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Alchemist
Original Poster
#26 Old 2nd Mar 2019 at 2:00 AM
Super cute, Rosebine! Great idea using that over the top architecture on them! <3
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retired moderator
#27 Old 2nd Mar 2019 at 4:49 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Sunrader
Do you mean lot size? Isn't that big?. My computer would balk. Don't they have to walk forever on a lot that size?


3 by 5 is considered medium by the game, I consider it to be huge.

I use 1 by 1, 1 by 2 lots a fair bit. I don't often build them but I do like to make them over, mostly Plasticbox lots. If I am building a 1 by 1 I normally start on a 2 by 1 and shrink the sides. The flow-through is as important to me as the look. I have to be able to play often a family of 1-2 kids and even a pet on these lots.

First thing I do to the tiny PB lots is remove the fireplace, ain't got time for something like that to clutter up the place, I need all the space. Next would be the stairs. Most if not all PB lots use a modular open stair so if I have a lot that uses maxis block stairs I swap them out if the build will let me. I don't mind removing windows, demolishing and replacing a wall so long as it isn't CFE'd since I don't want to wreck the place.
I then take out all the furnishings etc. The kitchen is the first step to the redecorating. Most downloaded lots have large kitchens, but I can make it workable with 3 tiles. Now if the family is really poor and the house is really tiny and they have a toddler or a baby I utilize the space under the kitchen benches/counters by using those ugly Maxis open ones. Toddlers can play with toys under them.
Normally though 3 benches/counters. Into one I place a Targa fridge, on top of one bench I place a stove top that doubles as an oven, but can also still be used as a counter. On the third bench I either place a sink, trash compactor or a dishwasher. If they have room they will get 4-5 benches but I can manage with 3.
Under the stairs I will place a couch or a bookcase, table chairs, computer. Depending on the layout of the house. That requires a mod to make things usable under stairs.
Hacked coat rack instead of a closet.
Double bed against a wall using incessable bed mod.
Closets go down with wall mod if the place can fit one as they block the view.
I also have something for mirrors.
For infants I use a 1 tile crib and 1 tile change table.
Toddlers get a 2 tile bed or mat and one of those also works for kids.
Bunk beds for kids means I can squeeze two kids into a 3 by 2 room.
1 tile cc such as desks, piano keyboard and pet beds.
For very tiny places without a bathtub but with a toddler I use the toddler bath from here.
For dogs I use a sprinkler outside often overhanging or overlapping something else if the bathroom doesn't have room.
occasionally for a car a use a driveway piece sideways along the front of the house or partway under the house and use a moped or bicycle. For my uni mechanic, I placed down the freetime car simply on the front verge.
That's all I can think of right now.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Forum Resident
#28 Old 2nd Mar 2019 at 6:47 PM
My 1X1 lots are either community lots or vacation cottages. I used to use aelflaed's Sunnyside 1X1 lots, but more often lately, I've been using LotAdjuster to shrink them down so I can get an extra square.

I don't have any 1X1 residential lots. I'd rather have them live in apartments at that point. The apartments can have a 1X1 (or smaller) footprint, but at least they'd have a shared common area. I do have a lot of 1X2 or 1X3 townhouses though.

This is a 1X1 vacation house in Takemizu Village:
Screenshots
Alchemist
#29 Old 2nd Mar 2019 at 9:34 PM
Rosebine, I especially like your Welcome Centre, although it would not suit the aesthetic of my own game.

I build tiny lots all the time, for pretty much every kind of lot. I generally LotAdjust everything in-situ, so that the lots have the correct sun-direction for the hood, and I can build as close as possible to the edges when I want to. I often have families of four or more on tiny lots. I use a lot of bunk beds and attics; not so many basements as it is harder to see inside.

I am going to be brave and try out the GridAdjuster. I have always found it too 'math-y', as someone said, but I would really love to use two-step foundations. I usually settle for a pretend porch (floortile/fence/roof) when a traditional foundation is out of proportion for the lot. Thanks for the tips!
Alchemist
Original Poster
#30 Old 2nd Mar 2019 at 11:12 PM Last edited by Sunrader : 2nd Mar 2019 at 11:54 PM.
Quote: Originally posted by Sunrader
The only issue is the functioning soda machine that I'm hoping to find a fix for. Because it's cloned from the fridge, sims stand two tiles away to use it, so it isn't autonomous there. I've already extracted the simlish soda cups used with it for clutter, too, so any suggestions to make it work better are welcome.


MidgetheTree fixed this http://midgethetree.tumblr.com/post...a-machine-fixed ! So happy! Now my soda machine can sit where I want it to in this tiny diner.

I made deco cups to match.

@aelflaed, can you show us some of your attics? I have done them, but, so far, they look a bit out of proportion on my tiny lots. I'd like to see others. And more specifics about the sun direction, if you want to share? I find that a bit confusing and just do it hit or miss now.
Alchemist
#31 Old 3rd Mar 2019 at 12:49 AM
corrections::
3x5 was in past times playing.
smallest with a building I built; it is lot size 3x3; a dorm.
Alchemist
#32 Old 3rd Mar 2019 at 3:28 AM Last edited by aelflaed : 3rd Mar 2019 at 4:00 AM.
I've been messing around with GridAdjuster today, and finally had some success, thanks to everyone's tips. I thought I would make a few 'template' lots so I don't have to figure out all those numbers each time.

I have made patio templates in 1x1, 1x2 and 2x1 sizes. The lots are actually 2x2, but the patio sections are laid out ready for building the upper areas and then shrinking to the stated size. The 1x1 also has lots of extra wall bits, so it can be made into a rowhouse if desired. I should probably make a 1x2 version of this, it would be versatile.
The foundation can be deleted using the sledgehammer tool, and won't leave a hole - so you can alter the footprint of the patio to place stairs wherever you like.

I made a couple of basement templates as well, just in 1x1 size, either plain rectangular or with an inset area for stairs. Can't see any way to connect these as rowhouses without taking the basement all the way to the edge. Nor can I see a way to build basements with angles (like a bay window). Basement outlines can't be changed while building in-game, so are probably best built to order really.

All these lots have the sun at front right. I think I will wait and see how useful they are before making any other directions.

@Sunrader, you can see a hood's sun direction on any newly-placed lot template (the empty EA ones). Open the lot and look which way the shadow falls from the letterbox. Any lot in that hood, placed the same way against a road, will have the same sun direction. I call the road side 'Front', so looking at your lot from there, 'Left' is the left side, etc. Need a picture? (Actually, you can see it in the GridAdjuster pics below.)

There is a game bug where the sun direction inside a lot is opposite to that seen in hood view, but it can be fixed...can't remember whether I use a separate mod, or whether it is part of my lighting mod these days.

Attics...I probably don't have any pics handy, and it will take some time to load my full game. However, I tend to make my small houses look okay with them by using Plasticbox's trick. Lemme find a link...here you go.

ETA: I have added a couple of pics from my Boldrewood vacation destination - not much of an attic, but there you go.
Screenshots
Alchemist
Original Poster
#33 Old 3rd Mar 2019 at 4:28 AM Last edited by Sunrader : 3rd Mar 2019 at 5:34 PM.
Quote: Originally posted by aelflaed
I've been messing around with GridAdjuster today, and finally had some success, thanks to everyone's tips. I thought I would make a few 'template' lots so I don't have to figure out all those numbers each time.
I made a couple of basement templates as well, just in 1x1 size, either plain rectangular or with an inset area for stairs. Can't see any way to connect these as rowhouses without taking the basement all the way to the edge. Nor can I see a way to build basements with angles (like a bay window). Basement outlines can't be changed while building in-game, so are probably best built to order really.
Attics...I probably don't have any pics handy, and it will take some time to load my full game. However, I tend to make my small houses look okay with them by using Plasticbox's trick. Lemme find a link...here you go.


Thanks for the tips, I think I've used that attic tutorial, too. It works great, I'm hoping to find something a little smaller, too, for the tiniest houses. For lighting, I use Hook's lighting file, now, to let me change the direction of the sun, and I think that it makes the default sun direction match the lot to the hood as well, but I hear it's built into dreadpirate's lighting.

http://www.moreawesomethanyou.com/s...hp?topic=8076.5

As for the basements, did you try making some that also have 2-click "foundations" rather than the taller ones? Those are nice proportions, I think. For the most versatile basements, the best I've figured out is just not making the basement the exact size of the house. I was also trying yesterday to find a way to make a basement with a diagonal wall, but couldn't get it to work.





Cute, but top heavy. I built this a while ago. I think, now, I could put a dummy level between the first floor and the attic level - that might help it look better, but I don't think the sims could pass through it, could they?


Some people have said they don't like going up and down, especially into basements. Honestly, neither do I. I do tend to build basements and attics to maintain the small footprint, but I only do that when I can put things down (or up) that I don't care to follow, like I don't need to see them take a bath... I've seen it. And depending on the lot, I might put a bed somewhere that I don't need to see. But I don't really play on more than one level either.
Mad Poster
#34 Old 3rd Mar 2019 at 5:08 AM
I just want a step by step tutorial for these very cute low deck with only 2 steps to climb onto. I have no idea how to achieve this?

Je mange des girafes et je parle aussi français !...surtout :0)

Find all my old MTS Uploads, on my SFS, And all new uploads Here . :)
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#35 Old 3rd Mar 2019 at 5:29 AM
https://sims2artists.com/index.php?topic=5121.0

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Alchemist
Original Poster
#36 Old 3rd Mar 2019 at 5:48 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Rosebine
I just want a step by step tutorial for these very cute low deck with only 2 steps to climb onto. I have no idea how to achieve this?

Shastakiss has an easy one if you don't want a basement. Jo linked it.
Alchemist
#37 Old 3rd Mar 2019 at 6:37 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Sunrader
As for the basements, did you try making some that also have 2-click "foundations" rather than the taller ones? Those are nice proportions, I think.


I agree, but I like basements to have daylight. 2-click patios on foundations are much cheaper than building wall-based ones (like in the Sims2Artists tutorial linked above), so for me, 6-click cellars and foundation patios seem like the way to go.

I don't use cellars all that much really, but I often put beds in the attic. I mainly play on just one level, too, and from a single viewing angle.

I opened up my full game and took some pics of the smaller lots to share. Here are two of the houses, both 1x2, one showing attic full of kids. Six people live in that house currently. The architecture is roughly based on New Orleans/US Southern styles.

In the attic picture, there is Great Divide fencing at the edges of the room...this is just so I remember that things placed there can't be interacted with, because they are under the roof slope. The Ramirez family can't afford proper floor or wall coverings for the attic yet, so everything is bare. No one in the hood has spare money for deco at this stage.
Screenshots
Alchemist
Original Poster
#38 Old 3rd Mar 2019 at 12:38 PM Last edited by Sunrader : 3rd Mar 2019 at 1:14 PM.
Quote: Originally posted by aelflaed
I agree, but I like basements to have daylight. 2-click patios on foundations are much cheaper than building wall-based ones (like in the Sims2Artists tutorial linked above), so for me, 6-click cellars and foundation patios seem like the way to go.

I don't use cellars all that much really, but I often put beds in the attic. I mainly play on just one level, too, and from a single viewing angle.

I opened up my full game and took some pics of the smaller lots to share. Here are two of the houses, both 1x2, one showing attic full of kids. Six people live in that house currently. The architecture is roughly based on New Orleans/US Southern styles.


Oh! So are those just a 6-click space made with the FLAT pattern? They don't go further underground or you mean they are 6-click above ground? Can you access it from the interior or is it just for show from the exterior? I like the windows, too. I have a couple that have the windows that are just the top of a tall window showing above ground - it works with the right style window.

I'm from that part of the US, those definitely look like home - nice job! I love that they have both an outhouse and a genie lamp.

Me, too, one viewing angle. I build the lot with my viewing angle in mind because I like my games to run as autonomously as possible. If one won't do, I use saved camera position to make a second one - like that house with the hot tub on the deck - it also has a lot going on on the opposite side, so it has two viewing angles.
Alchemist
#39 Old 4th Mar 2019 at 3:15 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Sunrader
Oh! So are those just a 6-click space made with the FLAT pattern? They don't go further underground or you mean they are 6-click above ground? (...)

I'm from that part of the US, those definitely look like home - nice job! I love that they have both an outhouse and a genie lamp.


They are proper cellars, six clicks above ground so that the windows work.

Glad you think I am getting the 'feel' of the architecture right! I'm not from around there at all, but the internet has lots of images.

I was rather pleased with the ladder on the front porch - at first I thought that couldn't be a real thing, then I found lots of examples. And then I thought the sims would not be able to use the ladder if I built it - but they do! And it saves precious living space inside the house.
Alchemist
#40 Old 4th Mar 2019 at 10:31 AM Last edited by aelflaed : 4th Mar 2019 at 10:32 AM. Reason: Sorry, didn’t notice double post!
Quote: Originally posted by joandsarah77
occasionally for a car a use a driveway piece sideways along the front of the house or partway under the house and use a moped or bicycle. For my uni mechanic, I placed down the freetime car simply on the front verge.
That's all I can think of right now.


I would have thought the driveway/car wouldn’t work with part of it under the building. I have never tried bicycles or other small vehicles because, even if it is made invisible, the driveway takes up so much room! And the bicycle sitting in the middle of all that space. Very few of my sims get vehicles.
Alchemist
Original Poster
#41 Old 4th Mar 2019 at 11:04 AM
Quote: Originally posted by aelflaed
I would have thought the driveway/car wouldn’t work with part of it under the building. I have never tried bicycles or other small vehicles because, even if it is made invisible, the driveway takes up so much room! And the bicycle sitting in the middle of all that space. Very few of my sims get vehicles.


I have the Ottomi with a driveway in the middle of their mobile home compound. It has nothing on it but Peter's prized motorcycle right smack in the middle. On the lawn is the repo car, their pickup truck, and their broken down RV. I know these people. It's totally realistic.
I have used moveobjects, though, to put other things on the driveway sometimes.

Quote: Originally posted by aelflaed
They are proper cellars, six clicks above ground so that the windows work.


They look good, very real, but the stairs seem a bit awkward to me. I have gotten the right windows to work with 4-click above, too, but your cellar looks more realistic. Of course, no cellars in southern Louisiana.
Test Subject
#42 Old 4th Mar 2019 at 11:17 AM
Quote: Originally posted by FranH
Note: the reason I don't ever use them for residences is that they're liable to glitch at the carpool. The length is too short for some vehicles, such as a school bus and definitely a limo!


I've just built a 1x1 house and I didn't even think of the fact that it's too narrow for a school bus. Should I just demolish the lot and use 2x1 as my smallest residential lots?
Alchemist
Original Poster
#43 Old 4th Mar 2019 at 11:22 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Enoby
I've just built a 1x1 house and I didn't even think of the fact that it's too narrow for a school bus. Should I just demolish the lot and use 2x1 as my smallest residential lots?


I've never had an issue with this. My kids get picked up. I'll have to look more carefully. Maybe try and let us know what happens?
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#44 Old 4th Mar 2019 at 11:29 AM
@Enoby I've never had an issue with the school bus. Yes, they take up the entire road, so if it arrives first and a carpool is due at the same time, the carpool won't arrive until after the bus leaves and vice-versa. I certainly would not demolish a lot on the off chance your lot has an issue with the bus because it most likely won't. If it does try moving the portal one tile. You can download a portal revealer on here. Or simply have the kids walk.

"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
#45 Old 4th Mar 2019 at 4:05 PM
I think the only time you really have a problem with the school 'bus is, if the carpool arrives first, there are no teens in the house, and you don't have a social worker mod. Then the adult won't be able to leave for work without leaving the children unattended. I think, if this happened to me, I'd just use the Sim Manipulator to give the adult an extra vacation day, so (s)he could stay at home. (I like having my Sims at home anyway!)

I use 1x2 and 2x1 houses quite a bit, especially in New Desconia, where there is a shortage of building land, but I don't actually have any Sims living in 1x1 lots. My only 1x1 residential lots are my "changing huts" which are used to introduce CAS-created townies to the game. These lots contain everything needed to prepare them for life as townies: the Sim Manipulator to changes ages and break/change relationships, a teleporter, a clothing rack to change their clothes, a batbox to erase Mystery Sim memories, and enough ordinary objects to enable my townies-to-be to enjoy there first day with a modicum of comfort. I know some people do this in empty lots, but I like to look after my Sims.

In Veronaville there is a changing hut near the bridge over the canal, and another, brick-built, one downtown between two skyscraper office blocks.


There is also a similar changing hut in near the pier in New Desconia; it is used for processing all new arrivals on the island. There are no beds in these huts because it is not intended that anyone should spend the night there. I don't use the Lot Adjuster for these changing huts, so the exterior walls are always 2 tiles away from the lot edges.

My main use of 1x1 lots is as community lots. I make extensive use of Mootilda's "Moo's Mews", and there is a whole terrace of them in the Via Commerciale in Veronaville. I also use 1x1 lots for most start-up businesses, as few of my Sims can afford anything bigger. For these I usually do use the Lot Adjuster so I can build closer to the lot edges. Sometimes they later expand to 2 squares. In at least one case I used the blank template that comes with Moo's Mews to build a private nightclub in New Desconia. I'll try to get pictures of some of my tiny business lots if anyone is interested, but, because most of them are owned, I actually have to play them to take pictures.
Screenshots

All Sims are beautiful -- even the ugly ones.
My Simblr ~~ My LJ
Sims' lives matter!
The Veronaville kids are alright.
Alchemist
Original Poster
#46 Old 4th Mar 2019 at 6:19 PM
Quote: Originally posted by AndrewGloria
I'll try to get pictures of some of my tiny business lots if anyone is interested, but, because most of them are owned, I actually have to play them to take pictures.


Sure, I'd love to see them! I have Halfway Houses, too, but my sims live there, sometimes a whole family, and sometimes quite a while. I love your description of how you care for your "arrivals."
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#47 Old 4th Mar 2019 at 10:20 PM
Even without an SW mod the game doesn't spawn the SW right away, just tell the kids to walk. I guess the only time this would be a real issue is if a person has none of the EP's from BV on -which is probably you Andrew. I am guessing you don't have 'walk to lot'? In that case if you want to use a 1 wide lot it would be a good idea to have an SW mod.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Alchemist
#48 Old 5th Mar 2019 at 7:54 PM
I don't have many shops in my hood at the moment. The owned ones are mostly just a cash register and a couple of items under a shade cloth. I do have a post office (not owned), and an empty shop waiting to be needed. All of these are 1x1 lots.
Screenshots
Helptato
#49 Old 5th Mar 2019 at 8:14 PM
I love building small family homes on 2x2 lots! (as, if you look at my profile you can tell LOL) 1x1 lots I rarely use apart from very tiny starter houses because they're just a little bit too small. I'll be looking at the 2 step foundation tutorial with interest. Weirdly, I almost never build basements in my Sims's houses- maybe because we don't generally have them here in the UK much.


Emma!

Simblr
[url=https://peanutbuttersandwich.dreamwidth.org/Dreamwidth[/url]
Alchemist
#50 Old 6th Mar 2019 at 8:13 AM
As my German relations would say....”but where do you keep the potatoes?”. Actual quote from my childhood.
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