I'm brand new to this version of the game. One of my sims needs to learn to play chess, so I located and bought him a chess table and desk chairs, but got a message that he doesn't have enough chairs, so I thought maybe they weren't situated around the table right. I tried to rotate the table, and......tried to rotate the table, and......tried to rotate the table. I cursed a couple of times and googled how to rotate objects. No one seemed to know. I'm sure this has been figured out by now. Can someone help me?

signed,
Frustrated by the sea.

P.S. Wow, they changed everything, didn't they? I spend more time looking stuff up than I do playing.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BN40Plsndiw
Basically, the same method as in TS2. If you don't have the <> buttons there, but instead the ,. buttons (like me), use those.

Chairs follow tables in TS4 (anything that can have a chair attached, so tables, desks, chess tables, you name it), so let them "snap" to the table on their own, and then move the table. You should be able to use the <> or ,. buttons to rotate a table with chairs.

I think you must have two chairs for a chess table to work, but I don't want to say that for sure. The chairs should snap into the proper place (in front of the black and white chess pieces).

I'm not sure if there's a difference between the chairs, but dining room chairs and similar should work. Any chairs based on couches or other chairs that don't work with tables probably won't snap to the table.

I had a problem with chairs and a table once and it turned out I needed a different type of chair. If your chairs aren't "snapping to", as simmer22 described, try a different type.

They need to be the dining chair types and not the living ones from my experience. Try and see what works and what does not.

It couldn't be more different from sims 2. You just click on the objects and rotate it with the mouse in sims 2. That just doesn't work at all in 4. Changing the chairs didn't work, either. Nothing snaps to, and any attempt to rotate the blasted thing just moves the camera or slides the chess table further up, doesn't rotate at all.

I bought the violin and have the same problem so it's not just the chess table.

I'm grateful for the help, but frustrated beyond belief. It's a game; it shouldn't be a chore to try to play.

It depends on your keyboard. I have a norwegian keyboard, and it's the , and . buttons at the bottom with the spacebar and AltGr.

I was just in the game putting down some plants, and what I actually do is just to hold down and drag around.

I don't need to drag them; I just want to rotate so they can play the blasted violin and the stupid chess game. Is it just me or is it stupid to have to watch a youtube video to play a silly game?

I agree, Smorbie. It seems rather stupid to have to watch a video in order to rotate furniture. The thing is, it works easily for most of us, so maybe the video will help you figure out what's going wrong when you try it.

Just a suggestion, but if I had this problem, I'd probably go to one of the rich premades and investigate the set up of their chess set or violin. Or, I'd add on a "stylized" room or download one that came with the set up I wanted, then go into buy/build mode and try to analyze why it worked there.

That's what I'm saying you hold and rotate.

Try grabbing the item with the left mouse clicker and hold it while clicking on the right clicker...I think that's how I do it lol It's strange because it's such a matter of habit for me that I'm having trouble telling you how to do it :-(
BTW - Desk chairs don't work. You have to use dining chairs.

@smorbie1 - Have you ever worked with neighborhood deco in Sims 2? This looks like it's done the same way. Just imagine you have a piece of railroad track or one of Criquette's custom bridges. Pick the object up, use the keyboard to rotate it while you're still holding it, and only put it down after you've got it facing in the right direction.

I can see why you're having trouble - this is almost the complete opposite of the way furniture is placed in Sims 2. Don't give up! You'll get the hang of it!