Concept
In years past, MTS has conducted a few foundation “challenges” and “contests.” In these competitions, a foundation was handed out to those who participated with the expectation that they find a creative way to build a house with the given space. The next round, the foundation would progress in complexity, often including weird shapes, corners, and angles, designed to try and throw people off. This process would be repeated each round until, ultimately, the final foundation looked ridiculous and lead to awkward houses.

That will not happen in this challenge.

In fact, this challenge is the antithesis of what the previous rules called for. Each round, I will be handing out a simple foundation to work with, a palette where you can still be creative, without having to blow a few gaskets trying to make heads or tails of what you’re looking at. This will ensure that all entries can be different styles, ideas, and have different personalities, while still allowing for the challenge of working with somebody's floor plan. The catch, however, remains in the foundation, just not on its shape.
The initial round of this challenge will be designed as a lead in -- a simple foundation with no catches, sculpted to give you a bit of a challenge, introduce you to the rules, and establish a friendly competition. From there, who knows what I might throw in; perhaps a forced basement; maybe a different wall height; CFE walls…I don’t know, and neither will any of you.
Each foundation will have a special quality with it. Instead of changing the shapes each round, I will be altering more drastic characteristics. Height, depth, size, shape, angle, levels, and more are all open for modification. This isn’t the average challenge you are used to; this one can, and will, give you a run for your money, and hopefully, force you to try some new things as well as build on your problem solving skills.

Without further ado…here are the rules!


Rules

Failure to adhere to any of the rules will result in your score for the round being reduced to zero. Repeated infractions will result in being kicked from the contest overall.

• No altering the foundation is allowed
  o Its shape should still be clearly visible from top down.
  o No adding more foundation on
  o No taking any foundation off
  o No adjusting the height
  o Aesthetic changes are allowed (ex. Painting, adding or removing plants, wall hangings, etc.)
• Building away from the foundation
  o As stated above, the top down view should still resemble the original lot. This means no over hangs for more space and no adding basements. However, you are permitted to add shed, car ports, garages, etc. and attach them to the lot as long as they don’t add more livable space. Garages can only be used to house cars, not store an extra bed.
• Lot size
  o The lot size will be included in the post. You are not allowed to place the foundation on a larger sized lot than what is given.
  o You are allowed to rotate the lot any way you would like.
• Custom Content
  o Is allowed as long as it is free or store content. NO PAY CONTENT.
  o MTS encourages the creation and use of CC, but everyone deserves their credit. You don't have to list each bit of CC, just the creators that made it so they get their work highlighted.
• Pictures
  o You are REQUIRED to upload the following pictures with each round:
  ----->• Front picture
  ----->• Back picture
  ----->• Floor plan pictures
  o Extra pictures are recommended, but not required.
  o No photoshopping please!
• Time and Extensions
  o Each round will last for a week.
  o Extensions are allowed, but there should be a valid excuse, as per usual.
• Questions
  o For the most part, this contest relies on people being honest. The more you adhere to the rules, the more fun it is for everyone. Try not to bend the rules; if you think you can exploit something, try not to – it ruins the game for everyone. If you want to make sure that what you’re doing is allowed, just ask down below and I, or someone else who has done these before, will help you out.

Scoring:
You will be awarded points based on the following categories:

• Structure: 10 Points
  o Make sure the lot follows all of the rules, is built in a unique way, there are no boring walls, etc. If your lot looks finished and well done, you can score up to ten points! Don’t forget that interior room layouts are considered as well.
• Landscaping: 10 Points
  o Everyone is focusing on building an outstanding house, but landscaping is just as important! Fill in awkward spaces, use flowers and trees effectively, but don’t be too excessive or sloppy.
• Decorations: 10 Points
  o The inside is just as important, if not more important, than the outside. Make sure the necessities are included in the house, the floor plan is set up well, and rooms don’t look too large or empty!
• Presentation: 10 points
  o Are the pictures you took large, clear, and pretty? Is your post informative and free of errors? This is an easy ten points! Don’t rush it!
• Bonus Points: 20 points
  o These are awarded hit or miss. You either get all of the points or no points at all.
  o Is there an obvious and cohesive theme?
  ----->• +5 bonus points
  o You took extra pictures and they are gorgeous! They show off the lot really well!
  ----->• +5 bonus points
  o WOW! Your lot clearly stood out in this round. You really went the extra mile!
  ----->• +10 bonus points

Target Score Per Round: 40 points
Maximum Score Per Round: 60 points



Entering

To enter, all you need to do download the lot, finish your entry, and post at least the required pictures down below. There is no limit on how many entrants I want, if I get only 10, perfect! If I get 42, even better!

ENTRY ROUND OVER AS OF: July 20th 2012
SCORES AVAILABLE HERE!


ROUND 2 OVER AS OF: August 1st 2012
SCORES AVAILABLE HERE!



ROUND THREE OVER AS OF: August 12th 2012
SCORES AVAILABLE HERE!



ROUND OVER AS OF: August 25th 2012
(countdown until round ends is found here!)
READ THIS: Announcement About R4
SCORES AVAILABLE: HERE!

Entrants:
Bakafox - Entry -- Round2 -- Round 3 -- No Entry
ReyaD - Entry -- Round 2 -- Round 3 -- Round 4
Lewjen - Entry -- No Entry -- Round 3 -- No Entry
Shhh - Entry -- No Entry -- No entry -- No Entry
Armiel - Entry -- Round 2 -- Round 3 -- Round 4
Porkypine - Entry -- Round 2 -- Round 3 -- Round 4
Beccapixie10 - Entry -- Round 2 -- Round 3 -- Round 4
Fukothepixie - Entry -- Round 2 -- Round 3 -- Round 4
Perfectionist - Entry -- Round 2 -- Round 3 -- Round 4
CimsonRaeden - Entry -- Round2 -- Round 3 -- Round 4
InesMarie - Entry -- Round 2 -- Round 3 -- No Entry
AdonisPluto - Entry -- Round 2 -- Round 3 -- Round 4
PSDuckie - Entry -- Round 2 -- Round 3 -- Round 4
Fuzzlechan - Entry -- Round 2 -- Round 3 -- No Entry
Rishara - Entry -- Round2 -- Round 3 -- No Enry
Morphead - Entry -- Round 2 -- Round 3 -- Round 4
Kuyke001 - Entry -- Round 2 -- Round 3 -- Round 4
Llamaforever - Entry -- Round2 -- Round 3 -- Round 4
Flabaliki - Entry -- Round 2 -- Round 3 -- No Entry
Kiwi_Tea - Entry -- Round 2 -- Round 3 -- Round 4
Sandymdh - Entry -- Round 2 -- Round 3 -- Round 4
Lanawinst - Entry -- Round 2 -- Round 3 -- Round 4
CreativeMommy1985 - Entry -- Round 2 -- Round 3 -- No Entry

NOT JUDGED CONTESTANTS:
Naiyasfury - Entry -- Round2
Sharill63 - Entry -- Round 2 -- Round 3 -- Round 4
Powelly009 - Round 4

Judges
If you wish to be a judge, just ask down below. The only qualification is to be completely unbiased in your scoring. As above, I will also take on as many judges as people sign up. If you'd rather judge, I'd love to work with you!

Judges:
Qbuilderz
ForeverCamp
Riptide651
PlayinSafe
Waterstar
GigaRevival

Contest Approved

• Do not post replies and/or contest applications before the contest host has checked in on this thread, or your post will be deleted.
• DO NOT WRITE USELESS POSTS like "Hey cool contest, I think I might join." Reserve type posts and useless posts about coming back with an application will be deleted.

Okay! Contest is up, go ahead and download the lot, make it awesome and such When you are done, go ahead and post down below -- I will do my best to keep track of all the entries in the first post At this point, if anyone would like to enter as a judge, I'd appreciate it! Let's have some fun guys :D

Rawr! You're HERE! I waited ALL MORNING!

... No, not really. Just the last hour.

I'll be a judge!

Ill volunteer to judge for this one too, I'm just to backed up with my creations, that building 4 more on short notice will murder me. From what I've judged so far, writing constructive comments is much easier. :P

Hey motherporkin’ Qbuilderz!
I'll help judge.
How many rounds will this be?

Sims 3, am I right?

It will be four rounds (as of right now. If there is interest for more or, somehow, a tie, we can go longer.)
Yes -- This is, unfortunately, sims 3 only. In the past I have been capable of hosting both TS2 and TS3, but I no longer have TS2 installed due to my computer being super duper crappy.

So would you want us to provide a list of the CC we used?

Question Q, does it have to be a residential lot, or can we make community lots out of it for challenge?

So, we pretty much can do whatever we want to the lot as long as it doesn't alter the foundation's form in any way?

Oof, should have had some more people proof read these things:

Reya - Yeah, please provide a list of cc creators you used. These aren't submissions to the queue, but I find it nice when the creators get their credit
Baka - Sure! Go for it! I think that'd be creative and awesome :D
Sim - Basically ;D I just wanted to be really thorough in the rules.

Ack another question Q- if building a community lot, would outdoor tables count as 'living area' if making something like a bistro, or outdoor exercise areas if making a gym? What sorts of furnishings would be not-living-area-ish for community lots?

@ bekafox, doesn't it have to be a house, I can't find anything about community lots?

I asked him if it could be a community a few posts up =) he said yes.

@ bakafox, Sorry, now I feel stupid. Good idea, though Ihave already started a house for this round. Good luck with it!

Are fire places OK, the don't really change the foundation do they?

Baka - By living area I mean more house parts. Like, adding an outdoor room would be living area. You can add a patio, provided it isn't on foundation. Basically, things like garages / decorative little sheds in a garden are allowed as they don't add more space for sims to actually live in. A guest house would not be allowed, as it would function as livable space.

Yes, fireplaces are good, they are objects

Although I asked about community lots, for round 1 I built a residential after all =) Background setting is a world of mine in progress- so I bring a desert suburbia modern beauty: Desert Ice, 2BR 2BTH home with swimming pool and lovely cactus gardens up front to make up for the water usage on that lush back lawn.

Front view of house:


Back view of the home:


The first floor layout is an elegant living/sitting room and dining room, with the small downstairs bathroom/laundry tucked away neatly. The grounds are neatly manicured and the pool wraps the house with pristine water.


The upstairs has a small entertainment area on the landing, plus the second bath, master & second bedrooms. There's a small balcony, shaded by roofgarden vines from which to enjoy the stars.


The dining room/kitchen is a favorite for the family and guests, with its glass-topped table and accessible-but-out-of-the-way cooking area:


And at night the house just about shimmers. The more poetic of the family teens likened it to a "Moon on the ground, only all square and stuff."


Lot was built using EA Lucky Palms & Town Life stuff along with the EP's through Showtime.

The only CC on the lot are the Porkypine conversions of Macarossi's desert plants from TS2.

For the curious there's a few more images up at Photobucket

I don't build often but when I do its usually for my legacy family or to suit an existing family in my stories. So for round one I found inspiration in a family I made up. Looking forward to future rounds and becoming a better builder!

Family Retreat, 3 BR 2 BTH. Pool, garden, and full nursery and toys.

Front:



Back:



Overview of Lower floor:



Overview of Upper floor:



City living was never in the plan for Brooke and Hunter, and their rustic cabin in the woods was all they ever wanted. But when kids came along the house became filled with toys and the patter of tiny feet on the wooden floor boards.



The kitchen is Hunter's baby. State of the art appliances, a beautiful wrap around counter and a rock back splash.



Their son Junior is a teen now, and he doesn't share his parents' love of the outdoors. He'd much rather move to Bridgeport as soon as he can and take up acting. Maybe becoming as famous the great Matthew Hamming!



Annie is the baby of the family, still just a baby but her room is filled with all the toys she'll ever want. Nothing but the best for mommy and daddy's little princess.



In terms of custom content I used:
- Salifindragon's Wood Wall Paneling
- CyberBob's CASTable Smoke Alarm (also available at the same link: CASTable Burglar Alarm)
- SIMul8rReviews' More Slots!: Base Game Bookshelves
- HugeLunatic's Natural Garden Edgers

Whatever you don't recognize in regards to furniture is most likely from the store.

Wow bakafox!
What a wonderful way to start off Building Blocks!

Yay ReyaD!
What a cozy house!



Keep those entries coming everyone!

Just wondering, what is the closing date for the applicants?

Closing date will be in two weeks since this is the entry round. I want to give every one a fair amount of time to create their house, and enter, as well as advertise to try and make this one of the best contests ever. After this first round, however, round lengths will be shortened to nine days. I'll update the first post. Great stuff so far guys! I am so excited to get this going :D

I call this Suburban Surroundings, mainly because this is actually quite a small house and consequently a lot of the lot is just... landscaping and 'surroundings'.
The house's foundation is totally unmodified, but I have added a garage onto the side (reading through the rules, I gather that this is totally allowed). The house has a suburban feel to the exterior, in both shape and colour combination. The interior is very modern, and tries to make the most of the space in the house consisting of 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, open plan kitchen and dining, and also a living area with direct access to the back of the lot. Enough waffle, let's enjoy the pics!





Above are the Suburban-esque exterior pictures, and below are the floor plans (ground floor then first floor), and also interior pictures of the kitchen and master bedroom.






Suburban Surroundings includes absolutely no CC, including no store content. I have built it with the Base Game and Ambitions installed.
Hope I've done this properly. :D

Yippee! I just saw this! I think I can manage this and the last leg of the scrapbook contest! :0) (I already have TS3 cranked up and have been modifying Lucky Lakes.... SO my house will be deserty style. ... Rolling up sleeves.)


Well darn! I shoulda known that trying to import the foundtion while the game was running would crash my game... Oh well, It will take about a half day to load the game again. Talk about LAGGY! Katy Perry has added too much sugar! lol

Reya, is this your elusive bamboo fencing?