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Mad Poster
Original Poster
#26 Old 18th Sep 2015 at 8:59 PM Last edited by CatherineTCJD : 18th Sep 2015 at 11:09 PM.
Thank you - ALL ya'll, for the reports! I will get to work on fixing issues right now...

ScaryRob - I started building from the back of the lot. In other words, the bottom apts were built first by dragging/creating a room going into the hillside. I did not 'dig' out a basement - I added only upper floors and then CFE'd the bottom floors as far down as possible for the street level apt (in front) Sorry if I'm not making any sense here... So, the front apt has 3 unused levels CFE'd to 4 clicks each underneath it. If I raise the bottom level to 6-clicks - I'll get light in the bottom apt windows?

Good to know about the pool table too!

I think I'll add a tower of spiral stairs to reach the lower apts - better for fire safety too

Thank you!!!

EDIT: Maxon - Did you have someone checking out an apt when you noticed the darkness? That's the only time I can make the apts go dark like your screenie shows. When my tester isn't actively 'checking out' an apt - they are lit from the windows (not electric) Of course, the bottom apts do not have as many windows...
Like, in your pix #6 - the bottom stage left apt has lights on (was someone 'checking it out'?) and the others are dark. That would explain the missing porch furniture too.

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#27 Old 18th Sep 2015 at 11:29 PM
Cat did you not use the unleveled walls this time? Just asking as this is why I didn't offer to test. You always have a note on your lots saying they are needed and since I don't use them I know those lots will crash. If you only used CFE I can test as well if you need someone else, although it seems like the crew got it covered. Maybe in a couple of days when I am over this stupid cold.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#28 Old 19th Sep 2015 at 12:21 AM
Hi Jo - I'm sorry you are sick!
I tried NOT to use the unlevel walls in this one. It's such a habit though, I may have used it by mistake.
I'd love your opinion on this one... but, not if it will crash your game.

I got something else you could test for me that won't crash! I just thought of it! Simonut is having trouble finding my shop sign - can you DL it and see if it's there for you? It should be in Deco/misc. Thank you!!! (Totally off subject, I know. I'm de-railing my own thread! LOL)

Get better quick!

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#29 Old 19th Sep 2015 at 12:35 AM
I thought I already had them downloaded just not installed... although I don't see the thanks clicked so I will download it again.

I think this is one of the downsides to living in a small town, the bugs just go through the whole town. Every second person seems to be sick. It's Spring too!

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Theorist
#30 Old 19th Sep 2015 at 1:59 AM Last edited by ScaryRob : 19th Sep 2015 at 2:22 AM.
Quote: Originally posted by CatherineTCJD
ScaryRob - I started building from the back of the lot. In other words, the bottom apts were built first by dragging/creating a room going into the hillside. I did not 'dig' out a basement - I added only upper floors and then CFE'd the bottom floors as far down as possible for the street level apt (in front) Sorry if I'm not making any sense here... So, the front apt has 3 unused levels CFE'd to 4 clicks each underneath it. If I raise the bottom level to 6-clicks - I'll get light in the bottom apt windows?

OK, I don't follow all of that, so let me clarify what I wrote earlier.
In order to get sunlight into basement windows, people will say that the top of your foundation needs to be at least 6 clicks high. This is true, as far as it goes, but it is not entirely accurate.

It would be more accurate to say that in order to get sunlight into basement windows, the top of the foundation needs to be at least 6 clicks above street level.
(7 clicks if you want sunlight through basement doors.)

The difference between the two statements is that you could build a house atop a little mound that is only 2 clicks high, use a normal 4-click high foundation and there will be sunlight into the basement windows, because the overall height of the top of the foundation will be 6 clicks above street level (the 2 click height of the mound plus the normal 4 click height of the foundation). Understand? It's actually a very simple thing to remember. 6 clicks above street level.

If the top of your apartment foundation is not at least 6 clicks above street level, then you will not get sunlight into your basement windows - period. It doesn't matter whether you started building in front of the lot or in back, or whether you CFE'd anything - none of that matters.

Edit: OK, I think I understand what you're getting at. It looks like you only have a foundation for the front half of the houses, and just used walls to build into the hillside at the back half.
I'll download the Lot, minus all the CC and look at it, because it seems very tricky. I'm always worried that I'll import the hug-bug or something like that into my game, but I'll take the chance and put it into a new, unused hood.
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#31 Old 19th Sep 2015 at 3:17 AM Last edited by CatherineTCJD : 19th Sep 2015 at 11:45 PM.
Thank you ScaryRob!!!
I'm not getting the lighting issues... and I've fixed/redone everything that was mentioned (I think)
The pool table is still tight on one side - but the other three are good now (which probably makes no diff to sims, I know)
Here is the new version to test... (file removed)

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Theorist
#32 Old 19th Sep 2015 at 3:26 AM Last edited by ScaryRob : 19th Sep 2015 at 3:37 AM.
OK, I see now that you didn't use foundations anywhere at all.
Sorry, but I don't know why those lower two levels aren't getting any sunshine through the windows. I don't have a clue.
I think that, technically, it's just a 4-story house. The first lower level gets sunlight, but not the bottom two levels.

I removed several windows and popped them back in,which made no difference.
I removed those large, two-story windows and replaced them with smaller one-story ones and that didn't make any difference either. (Disregard that, those are just the default Maxis ones.)
I deleted the entire swimming pool, which made no difference.
I deleted the elevators, which made no difference.
I deleted the spiral stairs and those long, outside stairs - no difference.
I tried all those things because I thought maybe those objects were fooling the game into thinking that there were many basement levels, which there really aren't, it's basically just a 4-story house.

So I have no idea why those two lower levels aren't getting sunlight in.
Maybe it's due to the uneven lot? I really don't know, I've never built anything like this.
Sorry.

Edit: I used the version you posted yesterday.
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#33 Old 19th Sep 2015 at 4:54 AM
NO!
olc - I know better than to do that! I have only moved 1 tester in - and out again - without saving. And, only changed zoning when it is uninhabited. I've built apartments before - I know what I'm doing (well, except for this ones quirks, which is why I brought it here for help.) Also, I'm using a fresh copy each time as I had planned to put this up for DL.

ScaryRob - You confirm then that the lower apts were dark? Without having a test sim 'checking out' another apt?

As I said earlier, I'm not having the darkness issue. The only problem I have left that's really bugging me is the # of apts.
I completely redid the elevators, added stacked spiral stairs, and rebuilt the walls with new apt doors... yet, it still says there are only 9 apts.
My tester can rent all 10 apts though. Aaaack!

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Theorist
#34 Old 19th Sep 2015 at 4:58 AM
Quote: Originally posted by olc
my guess, she move in 2 sims families to those 2 apartments, then changed lot to residential, (wihtout moving them out) did changes and then changed back to apartmentbase. that will corrupt those apartments for good, and would explain why there is no lighting at all (once an apartment its rented by another family, NPC or whatever it is, the light goes off, even from the windows and the apartment goes totally black. my guess thats maxis trying to cut back game resources back in the day we run sims 2 on a pentium 4)

That's as good a guess as any.
In any case, I've done as much "testing" as I'm gonna do with this.
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#35 Old 19th Sep 2015 at 4:59 AM
ScaryRob - did you see my Q to you above? I think we posted at about the same time.

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#36 Old 19th Sep 2015 at 5:06 AM
Cat, ask the tester did they check the apartment is all apartment and no common area. They can test that by trying to move furniture or sell and buy a new piece of furniture.
First time I made my gated community an apartment it changed just fine then I realized upstairs was common area due to how I had done the stairs. Sims could use it just fine except change or move a single thing upstairs.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Theorist
#37 Old 19th Sep 2015 at 5:26 AM Last edited by ScaryRob : 19th Sep 2015 at 5:50 AM.
Quote: Originally posted by CatherineTCJD
ScaryRob - You confirm then that the lower apts were dark? Without having a test sim 'checking out' another apt?

What do you mean by "dark"?

Edit: If you mean totally dark, like they had NPC renters in them, no, those apts weren't dark like that. They just didn't get any sunlight through the windows or doors.

All I did was try to find out why the lower 2 levels weren't getting sunlight in the windows, that's all. I changed the apartment to residential so I could remove and reinstall windows, doors and all the other things I mentioned in my previous post.
That the lower levels of the houses are in shadow can be seen just by looking at the exterior of the houses.
I did not put any Sims on the Lot.

What specifically do you want me to test with your new version?

Edit: I just put Julien Cooke on the Lot (older version from yesterday) and had him rent the lower apartment in the left house (as seen from the street). As soon as he rented, the game crashed.
So what is it you want me to test with your new version?
(Yeah, he's one of my testers too, poor devil, LOL.)
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#38 Old 19th Sep 2015 at 8:23 AM
Quote:
I got something else you could test for me that won't crash! I just thought of it! Simonut is having trouble finding my shop sign - can you DL it and see if it's there for you? It should be in Deco/misc. Thank you!!! (Totally off subject, I know. I'm de-railing my own thread! LOL)


Cat, the sign is there right next to the Maxis open and closed sign.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
The Great AntiJen
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#39 Old 19th Sep 2015 at 10:21 AM
Quote: Originally posted by CatherineTCJD
EDIT: Maxon - Did you have someone checking out an apt when you noticed the darkness? That's the only time I can make the apts go dark like your screenie shows. When my tester isn't actively 'checking out' an apt - they are lit from the windows (not electric) Of course, the bottom apts do not have as many windows...
Like, in your pix #6 - the bottom stage left apt has lights on (was someone 'checking it out'?) and the others are dark. That would explain the missing porch furniture too.

No it was like that on first load. If the game is reading those levels as below ground they appear dark on any build AFAIK. I turned the lights on in the picture you are referring to manually. Having said that, your build technique shouldn't have the game thinking those apartment levels are below ground. The game takes the road level at level one but the ground can be deformed in any way - it's all level one. AFAIK, the actual height doesn't matter - or maybe it does, having read Rob's comments. However, it only becomes a basement if you use a foundation.

I no longer come over to MTS very often but if you would like to ask me a question then you can find me on tumblr or my own site tflc. TFLC has an archive of all my CC downloads.
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Mad Poster
Original Poster
#40 Old 19th Sep 2015 at 1:16 PM Last edited by CatherineTCJD : 19th Sep 2015 at 1:34 PM.
Quote: Originally posted by joandsarah77
Cat, the sign is there right next to the Maxis open and closed sign.


Whew!!! YAY! I am so relieved Thank you, Jo
She nearly had me convinced I'd gone totally loopy.
...now if I could just figure why others have a lighting issue (I don't) in these lower apts; and why the 'hood blurb insists there are only 9 units. *sigh*

Maxon - Yeah, that's why I built it that way (with no foundation/basement) I believed as you stated. Thank you for explaining.
Hopefully I'll find a solution today. I'd really hate to scrap all this work/testing, especially now that all ya'll have helped so much! Thanks!


EDIT: I just found this - "Some users report issues changing zoning if using pre-Apartment Life custom arches in apartments. To prevent this issue, use only Maxis, non-custom arches in your apartment interiors." Maybe tbudgett's arches are causing problems? The lower apts each have them.

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#41 Old 19th Sep 2015 at 10:54 PM
I don't know that 'corruption' is the right word, that indicates you will mess up somebodies game or hood or terrible things will happen. Apartments are picky and something as simple as a fence or an arch could be causing an issue.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#42 Old 19th Sep 2015 at 11:31 PM Last edited by CatherineTCJD : 19th Sep 2015 at 11:56 PM.
UPDATE - It was the arches! I now have 10 apts, like I should have SQUEEEEEE!

However... still don't know why the bottom 2 floors are dark. And, now I see what ya'll mean about "dark" - the windows don't add light. Duh! (Sometimes I'm just... thick!) In the upper 2 floors, if you remove a window, the room darkens. Put the window back - the light comes back. But, on the lower 2 floors, if you remove or add a window, nothing happens to the light at all.

As for the sliding/glass doors to the porch - none of them allow light at any level. And, that includes all the glass paneled EAxis doors too (I tried 'em all!) If you take the door out and put a window - you get light (on the upper 2 floors.) *sigh*

What now?

We know the landslide/sinkhole problem, and how to fix it
All 10 apts are showing up on the 'hood blurb
Routing issues have all been fixed (except the one side of the pool table)
There are NO unlevel walls in this build (I checked just for you, Jo!)
Defaults have been swapped out for in-game texture slaved versions
Besides the lighting - what else is there?

Here is the newest version: ( @Joandsarah77 - I ninja'd you )
Attached files:
File Type: zip  GreenHillCondos10.zip (5.33 MB, 1 downloads) - View custom content

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#43 Old 19th Sep 2015 at 11:37 PM
Yah! Did it fix the darkness issue? I would always use Maxis building objects where possible for apartments.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Theorist
#44 Old 20th Sep 2015 at 1:02 AM
Quote: Originally posted by CatherineTCJD
However... still don't know why the bottom 2 floors are dark. And, now I see what ya'll mean about "dark" - the windows don't add light. Duh! (Sometimes I'm just... thick!) In the upper 2 floors, if you remove a window, the room darkens. Put the window back - the light comes back. But, on the lower 2 floors, if you remove or add a window, nothing happens to the light at all.

OK, now you know what we meant by no sunlight getting into those apts. Unfortunately, like I said yesterday, I have no idea what's causing it, whether it's something having to do with the way the houses are built, or whether it happens because the lot is uneven, which you wouldn't be able to fix.

Quote:
What now?


One thing you could do is build a quick replica of the lot, just the basics, including only the walls and a few windows. You wouldn't have to build both houses, just one. Use the same type of uneven lot and do the CFE the same way, basically. See if you can get sunlight into the lower rooms.
If you can't get sunlight into a very basic rebuild, then the issue probably has something to do with the uneven lot, or some other thing which you can't do anything about.
If you can get sunlight into the lower rooms, then examine what is different about the original lot and the rebuild.

That's what I would consider doing.
Theorist
#45 Old 20th Sep 2015 at 3:23 AM Last edited by ScaryRob : 20th Sep 2015 at 6:31 AM.
OK, it just dawned on me why those two lower levels are not getting any sun through their windows. It is because of what I wrote yesterday in my post #40 on page 2 of this thread, except that the rule isn't limited to foundations, but apparently applies to all levels that are less than 6 clicks above street level.

The two lower levels of your lot are both less than 6 clicks above the street level. I'm referring to the CFE levels at the front of the houses, but those levels also correspond to the two lower levels at the rear of the houses.
Here's a pic:

I color coded the levels for clarity.
The red and blue levels correspond to the lower levels at the rear of the house, and they are both less than 6 clicks above street level.
The red level is completely below street level, while the blue one seems to be only 2 clicks above street level.
Only the yellow level looks like it is exactly 6 clicks above street level, which is why it has sunlight through the windows.
I'm referring to the tops of those levels.
The top of the yellow level is 6 clicks above the street.
The top of the blue level is 2 clicks above the street.
The top of the red level is 2 clicks below the street.

Here are the corresponding levels at the back of the house:


I would bet money this is why those two lower levels are not getting sun through the windows.

As for how to fix this...pfft. I think it would require a drastic re-thinking of the entire lot. It's possible that what you're trying to do may not be doable at all, at least not if you want sunlight in those lower levels.
I suppose you could use CFE to raise the ground for both houses (at the front) until all levels are at least 6 clicks above the street, but you'd end up with an even higher house at the front than what you have now - considerably higher. You'd also have to re-do many stairs throughout the houses and probably other things to account for the increased height. Not sure how elevators would work.

My suggestion: Rebuild, without the two lowest levels. Only have a single basement level, inside a foundation (and make sure it is 6 clicks above the street). If you want more levels, build upwards, not downwards.
The Great AntiJen
retired moderator
#46 Old 20th Sep 2015 at 10:20 AM
I think you're probably right there Rob though another solution would be to use a window that is designed to let in light whatever the level. There is one somewhere because I had it at one time. I did think it was from Numenor's wall window set but looking at the DL page, I'm not sure that's right. I'll have a look in my DL folder and see if I can spot it.

I no longer come over to MTS very often but if you would like to ask me a question then you can find me on tumblr or my own site tflc. TFLC has an archive of all my CC downloads.
I'm here on tumblr and my site, tflc
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#47 Old 20th Sep 2015 at 5:30 PM
I think you are right too *sigh* I really don't want to rebuild!
I have Numenor's wall window set - but I didn't think one was designed to 'lite' no matter what. If you find a window like that - I'd LOVE a link

Thank YOU all ya'll for helping me with this :lovestruc

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The Great AntiJen
retired moderator
#48 Old 20th Sep 2015 at 6:09 PM
Quote: Originally posted by CatherineTCJD
I think you are right too *sigh* I really don't want to rebuild!
I have Numenor's wall window set - but I didn't think one was designed to 'lite' no matter what. If you find a window like that - I'd LOVE a link

You know I'm certain I had one but I can't see it. I've been having a look over the Internet too. Google is no help.

I no longer come over to MTS very often but if you would like to ask me a question then you can find me on tumblr or my own site tflc. TFLC has an archive of all my CC downloads.
I'm here on tumblr and my site, tflc
Theorist
#49 Old 21st Sep 2015 at 3:10 AM Last edited by ScaryRob : 21st Sep 2015 at 2:11 PM.
Quote: Originally posted by CatherineTCJD
I think you are right too *sigh* I really don't want to rebuild!

LOL, well, that's just a suggestion and you obviously don't have to follow it.

The good news is that we all learned something - at least I know I did, which is one of the reasons I sometimes like to explore other people's Lots, especially if they're having problems.
You might get the urge to build another Lot on a hillside, so now you know how the game works and what to look out for. Next time around it will be so much easier. You gotta love Lot building though, that's pretty much a prerequisite.
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