How to make an Onsen

Don't get me wrong, I love the look of reica's onsens. But what if you want to do a group scene in like, a machinima or something and only four people per onsen just doesn't cut it? Well, my friend, SimTorial is here to help!

First off, make a pond. Depth doesn't really matter, but it shouldn't be too shallow.

Next, level out the bottom.

Then use the level tool thingy to reduce it to the size you want. Recommended minimum is 4x5, 3x4 if you are using two-tile seats.

Place your chairs (the sims must already be sitting on them). This will take a steady hand and a lot of patience. The benches should sort of be "perching on the edge" of the little pond.

Finally, add some plants and rocks and stuff to make it look realistic. Final result: This.

Well, have fun!

Change the background!

Hey y'all, it's me, SimTorials. Today I'm gonna show you how to change the background on the little family photo you get when you make a new family. Yours doesn't have to be as silly as mine, it can just be a solid color, but I thought I'd have a little fun with it.

Step 1: Select the picture you want to use as your background. For best results, make sure the dimensions are 600 x 450, otherwise it'll wind up stretched out or squashed.

Step 2: Move or copy the picture to the Storytelling folder in your EA Games folder.

Step 3: Delete the picture called "CAS_auto_bg"

Step 4: Rename your new background picture "CAS_auto_bg"



The result is something like this.



I thought this would be an interesting thing to do, seeing as maybe not everyone liked that old blue background or wanted a change. This will work with all photos. I'm not sure about formats- I'll have to test it some more. Or you could screw around with it. Just remember this will only apply to families you make after the next time you open the game. Later!
(And, yes, I am a Hetalia fan. Picture by khakipants12 on deviantart.)

SimTorial 1: Napping in some strange places...

Hey y'all, it's SimTorial! I'm here with my first tutorial for the site, but it's really more of a tip. I thought it was interesting that toddlers could appear to be sleeping on a sofa if you have an invisible crib recolor, so I thought I'd go through and make a list of all the things toddlers (and older sims) can appear to doze off on with an invisible crib or bed recolor.
Remember, of course, that nothing is exactly the same height, so toddlers may go through things or appear to float slightly, but you can't be too picky with these kinds of tricks.

Invisible crib:
Sofas
Coffee tables
Club Cube by Luminescent Projections
Above-ground hot tubs (if you're weird)
Piano benches (with snapobjects cheat)
The bottom shelf of a bar (if you're still weird)
Exercise machines (if you're really weird)


Invisible bed:
Coffins (while open, in a human sleeping position)
Back of The Smord P328
Backseat of The Yomoshoto Evasion (children only, with snapobjects cheat)
Boxy Lady Hedges (if you're still weird)

This list only includes Maxis objects, so if anyone knows a good custom one for this purpose, speak up in the comments!