Usable Space around Dining Table

[Gabihime]

http://stchristophersonthehill.org/gallery/angels/angels%20scraps/sims2/creation/screens/usablespace.jpg

So I've always been a little confused as to how much space you need to leave in a dining area to make it usable. Above is the dining room of a row house that I'm working on. It's an open plan on the bottom floor, but the area for the dining room is squared off in red. That cabinet in the back is just for decoration and I'll replace it with an equally decorative china cabinet, but my question is, how usable are the chairs around the table in this configuration. I know they scoot up to the table when you place them, but I'm not clear if sims will walk behind them when they're like this (or occupied by a sim) or if you need another full square of walking space.

[bluetexasbonnie]

Unfortunately, your sims will use the chairs back in the corner, but then get stuck back there when they get up. A 2-tile table in this same position, with the open square near the wall (the top of picture) should work fine.

[Gabihime]

Ah, okay, thank you :) The last thing I want is them getting stuck back there XD. I will switch two a two-tile table set then. There's a breakfast table in the kitchen anyway, to cover when their enormous family is visiting :3

Tables and chairs are some of the objects I just don't understand Sim pathfinding/use, those and barstools/islands. It makes me feel like a dope, since I always worry that I'm putting too much space or too little. It's challenging to balance aesthetic and use.

[bluetexasbonnie]

It is hard to balance aesthetics & use with table/chairs. You need an 'obvious' full square pathway (back to main room) to the back or side of each chair in TS2.

[plasticbox]

bluetexasbonnie is right, the top right corner can create problems.

Generally, sims can pass behind a chair that is being used by a sim who eats off a plate, or using a computer (so the chair goes straight underneath the table). Sims cannot pass behind a chair that's used by a sim eating cookies or juice, or eating off a plate they hold in their hand (so the chair is slightly diagonal).

[Gabihime]

So it might perhaps be best for me to increase the formal dining area to 5x5, instead of the 3x5 area now? (not including the space for the china cabinet)

The drawing room to the left of the stairs there has a piano and a cello in it (really just a bass for decoration) so the table might not be approachable from the left unless the cello and chair are nixed. I can add two tiles to the dining area by nixing them from the kitchen, it is nice and big, if that will definitely improve traffic flow/usability. That would mean walling off the kitchen from formal dining I think, but I don't think there's anything written expressly about the kitchen being open to the dining room (I'm working from text sources :)) I'd plop a doublewide arch in there likely, to connect the kitchen to the dining room after putting up a wall. Hmm~ maybe I should make a visual aid for what I'm describing, since I'm waiting for my clean reinstall to finish [had an inexplicable problem of stuff packs automagically disappearing. I think my install had become corrupted since the last time I was on a creation jag].

http://stchristophersonthehill.org/gallery/angels/angels%20scraps/sims2/creation/screens/betterdining.jpg

Maybe more clear with a visual aid. XD

[bluetexasbonnie]

Making it 5x5 would eliminate sim-traffic snarls. You could also eliminate snarls by making it 6x3, and eliminating the counter directly behind the chair. (Suspect that you don't need to eliminate counter, but not certain.)

There is no requirement for dining area being 'part' of kitchen -- you could certainly do the archway and it would look nice & work well.

[Gabihime]

There is no requirement for dining area being 'part' of kitchen -- you could certainly do the archway and it would look nice & work well.

Ah no I should have specified, I'm sort of rambling to myself. This row house is built from textual descriptions as opposed from images, but it is based on a particular (fictional) place. I just meant that within my own constraints I don't think I ever mentioned that the dining room was expressly open to the kitchen (although the little table and chairs in the kitchen as well as the island and the radiator are mentioned). I'm trying to stick within the descriptions and still make something fun and playable [that doesn't look like donkey poo].

Oh I should mention that traffic flow is an important element for me, since this house is generally always housing eight sims, so anyplace I can improve without maiming the visual aesthetic, I need to work on :)

[bluetexasbonnie]

That should work for you.