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Field Researcher
Original Poster
#1 Old 4th Feb 2021 at 11:30 PM Last edited by stormcat3 : 5th Feb 2021 at 2:37 PM.
Overhauling a World (Tips? Tricks? Mod recommendations?)
I have decided that I shall take one of my favorite Sims 3 worlds (Isla Paradiso) and completely shake it up so that it now utilizes everything from my other packs and store stuff files. I'm also gonna delete pretty much everyone in town and create a new population of sims of various supernatural types as well as install some new houses.

I've never done such an ambitious project before in the Sims 3, got any advice for me?

EDIT: I've decided to switch worlds since IP has more lots I already like, and still has the port system, while TB cannot sustain ports because the lake is too shallow.
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Mad Poster
#2 Old 5th Feb 2021 at 1:43 AM
Sounds like fun. Will you bulldoze most and redo? If me, I would do an excel to keep track or sometimes I do lot renames adding an X or something to name to know which ones I have looked at and redone as wanted.
Scholar
#3 Old 5th Feb 2021 at 2:27 AM
If you look in the downloads, there's already versions of all the worlds emptied to different specs. So if you search "twinbrook empty" or w/e it should pop up.

The Mayflies Legacy- a Random Legacy Story
Scholar
#4 Old 5th Feb 2021 at 10:13 AM
Start with Nraas mods. You can use Total Annihilation to clear out the sims you don't want-it does this cleanly so there's no spare code lying around.

Also: before you do anything to the world you might do a thorough tour of it and make notes about what you want to change.

I just did a similar thing in Lucky Palms, but instead of using Total Annihilation, I brought most of the existing sims into CAS to change their looks, their simology, and their wardrobes, and then I adjusted some of their relationships, their careers, their skills, and their finances in Master Controller. Since I wanted to have established relationships and so on, it seemed like the easiest approach for me. Before I got started I did a survey of every lot in the world, with notes about every household (they started out detailed but that got old, so then there were just a couple notes on each house of what I thought I might want to remember).

I also made maybe 25-30 new sims, bulldozed all the houses I didn't like, and rehomed the evicted sims into placeholder EA houses and a few lots I made myself, but that's not different from your initial plan.
Field Researcher
Original Poster
#5 Old 5th Feb 2021 at 4:45 PM
Okay, new question, how do you come up with ideas for families in this type of situation? I had a couple of Ideas for Twinbrook families, but not all of them translate well into Isla Paradiso. (Such as a vampire family based off of Lady Dimitriescu and her daughters, But you can't have vampires in a tropical environment!) So far all I've got for IP is an old sea captain and a voodoo lady.
Scholar
#6 Old 5th Feb 2021 at 5:42 PM
In the case of Lucky Palms I have a whole vision of a rundown Mojave Desert town which is experiencing a boom due to political reform & environmental justice. Do a big concern was just to represent desert people while mostly avoiding that Palm Springs rich people vibe that the premades originally had. I freely changed names, skin color, hair, and even facial features to achieve the look I wanted.

(I've read in a lot of places that IP's routing is messed up: I think there are at least 2 fixes available, at least 1 of which is here at MTS)

If you're drawn in to IP by the architecture-which is lovely- give a thought to the history & story you associate with that. If you want occult, give a thought to Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (I haven't read it yet, it's on my list: but I gave it a good glance & it's well creepy). In general I would feel free to deploy any type of character in any world, just spending time thinking about how that type of character would develop under those conditions. If it's daylight you're concerned about, think about this: the tropics have the same amount of total daylight hours in a year as the higher latitudes! If you're not convinced, maybe you can translate your family ideas into other sim types?

I went to some effort to create family trees that overlapped for about a third to a half of my world-using Master Controller, of course. My setup took almost two months! You don't have to go that far. Anyway, once I let the town out of pause, chaos ensued until Igazor kindly told me I could slow story progression down, which allowed my careful setup not to be completely obliterated by simweek 4. (I also have extended the lifespan so I could enjoy my guys before they're gone).
Field Researcher
Original Poster
#7 Old 5th Feb 2021 at 7:10 PM
Quote: Originally posted by lucy kemnitzer
In the case of Lucky Palms I have a whole vision of a rundown Mojave Desert town which is experiencing a boom due to political reform & environmental justice. Do a big concern was just to represent desert people while mostly avoiding that Palm Springs rich people vibe that the premades originally had. I freely changed names, skin color, hair, and even facial features to achieve the look I wanted.

(I've read in a lot of places that IP's routing is messed up: I think there are at least 2 fixes available, at least 1 of which is here at MTS)

If you're drawn in to IP by the architecture-which is lovely- give a thought to the history & story you associate with that. If you want occult, give a thought to Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (I haven't read it yet, it's on my list: but I gave it a good glance & it's well creepy). In general I would feel free to deploy any type of character in any world, just spending time thinking about how that type of character would develop under those conditions. If it's daylight you're concerned about, think about this: the tropics have the same amount of total daylight hours in a year as the higher latitudes! If you're not convinced, maybe you can translate your family ideas into other sim types?

I went to some effort to create family trees that overlapped for about a third to a half of my world-using Master Controller, of course. My setup took almost two months! You don't have to go that far. Anyway, once I let the town out of pause, chaos ensued until Igazor kindly told me I could slow story progression down, which allowed my careful setup not to be completely obliterated by simweek 4. (I also have extended the lifespan so I could enjoy my guys before they're gone).


Hmm... When you put it that way, maybe I will move this back to Twinbrook because I've got the inklings of an overarching story idea brewing.

Twinbrook also tends to lend itself better to Southern Gothic, a genre I'm a bit more familiar with. OH! Maybe the town has become run-down and overrun with crime!
Scholar
#8 Old 5th Feb 2021 at 8:17 PM
If you do that, go look at Nraas Story Progression modules (must have Nraas Story Progression base mod). I think you'd be pleased. There's quite a few scenarios that can run gently in the background to give a decadent, criminal air to your world.
Mad Poster
#9 Old 5th Feb 2021 at 8:20 PM
You can add ports in Moonlight Falls. In CAW, at least. Have goth and ports. I have several redo versions of that as WIP in CAW.
Field Researcher
Original Poster
#10 Old 5th Feb 2021 at 8:47 PM
Quote: Originally posted by daisylee
You can add ports in Moonlight Falls. In CAW, at least. Have goth and ports. I have several redo versions of that as WIP in CAW.


One of the problems I have with moonlight falls is that the place is so massive and spread out, it takes forever to get anywhere.

But I guess a Southern Gothic vibe would work here too.
Mad Poster
#11 Old 5th Feb 2021 at 9:15 PM
Maybe build exactly what you want in CAW? Very time consuming but very fun. I LOVE to work in CAW.
Instructor
#12 Old 6th Feb 2021 at 5:34 AM
There is an awesome remake of Twinbrook called Derielle that was made to work with ports made by Simsimillian, it is awesome and I love it. https://modthesims.info/t/485657. It has been expanded and routing issues fixed as well. She did an awesome job, and built many lots with a New Orleans feel.
Scholar
#14 Old 6th Feb 2021 at 5:27 PM
Mirn, if a person made even a few of these households, they'd have a lovely chaotic nerighborhood!
Field Researcher
Original Poster
#16 Old 6th Feb 2021 at 7:00 PM
I've got a brand new idea!

The story will still be set in Isla Paradiso, but THIS TIME there are no supernatural characters. Well, all except one. A charismatic witch who will convince the island dwellers that they are "the chosen one" as evidenced by their magical gifts and starts a cult that tries to convince the islanders that everything outside of Isla Paradiso is an irradiated wasteland and only they were spared Nuclear armageddon. The resorts will be bulldozed and most lots will be converted into gardens.

Besides this witch, I have made a few families already.

-The island Beauty and her elderly mother
-A stereotypical surfer dude.
-A "Hawaii 5-0" Police officer and his dog
Scholar
#17 Old 6th Feb 2021 at 7:45 PM
You are having so much fun planning this, I heavily approve.
Field Researcher
Original Poster
#19 Old 12th Feb 2021 at 8:51 PM
GYAAAH! How do I alter the NRaas Mods so I don't get notifications for every single little thing going on in my town!?! it's driving me crazy!
Scholar
#20 Old 12th Feb 2021 at 9:13 PM
This thread at the Nraas forum discusses a related issue: https://www.nraas.net/community/pos...ications#p76323

The Nraas forums are fantastic for Nraas information! Whenever I'm having a Mr. Magoo moment where I can't figure out how to do something from reading the documentation pages that every mod has, I just ask and somebody answers!
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