Using garage access as front door

[AllenABQ]

This is probably better addressed in some lot building forum, but I thought our more intellgent members of the community might know about this. 

I've recently gone through a garage-building spree in my neighborhood, adding them to pre-NL lots so that the majority of my sims can drive or have houses that will be equipped to do so prior to move in.

I'm experiencing a weird routing problem with the first big house I've done this to.  It's a very large house I designed myself.  There is a short brick path leading from the sidewalk by the mailbox and garbage can up to the front door.  I added a separate double-car garage to the the extreme left-side of the lot and put a single access door on the back of it that has a lined path leading to the back deck (there is a sliding glass door entrance there into the kitchen).

The problem is that ANY guest stopping by the house for a visit will walk the entire distance through the yard and around to the garage access door and "ring the bell" as if it was the front door to the house.  This happens even if they clearly enter the lot on the far side from the garage.  I thought I might defeat the routing decision by putting up a half-wall between the garage and house making it an even longer walk to reach that back door, but instead my visiting sims go up on the deck passing within *mere inches* of the real front door to go all the way to the backside garage access and ring the doorbell!!

In addition to this, my service NPCs always get into the house by first walking through the garage (automatic garage door opens for them), out the back access door, and into the house via the kitchen sliding glass door.

Any suggestions on how to defeat this problem?  I'm certain it'll crop up in other lots where I've built separated garages, too, but haven't tested them yet.

[Myth]

From what I've read the position of the mailbox to the door is the determining factor.  The front door is designated as the closest to the mailbox.  So if you have your front door on a foundation or basically farther from the mailbox than the other door the Sims will go there first.

I haven't used it but I believe there is a front door hack here by JM or maybe at Simlogical made by Inge.  I'm sorry that I don't know which one is the creator but I know I've seen one.

[AllenABQ]

From what I've read the position of the mailbox to the door is the determining factor.  The front door is designated as the closest to the mailbox.  So if you have your front door on a foundation or basically farther from the mailbox than the other door the Sims will go there first.

I haven't used it but I believe there is a front door hack here by JM or maybe at Simlogical made by Inge.  I'm sorry that I don't know which one is the creator but I know I've seen one.

Ok, then this sucks because my house is built on a foundation whereas the garage is not.  The real front door IS closest to the mailbox in terms of physical distance, but if the game calculates any door on ground level to be closer than a door on a foundation, then this problem will be present in tons of houses not just my own.

Anyone got a bead on if the suspected front door hack is a reality?  I glanced through Inge's site but didn't see anything that looked appropriate to the problem.

[Andygal]

I think that hack is Pescados. I'm not sure if it's been updated/approved for NL yet.

[AllenABQ]

I think that hack is Pescados. I'm not sure if it's been updated/approved for NL yet.

Found it.  And it IS on Boris's list as being compatible!  Thanks!

 

Update... whoops...

After reading this I'm not so sure this'll really solve the problem?

http://forums.modthesims2.com/archive/index.php/t-42279.html

I'll post when I see how my game is affected.

[Motoki]

Generally, the door on the lowest level will count as the front door. Pre-NL this wasn't usually a problem as there tended not to be a door on foundation and another not. I really don't understand why they calculated the garage as a front door but I suppose it's possible someone might build a house with that as main entryway. *shrug*

I actually have one house built on a hillside where the top of the hill connects to what is supposed to be the front door but the game views the one around back on the bottom of the hill as the front door due to it being on a lower level. Pescado's hack didn't solve that issue either so I just dealt with it because I like the house.

[MsMaria]

I have the same problem in several of my separate house/garage combinations. It is very annoying to have to chase the welcome wagon all over the lawn just to greet them. I usually end up pausing and moving everyone to a central location and hope for the best. It gets quite exhausting at times.

[Brynne]

I have the same problem in several of my separate house/garage combinations. It is very annoying to have to chase the welcome wagon all over the lawn just to greet them. I usually end up pausing and moving everyone to a central location and hope for the best. It gets quite exhausting at times.

Funny picture, though! Chasing the welcome wagon around.
I'm hoping there will be a lockable garage door at some point.
I have lockable gates all around my lot to keep the stalkers from barging into my house, but they just go in through the garage door. I'm constantly yelling "Oh, you did NOT just do that!" at Daniel Pleasant.

[Hook]

I made a Sims house once from house plans with a nice sliding glass door in the back.  Delivery people always used the back door, which seemed appropriate for grocery delivery.  Visitors seemed like they'd use whichever door they pleased. 

It's been ages since I played this house, but I seem to remember walk-by's walking THROUGH the house instead of walking by on the sidewalk.  The house was built on a foundation.  Too weird.

JM's frontdoor hack fixed the problem nicely.

If nothing else seems to work, try changing the facing on the door.  If the arrow points in, make it point out instead and vice versa.  I've got a lot of bathrooms with two doors where I have to change the facing on the doors to keep routing problems at a minimum.

Hook

[Dark Trepie]

Funny picture, though! Chasing the welcome wagon around.
I'm hoping there will be a lockable garage door at some point.
I have lockable gates all around my lot to keep the stalkers from barging into my house, but they just go in through the garage door. I'm constantly yelling "Oh, you did NOT just do that!" at Daniel Pleasant.

Speaking of stalkers, I've noticed the Parent Stalkers that Phonehack fixed in Uni are back now whenever their kid calls you up late at night.  Just today Cassandra Dreamer invaded the Burb's house because her daughter called up Lucy and she started playing with their toddler son and his rabbit head toy...   

[ElviraGoth]

So that's why my sims keep walking around the house!  I wondered why the welcome wagon and delivery people were walking around to the back door!  I thought maybe the fences I have on my lots were confusing them into thinking that it was a separate room or something.  I have a fence/gate between the house and the garage, and they all walk around to the back, through that gate.  They don't use the garage door.

And they don't go to the back door.  They just wander into the back yard and stand there.

And that stupid gypsy matchmaker is always wandering around my sims' back yards, too.

[Brynne]

The thing that's really pissing me off right now is when I play one of those new NL townhouses that have a staircase leading to the front door. It's that whole "ring the doorbell then carry your ass down the stairs quick" thing, with my poor sims trudging down, then back up the staircase after them. Of course they can't just yell out "Hey! Welcome to my lovely abode". They have to find that perfect position directly in front of the visitor's face before they can greet them. Reminds me of a dog looking for the perfect place to lay a log in the yard.

[nectere]

Moon_Ez made a nifty little mod over at MTS2 that is a routing edging type dealio. It is the short edging that you place where you want your sims to walk. You know, you make those lovely little garden paths etc and the sims don't use them, instead walking where they deem the shortest distance. Well anyway, I found that you can use this edging to direct traffic to the front door as well. (or any other direction you choose - death chamber anyone? or block off areas you dont want sims to go)

its called:
"New" Short Mortar White Brick Wall Fence
it comes in standard white and transparent

[Brynne]

I just realized I downloaded that edging the other day, and haven't used it yet! Thanks for the reminder.

[Hook]

This reminds me.  Sims don't like to walk on gravel.  If you need a white gravel walk in front of your house, use carpet instead.

I've got a circular drive in front of one of my houses, and the Sims would avoid it completely when I used white gravel.  I changed it to carpet and they are happy to walk on the drive instead of on the grass.

Of course, the circular driveway is useless in Nightlife. <sigh>

Hook

[Myth]

I would think you could make a 'h" shape if that makes sense.  Circular with the drive overlapping on one of the sides.  I have seen many a house that I'd like to live in have that look and had been thinking about trying it on a new lot but haven't tried it yet in the game.  The lot would have to be a larger one to accomodate it but I think it would make a nice visual effect.

[Hook]

I removed the "gravel" from one side of the circular driveway and put in a normal driveway, leaving the rest of the circular drive in place.  It works, and doesn't look *too* bad.  Just not the effect I was hoping for.

Hook