Greg, Where Is Your 16 Striped Wallpaper?

Zirconia Wolf · 04-28-2008, 08:53 PM

Somehow I seem to have lost it in my download shuffling.

That wallpaper is the ONLY way I can get basements to the correct depth, so I am hoping you (or someone) still has it floating around somewhere!

-ZW

Miros1 · 04-28-2008, 10:35 PM

I have it if Greg doesn't...

Greg · 04-29-2008, 02:18 AM

Ta da!

I still use this all the time! Besides basements, I use it to line up terrain when I want to make complicated staircases and stuff like that. I just build a wall and then sight along the stripes to see which point in the ground I want to use for a reference.

Zirconia Wolf · 04-29-2008, 03:10 PM

Oh yippy skippy! Basements are mine to build once more! Thank You!!!

Now I am about 95% ready to bring my game up to Free Time. I'm still syncing up my lots in Pets so when I add Seasons they will all be on the same page (so to speak) in the seasonal progression department.

Yes, I am that...err...controlling.

FYI, your wallpaper is one of a mere handful of objects that "made the cut" & gets a coveted spot in my new, slimmer, Free Time okay Downloads folder.

Loved your tip about staircase building! I have always been rather "staircase impaired" when it comes to building the more complicated ones. Maybe now I can actually get them to line up right!

-ZW

Greg · 04-29-2008, 11:57 PM

I think of it as an essential survey tool, especially when building complex foundations such as the retaining wall for Christine and Melinda's house:

Christine and Melinda's little pink house on the hill.

Hokieman · 04-30-2008, 12:19 AM

Just out of curiosity, since it doesn't show in the photo, are the retaining walls 2 tiles in from the edges or have you figured a way to get to get a foundation tile on the edge tiles?

Greg · 04-30-2008, 11:53 AM

They're set back from the edge of the lot. I have never found a way to build right up to the edge of the lot, though there are a lot of times when I would like to.

Zirconia Wolf · 04-30-2008, 01:42 PM

Very cool house!

Liked the idea of the retaining wall! Never thought of that.

It would be so nice if the "two tile buffer" could be overridden. I'm sure it has something to do with "saving space" for a potential balcony, but geeze- not every house needs wrap-around balconies!

-ZW

Miros1 · 04-30-2008, 03:15 PM

Somewhere, I have the cheat for building right up to the sidewalk, but I've never found a way to build to the side edges...

Greg · 04-30-2008, 05:42 PM

You can't build walls parallel to the lot border even on upper floors. I really can't think of any logical reason not to allow from building right up to the edge of a lot but it must have made sense to someone at Maxis.

Miros1 · 04-30-2008, 10:19 PM

I really wish you could... I want row houses that are exactly as wide as the lot!

I can kind of see one tile, that gives the Sim room to walk through, but why oh why do they have to have two?

Hokieman · 05-01-2008, 12:04 AM

I'm with you Rose, I'd love to do row houses. Tho' I'd settle for being able to level the edge tiles. I hate getting a lot that has the last row of tiles being off level.

Greg · 05-01-2008, 01:10 AM

If you were to change the level of the very edge of the lot, then the game would have to also level to level the adjacent lot, which could lead to problems with that lot. I suspect that what we are seeing is the genetic heritage of The Sims in the way lots in The Sims 2 are structured.

I have often daydreamed about there just being terrain which you could subdivide into lots and thoroughfares as you see feet.

Sita · 05-01-2008, 03:31 PM

Maybe we will get that in Sims 5. And there are lots of ways you see that inheritance, Greg.

Greg · 05-01-2008, 05:20 PM

From the screen shots of a community in The Sims 3, it might even be in the next version; but there's no way to tell.

Lately I've been thinking that if The Sims 3 (a) will run on my machine and (b) can import characters, families, and lots from The Sims 2, I just might buy it. Otherwise, I don't think I'll be interested.

Hokieman · 05-02-2008, 12:28 AM

The ability to bring sims over to Sims 3 would definately be a big selling point for me. On the other hand, we're dealing with EA and I hold out little hope of being able to do that.

Greg · 05-02-2008, 10:58 AM

Yeah. Past behavior indicates that that they don't really understand why people enjoy the toy they have created.

Zirconia Wolf · 05-02-2008, 03:14 PM

I have to admit that some of the stuff I've been reading about The Sims 3 has bumped it from the "not in a million billion years" column to the "well, just maybe" column. For instance, the revamped personality system looks to be uber slick & I love the idea of in-game customizable objects! (I can't believe the number of modders who plan on quiting modding the day Sims 3 is released to "protest" this feature. Geeze guys; they finally make the game easy to customize & you through a hissy fit????? Whatever....)

On the other hand, two things "leap out" as possible warning bells: the continuous time feature & the possible dumbing down of the game to appeal to "hard core" gamers, as EA/Maxis claims they are targeting.

As a storyteller/picture-taker type, I am very worried about the "continuous time" idea! I know the "time warp" in the Sims 1 & 2 is a little funky, but the idea that I can't play one family without all the others aging & dying is really disturbing! I do hope there is a way around that!

As to the dumbing down, I hope the features like the proposed "Feed Me" button & whatnot are just just that- proposed features that will not be implemented into the actual game. Ick.

Of course, this- for me- hinges entirely on how much of the other things I have already ranted about elsewhere are implemented too; in particular if it runs on my PC & the Pet expansion is up to the par it should be. Great Dane sized Great Danes with personalities that can be tweaked in more than a "yes, sort of, no" fashion & I'm virtually guaranteed to buy it! Note that I said Great Dane sized Danes; not Danes being the same size as Golden Retrievers, Labradors, Collies or anything other than Irish Wolfhounds. No more of this "two sizes" garbage. Are you listening, Maxis??????????????? Also, let the damn cats & dogs go on the bloody vacations you will undoubtedly add! Grrrrrrrrrr!

Okay, rant over. I think I'll go back to my (up to Seasons, believe it or not) game now...

-ZW

Greg · 05-02-2008, 04:56 PM

I expect that there will be a way to stop aging for selected characters. The folks at EA must know that it would be suicidal to publish software where you have no choice but to lose your favorite characters.

04-28-2008, 08:53 PM	#1
Zirconia Wolf Reticulated MoonBat Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: My trusty computer in Issaquah WA, USA. Posts: 848	Greg, Where Is Your 16 Striped Wallpaper? Somehow I seem to have lost it in my download shuffling. That wallpaper is the ONLY way I can get basements to the correct depth, so I am hoping you (or someone) still has it floating around somewhere! -ZW __________________ Long Live All Wild Canines! Leader Of The Moon-Bat Revolution!

04-29-2008, 02:18 AM	#3
Greg Da Guy Wut Owns Dis Joint Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 3,566	Ta da! I still use this all the time! Besides basements, I use it to line up terrain when I want to make complicated staircases and stuff like that. I just build a wall and then sight along the stripes to see which point in the ground I want to use for a reference. __________________ Who are all these people and what do they know?

04-29-2008, 03:10 PM	#4
Zirconia Wolf Reticulated MoonBat Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: My trusty computer in Issaquah WA, USA. Posts: 848	Oh yippy skippy! Basements are mine to build once more! Thank You!!! Now I am about 95% ready to bring my game up to Free Time. I'm still syncing up my lots in Pets so when I add Seasons they will all be on the same page (so to speak) in the seasonal progression department. Yes, I am that...err...controlling. FYI, your wallpaper is one of a mere handful of objects that "made the cut" & gets a coveted spot in my new, slimmer, Free Time okay Downloads folder. Loved your tip about staircase building! I have always been rather "staircase impaired" when it comes to building the more complicated ones. Maybe now I can actually get them to line up right! -ZW __________________ Long Live All Wild Canines! Leader Of The Moon-Bat Revolution!

04-29-2008, 11:57 PM	#5
Greg Da Guy Wut Owns Dis Joint Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 3,566	I think of it as an essential survey tool, especially when building complex foundations such as the retaining wall for Christine and Melinda's house: Christine and Melinda's little pink house on the hill. __________________ Who are all these people and what do they know?

04-30-2008, 11:53 AM	#7
Greg Da Guy Wut Owns Dis Joint Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 3,566	They're set back from the edge of the lot. I have never found a way to build right up to the edge of the lot, though there are a lot of times when I would like to. __________________ Who are all these people and what do they know?

04-28-2008, 10:35 PM	#2
Miros1 Goddess for Life Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: NY State Posts: 3,303	I have it if Greg doesn't...

04-30-2008, 12:19 AM	#6
Hokieman Solar Max Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 520	Just out of curiosity, since it doesn't show in the photo, are the retaining walls 2 tiles in from the edges or have you figured a way to get to get a foundation tile on the edge tiles?

04-30-2008, 01:42 PM	#8
Zirconia Wolf Reticulated MoonBat Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: My trusty computer in Issaquah WA, USA. Posts: 848	Very cool house! Liked the idea of the retaining wall! Never thought of that. It would be so nice if the "two tile buffer" could be overridden. I'm sure it has something to do with "saving space" for a potential balcony, but geeze- not every house needs wrap-around balconies! -ZW __________________ Long Live All Wild Canines! Leader Of The Moon-Bat Revolution!

04-30-2008, 03:15 PM	#9
Miros1 Goddess for Life Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: NY State Posts: 3,303	Somewhere, I have the cheat for building right up to the sidewalk, but I've never found a way to build to the side edges...

04-30-2008, 05:42 PM	#10
Greg Da Guy Wut Owns Dis Joint Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 3,566	You can't build walls parallel to the lot border even on upper floors. I really can't think of any logical reason not to allow from building right up to the edge of a lot but it must have made sense to someone at Maxis. __________________ Who are all these people and what do they know?

04-30-2008, 10:19 PM	#11
Miros1 Goddess for Life Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: NY State Posts: 3,303	I really wish you could... I want row houses that are exactly as wide as the lot! I can kind of see one tile, that gives the Sim room to walk through, but why oh why do they have to have two?

05-01-2008, 12:04 AM	#12
Hokieman Solar Max Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 520	I'm with you Rose, I'd love to do row houses. Tho' I'd settle for being able to level the edge tiles. I hate getting a lot that has the last row of tiles being off level.

05-01-2008, 01:10 AM	#13
Greg Da Guy Wut Owns Dis Joint Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 3,566	If you were to change the level of the very edge of the lot, then the game would have to also level to level the adjacent lot, which could lead to problems with that lot. I suspect that what we are seeing is the genetic heritage of The Sims in the way lots in The Sims 2 are structured. I have often daydreamed about there just being terrain which you could subdivide into lots and thoroughfares as you see feet. __________________ Who are all these people and what do they know?

05-01-2008, 03:31 PM	#14
Sita Solar Max Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: England Posts: 371	Maybe we will get that in Sims 5. And there are lots of ways you see that inheritance, Greg.

05-01-2008, 05:20 PM	#15
Greg Da Guy Wut Owns Dis Joint Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 3,566	From the screen shots of a community in The Sims 3, it might even be in the next version; but there's no way to tell. Lately I've been thinking that if The Sims 3 (a) will run on my machine and (b) can import characters, families, and lots from The Sims 2, I just might buy it. Otherwise, I don't think I'll be interested. __________________ Who are all these people and what do they know?

05-02-2008, 12:28 AM	#16
Hokieman Solar Max Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 520	The ability to bring sims over to Sims 3 would definately be a big selling point for me. On the other hand, we're dealing with EA and I hold out little hope of being able to do that.

05-02-2008, 10:58 AM	#17
Greg Da Guy Wut Owns Dis Joint Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 3,566	Yeah. Past behavior indicates that that they don't really understand why people enjoy the toy they have created. __________________ Who are all these people and what do they know?

05-02-2008, 03:14 PM	#18
Zirconia Wolf Reticulated MoonBat Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: My trusty computer in Issaquah WA, USA. Posts: 848	I have to admit that some of the stuff I've been reading about The Sims 3 has bumped it from the "not in a million billion years" column to the "well, just maybe" column. For instance, the revamped personality system looks to be uber slick & I love the idea of in-game customizable objects! (I can't believe the number of modders who plan on quiting modding the day Sims 3 is released to "protest" this feature. Geeze guys; they finally make the game easy to customize & you through a hissy fit????? Whatever....) On the other hand, two things "leap out" as possible warning bells: the continuous time feature & the possible dumbing down of the game to appeal to "hard core" gamers, as EA/Maxis claims they are targeting. As a storyteller/picture-taker type, I am very worried about the "continuous time" idea! I know the "time warp" in the Sims 1 & 2 is a little funky, but the idea that I can't play one family without all the others aging & dying is really disturbing! I do hope there is a way around that! As to the dumbing down, I hope the features like the proposed "Feed Me" button & whatnot are just just that- proposed features that will not be implemented into the actual game. Ick. Of course, this- for me- hinges entirely on how much of the other things I have already ranted about elsewhere are implemented too; in particular if it runs on my PC & the Pet expansion is up to the par it should be. Great Dane sized Great Danes with personalities that can be tweaked in more than a "yes, sort of, no" fashion & I'm virtually guaranteed to buy it! Note that I said Great Dane sized Danes; not Danes being the same size as Golden Retrievers, Labradors, Collies or anything other than Irish Wolfhounds. No more of this "two sizes" garbage. Are you listening, Maxis??????????????? Also, let the damn cats & dogs go on the bloody vacations you will undoubtedly add! Grrrrrrrrrr! Okay, rant over. I think I'll go back to my (up to Seasons, believe it or not) game now... -ZW __________________ Long Live All Wild Canines! Leader Of The Moon-Bat Revolution!

05-02-2008, 04:56 PM	#19
Greg Da Guy Wut Owns Dis Joint Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 3,566	I expect that there will be a way to stop aging for selected characters. The folks at EA must know that it would be suicidal to publish software where you have no choice but to lose your favorite characters. __________________ Who are all these people and what do they know?