Forum Discussion

BryonyRae's avatar
11 years ago

Build Mode Feedback for EA

This thread was designed to provide feedback to EA/Maxis regarding things that we need and/or want in build mode in order to make it an even better experience. Contributions and commentary from my fellow builders are always welcome!

General Building


  • Adjust level height by room/unit rather than across the entire lot.
  • Apply foundation to room/unit rather than across the entire lot.
  • Add half height stairs (or auto adjust stairs to preset levels) to go with half walls.
  • Free column placement please.
  • Allow fountains to be placed on a foundation and upper stories.
  • 9/23/14 Add a trim tool for foundations (similar to roof trim tool)
  • 9/30/14 Add curved walls.
  • 9/30/14 Add platforms. <-- note that we would not need this if foundations could be applied individually
  • 10/2/14 Let us delete single floor tiles within rooms
  • 10/12/14 Add multi-story traditional columns.
  • 10/12/14 Add a "replace with" tool for objects.
  • 11/7/14 Automatically scale counters and cabinets to fit diagonal walls (as gates do with diagonal fences) and/or give us counter and cabinet pieces sized for diagonals that we can select when auto-counter is off
  • 11/7/14 Add counter and cabinet corner pieces that will fit properly in octagonal designs (135 degree and 225 degree bends)
  • 11/8/14 Let us create floating foundations (by deleting foundation walls but preserving foundation floor)
  • 12/11/14 Add 1 tile square flat piece.
  • 12/18/14 Add Move House clipboard functionality (see pg. 7 for details) (see pg. 12 for further discussion)
  • 12/18/14 Add a diagonal flat piece.
  • 2/11/14 Enable split levels above ground level and also change ground floor splits so that we don't need to carve them out from the foundation
  • 2/18/14 Add highlight for doors and windows on styled rooms to make for easier placement
  • 2/20/15 Consider adding 1-2 *shorter* levels to wall height (see pg. 11 for full description of idea - this could work for enabling split levels)
  • 2/20/15 Let us see under and place objects under the foundation
  • 7/9/15 Please change it so that half walls are treated like walls, not fences, i.e. so they don't enable roof clipping AHQ report.
  • 7/30/15 Please change it so that object collision routing doesn't cross levels (see pg. 25)
  • 7/30/15 When placing a room, please enable the room to recognize the pre-existing flooring and include it in the room
  • 9/22/15 Please add grid counts as we used to have in TS3, so that we don't need to manually count the number of floor or wall tiles to set up or fit into specific dimensions
  • 10/21/15 Add notification when object is not routable (while in build mode), ex) object highlight
  • 12/10/15 Please add a ceiling/roof type object to be used in conjunction with half walls so that they can be used as flat roofs
  • 2/3/16 Please enable diagonals to intersect even when positioned on half tiles orientations (see here)
  • 3/8/16 Let us place/extend walls at additional angles; ideally at any angle
  • 3/8/16 Enable resizing and reorienting the grid
  • 4/1/16 Enable vertical rotation of objects (i.e. tilting) (see pg )
  • 9/12/16 Add hanging half walls or similar tool to enable us to create wall gaps at various heights
  • 11/17/16 Please add a lot designation for festival or special occasion
  • 10/30/17 Add option to select and copy or move more than one room at once (i.e. by holding down ).
  • 2/9/18 Make trim optional for half walls.
  • 2/15/18 Allow builders to manually select counter size and backsplash/no backsplash option.


Basements

  • 4/3/15 Let us expose basements built below rooms using the same steps that we do when exposing them outside (i.e. remove flooring as well as ceiling).
  • 6/27/15 Please enable objects placed in basement spaces (basement areas outside of rooms) to retain their height adjusted settings when we pick them up (with bb.moveobjects on).
  • 9/14/15 Please enable the camera to drop down into basement levels when in TAB camera man mode.
  • 2/13/16 Please improve the graphics of the transition between ground floor and basement when a foundation is present


Landscaping

  • Enable adjusting terrain height, at least by a small amount.
  • Please provide a true infinity edge for pools.
  • Add Jacuzzis, preferably with new shapes, such as circular. Consider making modular Jacuzzi pieces that could connect to pools. Eliminate the "machinery" underneath. <-- Hot tubs added in the Luxury Party stuff pack, but we would still like an in ground option.
  • Add smaller fencing options to be used as edging <-- We have one option now in Get To Work but would still like a base game option
  • Let us create bodies of water.
  • Add taller sprinklers, i.e. multi-story.
  • 9/23/14 Add adjustable curved fencing
  • 9/30/14 Add some wall height fences. <-- one was added in GTW; we need more please
  • 10/2/14 Add concave fencing sections
  • 10/2/14 Add variation in sizes to trees/bushes (like in TS3)
  • 10/3/14 Add smaller ornamental trees
  • 10/12/14 Add some 3 tile gates.
  • 10/17/14 Let us build adjustable curved fountains and pools
  • 10/26/14 Let us place fences on half tiles.
  • 10/26/14 Add single tile hedges in the style of "High Hedge" and "Hedge Row" and allow them to intersect or snap together.
  • 10/26/14 Add lights that can be placed on fence posts. <-- can do with bb.moveobjects, but they drop to the ground when outdoors
  • 11/15/14 Let us have the option to turn auto-connect for pools and fountains off.
  • 11/15/14 Let us place fountains directly adjacent to pools.
  • 11/15/14 Let us place individual floor tile styles within curved sections instead of applying the same tile style across the entire curved segment.
  • 11/15/14 Let fences extend to the lot border.
  • 11/17/14 Let us edit neighborhood spaces (to remove trees, etc.)
  • 12/11/14 Add fencing that matches Galvanized Horizontal Railing and Horizontal Aluminum Railing.
  • 2/20/15 Add smaller rocks.
  • 2/20/15 Add a bridge object with various styles and a toolset (similar to roofing tools) to go with it (see pg. 11 for request details)
  • 4/1/15 Please add a diamond shape for terrain paint, so we can get sharp edges on a diagonal.
  • 4/1/15 Add a jet emitter that goes up to but does not exceed a level in height; alternatively let us adjust height of water for emitters.
  • 4/7/15 Let us use terrain paint on foundation or, if possible, on flooring on any level
  • 4/11/15 Add floor tiles and/or terrain paint that match the various sidewalks in the game
  • 4/29/15 Give us access to vegetation used in neighborhood areas and secret lots
  • 6/27/15 Please add wall height glass fencing
  • 7/25/15 Add a modular green house structure that can include outdoor objects inside without requiring bb.moveobjects
  • 2/8/16 Please give us an option to turn off auto-connect for fencing (allowing us to control the distribution of fence posts)
  • 4/4/16 Additional shapes and sizes for debug ponds
  • 6/16/16 Let us replace pool walls with fencing/half walls
  • 8/1/16 Add routable grass (see this thread)
  • 2/27/17 Add half wall posts (columns that would adjust to half wall heights)


Roofing

  • Add a true flat roof (or option to remove lines from hipped roof OR see k3oki's great suggestion on 2/20/15 to enable the half gable roof to function as a flat roof).
  • Let us manually draw exterior edging and friezes.
  • 9/30/14 Add Mansard roof
  • 9/30/14 Let us apply a color or style to the underside of roofing.
  • 10/17/14 Let us manually paint individual roof wall tiles
  • 10/26/14 Let us rotate roof styles. It would also be helpful if we could apply styles to specific areas of roof rather than to the entire roof.
  • 10/26/14 Allow us to manually place roof styles on segments of roof using SHIFT (so that we can mix and match).
  • 10/26/14 Let us extend roofs by half tiles or better yet, freely extend them using ALT (as we can with height).
  • 11/8/14 Let us remove individual roof wall tiles
  • 1/5/15 Add thinner strips for the half gabled roof - half tile or even thinner if possible.
  • 2/20/15 Add an option to hide or show roofs.
  • 2/20/15 When a flat roof is added, please let us height adjust it in the same manner as with the half gable roof.
  • 2/20/15 Let us use MOO height adjustment (i.e. 9 and 0) on roofs, so that we can stack them.
  • 2/23/15 Add glass roofing and glass ceilings.
  • 4/11/15 Allow us to extend roof eaves as far as we want, within the boundaries of the lot.
  • 4/12/15 Enable small roof overhangs for hipped and half hipped roofs
  • 4/23/15 Please add a pagoda roof
  • 6/27/15 Allow us to adjust frieze edges with regard to length and shape
  • 6/29/15 Please clean up roofing graphics
  • 11/6/15 Please change it so that curvature control markers function independently (such that one part of the roof could be concave, the other convex)


Doors/Windows

  • Allow placing multiple windows on the same wall tile OR add Bauhaus style windows that span multiple wall tiles. <-- While you can place them with MOO, they are glitched graphically
  • Add seamless windows.
  • Make same style of doors and windows available at each level height.
  • Add Alpine style windows.
  • Add Skylights.
  • 9/23/14 Make arches and windows modular
  • 9/30/14 Enable separate colors for front vs. back of doors and windows.
  • 10/3/14 Let us place doors/windows between tiles
  • 10/26/14 Let us place windows and doors on the same wall segment (not overlapping, of course). <-- does not work with bb.moveobjects because one of the objects will not render properly when more than one is on the wall segment
  • 12/18/14 Add windows that are the same height as the basic 1 tile doors.
  • 1/3/15 Add a modern-styled, single-pane medium height window
  • 2/20/15 Add windows designed for roof placement (i.e. angled) or roof style objects with preset windows
  • 5/12/15 Add (or resize) doors and windows that span the entire length of the wall for each given level.
  • 7/30/15 Please add 3 tile doors and archways.
  • 7/30/15 Please add more mirrored windows like the One-way Mirror Window from Get To Work but with different shapes and sizes.
  • 7/30/15 Please update the One-way Mirror Window so that its reflectivity matches regular mirrors
  • 11/13/15 Allow sims to open/close windows and doors, either to preset degrees or via use of a slider
  • 11/30/15 Allow us to rotate windows
  • 2/2/16 Enable windows to scale up properly when enlarged (currently only the frames scale)
  • 3/8/16 Add ability to extend some windows horizontally
  • 4/5/16 Add rounded bay windows


Stairs

  • Add full manual control of both railings.
  • Add spiral stairs, elevators, L-shaped stairs, curved stairways, grand stairways (wider at the bottom, narrower at the top), and pull-down (hideaway) stairs.
  • 10/12/14 Add diagonal stairs.
  • 10/17/14 Add corner stairs
  • 11/8/14 Let us remove individual stair wall segments
  • 11/15/14 Allow us to build floating stairs over a fountain or pool (where the top of the stairs is positioned over the water).
  • 1/2/15 Add ladders
  • 4/1/15 Please change it so that stair rails defer to fencing when intersected.
  • 6/4/15 Either do not charge for walls on stairs, or include the walls in the list cost of the stairs
  • 7/24/15 Let us place stairs between tiles


Decorating

  • Add more style options, particularly when it comes to wall, floor, roof, and terrain paints.
  • Add more colors, and normalize color palettes across all objects, preferably via a color wheel. At the very least, the primary colors should be available for each object and should be the same with only slight variations for texture.
  • Add recolorable ceiling tiles.
  • Allow manually placing wall styles with edges.
  • Give us an expanded flooring selection with more styles that could be used together.
  • Allow us to freely rotate wall objects, at least non-interactive ones
  • Add curtain sets.
  • Please add a fog emitter type object to bb.showhiddenobjects.
  • 9/23/14 Brighter indoor lighting
  • 9/23/14 More textured styles for furniture
  • 9/30/14 Add more options for taller levels, i.e. more door/window styles, more wall styles designed for taller levels, more curtain styles, and more objects designed to span the entire length of the wall, like bookshelves, also longer hanging ceiling lamps.
  • 9/30/14 Add colors/styles to foundations that will match existing wall styles.
  • 9/30/14 Reduce/eliminate collision boxes for non-interactive objects and do not increase collision boxes for such objects when they are enlarged. <-- sim routing improved in the 2/4/16 patch; would still like to see collision eliminated completely if possible
  • 9/30/14 Add bookshelves of the same style but with different contents.
  • 9/30/14 Add more small bars that match counter styles.
  • 9/30/14 Add smaller end tables.
  • 9/30/14 Add smaller versions of existing large rugs or consider adding modular rug pieces.
  • 9/30/14 Add normal sized telescopes and microscopes.
  • 9/30/14 Make hidden door bookshelves take up space like a real bookshelf OR make some wall mounted bookshelves to go with them.
  • 9/30/14 Add ceiling sculptures/pieces, beams, etc., i.e. to be able to create a tray ceiling or other textures.
  • 9/30/14 Add sectional (modular) furniture.
  • 9/30/14 Add electric fireplace styles.
  • 10/2/14 Make height adjustable for ceiling lights <-- as of the 12/16/14 patch, you can adjust height up for ceiling lights (but not down) using bb.moveobjects
  • 10/3/14 Enable recolor tool for all re-colorable objects
  • 10/8/14 Add chimney breast pieces and stove pipes
  • 10/12/14 Add shutters as a separate wall décor object.
  • 10/26/14 Enable like pieces (such as shelves) to snap together even if the first object has been freely placed (with ALT).
  • 10/26/14 Let us select spandrel piece styles so that we can put a particular shape of spandrel where we want it. Also, let us place them indoors without the game deciding that it's now an outdoor space, i.e. roof pops into room.
  • 11/15/14 Let us paint the individual segments of a wall separately (i.e. the 4 tiles on each wall).
  • 12/18/14 Let replacement wall style cover only designated style in room when holding SHIFT (it currently replaces the entire room, even if there are multiple styles in the room)
  • 12/18/14 Give us the ability to disable wall objects snapping to nearby walls (for instance, if we hold down ALT with MOO on)
  • 1/5/15 Add more modern styled curtains/blinds and in particular, some that are sized for smaller windows.
  • 2/20/15 Add corner counters that are flattened outward.
  • 2/20/15 Add more furniture designed for corner spaces.
  • 2/20/15 Add log cabin wall style(s) that have a rounded log texture
  • 2/24/15 Let us recolor exposed ceiling trim (i.e. under balcony, floating room)
  • 3/9/15 Consider adding scalable dining tables (could be dragged to desired length)
  • 4/12/15 Please let us use the eyedropper to duplicate debug items (once we have bb.showhiddenobjects turned on).
  • 5/12/15 Give us the ability to disable objects snapping to surfaces, like tables (for instance, if we hold down ALT with MOO on).
  • 5/12/15 Enable mirrors and wall signs to scale up when enlarged (and also the mirror portion of windows like the One-Way Mirror Window from GTW.
  • 5/19/15 Consider making future décor objects smaller at baseline (we can always size them up but unfortunately not down)
  • 6/27/15 Please let us enlarge counters, cabinets, and bars.
  • 7/21/15 Please consider an overhaul to interior lighting AHQ report.
  • 7/30/15 Please add one tile dressers and bookshelves.
  • 9/22/15 Please make sure that all debug items are categorized, if they are not already (for instance, as décor), and please create debug specific categories, such as spawners. It would also be helpful if debug items all had names that were searchable.
  • 10/8/15 Please allow us to place objects from saved rooms in the same manner as from styled rooms
  • 10/31/15 Add floor tile sets (and create sets utilizing existing tiles) like we had in TS3
  • 11/1/15 Add more wall styles with baseboards (including dark baseboards) in the basic Paint category or add toolset(s) to enable us to apply skirting, moulding, etc. to base wall styles
  • 11/1/15 Give us the ability to place photos on surfaces like we could in TS3
  • 11/3/15 Please add a larger frame for paintings and photos, preferably about double the size of the existing frame
  • 12/9/15 Please enable more of the existing clutter objects to snap to surfaces
  • 12/9/15 Please add more slots to existing surfaces
  • 12/9/15 Please give us an option to set our own percentage for enlarging objects
  • 12/10/15 Please let us filter the buy catalogue by adding categories for the Winter Holiday pack, bonus content, and custom content categories
  • 2/11/16 Please add a wall mounted mailbox
  • 4/14/16 Add décor to enable the look of a weathered or run-down structure
  • 6/13/16 Let us place base game and Get To Work decals on Dine Out signs
  • 9/12/16 Add color swatches to crafted objects and enable them to raise environment scores
  • 10/6/16 Using CTRL-F, allow us to apply floor patterns individually to the four squares within a tile.
  • 11/17/16 Please add a working radiator.
  • 2/9/18 Let us choose counter size and backsplash option manually (see pg 69)
  • 5/9/18 Add kitchen linens



Gallery


  • 9/20/14 Mechanism to let us choose our own screen shots of our builds for the Gallery upload
  • 10/2/14 Allow upgraded appliances to transfer
  • 4/6/15 Original By still does not stick for rooms and households (have been reported privately to gurus)
  • 5/30/15 Allow creator to edit gallery description even after sharing
  • 6/8/15 Give us button to clear profile messages (in same manner as notification wall in game)
  • 6/20/15 Let us search by the Original By field
  • 7/10/15 Please change how the Gallery only uses walls to detect the presence of levels for Gallery images
  • 7/13/15 Please add an option to upload to the Gallery with a privacy setting and/or add a View Content By: Favorites filter
  • 11/13/15 Please change the web gallery to display both the creator and original by, as the in-game gallery does


Other

  • Add object catalogues/themes.
  • 9/30/14 Consider giving us a Maxis tool to do CAST like recolors and import patterns into the game
  • 10/2/14 Turn distant objects blur on/off for better pictures
  • 10/9/14 Let us change color and intensity of lights while in build mode
  • 11/15/14 Please add an indication in the object catalogue if an object is not base game. <-- This is being done for new content, but original bonus content does not have an icon
  • 12/11/14 With new worlds, add 30x20 lots where the longer dimension faces the front.
  • 4/18/15 Please smooth camera transitions in build mode and eliminate the camera bounce as it changes levels - induces motion sickness
  • 4/18/15 Please remove the shaking ground animation from building/removing walls - induces motion sickness
  • 4/21/15 Please remove the classification requirements for community lots
  • 5/17/15 Add neutral exterior lighting option to build mode so that we can see true colors (OR overhaul exterior lighting so that there are fewer changes in hue) OR let us forward time in smaller increments (2 hours) in build mode
  • 6/13/15 The W-A-S-D keys movement speed increases with each level up while in TAB camera mode making it difficult to take good pictures; please change it so that the movement speed is consistent across all heights.
  • 12/9/15 Please list lot name as well as household name in hover info for occupied lots.
  • 12/9/15 Please give us the ability to set up hotkeys for cheats
  • 1/11/16 Please allow us to expand menus like we could in TS3 or using the same method as with personal inventory in TS4
  • 2/2/16 Enable multi-designation lots (i.e. café/bar)
  • 6/13/16 Enable customers to be seated at counters in restaurants (Dine Out)
  • 7/15/16 Add a "set/unset as nightlight" option to lights
  • 7/15/16 Add a blacklight/UV light color option for lights
  • 8/19/16 Enable dressed mannequins and sim created artwork to be visible from other lots