EAxis House of Phail: January 09

[rosess]

So many cool houses this month.  Might have to make a neighborhood just for them.   

Here's one more... in under deadline!  It took me a while to figure out what to do with this lot.  The path was a bit of a nuisance. I kept wishing it would just disappear.

_____

Crickets chirp and all is peaceful near this quiet, unassuming mountain home.



 
Day breaks...



We see now that the home is a bit older, with some fresh paint and some signs of weather.  It's a small home, suitable for someone's grandparents, perhaps.



The yard is landscaped, but slightly overgrown.



The first floor contains a living room, kitchen with dining area, and bathroom.



The second floor features a large bedroom and a full bath.  Just one bedroom; the owners must not have many visitors.



The occupants can curl up with some good books before retiring.



This concludes our visit.  Shall we be on our way?









You've found the Underground!  It's the hottest club in town, but there are no signs anywhere, and if you don't have the most current passphrase, you may find yourself invited to partake of deelicious caek in the attached Eradication Zone.



For most visitors, the Underground is merely a nightclub, and a great one at that.  Sure, nobody talks about that certain club, and the Bubble Box may be slightly south-west of the legal line.  But you can't really get into too much trouble here... unless the club owner slides you a key to the second floor.



The second floor is where the Underground Elite meet to build skills, develop alliances and devious plans, and get thier marching orders.  From here, the UE can spy on the entire neighborhood (or the local college's women's dorm), and plot their takeover.

For fresh air, sweat, and playing the deity, the UE visits the training compound, convenienty located on the roof.
 


Since Terces Aera Trail is invisible to satellites, the following is the only full-lot picture in existence.  Please to be eating after viewing, kthxbai.





TERCES AERA TRAIL IN ACTION

Lol_style action images - more interior detail and some funnies.

DOWNLOAD

Download 1097 Terces Aera Trail

Created with:  All EP's, Happy Holiday Stuff, Mansions & Gardens

Custom content included:  None.

Playing angles:  This lot plays very easily.  View it from the back, and you can see all the action without changing angles.  Hacks placed on the back exterior wall are easily reached.

Zoning:  Residential, but commercial or secret could work, too.
 
NOTES AND RECOMMENDED HACKS

The Underground

My game has an active underground, identified via Simlogical's Color Keys System. Criminals, vampires, evil witches, Landgraabs, members of secret military societies, and the occasional sweet teenage girl who turns out to be a criminal prodigy all get a key.  Most seemingly innocent community lots have back room poker and shady dealings.  This lot was designed to be their headquarters, a place to build skills and alliances to further their devious plans!  In my game, I'll be locking the second floor to allow members of the underground only.

To make best use of the training facility, replace the upstairs podium with Simwardrobe's Vocational Training controller, located under Objects > Business Facilitators.

The Watchful Cook

The hideout kitchen is designed for the uni NPC cook, spawned by the uni stove on all lots by the Simlogical ShinyTyme NPC Everywhere Patch. He'll make just two plates at a time, clean as he goes, and won't be tempted to serve food upstairs.  After taking these pictures, I gave him a bit of a makeover and now strongly suspect he's the brains behind the whole operation, watching everything...

[Bugger]

Eradication zone... lulz.  I really should incorporate one into every house to deal with pesky neighbors.

[Solowren]

OH MAH GAH.

That lot is awesome! I'm totally going to start some kind of resistance in my hood now.

[Faizah]

@rosess: Interesting make-over. I was all set to say 'Hang on, what happened to the path? And the original walls?', and then I scrolled down to the other pictures. Heh. Clever!

[witch]

OH MAH GAH.

That lot is awesome! I'm totally going to start some kind of resistance in my hood now.

Yeah, ay? I'm just one of the followers here.  Awesome and super cool Rosess, lovely surprise at this time of the month!

Speaking of which, who amongst you has noticed some particularly awkward House of Phail that needs a makeover for next month? I still have pics up in last months thread too, if anything there takes your fancy.

[rosess]

I could never do a Legacy challenge... it's too much fun doing the goofy stuff.  Cracked me up, too, when Pescado made an appearance to check things out during testing.  Grabbed a drink, laughed at a few people, sprinted upstairs to do some spying when nobody else had wandered up yet, and then apparently remembered another appointment and ran off the lot.  It's in the slideshow, though the speed of the inspection was what really made it funny.

Witch, I have your lots snagged for next play session - I don't have any playable witches in this hood yet, and I want to get enough of them to use all those landing porches at the same time.    

[Elvie]

Here's a question, though: Because M&G stuff is technically a mini-expansion, wouldn't houses built with M&G become unusable for those who don't have the M&G stuff pack? As I read it, M&G is considered a mini-expansion because of the new building cheat. I hope they're compatible.

 

I just tried installing Emma's house, which uses M&G. I don't have M&G. I got a message saying something like, "GTFO, luzer, u need stuffpack" (not those words exactly, but the meaning was clear.)

[Lorelei]

Crickets chirp and all is peaceful near this quiet, unassuming mountain home.

ROFFLE!

[Solowren]

I just tried installing Emma's house, which uses M&G. I don't have M&G. I got a message saying something like, "GTFO, luzer, u need stuffpack" (not those words exactly, but the meaning was clear.)

....NOOO.

I NEED THIS HOUSE.

This is almost enough to make me ARRquire M&G. Almost.

[Yecats]

I have been told that double-posting is allowed in this ONE instance.

2 houses finished, in record time, just before the deadline.

1st up, The Cabin.





Master Bedroom, spawn rooms, 'teen' bedroom and two child bedrooms. 
2 upstairs bathrooms and access to the desk from the hallway.



Dining room, lockable kitchen, 'relaxation area' and music nook.  Living room is a little dark, but I liked the look of the leather floor.  Greenhouse is accessible through the living room and the front yard.  The one desk is in the study with the guest bathroom and the lockable staircase.



Download from here: http://www.4shared.com/file/83226055/ac892e20/1097_West_Dreaming_Drive_Cabin.html

Slideshow:

[Yecats]

2nd house.



The Cottage.

2 bedroom, 2 bathroom house.

Bridge over not-so-troubled water, and a spa with a swimmable moat.  Hammocks hidden away to enjoy a lazy afternoon.




Lockable kitchen with entry to yard.  Garden patch along fence-line with compost bin.

Take tea under the pagola and relax while listening to the sound of the fountains in the pond.

Catch a fresh fish for dinner off the bark pier.




Slide Show: 


Download: http://www.4shared.com/file/83222492/1633cb04/1097_West_Dreaming_Drive_Cottage.html

I went a little nuts with the roof angle slider and the solar panels on the cabin. 
I hope the hammocks and coffee table of the cottage work - I was playing with moveobjects and snapobjects.

All EP's and SP's except Pets & Uni.  No store stuff.  Not playtested.

[gethane]

rosess, words can not express my amusement at your entry and your further pictures. Well done. Well done.

[crunk]

Rosess - great house! I was another one of those people who was confused at first. Very tricky, and very well done.

Yecats, great use of water! I like the path as a bridge.

I would like to suggest 190 Sim Lane Pleasantville, but it has already been phailed, so never mind! 

[gethane]

that house has already been phailed Early on. One of the first 2 or 3 I think.

[crunk]

You know what else phailed? My searching skills! 

[Jelenedra]

I would suggest some community lots. A lot of the MAXIS ones are either very ugly or are nothing but uni-taskers. The art galleries, for example, don't have anything to do on them except view pictures. No gift shops, no elite dining area, no BUYING the art?

[mistyk]

I like the idea of community lots also, they are all pretty much phails.

I also like one suggested by Witch last month (not sure which hood it is from though, as I don't remember ever seeing this lot)

204 Old Farm Road (borrowed from Witch's post)


another suggestion
225 Main Street - Pleasantview

[rosess]

That house has potential.  Keep the patio, probably?

Jelenedra, the galleries are the worst.  Isn't there one that's all catwalks and a grocery store or some such?  Weird and useless.  I like big family-owned galleries, with portraits of generations in addition to the buyable art. 

[Jelenedra]

There is one with broken speakers (I think) and a coffee bar with one little table and two chairs WAAAAAY in the back. No bathroom (or a small one, I can't remember). Sims beeline to the coffee bar and never even bother checking out any of the art.

[Bugger]

I like the idea of community lots also, they are all pretty much phails.

I also like one suggested by Witch last month (not sure which hood it is from though, as I don't remember ever seeing this lot)

204 Old Farm Road (borrowed from Witch's post)

If we do that house, I will need someone to move a terlet and fridge right next to my computer.  I like redoing that house, but I get so involved, and it takes me forever.  A community lot that I think needs redoing: the Bluewater Spa.  What  a crappy little spa to send your sims to!

[jolrei]

There is one with broken speakers (I think) and a coffee bar with one little table and two chairs WAAAAAY in the back. No bathroom (or a small one, I can't remember). Sims beeline to the coffee bar and never even bother checking out any of the art.

Isn't that the maxoid art gallery?  I use that a lot precisely because it causes such stupid behaviour.  I have had sims bogart the small theatre there, as well as the coffee bar.

In any case, I am currently annoyed with the total boredom and lack of inspired decoration that is Academie Le Tour, and am redecorating everything there.  The student centre is particularly useless.  2 pool tables and a dart board.  Needs MOAR GEAR (and possibly a real restaurant).

[mistyk]

In any case, I am currently annoyed with the total boredom and lack of inspired decoration that is Academie Le Tour, and am redecorating everything there.  The student centre is particulary useless.  2 pool tables and a dart board.  Needs MOAR GEAR (and possibly a real restaurant).

I agree about the student centre, actually all the uni student centers/unions are pretty bad.

Also the community lots in Veronaville, especially the Market = big fail

another suggestion is maybe do 2 threads, one for house of fail and one for community lot of fail, and you can choose one or both to makeover

[Faizah]

There are some interesting lots in the lot bin... The two story NL townhouses might be interesting. (I've been playing with 1x1 lots lately, so my preference is towards the small. My computer can handle big, but it's so hard to take pictures of the big ones.)

That farm house looks doable, though.

I do like the idea of a simultaneous Community Lot of Fail, maybe with some wiggle room for other non-residential lots. (Lots that were originally residential and converted otherwise would still go in the House of Fail thread from whence they came.)

[rufio]

Can I suggest the Craftman's Pride house from the bin, if it hasn't been phailed already?  Of particular note is the entire third floor, which consists of one huge, very oddly-shaped room and four pockets that cannot be used at all because of the roof.  I have also had sims have routing troubles on the first floor, which has a bathroom plonked right in the middle of the main living room.

rosess - that house is awesome.  I would totally grab it, but I am leery of giving my sims access to that many reward objects, even just a select few.

[Zazazu]

Uni stuff might be interesting. Of course, that would require that we have Uni or that it is rebuilt in basegame. I just redid one of those dumb rentable houses in Sim State, House of Phail style. Still needs work and obviously doesn't qualify as I used a metric fuckton of cc: