Eradicate Welcome & Off-Beat Lots (or improve them, If there is a legit idea to make them practical)

[X_Lukelisx]

Right now, these serve no actual purpose and just give out an illusion that they define something, when in reality not much. Welcome lot can be pretty much any other lot with other category, since it doesn't function any way different from others and any lot can serve as its define theme because people everywhere else are pretty much helpful. My first experience when I joined the game first time, everyone everywhere literally acted like my mom in a sense that they guided me and taught me the 'first baby steps' into navigating this game and what not. For example when I said any lot, a service lot that has the same motive decay difficulty (easy) and newcomers can just consult other veteran players with questions, serve newcomers and comfort them to feel as If they at home.

Point is, welcome category/type isn't needed since other ones can carry its task (like especiallyy service lot, and it's not like the community can be toxic at times, which I have yet to heard from anyone). Don't think there is much to say about off-beat (off-beat doesn't give special objects or much benefits, so you can always set those to function as games, entertainment or romance). When these changes are applied, the pre-existing lots that have this omitted categories will set back to the default "None".

 

[bleach]

the property categories have always been a weak concept, with most of them being useless. the thing they were going for is that giving people choices would somehow lead to higher quality which isnt really how its turned out. overgreen has really done wonders for service and entertainment lots.

 

[X_Lukelisx]

I agree with you about property categories being weak concept implemented. I wonder If something can be done with it. I might have skipped out an update log, but how much was changed with service and entertainment lots. Overgreen as in slower/faster motives fulfill?

 

[Alonzo]

Not sure how putting lot types in categories makes them weak.. Lots need to categorized. The off-beat and welcome category were not designed to be highly trafficked 24/7 lot types. I agree that adding perks, etc to some categories would help attract sims. I think some people think that if a lot doesn't offer money, crazy motive increase, or skill increase; it should just be erased. Not everyone who plays a game plays in the same style as everyone else. Diversity is strong, and often leads to a more fulfilling experience.

 

[bleach]

Yes thats true categories are important, not sure they were well thought out when implemented. Giving choices for categories doesnt mean there is any added value to the choices simply because they exist or there are more of them. Let alone they function well enough for money and skill and service lots as "Categories". Old TSO had 'house hours' average for determinining list position, displayed when you browsed lots in TSO that hovered above their property name on the "City View Window" and also showed top 100 lots in all categories in a single list on the "popular houses" icon, this led to what I like to say is "Extreme simming". The entertainment and games could obvisouly be combined into a single category, the effect of the overfill motive has been to get sims onto entertainment and service lots but if sims are just category hopping for the sake of greening up, that doesnt give much purpose to those categories except for a greening necessity. still the added value of these two lots has been huge to their popularity.





To what Luke is saying, Overgreen allows upto 150% overfill on bladder, energy, hygeine and hunger and I think 50% faster green speed on service lots. Entertainment allows 200% overfill on fun and social, not sure of greening speed but its good way to preserve your fun and social which is hard to green up at times. As you illuded to the categories it really is an illusion that categories define something. I know the developer would welcome help with the project, since that is the only real way we can support him in all the creative work hes done.
we are spoiled by the creator of FreeSo in a lot of ways. he does so much by himself and essentially is a time consuming job and deserves to be recoginzed for all the work hes put in.

a good resource for more information is tsomania.net.

 

[X_Lukelisx]

Exactly. Welcoming is intended for helping new players to walk through the players, but in practise, you can receive the same help and guideness from actualy any lot and that's leaves this lots as a place to green, but even with that the same application exists within SERVICE lots, so... basically WELCOMING lot = duplicate to SERVICE or any other, with little difference in motive. Regarding Off-beats.... I really have no idea what specific purpose of those, If not to act literally as WELCOMING lot. It's not like it will discourage the owners and dictate to not be welcoming/friendly and would rather urge them to be condescending to the player. Will it now?

And we're not saying CATEGORIES of lots as a mechanic are pointless and aren't worth the code of being presented in the game. I'm just implying that aren't thought through, as they have barely noticeable (and probably in actuality is programmed like that) effect and thus gives out an idea that they're more to act like a cosmetic thing that advertises "Oh hey look at me. I'm [insert the defined lot type]! That's I GOT TO SAY". Don't get me wrong I'm all in for diverse lots that have their own unique attribute/qualities/traits/what-not, but If they're just to.... exist with no in-depth reasonable gameplay.

Okay, I'm probably dwell into a different discussion, because I took an account that encompasses all types of lots on a bigger or widet issue. Anyway, enough with pointless ramble, back to the main discussion on hand. I do agree and I believe I proposed that entertainment and games lot should be combined, because fundamentally - they're the same thing (according to tso-mania, which is where I'm pulling facts from: both lots provide same motive difficulty and both fulfill more/less exact theme which is to serve RECREATION for the players/sims), and exact case I'm trying to address for off-beat&welcome (and romance lots, because it's not like it standouts from those two with a desirable feature I feel like is lacking *hint hint* about being payed/tipped additionally for woohoo service). Anyway, If owners wanted to specify a detail theme of the lot, they could simply do so by naming or pointing out in a description of their property.

 

[X_Lukelisx]

Not sure how putting lot types in categories makes them weak.. Lots need to categorized. The off-beat and welcome category were not designed to be highly trafficked 24/7 lot types. I agree that adding perks, etc to some categories would help attract sims. #1 I think some people think that if a lot doesn't offer money, crazy motive increase, or skill increase; it should just be erased. #2 Not everyone who plays a game plays in the same style as everyone else. Diversity is strong, and often leads to a more fulfilling experience.

1. Except I wasn't offering those (quote me on that, If you wish to prove me wrong).
2. Does coding them to be identical but with a different title make them anyhow diverse? How has Off-Beat vs Welcome affect the style of a player and matter to themat all regardless of which either of those lots they own? Where do see a fulfill experience from games API and developers perspective whenever I set a lot to either games/entertainment/offbeat/welcoming lot? Don't see variety in that, but only a minor perk that I get additional objects while the motive settings is the same.