I know there are plenty of threads for general ideas and concepts, this is not one of those threads.
This thread is meant to focus specifically on ideas for Build/Buy Mode, as it doesn't often get as much attention.


A new iteration of The Sims brings about a new iteration of Build/Buy Mode.

The Sims 2 brought about foundations, multi-windows and doors, CFE, etc.

The Sims 3 brought CAST, sorting types by pictographs, adjustable multi-storey columns, free rotation and placement, etc.


What do you think/hope The Sims 4 will bring to Build/Buy Mode?


I'm hoping for the ability to create sub-lots, a tool that allows a lot to be split into partitions.
This would let one make mixed use lots, say build an apartment above a shop, or build a strip mall and separate each store so they can be individually owned.


So, what do you think/hope The Sims 4 will bring to Build/Buy Mode?

Because we haven't seen anything from the building or non-sims part of the game, it's hard to make a call on what would be expected to be in TS4. However I'm holding out for a few things:
SUN PATHS - Because the ones in TS2 are weird, TS3 has really great shadows but I want to build stuff that actually relates to it's location man I've started talking like an Architect what happened to me
RETAINING WALLS - why can't I build a wall and then have the earth fill it up by now? Hm? Why does it have to either be a basement or have an odd dip in it!?
NICER ROOFS - I mean, It'd be nice to use the gabled styles effectively, and if we could actually paint the inside of the wall that would be cool.
MATCH IT UP TO THE ROAD - this doesn't need explaining.
EASY EXPANSION - Some mechanic to expand your lot size would definitely not go amiss. In combination of that mixed-use idea you had, CaptConfucious, imagine the idea of Families owning surrounding land around their homes but are unable to build on it without paying money to the council.. or a family owning a private area of the graveyard.. or Farmland, or Orchards or.. or.. well, the possibilities are endless!

I haven't really built anything in Sims 3 as I find the grid hard to see, so a clearer grid.
I just want diagonals to be easier to implement with diagonal steps and easier roofing of the diagonal wall. I believe sims 3 roofs are already a lot better, but as I said I only really build in sims 2.
Ability to attach foundation and walls without messing around with a cheat.
All windows and doors and arches in matching colours.
Being able to use stage foundation with walls and doors properly.

Oooh, hope Matrix54 sees this thread...
*waits patiently*

For my own reply, I just hope it's easier to get in and build... I used to build quite a bit in TS2 but found that with TS3, I didn't get as much enjoyment and accomplishment when I was done. All my buildings felt samey, and looked samey... and I got bored real quick. So here's hoping TS4 somehow manages to bring back some of the magic that I feel is missing. And because I don't really have a lot of experience building with TS3, I'm probably not one of the best to comment on what I'd like, specifically. I just want it to be enjoyable again...
But can we have rounded walls, for Pete's sake?
Oh, and an escalator.. If Sims Freeplay can have one, I don't see why Sims 4 can't...

I'd like to be able to hide things and to sort/rearrange the catalog. Nothing fancy -- just a box to tick to hide things and drag & drop to rearrange the catalog to my liking. For building tools anything that allows for more intricate/realistic construction is great but I don't have anything specific in mind.

I'd like to be able to place stairs in the neighbourhood, something like sidewalks but with stairs, and terrain paint on the ground so that if I want to build two lots to resemble a continuous area I can do so without the unsightly gaps between the lots. And those second empire rooftops from the Mansion and Garden SP should be in basegame. And cornices. And some fancy customisable curtains with lots of different parts. And bring back the landphone, can't decorate an office without it.

I'd like to be able to expand on what Honeywell stated. Not only the ability to hide and rearrange content in buy/build, but also in CAS, including uninstalling content without having to use an external launcher. If I see a couch I really hate in buy mode, not only should I be able to hide it, I should be able to kill it, not hunt through a disorganized launcher hoping to spot the icon that might or might not even match the item I can't stand.

I want a search bar and sets of furniture. By that, I mean I want three piece suites, dining tables that have matching chairs and double beds with matching single beds. I hate the mismatched garage sale look in my sims houses!
I also want to be able to make terraced houses. It's always annoyed me how isolated the houses are. Detached houses are rich people houses, it doesn't feel right for my poor new sims to be living in them.

^ Yes! Like a "Find and Complete this set" option, kind of like what they have on the IKEA Website but in-Catalogue would be fantastic!

Or even.. dare I say it.. All-Modular Furniture? Imagine just dumping an extra block onto a table and *poof* it's now 1x3! Extend that couch from a love-seat to sofa? Poof! Double Bed? Matching Shelves? Hey, if TS3 can have textures matching, TS4 to make Meshes do the same isn't such a crazy concept after all!

In build mode I'm hoping for a lot so I am prepared for disappointment. Some of the things I'm hoping for are:
- the ability to build to the edge of lots (as others have already said) and to have party walls or boundry fences.
- a much easier plot placement system than 3 has.
- adjustable floor-floor and ceiling heights.
- easy to use split levels and half landings.
- curves.
- wall thicknesses.
- "normal" sliding sash and casement windows.
- window cills and head details.
- visable beams, rafters, trusses, etc. even if they are only for show
- architraves and other mouldings
-easier to use roof system with more options and bargeboards/ fascias/ soffits/ gutters
- retaining walls as Petchy said
- usable space under stairs
- dormers and rooflights

- the big one - I'd like to see less reliance on the grid or a smaller grid so that using it is more fleaxible.

Personally I'd also like realistic physics used along with consideration for damp proofing, insulation, etc. but maybe that would be more suitable in a separate game as I can see it becoming annoying for those who are less interested in the building side.


In buy mode I really like the ideas that other posters on this and other threads have had about organising the catalogue with the ability to tag key words or styles to items and have a search function. Someone also mentioned about having a backup cloud storage of your items so that you can delete items without loosing them forever, that would be great for clearing up the catalogue without worrying about the stuff I may need one day if I want to make a sim with rubbish taste.

Otherwise in buy mode I hope that there are a lot more "normal" items available. Someone mentioned in another thread about the lack of standard ceiling lights in 3, some basic hang down light bulbs with simple shades and a downlighter would be nice.

"Mixed lots" as the OP put it would be a dream come true. Apartments above shops, etc. would be an awesome addition.

I like the idea of being able to selectively remove content without completely deleting it. for example, you can do that with songs in iTunes. It no longer appears on the playlist, but is still available if you want to restore it. The only issue I have with cloud backup is, who supply's the cloud? If it's EA servers, which can be taken offline whenever EA feels like it, I would not be a happy camper. I think some form of local storage of backup is sufficient, and is pretty much what I do right now. I have an archive folder of all my installed S3Ps, and all my uncompressed package files, so if I need to rebuild my content, it's all right there. And with storage as cheap as it is right now, even my ~30 GB (I know, I'm sick, what can I say) backup folder is not a big deal.

I definitely see your point reguarding EA and servers. I'd be happy with storing stuff locally just along as I could remove it from the game (easily) for the time being. I'm impressed with your current organisation, at the moment if I want to remove something from the game I generally just end up putting up with it as finding the right file is a pain.

Ooh. That gives me an idea! MODULES! Like, if you like a particular bedframe but want to add some bed post, change the headboards, or if you like a certain bathtub but wants to add shower to it, attach curtain, etc. It would allow for better mix and match.

I would like to see:

- the ability to build classical arches, vaults, and domes
- the ability to add a steeple as a decorative to a building
- the ability to use large fireplaces as cooking places
- instead of using a toilet, a sim may use the ground to defecate/urinate, which will increase bladder but decrease comfort and NOT plummet the hygiene.

I think t this point with the sims, curves for walls or flooring should kind of be a given. They can do curved pools in TS3 with sliders, just take that same functionality and put it to walls. And floors can be like roads in sim city, just drag. If they can do it there why not TS4? Plus it will be their one major advertising point. That every single article on TS4 will state at least 4 times repetedly for the next year.

fan: Can I build higher than 5 stories in TS4?
EA: No you cant, but you can check out our new curvy wall tool to make more unique and interesting designs!
fan: will lighting behave properly for multi story rooms, more like it did in TS2?
EA: The lighting in TS4 is beautiful, and with out new curvy wall tool, all that light can travel around more smoothly!
fan: what deaths are there in TS$?
EA: Sims 4 comes with lots of ways you can kill your sims, why not try locking them in a 1x1 circular room with our new curvy wall tool?

I'd like to see the flowers be recolorable.... perhaps 4 options.... flower base color, flower accent color, leaf base color, leaf accent color. How cool to have a garden all in graduated shades of pink, or blue, or yellow.

I'd like to see more "do it yourself" options..... a basic platform bed with half a dozen headboards and footboards to choose from. Add one of the 8 bedspreads and select from the 4 pillow options, and that same bed is infinitely customizable. Bed and accessories are tied together so you can click on the bed and select "add headboard" without having to look through everything you own to find the right headboards, pillows, bedspreads. Spiral stairs in 3 different types with 6 different railings. Counters with separate doors you could pick and choose from. A simple sofa with several different options for the arms, and the ability to add different configurations of pillows.... or leave them off completely. Wallpaper you could click on and say "add chair rail" or "add border" or "add frame" and then drag it higher or lower like you do paintings. Paintings with changeable frames.... say "modern, traditional, victorian, primitive" for example.. that would be the same for ALL paintings, so you have a bunch on one wall with the same type of frame, but in different colors, or different frames in the same color, or all exactly matching.

And I'm with you guys, give me a way to delete cc in the game.... I don't really care if it's retrievable or not... just let me get rid of that chair that recolors like crap, or that pattern that doesn't tile, or that toilet that seems to float in midair, or that picture that's so dark you can't see what it is, and I'll be a happy little camper.

There are some really great ideas in here, and I would love to see most of them in the game.

-I would really love the option to have a searchable build/buy mode. It gets so tedious scrolling through everything just to find that one object.

-It has been said before, but I want diagonal stairs and pool walls.

-More control over the roofing tool

-Different level stages for use inside the home

-Staircase landings without cheats or cc

-The ability to make a small room under the stairs

-Shiftable windows

-Large window and door sets For example, my own home has windows in multiple sizes and shapes, but they are all the same style. I know we have some windows that come in a couple of different sizes/shapes, but I would like it to be more comprehensive.

I could probably go on with my list, but I would be happy with these for now.

I would hate a modular approach to objects for the game. A beautifully detailed mesh and textures designed specifically for that item are so much nicer in my opinion -- and less time consuming to place.

Maybe a separate program for objects would be cool and satisfy those who want uber customization and those that just want nice things right out of the box? Sorta of like a body shop or the creature creator from Spore where you could combine a bunch of different elements and import those finished objects into the game. Customization is great but I'd rather do without if it results in generic, time consuming objects that I have to piece together and TS3 style textures.

We need a GreenHouse and equipments for Garden.

^ I honestly liked the way Greenhouses were created in TS2 and their implication in TS3 just seemed so off and.. well.. easy to me. Any CC creator can make a set of windows but a better way to make glass walls would be fantastic. (Imagine not having to use "seamless glass" for full-length glazing and instead just a wall too. That would really be effective.)

Some repeats here but I'd love to see:

• retaining walls - 90degree terrain that can lie flat against a wall
• Window placement not fixed - Instead of having one fixed hole that distorts with CFE'd walls I would love windows that just punch a hole through whatever you place them on. Then they could be shiftable, placed on CFE'd walls and WE could decide if it's a one or two tile window.
• half tiles - sometimes one tile walls just seem so cumbersome if you're trying to add some architectural detail. I would even forego curved walls if I could make a tighter 'curve' with half tile walls.
• shiftable mirrors and tvs. Fuckit, make everything shiftable!! Lol.
• diagonal and curved stairs
• sash windows - cant believe we had to wait this long; they should be a staple!
• different coloured roofs on one lot
• better lighting
• better landscaping - terrain paint with an optional sharp edge (my rockery doesn't have fuzzy edges!). This would also make stepping stones easier. CASTable flowers.
• height adjusting foundations - it would've nice to just drag a foundation to anywhere from 2-steps high to 16 without the added hassle of CFE. Regardless, I'd really love 2-step foundation.

Being able to put whatever painting you want in a frame in any size you want. I'm tired of choosing a nice painting but it's too small or too large or the frame is too fancy or, in some cases, doesn't exist.

Sims interact with almost every object, from watering houseplants, to mulling over a painting, to playing with the rubber cactus on their desk.

Being able to make anything grungy or worn out and sims react to that. Having everything break over time because, well, you can't woohoo on that cheap bed through six generations.

Storage boxes, memory boxes, etc. Shelves. Placing your own deco objects on the bookshelves, if you want, instead of "oh, by the way, here's a GOLDEN GIRAFFE and a PICTURE OF A SIM YOU DON'T KNOW and SOME RANDOM SPORT TROPHY THAT YOU NEVER WON" that we have in the game right now. I'd rather get the deco for those myself from buy mode, take the picture myself, or earn the trophy myself. It would also save modders some time by never needing to convert the bookshelf deco to clutter objects later if we're just given the clutter right from the start and can do with it as we will.

Cupboards that can be used. Because not all food is perishable. :P

Living flowers and bushes again. I want to be able to water, sniff, trim, etc my flowers and bushes. I'd also like to be able to pluck their blooms or branches to create flower arrangements.

Fruit bowls and other food objects aren't deco unless they're plastic. Otherwise, sims can eat from them. This includes spice racks, condiment bottles, salt and pepper shakers, sauce bottles, etc.

Toasters and tea sets with gameplay.
Juicers and blenders.

Oh, I'm not at all organized, just a pack rat. I hate throwing stuff out. Good thing storage is cheap.



And just how can a sim squat and take a dump in the middle of the park and NOT have some loss of hygiene? Not to mention the loss of friends and romantic interests.

I really think it's time to separate cushions and mattresses from beds and couches. Being incentivized by the game to use certain objects over others because they have better stats is really irritating.