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Mad Poster
Original Poster
#1 Old 29th Jan 2010 at 2:45 AM Last edited by jje1000 : 24th Aug 2011 at 4:00 AM.
Default A Medieval/Renaissance City- [Test Version July 28] - - The Other Side of the River (No Love for CAW) -
Welp, I need your help on a new 'neighbourhood' I'm working on

Set somewhere between the end of the Middle Ages to the height of the Renaissance, this neighbourhood consists of a keep, a mid-sized city separated into upper and lower portions, and a few farms on the periphery. Of course, it's not the perfect romanticized Camelot that some would expect to see. The city's rundown, and a somewhat crappy place to live in- a recent fire hasn't helped at all. It's up to you to take control of the city's citizens and return it to a state of prosperity!

What I'm trying to do is allow the player to actively change the city's state and create a narrative as well. Tired of the muddy, decrepit marketplace? Pave it over and put in a new fountain! Fearful that enemies might overrun your city? Upgrade your towers! Want a church more suitable for your sims? Improve the existing church or tear it down and build a cathedral! Of course, it's best if you can find a way to pay for it out of your sims' pockets Hopefully, it'll be an improvement over the static neighbourhoods we have now.

Overview of what I've built so far
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f...ityOverview.jpg

The towers at the top of the image form the expected outline of the Upper Town and the keep/ castle should be located at the squarish portion to the center-left. The barn is located at the exact center of the map, and I hope to have a square/ church at that spot. Ignore the large yellow lot located on barn.

Anyways, the largest problem I'm facing right now is the size of the lots. Should I try to set them to exchange lot sizes at all? How big should they be? While larger lots can allow for more wall-to-wall buildings, only one family can inhabit them for now. On the other hand, smaller lots would end up with smaller buildings; and right now, some of the houses (especially the ones fronting the gate) do seem a bit small for sims to live comfortably in.



Anyways, here's a few more pictures for now. I look forward to your input

The city and the distant terrain
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f...eenshot-646.jpg
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f...eenshot-649.jpg

The neighbourhood is of the largest size, but because of the distant terrain and routing associated with it, you'll be playing on more of a medium-sized map.

Some houses
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f...eenshot-648.jpg
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Instructor
#2 Old 29th Jan 2010 at 3:11 AM
Must... have... this... in my game.

Really though, from the pictures it looks really well done from what I can see. But you can tell you've put a good amount of effort into it. I like it. Can't wait to see more!
Banned
#3 Old 29th Jan 2010 at 3:17 AM
I completely freaking adore how you're building the city wall. That is just so god damn creative and perfect.It looks incredible from afar. I can see sending my sims out into the fields to harvest wild plants and search for gems.

And the buildings look...amazing.

As for lot size, I'd say to include an area where you place mansions/richer homes of some sort. Those ones could be bigger and have small yards, or something...
Forum Resident
#4 Old 29th Jan 2010 at 4:13 AM
I think older houses used basements quite a lot, so maybe in a smaller lot you could include a basement and have some bedrooms or living areas there. It could help with liveability and still maintain the medieval feel above ground.

I like how the village is shaping up. The houses look great. Can't wait to see more.

My cat taught me how to fetch. I throw the toy, she shows me where it landed, and I fetch it.
Top Secret Researcher
#5 Old 29th Jan 2010 at 4:56 AM
Wonderful! I need a hood for my Royal Kingdom challenge!
Wiki Wizard
#6 Old 29th Jan 2010 at 7:42 AM
Oh this is exciting, i cannot WAIT to see how you do this, it has the potential to be so beautiful!


It's ok, we all laugh-snort occasionally!
Check out some of my other stuff here.
Field Researcher
#7 Old 29th Jan 2010 at 8:04 AM
I'd love to see some two-room shacks. With outhouses! lol.

I am also super excited about this world. What type of lots are you doing for your community stuffs? Like police, town hall, etc. You're using the rabbitholes I suppose.

I really like that the houses are close together and make the roads twisty looking. Super!
Field Researcher
#8 Old 29th Jan 2010 at 8:09 AM
wow. great job, love the idea and execution so far!

I'd like to build a world, a better world.
Guess I'll start here...
Mad Poster
#9 Old 29th Jan 2010 at 10:19 AM
Fantastic, really looking forward to having a medieval town!
Field Researcher
#10 Old 29th Jan 2010 at 1:57 PM
WOW!!! I love this!! I love the city wall and your houses are beautiful. I'm speechless.. it's really great. I'm going to keep an eye on this project!!

~ Nyn ~
Scholar
#11 Old 29th Jan 2010 at 2:45 PM
This Is Incredible!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sirius Black: Escaped Azkaban, Outran Dementors, Outwitted Ministry, Killed by Drapery
Where I've been hiding...
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#12 Old 29th Jan 2010 at 3:14 PM
Thanks

So, should I try to set the lot sizes to a standard? I.e. 5x5, 10x5, 10x10 15x5? That could help with people who want to use lots from the exchange.

I'll probably be using http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=376414 for the rabbit holes, though it would be better if I could find some even smaller ones.
Forum Resident
#13 Old 29th Jan 2010 at 4:41 PM
One tip I found for using those rabbitholes is to place the object on an empty lot first, then build around it. It helps because you can see right off what the footprint is and they can be difficult to place after the building is finished. You can also start with a small lot and see if it fits first before deciding whether to use a bigger lot.

My cat taught me how to fetch. I throw the toy, she shows me where it landed, and I fetch it.
Scholar
#14 Old 29th Jan 2010 at 4:49 PM
..i ..want ..this ..world ..NOW
Scholar
#15 Old 29th Jan 2010 at 7:15 PM
Yeah. The way NekoCat suggested is the right way to go. I've made some places and couldn't find a place for my rabbit hole so I had to restart or ruin some part of the building

Sirius Black: Escaped Azkaban, Outran Dementors, Outwitted Ministry, Killed by Drapery
Where I've been hiding...
Forum Resident
#16 Old 29th Jan 2010 at 9:08 PM
I love this! Is it made with just base game or with WA? Did you use EA CASTLE set? I am trying to decide whether to buy it or not.

Sometimes the Dragon wins and I AM the Dragon!
Wiki Wizard
#17 Old 30th Jan 2010 at 12:45 AM
Yeh i would stick with the even numbers for lot sizes, it makes it easier from a building perspective, and also when people download and put CC houses in they will want even amounts as most CC houses are built on even lot tiles


It's ok, we all laugh-snort occasionally!
Check out some of my other stuff here.
Scholar
#18 Old 30th Jan 2010 at 2:33 AM
@Winterhart
- yes i recognize the castle set columns in the third picture
- it's really a cool set, although the snap to grid function is a little bit strange when placing some parts, when you look at a lot i created "the grey mansion" look at the bridge.. i had to place all things using -moveobjects on AND alt-key
Lab Assistant
#19 Old 3rd Feb 2010 at 6:34 AM
I'd like to see a variety of lot sizes, including one 60x60 lot to place a large castle.

Also, if possible can you build the world without using any Sims 3 Store Packs?
Mad Poster
#20 Old 3rd Feb 2010 at 8:24 AM
Really want this now So far it is looking great! looking forward to this :D
Top Secret Researcher
#21 Old 3rd Feb 2010 at 4:57 PM
If you are using the large world which I suspect since you used the distance objects, I would like to see some lots off away from the main town. I would like to build keeps for the various Lords for my Royal Kingdoms and need larger lots for their manors. Some lots for small villages near the manors would be nice as well. I am still hoping for some sort of farming\self employment EP so when I build my world, I try to consider what might be needed in the future. Empty shops and mutli-housing may need to be added and since unlike Sims 2, we can't add lots later, you may want to make sure there are enough lots for expansion.

One good thing, in the game, the lots do not show up as lots except in the hood view so at least it doesn't look weird with lots of empty ones. I also put plenty of community lots..just simple open park areas..that can be converted to residential if necessary.
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#22 Old 4th Feb 2010 at 3:11 AM
The castle itself will likely be constructed out of several lots, as I've found that if you use just one lot to do it, it's end up looking fairly stiff. On that, there will also be some clusters of lots away from the city (farming communities), but as we're focusing on a single city, the majority of the population will be located inside or fairly near the city.

Most lots do contain an empty storefront or two, so they may be ready for an 'Open for Business'-type expansion pack. However, while most multi-house lots do have more than one entrance, some of the individual houses are merged together on the inside. That means that I'll need to work on the floorplans a bit if we're to expect a 'Apartment Life'-type expansion pack.


On another note, for the careers, I will use Simverses's Medieval Replacement Careers.
http://simverses.net/blog/archive/2...nt-careers.aspx

Anyways, here's some more pictures

City Overview
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f...pg?t=1265253521
The positions of the towers roughly indicate the outline of the upper town. The castle is to the lower left of the screen. The lower town will likely be located roughly within the larger sidewalk outline, but with the part to the left cut down or eliminated.

More Houses
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f...eenshot-650.jpg
I might relocate the burnt-down area to another part of the city, as the graduation does seem a bit abrupt
Top Secret Researcher
#23 Old 4th Feb 2010 at 5:51 AM
That's cool. It might not work for a Royal Kingdom challenge but it would still be nice for a medieval world. Its looking lovely.

After I finish my desert world and a Eureka one for my kids, I am going to have to work on a medieval world specially for RKC.
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#24 Old 4th Feb 2010 at 6:35 AM
Should I even include a lower town at all?
Scholar
#25 Old 4th Feb 2010 at 2:28 PM
why not a lower town? every city has its rich and poor areas, i mean masters and servants districts.. think it's more realistic with.
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