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Instructor
Original Poster
#1 Old 16th Jul 2015 at 3:31 AM
Default Best and worst store worlds?
Which store worlds do you like the best, and which do you like the least?

I'd say Dragon Valley is probably my favourite, it's the only one I ever play with; it's the only store world with an atmosphere that I really find appealing and fun. All the premade sims are ugly though, so I made my own depopulated version. I'm also a huge fan of the design and atmosphere of Sunlit Tides, though it is very disappointing that it isn't compatible with Island Paradise's dive lots or houseboats (as the water level is too shallow); same with Barnacle Bay.

I like Monte Vista, but it has a lot of empty space that makes it feel really lacking. I just wish it had more lots, trees, etc. I really like a lot of the premade Sims in Hidden Springs, but unfortunately the size is very disappointing. The world is simply too small, there's almost no usable space so I just can't really play in it. Midnight Hollow also had a really cool concept but unfortunately I found the design they chose to be really ugly and unappealing (seriously, red grass... eww).
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Alchemist
#2 Old 16th Jul 2015 at 9:13 AM
I haven't played too many, but I agree with Dragon Valley being good. I really enjoyed the general look of it, though the dragon markings on the fields were kinda strange to see in map view.
Riverview is nice, if a bit barren. Definitely needs an overhaul to accommodate new expansion content. The sims aren't bad-looking either.
Hidden Springs is just "meh" to me. I didn't like how all the terrain paints were so saturated; that super green grass is the reason I could only play like a week in there. Opened up Midnight Hollow once and didn't like how everything was so dark, might have to get a brighter lighting mod for it.

Lucky Palms would have to be my absolute favorite. Great visual contrast between the sand, few green areas and the blue of the lake. And not everything is green!
Scholar
#3 Old 16th Jul 2015 at 12:40 PM
I was thinking about going through them all and commenting on them because I love the sound of my own voice in my head. (It's Betty White's voice!) But eff that, there's like ten of them.

Roaring Heights was probably my favourite. The rabbit holes and community lots are really nice and the series lacks those urban, city worlds. The houses have the worst layouts though. Midnight Hollow is like Moonlight Falls, but replace the supernaturals with every annoying Tumblr subculture and screw up the lighting so you can't see anything. But it is a really nice world once you get passed all of that. Like Roaring Heights, the community lots and rabbit holes and landscapes really make this world work and you can see the creators put a lot of work in to it.

I never played Lucky Palms but it seems to be the most popular, probably because unlike the others that had more "out there" themes and styles it was just a desert world. Sunlit Tides also gets a bit of love. I don't personally count Riverview as one of the Store worlds, I always thought of it as a default world from the start, cruelly turned in to a bargaining chip to make you register. But it was a good bargaining chip, Riverview is one of the better worlds out there.

Barnacle Bay is the worst. The Gwyneth Paltrow of the worlds. It takes a certain skill to make something that is both ugly and dull. I think the one new thing from it was a pirate ship rabbit hole and that was the most effort they put in to creating the uninspired theme of the world.

I'm writing a TV series, yeah. It's a cross between True Detective and Pretty Little Liars.
Mad Poster
#4 Old 16th Jul 2015 at 3:54 PM
The overall worst in my opinion is Barnacle Bay. The overall design feels uninspired. It's as if the designers that worked on the world just said "Fuck it, these idiots will buy it anyway. Just copy-paste scenery from Sunset Valley and claim its new."

In terms of layout and design, I think Lucky Palms is the best. The road layout seems to have had the most thought put into it, and the houses are nicely designed. In terms of content and visuals I feel Monte Vista is the best in those areas though. It offered many nice foliage and rabbit holes, and the world itself is quite the piece of eye-candy.

Dragon Valley feels like a half-assed attempt at a fantasy/medieval world, which doesn't pair well with the modern theme of TS3. Aurora Skies is pretty much Barnacle Bay 2.0, and Midnight Hollow is just a generic attempt at a "dark" themed word. I like the Gothic vibe of it, but it kind of feels more like Moonlight Falls 2.0 in many aspects.

Because the earth is standing still, and the truth becomes a lie
A choice profound is bittersweet, no one hears Cassandra Goth cry

Lab Assistant
#5 Old 16th Jul 2015 at 4:17 PM
Lucky Palms, Roaring Heights, Midnight Hollow and Dragon Valley are my favourites. In that order.
Sunlit Tides feels too empty for me whilst Hidden Springs is just nothing special. Aurora Skies, I like the lighting, and that's it. Lunar Lakes, I do like it, but just for very specific things. Maybe I should turn everyone living there into an Alien some time and then add a bit of ITF play as well.
I never -really- played in Monte Vista since I haven't found any suitable themes for it yet, at least, no themes that didn't suit other worlds better. And I am not discussing Barnacle Bay....just...no.
Instructor
#6 Old 16th Jul 2015 at 8:46 PM
Lucky Palms and Dragon Valley are my top two. They're so different and I just love the theme to both of them.
Midnight Hollow is pretty cool and I'm a sucker for the sky of Aurora Skies.
I haven't played with Roaring Heights so I have no opinion on that.
Barnacle Bay is the worse. I remember getting it when it was on sale at Target because I wanted more places for my Sims. $20, what the hell was I thinking.
Alchemist
#7 Old 16th Jul 2015 at 9:14 PM
Didn't Barnacle Bay have a lot designated as a Fishing Spot, without having any actual water on it?

http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net...=20110120070921
Lab Assistant
#8 Old 16th Jul 2015 at 11:19 PM
I think Aurora Skies is the most beautiful in terms of the actual geography; but it has the absolute, worst houses, and Hidden Springs falls in the same boat for me. Beautiful world, ugly lots, and layout.
Department of Post-Mortem Communications
#9 Old 17th Jul 2015 at 11:14 AM
I have them all and I like them all, including Barnacle Bay, and I prefer them over most of the user created worlds I have played over the past 6 years. If I had to rate I'd say that Hidden Springs is the one that I still cannot really get into, and Barnacle Bay is the one into which I have sunk most of my time. Midnight Hollow is the world where I enjoy playing with CASt the most, and I think Roaring Heights is the only world where I was actually motivated enough to build houses myself and from scratch.

And even though I don't spend a lot of time in Monte Vista I think it's one of the most beautiful EA worlds:

Top Secret Researcher
#10 Old 17th Jul 2015 at 10:01 PM
Disclaimer: Always use an ellacharmed routing fix.

The single most importantest deciding criteria for me is accomodation for expansion packs; in other words, is there rooms for new lots types.

Lucky Palms and Hidden Springs are very adaptable for my expansion pack needs.While Hidden Springs is not the most aesthetically pleasing out-of-the-box because of the hideous looking houses, it is one of the few worlds where I am satisfied with the placement of my community college lots. Large lot sizes is a plus for that. Likewise, Lucky Palms has plenty of room for my Sims Vegas.

Sunlit Tides is my beach bum hideout. Unfortunately I can't get dive lots to work there. All other worlds are nice enough, but don't really hold my interests much. Except Barnacle Bay, which just sucks.

TS2 and TS3: Where adult sims potty train their toddlers.
TS4: Where adult sims make Angry Poops.

Which game is made for the juvenile minded?
Mad Poster
#11 Old 18th Jul 2015 at 3:29 AM
Quote: Originally posted by zigersimmer
Disclaimer: Always use an ellacharmed routing fix.

The single most importantest deciding criteria for me is accomodation for expansion packs; in other words, is there rooms for new lots types.

Lucky Palms and Hidden Springs are very adaptable for my expansion pack needs.While Hidden Springs is not the most aesthetically pleasing out-of-the-box because of the hideous looking houses, it is one of the few worlds where I am satisfied with the placement of my community college lots. Large lot sizes is a plus for that. Likewise, Lucky Palms has plenty of room for my Sims Vegas.

Sunlit Tides is my beach bum hideout. Unfortunately I can't get dive lots to work there. All other worlds are nice enough, but don't really hold my interests much. Except Barnacle Bay, which just sucks.


Don't know if you already saw this, but here's the link for Sunlit Tides with Houseboats. It has 4 dive lots.
Field Researcher
#12 Old 21st Jul 2015 at 10:06 AM
I have three store worlds: Hidden Springs, Monte Vista, and Lucky Palms. (And Riverview, but I don't think that counts.)

I just got Lucky Palms, and I really like the desert town look. There's a lot of room for buildings from expansions, which isn't what I usually see in EA worlds. Most of the public lots seem well-designed.

Hidden Springs is nice-looking, particularly in the mountainous areas, but I feel neutral about the lots and most of the population.

Monte Vista is really beautiful, but if your sim is in one of the starter homes on the outskirts of town, it takes forever to get anywhere. I haven't played on it much because it seems to lag a lot more than any of my other worlds. All the objects that come with it look good, and I like most of the premade households there better than the ones in Sunset Valley, Hidden Springs, or Riverview.

(I attached a bunch of screenshots from each town).
Forum Resident
#13 Old 21st Jul 2015 at 4:15 PM
Definitely Lucky Palms, followed by Roaring Heights for many of the reasons most have said. I feel like LP is the only store world where they actually put in some effort to do something truly different and it shows by how playable the world is and like others have said, lots of room to add your own lots and expand. I'm currently in the process of turning mine into a Sim Vegas with casinos, venues and seedy clubs.

Roaring Heights I love because it's the closest EA ever gave us to another city world which was what I desperately wanted. The look and feel is great even if the housing stock is not and that can be easily fixed with a few downloads around the builder community.

I can't particularly say which were the worst because if it looked bad, I didn't buy it. I stopped being a Sims completist a looooong time ago. But Barnacle Bay and Lunar Lakes both look atrocious to me. Not just because I hate theme-y worlds like that because they are just the least aesthetically pleasing.
Mad Poster
#14 Old 21st Jul 2015 at 5:30 PM
I can say, I am pretty amazed at my lame computer. None of the worlds I tried so far, lags in a way that it would make them unplayable.
I used to love Dragon Valley a lot. For its old-looking..look. But I don't really like the folks there....

I started playing Lucky Palm..and liked it too. It is small and pretty.

Now, I am rediscovering Monte Vista. And loving it.

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Alchemist
#15 Old 21st Jul 2015 at 5:43 PM
Quote: Originally posted by glowstarsinajar
I just got Lucky Palms, and I really like the desert town look. There's a lot of room for buildings from expansions, which isn't what I usually see in EA worlds. Most of the public lots seem well-designed.

Pointing this out. This is one of my main reasons why I love Lucky Palms so much.

Just call me Nikel
Forum Resident
#16 Old 22nd Jul 2015 at 11:51 PM
Riverview is the best, IMO. A little tricky to expand but it feels as good as Sunset Valley or the EP worlds. The layout is also really practical, with the industrial zone, town center, suburban school district etc. Pretty excellent cast of pre-made Sims too.

I like Lucky Palms. It's one of very few that seems to have real quality put into it in all aspects. Roaring Heights is similar in this respect, though I'd rank it lower since some of the lots are really freaking atrocious (e.g. the library is empty)!

Lunar Lakes and Dragon Valley are cool, though they don't mesh well with TS3's time setting/gameplay. Fortunately Into The Future has made the former much more playable and less immersion breaking.

Oh, Monte Vista is quite well done. Unfortunately I just don't have any Sims I feel like playing there...

Hidden Springs is kind of all over the place. It's a spa town, it's home to royalty, but it's also a fantasy world. Never really knew what to make of it. Barnacle Bay is trash. The rest made very little impression on me.
Field Researcher
#17 Old 23rd Jul 2015 at 7:53 PM
Barnacle Bay is doody. I like the rest of the worlds, though.
Alchemist
#18 Old 24th Jul 2015 at 9:23 PM Last edited by varpunen : 26th Jul 2015 at 12:16 AM.
In my opinion, the Hidden Springs is the worst. It's boring mess and the too bright colors hurts the eyes. Barnacle Bay could have been good but it was left too "light" when it comes to content, sims and story. It's almost as boring as HS. Aurora Skies goes in to the boring category, as well.

The best ones are definitely Roaring Heights, Lucky Palms and Monte Vista, in that order.
Test Subject
#19 Old 25th Jul 2015 at 5:59 PM
I've fallen in love with Roaring Heights and even purchased it for nearly its full price, Dragon Valley is my second favorite, then Monte Vista. Two years ago I would have put Monte Vista higher, but now it seems somewhat boring. Contentwise it is more important to me than Dragon Valley, though. I also purchased Hidden Springs when I had a voucher to spent, but the user created world "Constant Springs" already does everything better that it tries to be. I didn't get any of the others because they aren't sold outside the sims3 store where they are always too expensive for my taste and/or are either too outlandish or too boring ;-)

Btw. I never got the appeal of Lucky Palms that strikes so many.
Top Secret Researcher
#20 Old 26th Jul 2015 at 11:12 PM
Quote: Originally posted by RoseCity
Don't know if you already saw this, but here's the link for Sunlit Tides with Houseboats. It has 4 dive lots.

Thank you for that. I'm a give it a try.

TS2 and TS3: Where adult sims potty train their toddlers.
TS4: Where adult sims make Angry Poops.

Which game is made for the juvenile minded?
Instructor
#21 Old 27th Jul 2015 at 7:32 PM
i own all world but Barnical Bay(I think thats how you spell it) my fave are Midnight Hollow(I love the townies, i love the premium objects just adore it) Roaring Heights(Just really love the old theme, no tv, and the fixer-upper car is amazing) Monte Vista(I love the Italian theme, i love the rabbit holes and the pizza oven is just top-noch) and Lunar Lakes(i really love the futuristic theme, combine that with ITF and awesome town, also love the houses, but i do hate how the rabbitholes look) but overall all of them are very nice and fun to play in, but they do cost a lot

I need a cigarette
Scholar
#22 Old 28th Jul 2015 at 12:47 AM
Everybody says Barnacle Bay is not good--could you tell me what's bad about it? Does it have any redeeming features? I like the fancypants pirate themed furniture that comes with it and the statuary.
Guest
#23 Old 28th Jul 2015 at 1:03 AM
Quote: Originally posted by pirate_wolf_12
I was thinking about going through them all and commenting on them because I love the sound of my own voice in my head. (It's Betty White's voice!) But eff that, there's like ten of them.


Sometimes, I have this annoying condition where I find myself reading other people's minds from time to time. Okay, only twice. But the first time was a cop who I didn't know was behind me until his thinking was in my head. (It isn't like hearing their thoughts...) I'll be sure if I the thinking is in Betty White's voice, to remember it is probably you. I didn't think your inner voice would be like Betty White's...

Not likely to happen tho' unless you're within 100 feet and thinking about me, tho.
Alchemist
#24 Old 28th Jul 2015 at 11:20 AM
Quote: Originally posted by lucy kemnitzer
Everybody says Barnacle Bay is not good--could you tell me what's bad about it? Does it have any redeeming features? I like the fancypants pirate themed furniture that comes with it and the statuary.


Well, it's not bad as much as it is boring. The neighborhood is nice but it feels like EA just whipped it together and left it at that. The pre-made simmies are dull and lifeless, and the "Vibrant vacation getaway with stunning beaches, campgrounds, parks" doesn't really match the reality of what you get and even though I do love the pirate ship restaurant, slapping that thing on the beach doesn't really make the neighborhood all that piraty. They should've taken the pirate theme much, much more further and make the town actually have a true pirate/sea spirit to it. In it's current state it just feel like Sunset Valley with a ship and few pirate sims added. Of course, I'm only speaking for myself. I'm sure many others like it more than I do.
Lab Assistant
#25 Old 31st Jul 2015 at 6:04 PM
Lunar Lakes was great in my opinion, but that might just be because I'm a sucker for sci-fi(well, what'd you expect from someone with an alien as an avatar?). As someone else said, it kind of breaks immersion, but ITF can patch over that, and hey, it's still a nice neighbourhood! (if you don't mind the standardized rabbit holes)

I don't care what others say, I think Aurora Skies is a nice and pretty neighbourhood. Gives the same ambience as Moonlight Falls, just without the actual supernaturals. Plus, it can look really sexy on winter with Seasons installed. (Too bad I don't own either... yet.)
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