Where the $#%& is it!?! Using Search and Filters in the Sims 4

Ever spend long minutes combing the build catalog over and over to find that one particular item you KNOW is there but you cant seem to find?  Does deciding on a paint color mean endless clicking between different walls to see which ones have a blue option?  Cant remember where the heck trashcans are located in the catalog?

Welcome to the club.  

It's time to remind you of two handy features that can seriously cut down on the hair pulling frustration: Search and Filters.

The search mode is something many simmers have been dreaming of for a long time: a fast, easy way to find objects in the build buy catalog.  We now have it...so use it! 

 Just start typing in the name or description of whatever you are looking for in the search box and the game will automatically bring up anything that has those letters in the name.  To help pin point your search, it tells you both the name of the object and where in the catalog it is located.

Click on any of the listings and you will be shown that object and its place in the catalog. 

Some things to know about the Search Function:

* The search function can be used from any Build mode screen.  It doesn’t matter if you are in Objects by Room or if you are in the Roofing menu.

*You don’t have to know the exact name of the object to find it.  In fact, you don’t have to know the name at all.  You can use a descriptor word such as modern or small to narrow your search.

*Hit the x button in the search field to clear out your old search and start a new one.

*The search function will find any object in the Build catalog, including outdoor and construction items.  It is not limited to furniture.  

Filters

Another handy way to save time and easily locate objects is the filter system.  You will see the filter option on the right side of the control panel while in Build mode or in Objects by Function.

Open the filter panel to access the different ways to pinpoint your search.  You can filter by style, by colors, or by content. You can use one or all of these filters at the same time. When a filter is active, the build buy catalog will only show you those items that fit the categories you have selected.

 Style

To filter by style, select one or more of the listed styles in the list. You may select as many or as few as you like. With the filter now active, the catalog will only show you those items that fit that tag.

Using the style filter can be tricky and often frustrating. The modern tag, for instance, yielded almost no objects even though there are plenty of things in the build and buy sections of the catalog that I would consider “modern”.   What you consider “contemporary” and what the game considers “contemporary" could be two completely different things.  Proceed with caution.

Colors

This is an extremely helpful filter to use when you are decorating your house! Click on the color filter and select the color (or colors) you are looking for and when you browse the catalog, you will only see items in those colors.

The convenient part of this is that you don’t have to click on individual styles and check the swatches to see which colors are available.  Everything that is blue will be right there in front of you.  This works for construction items too. If you are considering a particular paint color, using the filter for your search will help you see all of your options in one place.  It can make decision making and decorating so much easier.

Content

The final filter you may employ is the Content filter.  Content currently offers two tags: purchased and unlocked. Purchased will no doubt become much more useful in the future when DLC is released.  In the meantime, “unlocked” can be a handy tool to locate objects your household has unlocked through achievements. 

Don't forget to remove the filters once you are done with them.

Hopefully these tools will help cut down on the frustration of finding objects in the catalog and make the building experience faster and more enjoyable. If you haven't used the color filter yet, I highly recommend it.