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Mad Poster
Original Poster
#1 Old 16th Jan 2019 at 1:15 PM Last edited by AndrewGloria : 23rd Jan 2019 at 7:01 PM. Reason: S-p-e-l-l-i-n-g!
Default Cheaper Italianate Homes for Westside Veronaville (Testers Wanted!)
I started on these houses back in February last year, and posted some pictures in maxon's Making Sim Stuff - Whatchoo Up To? thread (in the Pictures sub-forum). But I soon got side-tracked and moved on to other things (including Jo's Strangetown makeover contest). However a recent WCIF suggests that there really is a demand for them, so I've come back to them.

I am planning on making 4 (or possibly 5) of these houses, and at the moment the first two of them are almost ready for upload. The first one I made in my ordinary game (base game, University, Nightlife, Open for Business and the Celebration! stuff pack). I don't think I used anything from Celebration!, but I think I used content from all my EPs, so it will need them all to use it. Here are the pictures of it that I previously posted in the picture forum:

Using my EPs has allowed me to use a shallower roof slope than would be possible in base game, and a bigger variety of windows. I did look at the (bigger) Lots that Maxis provided on the western side of the canal, and have used similar building materials to give the houses a consistent look and feel. Before I upload this house for testing, I'd like to play-test it myself in an AGS environment without Celebration! to make quite sure you don't need Celebration! to play it.

However I decided to build the rest of the houses in an AGS base game environment, as that is clearly what Maxis would have to use if they'd included them in Veronaville. It also means that all TS2 Simmers can use them, even if they only have base game. The first of these is now ready. I have play-tested this house, so I'd like to share it here so other people can try it out and suggest any possible improvements. It's CC-free and base-game-compatible; it was built in a Sim-free AGS base game 'hood, and it has been thoroughly cleaned of Sim references both using Chris Hatch's tool and manually. Here are the pictures:

There is a small problem with the outside toilet in the lean-to at the side of the house -- the door doesn't close when a Sim is using it. This is in part because I used this lot to play-test a door-closer mod that gummilutt was working on before she was taken ill. When I tested it, it worked in my main game but not in base game. gummi intended to make it work in all configurations. Now it must be doubtful when, or even if she'll be able to finish it. If it were available, I'd just recommend that any one downloading my house got her mod too. Without the mod, I could fix the problem by extending the lean-to to 3 tiles, but I feel that the house looks aesthetically more pleasing the way it is. So, I'll ask your advice about what to do with it. It is possible to move the WC into the main bathroom (there's room for it at the end of the bath) and just use the lean-to as a store cupboard. (Myself I'll probably get my Sims to add a second WC at the end of the bath, when they can afford it, because, IMHO, you can't have too many toilets in a Sims house!) The arrangement of an outside toilet (and indeed the bathroom is only accessible through an open-sided passageway) reflects a time when some people didn't want toilets inside the house because they thought they were smelly (as indeed they were before the invention of the water closet).

I attach this second (base-game-compatible) house in a zip file for you to test Please let me know what you think
Screenshots
Attached files:
File Type: zip  AndrewGl-Italianate Starter House 2 beta.zip (585.2 KB, 32 downloads) - View custom content
Description: Italianate Starter House 2 beta - base game compatible

All Sims are beautiful -- even the ugly ones.
My Simblr ~~ My LJ
Sims' lives matter!
The Veronaville kids are alright.
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Mad Poster
#2 Old 16th Jan 2019 at 7:58 PM
It doesn't matter what items you used, the lot will crash if placed into any neighborhood which isn't running the game engine it was created with or a later one. If Celebration doesn't change the game engine, the lot built in your regular game will need the OFB engine or later to run. Any items you used from packs the downloader doesn't have will either not appear at all or flash blue and need to be deleted and replaced.

I would pair the outside water closet with an outside sink. Otherwise, both houses are simple and practical, suitable for starter homes, and the Monty side desperately needs such houses.

Ugly is in the heart of the beholder.
(My simblr isSim Media Res . Widespot,Widespot RFD: The Subhood, and Land Grant University are all available here. In case you care.)
Instructor
#3 Old 16th Jan 2019 at 9:29 PM
I find both lots very neat and "Verona-like", I think you caught the essence of the hood and made a nice starter lot.

I really do hope you'll share more lots in the future!
Mad Poster
#4 Old 17th Jan 2019 at 5:41 AM
I think the lots are good to go I also like Penni's idea of the outside sink.
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#5 Old 23rd Jan 2019 at 2:58 AM
Default Testers wanted fort OFB-compatible lot
My plan to playtest the first lot in an AGS base-game + Uni + Nightlife + OFB test 'hood has failed. I set up such a game in AGS but it won't load. When I try to start it, it runs Registry Editor, runs Registry Editor again and shows an OFB splash screen, but it then runs Registry Editor a third time, to return the PC to its original state without the game ever starting. My other AGS games are ok. So I'd be very grateful if someone could play test it for me in an environment without Celebration!, and preferably one where OFB is the highest EP. According to information supplied to me by mootilda, Celebration!, my highest SP/EP uses the OFB game engine, so the lot should work if you have the first 3 EPs. But, if I have inadvertently included anything from Celebration!, then those items wouldn't show up, which is why I'd like to see it play-tested without Celebration!.

I have play-tested (or, rather, played) the lot in its intended final location of Westside Veronaville, as a home for Mercutio Monty's boyfriend Charlie Benson. On the whole it was ok but the very first thing Charlie did when he moved in was mop up what I presume was a puddle in the prickly pears beside the front path.
I can't think how such a puddle could have got there -- the lot had certainly never been played before. I'd like to know if anyone else gets a Sim mopping up there. There was also an odd incident at dinner time pictured here, but I think this was just a random glitch, and I don't think it had anything to do with the design of the house.

I agree, Peni, about adding an outside sink to house 2, but unfortunately it would put the lot over §20K. There's a CC one I like, so I'll include a recommendation in the description text. Sims can add it when they get there first paycheque.

Anyone downloading and play-testing either of these houses, please report back here in this thread how you got on. Thanks!
Screenshots
Attached files:
File Type: zip  AndrewGl-Italianate Starter House 1 beta.zip (533.6 KB, 24 downloads) - View custom content
Description: Italianate Starter House (for Westside Veronaville) 1 - beta

All Sims are beautiful -- even the ugly ones.
My Simblr ~~ My LJ
Sims' lives matter!
The Veronaville kids are alright.
Mad Poster
#6 Old 23rd Jan 2019 at 2:56 PM
I was thinking you could just move the sink from the existing bathroom outside, which wouldn't change the price at all.

Ugly is in the heart of the beholder.
(My simblr isSim Media Res . Widespot,Widespot RFD: The Subhood, and Land Grant University are all available here. In case you care.)
Mad Poster
#7 Old 23rd Jan 2019 at 3:30 PM
Great work on these, Andrew! You rock

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Mad Poster
Original Poster
#8 Old 24th Jan 2019 at 10:41 PM Last edited by AndrewGloria : 24th Jan 2019 at 10:51 PM.
Quote: Originally posted by Peni Griffin
I was thinking you could just move the sink from the existing bathroom outside, which wouldn't change the price at all.
Do you mean like this?

While I'm at it, should I extend the outside toilet lean-to like this?
Making the room one tile longer fixes the problem of the door staying open. I've also added an extra outside light so Sims can see, not only to get to the toilet, but also to wash their hands. That brings the price up to §19,924, but it's still under §20K.
Having the toilet in a 1x3 room fixes the problem of the door not closing, but aesthetically I think I still prefer the version with the 1x2 room. And where do you all think the wash-handbasin should be? So please may I ask you all which version you prefer?

By the way, this is the CC outside wash-basin that I was thinking of:
I won't use it in the shared version, since I'd like to keep that CC-free, but I'll likely use it in my own game. It's from NNNNatali's Old farm bathroom set.

I had a look at house 1 (the one that needs OFB) in the Sim-free building 'hood where I built it. There was no sign of a puddle in among the prickly pears, so I don't know what Charlie thought he was mopping up. Maybe it has something to do with Veronaville's notorious high water table; some groundwater seeping up to the surface, making Charlie think it was a puddle that he had to mop up. Charlie is a Virgo like Andrew, so he is likely to obsess about things like puddles.

I would be very grateful if people could download these houses and try them out. (I see no one has downloaded the one I shared in post #5 yet. It's actually "Italianate Starter Home 1[B]" as it's the first one I built.) Please try them out and let me know if you find any problems. Including any puddles beside the front path!?

Thanks for all your comments and suggestions.
Screenshots

All Sims are beautiful -- even the ugly ones.
My Simblr ~~ My LJ
Sims' lives matter!
The Veronaville kids are alright.
e3 d3 Ne2 Nd2 Nb3 Ng3
retired moderator
#9 Old 25th Jan 2019 at 12:31 AM
I tested both lots, with no obvious problems. They were both liked by my tester sims!

Some things I noticed & suggestions:
House 1- is this bush trimmable without mods?


I moved the sofa forward to create a more cozy lounge; this removes the awkward bit where those two doors are and creates a passageway to the bedrooms.


House 2: Missing wall covering:


House 2, solution to your bathroom door problem and idea to have the sink in the outside privvy.


The alcove created could be used for a separate shower in future, if you wanted a tub instead of the combo. I removed the window where the bath is, but you could afford to keep it. The outside looks a bit different without it, but it clips through the tub tiles.
Screenshots
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#10 Old 28th Jan 2019 at 10:57 PM
Thank you simsample!

Quote: Originally posted by simsample
House 1- is this bush trimmable without mods?
Honestly I don't know. I think, if I were a Sim, I could trim it, because it looks accessible from three sides. (Andrew says, "You could trim it. But you wouldn't. Because you're too lazy!" As always, I fear he's right!) But I notice that, when flowerbeds are surrounded by edging like that, Sims step over the edging and get into the flowerbeds before they start to water them. They don't water them from the adjacent path like I would do (if I wasn't too lazy to water them at all!). The truth is that I've had a trim inaccessible bushes mod -- I think it's one of Cyjon's -- for several years now, ever since they were tearing there hair out at Capp Manor over the state of the Manor Gardens. So the only thing I can think to do is to temporarily take that mod out, and play the lot until the bush needs trimmed, and then see if Charlie can trim it. If he can't trim it? I'm not sure. Probably just remove the edging completely. Removing it on one side only would just look stupid.

I have incorporated all simsample's other suggestions.

I get the impression that, once I have resolved the issue of the edging round that bush, the consensus is that both lots are ready for uploading. I'll have a good look at the Creator Guidelines and then get started. I anticipate pressure on my time thanks to a forthcoming Real Life house move (unfortunately not to Veronaville!), so I'll upload the lots one at a time and won't rush things. I hope they'll be flexible with me about time if any changes are required. Thanks everyone for all your help.

All Sims are beautiful -- even the ugly ones.
My Simblr ~~ My LJ
Sims' lives matter!
The Veronaville kids are alright.
Mad Poster
#11 Old 30th Jan 2019 at 9:32 AM
You could take the edge away and just use some ground cover under/around the bush (my solution to a lot of things, as you know - sorry ) - it does not matter then downloaders have a plant mod or not.
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