Lot Challenges/Lot Traits - How do you use yours?

EmmaVane

So I'm currently setting up for a BACC style save to force myself to actually build up the worlds for once.

I decided to assign 2 lot challenges to each lot, on a world-by-world basis.

So far my plan is:

• Willow Creek - Spooky/Cursed (based on New Orleans hauntings/voodoo)
• Oasis Springs - Filthy/? (I figure all that sand/dust will get everywhere. Not sure what else to pick here, though)
• Newcrest - Reduce & Recycle/Simple Living (this neighbourhood has fishing ponds/grills/edible plants and is a new development area so would likely encourage eco living)
• Sulani - Volcanic Activity/OTG (they would have to make own power locally and the volcano could shoot lava bombs further than that one lot)
• Forgotten Hollow - Spooky/Creepy Crawlies (it needs ghosts and bats & bugs seem appropriate with Vamps and Mosquito Traps)
• Del Sol Valley - Quake Zone/Reduce & Recycle (Based on San Andreas fault and hippy California)
• StrangerVille - Filthy/Gremlins (dust everywhere and vines/strange weather breaking plumbing/electronics)
• Henford-on-Bagley - Wild Foxes/Simple Living (might change Wild Foxes to something else in the town, though)

Any other ideas? I might also adjust per zone in towns where the zones vary a lot from each other, such as in San Myshuno and Windenburg.

If you manually pick them... Do you guys pick lot challenges/traits this way? Do you base it on whatever you build/the sims that live there?

If you randomise... Do you use the one off randomiser in the UI? Do you randomise periodically either manually or with MCCCs function?

Chicklet453681

I personally assign per lot according to the family who lives there, not per world.

Because to me, not every single house is effected by the same thing.

Like if a sim living in a house is a slob, then I would add the Filthy trait to lot.

I would not assign that same trait to say the Landgraabs because obviously they are wealthy enough and would have hired help to keep the house in pristine condition.

EmmaVane

I plan to add extra ones for families living there too. I generally use Reduce & Recycle (waste overflows and attracts pests if not managed) and Simple Living for everyone, as well as the Homey trait if they don't have staff to cook/fix etc. I also use Filthy for Gardeners/Farmers/Slobs, Grody for Slobs and Spooky for older homes where sims likely died etc too.

However, as I'm making all the worlds blank for this, I figured each world/zone could have a base-level status too.

I can also cross-reference Lot Challenges with Lot Traits or terrain/build features. For example, a lot with Volcanic Activity has the potential for Geothermal Energy, but it wouldn't make sense somewhere else. Lots with ponds/lakes/moats/streams might have them because of a Natural Well, or a home with a lot of windows and no dense landscape might receive a lot of Natural Lighting.

I'd rather make the Traits/Challenges fit the lots/area first, and have sims move in based on that as it seems a more cohesive and parallel-to-real-life way to do things. NAPs could then develop appropriately after based on those who move in there, further impacting who wants to live there.

Lucy_Henley

I assign them based on the Sims living there, and their traits/jobs etc, so outgoing Sims who like to build their Charisma skill usually have the Convivial trait and so on. There are some I’ve never assigned and some I assign all the time.

rudolpha

I use world themes in different games and hoods but the closest I come to the stuff you are doing is with my Murkland save which is off the grid. Otherwise it's per lot for some of the grungy stuff.

GalacticGal

I also tend to assign lot traits by whom will be living there. If there will be children (if not already) I assign the Child's Play Trait. If I have an aspiring Chef, the trait that would make skilling in this aspiration easier. Just for fun, I moved in a family in HoB to a lot that had the Wild Foxes Trait. I quickly learned to remove that one. I am currently playing a Rock Star, so I give his lot the Good Acoustics Trait. And so forth and so on.

crocobaura

To me it doesn't make sense to assign lot challenges just based on world. Some things are annoying enough not to want them in my game on every lot. I do enjoy the simple living challenge and I think I now use it on most of my lots, if not all. For everything else, I just assign them based on what the lot is intended for, it's surroundings and it's owners, sometimes it helps with their traits, sometimes not, and some lot traits that help with skill building I use only on community lots to encourage my sims to get out of their houses.

EnkiSchmidt

I use a mix of Who lives here and What do I need for my story.

A family that values highspeed internet connection will always find a way to install that, although in zones where it would seem out of place (Forgotten Hollow comes to mind), they have to pay a one time fee. The game needs money sinks, and paying for lot traits (or for removing lot challenges) is a good one.

Lot challenges also make for good timers. I don't want to roll a die every day in my fishing challenge to see whether Moby D. appears, so I gave the lot the Earthquake trait. When it triggers, that means Moby D. attacks. In the context of a BACC, the rule could be that after 3 earthquakes a positive lot trait will get unlocked, something like Good Soil, Geothermic Heat or Penny fairies.

elanorbreton

I don't use lot traits often, and any that give off the annoying floating light bulbs don't get used at all because they ruin screenshot (will they ever give us a cheat to get rid of those things?)

For times I use lot traits I choose them to suit the particular household I am playing. Eg. My orphanage is filthy and sometimes has gremlins (that one is too much to keep using all the time). My Farmers have simple living.

Simmingal

its mostly by sims that are living there/what I am doing at the moment

but I do have Volcanic Activity in Mua Pel'am all lots and the village too for residential lots

did not add it in Lani St.Taz because I assigned that as like tourist spot where tourist don't get too into the island culture to notice the effects of their littering

and I usually have simple living for most of my families because it just feels realistic to have them buy food n stuff

don't really like to use fox one in more than one or two spots since it generates lots of foxes but basically thinking like mt.komorebi has this kitsune family of mine and then maybe like sometimes use it on henford lot I am playing n such

use quake zone in same areas as volcanic activity

don't really recall using much of other lot challenges but they just don't really apply in lifestyle of sims ive been playing so far or are kinda meh cause i can get say ghosts via other means n such maybe in future

for traits

don't really use skill boost ones anymore cause the effects get in way of my screenshots and sometimes i don't feel like turning off all headline effects cause of it


private dwelling when really desperate but it doesn't really help so much

on ley line ones when i feel like i really really really want sims to have twins or triplets for some reason

vampire lair i think vlads got it and idk i actually haven't dig my claws into many of the vampire premades yet cause i always end up playing vlad maybe once i get around to it

similar feeling about nexus one

don't think ive used much of cats and dogs ones unless they're already on brindleton lot which i also don't use often tbh I'm only now building my brindleton up

I think i might find introducing those to moonwood fun tho

peace and quiet maybe like libraries ive yet to build many of same for study spot

get famous lot traits are on their original lots but thats about it

Island spirits are EVERYWHERE i love them just looking spooky on the background tbh they often go in random spooky builds even if am not doing the whole island part

uni ones are pretty much in their original places

eco ones can't recall much of i think i sometimes just put them in whatever

off the grid... very rarely but it frustrates me when things i consider off the grid enough are not included you know so meh

did i miss something? probably have not used either

Ray_Trace

I don't have any positive lot traits all for my home lots, only negative ones.

Mean Vibe, Quake Zone, Gremlins, Filthy, Spooky, Creepy Crawlies, and Volcanic Activity are my lot traits.

Off the Grid means no radios and all my Sims will die without a radio.

Cursed means more fire and I don't like fires.

Grody means my Sims get miserable from using toilets and like, if the game didn't glitch out of interactions when they stop being miserable, I'd use that.

Landfill and Reduce and Recycle, too much maintenance.

Simple Living, well I hate groceries in Sims 2 so not adding that mechanic to my game.

Wild Foxes, too annoying

musteni

I like how you used them @EmmaVane ! I've tried to assign some for certain neighbourhoods in the past, but I don't think I currently have anything cohesive going on. My favourite use is probably a grody diner in Newcrest. I don't use to lot traits for my advantage, but to spice up the game. I don't use those that come with the little markings around the sim at all because I find them distracting.

Ellupelluellu

simple living everywhere, I just love that!

@crocobaura , thanks for reminding of putting skill traits to communitylots, my sims travel a lot.

EmmaVane

Ray_Trace wrote: »

Off the Grid means no radios and all my Sims will die without a radio.

The cheap BG stereo is portable should should work off the grid. If not, you can place it in the world just off the edge of the lot and use it there.

RySBI

Every time I play/build on a new lot I tend to think which are most relevant to whatever I plan to use it for. For example I adapted the rooftop bar thing in San Myshuno to have a stage for the Starlight Accolades so I gave it the hotspot trait to activate it. Also added the Spooky traits to my cemetery and the Admiral’s Wreckage in Sulani.

SimsILikeSims

I try to go by what would be appropriate for the lot. In Forgotten Hollow, I make Garliclauter a Haunted House and assign the spooky lot trait. I assign the spooky lot trait to all my haunted houses, and sometimes the cursed trait or the gremlins trait (but not both....too hard for me to play). The historical apartment in San Myshuno also is perfect for the spooky lot trait. Sulani gets a lot of Bracing Breezes and Eco friendly lot traits. Willow Creek typically gets "Good soil", as do all the lots . The karaoke bar in San Myshuno also gets a Up and Coming lot trait from Get famous. Also, I typically renovate it to add computers in the basement in case the Geek Festival gets rained out.

The other lots in Forgotten Hollow that are actually inhabited by pre-existing vampires I often give the spooky or the cursed lot trait to.

BoergeAarg61

I usually keep the premade ones and add e.g. fast internet and others which might suit the sims at the lot.

MDianaSims

I generally have one lot trait/challenge for each neighbourhood and then (before they separated them into traits/challenges) two more for the lot itself (based on who lives there or what the lot looks like). I do sometimes deviate from that for community lots if they're in a mainly residential area.
But, depending on what type of game I'm playing, I may switch the lot traits/challenges of my active household at will.