Lot

A lot is a part of a neighborhood where build mode and buy mode objects can exist.

The Sims
In The Sims, Sims could not go outside lots.

Lots are divided into residential lots where Sims live, and community lots where they can interact with other Sims. Unleashed allows players to rezone lots in the original neighborhood and Old Town, but in all other areas, a lot's status as residential or community is fixed.

In The Sims, all lots are numbered, and each lot number has a specific location. Each area uses a range of lot numbers, as follows:


 * Lots 1 through 10: The original Sim Lane neighborhood
 * Lots 21 through 30: Downtown
 * Lots 40 through 42: Vacation Island (winter)
 * Lots 43 through 45: Vacation Island (forest)
 * Lots 46 through 48: Vacation Island (beach)
 * Lots 50 through 80: Old Town
 * Lots 81 through 89: Studio Town
 * Lots 90 through 92: Magic Town (residential)
 * Lots 93 through 98: Magic Town (community)

A lot's location is controlled by the number in its filename. For example, House05.iff is lot 5, which is 5 Sim Lane. It is possible to place a lot in a neighborhood simply by copying its "House" file into the correct folder, and replacing the "House" file which was already there for that lot. This can be done even if a family is living on the lot, which allows a player to "drop a house" on a family.

The Sims 2
As in The Sims, Sims cannot go outside lots in The Sims 2

Some expansion packs for The Sims 2 added new lot types - such as dorms and secret societies (University), hotels and beaches (Bon Voyage) and apartments (Apartment Life).

The Sims 3
The Sims 3 allows Sims to explore lands between lots. Sims cannot route over water, objects, and terrain specified as non-routable in the Create a World world-building tool.

The Sims 3 introduced a much broader range of lot assignments such as library and gym, alongside rabbit hole objects that affect lots. These assignments and objects can change a lot's properties.