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CAW Tutorial

76 comments:

  1. Anonymous2 May 2012 at 14:33

    Thank you so much! This has really helped a lot.

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    1. krrank2 May 2012 at 21:14

      You are very welcome. :D

      Delete
    2. Unknown11 February 2013 at 07:43

      omg this is awesome its hard to find a tutorial so simplyfied with pictures too !

      awesome job

      Delete
    3. krrank11 February 2013 at 20:05

      HI Rach,
      Thanks for using my blog, you are very welcome. I'm glad you find it helpful. :)

      Delete
  2. Fábio12 May 2012 at 02:30

    These tutorials are awesome!!! Nice work, very well written, in a simple but very complete explanation. Unfortunately my native language is portuguese, and the UI of the CAW in pt-br is notably different and some tools have very divergent names =(

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    1. krrank12 May 2012 at 14:47

      Thank you! :D. With this in mind I'll try to add images of the tools I use as I hope these are the same on all UI.

      Delete
  3. auntielynds15 June 2012 at 00:18

    Why have you not given me a heads up in the Caw FAQ (assuming you know about it :)) about your great blog?!? You made me stumble over it at CS3, LOL. Well, I'm going to get a cup of coffee a start reading your tuts. What I've seen so far are fantastic. Nice job :)

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  4. auntielynds15 June 2012 at 00:24

    Okay, I listed you under "Beginners Caw Tutorials & WalkThroughs" in the FAQ on the EA Caw forum here........... http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/278761.page

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    1. krrank15 June 2012 at 09:35

      Thank you auntielynds. I figured it would be best for readers to decide if the tutorials are good enough to share in the forums. So I really appreciate you listing my blog.

      Delete
  5. Juno195917 June 2012 at 21:45

    I'd appreciate a small tutorial for camera movement. Such as Camera Pitch, I've not been able to find a concise explanation that truly helps on the net YET, and discovering these things by experimentation can be pretty...frustrating in the least. I used the tool before and thought there were pitch keys but cannot figure out what they are after not using it for ages... I know about <>, the arrow keys and the zoom/height keys but...what about rotating the cam to look straight DOWN?

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    1. Unknown14 February 2013 at 08:13

      to look straight down is 8 looks to the sky and 2 looks down at the ground
      (tip-use the numpad on your keyboard)

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    2. krrank14 February 2013 at 09:19

      Rach thanks for your input, I have been remiss in updating the blog with new lessons. Much appreciation. :)

      Delete
  6. Ben18 June 2012 at 07:42

    Thank you SO much for this BLOG! I have been trying, unsuccessfully to build my own world that will hold all of the expansions. I really think you explain everything well and I am going to try again. Take care!

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  7. krrank18 June 2012 at 19:47

    Hi Ben/ Juno. thanks and I'm glad you're reading. Well I'll try to put up something about the camera movement as soon as I can. Keep on trying. Just remember it's just for fun.

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  8. Anonymous1 July 2012 at 08:07

    Just started tooling around in CAW today, and got to say your tutorials are outstanding. Some I found were a bit too.... 'wordy' or hard to follow, but these are perfect.

    Now if only the population aspect tutorials were this easy.

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  9. DeLouche6 July 2012 at 15:02

    Well this is fantastic, and exactly what I was looking for. I've been doing my planning (sketching road maps, working out how many lots I need, even building some of them so that they're ready, etc), I've downloaded the CAW tool, I've read the walkthrough... and I've been slightly scared off by how complicated and technical it seemed. I'm not a technophobe or anything, but I'm also not very confident in my computer abilities. Thanks for demystifying things, this seems very clear and helpful.

    I think I'll build a little testing world to play around with before starting my masterpiece - this was the plan anyway, it's always easier to learn by doing.

    Thanks again for all the time you've put into this, I'll definitely be bookmarking.

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    1. krrank8 July 2012 at 22:28

      I presume you're the same DeLouche from Carl & Pam's forum? Welcome! You sound like you're off to a good start. It can get frustrating sometimes, so remember to always take a break. Have fun!

      Delete
  10. Livvielove9 August 2012 at 03:13

    Oh, this is so helpful! I had just been wanting to start a world again... but every single time I always got confused or frustrated. I am now on my way to successfully creating a world (happy dance) and it's all because of your amazing blog!

    Might I ask for a request? I'm really confused on a few things, like exactly *what* the additional value on a lot would be? Say, if I wanted to make a legacy lot, what do I type in to make the value the right one for a Legacy? The other thing I would like to know is how to smoothly place in effects, my world either looks too sparse or too spammed (especially the waves...) Some tips on that would be lovely, but I don't want to spam you with questions, this is just such an amazing thing to feel so close to getting a world completed. You deserve a Nobel Sims Prize! :D

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  11. krrank13 August 2012 at 17:59

    Hi Aradyn, sorry for the late reply. So let's see.
    Additional Lot Values - depending on the size of lot, each lot has a default value. e.g 20x20 lot is $800. So if you type in '50' as your additional value, it becomes $850. So it is just basic addition.

    On the other hand, if you want lower the price of the lot, you type in a negative value like '-50' and $800 becomes $750.

    There are no rules for effects, put as much as you need. But you don't need to use all of them. Just load and test the world for about 3 sims days. It will give you enough time to see how your spawners turn out, and then you can delete the extras. If it looks like you got too many waves, just delete some.

    And thank you so much! I'm glad you like the lessons. Don't hesitate to ask more questions. It's never a bother.:)

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  12. Ashley17 August 2012 at 22:18

    Hello!
    Your tutorials are so wonderful and they helped me successfully complete work on my very first world so I thank you so much for that!!
    I have another question though, or maybe a request rather.
    Do you think you could guide us on how you make such wonderful plateaus as we see on your site banner? I would love to have my sims living on different levels of the land for my new world but I'm unsure how to go about this!
    If its too much to ask I completely understand and don't worry about it!
    So, thank you again for all the wonderful advice! :D

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    1. krrank20 August 2012 at 12:50

      Hi Ashley.
      You're welcome. Yeah I can do a simple tutorial on how to make a layered world. It's not problem.

      Delete
  13. Anonymous20 August 2012 at 21:05

    hi, I've been trying to use CAW for like forever it seems like and I always had the feeling I was too stupid to use it or CAW just HATED me but now since seeing how to work it I might be able to start my 1st Sims 3 world named Starlight Valley. I'm going to keep your website open while I TRY to turn Starlight Valley into a REAL Sims 3 world. I just hope I can do it without wanting to throw CAW out the window and into Lake Michigan.... I also want Starlight Valley to have the same feel as my home state of Michigan can it be done?

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    1. krrank21 August 2012 at 08:16

      Hi Dana,
      Yes, with a little imagination and a lot of ingenuity, it can be done. Now the question is, Do you want your world to Look like Michigan, OR do you just want the same type of environment. Whichever way, start with a map of Michigan like this one http://www.michigan-map.org/michigan-road-map.gif. Then create your own version of it on paper. Just copy the interesting elements you want. You can also get pictures of landmarks and parks, etc that you might want to duplicate. Also the would help you plan your streets and street names. No, you don't have to copy everything, just the major highlights.

      I hope this helps. But since you are a newbie, I would advice you do something small first, just to give you some practice, before you work on your big project.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous24 August 2012 at 21:06

      thanks krrank *epic huggles* that is for trying to help me I did try CAW all nignt and I said the hell with it I can't do it I tried with something small and it wasn't working for me at all so I'm just using a blank user created world that Magic_Dancer did its Sunset Valley 2 due to all of the HARD work was already done for me I know its a cheat way to do it but it looks good alot of hard work on adding the buildings to it to get it perfect *more epic huggles* for trying to help me thanks!!! love ya a ton!!!

      Delete
  14. Anonymous24 September 2012 at 01:31

    Thank you so much for the tutorials! They are very helpful
    Can you make next about sculpting beaches?

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  15. krrank13 November 2012 at 15:49

    Hi Anonymous, sorry I have been AWOL for a bit. That's a great suggestion. I would be happy to work out something. Thank you!

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  16. Anonymous1 January 2013 at 15:14

    Hey great tutorials but how do you add sims to your world (Including NPCs)

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    1. krrank14 February 2013 at 09:18

      HI,
      Well, CAW does not provide for adding sims into the world. The simplest way is to load a new game, put in all your families, the game will automatically load up more sims to populate the town.

      Delete
  17. Unknown14 February 2013 at 08:10

    here is a world i am working on using your tutorial
    http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/0/645455.page#10271516

    your tutorial helped me sooo much im definatley sharing this tutorial

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    1. krrank14 February 2013 at 09:20

      I just had a look, you are doing so well! what do you need me for? lol. It's very nice, can't wait to see the whole thing.

      Delete
    2. Unknown15 February 2013 at 01:48

      my world would not look the way it does without YOUR tutorial <3

      Delete
  18. Unknown24 February 2013 at 03:14

    Wow. This tutorial really convinced me to make my own custom world. Thank you! I love this! I'm downloading this now and hope to get started. I hope it works!

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  19. Unknown24 February 2013 at 03:51

    What a pity. :( It downloaded but it didn't work. It says your currently installed version of the game in not compatible with Create A World.

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    1. krrank24 February 2013 at 12:43

      Hi TreQuan,
      Just update your game to Patch 1.50 and download the newest copy of CAW which is 1.19.... Since you have already downloaded CAW, I think patching up your game will solve the problem

      Delete
  20. Unknown25 February 2013 at 02:25

    Ok. I'll try that. Hopefully it'll work. And thanks!

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  21. Aili P22 April 2013 at 02:05

    I cannot express how thankful I am you put this together! I've been afraid to try building my own world - too overwhelmed by the UI of CAW perhaps - but this tutorial has given me the courage to try, and with such clearly stated steps! I'll be bookmarking this for quick consultation, and will no doubt be back regularly.
    Thank you so much!!

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    1. krrank22 April 2013 at 19:32

      Hi Aili P, thanks for visiting and you are most welcome. I'm glad you have decided to try CAW out, it can be challenging, but making your own world is definitely very rewarding.

      Delete
  22. full_eclipse11 June 2013 at 23:27

    This is awesome! Thank you very much for the time and effort you put into this tutorial.

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    1. krrank17 June 2013 at 14:11

      Hi there,
      Thank you for using this blog and your welcome. I appreciate the great feedback.

      Delete
  23. Anonymous26 August 2013 at 01:28

    This is the best CAW tutorial out there, and has really helped me in creating my world. Unlike other tutorials, it really explain's everything, and helps me create a world that is actually good.

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    1. krrank30 August 2013 at 10:10

      Hi, I am truly honored that you think so. It was my aim when I started this blog to make things as easy and as detailed as I could. Than k you for your patronnage

      Delete
  24. Unknown29 November 2013 at 23:19

    I just have to stop by and say how thankful I am for your tutorial! I managed to make mountains on my own, but was absolutely stumped by roads, trees, lots, TERRAIN PAINT (!), layers... well pretty much everything else. I've always wanted to make my own world for my Sims but just assumed it was way above my computer skill level. Hopefully once my world is close to finished, I can post it somewhere and let you see what an awesome teacher you are!

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    1. krrank3 December 2013 at 13:14

      Hello Claudia, Thanks for your heart warming message. I'm truly pleased that you have found my little blog useful. I have unfortunately not been able to update for a long while, so I'm very happy to know that what I have put up is still useful to others. Thanks once again.

      Delete
  25. Anonymous6 June 2014 at 15:30

    dont know how much time I spent in front on this stubborn tool..pulling my hairs and so on loool...and finally I found this tut..clear..very well explained !! in one word Fabulous!! I will give a new try on CAW for sure :) Thanks alot for this great tut ;)

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    1. krrank2 July 2014 at 09:13

      You are very welcome. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment. Glad you find the lessons useful. Do have fun.

      Delete
  26. Anonymous29 June 2014 at 19:47

    First and foremost, I wanted to say thank you for putting all of these tutorials up here. It's incredible to find so complete, helpful, and entirely read-able a compilation of related tutorials for such a confusing and frustrating tool. I've been lurking around your site for the past several months, even though I only got Sims 3 and CAW a month ago. My sister has had Sims 3 for years now and I always play with her when we visit each other. She's been complaining for a while about the lack of worlds she has (she's too nervous about downloading stuff off of the internet, no matter if someone has tested it before or not; so even if I enjoy others' CC, she'll only use the official Sims content, however expensive it totals up). So, I decided I wanted to make her a world for her birthday (it's in less than 13 days now) and when she bought me an incredibly cheap CD of the sims, I started right away, opening your tutorials up and making Amy Isle. Your tutorials have been a great help, and now I have a working, if amateur-looking island to give my sister, only missing actual families to interract with. I won't share that one, sadly, because it's personal to the two of us, though I did want to share the story with you because you've helped so much.

    A world I'm working on that I do want to share, however, is something I started when I discovered height maps. I love making black and white art, and so I decided to make the basic shape of the island before I went in to make details - just as an experiment, really - when I noticed one of the shapes I made looked vaguely like a rose. So I was all, I'll draw roses all over and I'll make a rose world where the sun sets on a rose mountain range. My only problem is, I now have almost no clue what to do with the rest of the world. I know I want to make an emphasis on nature through lots of parks and sidewalk climbing paths around the world, but I don't know what to do with the rest of the world, other than make a flat plain that would ultimately be kind of boring. I originally intended to make the world a medium-sized world for lots of open space, but the roses will end up taking up maybe half of the world, which squishes most of the actual room for lots so they can't be as spaced out. I was wondering if you have any ideas on what I could do to make blank space more interesting for a fantasy-ish, lush, nature-intense world? Do you think I need to expand to a large-size world to make it roomy? I'm fine with making random islands or putting routing markers to mark off all the extra space (because twice the room would be nice, but four times is a bit much), but do you think that will cause a lot of lag?

    Once again, thank you so much for putting these up, they've gone into the most hands-on, fun project I've done so far in my life, and a fun surprise to give my sister. Even if you can't think of anything for the world I'm working on, know that I'm grateful for this whole tutorial set.

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    1. krrank2 July 2014 at 09:25

      Dear Naitte,
      First of all thank you for your heart-warming thanks, I really do appreciate it. I hope you sister also appreciates the time and trouble you took to make her her very own world too.

      Concerning the Rose world you are working on. If you are aiming for nature and fantasy, you will need something bigger, I tend to prefer Large Maps for such. Also the "rose" shapes, will they be sculpting into the terrain, or are you planning on placing a million rose bushes? Many trees and plants in a world may cause a little lag, but it depends on what your computer can handle.

      I suggest you fill up the space with rolling hills, little brooks/creeks/rivers, and interesting places for your sims to visit. Think, nature park. If you make use of some of the fantasy trees that are available, that too could make things look interesting.

      I am partial to worlds with hilly terrain, as it adds texture without requiring too much decor. But first of all make a rough sketch...it will really help give you a picture in mind to work on, or look to a real life environment for inspiration.

      Hope these tidbits help a little. You can also send me a picture and I'll give my input.

      Delete
  27. Braquant4 July 2014 at 14:51

    Krrank, u are my HERO!! Thank you for this tutorial, it helps "greenies" like me sooo much!! In one word "INCREDIBLE"!!!

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    1. krrank12 July 2014 at 14:09

      Hi Branquant,
      LOL. Thank you for your support! I too am glad that you find the lessons Incredible! Means a lot to me. You are very welcome.

      Delete
  28. Unknown31 October 2014 at 08:37

    good work,
    The sims 3 game keeps crashing

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    1. krrank7 November 2014 at 17:52

      HI, sorry I don't troubleshoot game errors, only questions pertaining to how to use CAW tool. I would suggest you try sites like modthesims.info or the the sims 3 forum or Carls sims websites. Thanks.

      Delete
  29. Anonymous9 November 2014 at 03:01

    I really wanted to say thank you so much for such a wonderfully well written tutorial. I have been searching for a tutorial like this for 4 years while trying to figure CAW out. I have needed something that explains things well enough that even a newbie like myself can understand it and figure it out. I just feel bad that it took me so long to find this.

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    1. krrank26 November 2014 at 10:23

      hi! Welcome to my blog! I'm glad it has been so useful to you. I myself am no expert, but I do love to explain things. Glad I wrote them down. lol.

      Delete
  30. Unknown12 March 2015 at 03:27

    Thank you so much for all your work and help!!! I love the building part of the base game and thought it would be a snitch. I was soooo wrong. You have made it seem doable now. Wish me luck!

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    1. krrank12 March 2015 at 08:15

      Hi Eve,
      Yes, good luck on the Sims CAW experience! I'm happy I've made it more accessible for you. Cheerio

      Delete
  31. Anonymous19 May 2015 at 15:33

    These are wonderful tutorials! I've been wanting to create a world for such a long time and I have attempted to start one many times only to fail miserably. Wish I'd discovered your site sooner. I will make another attempt following your wonderful tips.

    Thank you!

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    1. krrank22 June 2015 at 11:12

      Hi there, and welcome to the blog. I'm glad you find it useful and hope you make great worlds with it. Thanks for coming!

      Delete
  32. Blonde Browncoat22 August 2015 at 19:45

    Oh my gosh, this tutorial is the bomb! I've been trying to CAW for ages and always goofed up silly stuff. Thank you so much for the detail and leaving this up for late bloomers!!!

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    1. krrank24 August 2015 at 20:36

      Hey Blonde, Thanks for visiting and be sure to ask any questions if you have any. Happy CAWing !

      Delete
  33. hedgekat23 October 2015 at 19:41

    I am so glad I found your tutorials. Your one tip to Delete and Undo lots has saved me a countless amount of time. And that is only one. I am working on my very first world which is only an expansion of Sunset Valley. I use your tutorials every day. Cannot imagine what I would have been doing if I hadn't found them. Given up, most likely. Thank you so very much for posting these. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

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    1. krrank16 November 2015 at 14:07

      heloooo....Everyday? am so honored that the tutorials have been that helpful to you. Thanks so much for your patronage!

      Delete
  34. Anonymous8 November 2015 at 04:45

    This is magical! I'm using create a world to build a town for a story idea I have, just to see it visually, and this tutorial is so easy to follow I now don't feel like a total confused idiot.

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    1. krrank16 November 2015 at 14:09

      hi there. Easy to follow is exactly what i set out to do when i made this blog, and i'm so happy i achieved that. Good luck with your story and world!

      Delete
  35. Anonymous29 September 2016 at 22:25

    Hey, I've tried the numlock thing, but my 2 isn't working and now I'm stuck staring at the sky. HELP

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    1. krrank14 October 2016 at 10:26

      hello,
      sorry for the late reply. I'm sure you have sorted out the issue by now without my help, but just for the record, you can use W,S or + -, or the direction arrows to navigate the camera

      Delete
  36. Unknown9 December 2016 at 11:38

    I know, The Sims 3 might be not produce EP or SP anymore. It was seven years ago when CAW released, i'm not a new simmer, i played The Sims since 2009 but CAW doesn't make any sense for me, now in my teen age, CAW really interest me.I search many blogs for CAW tutorial but nothing, they're so difficult to understand.

    Then, i found you! Thanks a lot! I will never build my world without your easy to follow tutorial, once again thank you krrank! :D

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    1. krrank12 December 2016 at 19:15

      Hello Abdilah. That's wonderful! I am so pleased that my blog has helped you so much and has made CAW easy to use. It's exactly the whole purpose of this blog. Even though I don't play sims 3 any longer, I keep this blog online because I know there are still many that find it useful. Happy CAWing.

      Delete
  37. Neni5 January 2017 at 15:41

    Hello! I'm having some troubles with exporting the world I created.. The program says it's been exported correctly, but it doesn't save in package extension (it's just *.word and*.settings)
    Am i doing something wrong?

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    1. krrank14 July 2017 at 08:42

      hello Neni, I am completely off the grid this year and I sincerely apologise. I'm pretty sure you have resolved the issue by now, but for the sake of any others that run into the same problem, here is a solution from modthesims... http://modthesims.info/t/487832

      Delete
  38. Willowsblood14 September 2017 at 06:23

    Thank you very much for your tutorials. You explain how to do everything and include pictures of the processes. I have always wanted to make my own world and you made it possible. I had many creative ideas but I never started them because CAW was so overwhelming. Now that I have the hang of it I am hooked. Thank you again for helping all of us :)

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    1. krrank27 September 2017 at 23:41

      Hallo Willowsblood, thank you for making use of this blog, you are welcome!

      Delete
  39. LanaBananaFan18 November 2017 at 17:12

    I love this blog, I just have one question, In some worlds there's the option to put water in different levels like some of the official worlds, do you have any idea how to do it?

    ReplyDelete
  40. krrank28 November 2017 at 09:21

    Hi Lana,
    Sorry for the late reply, busy month. Do you mean like this pic below?
    http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x5-kwEt4SL0/T9jNQXSd2fI/AAAAAAAAA4Y/nMI96rAvkc0/s640/Screenshot-17+copy.jpg

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  41. pat14 March 2019 at 11:50

    Hello! Not sure if you are still here, but I found you! Am so excited that I did. Anyway, I've been building in Magic_Dancer's Red Desert world and have decided that I need to add some lots. And I know that EA broke their in-game world editing tool, so we can no longer add lots without screwing up the routing. So, I downloaded CAW - which I tried long ago and hate, hate, hated! - and Magic-Dancer's CAW files. And then I discovered you! Am so very happy I did. Now I can read this and maybe - just maybe - get CAW to work for me. Only want to add a road - or 2 - and some lots. And take out some of the trees and replace them with cactus. Nothing HUGE! So, thanks again. I think I love you!

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    1. krrank20 August 2019 at 21:39

      Hi Pat, very sorry for the late reply. So glad you have found this blog helpful. I haven't used CAW in ages, so it's nice to see people still having fun with it. Happy CAWing!

      Delete
  42. sjjad1107 September 2021 at 16:43

    Good information here. I really enjoy reading them every day. I've learned a lot from them.Private tutor Westport Thanks so much for sharing this information. Greatly help me being a newbie.

    ReplyDelete