Object limiter

An object limiter is a software restriction on the number of objects that can be placed on a lot. Object limiters exist to prevent game crashes due to excessive memory usage and to ensure the game performs reasonably well on console hardware. A limiter is present in all console versions of The Sims prior to The Sims 4, as well as The Sims Social. Console games are usually limited to about 100-150 objects. In The Sims Social, players can place up to 800 objects.

The object limiter will warn the player if they are nearing the limit. In The Urbz: Sims in the City, this is done by means of modal alerts. In most games, a meter appears which visually represents the object limit, which fills as more objects are added. This meter is represented with an icon of a house on fire in most games starting with The Sims 2 for consoles.

In The Sims 2: Castaway, the game will compensate for going over the limit by setting one of the items in the house on fire.

Object limiters are not present in Windows/macOS/Linux games (excluding The Sims Social) as consoles tend to have less memory and fewer resources compared to PCs. For example, the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 both have 512MB of RAM (with the PS3 having its RAM split 256MB for graphics and 256MB for general usage). The Sims 3 on PC/Mac requires 1/1.5GB of RAM. Because of this, The Sims 3 for console has the object limiter, whereas the PC version does not.

The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles, which The Sims 4 is available for, has a similar amount of RAM to the system requirements of the PC version, and this may be the reason it was not included in the console version of the game.

Windows and macOS can support up to 2,500 walls and 2,500 objects but that number is not legitimately possible aside from in The Sims 3: Generations, where the player can legally have 8 Sims, a 60x60 lot, 9 floors and about 500 objects.

Trivia

 * In The Sims 2 for PSP, the object limiter is known as Feng Shui. However, it simply does not allow the player to buy more stuff, rather than setting the object on fire.
 * It was also used in The Sims, The Sims Bustin' Out and the GBA version of Pets.
 * The object limiter in The Sims 3 for console is similar to the Feng Shui although it is still referred to as the object limiter.
 * In The Sims and The Sims Bustin' Out, it was known as the Feng Shui. For unknown reasons, it was called the Fire Code in The Urbz: Sims in the City, The Sims 2 and The Sims 2 Pets, although some versions still use the original name. In The Sims 3 and The Sims 3 Pets, it was renamed to Fire Meter.
 * If a console game is played using an, there will still be an object limit regardless of the host system, as the data and programming of the base game is not changed by emulation.