Oh I definitely agree; before I got TS3, I really didn't think the open world would matter to me all that much. Now, I don't want to give it up. I'd at least like to see an open-immediate-vicinity with some community lots, even if the game would have a loading screen going to other parts of the world. Kind of like how Sims 2 had parks in the main neighborhood.
Also, I didn't realize the Goths were on the exchange; totally missed that. 50 downloads in a matter of hours, That's awesome! I might give you another one before I load up my game tonight :)
