NTM's Lot Workshop

[nathanthemayor 1,263]

Do u all remember the airport I uploaded on the STEX? Well, I decided to upload a version 2 becuase I have made sooooooooo many changes to it, including transit-enabled it.

[hittwice99 619]

Originally posted by: nathanthemayor

I have made sooooooooo many changes to it

quote>

I do remember that airport you uploaded and I always thought the terminal should be larger and more custom props should be added.

Original: https://www.simtropolis.com/stex/details.cfm?id=23175

I can see you have added some luggage around the planes but it still looks too empty for an international airport. Here is a link to some good airport terminals and airplanes from the STEX (as you might already know).

https://www.simtropolis.com/stex/index.cfm?p=results

Comment by: nathanthemayor

I don't have any of that custom airport stuff because it takes up space both on my hard drive and in the airport menu.

quote>

It is totally your choice if you want to use it,  but it would make your airport more realistic.

[nathanthemayor 1,263]

Sorry I have put anything up here. As you know from my BAT thread, i have not have simcity installed since March. However, now I do. I am finishing up my international airport ver2 and will upload it sometine this week. After that, i will start a new lot project(Some simple ideas, please).

[nathanthemayor 1,263]

Here is my current lot project:A radar station

[hittwice99 619]

A nice idea but I would like to give you some advice.

Firstly, take a screenshot of your lot in the day so the details can be seen more clearly. If the lot has night lights / night features then add a night shot. The lot itself could do with more detail in regard to props and more interesting buildings. It uses common Maxis buildings that could be replaced with some more interesting ones.

Before starting a lot project, I always search around the STEX and LEX for suitable dependencies. It can be a long and challenging process, but you will find that doing this would improve the overall appearance of your lots. Better still if you can make your own unique models. Click here to view the LEX master dependency list. Download a few that you think would fit well for your lot.

A good program for viewing the contents of a prop pack is the PIM-X. It is a more advanced version of the Maxis Lot Editor and PIM combined. I mainly use it to create growable lots and to view the contents of prop packs to save time. So I recommend using this because I think it would help you. Once you have downloaded some prop packs, you can view them in the PIM-X (put in plugins folder first). It allows an image of the prop / model to be seen so you can quickly scroll through the pack without having to manually select them from exemplar names in the Lot Editor. So when you have decided on a good combination of props, you can add them to your lot.

As I have gained experience from lotting, I have recently released version 2 of my BFPP and my CDTS. Just look at how I have improved from using more custom content in my uploads.

BFPP - Version 1   >>  BFPP - Version 2 
CDTS - Version 1  >>  CDTS - Version 2

I hope this inspires you and I wish you all the best for ypur future projects.

[nathanthemayor 1,263]

Well, I have some bad news, as my signniture says, I will be on vacation(Not telling you where) from June 19-July 15. During this time you may respond on this and other threads, but i will have a low chance of responding back.

@hitwice99:What is PIM?

[hittwice99 619]

I hope you had a great vacation! The PIM stands for the Plug in Manager. There are two PIM's, one comes with the BAT and Lot Editor, the other is made by SC4 Devotion members (PIM-X). In both instances of the PIM, you can edit lot properties (name, costs, pollution etc) and create a desc file from a model. The PIM-X is a more powerful tool which also displays an image of a selected model by scrolling down the list. It is also useful in viewing the contents of prop packs.

[hittwice99 619]

I hope you had a great vacation! The PIM stands for the Plug in Manager. There are two PIM's, one comes with the BAT and Lot Editor, the other is made by SC4 Devotion members (PIM-X). In both instances of the PIM, you can edit lot properties (name, costs, pollution etc) and create a desc file from a model. The PIM-X is a more powerful tool which also displays an image of a selected model by scrolling down the list. It is also useful in viewing the contents of prop packs.

[hittwice99 619]

I hope you had a great vacation! The PIM stands for the Plug in Manager. There are two PIM's, one comes with the BAT and Lot Editor, the other is made by SC4 Devotion members (PIM-X). In both instances of the PIM, you can edit lot properties (name, costs, pollution etc) and create a desc file from a model. The PIM-X is a more powerful tool which also displays an image of a selected model by scrolling down the list. It is also useful in viewing the contents of prop packs.

[hittwice99 619]

I hope you had a great vacation! The PIM stands for the Plug in Manager. There are two PIM's, one comes with the BAT and Lot Editor, the other is made by SC4 Devotion members (PIM-X). In both instances of the PIM, you can edit lot properties (name, costs, pollution etc) and create a desc file from a model. The PIM-X is a more powerful tool which also displays an image of a selected model by scrolling down the list. It is also useful in viewing the contents of prop packs.

[nathanthemayor 1,263]

I am going to give up on my radar station, but I am starting a park which will look like one near my house. I will provide a pic in a few hours!

[nathanthemayor 1,263]

Here is the photo, and it is basically what the park looks like in real life:

[nathanthemayor 1,263]

Well, here is a preview to my next project:I set of lots that allow you to build your own promenade/boardwalk! I am going to start on them now and will post a pic probably tomorrow.

[DCMetro34 577]

Originally posted by: nathanthemayor

Well, here is a preview to my next project:I set of lots that allow you to build your own promenade/boardwalk! I am going to start on them now and will post a pic probably tomorrow.quote>

Not to be mean, but I don't see a picture preview....

-DC

[Sam 163]

I can't see it either. If it is a png then I suggest changing it to a jpeg so that everyone can see it.

[nathanthemayor 1,263]

I am restarting lotting again, first with a modern hgih school

Note:I know that the basketball courts are off. I will fix it later.

[T Wrecks 10,210]

Hmm... I wouldn't make a sports pitch and the school on one lot. There are tons of different sports pitches made by various authors, not to mention football, soccer, baseball, and rugby fields. I prefer plopping one next to a school in any configuration and orientation that best suits the surrounding - not least because this helps to avoid a too repetitive look: every school campus will be slightly different.

Making new lots for those Maxis school buildings is a good idea, but I think some custom textures and props would do wonders. Textures carefully matched to the building would look so much better than a sea of bare concrete. That would be far more important than adding some canal props, which will add a rather random and unexpected dependency, but no obvious purpose.

Finally, some general advice: Instead of writing that you will post a picture in a few hours and then posting again, simply wait till you have the picture and post then. This will help the thread to remain focused and reduce clutter.

[nathanthemayor 1,263]

I added a fence so that the kids don't ditch as well as a cop car to control fights. I also got rid of the soccer stadium and track field and put more props in.

Note:I will add prop trees later.

[nathanthemayor 1,263]

I am giving up on my high school project since I can't find it in my plugins and here is my next one:

A set of lots which allow you to test out your RHW interchanges,etc.

[MandelSoft 2,775]

Err... Nathan. I don't want to spoil things but there are some lots on the STEX that do just that called Traffic Generators.

[Evillions 552]

Originally posted by: mrtnrln

Err... Nathan. I don't want to spoil things but there are some lots on the STEX that do just that called Traffic Generators.quote>

Nuff said..

[nathanthemayor 1,263]

Originally posted by: Evillions

Nuff said..

Originally posted by: mrtnrln

Err... Nathan. I don't want to spoil things but there are some lots on the STEX that do just that called Traffic Generators.quote>

quote>

Well, those require what are called dependences. Mine are for people who don't want to download extra stuff.

[nathanthemayor 1,263]

Here is my next project:

[nathanthemayor 1,263]

Any other suggestions before i release this on Friday?

[TekindusT 3,809]

Here go my suggestions. I've never messed with the LE, but my suggestions in this kind of threads are always on the aesthetics side.

1) Don't you think that it would be very unconfortable for pedestrians to get into the station dodging the cars parked on the parking lot? I think a plaza in front of the main building would look nice and would be realistic enough. I would make the lot one tile wider and replace the parking lots with pedestrian areas and; on the outer tiles, place only four lots (two on each side) allowing one tile for pedestrian traffic.

2) It doesn't seem to be a safe way to get to the platforms between tracks. I don't know if you could use pedestrian overpasses props to allow commuters to reach the platforms far from the main station building. Of course, those would be associated dependancies.

3) In a more personal opinion, I think it would be nice and realistic to see some signs on the platforms telling the commuters inside the trains in what station are they. I've seen them in other stations in the STEX, maybe they're dependent props; I'm not sure.

[nathanthemayor 1,263]

Update to my project, I am not going to upload it today but maybe Sunday.

Are the bus stop signs Maxis or custom?

[nathanthemayor 1,263]

quote>

Okay, since my project failed, I am going to release a Ver 1.1. What could I improve?And btw please I am not really a custom content person.

[T Wrecks 10,210]

"Not a custom content person", eh? If that's true, then where do these stairs come from? They are definitely not Maxis. And why do you ask whether the bus stop signs are custom or not?

I've said it a million times: NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER use the plugins folder you're playing with when you create lots; ALWAYS make an empty plugins folder and add ONLY those dependency packs that you are going to use. Likewise, ALWAYS test your lot with a plugins folder that contains ONLY those dependencies that you are going to state in the upload description. There is really no reason whatsoever to be in doubt about dependencies, you can determine them all with 100% certainty, and it takes but a few minutes.

Btw, if you stick to not using any custom content, your lots will most likely be no different from what has been done in 2003-2004, before the BAT came out. There are many decent Maxis re-lots from that time, and meanwhile there are many good train station BATs. The approach you chose - sprucing up Maxis stuff with some custom props - is not bad, although you are apparently not even aware that you are adding custom content to Maxis stuff. Those stairs are a good idea, but the open space in front of the station building doesn't look very convincing. The objects on it appear to be randomly scattered just to fill the place somwhow. There are tables and chairs as well as trashcans standing around in the middle of nowhere without any apparent reason, there are two different kinds of phone booths, but there is no shelter for passengers waiting for the bus, there is no bike shelter, there are three mailboxes standing around on the right half of the lot (but none on the left half)... it all just doesn't look logical.

Look at some other stations and see what you like and what you think they are lacking. This should give you some ideas.

[nathanthemayor 1,263]

Tonight, i worked on my project and edited the properties. I am using the maxis stairs, bus stops, and platforms.

[nathanthemayor 1,263]

Here is my next project:A lot which randomly generates Animals:'