Create-a-World tool vs. Edit Town--which is better?

[RainBeau]

Hi, all.
I'm not sure if this is the appropriate place to put this topic, but I know I can count on our lovely moderators to set me straight if I'm wrong.
I am attempting to make a Harry Potter world in anticipation of Supernatural coming out in September. I want it to include all the main places, such as Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, and the Muggle world. However, I am not much of a builder, and the last time I attempted to use CAW I gave up in despair. I tend to get frustrated when I spend a lot of time building, as Live Mode is my favourite mode.
So, I am pitting my wariness of using CAW against its indubitable ability to make everything just as custom as I want it. What do you think?

[DeLouche]

OK. For what you want to do, CAW is the best way. It is possible in Edit Town, if you see a ready-made town you like the look of, and think you could customise, but CAW is unparallelled in what it allows you to do.

So, you have a few options:

1) Delete all the lots in an existing town, and replace them with ones you've built yourself

2) Check out some CAW tutorials (I recommend Krrank's tutorials, found here - seriously, they completely made it possible for me http://krrank.blogspot.co.uk/p/caw-tutorial.html), and play around with a tiny test world until you feel comfortable with the tools, and are happy building a world. It does take time though.

OR

3) Check out the Sims3 Exchange to see if anyone's already created a world you like. I had a very very quick search, and found a couple of forum threads:
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/488606.page#7428622
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/159313.page

And here are the forum search results:
http://boardreader.com/s/harry%20potter%20world.html?f=72173614&extended_search=1

I am absolutely certain there are other (completed) ones, I just didn't have time for a proper search.

Honestly, this last option would be the one I'd recommend for you - as you prefer Live Mode to building it makes sense to do the stuff you enjoy, and let other people, who enjoy world-building, do the work (we don't see it as work, honestly)!

[RainBeau]

DeLouche, thank you so much for your thorough and well-researched answer.
I have considered downloading a world, but I didn't know where to look, so thanks for that! I'm afraid, though, that I am far too picky and control-freakish to just use someone else's entire world. I am not against including other people's lots, I've already downloaded a few, but as far as a whole world, unless it was built to my order I think I'd fuss. However, thanks to your links, I can search out other lots to add, thus reducing the lots I build myself and getting new ideas (I'll probably mess with the lots I download anyway--control freak!)
I've done a basic scan of all my available neighbourhoods and I think Sunset Valley as a template would do nicely, which of course opens the option of using the Sunset Valley available in CAW, which would also save me the trouble of evicting everyone and bulldozing all the lots.
I am taking a look at the tutorial link you sent, it looks pretty good.
We'll see how it goes! Thank you for all of the information!

[PolarBair]

ooooh a Harry Potter world. Sounds perfect for some good at designed tombs to explore with tomb objects that come with World Adventurer. Lots of secret hidden doors and traps and stuff would fit right in with a Harry Potter world.

[RainBeau]

That's what I've been thinking! There's the Chamber of Secrets and the path to the Stone and all the secret passageways, not to mention the secret entrances to Diagon Alley and Platform 9 3/4. It should be great fun to make all this stuff.

[PolarBair]

I agree . A Harry Potter world could be pretty cool. I'll download it if somebody makes it.

[RainBeau]

I agree . A Harry Potter world could be pretty cool. I'll download it if somebody makes it.

I am working on it. Idk if anyone else will like it, I am making it to suit myself  But I will upload it here if you like. I am in research mode now, picking the characters and places I want to make. Some of the lots I've downloaded from other players on the Exchange, I'll have to keep track of them so I can give them credit when I upload my Harry Potter world!