I've actually finished and wondering if I did enough... But temporary cheap office is what it is. I don't feel like opening Gimp right now so I won't be putting it up yet.

Very nice, and 100% different from my idea of a temporary 'office'. Mine is kind of the opposite... I should get on with the pictures.

My backstory to The Three Flamingo's is this is an all girl crew with little cash so they took the cheapest thing on offer, a tin shed for rent. They are just setting up and do plan to toss the boxes around the back. The three girls are young and eager to get to work. Inside is warm and clean even if cheap. They spent most of their cash on the Tilly. (pick up truck) With a pink stripe of course. Lot:$13,937

Ugly price picture

This will be my first time in a MTS contest so please forgive me if my questions are silly.

So... we gotta build a temporary office. No budget for this one, right? But cheaper may mean bigger budget for the actual rounds?
We must buy it in the 2x2 lot you provided or any 2x2 lot will do?
When we create it, we must post pictures and the total price. But not the actual packaged lot. Can we upload this lot to MTS though?




PS:
I have always loved Monopoly and I love your Monopoly hood. I have a personal challenge I like playing using it ^-^

Yes, you may upload your finished lots through the regular uploading process, providing the lots meet our Creator Guidelines, Amura.

I'm happy to see you went back to the original no CC rule -- it makes it much easier. I have one last question though. Can we use the Maxis accessory objects spawned in with boolprop? Examples off of these clutter objects would be the phone book, coffee cup, toy boat etc. The price of these objects are zero but it's Maxis content available to everyone so I'm not sure if it's ok to use them or not.

That's okay Amura, we welcome you aboard. Any questions, no matter how silly it may seem, is welcomed. Better to understand than not.

Correct. No budget for this one, but cheaper can mean a larger budget to start with (due to taxes). I'd prefer that you use the 2x2 lot provided, but you can build one from yourself. I provided this because the base-game doesn't have 2x2 lots, and so a file had to be provided for those with base-game only set-ups.

Also, correct. You do not upload a package of the lot herein. This contest will only require images of the lot and the total cost of the property. You can upload the lot to MTS because it's not in our control. it's through a separate process independent of this contest.

Also, good start to the contest, nice entries. The scoreboard on the 3rd post (2nd reply) has been updated.

That's an interesting one...I'll say yes because of the idea that we're allowing cheats such as CFE to change the way walls/fences are presented. Therefore if you can use those Maxis created accessories that are available in-game, it'll be fine. I will now say no, because of the need for a Sim to be on the lot to spawn the object. Having a Sim on the lot can risk having the lot's value decrease due to time passing. We can't measure if time past on the images shown from participants.

Uhm.... How do we spawn those objects with boolprop?
I'd love to add a coffeecup to my desk
I figgered out how to get the original prices into a new AGS game, so I'm good to go

A few points I need to be sure I understand (Yes, I'm a business owner IRL - but, taxes just totally fly in one ear and out the other!) So...
- the opening lot should be over $6K; but cheaper is better - right? Like $20K would do me better than $60K?
- and we're not to use our logo on the lot (because it would be CC) Instead, provide an image of it - like what Tiff did in her entry?

I'm not quite sure either. I imagine it would involve moving in a Sim and spawning the object? But then if that's the case, it introduces a problem...if a Sim were moved in, sure the cash value of a Sims's family can be deducted out of the property's cost...but then we won't know how long that Sim has been living the home. The family living there can have time pass and the values of the items would depreciate. If this is what's going to happen, then I'll have to reconsider the option and say no. Is there another way, @Honeywell ?

Correct, square 100x100 pixel image of your logo is fine. The lot provided in the post was §5,965, which is equal to the maximum incentive amount provided. However, if your lot is below that incentive amount (e.g. you remove the fences and lighting and build something else), you will be paid an incentive amount equaling to the cost of the property, and taxes up to §5,965. You may not make a profit from the incentive.

§20K would do better than §60K provided that the judges like the lot. For example, you may have minimized your tax payable because your lot is cheap, but then if compared to the competition, if the lot looks too plain and uninteresting, then you won't receive as much money from the judge's scoring. "Like the lot" is the subjectivity that the judges will have to comment on in this application round. The theme is a temporary office space, but it can look like anything.

Incidentally, the math that will be accounted for in this Application Round is:
(The Judge's Score x §1,000) - (§Taxes Payable) + (§Incentive Amount) = §Start Budget

The §Start Budget will be added to the following round when it occurs.

No, in order to spawn things in with boolprop you have to have a Sim on the lot. @CatherineTCJD for what it's worth, I was wrong and you can't spawn in the phone book and coffee cup -- I just tried. The phone book and coffee cup must be extracted clutter. Either or I'm glad I checked back in today before I spent too much more time getting creative with the tombstones I spawned.

Thank you the response, Honeywell. I've revised my answer to no. I'll change this in the F.A.Q. post.

Thanks for clarifying
OK... my lot is built, pictures are taken, logo is designed...
Now, a question about photoshop: Can the images be collaged? How much photo editing should we do (aside from sizing)?

I would recommend minimal Photoshopping.

Yes to the following:
- Re-sizing
- Cropping
- File size optimizing
- Adding your logo to the pictures
- Conservatively changing the contrast/brightness (in case it's dark from shadows in front of the lot)

No to the following (and others unless such issues are brought to attention):
- Changing The Colors (such as to reflect a mood with B&W/Sepia/Photo Filtering).
- Texturing (such as canvas/grainy texture).

I'm leaning towards no because you can provide up to the maximum number of images set for the contest. Compiling more together will shrink the images and make it more difficult for the judges to see your lot.

Do you want us to show the price of the lot? I did take a screenshot of the price if you need it, although it's pretty obvious that my first lot is cheap.

Sure, go for it.

I have a question:

Is the lot supposed to be functional or just decorative? Do I need to ensure that a sim could move around ok?

Also, I have the fix for the lunatech light do I need to remove it?

OK, thanks. I won't collage anything.

OH - and, one last thing - Should I add a title to the first image? Like I would for an upload? What about my name?


@Karen - my light fix is out - and BOY do I miss it! Yikes!!! I am definitely putting that in for next round (if it's allowed LOL!)

This office location is your company's. I leave it vague because the town doesn't have regulations set up for what it wants out of the temporary space. It has no jurisdiction over how to set up your company's office. You can explain & make a backstory as to how you set up the office. Advertise/Market it's design in your post to show the judges why it's a nice looking (or very functional) space, or why it's appropriate for a temporary space.

For this office, it's not really being judged either way. You can go for both to help secure a good score with the judges. Go for more of what you feel a temporary office could look like, as if the company occupying the location will be there for 3 months.

A temporary office can be messy and Sims may have trouble moving around in it because of clutter on the floor. The sim in question may only visit the office to sit and work, then leave for home. On the other hand a temporary office could also be a small space that's clean because the occupying company won't know the economic conditions of the area until later on. Such a company may only have 1 desk, a file cabinet, and a computer for one person. Then after a few months, abandon the vicinity.

Yes, a title or texts (that are not intrusive to the extent that it will make the judges think, "ohh! what a pretty typeface") onto the images are fine. Of course, please do not have the text cover half the image or blocking the view of the lot. Sure, like you would an upload. If you wish to put your name on it, your can.

Which light fixes do you use? Does it create a filter lighting that changes the look of the lot significantly? Or are the colors of the object close to intact? Actually, we can't tell what type of lighting mod is used. So long as the lighting mod in question doesn't significantly change the colors of the images, it'll be fine.

Hah! Cat, I hadn't used that light, but boy seeing that floating would annoy me. I made a new folder for this so the only thing in there is the no red line pause mod and my cheat file. I went to angle a chair and was like why is this not working *small panic* ...oh no cheat file. I don't know how people play without one.

Yeah Jo - NOTHING is angled the way I want it *sigh*

The light fix is for the ceiling canister light - it puts it flush to the ceiling like it should be. The fix is on MTS - by Mennaceman, I think. I have a link to it on every one of my uploads (just to lazy hungry to go get it right now - I gotta go fix dinner) ETA - it doesn't change the color at all. It just fixes Maxis' mistake.

Oh ok, that's fine.

We can use the fix? Thank goodness for that. I use that light a lot and think Mennaceman deserves a pick if it isn't already one.

Edit:It's this fix http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=315720 and it is a picked upload.

I meant does the office have to be playable. Do I need to playtest it? At the moment I have stuff off-grid that would cause sims to stomp. It is arranged to look good and not necessarily to be playable. If it has to be playable I will move stuff around so it is.

Part of me whats to say no because this will go back to the slippery slope of allowing more exceptions to the rules. Will this be a significant disadvantage that other competitors will have because it looks better than how Maxis did it? Most likely not...especially since it doesn't require additional knowledge for folks to use to manipulate the light (unlike OMSP where the user has to know what tiles to use for placing the objects on, which inexperience users may be disadvantaged with). But then such an exceptions list can become longer when more items are brought to attention. Now only AL onwards have ceilings. All other versions of the game doesn't. It wouldn't make a difference to players who don't play with ceilings on because such an option wouldn't exist.

I'll say that technically no, it's not allowed because it would change the way the object looks (& that players unaware of this mod can be disadvantaged because judges see this floating light in their images, not in others). I would recommend choosing another object to use. But...if this is not enforced by judges (e.g. if the judges don't notice), then fine. Personally, I don't think this causes an issue, but again, it'll become a slippery slope of more exceptions added. Now, in regards to game mods such as removing the Red Pause outlines, lighting mods that fix shadows/ceiling (not colors), that's okay because it really doesn't effect the pricing or look of the images significantly + it doesn't require action from the players to use (e.g. experienced & inexperienced players can use it alike) + without these options, judges will not be swayed to score differently.

Oh ok, no it doesn't have to be playtested or playable. If you want it to be playable to upload to MTS in the future, that would be up to you. We're not judging in routing matters of Sims.

Thank you, I will use another light then cos the lunatech light looks very odd without the fix.