Darn it, it takes TIME to set up a full world!!

Beardedgeek · January 2019

SO... Spent a week now (real time, not effective time, effective time might be 12 hours or so)... Filling lots. No, not done almost any work myself, just carefully selecting new lots and / or remodels for all lots in the game.
At least I was smart enough to save after that was done, before populating it, so I have a save to work from next time if I want to try something different.
So, now I have to spend another 5 hours or so populating the place... so MAYBE I can actually play this weekend.

Most ambitious sim project for me, and I am not even remotely manually building and remodeling, like so many others do.

NRowe · January 2019

Yep. The decisions and time that go into just one family are quite enough for me to deal with (when starting a new project) let alone a whole neighbourhood/world. Good luck and enjoy!

LaBlue0314 · January 2019

It does take a long time. I have a game save template that I have been working on for nearly a year now. I have changed out every single lot, although many of them are still the same but been upgraded with things such as skylights, and other stuff for the different packs that have been added to the game, as well as every single sim (still working on that one) with their summer and winter outfits.

Beardedgeek · January 2019

Actually i misspoke. I have not even replaced every lot, I have replaced community lots, filled empty lots. So a lot of base game residentials are still "intact" except for adding three lot traits to all lots. The idea, obviously, is for me to use this as my future base game, not just for this one.

Edit: I now also have a separate save where I am filling the empty lots, and mess around a bit. Most glaringly: I split Don and the Calientes up; he lives with mama Caliente, and their twin toddlers, while each sister also has a child with him but has moved out (one in Windenburg, one in San Mushyno (I can never spell that)) where they live alone with their daughters.

sunblond · January 2019

I have 4 or 5 save game templates, mostly I have just edited the premades a bit and filled empty lots and Newcrest. Oh, and some editing of the existing lots.

It took a while, but I did it over time while playing the game normally.

verlainem · January 2019

I kicked out all the premades and even deleted some (oh my) I downloaded some homeless from my gallery. I have MCCC but have it set so no homeless are housed at the moment. I am surprised at a couple of the homeless, a single child (yep you read that right) a few single teenagers. I have not done anything to the actual world but might give it a try. First time I have done a clean game with no premades. I usually leave the premades alone to marry / divorce have a affairs according to how MCCC plays them.

Mariefoxprice83 · January 2019

I'm doing this but gradually, so all premade characters and houses were deleted, and 90% of the communal lots . So far I have built 2 homes and one bar from scratch with more to follow as the played households expand. Over time I want descendants of my founder sim to fill the world. Game generated sims are living in the apartments but I'm sure that may change eventually. My founder's kids are still teens though so it will be a little while before they start building their own homes.

Simmerville · January 2019

Takes time, but sounds like fun

I do this for parts of some new worlds, but mostly forget to adjust community lots.

Netzspannung · January 2019

I used to be someone who started new saves. A lot. When I got to 15 saves, I stopped and started new sims out in one of the existing saves. I have recently decided to start out with a save in which I deleted most of the premades, edited game lots and added lots of my own. I am now in the process of moving households I like (as townies) or still want to play from other saves into this new save and deleting saves, basically consolidating saves. The good thing is they are all skilled and have careers. I am now down to 11 saves, but am still working on this. Just like OP, I feel this is a lot of work and a bit exhausting at times. I am not quite sure why I am doing it - perhaps to end up with a save with a very small number of weirdly dressed, pear-shaped single townies with adopted children?

Wow, I really mentioned save/saves a lot in this post!

So_Money · January 2019

It’s a grind. I can’t do it all at once.

mikamakimon · January 2019

First time I attempted to do this I deleted every lot with the intent of making every build an original and replacing every premade with my own sims. This got overwhelming pretty quickly, particularly coming up with build designs, so I've settled for renovating or editing lots, although a few are originals. I still have quite a bit to do though, I'm nowhere close to finishing. One thing I wanted to avoid was having duplicates or similar lots. There are currently too many gyms, too many bars, museums, etc so I'm trying to come up with unique community lots for each world. I've invested in so many packs and I find I rarely visit some of the worlds so thought this might be a good way to get a good use out of them.

So_Money · January 2019

@mikamakimon

Like you said, building so many houses is brutal (I ended up grabbing a bunch from the Gallery), but more than that it’s conceptualizing/creating so many sims at once without taking shortcuts that’s the biggest grind for me.

mikamakimon · January 2019

@So_Money

Oh, I'm not even at that stage yet, lol! When that time comes, I'm sure it will be just as challenging for me. I think I'll have fun creating them, but coming up with unique outfits for each one .... well, that might just do me in!

QueenofMyshuno · January 2019

I’m doing a similar thing but with tract housing. Each section of Willow Creek has one house design (so about 4 or 5 houses in one section) that I copy over and change colors, landscaping, etc. It saves a lot of time for original residential builds.

Just be sure to start with the smallest lot in the section if you do this, and then you can just make the yards bigger for the bigger lots. Or if you have 1 lot that’s tinier than the others, make that into a park and do your first build on the next size up.

So_Money · January 2019

@QueenofMyshuno

That’s not a bad idea. I spent way too much time fiddling around with unique designs for very little benefit. I hardly ever send my sims to other houses.

orangehippogriff · January 2019

I really, really like the idea of renovating a whole save file someday... but honestly, I doubt I'd be able to stick with it. I'm currently using a past version of lilsimsie's save for my legacy, but now all her sims are dead and the world is filled with randomly generated sims. I have quite a few of my own builds scattered throughout, along with stuff from the gallery, but it's mostly her work. I can't help wanting to go in and try to make it all my own though! I suppose it must be down very slowly to avoid burnout

groovyloopylou · January 2019

For now during my new rotating save, every home or business I build, apartment I renovate etc I am saving to my library (and if I like it enough, uploading for primarily my own backup) as well saving every household I make in CAS so eventually I should have enough stuff to make a new world full of my own creations just by playing the game. I'm forcing myself to build outside my own tastes and styles for variety to make a more unique world, all while playing too so I'm doing it in bitesize pieces.

QueenofMyshuno · January 2019

@So_Money Thanks. Glad I could help.

DreamOperator · January 2019

I've been working on my current save for several months in between just playing the game. I've not built anything myself, but I have redecorated every single lot, downloaded lots from the gallery to fill empty slots, and downloaded families and sims to put in all the empty houses. I've also made-over every single townie that has spawned and added winter and summer outfits to all the townies that needed them. I have aging off, because I am tailoring every lot and outfit to fit each sim and I don't want all that work wasted when they age up and die. I still have about 75% of San Myshuno to finish, but every other world (including vacation worlds) is now complete. You are right, it takes a lot of time even to just fill empty lots and houses with things from the gallery, much less edit any of it.

elanorbreton · January 2019

I have always had to do this with every world since the beginning of TS2. I just cannot play 'as is'. So I am quite used to having to wait a long time before being able to play.

I have my starter hood saves backed up safely going back as far as TS2 too!

In my sims 4 game, I have backed up saves of various stages I did, with all the Lots changed/edited but no sims, another save populated, another where I assigned all jobs and clubs, another where I did the calendar holidays etc. So I can go back to any stage I want to change things if I decide to do something different.

I don't build all the Lots myself, but I do edit every single one to my own taste. Some are built by me, quite a few are downloaded from the gallery and some are EA Lots which I just changed things in. There is not a single Lot which has gone untouched

gummybear0724 · January 2019

I do it a lot. I think I've done two saves thus far. One is a complete rebuild (minus del sol valley, haven't opened the save recently) and the other is renovations. I'm working on a third currently, another rebuild.

It's a lot of work but well worth it imo.

Kellogg_J_Kellogg · January 2019

I know what you're going through...I have 5 games: Two are standard ones, one is purely for making machinima and the other two are themed ones. Those two require specialist lots designed according to the theme and Sims...all of them, played, NPC and Townies...dress and look according to it as well. A week sounds about right.

MasonGamer · January 2019

Yeah, I've been building worlds for a couple of years now. I'm not complaining tho, It's really to bide my time while I continue to wait for certain packs. I just Like playing with my characters and in the environment I imagined them in.

GalacticGal · January 2019

Yes, it does take quite some time. I was making templates (two to reflect the two very different game saves I have currently). I took the time to set up NewCrest as the Settlements (all log cabin exteriors, etc.) for my Ancestral game Save. In the other one I carefully selected Gallery lots that looked right together for NewCrest. I was making that the hub of entertainment district, including gyms, a library, lounges, karaoke, you name it. Took ages when I would much rather be playing the game. I then decided to make a backup folder for my then current game.

Silly me, I got a wild hair and one day swept that back up folder off of my desktop. Bye-bye hard work. What was I thinking? Oh, that's right, I wasn't thinking.

Moral of my tale: Back-up your work and don't forget why you backed it up!

I have yet to spend the time again on such a project.

calaprfy · January 2019

I'm currently playing five households and hope to eventually populate all worlds with their descendants. I realise this will take time but it's going to be fun getting there!

Simburian · January 2019

I've repopulated a whole Save with my own houses and families (after 4 years or building etc.) The problem now I find is that whenever I go to another family in this Save they are grown up, elderly or dead! Next one I will turn aging off so that I can control who grows up or dies.

Currently I am complaining on another thread that I can't find an urn for one of them! I need a cemetary or urn locator.

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Darn it, it takes TIME to set up a full world!!

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