It's finally fright month and whether you love it or hate it, you're sure to be bombarded with scary builds on your favorite social networks. Give one to the crowd and create your own terrifying haunted houses!
An article also to be found on SimmedUP magazine.
The Paranormal kit has brought with it the ability to create a real haunted house in The Sims 4. With this new type of spooky terrain, Sims can receive help from friendly ghosts like Guildry, or be haunted by other not-so-friendly entities.
Sure, you can simply change the type of land your current home has into a haunted residence, but where's the fun in that?
If you want to create the spookiest home possible this Halloween season, we have some tips that can help!
Before you start building
When you create a haunted house in The Sims 4, two things can help make it memorable...
Choose a scary place
Where you place your haunted house is just as important as the items in it. If you own the Vampires game pack, you might consider building a house in Forgotten Hollow. Forgotten Hollow's mist-covered landscape is the perfect setting for a haunted build, and the threat of evil vampires lurking in the shadows behind your front door, waiting for the opportunity to suck your blood, is even scarier.
Adding features of the field
The Haunted House terrain type is just one way to make your house spooky in The Sims 4. Terrain features can also help you create a house that sends Sims running for the hills.
You can choose traits that make life in your haunted residence even more difficult. The features below work well...
- Swarming Bugs: Pests have taken up residence.
- Cursed: Risk of fire, death by electrocution, stale food or a tense state of mind.
- Disgusting: The ground gets dirty very quickly
- Gremlins : Here, objects often break
- Repugnant: Risk of nausea when eating, drinking or using the bathroom
With these rules in mind, you're ready to start creating your spooky mansion... Don't be afraid to experiment with different objects, colors, and shapes to make this house as scary as possible.
Be inspired
Finding inspiration for your haunted house is a must. Browse sites like Pinterest, or do a Google search on haunted houses to get an idea of what you want to build. If you're the type of person who builds houses with blueprints, look for old Victorian house plans for inspiration.
It's not the size that counts
You don't have to create a mansion for your building to be scary. In fact, even a small house can be scary. If you are not experienced in building, start small. The key to creating a haunted house is to use the tools available to make it scary. The new pond tool used with dark water and some crocodiles is a great way to add a spooky feel to your garden.
Cracks, stains and other items found in Buy Mode can help you create a home that will have Sims running for the hills of Henford.
The color palette sets the tone
When you think of a haunted house, what colors come to mind? Haunted houses don't have to be dark and gloomy, a muted color palette is sufficient. Look around Forgotten Hollow, for example. Vlad's mansion is dark and gloomy and looks like it's hiding secrets within its walls. Mimic this look on your own house, and your Sims will be hiding under the covers in fear.
A compartmentalized floor is much scarier
Haunted houses tend to be old houses, usually of the Victorian era and style. These homes, although they may be modernized today, tend to have a "closed" floor plan, meaning lots of small rooms. Each area of the house is a separate space and the colors change throughout the house. A closed floor plan contributes to a scary house because you never know what is behind that wall...
Use debug mode to add grunge
The debugging catalog in The Sims 4 est un outil incroyable pour la construction de tout type de terrain. Vous pouvez accéder aux éléments du buydebug dans les Sims 4 en saisissant les triches suivantes dans votre console de triche (ouverte en appuyant sur ctrl + maj + c)
- bb.showhiddenobjects
- bb.showliveeditobjects
Vous pouvez ensuite accéder à tout un tas de nouveaux éléments en recherchant le terme « debug » dans la barre de recherche située en bas à gauche du mode Achat.
*Note: TwistedMexi has a fantastic mod that places debugging items directly into your normal catalog. The mod Better Build Buy takes a little getting used to, but once you get used to it, this mod makes life so much easier and the objects more accessible.
Use the normal catalog items and the debug menu to add some grunge to your haunted house. Cracks in the walls, stains on the floor, and creepy dolls sitting in the corner can help you create a terrifying environment for your Sims. Explore the debugging menu and find new items for your haunted house!
Fortunately, The Sims 4 construction mode makes creating a haunted house super-easy. Use all the tools at your disposal in the game to build a haunted house for Halloween.
Remember, the most important part of building a haunted house in The Sims... is having fun! After all, that's what Halloween is all about!
An article also to be found on SimmedUP magazine.
