Fandom wikis are awful, but I think most of the info on that page is also on this wiki, so that should be easier to load!



I've previously experimented with this for the same reason and you need buydebug to actually use the seasonal lot marker unfortunately. There must be a way to change that, but it's beyond me. You can add pretty much everything else to a collection and use them that way.

@aspersim I could be wrong about this, but I believe you also need to ctrl-shift-click the door while in build/buy mode and choose the option "make NPC door", or something like that, to have NPCs occupy the residencies. This option will only be available if one side of the door is marked hidden, and the other side is marked public (ie the hallway), If I'm remembering correctly.

thanks I just bookmartked that website



thats exactly how the seasonal marker works I'll try that thanks

So I downloaded an empty custom content world and am currently building it up from scratch, I am adding all sorts of kinds of lots in it. now I am working of making affordable houses in which is surprisingly kind of difficult in the sims 3 since new families come with even less money then in the sims 2 often times one or 2 sims often comes with $16,500 Simoleans to spend on a house or apartment. Sometimes it's easier just to create a bunch of apartments but having a city with no houses and only apartments is vary unrealistic in my opinion. So how do you handle new sims on limited funds in the sims 3?

I have made my sims' life quite difficult financially by raising taxes, and upping a few other things with NRAAS Money module, so either they have to stay home with their parents or move to something quite modest first. I have stuff for that sprinkled throughout my worlds with small apartments and starter homes, some are trailers.

I'm remodeling this version of Sunset Valley SV2020 at the moment to start a new legacy.
Some apartment buildings downtown, a hobo place at the outskirts. There are a lot of starter house options right here on this site that don't require CC.

When I played my Riverview legacy, I added a few more options to the trailer park there. Two of my generations in my 10gen legacy never made it out from there.

I don't use it personally, but there's a mod out there that doubles a household's starting funds. It's called Anach_StartingFunds and can be found within this set of mods. There are a lot of other cool mods in there too, but they aren't combined together so you can just use the starting funds one if you don't want the extra

Though here's the thread that explains what each one does in case you're curious (I personally love the one that increases wash hands chance)

I just play legacy style. I do not worry about the Sims I do not play. I never build starter houses and let the game populate my worlds. When I need to do something to test something in a world I am doing I just cheat the funds to place Sims as needed.

If you have testing cheats enabled you can use the cheat "freerealestate true"(I do not have the exact wording memorized, I type "help" in the cheat box every time to get it). I use this to get sims situated at the beginning of play, and decide on a case by case basis whether I will use it in later placements.

Also, I do use a lot of cc build and buy items, and make smaller, less luxurious lots, and use buydebug landscape items, in order to make less expensive, functional homes for my sims. Obviously this doesn't apply if you want to play mansion-dwelling aristocrats.

I've done a couple lots with fully seasonal town decor. It is SO ENCHANTING! Like it makes the world feel even more alive. The only downside is you need to keep a very close eye on that seasonal change day and make sure to save before 3-5am roughly when the kick over occurs as there is a decent chance the game will crash loading up all the decor, and save again as soon as the sun comes up. Usually if the game crashes it will click over just fine the next time it tries, at least in my experience.
ETA: I meant worlds, not lots.

Thank you!!!! I will take some notes about this. I am really having fun with doing this world.

@LemonyLin @daisylee

I've never had this issue of the game crashing at 3AM (the time when lots are supposed to change decor), so I'm wondering if the crashing being talked about isn't due to one of the following:

1. Seasonal objects accidentally overlapping with common objects
2. Too many seasonal lots with too many objects
3. Not using "lock objects into place"
4. One or more of the lots glitching, whether from MOO or just a spontaneous thing
5. Certain objects not doable on seasonal lots (I vaguely recall a fire pit or some other object causing issues)


If the whole issue comes down to too many seasonal lots with too many objects, a suggestion I have is to "stagger" when lots change. Remember, lots don't automatically switchover on the first day of the season. There is a one day grace period called "construction," in between the seasonal changes. If you don't place any object for the construction version of the lot, it will immediately convert on the first day of the season, with all of the seasonal decor. However, if you place one or two objects for the construction version of the seasonal lot, it will convert to this "plain" version on the first day of the season, then switch over on the second day.

If you're following me so far, hopefully you can understand what I mean by staggering the seasonal switchover. You can have some lots switch over on Day One, and other lots switch over on Day Two. For example.

1. It's Day One of a new season. Lot #1 has seasonal decor, but no objects placed for "construction." On Day One of summer, it immediately loads all of your summer items.
2. Lot #2 has seasonal decor, but has three park benches and two picnic tables placed for "construction." On Day One of summer, it switches over to those three park benches and picnic tables. On Day Two, it switches over to seasonal objects.
3. Lot #3 is like Lot #2. It has a minimal of items for "construction", so that on the first day of summer, only those items will load.
4. Lot #4 is like #1. It has no items for "construction", so that it immediately switches over to all your summer decor on Day One.

By using this method, you prevent this issue of all of your seasonal lots changing all at once at 3PM. Here is more information on the topic, posted by SimGuruGraham: https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/di...nal-lot-markers

In my case it was probably too many objects. The world this happened in the most had literally -every single lot- decorated to change seasonally.
Though I'm not sure what you mean by lock objects in place? I had assumed that as you went through the different seasons and did your work they were locked automatically?

I have had firepits I think? Maybe on one lot.
Thanks for the informative post!

So, this is most likely the cause of the crashing at 3AM. If you visit the link I posted, you'll see a section where SimGuruGraham talks about performance issues. Of course, that was written ages ago, when everyone still had potatoes for computers, but I think the principle still stands. The seasonal lot system was meant to be used for a tiny handful of lots, or just to make minimal visual changes to a large number of lots, not to be used extensively.

My feeling is that if you want to splash out with seasonal decor, to do it only on the lots that matter (like community lots). Think about, for example, how in real life, it'll tend to be venues and government buildings that will deck out each season.



There's an option on the seasonal marker that says something like "Lock Common Objects in Place." You're supposed to use that every time you go back in to edit a seasonal lot.

This is all VERY good information! Thank you. Originally I wanted to do the whole town but then figured that would cause the fireball in space as someone used to say. So now I am just doing some of the community lots. I think I will move some of the things to construction as I never really understood what that was for. I will check that link also.

I still have to figure out my packs vs. packages issue though as hope to not have to do all the lots twice, one version for me with packages as I use them, and one with packs so custard will pick up the items for a world export.

Okay, but just know that the objects that you place in construction will only be visible for one day, because it's the day in between the time a lot switches from one season to the next.

yes thank you for this information sorry for the late response I thought I already thanked you, but unfortunately I've been experiencing a hidden hacker on my computers, that may have erased the thank you post I posted back after you posted

Well POOH! I do not want that! Sigh.... I will have to see what happens when world is done and if too much will just have to trim I guess. Thank you for letting me know.

Does anyone ever make custom Water Parks in the sims 3? and make them as a "Pool Lot" the Pool type of community lot was actually apart of the base game alone I think?

Yes. There are a few here at MTS in the downloads section and I'm guessing The Exchange.

I know I must be literally the only person asking for this but I'd love to have a post office / mail house. Alot of my time when I lived in the city was going to the post office to send letters to my friends and such. I'd love more letter writing as a whole.

Genie: Your wish is my command
Postal Mod - Send Mail to Your Sims: https://modthesims.info/d/664309

And it looks like the Royal Mail too!
You're a wizard, thank you so much!