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Mad Poster
Original Poster
#1 Old 16th Oct 2017 at 12:52 AM
Default Hans' Trap Door Corp... a Good Design Idea?
So I think we can probably all agree that, as it stands, the Hans' Trap Door Corp lot in the standard-issue Downtown is pretty... well, lame. It doesn't have much of anything to distinguish it in gameplay, and while I applaud the EAxis designers for trying to show the potential for skyscrapers in the game, I cringe at what they came up with.

I DO see potential, however, in the idea of a "skyscraper" lot where the playable area is limited to the first floor or two, and then an empty shell of a skyscraper rising up above that to provide "atmosphere," both on that lot and from the neighborhood view. I'm tempted to try this out with a few "normal" community lots (shops, coffee houses, restaurants, nightclubs, etc), so that you can have the visual of a towering downtown skyline, but not have to deal with the headaches of having to process lots that are that big and fully decorated. This is an abnormal enough approach though, that I'm unsure how well people would respond to it, so I'm curious...

What do you think?

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Mad Poster
#2 Old 16th Oct 2017 at 12:55 AM
I'm mostly confused by the lack of trap doors in it.

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#3 Old 16th Oct 2017 at 1:34 AM
yea like was it suppose to be a continuous skyscraper of trap doors in the middle of each floor and someone falls through to their deaths? is it the office tower of the corp. that makes trap doors? i mean it's very confusing.

I'd say since it's you.....challenge yourself. You're extremely talented but i think alot of us don't exactly envision playing o nthe 27th floor of a building and needing the camera to be pointing straight down just to play. I know you have it in you because you built my all time most frustratingly beautiful lot to try and play. Hatley's Castle. I'm excited to see what you come up with.
Top Secret Researcher
#4 Old 16th Oct 2017 at 1:58 AM
I would love that honestly. I have zero patience for building big and I like the idea of a few playable floors, but having the neighborhood look of a towering building. I really hope you take this on.
Mad Poster
#5 Old 16th Oct 2017 at 2:16 AM
I would like to point out that quite a few buildings in Emerald Heights follow the plan you propose, so you might start by looking at them.

I had a lot of fun with Han's Trap Door. I put elevators in it. First floor remained the clothing store. Second floor was a fancy mezzanine restaurant. Third floor was a nightclub. Fourth floor was water-themed - restroom and a couple of hot tubs.

Alas, it was the first of the Drama Acres lots to get crashy, probably due to the height.

Ugly is in the heart of the beholder.
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Mad Poster
Original Poster
#6 Old 16th Oct 2017 at 3:05 AM
Quote: Originally posted by SingleClawDesigns
I'd say since it's you.....challenge yourself. You're extremely talented but i think alot of us don't exactly envision playing o nthe 27th floor of a building and needing the camera to be pointing straight down just to play. I know you have it in you because you built my all time most frustratingly beautiful lot to try and play. Hatley's Castle. I'm excited to see what you come up with.


I wouldn't imagine most of the lots I would do using this approach would have any space intended to be used above about the 3rd or 4th floor... I might do a few with a penthouse restaurant or nightclub, but I'm mostly hoping for street-level businesses with the illusion of more going on above them, without actually having to deal with designing or processing those spaces.

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Forum Resident
#7 Old 16th Oct 2017 at 3:24 AM
I would love to see what you come up with, but mostly because i'm often amazed and inspired by your magnificent creations! I'm a crappy builder. I make boxes with windows. So I say, GO FOR IT!! And if people like the architecture, but don't care for the empty floors, they can always build and furnish whatever they want on them. Win/Win situation!

-grinEvilly
>=)
Mad Poster
#8 Old 16th Oct 2017 at 5:05 AM
I've used the Trap Door as the Bellefleur bank, and have converted it to apartments. It's useful if you reduce the size of it. I usually change the windows, put in better lighting, and give the interior a nicer look.

It's a very versatile building, actually.

But as a 'skyscraper' it would be better if you kept under 4 floors. It does tend to get glitchy. I cut it down to 2 floors..all the machine can tolerate for a building.

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Inventor
#9 Old 16th Oct 2017 at 6:59 AM Last edited by Sketching : 16th Oct 2017 at 10:27 AM.
I didn't understand what the building was for at first - with a name like Hans Trap Door I was hoping for some kind of playground for adults where they try navigate a maze with traps Indiana Jones style.

I love the idea of skyscrapers and tall buildings but my brain (and sometimes my game) usually can't handle playing more than 2 floors per lot before it melts down. I can handle them as "hood deco" but sometimes the game camera doesn't like having more than a set number of floors and starts a literal cycle of revenge.

Edit: Yes, the idea sounds good. I like the implementation in Emerald Heights.
Mad Poster
#10 Old 16th Oct 2017 at 10:14 AM
I gave it a secret basement which is a poker and speakeasy type bar. Though alcohol is not prohibited in my hoods. It's just more invite-only, if you know what I mean.

I like to imagine that the upper floors of skyscrapers contain offices, I mean my business sims must work somewhere, and the maid and butler agencies probably have an office somewhere too, but I don't want to play them, that would be very boring.

Perhaps the stacked lot technique would be useful?

I use the sims as a psychology simulator...
Mad Poster
#11 Old 16th Oct 2017 at 1:31 PM
Interesting lot. Had to check up with the wiki. Not sure I ever been in one.

According to wiki, it says "Behind the cashier, there are 4 doors that lead to a small room, which connects to the back door. The middle doors lead to "trap doors", which inspires the lot's name, Hans' Trap Door Corp, as well as the written lot description about employees going missing in the trap holes. In practice, Sims cannot actually get stuck in the traps, but will simply walk in the hole.". Probably it's one of builders/developers at EA that wanted to add creative touch to a building. like in an instance where they placed a garbage can on the roof to make it look like a vent and at the same lot there's a small shed with a bin that resembles more as of a smoking room as a whole.

To make it an actual "trap door", behind a door (accesible only by employees through a lock) there can be a narrow pool with a diving board, without... yes, you guessed it - without a ladder. That would make it leave up to it's name.
Forum Resident
#12 Old 16th Oct 2017 at 4:03 PM
I have a few lots in my downtown with empty top floors to create the illusion of taller buildings. Not skyscraper height, but row houses. I don't need a 3-story toy store, and my sims couldn't run one even if they could afford it, but 1 decorated story and 2 empty shells looks better on that block than a single-story building would.
Scholar
#13 Old 16th Oct 2017 at 5:57 PM
I was surprised how little there was to the lot. I mean, it was almost empty in it's standard form. I would say plain boring but I guess it's OK because of the EP it came whit. Anyway, I did use the complete building and made it into a hotel whit restaurant, gym and a bar on top (on the roof). The camera just reaches the bar so I can play it but there's the limit. I do think the lot is a little glinshy too as it takes a while for the chefs in the restaurant to spawn but It's OK. I think I have a copy of the original lot in the bin. Maybe I build something else...
Scholar
#14 Old 18th Oct 2017 at 12:45 AM
Yes, I like the concept. Got no use for skyscrapers, though, more something like this: http://modthesims.info/download.php?t=600046
Fully playable ground floor (I furnished the right wing, too) with bar and spa for the locals to visit while the upper floors are not needed, because my Strangetowners wouldn't have any business up there.
Such a build would also come in handy for apartments, giving the impression of several dozen units while only four are actually playable.
Lab Assistant
#15 Old 19th Oct 2017 at 4:19 AM
I think its a good strategy. It is also easy on the builder too because you don't have to worry about coming up with creative ideas for fleshing out every single level. Although, in my opinion, it would be best to have at least the top floor developed (like a penthouse or executive offices) because it still serves the purpose of having a playable skyscraper. This is something i tried to incorporate in some of my buildings. Maybe 3-4 levels playable, the rest are dummy levels.
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