Which is your Favourite Neighbourhood/World?

[Ellenser]

I fell in instant love with Lucky Palms. Lots of places to put everything from other expansions and a cool little storyline. The converted houses by the dried up lake are cute and interesting. The main couple I play are a thief and scientist so work is right down the road!

I think for the story line, I like Lunar Lakes or Twinbrook the best. Twinbrook, in particular, has some very interesting theories (one of the most amusing of which is that they're all inbred from ancient alien ancestors). Anna-Liza Riddle (I think that's her name) in particular is a rather interesting Sim. It's a bit reminiscent of mysteries in previous Sims game (such as Bella Goth).

Lucky Palms is really great though, and I've enjoyed the time I play in it immensely.

[Erythrocyte]

I was just thinking to myself how much I love the newest neighborhood - Lucky Palms.

For as long I have been playing video games, I have always been fascinated by the desert/tropical worlds so this world instantly struck a chord with me. Not only do I like the way it looks, but I also like how spacious it is and I do think it runs a bit smoother than most of the other worlds, and I have them all...

That being said, I wasn't feeling starved for worlds before LP, so I must say it was a very happy surprise

[Joria]

There is one major problem with this discussion.  OUR world, Union Cove, is not on the list.  Ok, I'm prejudiced in it's favor having been one of the builders, but it really does have everything you could want.  Right now my UC has all the Show Time venues in it and we're just waiting on Anushka to finish up the CAW work to make it official.  It is far and wide the most playable world possible, not to mention one of the most beautiful.  One of the things I like it about the most, other than everything is so logically put together and easily accessed, is finding all of our members Sims there.  It's like playing with folks you want to get to know better but couldn't before.  So, when I remodeled my Riverview I repopulated a good part of it with our UC families. 

Speaking of Riverview, I totally remodeled it and found it very easy to find places to put lots for all the venues from all the EP's.  My Riverview now has everything a Sim could ever want and it's so much more fun to play.  Since my dynasty was basically toast as far as HOF was concerned, I took a lot of license with bull dozing and replacing buildings and lots, and made major changes in that little island. 

If I had to choose only one place to play other than UC, it's a toss up between Sunset Valley and Lucky Palms.  I'm only just beginning to explore Lucky Palms, hoping to do a new dynasty, for the HOF this time, in that town.  I really like the fact that it is SO EASY to place sufficient lots to accommodate ALL the venues from all the EPs!  That's a biggie with me since I like my Sims to be able to not only choose their places of entertainment but also places where they could be employed.  I like the sense of it being both a bit run down and desperate and yet full of vibrant active life.  I am not fond of desert terrain, as I find it a bit boring, but at least it isn't dreary and depressing the way BP is!  The town center is lovely and the houses are perfection.  I particularly like the more run down houses and they inevitably crack me up and make me think of how I could make them shine once again.  That petrol house is just crying to be turned back into a gas station!

Sunset Valley is my "comfort zone".  It is beautiful, it is green, (like my part of Oregon),  the townies are great, it's easy to get around and it's cozily familiar.  It also has my favorite lot, the one by the waterfall, which guarantees beautiful vista moodlet no matter what. 

I once determined I was going to remodel every single town, and actually did do quite a bit in most of them, even BP, (My not so creepy graveyard is in the swap shop),  but it was SOOOO depressing in BP, and not at all like the big city I know, (Portland), that I was literally getting depressed and very grumpy to my family.  I'm not sure I'll ever play it again since no matter what you do there is no way to clean up the sludge they call a river or the smog in the sky or the ugly shade of grass.  Just not for me.  Even swampy TB was not depressing and dreary, but instead had a rather southern, almost antebellum charm to it. 

Barnacle Bay can be a disappointment, but with a bit of cussing and struggling it is workable.  I love playing on the big island there and one day I'll finish my remodel of it.

Starlight Shores is just boring to me.  It is still too dreary and depressing with it's nasty shade of grass and the townies seem a bit dull to me.  I admit, I haven't played it much so probably should reserve judgment on it.  Same with AP.  I've played it, it was fun, but there were times I had to grit my teeth at what it lacked and it's not inspiring enough for me to itch to remodel it.

So, what's wrong with my favorite town, UC?  I can't play in it.  It is SO graphics intensive with so many complicated and overfilled buildings, (sorry guys, mostly my bad), that my computer simply can't handle it without serious lag.  I have no patience with lag so I just don't play it unless I have to go do a chore for the build.  I could remove many of the buildings and replace them with more simple things, but that would break my heart.  So until I get a new graphics card or a better pc AND new graphics card, UC is on hold for me.   

Off to play in LP!  Sorry for such a long post.

[Ausette]

Teresa, I like the idea of a list format for this. So, to keep things short and sweet:

1. Twinbrook - It seems to be a love-it-or-hate-it kind of place. I love it. It's atmospheric, it has a well-organised town centre, the townies are interesting, the buildings are gorgeous, and it's a nice size to play in. There isn't much room for other EP lots, but I don't mind.
2. Appaloosa Plains - I think it's a very pretty little town that obviously had lots of love put into its creation. Sometimes it feels a little too planned, but overall it's just a charming place to play in. I especially like the trees and rabbitholes.
3. Riverview - An oldie but a goodie. I found it a little boring at first, but over the years it's really grown on me. I like the organisation of the areas and all the extra space.
4. Bridgeport - It'd be a lot higher on my list if my laptop could actually handle it. It's atmospheric, the townies are cool, and I love the city lights. Some find it gloomy, but I think it's beautiful.
5. Starlight Shores - I'm going to side with Joria here. I personally don't mind the murky terrain colours (it's supposed to be urban after all), but something feels missing from the town. Perhaps it needs a little bit more colour on the buildings? And I can't get over how amateur some of the townies look, I swear the blonde social worker was made by clicking "random" in CAS. The town does get points for the pretty community lots and playable size, though.
6. Sunset Valley - I think I've just outgrown it, really. To me, it's a little all over the place and it doesn't hold a candle to later towns.
7. Hidden Springs - Some parts are gorgeous, but I don't like the town centre (a big deal-breaker for me) and it's too big for me to properly enjoy.

I'm yet to play Barnacle Bay, Lunar Lakes or Lucky Palms, but I really love the look of Lucky Palms.

[SecretBoy]

Joria is right. No one has said UC. I would go for UC second and Lucky Palms first (I have the gold version)

[xFezIsAFreakx]

UC is wonderful, I just haven't had the chance to check it out too much because I'm not prepared to lower my graphics settings right now. I'm eventually planning on a story there so I'll lower them then. But yes, it's definitely up at the top with Hidden Springs, I just wish I could play in it properly.

[Joria]

Thank you, Fez.  I think UC is pretty near perfect and I am waiting with baited breath for the time I'll be able to do a dynasty there.  It would be awesome!  I've just played a few challenges there and they went ok because the file never got that huge but it was an exercise in patience as everything took so long.  Almost as long as it takes me to do anything in my current dynasty!

I've changed my mind about Lucky Palms.  I now find it quite beautiful in a way too hot, rather barren and austere kind of way.  I do get annoyed with finding tropical plants in the gardens and around public buildings, but the builders only had so much to work with.  I love the cacti and trees and lots of new stuff.  The townies are quite a bunch.  First off, those who love vampires will love it there because most of the folks I met turned within a very short time of my playing there.  I did manage to break through with two celebs, who still remained a royal pain.  That one chef is so arrogant I wanted to smack him one.  I think I need to just play it and not worry about my Sim becoming a founder of a dynasty to get the full flavor.  Or maybe I should just pick a townie and go with that.

I agree with Ausette on Hidden Springs.  At first I was really enamored of it because it reminds me of part of where I grew up.  Mountains, lakes and streams and sleepy little villages.  But the town center is a nightmare and it is way too sprawling.  I liked the green folks because they weren't so bright a green they hurt your eyes.  I played the grannie who had a bunch of kids and that was a lot of fun.

I also agree about Twinbrook.  I'm one of the ones who love it, and I found it fairly easy to add lots and put new things in.  I even built an additional little village area off one of the muddy roads.
I did a challenge there, Descendant of Da Vinci, and it was a lot of fun.  The townies are fabulous.

I wonder why it is in some towns the people turn faster?  I have relatively few vamps in Riverview, there are some but you almost never see them, but in Sunset Valley some of my favorite townies are always turning.  The Bunch family, for instance.

Barnacle Bay can be tricky to play but I actually love it.  I love the challenge of it and the sea side atmosphere reminds me of the little seaside towns here.  It's more difficult to place lots there but it is doable with a little patience.

[Coocoo girl]

For me, it's Bridgeport.  But my game barely renders anything there so i don't play it very much, it also causes my game to lag.  My second favorite, the one that I usually play, is Appaloosa plains.  It used to be hard for me to resist the urge to make my sims life based around pets, when I want them to be a babysitter.  But I voted Bridgeport because it's my favorite.

[sharpsiren]

Just wanted to give a shout-out for Twinbrook. The pre-made houses there are (for the most part) quite nice and affordable, too! But I am perplexed by the house in the swamps. What are we supposed to do with the water inside the house?

[Tealeaf]

Got any hydrophobic  sims you don't like?

[Execution]

Here's my "review" of all of the worlds I have:

Sunset Valley
I love how diverse it is and the suburban dream feeling that it gives. I would rank this as one of my favorites, but I unfortunately can't, since it is, after all, the oldest neighborhood and I've played it way too many times. It's just boring for me now.
Riverview
I feel like there's not enough personality put into Riverview. It's like slapping maybe a small handful of 'country-themed' houses into a small corner and leaving everything else normal. I stopped playing in RV a long time ago.
Twinbrook
I don't know why, but I hate it. Probably because of the swamps. It gets points for art and decor, though. I've only played it once, however, and I've 'looked around' maybe four or five times.
Bridgeport
My favorite. I love the big-city feel you get, in town, and I love the feel of luxury you get when living outside of town or in a more expensive apartment. It's such a different taste of The Sims 3. Bravo.
Starlight Shores
Probably number two on my list. I like the inner city and I love the beach area as well as the park. It's such a good mix of city living and suburbia, you know?
Lunar Lakes
It was fun at first, but now it just seems... desolate. I don't know how to describe it, but if you're living outside of the city, you really feel like you're all alone.

So, my list:
#1: Bridgeport
#2: Starlight Shores
#3: Sunset Valley
#4: Lunar Lakes
#5: Riverview
#6: Twinbrook

[TallStar]

Here's my two cents on all the towns so far:

I like Twinbrook, the best, because of all the unique-ness. The sims there just have a lot of character and seem to have good back stories as well. I love the houses out in the swamp, I know most people don't but I like them for my crazy reclusive sims which I have plenty of.

Riverview is my second favorite, just because I've played there so much before yet I don't know all of the people like I do in Sunset Valley. Riverview has people all over, in different stages of life and its hard to get to know all of them in just a single game.

I'm actually not really into Starlight Shores at all. I think its pretty, but the sims all just seem so bland. Most of them are just performers, there's no diversity.

Hidden Springs/ Lunar Lakes are tied for me, they're both very beautiful but I have lag problems with both.

Bridgeport keeps me entertained, I can find lots of things to do there whether its living in a shabby apartment because I spend the rest of my simoleans bribing my way into clubs (oops) or being totally famous and living in a huge mansion. I think its the best thing that came with Late Night.

Appaloosa is like the opposite of Bridgeport to me. I can only play short terms games there, and its the same with Barnacle Bay.

Sunset Valley is nice but I know it too well. For this reason I can't wait to get Lucky Palms, I need something new.

[Execution]

Here's my two cents on all the towns so far:

I like Twinbrook, the best, because of all the unique-ness. The sims there just have a lot of character and seem to have good back stories as well. I love the houses out in the swamp, I know most people don't but I like them for my crazy reclusive sims which I have plenty of.

Riverview is my second favorite, just because I've played there so much before yet I don't know all of the people like I do in Sunset Valley. Riverview has people all over, in different stages of life and its hard to get to know all of them in just a single game.

I'm actually not really into Starlight Shores at all. I think its pretty, but the sims all just seem so bland. Most of them are just performers, there's no diversity.

Hidden Springs/ Lunar Lakes are tied for me, they're both very beautiful but I have lag problems with both.

Bridgeport keeps me entertained, I can find lots of things to do there whether its living in a shabby apartment because I spend the rest of my simoleans bribing my way into clubs (oops) or being totally famous and living in a huge mansion. I think its the best thing that came with Late Night.

Appaloosa is like the opposite of Bridgeport to me. I can only play short terms games there, and its the same with Barnacle Bay.

Sunset Valley is nice but I know it too well. For this reason I can't wait to get Lucky Palms, I need something new.

Heh, you're like my exact opposite!

[sharpsiren]

@Tealeaf  That made my day! Thanks

[BizzyBee]

So far I only have three towns (Sunset Valley, Riverview and Twinbrook). And, while I find Riverview the most appealing, I always pick Sunset Valley when I start a new game. I think I find playing there a little easier I guess. However, I find the town itself feels really small and kind of restricted. I'm hoping that will change as I really get to know the characters.

I like the look and feel of Riverview the most. I just don't find playing there as easy as playing in Sunset Valley. (And, for someone still trying to get the hang of managing more than one Sim at a time, easy is best.)

Twinbrook is just creepy. I think it looks good, and has a lot of character. But I haven't liked playing there. It's so gray and dreary all of the time. And the only really affordable housing for a new Sim seems to be in the swamp. I know there are no zombies in the game (yet) but I keep expecting one to come shuffling out of the mist. I love horror movies, but the atmosphere of that town is too much for me for some odd reason.

As for the towns I don't have, Bridgeport is the one I find most appealing. I love the big city vibe of it. And, thanks to one video I saw, I've already picked the spot I'd want my Sim to live in after they became rich and famous, and moved out of their big city apartment.