House Layout?

[ZephyrZodiac]

My best games are around 2 adults and their offspring, but I have had a few wierd set-ups, like seven adult brothers and the teenage son of one, and they were fun to play until they got too wealthy and the house got too big, so I had to marry them off and move them out!

True about the stairs, Simlover, although the modular stairs aren't so bad, it's the solid ones that are the real pain!

[TaWanda]

I like to play mine like it's a soap opera, As the Sim Turns, One Life to Sim, All My Sims etc 

Oh and Zephyr I meant you not Ziggy, too many Zzzzz's for me to handle I guess LOL

[Persephone]

Ok, I know its rude, but I have to say it... That house is insanely ugly!

It's nice to me. I can build any layout that I want, I don't "rape" anyone to follow me, nor I have given a link to download it. And yes, it's rude!!!

I don't remember saying that you rape anyone.  I don't really care if its rude either... when you give "advice" like that about house design to someone seeking good information, you deserve to be reminded that its disgustingly ugly.  If you post something as seasick-inducing as that, especially as an example of good design, you have to expect some comments.  For christsake there's more efficient ways to light your house without making it look like the ceiling fan department at home depot.  Further more the "information" about stairs and floor tiles are just wrong.  Well placed floor tiles as pathways make great ways to direct traffic, you only need to blanket the lot with tiles like that if you want the sims to figure out for themselves where to walk, and who wants that?


And for your information it was this comment: You can build thousands of house-layouts in the game, pretending to copy the real-life ones, on which you exclaim "Wow!" - but thet are not comfortable to the sims. Period.


That ticked me off the most, so if you're now pissed off, you can just stuff it.

[momtogirls]

Inspecting the house before you move Sims in is a good bit of advice.  There's a house I use at one of the universities, that has  2 bedrooms upstairs, and a kitchen/common room and a lounge area downstairs.  I don't like that there is a door to the lounge, I prefer an archway, and I constantly forget to change it out, until I realize the door is stuck open, and it never closes. 

I never knew about the light in front of the door, thats good to keep in mind as well.

[MistyBlue]

I took this design from an actual plan. I think it's on a 2x3 lot. It's not big, but I find it very spacious and easy to navigate. My sims don't seem to have any problem moving through it. I hardly ever build on any lot bigger than 3x3.

[MsMaria]

What a lovely house!

[neriana]

MistyBlue, that's a great design. Where did you get all the plants?

[gali]

"And for your information it was this comment: You can build thousands of house-layouts in the game, pretending to copy the real-life ones, on which you exclaim "Wow!" - but thet are not comfortable to the sims. Period.


That ticked me off the most, so if you're now pissed off, you can just stuff it." [Percephone]

If you are that stupid, not to understand that I offerred functionality, and not artistic design - I have no further comments.

Goodbye.

[cabelle]

MistyBlue, that's a great design. Where did you get all the plants?

What a beautiful little house. I want to know where you found the lovely flowers too. So pretty.

[dadditude]

Misty, do you have that house available for download somewhere? It is lovely.

[MistyBlue]

Plants are from 4ESF in set 5, I think. That house will be available on my site VJ Development as soon as I finish the design...I'm lacking creativity right now. 

[vecki]

Misty, I love your house!  I want, I want!

Gali, that wasn't necessary. 

[Persephone]

If you are that stupid, not to understand that I offerred functionality, and not artistic design - I have no further comments.

Goodbye.

I was talking about your so called functionaly, which is quite bad advice, and about the side issue that it is a hideous eyesore.  You have no business telling people that its impossible to design a house that sims will "like" by "pretending to follow" a real design.  Your post was very snooty, narrow minded and why I think it belonged in retardoland in the first place.  Your completely wrong about many of the points you made about design, which is what needs to be pointed out here.  By the way, the "handclapping" you brag of has nothing to do with functionality anyway.  Sims evaluate any new purchase and they clap if its value is in keeping with things they already have.  I placed a cheap toilet and torn up couch in the middle of any empty lot... guess what ? My sim clapped because she was used to having nothing at all. 

[Persephone]

I took this design from an actual plan. I think it's on a 2x3 lot. It's not big, but I find it very spacious and easy to navigate. My sims don't seem to have any problem moving through it. I hardly ever build on any lot bigger than 3x3.

It IS gorgeous.  I just love pretty houses built on small lots... I'd love to download it if you put it up somewhere!

[phyllis_p]

MistyBlue, your house is lovely, particularly the decoration and landscaping.  My poor Sims have been known to live in boxes with no landscaping, and decor that looks like a yard sale    I'm getting better, though, by looking at wonderful stuff like yours.  Some of my Sims actually have trees and curtains now, and area rugs 

I suppose that would be my best advice for anyone wanting to improve their building and/or decorating -- look at things other people have done, and when/if you admire their work, try to pick out the aspects you admire and incorporate them into what you do.  And I see nothing wrong with looking at floorplans of real houses and recreating them for your Sims, as long as you take Simmie quirks into consideration (like 1-tile hallways are a no-no, unless you enjoy traffic jams.  Having an extra exit door from bathrooms can also be helpful -- learned that with TS1 community lots in Old Town.  Anyone remember getting trapped in the bathroom by the saxophone player?    )

[J. M. Pescado]

I took this design from an actual plan. I think it's on a 2x3 lot. It's not big, but I find it very spacious and easy to navigate. My sims don't seem to have any problem moving through it. I hardly ever build on any lot bigger than 3x3.

It's not bad, but the bathroom facilities are both oversized and woefully inadequate: You could get better efficiency partitioning the bathroom into two bathrooms, doubling your capacity. Furthermore, your kitchen is open to the front door, making it impossible to defend from raiders, meaning you will be mercilessly raided by any visitors that you happen to invite over.

Finally, it seems devoid of adequate skilling facilities, meaning your kids grow up mentally retarded.

[phyllis_p]

Finally, it seems devoid of adequate skilling facilities, meaning your kids grow up mentally retarded.

I hadn't noticed that part.  Good point.  Gotta find room for at least an easel and a chess table    I think I see a bookcase in the bedroom -- kind of far from chairs, yes?  See, that's where I always get into trouble.  My decor always suffers because I'm always trying to make sure they have all the skilling stuff.  (Plus I have no sense of color or style -- definitely doesn't help).

My sweetie makes wonderful houses -- he seems to manage it all and still make it beautiful -- but he's a builder and a storyteller, not really a player, and uses motherlode without qualms.  Me, I make my Sims work for it, so I can't use his houses.

[J. M. Pescado]

I hadn't noticed that part.  Good point.  Gotta find room for at least an easel and a chess table    I think I see a bookcase in the bedroom -- kind of far from chairs, yes?  See, that's where I always get into trouble.  My decor always suffers because I'm always trying to make sure they have all the skilling stuff.  (Plus I have no sense of color or style -- definitely doesn't help).

I have a limtied sense of style and color myself, but I can spot dysfunctionality and inefficiency like a hawk. While all of my houses differ, there's certain architectural elements that are practically constants, invariant under all circumstances, and among those include the rule that the KITCHEN MUST ALWAYS BE ENCLOSED FOR LOCKING. Otherwise, the raiders will litter your house in trash and damage themselves in the process, a bad thing if they are your playables! That's basically a golden rule right there. No one touches the kitchen.

[ZephyrZodiac]

Well, the chess table can be an outdoor one, or you could have the cheap telescope, and put that outside too.  There are tiny bookcases around that sit on desks and look like a pile of books - try bedroom 9 at 4ESF2 for a nice one - and it your sims can afford it, they gain creativity faster with the Karaoke machine than by painting.  You could stick that in the garage and put the car in the driveway!  As for body skills, unless your TV is fairly isolated from other furniture (even a newspaper on the floor) your sims won't use it, so maybe a cheap TV (try one of Numenor's) out in the garden on the lawn would help there?

[MistyBlue]

That house has a huge yard and there are skilling objects, like a chess table and easle outside. I play to some reality and NEVER allow my sim children to skill on things they would not know in the real world. Logic, creativity, and body is pretty much all my sim children get from me...maybe a cooking point or two. But that is how I play, you can decorate it any way you'd like. In most of my houses I do include a cut off yard, but this was meant to be a beautiful no yard style. My point in showing this is that ultimately, it's just a box...but I made it look good. 

Oh, and having my sims grow up devoid of skills is not a bad thing, if everyone was able to go to college and live a perfect life, where would the challenge and fun be??

One more thing I forgot to mention...This is the model home. I decorate the model one to take good pictures.

[ZephyrZodiac]

Well, I like it, MistyBlue!  I love the clever use of limited space - which is what good design is all about!  I love taking those trailer homes and lofts in Pleasantville apart and making them work and look good, and it's a lot harder than improving a big house!  And funnily enough, sometimes you give sims a little more room in their lounge and they hate it!  sometimes even sims seem to like to be cosy!

[Nailati]

For christsake there's more efficient ways to light your house without making it look like the ceiling fan department at home depot.

[Ellatrue]

I don't think it is a good idea to use real house plans for the sims. It can be useful for a kind of artistic inspiration, but the needs of sims and the needs of real people are very different, especially when you consider the difficulties that sims have in moving around. I have used some real house plans, but I think a lot of gali's principles are sound, even if I don't play with them as much anymore. In TS1 I used to, I think I just stopped because TS2 became a lot more realistic, and it was both more fun building and much easier to just move them into a pre-made house.

[ZephyrZodiac]

Depends on the pre-made house, though!  I've never had a Maxis house or a ownloaded one for that matter that I didn't feel the need to remodel.  Now, if I build a house, save a copy to a file, play the house and modify it until it works for me and my sims, then install the saved house with clean installer to a vanilla hood, I can make a clean update of the house with the changes I've made to make it more workable.  Then, if I want, I can use that house as often as I like to create a housing estate type of look to a neighbourhood, I can make subtle changes to that house to make a slightly more upmarket estate, and so on.  But what I use is a design that works in MY game, and that isn't to say it will always work well in someone else's.

[MistyBlue]

For those of you that were interested in my house, you can download it from my site. Just click the link in my sig. The site isn't fully functional yet, but you can get that house by clicking the pic on the main page. You will need to register, but it's free...