Is building one of your favorite things to do in The Sims 3?
There's been a lot of debate in the Sims 4 community over build mode v live mode, so I wanted to see how Sims 3 players feel and how opinions differ over here!
So the question is; is building one of your favorite things to do in the Sims 3?
Yes: You love or like building and spend a lot of time in build mode building or decorating houses
No: You don't necessarily have to hate building, you could build on occasion but it's not one of your favorite things to do
I've also made the same thread in the Sims 4 section to see how opinion differs, you can check that thread out here! :)
I remodel existing worlds to reflect the life styles of that world. For example, Riverview is a slower paced town which is more (large) family friendly than some of the other towns. I design homes, businesses and community lots (such as parks or other recreational gathering spots) which reflects this way (and pace) of life.
I build every home in the town. I remodel, annex or completely redesign all businesses and community lots to be rabbit-hole dependent free (this means when you go to my medical center for example, you will see waiting rooms, various doctor's offices, examination rooms, pharmacy and, physical therapy room (to name a few). I use rabbit hole replacement rugs to keep functionality of the game.
I build each sim home (from scratch) to reflect the need of the household not the need of a specific family, such as large families need homes with adequate space and room for the family to grow and develop. I decorate each home to suit the personality, individuality and lifestyle of the Sim who resides there.
So yeah, I can say I really love building in the Sims 3.
I can't build the way I want to in Sims 3. It lacks the the abilities that Sims 4 has. However, I've always loved coloring everything inside the builds as well as coloring the sims outfits.
Though I do build from time to time whether that be residential or community lots, it is not one of my favorite things to do...in any Sims game from 2000-2013. Because like some, I am also one of those builders who end up with a square or rectangle and rarely ever anything I find interesting. My strengths lie in Create-A-Sim which is one of my favorite things to do which CASt has tremendously given the freedom and creativity to the player. I am more into Live Mode, playing the game, than building and would rather download others lots for the most part if it weren't for often than not using with CC.
And for this reason among others building is something I would like to get better at. It's either a hit or miss and constantly starting over because I do not like the layout. Though what helps is looking at floor plans online as is or changing it to where what I want certain areas, rooms, etc. For example:
Apartment lot types seem to eventually glitch for me so I don't bother to use it anymore. Besides, to lessen the object count of the lot without multiple kitchens, bathrooms, etc., it is much more efficient for me and is why I choose a boarding house style residential lot. Plus it greatly helps with the endless routing of Sims trying to use others bathrooms and kitchens or whatever other nonsense because the routing is always the weakest part of the game because it is not designed as innovative and smart as it could be. Therefore, a shared kitchen, living room, leisure spaces/activities and a communal bathroom is best for my sanity.
Apparently, I took screenshots in reverse orientation but okay. :D https://i.postimg.cc/cHF7R9TM/Screenshot-2013.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/wBzgLHWJ/Screenshot-2014.jpg
I also do not like building on very large lots but the world I am in has mostly large lots, so trying to figure out how to fill the space out can be quite challenging for me.
The bedrooms are spacious and good for routing. Also good for at least two cribs too. Routing is extremely important to keep in mind whenever I do build. https://i.postimg.cc/3JWBzXdR/Screenshot-2097.jpg
I like to use either the photobooth or use the photography skill to take pictures so I can see whose room is who on the wall. A nice touch that used to be in TS2 University though on the door itself. But it doesn't bother me as if I want I can get the creative freedom to either use an in-game pose or use pose player and get quite a lot of varied facial expressions.
So I love this idea of a communal shower because Sims will recognize it as room and have no issues with privacy. I could use a door but I like using an archway instead with one of my favorite curtains to use.
Building can be fun but often times more frustrating for me and the limitations of not being able to build some things I would like to try like split levels, sloped roofs, etc unless with cheats is annoying. Because it is not an official feature, it can be buggy and as a novice who would rather just play the darn game does not give me much incentive to want to build more often either.
Definitely not. Like I've stated before in another thread, in general I'm just completely hopeless at building and have always been so. It's just not something I really enjoy. Sometimes I might get some good idea but then grow bored halfway and just end up with some stupid looking shack. Because of that I basically never build a house from scratch and only edit/expand the already existing ones from the game itself or those built by other people. My interests have always been in the sims themselves and what kind of shenanigans I can get them into in the actual gameplay." TS3 build mode is not something that would make me overcome my handicaps so I mostly just find it more frustrating than fun. Therefore it's all about the live mode for me.
I used to be pretty horrible at building houses but now I just love it. I think I've gotten pretty good at it. What has helped me recently to get better at it is the 3D model floor plans. I follow the floor plan by placing the furniture first as it's shown on the model - then build the house around it. Sometimes you have to delete the objects as you know how finicky the game can be. And you also have to make adjustments because you don't need the extra space shown on floor plans for closets and water heaters, etc.
Most houses are pretty "square" too. That doesn't matter as once you decorate and have nice windows, doors, shutters and a few plants and trees and maybe a porch - it all looks pretty nice! (Helps to make your roof not look as square as the house).
I can't build very large houses either - not yet, anyway. I think my favorite size lot is 20x20.
This roofing tutorial and practice helped me alot too - http://getsimplyruthless.blogspot.com/2013/11/victorians-101-getting-started-building.html
I can't build in Sims 3. :'( I used to be able to, or at least I used to think I was able. I'm currently doing a challenge I made for myself, where I can only build/design my sims with certain colors. Currently I have my blue and grey sims together, so the house is only blue and grey, but when I get another color involved I'll be able to include that.
In a house way across the town mods have gotten Orange and White together, so maybe if their kids and my founder's kids get along I can add two colors. Thankfully this game makes that easy for me!
I've said it before and I'll say it again, I like building more than I like actually playing my sims. I love researching different architectural styles, and figuring out how to replicate them in the game. My favorite thing to do is hunt for antique house plans - or just interesting historic houses - and re-create them in-game.
Most of my saves are blank slate worlds I decided to build up with a particular feel before I squirrel!ed halfway through. I should probably rip what I've completed out of them all sometime, and start a big heckin' showcase thread in the Creative Corner. I have so much stuff I've squinted over for hours, and no other soul has ever seen them, but it always tickles me pink to share.
My own families' homes are as unique as they are. Here's what I've currently got:
For a sim I created to live in bleak, empty desert world (one of my build-a-blank worlds, which is coming up Old West flavored), I created a home meant to look like someone took an abandoned ghost town mine building and filled it with a scavenged collection of worn and weathered furniture:
Master bedroom. (Needs more clutter I think): https://i.imgur.com/BQ4hbJ7.jpg
For my other current sim, created to be a world (and time) adventurer, I took her vast mounds of Tiberium and lottery ticket money, and this antique Spanish style house plan and created a ridiculously bougie mansion, with which my game occasionally has to stop and take a break while loading all the textures:
https://i.imgur.com/ovSFvAY.jpg
Way too many pictures of the grounds and interior spaces behind the spoiler.
My girl needs a special garden just to practice Sim Fu in: https://i.imgur.com/ibLspu3.jpg
Reception Hall. Neither she nor her butler-bot can play that piano. https://i.imgur.com/D6OvyD8.jpg
A private study https://i.imgur.com/Zkag98J.jpg
Which leads to the gallery, in which she shows off the treasures she's looted collected around the world. https://i.imgur.com/VNVFx29.jpg
An art deco dining room https://i.imgur.com/evq0YdU.jpg
And an old world kitchen https://i.imgur.com/Jdo2bqy.jpg
Leading to a nectar cellar ready for all her experiments in fancy fruit juice https://i.imgur.com/UpRuk59.jpg
Okay, soused and sleepy from all your travels? Have a nap in the master bedroom. https://i.imgur.com/EpW9DW0.jpg
Or the guest room. https://i.imgur.com/ENL258g.jpg
The house has servant's quarters, but she's got a plumbot doing all her cooking, cleaning, and gardening, so this space is purely to show she could have more servants if she wanted. https://i.imgur.com/1XJvFMY.jpg
After your nap, freshen up a bit... https://i.imgur.com/gMNxQgJ.jpg https://i.imgur.com/CchPRGl.jpg https://i.imgur.com/mRiC1ux.jpg
Okay, we're rested and ready to go! What about fun and games?
Well, upstairs there's a billiard room https://i.imgur.com/LUYwXhB.jpg
And in the basement, a private theater https://i.imgur.com/8XqzrEA.jpg
And once she's concluded her career of looting foreign lands, she'll retire to a life of hobbies. Until then, this space simply houses her chest of treasures and a clean room for future-tech experiments. https://i.imgur.com/XR1ZiWe.jpg
I'm not going to Yes or No as it depends on what I'm trying to build. It's Yes for me if I'm building a house that I'm familiar with such as my childhood home, my in-laws house or my grandmother's trailer. And yes, I know trailers can be easy to build anyhow but they're not all set up the same way inside as sometimes they can have a bedroom at the front of the trailer while having the other 2 towards the back of the trailer.
Then sometimes it's a No for me if I'm trying to build something that I see in my mind but it doesn't come out the way that I want it or if I'm trying to use some of the tricks to get the effect that I want. Take for an example when I tried to build my childhood home which is a split-foyer home, so therefore I had a hard time building it and I would give up. I kept trying to put the walls right next to foundation when really I should had been putting the wall a tile or 2 over and then use the leveling tool to make the wall the same height as the foundation since the foyer is on a foundation and then placing the walls on the leveled down walls and floor tiles where the foyer is.
This is my childhood home here. And yes, I know that the siding looks a little weird because I chose to use this one instead of just using paint on the bare wall. But since I didn't share this home with others, it doesn't bother that the siding is a bit skewed... :) https://i.imgur.com/ivLhaYUl.jpg Pictures of the inside under the spoiler... :)
