For this spotlight we interviewed Frimlin, a passionate Sims 4 builder with a dedicated YouTube channel to speed builds!
When did you start developing your passion for building?
Though I built for myself in previous versions of The Sims, I didn’t really start sharing my builds with the community until The Sims 4. Building and sharing my creations really reminds me of both my time being a mod creator and also all the years I spent as a game designer. It’s great for me to be able to express my creativity while also making other people happy at the same time.
What inspires you to create certain builds?
Lots of things! But often I simply want to make a build that showcases the items and gameplay from a new pack. So in this case I am often inspired simply by the theme or style of the pack. Over time I’ve also started to make stuff requested by my in-game gallery followers, or meet the requests of votes in the Twitter polls I run every now and then.
But really, life is full of inspiration. Sometimes my designs are just from memory – a house or building I have seen sometime in the past. Other times I’ve found a cool photo of a building online and it makes me itch in a way that can only be scratched by building something similar to it. Even if the result doesn’t look at all like it, it still had a role in inspiring me.
How long does it take to make a build?
That totally depends on the size of the building. So for example, starter homes – one of the things my in-game followers know me for – can take literally only minutes to make. They’re on a very restricted budget, so you simply don’t have enough space or money to be able to spend a long time on them! I especially enjoy making a starter home right after making a big build. It’s just such a relief not to spend many hours on something that can still look great and fill a useful gameplay purpose for my followers.
But some builds – like the various City Living penthouses I’ve made – have taken many hours. Then on top of that there’s always play testing time! It’s important for me that all the stuff I make has been tested and that gameplay comes first – I’d say that was a signature quality of my builds. I find it intensely horrifying when I find flaws in builds I’ve downloaded from the gallery, so I do my utmost to ensure my followers only get well-tested builds that will play well. It’s very rare I miss something! But the other day I did leave a kitchen sink out of a build. I was horrified. It’s going to take me some time to recover from that, haha!
Which builds are you most proud of?
Aww, I love all my builds like children – don’t make me choose! Oh, you insist? Okay, then! A recent favourite was my attempt to bring Varg’s Tavern from The Sims 3: Supernatural into The Sims 4. I loved that bar and still like visiting this new interpretation of it.
Spirit of Varg’s Tavern – Bar, 30 x 30 – 169,383 Simoleons
Channelling the vibe of Varg’s Tavern from Sims 3: Supernatural.
Is there any build style that you prefer?
Too many lovely styles to pick just one! Hmm… I loved building Tudor-inspired homes with Get Together decorative items, but also loved the art deco style I was inspired to build with using the Vintage Glamour stuff pack items. Then don’t get me started on Vampires game pack stuff – I made quite a lot with those items and would still be making them now if new packs hadn’t come along!
I guess though, despite this, what I really do prefer are builds where the designer has spent time thinking about gameplay and not just making something eye-catching. I see a lot of eye-catching or showy builds from other YouTubers – all beautiful and displaying their creator’s artistic skill – but with gameplay flaws that make me – as an experienced game designer – cry inside. So I’d say it can visually be any style, as long as it plays well with the way Sims move and interact in the game. That’s both what I like to play with and what I aim to create.
Which Sims 4 Pack do you think provides the most essential items for a builder?
Just one? Honestly, that’s tough, especially since I usually only focus on a pack or two at most when building – I have learned not to consider anything as essential. If the base game was a pack, I’d choose that!
I guess I just have to say that I really don’t think any of the packs are strictly essential, as I’ve become so flexible with building that I can easily skip using any pack item. If I had to choose, I’d probably pick either Get Together and its beautiful old world Tudor stuff, or City Living and its colourful modern furniture and decorations. But I also really love the building stuff introduced in the Vampires game pack. Whoa, I want to go back to it and build something new with it right now!
Which 5 builds would you recommend for our readers to download right away?
Though I make a lot of starter homes, here’s a selection of other – bigger – types of lots I’ve made and liked:
Chez Glamoure – Restaurant, 30 x 20 – 157,111 Simoleons
An art deco restaurant filled to the brim with Vintage Glamour stuff.
Reticulating splines as a webmaster for Sims Community over the last 12 years. You can find me here writing articles and doing reports on your favorite life sim games, among other things!
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