EAxis House of Fail: October

[fishy]

Entry 2

With the extra dose of hormones from their alieny friends, the Curious Brothers decided to built a more Normal-ish home to protect their incoming little ones from lynching (General Grunt has been looking at their little baby bumps with hostility ).

This house is somewhat awesum-specs...

Neighborhood View


Front


Back


Roof Down


Ground Floor


Level 2


Testing Photos (What you see might not be what you get!)







You can get it here! Please note that while this Lot is now flatted, it requires all SP and Expansions.
http://www.mediafire.com/?mime25zgzvw

[witch]

OK fishy. Hope you don't mind some comments. (From someone who didn't manage to make last month's competition and is hoping really hard to get an entry in this month). 

Things I like:

The way the rounded roofs all make a kind of bumpy pattern, that's cool.
The way you've done awesome specs and applied common sense to stuff like gathering areas.
The double-storey octagonal glasshouse!! I'm glad I thought of it.
Interesting room shapes.

Things I'm not so fussed on:

Two tiny spawn bedrooms and a ginormous bathroom.
The barracks. If this were supposed to be a more normal type home, there needs to be more normal bedrooms.
The brown wooden windows, with flowerboxes, and wooden door don't match the rest of the general look. To me, they're jarring.

Incidentally, why did you place your sprinkler so it wets the concrete and not the dirt?

[Bugger]

@Bliss: LOVE the three storey greenhouse! I used that idea ages ago in a plant sim house I built, but I'd forgotten about it since. Not sure about the toxic green nurseries.

You should have seen this crazy hotel I built once... had the greenhouse walls in all sorts of perfect places which was great for aesthetics and for allowing in more daylight.  The phail:  Having to use outdoor lights to keep it lit up at night.  Arg.

The nurseries are pretty toxic, which is out of my usual decor/color style.  I dig darker colors and a lot of neutrals.  But seeing as how the original house had some jarring green nursery stuff, I decided to keep it in my redo.  Also, please consider that these rooms are intended for creepy alien spawn but could easily be modified (like much of the home) for a normal family. 

I considered entering a third, but chose not to.  Perhaps I will upload another of my personal designs elsewhere for enjoyment.  This was the first lot I have shared. 

[fishy]

@witch:

-The bumpy roofs came out as attempt to make a roof awning. I found the given awning ones a little too low and they block views (useless things).

-I'm glad you like the glasshouse! I used to hate making greenhouses because of the "no diagonal" greenhouse walls constraint. Then I discovered one of the windows from ofb could make a seamless diagonal glass wall...

-The interesting room shapes came out of the constraint of no moving external walls. Coupled with the need to place doors, interesting room design appeared. However, because of that particular constraint, the main bath and spawnlet rooms because oddly sized. (Actually the spawn-rooms was even meant to be smaller. LOL, my simbabies are just bunked and ignored  until they start wailing).

The spacious-ness of the main bathroom  is required due to the fact that it houses both the changing table and potty chair in addition to standard toilet gears (wall mirror, terlet, bathtub, showers and sinks), without the walk space, the bathroom gears will fail to work properly and chain start the STOMP and WAVE reaction from silly sims.

- As for the barracks... Because that is how I view barracks to look like? Conversion to standard bedrooms should be possible with additional walls.

-The sprinklers water all the plants and concrete. Some screenies are misleading.

-I actually kind of like brown windows/doors  (runs away). 

[witch]

@fishy - You're totally entitled to like anything you please - and that goes for Bliss too. Part of this challenge, as I understood it, was also about getting honest feedback. Whether you or anyone else agrees with it, is an entirely different thing. 

Personally, I wish people would critique my lots more, this is a chance to learn what works and what doesn't. When I post lots at Laverwinkle, the ones that like them say so, the other people I never hear from.

I haven't seen one lot on this challenge I've really disliked and I've picked up heaps of good ideas. Please don't let me put anyone off, my criticism really is intended to be constructive.

PS I agree about the useless awnings. If they'd act like roofs I'd use them heaps more.

[fishy]

I was just answering your queries?  I do like feedback. When nobody says anything, it's very likely, its so bland that they can't be bothered.

[Yecats]

Download from here:
Castle Del UFO.rar


Castle Del UFO.



Floor Plan Shots:






Spawning cubicals for 3.
3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, indoor spa. 
Top floor for skilling/hobby items. 
Cafe style tables/chairs on each level.
Small garden patch for home-grown food.
Fishing wharf.  Moat with gate and security lights.


Modern interior with room for the whole family.


Make this house yours today!



(Modeled by the lovely Ottomas family... the toddler is playing in the bathroom.  His mother decided the best place to dump baby would be on the fishing wharf.  Why?!  Not like he could drown, but still... it boggles the mind as to why that was the ideal place.)

[kalina]

Yecats, this looks great! The Ottomans family is really good for play testing. So many kids!!!
Actually I was working on a second re-make version that is also a castle. Seemed like a good way to use all 6 levels 

[Yecats]

I just noticed 3 squares that are un-carpeted.  Doh.

All eps, no sp's for any of my lots.  Forgot to mention that on the castle.

I'm planning a 2nd house.  We'll see what happens timewise.

(I'm having a phone battle with a taxi company because I left my phone in the taxi, and it's been 3 days and it hasn't been handed into the cops or into the head office.  So I'm gonna report it stolen if it's not in my hands by end of work today.)

[witch]

I love the little fishing platform! Hey, if you stick two aquariums together  - does it make one large aquarium? That looks cool.

[Yecats]

I don't think so.  They have 'walking room' around them, otherwise I would of backed the chairs up against the tank like a pillar-seating arrangement.

[HomeschooledByTards]

@yecats: I wanted to do a fishing pier in July's challenge, but apparently sims can't fish off one.  I like your platform better. I'm glad I thought of it. Turn off snap objects to grid, and possibly move objects on, and you'll be able to put your chairs right next to the tank.

@witch: The large aquarium comes with AL I think. It's lovely.

[Yecats]

I don't think they can fish off a foundation-type-wharf, but you can make the terrain look enough like a wharf to pass. 

I'll try the snap-objects thing on the next one.  I'm eager to use the fishtank like a column.

Do the fish die?  Or are they just a permi-animation?

(This is the first time I've used the fishtank ingame)

[kalina]

Earlier this month I wanted to build a more traditional type of house. I was not able to keep the platforms though. Here is what came out:

here is the first floor layout:

and the second:

You can download this house here:
http://www.mediafire.com/file/jnhhzqnnmjg/2CoverUpRd_Flat_house_kalina2.rar

This gave me an idea to build a castle. I kept the 6 levels, but was unable to incorporate the platforms. Anyways, here is what happened:

The layout of the living space in the castle is very similar to the one in the house (I got a little burnt out from building). The castle is not Awesomespec because there is no clearly defined main deck. Here is what I did level by level:
the pool and a small study are on level 1


level two has the kitchen, dining, living room and nursery:


level three has three bedrooms. From the master bedroom the Sims can go to a secret magic room:


level four has some expensive statues and a fountain


fifth and sixth levels with telescopes:


and some of the rooms:

living:


dining:


kitchen:


you can download the castle here:
http://www.mediafire.com/file/lemlx1jydjw/2CoverUp_Rd_Flat_kalina_castle.rar

[PirateFaafy]

Wow, Fishy, Yecats, Kalina, those are AWESOME. I love the light, beige-y themes that they all have. I dunno how the curiouses'd like them - but I know I would!

I would never go to the Curioi for interior decorating advice. Bloody ridiculous walls.

[eevilcat]

I might have started this one early but it's taken all month to get round to finishing and testing it! I ditched the original platforms and replaced them with something a little more in keeping with the restyled house; the telescopes are on the same level as the original. (Now posted in the correct month's thread.)



The main living area on the ground floor is fairly open plan with a separate kitchen to prevent visitors stealing your chilled goodies. There are two bathrooms on the ground floor and a separate study for depositing homework. There's also a table in the entrance hallway for plonking down bills.



On the first floor (2nd floor American) there is a master bedroom with en-suite, children's bedroom and nursery as well as a bar/socialising area.



Above this is a sports/relaxation level with mini-gym, sauna, hot tub and sunbathing area.



I used all EPs + GLS/FFS/H&M/Ikea/K&B stuff packs.

EDIT: old mediafire link was broken, so reuploaded with new link http://www.mediafire.com/file/mjmmm3ionzq/Curious Remix.Sims2Pack

[witch]

That's got such a cool techy look. I like the way you've opened out the interior on the ground floor. The columns made of walls look far sturdier than any ordinary columns and fit the building well. There's a bit of an oriental look with the roofs you chose as well. Your hedges and paths outside still have a bit of a maze look. That new glass window that came with Apartments is possibly the nicest one I've seen, it really suits modern buildings.

I also have one started but am unlikely to finish it before the end of the month. I'm off to Wellington in 3-4 days to attend a wedding so all my energies are elsewhere. Still, there's no real time limit, I can still submit later.

[eevilcat]

Thanks Witch. I love those new windows as they fit in well with the modern style that I tend to favour. I think next month I will force myself to rebuild something along more traditional lines for a change.

[rufio]

Oh that's neat, eevilcat - very M.C. Escher.  I'd install it but I don't have those stuff packs and don't feel like refurnishing right now.

[gethane]

vera nice!

[gethane]

ack, 10 download limit reached

[mitchellcjs]

If eevilcat so desires, I'm willing to put the house s/he made up on my 4shared account.  I'm one of the 10 downloaders, and I LOVE this house.  It's very playable, and the Singles Family is very grateful, as well.  Eevilcat just needs to let me know, or perhaps s/he will/can put it up on a 4shared account or mediafire account of his/her own.

[Emma]

Eevilcat, that house is fantastic

[eevilcat]

Thanks guys, I've added an alternate mediafire download in the original post... and here: http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=293267ffc45b6ab9d2db6fb9a8902bda

I didn't realise there was such a strict download limit with the other hosting service.

[birene]

Meh. I tried to keep the platforms first, but that was just too ugly. There is a residential and an apartments (2 units) version for download. Was built on an unleveld lot though. All EPs and SPs neccessary.

http://www.ireneks.de/upload/matychallenges/Curious Apartments.sims2pack
http://www.ireneks.de/upload/matychallenges/Curious Residential.sims2pack
http://www.ireneks.de/upload/matychallenges/Maty October Challenge.rar
Click right and save to your hard drive. Use Clean Installer if you don't want/have already Targa's SupaFridge.



Entrance area: Kitchen, hall with elevator to upper deck, workshop.


If you use the kitchen as communal with apartments, note that there must be a fride in the apartment units too - I put
Targa's SupaFridge in the nurseries for that reason - or your Sims will refuse to cook there, or barbecue on the upper deck.
And lock their apartment door, or they will run back up/down and eat on their couch. Stupid fuckers.


Living room with entry into green house.


Master/communal bathroom.


Backside pond with chess table.


Pool and hottube.


First floor (apartment: ~ 2200$) with sport room and play-area-balcony


Second floor (apartment: ~ 1600$) with music room.

In the apartment version the entry arches are replaced by apartment doors and there is no entry into the bathroom from the staircase.

Upper decks with barbecue, bar, telescope(s).


Walls down.