Bridgeport World Paving Texture

This is the pavement texture from Bridgeport unlocked as a texture for use on lots.

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Bridgeport With Ceilings and Cribs (Save File)

This is a save file that will give you a fresh bridgeport (time is 8:02 AM on the first day). The difference? Every floor of every lot in the world has been given a ceiling. In most cases the ceilings are fitted specifically to the room, sometimes to the house, and sometimes I just used the floor- but only if appropriate, mostly for bathrooms and kitchens.

This includes adding them where they should be but aren't, as well as properly coloring and texturing them.

I got sick and tired of seeing these ugly cream ceilings regardless of what the rest of the room was like and so I did what EA should have done and added texture to them.

I may have "missed a spot" in a couple of places, but from what I could tell, I got everything. There are some places where ceilings simply did not exist (mostly in the hidden rooms of high rise lobbies), and I could not fix that.

So now, every time you start a new game in Bridgeport, you can start a game that doesn't have ceiligns installed by a company too lazy to do anything but cream colors.

This save file also adds at least one crib to every house, and *some* of the apartments (only the ones that had a lot of room in them, just for realism purposes- someone in an apartment with a shared living/bed/kitchen room is not going to be looking to have a baby.) This is for Awesomemod since having cribs in houses is necessary for its story progression to work properly.

There is no active household, and I reset and fixed the world before saving. :D

 

Remember to "Save As" when you save an actual play file so that you don't have to redownload if you start a new Bridgeport game!

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Quick Tip for Better Visuals

I know I haven't posted anything in forever, and this isn't a download, but whatever. It's good knowledge to know.

What you need to do, if you have a graphics card that has a configuration program (ATI cards have Catalyst Control Center, NVidia cards have something similar), you need to open it up, find "Anisotropic Filtering" and set it to at least 4x, preferably 8x, or 16x if you think your performance won't suffer.

Why?

Well, here's before 8x Anisotropic Filtering (Remember, you can open the pictures to see them bigger):

And here's after:

Doesn't that ground texture look fantastic now? It's no longer blurry just 4 feet from the camera, and it even looks better close to the camera. What Anisotropic Filtering does is it basically renders the textures in a different way so that they look better when the camera is at different angles.

Here are some more examples of before and after anisotropic filtering:

Check out the windows. The ground in the park works, too.

And the water, too. It looks better.

And in this one, the ground texture is better again- but check out the dining tables. Even they look better now.

It also very subtly makes beards a bit more detailed (very, very subtly, though). Same with freckles.

Mod Brick Slats Pattern

I wanted a pattern like this for the outsides of clubs and stuff. but I don't have a club to display it on, so I slapped it all over my self sim's house.

It's a brick-ish pattern. Has two channels, the black and the grey. Found under Misc. simply because I like knowing what patterns are custom content, and so I put them under Misc.

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First crappy attempt at a pattern: ...Astroturf carpet, I guess?

Well, it's intended as astroturf. Whether or not it looks like that depends on your point of view, I'd imagine. Personally, I wasn't satisfied with any fabric or carpet textures for such a thing (actually, I don't like any carpet textures AT ALL, they're all striped or weird.). Did I miss an existing in-game one just like this? Maybe. I dunno.

Anyway, it's supposed to be astroturf, but it works for general carpeting too. The detail on it can be easy to miss, it's not very exaggerated or anything. So click the pics to see, or it'll just look like solid color :p

Is that some brady bunch lawn I see?

Or maybe a sports fanatic wants an outside inside room. (This is the default color)

Or just general carpet purposes.

It's kinda eh, I know. I want to do a true pattern but am having difficulty with the color masks, so this is all I've got for now.

Found in Misc.

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Light Cement (requested, maybe)

I assume this is what was wanted.

(Sorry, no in-game yet, this was just a quick thing before bed)

It's just a lighter version of the Asphalt texture.

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Three new terrain paints

White Flowers: Just white flowers. They have a tiny tint of pink.

Sunset Flowers: Flowers with a range of sunset-like colors. Purples, oranges, yellows, and reds. It looks nice combined with other flowers (and if you lightly overlay the white flowers you can make them lighter colored)

And White Raked Sand. It's the raked sand but whiter and cleaner, more modern.

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Paradise DIY Version

This is the folder and files for editing a world with CAW. It should have the custom icon and name and description, all you have to do is open it in CAW and alter as you please.


Puh-lease do not distribute without credit. If you alter it, go ahead and share it on your own page or whatever, I don't care(not on MTS though), but credit me for making the thing :p

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Instructions:

1. Extract the files and folder
2. Place EVERYTHING in Documents/ElectronicArts/TheSims3CreateAWorld/Usertooldata/Worlds
3. Open with CAW, alter as desired, save
4. File -> Choose World to Export -> Pick the world
5. Install

Recommended:

If you add more lots, REMOVE the existing ones, then use the smooth tool where your lot edges will be. If you don't, you'll get those weird broken edges. 

If you want to change the ocean, the terrain paint used underwater is Martine's.

You will need the latest CAW and this is only the World Adventures version. I do not have the base game CAW files.

Do not designate any lots as Parks. For some reason, probably since there are no roads, NPCs will spawn at parks, run away from them, and disappear. If you don't want a constant stream of NPCs running across your island, don't make any lots Parks. :p Use Library or Gym or Beach or whatever.

Unlocked WA Mailbox and Regular Mailbox

This unlocks the WA mailbox for purchase, with a few minor issues. Normally if you want this mailbox you have to copy a house from a foreign world and delete everything on it so you can build your house.

There are minor issues:

-There's no mini-door
-There's no flag thingy
-There's a minor animation distortion when the sims try to use it, for a second or so.

I imagine this is because the thing isn't intended to be used ANYWAY, but:

-You can still donate money
-You can still get gems cut and such
-You can still recieve mail
-You can still shift-click on it and get all the same cheat debug options as the regular mailbox


Read the following. READ IT. e_e

HOW TO USE:
-Go to decorative/misc and buy one for 500 simoleons
-Turn on Move Objects, or you can't place it
-Once you place it you'll still have another in your hand (like when placing lights), just click another button or object to get rid of it.
-Delete the original mailbox. This can be done using something like Awesomemod's "Nuke" feature (At least I believe it is awesomemod, it may be a base game testingcheats function) and shift-clicking on the mailbox, selecting "nuke".

If you want the regular mailbox, just buy it, too, and nuke the WA one. Both cost 500 and can be found in Deco -> Misc or Outside -> Lawn Decor.

Fully CASTable.

I have not noticed ANY ill effects from this, so I am assuming that it is safe (unlike in The Sims and The Sims 2, where the mailbox had major functionality and deleting it would basically ruin the whole universe and everything in it). Tested a family for a few days, donated a few times, got some gems cut, recieved and paid bills. Everything still seems to work as normal.  Despite that, use at your own risk. I see no reason it should cause issue, but if you're afraid of it, just don't use it. I am considering it in-testing. I also do not recommend sharing lots with one of these, just for safety purposes. If you're designing a lot around the mailbox you have issues and are crazy anyway.

I've also noticed no issues with multiple mailboxes. You can only use one, but having more doesn't seem to hurt at all, so it's cool for apartments and stuff.

 DO NOT DARE only install one of these mailboxes, because I will not be held responsible if you build some great house using the WA one and then want to use the normal one. e_e Install both so that you can be sure you can always get the normal one back, damnit!

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World for Sim and Clothing Creators/Using CAS and Nothing Else (Updated)

UPDATE: Added a 40x40 version, for taking sim pics on. You could build a studio there.
Mediafire seems to be having some issues, adding a new download link would just take up space- just keep trying, or try again later, sorry!

This took no time to make, but the concept is cool enough to me that I will share it.

Sometimes I want to make a sim. And when making a sim I do not need my hood to load. So rather than wait for it to load...

I made a world specifically for it. It's the smallest world size possible with NO details but a 5x5 lot in case you wanna check your sim in-game. You dont even need to make a save file, because clicking New Game and choosing this takes less than 3 seconds to load. Compared to, what, 2-3 minutes or more for a populated world? And it's actually better if you dont make a save, because that means the game doesn't have to remember NPCs or magic homeless sims who might show up when checking out a sim. (Plus that cute CAS logo I made shows up every time :p)

It's less than 3MB in size and I've already gotten a ton of use out of it. Hopefully sim and clothing creators will get some, too.

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40x40 Lot Version 

World in Progress: Sunset Valley Extra

I like Sunset Valley the most. I've tried lots of downloaded worlds but there was something about each that I just plain couldn't stand. But Sunset Valley only has a few things about it I don't like, so I'm changing those things.

I have

-Turned the hill at the cape into a small, tree-filled area for fancy cliffside houses
-Turned the hill with the mansions into a larger, sub-division-style area
-Added an extra cliff of homes near the beach and behind the town center
-Added an extra "block" where the warehouse was, to allow for a more closed-together block-style feel, that you can't really get with the original sunset valley.
-Added a road near the military base which leads to the roads around the airport, leading off to an area where the warehouse will be instead. MUCH more secluded.
-Removed the stupid terrain rocks around the lake up in the hills, because said rocks prevent you from really putting anything else there ever.
-Added two new houses on the secluded beach

Look forward to it when I eventually maybe finish it. I'm not planning to keep the lot sizes the same, but the town center will probably be identical.

Process Monitor filter for High End Loft Stuff

After struggling to get a certain tool to find issues, despite its creator claiming process monitor isn't needed, I figured out how to make a new Process Monitor filter. It was actually pretty easy! And it solved my problems. The problems that the supposedly perfect tool should've found, according to some stupid people.

So here it is, for you to use, to check and see if any files are being loaded far too often because they are borked. Just load up Process Monitor, choose "Load Configuration" from the File menu, and load this file. Double clicking it might work, too. Also works if you have WA installed, it is all-inclusive.
 
A reader has said that they had to add ".pmc" to the end of the file in order to use it. If you can't get it to open, try that.

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Open process monitor. Go to file -> Load Configuration, and load the file. Then start at step 8 in these instructions:
CLICK HERE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

For those who don't know, Process Monitor can monitor your programs to see what they do. This filter will make the program see what The Sims 3 is doing.

Any extremely high numbers should be noted- but ONLY if it's custom content. High numbers for game files are normal. But counts in the thousands for single-item files are NOT normal, and said files are borked and slowing down your game. (Note that this does not apply to combined files. If you have a package that is actually a ton of packages combined, it's normal for it to be a little high.)

Sharma Day Spa and Salon (Functional Day Spa replacement)

The Sharma Day Spa rabbit hole has been renovated. No longer a reference to Alice in Wonderland, it is now a functional, living, breathing building!

Well, maybe not. But it *is* very pretty, and you can go inside it.

The spa is bright and clean and blue, very calming in design and color.

"Tomb Room" objects make sure that the empty, function-less rooms are not a nuisance. They cannot be seen, whether day or night, unless a sim is inside them. And conveniently enough, sims cannot get inside them!

The front facade leads into a waiting room, for people to sit and chat while they wait for their appointments.

The waiting room features a beautiful and perhaps intimidating setpiece of the spa's "logo"- 3 statues of stunning beautiful people. These 3 statues in any arrangement are a signature of the spa.

And on the other side of the wall lies the salon. Facials and haircuts, skin treatments and makeup!

And up the stairs is the spa. Two special themed rooms are there for your pleasure, one tropical and one meant to calm you into feeling like you're floating high in the sky.

And at the end of the hall is the special Suite room, which is where the actual rabbit hole is hidden.

Sims can go in and out of this rabbit hole as they please, just like they could the original spa.

I built this in one sitting straight through. I didn't even intend on making it, I just thought to, so I did.

Requirements:
-World Adventures
-This free set from the store
-These roof recolors
-These counters
-These rabbit holes

Enjoy. :D

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Seaview Drive-In

I'm pretty big on adding more types of community lots to the game. Special lots, with lots of decorative purpose. So...

Far up on the hills by the sea in Sunset Valley is the Seaview Drive-in.

It is both a drive-in and a park, and sims treat it as such. People come at all times of day to just hang out and wait for the movies to start.

There's a playground for the kids, and a stage that doesn't work properly and might not until the next expansion. :p

The view from the parking spaces is beautiful.

You can just feel the sun and the breeze, everything feels very much like summer. Here, some sims gather and sit in their lawn chairs as they wait for the movie to start.

They've got a pretty good view.

There's a snack bar, open all hours of the day to provide snacks and drinks!

Sun sets over the port-a-potties, signaling that the movie will soon begin!

Night falls and the lights come on, just dim enough to provide a path, but not so bright as to obscure the view.

See that light? That's the projector!

Teens hang out here a lot, and sims who are brave enough can climb the maintenance catwalk on the back of the screen, up to the top of the scaffolding- a lighted walkway which provides amazing views!

And once the movie is over, you still don't have to go home. Everybody gathers to roast marshmallows around the fire.

No matter how glamorous I try to make it, there isn't really THAT much to do on this lot. But the purpose is the ambiance of it all! It really does feel summery when I play it- looking at the asphalt and blue sky somehow makes it feel warm and like a summer day. Sims can eat here, have picnics, play on the swings, play guitar, use fire pits, and hang out. It's a very fun place to look at! There's also a little path(built into the world) from the corner of this lot down to the beach. It's pretty cool!


Notes:

Why I did not include an actual movie screen: Apparently there are a ton of custom huge TVs out there. So chances are, you already have one. And if not, I don't want to force you to get one you don't want. So I left it optional, and you can use whichever you like. The theater screen is 17 tiles wide and 4 stories tall, for reference. Note that if you put a TV, you may have to use creative placement/geostacking to get it to function. It might have to be on the first floor for sims to watch from their chairs!

The parking spaces are functional. The top-most white car is the one my sims came to the lot in. So if your sims drive here, they'll park somewhere in front of the screen. :D The other parking spaces, on the side, are purely decorative, so that there's someplace for sims to "park" who aren't there to watch a movie.

The pictures were taken with the Less Blue Nights/Accurate Longer Shadows mod installed.

Requirements:
-World Adventures (mostly because there are some burned floor tile markers, that make the parking spots look like they're used/have had oil leaks on them, but also for the registers)
-Simple Kitchen Counters
-The cars are NOT custom content. I made the lot as a residential lot then swapped it to community. They should show up. If they, for whatever reason, do not(i've tested. they should.), you can use THESE to replace them.

Lot is 60x60, so there are over 5 potential places it could fit in Sunset Valley. It's made specifically for the empty cliff lot on the edge of town, though.

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