"Fill Empty Homes" feature

[oshizu]

When playing a multi-generational game based in Willow Creek, I very occasionally had a new family move into an empty house in Willow Creek or Oasis Springs.
Several months ago, I asked on another thread if households would move into houses I placed in Newcrest and @Joria replied that she hadn't had any luck with anyone to move into Newcrest.

Has this situation changed since the recent patches? I'm still wondering whether it's worth dropping three or four houses into Newcrest or not.
Has anyone had any households move into empty houses in Newcrest?

[Shewolf13]

@oshizu

As far as I know, the houses only tend to fill in if you are in the town for a length of time, though I don't know the length.  Now, this could have changed.  Someone who knows the code might be able to be precise.

[oshizu]

 @Shewolf13

Thanks for your reply. That's good to know. It doesn't seem like a reliable feature at all. 

[Shewolf13]

I think it was mostly used for the town your sim lives in. So if your sim is in Willow Creek, then folks move into Willow Creek.

[oshizu]

I think it was mostly used for the town your sim lives in. So if your sim is in Willow Creek, then folks move into Willow Creek.

Okay, I added some empty houses to my neighborhood and will wait to see what happens. *crosses fingers

[Shewolf13]

Good luck!

[Playalot]

Sometimes visiting that area and chatting to some townies seems to help the process of filling the empty homes of that area.

[oshizu]

Sometimes visiting that area and chatting to some townies seems to help the process of filling the empty homes of that area.

Thanks, @Playalot
My sim family is now living in the neighborhood I'm trying to populate. "We've" been kinda avoiding the homeless townies hanging out in the public areas because they are weirdly dressed and have undesirable traits, lol.
But, okay, I'll send them out to socialize. 

[oshizu]

@Shewolf13 and @Playalot

I wanted to let you both know that I plopped three houses into the neighborhood of my active household on Day 22 of my game.
This morning I loaded the game up on Day 25 (although I've played several RL days between the two dates).
At first, I was overjoyed to notice that a family had moved in next door and the teenage girl is very pretty, so I sent my sim over to meet them. Gahhhh

Tracie Markham (mother, adult): Jealous, Evil, Music Lover
Christy Markham (female, teen): Evil, Kleptomaniac
Declan (male, child): Goofball

I'm not sure if my sims have ever had such undesirable neighbors!
And since my family can only enter Buy/Build mode on Sundays at present, they will NEVER be having Christy over to visit...
It's so ironic, really. 
You two are probably thinking, "But they have such great storytelling possibilities..."
I need to lift that restriction on mood-aura objects so I can start stockpiling angry paintings...

[Playalot]

Lol, how typical is that? Well, least you've got neighbors now! 

[oshizu]

I recently started a new game file in which, over a span of nine sim-days, 4 new household moved into Willow Creek and three new household moved into Oasis Springs.
In a cruel twist of fate, however, this game is for 20-day challenge so I won't benefit much from all the new households.

In my multi-generational challenged based in Newcrest, on the other hand, only that same undesirable household remains without move-ins elsewhere in WC, OS, or Windenberg.
I wonder if it'd be worth my time to drop more houses in other parts of Windcrest.

[meubanks]

Random Sims will fill in New Crest houses. I've had it happen in my games. I normally turn the feature off because I'm a rotational player and a control freak, so I can't really add much useful information beyond the fact that it does happen though. lol.

[oshizu]

Random Sims will fill in New Crest houses. I've had it happen in my games. I normally turn the feature off because I'm a rotational player and a control freak, so I can't really add much useful information beyond the fact that it does happen though. lol.

Thank you for that information! Have you filled up a lot of Newcrest up with houses you've built or downloaded? I understand how you feel. After "that family" moved into a really gorgeous house I downloaded next door to my sims, I'm thinking of disabling "Fill empty houses," too. I thought I might drop some houses in other Newcrest neighborhoods so there'd be housed sims, just not weirdos living nearby.  And yes, rereading what I just wrote, I guess I'm a control freak, too.

So my question is: Did sims only move into neighborhoods where you have active households or are you playing all over Newcrest?

[meubanks]

I want to say that I had active Sims there, but I can't swear by it. I normally put down some houses that I've made, but I don't necessarily fill all of the lots because i like to experiment with new builds. Sorry, I wish I could remember the specifics but I normally don't play with fill houses on any more. It is possible to fill the houses with unplayed, but player Created Sims by clicking on the lot and entering CAS that way.