What do you look for in a community lot?

Amphora · November 2018

I’m taking a break from my normal house building and am currently attempting to make a bakery. I usually never make community lots so I’ve never really paid much attention to what would go into it which made me curious: What type of items do you all like or prefer when your simmies go to those places? Just in general, not necessarily for a bakery lot. Lol

For my bakery of course I’ll do the requisite kitchen, bakery racks, and other stuff but I’m curious what things you all like or even prefer having your sims go to

Here’s the bakery I’m attempting right now.

It’s a work in progress so it’s kinda rough. Lol.

TadOlson · November 2018

Here's what is on the main floor of my Garden House build.

Auroraskies · November 2018

Community lot appropriate, just to make an excursion there needed and the town varied.

The art gallery in Aurora Skies had a café and also a music scene with instruments, as did the dive bar, the prisma studio had every fantastic machine there is in the game and the big park before it got run over by a horse stampede had a hot air ballon as well as other places for adult play.

My new library has a fire place and seating places if course, but not much else than 12 book cases now being filled with 'masterpieces' by my author sim.
In the temple I'm building now there is a dance floor, stereo, bar, juice keg, 'the hypnotizer', fire place, shower, buffé table, a throne and of course, a bed..

Sindocat · November 2018

Community lots need restrooms! Nothing worse than ending an outing early due to bladder motive dropping, unless it's an embarrassing public accident.

Otherwise, it depends on the kind of lot. My Gyms all get dressing rooms/showers - and fancy ones get saunas, hot tubs and massage tables as well.

Java Huts usually also get chess tables, bookshelves, reading areas, and sometimes a small stage with a guitar or an easel out back.

I try to have some way of meeting key motives. A library may get a rocking chair or two, and if not an actual food stand, at least a couple vending machines.

Other than meeting motives, activities available usually depend on the theme of the lot. Even rabbit-hole lots like the diner will have a diveable dumpster in the back.

IreneSwift · November 2018

I put potty seats in public restrooms nowadays, so if my sims take a toddler there, they don't have to leave early if their toddler has to go.

igazor · November 2018

Sindocat wrote: »

Community lots need restrooms! Nothing worse than ending an outing early due to bladder motive dropping, unless it's an embarrassing public accident.

Did you know that under EA standard, if a community lot has no toilet facilities then sims' bladder motives are not supposed to decay while they are on the lot unless they arrived there already suffering from some sort of "have to go" emergency? That's how we get away with not having such facilities on the WA tomb lots. It's an all or nothing thing though, one toilet even if it's not reachable or behind a gender restricted door (and your sim is of the other gender) will undo that.

But I usually, probably always, include them anyway outside of the tombs just to be realistic.

IreneSwift · November 2018

@igazor There are toilets in some of the WA tombs, including the Landgraab Estate, the Museum, and the Secret Garden in France, and the Great Pyramid, the MorduCorp hideout, and the Hidden Library in Egypt, but sims' bladder motives still don't drop in any of those.

bekkasan · November 2018

Depending on the lot type I do add a few things for toddlers or kids to do while their parents are on the lot. Usually a toybox and something that older kids can mess about with, sandbox or hopscotch. I usually add a least one bathroom for the lot. For a bakery lot, I would use at least one tea table if you have it.

igazor · November 2018

IreneSwift wrote: »

@igazor There are toilets in some of the WA tombs, including the Landgraab Estate, the Museum, and the Secret Garden in France, and the Great Pyramid, the MorduCorp hideout, and the Hidden Library in Egypt, but sims' bladder motives still don't drop in any of those.

This is so even if the sims stay on the non-tomb marked portions of the lot?

nickibitsward · November 2018

igazor wrote: »

Sindocat wrote: »

Community lots need restrooms! Nothing worse than ending an outing early due to bladder motive dropping, unless it's an embarrassing public accident.

Did you know that under EA standard, if a community lot has no toilet facilities then sims' bladder motives are not supposed to decay while they are on the lot unless they arrived there already suffering from some sort of "have to go" emergency? That's how we get away with not having such facilities on the WA tomb lots. It's an all or nothing thing though, one toilet even if it's not reachable or behind a gender restricted door (and your sim is of the other gender) will undo that.

But I usually, probably always, include them anyway outside of the tombs just to be realistic.

I didn't know this, thanks for letting us know. I sometimes don't have room for bathrooms on a tiny community lot and go to ridiculous lengths to squeeze them in.

KevinL5275 · November 2018

nickibitsward wrote: »

I didn't know this, thanks for letting us know. I sometimes don't have room for bathrooms on a tiny community lot and go to ridiculous lengths to squeeze them in.

That's why I love the all-in-one bathrooms.

nickibitsward · November 2018

KevinL5275 wrote: »

nickibitsward wrote: »

I didn't know this, thanks for letting us know. I sometimes don't have room for bathrooms on a tiny community lot and go to ridiculous lengths to squeeze them in.

That's why I love the all-in-one bathrooms.

Yes, I have used those before.

jillbg · November 2018

Restrooms,someplace/something to eat and possibility to woohoo!

IreneSwift · November 2018

igazor wrote: »

IreneSwift wrote: »

@igazor There are toilets in some of the WA tombs, including the Landgraab Estate, the Museum, and the Secret Garden in France, and the Great Pyramid, the MorduCorp hideout, and the Hidden Library in Egypt, but sims' bladder motives still don't drop in any of those.

This is so even if the sims stay on the non-tomb marked portions of the lot?

You didn't say anything about being on the non-tomb marked portions of the lot making any difference. The only time my sims ever stay on those lots for any length of time is always in the tomb areas.

Avatarit · November 2018

This looks amazing so far, good job!!! where is this upper window from? never seen it.
I also wanted to say about the bathroom as mentioned above. In general they (the simmies) need solutions for their conatant needs - hunger, bathroom, and a shower when applicable. Also it is pretty important to give them space. some CC lots, or even EA lots are to small / with to mant stairs per lot. For example there is a restaurant in Island Paradise that is pretty small, and have like 3 floors. Half the time my simmies were occupied with going up and down instead of just sitting quietly and eat... I guess i prefer one big floor for some lots. Also some objects tend to be annoying because they are like magnet to sims and the sims just don't do anything else if those objects are there. I built a restaurant with a dancing carpet, music, tables, buffet, guitar and--- the tea table. all the sims were waiting in line to the tea table... Also I built a costumized school and tried a hospital too - and the chemistry table is just a bomb, and not in a good way

sims kept burning themselfs...
Also general advise for any lot - music is always nice and gives certain atmosphere to the place. as well as lighting. if you build some bar - make the lighting in a special color, it's really cool.

igazor · November 2018

IreneSwift wrote: »

You didn't say anything about being on the non-tomb marked portions of the lot making any difference. The only time my sims ever stay on those lots for any length of time is always in the tomb areas.

That's because I had no idea if it did or not, hence the question.

Yeesh, these forums can be exhausting sometimes.

Amphora · November 2018

Thanks for all the ideas so far, everybody!! It’s helping give me ideas for what to add. And thank you for your kind words, @Avatarit! I think the window is a Store item. Or it might be from Seasons. I forget which.

@jillbg the lot IS somewhat country themed so I can have a convenient haystack artistically situated nearby

@igazor I never knew that about the bladder need freezing when there’s no bathroom/toilet on the lot! Thanks for the info. Learn new things about the game all the time

TadOlson · November 2018

I've got washrooms kitchen,living area and bedrooms in Garden House along with things in the basement.My Sunset Valley2 city hall is set up like a community house with the lot zoned as a library and sims can actually stay overnight there and still take care of themselves.

JoAnne65 · November 2018

Love the building you’re creating, it’s got a roaring twenties vibe.

igazor wrote: »

Sindocat wrote: »

Community lots need restrooms! Nothing worse than ending an outing early due to bladder motive dropping, unless it's an embarrassing public accident.

Did you know that under EA standard, if a community lot has no toilet facilities then sims' bladder motives are not supposed to decay while they are on the lot unless they arrived there already suffering from some sort of "have to go" emergency? That's how we get away with not having such facilities on the WA tomb lots. It's an all or nothing thing though, one toilet even if it's not reachable or behind a gender restricted door (and your sim is of the other gender) will undo that.

But I usually, probably always, include them anyway outside of the tombs just to be realistic.

And there I was all this time, praising my own cleverness to choose steel bladder for all my sims

jillbg · November 2018

@Amphora I'm all into artistically placed conviences

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What do you look for in a community lot?

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