Eaxis House of Fail Makeover Challenge

[Cimaronna]

I am so moving a crazy cat lady into eevilcat's house

Kazzandra has several cats in RL. Just a thought. 

You are teh evil, Cimaronna, narking on me like that! Just food for thought: I'll be up to ten in a few weeks. Our animal shelter got a huge influx and was starting to put kittens down. So I will be the proud slave to ten cats soon-- I'm sure the others will not be pleased. I'll just have to sacrifice more interweb times for kittehs again! 

Also-- I've never played  a EAxis home but I have been lurking and all I can say is WOW! It really does look like a new and different house every time! Grabbing several.

But, but -- You said -- I never said you were crazy! /sputtering 
I dinna nark on ye though, lassie. Ye did that, yourself. *

Real life pets: 9 cats, 4 parrots, 12 chickens, 7 bobwhite quail, 2 turtles, 2 rabbits, 2 geckos, 1 iguana-- you get the picture. Noah's ark without the rain.

Awww! Poor little guys! Send some my way and hats off to you for obvious reasons!

The thing I hate most about EA houses is everything the fact that you often have to rotate them constantly to play. I don't do vertigo well and I always try to build with minimal spinning.

* Apologizes to everyone in forum who actually knows how the phonetic rendering of a Scots accent should appear

[Zazazu]

No kidding! I generally build so that I can pick a viewpoint central along the rear of the house and see the whole house at once as well as the sidewalk (in case anyone new walks by I'd like someone to meet). I hate rotating. Paging up and down is fine, but rotating sucks.

This is a big part of the reason I like small houses and rarely build anything more than 20 squares wide.

[J. M. Pescado]

The thing I hate most about EA houses is everything the fact that you often have to rotate them constantly to play. I don't do vertigo well and I always try to build with minimal spinning.

Try DFAcam. Absolutely no more spinning to play! Never again have your view blocked by tall furniture. Death From Above: Accept no Kewian-based substitutes!

[Cimaronna]

Try DFAcam. Absolutely no more spinning to play! Never again have your view blocked by tall furniture.

Wahoo!
Thank you for that! I was going to ask in the CC thread for camera mod recommendations. Now I don't need to! 

Death From Above: Accept no Kewian-based substitutes!

*makes notes * Ok. I won't.

[witch]

I tend to build so I can see mostly everything from the right hand front corner, looking diagonally. I've currently got one house where the bat box et al is on the back porch and I have to rotate to see them, that's irritating.

I'm keen to try this camera mod too, you've mentioned it before JM.

[J. M. Pescado]

Keep in mind that this isn't a prettycam. Although you can swoop in real close and get decent angles, like I do in Awesomeland, at regular zoom levels, it is designed for play. Once you get used to DFA, you'll find it almost intolerable to use the original, which never angles above 45ish! Mine settles at around 80-90!

[Zazazu]

I tend to build so I can see mostly everything from the right hand front corner, looking diagonally. I've currently got one house where the bat box et al is on the back porch and I have to rotate to see them, that's irritating.

Mine almost always go under the foundation. In the two foundation-less homes and community lots, I have them hidden under the roof. All are placed so that I can click on each without having to rotate. I usually have the in-game Sim Modder, TJ's Sim Blender & ACR controller, lot debugger, TJ's Visitor Controller*, TJ's College Adjuster**, Chaavik's version of Monique's computer***.

In Prospect Beach, I hid them in a phone booth surround, but Teardrop Isle hasn't gone through any prettifications yet. When it does, I'm thinking simulated taxi stands instead, with a one-square rear buffer for hack hiding.

*community and uni lots only
** uni lots only
***residential lots only, if they haven't paid the $1k to have a computer in use all the time. I modded the thing to a $1 cost so all my paupers have no excuse for missing a tax bill.

[Sivany]

I tend to build so I can see mostly everything from the right hand front corner, looking diagonally. I've currently got one house where the bat box et al is on the back porch and I have to rotate to see them, that's irritating.

I'm keen to try this camera mod too, you've mentioned it before JM.

I play at this angle too, although I do wizz around each floor level depending on what room my sims are in so I don't permentantly keep the camera in the corner, just keep the angle the same. The major flaw with this is that 90% of the time I can't see the pavement and so miss all the walk bys that like to trot by at regular intervals and more than once I've moved the camera to find that a random sim apppears to have invited themsevles inside without my knowledge. (This is because my sims BFF seem to take the view that they are allowed to just walk inside without waiting to be greeted. I've never seen the 'greet from afar' interaction because they won't stay ungreeted long enough for my sim to do it.)

[jsalemi]

Once you get used to DFA, you'll find it almost intolerable to use the original, which never angles above 45ish! Mine settles at around 80-90!

What's the difference between your DFA and the Gunmod camera changes?  I've been using the GM ones for ages, and get a top-down view whenever I want.

[Liz]

These were due by the 1st, right?   

So here's my first try at making over a Maxis house, as well as my first attempt at building to Awesomespec. All content is Maxis - no CC. Which is why it took me 12 bloody hours to crank this puppy out. Built with all EPs & all SPs, except Teen, K&B, and Ikea. House is heavy on Pets/Seasons/FT/BV items. Also, very slight jiggerypokery to the tune of moveobjects on and snaptogrid false. Sadly not playtested, but I'll be doing that just as soon as my wrist stops burning from all the hot mouse action it's been getting.

Original price §152,006
Wanded price §85,824

Street View:


Back View:


Ground Floor:


Top Floor:


Notes on front entrance:


Smaller shots:
       

Available here: http://rapidshare.com/files/126294805/190SimLn_liz.rar
Also available 'unfurnished'. Version has bathroom fixtures and kitchen appliances, and the perimeter fence only covers the front. Wanded price is §49,293).
http://rapidshare.com/files/126295174/190SimLn_liz_unfurnished.rar

As this is also my first attempt at sharing a lot, please let me know if I've borked it horribly.

[Jess Maree]

If memory serves, Awesomespec requires the stairs to be lockable/blocked off from nosy visitors. You've done if for the second floor, but not the first. It's a lovely house, Liz! If I had all the EPs I'd download it.

[SnootCB]

That's really nice, Liz.  I like the layout.  I might change the window behind the fridge just because I dislike blocked windows, but other than that it is very nicely decorated.

I've got finals this week, so it'll be a few days before I can get this month's challenge house up.  Sorry.

[Liz]

Thanks, you guys - I'm glad you like it! Been playtesting tonight, and so far it's working out okay. Much fun watching a neighbourhood wolf whinge and moan about not being able to destroy the landscaping. Deal with it, wolfie.

Jess, I know what you mean about the staircase. I thought about that, too, but then I just didn't feel like I had enough room to add those walls downstairs without rethinking my whole layout. Maybe if I'd thought about it before I was about 6 hours into the project, lol... 
SnootCB, I was tempted to switch that window for the very same reason but decided against it. I don't know - I guess I just think it works, but I totally see your point. Looking foward to seeing what you've got for us!

[Cimaronna]

Beautiful! I'm so very looking forward to having the time to load all of my new games! It's going to be a job but it'll be worth it!

[eevilcat]

Did we get a decision on which house to do next? If so, can some kind soul put it up for download as I don't have the default 'hoods in my game.

[Emma]

Which one shall we do? I'll upload it asap then.

[Alex]

How about that absolutely grotesque house that came with Seasons (I think it's called "Harmonious Haven")?

It is, by far, the worst house ever designed by EAxis. The layout is atrocious (huge bathrooms bigger than small bedrooms and a giant room that takes up most of the house with a tiny little pool in the center). It'd be a great house to revamp. I did it once to that house, and turned out rather nice. Maybe if someone can just remove the Seasons specific objects (two fruit trees and some red deck flooring I believe) we could do that one next?

EDIT: This is the house I am talking about. It's terrible. As you have no doubt established, the person who designed this house was quite cleary completely bind. I doubt any other EAxis house in the game could compete in the failness stakes.

[Hecubus]

Oh, good choice. I was thinking of one of those Uni houses that doesn't have enough room for a bed upstairs.

[SnootCB]

Good choice Alex.  I'll have time to upload it either tonight or tomorrow afternoon.  Or if someone REALLY wants to start the July thread NOW and goes ahead and posts it, that's cool too.  I'm also putting together a list of houses to be made over, so if anyone has a specific request now would be the time to make it.

[Emma]

Urgh. I've never seen that house before-it is awful! This should be fun! Nah, we'll wait for you to upload it Snoot.

[snowbawl]

It is funny that you should pick that house.  I just totally redid it not too long ago.  And you are right...it IS horrible!  Will be interesting to see what everyone does, and if anyone keeps the damned tiny pool.

[gethane]

ugly ass house. I figured that was some sort of PlantSim water need fulfilling thing.

[photo]

I assume we can nix the pond like thingy? Cause that would be grand...

[witch]

Might pay for someone to check that it doesn't waterlog the hood. It looks a bit uneven to me.

Plus I would also like to find the lot Rohina referred to, the one without a single bedroom large enough for a double bed.

[mrowcat]

Might pay for someone to check that it doesn't waterlog the hood. It looks a bit uneven to me.

Plus I would also like to find the lot Rohina referred to, the one without a single bedroom large enough for a double bed.

This is the only one in Pleasantview that fits that description (aside from the little white boxes).

105 Sim Lane:


And a pic of the upstairs:


I hope it's the right house, anyways.

Edited to add - sorry for the crap pictures.