Hi, I’m Jason Sterling and recently I did an article outlining some of my favorite build contests on the Sims Forum. I decided to join the Build-n-Share (BnS) #85 contest for the Sims 4 ending on January 10th 2018 and chronicle my build for it here. As always, I hope you’re inspired by what you see and read but even more so I hope you’ll be encouraged to join up with a contest yourself in the future. The first three articles will follow my build. The final article will showcase all the entries from the contest.
This is a departure from the BnS standard contest outline. You have a preformed shell, no background story/theme and no budget. There are rules – see below. In addition, you must chose one object, from four included objects, to use as inspiration for your build. BnS only does this four times a year- with the seasons. The link to the contest page on the Sims Forum is here: BnS #85 Contest for the Sims 4 Let’s go!
The Rules
- You must build on the on Twin Oracle Point in Newcrest
- You MAY NOT
- Change any exterior/interior walls, all exterior/interior walls must stay as they are.
- You can add walls, fences and half walls inside the building but the house must have at least 4 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms. (The annex, the area self contained to the right of the house must have 1 bedroom and 1 full bath.)
- Move any doors and/or windows. All doors and windows must stay in the same place.
- Repurpose any room that has furniture within it. All bathrooms and kitchens must stay where they are.
- Add any basement to the build.
- Add or extend any stairs.
- Get rid of the chimney. It has to stay in place. You may change the style but there has to be a chimney above the fireplace.
- Change the roof shape BUT you MAY change the texture and color, the pitch, add trim, adjust the curvature, ect.
- You MAY
- Change the style of any door or window. I.E. if a wall section of two tiles has two single tile windows you may change these windows for one two tile window.
- Change the wall treatments internally and externally.
- Remove and/or change any external fencing and/or columns.
- Change the fireplace to any other two tile fireplace.
- Add a foundation to the exterior of the build.
- Add structural elements for landscaping purposes. I.E. Greenhouse, gazebo or a carport- No Garages. These elements cannot be attached to the main house.
- THERE IS NO BUDGET!
- The theme is completely up to you. It does not have to be winter themed- however, your house should reflect your inspirational objects.
You do not need any game packs to compete. The beginning house was built with only base game elements.
First Steps:
- This is what I’m starting with. A pre-built empty shell. It’s vaguely Victorian with a wrap around porch and multiple roof lines.
- The rules state that you have to chose one of the four objects shown and that your build must utilize it as inspiration and theme. I chose the coffee pot. (RAW Antique Teapot from the Base Game) It appears to be both Victorian and industrial suggesting a steampunk theme.
- I have to keep the placement of the original walls, doors and windows. (I can change the style.) So, the first thing I do is change all the original walls to a specific covering. I chose brick. In this way I’ll stop and check whenever I go to demolish a brick wall.
- Then I pick a rich- and handsome (lol) -sim to live in the house for play testing as I build. I keep a separate save file for contests where I can shuffle sims around easily and cheat them huge fortunes for building with. I’ll most likely add additional people to the house as time progresses but for now he’ll do.
Jumping Right In:
When starting a new contest I want TO BUILD right off the bat. Especially when an idea suggests itself to me so quickly. With steampunk I’m usually drawn to the idea of an experimental power source centered on a fantastical element.
Following is a brief tutorial for building the “transformers” in the picture. You will need cheats to build it. Press CTRL/SHIFT/C while in build mode. Then enter the cheat in the command box that appears in the upper left corner. Press CTRL/SHIFT/C to close the command box.
- bb.IgnoreGamePlayUnlocksEntitlement (IGUE) Unlocks all items tied to in game advancement from the start
- bb.ShowHiddenObjects (SHO) Displays all hidden objects for use in building such as ponds, dishes, bottles ect.
- bb.MoveObjects (MOO) Allows the free movement of all build/buy items within the build and activates the height slider that raises objects up and down. Press the “ALT” key with the number “9” for up and “ALT” with the number “0” for going back down.
- I will also be shrinking and enlarging objects using the “[” key to shrink objects and the “]” key for enlarging them.
Tutorial:
- The objects I used- (1) Holder Upper Pillar from Get Together (2) Illuminating Pillar from City Living (3) Mega Pump Filtrator 2-X8 from Get to Work shrunken 3 times (4) Let There Be Light! Laser Show from the Base Game (5) Stoney Goodness Slab from Spa Day (Anytime you don’t have an objects listed try using something different. Your inspiration will provide the best builds.)
- Slide the “Illuminating Pillar” and the “Mega Pump” directly into the “Holder Upper Pillar”.
- The “Laser Show” lighting effects provide the illusion of barely contained electrical current swirling around the casing. One of these is inserted into the “Holder Upper Pillar” at the bottom, one in the middle and one at the top.
- Place the “Slabs” at the bottom and the top of the “Pillars”. They are decorative and disguise the stutter caused by merging the columns.
So, I have an inspiration and even a start. I’ve jumped right in with both feet and I recommend the same for anyone starting a build contest or challenge. Just do what comes to you first. You can change it later and I most likely will but in the meantime just get started. Tomorrow on January the 8th I’ll tackle the floor plan and interior. I’ll follow the day after that on January the 9th with the exteriors and finally an article on the 10th showcasing the entries from other simmer in the contest Please check back to see the progress. Until then a quick clock to remind me:
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this article. Please use it and your imagination for inspiration in your builds. You can see me on Twitch Channel: https://www.twitch.tv/jasonanthonysterling and Follow along on Twitter: @JasonSterling70
