Feedback (wish?) for lots
Hello, first of all, i'd like to apologize for my english, is not my first language, so forgive me. I play the sims from the day one, and, i don't mean the sims 4, but, the entire saga, i pratically...
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I agree with you. For example I've just tried to make University dorms more interesting and the lot requirements were so restrictive I couldn't do anything I wanted to do so I get exactly what you mean. It would be great to be able to have multi use lots especially because it's not an open world it's a pain having to travel just to go into every single lot. The Generic option for lots hasn't worked well in my game as NPC Sims won't go there and I don't know why but they remain deserted if I've designated it as a Generic lot.
There are so many rules and restrictions. I don't know if it's the same on PC (probably not) but I'm on console.
In the university dorms I wanted to add a nice big kitchen and vending machines, entertainment area plus living quarters in the dorms but one dorm couldn't be edited and the one that I did edit just caused confusion for the NPC Sims for some reason. The same thing happened when I built an ice rink with a cafe area and a bowling rink with a bar and entertainment area, NPC Sims won't use it for some weird reason.
I have made some lots that combine stores and living areas plus craft spaces though and they've worked. I add an apartment or if there is space, a little house next to it. I've also made a large library/internet cafe with an outdoor art space. I've tried to add a vet's office to a ranch with a dog rescue shelter and training area and that only half worked. The vet office was deserted.
One lot that is ideal is in Island Living. There is one right above the road at the top left of the screen. It's big enough to add a retail store and a house with a garden and pool. I've called my store The Cavern and used the Island Living rock wall styles and stone flooring on an underground store. I've fenced off the house and locked the gate and had no problems with shoppers getting into the house. So it's a weekend retreat for my Sim family as well as a retail store.
The front street in Willow Creek is another good space to redevelop with retail lots with living spaces added. I've added an art gallery with a retail space plus small cottage on a larger lot there and it worked.
Oh, man, so, I've never lived in the dorms before and was going to try it (I've moved all my uni-aged Sims into a household together and will have them apply and attend and live in university housing together when their rotational time comes), and I was thinking that Zoomer's was going to be a blessing, but I never even THOUGHT of the Snowy Escape vending machines! That's GENIUS!
(And yes, on PC the dorms don't allow stoves unless you mod or cheat. I was going to have my culinary student make a lot of garden salad/caprese salad/sushi in the housing that has a kitchenette. I hear that's super-weird in other countries but in the US dorms are very "YOU MAY NOT COOK YOU'LL BURN DOWN THE DORM!!!" and people do things like make ramen noodles in the coffee maker, LOL.)
I have a couple of generic lots. One is a graveyard. As near as I can tell the generic lot type is "this isn't residential; please don't move a Sim in here, it's supposed to be public but you don't officially have this lot type..." as one got set residential accidentally and the game moved a Sim in as if it was a house despite it not having any of the things a Sim would need to live there (like, no bed, no kitchen...). Neither of them is really intended to have a lot of visitors so it works, but I think the game just doesn't know what kind of visitors would be appropriate and so just doesn't spawn any?
Er. I'm using a mod on the graveyard lot that does spawn mourners and I also gave it the spooky lot challenge in hopes that ghosts would spawn, but it would work as a graveyard without mourners without it. I've also seen people make their graveyards museums or parks to get around the "no Sims spawn" thing (fake tombstones count as sculptures so if you add some portraits and water damage to your mausoleum section that should do it); LilSimsie's graveyard on the gallery is a museum.
But I digress.
Yes, some larger lots would easily fit "multi use" type buildings. A lot of Sims worlds are very US suburban-feeling, but US cities like New York and European cities often have a shop/restaurant/cafe with apartments upstairs, or whatever.
- @xochiquetzl_xkvn Tidal tower at Foxbury let me edit it but they were confused I'd removed a bedroom for the kitchen and entertainment area and they kept falling asleep all over looking for beds. It let me add microwaves and vending machines but it told me ovens weren't allowed. It must be a US college rule lol as it's not a UK college rule. The other dorms at Britechester were awful. It's a real dive and wouldn't allow me to edit it which is a shame as that old stone area is lovely. My Sim was so miserable I tried to transfer him but it crashed. He dropped out and reapplied to Foxbury instead.
I tried to create a science park and set it as a generic lot, with an observatory and rocket building but no townies would go to that either.
I really like to create interesting spaces but it is problematic. I mentioned on another thread, even street food stalls aren't manned when I hire staff. So creating food courts is out too. Those Snowy Escape vending machines come in really handy!!Yeah, no stove/oven is a US Uni thing, I know it's weird everywhere else! I think you can edit a dorm until someone lives in it? but could be mistaken. I just tried to fire up my game and edit it, but it wasn't letting me for some reason. Once they live there I think you can use bb.enablefreebuild but it will still tell you stoves aren't allowed. Everyone I knew in the US dorms had rules about "you may have a coffee pot in your room but may not have a hotplate/toaster oven/etc." So many stories of finding inventive ways to cook in the coffee pot! 😉
It's a shame about the students getting confused, alas. ☹️
I have a science park from the gallery that's set as a museum; you might be able to set yours up with some wall decorations (telescope prints?) and an easel and call it a museum. My science museum does spawn visitors! If you really don't want an easel you might be able to hide it in a closet, under the stairs, in the roof... it still counts. I plopped a cash register in a bush outside in one "retail lot" that I didn't intend to run as a retail lot so the game would stop nagging me about my venue being incomplete whenever I saved. 😉
Yeah, I remember the food stall thread. ☹️
- @xochiquetzl_xkvn Thanks for that, I'll try that with my science park! I wanted a sensible place to put a rocket ship and observatory as I'm not keen on putting them in gardens and sometimes I want a trip to Sixam for some geodes!
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