Why is the terrain height changing when I add a basement?

[SimGuruNick · Accepted solution]

Sorry for the late reply @MapleSimmer , I think I understand the issue now, and I'm being told this is by design. This was an intentional change when we introduced terrain manip. The origin point (where you start drawing) will determine the height of the block below. See my attached video. When I start drawing the basement block inside of the existing block, it adjusts the terrain. If the origin point for my basement block is outside of the existing block then it doesn't adjust it. 

[alanmichael1]

Thank you for explaing this, I didn't know this before. I'm curious if this will change the no-zooming-into-basement bug.

[MapleSimmer]

@SimGuruNick  Thanks very much for the response.  That is very helpful to know and also means that as long as I start the basement from the outside I can then pull it in to meet the outline above and it still works and doesn't bring the terrain up, which is great (I was finally able to get a chance to try it out and fully understand it just now).

Thanks again and regards,
Jennifer

[AlyaSerpens]

This has been a problem on new builds since that terrain update.  If I make the basement bigger and then later pull the walls in to match the house the terrain still raises.  But if I make the basement the size of the full lot - one square in, then build the house and the basement to follow the walls of the house, I can then delete or move the outer walls in to where I want them and the terrain doesn't change.

[Jezziex86]

1. Also happening on the one with the active volcano can't remeber the name but because its smaller than the rest went to the edge of  map - 1 Square to line up with my building and raised all the ground for all my basement walls making it impossible to get into my house. 

[deannamorse2011]

Omg how did u delete the basement I’ve got 2 story basements and I want to delete them because the 1st sorry basement is making my stairs like really really really long like I'm going a million miles underground but my 2nd story is just fine... Do u know what it's making it do that?

[marianlarsen]

I only discovered this on the "Chateau Peak" lot. never had this issue before on other lots I've played on. The "even terrain" function doesn't fix this issue.

[mishelle719]

Just saw that this isn't a glitch and was done on purpose. My friend and I complain about it all the time, because it ruins builds that we worked so hard on. I'm a little disappointed it's not a glitch, is there any possibility they'll remove this in a future update? I'm shocked to hear it's not a glitch. 

Also, is there a way to fix the broken terrain after it's already been done to a house? I don't normally build and worked soooo hard on building a house from scratch, and I don't want to delete the basement. But the terrain is so ugly and I was so frustrated that the terrain tools weren't working, that I haven't touched that lot in months. I worked so hard on that house and the terrain ruined it. The staircases are soooo messed up now too. 

[BaseGameBleep]

Sul Sul! SO, I just figured it out! Probably late, but, if you make your house ground level (so no foundation or raised house), make a basement, then raise your house back up! Pretty simple so I hope I helped you out!

[corylbea]

@LaurenLoserThis is the BEST solution.

My ground-level building foundation is 2 steps high, so I adjusted the foundation of the basement 2 steps lower, and this flattened the ground again.

I can replicate the issue of terrain rising up to meet elevated foundations in every single lot, regardless of if I'm building from scratch or modifying.

The "build from the center out" doesn't work (or make sense) if I'm trying to put a basement only under an existing building, rather than outside it--because basements in real life where I live tend to be the core foundation of the building above it, I'm not going to put underground areas outside the building... @SimGuruNick If the basement walls are in the same grid points as the walls on the ground floor, then the terrain slopes up. It doesn't matter where I build from, such as outside the building or from inside, if the basement is in the same places. This includes when adjusting a basement to be at the same wall location as above it: I can build the basement outside the ground level building, but when I move it or resize it to match the sides of the building above, the terrain slopes up.

Lauren's adjustment of the basement using the foundation tool in the basement is the only way to get the ground flat again.


This design "feature" has been driving me absolutely insane since the terrain update, because I hate having the house on level ground and it was so weird to me to have a basement outside the building, or to have it just smaller than the building above it. I'm so glad to have finally found Lauren's workaround. I don't even notice the gap near the ceiling since I play with walls down.

ETA: Also, @BaseGameBleep has a good workaround too! This only worked for me if I built the ground level first, then the basement, then adjusted the foundation height. It didn't work if I built the ground level, raised the foundation, built a basement, lowered the foundation, then raised it again. It goes in line with the "design" of the basement matching the land height from where it starts, because when you build the basement in level ground under a building, you "set" the basement to have that ground height. It doesn't work if you decide near the end of your build to add a basement, haha.