Well, my goal was to finish this world before SWTOR launched as I knew I would dedicate my free time to it once available. I probably would have finished, too, despite the vacation and tonsillectomy AND fully deleting my files once if I hadn't gotten into the beta for said game. (Don't worry, I checked the NDA... I can say that much.) Now the world is only getting minor updates.
The fun house is almost done and I really think the only other thing to put in is the explorable tomb. I may even put in the empty lot, upload an export of it to the Exchange and then run a contest to let others make one so that I'm not holding it back. Once the lots are done, there's still a lot of work to do, of course.
I will need to use Custard to remove all custom content from the 10x10s that had extra content in them. Then, so that they don't load with empty content, I need to load them into a working game and re-export them. This will allow the game to fill in any replaced objects or textures. Some of the 10x10s that had corrupt content will need to have some editing done to them. For example, one of the corrupt houses loads without any windows or doors once its custom content has been removed because Custard simply removes objects instead of replacing them as the game does. Hmm, now that I think of it, I bet I'll need to install the houses to a new game, uninstall any installed CC, then load them up in the game and re-export them. That way the CC will get replaced instead of just removed as Custard would do it. Aah, frustrating.
Also, all of the lots need to be named with addresses. Many people didn't put titles or descriptions on their lots, so I will need to add those, too. Once all of the lots are done, I need to get the mods that allow sims to be imported and have family and job connections created. And then... the playtesting.
Anyway, I wanted to let you know where the world is at right now and why it's been on hold for so long. At least my husband was able to recover my Sims 3 folder which I'd deleted. Otherwise there simply wouldn't be a world anymore since I hadn't backed up since March! (I have another backup now. :D)
Friday, October 7, 2011
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Lot Spotlight: The Lighthouse!
The generic lighthouse object has been replaced by a working yet liveable lighthouse in Serenity Point. The lighthouse beacon can be toggled on and off by means of a floor switch. The home sleeps a couple although there is a single bed in the lighthouse itself. I'm very pleased with the way it came out and think it looks better in the world than the EA lighthouse object did. I'm so glad to have a lighthouse that people can interact with.
You can see all of the pictures over on my creation blog, but here is teaser!
From the Serenity Point news bulletin:
In the mid-1800s, the Japanese government hired a European firm to build lighthouses to make the waters around Japan safe for shipping. The lighthouses built near the end of the 19th century were European in design while the lighthouses built in Japan before this contract tended to be traditional Japanese architecture and smaller.
Needing a lighthouse for our growing community, the Serenity Point town government has decided to pay homage to the traditional Japanese lighthouse with the unveiling of Hachimenreirou Toudai (Serenity Lighthouse). This lighthouse has been constructed on Asian Cliff overlooking the main town. A traditional-style yet updated home has been constructed with it so that the lighthouse keeper may live in comfort and stay rested and focused on this important job. As a lot that will be open to tourists and a showcase to visitors, the home is larger than others in Serenity Point with room for entertaining guests and completing needed repairs.
While intended to honor the asian members of our community, delight all townspeople and to teach visitors about the history lighthouses and of Serenity Point, this lighthouse will still be fully functional and will protect both the town and passing ships by keeping us all a safe distance apart.
In Serenity Point:
You can see all of the pictures over on my creation blog, but here is teaser!
From the Serenity Point news bulletin:
In the mid-1800s, the Japanese government hired a European firm to build lighthouses to make the waters around Japan safe for shipping. The lighthouses built near the end of the 19th century were European in design while the lighthouses built in Japan before this contract tended to be traditional Japanese architecture and smaller.
Needing a lighthouse for our growing community, the Serenity Point town government has decided to pay homage to the traditional Japanese lighthouse with the unveiling of Hachimenreirou Toudai (Serenity Lighthouse). This lighthouse has been constructed on Asian Cliff overlooking the main town. A traditional-style yet updated home has been constructed with it so that the lighthouse keeper may live in comfort and stay rested and focused on this important job. As a lot that will be open to tourists and a showcase to visitors, the home is larger than others in Serenity Point with room for entertaining guests and completing needed repairs.
While intended to honor the asian members of our community, delight all townspeople and to teach visitors about the history lighthouses and of Serenity Point, this lighthouse will still be fully functional and will protect both the town and passing ships by keeping us all a safe distance apart.
In Serenity Point:
Saturday, June 11, 2011
:sniff: Teleportation reward area is a No Go
Well, I did some more testing with the world and it looks like keeping one section of the world separate so that one must use teleportation to reach it is not going to be playable. Theoretically everything can be set up, the routing paint, etc., but the world experiences drastic freezes when being played in real game. I noticed the freezes several months ago and recently narrowed it down to know that the world with routing paint blocking the campground from access has these freezes and the same world with just the routing paint deleted does not. I even used exactly the same save file to test it in game.
I had previously added subway stations to the game to see if this would resolve the freezing issue, but without a routing path in place, sims don't seem to voluntarily use the subway. They just indicate that there's no way to get where you want, even if a subway trip would allow them access to the other area of the world. The freezes still occurred as well.
What does that mean for Serenity Point? Well, I'm going to have to put in some kind of routing path. I'm still going to have the huge cliff (and it will still have routing paint so sims can magically walk up it), but there will be a road that will give access to this area. I don't really want a paved street cutting through the forest, so I may use the dirt road in the mystical woods area and extend it with a bridge across the river into the enlightenment campground. A dirt road will probably look better anyway.
Now that I know the area will have a road connecting it to the main area, I need to decide if I want to go back to the idea of having a subway station so that people can bypass the incredibly long road if they want to. *shrugs* I don't know yet. I'm still reeling from having to put in a road and chance my concept. I'm sure it will be better in the long run as the people in the valley will have access to the spawners on the plateau so I won't have to put in two of everything. <--- That was my pep talk. :)
I had previously added subway stations to the game to see if this would resolve the freezing issue, but without a routing path in place, sims don't seem to voluntarily use the subway. They just indicate that there's no way to get where you want, even if a subway trip would allow them access to the other area of the world. The freezes still occurred as well.
What does that mean for Serenity Point? Well, I'm going to have to put in some kind of routing path. I'm still going to have the huge cliff (and it will still have routing paint so sims can magically walk up it), but there will be a road that will give access to this area. I don't really want a paved street cutting through the forest, so I may use the dirt road in the mystical woods area and extend it with a bridge across the river into the enlightenment campground. A dirt road will probably look better anyway.
Now that I know the area will have a road connecting it to the main area, I need to decide if I want to go back to the idea of having a subway station so that people can bypass the incredibly long road if they want to. *shrugs* I don't know yet. I'm still reeling from having to put in a road and chance my concept. I'm sure it will be better in the long run as the people in the valley will have access to the spawners on the plateau so I won't have to put in two of everything. <--- That was my pep talk. :)
Monday, June 6, 2011
A Few More Additions!
EmpressPamela and Luckyheather have generously donated some lots to Serenity Point. I was really impressed with their work in the 10x10 community lot contest and asked if they'd be interested making a starter home of a particular style. I'm very grateful that they both did!
Here's EmpressPamela's beach starter (second from the left) right next to her awesome arcade. She named it Tangerine Dream (so cool!). I switched the location of the arcade because I think it gives a really nice color progression.
Luckyheather, who has shown she's so talented at industrial builds (okay, among other styles, too!), made a great industrial starter for the back street. Here's a couple pictures to entice you into this starter home...
Luckyheather also donated a pool to the world! I had a big empty lot downtown that I didn't know what to do with it, and she had the great suggestion of putting a pool there. Of course, making the suggestion is offering to do it, right? >:D I will need to find the picture that was the inspiration and add it here, because she did a wonderful job recreating a classically inspired building. It fits in with Cherry Lane and the historic downtown really well, and I added a couple homes to help it blend in with the industrial back street that it touches. So glad to have a real pool!
Here's EmpressPamela's beach starter (second from the left) right next to her awesome arcade. She named it Tangerine Dream (so cool!). I switched the location of the arcade because I think it gives a really nice color progression.
Luckyheather, who has shown she's so talented at industrial builds (okay, among other styles, too!), made a great industrial starter for the back street. Here's a couple pictures to entice you into this starter home...
Luckyheather also donated a pool to the world! I had a big empty lot downtown that I didn't know what to do with it, and she had the great suggestion of putting a pool there. Of course, making the suggestion is offering to do it, right? >:D I will need to find the picture that was the inspiration and add it here, because she did a wonderful job recreating a classically inspired building. It fits in with Cherry Lane and the historic downtown really well, and I added a couple homes to help it blend in with the industrial back street that it touches. So glad to have a real pool!
Serenity Point Public Services
The town hall/military base/police station for Serenity Point has been in the world for about a month now, but the poor thing never got any publicity. So here's a post full of pics! There are rooms built onto the front of the building which are just offices for now. There's also an archivist's office and vault in the underground walkway. It's basically meant to be a motherlode for kleptos. :D
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
10x10 Community Lots Have Been Added!
Enjoy an updated picture of Serenity Point! The winning lots from my 10x10 Community Lot Contest have been added to the world. Also, the lighthouse decorative objects has been replaced with a residential lot that has a working lighthouse on it. I think it matched a lot better! I've also done some more sculpting on the cliff behind the town. I need to decide what I'm going to do with that big expanse of flat green on the way to the lighthouse. It's just sort of blah right now, but I think I have enough rocky areas... perhaps I'll make that whole area a little rolling hill. I plan on adding a little flowery meadow in between the Cherry Lane houses and the forested country homes. Butterfly spawners, etc... it should lead into the Butterfly Preserve well.
Oh, I'd had some lagging issues in my world before. Not when creating it, but after exporting it and installing it in an active game. My sims/world would freeze for long periods and it would eventually happen so often that I couldn't play the world. That didn't happen at all when I was testing the 10x10 community lots. Either the world is working better now that there's more in it or it's because I hadn't painted the routing paint separating the campground on the plateau from the rest of the world. If the routing paint is causing issues, I'm going to have to rethink the separate campground. It's still a Go for now, but it is the biggest thing I'm focusing on when I enter the testing phase.
Oh, I'd had some lagging issues in my world before. Not when creating it, but after exporting it and installing it in an active game. My sims/world would freeze for long periods and it would eventually happen so often that I couldn't play the world. That didn't happen at all when I was testing the 10x10 community lots. Either the world is working better now that there's more in it or it's because I hadn't painted the routing paint separating the campground on the plateau from the rest of the world. If the routing paint is causing issues, I'm going to have to rethink the separate campground. It's still a Go for now, but it is the biggest thing I'm focusing on when I enter the testing phase.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
You're Now Entering Serenity Point... Enjoy Your Stay!
My world finally has a name! The husband and I discussed a few ideas, but as soon as he suggested "Serenity Point", I was sold. I love it. Not only does it have a geographic "point" that is decorated with asian homes and flora (very serene), but it's a nice Firefly association which is even more nostalgic when considering that the world also has a valley. (If you haven't watched Firefly before, the spaceship Serenity was named for Serenity Valley where the captain and his first mate were part of a losing battle.)
Now that the world has a name, I'm going to start getting together the next contest which will be for community lots. I will probably run several at the same time, but the 10x10 version will run the longest as they [usually] take more time that decorating around a rabbit hole. I had wanted to have a City Hall completed before starting these contests, but it hasn't worked out that way. I have a pretty cute idea for one, but I'll need to do some more planning.
While others are working on community lots, I have other work cut out for me on top of the City Hall. I need to plan and complete the explorable tomb a la World Adventures for the rewards area. I also need to place spawners and plants. And, now that it has a name, I think it's finally time to start up a thread for my world over in the Sims 3 forum! :D
(Hehehe, while the husband I were tossing around silly names, trying to see how pretentious they could sound, he hit upon one that is just so awesome that I may have to make it into a small parody world. It's called Disestablishmentarianism Pinnacle and would be an island where various subcultures have separated to live how they want to because they're anti, they're anti-social. ;D I love it. I can even use my punk house in it. *laughs*)
Now that the world has a name, I'm going to start getting together the next contest which will be for community lots. I will probably run several at the same time, but the 10x10 version will run the longest as they [usually] take more time that decorating around a rabbit hole. I had wanted to have a City Hall completed before starting these contests, but it hasn't worked out that way. I have a pretty cute idea for one, but I'll need to do some more planning.
While others are working on community lots, I have other work cut out for me on top of the City Hall. I need to plan and complete the explorable tomb a la World Adventures for the rewards area. I also need to place spawners and plants. And, now that it has a name, I think it's finally time to start up a thread for my world over in the Sims 3 forum! :D
(Hehehe, while the husband I were tossing around silly names, trying to see how pretentious they could sound, he hit upon one that is just so awesome that I may have to make it into a small parody world. It's called Disestablishmentarianism Pinnacle and would be an island where various subcultures have separated to live how they want to because they're anti, they're anti-social. ;D I love it. I can even use my punk house in it. *laughs*)
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