I’m not sure my insight will be all that helpful, but I can share some thoughts. :smile:
Some people find Midnight Hollow too dark as well as claustrophobic with the looming mountains that surround it. However, it’s one of my favorite Store worlds. I love all things gothic/Victorian/steampunk. I find MH too dark to properly build in, but I use a quick loading custom world for creating my lots. I have no issues playing in it, with or without a lighting mod (although I do prefer using one). If things seem too dim indoors, turning the lighting on the brightest setting helps, or you can add buydebug lights. I generally don’t play with townies, but if I did, I would definitely play MH residents! They are indeed very well-made, have interesting bios and I enjoy having my own Sims interact with them. The houses are unique and interesting inside and out, without the bland interiors as is typical of most EA builds. I always tweak or replace the premade lots in my neighborhoods to some degree, but didn’t feel I had to do as much of that in MH. I like themed neighborhoods, so the uniform gothic style is not a drawback for me personally. My current save in MH is sort of a darker version of Moonlight Falls, with a mix of sinister supernaturals and eccentric human Sims.
I like Lunar Lakes, but I did have to do more with it as far as makeovers. However, setting up worlds is something I enjoy and is part of playing for me. I used a lot of items from the Futureshock and Atomic Age Store sets and some things from Oasis Landing/ITF to fit the theme, and added additional ultra modern/futuristic lots to suit. I was not keen on all the RHs looking alike either, considering there are so many inventive architectural designs that could have been utilized instead, but the portal concept works and they do save space. My current save in LL consists of several alien households, and I made use of EA colored skin tones and a few non-default skins to add more “extraterrestrial” diversity to the population.
For comparison in regards to the other Store worlds, I love Lucky Palms and Monte Vista; both are beautiful and suitable for a vast range of stories and play styles. I’m not a fan of Roaring Heights, Riverview or Barnacle Bay, but enjoy the content. Aurora Skies was disappointing for me due to the snow/sea level issue, but okay otherwise. I think Sunlit Tides is beautiful but I dislike the routing, so it’s more of a travel/vacation world for me. I like the landscaping of Hidden Springs, but was underwhelmed by the builds and needed to do quite a few lot replacements/makeovers. I love the medieval setting of Dragon Valley.
Given the fact that you found DV unplayable long-term because of the medieval theme, I’d guess that’s the reason MH and LL are causing you some uncertainty. The settings of these worlds are not just different, but based on very specific, niche themes. Perhaps the fact that they may be seen as “limited” in that way is giving you pause because you don’t know if they fit your play style or if you’d get much use out of them? If that’s the case, deciding how much tweaking you’d be willing to do to make them your own, or if you’d want them only for the additional content, may be a point to consider.
