Tutorial: Multi-Lot Harbours
I promised this tutorial a while ago and just started making my harbour for my current hood. I figured I may as well kill two birds with one stone, so here it is! This technique is completely modular, allowing you to create harbours of any length. As you can see, I've already done one of the lots, just to show you how they fit together. You will find yourself saving and exiting quite a lot with this method!
A neighbourhood with accessible shoreline
Possibly some understanding of the 'boolprop constrainfloorelevation false' cheat
Important: I do not use beach lots for this method. I find this method gives me more control.
Start with a lot that is 20 tiles deep. This gives enough room to create a stone harbour wall and dock area. This is preference, but I find any bigger looks dumb.
The lot should be 10 tiles wider than the harbour segment you ultimately want. For example, if you want a final harbour segment that is 40 tiles wide, start with a 50 tile wide lot. That is what I've done here.
Bring the water as close to the lot edge as possible. If necessary, use the cheat 'modifyNeighborhoodTerrain on'
The terrain should slope down naturally towards the water.
Step 2: Mark the Tiles to Remove
Measure 5 tiles in from each end of the lot.
These tiles will be removed later with LotAdjuster.
For a centre segment, mark 5 tiles on both ends.
For a left-end segment, mark 6 tiles on the left side.
For a right-end segment, mark 6 tiles on the right side.
Step 3: Build the Stone Harbour
Create a foundation within the remaining space. This can be as big as you want.
The foundation walls should extend flush (but not connect along the length) to any edge that will connect seamlessly to another lot.
I use Numenor's custom foundation walls, but you can achieve the same effect using standard walls with the cheat 'constrainFloorElevation false'. Just flatten the walls after placing them.
Cover the foundation with floor tiles of your choice, filling in that gap.
Important: Do not place walls along any edge that will connect to another harbour segment.
At the opposite end of the harbour wall, add a small "cap" section. It will not stretch out as far as you want, but that's okay. Again, make it as big as you want.
This creates a natural transition point where stairs can lead down to the wooden docks.
Lay out the wooden dock below the stone harbour. Mine was a full story (16 steps) lower than the stone.
As before, don't place foundations flush against the lot edge. Use floor tiles to create the seamless connection instead. You will know it's correct if there's no stilt on the 6th tile from the edge.
Again, at this stage, don't worry if the dock isn't the exact width you want.
Open LotAdjuster and add 20 tiles to the back of the lot.
Do not change any other settings.
Step 7: Finish the Waterfront
Load the game, and then the lot again.
You now have what is effectively a custom beach lot. I usually add terrain paint to match my shoreline, otherwise the extended area remains grassy.
You can now adjust the dock to its final width. In my example, I created a dock that was 5 tiles wide.
Step 8: Plan the Dock and Bay Pattern
Decide how many docks and bays you want. Bays should be big enough to fit ships.
The harbour should always end on half a bay, so that adjoining lots complete the bay when placed together.
Do this before shrinking the lot. Once the lot has been reduced, you won't be able to place floor tiles on the very edge.
This creates the pattern: 5 (half bay) - 5 (dock) - 10 (bay) - 5 (dock) - 5 (half bay)
I also made them 15 tiles long. You can do literally whatever size you want.
Save and exit once the layout is complete.
Open LotAdjuster again and remove 5 tiles from both the left and right sides.
This is the step where you're most likely to run into problems. I certainly did while creating this tutorial!
If LotAdjuster throws an error, reload the lot and make sure there are no walls, fences, or foundations crossing the line where the new lot boundary will be.
End pieces should have one side flush with the lot edge.
Centre pieces should be flush on both sides.
These flush edges allow the harbour sections to connect seamlessly.
Repeat the process for as many harbour segments as you need. If they don't line up, you can't just pick up the lot and move it. You have to use LotAdjuster to either move it left or right. I had to do so in this very tutorial.
The good thing is, you can use the original dock as a visual guide for widths! Also, make sure the wooden dock is on the same elevation across both lots.
For this example, I created a left and right segment and mirrored them, but you can continue adding centre sections indefinitely. I tend to add stairs in the very middle if I do that. You need a flight of stairs to get down to the harbour.
Once your harbour is assembled, decorate it however you like.
I usually place lots like warehouses, taverns, fishmongers, market stalls, or more on the stone harbour, and use neighbourhood deco ships (or this refurbished version of the Bon Voyage ship) in the bays. I also decorate the docks with crates, barrels, dead fish, etc. For some extra fun, add invisible fishing spots to the end of the docks!
The result is a fully modular harbour that can be expanded to fit any waterfront.
I hope this tutorial helps! If anything is unclear, feel free to ask.
