Problems with the new stairs

Oldeseadogge

In the September Maxis Monthly there was a section devoted to the new stairs. All well and good but I'm finding in experiments that they will go up only 1 level, not the mult-level stairway in the yard that he showed. While the twisting widgets work, the push-pull ones do not. All they do is cancel out any turning I've done. Not sure what he meant by 'switchback' as I've been putting stairs beside each other going opposite directions long before the patch. The only conclusions coming to mind are that either the release version differs from what he had to demonstrate with (bugged), or there is a methodology he knows but mere mortals don't. This one, anyway. Be interesting to know how he did those cellar stairs (the ones leading in from outside), too. The wall the door is in lines up with the foundation but there is no unsupported grass over the lower landing.

AquaGamer1212

I’m not sure what you’re talking about, BUT the push pull worked for me so I don’t know. 🤷‍♀️

Camkat

I've had some issues with the stairs too. They "work" but I'm having a lot of issues making them do what he made them do. I did find some of them will ONLY work with the taller wall heights, which does make sense once I've thought on it. Maybe check some of your wall heights?

My biggest complaint is letting me place items under the stairs or even beside them if there's a switch back. I didn't have any cheats turned on and it let me put a desk with a computer beside a switch back. However, once I got in game, if a sim was at the computer no one could go up or down the stairs. It's like the sitting sim's head was blocking the path, only it wasn't visibly and it took me awhile to figure out why everyone was just at the top or bottom of the stairs screaming. At this point, what is the value of the extra saved space by curving these stairs if I can't actually use that space?

GalacticGal

Graham did mention you were restricted only by the height of the building. I only had one instance when using the diagonal snapped my staircase straight again. I didn't let that daunt me, and I proceeded to try it again, right then and there. It worked. I beat that little devil back. LOL I haven't tried more than two twists to a staircase, however.

I haven't yet snapped pictures of the second set of stairs I changed, the one mentioned above. This is my first one, however:



I now have an insatiable desire to mess around with other staircases in my previous builds. Somebody stop me!

Camkat wrote: »

I've had some issues with the stairs too. They "work" but I'm having a lot of issues making them do what he made them do. I did find some of them will ONLY work with the taller wall heights, which does make sense once I've thought on it. Maybe check some of your wall heights?

My biggest complaint is letting me place items under the stairs or even beside them if there's a switch back. I didn't have any cheats turned on and it let me put a desk with a computer beside a switch back. However, once I got in game, if a sim was at the computer no one could go up or down the stairs. It's like the sitting sim's head was blocking the path, only it wasn't visibly and it took me awhile to figure out why everyone was just at the top or bottom of the stairs screaming. At this point, what is the value of the extra saved space by curving these stairs if I can't actually use that space?

They look better, for one. At least I think so. And as you can see the kind of space I have in this build, I now have to place something there in that corner. I do have to say the landing in my second changed staircase is longer. I thought a small table against the wall would be nice. On my own landing in my RL dwelling I've got a half-moon table that fits just nicely on the landing to hold knick-knacks (what is now called clutter). But, alas, the table couldn't be placed and I don't use MOO and have always been against it.

GalacticGal

I must apologize, I do have pictures of the second staircase. See what happens when you look for your latest screenshot to share? LOL

This is before the diagonal switch:


As you can see I wasn't yet finished with the changes, from the wall covering on the stair wall. But, you can see about how many steps there were.

After:


I also took these pictures because some were suggesting Sims couldn't climb the stairs.

Simmerville

My biggest concern is how hard it is to use this feature inside an existing build. I need to construct the stairs outside the building, but on some lots there is not enough open space. So, I normally make lots of damages to the building, trying to avoid deleting non-replaceable items like wall decors etc.

I wish it would be possible to save a few standard stairs constructions to the catalog. I will normally use 1 or 2 or 3 structures over again. Not being able to recolor the stairs would be a bummer, though.

Camkat

GalacticGal wrote: »

They look better, for one. At least I think so. And as you can see the kind of space I have in this build, I now have to place something there in that corner. I do have to say the landing in my second changed staircase is longer. I thought a small table against the wall would be nice. On my own landing in my RL dwelling I've got a half-moon table that fits just nicely on the landing to hold knick-knacks (what is now called clutter). But, alas, the table couldn't be placed and I don't use MOO and have always been against it.

I will agree they look better, but so far, I've found them to be more buggy than useful. Just my experience. You have given me some ideas with the wall placement though with your pictures and I'm going to try using walls. I've left the stairs open, so it would look like you can use the space under (you can't of course) but you also can't seem to use the spaces beside it either. I mean you can, but if you put things there it will somehow block sims from actually using the stairs. (And that's placing things without MOO). I wonder though if the walls would somehow enclose it though and allow me to put something there, like a computer and desk.. I'm going to try it! It might fix my issue.

GalacticGal

Simmerville wrote: »

My biggest concern is how hard it is to use this feature inside an existing build. I need to construct the stairs outside the building, but on some lots there is not enough open space. So, I normally make lots of damages to the building, trying to avoid deleting non-replaceable items like wall decors etc.

I wish it would be possible to save a few standard stairs constructions to the catalog. I will normally use 1 or 2 or 3 structures over again. Not being able to recolor the stairs would be a bummer, though.

If you have said lot saved to your My Library, that should free you to make whatever changes as necessary. This is the lot I made for my singer Sim. It's a reasonable facsimile of my Grand Uncle and Aunt's historical home. Originally, (before we got the stairs) I had altered the kitchen entrance so that it was possible to get to the stairs more readily. Then the stairs dropped and I went back into really remodel. I have allowed myself a few alterations, since the game doesn't permit some things — such as the dumb waiter in the kitchen or the angled stair up to the first landing from the kitchen (Maid's entrance). We do what we can. This is by far and wide my most favorite house I ever had the pleasure of being in. My eldest son took his very first steps in the formal livingroom. It crushed me to learn the house has since been torn down. That's L.A. for you.

Oldeseadogge

The test building in question is 3 levels, a state the stairs ignore, going up only 1. All the push-pull does is make the stairs go straight again, not adjust the landing(s). What's the point if they don't do what you need them to do? I don't have nearly the aggravation with TS2 equivalents, and I have spiral stais besides. How is it that 2005 technology does a better job than 2019? Before anyone asks, no CC/mods, this being a slick clean reinstall.

elanorbreton

It is kinda awkward to get the stairs across multi levels (at least, for me). I was trying to do a sort of fire escape stairway on the outside of my army building. I found that it only goes to the first level if you try placing them close, like this:


I had to aim further away, but also raise my cursor to the top level (hard to explain, but if you mess about with it you are bound to hit on success):


Start doing your turns once placed:


What I could not do is switch back underneath the upper stairway to keep the stairs close to the building as they came down:


So, the more turns you add, the further away from the building it ends up being.


I think what I would need to do to keep them close is have separate stairways on different levels so they can be placed underneath each other. But I just thought I would post this example here to show you can have them across multi levels.

GalacticGal

@elenorbreton You did a great job, thanks for the pictures.

Becka28

I made a 3 story tower on the side of my latest house. It was impossible to get the stairs to work right as a single staircase so I made a single story staircase with 2 turns and copied and pasted it on each level. The final effect looks somewhat like a spiral staircase and the tower is usable with a viewing room at the top. I had to construct the stairs outside because the tower was too narrow to work in but moved them inside when built.

I find this the easiest way to do multiple story l shaped stairs.

Oldeseadogge

Thank you for the ideas and photos ladies! Will try in a couple of days when might be free. Odd how the video guru could do all sorts of things with his demo stairs we can't.

Camkat

He also had that demo lot pre-built so we didn't actually see his struggles to get it all in and together.

GalacticGal

Becka28 wrote: »

I made a 3 story tower on the side of my latest house. It was impossible to get the stairs to work right as a single staircase so I made a single story staircase with 2 turns and copied and pasted it on each level. The final effect looks somewhat like a spiral staircase and the tower is usable with a viewing room at the top. I had to construct the stairs outside because the tower was too narrow to work in but moved them inside when built.

I find this the easiest way to do multiple story l shaped stairs.

Thanks for the tip. I haven't yet made up my mind as to whether I want to go into my castle and redo the stairs. But, I'll keep your tip in mind, should I dare …

GalacticGal

I am back with three new pictures. I must have downloaded the wrong build for this new game save, because I was very surprised to see the straight staircase. I went into build mode and 'fixed' the problem, but since someone suggested that angled pull arrow wasn't to lower the stairs below the landing, I decided to 'prove' it does just that. I had to move a few things, first, just to bend the stairs, but I took pictures!

Forgive the quality, I forgot to raise the walls in two of them.

The bent staircase: As you can clearly see it has seven steps below the landing.


After I pulled the arrow (from the lower end of it): As you can see there are now only three steps below the landing.


The stairs with walls up and from a better angle: