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Taming the Heights
Created By:
RealPollyMogs
Country: United States of America
Language: US English
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Created: 04.22.2007
Last Updated: 05.14.2007
Number of Entries: 49
Description:Tricks for building on a slope.
Family Name:
Lot Name:
Categories: Designer Diaries,How To/Tutorial
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
Bathmophobia, the fear of steep slopes, is an awful thing for a builder. It limits you to flat terrains
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
...or unsightly lots. Oh, it's fine for the sims who live there, but for the neighbors? Not so much. If this looks good to you, you're reading the wrong tutorial. I'm going to show you some tricks for building a house that follows the contours of your terrain.
We'll be building today on Easter Island, from the awesome creators at Simcastic Designs.
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
It looks like a park, doesn't it? It would be a shame to spoil this gorgeous terrain with awkward blocks of flattened land... so we won't. We're going to build houses on these empty 3x3 lots - one on the downslope and the other on an upslope.
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
Just look at that view! Who wouldn't want to live here?
See those level tiles lining the sidewalk? You'll need some of those, even if you only level a few to get a starting place. You can use a driveway if you play Nightlife or Deluxe, but I used the shovel to level from the trashcan to the corner.
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
You need the level tiles to start laying foundation. We're going to build a walk-out, daylight basement on the downslope.
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
Here's the trick: diagonal foundation. Draw it from your level front corner to the opposite corner.
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
Select a paint with a kick moulding and SHIFT-click to cover the entire foundation. PAGE DOWN to paint the inside as well. Our basement exit will be at the height of the upper kick moulding.
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
You may need to level one square to the moulding to get the right height for your basement walls.
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
Level the inside as well, either by drawing the shovel tool in a square or by clicking. When the terrain is the same height as the moulding inside your foundation, lay a square of flooring. The flooring will stabilize the terrain at the correct height and act as a marker.
When you've got your marker, delete the diagonal foundation.
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
Starting at your level edge, lay out the design for your basement. You can either draw a block to the marker and then demolish the center, or use four lines with a hollow center like I did here. You'll want to cover your marker with the foundation.
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
Very often, the grid above the foundation will be uneven. But that's easy enough to fix.
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
Simply draw your shovel from one corner to the opposite side.
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
And the grid is repaired.
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
Even though you may not play Nightlife or Deluxe right now, it's a good idea to leave some tiles free so that you can add a driveway later. It's much easier to allow for one now than to try to fit it into an occupied house.
A driveway is 5 tiles wide by 8 deep, counting from the sidewalk. An extension is another 8 tiles deep. I'm allowing 6 wide, with an extra tile on the end of the extension for a door or steps.
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
When you've got your driveway and extension allowance marked with flooring, you should cut away any foundation that covers it.
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
Remember to repair your foundation so that the basement will be usable.
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
From your marker, draw the shovel just one tile inside the basement.
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
From that level square, you can flatten the whole interior.
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
A coat of paint tells us that the wall is still at the correct height.
You won't be able to hang anything on these walls - including doors or windows - without using moveobjects on, so let's fix that.
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
CTRL-click and drag with the foundation tool selected to delete the foundation.
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
Using the room tool, draw a box around the level floor.
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
Starting at the edge along your driveway, draw a new line of foundation in the ditch.
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
You only want to surround the part of the basement walls that will be covered by dirt. If the terrain outside the wall is level, leave it alone. You can add doors and windows in those.
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
My lot is extremely steep, so I need to cover most of the basement walls with foundation.
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
See how the terrain hugs the foundation smoothly? That's the look you want - as if the house was growing out of the land.
This is my walk-out. I leveled the area where the foundation doesn't meet so that I can add a door and windows. Go ahead and flatten yours. If you mess it up, just click UNDO and try again.
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
Add your doors and windows, and you've just created a walk-out basement.
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
You can build your house on the foundation above, then add a staircase or connecting stairs.
Here, I've added a small patio. I laid only enough flooring so that it doesn't pull up the terrain into a sharp drop-off. I want to keep those graceful slopes.
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
I'd also like a walkway from the sidewalk to the patio, so I leveled a few more tiles along the sidewalk. The red area is the game's way of telling you, "No", but don't believe it. The terrain will flatten.
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
Three is the magic number here. A wall and - more importantly - your patio are three sets of connecting stairs below the sidewalk. Start on a level tile and install them, using the landing from the previous set to start the next.
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
The direction doesn't matter. What's important is that the last set of connecting stairs points toward your basement walk-out. Delete the steps by holding CTRL and clicking on the bottom step with the connecting stairs tool selected, then lay your walkway on the level tiles.
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
Eye it up. Find some steps you like and re-arrange the flooring so that it looks good to you. I switched my stairs to concrete. I think I'll take out the row of floor tiles along the house too. The drop's a little too steep for my taste.
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
I want a pool on this lot, so I drew a retaining wall outside the patio area. The pool's edges will pull up the terrain into one of those ugly blocks, but the retaining wall will hide that.
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
Once my retaining wall was built, I leveled the terrain inside it to the height of the patio and built my pool. You'll want to leave one tile empty between the pool and retaining wall, so be sure to plan for that.
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
To soften the slope between my walkway and the house, I used the medium Smooth Terrain tool. Please be sure that your basement, walkway, and patio are floored before you use it. Otherwise, it'll mess up all that careful leveling.
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
My sim's trashcan should be safe from angry neighbors now, I think. The slopes also make the trees maintenance-free because leaves won't fall on a hill - something else to consider if you play Seasons.
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
But what if your sim's lot slopes upwards?
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
You could, of course, beat the terrain into submission by flattening everything.
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
But that would put your upper floor just at sidewalk level. You can expect Miss Crumplebottom for tea.
You already know to use foundation when you're building down. To go up, you should use walls.
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
First, though, you need to decide where you want to put your driveway and extension/garage. I allowed room for them on the busy corner and marked the highest point of the lot with soil paint. I want to leave that spot empty so I can fill it with trees to screen the rooms on my upper floor.
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
As I said before, you need walls when you're building upwards. Draw the wall tool diagonally from a spot that's level with the driveway toward your high point until the area it covers is the size you want for your house - or until you get the "Can't place on slope" message, like I did.
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
When you've gone as far as you need to - or as far as the game allows - build a small room.
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
To get the proper height for your foundation, lay some floor tiles on the edge of the room.
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
Raise the terrain below the edge of the flooring as high as it will go, then level the row beneath them.
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
Mark your level spot with flooring to stabilize it and then delete all walls.
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
You can build your ground floor walls now, one tile away from your level marker. In the ditch between the marker and the walls, draw foundation where the terrain would block views from windows and doors - just like you did when building on the downslope.
That's it! You can add your second story and finish off the house.
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
See how it nestles into the slope? The trees screen a broad terrace from passersby and neighbors
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
...and your garage is at ground level.
The tricks again: to build down, use foundation. To go up, use walls.
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Created: 05.14.2007 - Updated: 05.14.2007
I think my sims and I are going to like it here.
Many, many thanks to Simcastic Designs for Easter Island and to you, for reading this. ~ Polly
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Created: 05.14.2007 Updated: 05.14.2007
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Created: 05.14.2007 Updated: 05.14.2007
Bathmophobia, the fear of steep slopes, is an awful thing for a builder. It limits you to flat terrains
|
 |
Created: 05.14.2007 Updated: 05.14.2007
...or unsightly lots. Oh, it's fine for the sims who live there, but for the neighbors? Not so much. If this looks good to you, you're reading the wrong tutorial. I'm going to show you some tricks for building a house that follows the contours of your terrain.
We'll be building today on Easter Island, from the awesome creators at Simcastic Designs.
|
 |
Created: 05.14.2007 Updated: 05.14.2007
It looks like a park, doesn't it? It would be a shame to spoil this gorgeous terrain with awkward blocks of flattened land... so we won't. We're going to build houses on these empty 3x3 lots - one on the downslope and the other on an upslope.
|
 |
Created: 05.14.2007 Updated: 05.14.2007
Just look at that view! Who wouldn't want to live here?
See those level tiles lining the sidewalk? You'll need some of those, even if you only level a few to get a starting place. You can use a driveway if you play Nightlife or Deluxe, but I used the shovel to level from the trashcan to the corner.
|
 |
Created: 05.14.2007 Updated: 05.14.2007
You need the level tiles to start laying foundation. We're going to build a walk-out, daylight basement on the downslope.
|
 |
Created: 05.14.2007 Updated: 05.14.2007
Here's the trick: diagonal foundation. Draw it from your level front corner to the opposite corner.
|
 |
Created: 05.14.2007 Updated: 05.14.2007
Select a paint with a kick moulding and SHIFT-click to cover the entire foundation. PAGE DOWN to paint the inside as well. Our basement exit will be at the height of the upper kick moulding.
|
 |
Created: 05.14.2007 Updated: 05.14.2007
You may need to level one square to the moulding to get the right height for your basement walls.
|
 |
Created: 05.14.2007 Updated: 05.14.2007
Level the inside as well, either by drawing the shovel tool in a square or by clicking. When the terrain is the same height as the moulding inside your foundation, lay a square of flooring. The flooring will stabilize the terrain at the correct height and act as a marker.
When you've got your marker, delete the diagonal foundation.
|
 |
Created: 05.14.2007 Updated: 05.14.2007
Starting at your level edge, lay out the design for your basement. You can either draw a block to the marker and then demolish the center, or use four lines with a hollow center like I did here. You'll want to cover your marker with the foundation.
|
 |
Created: 05.14.2007 Updated: 05.14.2007
Very often, the grid above the foundation will be uneven. But that's easy enough to fix.
|
 |
Created: 05.14.2007 Updated: 05.14.2007
Simply draw your shovel from one corner to the opposite side.
|
 |
Created: 05.14.2007 Updated: 05.14.2007
And the grid is repaired.
|
 |
Created: 05.14.2007 Updated: 05.14.2007
Even though you may not play Nightlife or Deluxe right now, it's a good idea to leave some tiles free so that you can add a driveway later. It's much easier to allow for one now than to try to fit it into an occupied house.
A driveway is 5 tiles wide by 8 deep, counting from the sidewalk. An extension is another 8 tiles deep. I'm allowing 6 wide, with an extra tile on the end of the extension for a door or steps.
|
 |
Created: 05.14.2007 Updated: 05.14.2007
When you've got your driveway and extension allowance marked with flooring, you should cut away any foundation that covers it.
|
 |
Created: 05.14.2007 Updated: 05.14.2007
Remember to repair your foundation so that the basement will be usable.
|
 |
Created: 05.14.2007 Updated: 05.14.2007
From your marker, draw the shovel just one tile inside the basement.
|
 |
Created: 05.14.2007 Updated: 05.14.2007
From that level square, you can flatten the whole interior.
|
 |
Created: 05.14.2007 Updated: 05.14.2007
A coat of paint tells us that the wall is still at the correct height.
You won't be able to hang anything on these walls - including doors or windows - without using moveobjects on, so let's fix that.
|
 |
Created: 05.14.2007 Updated: 05.14.2007
CTRL-click and drag with the foundation tool selected to delete the foundation.
|
 |
Created: 05.14.2007 Updated: 05.14.2007
Using the room tool, draw a box around the level floor.
|
 |
Created: 05.14.2007 Updated: 05.14.2007
Starting at the edge along your driveway, draw a new line of foundation in the ditch.
|
 |
Created: 05.14.2007 Updated: 05.14.2007
You only want to surround the part of the basement walls that will be covered by dirt. If the terrain outside the wall is level, leave it alone. You can add doors and windows in those.
|
 |
Created: 05.14.2007 Updated: 05.14.2007
My lot is extremely steep, so I need to cover most of the basement walls with foundation.
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