beware of custom houses

[minpinz]

a lot of the furnished houses I have downloaded have been awesome as hell and a joy to play in my game BUT...........many of them do not have smoke detectors and I have found this out the hard way. Sim starts cooking, fire starts, notice no alarm sound, kitchen is engulfed in flames and player is forced to exit without saving. I wouldn't have made this post if it only happened once but sadly its happened about 4 times now in my game. Many of the houses may come with everything else but no smoke detector, so this is just a heads up. Now I'm making it my goal to make sure there is one any time I download a new house.

[CocoMouse]

some of the premade houses that come with the game have no smoke detectors too. I try to remember to make sure there's a smoke detector (or at least a phone to call the fire department) when I first start playing any house.. but yes sometimes i forget and everyone burns :blink:

[LilGeek]

This seems a little harsh on the Creators, I really don't think they deliberately leave out the smoke detector. I know it's one of the little things I easily forget when I've spend time building a house...

[StrangeTownChick]

I know I do, LilGeek. Every time I go in and build or furnish a house, I never remember the smoke detector. Usually I'll get to it when I'm shopping for a phone because a sim wants to make a call.

[Darby]

Make a checklist of things you want every lot to have, and check new downloaded lots against it. Easy peasy.

[Julieryc]

Heck, some of us like it when there are no smoke detectors - I usually make my sims put out their own fires! (I am a cruel sim goddess?) Seriously, even when building my own houses, I usually leave the smoke detectors out: I want to give my sims an incentive to study Fire Safety. (Plus, there's always the issue: outdoor fire detector or not? Without Seasons or a grill, there's no reason - but with Seasons, my trees get lit on fire more than my oven!)

Don't be so hard on the creators. It takes, what, 20 seconds to go into electronics and grab the smoke detector? When I download a house, I care more about playability and/or features I don't have the patience or ability to build for myself. Non-weatherproof houses and houses that are unplayable because of routing issues or space are my pet peeves when it comes to created houses, with non-playability being my big pet peeve: I can fix a house that lacks a fire alarm much more easily than one where Sims get stuck waving their arms and producing little crossed-out footprints in their thought bubbles.

[bjnicol]

Edited: NVM, I posted in the wrong section; thought I was in S3 ... sorry.

[PolterGeist44]

Beware of custom houses that don't have smoke detectors? Bluh, only time when I have to beware of custom houses is when they are from SimSlice. SimSlice's silly creators didn't realize how stupid is it to include families in lots and upload them.
Especially if that Egon Spengler lookalike in one cool lot had met Dina Caliente and pretty much every living sim in Pleasantview and thus, caused the game to generate gargantuan amounts of dummy sims.

Even more stupid is that they didn't upload a version of the lot but just without the horrible family in it. Except for that weird biker house.

[punkrockgoth1988]

I think it is quite unfair to negatively criticize a Sims 2 creator for forgetting a fire alarm when it would have been so simple for you to check the areas in which an alarm was needed and install one accordingly.

[Macaroodle]

LilGeek and StrangeTownChick- I'm the same way. If it's not a fire alarm it's a trash can or not enough lights. Once in a while I'll even forget to put in a phone. :lol:

[Mootilda]

only time when I have to beware of custom houses is when they are from SimSlice. SimSlice's silly creators didn't realize how stupid is it to include families in lots and upload them. [...] Even more stupid is that they didn't upload a version of the lot but just without the horrible family in it. Except for that weird biker house.You should be able to remove the family safely using the Clean Installer.

[Simonut]

This seems a little harsh on the Creators, I really don't think they deliberately leave out the smoke detector. I know it's one of the little things I easily forget when I've spend time building a house...



@ > LilGeek I do agree with you a bit. Why I say a bit is because I am a creator who build homes and I have some of my homes here on MTS some of them also became ""Top Picks." But as a creator I think we should take responsibility in what and how we upload items for other members to download. I know I do myself, When I build a lot / home for a Sims I like to furniture it, but I am also very much into details as well, the first thing I do if I am designing the kitchen is once I put the stove in the very next item is the "Smoke Sentry or SmokeSniffe."

In the livingroom if I should put a fireplace I also put a Smoke Sentry because fireplaces have been known to start a fire in the Sims game. The next thing that is a must is the "Burglar Alarm." Also I think all creators who build lots when they are finish need to do a walk through in every room and check every placement items, and be sure the Sims can move around those items like furniture etc.
Before I upload a lot I test run the lot with my test Sims who I use to only test the lot out once a Sims is inside of it. This way if I need to correct anything I can do it before uploading a lot for other members to download. I learn to do these things from my very first lot that had little mistake that I did not notice.

So Since then which was many years ago I "Will Not" upload a lot without testing and more testing. I think all creators who make lots need to take the responsibility to take the time to do that, before they upload a lot or any other items they may have created. But also it is the responsibility of members who download a lot or other items to take the time to check it out to be sure all is fine, if it is a lot that is not right then you have the choice to delete it from your game ( but not with Sims in it send them to the family bin first. ) Then bulldoze the lot from the neigborhood and delete from your house bin.

If you know how to fix the lot / home yourself then go for it if there is a problem, but something as small as a smoke detector or Alarm just put one in the lot. ( simple )
With my lots I always make sure they are tested and right before I share here on MTS I want members to enjoy my lots here not have problems. :)

[StrangeTownChick]

While forgetting a smoke alarm may seem like it makes fire more likely, I find that forgetting a burglar alarm can be a burglar repellent! I've never had alarm nor burglar in my game.

[gazania]

When I read the title, I nodded in agreement, thinking that this thread would be about the importance of making sure you have the correct expansions, downloading lots from only sites you trust, etc. Oops.

The fire alarm is a biggie if you don't want roasted Sims, but in a worst-case scenario, you can exit without saving or give Grimmy a buzz. Corrupt lots, or lots that have items from expansions you don't have, or, as PolterGeist44 wrote, lots with families in them can wreak far more havoc. Still, I do agree that a lack of a fire alarm can be an annoyance.

[minpinz]

I wasn't being hard on the creators at all just making it known that some don't come with smoke detectors. And I know how simple it is to add one but when you download a house that appears to everything, it just comes as a nasty surprise.

[punkrockgoth1988]

The fire alarm is a biggie if you don't want roasted Sims, but in a worst-case scenario, you can exit without saving or give Grimmy a buzz. Corrupt lots, or lots that have items from expansions you don't have, or, as PolterGeist44 wrote, lots with families in them can wreak far more havoc. Still, I do agree that a lack of a fire alarm can be an annoyance.

Eh, I sometimes leave them out of my Sim houses. Not all my Sims can afford the safety of having one, and sometimes, I like having a death by fire happen. Deaths make the life story of living Sims more interesting. EAxis doesn't allow a Sim Teen to leave CAS alone. And you can't make Sim teens move out anyway without using a mod. Once I decided that after the death of a Sim teen's father by the way of accidental kitchen fire, that his Mother was going to die too and she eventually wasted away leaving the son all alone. He worked hard to stay afloat, rebuilding cars and selling them, gardening for cheap but quality food... Buy he kept his grades up, found himself in love with Linaxia Klarn, the daughter of a moderately rich Military man and chef. He went on to find himself starting Huzat Regional University's first Greek house along with his girlfriend and the adopted daughter of Ricky Cormier and the former Alvin Futa.

[simsample]

I think the onus is on the downloader to make sure the lot has everything that suits their way of playing. If you want a smoke alarm, put one in before you click play! I personally prefer to watch 'em burn... :p

[mr_db1]

thanks for the warning
it is always good to have a checklist for new houses


btw, if you ever get a house I have build you can be sure it's safe

I even put sprinklers in the kitchen and garage

[StarlightBeauty]

I thought this would be about corruption problems, since I downloaded one lot that started off with ashes (from a dead unknown sim) and the phone would ring with no one on the other line (sim auto reset)
Needless to say I stopped using that lot.
If anything really annoys you you could try making your own house. Mine always end up a big rectangular wall with lights and basic stuff scattered around. :| I like using the base game houses, actually. I can use FamilyFunds to add money so my sims can move somewhere decent (even if it's not perfect)

[SingleClawDesigns]

Downloading houses is a rarity for me, but actually I would prefer it if either A) they didn't install them at all or B) install the sprinkler instead. Since I have to wear headphones to play the game the fire alarm and the burglar alarm have made many a play session cut short when I develop a headache over the noise (some sims are just natural pyros in the kitchen). Truthfully I think in the sound section they should have made a checklist of things you didn't want to be able to hear. A shortcut around the issue though and I totally forget where this is but there's a mod for better fire safety where the sims run away from it when it happens. Or something similar to that, I forget what the mod actually entails but i've used it in the past. And I do beleive it's something entirely separate from the fire safety skill in freetime? While it doesn't stop the fire damage it at least averts any sims dying in the fire.

[maxon]

When I DL houses, I always strip them out completely anyway. I even take off the wallpaper and floors often enough.

[BloodyScholastic]

Hehehe. I don't upload and download house creation. When I make houses... decorate everything from outside to inside.... smoke detector is the last thing I remember or lazy to put in when I'm too busy decorating house inside. Usually making or decorating house interior needs time more than one hour. Pretty tiresome isn't it? I'm sure some (most) people, (with no exception creators) probably forget or just lazy to put item that isn't top priority for interior appearance. Sometimes when I "Live Mode" the game, realize I forgot to put this item and that item, redecorating house, "Live Mode", oh crap! I forgot to add this item, redecorating house... until everything seems perfect then I stop redecorating interior and play Live Mode without any interruptions.

If you don't want any fire starting chaos in the downloaded house, make sure you check is there any "smoke detector" in the downloaded house before you start playing Live Mode. Add smoke detector and redecorating the house If you seem something missing in the house.
Or, install no fire mods, they're many in mod downloads.
If you have University EP, your sims have cellphones that they can call fire station quickly then the firefighter will come in 5 seconds. Fire will be extinguished immediately.

[sushigal007]

I adore downloading houses, but the first thing I do with them is pop them in my house building hood and give them a makeover. Kitchens usually get an overhaul when that happens - including putting in alarms. I find it's lights I often forget to put in houses.

[StrangeTownChick]

Are firemen as stupid as other sims? Do they ever put out a counter before, say, a person?

[Ghost sdoj]

In my experience, they put out the closest blaze. If that means leaving a person on fire, then OOPS!

And if you have a mod that brings 3 firefighters to the fire, and one of the firefighters gets caught in the blaze, his buddies don't even always rescue him before they finish saving the counter and the dining room table.