Turning some of the fake lots into rabbit holes would add so much to the game.
Grocery stores, book stores, general stores (for things you can order online, like bubble bath and medicine) etc. Click on them, send sims to disappear into them and a pop-up screen (almost exactly like over the computer) appears to buy stuff.
Cinema, opera, circus, concert, sport venue etc. Sims can disappear into them, buy a ticket for a specific movie/event and spend an hour or two there, returning with a buff and a notification or two. Sims can go in groups, family outings and dates. No new animations, no new objects. Many of these venues "exist" already since sims can be invited to them over the phone. Tonnes of things to do for the whole family.
It could even be possible to send sims to rabbit hole cafes, restaurants and spas. Restaurants could simply have an "eat dinner/breakfast/brunch/etc" and a "stay for dessert" interaction (like in TS3). For cafes you can grab a coffee or pastry and eat it inside (disappear) or pop out with it. For spas, you can choose between some generic massages and facials, like in TS3. These rabbit holes could only appear if you have the DLC installed. And just like that, you get more out of your DLC, you can send sims off to do something while you focus on something else, AND you can partake in things like restaurants without experiencing the wait times and bugs.
Additional service venues could include skill classes and volunteer/charity centers (more realistic for fake buildings that look like normal homes).
For relatively little effort, worlds would be so much more interactive, immersive and gameplay-rich. The devs are actively trying to avoid rabbit holes, but in worlds with so few lots they would be highly appreciated and add a lot of value, as well as save space (more lots available for other purposes).
Implementation-wise, the devs could turn certain fake lots into rabbit hole objects which can then be allocated a venue type. There could be premade venue types shipped by the game but we could change them via a simple drop-down interaction. This allows us to customize our experience and feel like we have more control over our neighbourhoods. If they want to be extra fancy, subtle texture changes could be applied to the building according to what venue we choose for it (ex. little shop signs).
@SimGuruGrant @SimGuruNinja @SimGuruLyndsay
