Designating front doors on community lots

[SimPenguin]

Does anyone know how to designate a front door for a business on a community lot?  I have several lots I've built where there are multiple doors on the entry side of the lot and Sims just won't choose the one I want them to.  I found a post talking about changing the side of the lot that Sims enter on, but not the door -- They seem to arrive on the correct side of the lot (for the most part), it's just a matter of the door they are picking.

[Ricalynn]

In my experience, Sims always choose the door that is most convenient for where they're trying to go.   So if they're arriving in the right spot, then maybe remove those doors or block them.  Do you have to have those functioning doors there or are they just for aesthetics?   You might be able to lock the other doors using Control + Shift + Left Click but then the other doors would not be usable at all.

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With testingcheatsenabled on, go into build mode. Click on the ground and hold down Ctrl-Shift. Mouse over the door and click on it to bring up the menu. Select Set as Front Door.

Set Front Door - Click image to see larger view

[SimPenguin]

I think it's more than them just coming in the most convenient door.  In my neighborhood bar, it's a corner lot in the middle of town and they all come around to a far corner of the lot to enter, no matter what direction they are coming from.  I'm reluctant to remove that door as even if they come in the correct one, they all walk to the same interior spot before "arriving" and it gets really congested.  The door I've put there allows some pressure release and I'd like to keep it as a convenient option and exit.

In a motel lot I've built, they enter the lot on the correct side, but walk all the way across it to the back building (guest rooms) of the lot to enter, not the *nearest* door which is the check in room...?

I didn't know about the locking thing...  t could try locking the unwanted door in the club (as it's somewhat aesthetic) but that won't work in the motel.

[Ricalynn]

Have you designated where the front of the lot is?  You shift click the side of the lot you wish to be designated as the front.  I wonder if that would help on at least one of the lots.   Otherwise I have no other ideas for you sorry.  Hopefully someone who is more knowledgeable with building will come along soon.

[SimPenguin]

I'll make absolutely sure about the lot direction tonight when I boot up but I'm 99% sure it's correct on both lots - The Sims *do* arrive on the correct side, just not using the correct door.  They could enter from any direction on either lot but they choose the side I would call "front" every time.

[Frey]

This happens to me on some residential lots as well if I have more than one door. Even if I select a main door, guest-sims sometimes knock on the back or side door. I've always thought it was a glitch or something.

But anyway, they always go to the same spot on a building (normally behind the main door) before they go anywhere else. They will arrive, go inside and then to the foyer or hall or whatever. That's pretty annoying on community lots and also when you have large lots where the house isn't that near to the street.

[Galena]

Did you try shift-ctrl-clicking, and then setting it as the front door?

[SimPenguin]

OK, I think I have this figured out and am posting for future generations.     It's a case of something a lot of people knew, but no one has posted a *complete* answer.

To set the front of the lot on a MAC (which may be different from Windows and part of my problem) you have to turn on "testingcheatsenabled true", go into build mode (either through town edit or during gameplay by clicking the ground and selecting "build on this lot"), hold down Shift *and* Control keys while clicking the ground (not the building or a door) on the side of the lot you want to be the front, and select the "set new front of lot" option. 

Besides the control key detail, here is the missing bit - Not only are you setting the lot front, the blue arrow is the exact spot where the Sims enter, so click as near as you can to the door you prefer if you have several and make sure the bouncing arrow shows up there.  I still need to gameplay a bit to make sure I'm 100% right, but so far it's worked like a charm - the lots I was having trouble with had the correct lot side, but the arrow was way back in the middle of the lot, not at the corner I was trying to herd the Sims toward.

Set Front of Lots - Click to see larger image


Thanks everyone, for your input!

[Frey]

This will be so useful! Thanks for sharing!