter/snow sports lot with the snowy hill slide and ice skating on a pond (and a small indoor restaurant and gift shop, where sims can warm up afterwards!) and (thank you for the idea, aUserName!) a nature reserve, with lots of trees, some kind of pond/stream and a whole bunch of owls :-D In Twikkii island I'm sticking with my aquarium idea, but I want to keep it quite small and simple - I can always expand or rebuild it over time, if it's popular with the tourists! :-D And I'm going to stick parrots on some of the lots - especially the ruins ones and Fruitville Village, I think that parrots would like living there! :-)
Forum Resident
#23 Old 18th Feb 2016 at 8:19 PM
Good topic! I'm planning to send one of my Knowledge Sims to Three Lakes along with her adopted child and think focusing on some bug collecting would be cool.

Build a City Challenge on LiveJournal: Mesa Vista: my BaCC for fun
Mesa Vista Running list of chapters
Field Researcher
#24 Old 19th Feb 2016 at 4:56 PM
I love the idea of Japanese style botanical garden in Takemizu Village. (Think I'll have to steal it ) Japan is known for their style of gardening and there are traditions for how a Japanese garden should look like.

Actually, a Chinese style garden would be nice too. It would be cool to have both.
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#25 Old 19th Feb 2016 at 9:26 PM
I have posted some pictures of Takemizu Village's Pearl Mist Arcade here :-)

I have also almost finished Twikkii Island Aquarium, but it's much simpler than I'd originally intended! I do like it, though. I look forward to visiting it with my sims - and, if I can post them without double posting in the pictures threads, I should have some pictures to share soon! :-)
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