Hello again

Hello everybody, let me start this post with my sincere apologies for all the years that I wasn't active here and all of those who were disappointed to find only dead download links.

I finally found my way back to The Sims 3 and also to this blog, just to see that there are still people commenting and looking for my creations. This is one of the reasons for this post here, as I was never happy with the way this whole project just died - I never finished working on the world, lost interest and the rest is history.

Recently, I discovered a custom world for The Sims 3 called Boroughsburg, which many of you may be familiar with. The world is a dream come true for me, as it finally gives us an atmospheric and yet playable version of NYC, having achieved many things that I could not do in the days I was still working on my own world. Fake traffic, a dense atmosphere like one would expect from a city like New York, even working subway trains, just to name some amazing details.

Still, there may be some interest in using some of the creations I made for my version of New York, namely a huge amount of deco buildings. Some of you may even be interested in trying the world itself and see what it could have been if it would have been completed. I feel sorry that I abandoned this project and also this blog, both of which I invested a lot of my time back in those days when The Sims 3 was still popular. Yet, as many are disappointed with its successor lacking an open world, there may be some reason to stick with it and give it another try. If you plan to do so, please give Boroughsburg a visit. And if you want, I will soon publish my deco-building creations here for download, hopefully not to be taken offline again.

I would also share the CAW files of the Big Apple world if somebody is interested in it. Maybe there could be some future for the world, in a different approach, like the one the creator of Boroughsburg took. A small playable area of Manhattan maybe, with a beautiful atmospheric scenery around? And of course, provide a new download link for those who want to try it out in the game - yet knowing that it is far from complete.

I wish you all the best!

Horus

Updated Download Link

Hello all,

a new link for you to download the world:

https://mega.nz/file/FQh0yAgQ#zV6buOmfKH5w0LXUC0se6UuQYgSG32lsp_3w6dCYJWI

New Download links

Hello all,

I am glad that still so many people play this game and enjoy my world. I know that it has been ages since the last update and to be honest, I don't have time to update the world anymore. But I keep checking here regularly.

Here are new links to download the second Beta:

http://www.mediafire.com/file/x5rfiflh85mpn8p/Sims+3+Big+Apple_Second+Beta.zip

Best Regards
Horus

Sims 3 Big Apple Second Beta released!

After many month of continuous work I think that it is now time to release a second beta version of the Big Apple. Doing so, I want to express my deepest respect for everybody, who has followed this project from its beginning until now. The first beta has over 17.000 downloads so far. That number blows me over every time I check my MediaFire account.

You have proven as real loyal followers and I sincerely hope to be able to give something back to you with this second version of New York City for the Sims 3.

So, here is the download link: 
http://www.mediafire.com/download/x5rfiflh85mpn8p/Sims_3_Big_Apple_Second_Beta.zip

I know that I promised to release a second version months ago, but it just didn't feel right to do so at that point of time. There are still so many things that I need to change and add to the city, but it is now time to share my current results with all of you. Please enjoy this project as much as I do!
I would be glad for any kind of feedback from your side, as I have by no means stopped working on the city. There are still quite a lot of bugs and there is so much empty space to be filled. New buildings are already under construction and I hope that I will be able to do some landscaping before the next version should be released. Hopefully, this will not take as long as it did this time.

Have a good day and enjoy discovering the changes!

Yours

Horus

A sign of life

Hello all,

it has been a while since my last update here. I hope you don't mind and still keep playing the Sims 3 though the fourth generation came out in the meantime.

I haven't been lazy during the last month and I keep working on the project, just to make sure that it is by no means stopped.

The reason why there hasn't been a second beta yet is related to issues with routing and playability, which I want to get rid of before sharing the world with you. I know that the first beta came with some serious problems and I was very happy ro recieve a lot of feedback on what to improve. I am doing my best to fix the bugs and improve playability. For example the prices for housing were not the best. There are few starting lots and the prices for most of the lots doesn't feel very realistic. I will fix this! Just give me a little bit more time!

Here are some examples of what I have done during the last months:


This is a nice penthouse in the heart of Downtown. It has three floors, a big pool inside and a magnificent view. Of course it is the most expansive place to live in the city.

I am also confident with the progress I made concerning nightlights. The city doesn't look that dark at night anymore. Still, there is a lot of work to be done here.

I also made some adjustments to Financial District. I always wanted to have the New York Stock Exchange there and I finally realised my plans. Now it is more realistic than before and I hope you like it, too.

As you can guess from the picture, I have updated my game with the Island Paradise EP. This was a necessary step to start building Pier 17, which you can see here. The sailing vessels are still missing, but I will add them in the near future. It is really awesome to go on a boat trip around the city from here!

At the end of the post some shoots, which I hope will help you to keep on waiting a bit more for the next release ;)

Have a good time!

 Horus

Urban sound emitters

Hello to all you patient followers out there,

I know that updates here are rare. Just take it as a sign of me being busy working on the city.
I will do my best to bring you a second beta until the end of this summer. Promiss!

This update is all about sounds. You will agree that the right background sound is very important to create a realistic urban atmosphere. I finally managed to get my urban sound emitters working. Technically speaking, they are copies of EA's late night building shells, so they play a variety of urban sounds within a certain range. Placing one of them on every corner results in a dense urban sound atmosphere throughout the city. The best thing is that they are invisible in game :)

In CAW hoewever, they look like a small american flag to make placing them easier. If one of you is interested in using them for your own worlds, contact me.

Theoretically, the sound files played by them can be changed to any sound you like using s3pe and some other tools. I have tested some real sounds from NY, but it's hard to find good sounds, so I will stick to the default ones by now.

EDIT: Ok here is the video. The sounds are actually part of the game, not added afterwards. Now there's only the traffic missing at Times Square, butI don't think I can do anything about that... enjoy anyway :)

I will upload a video, once I find the time to record it, to show you how the sound atmosphere is in game.

Take care until next time and keep looking forward to beta number 2!

Horus

Time for some updates...finally!

I know, it has been ages since the last time I posted some updates here. This is mainly because the things I am doing right now are not very suitable for a lot of nice screenshots.

Placing streetlights is a good example for that kind of work. It takes like forever, but you won't see a big difference, until the night comes and a hundred spots of light appear in the city. That really adds to the atmosphere!

However, I haven't just spent my time placing streetlights. Here are some screenshots from Randalls and Wards Islands, which I am currently working on. You will find a lot of public sporting areas there, but also the wastewater treatment plant. Nice combination, isn't it?

I hope you like what I am coming up with and you still don't lose interest in this project!

Regards
Horus