The Empire Tower is a The Sims 2 optimized version of Empire State Building, because the game do not display in neighborhood view flooring above 150 steps from ground, had to cover building using a pitched roof. 15 floors is the maximum height possible using SetHighestAllowedLevel cheat, without crashing game. Sister building with Imperial Tower.
The Sims is a game meant to build houses, but I can also build a skyscraper. Well… I had to downsize it from 86 floors + 16 floors spire, to 9 floors + 3 floor spire.
The Vertical Tower is the simplest of the series of skyscrapers I build in The Sims 2. Because the game do not display in neighborhood view flooring above 150 steps from ground, had to cover building using a pitched roof. 15 floors is the maximum height possible using SetHighestAllowedLevel cheat, without crashing game.
Bluewater Village is a shopping district sub-neighborhood that was introduced in The Sims 2: Open For Business expansion pack. Bluewater Village can be added to all neighborhoods and played separately in each.
It contains 32 lots, of which 18 community lots, 14 owned community lots, 10 residential lots, and 5 families living in.
I noticed that nobody build in The Sims 2 a replica of my country’s Parliament Palace, so I made my own replica.
Downtown is a sub-neighborhood shipped with The Sims 2: Nightlife. When viewed in the neighborhood view, by default it is nighttime as opposed to the usual daytime for other neighborhoods and sub-neighborhoods. The player can toggle daytime/nighttime view in the bottom-left corner of the screen.
It contains 44 lots, of which 30 community lots, 14 residential lots, and 0 families living in.
Do you thought that is impossible to built terraced houses aka townhomes in The Sims 2? These houses were built on larger lots then the lot was shrunk using Lot Adjuster, which allows reducing the non-buildable area with 1 square. You cannot built walls on lot limits, but you can make buildings that apparently continue from one lot to another. Looks nice in neighborhood view!
Académie Le Tour is a sub-neighborhood that appears in The Sims 2: University as a college. It is the matching college for Veronaville, although it can be associated with any neighborhood.
It contains 30 lots, of which 10 community lots, 5 dorm lots, 15 residential lots for rent, and 3 families living in.
From 2006 got idea to practice my architecture and urban planning talent in The Sims 2, to build a big town from scratch, with high-density apartment-like buildings. The Sims 2 Apartment Life was not launched that times.
I planned several building prototypes, the first ideas was to built functional and nice shaped apartment buildings, only one row at street, and only 1-2 buildings in a lot. But later I choose smaller and more non-functional blocks, simple and cubist blocks without balconies or other decorations, and copy same lots again and again, for time economy.
I built 3 urban-style cities, IslaSegundo (2006), PleasantView (2007), StarlingSprings (2008).
Now, with everything standardized, in November 2006 I started to build my first The Sims 2 urban town. I used IslaSegundo because it is the biggest map available in game, but after one week I abandoned the work because the city became too big, had too many lots and buildings, caused the game to run too slowly and even to crash (I had a crappy computer too, 512 MB RAM).
In April 2007 I decided to start another The Sims 2 urban town, this time I choose Pleasantview because is a small and flat neighborhood with nice street network, also it is the single Maxis-made map with streets enough closer to have no non-buildable tiles.
La Fiesta Tech is a sub-neighborhood that appears in The Sims 2: University as a college. It is the matching college for Strangetown, although it can be associated with any neighborhood.
It contains 25 lots, of which 9 community lots, 4 dorm lots, 12 residential lots for rent, and 4 families living in.
Sim State University is a sub-neighborhood that appears in The Sims 2: University as a college. It is the matching college for Pleasantview, although it can be associated with any neighborhood.
It contains 26 lots, of which 11 community lots, 3 dorm lots, 12 residential lots for rent, and 3 families living in.
I compiled Excel tables with list of items in The Sims 1 (took about 15 hours) and The Sims 2 (took about 50 hours). Due to large amount of work spent making these stuff, and being probably the only person (or at least the first) who made such complete database of items in Sims games, I offer the database for paid download only.
This is a more efficient version of the first Palace (a replica of Floresti’s Trianon Palace). Palace II is smaller, but have a bigger disco room, staircases are facing to street (as they should), and the floorplan was designed to optimize furniture placements rather than to replicate a real building. Contains 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and 6 other rooms, connected with double doors to prevent traffic jams. Designed for large families of 8 Sims.
Third edition of Asymmetrical House, made in July 2013, improved with better interior layout and more rooms, it is one of the most efficient house layouts made by me. Living, dining, kitchen, 4 bedrooms upstairs and 2 bathrooms. Every room have 2 doors to prevent traffic jams. Originally intended for families of 4 sims, it proved enough spacious so I added an extra bed, for 6 sims.
The cost of land in The Sims 2 is pretty crazy and does not follow a standard formula of price per square meter or feet, the smallest possible lot (1×1, not available without mods) is -$400, negative price. In The Sims 3 land prices are standardized, $2 per square meter. The lots can have any size, no longer need to be multiply of 10. The largest lot available (64 x 64 squares) is $8192.
Four identical tower blocks built around a little pool. Designed for aesthetic purpose only, somewhat inspired from Brazil buildings. During building this, I encountered the Limit of wall segments so I had to redesign the blocks thinner. The interior is empty, just 8 cheap lights per floor to take night screenshots. Made in 2013.
This home is a spontaneous idea (house built without any pre-planning) made after a friend criticized my The Sims homes for being unrealistic, too much symmetry, too bright colors, told me to use brick. There are 5 rooms in the house, which may be used as 3 bedrooms, 1 den, 1 disco room. Made in April 2013. Redesigned in September 2018 to remove fences and dark green grass and replace bricks with siding.
This is an improved version of Tiny House I which was criticized for lack of realism and too few rooms, combined with the beautiful style of Tiny House II. Home plan designed with separate kitchen and 3 bedrooms at upper floor, and completed with a small swimming pool Designed for families up to 4 Sims.
Starter house under $20.000 designed for a family up to 4 sims. This home floor plan with 2 bedrooms is more realistic than previous Best starter home 1×2. Made in April 2013.
The 2×2 lot costs $1600. The empty house costs $6971, for the non-functional items (counters, table, windows, floors, wall paint) I used the cheapest items to save money for the best possible furniture items that fit in a $20.000 house.
On a tiny 1×2 lot I built a large, extremely fat and cubish house, completed with pool and hot tub. A good home for a family with 6 sims with a possibility to add 2 extra single beds, but there are not enough bathrooms for 8 sims.
The living-dining-kitchen area use an award-winning diagonal design to create the smallest house in the world of The Sims that offer comfort for a family of 4 sims! Made in October 2012.
Part of the series of 2×2 symmetrical houses, this one is the largest. A small 2×2 lot can fit a large house for families of 8 Sims, plus pool and garage.
The Sims starter home under $20.000 designed for a family up to 4 sims, modeled based on shotgun houses, originating from New Orleans and common in south states from 1830s to 1920s, single-story, 3-4 meters wide and 20+ meters long, having 3-5 rooms in row, entrances in the endmost rooms and no hallways. In The Sims 2 house I cheated a little and made entrance in the second room, for purpose of layout optimization.
Part of the series of 2×2 symmetrical houses, this one with marble walls. Designed for a family of 4-6 Sims. Upper floor is composed by 5 rooms.
Part of the series of 2×2 symmetrical houses, this one in american style with siding wall covers. Designed for a family of 4-6 Sims.
Part of the series of 2×2 symmetrical houses, this one in cottage-rustic theme. 2 berdroms, designed for a family of 4 Sims.
After the success with my first apartment, I have made 3 or 4 more similar apartment buildings, none being really better than first one, until… this one made in June 2012, so I am publishing now under name Second Apartment. Squarish building with modern design, duplex apartments (maisonettes) designed for 4 sims, but can fit up to 6 sims by putting more beds.
This is the UNFINISHED The Sims 2 replica of Peles Castle, the most expensive building of Romania. I designed it in 2007 after visiting the castle, using base game on a 5×5 lot, being distortioned to fit. I re-designed it in 2010 using Apartment Life to get 6×5 lot and roof variety, but rear facade was a blank wall.