Building Comunity Lots in CAW

[Anushka]

Hopefully, topic title is clear enough.

Now, I'm building a world from a scratch, including every comunity lot available. It's a lot of work, but I had some great ideas for each. So I started with consignment store in shape of market (I saw some pics on web, and got inspired) so I end up creating a "shelf" for groceries with foundation, bamboo fence and constrainFloorElevation cheat. Then in live mode, I sent my Sim with inventory filled with harvestables and placed them in "shelves":



Then I saved game, saved lot in bin and exit. In CAW I placed that lot with filled shelves, and no harvestables were on (in Edit in Game). Then I went back to Sims, reload the saved game, my Sim was still there, as well as other Sims, but no harvestables

I also have a testing one on residential lot, with much more harvestables displayed, but it is impossible to save that lot in bin. Loading process last forever (I gave up after waiting more than 20 minutes, 3 times now).

So I can conclude that there is no way I could save harvestables I place on comunity lot, even in game, not just in CAW. Can someone confirm this, or tell me am I missing something?

Also, I wanted to made a library with some masterpieces and other rare books in it. Is it possible or game won't remember them once I change lot type into comunity? Or if I leave books in bookshelves on a lot that is already a library, will the game save them as part of the lot (in bin, not in saved file)?  
What about photographs and custom paintings (portraits and still life)?

I would appreciate any information on this subject, thanks everyone!

[Redlaw]

I had some problems close to this when making a nectury for bridgeport.

Turn the cheat menu on then shiftclick and make buy-able then pick what you want from the menu of items (I was looking for necture so I do not know if there is fruits ect...).

I hope this helps.

[Anushka]

Redlaw, thanks for reply but I'm not shore I understand what you mean. Everything is saved fine, but the harvestables that I placed from inventory. They are automatically placed in family inventory, once I went to Edit town, even if I saved game before going to edit town. I'm testing this extensively at the moment, and I find one not very popular solution, but I wish I knew this before I placed all those fruits and lost them!
I managed to save harvestables on comunity lot when my Sim died in his own residential lot, and he was the last member of household (by triggered age transition).

I am wondering if the same thing is with books, photos, relics, nectar etc.

[Redlaw]

This is what I did for the nectory.

I typed in testingcheatsenabled true.

Shift + clicked the nectar rack. Made buyable.

Shift + clicked again and picked the content past what it did for default.

I hope I stated it better this time. Though it took me two weeks to find that out...

[Anushka]

That's very valuable information Redlaw, and now I understand what you meant! Unfortunately, books and harvestables aren't working like nectar, but I will check if I can set what books will be in library bookshelves and to lock it that way! And with this solution for grocery market/consignment store, it is opening many options for custom comunity lots.
Now, since you've mention it, off to think what would be the best place for nectar racks in town, maybe at the market ?

[Redlaw]

Also helps to have a the right place to buy it. So if you have the necture register it helps. Same should be with the others. I have yet to get around to posting the pics of the Bridgeport Nectory.

But yes it opens plenty of ideas and options which I have yet to even think on.

[Anushka]

About pictures, are you using Gallery? Check this tread here.

[Hosfac]

That looks utterly incredible!  An "open air market" consignment store...what an ingenious idea.

As to your harvestable issue:  have you considered making those bins a sort of "flower shop" type display using outdoor landscaping flowers?  You could use a combination of "moveObjects on" and "disableSnappingToSlotsOnAlt on" to give it a more full appearance.

[Redlaw]

Either way I hope what I can inspire is enough to fully see what what I did for the nectar racks as a whole guide they can be put together.

Front antic shops, to even extra diners, adiing in some other ideas and it could add way more to a world yhe you might have space t run and use.



There are many ways to reach the same goal it is sometimes what you find out on the way. One reason why I became a member of this forum. Since sometimes something some says once someplace on place helps many more people then they think/ Though using the menu and what can be done seems way bigger then even I thought. Though that is a whole mess of things to think on. Given that I need to see and experiment what I suggested works on and inspires on what lot types we have.

Base lots will always stay but what we can offer the game past the base keeps growing. That has been the fun part since I picked up Sim City so long ago. Rules keep changing and what can be done grows. But those are the games I like anyway.

Message me if you need help on any testing for lots, I am willing to help your world grow where I can.

[Anushka]

Hosfac that is wonderful idea. I already made a flower stand, but with flowers from decorations, and I don't like it much, cause there isn't much choice there, but I'll definitely add few stands like those for harvestables and made that stand look pretty!
I also managed to save this lot into bin, I left it to load and have a morning coffee and once I was back it was done! File is not too large but processing time when placing it is longer than usual. Still it is worth to wait Only thing I can't confirm at this moment, is if it will work after the world is exported from CAW, cause some items are not always functioning after that.

What does this do:"disableSnappingToSlotsOnAlt on" ? I used moveobjects and hold ALT while placing fruit, and it worked fine, is that the same thing? Or I have to type that cheat in cheat box to get some other options?

I made few more stands (with toys, widgets, relics, pottery, etc) so it does have a real market feel, but I'll keep it as a half surprise until I finish the world which should be soon with this tempo:)

EDIT: Thank you Redlaw, I will. It is a small flat world for Simstar who made a request long time ago, and as soon as I finish what I had in mind, I'll send it to test it, cause I'm shore I'll overlook many things and that you'll have many ideas for improvement:D

[Hosfac]

What does this do:"disableSnappingToSlotsOnAlt on" ? I used moveobjects and hold ALT while placing fruit, and it worked fine, is that the same thing? Or I have to type that cheat in cheat box to get some other options?

As you obviously know, when you place an object, it will automatically snap to the squares in the grid.  When you move it, the object will jump over to the very next half-square slot.  If you rotate it, it will snap to the next 45 degree angle.  That was obviously done so that you can place things more uniformly.

Holding alt, as you also obviously know, allows you to rotate it freely (they don't snap to the 45 degree angle slots) so you can place objects at any angle you want.  However, I was under the impression that the cheat I mentioned opened up the ability to move objects from side to side, to any point without them snapping to the half-square slots on the grid.  For example:  you could pull a desk slightly away from the wall (instead of a full half-square) so that it doesn't cut into the curtains on the window.

Was that what you were doing with the produce?  Honestly, it wouldn't be the first time I was mistaken about cheat codes lol. 

Perhaps this ability is available without cheats in CAW.  All I really know for sure is that the code isn't rejected when I enter it in the game. 

[Anushka]

Hosfac, thanks for sharing. Now, I placed those harvestables using only moveobjects on and holding ALT. If you hold ALT and pick an object by left clicking the mouse (not holding left click) you can place the object out of the grid, but if you hold both ALT and left click than you rotate object in any angle you want. And with moveobjects on, you can do whatever you want.
And thanks for the flower idea, now it looks much much better.
CAW is accepting almost everything from the game, only few objects are not functioning properly. Sadly, after few Edit in Game and back to CAW harvestables are gone, and deathflowers are transformed into deathflower seeds. But CAW did recognized all those fruits in both views, so I'm still optimistic about putting them in same package with everything else.
Redlaw shared some interesting info in PM, so I think that some experiment result belong here.
I placed all registers I found in build menu on the same lot marked as consignment store. It remained functional as consignment store, and surprise: food and book registers are working properly too (selling the same stuff as rabbithole grocery store and bookstore in hometown)! And even more surprise, relic stand was selling raw gems and ores (geode, carbide and iron), and nectar stand was selling nectar maker and both nectaoux, but no nectar bottles. I even tried placing nectaoux but it remained empty, and I couldn't get any option to make it filled with nectar, and testable/buyable. I changed the lot type into Nectary, but still no luck.
General store register is also working - you have option to browse/buy, and there is a Sim behind the register, but there is nothing to buy there.

On the other hand, I'm also working on material for Art Gallery, and something to share for those few who might encounter that issue. I have my Sim start dozens of different paintings (trying to see what paintings were unlocked at what level) but he managed to finish only 30 of them - once the Brushmaster challenge is finished, progress bar in top of the screen is progressing much faster than actual painting so it disappear before the painting is actually finished. It is not synchronized cause painting is started before the ability to paint faster is unlock. Now I have different tactice, and probably will upload on Swap Shop the final collection of paintings.


EDIT: About the nectar thingy, I tried in build menu, while holding CTRL+SHIFT + left click and there it was, all the wonderfull options for nectaroux. And now nectar register is offering some nectar in menu too. It is functional even if in consignment store. I know that in consignment shop you can get almost all of these items, but this add more to reality feel to an open air market with different stands and registers, and ability to actually buy those items - I love it!

[Seabody]

@Hosfac
The way I'm reading your post makes it sound as if you need DisableSnappingtolotsonAlt activated to be able to place things at any point on a lot.
Is that what you're saying?

If so, you do not. Holding ALT down will enable you to place objects anywhere, at any angle.

If not, sorry. That's how I read it.

[Anushka]

Seabody, I understand the same way and that's why I said the same thing in my large post above.

More things I'm discovering with CAW and building, and changes that happen when exporting lots. I used fog emitters to make a waterfall, but after exporting world, CAW reset all fog emitters on default value - fog. Luckily there is easy even if annoying solution, after you start new game in that new exported world, save and go to main menu, and when you're back to saved file fog emitters are back on what you made them - in my case it was waterfall.
Fog emitters are wonderfull endless source of creative effects. From snow to trains, even rats, there are endless possibilities, with only few cheats (testingcheats, buydebug and setting visual effect for them).
Someone once mentioned the snow in game- snowy world is easy to create without any mods. You need fog emitters set to snow and they will snow after you reload your saved file) and custom texture to paint the world (add a 256x256 jpg picture in texture folder for roads and ground).

One more info - gnubb set is not working properly when world is exported.

[samoht04]

@ Anushka - I have seen it mentioned on other peoples Worlds that Fog Emitters don't work or go to default when they export their world so It's not just you.