Merging Lots In The Sims 3: Is It Possible?

can you merge lots in the sins 3

In The Sims 3, players can purchase and own multiple properties, but the game treats each property as an independent home. While there is an option to edit the town and move lots, players cannot connect two homes and play them simultaneously. However, the Edit Town feature allows players to make changes to their current game file, including moving lots to existing empty lots of the same size or larger, as long as they are the same type of lot.

Characteristics Values
Can you connect two homes in The Sims 3? No, you can't connect two homes and play at the same time.
Can you connect two lots in The Sims 3? Yes, you can use the Edit Town feature to connect two lots.

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Connecting two homes

  • Open the Options Menu by clicking on the three dots in the bottom left corner of the screen.
  • Enter Edit Town. This will allow you to make changes to your town and lot types. Remember that any changes made in Edit Town will only affect the current game file.
  • Use the Select tool to choose one of the two lots you want to connect.
  • Move the selected lot to the other empty lot by ensuring they are the same size or larger and of the same type (e.g., you cannot move a community lot to a residential lot).
  • If the lot you are moving to is bigger, consider bulldozing it and placing a lot of the same size to avoid the original lot being placed in the middle, possibly away from the road.
  • Repeat this process for the other lot, moving it onto the first lot's original space. Now the two lots are next to each other, creating the appearance of a connection.
  • Use the Build tool to make any desired changes to the lots, such as expanding the house to bridge the two lots or adding decorations to create a unified look.

By following these steps, you can connect two homes in The Sims 3 to create a larger, unified space for your Sims to enjoy.

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Combining households

Another way to combine households is by using the Move tool in Edit Town. This tool enables players to select a lot on the map and move it to an existing empty lot of the same size or larger. It's important to note that the lot type must also be the same, for example, a community lot cannot be moved onto an empty residential lot. If the new lot is larger than the original, the game will centre the original lot on the new lot, which may result in it being further from the road.

Additionally, the Bulldoze tool can be used to remove lots and their occupants. If the lot has a building, it will need to be bulldozed twice: once to remove the structure and again to delete the lot itself. Players will be given the option to evict the residents, and if they choose to do so, they can either move the family out or save them to the clipboard with their home. Families saved to the clipboard can then be placed on new blocks or merged with other households.

While these tools provide some flexibility in combining households, it's important to note that certain limitations exist, such as lot types and sizes. Additionally, combining households may result in story progression for the inactive household, including the possibility of them moving out of town.

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Merging package files

To merge package files, you can use a program called S3PE. There are different methods for importing files into S3PE, such as dragging and dropping, importing as .dbc, or importing as .package. It is recommended to import as .dbc as it lowers the total item size within the merged end-product.

After merging, you can compress the packages using More Awesome Than You's Recompressor to reduce the size of the files and further improve performance. Download TS3 Recompressor and drag and drop your packages onto s3rc.exe. Wait for the DOS window to close on its own. Repeat this process every time you add more content to your merged package files.

Additionally, regularly deleting the files inside the DCBackup folder (except for ccmerged.package) can help improve performance. These files are duplicates of the merged files inside DCCache, and if not deleted, the game will load the same content twice, causing lag.

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Editing town

Editing your town in The Sims 3 gives you a lot of freedom to change your game. The first thing to remember is that any changes you make will only affect the current game file. If you make changes in Sunset Valley in one game, it will not change Sunset Valley in any other saved games that are based in that town.

You can also use the Edit Town feature to make changes in the World Adventures destinations. If you have WA installed, you will see icons for the destinations in the top left-hand side of the screen when you enter Edit Town. Just click on the destination you want to edit. Again, any changes made in the WA destinations will only affect the current game file.

To get into Edit Town, open up the Options Menu (the three dots in the bottom left corner of the screen).

The Edit Town user interface has several tools:

  • Change Active Household: While playing, you can select a different household to play. Note that the family you were playing with will be subject to story progression and could do something drastic like moving out of town.
  • Select: Use this to select a lot on the map. Once selected, you can make changes to the lot like changing the lot type or building on it.
  • Move: With this tool, you can select any lot on the map and move it to an existing empty lot that is the same size or larger. The empty lot must also be the same type of lot.
  • Build: Select this tool, then select a lot to build on or change.
  • Bulldoze: Use this to remove lots. If the lot has a building on it, you will need to bulldoze it twice, once to remove any buildings and items and again to remove the actual lot. If the lot has occupants, you will be asked if you want to evict them.
  • World Editor: The world editor allows you to place extra lots in your town. As well as new lots, you can add, move and delete trees, rocks and landmarks to the world. However, you cannot edit roads and the terrain without using the Create A World (CAW) tool.

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Copying families

Using the Edit Town Feature:

  • Access the game menu by clicking on the three dots (...).
  • From the game menu, select "Edit Town."
  • Choose "Change Active Household" from the top of the left menu.
  • Pick a new house or select a house with Sims already living there.
  • Use the menu to select "Switch to this Household."
  • You can now control the new household and make changes as desired.

Copying a Specific Sim from One Family to Another:

  • In Edit Town, look for the "Copy" button on the household you want to copy a Sim from.
  • Alternatively, when creating a Sim in Create-A-Sim (CAS), click the "+" sign on the Sim's picture.
  • Select "Save a Copy," which will place the Sim into your premade Sims gallery.
  • You can then add this copied Sim to another family or town without having to recreate their appearance.
  • Use The Neighborhood Handler to copy families from a backup or neighborhood to the import function in The Sims.
  • When starting The Sims, it will usually ask if you want to import any families. You can choose to import the copied family at this point.
  • If you miss the initial prompt, you can use the import button in the toolbar to import the copied family.
  • Refer to the manual or installation guide of The Sims for detailed instructions on importing families.
  • Note that you cannot copy a family directly to a backup. You must first restore the backup to a non-existing neighborhood to prevent data loss.
  • After importing the family to the desired neighborhood, you can delete the temporary neighborhood.

Frequently asked questions

No, you can't merge lots in The Sims 3. However, you can combine two households by going into "Edit Town" mode and making a copy of one of the families you want to combine. Then, you can drag the copied Sim to the other household.

You can use a program like s3pe or CCMagic to merge your CC. First, sort your CC into categories, then use the program to merge the files into packages under 1GB.

Merging your CC can significantly improve your game's loading times and performance.

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