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At the tail end of 2022, The Sims 4 became free to play through Origin (soon to be part of the new EA app). That means that many new players will be starting out on their Sims 4 journey, diving into all the game offers when it comes to life simulation and, of course, building and decorating.
Despite the lack of a color wheel – a much-loved feature of The Sims 3 – The Sims 4 undoubtedly has the best building mechanics of any Sims game so far. Whether a novice builder or a player since 2014, there’s always something new to learn about The Sims 4, especially when it comes to building tips and tricks. These pointers will help to next any build to the next level.
Keep It Small
The saying goes that “bigger is better” but that’s not necessarily the case when it comes to building in The Sims 4. Instead, it’s often best to keep builds small – particularly if you’re new to the game.
There are only so many items in the game, especially without all the DLC, so keeping things on the smaller side helps to avoid cavernous spaces with not enough items to furnish them or gardens that are unmanageable. Smaller spaces also have the advantage of being cheaper to build and decorate.
Enable Move Objects Cheat
The Sims 4 has plenty of cheat codes and by far the most useful when it comes to building is the “moveobjects” cheat. This cheat allows for full freedom when placing all items, including furniture, trees, and plants. It’s great for bypassing the game’s grid system to create a cluttered environment or to simply enable the perfect placement for a grand piano or artist’s easel.
To enable this cheat, you must first have cheats enabled. Open the command box by pressing CTRL + SHIFT + C, type testingcheatsenabled true, and hit enter. Once cheats are enabled, type bb.moveobjects and press enter to activate the move objects cheat. Builders should note, however, that functional objects may become unusable if placed too close to a wall or other object.
Hold Alt To Freely Place Objects
While The Sims 4 offers the best building mechanics of any Sims game so far, the grid system can be limiting when it comes to creating realistic builds. Ordinarily, objects can be rotated, but only in four directions, and the placement of all objects is determined by the slots in the grid.
To combat this, Simmers can hold Alt while placing an object to move it more freely and rotate it 360°. While it won’t give as much freedom as the moveobjects cheat, it’s a good solution for those who want a cheat-free build and has the added bonus of letting players know when an object is too close to another.
Make Objects Bigger & Smaller
While The Sims 4 team has really improved the quality of the game’s new assets in recent years, the sizing of objects in the game is inconsistent. The Sims 4 is home to some abnormally large coffee tables and some frustratingly small paintings, for example.
The good news is that players can scale objects up or down using the [ and ] keys. Simply hold the object and press [ to make it smaller or ] to make it bigger. Builders should be warned that this feature does have its limitations, however. Any functional items – think fridges, sofas, beds, toilets etc. – may become unusable if they’re sized up or down.
Lift Objects Up & Down
In a similar vein, objects in the game can also be elevated up and moved back down using the 0 and 9 keys. 9 lifts the object up incrementally, while 0 moves it back down again.
This trick is perfect when it comes to placing paintings and wall decorations, allowing for more creative freedom to create features like gallery walls. It’s also ideal when placing clutter throughout a build, as objects can be raised or lowered to fit on shelves and other objects with ease.
Experiment With Stairs
In 2019, The Sims 4 team added a free feature never before seen in a Sims game: configurable stairs. After two decades of strictly straight stairs (and the much-missed spiral staircases), builders are now free to experiment with stairs by twisting and turning them in any configuration. Stairs can have multiple turns and parts of the stairs can be shortened or lengthened to fit wall configurations.
The only downside of the stair configuration tools is that they can be tricky to master. It’s worth investing time in video tutorials before getting started, and it’s a good idea to find the perfect stair placement in the build before doing anything else – like adding doors, windows, and decoration – as other elements may need to be moved to accommodate them.
Play With Platforms
Platforms were another feature patched into The Sims 4, this time in 2020. Different from foundations, platforms allow builders to have different levels within one room – which is the perfect way to add interest to a build. They can be used to make anything from a ’70s-style conversation pit to an elevated kitchen to an unusual staircase. They’re a good tool whether building a spooky Halloween build or a beachside bar.
The platforms work much the same as regular floors and can be set to different heights. The heights go up and down in increments, and the first increment will allow Sims to walk up and down them like stairs. Any higher than this, however, and the different platform levels will need to be connected with regular stairs.
Expanded Roof Options
Roofs are undeniably the hardest part of any build in The Sims 4. If a building is anything more than a basic square or rectangle, roofing can become a challenge. The game offers lots of different roof types, including gables, hipped, and flat roofs, as well as ways to adjust the height and curve.
For players who feel comfortable with the basic roofing options, there are some more hidden options that can help take a build to the next level. When placing a roof, holding SHIFT + C to open up further controls which allow players to have more creative freedom over the exact slope and curve of a roof. Holding ALT while adjusting the height of a roof will also make it smoother rather than snapping to pre-determined heights.
Use The Debug Catalog
With 12 Sims 4 expansion packs, 12 game packs, 18 stuff packs, and 17 kits released so far the full catalog of Build/Buy items is extensive. Not every player can afford to have all the DLC in their collection, however, and regardless of how many packs a player has, there are some hidden objects in the game that can be useful to enhance a build.
To access the debug items, type bb.showhiddenobjects and hit enter. This will automatically make hidden objects appear throughout the catalog, and the items will vary depending on the DLC owned. While this trick might not be something every player wants to utilize, it can be particularly useful when it comes to the landscaping portion of the build, as it offers trees and plants not available in the regular Sims 4 catalog.
Disable Automatic Counter Placement
The kitchen is the heart of the home and as such kitchens can be a big part of any build in The Sims 4. One thing many Sims 4 players might never discover is that the game comes with a feature called “automatic counter placement” this means that the game will automatically select the cabinet piece it thinks the player wants when placing a kitchen. While this is a useful feature, it also hides a series of custom cabinets that are available.
Disabling automatic counter placement – by clicking the gear symbols next to any cabinet in the catalog – grants the players access to these cabinet options which include end pieces and special top cabinets with different items placed on shelves. It’s a neat and simple way to spruce up any kitchen and elevate a build in The Sims 4.
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