I updated the countdown timer to give 8 more days for round 4. let me know how everyone is with this, I can easily make it two weeks if need be.

Fine with me


petro, sorry again late delivery, but here:


Ripp was getting better , but got a suprise visitor and both of them, Ripp and Captain got scared and Ripp closed the bar early :P

Salute!

I do hope Rip and Captain are alright!

Hello!

I'm still here, making very slow progress with my round 3 play-along house. I think I've finally finished decorating it, so it's just being furnished now. As of now, I've got it about a third furnished, and I've still got about §27K budget to spend so it should work. In real life we're cleaning up after a severe mouse infestation (of which muridae's avatar constantly reminds me!), so my time for Simming is a bit limited. And, when I do get to load the game, I really, really want to play rather than build! I suppose that says something about me. I think I see building as a necessary chore, when what I really want to do is hang out with my Sims and have fun with them. Especially when my Simming time is limited. However I really do have to finish this house: quite apart from this contest, until I finish it, the Curious brothers have nowhere to live. And with two very young children, I can't leave them homeless!!

As for round 4, by far the simplest thing for me to do is to move the Singles into an empty house. I currently have two empty houses in Strangetown. One is the big barracks-style house at 57 Road to Nowhere, next door to the Grunts. The other one is a single storey house at 111 Road to Nowhere. However I think the latter is probably not an Maxis house, but one I built myself when I first played Strangetown. Here's a picture of it:

Looking at it, I think I based it on a mirror image of the Maxis "Ranch Retreat" bin house. Could some one please confirm that it's not an original Maxis Strangetown house. The house next door at 105 Road to Nowhere, is of similar size, but with a foundation and a small front veranda. I think it is an original Strangetown house, but there's a CAS family (the McIntoshes) already living in it. (I recall that I changed some of the house numbers in Road to Nowhere, because Maxis seemed to have them out of sequence.) If someone can kindly confirm to me that the house illustrated isn't an original Maxis Strangetown one, then I'll know that I have to use the big barrack-style one beside the Grunts.

Personally I could do with as much time as possible, but I am just a play-along, and it's not fair to ask other people to wait for me. It would be nice though if the thread stayed open till I have got both my outstanding entries in.

@AndrewGloria there is a small empty Maxis house in Strangetown, why don't you use that? I am not sure if the one pictured is it or not. I'll load up today (I have this archive of cc I downloaded last night that I need to look at in an empty game anyway) and take a picture.

I think you mean this house, Jo.
It's 105 Road to Nowhere, the one I mentioned in my last post. I can't easily use it because Cameron and Carri Mackintosh (corrected spelling) are living in it with their girls Nicola and Flora, and I don't want to make them move. I think I'm unusual in playing this in my existing Strangetown, and the first thing I did there (a couple of years ago) was add this CAS family as my way of getting to know the Maxis pre-mades. That's why I've adjusted budgets, as my houses are already depreciated. It looks like in my game, the Curious and Beaker families are swapping houses, while everyone else stays put. Which I suppose in a sense is fair enough, since it was Pascal and Loki who upset the aliens.

Lol Ellu, love the cat woman post.

Andrew, I see. It is easier to play a new Strangetown since then you know it has no modifications to it.

Here is the empty house.

@AndrewGloria , easy solution

Go here: http://modthesims.info/download.php?t=615468

in first post in comments grab the non default Strangetown (NE02.rar, base game compatible)

Put that in your neighborhoods folder, go in game and simply pick any lot you want to lot bin (as all are cleaned and empty) , then simply go to your own Strangetown and place the lot there and build (you can delete the NE02 now from your neighborhoods folder )

Highly enjoyable reading, @Kukamuukaanmuka (100% score). :D

So this is what he gets up to when I'm not looking!

Thanks Jo; that is the house the Mackintoshes are living in.

And thanks Ellu. I didn't know that Jawusa had uploaded those clean and empty Maxis neighbourhoods. For the contest I think I'll still move the Singles into the big barrack house. I think its size makes it more appropriate for 4 adults than any of the little houses. I'm tempted to keep the house itself quite basic, but with 2 daughters of PT9 living there, we'll see what they can get to grow in the desert garden.

So, while I may not use them for the round 4 house, those clean and empty 'hoods by Jawusa could be very useful. I have a number of lots copied from Pleasantview, Veronaville and Strangetown in my lot bin. I think I'll delete them all and replace them with Jawusa's much cleaner and safer versions. And it will be interesting to see what some of my Sims' homes looked like in their original condition.

I think it is high time that we have a party Braai and drinks here, for the sake of keeping the contestants sane (not to mention Jo and the judges )

Just to let you know I am working on scores. Might be up tomorrow.

Or only trying to get to, as he never showed up Either she was at wrong bar or Sim was just about to go to his date.. but bummer... you opened the game

(honestly I searched for totally different PVC outfit I used to have , did not manage to find it anymore. Then I was like, okay , catwoman shall do it.. lets make Strangetown even more stranger )

She looks pretty cool.

The Curious Brother have moved into 1 Tesla Court.
They can hardly believe the size of the place the Council have given them. Only problem is that huge radio mast next door is likely to get in the way of their stargazing, despite them building an extra-tall tower for their telescope.

They've got two children now: Pascal's boy Titus, and Vidcund's baby daughter Andromeda. Both kids seem to have been unceremoniously dumped on the pavement. (No cut-scene video for some reason.)

Now that they're in, I should be able to get my Round 3 play-along post in soon. I was rather stuck for a while trying to work out how to fit them into that huge castle. I had a vague idea what I wanted to do but couldn't think how to divide up the space. And I really wanted to spend my limited Simming time playing -- not building. But both I and they seem to be fairly satisfied with what we've got now. (They're probably fed up to the back teeth waiting for me to finish it!)

Ooooh... I see shorts... and white bricks... looks like the old Beaker place is undergoing quite a transformation!

Round 3 Judging Scores and Comments

Notes from Judge 2
A hard round to judge — good work from all of you.
The three things I want to point out:
1.Décor and Detail — or the lack of it. Detail does not mean hanging tons of paintings or putting a hundred statues down — it is little things, like does the bedding suit the walls (and the occupant of that room); does the kitchen look as if it fits into the rest of the house (no grand house has a tiny kitchen that belongs in a poor area government house), does the landscaping make sense and is it good on the eye? Is there a wall behind the computer or the television set to plug it in? Some of the interiors are very average, with very little individuality.
2.Build skill, garden and outside: Please look at how you place your windows — there is stunning and there is acceptable. Try to go for the stunning. Please put some groundcover (dirt or ground or pine needles — pine needles very suitable for Strangetown, to keep the roots of the plants cool) — but break up those extremely green lawns. Glad to say the landscaping has improved!
3.Budget: This is a huge lot, with an adequate budget, but some of you have wasted money on things that are not needed — a nursery, a spare bedroom, a lab, to name a few — make sure you spend your budget as wisely as possible. (In the last round with no budget, there will be no excuses for neglecting any part of the lot, inside or outside).
Do not throw points away!

Scores and comments


























Jo's Comments
Again I am amazed at how different the same house can be!

There are still some floor plans that are either too small or taken too far away. Floor plan means the building not the garden or land surrounding the building. Also if a veranda has already been seen well on a floor plan or overhead there is no need to take another floor plan showing it, cut that off and get in closer to the building. The judges need to be able to easily see furniture placement and the details in the rooms. Don't forget you may take as many floor plans as you want, even one of every single room if you wish too.
If judges cannot see they cannot give you a fully formed opinion or scores. Pictures not meeting the MTS guidelines will also be incurring pentiles from this round on of .5-1 point off your total score.

Thank you to the judges

Gongratz to the winner of the round, simsample! Here you go:






(ps. she is still waiting........ )

Congratulations, @simsample -

And congratulations to all the other contestants too. I really enjoyed all the entries and love how all of them are quite unique.

Now for the last stretch and I am looking forward to see what you are going to build.

Thanks @Kukamuukaanmuka and @Justpetro !

And thanks to the judges, the money is in the post!

@Kukamuukaanmuka Sim will be right over, he had a shower and now he can't find the talcum powder so the PVC slides back on!

Thanks judges! And congrats @simsample

I'm working away on my entry for this round but might end up being a little late. Life is conspiring against me this week with a sick puppy (now recovering, thank goodness!) and a bit of illness for me. I'm hopeful I'll finish on time but thought I'd mention it now just in case!

Congratulations @simsample for the perfect score! Loved your house, and I have my eyes set on some of the CC you used

Yes, congratulations simsample. Your lots have been an inspiration throughout! And (unlike mine) done so quickly.

Now a little taster, till I get all my FRAPS pictures converted to JPEGs and write my post:

I have no idea who did this, except that both Pascal and Vidcund regarded Loki Beaker as an enemy. Now that building on the horizon does look a bit familiar. I wonder why. And I wonder who might live there.