Hello all!Having recently acquired my newfound ability to start threads, I thought I'd go ahead and start abusing it by asking everyone if the current Origin sale - 30% off nearly everything - is a good deal for getting the Gold Editions of Dragon Valley and Roaring Heights. Together, the two of the them would cost me around $52 with tax for the worlds and a total of 3800 Simpoints. That doesn't seem too bad overall...and certainly better than the usual $70 plus tax (~$76 where I live).Having not been around in a very long time, I have no idea whether the Store ever has real sales anymore or if Origin does either (this is the first Origin sale I've seen on these since I started playing The Sims 3 again back in July, but I haven't exactly been checking all the time either).I promised myself I wasn't going to spend any more money this month (I went overboard...), but then of course this happened. If this is the best I can do and/or if these sales are super-rare, I'd love to know. I wasn't really planning on buying these worlds (at least for a long time), but since it basically works out to around $7 per world (assuming normal full price for the Simpoints), it's really tempting.I just don't want to end up learning that they sometimes go on sale for much cheaper, since I've seen (very old, sadly) threads talking about worlds on the Store and on Origin going on sale for as little as $7 (or the equivalent in Simpoints, depending on the world and where it's being sold).So, I guess the short version of this post is: Does Origin have these sales (or better) often? Also, does anyone know if Simpoints themselves ever go on sale? This sale apparently doesn't apply to those.Sorry if I'm posting in the wrong place. I couldn't decide between General Discussion and the Store area, so I chose here at random.Thanks in advance!

Origin does have sales a few times per year but they always seem to be structured differently, they aren't always % offs across the board, and they don't always include the store worlds. It's pretty impossible to predict when and what the next sale would be. Sim Points themselves never go on sale, I believe that they can't because they are regarded as "digital currency."I have DV and although relatively small, it's one of my favorite worlds. Love the baby dragons too, but I only let very few select sims in other worlds have them. Anyone can pick up a violin and start learning to play it or do archery, though I understand those two items are available as standalones now as well. My sims use it as a Traveler mod vacation destination and I've moved some of the interesting elven inhabitants to other worlds to see what happens when they breed with the locals and their genetics get spread. I also have RH, must have gotten on sale myself somewhere along the line, but have never visited or loaded up a game there. It's on the "To Do" list.

I'd just like to add that the store worlds can be lots of fun and can help keep your game interesting. One of my favourite store worlds is Monte Vista. I love how beautiful it looks and I love the wood fire oven. It also comes with this cute box of flowers for your window. I use that all the time! I think it's a great world to send my sims for a honeymoon. :P

I got the gold edition of dragon valley.I think it’s worth it as it’s a really nice world, I love the dragons and the look and feel of the world. If you use the NRass mods and the traveller one @igazor is referring too, it makes an unusual holiday location. I’m getting barnacle bay this week too as that’s the last world I need.On sale it’s a steal. I’ve been following the origin sales all year and it’s always the same things in sale. The sims 3 doesn’t get it. I think I even made a thread about it. For that reason I jumped and that’s why I will get Barnacle Bay too.

The last time I saw an Origin wide sale was Sept 2016 (I don't check regularly though). They had a 50% off sale to promote the new Origin UI/look. I got Dragon Valley, Roaring Heights, and Barnacle Bay. I thought 50% off was pretty good, and with the gold versions of DV and RH the simpoints essentially came at a nice discount. I bought the related venues for both worlds off the Daily Deal and spent the remaining points on other sets. I thought it worked out to be a pretty good deal.30% off is obviously not as good as 50%, but these site-wide sales on Origin seem fairly rare to me. Actual TS3 packs might go on sale from time to time on Origin, but I've never seen the worlds specifically go on sale. With the current 30% off sale I decided to get The Sims Medieval. I've been checking Origin every now and then for about 4 months and decided 30% was probably the best sale price I am likely to see anytime soon.All that being said, I haven't yet played a game in DV or RH yet. :( I did play a short challenge in Barnacle Bay, which is a nice enough world and played with virtually no lag (I had NRaas StoryProgression off too in that game). Someday I'll get to DV and RH though.I would say take advantage of the sale if you have the money. If not, be prepared for a long wait for another site-wide sale on Origin.

@igazor Thanks for the answers and input!The first thing I bought from the Store this year was the Dukes of Bows Renaissance Faire, specifically for the violin skill. I no longer have to play a tiny, imaginary, sorrowful one for them every time they can’t find their way through a door. Thankfully, the Sim Gods smiled upon me and it popped up as a Daily Deal shortly after I learned of its existence (and thus also learned the awesome power of Daily Deals).I have yet to use it though because the Sim I’ve designated for that skill (an insane virtuoso teenager) is the younger sister of the pair of primary Sims I plan on playing once I’ve got my game, mods and content all in perfect order. My current projections (based on my rate of progress) estimate that this will happen sometime in the spring of 2027 and be way over budget.One of the draws for Dragon Valley for me was the dragons themselves, so I’m glad to hear that they’re worthwhile and not just a cheap content ploy. And apparently if a person owns the world and that venue, they can get some sort of uber-dragon that helps their Sim plot complete world annihilation domination or something (I didn’t read too closely, but that sounds about right).As for Roaring Heights…it seems no one here has really played it, lol. My understanding is that it has some sort of 1920’s vibe (“Roaring 20’s”). I’d mainly just be buying it because of the sale and, well, putting it on the “Some day” plan that everyone else has. Looking at the “Items” list on the Store site though, it does seem to come with rounded wall corners, which, if true (and properly CaSTable), would be amazing all on their own.:( on the Simpoints sale. It’s what I figured/feared though.I’ve never used the Traveler mod…yet. Such things didn’t exist way back when I was Simming regularly. Until World Adventures came out, we had to travel the old-fashioned way: By magically-appearing taxi-cab. I’ve looked into it a bit on the NRass site before and know that it will be used extensively come mid-2028 or so (though I’ll have it in my mods folder much sooner simply to ensure safe ‘basic’ travelling).Thanks as always!@ElanoreAlexandria I got a great deal on Amazon a couple of months ago for the Worlds Bundle, which included Hidden Springs and Monte Vista. I didn’t care too much about Hidden Springs, but Monte Vista sounded great and I wanted the wood-fire oven. I wasn’t expecting it to be so absolutely spectacular-looking! It also felt as warm and inviting as a wood-fire oven on a cold winter night.More recipes are always welcome – how many autumn salads can a person watch a Sim make/eat? IIRC, it also works in conjunction with the Store’s Bakery to unlock even more goodness. I haven’t seen the flower box yet, but I’ll make sure to keep an eye out now. There’s a whole ton of stuff I’ve been buying/collecting recently that I haven’t seen/used. It’s awesome to know that The Sims 3 has enough content to keep me going (and surprising me, I’ll bet) for years to come…Thank you!@MidnightAura Thanks for helping to confirm that Dragon Valley really is worth it! I’ve been torn about that world, though I do find the idea of it more interesting overall than Roaring heights (I suppose time will tell). I feared that it may be a bit too cliché, given the overall Dragon Craze that a certain show started some 7 years ago.Thanks for also letting me know that this is a good deal on Origin. The Sims 3 must be selling quite well at full price or something, given the lack of sales pertaining to it. Origin really wanted me to buy The Sims 4 pretty recently though at fairly steep discounts.Congratulations on completing your collection! I’ve got a long way to go before that happens (if it ever does), but thanks to this sale I’m probably going to end up owning more of the Store worlds than I ever thought I would. My lucky Sims will have quite a variety of new places to live and/or visit…they live much more entertaining lives than I do and it sometimes make me wonder if being someone’s virtual puppet wouldn’t be such a bad thing after all.Thanks again!@TreyNutz Thanks to you as well for confirming that these Origin sales are as rare as I’ve noticed them to be. I have all the EP’s/SP’s, so all that’s left are worlds/Simpoints and I’m obviously stuck buying through Origin for those. Getting both in a bundle seems like a decent combination, even though it sounds like they’ve gotten stingier over the years…I’ve seen Barnacle Bay on Amazon for $9.99 before, but haven’t checked in a while. If it’s there or comes back or whatever some day and I’m in the mood, I’ll likely end up picking it up (it’s a physical copy with a code). That and the Worlds Bundle I mentioned earlier are the only ways I’ve seen to get cheaper worlds at times, up until this sale.I’m glad to hear you got a good deal! I hope you get to take full advantage of it one day.@Everyone My sincere thanks to all of you who replied! You helped me come to a decision: I’m going to bite the bullet and buy these two worlds today while they’re on sale. Otherwise I know I’ll end up buying at least one of them (Dragon Valley) a few months or so from now and then hating myself a bit for paying more. :smiley:

Current Origin Sale - Is it Worth it for the Worlds?

34 Replies

igazor
8 years ago
Origin does have sales a few times per year but they always seem to be structured differently, they aren't always % offs across the board, and they don't always include the store worlds. It's pretty impossible to predict when and what the next sale would be. Sim Points themselves never go on sale, I believe that they can't because they are regarded as "digital currency."

I have DV and although relatively small, it's one of my favorite worlds. Love the baby dragons too, but I only let very few select sims in other worlds have them. Anyone can pick up a violin and start learning to play it or do archery, though I understand those two items are available as standalones now as well. My sims use it as a Traveler mod vacation destination and I've moved some of the interesting elven inhabitants to other worlds to see what happens when they breed with the locals and their genetics get spread. I also have RH, must have gotten on sale myself somewhere along the line, but have never visited or loaded up a game there. It's on the "To Do" list.
Ornkal
New Scout
8 years ago
I'd just like to add that the store worlds can be lots of fun and can help keep your game interesting. One of my favourite store worlds is Monte Vista. I love how beautiful it looks and I love the wood fire oven. It also comes with this cute box of flowers for your window. I use that all the time! I think it's a great world to send my sims for a honeymoon. :P
MidnightAura86
Seasoned Ace
8 years ago
I got the gold edition of dragon valley.

I think it’s worth it as it’s a really nice world, I love the dragons and the look and feel of the world. If you use the NRass mods and the traveller one @igazor is referring too, it makes an unusual holiday location. I’m getting barnacle bay this week too as that’s the last world I need.

On sale it’s a steal. I’ve been following the origin sales all year and it’s always the same things in sale. The sims 3 doesn’t get it. I think I even made a thread about it. For that reason I jumped and that’s why I will get Barnacle Bay too.
TreyNutz2
8 years ago
The last time I saw an Origin wide sale was Sept 2016 (I don't check regularly though). They had a 50% off sale to promote the new Origin UI/look. I got Dragon Valley, Roaring Heights, and Barnacle Bay. I thought 50% off was pretty good, and with the gold versions of DV and RH the simpoints essentially came at a nice discount. I bought the related venues for both worlds off the Daily Deal and spent the remaining points on other sets. I thought it worked out to be a pretty good deal.

30% off is obviously not as good as 50%, but these site-wide sales on Origin seem fairly rare to me. Actual TS3 packs might go on sale from time to time on Origin, but I've never seen the worlds specifically go on sale. With the current 30% off sale I decided to get The Sims Medieval. I've been checking Origin every now and then for about 4 months and decided 30% was probably the best sale price I am likely to see anytime soon.

All that being said, I haven't yet played a game in DV or RH yet. :( I did play a short challenge in Barnacle Bay, which is a nice enough world and played with virtually no lag (I had NRaas StoryProgression off too in that game). Someday I'll get to DV and RH though.

I would say take advantage of the sale if you have the money. If not, be prepared for a long wait for another site-wide sale on Origin.
Symb10tic
8 years ago
@igazor Thanks for the answers and input!

The first thing I bought from the Store this year was the Dukes of Bows Renaissance Faire, specifically for the violin skill. I no longer have to play a tiny, imaginary, sorrowful one for them every time they can’t find their way through a door. Thankfully, the Sim Gods smiled upon me and it popped up as a Daily Deal shortly after I learned of its existence (and thus also learned the awesome power of Daily Deals).

I have yet to use it though because the Sim I’ve designated for that skill (an insane virtuoso teenager) is the younger sister of the pair of primary Sims I plan on playing once I’ve got my game, mods and content all in perfect order. My current projections (based on my rate of progress) estimate that this will happen sometime in the spring of 2027 and be way over budget.

One of the draws for Dragon Valley for me was the dragons themselves, so I’m glad to hear that they’re worthwhile and not just a cheap content ploy. And apparently if a person owns the world and that venue, they can get some sort of uber-dragon that helps their Sim plot complete world ~~annihilation~~ domination or something (I didn’t read too closely, but that sounds about right).

As for Roaring Heights…it seems no one here has really played it, lol. My understanding is that it has some sort of 1920’s vibe (“Roaring 20’s”). I’d mainly just be buying it because of the sale and, well, putting it on the “Some day” plan that everyone else has. Looking at the “Items” list on the Store site though, it does seem to come with rounded wall corners, which, if true (and properly CaSTable), would be amazing all on their own.

:( on the Simpoints sale. It’s what I figured/feared though.

I’ve never used the Traveler mod…yet. Such things didn’t exist way back when I was Simming regularly. Until World Adventures came out, we had to travel the old-fashioned way: By magically-appearing taxi-cab. I’ve looked into it a bit on the NRass site before and know that it will be used extensively come mid-2028 or so (though I’ll have it in my mods folder much sooner simply to ensure safe ‘basic’ travelling).

Thanks as always!

@ElanoreAlexandria I got a great deal on Amazon a couple of months ago for the Worlds Bundle, which included Hidden Springs and Monte Vista. I didn’t care too much about Hidden Springs, but Monte Vista sounded great and I wanted the wood-fire oven. I wasn’t expecting it to be so absolutely spectacular-looking! It also felt as warm and inviting as a wood-fire oven on a cold winter night.

More recipes are always welcome – how many autumn salads can a person watch a Sim make/eat? IIRC, it also works in conjunction with the Store’s Bakery to unlock even more goodness. I haven’t seen the flower box yet, but I’ll make sure to keep an eye out now. There’s a whole ton of stuff I’ve been buying/collecting recently that I haven’t seen/used. It’s awesome to know that The Sims 3 has enough content to keep me going (and surprising me, I’ll bet) for years to come…

Thank you!

@MidnightAura Thanks for helping to confirm that Dragon Valley really is worth it! I’ve been torn about that world, though I do find the idea of it more interesting overall than Roaring heights (I suppose time will tell). I feared that it may be a bit too cliché, given the overall Dragon Craze that a certain show started some 7 years ago.

Thanks for also letting me know that this is a good deal on Origin. The Sims 3 must be selling quite well at full price or something, given the lack of sales pertaining to it. Origin really wanted me to buy The Sims 4 pretty recently though at fairly steep discounts.

Congratulations on completing your collection! I’ve got a long way to go before that happens (if it ever does), but thanks to this sale I’m probably going to end up owning more of the Store worlds than I ever thought I would. My lucky Sims will have quite a variety of new places to live and/or visit…they live much more entertaining lives than I do and it sometimes make me wonder if being someone’s virtual puppet wouldn’t be such a bad thing after all.

Thanks again!

@TreyNutz Thanks to you as well for confirming that these Origin sales are as rare as I’ve noticed them to be. I have all the EP’s/SP’s, so all that’s left are worlds/Simpoints and I’m obviously stuck buying through Origin for those. Getting both in a bundle seems like a decent combination, even though it sounds like they’ve gotten stingier over the years…

I’ve seen Barnacle Bay on Amazon for $9.99 before, but haven’t checked in a while. If it’s there or comes back or whatever some day and I’m in the mood, I’ll likely end up picking it up (it’s a physical copy with a code). That and the Worlds Bundle I mentioned earlier are the only ways I’ve seen to get cheaper worlds at times, up until this sale.

I’m glad to hear you got a good deal! I hope you get to take full advantage of it one day.

@Everyone My sincere thanks to all of you who replied! You helped me come to a decision: I’m going to bite the bullet and buy these two worlds today while they’re on sale. Otherwise I know I’ll end up buying at least one of them (Dragon Valley) a few months or so from now and then hating myself a bit for paying more. :smiley:
Symb10tic
8 years ago
Another Rambling Story by Symb10sis!

Well, that didn't go quite as planned...though at least this story has a better ending now then when I first starting writing it up.

Shortly after I last posted, I purchased Dragon Valley, got the code and entered it as instructed. It immediately gave me the SimPoints and I could download the world. Awesome.

I then purchased Roaring Heights, got the code, entered it and...loading, loading, loading, loading. I waited. Eventually I refreshed, tried again and...same thing. Five (or so) tries later, I got the world and my SimPoints. Yay for perseverance!

Then this morning I broke down and bought Barnacle Bay (I just couldn't help myself...my addiction is too great...I think I need an intervention). I entered the code again and again and again. Eventually, I gave up, let it sit there loading and went back to sleep. When I woke up, the Store site had logged me out. It had never worked. I then tried some 10-15 more times with the same result.

So I contacted EA support by phone and they tried it themselves. Still a no-go. Even they couldn't redeem the thing or add the world to my account. After an hour, I got cut off while on hold and had to start over with a new customer service agent. He checked the original code and told me that it had already been redeemed on my account. This was news to me, so I got excited, checked and, well, no Barnacle Bay. He then sent me a new code which did the same thing. Then he tried it and, well, same thing as myself and the Advisor prior to him.

The call ended with him telling me that a supervisor was going to look into the matter and try to get the world into my account. This was supposed to take up to 72 hours and I'd receive an e-mail...someday...saying...something. He told me that it's possible that this world just isn't available anymore and in that case, I'd get a refund. That sounded pretty bizarre considering it was the first world available for purchase on the Store and it would have made me very sad (I hate it when EA decides to tell me that I can't have things no matter what, like most of the promotional items I missed over the years).

So, out of sheer hysterical desperation (and while I was typing up a very different version of this tome), I just tried the code again (and then again) and the second time, it worked! Partially. It finally loaded and said that I'd redeemed the code for Barnacle Bay, but didn't give me the 100 SimPoints that were supposed to come with it. That would have been far too easy. Another session with EA (this time through chat) and he eventually added the SimPoints to my account (I was hoping they'd throw in extra for my trouble, but that would have been too nice of them, I suppose). I still can't download Barnacle Bay from the Worlds page, which is odd, but at least it works from my Purchase History.

Out of all the worlds, this one and Lunar Lakes are/were at the bottom of my list, but still, it exists, it's for The Sims 3 and therefore I wants it, darn it. In fact, I just realized that there are only three Store worlds left for me to complete my collection: Midnight Hollow (the one I'm dying for, but just haven't bought yet for reasons that confuse even me), Lunar Lakes (don't know that I ever will, though my addiction will probably force it on me), and Aurora Skies (I'm really torn on that one and can't afford it at all for a long time anyway). I couldn't believe it when I saw all those little Worldly Plumbobs filled in on My Page.

Ironically, around 99% of the games I've ever really played for long periods have been in Sunset Valley, so I'm going to be truly overwhelmed come 2027. Store worlds, EP worlds, the vast assortment of amazing user-created worlds to choose from - I know I'm going to lose my mind trying to decide where to put my ~~test subjects~~ Sims.

Anyway, during the calls and this chat session, I learned that those Advisors have the incredible power to dole out unlimited SimPoints instantaneously (they would have gladly given me the points to buy the world, were that possible).

How I wish I had that power...SimPoints for EVERYONE!!! :smiley:

@MidnightAura Did you purchase Barnacle Bay yet? If so, I'd like to know how your experience went. I sincerely hope it went smoothly (or at least better than mine). At least now I know that it's technically possible to redeem and likely just some sort of technical glitch on the Store site. You were actually the main reason I decided to write and post this, just in case you ran into trouble yourself...

I hope your collection is complete now! :smile:
MidnightAura86
Seasoned Ace
8 years ago
"Symb10sis;c-16216443" wrote:
Another Rambling Story by Symb10sis!

Well, that didn't go quite as planned...

Shortly after I last posted, I purchased Dragon Valley, got the code and entered it as instructed. It immediately gave me the SimPoints and I could download the world. Awesome.

I then purchased Roaring Heights, got the code, entered it and...loading, loading, loading, loading. I waited. Eventually I refreshed, tried again and...same thing. Five (or so) tries later, I got the world and my SimPoints. Yay for perseverance!

Then this morning I broke down and bought Barnacle Bay (I just couldn't help myself...my addiction is too great...I think I need an intervention). I entered the code again and again and again. Eventually, I gave up, let it sit there loading and went back to sleep. When I woke up, the Store site had logged me out. It had never worked. I then tried some 10-15 more times with the same result.

So I contacted EA support by phone and they tried it themselves. Still no-go. Even they couldn't redeem the thing or add the world to my account. After an hour, I got cut off while on hold and had to start over with a new customer service agent. He checked the original code and told me that it had already been redeemed on my account. This was news to me, so I got excited, checked and, well, no Barnacle Bay. He then sent me a new code which did the same thing. Then he tried it and, well, same thing as myself and the Advisor prior to him.

The call ended with him telling me that a supervisor was going to look into the matter and try to get the world into my account. This was supposed to take up to 72 hours and I'd receive an e-mail...someday, saying...something. He told me that it's possible that this world just isn't available anymore and in that case, I'd get a refund. That sounded pretty bizarre considering it was the first world available for purchase on the Store.

So, out of sheer hysterical desperation, I just tried the code again (and then again) and the second time, it worked! Partially. It didn't give me the 100 SimPoints that were supposed to come with it though. That would have been far too easy. Another session with EA (this time through chat) and he eventually added the SimPoints to my account. I still can't download it from the Worlds page, which is odd, but at least it works from my Purchase History.

Out of all the worlds, this one and Lunar Lakes are/were at the bottom of my list, but still, it exists, it's for The Sims 3 and therefore I wants it, darn it. In fact, I just realized that there are only three worlds left for me to complete my collection: Midnight Hollow (the one I've wanted the most for a long time, but just haven't bought yet), Lunar Lakes (don't know that I ever will), and Aurora Skies (I'm really torn on that one and can't afford it at all for a long time anyway). I couldn't believe it when I saw all those little Worldly Plumbobs filled in on My Page.

Anyway, during the calls and this chat session, I learned that those Advisors have the incredible power to dole out unlimited SimPoints instantaneously (they would have gladly given me the points to buy the world, were that possible).

How I wish I had that power...SimPoints for EVERYONE!!! :smiley:

@MidnightAura Did you purchase Barnacle Bay yet? If so, I'd like to know how your experience went. I sincerely hope it went smoothly (or at least better than mine), though at least now I know that it's technically possible to redeem and likely just some sort of technical glitch on the Store site. You were the main reason I wrote and posted this, just in case you ran into trouble yourself...

I hope your collection is complete now! :smile:

As it's a gift I haven't checked to see if I have the world or not. (Haven't played in a few days) but your download experience with BB sounds identical to my experience when I got Roaring Heights. It's one of the reasons I dreaded inputting the code for dragon valley as I was scared it would be a repeat!

Gladness you got it in the end! Hope you enjoy the worlds!
karritz
Legend
8 years ago
Check the prices before you decide to get the gold or standard version of Aurora Skies. It is often cheaper to buy the standard version and get the venue that comes with the gold version separately. But check carefully to be sure you aren't missing out on something just in case I got confused. I got the Gold version.

Lunar Lakes was initially a world I thought was a waste of space. but then when Into the Future was released I started playing in it and it quickly became one of my favourite worlds. And the Tree of Prosperity comes with it. If you put it on a lot that has the wishing well on it too you see the pixies at night. The wishing well comes with Lucky Palms.

I have all the worlds. The two I play the least are Roaring Heights and Monte Vista - but the things that come with them are often used a lot. I always go for Gold when I'm buying a world. Sometimes you miss out on things if you get the world and then the venue.

Dragon Valley has huge areas of empty space that I have added lots to so my supernatural sims can live in villages where there are no roads or taxis. I do the same in Barnacle Bay.

Enjoy your worlds.
TreyNutz2
8 years ago
I think @Karritz is correct about Aurora Skies. Buying venue and standard version separately was cheaper than the gold version for me (IIRC). Definitely check the prices before purchasing. I think for Midnight Hollow you can only get the venue (toy shop) with the gold version and that the venue isn't sold separately.
Symb10tic
8 years ago
@MidnightAura Sorry to hear that you had to go through this yourself. The advisors I spoke with all made it sound as though this was a total fluke and had never heard of it happening. I told one of them that I feared that the Sims 3 Store website wasn't getting enough attention due to the Sims 4 and he replied by saying that they'd be "Inundated with calls" if the site actually had that kind of problem, lol. I'm glad to hear it all worked out for you and hope that Barnacle Bay does as well!

Thanks!

@Karritz I saw that with Aurora Skies. It's cheaper to buy the world and the Tiny Prodigies Early Learning Center separately than it is to buy them in the Gold bundle. I don't know why they'd do that, but my best guess would be that they expect most people just won't check. That world's probably a long way off for me though, given my finances now.

I bought Sunlit Tides the same way. I got the Serenity Retreat venue cheap on Daily Deal, then the world later through MMAO (I didn't know that that particular world actually goes on DD sometimes and I could've saved a lot of SimPoints if I'd just waited). I wanted that world pretty badly because the ability to place lots out onto the water means that a ton of lots can be added to the world (though I do worry about the potential routing errors). I also love the overall atmosphere, the lighting and the fact that the rabbit-holes are completely different than the standard remakes of Sunset Valley's. I can't believe how lazy EA got by placing basically the same theater, city hall, etc... into nearly every world. That's always made me sad. Sure, they're different colors, but there's a great collection of mods over at MTS that let's you place CaSTable versions of every rabbit-hole anyway...not to mention the rabbit-hole rugs/doors (which I have, but have yet to try).

Those are the only two I can think of where I bought/would buy the venue and world separately. Do you know if you really miss out on anything doing it that way? That would really stink because I'm never going to be able to go back and re-buy Sunlit Tides Gold and want to save those points on Aurora Skies when/if the time comes. The Gold editions of the worlds I just got (Dragon Valley and Roaring Heights) don't even come with the venues, just SimPoints to spend on them, so I know I'm safe there.

Lucky Palms I bought Gold on a whim through MMAO pretty recently, even though I honestly wasn't overly interested in the world (hasty impulse buy that sucked away the bulk of my remaining SimPoints). Most everyone seems to love it though, so I have a feeling (and hope) that I will too once I give it a chance.

Midnight Hollow Gold (Gold is the only way to get the toy shop, so I gotta do it :smile: ) is next on my list and I'm currently hoping it comes up on a decent MMAO, otherwise I'll just end up buying it full-price because I have just enough SimPoints right now to do that and still have enough left over for a few other small things. That's where I plan on living for quite a while once I really start playing the game more seriously with the primary pair of Sims I've spent dozens of hours obsessively sculpting and tweaking in CAS on and off for months now. Along with some friends I'm creating, of course.

I could see Lunar Lakes and Into the Future going together pretty well. I also give it props for being different. I think the thing that turned me off to it the most was a video I saw which showed that all the rabbit holes are just identical portal-things. It's like EA had all this imagination for the world, then lost it somewhere. None of my Sims have even been to University yet though, so time-traveling is even further out. I got all of the EP's post-Generations (I own all of those older ones on disc from back when they came out) this summer on sale and have a whole lot of catching up to do. That's seven Expansion Packs worth of stuff to try and absorb all at once (along with all the SP's and a bunch of Store venues/PC/stuff). It's completely frying my brain :smiley:

I'm glad to hear another person say that Dragon Valley is great! That makes me feel better about my recent purchase(s)!

It sounds like no one really plays in Roaring Heights, lol. I mainly got it because it was on sale this week, came with 1900 SimPoints and seems like it comes with some cool stuff to use in other worlds. That's pretty sad, considering that it was/is the last Store world that will ever be made. Maybe I'll play there instead, just to be a rebel.

Some of the EP worlds look nice as well (Appaloosa Plains, for example), but I couldn't stand Riverview, Twinbrook, or Bridgeport so I hope that they end up better than those.

Thanks!

Edit: I'm only now realizing that I've watched YouTube videos reviewing every world except for the ones I just bought on Origin, which is now extremely confusing to me. I can't for the life of me figure out why it didn't occur to me to do what I always do before buying something. Temporary insanity. ???