Difference between revisions of "MTS2:Creator Guidelines/Walls and Floors"

Revision as of 13:19, 22 May 2011

Creator Guidelines Walls and Floors

HomeCrafter is one of the more accessible programs for making custom content for the Sims 2. If you want to share your walls, floors and terrains here for others to enjoy, please keep the following rules in mind.

Upload in sets

If you have created several items in a set, or similar items in the same sort of theme at the same time, please upload these together in a single set, all on one thread (instead of all separately, one by one, on different threads). This is easier for everyone: on our upload moderators, as they only have one thread to review rather than several... on you, as submitting a single thread is much quicker and easier than several... and on downloaders, as they can get everything they want all in one place rather than having to hunt around.

If you are doing a huge set, you can always break the set up into pieces, posting more screenshots along with the downloads as comments in the thread, as is done here and here. To do that, create a new thread in the Creator Issues Forum and arrange your thread there, using the first post as an introduction, and attach your uploads and images to subsequent posts in the thread. When you're done, PM a moderator to have it moved to the upload queue. For more information, read the message that displays when you go to post in Creator Issues.

Package format only - no sims3packs
On MTS the preferred format is .package files. We do not accept uploads with .sims2packs/.sims3packs except in those areas where it is absolutely necessary (worlds and lots). Converting to Package: If your item is created in .sims3pack format, it is very easy to convert to a .package file. Just use Delphy's Multi-Sims3pack Extractor utility to get the .package file(s) out of your .sims3pack. Please do not also include a .sims3pack version of your files attached to your upload here at MTS. You may, however, upload .sims3pack versions elsewhere and link to them in your upload... i.e. "If you would like a sims3pack version of this item, you can get it here: (link)" - this is not meant to advertise your creations elsewhere, just allow those who may want a sims3pack version to get it.

Zip, Rar, or 7z

To upload your file(s) to MTS, you will need to compress them into an archive file, which makes them smaller and allows you to include many files in one download. The archive file formats we currently accept are .zip, .rar, and .7z.

For instructions on compressing your files into an archive, please see: Creator Guidelines: Creating Archive Files.

Do not include multiple archives with the same contents - that is, please don't put your files in both a .zip as well as a .rar because some people only want .zip files. Choose one format.

Do not double-compress your files... a .rar file inside another .rar file (or any other archive inside another) doesn't compress it anymore, and it makes it so we can't see the contents without downloading, and also just makes an extra step for the people downloading.

The file size limit on MTS is 50 mb. If you exceed this limit you will need to split your archives. This should probably never come up except for large worlds for The Sims 3, or huge sets of smaller items.

In Game Usability
Walls, floors and terrains have to be usable in the game. Try to make something that your sims will want to decorate their house with and that you would see in a real life house. This means: It needs to look good in the game when tiled across an entire room. Make uploads seamless as much as possible. Do not make a pattern that abruptly cuts off on every tile. If the lines and patterns are crooked, FIX it. Don't upload it. If you are making tiles, use grout so they look like tiles when laid on a floor. Paintings, emblems, and logos are not wall papers or floors. Don't take a pretty picture and turn it into a wallpaper, just because you can. This also means you shouldn't take your desktop background and plonk it on a floor tile. Try to make something more creative, that could realistically go on a wall or floor. Look at home decorating sites for inspiration. If you want to make a painting recolour check the recolour guidelines here. Keep scale in mind. A terrain paint with a beautiful leaf texture is unusable, if the leaves are the size of a pool table. Again, go for scales that could realistically belong in a sim's house. If the colors in the floor gives people seizures, the download will be removed. Calling it sci-fi or psychedelic is no excuse. If you insist on acid green wallpaper, decorate an entire house with it and play the house for two whole days. Then come back to us.

Required Screenshots
These are the basis on which people download your work. After working for hours on a wall set, take care to present it in a nice way, as well. Do not take screen shots from HomeCrafter. These give very little information to your downloaders and if the grid's still in place, it hides seams. Make sure you take some good in game shots of your downloads spread across several tiles. People will want to see what the download looks like if they decorate a room with it and so that users can see how it looks when it's tiled. Terrain paint should be applied to several tiles as well. Add some plants or furniture as well, so downloaders can see the scale. 300x300px 300x300px

Maximum Number of Inline/attached screenshots

Inline screenshots are images that appear in the text of the upload that load for the viewer along with the rest of the text. Inline screenshots can either be linked from the attached screenshots, or from an external hosting site like Tinypic, Photobucket, or Flickr.
Attached screenshots are screenshots that have been attached to the upload using the "manage attachments" feature on MTS. They display as small thumbnails until clicked on.

You may host your inline screenshots elsewhere like Photobucket, Tinypic, or Flickr - however, these screenshots hosted elsewhere must be additional "bonus" screenshots. All of the screenshots we actually require for your upload need to be attached to the thread itself. If your Photobucket account runs out of bandwidth or you delete the pics, people still need to be able to get the required screenshots on your thread.

You may now upload up to 100 pics! Of course, please keep it to a reasonable quantity... only things like huge sets, full worlds, etc. should have that many pics! Remember, you can always collage several different images together into one image if you have a bunch of stuff to show off, or want to show multiple angles of an item.

For the bonus photos, we recommend you use a spoiler tag to hide the images, then people can click on it to see them. Their pages will load faster if all the images aren't downloading at once. [spoiler=interior rooms]http:// wheveremypictureis/picture.jpg[/spoiler] The 'interior rooms' can be replaced by whatever grouping you want to present, 'hidden garden', 'pool views', 'master suite', 'kids room', etc.

You may place as many photos within a spoiler grouping as you'd like.

Screenshot tips

Camera Controls:

Take some time to just play around with the camera. It can take a while to get used to the camera controls, and even once you are experienced in their use, it may be challenging to get the shot you want with the constraints on the controls.

If you haven't taken many sim pictures before, here is a list of camera controls:

TAB : Puts the game into Cameraman mode, allowing better and more control of the camera, and removing the blue user interface. Make sure you are in live mode before going into Cameraman mode or you will see grid lines on the ground and floating where floor tiles may be placed. TS3 Note: You will only be able to go into cameraman mode once per load if you are in buy/build mode (without a family moved in). You can either exit to the neighborhood and return to take more pictures, or instead just move a family in for taking your pics.

W and S : W moves the camera forward. S moves it backward.

A and D : A moves the camera left. D moves it right.

Q and E : Q lowers the camera. E raises it.

+ and - : Zooms in and out.

Windowed Mode:

TS2: In order to take your pictures using the methods described here, you will need your game running in a window, so you can easily switch to other applications without causing major instability and lag. Instructions on setting up Windowed Mode for Sims 2 may be found here: Game Help:Windowed Mode. Windowed mode should be perfectly safe - in fact, some users actually report better game performance when running in a window. Your mileage may vary.

TS3: In Sims 3, you can use windowed mode by simply choosing it in your game's options. Full instructions can be found in Game Help:TS3 Windowed Mode. Windowed mode will allow you to use Print Screen or FRAPS or whatever screenshotting program you desire, without getting dark pictures. If you choose to NOT use windowed mode for TS3, you must use the C key to take pictures using the in-game camera - taking pictures fullscreened in TS3 without using the C key will result in icky dark screenshots.

C Key vs. Print Screen:

TS2: In order to take nice big pics, you should not use the game's screenshot system, using the C key or the camera button on the game's controls to take your pictures. Even on the highest picture settings, pictures will still be small, with a very high level of JPEG compression, making them blurry and crunchy. Instead, use Print Screen or a screenshot program.

TS3: The C key camera is much improved in TS3, making it possible to use to take pictures for upload and still have nice big, pretty pictures. You can still use a screenshot program or print screen if you desire, but you will need to run your game in Windowed Mode (see above) to keep your pictures from getting dark.

Using Print Screen: If you have enough RAM to run Photoshop or another graphics editing program at the same time as TS2/TS3, you may want to take screenshots yourself, without the use of a program to store them for you.

To do that, simply press the Print Screen or PrntScn key on your keyboard - it's usually off toward the right, over the arrow keys, above Insert and Delete. This will copy your current screen to your Windows clipboard, as if you had selected and copied it as an image.

Then open any graphics editing program, create a new document the size of your monitor's resolution, and paste into that document. Your screenshot should appear in the document.

Screenshot Programs:

There are many programs available, free and pay, that will take screenshots for you by using a hotkey, and save them to a folder - just like The Sims 2 with the C key, but with options for much better quality settings.

A quick Google search for 'free screenshot program' will also bring up many other options, which may have other features that are of interest to you.

Optimizing, Editing, and Compressing Images:

Many simmers struggle with getting their images to be clear, crisp and under the maximum file size while keeping the image size larger than 800px by 600px. After getting your images from the in game camera or using a print screen program you will need to resize them and compress them into a jpeg image. Many graphics programs have a built in optimizing feature. Here are a few common ones:

Photoshop *Pay
Gimp *Free
IrfanView *Free
Paint.net *Free

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 ==Creator Guidelines Walls and Floors==
 HomeCrafter is one of the more accessible programs for making custom content for the Sims 2. If you want to share your walls, floors and terrains here for others to enjoy, please keep the following rules in mind.
-# Make them easy to browse. Please upload your walls and floors in themed sets as much as possible, and give the title a descriptive name so people will come and check them all out.  Please do not upload one wall or floor at a time.  If you're planning to do a large set of recolors for your floor or wall upload them all at once instead of one at a time.
+{{Guidelines-InfoFiles-UploadinSets}}
-# Do not upload both a zip and a .rar file of the same download. Please upload one or the other, not both. It is a complete waste of space to have the exact same file presented in two ways.
-#Upload .package files - do not make sims2packs.  It's not necessary, and creates extra steps for people to install them - it is very easy to go get the package files from your downloads folder. Also please give the filenames recognizable names. (See message #6 in [http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=147840 this] tutorial for exact instructions)
+{{Guidelines-InfoFiles-Packages}}
-# Attach at least one in-game screen shot of the download. The wall or floor must be spread across several tiles so that users can see how it looks when it's tiled. Terrain paint should be applied to several tiles as well. Add some plants or furniture as well, so downloaders can see the scale.
-# Walls, floors and terrains have to be usable in the game. Try to make something that your sims will want to decorate their house with and that you would see in a real life house. This means:
+{{Guidelines-InfoFiles-ZipRar7z}}
+{| class="collapsible collapsed wikitable" style="width:100%"
+|-
+! style="text-align:left" | In Game Usability
+|-
+|
+*Walls, floors and terrains have to be usable in the game. Try to make something that your sims will want to decorate their house with and that you would see in a real life house. This means:
 * It needs to look good in the game when tiled across an entire room. Make uploads seamless as much as possible. Do not make a pattern that abruptly cuts off on every tile. If the lines and patterns are crooked, FIX it. Don't upload it. If you are making tiles, use grout so they look like tiles when laid on a floor.
 *Paintings, emblems, and logos are not wall papers or floors. Don't take a pretty picture and turn it into a wallpaper, just because you can. This also means you shouldn't take your desktop background and plonk it on a floor tile. Try to make something more creative, that could '''realistically''' go on a wall or floor. Look at home decorating sites for inspiration. If you want to make a painting recolour check the recolour guidelines [http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=141501 here.]
 * Keep scale in mind. A terrain paint with a beautiful leaf texture is unusable, if the leaves are the size of a pool table. Again, go for scales that could realistically belong in a sim's house.
 * If the colors in the floor gives people seizures, the download will be removed. Calling it sci-fi or psychedelic is no excuse. If you insist on acid green wallpaper, decorate an entire house with it and play the house for two whole days. Then come back to us.
+|}
-See [http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=147840 this] link for an excellent tutorial on making walls, floors, and terrain paints.  If you're not sure your walls or floors are ready for upload or if this is your first upload, please feel free to use our [http://www.modthesims2.com/forumdisplay.php?f=473 creator feedback] forum. Everyone is there to help you improve and help you learn.  If you have questions about this guideline or the process of uploading your creation please post in the [http://www.modthesims2.com/forumdisplay.php?f=492 creator issues] forum.  This is also where you should post if you have questions if your upload requires changes or if it doesn't meet the guidelines and is rejected.
+{| class="collapsible collapsed wikitable" style="width:100%"
+|-
-===Example of a Perfect Upload===
+! style="text-align:left" | Required Screenshots
+|-
-Title - Set of Wooden Elvish walls and floors
+|
+*These are the basis on which people download your work. After working for hours on a wall set, take care to present it in a nice way, as well. Do not take screen shots from HomeCrafter. These give very little information to your downloaders and if the grid's still in place, it hides seams.
-Description - This set has an organic, earthy feel to them and you know how elves just love that! Show them a nice piece of wood and they want to have a conversation with it.
+*Make sure you take some good in game shots of your downloads spread across several tiles. People will want to see what the download looks like if they decorate a room with it and so that users can see how it looks when it's tiled. Terrain paint should be applied to several tiles as well. Add some plants or furniture as well, so downloaders can see the scale.
+[[Image:Goodingameshot.jpg|300x300px]][[Image:Goodingameshot2.jpg|300x300px]][[Image:MTS2_259115_Lethe_s_badscreeny1.jpg|300x300px]]
-This set Includes:
+|}
-wooden and 5 stone carved walls
-matching wooden floors
-Thank you and enjoy this upload!
-Remember to be specific in your title what it is that you have made. "My first walls" or "Another floor set" gives downloaders no idea what type of items are in your post. Its a good idea to let people know in a neat little list how many and what pieces are included in your file.
-===Screen shots===
-These are the basis on which people download your work. After working for hours on a wall set, take care to present it in a nice way, as well. Do not take screen shots from HomeCrafter. These give very little information to your downloaders and if the grid's still in place, it hides seams.
-Example HomeCrafter no no:[[Image:MTS2_259115_Lethe_s_badscreeny1.jpg|right]]<br style="clear:both" />
-Make sure you take some good in game shots of your downloads spread across several tiles. People will want to see what the download looks like if they decorate a room with it.
-[[Image:Goodingameshot.jpg|right]]<br style="clear:both" />
-[[Image:Goodingameshot2.jpg|right]<br style="clear:both" />
-===Number of Pictures===
-An upload is limited to 8 pictures total. 4 in line pics only.
-[[Image:4imagesinoneshot.jpg|right]]<br style="clear:both" />
-You've worked hard on getting a nice detailed wall or floor.  You'll want to show off the detail. Try making a collage of close up shots, or a close 'group shot' in the game. Do not simply upload a jpeg version of your texture files.
+{{Guidelines-Screenshots-InlineandAttached}}
-[[Image:MTS2_259117_Lethe_s_OIBdisplaypic.jpg|right]]<br style="clear:both" />
-Please note:
-A good in game screen shot isn't that easy to make. For what we're looking for, please read [[MTS2:Creator_Guidelines/Screenshot_Basics|Screenshot Basics]].
-===Credit===
+{{Guidelines-Screenshots-Tips}}
-Thank you to those creators whose images were borrowed for this guideline and Lethe_s for the original article.

Difference between revisions of "MTS2:Creator Guidelines/Walls and Floors"

Revision as of 13:19, 22 May 2011

Creator Guidelines Walls and Floors

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