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Preferences for Neighbourhood Layouts?

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Hi all.

I wanted to ask what people's preferences are for the way neighbourhoods are created in the worlds. Do you have favourite neighbourhoods in the game? What do you like about them?

Something I'm personally not keen on in Brindleton Bay is that while the docks area is very run-down and almost quite low-end, they have that massive lounge area that is really massive and conspicuous. I think I understand the idea, that the area is undergoing some gentrification and maybe it's a social comment on big investors that buy up chunks of land in poorer areas, pushing out the lower-income households. However the placement of it really bothers me. I really love the feel of the docks area and I wish that was the feel of the whole zone and that they had a separate 'rich' area in another part of the map. Perhaps if it was positioned slightly further away it wouldn't be so out of place. I just feel like it ruins the story of that area a little. What do you think?

If I compare Brindleton Bay to Windenburg or San Myshuno: those worlds have very clearly defined areas. San Myshuno in particular has areas that are quite economically consistent. The Spice Market appears to be the lowest income area and Uptown is the richest. I really like that clear definition. Windenburg perhaps has more mixed areas, like on the island where there is a huge 64x64 lot and there are smaller lots by the beach, but since the surrounding area is woodland and the lots are spaced more widely apart, the contrast doesn't jar as much.

I'm just not really keen on all the extra 'stuff' around the lounge in BB because I feel like it restricts how creative I can be with that lot. And it's just so out of place with the rest of the area. I just wish they'd placed it elsewhere, maybe on that large lot in Cavalier Cove. I'd have really liked them to have had the 'rich' area with the lots as its own separate zone with a couple of lots for houses. Because I think I could have really told a lot of stories around that. It currently feels like they squashed two zones into one.

Other than that, I really love the style of BB! So I'm not complaining about the whole thing. I'm just thinking that I'd like them to keep the theme of the neighbourhoods more tightly themed for future worlds. I think the base game worlds did have those areas defined by prosperity and I like that more.

What about you? Which areas do you like? And how do you like the neighbourhoods to be themed inside the worlds?

Comments

  • meeounmeeoun Posts: 2,173 Member
    edited December 2017
    I'm a city girl. So I enjoy playing in San Myshuno (SM). I enjoy many aspects of SM. I like the food venders, bum npc guy that sleeps on benches, random sims walking around with Starbucks, traffic noise, the subway etc. I love the different districts and the apartments. I just wish there was more of subculture behind each district like in the Urbz (Sims in the City for PS2) game. As such, I like my worlds to be city-themed that encompasses diversity, both culturally and socioeconomically.
  • LadyKynLadyKyn Posts: 3,594 Member
    I understand what you mean with BB.

    Still, I'd like some more urban like areas in the world. I do like the look of San Myshuno even with being confined to apartments and penthouses I do enjoy the different feel of the districts. Tend to have my Sims living down in the spice market area. I like seeing a variety of diversity in the world that's still keeping to the over all theme of the map.
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  • CupidCupid Posts: 3,623 Member
    I guess I don't particularly feel the same way. I really like when the worlds are segmented within themselves. Maybe not the way that BB did it (I'm not a fan of BB, either), but the way it was done in Windenburg is really nice. To me, each of the areas in Windenburg presents its own opportunity for design choice when it comes to what type of lots I want to put in each area. I put castle style homes on the country side, tudor style homes in the city, and filled the island with mediterranean themed lots. In a more monotonous world like Oasis Springs, where everywhere is just desert, I find it hard to break it up, and I just end up filling the entire world with the same style of desert themed lots.. and it looks nice that way, but it just bores me
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  • CinderellimouseCinderellimouse Posts: 19,380 Member
    I love San Myshuno as well @meeoun and the diversity of it. And I loved the Urbz and would love more districts like that in the game, like the subway area where they did piercings and had a fight club, and the high rise fashion area. It was such a fun game. I'm glad you see what I mean @LadyKyn and I agree I like to have the overall theme of the world and then smaller sub-sections within that. I like the Spice District best out of all the city areas too and I spend so much time there! @CyrusTheLoser I love Windenburg, I think it's my favourite world with SM a close second and I do like the way it's divided up. I like that the more modern buildings are grouped together in that commercial area and that it has a kind of 'old town' area where the more Tudor buildings are. I like that they have a clear idea for each zone there.

    I like the rest of Brindleton Bay a lot. I just don't like how the lounge is kind of plonked in the dock area, it just doesn't fit the rest of that setting!
    :D I'd rather they keep the theme of each sub-section much more consistent in the future. Especially avoiding the kind of built up structures around a lot that stop us turning it into something else. I feel like that sort of thing needs to be set further away from the other lots or to have its own area like the manor house in Windenburg or the central park in SM.

    Thanks for the replies. :)
  • Writin_RegWritin_Reg Posts: 28,907 Member
    edited December 2017
    The worlds are just too small. I like separate areas - like one area for businesses with a lot more than 4 lots and several areas for residences with a variety of type of places to live with at least as many empty lots as they have pre-done lots. If they have 6 families in a world - then we also need 6 lots with empty residence already built and another 6 lots totally empty to put our own designs in.

    I still won't use San Myshuno for many reasons out side of a place to go to festivals and to make friends. I object to many things - but number one is the fact we cannot even build a single apartment building ourselves - never mind the fact there is no residential homes or duplexes period and what about shopping and other types of city type entertainment? San Myshuno represents city living - when in fact it is like a street corner or a couple blocks of a city - not a city at all. It's like welcome to the city block party - not welcome to the city. I mean who every heard of an entire city smaller than all the small towns we already have in the game. Fake backdrops is nothing but a deception and the only reason they can even call it a city.

    Cities need stores, lots of parks, restaurants, movie theaters, clubs, museums, galleries, offices - big business, but cities also hold every variety of living style one can find - not just a few brownstones.

    I saw people posting on facebook a while back asking what city was San Myshuno even based on. I said probably none as really what about that place looks like a real city - the painted 2 d back drop where your sims cannot even go? It's like a great big lie and then they insist it is a city world. What world exactly - Barbie Land?

    I know it is a game - but jeez don't call things something they are not. They just need lots less fakery and a lot more useableness in these worlds. Real places our sims can go and live. My sims can't go into fake buildings. I mean, rabbitholes in the last game were bad enough (and got constant complaints) - but by golly at least my sim could go into the things and get options. Exactly, What is the point of pictures of fake buildings anyway but to waste space we could actually use in this game for if nothing else but to place lots, to build our own buildings then.. The fake needs to go away - period. It's a game, not a picture book.

    Something to consider anyway - seeing most of us are not 12 - regardless of what age they were hoping to attract. Incidently even the 12 year old also complain about this - so technically it has no point.
    Post edited by Writin_Reg on

    "Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.

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    In REALITY, I simply exist.....

  • DominicLaurenceDominicLaurence Posts: 3,398 Member
    edited December 2017
    Overall, Windenburg is the best piece of world design we might ever have had on The Sims, imho. Pretty, cohesive, creative, real, updated, intriguing and with all remarkable households. The Von Haunt Estate is the only place where I sorta didn't get totally the idea but it's still appreciable (until this very day I'm finding new accessible places to go in the surroudings).

    But I miss so much in the game more places like The Spicy District. Where the taste of degradation is present overlayed by much substance - it feels really alive - it's a pity we can't interact more with all of it. To my taste, San Myshuno would be all like that, an urban mess. (The Sims 4 really needs to stop relying on the "getting rich" goal only, life has so much more espheres.)
    While I like Uptown's sci-fi touch (it reminds me a bit of Mass Effect's Citadel haha), SM ended up split in two; if they wanted to do a social comment or critique on that I think they needed to go even further to reach effectiveness and not be afraid to show us the sad side. Also, it's hard to picture ourselves in SM basically because its references don't constitute a consistent narrative we can relate to in the real world, it's like space-Asian-Vancouver-gentrified-Little Mexico.

    I'm quite curious now to see what will be their take on the cities for packs like the superstar type. And I know I won't, but one dream is to see a different approach on the Tropical world, it's always the same concept.
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  • SucomSucom Posts: 1,709 Member
    Writin_Reg wrote: »
    The worlds are just too small. I like separate areas - like one area for businesses with a lot more than 4 lots and several areas for residences with a variety of type of places to live with at least as many empty lots as they have pre-done lots. If they have 6 families in a world - then we also need 6 lots with empty residence already built and another 6 lots totally empty to put our own designs in.

    I still won't use San Myshuno for many reasons out side of a place to go to festivals and to make friends. I object to many things - but number one is the fact we cannot even build a single apartment building ourselves - never mind the fact there is no residential homes or duplexes period and what about shopping and other types of city type entertainment? San Myshuno represents city living - when in fact it is like a street corner or a couple blocks of a city - not a city at all. It's like welcome to the city block party - not welcome to the city. I mean who every heard of an entire city smaller than all the small towns we already have in the game. Fake backdrops is nothing but a deception and the only reason they can even call it a city.

    Cities need stores, lots of parks, restaurants, movie theaters, clubs, museums, galleries, offices - big business, but cities also hold every variety of living style one can find - not just a few brownstones.

    I saw people posting on facebook a while back asking what city was San Myshuno even based on. I said probably none as really what about that place looks like a real city - the painted 2 d back drop where your sims cannot even go? It's like a great big lie and then they insist it is a city world. What world exactly - Barbie Land?

    I know it is a game - but jeez don't call things something they are not. They just need lots less fakery and a lot more useableness in these worlds. Real places our sims can go and live. My sims can't go into fake buildings. I mean, rabbitholes in the last game were bad enough (and got constant complaints) - but by golly at least my sim could go into the things and get options. Exactly, What is the point of pictures of fake buildings anyway but to waste space we could actually use in this game for if nothing else but to place lots, to build our own buildings then.. The fake needs to go away - period. It's a game, not a picture book.

    Something to consider anyway - seeing most of us are not 12 - regardless of what age they were hoping to attract. Incidently even the 12 year old also complain about this - so technically it has no point.

    I agree totally and couldn't have put it better myself. One of the things I think would help this would be visitor allowed lots where all sims would just use whatever objects the player decided to put there. This would add so much more to the gameplay and would allow players' imaginations to fire up far more than they do within the limits they have set for us.

    I very much agree about rabbit holes. I know how much people complained about them but I used to like them! I really did! My sims used to drive to town, visit the grocery store, have a chat with another sim outside, then wander across to the park before arranging to meet another sims at the bistro. I used to love the sound of the music playing outside the diner and bistro. I could watch the children go to school, meet a partner outside their work place.... My sims used to take handiness classes, gardening classes, cooking classes, see a film at the theatre, tour, make out or even woohoo backstage, make out in the back of the town hall - so many more things to do then! When my sims went on a date, they really did go on a date and they didn't have other sims interrupting them every five minutes. One thing I really used to like were the rabbit hole doors which allowed me to build whatever building I wanted and simply add a door to replicate the rabbit hole so that I didn't have to use the actual rabbit hole building. I could build it in my own style and just have stairs leading down to a door where I placed the rabbit hole. It allowed for so much extra imagination and creativity.
  • OldeseadoggeOldeseadogge Posts: 4,973 Member
    Having been to a lot of ports in my seafaring days, in the US of A and overseas, I can vouch for the fact that dock areas are shabby. Not so much because they are poor, but because the whole focus is on getting work done and not on looking pretty. The customer base is largely made up of sailors, folks who are not famous for being either rich or staying there long. Business profits go elsewhere, not the facilities. The only time I've seen dock areas with the fancy stuff mentioned by the OP is when a dock area no longer hosts freighters and fishing boats but has become a marina for rich folks' floating toys. So, yes, that building needs to go elsewhere.

    Of the given towns, Windenburg seems the best balanced, though it would be nice to be able to unlock certain places. San Myshuno is a big disappointment, promising so much and delivering almost nothing. The ladies said it well, so won't try to add to it.
  • Clementine_TeaClementine_Tea Posts: 20 Member
    I enjoy playing around in San Myshuno, but I also like Newcrest because of all of the empty lots you're able to build on.
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  • drake_mccartydrake_mccarty Posts: 6,114 Member
    I prefer the base game worlds, out of all of them so far they minimize the amount of dead space in the playable area. Windenburg, and Brindleton Bay both have a lot of dead space, or space that’s reserved exclusively for decoration.

    San Myshuno is my absolute least favorite world - period. Out of any Sims world that one is absolutely terrible, and doesn’t deliver upon city life in any meaningful way outside of the static decoration that makes up 95% of each neighborhood. Seriously they went way overboard on the decoration for the city, and that was a complete waste of their time IMO. I would have preferred to have more usable space and not a bunch of decoration. Doesn’t really help the pack that their focus on decoration led to apartments being decorative themselves, that was arguably the worst design choice they made for the pack. I absolutely hate the apartments. They aren’t apartments at all, and are barely a feature of the game.

    What I would prefer is a world that minimizes the dead space, maximizes the playable area and number of lots available, and is not littered with large quantities of static decoration that does nothing but limit the look of the world to the look of the decoration. That would probably be too much work for Maxis though. They release tiny little pockets of space that are mostly fake backdrops and then act like they are incredibly revolutionary and difficult to produce. Maxis needs to distance themselves from advertising worlds as features, they are not. Each world operates the same, none are open, and none can be modified in any way other than building on lots. The fact that their last three expansions have put the world in the spotlight is just sad, because it shows they have no idea how little the player can actually do with any world.
  • JoAnne65JoAnne65 Posts: 22,959 Member
    .
    I enjoy playing around in San Myshuno, but I also like Newcrest because of all of the empty lots you're able to build on.
    I miss cohesion in Newcrest though. It doesn’t feel like a real neighborhood, just like a bunch of lots. There’s no character.
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  • OldeseadoggeOldeseadogge Posts: 4,973 Member
    Saving it for when you enter a lot and find all the usual background, some of which you can enter, most of which you can't. Closest they've come to a TS2 neighborhood, only without the neighborhood level ability to add plants, buildings, and such. Presumably what you mean by no character. That leaves it up to the player to define the place via the lots they put down.
  • JoAnne65JoAnne65 Posts: 22,959 Member
    Saving it for when you enter a lot and find all the usual background, some of which you can enter, most of which you can't. Closest they've come to a TS2 neighborhood, only without the neighborhood level ability to add plants, buildings, and such. Presumably what you mean by no character. That leaves it up to the player to define the place via the lots they put down.
    Yes, that’s the only possible way to give it character, the lots you put into it. But you won’t be able to see those lots the way you can in even Sims 2, because the streetlevel look of the town is the backdrop and that’s got nothing to do with what you put in there. My Newcrest will look exactly the same as your Newcrest, except for the house where I’m standing.
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  • DragonCat159DragonCat159 Posts: 1,896 Member
    PREFERENCES FOR NEIGHBOURHOOD LAYOUTS?

    Answer: Our own. CAW nuff said.
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  • HermitgirlHermitgirl Posts: 8,825 Member
    Since I finally got the last EP I feel like I can comment.

    I can tell I'll still love Windenburg the best. It's a personal preference though in that I didn't want strict sidewalks and uniformity everywhere. I do like it for some of my sims but others... their personality doesn't fit there. I am really liking the new world Brindleton Bay also though because it's given me some lots that I can think of as rural... some that are more eclectic. There is so much foliage in some areas that I do get turned around and confused about where my sim is though. I've clicked on my sim to go "home" just to figure out where I can go or sent them jogging to explore the different areas. I'm not much of a builder so I appreciate the foliage and builds such as those raised beds that seem to come closer to my lot depending on where I'm building. I like the lively feel and variety it gives to the backgrounds. There's also a few lots that are completely surrounded by trees/foliage .. something I've been waiting for. I still enjoy the other hoods Willow Creek in particular. I usually end up using Newcrest to house NPC's or use for restaurants and businesses. All my techy and modern looking builds and scientists tend to wind up in Oasis.. well when I'm not replacing it with trailer parks that are high or low end.
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  • Cabelle1863Cabelle1863 Posts: 2,251 Member
    Preferences for neighborhood layouts?
    • Size of Sims 2 neighborhoods. I need room!
    • Ability to place lots where I want
    • Ability to change the backdrop. The same backdrops all the time gets old.
    • CAW so we can make our own worlds. Would help with the variety I need
  • ayyitsmellayyitsmell Posts: 434 Member
    I love Windenburg the most, especially the area where the cafe (Hare and Hedgehog) and the Discotheque is. I think the surroundings are beautiful in this neighborhood. I haven't explored Brindleton Bay too much, but so far I like the ambiance there. It's very beachy and reminds me of home sometimes. I also like the idea behind San Myshuno because every district has such a distinct personality. I really like the central gathering areas where they can eat, socialize, and enjoy the festivals. However, I wish I could place apartments in other neighborhoods, like in Sims 3. What the three of these have in common in terms of layout is that although its one world, there are different areas that give the world a bit more variety, rather than just lots in one town, like Newcrest or Willow Creek. Also, I miss finding the secret lot(s) around the town.
    Ayy It's Mell ♥

  • DocsprockDocsprock Posts: 3,869 Member
    Writin_Reg wrote: »
    The worlds are just too small. I like separate areas - like one area for businesses with a lot more than 4 lots and several areas for residences with a variety of type of places to live with at least as many empty lots as they have pre-done lots. If they have 6 families in a world - then we also need 6 lots with empty residence already built and another 6 lots totally empty to put our own designs in.

    I still won't use San Myshuno for many reasons out side of a place to go to festivals and to make friends. I object to many things - but number one is the fact we cannot even build a single apartment building ourselves - never mind the fact there is no residential homes or duplexes period and what about shopping and other types of city type entertainment? San Myshuno represents city living - when in fact it is like a street corner or a couple blocks of a city - not a city at all. It's like welcome to the city block party - not welcome to the city. I mean who every heard of an entire city smaller than all the small towns we already have in the game. Fake backdrops is nothing but a deception and the only reason they can even call it a city.

    Cities need stores, lots of parks, restaurants, movie theaters, clubs, museums, galleries, offices - big business, but cities also hold every variety of living style one can find - not just a few brownstones.

    I saw people posting on facebook a while back asking what city was San Myshuno even based on. I said probably none as really what about that place looks like a real city - the painted 2 d back drop where your sims cannot even go? It's like a great big lie and then they insist it is a city world. What world exactly - Barbie Land?

    I know it is a game - but jeez don't call things something they are not. They just need lots less fakery and a lot more useableness in these worlds. Real places our sims can go and live. My sims can't go into fake buildings. I mean, rabbitholes in the last game were bad enough (and got constant complaints) - but by golly at least my sim could go into the things and get options. Exactly, What is the point of pictures of fake buildings anyway but to waste space we could actually use in this game for if nothing else but to place lots, to build our own buildings then.. The fake needs to go away - period. It's a game, not a picture book.

    Something to consider anyway - seeing most of us are not 12 - regardless of what age they were hoping to attract. Incidently even the 12 year old also complain about this - so technically it has no point.

    Hiya Reg! Long time!

    Plus I agree. I just got this game, and am already bored. The towns are VERY small with nothing to do in them. I found just keeping your sim home and grinding skills to be most efficient at job advancement.

    Social is easy to control when everyone in town parades past your front door all day. Just walk outside and introduce yourself. Social maxed. There are no stores, restaurants, theaters, or really anything to do.

    Romantic interactions are useless. Start getting flirty, and ready to make a move for a first kiss? Have to drop down and do push-ups while your date pulls out a book to read.

    Building has become so simple, it has lost any challenge. In an empty world you can create maybe a dozen homes in a couple hours. Then what?

    How can you do multi-generational legacies? There is not room for an extended family. Have three kids and the town is full!

    I see so much potential that the Devs didn't want any part of.
  • drake_mccartydrake_mccarty Posts: 6,114 Member
    You know they used to bring up the game’s potential all the time. Talked it up, only to not live up to the expectations they made for themselves.

    Worlds are TS4’s weakest asset, and yet Maxis treats them like they are extraordinary, game-changing additions every time when they manage to squeeze out a tiny over-decorated world. The use of decoration to imitate buildings inside the playable area is ridiculous, and has only gotten worse with each new world. The worlds are lazy IMO. I’m sure they put work into them, but they are mostly decorative landscapes. Not impressive for a Sims game.
  • TheGoodOldGamerTheGoodOldGamer Posts: 3,559 Member
    The builder in me wants more open canvases like Newcrest with simple layouts, and various backgrounds to place builds in. I'm not too picky tbh but more worlds with empty lots to fill would be nice. I don't want to remove pre-made lots (tho I do tweak them a lot). So there are some lot sizes (the bigger ones) I haven't been able to build on because they already come with something on them.
    Live, laugh and love. Life's too short not to.
  • catitude5catitude5 Posts: 2,537 Member
    They aren't even worlds, they are part of a neighborhood. I pretend the whole this is one big city.
  • ChadSims2ChadSims2 Posts: 5,090 Member
    Preferences for neighborhood layouts?
    • Size of Sims 2 neighborhoods. I need room!
    • Ability to place lots where I want
    • Ability to change the backdrop. The same backdrops all the time gets old.
    • CAW so we can make our own worlds. Would help with the variety I need
    I want this
    Sims 4 went from "You Rule" to "One of the stories we want you to tell"
  • paradiseplanetparadiseplanet Posts: 4,421 Member
    CAW would probably not be happening anytime soon, if at all.
    Origin ID: paradiseplanet27
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  • Francl27Francl27 Posts: 761 Member
    I want to be able to make my own areas within the neighborhood. I started in a neighborhood that had a playground and it was AWESOME for the kids to make new friends without having to change my current lot (I forgot which one it was).

    Then I moved when Pets came out because I wanted a beach but man, I really miss that playground. We really need more options like that with places where Sims can socialize without having to actually travel anywhere.
  • AuzzPandaAuzzPanda Posts: 1,235 Member
    Ugh well all of them! You want an un-interactable apathy of a creek, desert or city? They're all so unique!
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