Calling all SimNation Builders!
 

It still continues to amaze me how much Maxis put into all the Sim games, becoming part of our gaming culture way back in the late 1980s. Countless hours spent at the computer building little cities, watching the buildings grow before being demolished by an unchecked natural disaster.

With each new version of the game came new sights to see. SimCity 2000 most notably (to me) had the arcologies that launched into space. SimCity 4 had the emergence of the SimNation as a whole. Sim Park let you build a thriving park that Sims wanted to be in, wildlife to wander through, and Rizzo the annoying frog to pop up and tell you 'She is dead' whenever you clicked on a tree. Sim Safari allowed you to pretend that you actually had the skill to manage a wildlife reserve. Sim Town fostered the kid in everyone with the funny animated buildings that really had personality.

How many players still miss various things from Sims 1? Everyone had their own items that they just couldn't live without, almost all Maxis never remade for Sims 2.

Until Sims 2, everything in the Sims games were sprites set in perspective (for the games that let the camera 'move', with the exceptions of the Sims 1 sims and the pets. Now we can zoom and rotate around our world, being able to build and furnish our Simmies lives to their heart's content.

I hope to find other modders with the desire to rebuild the Sims' collective world as they would know it.

What I'm looking for:

• Object Meshers- Even in just Sims 1 there is an enormous amount of objects, simple and staggeringly complex that are no more than pipe dreams in our Sim's world.

• Mappers- Do you LOVE to UVMap? From personal experience even the best objects can look shoddy if mapped insufficiently. However I'd love to find someone who actually enjoys doing this because I'd rather spend time meshing!

• Recolorists- I love having recolors match multiple themes, and find it rather strange when I play Sims 1 and realize that there is only one option for every item!

• Clothing meshers- Yes, Sims 1 clothes are dorky... but before Sims 2, what wasn't?

• Coders- those who understand and can modify an object's functionality (altering Bhavs)

• Builders- Anyone wanting to remake lots and homes (Sim Town, Sims 1). It was a huge loss to a lot of people when MellySim removed all of her downloads and they are sorely missed.

• Artists- There is a LOT of artwork from Sims 1, an a lot of it I can't do because I don't know how to recreate the specific styles of artwork, but I love, love, love the objects! If I have the artwork I WILL make the meshes!

• Automotive design meshers- Sims 1 had a Lot of cars even though your Sims couldn't drive them. I still drool over the teal Bentley, and I have some Sims in Strangetown who would love the pink Limo with the flamingo hood ornament!

• Animators- there are three ways that I know of for modders to animate in Sims 2. (Correct me if I'm wrong) 1.) Animated pictures 2.) Animated objects (there are a few animated ceiling fans here on Mod) 3.) Re-using (or splicing together?) existing animations for other uses (there is a toddler/puppies/kitties can use stairs mod here that uses some form of this) I really want to make things back to their original functionality as possible but I don't know how to do animations, but I have lots of ideas.

• 
  Screenie Compilers- For those who either have Sims 1 and/or other Sim games who want to take screenshots for modders to work from or wanting to compile many screenshots into a single picture (most especially for lots).

• 
  Photographers- Do you LOVE taking high quality in-game screenshots that could be used to show off the Collective's work for upload posts? We'd love to have you!

• 
  Librarians- This is for those who actually still remember how to mod from Sims 1 or are proficient enough with the net to track down the illusive info. This is most important with clothing and viewing the Sims in SimShow and I cannot remember how to do it! Also I really, really, really, want the .BMPs extracted for the Walls and floors so I can see about remaking them for Sims 2 quality.

• (Essentially anyone who can help me with any part of this project)

I have been slowly working on recreating Sims 1 things for at least two years now, I have a lot of works in progress that I have started but need to work through some of the bugs, or finish some darn complicated meshes! I would like to keep the projects as high quality as possible so the most people can enjoy them.

If this sounds like a fun and interesting endeavor, leave a post with what you would like to contribute!

I'd be happy to help! I miss alot from Sims 1!
I can recolour, build and if you want recreate the Sims from SIms 1!

Hi
I can mesh and do BHAVs, my UV mapping and texture skills are practically nil, I have never played Sims 1 but played sim city. If you want me on the team, let me know. I am an ok builder too, and a good copyist.

LETMEHELP!!


I would LOVE to try Making TS1 cloths, maybe using Textures and such from TS2 stuff, Piercing them together, along with (trying ) to make my own I played TS1 and was amazed at the stuff (content and feature wise) that was open, TS2 has/had less... yet more!?

I'd love to join in this project, If you'll let me in

(((BTW: I can Also make sims of the original characters, head models *gulp*, etc. I would prefer to do this actually, But who knows! )))

I'm really excited that you guys want to help! The last time there was a group om Mod trying to get things together for remaking Sims 1 stuff was when they used to have a request forum (a few years ago) and no one in the group seemed to know what was going on.

I am working on putting a private group together so we will have somewhere to work on the projects. Hopefully invitations will be following shortly.

After feeling like the Lone Modder for Sims 1 stuff, I'm looking forward to the help!

~Corsetcrush

You did forget one thing, neighborhoods!

I have the TS1 Pets hood and the TS1 Vacation isle hood in my downloads and I can do more (TS1 and any other Sim games)

Elephant; I'm a Terrain Maker by Trade, so I can help out with that too
((But I'd rather do some BS stuff LOL)) :D

Sounds good,

Since it'd be easier to see what we can re-create, here's a list of the Sim games

Sim Farm
Sim Ant
Sim Life
Sim Park
Sim Safari
Sim Theme Park
Sim Tower
Sim Nation
Sim City
Sim City 2000
Sim City 3000
Sim City 4
Sim City Societies (2008)

The Sims
-Living Large
-House Party
-Hot Date
-Vacation
-Unleashed
-Making Magic
-Superstar


Did I forget any?


So, when all is finished will it be uploaded here to MTS2?
Something like the Simstones or A Midsimmer's Night Dream uploads?


Also, since I'd like to make some neighborhoods, should there be a Main 'hood, and then each game (including TS1 EPs) could have their own sub-hood off of that?

I'm thinking we can upload the 'hoods like that with lots and decor already added.

It'd be easy to make 'hoods for Sim Safari, Sim Town, and other games that don't have a defined map to base them off of.

You missed House Party!

I thought there was a seventh EP.
I added it to the list

Well I have SC4, SC3000 and the Sims 1 complete installed on various PCs now so I'd love to help with screenshots, terrains, housebuilding... anything that doesn't need too much creativity (I have none!). I can have a go at extracting some textures too- I think SimWardrobe has a program that will do that for Sims 1.

Sample; You could take pictures of the head moddles, That would help me loads because I haven't got TS1 installed anywhere atm

Group invites have been sent out and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they will work.


Leesester: I would love to have your help! I have a vague understanding of what Bhavs do, so just let me know when things aren't workable or have nothing to do with the Bhavs.


Petchy: I think one of the reasons that it seems like Sims 2 has more, yet less is because Sims 1 had so much highly stylized sets that made a fair amount of the Sims 2 sets seem really bland. I guess EA just assumed that it would be better to just play it safe.


Elephant: You forgot Sim Town on your list (I LOVE that one!)



1.) Yes, that's exactly what I was hoping for. Does anyone know how to make a group like that? Is there any requirements?

2.) That would be really neat. I've downloaded a 'maxis mega hood' before but it wasn't on Mod. Would something like that be too big to upload here, or would we need to link it from elsewhere?

There are the Maxis characters that are already placed and have a tiny blurb about them, but there was no genetics, family trees, or overall story to any of it. What I'm wondering is if making a maxis-like Sims 2 neighborhood complete with a storyline (that keep the feel of Sims 1) would be way too much to work on. It's a neat idea however!

3.) Sim Safari would be fun as a tropical vacation hood. Sim town would be perfect for a Bluewater Village type neighborhood since it has homes and businesses.


Petchy & Elephant: There was also the Hot Date, Makin' Magic, and Studio Town (Superstar) neighborhoods. How do you figure out the scale for laying the roads in SC4 to not end up huge in Sims 2? I tried to figure that out but just ended up confusing myself.

Simsample: I would be thrilled to have someone be able to help with screenshots! Having the files extracted would be a major plus as well. Do you know/can you find how to extract the BMP files from the walls and floors so we could see about remaking them with higher texture quality? I haven't figured it out quite yet.

As for the clothing textures and the body & head meshes I'm pretty sure those are easy to extract.

Do you possibly have a 'clean' install of Sims 1 for getting lot screenshots (with the grid from build/buy mode)? If not I think I can do one on my laptop after I hunt down my registration codes.

I resurrected the TS1 Auto-Flushing Terlet in TS2 already.

Ohhhh, I saw that somewhere... let me see...

Pescado- Thanks for the info. I was just thinking about that one the other day and had no idea why EA/Maxis never made one for TS2. Almost all my houses had this one because I got so tired of them clogging up so frequently.

And to make it easier for everyone else, here's Pescado's Terlet.

If the game had 'Sim' in front of it, I've played it. SimIsle and SimCopter sucked though. And Rizzo, he sucked too.

I can build, mesh, and texture, I'm interested in seeing objects get redone for Sims2. I like the fact that all the Sims1 characters were already incorporated into Sims2, so I'm not too keen on their time warp copies.

Welcome to the group Phaenoh! I've sent you an invite to the workshop. :D

This sounds really interesting. I do object recolors and would like to help.

An invite has been sent. And Welcome!

Corset, I'd love to help. I can mesh, texture and make good screenies. I also like fiddling around with packages to make them do *stuff* (I admit most of the things I make really have no actual use, but they're fun anyway.

Great to see you ShanOw! I was wondering if you might find your way here. An invite is on the way. We've been hard at work and getting a lot done, but I personally would get more done if I had some help with the screenshots if you felt like it.

But there is still LOTS to do!

I would love to help out! I am Qbuilderz, Q, and I can Build lots, Mesh, recolor, and make terrains.

Yay! welcome guys.....

This sounds interesting, I'd like to help!

I can build lots.