In a sims slump

Making over an entire world would definitely take some time. I made over Bridgeport and it took quite a while, I think I worked on it for the better part of a year. Same with building lots/homes, I think it's best not to try and finish it all in one go because then you'll get burned out.

@Astro: Thanks for the tip. I think I might be burned out because I do play the sims almost every day. :)

When I build, I spend however much time on it as it takes me to feel bored or frustrated, then I move on. I also switch tasks—building/doing floors and walls/choosing furniture/recoloring furniture/landscaping—as I feel like it and whenever I get an idea for something else I want to do. Usually I'll at least place some furniture while I build so I can make sure the layout works, but other than that I do whatever I feel like doing. This is supposed to be fun, after all.

As far as being in a rut, have you tried just jumping into something without a plan? When I got Dragon Valley not quite two years ago, I loaded it to test something else because I wanted to see what it was like. I picked a random household and ended up enjoying the sims so much that turned into a save I played for a while. Then I decided I liked the town's other sims so much I wanted to play most of them too, so I started a new save there and made it over 50 weeks before leaving off a couple months ago. (I still plan on going back; it's just that haven't been playing computer games in general these days.) It's been a totally different experience than my normal playstyle and a lot of fun in its own right.

Point is, if you pick something random and go with it, maybe you'll find you enjoy it even though it's not how you'd normally approach the game. And you might end up using interesting features you normally ignore.

I usually redo the entire world I want to play in before I place any Sims but it's slow going, right down to the rocks in World Editor, lol. Sometimes I need a break so I might start a new game with a new Sim in a different world and alternate between the two. For me redoing a world takes months. Sometimes I can redo (building changes) or redecorate an entire house in a day but not often. I often get the whole house done then don't like the color and change everything, which is easy thanks to Create-a-Style. I can try out several different color schemes before I find "the one" for my sim.

@nickibitsward: Thanks. Yes, create-a-style and the color wheel are one of my favorite things. I love bright colors!

@puzzlezaddict: Cool. I might try that. :)

When I build I usually start with a room. Then I add other rooms as I work out what my sim needs. If I try to build a great house from scratch I get bored and abandon it. So building is usually part of a game for me. If a house turns out to be useful and suitable for many different sims I'll save it to my library and re-use it. I tend to try to avoid building anything from scratch and will reuse what I already have if possible. Even if I have built something special to fit on a hilly lot and then want to add it to a flat lot. That can give me some landscaping drama that can take days for me to sort out but I'd rather do that than try to build it again.

"Karritz;c-18076122" wrote:
When I build I usually start with a room. Then I add other rooms as I work out what my sim needs. If I try to build a great house from scratch I get bored and abandon it. So building is usually part of a game for me. If a house turns out to be useful and suitable for many different sims I'll save it to my library and re-use it. I tend to try to avoid building anything from scratch and will reuse what I already have if possible. Even if I have built something special to fit on a hilly lot and then want to add it to a flat lot. That can give me some landscaping drama that can take days for me to sort out but I'd rather do that than try to build it again.

I don't know if I could start with just one room, I usually have a plan and an inkling about the decor I want for the entire house and tend to follow through with a color scheme from room to room. But I am playing what I call a "vanilla" game right now with one Sim, the usual $20,000 and no skills or job and a small house, updating it as he gets more money. (Usually by marrying then killing off the spouse and accumulating their simoleons. That goes way back to my Sims 1 days when it was months before I knew any of the cheats). I suppose that is somewhat similar.

Hey @Puddinroy! I LOVE the architecture of Lunar Lakes! When it comes to making over a town, it takes me a really long time. If I can't decide on something, I leave the project alone and go on to something different. I'll return later with fresh ideas.

I often take a break from building and decorating to play some random challenge. I really like @SamelaRita 's renovation challenges where the family is dysfunctional and/or destitute. You play until the youngest child is an adult, making over the home as they get money. They aren't allowed regular jobs and must scavenge, paint, write, etc. for income.

Slumps are actually a good thing. They get us out of our comfort zone and steer us into unchartered territory that offers many possibilities. I hope you find some great adventures ahead and then return with fresh ideas for your make-over.

@ciane: Thanks. I may have to try one of @SamelRita renovation challenges. :)