SMagazine Issue 9

smagazineofficial.co.uk

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You can do wonders with a small garden and a small budgetGetting your Sims a garden for less

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welcome to issue 9

Hello and welcome to SMagazine Issue 9. This issue is so important to me, since not only is it debuting my new format for SMagazine, it is also the anniversary issue. The idea that I’ve been doing this for one year makes my mind boggle - it feels like so much less than that!

I have so many people to thank for the success of SMagazine, because if it didn’t do well, I don’t think I’d be doing this any more! There’s far too many people to list here, but I promise that I love every single one of you!

I hope you’re as excited for the anniversary as I am - and, as always, I hope you’ll enjoy read-ing this issue as much as I’ve enjoyed putting it together.

GEORGE BEditor


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contents 06White Paradise by ung99916Got Garden? (Ask Dan)22Kitchen Inspiration24Sandstone by Peskimus36Queen’s Meadow by Tom42Eye on Mods48Woodland Aluna by Will58Kitchen Notebook60Bathroom Notebook62Windsor Creek by Alex76Verity by Deligracy88Quick Faves102One Year...110Special Thanks112SimGuruSarah: exclusive interview118Copyright & Important Information120Contact information

this issue’s interview

SimGuruSarah

page 112


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white paradiseby ung999

In this issue we’re starting by looking back at the best from the past - and we’re starting with one of our favourites from Issue 3. The White Par-adise set by ung999 is not only a great piece of CC, it also had a great room layout in the screen-shots on The Sims Resource.


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drifterDriftwood is a great ma-terial to use for houses

and interiors you want to have a ‘beachy’ vibe.


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DOWNLOAD

http://www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/details/category/sims3-sets-objects-adultbedroom/title/white-paradise/id/1211526/


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got garden?To: [email protected]: Garden S.O.S.

Dear Dan,

My boyfriend and I recently moved into a tiny little modern house in Willow Creek. I love it, but I really can’t stand the garden!

I need you to help me do up my garden! We have a tiny budget so we can only afford the bare es-sentials, but surely you can work your magic and make our garden a whole lot nicer?

Thank you!

Nancy


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W ell Nancy, this certainly was quite a job! Consid-ering your tiny budget, I think we did a great job. It look a lot of hunting around

for the best deal and a lot of careful plan-ning, but your garden looks great now!

Our first job was to try and find ways to reuse as much of your existing furniture as possible. We took your original cheap bench and gave it a fresh lick of paint - doesn’t it look better already? The Design tool might not be create-a-style, but it’s a good idea to take a look through all the swatches for the cheaper furniture.

We also used items from the same set for your dining chairs - they were really cheap! The bench was called the Must Be Love-seat and was only $150, and the two dining chairs were called the Brock Metal Dining Chairs, which we got for $85. The barbe-cue is probably the most expensive part of your garden setup, and is the Incendiator by GrillMania which we found for $1,300. There is a basic easel which you can find in most good craft stores, and there’s also some green space which will work for gar-dening or any other outdoor activities you feel like.

Also, don’t forget that your garden gnome has also stayed in the garden! •


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you’re basicRemember that even the

most basic pieces of furni-ture can look great when you use the right swatch.


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stuck for ideas?here’s some great inspiration for kitchens.

there’s simspiration and more on our websitesmagazineofficial.co.uk


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sandstoneby peskimus

This is a truly beautiful modern house built on an Australian beach. It’s high ceilings and open plan rooms create a great flowing feel-ing around the house, and the fusion of light and dark colours create a clean, beachy feel throughout the house. Peskimus also takes advantage of the beautiful sea views (this lot is located in Roaring Heights) by almost covering one of the walls in glass.


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greenhouseFor modern builds a ‘glass wall’ is a great idea, espe-cially if you have a good

view.


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DOWNLOAD

http://www.thesimsresource.com/artists/peskimus/downloads/details/category/sims3-lots-residential/title/sandstone/id/1230753/


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“the house I’m proudest of ”We asked our team to tell us about the houses that they’re proudest of, in The Sims 3 or The Sims 4. There were some really interesting responses, and our first one comes from The Sims 3.

QUEEN’S MEADOWBy Tom


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Tom again bringing you another design in The Sims 3. This house was built as a collaboration by the amazing In-famousSecondDaughter. Her house builds are absolutely stunning and you should definitely go follow her,

and subscribe to her channel.

This task was to just pick out my favourite house that I’ve built in either The Sims 3 or 4, and so I picked The Sims 3. The overall design of this house is that it is an old, large, Victorian home, and I think the interior design really reflects that. I used a lot of wood textures and paneling on the inside, as well as a lot of objects from sets like the Deliciously Indulgent Bakery [link]. I also incor-porated things like wardrobes and a pantry area in the kitchen. My favourite room in the house is the living room as I think it feels cosy, and well lived in. I struggled at first trying to make it look okay, but in the end I think it turned out just fine.

I really hope you like this house, and as I said, the InfamousSecondDaughter is one of the best build-ers I have seen so be sure to check out her channel.

I hope you’re all enjoying The Sims 4, and I will speak to you all, next time.

http://store.thesims3.com/setsProductDetails.html?productId=OFB-SIM3:72332


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eye onmods

SIMPLY MODERN DINING ROOMBY ANGELA

http://thesimsresource.com/downloads/details/category/sims4/id/1257662/

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http://thesimsresource.com/downloads/details/category/sims4/id/1257662/


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http://thesimsresource.com/downloads/details/category/sims3-sets-objects-livingroom/title/fraxinus-living/id/1252454/

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FRAXINUS LIVINGBY ONYXIUM

http://thesimsresource.com/downloads/details/category/sims3-sets-objects-livingroom/title/fraxinus-living/id/1252454/


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MOVEOBJECTS ON MODBY TWISTEDMEXI

ADVANCED DEBUGBY CLOWN

REDUCED TOWNIESBY SHIMROD101

MODS TO WATCH

http://thesimsresource.com/downloads/details/category/sims4-sets-objects-diningroom/title/toulon-diningroom/id/1257561/

http://modthesims.info/download.php?t=535846



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TOULON DININGBY ANGELA

REDUCED TOWNIESBY SHIMROD101

TEEN CAREERS FOR ALLBY PLASTICBOX

BUILD/BUY UNLOCKERBY SCRIPTHOGE

http://thesimsresource.com/downloads/details/category/sims4-sets-objects-diningroom/title/toulon-diningroom/id/1257561/





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words and layout by will

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words and layout by will


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KITCHEN notebook

The kitchen is a focal point of your home, so it’s important to make it one of the best rooms in the house.

• It is always important to en-sure that you have the right layout for your kitchen. However it’s important to make sure that not only does it work aesthetical-ly, but practically as well.

• One solid bank of units can ruin the appearance of a kitch-en, so consider breaking your kitchen into two with the use of counter islands.

• Extractor fans can make a statement, believe it or not. Nesting your oven into a kitchen island and putting an extractor fan above it can do wonders for the look of your kitchen.

• Don’t let your counter islands go to waste! Consider putting two or three barstools along one side of the island to make a breakfast bar of sorts.

• Every surface has storage potential at the end of a unit. This makes a perfect place for spice racks, utensils and smaller appli-ances like microwaves or coffee machines.


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BATHROOM

notebookEveryone needs a bathroom so you might as well make it look half decent!

• A vintage claw-foot bath can make a great focal point for your bathroom. Paint the bath using some waterproof paint and give it a two-tone colour scheme - we went for a black and white scheme for our bathroom.

• Candles can provide great am-bient lighting for your bathroom. Keep them beside your bath so you can have some quick and easy lighting if you’re looking to relax.

• Just because it’s your bath-room doesn’t mean you can’t dec-orate it properly! Keeping some potted plants works really well, but don’t put them on counter tops.

• Always use the full height of your walls. Keep a towel rack above your toilet or squeeze some storage above the door.

• Sticking to two or three co-lours for your bathroom will always work a charm. Don’t let the palette get too overwhelming and you’re on the right track!


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Design and layout also by


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quicktips

Did you know you can use shelves to create the effect of exterior blinds on a window?In The Sims 4 you can place shelves on a window without having to use any cheats, and you can also easily move them up and down walls when you’re in walls up view - press alt for more precise placement. To create the effect of exterior blinds, just put lots of shelves that span the full width of your window close to-gether. Not too close, though - you need to get some light in!

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Modern Concept by DutchSimsMaster


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VERITYBY DELIOur next house was by someone we in-terviewed in Issue 6, Deligracy. Her house Verity is a perfect example of how power-ful constrainfloorelevation can be, and it’s truly a house you need in your game.


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powerfulCFE was a very powerful cheat in The Sims 3 - we

need it back in The Sims 4 asap!


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Where do you get your inspiration for your builds?“I get inspiration from houses surrounding where I live, as well as Tumblr, fashion blogs and design magazines. I also like to create ‘Sim clients’ who I build/renovate houses to suit what I imagine their personalities to be like.” Deligracy, Issue 6


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QUICK

faves

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ISLA PARAMANSIONBY THESIMSUPPLY


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MODERN CONCEPTBY DUTCHSIMSMASTER


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THE LOFTBY GEORGEISHUNGRY


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MODERN HOUSE (FURNISHED) BY NASIFEJ


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quicktips

Here’s another quick tip - just because there isn’t CFE in The Sims 4 doesn’t mean you can’t split level!In The Sims 4 it’s easy to create split lev-els (on the ground floor). Here’s our quick guide to making split level houses!

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Step 1 Build a room. It can be any shape; as long as it’s on foundations.

Step 2 Within that room, create another room. This will be the lower down part of your room.


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Step 3 Using the sledgehammer tool, delete the floor inside the room you just built.

Step 4 Now you can delete the rooms surrounding it! Don’t forget to add stairs, of course.

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Discuss

Welcome to SimNation Discuss, the new community home for SimNation and SMagazine!

On SimNation Discuss, you can join fellow Simmers and share your creations, chat Sim, SimCity, Cities Skylines and a lot more. It’s free to sign up, too!

To sign up go to

discuss.simnation.tv


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Photo by DutchSimsMaster


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oneyear...

As we celebrate the one year anni-versary of SMagazine, our editor George B takes a look back at the crazy year it’s been, who’s made all this happen and some of the very best moments of this whole crazy experience.

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It all began...It all began on October 16, 2013 when the very first issue of SMagazine was uploaded. Looking back now it’s an absolutely shoddy excuse for an issue of SMagazine but it did just fine for me then!


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Then it took off!The Christmas 2013 issue of SMagazine was the first issue that really took off. To this date the issue has gotten over 3,000 views!

DECEMBER 2013

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A lick of paint...With Issue 3 came the new look for SMag-azine. The new diamond logo and the re-launched website are still in use today (at least, for now!)

JANUARY 2014


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Recognition!On the very same day we released Issue 4, The Sims official twitter noticed us - they gave us a follow! Issue 4 was also the debut of the now regular feature Ask Dan!

FEBRUARY 2014

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APRIL 2014

Team-buildingWith Issue 5 also came the debut of our first team member Zeeanna. She was in charge of the Sims 2 vs Sims 3 feature in each issue! Unfortunately she’s been really busy lately so we’ve had to miss out her feature for a few issues.


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SEPTEMBER 2014

SimNationIssue 8 was the debut of our partnership with SimNation.tv. We’re still very happily partnered with SimNation and their forums SimNation Discuss, and we hope it’ll remain that way for years to come!

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NOW

1st birthday!And now we’re one, and this has been an amazing year. It wouldn’t be done without all of you, but some of you in particular...


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Thank you all for being so amazing and sup-portive of SMagazine. I honestly wouldn’t keep doing this if there wasn’t such a vocal and love-ly community like you’re all a part of, and I real-ly am thankful to EA for creating this amazing game that everyone can come together over.

You’re all so amazing, but there are some peo-ple in particular I’d like to thank...

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specialthanks

BuildItFilmItM

for being my first intervieweeBeyondSims

for being so supportive after Issue 1 and being interviewed in Issue 2Rachybop

for being interviewed in Issue 2TheSimSupply

for creating so many astounding houses (which are featured in almost every issue) and being interviewed in Issue 3Zerbu

for being interviewed in Issue 4Curtis Paradis

for being interviewed in Issue 5Deligracy

for being super friendly and being featured in

Issue 6!DutchSimsMaster

for being interviewed in Issue 7CaithlinSims

for being super patient whilst she was busy (and I was pestering her) and being inter-viewed in Issue 8!The team

for being so amazing, every single issueSimNation

for giving me the amazing opportunity of part-nering SMagazine with SimNationSimGuruSarah

for taking part in this issue!SimGuruZera

for being a godsend sorting out the interview - so much red tape to get through!


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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

SARAHHOLDING

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“Hi everyone! I am Sarah Holding and I’m a Producer on The Sims 4. I’ve been with Maxis for 9 years and I’ve worked on games for The Sims 2, The Sims 3, and My-Sims. I love cats, coffee, and chocolate. I’m a big fan of SMagazine. I’ve been reading since the first issue!”


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The giant plumbob light in the EA lobby also lets you know you’re in the realm of The Sims. Image credit: @SimGuruRachel

What does your job involve at The Sims Studio?

I’m a producer and we do a little bit of everything!

What’s your favourite - and least favourite - part of your job?

My favourite part would be that I get to “wear a lot of hats.” Every day as a Sims Producer is different! We give design feedback, we write text, we test, we play, we help coordinate all the disciplines (Animation, Engineering, Modeling, etc…) that are needed to bring a feature to life, we run meetings, we organize late night ice cream runs… the hardest part of being a Producer is scoping features. That’s when we look at a feature and we look at how much time it will take to implement everything, and then we look at how much time we actually have. It’s a tough, but necessary part of the game development process.

What has been your favourite project to work on?

The Sims 2 Open For Business! I was in QA, so I was pretty much testing/playing the game all day every day. OFB is so much fun and there are infinite ways to play with the systems. I love running bakeries and retail stores. I once built a store that sold nothing but Sir Bricks-a-Lots : )

What’s your favourite thing about The Sims?

I love creativity through storytelling. I love playing with my Sims and telling their stories through gameplay. I like to create a structured story in my head, and then let the randomness of non-controllable Sims take hold and take

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Did you know that there’s a mural with the logo of every Sims game on the wall at The Sims Studio? Image credit: @SimGuruLyndsay

The giant plumbob light in the EA lobby also lets you know you’re in the realm of The Sims. Image credit: @SimGuruRachel

“My favourite part would be that we get to ‘wear a lot of hats’. Every day as a Sims producer is different!


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The studio is covered with The Sims artwork. Image credit: @SimGuruSarah

A massive thank you to SimGuruSarah for tak-ing part in this interview, and also a thank you to SimGuruZera for sorting out the more honorous parts of the whole interview (a lot of red tape to get through and not much time to get through it!).

“My best memories all involve my coworkers. Once, there were only a few of us in the office, so we turned the computer speakers up really loud and we sang along to the musical Rent whilst we worked!”

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my story in interesting directions. My Sims lead very dramatic lives!

In terms of Build Mode, what’s your favourite thing?

I love landscaping gardens! Hedges, fences, lots of flowers, winding garden paths, fountains…I love to take a really big lot and build a tiny house with a massive garden.

When did you first play The Sims?

I discovered The Sims (the first one) on the PS2. I was quickly addicted and within a week abandoned my console game so I could play the PC version with the expansion packs.

Do you have any tips for aspiring game designers?

Get involved in creative pursuits! If your school has a club that makes games or films or anything creative get involved and get that creative team experience. Also, learn some basic code. Game design isn’t all coming up with awesome ideas – a lot of it is implementing those ideas, and understanding how your game engine works. Having even a rudimentary background in engineering is very beneficial.

What’s the best memory you have of The Sims Studio?

My best memories all involve my coworkers. One of my favorite memories is coming in on a Saturday during The Sims 3 Pets development. There were only a few of us in the office, so we turned up the computer speakers really loud and we sang along to the Broadway musical Rent while we worked. •

The studio is covered with The Sims artwork. Image credit: @SimGuruSarah

Be sure to double-check you’re following Sarah on Twitter

@SimGuruSarah


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Important informationEDITOR GEORGE BISHOP

THE TEAM

Content curation GeorgeLot specialist AlexLot specialist WillInterior specialist TomWriter ZeeannaDistribution GeorgeMedia & Marketing GeorgeWeb Writer Raquel

JOIN US

If you’re interested in joining the SMagazine team, then send the editor an [email protected]

COPYRIGHT

SMagazine is not endorsed or funded by Electronic Arts, or it’s licensors, in any way. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Creations featured in this magazine are all available for free and we do not gain anything by sharing any lots. The lots shared in this publication are not used for commercial gain by SMagazine, or the creator of the lot.

All creations inside this issue are shared with the belief that the original creator would not object to the sharing of their creation. If you are a creator and you do not wish for us to share your creations, please tell the editor via email.


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Contact informationEMAIL THE [email protected]

@smagazineofcl


pintrest.com/smagazineofcl

SMagazine

SGaming


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Keep drawing blanks?The new look SMagazine website is full of real life inspiration for your next creation.


SMagazine Issue 9

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Transcript of SMagazine Issue 9