This is quite popular in Asia as well as smaller town in US. People who happen to have their home in a favorable location, they decide to cut off a section of their living quarter to build a little shop. Either a booth selling cigarettes and soda, to a more elaborate corner restaurant.

In TS3, I am looking to do something similar. I want to have a lot that NPC/neighbors can visit and use my stuff in the public rooms (with Public Room marker) without having to be invited in, or ask owner for permission? The lot can be residential or community I can care less.

Similar idea would be a sim living in his business. Os there a way to make my sim lives on community lot, especially that he/she owns that lot? I will be fine with creating a 1x1 empty slot somewhere to pretend as sim's home while having her live on the community lot altogether.

This can be made for: internet cafe, gym, club, laundromat... where I can play as owner and watch customers zoom by (instead of having a completely empty business with imaginary customers).

Further idea would be how to get bouncer/bartender to work on my residential lot. But I imagine this one is almost impossible, although doesn't hurt to ask.

Someone else in the building forum asked this same question. I'll tell you the same thing I told him.

In TS3, such a hybrid lot isn't possible. At least not yet. Maybe in a later EP, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

Sure, there are public room markers, but even in that case, sims will never enter unless they wanted to visit the sim who lives in the condo.

How about living on community lot? Assuming I have the mods that allow beds (essentially the only thing missing to make a home on community lot).

What if I remove the door altogether? So sim would enter? Oh, turn around, what if I am playing a different household and my sims venture into such business (in fact maybe a residential lot) that maybe I can sit down and use whatever is on the public room without asking to enter? I think that is possible although never tried. But so far I know I can enter lobby of apartments (public room), but ... let me try if I can use anything there.

Yes, you can live on a community lot THat actually works well.

What I suggest is just make a tiny 1x1 lot right next door for your sim's "home" -- they can get their mail there -- and put everything else they need on the community lot.

Buzzler has a mod for community lot cooking, which you'd need to do this if you want your sim to be able to eat more than ice cream Here: http://www.modthesims.info/d/418246

With that, only thing they CAN'T do at the community lot is check their mailbox.

I've done this for the fire station, works great.

As for apartment buildings, I've put a bar and spa in the lobby. You do get other sims using them, though not in the numbers you'd get on a community zoned lot... think it's mostly the NPCs who live in the building. Still, might be enough to maintain the illusion

Living on a community lot? I can't believe I didn't think of that.

If you're playing the sim who's living in that lot, that method would work well. The sim's children can live there too. The game imposed curfew doesn't apply if a relative of sufficient age is also on the same lot.

Another downside (aside from the mailbox) is the fact that their defacto residence won't actually be private. So paparazzi can just walk right in to the defacto bedrooms, for example. This is actually a bigger downside than the mailbox issue. If a bill has one day left before it's due, you'll get a notification, you can click "pay bills," and not even have to visit the mailbox.

I probably misunderstood the context of the question. I thought the idea was to be able to build a new type of house, move some sims into it, and then just forget them until your active sims visit.

There are mods to add rabbit hole rugs and doors to residential lots, but I don't know if those have the intended effect. At the very least, they can't be within the interior confines of the sim's home.

thankyou for posting this, i was wondering the same, and i'd have never found a previous thread.

i'll need to wait till someone works out open for business for sims3. i'm onkl just now getting up the nerve to play with testingcheats, i still havent figured out custom content, cause i'm an idiot. i thought i might try "create a world"... it's insanity, wtf are they talking about "add a layer"? i clicked on everything i could find... i'll worry about it some other day... i got a headache

Yes, yes, yes!

So what I said was true. Create a 1x1 slot somewhere, as you said, for mail and whatnot. This also significantly reduces the bill (for 1x1 slot with nothing on it, is there still a bill?)

I think I know the answer to this, but ... can you by any chance allow some kind of employee work at the bar beside the bar itself?


For other games you can say the same thing, but for TS3 on desktop, the thought of playing without mod is .... dreadful. If you read my other threads, after 2 days of playing a brand new installations of TS3 and all of its Expansions (without stuff pack) I already ran into so many problems. Such as TS3 crashing to desktop, lagging to hell (due to sims congregrated at odd places) and ... too many to even say.

Regarding cheats, honestly, "cheat" in TS3 is entirely a different species than other games. You can play other games with cheat and be a god killing everything with 1 shot and win the game in 1 hour. But "cheat" in TS3 opens up a whole lot more windows. Although you can still get this "god mode" by getting unlimited money and stuff, but this is not a game to win and be over. It lets you play the game as intended. Just think of this, how would you build your own apartment without cheat (to open up buydebug menu), which is something essentially you want to do in TS3. Unless you bought TS3 to try to get some random sims killed and laugh about it, which would be game over for me in 2 days.

There would be a bill, even with a 10x10 lot with nothing but the mailbox.

Bills are a percentage of the family's net worth I believe. A 10x10 lot still costs money, has value, and thus adds to the net worth.

The higher the net worth, the higher the bills. I could be wrong, but purchasing the community lot would increase the net worth, and thus increase the bills. But the revenue from the lot will more than cover it.

One sim family of mine has bills in the $20-30,000 something range (I think). But then again, in addition to owning every single business in the town (I even installed a mod to make city hall, the police station, the school, etc. purchasable), their home is a very large palatial mansion. They also own a very large palatial mansion in each WA destination, for a total of four very large, very expensive houses.

Just don't try living in a bar or club as at closing time you have to leave whether you are a customer or you live there. Though I think there are mods to alter opening hours?
@something else As for CAW right click on the world layer and it gives you the option to add a layer.

Yes. http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=424916

I use the 22 hour option myself. I haven't tried the other options since they probably won't allow enough time for sims to leave and go back to work.

Oh, haven't thought of that. So hour restriction is based on lot type? I am indeed trying to build a home owned bar for my sim. This is based on a Korean movie where the owner of a bar left home after family drama and decided to save money on rent and sleep in his own bar instead.

Is there any real benefit of a sim having ownership of a community lot? I know we can't directly edit the business without "Edit Town", but can we get to lock certain doors to restrict access? I have the lockable custom doors (MOdoors version 3, downloadable right here on MTS).

Yes.

Dive Bars have one set of hours, Lounges have another, while Clubs have yet another set. But that mod I linked to sets the hours to be the same for all such lots.

As far as ownership, there's a HUGE benefit. Lots generate revenue every week. In fact, the more expensive lots and rabbit hole earn so much money, they earn far more than even the medical career at level 10 (the best paying career I think). Owning the lot also lets you edit the lot without using Edit Town or even testingcheatsenabled.

As far as lockable custom doors, I have no idea how those would work on community lots. I've never downloaded any mods like that.

Really ... you can edit them while in game. Nice. I am working on my hotel apartment right now. I replace that stupid rabbit hole restaurant at the right corner of the map and place my own building on top that looks a bit similar to that old building, in shape. It has 5 units with 1bed/1bath. This is a residential lot with apartments (which I think is a brilliant ideas from EA because you do get to live with neighbors in the same apartment complex without having to endure the horrendous lag by replacing 5-6 fully furnished rooms with empty dark rooms.

When this is done, I think I can turn this into a gym or a bar (it already has a swimming pool).

I believe hangouts are open 24 hours and the mixologist seems to be there most of the time. I made a country club and designated it as a "hang-out," and it's always open. I also added a food register so the Sims can get food there. Two mixologist, a food merchant, and a bouncer all show up almost 24/7.

If you create a 1x1 lot for the sim's milbox and such, you could place solar panels on the lot, and you won't have to pay bills cause they give you money. On the other hand, I remember in TS2 I once had a sim living on a community lot he owned because I deleted his home by accident or something similar.

Btw, what expansion is the food register from? I just came back to the game and currently overwhelmed with 3 expansions at once.



How is that possible? If you delete his lot, the game would ask if you want to evict him or not. And if you do, he will be in the clipboard. And if you ignore that and save, or move on to other household, basically you just deleted him. Am I right?

Actually, I have no idea how it happened, it was completely unintentional. I used to play a lot with testing cheats enabled and make selectable pretty much everyone on the community lot and that might have contributed to it.

ok, hold on a sec. i have a question, and i think it's legit, but i'm going to sound really stupid asking it, so bear with me if at all possible, please?

i build i divebar on a giggle, and i got it working at least minimally in one of my stock towns, twinville or riverfalls, i can never remember the exact name they're all so generic... ANYWAY... i rezoned a res lot to comercial, and put up a pathetic attempt at a "biker ish" bar.

it's in the first lot in a row of 3, and the bartender wannabe sim i have lives in the last one. there's an empty lot between them, she goes there and moonlights all the time, and it doesnt kick people out at closing... there's a fridge... a useless barn, i'm thinkin i may rebuild that...

since it doesnt kick people out i could conveiveably move her to the next door lot, or just keep that lot empty, or have her buy it somehow, i've never explored that option... and have her almost "live" at work?

cause that would be nifty.

I have a hard time understanding you.

What is "moonlights"?

So you have 3 different lots side by side, assuming lot A, B, then C. A is where your sim lives, C is where your sim hopes to work as bartender. B is either empty or has something irrelevant in it? And you say that the bar C never kicks people out? Either it is intended, as the saying goes "Computer only does what you tell it to do, not what you want it to do!", the way of you building the bar "on a giggle" may either break the bar (so the closing and kicking patrons out function doesn't work), or, you just happen to have a lucky glitch.

What I would do is to have a back up of your saved file, and you can try this out to your heart content on another save. At the very worst, you load your old saved game. To me, lot B means nothing, and if you intend to move A next to C, do so. With some creativity, your residential lot A putting next to commercial lot C may feel like one larger lot and you will essentially get your "I live on my business" feel.

Every bar, club, or lounge has hours. How that poster never had sims get kicked out, I don't know. Maybe a bug. There's a mod to extend the hours, but even then 24/7 isn't possible. The closest that can be done is probably 23:45/7.

Anyway, "Moonlighting" is an interaction that's only available for sims with a sufficiently high enough Mixology skill. I think 2+ is all that's needed, but it's inadvisable to try it before reaching a skill level of 9. You don't want your sim to make any "bad" drinks, and that pretty much never happens at higher skill levels. I know that YA (and older) can do this, not sure about teens (though teens can learn and even master the mixology skill).

You access "moonlighting" by having your sim visit the bar, and clicking on the bar object.

"Manage the bar" is a similar interaction, but that's only for home bars and can't generate revenue like moonlighting can.

Also, moonlighting is NOT a good way for sims to earn money. It's not much of a money maker.

P.S. Since you asked what moonlighting is, I'm going to guess you never heard the term before. What it means in TS3, and what it means in real life are two very different things. In real life, it basically refers to how some people may work a second, part-time job that occurs in the evening, in addition to their day job. It's a slang term. It's probably called that since during the work hours of that second job, the sun will set and the moon will rise. Some people moonlight by indeed, working as a bartender. Others might be a waiter. Still others might be a clerk or salesman at a retail store. And so on. These second jobs are often part-time and dead-end, but some do it for just a little more money each week.

Awww, so I did my share of moonlighting as well. Working evening job isn't fun btw. Yes, somehow, there is always something out there that seems obvious to others that I never heard of. Thanks for explaining.

Which brought me to an idea of ... what if I use MasterController to assign a sim as mixologist. And then later I jump over to this sim's household. What will I see when this sim goes to work? Of course same thing if I assign as Bouncer/Pianist. It would be nice to just watch sims work instead of disappearing in rabbitholes or have to micro manage like Professions. Wouldn't that be nice? Although I doubt TS3 will let this happen.

On a more playful thought ... also with MasterController I can CAS edit any sim. Now, if I edit that bouncer/bartender standing there by ... making them into a Teen or Child, we would have a child bouncer, bartender. Hmm, children run venues suddenly feel fun.

i dont really know why the lot doesnt kick people out of it at closing time, all the stuff in the bar disappears, but the sim seems welcome to wander around the lot and even continue washing glasses at a now invisible bar. other sims usually leave, but not always. and since there isnt really anything clickable i get bored and leave after just a lil while.

i was just wondering if anyone has any insite. i played that sim tonight, but got distracted, went traveling to china, but not untill after i had her work at the bar for a bit, she FINALLY made a couple of decent drinks. i dont know about making them wait till they're high level, you'd never get to laugh at them dropping bottles if they're way skilled i wouldnt think, and watching them drop bottles is GREAT! but if you're the type who doesnt like to set your sims up for "failure" i guess i understand. i'm just a big believer in learning by doing. even my pixels get the "learn through embarassment" technique.

i'll try her out again sometime soon and see if the bar ever boots her out, or if she can just sit there polishing invisible bottles of sim booze till they re open. i'll try to remember to let ya'll know.

i just got gigglefits at the thought of children rounding up adults and "herding" them out of bars at closing time.

a bunch of lil kids chanting "last call for alcohol" or "you dont have to go home, but you cant stay here..." at final serving time (real life here) and closing time...

sad, i think i giggle too easily

I highly believe your bar is closed. You just don't know it. Closed bar doesn't necessarily kick every sim out of the lot, just out of certain area. So it is best if you look into 1 of EA default bars and see what objects they have in there that you don't.

When households become active, sims in that household lose their roles and service jobs. Those roles are then assigned to other sims. If an insufficient number of qualified, yet unemployed sims exist, new ones will be generated.

It's not possible to control the mailman, the various WA shop merchants, or the paper boy. It's possible to get your active sims to marry service NPCs and role NPCs, but they will lose it upon moving in. In fact, there are hidden traits that are accessible if your sim has a child with one of these former service NPCs, and without cheats.

For example, children of maids have the "Never makes messes" trait. Firefighters might have children who are "Immune to fire." Pizza delivery sims might have a child who is a "Pizza Appreciator," which is actually pretty useless except they might get a good moodlet from eating pizza. These traits can be accessed by MC, and can be safely added as a sixth trait.

On this note, if your sim has children where the parent is a native to one of the WA destinations, the child will likely have the same hidden culture trait. So if a male sim marries a French female sim, their children will be born already knowing the French songs.