Barton's BAT & Lot Workshop

[Raymond7cn 6,772]

Hiya Barton, i'm very interested in your great project, If you couldn't find out some proper props, i'd like to be helpful, even vintage cars.

Sincerely,

-- Raymond

[BartonThinks 3,416]

@Raymond7cn, that's very generous of you to offer. Vintage cars are definitely a bit tricky to find. Below are all of the vehicle props I've found that work for pre-1950s lots. There aren't very many to choose from, though @CT14's most recent prop pack has been extremely helpful

In an ideal world, I'd love to have some different versions of Model Ts and Model As, such as the pictures below. 

That said, I'm not sure if it's a good idea to make props of these just yet. Eventually, I'd like to make a bunch of vintage car automata that I can use during the 1900-1950 period. If I do that, it will give the chance to make the props as well. 

Beyond vehicles, I'm not quite sure what props I'll need. I've found pretty much everything I need for the R$ low-density lots, with one or two very small exceptions. I don't know how hard it will be to find the right props for other types of lots yet. I know I had a really hard time finding appropriate props for some of the industrial lots that I wanted to make, but I'm not sure when I'll start to work on those seriously.

In any case, it's certainly nice to hear that you're interested in the project so far. And I'm sure any props you come up with would be a great addition to the lots.

[Raymond7cn 6,772]

Ah, i like these cars, my next project its related to automata (some Tractors), and Frankly, the prop is more easier than automata, If you don't mind just give me about three weeks for these vintage cars above. Besides, whatsoever you prefer, just let me know, it's glad to see my BATs could be useful to your project.

Sincerely,

-- Raymond

[BartonThinks 3,416]

15 hours ago, Raymond7cn said:

Ah, i like these cars, my next project its related to automata (some Tractors), and Frankly, the prop is more easier than automata, If you don't mind just give me about three weeks for these vintage cars above. Besides, whatsoever you prefer, just let me know, it's glad to see my BATs could be useful to your project.

Sincerely,

-- Raymond

You can take all the time you need, whether that's three weeks or three months or "TBD." I'd be very interested in what you come up with.

If it helps at all, I could keep running list of BATs on my "wishlist." After your post yesterday, I remembered a few buildings and props that I had trouble finding when I was researching BATs and prop packs a few months ago. I wouldn't want you to make anything that you're not actually interested in, but I'd be happy to keep a running list in case there's anything that inspires you.

[Raymond7cn 6,772]

1 hour ago, BartonThinks said:

I remembered a few buildings and props that I had trouble finding when I was researching BATs and prop packs a few months ago.

Just bring them in, wherever here or my thread, I will try my best, Thank you Barton for your kind tips about my Vertiport, You really do me a big favor!

Yours Sincerely,

-- Raymond

[BartonThinks 3,416]

At the risk of appearing totally unhinged...

 

STEAM WISH LIST

Below is a list of props, buildings, etc. that I've had trouble tracking down BATs for, but which I'd like to include with this project. At the moment, I'm not skilled or experienced enough to create these on my own. That could change in the future. In the meantime, I'm making this list: (a) so that I can keep track of these items; (b) in case anyone reading this thread knows of an existing BAT that fits what I need; and (c) in case any skilled BATers think it might be fun to make these items.

It's a long-ish list with lots of pictures and notes. To keep things navigable, I've put each item in spoiler tags.

 

PROPS

Spoiler

Historic Boilers, Tanks, Refineries, etc.

I’ve had trouble finding industrial outbuildings that work for 19th century lots. Gascooker, Jestarr, and Simmer2 all have a ton of great industrial props that are well-suited to early-20th century industries, but they tend to stand out in Victorian-era settings.

I’d love to have some boilers and tanks well-suited to this era (e.g., wood, copper, cast-iron), as well as some more complex outbuildings, like early oil refineries, such as those pictured below.

 

Spoiler

Street Vendors

Before cars took over, it was common for vendors to set up shop in the street. Some would set up small stands on the sidewalks. Others would push carts with goods or food for sale.

I’ve found a few different market props that can be used for table vendors, but there aren’t many options for street vendors with carts. The only one I’ve found that’s suitable to 19th century scenes is from WMP Mega Props Vol 01. It would be great to have more that could be used for lots or T21s in mid-density areas.

 

 

Spoiler

Tannery Props

One of the stage one dirty industry lots I’d like to create is a tannery. I’ve made a rough version that repurposes some existing props, but a proper version would require two types of custom props.

1) Drying racks

2) Dye pits

 

Spoiler

Lime Kilns

A few months ago, I found this excellent BAT with historic lime kilns.

Unfortunately, the kilns and the outbuilding are both part of the same prop, and the roof on the outbuilding doesn’t blend in with the lots I’m creating.

It would be great to get a set of similar lime kiln props that could be used on dirty industry mech lots for the early 19th and late 20th century eras.

 

Spoiler

Tenement Laundry Lines

Residents of late-19th century and early-20th century tenements would typically dry their laundry on lines at the back of the building, and there was a lot of laundry on these lines.

Right now, I’m planning to use MBEAR’s laundry props to try and approximate this on tenement lots. However, his props are standard definition and they tend to include modern clothing items (a lot more color than the picture above), so I'd be happy for an alternative.

 

 

Spoiler

Historic Sims

Krashspeed created a bunch of excellent workmen props for the Historic Harbor series. However, there aren’t a ton of options for other types of historic sims (women, children, commercial and office workers, aristocrats, etc.).

At this point, I tend to avoid using Krashspeed’s workmen props because I don’t want a city that’s 99% working class men in overalls. So it would be great to get some new sims to give the historic lots some variety.

 

 

BUILDINGS

Spoiler

Historic Commercial Buildings

I’ve had a bit of a hard time finding suitable commercial buildings for the late-19th century and early-20th century.

The toughest gap to fill has been mid-density buildings between four to six stories tall. There are a number of options for low-density buildings (from CT14, Spa, JBSimio, and Mattb325 specifically), but I tend to run into the following issues with taller buildings:

• There are a bunch of era-appropriate buildings that are designed for cities like London or Berlin. I can use some of these, but if I use too many, these areas will start to look distinctly European.

• Some other options are suitable for US cities, but the buildings are very distinctive and they look out of place if they appear too many times in a city.

• A number of buildings have baked-in signage, roofjunk, cars, or other features that don’t fit into 19th century settings, and which are a little too noticeable for me to overlook.

There have already been some new commercial buildings BATed since I started this project, so I’m crossing my fingers that I’ll have some new options available in the future.

However, I would be extremely pleased if anyone would like to BAT some era-adaptive commercial buildings for this project. Specifically, this would mean making 2 or 3 versions of each building, modeled for different time periods. (E.g., The first model would be rendered with a 19th century storefront and minimal roofjunk. The second model would update the storefront for the mid 20th century and would add some basic ventilation on the roof. The third model would have a present-day storefront and would replace the basic ventilation with a modern AC system.)

Some reference pictures for late-19th century mid-density commercial buildings:

 

Spoiler

Historic Police Stations

Part of the goal for STEAM is to create a fully workable version of SC4 for each era. To do that, I need era-appropriate substitutes for most of the game’s civic buildings.

The one set of buildings that has given me the most trouble has been police stations. There are a few buildings on the STEX/LEX that have been modded as police stations and are from this era. However, most of these buildings either aren’t recognizable as police stations at first glance or aren’t well-suited to American cities.

In an ideal world, I’d like to have a small, medium, and large police precinct that each feel at home in late-19th century and early 20th-century American settings -- something in the vein of the images below (though all of these would be too large for a small station).

 

 

Spoiler

Historic High-Tech Industry

This one's a little bit vague and requires a bit of explanation, but here goes...

My plan with historic industrial lots is to mimic the original game and use a unique visual style for each type of industry. That is, dirty industry should look grungy, manufacturing should look a bit cleaner, and high-tech industry should look upscale.

Here's my current plan for these lots for the 1875 to 1900 period...

For dirty industry lots, I'm planning to primarily use grungier looking BATs by Gascooker and Jestarr (plus a few other creators)...

   

For manufacturing lots, I plan to use CP's 19th century industrial BATs, since his buildings tend to look a bit cleaner...

   

That leaves me with historic high-tech industry, which has proven a little bit trickier. Right now, I'm planning to use a few of Jestarr's BATs, which have a slightly more upscale feel, plus a couple of BATs that Vester created to serve as historic power plants.

  

The problem is, this only leaves me with four or five BATs to use for turn-of-the-century IHT buildings. That doesn't give me a ton of variety.

Below is my current list of ideas for historic IHT building themes. I don't need to cover all of these, but I'd like to have at least seven or eight different buildings that I can include with the 1875 to 1900 edition of STEAM, and I'd like to have a unique building for each one. If anyone has some bright ideas for which BATs to use on these lots, I'm all ears:

• Electric Lighting Co.
• Telephone Co.
• Automobile Co.
• Photography Co.
• Elevator Co.
• Pocket Timepiece Co.
• Adding Machine Co.
• Typewriter Co.
• Scientific Instruments Co.
• Barography Instruments Co.
• Pneumatic Systems Co.
• Spectroscope Co.
• Locomotor Co.
• Phonograph Co.
• Illuminated Projection Co.

 

BIGGER PROJECTS

Spoiler

Historic Baseball Parks

This is more or less my Holy Grail for this project.

In searching for BATs to use in this project, sports stadiums have been the hardest to find. Almost every high-quality BAT that would work for a minor league or major league stadium substitute includes baked-in features that stand out like a sore thumb in historic cities.

For the turn of the century eras, I’d like to replace both of the stadiums with historic baseball parks. The minor league version would contain a basic wooden grandstand. The major league version would hopefully capture the spirit of Forbes Field, Ebbets Field, and other early 20th century ballparks (Shibe Park has a different feel, but would also work great).

Forbes Field:

Ebbets Field:

Shibe Park:

Older parks with wooden grandstands:

 

 

Spoiler

Historic Amusement Park

I’m planning on adding some custom rewards for this project, and one of the rewards I’d like to include is a historic amusement park, similar to historic Coney Island. Creating BATs for this would take a ton of work, and the amusement park won’t be essential to the project. That said, I think it would make a great addition. I'm also planning on making a World's Fair reward, which would be able to make use of any historic amusement part BATs.

Below are a few pictures from Coney Island around the turn of the century for reference:

[BartonThinks 3,416]

A quick update, since I haven't posted much new stuff for a little while.

Over the past few weeks, I've been combing through the STEX and LEX (as well as TSC, Hide and Seek, and SimCity Plaza) to find all of the R$, R$$, and R$$$ BATs that I'll need for low density lots across all six eras

At this point, I think I've more or less finalized the BATs that I'm planning to use, so I'm in the process of converting them all into a consistent set of props and prop families for lotting. At the same time, I'm compiling the props I'll need for these lots -- I already had most of the props I needed for the R$ lots, but I wanted to make sure that I had the right set of props for each wealth level.

It's been a time-intensive process, but I wanted to make sure I did all this work before moving forward with large sets of lots. This way, I can make sure that all of the low density residential lots are cohesive, with a similar scale and a consistent aesthetic (at least, as consistent as possible).

When I have all the BATs compiled and sorted by wealth level and era, I'll be posting them here for feedback and suggestions. After that, I'm planning to make these lots in large batches, creating all of the R$ stage 1-3 lots first, then R$$, and finally R$$$.

One final note: Thanks again to @Raymond7cn for offering to work on the vintage car props. The models he's posted in his thread look very promising. 

[Raymond7cn 6,772]

51 minutes ago, BartonThinks said:

work on the vintage car props

Sorry for a bit delay, I will try my best to keep up your pace there.

[BartonThinks 3,416]

4 minutes ago, Raymond7cn said:

Sorry for a bit delay, I will try my best to keep up your pace there.

I hope you're kidding, Ray. I mostly posted the update because I felt guilty you were making so much progress while this thread was sitting idle.

[BartonThinks 3,416]

Well, I've finished compiling all of the low density residential buildings I'm going to need. (At least, I think I'm finished. As in, I really, really hope I'm finished.)

Some general notes:

• I wanted to give each era and each wealth level a cohesive look. Because of this, I generally stuck to one or two main creators for each of these sets. I tried to group similarly sized buildings together and give each set a coherent (and era-appropriate) architectural theme.
• In a number of cases, I've grouped these at different wealth levels than they were originally lotted. For example, all of IDS2's Minneapolis houses have been used as R$ homes, when they were originally lotted as R$$ houses. In other cases, I've taken civic buildings and repurposed them as houses (usually R$$$ buildings).
• Each R$$$ set includes some larger mansions, which will go on lots with unique dimensions (e.g., 5x5 or 5x7). This way, each set will have some growable mega-mansions, but the player should be able to control where they actually grow.
• I was a little bit surprised at how hard it was to find BATs for certain time periods and wealth levels. The two biggest problem areas I had were R$$$ homes for various periods, and a variety of R$$ homes for the late 20th century.
  • Most of the R$$$ houses I could find were either much too large, noticeably European, or both. I also had a lot of trouble finding appropriate BATs for certain time periods. In the end, I had to use a bunch of Maxis R$$$ houses, when I had originally hoped to avoid Maxis models as much as possible.
  • I was pretty shocked at how few high-quality BATs exist of larger American suburban houses from the 1950s through the 1990s. Mattb325's suburban stuff tends to fall either pre-WWII or post-Y2K, and I skipped over Bipin's houses for reasons explained at the end of this post. Ultimately, I had to rely heavily on Simgoober's houses. I'm worried that will result in a lack of variety from one era to the next.

Here are the screenshots. I relied most heavily on models from CP, IDS2, Jmyers2043, Mattb325, and Simgoober. Other creators represented include AndisArt,  Colyn, Deadwoods, Dusktrooper, Fantozzi, Girafe, JasonCW, Jbbry232, JenP, Maxis, and Swi21. I don't even want to think about how long the dependencies list will end up being for the total set.

Also, please note that I am very open to feedback on this set. Some key things I'm concerned about: Does the collection feel cohesive? Are there any spots where there isn't enough variety? Is it worth including the mega-mansions as growables? And are there any models that stand out in a bad way?

 

1875 to 1900

 

1900 to 1925

 

1925 to 1950

 

1950 to 1975

 

1975 to 2000

 

2000 to Present

Finally, some notes on what I decided not to include. Some of the biggest reasons I left models out included:

• Size & Scale - The models I chose aren't scaled perfectly with one another, but I did my best to make sure that all of the models were fairly close. That meant skipping a lot of Maxis buildings, as well as some popular BATs by other creators.
• Creator Style - As with scale, I couldn't keep the style of the models 100% consistent, but I tried to make sure nothing stood out too much. I tended to be a little more strict about this with the R$ and R$$ models. The houses in those neighborhoods are closer together, which makes it easier to spot models that don't quite match their neighbors.
• Regional/Temporal Style - My goal with this series was to capture an "Anytown, USA" feel. I've included a few BATs that were modeled after European or otherwise non-American buildings, but there were a lot of BATs that I ended up dropping because they felt a little too regionally distinct, especially when they were side-by-side with other BATs. There were also a number of larger mansions that I left out because their architecture didn't make sense for this time period.
• Baked-in Props/Textures - I tried to avoid being overly strict about this (for example, the 1925 R$$ series has a few houses by Mattb325 with 80's style cars baked into side driveways), but I tried to avoid models where the baked-in props were glaringly anachronistic or where baked-in driveways/yards would cause problems with lotting.
• Reserved for Use - In a few cases, I decided not to use certain models so that I could use them for non-residential buildings.

...and here are a few specific models that I considered including, but ended up leaving out:

• Early 19th Century R$$ Homes by CP - There are number of houses from this set that I plan to use as CO$$ and CO$$$ buildings for the 1875 to 1900 period, which meant leaving them out of the R$$ set.
• Lakehouse by Mattb325 - This one I've left out simply because I plan to use it as a replacement for the Maxis mayor's mansion.
• Monticello by Mattb325 - I'm still pretty on the fence about whether to include this one or not, given the building's well-known history as a plantation.
• Cottages Ornee by Mattb325 - I wrestled with whether or not to include all of the non-orthogonal homes that Mattb325 made as part of this set. If I left them in, the R$$ neighborhoods for 1900 to 1950 would contain 30% to 50% angled houses. I decided to omit them, since it's extremely rare in most American cities to have houses that aren't square to the road.
• American Stick by Homefryes - I was 100% sure that I was going to use these models before I started mapping out the different sets, but it turns out that Homefryes' houses look noticeably undersized next to many of the other buildings that I chose to include.
• Suburban Houses by Bipin - As with Homefryes' series, I was confident that I would end up using Bipin's Diaspra and Hamilton houses. But when I grouped them in with other BATs, they were noticeably bigger than all of the other R$$ homes. Also, the textures and/or the way the models were rendered made them stand out aesthetically in a weird way. In the end, I decided to skip over them.
• UK Bungalows by Mntoes - I came very close to using three of these models for the 1975 to 2000 R$$ collection. However, all three of the models have driveways and other props baked into the models, which makes it near impossible to re-lot the models or create neighborhoods with sufficient variety.
• UK Suburban Homes by Gascooker / UK Suburban Homes by ILL Tonkso - I considered using these houses for the 1975 to 2000 period, since some American suburbs from this time had a faux-Tudor appearance. However, the overall effect was noticeably European. 
• Various Others - I honestly could not tell you how many hours I've spent going through the STEX and LEX the past month, as well as Hide & Seek, SimCity Plaza, and ToutSimCities. It got to the point where I was downloading several files that I had already downloaded and ruled out because I couldn't keep track of which files I had and hadn't downloaded by a certain point.

[Jasoncw 11,840]

People have wanted to do something like this since the game came out, and it's great that you're actually making it happen. Keep up the good work.

[BartonThinks 3,416]

Thanks, @Jasoncw. I hope it's alright that I've used a few of your models for the 2000-present era R$$$ collection, even if they're not actually residential buildings or from the time period in question. I had a lot of trouble finding modern-day mansions, and I thought the Ludwig Mies van der Rohe BATs worked well as neo-modern concrete-and-glass buildings, even if they were originally built in the 1920s and 1940s. I know the Toledo Glass Pavilion has rooms with artworks that you can actually see through the windows, so I'm just pretending that whoever owns the house is an avid collector.

[BartonThinks 3,416]

First update in a little while. Now that I have tentative models in place for all of the low-density residential buildings, I'm back to lotting. Already making changes to which buildings I'm using, but all of the planning from the past few months has been invaluable in figuring out which models to use for which eras, density levels, etc.

Below is a mix of stage 1-3 R$ lots for the Digital Era (2000 to Present). I've created eight different styles of lots, with four variations for each lot style (note that this screenshot only contains some of those lots). The lots are missing textures and vehicles, and they need to have their lot foundation settings adjusted. The city tile I'm using for tests has a decent amount of slopes, and the lots can only withstand low level grades.

All of the lots are using @mattb325 homes. I'm still not 100% sold on some of the models I chose. I might save some of the smaller cottages for the Space Age (1975 to 2000), and I'm not 100% happy with how the models for the Stage 3 1x3 lots (the two-storey cottages), blend in with the Hotondo homes.

Edit: Just realized that some of the timed props aren't visible in this shot because the calendar hadn't advanced sufficiently. The lots are pretty light on flora, but there are a few short trees and garden props missing.

[BartonThinks 3,416]

Made some prototype textures for the R$ stage 1 1x3 lots (a couple of stage 2 lots snuck their way in).

Not loving how the concrete looks for the garden section of the one lot. But I'm pleased with how the rest of the textures are shaping up. The driveways and front walkways turned out nicely, I think.

A small aside: My original plan was to simply make custom base textures for all of the STEAM lots, which seemed like the easiest way to swap textures from one age to the next. I've switched to using the standard Maxis base textures with custom overlays. The main reason for this is so that players who use grass texture mods (like MGB's) can easily change the grass textures.

[BartonThinks 3,416]

Some more progress on the stage 1-3 low density lots. Textures in place for most of the lots at this point. Also made some tweaks to the buildings and props for certain lots. About 40% of the lots still need custom textures and/or small tweaks, but getting close with this set.

[BartonThinks 3,416]

Asking for a little bit of help/advice from the community at this point...

I've been having a bit of trouble with stage 3 R$ lots, specifically lots that are three tiles deep.

I originally tried making 1x3 lots with town homes (see a few posts above this one). However, I wasn't a fan of how they look. The yards look too long and narrow for modern American suburbs. On a similar note, I've never seen properties that look anything like the Maxis stage 3 R$ 1x3 lots, so I'd like to avoid emulating those.

I've considered simply using 1x1 and 1x2 lots for stage 3 R$, but I don't want to mess around with growth stages. As far as I know, it's pretty rare that players only use 3-tile-deep lots, but I don't want players stalling out at growth stage 2 because I've been lazy.

The solution I've landed on is a set of 3x3 lots containing small, townhome-style apartments. For the Digital Age, I've found some models from @Sciurus and @Haarlemmergold that seem like they might be a good fit. I've mocked up some (very rough) concepts for the lots. I've added some parking areas to try and maintain a low-density suburban feel. The building exemplar I've created is for 72 R$ sims (eight townhomes per lot = 9 R$ sims per home), and PIM-X assigns the lot to stage 3 at this size. So I think this works.

That said, I know most lotters reserve these kinds of townhouses for stage 4+ lots. So, if anyone cares to weigh in...

1. Do these look suitable for modern, low-wealth, American suburbs? Will they look out of place if they start to crop up among the @mattb325 suburban houses I've been using?
2. Do these look like they make sense as stage 3 lots? Or do they look like they belong in mid-density areas?

   

Edit: After growing the test lots in-game, the Sciurus homes and lots look suitable, but the Haarlemmergold homes are too tall for suburban environments. I've been hunting on the exchanges for some suitable alternatives, but no luck so far. Found some great options for other eras, but all of the modern-day options I've found are either too small, too big, or just not the right fit aestheticaly.

[mattb325 28,880]

23 hours ago, BartonThinks said:

Will they look out of place if they start to crop up among the @mattb325 suburban houses I've been using?

I've made a gazillion or so townhouses. While there is a reasonable amount of cut-over, the content that has been released differs based on which exchanged it has been uploaded to. The LEX has more of my files than here on ST. 

But if you're worried about things blending in, perhaps the townhouses in these images might work:

 

[BartonThinks 3,416]

3 hours ago, mattb325 said:

I've made a gazillion or so townhouses. While there is a reasonable amount of cut-over, the content that has been released differs based on which exchanged it has been uploaded to. The LEX has more of my files than here on ST. 

But if you're worried about things blending in, perhaps the townhouses in these images might work:

 

Thanks, Matt. I actually have those townhouses tabbed for mid-wealth lots (probably stage 4 and above), so they'll definitely be making an appearance in the future. At this point, your STEX profile and LEX power search results are basically burned into my retinas. They're almost always the first place I look when I'm trying to find the right model.

I've tried a your modern low-wealth terraces, plus a few other options from your R$ and R$$ small homes pack for the lots that are giving me trouble (see rough mockups below). I'm having trouble finding a configuration that (a) offers enough density at three tiles deep to work for stage 3, (b) doesn't look out of place if it starts growing in the middle of low-density suburbs. I'm probably being way too fussy, but as much as the lots make logistical sense, they don't quite feel like they belong in the kinds of neighborhoods I'm trying to model.

I might just put these aside for a bit and see if I like one of these options a bit better after coming back to it with fresh eyes. That would also give me some time to research some real-life inspiration. 

[BartonThinks 3,416]

Well, it took several hours of combing through the STEX and LEX, but I think we have a winner (or, rather, a pair of winners)? Will probably fiddle around with different lot sizes/configurations (including a simple 1x3 lot with two homes), but I think these work well. I was a little worried about their scale, but they're a really good match for the other models I've been using.

[Gn_leugim 853]

This is an interesting and challanging (to say the least) project. worth following!

[BartonThinks 3,416]

Well, serves me right for complaining. As soon as I started to play around with different lot sizes, I found a townhouse-style configuration using Matt's small R$ houses that I quite enjoy on a 2x3 lot.

The models I found yesterday look suitable for the 1975 to 2000 period as well, so this gives me some options.

On 10/17/2020 at 4:17 PM, Gn_leugim said:

This is an interesting and challanging (to say the least) project. worth following!

Thanks, Gn! I've gone through your BATs several times while hunting down models for this project, and they're really great stuff. There's one or two that look like a decent fit for North American cities that I might end up using.

[Gn_leugim 853]

21 hours ago, BartonThinks said:

Thanks, Gn! I've gone through your BATs several times while hunting down models for this project, and they're really great stuff. There's one or two that look like a decent fit for North American cities that I might end up using.

you're welcome!

No wonder, after all they are modelled for Euro cities, so having one or two fitting American style  actually surprises me. I'm glad you can see them fit

I have to say, these last lot configurations are more realistic than some of the original ones. specially those row houses with copies of it self in the back, while having the same capacity. I guess we all know which ones are those   let me note down some ideas then

 

 

[BartonThinks 3,416]

2 hours ago, Gn_leugim said:

you're welcome!

No wonder, after all they are modelled for Euro cities, so having one or two fitting American style  actually surprises me. I'm glad you can see them fit

I have to say, these last lot configurations are more realistic than some of the original ones. specially those row houses with copies of it self in the back, while having the same capacity. I guess we all know which ones are those   let me note down some ideas then

Well, I suppose I shouldn't make any promises about which models I plan to use. I seem to need a fair bit of trial and error to find the right ones. 

It's interesting to hear your thoughts about the original lots. I was trying to emulate some of the smaller townhouse and apartment/condo complexes near where I live (see below). These are spots where developers use private streets, laneways, and footpaths to add extra homes in low-rise areas. So it's not uncommon to see two rows of small homes on lots that would normally only have one row of houses.

Of course, the size and style of these complexes makes them hard to replicate in SC4 without resorting to ploppable lots or micro-managed zoning. It's helpful to know that these early attempts don't quite pass the smell test.

[nos.17 5,120]

On 9/1/2020 at 2:40 PM, BartonThinks said:

I'm 90% done a set of 2x2 R$ lots using the growable trees. The lots still need textures and vehicles, but those might arrive down the road.

Any room for improvement on this set? Things to keep in mind for the next few sets of lots?

Sorry to pop in quite late on this but the only thing I can possibly recommend are some people lingering/gardening in the yards. Some maxis families are quite nice, but also in SG vol 1 and Delecto People.

Other than that great stuff and i appreciate the details you added. Always fun to see what new lotters come up with : )

[BartonThinks 3,416]

5 minutes ago, nos.17 said:

Sorry to pop in quite late on this but the only thing I can possibly recommend are some people lingering/gardening in the yards. Some maxis families are quite nice, but also in SG vol 1 and Delecto People.

Other than that great stuff and i appreciate the details you added. Always fun to see what new lotters come up with : )

Ah, so that's a bit of a worry spot for me.

The main problem is, I've had a lot of trouble finding sims for the pre-1950 lots. So I'm worried that, if I add sims to lots, I'll have a bunch of sims in my post-1950s lots but very few in my pre-1950s lots.

Krashpeed made a bunch of workers for the Historic Harbor set, so I have a ton of options for white, male, working-class sims, but not a ton of options for anyone else. Dolphin66 and Ripptide both made a handful of SD period sims, and there are some WMP sims that work well for the early 20th century. But I'm not aware of many other options.

I'm sure there are some modern day sim props that I can get away with using on older lots. But at the same time, I feel like there are big gaps I won't be able to fill. Outside of one prop from Dolphin66, I haven't found any sims wearing the kinds of wide skirts/dresses that were omnipresent in the late 19th and early 20th century. Similarly, there aren't a ton of male sims wearing the kinds of suits and hats that were required for businessmen and high society of the time.

I'm the sort of player who never really notices sims in the game, so I've just been kind of avoiding the issue. But I imagine they're an important detail for other players, so I might need to figure out a solution. 

(Also: Thanks for the kind words!)

[SimCoug 5,972]

Really cool stuff in here! 

[BartonThinks 3,416]

28 minutes ago, SimCoug said:

Really cool stuff in here! 

New SorGun has been one of my biggest sources of plagiarism inspiration so far, so I'll definitely take the compliment.

[SimCoug 5,972]

40 minutes ago, BartonThinks said:

New SorGun has been one of my biggest sources of plagiarism inspiration so far, so I'll definitely take the compliment.

I'm so glad!  I had a lot of fun working on it back in the day.  I still have everything on an old computer, so hopefully I'm able to add more entries when life slows down a bit and I have the time.  Keep up the great work!

[nos.17 5,120]

21 hours ago, BartonThinks said:

Ah, so that's a bit of a worry spot for me.

The main problem is, I've had a lot of trouble finding sims for the pre-1950 lots. So I'm worried that, if I add sims to lots, I'll have a bunch of sims in my post-1950s lots but very few in my pre-1950s lots.

I'm sure there are some modern day sim props that I can get away with using on older lots. But at the same time, I feel like there are big gaps I won't be able to fill. Outside of one prop from Dolphin66, I haven't found any sims wearing the kinds of wide skirts/dresses that were omnipresent in the late 19th and early 20th century. Similarly, there aren't a ton of male sims wearing the kinds of suits and hats that were required for businessmen and high society of the time.

I'm the sort of player who never really notices sims in the game, so I've just been kind of avoiding the issue. But I imagine they're an important detail for other players, so I might need to figure out a solution. 

(Also: Thanks for the kind words!)

Gotcha. Not much i can do to help you there. I'd bet that the majority of people will not notice, but as the creator that's totally up to you. Maybe this might be a compromise (if you didnt already know)?

  Edited October 20, 2020 by nos.17  

[BartonThinks 3,416]

15 hours ago, nos.17 said:

Gotcha. Not much i can do to help you there. I'd bet that the majority of people will not notice, but as the creator that's totally up to you. Maybe this might be a compromise (if you didnt already know)?

Those will definitely be making an appearance on R$$$ lots.

Also, Raymond has been BATing some excellent period cars for me to use, including a Victorian-era steam-powered car, so it looks like I'll be spoiled for vehicles.

As for sims, I might just leave the lots empty of them for now and cross my fingers that I find a suitable solution (or find someone generous enough to BAT a few period sims). I think it should be pretty easy to add sims in after the fact once the lots are finished. At least, that sounds a lot easier than having to go back and delete or change the props if I try to add them in now.