Full Steam Ahead: Steampunk The Sims 4 World (Part 2)

September 2, 2017

5 min read

Hi, I’m Jason Sterling. I see Steampunk as a mixture of high technology and steam power with a Victorian decor. This style is one of my favorite and the Sims 4 catalog is easy to use to create it. This is the second of a series of three articles to help you on the road to the future, firmly rooted in the past.

I am going to use the two examples below in all three articles. The RM Cascadian Airship and the Worldport Airship Waiting Room were conceived as Steampunk designs from the start. I’ll highlight some key ideas from both. As well I’ll showcase some tips not incorporated into these builds for inspiration. I hope this will provide you with some ideas for your Sims.

From my point of view Steampunk is a retrofitted world. I use three essential cheats to create that look and I have listed these cheats below. Press the “CTRL SHIFT C” buttons at the same time while in game. The cheat box will open at the top left of the screen. You can then enter any of the cheats you wish to use in the box. Press the “ESC” button to close the cheat entry box when you are done.

BB.MoveObjectsOn (MOO) You can use this cheat to free place items within the build grid map.
BB.IgnoreGameplayUnlocksEntitlement (IGUE) This will give you access to all reward related objects.
BB.ShowHiddenObjects (SHO) This reveals nearly all of the build catalog objects that are used during game play.

I also heavily use the “]” and “[“ keys to enlarge and shrink objects and the “9” and “0” keys to raise and lower objects. Hold onto the object and press the key to use the function.

Layering to Create Detail

Victorians were in love with ornamentation. So, it plays a role in Steampunk as well. If one bit of extravagant detail is good then ten are better. The Sims catalog does have some options that support this style. However, I think it’s more fun and more creative to design your own using MOO. The following series of photos outline a few different techniques I use to created layers of detail.

Columns :
The columns standing alone are nice but if one is nice why not two or three? I combined the first two, the “Design Calabria Hexagonal” and the “Ornate Victorian Column”, using MOO. This created a lush, far more detailed look as you can see in the middle. This column was designed for the Worldport. It has numerous great windows. I decided to think as a Victorian. It made sense that a Victorian would try to turn it into something of a greenhouse. So, I added the “Hanging Gardens” to the existing double column. This enhanced the base in addition to supporting the look of a conservatory.

Steampunk Stove :

I thought the “Auld Crow Wood-Burning Cookstove” could use slightly more industrial look to better pass as Steampunk. Stove #1 is the original. I have inserted the “It’s a gas gas gas” tank into the stove #2 to provide a steam gauge for the appliance. Then, I used the “Copperrr and Otherrr Metal Stove Hall-Wall” to act as both front panel and legs on stove #3. I have reversed it, raised it by pressing the “9” key and then slid it into place for the front panel. After turning it inward, I raised it and slid it back along each side of the stove to create the appearance of feet at the bottom. The stove works very well as it stands in #3. However, I added “The Big Achievement” by flipping it around and sliding it into place on the front of the stove #4. I did this to cover the wood at the bottom but it’s not necessary. Stove #4 is used in the RM Cascadian Airship.
Victorian Industrial Topiary :

In a blending of Victorian and Industrial I used the “Classic Bollard” and the “Tri-Piary”. I placed the construction as additional greenery in the Worldport. You can see it’s placement in the inset photo below. Next to that you can see the building of the piece starting from the left and moving right. First, I doubled the size of two bollards using “]”. Second, I intersected the two of them using MOO. Followed by lifting one of them by pressing the “9” key to the height shown. Lastly, I inserted the topiary into them to create the final look. There are two additional alternative designs on the right.
Curtains :

The next picture is not something that I used in either of the above builds. Though, it does show how simple items combined with complex ones can create a luxurious and dramatic result. It also works well in a Steampunk room. I started with the flat plain “Tall Classic Curtain”. Then, I added the white, swept back, modern “Some Like It Plain” curtain. Lastly, I layered both of those with the “Victorian Over-Indulgence Curtain” with its heavy crown molding.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this second article. Please join me tomorrow for the final part in this Steampunk series: One Machine to Run Them All

You can see the RM Cascadian Airship in action during my live Twitch feeds on channel: JasonAnthonySterling and you can follow me on Twitter @JasonSterling70. Both the builds shown here are available on the Sims 4 Gallery.

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