Do you visit the hobby lots? Are they useful?

[nocomment]

I just sent a sim around to the hobby lots for the first time.  I'm wondering how useful they really are.  Is this one of those things where you try them out a couple of times, then never go back? 

[Kazzandra]

I went to one once, but the cognitive dissonance of having my period Sims wandering around that ugly and borked art lot ensured that I never did it again.

[BastDawn]

I tried it once, but didn't see the point.  For the hobby lots with contests, you can set up a community lot in the base hood with the contest objects, and I don't see anything else of use.

[Doc Doofus]

The hobbyist icon people that manage the lots can instruct you in the hobby.  that's about it.

I suppose there is an advantage to the lots that you can skill up while time is frozen at home.  Like, if you needed another body point for a promotion but the car pool is about to arrive, you could send your Sim to the dance hobby lot and skill up, shower, drink coffee and roast a hot dog and then go home just before the car pool arrives.

[Sivany]

I went to a couple just after I got FT but quickly realised there was no real point to them. You wait all that time for the lot to load only to find that it's broken and you can't get the compeitions to work anyway. I think I've deleted 2 all the NPCs that come with the lots now anyway.

[MrMugg]

On one hand they are neat to go to, but then after you've been there you're like "okay, I've been here, done that" and the lot isn't as special anymore.  Some of the hobby lots are pointless and a waste of time, while others are cool because they have aspiration rewards in them.

Now, I go to them if I'm bored and want to do something different.  I would like them much better if we could create our OWN secret hobby lots for our custom neighborhoods.  But that cheat code is "bugged" from what I've read.

[Lord Darcy]

Hobby Lots are only special for sheeples who oppose the use of zOMG dangerous hacks, as they're supposed to be the only non-residential lots in which you can build skills. (Well, except for Secret Society in Uni, maybe.) And I'm not even sure of the validity of that claim. But we already have Pescado's comm-skilling for that.

Aside from the constant presence of Iconic Hobbyists from whom you can get instruction in the hobby, there is nothing that you can't do in ordinary community lots.

[Zazazu]

I don't see any point in training hobby points at all. So no, I don't use the hobby lots.

[Alex]

Yep. They're the most pointless thing EAxis has ever shoved into the game. It's not a surprise they tried to prevent anyone from making it successfully useful.

[JacquiES]

Is this one of those things where you try them out a couple of times, then never go back? 

Yup.  And not even all of them, I think I tried two and thought they were stupid.  I agree with Lord Darcy, I have the comm-skilling hack so I really don't need all that mess.  I can create my own hobby lots.

[jsalemi]

And our own Emma has a bunch of 'hobby lots as community lots' she built and posted over in her area on laverwinkle.sims.  You can save yourself a lot of effort having to build your own.

[JacquiES]

And our own Emma has a bunch of 'hobby lots as community lots' she built and posted over in her area on laverwinkle.sims.  You can save yourself a lot of effort having to build your own.

Wow those are great!  I am moving to a new computer so I have to remember to come back and get some of them.  All of her stores are ones I have to make for my new hood but don't feel like it.  Thanks for the heads up.

[J. M. Pescado]

I've noticed that non-S4 DJs appear to be wearing an S4 person's FACE as part of their outfit.

[MrMugg]

And our own Emma has a bunch of 'hobby lots as community lots' she built and posted over in her area on laverwinkle.sims.  You can save yourself a lot of effort having to build your own.

Those lots do look really good.  I think I'll create a separate "sub-neighborhood", kind of like "business" or "downtown" and make that my Secret Hobby Lot Town.  Those are just fantastic.

[Emma]

Glad you like them-I will stop procrastinating and make the rest-hopefully by the end of this week

I never use the hobby lots, ever. They are completely useless in my book, plus they are ugly. I have a cooking competition lot, a dance competition lot and a gaming competition lot, plus those couple of 'hobby lots' I made, and that is it.

[Liz]

Those lots do look really good.  I think I'll create a separate "sub-neighborhood", kind of like "business" or "downtown" and make that my Secret Hobby Lot Town.  Those are just fantastic.

This may be just the thing to rid of that "Ewe need moar subhoods!" popup. Screw the Shopping District. Will now have a combo Seniors' Retirement Vista & Hobbination Alley. Thanks for all the hard work, Emma.

[Zazazu]

I hate that damn pop-up. I keep getting it, regardless of the fact that I have every subhood (my Downtown is Hobbies, though, so most likely that one isn't really registering). Ikea started it up.

[jolrei]

If I want hobby stuff, I put it in my comm lots.  I likely will use a couple of Emma's hobby lots 'cos I can't resist new shiny stuff.

Other than that, I don't see the point of building hobby points - the benefits related to motive decay seem minimal at best, and there's no great perk to "being in the zone".  I have enough trouble trying to get sims to build skills badges before they 'go elder' and die. 

[Liz]

If I want hobby stuff, I put it in my comm lots.  I likely will use a couple of Emma's hobby lots 'cos I can't resist new shiny stuff.
Other than that, I don't see the point of building hobby points... I have enough trouble trying to get sims to build skills badges before they 'go elder' and die.

Emma's lots are quite shiny, aren't they?

The hobby points themselves really don't do anything for me either, but the hobbies do give me a couple of things to do with my elders to make them more interesting to play. I have one elder who's probably about 5 days from death, and I'm actually having fun seeing if I can get him to complete his bug collection before he kicks it. Not that the complete bug collection really matters for anything, but it beats just farting around, waiting for Reaper's Hula Show.

[Emma]

M'kay, I'll do the Nature lot next

[Liz]

Whoot! Reason enough to elixir Ethan Leung's waning ass and keep him around for a few more days. 
I've just sent him and his newly-eldered wife on holiday, mostly to see what'll happen if he kicks it on Twiikki, but now I'm actually hoping he'll survive long enough to kick it @ a shiny new nature lot instead.

[Emma]

Can sims die on vacation? I thought someone said they couldn't.

[jsalemi]

Playable sims don't age on vacation lots, so no, they can't die of old age there.  I believe, however, that they can die of other causes, just like on any comm lot.

[Emma]

Okay-I just remember someone trying to actually kill their sim by a number of means on vacation, and it not working.

[Liz]

Meh, fair enough if they don't age on holiday, given their pets can't even manage to finish a bowl of chow while they're gone. I didn't *think* he'd age off and die, but I was curious. Guess that just gives him more time to do holiday-type stuff in the meantime, and he can try for those last 5 bugs when he gets home and can visit Emma's forthcoming and doubtlessly shiny Nature lot. Which I'm sure she'll be working on really soon. Ahem.

Really, take your time, Emma. Unless you happen to suspect that a speedy Nature comm lot might help those Pets recolours show up faster...    No, really, take your time.