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Hardware Specifications & Operating System (OS version, CPU, GPU, RAM, storage…):
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I’m not going to create a separate thread for every single problem. There are simply too many by now. So I’m collecting everything here that I notice while seriously trying to build.
In my German-speaking forum, most players want nothing to do with Build Mode because they find it too complicated, buggy, and frustrating. As a result, we are not only missing builds, but also discussion and mutual help. After today’s building session, I can unfortunately understand why.
Lighting and Visibility
Why is there no fixed, neutral building light in Build Mode?
When I work on the front of a house and then move to the back, everything is noticeably darker. I constantly have to readjust the lighting. Colors and materials look different depending on the camera direction, time of day, lot, trees, and shadows.
The lighting conditions are especially unfavorable on the only lot available in the largest size. On certain lots, power lines also remain in view while building on the first floor, making it difficult to check the front of the house.
Why can’t distracting environmental objects be temporarily hidden in Build Mode? And why do we need a cheat to access the studio lighting in regular Build Mode?
No Proper Routing Tests
The Build Studio has no test ZOI that can be used to check stairs, doors, and pathways directly. Instead, the building has to be placed on a lot, and we have to keep switching between Build Mode and Live Mode. This also causes the undo history to be lost.
In some cases, routing indicators are also missing, so we cannot see how much space an object actually requires or which object is blocking a route.
Today, a staircase suddenly became unusable. The staircase itself was placed correctly and had enough free space at both ends. After a long search for the cause, I discovered that a freestanding garden gate in a completely different part of the lot was responsible. The fence had already disappeared and the entrance was open. After moving the gate only a tiny bit, the distant staircase immediately worked again.
Why could the gate be placed there without any warning? Apparently, it requires more routing space than Build Mode indicates. There is no reasonable way for a player to figure that out.
Landings, Platforms, and Fences
When editing landings, separate sections merge and cannot be properly separated again afterward.
Moving or altering a terrace can cause landings and entire connected fences to disappear.
Octagonal platforms cannot be enlarged as a complete shape. If one side is extended first and you then try to adjust the next one, the game sometimes treats the already altered platform as an obstacle.
Why can’t platform constructions be moved together while their individual sections remain editable?
Railings and Stair Openings
When railings are joined together, bright, uncolored edges and cut surfaces appear. These transitions look particularly unfinished when dark materials are used.
Things become even more complicated when stairs are involved. The staircase can be placed, but the railing remains across the stair opening. To prevent this, the stair area first has to be temporarily separated using walls.
If the railing style is changed later, the railing reappears in full—including across the staircase. For every change, walls have to be built again just to exclude the stair area from the railing.
Why doesn’t the system automatically recognize an existing staircase and permanently keep its opening clear?
Ladders
The direction in which ladders are used is shown, but they have to be placed unnecessarily far away from the wall. This makes them look incorrectly installed or as if they are standing freely in the room.
Why can’t ladders be placed closer to the wall without blocking their use?
Roofs
Roof sections cannot be connected or properly joined. This creates visible gaps, overlaps, and untidy transitions on more complex roof designs.
The grid-tile gable roof is particularly problematic. When resized, it rotates or moves by itself. This even happens when the roof is edited on open ground in the Build Studio.
After testing it for quite some time, I discovered that it can be extended very far in one specific direction. It only remains stable once it reaches a length of approximately 11 meters—and even then, it only works in one particular orientation or resizing direction. At other dimensions, it jumps or rotates again.
In practice, the house would have to be built to fit this roof because the roof cannot be reliably adjusted to fit the house. Why is there no indication during placement that it has this size- and direction-dependent limitation?
Saving in the Build Studio
Why can’t we save directly inside the Build Studio?
To save, we have to return to the lobby every single time and then completely reload the Build Studio. During a longer building project, this is an entirely unnecessary and time-consuming process.
Images for Canvas
Creating images for Canvas is also unnecessarily complicated.
The required photo function is unavailable in Build Mode. In Live Mode, a ZOI first has to be positioned correctly because the available camera angles depend on where the ZOI is standing. In the Build Studio, meanwhile, images often look poor because of the uneven lighting.
After uploading, the selected images also cannot be edited or replaced.
Why is there no proper photography mode specifically for buildings that works independently of a ZOI?
Custom Textures
Where is the announced sorting function for custom textures?
The larger the collection becomes, the more confusing the entire section gets. We still lack proper folders, categories, sorting options, filters, and other management tools.
Building Parts with Fixed Colors
Objects and building parts with fixed colors do not display their color codes. This makes it impossible to color other elements to match them precisely.
Today, for example, I had to estimate the color of a roof that cannot be recolored from a screenshot so I could make the front door match it.
Why is there no eyedropper tool that can sample the color of an existing building part? At the very least, its color value should be displayed.
Selection in the Build Catalog
The selection of plants is disappointingly small and offers very little variety. Plants also cannot be enlarged or reduced in size. Why is scaling unavailable for plants?
Curtains are available in only one height. As a result, they do not properly fit the different wall and window heights. We need scalable curtains or at least several height options.
There is only one chimney in the entire catalog. Although it can be resized and recolored, one model is not enough for different architectural styles and roof designs.
Why is the existing garage door 5.5 meters wide? We are missing a normally sized door for a single garage, as well as a sensible range of different sizes.
The modular windows are a genuinely good idea. They can be stretched to the required size, which makes them very flexible. But why is this system available in only one design? Different frames, window divisions, and styles would greatly improve Build Mode.
My Impression
I genuinely enjoy building, and I want to be able to play in the houses I create afterward. But Build Mode makes even simple tasks unnecessarily complicated. Many things are not explained, errors are not marked, and some problems are only discovered after a long search in Live Mode.
Building can be challenging, but players should not have to fight against the tools.
At this point, I’m seriously considering having a smoke and giving the comic-style game another look. That should make it pretty clear just how frustrated I am by now.
