JBSimio Inc.

[DFire870]

I'd say to make them rewards triggered after the main building is placed... If people want to use them without the main building they can just use the "you don't deserve it" cheat.

-- John

[Pat]

Hi ya's Jon,
  hmmm I like the idea of the rewards triggered for this reason. One is that not all of a campus is built right away, that comes threw needs of the school. Two speaking of needs of the school, I think the landmark idea is blah honestly, why is back where i was saying about the needs, example of say a sci tech building needs to have students and uses in sci tech to be usable by the school right?  OK now Third thought is that the residental halls need residents right, so why not make it so it has residental?  Alright Finaly over all the school parts should contribute to the whole and be school like functions... So that is the thougth there on West Lake....

About the "Swan" i was orginaly trying for Royale and when i did spell check it came back OK so yea but at least Matt picked up on it and thank you to you Matt for catching that... OK now with the newest thought about the plaza part here is me brain fart on that "Swan Royale Plaza"  its a combo and catch all phrase for it... I hope my ramblings made sense and if they didnt please pick my brain.. Talk to you soon - pat

[figui]

  Jon
westlake looks great!
i'd say make the "outbuildings" rewards.

and the swan royale  , the pool area and the deck is nice

mauricio.

[JBSimio]

GrizzlyBuilder:  Thanks for your vote!  The rest of your answer continues below...

Bluebeard:  Thanks!  I was beginning to think you'd disappeared again... I hope all is well.

John:  Good point about the cheat... thank you!

Pat:  Wow!  I have no idea what the oomph you're rambling about!  Somebody get Pat a drink or a valium or something...    (Sorry, my friend... I couldn't resist)  If I'm following your ideas correctly, there are a couple flaws that I'll address now and the rest will hopefully be included below.  If I make the dorms functional residencies, then they can ONLY be growable residentials.  As such, there's no way to trigger them as a "reward" and they could grow anywhere at any time.  (I'm 95% certain that's the correct answer... someone will correct me if I'm wrong)  Regarding the "sum as a whole" idea... it's possible, but perhaps not ideal.  There seems to be a bug with the way schools function.  If you put two schools of the same category side by side, one generally gets used while the other does not.  There isn't an even split where half go to school A and half go to school B.  This recently came up during PIM_X development and I'm not sure what the final result is or will be for it.  Now, it could still be done where the buildings each have small capacities and it seems to work alright.  **EDIT:  This bug may not apply to the university lots, but that is unclear at this point.**

Mauricio:  Thank you!

All right... I still don't have anything to show.  This is more of an idea sharing post.  I'll start by saying what I have in mind for the modular set.  Keep in mind, these are all ideas at this point.  It's possible that some of them won't be possible, or that things may change as we progress.  (That's my disclaimer... the lawyers didn't even have to pressure me into it this time!)    So here we go...

Academic Building - This will be the base lot and will trigger everything else as a reward.  It will be modded as a private school or as a university (read probably both).  Capacities and costs are yet to be determined.  This may be a reward itself using criterea similar to Maxis university or private school... but I'm not sure about that part yet.

Dorms - There will be at least three.  Centenial Hall, plus the two used on the full campus... Summit Hall and Hill Crest.  These will almost definitely be eye candy landmarks.  There may be one or two others as well, but time will tell.

Student Center - Also from the full campus.  This may be modded as a minor league stadium to reflect basketball games or something similar.

Boiler/Maintanence Building - From the full campus.  Possibly modded as a small power station to make the campus self-sufficient.

Library - Modded as a library.  You haven't seen this building yet

Chapel - Possibly modded as a small church.  I haven't even seen this one yet

Those are the definite buildings as of now.  There may also be one or two more class room buildings.  The idea of a modular and growable university has been kicked around by myself and others for a while now.  I may use this a springboard for that idea.  In that case, additional packs could be added separately as they are finished.

Moving on to the filler pieces.  I'd reccomend the BSC Parks base set for most of the paths.  In addition to what is already out there in various sets, I intend to make the following "campus specific" lots:

The Quad - A couple different versions and sizes will be offered

The Pond - Same as above with a couple options

I'm open to other suggestions.  (Don't ask for pieces of the school add on pack here... some of it may find its way in here as versions taylored to the reward chain concept)  In fact, I have one or two other sports related ideas in the works that will find their way here eventually.

Finally, here are some other thoughts that I'll let y'all give some feedback on.

-  Would it help to release driveway and parking lot pieces like those that I used on the main campus?  I know there are lots of parking lots out there, but I'm not so sure about driveways and access roads.  If yes, then some lots could have minimal parking (or not) that is then connectable.  If no, then I would try to make all lots with no parking whatsoever.

-  The BSC Parks for the most part do not use the large seasonal trees.  Would it be best to match the campus lots to the park sets with respect to various trees and flora, or stick with whatever looks best for the individual buildings?

-  Keeping in mind that this will serve as a "starter pack" with updates to follow, is there anything major that I'm missing that should be considered for "must have" status from the beginning?

-  Would there be interest in ivy clad walls/fences to match the campus buildings?  Or are there enough of these out there already too?

I think that's enough for now.  I'll have the notebook close to my computer, so your ideas really do count!  I'm only asking this many questions because I want to make sure that the end result provides what you need.

JB

[ScottFTL]

Westlake is looking amazing, JB!     It looks like we're in the midst of another of your famous projects, but I'm not complaining.   

A few suggestions, for what they are worth...

I think the Academic Building should be a reward that triggers the others.  This will keep menu clutter to a minimum until we're ready to build.

You are correct that residentials must be growable.  They don't work otherwise.  Eye-candy would be fine, but you may want to think about doing something similar to the way barracks are handled in the SNM series.  They are landmarks with Cs jobs, so they still provide some function.  You could also make growable versions in addition to the landmarks for folks that really want true residentials.  If you choose an uncommon lot size, it is fairly easy to force the game to build these as long as you are also using the BSC No Maxis Files mod.

I love the idea of the Student Center being an athletic facility of some sort.  This will provide some nice landmark effects and/or park effects - in addition to some residential cap relief, I hope!

The idea of a Maintenance Building that acts as a small power plant is brilliant.

As far as your questions...

I think the driveway and parking lot pieces would be a good addition.  This will let folks really design a modular academy.

I think the flora for the lots should be whatever you feel looks best.  It doesn't have to match the BSC parks set.  As a matter of fact, I think it would provide some nice variety if it doesn't match completely.  They should look good together, but not the same - if you know what I mean.  I love the idea that you can use the BSC parks to complete the campus.  I think they are perfectly suited for that use.

And lastly, I would LOVE to see some ivy-clad walls.  Yes, there are a lot of wall sets out there - but I can't think of any that quite match that description.

With all these lots, we may need to call on Diggis for some of his MML magic.

Fantastic work!  I can't wait to see what you think up next...

[rooker1]

Wow, you have done so much work over the weekend.  I didn't have much time to look over the threads here this past weekend.  Now I wish I had.  As for the pond, you know I already siad I didn't like it.  But if it were to stay I would try some kind of path around it.  Than it may look like it belongs.

Robin   

[Andreas]

One thing to consider when making functional lots for the modular approach: Each facility that provides jobs would need road access, so you can't simply plop it "in the middle of nowhere", only connected by BSC or other park paths. So for the full flexibility, most of those lots would have to be eye-candy landmarks or parks indeed.

[Shiftred]

JB,
The main building should have an upgradeable capacity.  When capacity is met the main building would upgrade and an additional reward building would become available.  The reward buildings would simulate the increase capacity.  This process could repeat until you have a giant sprawling campus. 
If you need any photos or ideas I live in Bloomington, Indiana home of Indiana University. Go Hoosiers.

[Fledgeling]

JB, a stand- alone Boiler/Maintanence Building would be fantastic. I was actually hoping for something like that but i thought it might be too much bother so i didnt say anything. Thats fantastic news!

And everything else looks great too 

[JBSimio]

ScottFTL:   Thank you and welcome to the thread!  The first lot will definitely trigger the rest, although that doesn't really do much for the menus... there would still be greyed out icons in your way.   Thank you for your answers and preferences.  I agree and think there will need to be some type of MML before all is said and done.

Robin:  Thanks!  There's really not enough room for a path around the pond.  I feel like a path would also take away from the natural look and turn it into an over landscaped "water feature."  This isn't necessarily a bad thing... but it's not what I have in mind.

Andreas:  Road access is a good point.  I've wished since this idea started that there was some way to make a street mod that would only take effect around these lots.  I'm pretty sure it doesn't work that way though.  I guess that's the next question:  Which is more important or desirable - total flexibility or functional lots?

Shiftred:  I agree with your idea, although I'm not sure it can be done automatically.  The whole purpose of future add-on packs would be to mimic that grow as necessary idea.  Considering that a school over capacity can trigger a strike, it stands to reason that this could be tracked and used to trigger a reward as well.  I'll have to look into that before I can say for sure though.  Great pictures!  I'll let you know if anything specific comes to mind.  Thanks!

Fledgeling:  Thank you!  I'm glad you like the idea.

So... the reminder from Andreas should really be considered as the "voting" continues.  Any functional pieces would in fact need some kind of access.  I would have no problem mixing streets into my own campus and using the driveway pieces as well... but that's just me.

In the meantime... I made the small chapel.  Kind of a New England-ish look, although made with the same brick as the other buildings.  Here's a look:





That's it for tonight... I'm up much later than I should be already!   

JB

[Pat]

LoL Jon.... I know i was kinda rambling on there a wee bit...  But you did hit the answer right on the head...  I didnt know there was a conflict with schools like what you descride... Also about the residental factor, I had was thinking about ploppable res, but then after you said that it would grown in places that it shouldn't.. So thats when it dawned on me about the ploppable bug, grrrr i feel like a NoOb lol... Love the progress and see you next time Jon - pat

[rooker1]

The chapel looks great my friend.  And I would go with the reward method, that sounds much better.  It sounds like when this is done, it could be very big.     I like very big lots. 



Robin   

[Bluebeard]

Awesome church JB.

[tag_one]

Jeez you are really a batting machine, every time I look here you've created something new 

[JBSimio]

Pat:  Thanks!  Glad I answered the right questions so far...

Robin:  Thank you!  The reward method is the way I'm going to go.  I've decided that much anyway.  You're right, this is going to end up being a pretty large project.  I started a punch list today and I think I'm around 35-40 lots for the starter pack.

Bluebeard:  Thanks!

Tag_One:  I tend to get carried away sometimes... I should probably go and see a doctor about that when I get the time! 

This probably won't look like much yet, but I started a few of the modular lots.  All I've really done so far is put the paths in and make sure that the building fits properly.  I'm leaning towards keeping the building lots as small as possible with only the minimum decorations.  The larger each lot becomes, the less flexibility you'll have to personalize the area.  That's my thought process anyway...





The main building is 7x3... two dorms are 3x3 and the other is 3x2 at this point.  Obviously, I'll do more with them, but do these sizes seem appropriate?

I also started a little bit on the driveway pieces.  There will be others to come, but these were the easiest ones to just get out of the way.  There are two pieces with parking along the side.  I think this is somewhat common near campus buildings where there isn't room for a full blown parking lot.  I even remembered a TE piece to help tie things together!



Looking ahead a little.  I made a list of what I hope to include in the initial starter pack.  There will be 9 or 10 buildings.  Hopefully all the necessary driveway pieces to fit most situations (I figured around 20 or so for this alone).  And somewhere between 5-10 filler pieces or paths that don't exsist elsewhere already.

That's it for now...
JB

[Pat]

Jon my god that is amazing there!!! I can't wait to see what you further devolp here... You are a true master mind.....

[JBSimio]

Pat:  Thanks!  I'm not sure about amazing or mastermind... but I certainly appreciate your enthusiasm! 

I think I'm done with driveways and parking lots for this.  When I say "done," what I really mean is that I have the basic pieces that I want.  I'll add some further props and such to them, but I figured it would be easier to see this way first.



I ended up with 18 in all.  They are as follows:

1x1 Straight Driveway - TE                           1x1 Straight Driveway with Wide Path
1x1 Straight Driveway                                  1x1 Straight Driveway with Wide Path Crossing
1x3 Straight Driveway                                  1x1 Straight Driveway with Narrow Path
1x1 Corner Driveway                                    1x1 Straight Driveway with Narrow Path Crossing
1x1 Driveway - T Junction                             1x1 Parking End Piece (access one side only)
1x1 Driveway - Cross Junction                        1x1 Parking Filler Piece (open on two sides)
1x1 Straight Driveway with Parking                  2x2 Parking Lot End Piece (access one side only)
1x3 Straight Driveway with Parking                  2x2 Parking Lot Thru Piece (open on two sides)
                                                                3x3 Parking Lot End Piece (access one side only)

I think that should cover the on campus driving needs.  Further suggestions are of course always welcome.

In the meantime, all of us here at Monkey Around Productions would like to extend the best wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving to all those who will celebrate the holiday this week.  Even if you don't celebrate the holiday this week, I hope you have something to be thankful for.  But just in case you don't....

The Swan Majestic

Available here

Have a great evening!
JB

[threestooges]

Quick and professionally done. You sure do have a knack for this. The modular lots seem to be off to a good start, and it's good to see the Swan Majestic available to the public (and quickly too). The parking lots are nice too. I really like the path connector pieces. If you haven't already wrapped them up and moved on to the next project, would it be possible to make a corner/T-lot that features parking spaces as well? I'm not sure what all is required for that, but I think it would add an extra level of realism to the larger lots. Happy Thanksgiving to you too. Enjoy the holiday and I hope you don't need to hit the stores the next day (unless you happen to like that).
-Matt

[JBSimio]

Matt:  Thank you!  You caught me just before bed...    Nothing for the modular set is anywhere near wrapped up yet, so don't worry about that.  I'm not entirely sure I follow your request, though.  Are you asking for the driveway parking similar to the 1x3?  Something like this?



If so, then yes... I can easily include both.  The textures already exsist so it's a matter of 30 seconds to do that.  If that's not what you had in mind, then could you elaborate a little more please?

I have no intention of participating in the Wal-Mart trample your neighbor festival! 

JB

[threestooges]

That is pretty much what I'm looking for. If it is possible though, I would like to see parking available on both sides of the corner. As far as the T goes, yes, pretty much just like that. Have a good night, and if you do have to go out on Friday, try to avoid being a victim of cart rage. I just plan to let the food settle and work on my outlines for finals (yay 2 weeks away...). Take it easy.
-Matt