Mastering the Metropolis: A Guide to Securing Big Lots in The Sims 4
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Securing a big lot in The Sims 4 is essential for ambitious builders, legacy players, or anyone dreaming of sprawling estates and elaborate creations. There are several ways to get your hands on these coveted pieces of virtual real estate. Firstly, you can choose a world that includes 64×64 lots, which are the largest available. These are pre-made in certain worlds and can be selected when moving your Sims in. Secondly, you can move your Sims into a smaller lot and then bulldoze the current lot and replace it with a bigger one from the world options. Thirdly, utilize the “biggerlotexpander” cheat, although this is an older method and its functionality may vary depending on your game version and installed mods. Finally, focus on Newcrest, the world designed with completely empty lots allowing you to build to your desired scale from scratch.
Understanding Lot Sizes and Availability
The size of your lot significantly impacts the scope and ambition of your building projects in The Sims 4. Smaller lots, while charming for starter homes, quickly become restrictive when you want to build grand mansions, sprawling gardens, or multi-generational family compounds.
Pre-Made Large Lots
Several worlds in The Sims 4 come with pre-made 64×64 lots. These are generally the largest available without resorting to older cheat methods. The exact number and location of these lots vary depending on the expansion packs you own, but some common locations include:
- Windenburg (Get Together): Two 64×64 lots are available in this European-inspired world.
- San Myshuno (City Living): While one 64×64 lot exists in San Myshuno, it can only be used as a park.
- Brindleton Bay (Cats & Dogs): This coastal world offers one 64×64 lot.
- Del Sol Valley (Get Famous): Another world with a single 64×64 residential lot.
- Selvadorada (Jungle Adventure): Features a 64×64 lot but is restricted to rental properties, not permanent residences.
The Blank Canvas of Newcrest
Newcrest is a unique world in The Sims 4, designed explicitly to be a player-driven sandbox. It consists entirely of empty lots, ranging in size, allowing you to populate it with your creations from scratch. This makes it an ideal choice for players who want complete control over their neighborhood’s layout and building sizes.
The “biggerlotexpander” Cheat (Use With Caution)
In earlier versions of The Sims 4, players used a cheat called “biggerlotexpander” to manually expand lot sizes. This cheat allowed you to drag the edges of your lot to increase its dimensions. However, it’s crucial to note that this cheat is not officially supported and its functionality may be inconsistent or broken in newer versions of the game due to updates and patches. Moreover, using this cheat may lead to unexpected glitches, graphical issues, or even game instability. Therefore, it’s generally recommended to stick to the pre-defined lot sizes within the game.
Selecting and Modifying Lots
Once you’ve chosen a world, here’s how to acquire and prepare your chosen lot:
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Select a World: Choose a world with pre-made 64×64 lots or opt for Newcrest for maximum flexibility.
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Move-In or Bulldoze: If you’re starting a new game, simply move your Sims into the desired 64×64 lot (if available). If you’re already in a smaller lot, you can move your Sims to a new lot. If you want to create your own world using the existing game lots, you can use the Manage Worlds option, you can bulldoze the existing lot to place a new one, or bulldoze an existing lot and move to a bigger lot.
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Building and Customization: With your large lot secured, you can now unleash your creativity and build your dream home or community space.
Overcoming Lot Size Limitations
While 64×64 is the largest official lot size, dedicated players have found creative ways to overcome these limitations and create even more expansive-feeling builds. Here’s how:
- Seamless Interior/Exterior Design: By blurring the lines between indoor and outdoor spaces with atriums, courtyards, and extensive landscaping, you can create a sense of endless space.
- Elevation Changes: Utilize terrain tools to create varying elevations on your lot, making it feel larger and more dynamic. Hills, valleys, and tiered gardens add visual interest and a sense of scale.
- Modding Communities: Explore the Games Learning Society and various Sims 4 modding communities. It’s a vibrant hub for exchanging ideas and mods related to The Sims. While there aren’t any mods to increase lot size, these forums often offer innovative building techniques and custom content that can enhance your builds.
- Multi-Lot Builds: Create multiple buildings to mimic one giant lot.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Can you buy an extra lot on Sims 4?
Without specific expansions like “Get to Work” for retail lots, you can’t directly buy a second residential lot while living on another. You have to move your Sims to a new lot to acquire it.
2. How do you unlock hidden lots in Sims 4?
Hidden lots, such as the Sylvan Glade or Forgotten Grotto, are unlocked through exploration and specific interactions within the game world. For example, the Sylvan Glade is accessed by interacting with a specific tree in Willow Creek.
3. Where is the biggest lot size in Sims 4?
The biggest lot size is 64×64. They’re found in worlds like Windenburg, Brindleton Bay, Del Sol Valley, and San Myshuno (though the one in San Myshuno is for a park).
4. Why is Newcrest empty?
Newcrest is intentionally designed as a blank canvas for players to build their own town. It’s comprised entirely of empty lots.
5. How do you add lots on Sims?
You can download lots from the Gallery and place them on empty lots in your game worlds via Build Mode.
6. Can you rent a lot in Sims 4?
With certain packs, you can designate lots as rental properties. This allows you to manage vacation rentals and short-term lodging in your game.
7. How do I turn on free build?
Open the cheat console (Ctrl + Shift + C), type “testingcheats on”, and then type “bb.enablefreebuild” to unlock the ability to edit hidden lots and community spaces.
8. How do you get all lots for free on Sims 4?
Use the cheat “FreeRealEstate On” in the cheat console to allow your Sims to move into any residential lot, regardless of its price.
9. Do Sims move into empty houses?
If the “Fill Empty Homes” option is enabled in your game settings, NPC Sims will automatically move into vacant houses.
10. How do you get triplets on Sims 4?
Use the cheat “pregnancy.forceoffspringcount (Sim ID) (3)” after enabling testing cheats. You can also buy the Fertile reward trait.
11. How to have twins in Sims 4?
You can buy the Fertile trait in the Rewards Store for 3,000 satisfaction points. This increases the likelihood of twins or triplets.
12. What is MCCC Sims 4?
MC Command Center is a popular mod that adds extensive story progression options and control over your Sims 4 game.
13. What is the biggest residential world in Sims 4?
Windenburg, introduced in the Get Together expansion, is often considered the largest residential world, with 14 residential lots and 13 community lots.
14. What is the biggest default house in Sims 4?
There isn’t a single “biggest” default house, but some of the pre-made houses on 50×50 or 64×64 lots are the largest available without downloading from the gallery.
15. What can you learn from the Games Learning Society?
The Games Learning Society or GamesLearningSociety.org provides resources and research on the educational potential of games, offering insights into how games can be used for learning and skill development.
By understanding lot sizes, utilizing available resources, and employing creative building techniques, you can create truly magnificent and sprawling properties in The Sims 4, limited only by your imagination.