The people outside are the ones smoking cigs. Regardless of what you think about the health risks cig smokers are usually way more fun and interesting to be around at parties than non-smokers.
The kitchen or the patio are the best spots at a party. The living room is the worst spot hands down.
Cigarette smoking is objectively cool and I've smoked two cigarettes in my entire life. Vaping, on the other hand, is not.
Once you have become a seasoned smoker the smell starts to become good actually in a strange way. I have talked to many ex-smokers including my mom who say cig smoke smells incredible to them now. Like before you smoke it smells bad, while you're a smoker you don't smell it at all, but once you quit it fucks with your neurochemistry and now it smells delicious.
Outside is the best but most the house parties I went to were in Chicago or all over Michigan so in the winter that became an issue. In those cases kitchen was pretty clutch. Depending on the party, coke people (if there were any) would often occupy a basement/random bedroom and that was always a coin flip for most entertaining room to observe or last place in the world you wanted to be.
Drinking in the woods in the winter is the best drinking experience. The best beer is either a deck/balcony beer, first beer on the beach, or hotel room beer prior to the event