Conquering clutter?

[Allesmere]

So I go through some of these pic threads and just . You guys are excellent at making rooms feel lived in.

So my thought is, how do you use clutter? I've never played with much clutter in my games, going for form over function, but seeing all these bootiful houses makes me want to pay more attention, so how do you all do it? Just place it where it falls, or is there a grand scheme to it all?

[Logan]

I put things on their right places, kitchen stuff to the kitchen, outdoor stuff outdoors, but if i sometimes have two of the same kind, i place the clutter based on the Sim personality.

[Lilymayrose]

Jenba is awesome at using clutter, and so is Lemonjelly - Jenba places oodles of it strategically, and Lemon tends to have the odd *stand out* piece.

Personally, I'm not overly fond of clutter for the sake of it. It takes a beautiful picture but I want to play my game, not fight with it Also, I don't have much in the way of cc - so I'm more or less limited to what the game offers, and sometimes it just ain't inspiring enough to bother

[ATS Sandy]

My use of clutter depends on my Sims personality, trait and job/hobbies.
If they're neat, not clutter. If they're slob, lots of clutter, and slob clutter (socks, half finished meals or glasses...). If there's kids, I'll use toys, a bit everywhere in the house, not only in the kids room, unless someone in the household dislikes children or is neat.
Artists will have painter's clutter, writers will have books, open books, pens... I tend to over-clutter, because it's my environment. You should see my desk right now...

[Deelightful]

I use clutter very sparingly. I hate when my sims start complaining that they can't use this, that or the other. And like Lily says, it makes for great pictures but playability for me comes first.

[ATS Sandy]

I have to say that my Sims never complain to not be able to access an object, but I always pay attention to keep the lot playable, even if heavily cluttered.

[Jenba]

I always thought I sucked at using clutter, so thank you for the compliment, Lily!

Playability is key for me, too, although I love clutter, so sometimes I get carried away. So I leave it for the "showcase" pics and then delete whatever gets in the way when I actually play. For example, cushions and blankets on beds -- they're lovely and add some realism (and make beds look less "naked"), but they look stupid when Sims start using the bed and their heads disappear under pillows and such. So once I actually start playing, I ditch 'em, or put them in a spare room. I figure that's what we do in real life anyway -- throw all of the extra cushions on the floor so we can find the pillows and go to sleep.

I think looking at inspiration pics on the web or in magazines can be super helpful. Even minimalist rooms usually have some kind of deco or personal items to make a space look lived-in -- maybe a special piece of art, a classy vase on a table, a pair of galoshes by the door. And don't forget things like window treatments and rugs. They may not be considered "clutter" but they can really finish off a room and make it look lived-in.

[KarinL]

(02-19-2012 10:11 AM)Deelightful Wrote:  I use clutter very sparingly. I hate when my sims start complaining that they can't use this, that or the other. And like Lily says, it makes for great pictures but playability for me comes first.

I normally use a LOT of clutter, and actually I never really thought about playability - except that maybe too much cc would make my game slow down.
I never have problems with my Sims not being able to go somewhere because there's clutter in the way...

I use clutter for realism. I've been playing vanilla SV, and I don't mis the umpteenth different bed, or the gazillion variations on a living room chair that you get with cc. I miss things like toothbrushes in the bathroom, kitchen utensils, slippers under the bed...

I think part of it has to do with the fact that I switch a lot. I really don't want every single family to have the same non-recolourable make-up case or the exact same plant... When I go around my SV now, I get the feeling that all pencils and magazines must be 'government issue' or something...

[ATS Sandy]

The Builder might have installed secret mikes in these pens, just to spy Sims' wishes...

[Allesmere]

Awesome advice guys....I just redid a house in my Cedar Canyon Crossing build (which will have it's own thread soon here), and I tried to pay more attention. It's kind of amazing how much it changes the feel of a house.


I just wish I could copy past your guys' CC folders sometimes. And of course I'm always too busy drooling to ask on your threads