MTS2:Creator Guidelines/Sims 3 Worlds

(Note from HP: Work in progress. Srsly. No touching - I'm still working on it.)

Standards for Quality

Well it's got to not suck, I know that much. So don't suck, okay?

Time and Effort

Creating a World is a VERY time consuming process. Creating a fully decorated neighborhood from scratch including all the lots can easily take a month or more of regular hard work. There's a lot of tedious parts to it that aren't very fun, and it can be tempting to skip over the technical parts like routing and layering, but it's important to go ahead and do it right so it will work well in the game, since you are sharing your neighborhood with other people for them to play with.

Basic Map

A basic map is one that does not include fully built lots, but has all the rest of the neighborhood in place. Everything that needs Create a World to do has already been done, and what's left is to build the lots in-game. Some players really just want a blank canvas upon which to build (like SC4 maps for TS2) so this is the most basic type of neighborhood/world map you can upload here to MTS.

But even for a basic map there's still quite a bit that needs doing:

Terrain Sculpting

Natural:

Terrain Painting

• Realistic: When painting you should take into account in the real world you don't see a straight line of grass swap over to sand, so please try to make them blend and look as real as possible.
• Custom Terrain Textures (Optional): Should be seamless without repeating too much visually, the right scale, and look good in-game.

Roads and Sidewalks

• Intersections: Place intersections where your roads meet, and at the end of any dead end road.

• Smooth Grade: Use the road tools to give your roads and sidewalks a smooth grade (i.e. if you were driving down it, your car wouldn't tilt dramatically left or right but would stay mostly level).

• Sidewalks: Place additional sidewalks where needed, and connect them to your road system.

• Custom Roads/Sidewalk Textures (Optional): Should be seamless without repeating too much visually, the right scale, and look good in-game.

Lots

• Plenty of Lots: Place at least enough lots for several residential homes, all the rabbit holes (make sure they're big enough to fit even the largest rabbit holes!), and some community lots. Add a few extra in various sizes so players can add their own lots.

• Standard Sizes: Lots should be a round number in the game's standard sizes: 20x20, 30x50, 40x40, 50x60, etc. (the exception being the 64x64 lots the game uses as its largest size). Look at the bottom right corner in CAW when dragging out a lot to see the size - no guesswork.

• Flat Lots: Use the Flatten Terrain tool before placing the lot, so you are always putting lots on a completely flat patch of ground unless you have a very good reason to not have a flat lot - like a beach lot or one built into a hillside. This makes it easier to place and share lots.

• Near Roads: Lots should be placed next to a road in most cases, unless you have a very good reason not to do so.

Camera & Sim Routing

• Proper Routing: Routing for both the camera and sims makes sense - areas that should be off-limits are, and all areas that should be accessible work too, with no random unroutable spots.

• Smooth Edges: Make sure the edges of your non-routable areas are smooth, not jagged or blotchy, so the camera doesn't bump around.

Tip: You can find more information on routing in the CAW Help Document.

Spawn Points

Beetles, butterflies, fish, gems, ores, and space rocks all appear in the game because the neighborhood/world creator has placed spawn points for them. The CAW Help Document contains a list of all of the Spawners and what they produce. You don't need to place one of each Spawner, but you probably want to place enough that sims living there can collect all of the base game collectible spawns.

• Logical Placement: Place spawn points in areas that make sense - near landmarks on the map or in an area you've decorated specially for them - not just randomly, or stuck all together in one place.

• Balanced Rarity: Vary the type of spawn points you use so it's not too "cheaty" - a mixture of common, uncommon, and rare spawns (not just all rare ones).

Full Map

Rabbit Holes

Full Set: There are 16 different rabbit holes - make sure you include them all for sims to have a nicely functioning neighborhood and able to get all jobs. If you don't include specific ones, it should make sense for the theme of the neighborhood, and you should leave room for players to place their own if they choose.

Decorated: Rabbit hole lots require decoration to make them look part of their neighborhood - benches, trees, terrain paint, etc.

Community Lots

• Full Set: You should buildall or most of the various community lots (art gallery, gym, etc.) which are not rabbit holes.

Information to Include

It's important that you include certain information so that players know what to expect when they use your creation! You may want to copy-paste the headings here to use as a template!

Map Size: Tiny / Small / Medium / Large

Lots: Total number of lots, and lot sizes and quantity of each (i.e. "15 total lots - 10 of 20x20, 3 of 40x40, 2 60x60")

Rabbitholes: None / All / Some (list)

Community Lots: None / All / Some (list)

Residential:

Spawn Points: What spawn points are there? Are EP spawn points or relic dig sites included?

Routing Info: Where can sims not go? Where can the camera not go?