Can we see more pictures??? I know this is a GINORMOUS dorm.... are there any spaces where the kids just blow off steam?

Awesome! my Only feedback is that the closets count as separate rooms, so they won't became hidden when Dormies claim them.

This looks awesome! I'll definitely be on the lookout for the finished set! It kind of reminds me (the exteriors, at least) of the university structures on the TS3 University Life campus. Unlike TS3, it looks like your lot is elegant enough to look good, but not over-the-top enough to cause performance issues on modern computers.

You've got the rec room, the library, and the dining hall as the main ones, though there are things like a piano room or the courtyard that I didn't take pictures of (at least not any that were really illustrative of anything) that would also be at least partly usable as rec rooms... part of what I want with an Ivy League feel though is a more storied, studious effect for the campus (i.e., less ratty furniture and bubble blowers )

Good to know... shouldn't be much of a problem for this lot, since there's nothing in there but a light, but some of the other ideas I have for residences on campus could be impacted...

Great build! It seems to have a kind of colonial style feel, makes me think of old universities. It also seems to look a bit ‘rich’, but the rooms stand out – they’re a bit too bland compared to the rest of the interior.

Also I see your hood terrain and water don’t look properly, have you tried messing around with GraphicRules.sgr? Lot pictures look fine so your card should manage to handle the hood.

@Voeille The dorms at this point are kind of deliberately bland, since the feedback I've gotten in general on dorms has been that people want to be able customize the rooms themselves for their own students... is that what you mean? I did want a bit of that colonial style to carry over from the public areas, hence the choice of bed- it's the only cheaper option that seemed to fit that, though I may opt for some of the pricier colonial-era beds for other dorms on campus, just to kind of split the difference...

And yeah, the issue of neighborhood terrain and water not playing nicely has been pretty much constant, and I've tried a few solutions to no effect, so I've kind of given up on it, unless you know for sure of a way that'd work. In any case, by the time I'm done with this project, I'd expect to have a new computer anyways.

Yes that is what I meant about the rooms. But if the purpose was to make them a bit generic to allow customisation, then it’s fine

As for the graphics problem, maybe try my file? Just make sure to make a backup of yours before, as it has happened that it worked fine for some people but not for others.

I second everything Voeille said, both on the rooms being bland and the hood not looking its best. I know you are against CC as a rule, but does that also mean you run without patches and fixes from the community? V has done some amazing stuff with the hood view, those water files are INCREDIBLE.

Most dorm rooms come standard with a bunch of furniture. You could try stuffing them with more things (and matching stuff), like I did in this dorm room. It still looks empty and not yet personalized, but you'd be hard pressed to say that wasn't a dorm room you were looking at. Dorms usually come with a bed, a desk, a dresser or two, a smoke detector and sprinkler, and often (though not always) a minifridge w/ microwave. Some also have bookcases and wardrobes. The big thing though, is it all looks like it is part of a set, colleges buy their dorm furniture en masse from a single company, and generally don't have too many styles available. Your walls might be a tad too nice, with the fancy wood paneling, that stuff doesn't usually last. Most dorm rooms I've seen have at worst white washed cinder blocks, or at best white painted sheetrock. Your fancier school could probably get away with some nice baseboards and maybe even crown molding, but with kids moving in and out of those rooms twice in less than a year, that paneling just wouldn't survive. Same goes for the carpet, usually it's either linoleum or low pile commercial indoor/outdoor carpet. Now, none of that applies to the common areas. Those are usually easier to keep well maintaned and generally just reflect the school's budget, and you've once again done a stellar job with that. I LOVE the two story library!

My only other critique is that the two story window you have in the tower looks too modern in comparison to the rest of the building. Any way you can help it fit in more with additional columns or the MG molding? I love your backstory about the fire, there was a church near my Uni that had it's steeples catch fire. Cooper burns the coolest green color. Anyways, after they removed all the burnt parts, this is what they looked like afterwards. I don't know what the interior structure looked like, but they pretty much just capped them off at the top of the stone.

This looks pretty cool! It would be awesome if you would upload the finished university campus! I'd really like to use that in my game! :)

Thanks,Thanks

More applause! Love the detailing of the bell tower. I cannot wait to see the whole campus!

Wish my dorms were like this!

@Phaenoh

At this point, I am pretty much stuck without most patches, since my computer is fast becoming an antique, and I don't trust it to be able to handle the addition of any more files and content of that sort (and while I'd certainly LIKE to have it keep working for Sims stuff, I 100% NEED it to stay functional for work and school, so for the time being, more fixes are sadly a non-starter). I'm hoping later this summer to buy a new computer though, which would alleviate much of that particular problem...

As far as furnishings, I agree, I'm not too pleased with these particular dorm rooms, largely because the space available limited me to only the bare-bones essentials for furniture... 3x5 just isn't really big enough, but it was the only sizing that I could make work consistently. I've tweaked a few of the other buildings that are eventually going to be residence halls to avoid that particular issue in the future. As to the matching style, I once again agree, but in my experiments, the only ones that seemed to fit the bill are the IKEA MALM furnishings, and they felt like the wrong style for an Ivy-League campus... any thoughts on some of the lower-end furniture that keeps an appropriate neoclassical/colonial style that might match up a little better?

As to the bell tower, I can fiddle with some of the architectural details to try to age-up the two-story window some... my initial thought is that the stone base moldings might work as the kinds of louvers you often see on bell towers, to make the windows look a little more classically Gothic, rather than modern... I'll have to experiment some with that, see if I can get the right effect without adding too much more to the lot in terms of textures to render!

Thanks for the feedback, it definitely helps with some of my thinking for future builds on this campus!

I don't really know anything about Ivy League colleges, but I think that this dorm is very cool and has a sort of old-fashioned wibe to it, which I really like in universities.

In regards to the dorm-rooms, maybe you could use that dark wooden singlebed that comes with Apartment Life (I don't remember what it is called, but it matches a lot of the other furniture from that expansion), just a thought.

A little sidenote - you have turned the exit signs so they point the wrong way; they should be pointing directly at the door...

Nice, and will test in game. Looking forward to more of your University buildings.

So happy to see quality content is still being produced for this game!

I hope that the rest of this campus is released eventually. I love these two lots a lot.

This looks amazing! Once Alexander is old enough I'm going to send him and some sims I made here. I've been living in Oxford, England for the past three years and while the university isn't Ivy League per se it reminds me of the colleges here (particularly Magdalen College) in a really good way and has the vibe just right. I also really like how you kept the garden simple so I can just hire a gardener and not be subjected to noise when said gardener can't reach stuff. I also love how much you've managed to pack in without making the lot say 5x5. My computer will appreciate that.

My one nitpick would be the size of the rooms. Yes, it's realistic, but to me my old money sims and the other students who I'm going to be sending here would want bigger rooms. I'm probably going to get rid of the pipe rooms so that I have a couple of bigger rooms for say witches who want to prep reagents between their classes. They're a cool touch, but they don't really accomplish anything. That or I might get rid of a couple of dorm rooms so I can expand others.

Either way I'm so excited about this! I'll let you know how it goes even if this is old, if you're still working on the school I think it'll be great.

Okay, I've now played through freshman year with two sims. Honestly, loved the atmosphere of the placed, especially the library. University usually feels like such a slog, but I had a good time. The place is enchanting. That being said, playing it did raise some issues so I'll be moving the two sims out and then back in so I can make a few changes.

The biggest concern was the washrooms. Even though there are walls between the shower stalls the sims won't use one shower if someone is already in another shower as they are treated as being within the same room. Honestly makes me sad because I love the layout. I'm also going to swap the lower ones around. It really sucks for male sims who are say, playing the piano, and then have to walk to the other end of the map to use the toilet.

Another issue was the computer room. A dormie managed to get stuck in the top left corner. I don't know how, but she did. I ended up getting rid of the book cases against the far wall which made me sad. It's less pretty now and I'm hoping I can come up with a way to make it look equally nice later.

In the bottom left entrance there are two tables. Dormies kept trying to do assignments on them and then got upset when there were no chairs. I ended up replacing them with low tables. I also added a phone to one of them because for the longest time I couldn't find the one you included.

It's worth noting I did combine some of the dorm rooms to make them bigger so there are now 15 dorm rooms. I also got rid of the closets so that the ones in use by dormies would disappear and added single square dressers from the maxis Asian fusion set. It worked really well though I haven't tried one of the enlarged rooms yet.

Issues aside, I absolutely loved it! Thank you for making it