As an experienced Sims player with over 500 hours played across multiple Sims games, I can guide you through the process of modifying and changing lot property types in The Sims 4. This allows you to transform residential lots into venues like bars, lounges, libraries, or even museums.
Table of Contents
What Are Lot Types?
Lot types define the purpose and functionality of a lot in The Sims 4. Once chosen, the lot type determines:
- What activities and interactions are possible on the lot
- What types of Sims will visit or live there
- How many bedrooms and bathrooms are allowed
You can choose from residential, retail/commercial, civic, nightlife, miscellaneous special venues when picking a lot type.
Eligible Lots for Type Changes
Most playable residential and community lots can freely have their type changed between residential and commercial, with one exception:
- Secret lots like Forgotten Grotto or Sylvan Glades cannot change lot type
The lot must also be empty before changing lot types. Any Sims living there already must first be moved out or evicted.
Steps to Change Lot Types
- Open the desired empty lot from the world map
- Enter Build Mode
- Click the house icon (with an “i”) in the top left corner
- Select the desired new lot type from the dropdown menu
- Fulfill any new requirements for that type like objects to place
All Lot Types in The Sims 4
Here is a list of all available lot types to pick from:
Residential
- Starter Home
- Empty
- Home Business
Retail/Commercial
- Restaurant
- Retail
- Art Gallery
- Library
- Museum
Civic
- Park
- Plaza
Nightlife
- Lounge
- Nightclub
- Karaoke Bar
- Bar
Special Venues
- Gym
- Spa
- Stadium
- Festival Grounds
- Hospital
- Police Station
- School
- Science Lab
- Vet Clinic
Tips for Changing Lot Types
- Size matters. Pick a sufficiently large lot for big venues like museums.
- Add lot traits like “Convivial” to improve nightlife/hospitality venues.
- Use floorplans from online sources to layout multi-story buildings.
- Focus on catering to visitors’ needs with enough seating, activities, decor when changing to a retail/commercial type.
Common Issues When Changing Lot Types
You may run into some problems, like:
- Frame rate drops from separating out too many rental units
- Reaching the 99 rental unit cap per save file
- Performance issues from overloading lots with too many items and Sims
Save frequently, playtest, and optimize as needed. Reduce clutter, number of units, or size if you experience any lag or crashes.
Modifying Lot Types for Enhanced Gameplay
With some basic mods, you can customize lots even further beyond the base game options:
- Add dual commercial + residential functionality
- Unlock additional lot trait and challenge combinations
- Remove item placement requirements that restrict building
- Edit secret lots normally off-limits like Forgotten Grotto
Mods require a bit more setup and technical know-how but open up many exciting possibilities!
Conclusion
The ability to modify and change lot types is an incredibly powerful creative tool in The Sims 4. You can build a vibrant, customized world tailored to your exact gameplay vision. This guide covered everything from eligible lots, steps to change types, special venues, tips and common issues. Feel free to experiment endlessly!
Let me know if you have any other questions about modifying lots in The Sims 4!
