[WORKAROUND] Open staircase cause routing failures [ Edited ]

[DeanXeL]

https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/17893949/#Comment_17893949

This is a workaround for the open lofts. It has the loft as a functional room and the staircase is functional too. I posted this before, but people keep ignoring it apparently. 

The issue is not that the fence is blocking anything, the issue is the removed floor/ceiling above the staircase. Somehow staircases stop working when they can't "remove their own ceiling tiles". This method has worked for me all the time, even when placing fences across the staircase landing.

I don't think this is a viable alternative to EA fixing the issue, but at least we can keep on building like we want. And maybe this "explanation" can help EA address what is the source of the bug?

[stjmk]

@DeanXeL"The issue is not that the fence is blocking anything, the issue is the removed floor/ceiling above the staircase. Somehow staircases stop working when they can't 'remove their own ceiling tiles.'"

Exactly! The fences are not the problem.

It's really a "remove floor" glitch for the stairs where the stairs don't recognize their opening as not being a ceiling anymore even after "remove floor"... because platforms.

"I posted this before, but people keep ignoring it..." I don't think people are ignoring it, per se, but it might be a bit too complicated for lots of people who don't build that much and want a simple, easy-peasy workaround. Or those who aren't building from scratch and want to make their already existing builds work again. (Heck, I've seen professional Sims youtube "builders" who don't "get" this one.)

"I don't think this is a viable alternative to EA fixing the issue..."

Amen!

"And maybe this 'explanation' can help EA address what is the source of the bug?"

That would be nice.

[DeanXeL]

@stjmkI actually came up with the workaround by thinking in terms of the game. The Sims 4 entire setup is 'rooms' and was always kinda buggy when trying to remove too many things, it was more likely to perform well when building/adding. The entire workaround just hinges on the fact that you delete the floor in an entire room and then rebuild the floor where you need it to be (I use platforms because decks remove the ceiling, but using decks works too). By placing the decks or platforms 'over' an existing full wall, the wall then disappears without exploding the room. The best part is that it is quite robust in terms of adding changes later on. You can still change the shape/add fence or whatever. Only thing to keep in mind is that (just like it used to before) removing a fence -with the exception of using platforms over it- will still explode the room.

If people already have a non-functional staircase in a non-exploded loft, they can actually just add the floor over the staircase and they are good to go...

[stjmk]

@DeanXeL "The Sims 4 entire setup is 'rooms' and was always kinda buggy when trying to remove too many things, it was more likely to perform well when building/adding."

I'm pretty sure that was how they tested platforms. Platforms don't take kindly to being removed sometimes.

The odd thing was that after the platform patch, the one house whose stairs were still working was my Ophelia Villa, which also had an "open to below" stairwell. I did renovate it, just in case, afterwards, and didn't do extensive testing because I wanted to make sure it worked for everyone, first. So, I have no idea how that stairwell differed from the others.

"If people already have a non-functional staircase in a non-exploded loft, they can actually just add the floor over the staircase and they are good to go..."

Hmm... You lost me. Add floor with platform, fences? Or what?

The other odd think with the Sims 4 is that there are phantom "rooms" (Inspector Clouseau voice) sometimes, and they can interfere with stairs working in some builds. (Had that happen in Chez Llama.)

I think you're on to something. But stairwells are way too complicated now!

[DeanXeL]

@stjmkJust add a platform over the staircase, usually about 3 tiles. Then lower it. If you check the link I posted (I edited that post recently to make it more clear), the last 3 steps/pictures at the bottom should more or less explain this (and also how you can see until where you should go with the platform). Fences or anything else are not necessary if the loft itself is not yet exploded.

Edit: I turned the post around and added an 'easy' workaround for those who just want a fenced loft. It's really nothing too elaborate and also explains the tiles over stairs bit better.

[stjmk]

@DeanXeL Thanks. Will have to try it out.

[dustyshower]

What I would REALLY like to see is a similar functional tool to Sims 2, where the sledgehammer could be used to remove one floor tile at a time... All this "intuitive" programming makes it so that Simmers rely on the software understanding what we are trying to accomplish...otherwise, we have to work around what the game is programmed to do.

Stairways are WAY too complicated. PLEASE allow players to remove single tiles of flooring at a time! Then flooring could exist above the stairwell, as it seems to require for Sims to use it?, while removing flooring around parts of the stairwell that Sims don't interact with.

[DeanXeL]

@dustyshower While I would also love a 'loft' tool (basically the opposite of a deck tool, where a deck tool removes the ceiling and keeps the floor, a loft tool would remove the floor and keep the ceiling), with the current issues, it wouldn't matter much. Right now you can built a loft as you have always done with 1 exception: you have to add a few tiles of floor above the stairs. Easily done with the platform tool.
If you can remove floor by the piece, people would still be likely to remove the entire loft (including the stairs), so this wouldn't solve THIS issue. They would still have to remove the tiles around the staircase and know which ones to leave... One is not really less work than the other or requires less understanding of the problem, sadly.

[DeanXeL]

I made a video of the workaround, hope this helps: 

https://youtu.be/FowpM-3Gdnc

[queeniweezy]

@Maysbat I’m so glad you made this, I can finally use the upstairs of the Factor One lot!