Walk-in basements: Warning- PICTURE HEAVY THREAD

[baratron]

Is it possible to use the WA basement tool to make basements that can be walked into from outside without having to go downstairs? I think the answer is probably "no" because of how the basement tool works, but there might be some cheat or hack that allows it.

The main reason I want to do this is because I find the "old"/Sims 2 method of building basements annoying. I really don't like having walls that aren't real walls and can only have objects placed on them via moveobjects on. I also don't like having to use foundation for houses because of the extra routing involved.

[simsample]

Hmm, I haven't tried this but theoretically it should be. We can place windows in pool walls now, so it may be possible to place a door in the same way. Then delete pool and lower ground to expose basement wall. Worth trying?

[Akutbajsa]

Yes it is. You can see it on this site (http://blog.naver.com/PostThumbnailView.nhn?blogId=muler84&logNo=10091637340&categoryNo=&parentCategoryNo=11) for example. I haven't gotten the hang of it, but maybe someone will, and then post a tutorial ^^

[baratron]

Hmm, I haven't tried this but theoretically it should be. We can place windows in pool walls now, so it may be possible to place a door in the same way. Then delete pool and lower ground to expose basement wall. Worth trying?
Well, I've discovered that it's possible to place windows in a basement wall using moveobjects on. And if you dig away ground from outside the basement, these windows are functional and let light in. However, it is not possible to place a functioning door in either a pool wall, or an external basement wall, because the game simply isn't expecting a door to be there. So a hole isn't cut in the wall for the door, meaning it looks terrible on one side where it's sunk into the wall.

I didn't try to see whether sims could use it - I'm suspecting not.


Yes it is. You can see it on this site (http://blog.naver.com/PostThumbnailView.nhn?blogId=muler84&logNo=10091637340&categoryNo=&parentCategoryNo=11) for example.
That strange modern house is really nice, but after some thought and fiddling I think it was made as a normal house with a grass texture on the roof. Perhaps the two sides where sims can walk up to the roof were made using the basement tool and constrainfloorelevation false? The area underneath them is not part of the house itself, so it could be a non-functioning "basement" on the same level as the rest of the house. I've found that it's possible to make a basement on the same level as ordinary walls - the difficulty is in joining the ordinary walls to the basement and allowing access to both halves, seeing as doors in exterior basement walls are non-functional.

When I've sorted out my current house problem I'll try to make a house in that style, and if it works, take photos for a tutorial.

[ashillion]

That house is made with cfe cheat and stairs. Stairs "into" the "basement" limit the "ground". 3 clicks make a wall.

[Volvenom]

I saw a tool made by someone, was it flabalkidiki, hopeless name lol. I think he made something for leaning walls like those at the end. Might be done with cfe too. Hm stairs? intersting.

[Volvenom]

So you then make the normal walls and basement walls connect, or do you put doors into the basement walls?

[HugeLunatic]

Flabaliki made a cc fence that goes into the ground rather than above, which can create retaining walls, it's not a tool.

And, yea, that house is made with the cfe cheat and basements. Normal walls cannot be made flush with the ground so that ramp from ground level up is the basement walls.

[baratron]

And, yea, that house is made with the cfe cheat and basements. Normal walls cannot be made flush with the ground so that ramp from ground level up is the basement walls.

So was I right to think the ramps are basement walls, shaped with cfe, and the rest of the house uses normal walls, with a grass texture on a flat roof? There's that telltale line at the top of the ramp that shows the top of the basement wall.

So confused right now!

[Volvenom]

I would have to test this myself. I would start by shaping the landscape so you you can have regular walls continuing from the basement. Putting the basement in an elevated area. Putting in walls in 1 end and pressing down with cfe in the other end, would be a lot of fiddling I'm sure.

[Akutbajsa]

Baratron, it's made with the basement tool, you can probably download that house, and other similar houses here: http://www.thesims3.com/myBlog.html?persona=Domangcop.

The grass on top of the house is real grass, and sims can walk on it.

The top of the basement wall always show if you lower the ground next to it, I think. That would explain the line you're talking about.

[simsample]

Okay, to I was looking at this house:
http://blog.naver.com/PostThumbnailView.nhn?blogId=muler84&logNo=10091637340&categoryNo=&parentCategoryNo=11
I downloaded it from Domangcop's profile here:
http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=3113189

I must say that Domangcop is very clever! I have been trying to reverse-engineer what (s)he has done, with some success, but I'm stuck on one part.

The whole lot is created by making a huge square basement, and drawing the shape of the house with internal walls. So, the ramp walls and the walls with the windows and doors in are actually normal walls, built inside the basement.
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25640_110206130944Bluefunk_00125-Jan-111116.jpg

The way you get the cut out ground is to make the internal walls higher then the ground using the CFE cheat, and then setting some staircases into the basement. The hole created for the stairs is what gives the nice sharp hole, which will leave the walls exposed but the grass on the roof.
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25639_110206130922Bluefunk_00125-Jan-111100.jpg

http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25641_110206130959Bluefunk_00225-Jan-111101.jpg

With a light, so you can see:
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25642_110206131012Bluefunk_00425-Jan-111103.jpg

http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25643_110206131133Bluefunk_00325-Jan-111102.jpg

Domangcop has a lovely angled slope- grassy on top,
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25644_110206131153Bluefunk_01025-Jan-111105.jpg

Like this under ground:
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25645_110206131214Bluefunk_00925-Jan-111105.jpg

Mine is a mess though! Even with floor elevation constraints off, I get this when trying to raise/ lower the walls from basement level:
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25646_110206131229Bluefunk_00525-Jan-111103.jpg

But if I try to do it from ground level this happens:
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25647_110206131245Bluefunk_00625-Jan-111104.jpg

http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25648_110206131300Bluefunk_00725-Jan-111104.jpg

The ground moves but the walls don't! The only way I can shift the ground at basement level is to click-drag with the level tool, it seemed to work at first (I managed to raise the central walls to a different height) but will not work now. Does anyone have any ideas to get that beautiful flat slope?

[MisaMii]

You could try putting floortiles around the walls. I had this a few times when I was testing my latest house, it seemed to work. Also, placing floortiles on top of the walls could help. I used the CFE cheat quite a lot, had loads of problems with it. :D Let me know if it actually helps, because it has been some months now since I last had that problem.

Oh and, sometimes, if you have a top floor, just go to that floor and then back to the floor underneath it. If you've placed tiles around the walls, you'll see that the tiles will move in height, but the walls won't. Going to the level above those walls, and then back down a level, will fix this. I'm sure it fixed my issues, because I remember constantly pressing the page up and page down buttons to switch from floor levels to see if the slopes were good. :3

[simsample]

Thank you for the tips, MisaMii- I will try these later. :)

[QBUILDERZ]

*pokes Simsample* I know how to slope basements! While I may be no help in CAW, building is my forte, for sure :D Took pictures, because it was way easier than trying to explain it.

http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25402_1101261800061.jpg
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25403_1101261800132.jpg

I couldn't figure out how to go about doing anything else with this technique. I hope you figure it all out and write up a nice tutorial on how to do it, I can't wait to make a house using this cool trick!

I keep getting stuck on how to get the terrain above the stairs to go away. I am trying to study the house and your pictures, but I can't get it quite right.

Also, I am trying to work on a way of getting the walls of the basement to shrink. Obviously the top carries no grid, so we can't adjust it from the top. But maybe we can adjust the height from the bottom upwards? That way there would only need to be one hole next to the sloped terrain rather than the current two.

[simsample]

Okay, this may be somewhat long winded, but I got stuck on some of the minuteai so hopefully this will help someone.

Credits: This is a re-hash of the ideas QBUILDERZ (http://www.modthesims.info/showpost.php?p=3432782&postcount=15) came up with, and is based upon the original lot by Domangcop (http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=3113189). The credit is all due to them! :gjob:

First, find your level. Click the stair tool on the ground to get a flat area, then build a wall on that. This is the level you need. Make your ground that height, so that a staircase goes down exactly 16 steps.
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25591_110206121743001.jpg

Level lot to this elevation:
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25592_110206121904002.jpg

Build a basement (the outline is shown by blue tiles):
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25593_110206121955004.jpg

Make the outline of the rooms and where you want your ramps with the wall tool:
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25594_110206122102003.jpg

I highlighted the areas in different colours- red for indoors, orange for exposed courtyard, black for the ramp areas:
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25595_110206122119007.jpg

Ground floor: the colours reflect what's under ground.
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25596_110206122228006.jpg

The green areas will end up sloped:
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25597_110206122254008.jpg

I will do the front first. The lilac area shows the area I'll need to work on:
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25598_110206122426203.jpg

Cheat: constrainfloorelevation false

Place a stair to get a flat area:
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25599_110206122447204.jpg

Sledgehammer the stair, so that just the flat area remains:
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25600_110206122556205.jpg

Click and drag that flat area with the terrain level tool to flatten the entire lilac area except for the top row:
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25601_110206122615206.jpg

http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25602_110206122721207.jpg

http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25603_110206122737208.jpg

Basement tool: click on the bottom corner of the blue area where it is flat and drag diagonally up to the bottom of the sloped row:
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25604_110206122903209.jpg

So that you have placed a basement like this:
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25605_110206122919210.jpg

Underground it looks like this:
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25606_110206123020211.jpg

Delete your very last row of basement:
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25607_110206123050212.jpg

Underground:
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25608_110206123145018.jpg

[simsample]

Next row- find a level with the stair tool:
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25610_110206123557213.jpg

Level:
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25611_110206123613214.jpg

Drag a basement from the flat area to the base of the slope you just made again. Don't go over the area you did previously- just go to the bottom of the new bit of sloped ground.
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25612_110206123725215.jpg

Underground:
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25613_110206123742216.jpg

Delete the last row of basement again:
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25614_110206123839217.jpg

Final row- you don't need to find a level, as we are now at ground level. So drag the level tool from the corner of the lot:
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25615_110206123857218.jpg

Drag the basement again from flat ground to the bottom of your new sloped bit:
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25616_110206123937219.jpg

Underground:
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25617_110206123955220.jpg

Delete the last row of basement:
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25618_110206124044221.jpg

Underground it looks as I want it to:
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25619_110206124059222.jpg

Above ground too:
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25620_110206124240041.jpg

[simsample]

Now for the basement area- level a few squares in the 'courtyard' area:
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25621_110206124645043.jpg

http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25622_110206124700044.jpg

Above ground again- now if you place a staircase, it should cut out an area 4 squares long X the width of your stairs:
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25623_110206124757047.jpg

You can use single width stairs to fill in the gaps- it's fiddly, as in some places the stairs will not be easy to place:
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25624_110206124810046.jpg

Where you place the stair next to the sloped wall, you get an error, but you can correct this once the stair is placed, below ground:
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25625_110206124908049.jpg

http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25626_110206124927051.jpg

http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25627_110206124943053.jpg

The ground will look wonky where the stair is, this is unavoidable but perhaps can be disguised:
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25628_110206125048054.jpg

Fix above ground:
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25629_110206125103055.jpg

http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25630_110206125119056.jpg

You can see that now I have a sunken courtyard, and I can put doors and windows in there.
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25631_110206125248057.jpg

I can make slopes on the other sides of the building too, and have windows all around:
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25632_110206125304058.jpg

I didn't have much room to try a pool, but I played around with making a pond:
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25633_110206125319062.jpg

I achieved that by placing pond around the edge and then dragging the level tool. Then I flattened the edges.

Sims can walk on top:
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25634_110206125437063.jpg

And can access the basement from outside:
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25635_110206125502065.jpg

http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25636_110206125524064.jpg

I'm thinking this could be good for making a rooftop car park- you are slightly limited with the slope though as you can only make a cutout of 4 squares long (the stair cutout length).


Can anyone make any improvements to this tutorial or add any ideas?

Please test it out for me and let me know if it is understandable. :)

[QBUILDERZ]

Awesome, Simsample! *squeeeee* I need to try this :D

[MisaMii]

Whoah, well done man! That's just amazing.. <3

Oh and, I might have some ideas. :3
You could disguise the wonky floor by placing some plants, perhaps. Of flowers. Or a small fountain. Or the head side of a bed, like Domangcop did to cover up the wonky floor parts (then it'll kinda look like a half wall).

This is really a great new way of building, will try it out in game when I have some spare time left. :)

[QBUILDERZ]

So, today is the third day this week that I am staying home sick (I went to school yesterday, hence why I didn't get to test this out and left a half-assed comment :P) and I intend on messing around with this today. I KNOW that I have somehow managed to reduce the height of besment walls before. If I can recreate it then I *think* that I might be able to make only one tile of warped terrain instead of 2.

I will report back later!

[plasticbox]

In my experience this kind of thing doesn't (always? ever?) work well when it comes to routing, so make sure you playtest before you put too much work in it.

In a world I played recently, I had bunkers in hillsides built basically the same way (no screenshots but the entrances look similar to the bottom right corner of simsample's last pic) and sims weren't always able to get up the stairs that connect the sunken entrance to ground level. Once I tried manually and found that "Use Stairs" worked, but "Go Here" didn't (neither on nor off the lot). Getting down the stairs always worked as far as I've seen, just not up.

That was in an 1.17.whatever game, so I dunno whether it works better/worse/differently meanwhile. I also use AM which appears to affect routing to some extent. I didn't notice any more issues after I had converted both bunkers to Community, no idea whether that was because the game treats sims differently on comm lots (or when they're on low res -- both bunkers are rather at the far edge of the map) or because the bunkers got used less often that way .. I don't think it was always a problem in the first place, only sometimes. I noticed it when another sim invited one of the bunker dwellers and they didn't show up, so I went to check what was up with them.

I didn't look into this very closely, since the inhabitants were just game-generated bosses that I didn't care all that much about -- just saying that if one builds that kind of thing, one should make sure to playtest sooner rather than later to avoid frustration =).

[simsample]

Thanks PBox- I will do some more testing on this, I was hoping to use a structure like this to make a community lot so routing will be critical.

MisaMii, thanks for the ideas- the person who created the lot I was inspired by had a pair of double beds placed in the walls, to create a kind of barrier to disguise the slopes! :D

QBUILDERZ, I've edited my tutorial- I had a whole load of unnecessary steps in there so hopefully it's simpler now.

[QBUILDERZ]

http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25429_110128154142Screenshot-36.jpg

http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25428_110128154028Screenshot-35.jpg

WOOP! :D

[romagi]

OMG! How did you do that?!?!?! That is a WA basement wall right?

Ok, I do realize what simsample is doing but isn't this different?

[Deluxe Designs]

:o omg awesome everyone, these are just so awesome, i HAVE to try this out!!! :D

[QBUILDERZ]

I also would like to say that I have play-tested a house that I plan on uploading; the sims haven't encountered any issues with the stairs yet, neither have NPC's or guests either :)

[simsample]

OMG! How did you do that?!?!?! That is a WA basement wall right?

Ok, I do realize what simsample is doing but isn't this different?
:lol: It's basically the same, my tutorial was just what QBuilderz taught me anyway. :)

Qbuilderz, that is fantastic! Can you show in detail what you have done there, and an overhead view so that we can see where the walls are?

I've play tested a couple of these lots- one I set up as a bar and I had sims (and bartenders/ bouncers) arriving and leaving with no problem all night.

[QBUILDERZ]

It's actually really easy, Simsample! Having a house with a flat wall exposed is about...3 steps long and a jillion times easier :lol:

Since I don't need the sloped walls to be exposed, I don't even need to slope the basement except for one tile on each side of the entryway
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25437_110129032118Screenshot-30.jpg

After that, I can decorate, expand, build the basement like a normal basement and be free to modify the terrain above it in any way I want without worrying about breaking the playability (unless I lower the terrain, of course :P)

[vincentjr88]

*pokes Simsample* I know how to slope basements!

Oooo I need to try this method! I had done something very similar, now to try this out! :D

[rcranger9]

i have a question. Simsample, you said to make the stairs exactly 16 steps for the top of the terrain. could you increase that so that the basement is level with the street?

[simsample]

i have a question. Simsample, you said to make the stairs exactly 16 steps for the top of the terrain. could you increase that so that the basement is level with the street?
You can't seem to change the height of the basement walls (they stay 1 wall high), and you definitely need to be able to place steps around your basement to get the 4-square stairs cut out. So you're a bit limited by this- you can make the ground higher or lower, but you're always going to have a basement one wall high and stairs at least 4 steps down. You don't need to have the slopes though, as Qbuilderz demonstrated- I just showed that because for me it was what I wanted to do (as I wanted a raised car park).

If you play around with this yourself you might find something to suit what you want to do- and of course, you can show us the pictures!

[kiwi_tea]

Perfect. This makes my plans for Rawr Atoll viable again. I am very pleased about this! :D Thanks guys!

[rcranger9]

okay, thank you! i just wanted to see if i could remove the stairs but i see what you mean.

[Johnny_Bravo]

Need to try it out, now!

And maybe this method needs a name.:)
Q! you also named your methods ''Acrostacking'' and ''Geoblending''. You know a name for this one?

[simsample]

Q! you also named your methods ''Acrostacking'' and ''Geoblending''. You know a name for this one?
I think Qbuilderz should call it 'Hobb-Hollowing'! :lol:

[QBUILDERZ]

LMAO! I think I'll just let people call it whatever they want XD

[Deluxe Designs]

:o what an atrocity, you have to give it some awesomeness name! :P

[simsample]

Qbuilderz, you should make this into a finished tutorial too and post it with your others. You can use my images, if they are any use. :)

[Deluxe Designs]

^^ totally agree, a tutorial would be awesome for us mere mortals! :lol: if you did a video tutorial of this i would love you even more, because heaven knows i can't do this without printing off your technique and sitting with it next to my laptop while i build xD

[QBUILDERZ]

Qbuilderz, you should make this into a finished tutorial too and post it with your others. You can use my images, if they are any use. :)

Okeydokey! I wil do that when I get home :)

[J. M. Pescado]

I also use AM which appears to affect routing to some extent.No it doesn't. Routing code is lower-level than scripting and is not something that can be altered much at a script level. Otherwise I'd have already fixed some of these annoying route fails created by apparently buggy math in the stairs by eliminating stair route fail entirely

[Domangcop]

I'm Domangcop~;; I was suprised by planty of people visited my blog...
So i check the reason and i found many people visited from here and i found this conversation about my house.... and i'm impressed many people trying to find out how to make it And make better!!!!!
if you guys needs hand just asking to me by E-mail~~;; If i can i'll help you. Thank you Everyone. And I found this way about seven month ago and this is my first house useing this way http://blog.naver.com/muler84/10085514445 Check the date... Someone said that i copy this methode............. Never. --;;
:lol:

[simsample]

Hey Domangcop! Thanks for posting. :)

We couldn't have figured out how to do this if we hadn't copied your house, so thank you for building it! Your technique is very clever, you seem to have invented a lot of unique methods for building. Well done!

[Domangcop]

I red all your posting and i found you also have a great skill~~;; Anyway Thank you so much and i hope many people using this way and improve skills Thank you :)

[banbutsunoreichou]

Ahh... Now I feel stupid alright. Back on the 25th when I stumbled across this thread I was inspired to reverse-engineer that technique too and ended up writing a tutorial on my findings. .__.; Seeing how both Simsample and Qbuilderz went through it makes it seem complicated when in fact its quite easy to accomplish. I've found it to be so at least. Then again I think they were still testing this out at the time.

If anyone wants to see how I've done it, they can simply download the attachment which contains a .doc file - if not - they can wait for another to come along which I'm certain is on its way soon.

This picture, while not the house I built in the tutorial I built, was built using the same technique. Its rather dark and I apologize for that though I found it looked best at night.
http://i664.photobucket.com/albums/vv9/mehale/TS3EP032011-01-3115-01-32-13.jpg

[unghie]

I'm trying to make a courtyard next to a slope. Does anyone know how to delete basement walls? I've tried the pool way and it was isn't working.

[banbutsunoreichou]

Could you explain a bit more? Would this be on the ground level, on the basements level or another? I'll help out any way I can.

[simsample]

banbutsunoreichou, what a great tutorial! You have more in there than we covered in this thread. :)

I've converted it to PDF for anyone who doesn't have a word processor handy. Thank you for posting it!

unghie- perhaps you can show a picture?

[unghie]

Here are some pictures. The blank areas are the terraces & the courtyard.

http://i54.tinypic.com/51zqr4.jpg
http://i54.tinypic.com/25jiebs.jpg
http://i52.tinypic.com/141jkmv.jpg

[simsample]

So which wall are you trying to delete? I can't understand exactly what you're trying to do from your pictures.

[unghie]

All walls apart from the slope.

[Darkotter]

I may have missed something in the various guides, but what do you do with the very corner square when you're placing stairs for 2 sides? At the corner, other peopel seemed to have flattened the very corner square to ground level, but when I tried this the edges of the slope are still visible when looking outwards from inside the basement.

EDIT: I found the solution to this problem, I think. Just flatten those tiles to the ground level _before_ putting in the stairs. Worked for me anyway.

However, I do seem to have the problem now that the 'outside' basement courtyard areas are not getting lit as though they are outside, and I'm not sure why at the moment - as far as I can tell from screenshots other people are getting outside lighting in these areas yh?

[simsample]

Darkotter, when you exit edit mode and then re-enter the lot, the game should light the basement areas correctly.

unghie, I'm still having trouble figuring out what you are trying to do, are you trying to make the square in the basement open to the sky? If so then you need to do that with the stair cut-outs, and it wouldn't really be possible to remove the walls.

[Darkotter]

Thank you very much for the reply Simsample, however regrettably I still have a bit of a problem.

On completely reloading the game, the basement areas are lit correctly. However, every time I go between the basement floor and ground floor (in live mode still) a seemingly random one of the outside/basement areas reverts to basement lighting. This continues until they are all basement lit again. Moving between lots does not seem to switch them back to being 'outside' lit.

[simsample]

Could you show a picture, Darkotter? I'm not having this happen in the lots I'm building, so maybe yours has some quirk that makes the game 'think' the ground is still there?

Here's an image of a lot I built using this method:
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25637_110206130155Screenshot-585.jpg

It's a night club and it has a ramp to the car park, thanks to everyone on here!
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25638_110206130219Screenshot-554.jpg

I know you don't strictly need the ramp, but it always bugged me that the Banzai in Bridgeport had no car access to the multi-storey!

[Darkotter]

I've managed to work out the problem I think Simsample. I found if I deleted the very corner piece of basement (underneath where I'd flattened the ground), this would get the game to put the section containing that corner as 'outdoor'. I still couldn't get sections between two ramps to become 'outdoor' without messing up any walls, but I just redesigned so that there were no such sections, and everything is working fine and dandy now :P

Thanks again for the help, and the excellent guides.

[simsample]

Well done Darkotter, I'm glad you made it work! :)

[Volvenom]

A hole new world suddenly opens up. Awesome work Simsample. Too bad your pictures are gone from the beginning of the thread.

[simsample]

A hole new world suddenly opens up. Awesome work Simsample. Too bad your pictures are gone from the beginning of the thread.
They should be fine, Volvenom- I fixed the links. :)

[Groosalugg]

Hey thanks Simsample for this great tutorial. I made a house, well the same house your pic show! I just have a small note on post num. 16, you said that the height i need is exactly 16 steps. So I tried 16 setps, and a followed your tutorial making the slopes but for the final row you said that there would be no need to place a stair to find the level and that it should be made the same level of the ground, but it didn't work for me, i found that working with 12 steps high works fine and that this way the final row does end up the same level as ground level.

[simsample]

Thanks Groosalugg- if you look at my image you'll see that I made four steps down (for the basement level) and then sixteen steps up, so from ground level this is twelve steps up. So we're both in agreement! :)

[QBUILDERZ]

A hole new world suddenly opens up. Awesome work Simsample. Too bad your pictures are gone from the beginning of the thread.

I feel like this was an unintentional pun...I got a good lol from this :lol:

[Volvenom]

I feel like this was an unintentional pun...I got a good lol from this :lol:

Yes, that's how I am. I get so exited about something new and then I test it myself. Got myself down to the ground when I realized it would be so much simpler with the old fashioned foundations. I really didn't want sloped basement when I tested it myself. Didn't think it fitted my creation lol. Well, I have tried it.

Here's a link to a video of the house I made: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_d4w7GnDkI

[Castaras]

Hi, I've been following through Simsample's tutorial on the first page. I've managed to lower one edge of the basement down to the level required, but when I try to put in the stair which should "Get rid of 4xlength of stairs", it doesn't work. :s I've tried doing this multiple times and this problem keeps reappearing.

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u130/Castaras/Screenshot-257.jpg

Any ideas on what it is that I'm being stupid about? :s

Edit: Worked out what I was doing wrong - I needed to delete the floor tiling plan, as it was screwing with the building.

[Sammiannnz]

This is AMAZING guys!! Thank you so much for putting all your hard work and lots of time and effort into working out how this worked. Because I like to build strange and unusual houses and ordinary houses for me are just boring so this is a lifesaver as I was running out of ideas.

Just a query, do you think this sort of technique would work in Sims 2? It would probably need a bit of tweaking but the basic idea and concept would remain the same right? Do you think it would work?

[Volvenom]

Sammiannnz: what's your plan? As I remember Sims2 hasn't got the basement tool. So sloping the ground ... I don't remember anymore.

[QBUILDERZ]

This is AMAZING guys!! Thank you so much for putting all your hard work and lots of time and effort into working out how this worked. Because I like to build strange and unusual houses and ordinary houses for me are just boring so this is a lifesaver as I was running out of ideas.

Just a query, do you think this sort of technique would work in Sims 2? It would probably need a bit of tweaking but the basic idea and concept would remain the same right? Do you think it would work?

Nope, it is much more difficult in TS2 - if you flickl through the tutorials you'll probably find it. V1nd1care figured it out, but someone else made the tutorial (whom I can't remember)

It is possible in TS2, just not by the same means

[CYFire]

This is amazing! But... I don't get it T_T !!! I don't know wether it's based on my poor English (even if I can't call a certain sentence I didn't feel of understanding) or something else. I've tried all the tutorials here, but I can't adapt them to my problem. Maybe I'm just to dumb for this, though...

The point I try to come to: I want the red area be a pond, visible through the windows of the inner wall, not affecting the ceiling over the gym. Is it possible with the method you share here or do I try to catch butterflies with a lasso?
http://s5.directupload.net/images/110222/temp/gsltubom.jpg (http://s5.directupload.net/file/d/2443/gsltubom_jpg.htm)
http://s7.directupload.net/images/110222/temp/ooqwm4fn.jpg (http://s7.directupload.net/file/d/2443/ooqwm4fn_jpg.htm)

[Volvenom]

You might be better off making a new thread about this. Have you tried just making a pond there? with the water tool.

[simsample]

CYFire, I don't thik you will be able to do that. On Domangcop's lots and the one I demonstrate on the first page, we have the basement raised up so that it is slightly above the level of the ground:
http://www.modyourpanties.com/hosting/25633_110206125319062.jpg
That way you can trick the game into having the pond visible from the basement, as the pond is still on ground level.

However, on your image, your basement is still below the level of the ground and so the pond will not be visible from there. You could, however, put a nice swimming pool there and have viewing windows on it, as I've done here:
http://thumbs2.modthesims2.com/img/5/2/8/4/8/MTS2_simsample_1177579_Screenshot-699.jpg
The windows at the back are part of the pool wall, as is the fish tank you can see at the bottom of the image. This will work in a basement or on a higher level, as mine is.

By the way, you need to update your No Mosaic mod- older versions cause the flashes that are visible in your images to remain in build/ but mode.

[Volvenom]

Yes build a swimmingpool instead ... and then you could try pushing down the walls like we did in Sims2 to make a pond out of the pool?

[CYFire]

Ok, that's what I've assumed I'd have to do... unfortunately. But thanks anyway, especially for answering my thread-digging-out.
But then I've got another issue: I'd like to swap the water, which means instead of having a suterran pool with pond around outside, now I'd like to have the pool around and the pond indoor in the basement.
I've seen in WA in France the dungeon (or whatever it's called in the english version) with the cellar garden. So is it possible to delete the bottom of the basement without the basement itself? Or will it be impossible due to the water level flooding the whole basement?
(This, for sure, would be fine in a new thread, but here I've got the picture to show what I mean. I hope so, though...)

[cica222]

Simsample just talked a bit about things that made me sleepy

It's just a little difficult...Just a little...But...I need the link!
I need this house...Just that...

[Volvenom]

You know CYFire have you tried the foundations tool? But you won't be able to hide the basement underground using foundations. I did see a thread about someone wanting to make a cave with a pond or something, in another thread.

[nixicole]

Just a query, do you think this sort of technique would work in Sims 2? It would probably need a bit of tweaking but the basic idea and concept would remain the same right? Do you think it would work?

As I vaguely recall, I did a walkout basement in Sims 2 by building a foundation, then hollowing out that foundation so that it formed a U one tile wide on each side (I can't remember if this was before or after building on the first floor, but I think before.), then closed it off with a regular wall that I could put doors in. And, of course, raising or lowering the terrain as necessary. I loved doing this on beach lots.
As for what they're doing with the ground on top, that's way out of my league, period. But I agree, I can't figure how it would be possible in TS2, given that there is no way to build entirely below ground in that one.

[SJane3384]

OK, I've been messing with this for like 2 hrs, but for some reason I CAN NOT get it to work. Whenever I try to lower the ground with stairs, the basement doesn't change at all. And when I try to place the stairs and make the cut-out, instead of making a hollow space, the dirt just comes up and slopes next to the wall. I'm seriously about to cry here. Am I just that dumb, or has something changed since this was first created?

[Volvenom]

OK, I've been messing with this for like 2 hrs, but for some reason I CAN NOT get it to work. Whenever I try to lower the ground with stairs, the basement doesn't change at all. And when I try to place the stairs and make the cut-out, instead of making a hollow space, the dirt just comes up and slopes next to the wall. I'm seriously about to cry here. Am I just that dumb, or has something changed since this was first created?

It can be a real hassle to get it right. Your use the footprint of the staircase. So you have 3 or 4 tiles you need.
You need to put the stairs down just at the edge, so it lands on the higher part of the basement. No obstacle there.
The room also have to be long enough for the footprint.
I also seem to remember some trouble if I didn't put down the staircase at the tip of that tile.
I hope this is what you need?

[Minaki]

I am actually trying to do somewhat the opposite of what is being taught here. I'm trying to create the building I live in in-game and I'm having trouble with the underground garage. I've tried many things but it doesn't look like the real deal. What I need to do is built an underground garage with a slop ramp that goes up to ground floor, so that cars can enter the garage through ground floor, go down and park on the garage (as they should if Sims actually drove their cars into the parking lots other than just doing that annoying teleporting magic trick xD). I tried to just buil a regular garage with EA's basement tool and then raise the terrain where I wanted the ramp to be but that didn't work at all. I was wondering if this trick could be used to solve my problem and if so, how.

edit: By the way, is there a way to build foundations inside a garage made using the cave tool?

[Volvenom]

You can try using this technic, but you would have to make it a fake one. The garage is fake anyway, since the cars don't use the driveway.

http://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=446081

[Minaki]

Thanks Volvenom, I'll try working around this issue (I'm having A LOT of issues building this house for some reason)

I'd still like to know if it's possible to build foundations inside a basement created with the cave tool, but I guess not since I can't do it (unless there's also an hidden trick for that one xD)

[Volvenom]

I would make it's own thread for that problem, Minaki.

For the walk-in-basement technic in this thread I have made this video on youtube. I hope it's good: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_ZamoY6lWI

[supreme_leader]

16 months no reply.. Hmm but I think I can ask this cause I do still wonder about something

Is this trick possible to have multiple garage door entrances to let's say 3 level basements? So it all fits together with the terrain as well as elevators?

Like this but then with 3 garage doors next to eachother all on different basement levels and connected to a standard elevator with acces to the upper (living) levels

http://i.imgur.com/Puq0AI8.jpg



Thanks

[Volvenom]

The floor levels will always be the same place according to the ground. You can't move them. The lowest it can be is 1/4 regular wall.

[Dantes]

16 months no reply.. Hmm but I think I can ask this cause I do still wonder about something

Is this trick possible to have multiple garage door entrances to let's say 3 level basements? So it all fits together with the terrain as well as elevators?

Like this but then with 3 garage doors next to eachother all on different basement levels and connected to a standard elevator with acces to the upper (living) levels

Thanks

For multiple level? Mmmmm... Probably not.

But for one. No problem.

I made that for a Grand Hotel.

http://s20.postimg.org/qf1a5c9x9/Screenshot_17.jpg

http://s20.postimg.org/44df5dcn1/Screenshot_18.jpg

Very easy to doing.

And for the connection of the elevator you need that:

http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=465660

[supreme_leader]

Isn't that just a normal underground garage with foundations?

[Volvenom]

Supreme leader. What I thought about for you was the ramp in post 56 by Simsample. I tried this yesterday though and it's been so hard putting down that staircase lately. It may have something to do with the orientation of the lot and garage relative to the world or something. I didn't try turning it 90 degrees though. It looked like you did get the staircase down.

If you don't mind using a staircase down, you can have 2 floors sort of at least. I have never seen anyone twisting the floors position relative to the ground. That seems to be stuck. It will always be 1 to 5 floors above ground and then 1 to 4 or perhaps 5 below. the walls can be minimum 1/4 and very high. Below ground there is a few differences in how it works though.

[supreme_leader]

Supreme leader. What I thought about for you was the ramp in post 56 by Simsample. I tried this yesterday though and it's been so hard putting down that staircase lately. It may have something to do with the orientation of the lot and garage relative to the world or something. I didn't try turning it 90 degrees though. It looked like you did get the staircase down.

If you don't mind using a staircase down, you can have 2 floors sort of at least. I have never seen anyone twisting the floors position relative to the ground. That seems to be stuck. It will always be 1 to 5 floors above ground and then 1 to 4 or perhaps 5 below. the walls can be minimum 1/4 and very high. Below ground there is a few differences in how it works though.
Ah yes, that looks exactly what I need for my multi floor garage. Seems like I missed out on how it worked in that picture. But yes something like that is what i'm looking for.

If you can't make multiple stories underground multiple stories above ground would do just fine, as long as my houses aren't at least 50x50 to fit alot of cars in :rofl:

I've been playing alot with constrainfloorelevation, I will definately look into this way from Simsample as well, looks really beautiful and realistic

[Dantes]

Isn't that just a normal underground garage with foundations?

Yep it is.

[Volvenom]

Since 1,50 I haven't been able to put any staircase not full wall height down like I need to make this partially exposed basement with lights in it. I like to use it if I need 1 extra floor "above" ground or wants to have the "floating" affect. It's annoying. I have tried putting the staircase down from lower ground into the higher basement, but I get a basement's not high enough message or something. I can't use cfe there, because I can't get the exposed effect then. Has anyone found a solution yet? I tried from all 4 directions on a lot, and several different places from where I wanted it to land in the basement. I even tried the hold down shift approach. Still no dice.

I have 1.50, but not installed uni yet.

[Tee Hee Hee]

Since 1,50 I haven't been able to put any staircase not full wall height down like I need to make this partially exposed basement with lights in it...Has anyone found a solution yet?

I've not had any problems with this technique since the 1.5 patch and I'm currently patched to 1.50.56.021017 with university installed. How odd that it has stopped working for you!

[Volvenom]

I've not had any problems with this technique since the 1.5 patch and I'm currently patched to 1.50.56.021017 with university installed. How odd that it has stopped working for you!

Hm ... ok. I'll have to check out other possibilities then. Thanks.