I might just do that too. I need cheaper lights. Not happy with the ones I've got but can't afford nicer.

I decided to work on what I thought would be the second most difficult one for me ... the desert locale. Turns out it is the MOST difficult one.

I am coming up empty again, and the build I've been working on just isn't doing it for me. It's fine for my hoods ... just change the terrain ... but it won't do for the contest, even as a playalong.I

Problem is, I never was into bars and dance clubs, not even as a young adult. They always made me uncomfortable back then. I thought I had an interesting theme, but strangely, I can't find as much of it as I would like. I'm coming up empty with concert venues.

I have a Plan B, but don't know if it will count for this round. I can try.

@gazania omg same on all points! I went to a dance club only once in my life and the sheer amount of smoke I had to inhale all at once was traumatic! The music was too loud I can't her what my friends are saying hahahaha it was horrible! Maybe that kind of atmosphere excites some people but definitely not me.
So I thought about going for a concert hall too but it's just not coming along....*sigh* Im as stuck as you are but we can definitely come up with something!

Guys... it doesn't have to be a bar...
It was a suggestion...

Sand sliding: Kubuqi desert, China. ...
Horseback riding: Namib desert, Namibia. ...
Dune bashing: Lahbab desert, United Arab Emirates. ...
Hiking: Sonoran desert, Arizona, United States. ...
Sandboarding: Usaka desert, Peru.
dune buggies (fun outings in the desert)
I am not sure how much of that can be simulated in game, but I know horses and I believe camels exist that are custom content
there is some kind of skate boards so you could simulate sandboarding
there are apt to be dune buggy style cars? not sure.

tropics
sand castles
swimming
hula dancing

Asian
hiking
seeing local scenery
going to local markets for shopping
tea houses
mahjjong

mountains/country
axe throwing
fishing
camping
log rolling (all these are in game)


general fun locations that could be geared to theme
beautiful gardens
museums

it says entertainment

I do need a nightclub for my spring breakers though so that's happening.

thank you gdayars! my lack of nightclubs in my game (a total count of 0) made me consider making one but it aint coming along. I also considered horseback riding in the desert but I wanted to make something that wont make me download any more CC since im already 4.5GB deep qAq

what shall it be what shall it be :3c welp, discovering what works is also part of thr fun!

Amusement parks, bingo parlors, bowling alleys, racecourses, sports fields...

Think outside the box! The tunnels between subways are entertainment venues in New York, because people busk down there. Public bathhouses were entertainment venues for the ancient Romans, coffee houses for eighteenth-century Englishmen.

Having lived in the desert for almost ten years, let me tell you some of the entertainment venues we scraped together in that unforgiving environment:
Stock show and rodeo, with attached carnival; horse racing; movie theaters; dinner theaters; historical recreation of a local military outpost; deer leases; football stadiums; sports fields generally (but football way in the lead); bowling alleys; roller rinks; public holiday decorations; outdoor stages; checkers with the old men in front of the Cactus Hotel; tours to see Painted Rock (petroglyphs, on private land, but the owner would let people in at certain times under certain conditions); deer leases; gun shows; target competitions; The Drag (a stretch of street down which teen-agers cruised in their cars, from Der Weinerschnitzel at one end to Sonic at the other); competitions such as chili cook-offs and beauty pageants; swimming pools; museums; nature walks; picnics; camping - anything to break up the sheer mind-numbingness of which West Texas is capable.

Now, some of these things are doable as Sims 2 lots and some are not. But if you think about what other people might come to your town to see or do, and what you've gone to other places to see and do yourself, you'll soon find plenty of possibilities beyond bars and night clubs. I intend to make an ice rink for the mountain location, probably with some other amenities on hand, but mostly it'll be an ice rink, because if you put too much other stuff on a lot with a rink, it won't get used.

No, wait, maybe I won't make an ice rink, maybe I'll make one of the buildings at the stock show, with a food competition and gaming competition and a dance-off and an arts and crafts display...It could only be one building but it could still have a lot of different things...hmmm...I think I'll just wait till the size and price limitations are announced.

I am going to be boring and make a bar

how could you not? you are fermented juice master!

Well, Charmful, today we have Portuguese wine and espetadas at the Fermented Fruit Juice Bar

Am I or the judge in trouble..I had asked to be judged same as a contestant..this judge came back to me saying what they would have given me if I had been a contestant..and I am grateful for that..and I am sorry if they weren't supposed to..and with me being a play along I didn't think we would be in trouble..

Peni I to grew up in the desert of Nevada and all those things we had as well..

No you aren't in trouble

Thank you so much gdayars..and I guess I shouldn't have said anything..didn't think there was an issue for it..but I will not say anything again..so sorry..

I won't be judging or commenting on the play-alongs. Will have my hands full getting through judging the contest rounds. If towards the end of the contest I feel I have energy to spare I might change my mind, but for now I'll stick to the contest entries

Thank you gummilutt..

No one is in trouble, only saying I won't be doing up scores for play alongs only comments.

Thank you Jo..

Scores take up a whole lot more brain power.

Also realize each judge has there own scoring system so it isn't the number anyone receives that is important but how it relates to the other scores that judge posted. Seeing one judges score doesn't mean much by itself. For example, a tough judge gives person X 25, Judge 2 gives person X 27 and judge 3 gives person X 29. But tough judge marks nearly everyone between 23-28 while judge 2 marks everyone between 26-30 and the generous judge never gives lower than 29. So really that 25/27/29 are very similar scores, but unless you have 3 scores to compare each round, the number in isolation means pretty much nothing. So if you (general you) receive 24 don't wail until you check out what that judge has given everyone else.

Also know you will hardly ever please all the judges. Some people like clutter, some don't, some like colour others prefer neutrals. So in the end it's best to please yourself while taking into consideration what each judge said. You will soon see which judge loves curtains for example and who never notices- If any of that makes sense?

Judging is a small part of a competition in my view - I have really learned so much during building contests that I can publish a book about it. And I still find it fun; building things that one may never have built all by yourself remains something challenging and exciting. Contestants will find that they broaden their general knowledge as well.

And, of course, you can always come and calm down in the Fermented Fruit Juice Bar

Actually, what I was doing was neither a traditional bar nor a nightclub, but did have a bar in it. A bar could be a smoothie or juice bar. Sims don't have a drunk interaction in the game. Well, unless you mod it.

Also, desert areas can have very populous urban cities. It doesn't have to be a forsaken outpost with sand around it as far as the eye can see. Las Vegas is technically in the Mojave Desert, for instance.

And there are different types of bars. Some are small watering holes. Some are pubs. Some have full-fledged restaurants. Not all bars I went to were loud and had people who tried picking me up and creeps who pinched bottoms. (One crowded bar I went to had this really annoying stealthy bottom-pincher ... I was ready to slug the person if I caught who was doing it because our group came to hear a really good local band, and it is irritating having your bottom pinched while you're getting into the music!) But really, I always preferred a restaurant or the wine and cheese places that were popular at the time. Maybe it's the introvert in me.

The problem now is the lot itself. I really can't do much more beyond a boxy shape. And I DO mean a boxy shape. I Googled for inspiration. Most of these venues ARE boxy in real life. I will probably finish what I was working on because I can use it in my hoods*, but may not submit it for the contest. I think it's telling when I Google other Sims 2 custom lots of this nature and almost all of them are boxy, too! (There also aren't many of them. Probably for the same reasons.) Also, getting the exact CC I want is proving more difficult than I anticipated, and I would have to use an awful lot of it. I was trying to get out of the typical layout for this lot without using 100 items of CC. And lastly, I'm going way, way out of budget.

Plan B might be a little more in tune with the nature of the round.


*Yup. There's a selfish angle in there. One thing I like doing with contest lots is using them in my game afterward. It seems a little sad to me to make a lot I won't use because I already have two or three versions. That's the reason why I'm not doing a movie theater. I already have two variations I made in my game, have used them for years with few changes, and am pretty happy with them.

... and then there's that judge who really hates the color orange... thankfully she's not judging this time - she's "contesting" instead!

Welp - I think I'm goin' to the beach this round. Maybe a water-park type idea? We'll see...

We ate HERE last night:
The food was overpriced but super-tasty (I recommend the fresh Guac w/ lobster - made at the table - YUM!) And, I raised my Chestnut Espresso Martini to Petro (It was good; but I bet her drinks are far superior!) Anyway, the faux paddleboat restaurant building reminded me of @franfeliano play-along entry.

I can't wait to read all the judges comments - that's the best part, I think, to learn from what others have built. *cheers*

When I glanced at the page and saw the pic I thought in that split second "****! Someone's uploaded their entry already and it's ****ing amazing!".
Looks a very cool venue and great idea for entertainment or hotel lot.
I can't wait to see everyone's entries (that they haven't built yet).

My scores have been sent in Final note I have for you all is screenshots screenshots screenshots. If we had been deducing points over screenshots, many of you would have lost several points. Next round you will lose those points, so practice practice practice Read guidelines, and then read them some more. Go over your lot. Look at your floorplan shot and ask yourself, is every area displayed in a separate shot? Is the angle and zoom in those shots good enough to appreciate your work? For a lot of you I had to rely on the floorplan shot to judge decorating, and that's not going to do you any favors

Oh and some of you can expect personal letters from the mayors of Three Lakes, Takemizu and Twikki Islands. They were all in town for a conference and overheard talk of the contest, and they are determined to secure some of these lots for their precious home towns to make them even more appealing to tourists. Meanwhile I'm off to the fermented juice bar to see if they make caipiriñas

We make ANY drinks here, and are good with those that contain vodka

I am so happy the orange disliking judge is around, whether she is judging or contesting

Cat, that seems like a brilliant idea And, of course, the drinks at the fermented fruit juice bar is always superior

LOL!
Now I'm gonna call out for a pizza...