some Veronaville lots

These are some of my Veronaville makeovers/builds from an old game. =)

The game became very glitched and even though I cleaned out a lot of CC and installed a backup (which is where these pics are from), a lot of my sims and lots had just vanished, and I couldn't bring myself to continue/rebuild this game so it was abandoned.

There was a thread about Veronaville at N99 (which I just joined) and it's started to make me pine for my old sims and lots. Maybe I can rebuild this now.

Capp Manor. I extended the front of this to give it a little more space inside. I didn't understand how this lot was so big and the house so small!! Once Consort died, this became home to Tybalt and his wife Sadie and children Helena and Othello.

This lot I built to house Goneril and Albany's family. The older couple still live here with their son Hal, his wife Kaylynn and their baby Perdita. And a cat, Pip.

 This is the back of the same house. Hal and Kay had a lovely wedding out the back here, under those arches.

Another of my own, and this house started out small and gradually expanded. It's home to Miranda Capp (Goneril and Albany's daughter), her wife Stacy and their daughter Amy.

This is where Romeo and Juliette Monty moved to, with their young family Aragon, Anthony and Arthur. Despite being technically a Monty family, they obviously have the Capp-esque architecture.

Onto the Monty side of the canal: I built this to house the Veronaville Orphanage, which according to this file currently houses: Tilda, Martha and Julian (the staff/adults) and children Rebecca, Matthew and Jenny. There were also a few others that have grown up and moved on - I remember two teen boys Kyle and Mal who ended up becoming a couple (I purposely built the place with three adults, so that children who are adopted do not end up all being related to each other... ) and moving off to uni together.

 Another lot on the Monty side. Just a small villa. =)

I do miss this neighbourhood, but it will need a LOT of tidying up if I start playing it again.

Freshers (B5): First Week

It's the first week of term at Academie Le Tour, and the B5 household Freshers, consisting of Felicity Kowalczyk, Amy and Xena Strange and Aiden North, have moved into Flexor Halls. There's no classes this week; just Fresher events to get to know the other students and settle in to university life.

The girls have decided that the Fresher's Night party means one thing - dressing to impress!! They head to Simella's Boutique to find the perfect new outfits.

Felicity find this a whole new experience. She's never really had much experience with parties and clubs and isn't sure what to buy.

Luckily the Strange girls [haha] are there to help.  And all three girls manage to find something they like.

And it's back to the dorms to get ready. They decide to get ready together in Felicity's room. Felicity has chosen a pretty modest dress as she's not that comfortable wearing anything too revealing!

Xena offers to do Felicity's hair and makeup for her, while Amy gets herself ready.

Amy and Xena aren't so worried about revealing outfits. XD Just time for a quick group photo outside the Halls before heading to the Union bar.

The Union building has a bar and dance club downstairs, along with an arcade room. Upstairs there are meeting rooms for the University clubs and societies to use. Tonight all of the first years are here for the Fresher's Night party.

First they head to the bar for some drinks and chat to the other first years - Marla (in the purple top) and Tai Lin (in the green skirt). Amy wastes no time in befriending both of the girls. She wants to make as many friends as possible in these first few days.

With the alcohol flowing and the music pumping, it's not long before Aiden has found someone to flirt with - Felicity! She's completely charmed by him and totally out of her depth, having not spent much time around boys before at all.

She tells Amy all about it in the girl's toilets, although her friend isn't so sure. She warns Felicity that Aiden is a flirt and probably just having a little fun. But it's too late - Felicity has fallen for him.

And she spends the rest of the evening trying to get his attention on the dance floor. As the evening comes to an end, the Freshers head back to the halls, and the girls all sit in Felicity's room chatting.

Felicity spends most of the evening gushing about Aiden, and Amy is concerned for her friend, but doesn't want to spoil things by saying anything more. Xena keeps strangely quiet on the topic.

 Just time for a quick pillow fight before bed =D

The next morning Aiden still has his eyes on Felicity...

but not just Felicity. He also starts to get pretty close to Xena. Xena, as it turns out, also has a crush on Aiden and despite knowing that her friend is obsessed with him, she doesn't back down when he makes a move.

 And they share their first kiss. Poor Felicity is oblivious, and Xena has no intention of telling her. What will happen when she finds out? Are Aiden and Xena 'officially' together? Tune in next time kids! ;)

Freshers (B5)

First off a little about how I play my University:

I divide my teen sims into rough age groups. I'm not super strict about exactly what age they are, but I like to age the friendship groups at the same time. Each group has about 6 students. Some of these come from the neighbourhood and some are created at the university, just to add a little diversity.

Although the whole group starts University at the same time, they don't all go into the same dorm and they won't stay together throughout the four years. It depends on the sim, their major and their friends/social group.

So, B5 (that's generation B, group 5) have just started university and although they consist of 6 students total, only four of them are starting in this household 'Freshers'. Also in B5 are Marla Biggs, who is in the Sharpe Science Halls, and Tai Lin, who lives with her older siblings in a rented house.

so on with the bios of the Freshers household.

Felicity Kowalczyk

Felicity comes from a large family, with four siblings. Her parents are very traditional and strict, and so Felicity's childhood and teenage years consisted of studying, learning to play piano and painting, as well as gardening. As the family weren't particularly wealthy and lived in a small house, Felicity is used to having to share everything. This is the first time that she's had her own room! She is a sweet girl, but very naive.

 

Age: young adult (first year)

Parents: Moira and Cezary Kowalczyk

Siblings: Edwin (YA - 4th), Oscar (YA - 3rd), Aniel (11), Benji (8)

District: Academie Le Tour

House: Flexor Hall (dorms)

Friends: Amy Strange, Aiden North, Xena Strange, Nirad Ramaswami

Major: none yet

College Affiliations: none yet

Aspiration: Popularity (have 20 best friends)

Romance History: She's led a sheltered childhood and didn't have any romances as a teen. She currently has a crush on Aiden North.

Family Tree:

Amy Strange

Amy is the adopted daughter of Eric and Mike Strange - a pair of scientists who ended up becoming romantically involved. Amy is technically the middle child of the family, both of her sisters are half-aliens who were given birth by Mike. Amy is mature for her age, confident and outgoing with big ambitions for her future.

 

Age: young adult (first year)

Parents: Mike and Eric Strange

Siblings: Xanthe Flexor (adult), Xena Strange (YA-1st)

District: Academie Le Tour

House: Flexor Hall (dorms)

Friends: Aiden North, Felicity Kowalczyk, Nirad Ramaswami, Marla Biggs, Tai Lin.

Major: none yet

College Affiliations: none yet

Aspiration: Popularity (become Mayor)

Romance History: She's a big flirt but hasn't had any serious relationships.
Family Tree:

Xena Strange

Xena is the younger of two alien babies that Mike Strange gave birth to. She often felt in her sister Xanthe's shadow as she was growing up as she isn't as bright or as pretty. Because of this she acts like she has a lot to prove and wants to be a success.

 

Age: young adult (first year)

Parents: Mike and an alien (adopted father: Eric Strange)

Siblings: Xanthe Flexor (adult), Amy Strange (YA-1st)

District: Academie Le Tour

House: Flexor Hall (dorms)

Friends: Aiden North, Felicity Kowalczyk,

Major: none yet

College Affiliations: none yet

Aspiration: Fortune (become Hall of Famer)

Romance History: She is sort of dating Aiden North.
Family Tree:

Aiden North

Aiden and his father recently moved to the neighbourhood to live with his grandparents after his mother left. He's very playful, often not really realising the consequences of his actions, although at heart he'd like to find someone to settle down with.

 

Age: young adult (first year)

Parents: Adam North

Siblings: none

District: Academie Le Tour

House: Flexor Hall (dorms)

Friends: Xena Strange, Felicity Kowalczyk, Amy Strange

Major: none yet

College Affiliations: none yet

Aspiration: Family (reach golden anniversary)

Romance History: He is sort of dating Xena Strange, but likes to flirt a lot.
Family Tree:

Academie Le Tour University

The University is a big aspect of how I play my game. Nearly all of my teen sims go there. I only use one University - Academie Le Tour - although a lot of the original buildings have been remodeled and I've added a lot of buildings of my own.

Community Lots

(click the links for more screenshots and a detailed tour of the lot)

Le Tour Student Center is a remodeled, smaller version of the original EA building. It contains a coffee kiosk, pool tables, chess table, study areas and a small shop with magazines and electronics.

Next to the Student Center is a couple of small shops - Simella's Boutique, selling clothes, jewelry and perfume, and Starsims Coffee Shop.

Another remodeled EA building, King's Music Hall is the cultural centre of the University with a stage area for performances or ceremonies, and practice rooms upstairs with various instruments. There's also a bar.

Opposite the Music Hall are King's Public Gardens - formal gardens with toilet block, coffee kiosk and covered study/chess area.

The Library D'Livre has also been remodeled and is the perfect place to study hard or complete that term paper.

Le Tour Shops - Simella Boutique and Starsims Coffee

These shops are right next to the Le Tour Student Center. It's just a small coffee shop and a fashion shop on a small lot so the game runs smoothly.

Externally, it's in the same style as the other central buildings of ALT. (I've added some external lighting too after this screenshot was taken)

The left side holds the fashion shop - Simella's Boutique which a small dressing room in the top corner. On the right side is Starsims Coffee with comfy seating, and a small unisex toilet. There's no upstairs in this building, despite external appearances ;)

This reminds me very much of the coffee place I used to frequent when I was a student =) I much prefered studying there than the library!

Simella's Boutique also sells jewelry and perfume, making it the perfect one-stop-shop for image-conscious sims =)

King's Public Gardens

Opposite the King's Music Hall, I added these grand, formal gardens, complete with a coffee kiosk (students need their coffee!!) and toilet block, and also a covered area for playing chess or sitting to study.

 The main part of the garden surrounds the large fountain and has formal shaped hedging, trees and flowers. On the left side, there is a small hedged in 'nook' with seating, perfect for getting away from the bustle of student life for a little solitude. Above that, there's an orange grove. On the right side, there is another seating nook, and above that an arched rose garden leading to some smaller fountains. Along the back of the gardens, there's a line of large trees. This area is accessible, so students can sit underneath the trees or walk through this less formal area of the garden.

The covered area on the right has chess tables and some seating and tables, so sims can sit and have their coffee, or study, with shelter from the rain or sunshine.

On the left side there's a small coffee kiosk, next to the toilet block. This always proves popular with the ALTies. x.x

Library D'Livre Remake

The third building of Academie Le Tour to be remodeled. Internally, not much has changed here, but I didn't like the externals, so redid them to match the other two remodeled buildings... and banished the huge amount of concrete (and barbeques, why does EA put barbeques everywhere??)

You can click the pictures to view them larger.

The toilet block out the back is completely unchanged. I toyed with the idea of trying to include them inside, but decided to leave them out there. Externally here a lot has changed. The bay/oriel windows add a bit of character and help this building to match the others. I like the domed roof =) and I got rid of the pointless dormers-with-no-windows.

Inside, I've just moved the staircase and divided the space of the ground floor up a little. I've put a front desk in the middle, between the stairs, along with a pointless cash register, simply because I like the structure that a desk and 'employee' gives a public building. The back section becomes an enclosed study room for groups working on a project or wanting a little privacy. Half-walls separate study booths with desks and computers, and the rest of the space is bookshelves and seating.

Upstairs I've just replaced the seating and the fences around the gallery level. I think the layout works a lot better with the stairs in the middle like this and two staircases helps prevent sim traffic jams when playing.