Build-n-Share Week 9--The Calientes--NEW MEMBERS WELCOME!

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 07/29/09 03:02 PM

Hello to all of our new members, and welcome back to our veterans!

I have finally decided after confering with a few others that the Build-n-Share thread needs to be new each week. It is just too hard to maintain so many links, and I think it is overwhelming for our visitors.

I will still provide the challenge thread link on the sticky for (hopefully) some additional publicity, but you will now see a new thread each week.

I hope this isn't too disappointing. We were really climbing in the numbers under "Hottest Topics," but I think this will help us stay a lot more organized.

Below you will find all the pertinent info about Build-n-Share, as well as this week's specifics.

Thanks for stopping in, and I hope you will enjoy this week's challenge!
Addict

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 07/29/09 02:53 PM

General Build-n-Share Info
For our new members!

Welcome Build-n-Share Weekly Challenge!

The Build-n-Share challenges will be posted Wednesday of each week and run through the following Tuesday night/early Wednesday morning. Results will be posted no later than one week after all entries have been submitted.

The benefits:
Each entry into the competition will receive an automatic rec (recommendation) and download on their entry lot. Most lots will also receive additional recs, as we now have six judges for our weekly competition! Because of an outstanding turnout of firms in our first several weeks, we have broken down the challenge into six categories: beginner, beginner mid-level, beginner/intermediate, intermediate, intermediate/advanced, and advanced. If you are a first-time participant, please post a little info about your building experience, and if you have some, links to a build or two and/or pics. If you think you have a rough idea where you might fit in the categories, please list that as well.

First place will be awarded at all levels. If there are at least eight entries in a category, up to four places will also be announced. In each category, first place will receive 3 recs, second place will receive 2 recs, third place will receive 2 recs, and fourth place will receive one rec. Winners may request recs on a particular build/s by providing links to the related lots once results are posted.

Weekly challenges also create an opportunity for community on the forum site. We get to know one another’s names, share news, builds, and positive words. This is a chance to get your name out there, and hopefully make a few friends along the way. As a participant in our challenge, you may also post new builds you are working on to our Builders' Showcase thread so group members may check them out. You can find that thread here: http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/49652.page

The rules:
All entries must be original work. Any competitor who submits another builder’s work will be disqualified and banned from any future Build-n-Share challenge. These competitors will also be removed from the Yahoo! Group 321 Builders’ Boulevard if they have chosen to join (membership of the Yahoo! group is not required to enter a Build-n-Share challenge).

Any object that is purchased from the Sims 3 store may not be on our system, so please realize that when we judge, we may see a substituted item instead. You may use these objects, just please recognize this caveat of the store.

Please try to post one photo with your official lot entry post. For information on how we will handle photos this week, please see the related post below. Photos are nice to publicize your lot anyway, so you could use them then as well.

Please announce your official lot posting using the entry form below Make sure to leave the "Official Entry" label big. If you need to reformat it, you can do this by highlighting the desired text and then selecting "Big" in the font box above. This will help us see the entries in a sea of posts with no pics to guide us.

Entries must be submitted by the deadline, 7 a.m. Wednesday morning (eastern time, USA).

A description of the three major level categories (which are now subdivided):

Beginner[/b]--I have a little experience, but I'm still figuring a lot of things out. I would not call myself an official "builder" at this point. This level includes Beginner, Beginner Mid-level, and Beginner/Intermediate.

Intermediate--I have been building for awhile. I know the basics and maybe a little more. I may have entered a weekly challenge or two for Sims 2, and I may even have won on occasion. This level includes Intermediate and Intermediate/Advanced.

Advanced--I know the Sims, and the Sims knows me. My name is familiar to a lot of veteran players, and I've competed in and won some weekly challenges and maybe even been recognized in a community showcase or two. I know most of the cheats AND I know how to use them. This level includes Advanced.

Two additional opportunities:
Member Anjubee and I have started a new website and forum with the builder in-mind. We have just recently begun and are still adding some features, but we hope you'll join us anyway at http://www.buildersboulevard.com. The site offers an additional forum for advertising lots and a method of private messaging your favorite builders!

I have also created a Yahoo! Group for builders. It can be accessed at http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/buildersboulevard/. You do not have to be a member to enter. This group will be used primarily as an announcement center and for some of our more complex polls, and possibly, databases.

This message was edited 5 times. Last update was at 07/29/09 04:27 PM

This Week's Challenge Specifics:
Challenge deadline: Wednesday, August 5 at 7 a.m. (Eastern time)

. . .

A starter for the Calientes!

Looking up at the man in front of your desk you see the largest green eyes you’ve ever seen before.

“Hello,” the man shakes your hand. “We’re the Calientes.”

The name seems somewhat familiar…but you can’t quite place your finger on from where.

“Hello to you all,” you say to the three beaming faces behind him.

“This is my wife, Nighat, and our daughters Nina and Dina. My name is Flamenco,” he shakes your hand again with the full introduction.

“You see, the spa in our town was recently bulldozed, as little rabbit hole lots with all the essentials in one place are so popular these days. So we swooped in and bought the land. It’s a small parcel, only 21x22, but it should be enough for our new home, we think.”

“Oh, that shouldn’t be a problem. We can always build up!”

He laughs, “What we would like is a 2-bedroom home. One for my wife and I, and one for the girls to share. They are very close.”

You look at the two, who blush a little.

“They even dress the same, except Dina always has to have her purple and Nina prefers pink. We’d like to incorporate the two colors into their room. And we’d like it to be a room that they will enjoy until they leave us for college, which will be way too soon, I’m afraid. If you could give each girl a little area of her own, that would be nice, too.”

“Any request for your room,” you ask.

“Oh, nothing in particular. It’s always nice to have a bathroom attached. Maybe one that has a door to the hall or whatever room it is next to, if that works. Don’t want the visitors traipsing through the bedroom to use the facilities!”

He laughs at his own joke. Nighat looks a little embarrassed.

“As far as colors, I’m not sure my wife and mine go together too well…brown and black.” He laughs again, “but if you want to give it a go, you are more than welcome.”

Nighat chimes in, “but only in the bedroom, please. We don’t want the house to be too dark.”

“OK, anything else?”

“A little yard for the girls to play would be nice. Otherwise, we’ll leave it up to your capable hands.”

And with that, the family turns to go.

Each of the girls gives a fleeting glance over her shoulder. Those eyes…so unusual.

You grab your keys to go check out the lot.

. . .

Some notes:
This week’s home should be built on the 21x22 spa lot in Sunset Valley. It is to be a family starter with a value no more than $20,000. In your final upload, if you label it as a starter, please clarify that it is a family starter so those with just a single sim will not expect it to be move-in ready for their small family. If you are building in a neighborhood where you also play, you will want to place the spa elsewhere in your town so your sim can visit. I recommend starting a new town just for building, however.

A note about depreciation:
There was a lot of stress last time about depreciation. The only rule is this: Please do not play the lot to devalue it. If you exit the home in build mode, some of the items will depreciate (go down in cost). This is absolutely OK! I just don’t want people playing the home for 2 sim weeks to fit in a bunch more items. This is intended to be a starter, so money is a little tight but adequate.

The family:
If you would like to download the family for your photo shoot, you may find them here:
http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=775331
If you are interested in the Caliente girls as young adults, I will be uploading them this afternoon.

Starter tips:
I have recently written a starter tutorial. You may find a few tips that will help in cutting some costs here. I have yet to write the next two, but one of the biggest additional tips I would give you is to buy the cheapest of everything and make it look better through CAS. Look for more on this in my next two tutorials, which will probably be out next week.

The starter tutorial:
http://www.thesims3.com/contentDetail.html?contentId=65685

This message was edited 5 times. Last update was at 07/31/09 02:06 AM

Please include the following info in your post:

Official Entry

Name:

Experience level:

Lot address, size, and final cost:

Lot title (the one you gave it) and link to the posted asset:

Additional links (to pictures, etc.):

Credit to any simmers for custom content you used:

Please also make sure that your upload includes your name either in the title or the description. It is best to include this in "edit info" before you upload. Additionally, please make sure to credit the creator of any custom content. And if you can fit in that it is for Build-n-Share, we would be very pleased.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 07/29/09 02:31 PM

Photos

We are going to continue to use our photo sticky, as it seems to work pretty well as a format for sharing (versus spreading information).

Please do not post photos in this thread.

Please post pics of Build-n-Share works-in-progress and your final creations for this week here:
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/585/34284.page

Your making a whole new thread for this week?

This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 07/29/09 03:00 PM

Judges and Keepers of the Thread:

Beginner
Icrawbeans

Beginner Mid-level
QueenieHannah

Beginner/Intermediate
MamaGoth

Intermediate
Welcome to DieterPrivate, who will be taking over for Anjubee as she takes on a new role. Please see below for more info!

Intermediate/Advanced
Nevar530

Advanced
A big thanks to Celithralia, who will be taking over for Simsply Ruth as she coordinates our Monet neighborhood at Builders' Boulevard!

Additional Help:
Lizajbee1, Anniepks, and Gheez will be helping me maintain the thread this week by providing feedback on your builds as they come in and answering questions from new members. Everyone, of course, is encouraged to do this as well.

And another thanks to Freynas and Dieter. Freynas is the official organizational guru collecting entrants' names, levels, and links! Dieter has also volunteered to maintain archives for our group with past challenges and entries as well as member levels.

Announcement:
Congratulations to Anjubee, whom I have asked to serve as a co-hostess to the Build-n-Share challenges. She will be leaving her judging duties behind to begin sharing in the planning and posting of future Build-n-Share challenges. The two of us will ensure that there is a challenge waiting for you each week, and we're hoping that with two coordinators, there will be even more variety in the tasks you will find waiting for you here. We will be mostly alternating hosting the challenges in the weeks to come. A huge thanks to Anjubee for taking on this important role.

Thanks to all of our wonderful helpers!
Addict

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 07/29/09 03:03 PM

This week's entries:

Judges, I will copy Freynas' list as I can to keep this listing up-to-date and easy to find.

Addict

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 07/29/09 02:01 PM

lol, You popped in there quick!
Yes, I can't stand 800 links anymore. Too hard to maintain, and too confusing for newcomers. I'm going to provide the link on the sticky thread and hope for the best.

Addict

lol yeas,

i just hope that you dont lose your sticky and stuff.i hope the gurus sticky this one too

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 07/29/09 02:10 PM

Am I dumb? This is my first time checking this out, and I don't see any links or info for the challenge. Help out a noobie?

Now I see the offical entry form ...

Hi, Courtney...
I'm in the process of updating. You should see it all in the next 5 minutes!

Welcome to the challenge!
Addict

*looks around*

what, did bennjoon vibrate herself thru the forum walls?

I'm confused.

hee hee.

And you're posting, Clovergoddess! It let you in this morning?
Hooray!
Addict

The $20,000 budget includes furnishing?