The Sims 2/Community Lots

Community Lots provide sims with the opportunity to get out of the house and socialise with the local crowd. This article explains the process of getting there, what you can do there and how to make your own community lots.

Setting Up
To set up a community lot, simply select the lots and houses bin. Choose the empty lots bin and select a tile of the size you want the lot to be. Place it anywhere you want in the neighbourhood. When it's placed, you'll be asked the type of lot you want it to be. Select community then give it a name. To start building, click on the lot and select enter. You then are given the tools to develop the community lot. You don't have to put anything down but it'll be an empty space if you don't. When designing, keep sims needs in mind. Supply toilets for bladder, grills for hunger and several objects for fun. Since there usually are sims there, you don't need to think about social. Have enough seating for your sims and if you want, add a few showers for hygiene. Energy can't be satisfied on community lots. There are also some objects exclusive to community lots. These are.
 * Community Counters
 * Shop Signs
 * Urinal
 * Grocery Stands
 * Cash Register
 * Wall Speaker
 * Public Phone
 * Trash Can
 * Changing Booth
 * Clothes Rack
 * Magazine Rack
 * Video Game Rack

Getting to Community Lots
To take your sims there, enter the desired lot. Pick up the phone and select Call…Transportation. The taxi will then arrive shortly after. You are also given the option to invite another sim to a community lot. Acceptance is based on relationship. When the taxi arrives, select who you want to go. You select either the caller or the whole household. When the taxi arrives and your sims go in. The neighbourhood view is set up. It shows you what lots you can travel to. When you see a lot you like, click on it to enter it.

At the Community Lot
When you arrive, you'll see several sims already there. These include neighbourhood sims, townies and salespeople. When you're at the community lot, you can interact with all of the objects there. For hunger, use the grills supplied. For fun, use the objects there. For social, there's plenty of townies there. You will eventually have to go home as you cannot satisfy energy there.

Shopping
An exclusive feature of community lots is shopping. There are four things you can buy at community lots.
 * Clothing. You can buy any clothes you want from the clothes rack. When you arrive home, they are immediately added to the wardrobe.
 * Groceries. Groceries are converted into food points upon arriving home. It's also cheaper than getting them delivered because there's no delivery charge.
 * Magazines. Magazines are treated like objects upon arriving home. There main function is to change interests.
 * Video Games. You can add SimCity 4 or The Sims: Busting Out to your game collection. There is no functional difference between those games.

Going Home
When you've done what you wanted to do or your sims get tired, pick up the public phone. You can either go to a different community lot or go home. When you arrive home, time will have stood still, no matter how much time you took there. It will always be the same time, no matter what.