Sorry for multiple questions, I just have a lot I am curious about when it comes to designing and remodeling the towns. This may be a combined question and rant so I apologize for that.
Is every lot type/lot assignment required for every town? I find some lot types unnecessary and was wondering if I actually need them all for the town to function properly?
-I see no use for dog and cat parks introduced in Pets, as I can just add pet items to the main park in each neighborhood.
-I rarely use laundromats, as I tend to give each household their own washer and dryer.
-I don't see the point in having two types of junkyard, when one could work just fine.
-Is there a difference between "Dive Bar" and "Dive Bar (Criminal)" assignments?
-Hangouts are just wasted space I could use for bars, clubs, lounges, or show venues. Plus do we really need Hangouts AND Supernatural hangouts? -Coffeehouses from Showtime and Java Huts from University Life are essentially the same as diners and bistros. Couldn't I just add a stage to the diner or bistro rabbit hole and have it serve the same purpose?
-Do I also need a diner AND a bistro, since they offer the same career?
-Is every type of club, bar, and lounge required or can I only have one and have that work? (For example, do I need a sports bar, dive bar, and local watering hole in the same town, or can I just choose one?)
It would be great if you could have the consignment shop and the elixir consignment shop as one lot/shop instead of two (but we can't since the consignment register causes bugs if its on the same lot as another register). It would also be great if supernatural hangouts and vampire lounges could be combined to have one establishment for all the occults in the neighborhood.
I get that some of these can be combined, especially when it comes to adding Showtime venues to other towns. Parks can be parks/Festival Grounds/Showtime venues simultaneously. Late Night and Showtime Venues can function as the same lot if the required objects are present. I just feel like many of the lot assignments throughout the expansions were repetitive or pointless. And since some neighborhoods have very limited room for expansion due to unroutable terrain or many occupied lots to begin with, it makes adding features from every expansion to all neighborhoods a nightmare or headache.
If I don't add some of these lots/lot assignments to the neighborhood, is that bad? Can the town function without some of them or does it need all types of bars, clubs, lounges, show venues, hangouts, parks, junkyards, shops and any others I didn't mention in order to function properly?