That will be up to each judge to decide, so I can't give you a clear answer. But if I were participating I would count on losing points for that, since even if the player has that mod it decreases the playability of the lot since it makes trimming/watering much slower.

Thanks, I will reconsider the lawnspace then in tandem with fences

Posting some in-progress pictures! Also doubles as a way to practice uploading pictures, so that's useful, too.

oooooh what a neat trick
I did somethig similar but I think it's more attractive for other players to have options if they want to add those things themselves

Yeah, @kanzen, I see you actually separated your buildings on the second floor, which gives your sims privacy and add an interesting dimension to your build by playing with shapes a little. I could see how you could use different walls to either make the breaks pop with color or texture. Very cool.

For me, it was more about functionality. I knew I wanted this build to look seamless and since furniture layouts can vary from one apartment to the next, I opted for a space break. And I didn't really plan on having closets--or fireplaces for that matter--but, since the space was there, I used it. When I build I always try to tuck away closets in whatever natural nook I can, if I include them at all. I'm a very big supporter of square and spacious rooms. (It's the sim way! ) Whenever I look at lot uploads or anyone else's layouts, I always find myself rethinking the layout and squaring off rooms. I'm always thinking "Why didn't they make that wall flush with the rest? They could fit another bathroom there!" So if I can find a way to fit a recessed closet in somewhere, I'll do that first.

@Phantomknight
Haha, you and me both. I always rethink people's layouts out of habit. Sims are such bothersome creatures you just have to make sure they don't die from not stepping over a teddy bear!
Anyways...I read you dislike your chimneys? You can try building walls around your chimneys if the shapes and height variation bother you. It could add a more modern architectural flare if done right.

That's right! I forgot about that. Great idea kanzen!

Are we allowed to use 3rd party programs like LotAdjuster and GridAdjuster?

Yes, we can use those programmes (says so at the bottom of the first post )

Are we allowed to use custom invisible/transparent floor tiles?

Oops, I should probably read things more carefully.

Nope, no custom wallpapers/floors As I wrote in the post exceptions will only be made if I've missed some category that is required for an apartment to work as an apartment.

What about custom garage doors/recolors? I mean technically, they're doors, right?

Also, how many contestants are needed for the contest?

My guess would be that since they aren't in the door category they wouldn't count but you'd have to wait on final say from the host. I also I believe 10 is the minimum to start a contest.

Charmful is correct. If it's not in the door category it doesn't count

And yes, 10 is minimum so we need one more. But MTS rules allow 2 weeks to reach that, so if nobody signs up before timer runs down we'll either extend application round another week, or if mods let me, allow people to enter until the first week of round 1 is over. I'd prefer the latter, to stick to the planned timeline.

Hey! Apartment mania!

I'd love to join too please! It's perfect timing too since I'm starting a new hood and building all the lots from scratch. And I LOVE playing with apartments and need to build a bunch more so this is the perfect kick in the pants I need! Sign me up! :D

Also I had a question, I was wondering if the stair wall fix mod is allowed? They show up in the stair category and are obviously stair related but I just wanted to double check if it's okay.

Welcome! Stair wall fix is allowed, since it's technically a window which is allowed And also thank you for posting it, been trying to remember where I saw that haha.

And we have our 10 contestants, yay!!

Ah, I see. I had misinterpreted that as being CC which was required to make the lot functional rather than CC which was required in order to make functional apartments. Thank you for answering.

I'm excited that we have enough contestants now for the contest to go ahead! :-)

Huzzah! For all you brave apartment builders Have fun! I can't wait to see what all ya'll come up with...

Since I'm a Judge, I think it's only fair to make sure EVERYONE knows I'm really not the biggest supporter of the color orange.
I know, I know, sometimes it just can't be helped, oranges are orange after all...
And, if it's your favorite color, *shudder* and you think you can impress me with your delightful use of it - then, go for it.
But, don't say I didn't warn you.

See what I did there? With the orangest smilies available... Uh huh!

A quick update from me, as well as a question regarding playability.

This is what I've got so far for my build. I thought about adding a driveway in front of every unit, but I also liked the idea of a large pedestrian walkway. What do you guys think? My playability question here is: Is it possible to have cars in apartments when the unit doesn't have a garage (just a driveway)? And if I choose to leave the pedestrian walkway, I will have a driveway with parking spaces on the side. Can these also be used? If not, I will leave them decorative, as I think having parking spaces in an apartment complex makes sense.

If it can't be achieved through ordinary gameplay, can it be done with mods? Maybe MogHughson's Park in the Car Park mod?

P.S. - I think I will finish on time to be a contestant, gummilutt

If you have a driveway outside of the units, I don't think anything can be placed there by the tenants but you can place a car there while building the apartment (at which point the car becomes a public car that any resident can use). IMO, having a public car like that is actually very useful (although it causes your residents to desire to buy increasingly more expensive cars, which they can't do - I've made a small mod that fixes this, if anyone is interested).

Hooray! So glad we managed to get 10 on time I have decided to extend applications anyway, because the more the merrier! Round one starts in 38 minutes as planned and will last two weeks, but applicants may still enter for the first week of round 1 if they want to. Late entries have the same timer as everyone else. I've updated timers in first post with an application close timer and a round one ends timer

Can not WAIT to see what you all build! Pictures so far look very interesting. I'm taking a leaf out of Ellu's book and building a play-along entry just for fun. Just hope I can finish it on time



Thank you, you are right in that it wasn't clear enough. I've clarified a little, hopefully it's clear now. Sorry about that!



Wooohoo @ possibly being contestant. Would be great fun to have you

It is possible to have cars, but since the driveway is outside of the active complex you have to place cars on the driveways before the Sims move in, and any Sim from any complex could use any one of the cars. You won't be able to sell or recolor or do anything to them when playing the active family, stuck with whatever you put there before moving Sims in. Don't know about the second question, hopefully someone else does

The driveway extention placed with deleting the sidewalk do work, just only missing some animations

About mods, @gummilutt shall correct me if I am wrong, but the parking lot mod by Mog is not most likely allowed, as it is not needed to make apartments work and includes extra peace of CC
BUT, you can use this mod (again gummi correct me if I am wrong) http://modthesims.info/download.php?t=515924

As that acts like the SEP (allowed) and similar, only needed for placement, can be played without the mod. Here is the part by Moo herself:

My first apartment's been ready for three days; but I've been struggling with getting the whole thing in-shot for the front, rear, and full-lot plan views. (And also my husband's Health Crap. Which is pretty exhausting but really motivates me to focus on something else.) So I just downloaded some camera mods and I hope I can get all the pictures taken tonight or tomorrow. I may not be the best, but I can strive to be the first!