Build/buy mode has too much stuff

I love building in Sims 4. I do most build challenges. The 30 minute build challenges is my favourite. 10 minutes is too short! This helps use stuff I wouldn’t normally.

There is mod that expands Build catalog.

I mainly sort through packs or colours.

Having the game remember most used furniture would be good.

Maybe they should add a: 'Show all of this set.' button on the extended tooltips of each object, if it applies.

It tends to be easier to find when it's from an expansion pack than finding all of a base game furniture set.

I also do a lot of building, and I own most of the stuff, game, and expansion packs, so I agree we need some more options for hiding, grouping, filtering, and searching.

- The filters resetting when you use the eyedropper tool is one of my biggest frustrations. There needs to be a way to "lock" and "unlock" filters so that we can use the eyedropper tool without losing all the filters we selected. Or just fix the eyedropper tool so it doesn't reset filters.

- The search function is almost useless because you have to actually remember what cutesie name the writers decided to call the object. Searches for generic terms like "wooden barrel" don't work if those exact words aren't in the object's title.

- It would be really helpful to be able to designate our own custom "collections" of items, like we could in Sims 3. That way we could flag sets of items we frequently use together according to our own needs.

- It would also be very helpful to have a filter for hiding cc when we want to only be looking at official items (for example when building stuff to go on the gallery). Note: I have been using Twisted Mexi's better build/buy mod for this (and a few other build mode improvements) but I think it ought to be a filter in the official vanilla build mode.

For anyone who uses mods, I do recommend the "Better Build/Buy" mod. It makes a lot of things easier and more intuitive for heavy use builders, and I love it. But the vanilla game build mode could really use some improvements to make things easier to find when you have a lot of stuff.

I think sub-sections to current sections in BB catalogue would be welcome too. Some sections have so much content that additional filters would be good to have. Filters for size for doors, windows, carpets, curtains, tables, etc. Filters for posters, wall decals, framed pictures, one tiled beds, two tiled beds, canopy beds, floor plants, table top plants, etc. Also, those cluttered sections with statues, wall decor, and general decor. It's so tiresome having to go through all the objects and try to find something you need like a bar back or a decorative cabinet or wall sign because everything is thrown in without any additional filter. We should be able to find things like lighted wall signs under wall lights and unlighted ones under paintings at least. And decorative cabinets should show up under shelving or come up under decorations when filtering by living room or dining room decor instead of the entire decor catalogue. Fireplace decor like the wood pile and fire poke should come up when you search for fireplaces. Same with the activities section, so cluttered with all kind of stuff with no possibility to see all the options available at a glance for a certain feature like water sports, fishing, or gardening, or pets, or games for indoors or outdoors, or just plain basketball or dance floors. Would also be nice if the catalogue was enlarged to display more rows, it would also help with searching for stuff.

To start with, EA should look at Better Build/Buy and incorporate everything they're doing into vanilla game. There you have the option to hide cc, and to mark favourites. Without it building is so much harder.

But in addition to this I agree that it would be so useful if you could search for categories as well as the name. It's not like the function isn't already in game - whenever you use the dream house decorator or use the categories on a particular lot type it works fine, so why not just add it in game?

Another pet peeve of mine is the lack of consistency in the style filter. Many decor styles are missing, new furniture are often not given a style at all, and some objects clearly have the wrong style (like everything from Snowy Escape being 'basic' even though a lot of it has a very distinct Japanese style. I do not know enough about interior design styles to know the exact name, but read Kanso somewhere for that clean simplistic style of furniture. I like using the style filters to set a tone for the room or home based on a sim's personality or the time period, but that of course requires there to be one.

Another wish for me would be that objects that go together, like a matching bar to a counter, or matching windows and doors, have the same name so that it's easy to find.

I agree to most of this, and thank you to the person mentioning there is a mod to expand the catalog - it always drove me nuts to scroll only 2 lines at the time. Back in TS2 we got added a small arrow and by clicking it we could expand to five(?) rows. They could do that again.

I rarely use the search. Even if I think I searched a smart quote, the list of results is so narrow that with tons of items in the catalog I only get to see the first ten (?). Also wish the results could show the object icon, then I would not need to check all options in case they are what I am looking for - and perform the search again and again. So, it's useless.

I wish there was a custom system to add each and every catalog item to 5 new categories. We could name those categories any way we would like, personally I would use them to separate royal furniture from broken 2nd hand stuff. I f there were 5 categories, I'd use them to grade content on a scale from cheap to expensive - not talking about the cost of each item, but the style. A smaller item that is luxurious won't always be in the §1000 range...

Also would like to adjust price tag and catalog categories even, for some items. EA might add similar items over time, instead of grouping them by cost and category, they might be spread on multiple categories, even. Even worse, curtains might be tagged "wall hanging" and a framed painting might be tagged "misc decorative". I'm surprised that EA obviously don't use a basic category defining making it easier for their teams to think along the same lines. I still don't know when EA see an item as Deco/Sculpture instead of Deco/Misc.

It's so easy with the CC because then I can decide for myself what category and price-tag to add. And I often disagree with the creator, but adjustments makes it much quicker for me to find the item when I need it.

When I build I spend way too much time just scrolling the catalogs because I can't find what I'm looking for. So, I build less than I would with a better system.

That said - I think we've got an amazing amount of good BB objects with TS4!

Yeah I find it hard to find what I am looking for at times would be nice if we could make our own categories or something

and decor items are just in all wrong categories

also I feel like all landscaping is hidden somewhere in debug which is really frustrating to scroll through cause like items are never together

even myself when building or redecorating a premade house in have trouble searching what i am looking for

"trashdocka;d-1012426" wrote:
I have almost all packs, and I love building houses.

When the game first came out I could easily build a nice home in 1-2 hours. Now it would take me almost the double time because all the stuff I have to sift through to find what I'm looking for. I need a better way to filter stuff or maybe hide stuff (permanenty hide, until I decide to unhide it) that I never use. I use the eyedropper tool a lot when I build and whenever I do the filter resets. I think the search fuction sucks, this could be because its not designed for other languages than english. I would like to make my own "collections" of the items I use regularly. Please fix this.

It has come to me not wanting to play anymore, I tried to just disable a lot of packs to fix the problem but then I get sad that I cant access the fun game play of those packs.

I hear you. I'm on a mac book pro, top of the line and spec'd out just for this and I was, since december of last year getting a strange- overly long delay- I mean more than usual, and like making it unbearable to build- When I love to and that's the entire point of the game.

Game testing this weekend, I found the rub. A long time ago I installed twisted mex better build buy and t.o.o.l. Turns out my laptop can not handle t.o.o.l. started overheating like a frying pan and off gassing. I removed both. Like a year ago someone asked em to do their shell challenge but there were pack restrictions, and I have most all of the packs. The told me to try the better build buy, and for the sake of it I tried the both back in the game again, and the same happened. I rushed to take them out, but I forgot the one thing, Twisted Mex said to do, for a clean uninstall. Unclick organize debug. I was in such a rush, I took it out without thinking.

Since them my build buy mode has been moving at a snails pace- I mean over exagerrately slow, in a way I just could not build really anymore.

So last night, I was testing everything and I put back ONLY Better Build Buy. And just like that, my build buy is zippy again. I mean as zippy as it was at the beginning when I first had the game and nearly no build buy custom content.
It's fantastic and I can totally see how builders live by it. For me, I don't think building is possible at this point without it.

And I found a sections that said "favorites" - it was empty, and I'm not sure but I think thats where you would personalize your favoritea. I was wow'd because I mean I always have my favorite pieces I use in everyones house, and I think a lot of people are like this. I mean even the essentials to find toilet paper, is not fun if you have a lot of cc like me.

@trashdocka I really recommend you tried Better Build Buy. I think it may help you build and find what you are looking for with ease.

I use the following guide lines when (re)categorizing CC:

Deco/Clutter = stuff that is placed temporarily. Mess, tools, items "on the move" or something that was "used by sim 1 hr ago" (like sports stuff that "will soon be put away") to indicate an active space.
Deco/Sculpture = big or small deco items placed in order to impress.
Deco/Misc = everything that is not temporary mess and not to impress.

A large number of shop signs should not be in Sculpture, but in Misc, same goes for parasols. A small "golden deco object" should not be in Clutter but in Sculpture.
Food servings I'd prefer in Misc because those plates are not true decoratives. In fact, I'd welcome a new category Deco/Serving that could include all edibles, servings, cakes, nectar bottles (deco) etc. Perhaps also a Deco/Sim-Care for all the bottles/towels etc. Btw, why are wall towels not found in the Wall Decorations category? And Webcob in "Paintings & Posters" instead of Wall deco? In my catalog the entire first 2 rows in "Paintings & Posters" are neither paintings nor posters. Perhaps most cracks and cobs should rather be in the Build section? I some times wish the extreme amount of decals and stickers had their own "Wall Deco Misc" category, too, and if so I guess Cracks and Cobs could join them.

An other thing that makes my catalog tedious is the fact that thumbs/names are not giving info regarding the size. This is annoying when it comes to curtains, but also rugs and decals and more. I've also clicked on deco items that I wanted to place on a table, just to find that they can only be placed on the floor. I wish he number of floor tiles could be indicated especially for the larger items, and perhaps a way to see if the object can be placed on surface or must go on floor. I don't understand why we can't place a floor vase on a table though. If it turns out to big, we will just shrink it, or see that it won't work. Restrictions are fine if I can tell them by the catalog category.