Hi there! You are currently browsing as a guest. Why not create an account? Then you get less ads, can thank creators, post feedback, keep a list of your favourites, and more!
Test Subject
Original Poster
#1 Old 25th May 2008 at 11:35 PM
Default Has anyone build a mega shopping mall?
I'm thinking about building a huge shopping mall on a community lot as the pre-made ones don't have many stores within single lots. I'm planning somewhere like 10~12 stores, but wondering if it can work or not because having to deal with that many stores and employees may be a bit tough to manage. So anybody tried it and was successful? I think it can work if maybe half of the stores use the ticket machine to reduce manual labor. The stores I have in mind are:

1. Arcade (ticket machine)
2. Salon (hairdressing chair)
3. Movie theater (ticket machine)
4. Book store (cash register)
5. Supermarket (cash register)
6. Restaurant (host)
7. Cafe (ticket machine)
8. Department store (cash register)
9. Boutique & Art (cash register)
10. Flower store (cash register)
11. Bakery (cash register)
12. Sports Bar & Grill (combo of host & ticket machine)
Advertisement
Site Helper
#2 Old 26th May 2008 at 12:00 AM
It won't work with all Maxis content. They will make a beeline for the restaurant, and then either leave right after they finish eating or decide they don't have enough money to stay around and leave before they finish eating. They are also very stupid about where they go to pay with a cash register, and the ticket booth covers the entire lot.

If you get the podium from simlogical that lets them stay after they eat they do better, but a complex like what you are describing doesn't work within the game mechanics. One cash register, one ticket podium, and one restaurant podium are all that will reliably work. And they don't do too well together, because the ticket machine forces visitors to check and see if they are still willing to pay every hour, even if they are in the middle of eating, shopping, or waiting to get their hair done. And if they leave in the middle of something else they have negative star points.

I am Ghost. My husband is sidneydoj. I post, he downloads, and I wanted to keep my post count.
Group for Avatar Makers* Funny Stories *2017 Yearbook
#3 Old 26th May 2008 at 3:27 AM
Also, that lot will probably take forever to load and employees don't realize they only work at one store. You need alot of them, unless you want to have customers pay for everything at one register.

I used to want a lot like this so that loading times would be easier, so I could go to one place and buy everything. Then I realized that a really small lot with a specific service loaded MUCH faster and my sims could go to a few in the same amount of time as it took to load and deal with the mega lot. Not to mention the fact that you can have many people own all the separate lots but only one can own the mall.

Just my experience, hope it helps.
Test Subject
Original Poster
#4 Old 26th May 2008 at 8:37 PM
Thanks for the input, after putting up the post I did some more thinking and realized the possible conflicts you have stated. I guess the only option left is to just have one or two stores open and lock the doors for the other stores. I don't mind if all the stores don't open for business, I just want to see the atmosphere of a mega shopping mall. Maybe I could open a different store on rotation, that could work I guess.
Field Researcher
#5 Old 27th May 2008 at 11:46 PM
I've never made it myself, but I have seen mega-malls made, so it must be possible. I forget the user's name, but someone posted lots of pictures of their mall in the Businesses photo thread, and it had about 9 different stores or so. Perhaps find that and ask that user how it works? Good luck!
Site Helper
#6 Old 28th May 2008 at 12:05 AM
I've built one that works well as an un-owned lot.

I am Ghost. My husband is sidneydoj. I post, he downloads, and I wanted to keep my post count.
Group for Avatar Makers* Funny Stories *2017 Yearbook
Lab Assistant
#7 Old 4th Jun 2008 at 7:02 PM
My "mega-mall" works but only because it's unowned. I built it because I had no buy from home hacks/objects at the time and I wanted to do one stop shopping for the legacy. I even stuck a gas station on the corner for groceries.

I'm indifferently curious.
8/2010
9/2011
Test Subject
#8 Old 29th Aug 2017 at 2:58 AM
Quote: Originally posted by avexkoo
I'm thinking about building a huge shopping mall on a community lot as the pre-made ones don't have many stores within single lots. I'm planning somewhere like 10~12 stores, but wondering if it can work or not because having to deal with that many stores and employees may be a bit tough to manage. So anybody tried it and was successful? I think it can work if maybe half of the stores use the ticket machine to reduce manual labor. The stores I have in mind are:

1. Arcade (ticket machine)
2. Salon (hairdressing chair)
3. Movie theater (ticket machine)
4. Book store (cash register)
5. Supermarket (cash register)
6. Restaurant (host)
7. Cafe (ticket machine)
8. Department store (cash register)
9. Boutique & Art (cash register)
10. Flower store (cash register)
11. Bakery (cash register)
12. Sports Bar & Grill (combo of host & ticket machine)


I actually just built a brand new mall in my Sims 2 game in my custom hood, called the Freedom Place Mall (named after a statue I downloaded from HolySimoly: http://archive.tehsims.com/mirror/H...pagestartrow=5). It has 3 floors with 1 anchor that occupies the first two floors, and consists of 12 shops. There are three elevators in the entire mall, and a 3-track staircase on each floor. It's HUGE. I actually tested it out in-game and not only was it slow but my game actually froze when I tried to have my Sim purchase clothing from one of the shops. Haha! Well... here is the lowdown on the shop types:

First floor:
-H&M, this is the ANCHOR with a door leading to the parking lot and occupies the first two floors of the mall. This has one of the three elevators in the entire mall, only this one just is for the H&M, and in turn the first 2 floors ONLY.
-Arcade, with various pinball machines and gaming machines
-Shine, a boutique with CC from RetailSims
-Bubble, another boutique from RetailSims
Also included on the first floor is a kiosk for buying electronic games, cellphones and MP3 players, vending machines, and a fountain just near the stairs.

Second floor:
-H&M, the second floor of this anchor
-Pet Store
-Thanatos Theatrics, a gothic fashion/accessory shop with CC downloaded from RetailSims
-Grocery store, with a birthday/wedding cake display
-Restaurant (I stuck with this instead of a food court, but maybe I'll add a food court if I expand the mall to include a fourth floor and possible second anchor!)

Third floor:
-Bella's Secret, with CC from RetailSims
-A hair salon
-The Gallery of Jewels, also with CC from RetailSims
-A toy store just across from Bella's Secret

The Freedom Statue, link given above to source, is actually on a few of the columns in the foyer of the mall. It's the best mall I've built, and I've built several during my years of gameplay. One outstanding feature is the insane amount of windows, but I was going for a modernesque look with a classical feel.
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#9 Old 29th Aug 2017 at 3:05 AM
I have a mall up, but some of those items you listed won't work in actual game play due to coding. Restaurant coding takes over all and any lot with a restaurant will advertise restaurant only to sims. Is this to be owned or non owned? I am guessing the ticket machine owned? The ticket machine will cover the entire lot not a separate store and combining ticket with cash registers is another 'conflict' of coding. if you put all of this on one lot you may also face some pretty bad lag unless you have a really good computer.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Mad Poster
#10 Old 29th Aug 2017 at 3:17 AM
Wow..last post was in 2008. lol

Je mange des girafes et je parle aussi français !...surtout :0)

Find all my old MTS Uploads, on my SFS, And all new uploads Here . :)
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#11 Old 29th Aug 2017 at 3:54 AM
Good catch Rosebine I hadn't noticed that at all.

@kjf117_97 please don't resurrect ancient 9 year old threads, make a new one okay.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Scholar
#12 Old 31st Aug 2017 at 4:14 AM
But the automatic cash register (Simlogical?) would fix the cash register problems and less employees to hire.

"Oh look, my grandchild is now an elder. They grow up so fast. Gee, I wonder when I'll finally graduate college." Sims 2
Mad Poster
#13 Old 31st Aug 2017 at 4:22 AM
Do the food stand/diners work on owned lots? In an unowned mall I replaced the restaurant with one mostly so it wouldn't take over all the Sims. Less NPCs on the lot probably doesn't hurt either (1 cook instead of a host, a waiter, and a chef!)

I'm secretly a Bulbasaur. | Formerly known as ihatemandatoryregister

Looking for SimWardrobe's mods? | Or Dizzy's? | Faiuwle/rufio's too! | smorbie1's Chris Hatch archives
Forum Resident
#14 Old 1st Sep 2017 at 2:20 AM
Quote: Originally posted by ihatemandatoryregister
Do the food stand/diners work on owned lots? In an unowned mall I replaced the restaurant with one mostly so it wouldn't take over all the Sims. Less NPCs on the lot probably doesn't hurt either (1 cook instead of a host, a waiter, and a chef!)

Yes. I did it once. It still generates an NPC on the owned lot.
Mad Poster
#15 Old 1st Sep 2017 at 8:58 AM Last edited by Justpetro : 1st Sep 2017 at 10:22 AM.
A BBQ area can work, I think. I wonder if one can build a mall with two sections; one for the shops and one for the entertainment, and then have a ticket machine to the entertainment area, which will include the BBQ area?

Edit - sorry, Jo has already answered that, so two malls will be needed I will still use a BBQ for food - no extra NPC that way.
Mad Poster
#16 Old 1st Sep 2017 at 10:33 AM
Well, this is an old thread, but I do pretty much the same thing as justpetro ... multiple lots.

Thanks to ALL free-site creators, admins and mods.

RIP Sunni ... truly a ray of light.
Mad Poster
#17 Old 1st Sep 2017 at 11:47 AM
Quote: Originally posted by avexkoo
I'm thinking about building a huge shopping mall on a community lot as the pre-made ones don't have many stores within single lots. I'm planning somewhere like 10~12 stores, but wondering if it can work or not because having to deal with that many stores and employees may be a bit tough to manage. So anybody tried it and was successful? I think it can work if maybe half of the stores use the ticket machine to reduce manual labor. The stores I have in mind are:

1. Arcade (ticket machine)
2. Salon (hairdressing chair)
3. Movie theater (ticket machine)
4. Book store (cash register)
5. Supermarket (cash register)
6. Restaurant (host)
7. Cafe (ticket machine)
8. Department store (cash register)
9. Boutique & Art (cash register)
10. Flower store (cash register)
11. Bakery (cash register)
12. Sports Bar & Grill (combo of host & ticket machine)

I may as well participating in this thread before it gets locked. If I were to create a mall out of these shops, here's how I do it;

The Shops with ticket machines (btw, I don't see why A Cafe would need one, as I would just place down the restaurant equippment), each would have a different open-close schedules, because as somebody noted here: one ticket machine can work at a time or it affects all items instead per and causes all sort of conflictions. Using vanilla settings, you can hire up to 8 maximum employees, so that makes it a lot harder and have sims share duties than just one assigment. With all the 6 cashiers, they will be as well making sells or restocking stuff (though I probably go with the restocking spree after all of the items are sold out of the shop, which then I would lock the front door behind it). Ok that leaves up for host, servants, cheft and barber. Yeah, it would be difficult enough, especally include the three OFB's crafting activities. I would have to split the duties for my employees and somehow get my playable sim do some as well, with the right assign schedule to the shops so that sims could drop and switch to another duty.

Sorry for my bad english btw.
Back to top