So, I'm a little under the weather today so I thought I'd just share some 'wise' words on CAW since I am not up to putting a tutorial together.
I started out like 2 years ago, basically just out of curiosity.
The image above was just me teaching myself , with the help of the EA tutorials how to use CAW, and believe it or not, that was when the original Myst world popped into my head. I tried out all sorts of worlds, most never made it out of the sculpting stage though.
Here is my first real complete world, which I actually attempted to upload on modthesims.com at the time. It didn't make online, sadly ;) And yes, it was also called Myst. Funny thing is, I wasn't planning on making Myst again, but creativity has a mind of it's own (that's a good quote, huh) and finally it's here.
So all this seemingly aimless rambling is just my way of saying, don't be too hard on yourself if your world doesn't seem great. So I offer the following tips when you are feeling discouraged.
1. Just do it - This just means, plow through it. Have a finished version. Even if you are not ready to share. I have a complete playable version of Port Jones on my hard drive, even though I only shared a map only version.
2. If you do get up the courage to share - Just be happy with your efforts and don't take criticisms badly. Remember you can't please everyone and some people will actually love it. And some criticisms help you improve. I got this one comment on the Port Jones post and it said it is a world he loves and has played all year...shocking! I haven't even played it that long. It was one of the sweetest things I had ever read.
3. Be happy with your self and be confident. You made something out of nothing.. That is true creativity. It might only get downloaded by your bestfriend, but hey! so what?! At least it gets to played by someone who loves you.
4. Try and I know this is very hard., but try not to compare your world with the ones that get a million hits. You can learn from them if you like, but don't convince yourself that yours is horrible because it's not as popular. Thinking like that will just make you stop creating. My BFF asked me, when I started out this blog, Who is gonna read it??? and I told her, well...you are :D and I am, and at least I'll be documenting my efforts with CAW. Lord knows I talk to myself alot when designing, so why not write it out. But now, I actually have readers who are gaining something from this blog. Awesome, by the way
Finally, I do want to appreciate my readers and regulars ( you know who you are) or lurker, for the support and encouraging me to keep on keeping on...lol... as I hope I have encouraged you too.
<3<3<3
I started out like 2 years ago, basically just out of curiosity.
The image above was just me teaching myself , with the help of the EA tutorials how to use CAW, and believe it or not, that was when the original Myst world popped into my head. I tried out all sorts of worlds, most never made it out of the sculpting stage though.
Here is my first real complete world, which I actually attempted to upload on modthesims.com at the time. It didn't make online, sadly ;) And yes, it was also called Myst. Funny thing is, I wasn't planning on making Myst again, but creativity has a mind of it's own (that's a good quote, huh) and finally it's here.
So all this seemingly aimless rambling is just my way of saying, don't be too hard on yourself if your world doesn't seem great. So I offer the following tips when you are feeling discouraged.
1. Just do it - This just means, plow through it. Have a finished version. Even if you are not ready to share. I have a complete playable version of Port Jones on my hard drive, even though I only shared a map only version.
2. If you do get up the courage to share - Just be happy with your efforts and don't take criticisms badly. Remember you can't please everyone and some people will actually love it. And some criticisms help you improve. I got this one comment on the Port Jones post and it said it is a world he loves and has played all year...shocking! I haven't even played it that long. It was one of the sweetest things I had ever read.
3. Be happy with your self and be confident. You made something out of nothing.. That is true creativity. It might only get downloaded by your bestfriend, but hey! so what?! At least it gets to played by someone who loves you.
4. Try and I know this is very hard., but try not to compare your world with the ones that get a million hits. You can learn from them if you like, but don't convince yourself that yours is horrible because it's not as popular. Thinking like that will just make you stop creating. My BFF asked me, when I started out this blog, Who is gonna read it??? and I told her, well...you are :D and I am, and at least I'll be documenting my efforts with CAW. Lord knows I talk to myself alot when designing, so why not write it out. But now, I actually have readers who are gaining something from this blog. Awesome, by the way
Finally, I do want to appreciate my readers and regulars ( you know who you are) or lurker, for the support and encouraging me to keep on keeping on...lol... as I hope I have encouraged you too.
<3<3<3
Thank you for this post. It was really sweet, and I'm more encouraged for world building. At last I have time (since it's summer), and I've been pushing through it. And I'm a big lurker, I won't lie, lol, and I've been finding a lot of help and tips and inspiration, some of which has come from you. Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome. I'm guilty of lurking on forums too. Lol
DeleteVery beautiful. I like the hills and valleys :)
ReplyDeleteVisty you are always a pleasure.
DeleteI have literally just found your blog. I was searching for some routing help (kudos by the way it was amazing) there were tips on your blog that were not on any other I just read the whole tutorial bit. Thnx for your awesomeness!! ��:)
ReplyDeleteHey thanks and ur welcome. That's very sweet of u.
DeleteI've found your blog and tiptorials absolutely invaluable, so thank you for posting - this blog was the one that convinced me I could actually make a world, and I'm absolutely loving the whole process, so thanks!
ReplyDeleteThank you too. I can't wait to see what you are working on. That'll be nice.
DeleteThis is a lovely post, Krrank. You always say just the right thing to get me back in the world-building mood! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Ausette :). That's so sweet of you. I'm taking a little break. But I'll soon be back we new lessons.
DeleteCool! I'm looking forward to seeing those lessons, take all the time you need to write them. :)
DeleteI just found your blog, I was looking for a CAW tutorial from beginning and your blog is just great! I always found interesting the CAW tool, but I didn't know where to start, since it's a bit difficult when you don't know anything. Your blog helped me a lot, so thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteAnd your world is so beautiful!
P.s. forgive my bad English, it's not my mother-language xD
HI Akuiyumi, your English is just fine! Thanks for making use of the tutorials and feel free to contact me about anything! happy creating!
DeleteYour blog has made me want to start using CAW again - I found the program so overwhelming at first that I didn't even want to try. Over and over again I get halfway through a world then give up, but I feel now with your tutorials that I'm gonna manage to finish one that I love. Thank you for taking the time and effort to do these guides, they are really fantastic. -Yasmin
ReplyDeleteHello there Yasmin,
Deleteso sorry for the very late reply. it couldn't be helped. Thank you so much for using the blog and finding it useful, I really appreciate it. Good luck with your project.
Hello krrank,
ReplyDeleteI'm a CAW beginner who just started yesterday and I found your blog really helpful. Honestly, you help me get used to the tools quicker (silly me to think just the official tutorial is enough, I know, I'm sorry). Now I'm hooked on building my own world and I am grateful to you. :)
P.S. English isn't my first language but you write so neatly and make it easy to understand. Many thanks!
Ya, just know random people like me are STILL reading your awesome blog. I've been following your tutorials to the tee, and it's really gotten this working. So thank you for that!!
ReplyDeleteto Ai and Anonymous.
ReplyDeleteThanks for still using my tutorials even if I am not updating. I really appreciate it. If I ever get back to Sims 3, I'll definitely add some more stuff. But just the same, I do thank you for using the lessons and finding them helpful. That's a big plus.
Hi! I know this is LOONNGGG after you published your tutorial, but here in 2022, this really helped me. I'm a veteran simmer been playing since I'm 18 when Sims 1 came out. Recently, I really began to hate Sims 4 and missed my Sims 3, so I redownloaded and had no idea CAW even existed this whole time! I downloaded CAW two weeks ago and your tutorial was the only one that really helped me. So thank you for taking the time and I hope you are still Simming.
ReplyDeletelol. I think looooong is an understatement. So glad you found the tutorials helpful. I do miss Sims 3 sometimes too, but I'm not quite gaming as much these days. CAW was something I really enjoyed. Just have fun with it, that's what I did. Happy Simming!
DeleteJust wanted to send a thank you and let you know people like myself are still finding your tutorials helpful in 2024. I also needed to confidence boost. I've had to scrap my world multiple times and looking at how many beautiful worlds that keep coming out while I'm still struggling with getting mine to the finish line, it makes me wonder who would even want to play in mine. Would I even want to play in mine. Anyhow, I wanted to try for the confidence boost.
ReplyDeleteI meant to type thank you, not "try"
DeleteYou're welcome. Yeah, it is awesome that people still find this useful. I guess The Sims 3 hasn't completely died out. My little extra tip, just treat it like building a simple lot to live in. Less pressure that way.
Delete