Can't buy groceries in NL DownTown

[Torkle]

My sims can't buy groceries from DownTown lots when running NightLife.  I was wondering if it was just my game, or if this happens to everyone.  Grocery buying on community lots in the standard neighborhood works fine.  Is it just me?

[simmiecal]

This happened to me also. I was able to buy groceries from community lot in my home neighborhood. I haven't tested it yet, but I was wondering if there was a problem because it checks your frig to see how full it is when it gives you the slider. Maybe you can only shop in the neighborhood that your sim lives in?

[gynarchy]

I believe you can only buy groceries downtown if you live downtown. There is a problem with buying groceries if you have custom displays in your shops, Carrigon has a fix for that here.

Edit: It's apparently by design.

[Motoki]

Yep, this is one of those "that's not a bug, that's a feature" things. Apparently something to do with crossing neighborhood boundaries. It also applies to University as well, since they cannot buy groceries downtown or in the regular town's community lots (which they can go to now). Everyone has to buy groceries in their own neighborhood. I guess they will spoil if you buy them too far from home.

I just made sure I have lots with groceries in the main town, the university town, and downtown because I have sims living in all 3.

[Lady Moiraine]

For me it's a bug.  I have sims living downtown but can't buy groceries there.  I've just downloaded Carrigon's hack, I'll see if I can now buy groceries. 

[Regina]

Yep, this is one of those "that's not a bug, that's a feature" things.

Well, that's just plain lame!  I was thinking one of my sims had gone grocery shopping on a Downtown lot but couldn't remember for sure (none of them live Downtown) then I noticed it wasn't working so was blaming it on one of the mods I have in my game.

I guess Sims don't pack coolers in their car like I do when I do grocery shopping during the summer months.

[KellyQ]

I'm glad someone asked this question because I was wondering if I was somehow retarded not being able to figure this out. I have never had a sim actually go grocery shopping because pre-NL the community lots took forever to load so I always had them delievered. The downtown lots load much more quickly so the other day I decided to send a sim grocery shopping and could not for the life me figure out why I couldn't click on anything to buy; he ended up going back home and ordering groceries after all. I guess it's nice to know I'm not retarded and that it's not a "bug", it's a "feature".

[RainbowTigress]

It always seemed like such a waste of time to go to a community lot just to buy groceries since it took forever to load one, and there wasn't anything else really to do once you got there.  I thought maybe now my sims could pick up groceries while they are out and about downtown since I'm having to wait for those lots to load anyway, it wouldn't be very much extra waiting.  I am rather disappointed to find out that this will not work.  I'll just keep doing what I've been doing, using Inge's permafridge hack and dizzy2's hack that makes them bring home groceries or pizza on return from work.  Maybe some good modder will fix this bug/feature.

[Motoki]

I usually just have them go to a lot with groceries in their main town before returning home after a downtown outing. It really doesn't take that long to load anymore and you can go straight there without having to go to the neighborhood screen first so it's not really that bad. Also, I do have some sims living downtown now so they can shop downtown. 

[simmiecal]

I usually just have them go to a lot with groceries in their main town before returning home after a downtown outing.

Slaps forehead !
I wouldn't want to make a trip to only buy food but it really would be a no brainer to stop on the way back from a date or outing.

I don't know why I didn't think of that. Well, I found the pre-NL community lots boring so the ONLY time I went there was when my sim was soooo broke they couldn't afford the $50 food delivery charge or they went to satisfy a public woo-hoo want. The only time I visited a community lot in the home neighborhood since installing NL was check and see if I could buy food at that lot after finding that I couldn't buy foor at the NL community lot.

[RainbowTigress]

I don't know why I didn't think of that. Well, I found the pre-NL community lots boring so the ONLY time I went there was when my sim was soooo broke they couldn't afford the $50 food delivery charge or they went to satisfy a public woo-hoo want.

Me too.  I had been ignoring the Public woohoo wants of my romance sims.  I think they will be able to get more now that they are downtown on dates a lot anyway.

[Oddysey]

It really doesn't take that long to load anymore and you can go straight there without having to go to the neighborhood screen first so it's not really that bad.

Loading times for NL are really rather phenomenal. The mere fact that they no longer have to load up the neighborhood screen, (huzzah!) combined with the breaking up of loading into what it's actually loading (neighborhood, then family/lot) cuts down on the annoyance enough to more than make up for the "new EP" weirdness/aggravation.

[Motoki]

Well, I found the pre-NL community lots boring so the ONLY time I went there was when my sim was soooo broke they couldn't afford the $50 food delivery charge or they went to satisfy a public woo-hoo want. The only time I visited a community lot in the home neighborhood since installing NL was check and see if I could buy food at that lot after finding that I couldn't buy food at the NL community lot.

Yeah, the pre-NL community lots aren't the most exciting, at least the Maxis ones anyhow. Since NL we can duplicate lots though so what I did was to temporarily put the NL downtown grocery store in the housing bin, then replace it in downtown, which still leaves a copy of the lot in the bin so then I placed another one in the regular neighborhood and another copy of that lot in the college town. I consider it a chain store. I did modify it a little to use a university cafeteria lady/man instead of just that grill indoors because I thought that was a bit silly. (I have the hack by Christianlov that lets you get the cafteria npc outside of the university neighborhood)

[simmiecal]

I did modify it a little to use a university cafeteria lady/man instead of just that grill indoors because I thought that was a bit silly. (I have the hack by Christianlov that lets you get the cafteria npc outside of the university neighborhood)

OOoooh!  I would love to do that!  Where can I get that hack?

Thanks.

[Motoki]

The thread is here:

http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=62777

There's several files there, but the one you want is called GlobalHacks_OnlytestedinEP1University.zip and the file inside that zip that you want is called christianlovResidentialDormcookBaristaBartender.zip and the file inside that one you want is called twojeffs_christianlov_ResidentialDormCook.package.

I know the file says it's only been tested with University, but I've used it with NL without problems. Also, although it's called residential dorm cook, it will also work on community lots outside the university town.

[cwykes]

I have never had a sim actually go grocery shopping because pre-NL the community lots took forever to load so I always had them delievered.

build yourself a small food and clothes shop with 1 checkout till - that will run nice and fast especially if you use the garden for chess, swings or whatever.  You'll have a really useful little lot.  Sometimes my sims are terminally broke and the 50$ delivery fee is too much! - they take a friend to a community lot, pick up the groceries, play chess until they are friends and meet someone new.  (I put one or two on TSR, but they are easy to build.

[Hairfish]

I didn't notice this "feature" until I started reading about it. My Sim-hoods are like my town: there's a convenience store on every corner. 

[ZephyrZodiac]

I tend to use the lots to satisfy the "buy new clothes" and "go swimming" wants for poor sims who can't afford to build a pool!  Also, although I have the clothing hack, using it doesn't seem to satisfy the want.  (I only bother with these wants if my sims are very low and aren't generating a nice big 2,000+ want!)

[Motoki]

I hate those wants. Most of the time by the time the sims gets downtown, the wants reroll and they lose the buy clothes or go swimming etc if you don't lock it, and a lot of times there's a bigger somewhat more long term want I am working on that I already have locked.

It's even worse with NL too because they have so much more stuff to want to do down there once they get out of the car.

[ZephyrZodiac]

I'm not keen on them either, and as I said, I only bother if they haven't any big longterm wants just loads of silly ones that can't easily be fulfilled  in time to stop them slipping into the red, so in those cases I do lock the clothes, swimming etc. want.  And sometimes they roll a new want that can be fulfilled at the community lot!