Nobody's mentioned the phenomenon I'm seeing, so I'm thinking it may be a case of 'that's a personal problem, soldier'.

Any sim I'm not actively playing is drawn inexorably to join a 24/7 gathering outside city hall. They're collapsing with exhaustion, peeing all over the place, and the odd one or two are dying. Every now and then sims pick themselves up and head off home, but they always come back. I've a small amount of cc but the only mod I use is awesomemod.

Yoinked.  You can't overdo nurseries. Babies have no discrimination.

They do give a mood boost. When they're lit, you'll see the mood bar has a throbby halo round it. You only need one, anywhere on the lot, to give the effect to the whole household.

I tried downloading it myself, and it worked ok. So, I've just left it as it is for now.

I did Edgewater Apartments right at the start of the month, and they've been lying empty ever since, thanks to TS3. In the spirit of 'I've started, so I'll finish', I finally got round to testing them and posting them.

Edgewater Apartments



I haven't really changed the original building much at all, just tarted up the garden and converted the house to flats. That seems to be what happens to most of these big old houses in the end. There are three flats.

Ground floor: The ground floor flat is quite small, just a lounge, bathroom and double bedroom (rent $862).



Middle floor: The middle flat has 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a lounge, and kitchen/diner (rent $2019).



Penthouse: The penthouse flat is also small, just a lounge bathroom and double bedroom, but it does have a large terrace with hot tub and barbecue. It still seems a ripoff at $2533.



The communal facilities are reasonably good. There's a comfortable lounge, with EA's overswagged curtains and mismatched woods, completely obscuring the art deco style of the house. It seemed in keeping with the kind of makeover these period houses suffer when financial considerations win out over regard for original features. That's just a handy excuse, though. If there'd been matching woods, and decent curtains, I'd have used them.

The problematic communal kitchen



As there is a communal kitchen, the two small flats do not have private kitchens. It led to some bizarre eating manoeuvres, particularly in the penthouse. My test sim would make lunch in the kitchen, completely ignore the handy dining table nearby and trail up to the penthouse, where there was no table, to eat lunch on her knees, and be completely bewildered by the problem of what to do with the dirty plate. Hence the introduction of a dishwasher on the terrace, and a table and chairs. The sim with his own kitchen, on the other hand, would make lunch in his kitchen, interrupt his serving routine to dish up lunch downstairs to some complete stranger in the communal kitchen, then revert to normal service upstairs. I obviously fail to understand the way communal kitchens work in apartments. I always use the macrotastics 'eat' function, and that works fine. If that's not your playing style, you might not want to try out these apartments, unless you do know a workround, or you enjoy watching sims devising extraordinary solutions to ordinary situations.

Skilling (apart from book learning, and music) takes place outdoors. That's where the workout equipment is, near the pool and showers. I thought the sims might be coy about showering in the garden, but they don't mind at all. There's a big greenhouse with fruit trees, and a fishing pond, to keep the fridge stocked. The children have playground equipment, and the adults have goalie practice. There's a woohoo hammock under the willow tree, and a telescope behind the willow, for close encouters of another kind.

Slideshow: http://tinyurl.com/n8lv3w.
(Apologies for even worse quality images than usual, though they do get a bit better 10 frames in. I forgot I'd turned all my graphics settings to the minimum, worried about how the card would cope with TS3.)

Download: http://tinyurl.com/lt55tt

I have all EPs and M&G SP.

The problem may be that you don't have a single entrance to each apartment. There's a back door too, leading onto an open area. If you fence off the bit of garden that belongs to each apartment, making it a sealed unit, that might solve the problem.

It doesn't, of course. You have to build a land bridge. On the plus side, if you then delete the land bridge, wussy kid gets really fit - well, for a while, anyway.

That's because I hyperlinked it up all wrong, but it should work now - I hope.

Double posting because I finally managed to get a house where people can go to work and come back at the end of the working day. It sleeps 4, and tests out ok, but I haven't tried children in it, so I don't know for sure if the playground equipment functions where it is.

4 Closure

Cost: $82,241. Nothing fancy, but comfortable.









Slideshow: http://tinyurl.com/cl5lcs
Download: http://tinyurl.com/dhoh6m

I have all EPs and M&G SP.

That's it. I'm going out.

I didn't touch the trash can, but there was obviously confusion about where the front door was. The paper boy always left the paper at the garden gate; nobody ever used the front door. To read the paper, they went upstairs by the internal stairs, downstairs by the external stairs, trailed over to the gate, and retraced their steps back to the sofa. Then they had to make the whole trip again to get rid of the paper when they'd read it. I tried putting a sofa next to the gate, but they still went the long way round.

Notice the past tense, though. This house is no more, it has ceased to be, it's expired etc. etc. Plus my eviction dream has progressed to the point that I've found storage and a good removal firm, so no worries.

Just tried that, but it didn't make any difference. Thanks for your help, but please don't go to the trouble of testing the lot on your pc. I've just deleted it permanently. I was hoping this was a known problem with an easy solution, but if it's nothing obvious, the lot's not worth wasting any more time on. I've evicted so many testers here, I was actually dreaming about being evicted the other night. I really need to get away from this now!

I'm posting this here because the problem I'm experiencing arose with this house, and I'm hoping someone might know the solution.

I've made over the house twice, neither of which I'm posting, because they're not particularly interesting. The first one is a bit meh, but it functions ok. I kept the original walls, deleted all the interior floors, and built round it, keeping the original door, stairs etc. as required. The second one I didn't alter at all, other than refurnishing it, and adding, off the upstairs balcony, an entirely separate building, to be a home business art gallery. This one doesn't function at all, because the car pool never shows up to take my tester to work. If I make him walk to work, he never comes back and all his needs nosedive into red.

I've tried it with two different (both EA made) testers, and in two different (EA made) hoods, always with the same result. I clean installed it, so it shouldn't be carrying any bizarre hacks, but the problem's still there. Does anyone know what I've done wrong, so I can avoid doing it again some time? 

[I have searched for answers on Maty and the internet at large, so please - no warnings about getting people's goats.]

25 Toboggan Way was second favourite from the lots witch found in February.

7 Carriage Lane looks small and boring, but it's essentially featureless, so would need some extra rules. (Maybe requiring that it can't be more than one floor above ground, or has to be a community lot, or accommodation for vampires/plant sims/witches/whatever?)

Last offering from me this month is a straightforward family home - no home business, no funny business. It will accommodate a family of 6, but it doesn't come cheap.

Havenot Hall - a snip at $179,420, wanded and cleaned.

Conventional facade, a well-stocked garden, and generous greenhouse, which is large enough to generate income, if someone in the family would rather dig than go out to work.

Public rooms on the ground floor are: entrance hall, dining room and bathroom. Private rooms are: nursery for two, kitchen, and skilling room with stairs to the first floor.

Upstairs are two double bedrooms, one twin children's bedroom, two bathrooms, family room, and front balcony with lookout telescope.

Playtested over the time it took my tester to produce baby, throw a rave-up wedding party on terrace, have baby age up to child, and get pregnant again, this time with twins. So much for my 'no population increase' policy. We had a few clogged toilets, but this is a messy family. Otherwise, no problems, apart being the only person at her wedding in grubby old pants and a maternity smock.

Sample shots:
Front


Back


Entrance hall


Dining room


Family room


Bedroom


I have all EPs and M&G SP.

Slideshow: http://tinyurl.com/dzf3ys
Download: http://tinyurl.com/c3ko9a

I like that you've given the lot a modern feel, but with very conventional materials. It looks ecologically sound, somehow

I particularly like the way you've added a wall to the balcony/landing on the top floor. It gives you a much better roofline, which was a real problem with this house. The wooden ceilings were a new idea to me, and they look good with those brick walls. I'm less keen on the idea of a bedroom and bathroom without windows; it would feel very claustrophobic to me. I'd definitely splurge the extra $50 a week for the penthouse.  The 'garage' apartment looks like a good starter apartment. It's very affordable, but stylish and comfortably furnished. 

It will look good in my sensible neighbourhood.

This is just a silly lot, which I don't really think anyone will want to play. In fact, I think it's pretty much unplayable, because the sight lines are just terrible. I'm just posting it for a laugh. It's big, it's ugly, it's not cheap.

NeverEverLand

It comes in at $182,953, but it is intended for the pop idol sector of the market, so it's quite reasonable from that point of view.

It offers:
Ground floor: elegant if showy dining room, with lockable kitchen off; bathroom; spacious entry hall with musical possibilities, and games table adjoining; TV lounge with the homework desk (though children leaving the chair to the right will find themselves trapped behind the settee); pool/hot tub. There is a separate nursery annexe with room for two babies.

First floor: spacious master bedroom, with (unlit) bathroom en suite [the client I had in mind for this would possibly prefer his bathroom unlit]; twin kids' room with bathroom and separate toilet en suite, opening on to a playground terrace; connecting terrace between the bedrooms, with toys, games and snack machines; landing area has chess table and bookcase, for skilling.

Roof area: bar and seating; bubble blower; fruit bar; telescope; exercise sphere; loungers.

Mature trees give the garden privacy. There is a secluded fishing pond, fruit trees and a spa, to cater for all tastes, and a helipad, for those quick getaways.

It has to be said, the whole place is a bit dark, and needs much more lighting. At night it's downright gloomy. I haven't bothered to go in and light it more, because I really don't think anyone's likely to try playing it.

Sample shots:
Back:

Entrance hall:


Master bedroom


Landing:


I have all EPs and M&G SP. Clean installer checked.

Slideshow here: http://tinyurl.com/dyecc6
Download here: http://tinyurl.com/648pyj
 

I'm jealous.

@chobeegal. Well, I'm not surprised your computer struggled. You're going to need to sell a lot of plants to pay the team of gardeners you'll be needing.

Likes: that clinical kitchen, which is such a contrast to all the exuberance going on outside; the whole bedroom floor. Your master bedroom area looks so luxurious, and I particularly like details such as lit closets, and layered curtains.

Not sure about: is that a hole in the middle of the front balcony? It looks a bit risky.

@ Nectere. This is so much better than any holiday hotel my sims have been to. It seems to have everything, peace, raveup, bathing, playground poised above a watery grave, and companionable fishing while you wait for it to happen.

Likes: The little guest house, which looks almost Shakerish next to the rugged log construction; the contrast between the manicured front garden and the wild terrain at the back - just love that wilderness.

Not sure about: is log cabin construction safe over four floors? I'd want to get a structural engineer in before attempting that room over the front balcony.

I don't think we should rule out any particular type of building, otherwise we'll all simply stay in our comfort zone, and get more and more samey.  I know I tend to build all the same type of house, left to my own devices, so I like the fact that, for this challenge only, I've got to think about building round stupid trees, or keeping a path I'd rather build over. It's having irksome restrictions that make you try something different, and let you see ideas others have to get round the same difficulty.  Mistyk's and devilsrope's houses this month are amongst the best we've ever seen, I think, and it would be a shame to automatically rule out having anything like them in the future.

We're not going to be able to suit everyone every time, but if we have variety, everyone gets suited eventually.

I love the ballroom too. The chandelier has finally found its place, and is looking good. I like the ceiling you've put in the upstairs ballroom. It's unusual, but it works. If my sims could be bothered to get married, this is where they'd do it alright.

The problem is, if you can't knock down external walls, you can really only keep the building pretty much as is, or build on to it. Not many people are going to want to make it bigger, I suppose. It might have given people more building options if they could knock down the pool area, and the terrace above it. I prefer big lots myself - those little tiny houses make me feel claustrophobic, and I can't stand feeling I have to navigate round furniture all the time, so this is a welcome change - and it is a genuine challenge. We may not get as many lots as usual, but I bet we'll see some interesting ones.

Jim's Social Club

I was intending this to be a community lot, but then witch mentioned using the 'garage' as accommodation.
I pinched that idea, and made the Social Club a home business, convertible to a community lot quite simply
by knocking down the accommodation section. It's just tacked onto the original house, so would still leave
original walls intact.

The house has a double bedroom, two-crib nursery, and shower room downstairs, with a non-awesome
open plan lounge and kitchen upstairs, with a second shower room. The nursery is definitely cramped, I'm
afraid. (I have a 'no population increase' policy in my neighbourhood, so nurseries seem a bit redundant. I'll
get more use out of it converted to a guest room.) The fenced-off garden area has a fishing pool and a
greenhouse, to keep that food nice and sparkly. There are no external doors to the house, which is
probably a bad thing - access is by doors on the ground and first floor, connecting to the public areas.

The public parts of the building offer a gym, bar, sauna and pool/hot tub room downstairs, with snack and
barbecue facilities. There are roomy toilet and showering facilities, yet most customers have to be
'influenced' to use the showers. There's a definite green fug over the treadmills most of the time. The
garden area has axe throwing, log rolling and basketball areas. No-one has ever used any of these in four
days' testing, so you could probably scrap them and save a bit of money.

Upstairs there is a room for playing music with a microphone, a dj station and dancefloor. There's a TV
corner on the landing, a snooker and darts room. The terrace area has bowling and blowing (bubbles).

Income was running at about $5000 by day 4, which is a bit pathetic, but then my tester was doing nothing
to get customers, or keep them. She seems to have a drink problem.

I have all EPS, and M&G SP.

Cost: $185.089 (wanded and Clean Installer checked)

Front


Ground floor layout



Upstairs layout


Lounge:


Slideshow: http://tinyurl.com/bcy64x
Download: http://tinyurl.com/83tzlj

ServantS? As in 'more than one' and 'live in'? To think of Nanny Crumplebottom and Butler Bill shacked up over the garage ... I wait with bated breath.

I'm just stunned. It's beautiful. The only thing I'd change is the red carpet in the living room, because it makes me think of pub carpeting. Everything else is lovely, so cool and clean - makes me think of unbleached linen.

Your daughter's a frequent flyer, I hope?

See, now I'm just suspicious that you've got plans for the garage. That's what Maty's done to me. I used to be so trusting; but now I look for the subplot.