Urban Conversion Contest
Concept
Land is at a premium in the city and many older buildings are being removed for newer ones, but many older ones have history that is worth protecting. Every two weeks Sim City’s Conservation Committee is reviewing preservation applications for a different type of building in the city and the City will choose to either preserve or demolish your building. While these buildings are deemed important, it is still required that they generate income and do not fall into disrepair. These buildings will have their original architecture respected and renovated for new use.
Task
Contestants will be tasked with building a lot from an older time period and style. Those approved by the City as worthwhile to save will be tasked with then converting and renovating it to a newer commercial space. The new commercial space will not be revealed until the shells are completed.
Qualifications to Host
Participated in jones’ Pleasantview & Veronaville Home Makeovers Contests. Judged jones’ Build A Business Contest. Hosted
Sims 2 Scrapbooking Contest. Judged the MTS TS2 Calendar Contests. Winner of wgroome’s Foundation Challenge Contest.
Qualifications for Contestants
This contest is for TS2. It will be helpful, but not required to have NL, OFB, SSN, and AL. With careful CC and clever use of game objects, it will be possible to fake having these EPs. In particular, you will need to create
parking lots and have
cash registers. Only Free and creditable CC is allowed, you should be able to upload your lots when you are done with them.
Regardless of skill level, anyone is welcome to join provided they can supply the application data. However, please be aware that this contest is aimed towards skilled builders with considerable experience building and decorating in TS2 and it will be judged accordingly. If you're not so skilled or well-versed in TS2, we'd still love to have you if you're up for the challenge! Contests are about learning and improving so, even if you don't make get a City Permit for a round, the feedback you receive will hopefully give you some ideas on how to hone your skills for the future.
Applications
To Join the Contest, post a link to a community lot you have previously built and uploaded to MTS. If you have not uploaded a community lot yet, but have placed 1st-5th in a contest that required you to build a community lot, link to that thread instead. Applications do not close, you may join in whenever. There is no limit on contestants, but the City will only approve preservation for (around) 10 buildings each round. Contestants entries that are not judged as passable are not eliminated from the competition and can try again on the next building round.
Timeframe
Once we have all our judges and at least 10 participants, the first round will begin.
This contest will use an overlapping timeframe for the rounds. Like a real construction company, you will be juggling multiple projects at once. Each Shell and Renovation stage will have 2 weeks, with a week for judging between and after. The second round will start the third week. The third round starts the 5th week, and the fourth round starts 7th week. This will eliminate any gaps while waiting on judging and keep those who did not qualify for a reno to keep busy working on their next entry. The entire contest, including judging will run 12 weeks, or 3 months, as many of our contests do.
September 19-25 | September 26-October 2 | October 3-9 | October 10-19 | October 19-25 | October 26-November 4 | November 5-11 | November 12-18 | November 19-25 | November 26-December 2 | December 3-9 | December 10-16 | December 17-23 |
R1 Shell | R1 Shell | Shell Judging | R1 Reno | R1 Reno | | Reno Judging | | | | | | |
| | R2 Shell | R2 Shell | | Shell Judging | R2 Reno | R2 Reno | Reno Judging | | | | |
| | | | R3 Shell | R3 Shell | | Shell Judging | R3 Reno | R3 Reno | Reno Judging | | |
| | | | | | | R4 Shell | R4 Shell | Shell Judging | R4 Reno | R4 Reno | Reno Judging |
The Shell Rounds
Shells may be submitted unfurnished, but sinks, toilets, any showers, and any kitchen appliances must be included. I recommend
dilapidated sets just to add to the ‘run-down’ effect. It is also preferred to have
walls and
floors and
such look old and in disrepair. Your attention to detail *will* be noticed and if we are on the fence between your building and another it *can* tip the decision in your favor. Also, all interior columns MUST be place on the grid lines, and not in the middle of a tile.
The City (Phaenoh) will judge every lot on the two following criteria: if the lot is the correct size (pass - 3/fail - 0), and if the building looks like it could be whatever building type was required for that round and if it is basically in line with the architectural style provided (combined 0-5pts). Example images will be provided for every round. Only lots that are either vastly not following directions or simply won't work for the upcoming renovation will not pass City Inspection.
The City will review your application and let you know within 48 hours if it could be considered for one of the 10 renovation spots that round. Passing City Inspection DOES NOT guarantee a spot in the list of approved renovations, as the judges are included in this decision, just that you are being considered for that list. The City will also include in its decision how well your shell will meet the initial criteria of fitting the style and building type, so you can choose to submit a second or adjusted shell to potentially score better. Contestants may submit a second building shell, if the first did not pass City Inspection, or if they are unhappy with their potential City Score and there is still time left in the round before going to judging.
There is no limit on contestants, but the City and Judges will only give out Building Permits for (around) 10 buildings each round. Contestants may only proceed with renovations for 3 of the 4 rounds. After receiving a Building Permit for a round, the contestant may not choose to withdraw for that round, as they have already taken up one of the 10-ish spots available for that week. Contestants may submit a shell with the word 'WITHDRAWN' and assuming is passable, it will be scored as a shell but not considered for one of the 10 reno spots, allowing for maximum possible shell-only scoring. This tactic is suggested for when you know you will be unavailable to complete a renovation for a particular week due to a planned upcoming event, or if your real life suddenly throws you something unexpected.
Every shell that passes City Inspection will be scored by the Conservation Committee (our three judges). They are looking to make sure all the rooms and features described in the brief are present (0-5pts), that the exterior of the building has been addressed (0-3pts), and that the building looks rundown (0-4pts). The City and Conservation Committee jointly will grant the 10-ish highest scoring shells a Building Permit, which is approval to renovate. After receiving a Building Permit for a round, the contestant may not choose to withdraw for that round, as they have already taken up one of the 10-ish spots available for that week.
The Reno Rounds
For the conversion, exterior windows and doors cannot be removed. You may swap them out for better looking ones, but please try to use replacements that are the same basic size, so don’t replace a giant plate glass window with a tiny circle window, though you can go the opposite direction, and make the new window significantly larger than the old one. Roof structures cannot be changed, but you may recolor them. Stairs cannot be added but can be removed. Extra levels cannot be added but floor tiles can be removed. Some interior walls can be removed but others cannot at City discretion (you will receive a version of your layout image with lines indicating walls that must remain when you are approved to move onto the next stage, the Judges will approve this before it comes back to you). Interior walls may be added and interior doors may be added or removed. Interior columns can either remain as columns, or be replaced by a wall. Restrooms and kitchen hookups need to remain in the same area (within 2 tiles of original location) as they were first placed.
The newly renovated spaces will then be judged by the City, which will look to see that the same lot and shell was used (0-3) and that the exterior walls and interior load bearing walls were not compromised (0-5). The Committee will be looking for that all the rooms and features are included (0-5pts), that the exterior has been respected and updated (0-3pts), and that the building looks nicely furnished and decorated and alive again (0-4pts).
Photo Requirements
Each half requires front or front-ish/side and top down views for each level. When submitting your initial shell for the City to look over, you only need to provide a front view and top down views of each level. Once you’ve passed your City Inspection for your shell, you may return to your shell and decorate it, and add 4 interior or detail shots to add to your post. You can do it all at once too, but on the chance it is rejected, you’ll have wasted a lot of time. You will be judged on how run down the building looks, so make sure it is ready for the Conservation Committee with lots of great photos. The newly renovated buildings are allowed an additional 6 images to show rooms and scenes.
Scoring and Judging
The final score for each half round will be calculated by adding the scores from the City (0-8pts) to the average score given by the judges (0-12pts). Max score for each half round is 20. If a shell did not pass City Inspection, your score for the Shell round will be only the City scores (0-8). If a shell passed City Inspection but was not given a Building Permit, your score will be the City scores plus the Shell judge scores (0-20) and a 0 for the reno. This method of scoring should prevent any runaway wins and allow for missing out on a few renos while still remaining competitive in the contest. It is always in your best interest to submit at least a shell, even if you think you have no chance of advancing that round or will not have time to complete a reno that round.
Shell Round = City Score + (Committee Scores)/3 |
City Scores (8 pts)- Correct lot size - yes 3 / no 0
- Building Type and Style - neither 0 / not type (church etc) 1 / not style 2 / yes 5
Committee Scores (12 pts)- Required Rooms Present - 0 thru 5
- Exterior - 0 thru 3
- Interior Decoration - 0 thru 4
|
Reno Round = City Score + (Committee Scores)/3 |
City Scores (8 pts)- Same lot used - yes 3 / no 0
- Building Envelope Respected - 0 thru 5
Committee Scores (12 pts)- Required Rooms Present - 0 thru 5
- Exterior - 0 thru 3
- Interior Decoration - 0 thru 4
|
Requirements for judging are that you've judged previously in a building contest or placed 1st-5th in a previous building contest, and that you have a Google Account as we will use Google Sheets to do scoring. To apply as a judge, link to the contest where you judged or placed.
We can have up to 30 contestants at a time, but only 10 will be allowed to reno each round. This is to help keep judging times short and to protect contestants from building themselves into a corner if their proposed shell just won't work as the new proposed space.
Detailed score breakdowns and judges notes can be viewed here:
Google Docs Scoresheet
Good Luck and Have Fun!
Round 1 Shell
The first type of buildings the City is looking at to preserve are churches. You must create a church on a 3x4 (deeper than wide) lot. It needs to have a vestibule, sanctuary, balcony, bell tower, large community room w/ kitchen, nursery, Sunday school rooms, administrative area with reception and at least 2 offices, restrooms, and parking for 4+. Many churches of this style accomplish so much by either making use of their basements add/or building an addition on the back. See the included images for basic styling.
Round 1 Reno
Great Work! The Conservation Committee has granted your church historical significance! With the building officially saved, a clothing retailer has purchased the building and needs you to make changes for them. They need a main selling floor, dressing rooms, check out registers, clothing racks, public restrooms, manager's office, break room, staff bathroom, stockroom, a delivery entrance, and parking for 6+. If you have space left over, consider a 'bargain basement', coffee shop, bookstore, or other ways of making the space generate income. The sanctuary itself is owned by the clothing retailer, but if you have easily divided extra spaces with existing separate entrances, those areas can become separate shops entirely.
The City and Conservation Committee are pleased to award Building Permits to the following contractors: CatherineTCJD, Red Sonja, ekrubynaffit, ForeverCamp, kanzen, and xmathyx.
Round 2 Shell
Much of the city's industrial sector has fallen into disrepair. A few buildings are much older and are a rich part of the city's past. In an effort to revitalize the neighborhood, some of the buildings will be renovated and others will be demolished to make way for newer buildings. The old factory you are representing is on a 5x3 lot (wide not deep, lots of street tiles), has a main work floor with tall ceilings, a balcony with a manager's office, loading dock w/service entrance (usually this means the entire factory is on a foundation), stockroom, two unisex single room bathrooms on opposite ends of the building, parking for 8+ on either a side or the back, and of course, a fantastic roof line. Warehouses of this era didn't always have electric lighting, so the windows and rooflines were designed to bring in as much natural light as possible. See the included images for basic styling.
Round 2 Reno
Awesome! The Conservation Committee has granted your factory a stay in demolition provided you can turn it into a revenue generating property! While most of the other factories are transitioning into cookie-cutter nightclubs, your idea to stand out in the crowd and to capture a different market is to turn your factory into a skating rink and family fun center. You need to get busy constructing a skating rink (can either be roller or ice) with fancy disco lights, skate rental, admission counter, arcade, concessions stand and eating area, public restrooms, manager’s office, break room, staff bathroom, service entrance, and parking for 8+ on either a side or the back.
The City and Conservation Committee are pleased to award Building Permits to the following contractors: JustPetro, kanzen, PanAm, and porkypine.
Round 3 Shell
An older residential section of the city is in need of some help. Many of the old Victorian estate houses are being divided up into multi-family houses and some have been vacant for so long they are nearly unsalvageable. The old house the neighborhood association wants to save has some real charm to it and is nicely centrally located in the neighborhood on a 2x3 (deep) lot. If the city were to demolish it, it could do some real damage to the surrounding property values, but as it stands right now, the city doesn't have much choice. This pretty painted lady has 3 floors. On the main floor it has a parlor, dining room, kitchen, pantry, back entrance, and servants' quarters. On the middle floor there are 2 master bedrooms each with their own sitting rooms, and one full bath. The top floor tucked under the roof has children's or servants rooms, a larger nursery/playroom connecting them all, and another full bathroom directly above the second floor one's plumbing. The exterior exudes charm and cute ridiculousness. There is also parking for 2+ in the back.
Round 3 Reno
Congratulations! The neighborhood association has convinced the Conservation Committee to turn their forgotten sister into the newest library branch! After extensive repair work, the library now boasts a circulation desk, stacks, reading rooms, children’s book room, public computers, study rooms, conference room, public restrooms, staff offices, break room, staff bathroom, a service entrance for unloading the book trucks from the main branch, and parking for 6+ in the back. The local residents couldn’t be more pleased!
The City is pleased to award building permits to all contestants.
Round 4 Shell
After the city consolidated all the smaller schools into the new school system at a new larger school on the outskirts of the city, they were left with a lot of sad empty school buildings. Each is a pillar in their own residential communities, but sitting empty, they have become crime threats. Your neighborhood school sits on a 4x3 (wide) lot and has 3 floors and a foundation. On the ground floor is the lobby, main office with secretary area and 2 private offices, nurse’s suite, music room, art studio, gym (needs extra ceiling height, so remove the foundation here), library, and restrooms. The two upper floors are identical, each having 8 class rooms, and a boys’ and girls’ restroom centrally located. There are multiple staircases and an elevator in the building and on the grounds there is a fenced in playground and paved play area. Outside the fence is parking for 8+. See the included images for basic styling.