(Seasons) Guide to Seasonal Lot Markers
So, you’re interested in lots that change throughout the year with the seasons? Well, you’ve come to the right place! This thread has everything you need to understand how these lots work, and even in...
Forum Discussion
Tutorial
So you want to try your hands at using the Seasonal Lot Marker to create a lot that changes with the seasons? Great! Follow this step by step tutorial to get you started, and use the knowledge learned from doing this to build your own festivals and more!
We'll edit one of the common lots that's pre-built into Sunset Valley, and by the end you'll have a fresh version of the lot that will rotate seasonally!
1) Start a new game in Sunset Valley.
2) Select or place your household to begin gameplay in the world.
3) In Live Mode, press CTRL + SHIFT + C to open the console, type in "testingcheatsenabled true", and press enter to confirm.
4) Press CTRL + SHIFT + C to open the console a second time, type in "buydebug" and press enter to confirm.
5) Enter Edit Town mode.
6) Select the small park named Maywood Glenn.
7) Click the "Change Lot Type" button.
8) In the Community drop down box, select "Small Park" and accept.
http://i.imgur.com/XoIbP.jpg
9) Click the Build/Buy button to edit the small park.
10) Enter Buy Mode.
11) Click the "Sort by Function" button.
12) Click the "Debug" button with the ? symbol that appears above the others.
13) Click the last tab named "Misc. Objects".
14) Scroll through the catalog here until you see an object that looks like a metallic silver ball. Watch out - there are a few different objects that look like this. Make sure you grab the one named "Seasonal Lot Marker". Take this object and place it somewhere on the lot.
http://i.imgur.com/JKShs.jpg
15) To interact with the Seasonal Lot Marker (I'll assume you know how to do this for the rest of the tutorial), hold down CTRL + SHIFT and then click on the marker with your left mouse button.
http://i.imgur.com/fZJCU.jpg
16) Select "Set Season..." then select "Construction".
You'll notice that some of the objects on the lot just turned transparent; this means that they're currently set to the Common version of the lot. We want to build unique stuff on those squares in the park for each season though, so we're going to move those tables out of the way!
17) Use the mouse to grab two of the three tables and then set them back down in the same location they were previously. You'll notice the tables and the chairs turn opaque. This means that you've moved them to the current mode you're editing in, aka Construction mode. Grab the third table and delete it.
http://i.imgur.com/JJ71h.jpg
18) Click on the marker again and set the season back to Common.
19) Click on the "Blueprints" button (it's one of the new features releasing with Seasons - give it a try!), then select the "Bathroom" tab. We'll give your Sims somewhere to relive their bladder while visiting your updated park.
20) Click on the very first one labeled "Bathroom - Simple (3x3).
http://i.imgur.com/sNnmi.jpg
21) Place the bathroom blueprint down in the world on the same space where you deleted the third table in step #17.
If you were to put the blueprint on top of where one of the tables was, then when the table spawned they would be inside the blueprint and potentially clipping with some of the objects inside that room. You have to be careful about anything you place using a Build Mode tool as it will appear in every version of the lot.
http://i.imgur.com/ovV1p.jpg
22) Select "Preview Blueprints", and if you're happy with where it was placed, select "Accept".
If you have Auto Roof turned on, your new bathroom will automatically have a roof added to it. Otherwise, go into the roof tool and add one.
http://i.imgur.com/7GCjH.jpg
23) Click on the marker again and set the season to Spring.
You'll notice that the tables and chairs completely disappear. They aren't lost - they're just part of Construction mode, which you can't see when you're editing in any other mode. You only see objects that are set to Common mode when editing in other modes.
24) Let's decorate our small park for spring! For this tutorial, go to Decor -> Plants, and place down a variety of potted plants on the floor tiles where the tables appeared previously. Let's also add some extra harvestable plants by going to Debug -> Gardening, Plants & Seed Spawners and placing down some ripe tomato vines. For the final touch, let's go to Debug -> Insect Spawners and place a Ladybug spawner.
http://i.imgur.com/T2JzW.jpg
25) Click on the marker and set the season to Summer.
You'll notice that all the spring objects disappear. Just like before, now that you're editing in summer, you can only see objects that are either placed in Common or Summer mode.
26) For me, summer is all about getting outside and grilling. Go to Appliances -> Misc Appliances, and select the Park n' Grille. While you're there, also drop down the sprinkler to give your Sims somewhere to cool down from those summer heat waves. For a little flair, go to Decor -> Miscellaneous Decor and add a sandwich board; be sure to pick the preset stencil option with the hamburger on it so everyone knows you're grilling! Finally, switch to Build Mode, click on Community Objects in the top right, and then select the Misc. Objects tab. Select the community picnic table and place a few of them down so your Sims have somewhere to eat. Grab the outdoor trash can and place it on the lot as well - after all, you don't want your Sims littering this beautiful park.
http://i.imgur.com/lhvnR.jpg
27) Click on the marker and set the season to Fall.
28) Nothing quite makes me think of Fall like playing in the hay. Switch to Buy Mode and select Decor -> Miscellaneous Decor, and find the square hay bale, the stacked hay bales, and the round hay bale. Top it off by placing down the windmill that's found in that same category. Yee-haw!
http://i.imgur.com/2MHz3.jpg
29) Click on the marker and set the season to Winter.
30) Know what helps keep me warm in the winter? Sipping on some juice... Select Entertainment -> Parties and place down a Juice Bar. Then switch to Comfort -> Miscellaneous Comfort and select a couple of barstools to add to it. After that, switch to Lighting -> Outdoor Lighting and place some tiki torches to keep warm from the winter chill - I like adding one to the bar counter top even. For a splash of style, let's go to Decor -> Sculptures and add the Atlas's Burden statue to one of the floor tile areas. Lastly, go to Decor -> Miscellaneous Decor and place another sandwich board down in the same spot as before, this time with the Orly Owl and his hot beverage in-hand.
http://i.imgur.com/MpZZB.jpg
You've now got what's essentially a lot which will rotate throughout the year, but let's take it one step further. Let's add an object that doesn't appear or disappear, but rather updates its appearance throughout the year.
31) Click on the marker and go to Construction mode.
32) Select Decor -> Sculptures, and place a "Medusa Victim" statue next to your bathroom.
33) Click on Create a Style mode and then click on the statue.
34) In Create a Style, change the pattern or the color of the object then accept to exit Create a Style.
http://i.imgur.com/NlToH.jpg
35) Click on the marker and switch to Spring.
36) Repeat steps 32 - 34.
37) Continue doing this until you've placed and customized a statue in Construction/Spring/Summer/Fall/Winter.
Ok, now you're finished editing the various modes of your lot. Let's do a few final touches...
38) Click on the Seasonal Lot Marker, and this time select "Set Seasonal Festival Name..."
39) Click on all six modes and give a name to each one if you want to. Any names that are left blank will use the name entered as the Common name.
http://i.imgur.com/HMRmQ.jpg
40) If you have Seasons installed, you can go on ahead to the next step. If you don't have Seasons installed, you'll want to Set Season on the marker to whichever version of the lot you want to have show up in your game. Considering playing without Seasons is kind of like eternal summer, click on the marker and select Set Season... -> Summer
If you share this lot on the exchange, all players who install it and don't have Seasons will see the lot appear in their game in Common mode when they initially place it. Players with Seasons installed will see the lot appear in the correct mode that matches the time of the year in their game.
41) IMPORTANT! - Click on the marker and select "Lock Common Objects in Place". You won't see anything happen, but you should do this step every single time you exit Build/Buy mode on a lot that has a Seasonal Lot Marker.
42) Click the Edit Town button (or press F1) to return to Edit Town mode.
43) At this point, click the "Save Copy to Library" button if you want to save your lot, or click the "Share" button to get it ready to upload to the exchange.
44) Return to your household of Sims in Live Mode.
45) Enter Map View and hover your cursor over the small park's map tag.
If you don't have Seasons installed, note how it's using the Summer name you assigned to the lot.
If you do have Season installed, note how it's using the name that matches up with the current time of the year.
http://i.imgur.com/WHURD.jpg
46) Zoom in on the lot to see it in high detail.
If you don't have Season installed, note how it's showing the Summer version of the lot that you selected in step #40.
If you do have Seasons installed, note how it's showing the version of the lot that matches up with the current time of the year.
http://i.imgur.com/wNWaM.jpg
That's it, you're done! Take what you've learned here and go wild! Did you have any difficulty following the steps, or something in-game appears to have gone wrong? Try downloading the lot shown in this tutorial from the exchange - perhaps playing around with it in your game will help identify something you did differently from me when building it. You can find it available for download from the exchange here:
http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=6580299
So you want to try your hands at using the Seasonal Lot Marker to create a lot that changes with the seasons? Great! Follow this step by step tutorial to get you started, and use the knowledge learned from doing this to build your own festivals and more!
We'll edit one of the common lots that's pre-built into Sunset Valley, and by the end you'll have a fresh version of the lot that will rotate seasonally!
1) Start a new game in Sunset Valley.
2) Select or place your household to begin gameplay in the world.
3) In Live Mode, press CTRL + SHIFT + C to open the console, type in "testingcheatsenabled true", and press enter to confirm.
4) Press CTRL + SHIFT + C to open the console a second time, type in "buydebug" and press enter to confirm.
5) Enter Edit Town mode.
6) Select the small park named Maywood Glenn.
7) Click the "Change Lot Type" button.
8) In the Community drop down box, select "Small Park" and accept.
http://i.imgur.com/XoIbP.jpg
9) Click the Build/Buy button to edit the small park.
10) Enter Buy Mode.
11) Click the "Sort by Function" button.
12) Click the "Debug" button with the ? symbol that appears above the others.
13) Click the last tab named "Misc. Objects".
14) Scroll through the catalog here until you see an object that looks like a metallic silver ball. Watch out - there are a few different objects that look like this. Make sure you grab the one named "Seasonal Lot Marker". Take this object and place it somewhere on the lot.
http://i.imgur.com/JKShs.jpg
15) To interact with the Seasonal Lot Marker (I'll assume you know how to do this for the rest of the tutorial), hold down CTRL + SHIFT and then click on the marker with your left mouse button.
http://i.imgur.com/fZJCU.jpg
16) Select "Set Season..." then select "Construction".
You'll notice that some of the objects on the lot just turned transparent; this means that they're currently set to the Common version of the lot. We want to build unique stuff on those squares in the park for each season though, so we're going to move those tables out of the way!
17) Use the mouse to grab two of the three tables and then set them back down in the same location they were previously. You'll notice the tables and the chairs turn opaque. This means that you've moved them to the current mode you're editing in, aka Construction mode. Grab the third table and delete it.
http://i.imgur.com/JJ71h.jpg
18) Click on the marker again and set the season back to Common.
19) Click on the "Blueprints" button (it's one of the new features releasing with Seasons - give it a try!), then select the "Bathroom" tab. We'll give your Sims somewhere to relive their bladder while visiting your updated park.
20) Click on the very first one labeled "Bathroom - Simple (3x3).
http://i.imgur.com/sNnmi.jpg
21) Place the bathroom blueprint down in the world on the same space where you deleted the third table in step #17.
If you were to put the blueprint on top of where one of the tables was, then when the table spawned they would be inside the blueprint and potentially clipping with some of the objects inside that room. You have to be careful about anything you place using a Build Mode tool as it will appear in every version of the lot.
http://i.imgur.com/ovV1p.jpg
22) Select "Preview Blueprints", and if you're happy with where it was placed, select "Accept".
If you have Auto Roof turned on, your new bathroom will automatically have a roof added to it. Otherwise, go into the roof tool and add one.
http://i.imgur.com/7GCjH.jpg
23) Click on the marker again and set the season to Spring.
You'll notice that the tables and chairs completely disappear. They aren't lost - they're just part of Construction mode, which you can't see when you're editing in any other mode. You only see objects that are set to Common mode when editing in other modes.
24) Let's decorate our small park for spring! For this tutorial, go to Decor -> Plants, and place down a variety of potted plants on the floor tiles where the tables appeared previously. Let's also add some extra harvestable plants by going to Debug -> Gardening, Plants & Seed Spawners and placing down some ripe tomato vines. For the final touch, let's go to Debug -> Insect Spawners and place a Ladybug spawner.
http://i.imgur.com/T2JzW.jpg
25) Click on the marker and set the season to Summer.
You'll notice that all the spring objects disappear. Just like before, now that you're editing in summer, you can only see objects that are either placed in Common or Summer mode.
26) For me, summer is all about getting outside and grilling. Go to Appliances -> Misc Appliances, and select the Park n' Grille. While you're there, also drop down the sprinkler to give your Sims somewhere to cool down from those summer heat waves. For a little flair, go to Decor -> Miscellaneous Decor and add a sandwich board; be sure to pick the preset stencil option with the hamburger on it so everyone knows you're grilling! Finally, switch to Build Mode, click on Community Objects in the top right, and then select the Misc. Objects tab. Select the community picnic table and place a few of them down so your Sims have somewhere to eat. Grab the outdoor trash can and place it on the lot as well - after all, you don't want your Sims littering this beautiful park.
http://i.imgur.com/lhvnR.jpg
27) Click on the marker and set the season to Fall.
28) Nothing quite makes me think of Fall like playing in the hay. Switch to Buy Mode and select Decor -> Miscellaneous Decor, and find the square hay bale, the stacked hay bales, and the round hay bale. Top it off by placing down the windmill that's found in that same category. Yee-haw!
http://i.imgur.com/2MHz3.jpg
29) Click on the marker and set the season to Winter.
30) Know what helps keep me warm in the winter? Sipping on some juice... Select Entertainment -> Parties and place down a Juice Bar. Then switch to Comfort -> Miscellaneous Comfort and select a couple of barstools to add to it. After that, switch to Lighting -> Outdoor Lighting and place some tiki torches to keep warm from the winter chill - I like adding one to the bar counter top even. For a splash of style, let's go to Decor -> Sculptures and add the Atlas's Burden statue to one of the floor tile areas. Lastly, go to Decor -> Miscellaneous Decor and place another sandwich board down in the same spot as before, this time with the Orly Owl and his hot beverage in-hand.
http://i.imgur.com/MpZZB.jpg
You've now got what's essentially a lot which will rotate throughout the year, but let's take it one step further. Let's add an object that doesn't appear or disappear, but rather updates its appearance throughout the year.
31) Click on the marker and go to Construction mode.
32) Select Decor -> Sculptures, and place a "Medusa Victim" statue next to your bathroom.
33) Click on Create a Style mode and then click on the statue.
34) In Create a Style, change the pattern or the color of the object then accept to exit Create a Style.
http://i.imgur.com/NlToH.jpg
35) Click on the marker and switch to Spring.
36) Repeat steps 32 - 34.
37) Continue doing this until you've placed and customized a statue in Construction/Spring/Summer/Fall/Winter.
Ok, now you're finished editing the various modes of your lot. Let's do a few final touches...
38) Click on the Seasonal Lot Marker, and this time select "Set Seasonal Festival Name..."
39) Click on all six modes and give a name to each one if you want to. Any names that are left blank will use the name entered as the Common name.
http://i.imgur.com/HMRmQ.jpg
40) If you have Seasons installed, you can go on ahead to the next step. If you don't have Seasons installed, you'll want to Set Season on the marker to whichever version of the lot you want to have show up in your game. Considering playing without Seasons is kind of like eternal summer, click on the marker and select Set Season... -> Summer
If you share this lot on the exchange, all players who install it and don't have Seasons will see the lot appear in their game in Common mode when they initially place it. Players with Seasons installed will see the lot appear in the correct mode that matches the time of the year in their game.
41) IMPORTANT! - Click on the marker and select "Lock Common Objects in Place". You won't see anything happen, but you should do this step every single time you exit Build/Buy mode on a lot that has a Seasonal Lot Marker.
42) Click the Edit Town button (or press F1) to return to Edit Town mode.
43) At this point, click the "Save Copy to Library" button if you want to save your lot, or click the "Share" button to get it ready to upload to the exchange.
44) Return to your household of Sims in Live Mode.
45) Enter Map View and hover your cursor over the small park's map tag.
If you don't have Seasons installed, note how it's using the Summer name you assigned to the lot.
If you do have Season installed, note how it's using the name that matches up with the current time of the year.
http://i.imgur.com/WHURD.jpg
46) Zoom in on the lot to see it in high detail.
If you don't have Season installed, note how it's showing the Summer version of the lot that you selected in step #40.
If you do have Seasons installed, note how it's showing the version of the lot that matches up with the current time of the year.
http://i.imgur.com/wNWaM.jpg
That's it, you're done! Take what you've learned here and go wild! Did you have any difficulty following the steps, or something in-game appears to have gone wrong? Try downloading the lot shown in this tutorial from the exchange - perhaps playing around with it in your game will help identify something you did differently from me when building it. You can find it available for download from the exchange here:
http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=6580299
