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Instructor
Original Poster
#1 Old 18th May 2018 at 4:37 AM
Default Neighborhood Creation Advice: An Old Project
Hi all. I have been working on an in-depth project that involves the creation of an entire neighborhood that includes EP subhoods. It's been a project that has been kind of on a far, far backburner for several years. The neighborhood that I'm referencing to in this post is a neighborhood that is purely a base-game neighborhood. I am looking to get advice as to how to move forward. I haven't done much to it for several years now. I would like to fully build the neighborhood aside from a few lots for players to build as they like. I plan on later editing it to include the capabilities of all the later EP and SPs (including the creation of commercial lots in the downtown area).

The primary questions are:
  • Is the architecture diverse enough to be acceptable to a diverse number of players?
  • Should I ask for additional help from other builders to add diversity?
  • Would you like to help me finish this project quicker?
  • Is the diversity of base-hood commercial lots sufficient?
  • Is there still a demand for base-game neighborhoods?


Just an FYI. The two curved neighborhood areas to the right of the picture that do not have any lots built on them are supposed to be wealthier neighborhoods. The area that has two lots on them in the far top of the picture is supposed to be "modern" and affordable to beginners. The neighborhood that is complete is supposed to be the historical area that is for middle class citizens. Lastly, the lots close to the lake/river area are supposed to be industrial lofts. The overall neighborhood is supposed to be midwestern.

The main thing that I know that I need to change about the neighborhood is how address numbers are assigned. I am an urban planner, so I have learned how addresses are assigned and it is not how I originally thought. The tertiary points that I worry about is that I have a very specific build style and it might not fit every play style, so I am wondering if I should try to include other builders to finish this project.. @triciamanly built two lots in the neighborhood which I like very much. However, my severe unreliability made it difficult to work with. I would like to finish this project now, after a near loss of the project from a harddrive issue. Could anyone load this neighborhood up and give advice whether this project is worth continuing?

Thank you very much for taking the time to read my post.

I might one day finish my Zanes Hollow project, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Until then, you can see what I'm up to on my Simblr!
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Instructor
Original Poster
#2 Old 18th May 2018 at 4:38 AM Last edited by PlyPlay665 : 18th May 2018 at 4:51 AM.
Does anyone know why I can't attach a zip or 7zip file? In any case, the file is located here:

http://www.simfileshare.net/download/548365/

I might one day finish my Zanes Hollow project, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Until then, you can see what I'm up to on my Simblr!
Lab Assistant
#3 Old 18th May 2018 at 8:20 AM
The Hood Building Group often puts out BG neighbourhoods, so there is definitely an interest in them. If you're wondering about how to make a BG hood captivating, you might want to look through their hoods (maybe you already have).

As for the hood you have put up, it looks nice, and from what I read, I like the town planning. I only saw the picture since I am on my phone, and some of the houses look boxy, but can't say for sure if they really are or if the picture is misleading.

Asking for help is always good, there are plenty of people with AGS running on their computers. Unfortunately, I am not one of those people, so I can't help with that, but I can try to provide useful feedback.

In the end, I wish you luck with your project
Mad Poster
#4 Old 18th May 2018 at 11:16 AM
Well, it's your neighborhood, so why shouldn't it be full of neighborhoods in your style? "Everybody" isn't going to play a neighborhood - people who find the neighborhood attractive and more suitable to their needs than other such neighborhoods will. Putting your own personal stamp on it makes it more valuable, rather than less.

That said, this is the perfect opportunity to expand your building style. Use house floor plan sites (including, for the historical district, sites like The Daily Bungalow that publish historical floor plans) to introduce yourself to different looks and techniques for different districts. This will both improve your building skills and shake up how you use the limited set of elements to which you're restricting yourself.

Is this to be a populated hood, or an empty one?

Ugly is in the heart of the beholder.
(My simblr isSim Media Res . Widespot,Widespot RFD: The Subhood, and Land Grant University are all available here. In case you care.)
The Great AntiJen
retired moderator
#5 Old 18th May 2018 at 1:31 PM
Quote: Originally posted by PlyPlay665
Does anyone know why I can't attach a zip or 7zip file? In any case, the file is located here:

Probably because the file size is large - at least that's my guess.

Fan-made hoods are popular, at least with a certain segment of the fan base. When I made Polgannon, I asked if anyone wanted to build a lot but only one person did (Jo). Having said that, I thought her house was a really nice addition to the hood - you can ask people to build with a certain consistency. I liked the idea of having a hood with a variety of lots from various sources and I was a little sad no-one else took up the offer.

I no longer come over to MTS very often but if you would like to ask me a question then you can find me on tumblr or my own site tflc. TFLC has an archive of all my CC downloads.
I'm here on tumblr and my site, tflc
Instructor
Original Poster
#6 Old 18th May 2018 at 4:28 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Peni Griffin
Is this to be a populated hood, or an empty one?


I was intending the BG neighborhood to be empty. My plan is to make the complete collection version a supernatural neighborhood (with all the creatures of the game). That's been the end goal of the whole project - to properly recreate a neighborhood I have in my personal game because I liked the story line that it had going on.

Thanks everyone for your advice. The homes have a good bit of variety in architecture, in my opinion. The layouts are quite different. They're not pure boxes, but depending on who you're asking, they may be a little boxy. The big issue I now have is that when I started the layout of the neighborhood, I used 3x2 lots for all the residential lots. Last night, I went in and changed 10 of them to be 3x3. I might have to do some more changing for the neighborhoods that're supposed to be for the wealthier Sims. Or else it'll look like they're living in McMansions. Also, something I realized when I was playing around with it a few months ago is that almost all of the middle-class homes are 3-bedrooms.

Quote: Originally posted by maxon
Probably because the file size is large - at least that's my guess.

It says the maximum attachment size is 50mb and mine is 32mb. *shrug* Oh well, Sim File Share was to the rescue!

I might one day finish my Zanes Hollow project, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Until then, you can see what I'm up to on my Simblr!
The Great AntiJen
retired moderator
#7 Old 18th May 2018 at 6:20 PM
Quote: Originally posted by PlyPlay665
It says the maximum attachment size is 50mb and mine is 32mb. *shrug* Oh well, Sim File Share was to the rescue!

Yeah - that might just be for uploads, I'm not sure. Might just have been the system playing up. Anyway, as you said, SFS was there.

I no longer come over to MTS very often but if you would like to ask me a question then you can find me on tumblr or my own site tflc. TFLC has an archive of all my CC downloads.
I'm here on tumblr and my site, tflc
Trainee Moderator
staff: trainee moderator
#8 Old 19th May 2018 at 12:57 PM
I can use the AnyGameStarter.. so.. if you need help, I'd be more than happy to help you out!

I like doing neighborhood projects, I've done plenty of them and also uploaded them here on MTS.

So far, the neighborhood looks good to me. If you're worried about the lots, try adding extra rooms to the box shape. That eliminates the general structure a little. Also, the use of diagonal walls can be helpful.

Catalogue of Custom Neighborhoods for TS2
All Hood Building Group neighborhoods are available here
Want to get rid of EA's sims in neighborhoods? Check out my Clean and Empty Steatlh Hoods and Clean and Empty Neighborhood Templates
My Simblr
Instructor
Original Poster
#9 Old 24th May 2018 at 2:01 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Jawusa
I can use the AnyGameStarter.. so.. if you need help, I'd be more than happy to help you out!

I like doing neighborhood projects, I've done plenty of them and also uploaded them here on MTS.

So far, the neighborhood looks good to me. If you're worried about the lots, try adding extra rooms to the box shape. That eliminates the general structure a little. Also, the use of diagonal walls can be helpful.

Thank you for volunteering! Over the past couple of days, I have given it some thought and I think I am going to try to finish the project off myself. My goal is to have it done by the end of the summer. If it doesn't look like much headway is being made by the end of June, I'm going to enlist some help, though.

I might one day finish my Zanes Hollow project, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Until then, you can see what I'm up to on my Simblr!
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