Since the limitations of the engine are set in stone, where it crosses out any potential for world-creation/edit tools, I can only fantasize about other workarounds that provide at least some flexibility to change the atmosphere of what era and space the premade towns are being played. Also let's face, not every players to play and tell your stories of the game that are forced upon us by maxis, some want to play their own stories.

Background/Backdrop
Okay. How could would it be If we were able to change this to whatever like we want? Through by swapping the respective format of the digital image that it would only read in a certain folder that defines what background/backdrop of the specific world we get it. Giving us at least the available tools/methods of customizing/changing the backdrop to whatever we like through third party means that can tackle the code would be an excellent move like the trans-gender patch thing.

FX vehicles
This could exist under Graphics setting menu, where we can switch what (to the world selected at the mean time) transportation appears on the roads of the world. It could range from:

• Bicycles.
• Horses that carry a wagon.
• ??? (yours to suggest)

A Stuff Pack
That would be dedicated to bringing the items of the past. This would range from newspapers (that gets delivered every day unless the service canceled via phone or reaches the max amount of that object count can be on the lot) to telephones, and a new gameplay feature that allows you to do the phone and computer interactions without the need one, but through old-fashion (fittingly choice imo would be the mailbox). The Rest items/objects would be reskinned variations to fit a diverse array of previous time decades.