HOW I BUILD LOTS IN TS4 ✨ - Part 2 : Ruining the plan
I've been working on a new build for the Magic Realm, it's meant to be a magic school for spellcasters. The finale version should be released on January 15th, but in the meantime, I take you through my building process ! Enjoy this Part 2 (Read Part 1 here)
✨ Step one : I started with the overall shape, directly in the Magic Realm, but soon realized the light was actually quite bad here, so I moved to Newcrest for better visibility. + I wanted some glass roofing and it was annoyingly invisible there.
At this point I was really just trying to get the big idea, more or less sticking to my plan, experimenting with shapes and colors. I rarely build the whole shell from the start, instead usually spend a lot of time on the front, the first thing you'll see when you enter the lot (I call that the "Christmas tree method").
I don't know if my building method is very conventionnal but I usually add colors and roofing quite early, because I need to understand the atmosphere I'm going for. For that reason, I sometimes add gardening or decorative elements early, even if I'm not done with the shape, because it helps me vizualise and sometimes gives me more ideas ! For this type of large build, I tend to add rooms progressively.
✨ Step two : If you read my Part 1 you know that I first wanted to go with a noirpunk/steampunk aesthetic. Turns out I wasn't very inspired by it... which happens very often... I've learnt that It's best to let inspiration and ideas guide me instead of absolutely sticking to my first plan - I let fun be my guide ! Even it doesn't always make sense.
When it comes to building and decorating I know IMMEDIATELY if I'm on the right path or not. Sometimes I don't hesitate to make drastic change mid-build if I feel like I'm struggling with ideas or feel unsatisfied. My mind sometimes thinks I want to build something, but as I build I realize I want to build something else.
As I was building I found out I was much more inspired by a Raya Lucaria look (Elden Ring) more than a dark industrial look. I shifted the color to blue, which was more mysterious and serene. I grew up playing point and click games like Myst, Siberia or Keepsake, and I tried to bring a bit of that into my build. At this point, you can see I've added a lot of decorative element to the front but the back of the build is still absolutely naked...
✨ Step three : I kept adding elements, mixing gothic architecture with touch of coppery steampunk, tweaking things here and there and adding details for better visual harmony. I spent a lot of times on details, urgh...
I also used a lot of visual reference for this build (Raya Lucaria being one), but also went intuitively with what felt right. Experimentation is key ! Some parts are changed twenty times before I am satisfied with the look, this is why I'm such a slow builder, lol. Chromatic harmony is also very important to me.
Still I kept the important elements from my plan : round shapes, domes (more original than pointy roofing, very adequate for a magic build !), high stairs and towers (for the studious, mysterious and dramatic atmosphere) and the number three to stick with the 3 schools lore. I also absolutely wanted a stargazing observatory and spend hours getting the right look, again getting inspired by games like Myst. It's a magic school, after all, so I really wanted that touch of reverie.
What I wanted for this build was to make people want to explore it, finding little secrets here and there, while keeping its layout realistic : no room here is useless, I meant it to be lively, so there's all necessary accomodations for students and the practice of magic - including an underground room for machinery, for instance. Historical or logical elements give a particularly 'alive' flair, so I asked myself : who built this school ? Is it magically protected ? How ? Who lives here, who gets access and how ? How is the place heated or refreshed ? Where's the plumbery, the kitchen ? All of this important questions to give coherence to your build.
And this led me to design this large protective rune for the front door, inspired by Raya Lucaria's sigil. It will be part of the included CC when the lot is done.
Next tutorial will be interior decoration, I suppose !
