EAxis house of FAIL: December

[jolrei]

I agree with eevilcat.  The bar is set pretty high already this month.

Perhaps I'll go for something squalid, just to be different.

[SnootCB]

Here's my dilemna: When I packaged the file instead of showing as a lot in clean installer it shows up like a sim would. Matter of fact I believe it says black dress. It may have something to do with the store items I have, not certain really. Before I started I removed my Download folder and all hacks so I am certain thats not the problem. Perhaps any of you have an idea?

Well, from the picture, it does look like Clean Installer is recognizing it as a lot.  Don't know why it insists on taking its LBD with it, though.  Perhaps just clean that stuff out of the package, then re-open it w/ Clean Installer to make sure there aren't any more mysterious tagalongs?  It's a bit more work but at least you could make sure there wouldn't be random CC packaged with the lot.

[Roux]

Well, it's been a few months since I felt inspired to do another House of Fail, but this one looked interesting. And like some others have mentioned, I thought it'd be a good opportunity to mess around with the new stuff in M&G.

111 Stratford Street - Roux
Price: 192,861 (drops to 118,354 with Magic Wandage)
3BR / 4BA + twins-ready nursery
Theme: "Roux wanted to play with M&G stuff." Architectural stuff was taken almost entirely from the Third Empire collection. Interior doesn't really have a theme, so I suppose I'll call it contemporary.



EPs/SPs required:
Everything, including the kitchen sink.

Custom content used, but not included:
Invisible driveway recolor (rdrglx_invisibledriveway.package)
I keep all bonus, Stories, and EA Store objects in my Catalog\Bins folder so I can't delete them in-game. I do not think I used any of them, but there is a chance I accidentally did. If so, just let me know and I'll correct it.

Features:
Anti-pest perimeter
Ground floor nursery
Lockable kitchen and stairwell
Spacious dining/caffeination area
Covered patio with hot tub, grill and dining area
Stairwell has room for hack objects (batbox, macro launcher, etc.)
Large unfurnished room on 2nd floor that could be converted for nearly any use
Greenhouse
Fishable pond

Pictures:












Notes:
Use CleanInstaller, as this lot was packaged with the Phone - Line Controller.

I really didn't want to expand the house too much, since it's already pretty massive. So, I only added space on the left for the kitchen and stairwell, and while I was at it I built a second tower.

The garden-ey part of the courtyard was enclosed to make a greenhouse, and along the right side of the courtyard there's now a covered patio area. (Love the fences that also function as columns, and the architectural decor with working windows!)

Briefly playtested to ensure the study layout worked and the house was generally navigable. However, I think I neglected to add a creativity skill object. Also, there is no desk yet, so you can place The One Desk wherever you desire.

Be warned: the Third Empire windows are a bit screwy. The double ones aren't letting in light the way they should be, and the small round ones don't seem to properly reflect light at night. Hopefully, someone more awesome than me will make a fix for them at some point. (That is, if it hasn't already been fixed and my Google-fu was lacking.)

Lastly, a nit-pick at EAxis: the new green tile roofing doesn't quite match the Third Empire architectural decor. Grrrr.

Download from 4shared

[witch]

Stunning. I love the green and cream together. This house has a lovely clean look.

[Goggalor]

Really great lots everyone!

I have an apartment building this month. Four apartments, all in different sizes, and a communal area that is a book cafe/hangout. Also has a small playground.
It's meant to go on a street corner.

Front:




Back:




Cafe, where sims can have a cup of coffee, play som chess, or arrange an open-mic night.
I used the cafe as a restaurant, however this can slow the game down quite a bit, so I packaged it with a regular kitchen and without the podium.


Overview:






Rents range from 1507 - 8831 (unwanded). I sort of got tired of furnishing, so while all rooms are furnished there's no deco stuff in the bed/bathrooms.

All pics with some interior shots

Download


EDIT: Forgot to say I have all EPs and SPs installed but out of the stuff packs I think I only used K&B and M&G. At least that's what I tried.

[floopyboo]

Goggalor, that is really clever.

What eps/sps does it require?

[SaraMK]

All the houses here are awesome.

Then again, anything is an improvement on that horrible thing.

[Goggalor]

Goggalor, that is really clever.

What eps/sps does it require?

EDIT: Forgot to say I have all EPs and SPs installed but out of the stuff packs I think I only used K&B and M&G. At least that's what I tried.

I loved your museum btw. I find it very difficult to make clean modern buildings like that, and still have them look interesting and not just weird.

[kazebird]

How do you make a restaurant in an apartment? I tried, but couldn't find the items.

Also for a tip, I found the new M&G placement code can be used on wall objects without borking them.

[floopyboo]

I loved your museum btw. I find it very difficult to make clean modern buildings like that, and still have them look interesting and not just weird.

Thankyou. I have a vested interest in art-related stuff.

[Giggy]

How do you make a restaurant in an apartment? I tried, but couldn't find the items.

Have you tried the zoning cheat? it's handy.

[FroggySim]

Okay, this month I will try, too. Feel free to point and laugh. I promise I'll learn :-)

Stratford Hall:

Front



Back



Patio



Floor plans





Music room



View from dining room through kitchen to toddler skilling area



Master bedroom




Features:
Bedrooms: 4 (2 with own bathroom, one with large dressing room)
Bathrooms: 5
Nursery with extra toddler skilling room
Kitchen, dining room, living room, music room, fitness/wellness room (hot tub)
Patio with barbecue (if you want sims to eat outside, remove flowers from table. During play testing I was annoyed that they'd ALWAYS eat outside and not in their dining room) and swimming pool
Fences (repel wildlife), "one-desk"
Fishable pond, fruit trees, greenhouse

Requires: everything (all EP/SPs) except M&G

Can be found here: http://www.4shared.com/file/75035837/c223b9f1/Stratford_Hall.html

[Tingeling]

@Froggysim:
You did a good job! I like the modern and the not-so-modern feel of it. Although, it might be a smidgen more interesting in the back if you put a variety of windows there instead of having them all the same kind. The greenhouse solution is nice. I didn't think of that myself. I am actually starting to miss Glamour life!

@Goggalor:
Oooh, I love the whole European feel of those buildings. I must snatch that later. Great work.

[kazebird]

How do you make a restaurant in an apartment? I tried, but couldn't find the items.

Have you tried the zoning cheat? it's handy.

What do you mean by that? I know you can't change it to community, or else you won't be able to get the mailbox back.

[Giggy]

How do you make a restaurant in an apartment? I tried, but couldn't find the items.

Have you tried the zoning cheat? it's handy.

What do you mean by that? I know you can't change it to community, or else you won't be able to get the mailbox back.

I have tried, it does work

[kazebird]

Doesn't it overwrite the mailbox with the pay phone?

[Giggy]

Why don't you experiment with a clone if you're sure.

[Emma]

Make the lot residential first, build the apartment, then change it to community. The mailbox shouldn't change. Once you've made your restaurant, change the zoning to make it an apartment. The mailbox should then show as the apartment one.

[kazebird]

Thank you very much Emma! I have wanted to do that so badly!

[Goggalor]

Thanks Tingeling.

Parrot:

There's also a mod to make the stuff buyable on residential lots. I got it from MTS2.

There are some quirks with restaurants in apartments though. You can't have counter islands in the apartments, or the hostess will seat people there. Regular tables seem to work fine. Also, if you have a dishwasher in the restaurant kitchen you need it for the playables as well, otherwise they will ignore their sinks and use that. And sometimes it spawns two waiters when there should just be one.

It's great for romance sims who date a lot to be able to fill the dine out want without going anywhere .

[jolrei]

Make the lot residential first, build the apartment, then change it to community. The mailbox shouldn't change. Once you've made your restaurant, change the zoning to make it an apartment. The mailbox should then show as the apartment one.

I (and others) found that the SEDD buyable prevent the proper change to the apartment mailbox.  I had to remove these from downloads to make the apartment conversion work properly.  There may be an updated AL version of the SEDD mailboxes I suppose, but I have not checked.

[Emma]

Yes, there is an updated version available.

[kazebird]

But is it updated for the M&G recolors? I love the shades of wood you can pick now. Also, can you make other shops, like grocery stores or game stores?

Edit: Oh, and Goggalor, I am sorry if it sounded like I was giving all the credit to Emma. You were helpful as well.

Edit of the Edit: Can you safely move mailboxes, because Goggalor's beautiful apartment's mailbox is closer to the trash can than normal.

[jolrei]

Thing that amuses me is that when I removed the SEDD mailboxes from my Downloads folder, all my in-game residential mailboxes suddenly changed colour and are now bright red.  They were sort of aluminum coloured before.

[Alex]

I'm guessing that EAxian logic strikes again, and they have made bright red the new default mailbox colour?