Placing lots in World Editor - Two fussy tweaking problems

[SimPenguin]

Hi - I'm having trouble placing lots with the in-game world editing tool (Not CAW, I don't have that yet).  The most common problem I have is that I just can't seem to get lots I'm placing right up against the sidewalk or, more importantly, to butt right up next to the lot next door.  The road issue leaves a stupid grass line and sort of bugs me but I can live with it.  The lot alignment issue really is a problem because I'm trying to create a dense city environment and need the buildings to be adjacent.  Is there a keyboard key or something that will help with this?  Like, a snap-to-grid sort of function?

The second problem is much more dramatic.  Several times I've deleted an exsisting lot in Sunset Valley with the intention of replacing it with a slightly smaller lot, or sometimes two.  Now, I realize that I may not achive replacing a 40x40 lot with two 20x20's because of the exact line-up problems, but multiple times I've been unable to place *any* lot back on the perfectly flat lot I've deleted.  Or even replace the lot I've grabbed - once it's selected, it won't fit back (I have to hit escape to rescue the situation).  And since there doesn't seem to be an undo function in world editor, I now have several permenantly bare holes throughout my city.  What am I missing here?  Is there an overide I can use to force a lot back onto the land?  Some sort of "moveobjects on" cheat?  I'm reluctant to download CAW to try and solve this due to the time it will take to learn it and the potential for going horribly wrong.

Thanks in advance for any solutions you can offer.

[BellaClo]

Hello SimPenguin,

For your first problem:
To help you when placing a lot, you can try to hold the Alt key. It works like in Buy Mode when you place objects, you can rotate freely the object, or the lot in this case. Yet, it's not a Snap To Grid method.

In fact, I think that without the Alt key, there is a kind of snap to grid by default. But it snaps to the default grid in CAW, at 0° rotation (you'll understand what I mean when you'll try CAW by yourself ). The problem is that the roads, sidewalks and lots in a world are sometimes placed at a different angle. This means that when you try to place a new lot in game, the lot will snap to 0°, 45° and 90° angles, when the others 'things' around are placed at odd random angles.

Then, you must always have a buffer zone between 2 lots. This zone is 1 tile wide. There is absolutely no way to place 2 lots closer to one another, neither in game, nor in CAW. It's not possible to have real looking very dense city environment in Sims world. Besides this, denser worlds have a heavy impact on performance. You might want to check that your computer is able to handle such a world.

Second problem:
The path the Sims follow when they travel from 1 point to another is handled by something called the routing. Basically, in CAW, it looks like a network made of triangles and matching the ground.
When you edit the lots in game, this routing map needs to be regenerated to take your modifications into account. To do this, you must reload your save. So, after you've deleted a lot or an object, save => exit to main menu => reload the save you've just left.
You should then be able to place a new lot.

Hope it will help you solve your problems.

[SimPenguin]

Thanks so much for all the info!  Bummer about the adjacent and road issues.  It would be nice to not have to ignore that tiny strip, but I'm overly-fussy about such matters.  I haven't really spent any time in Bridgeport, but my memory is that there weren't sections between the buildings down in the core of the city.  Oh wait, I'll bet the creator filled that one tile section with pavement *in CAW*, right?  I don't have a huge city planned, I just wanted a couple of blocks downtown to be continuous and not look suburban.  I can live without it.

I will try your instructions to replace lots I've deleted - Hopefully that will work!  Thanks again.   

[BellaClo]

Indeed, the dense areas in cities like Bridgeport are made by using sidewalks between lots.

Give a try to CAW, all this will become much clearer  .

[Hosfac]

In the World Editor, you can also zoom in on the area when you're placing your lot.  This helps when you're trying to get the edge of the lot as close to the road as possible, especially when you have to hold Alt to get it parallel with the road.

[Janna]

I am hoping the answer to the orginal post will help a question I had.

I have  similar questions however in placing lots.  In some of the towns I have bulldozed some empty lots, such as a 30 x 30, cleared off any trees, rocks, bushes to place a bigger lot 40 x 40.  But I can't do so, the grid stays red instead of going green. I have been able to replace it with the original lot, but I want to put a bigger lot in some of those areas.   The ones I was trying it at had no neighbors, so it couldn't be lots too close to each other. 

Is it not allowed? 

I am goning to try to move the diner and store in MF which are in side by side lots (I guess EA was able to override the space between the lots) and see if I can place the plaza from SV there.  If it doesn't work, I will be back here to seek some advice. 

I am trying to get a type of shopping/dining area as in SV and RV.  In MF I have yet to see anyone at the two dining areas (can't remember their names) or the bookstore. 

[donatello]

I think you may have a problem with the direction your lot is facing. So i suggest you try to place, hold the mouse button down, move it to get your lot facing the road (or where it would be if you were in the right spot), then release the mouse. Do that in a nearby clear area. Then pick up that lot and put it where you want it. It shouldn't fight you anymore.

[Janna]

Okay,

I have bulldozed the lot, 40 x 40 beside Erie Park in SN; I am trying to place a 64 x 64 lot there.  I am hoping I can put there the plaza from SV there.

But I am still having problems.  I was able to get the grid in place for it to go green, but it is not flush with the road.  Can there be a space between where the plaza is at?  Does it have to be flush with the road?  It is probably one or no more than two squares in the grid, but I can't put a sidewalk there.   I don't have CAW, so I don't know if that would help.   And I don't really care about the sides and back of the buildings, just the front area by the road, it fitting right. 
The setup of the bookstore, diners, spa in SN is two lots attached to each other and there is no one around them, it is as if no one wants to go there.  At the Alchemy store (I think that is what it is called) you can find other sims there.  But at the bookstore, diners and spa there isn't anyone around them. 

[donatello]

Once you placed the lot, click on it again, then it will be movable again. Just move it closer to the sidewalk, then click again to place it there. And maybe there are rumours of ghosts or something at those places, lol. No, seriously, I don't know what's up with that bit.

[Susinok]

I have also seen terrain paints in CAW used in between lots to look like pavement. There are quite a few that mimic pavement, sidewalk, etc. You can paint the entire block with pavement and place your lots, and the default "grass" will be pavement and the area between lots will look like pavement as well.