Are you "cottage living" outside HOB?

Honestly very tempted to raise chickens in a penthouse in San Myshuno just because it's possible! (Bees are commonly raised on high rooftops where I live, at least.)

I love HoB, but before CL was even announced I had already decided I wanted to create "farming/cottage life"- related locations. I originally used Willow Creek and Newcrest for that purpose (after bulldozing all existing lots), then parts of Brindletown Bay and Windenburg (in particular Crumbling Island and the countryside).

Crumbling Island is my favourite location, because after deleting all existing lots I could really personalise it and turn it into a secluded, gardening paradise for my family as there are no other inhabitants on it. The only residential lot is my family's small cottage, the other lots are marked as "generic" and feature orchards or ruins (including a shipwreck site).

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51338866306_883cd661be.jpgcrumbling island by le TARDISgrade, on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339869435_312bac2ca6_w.jpgcottage by le TARDISgrade, on Flickr



https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51338866191_b21e46c21f_w.jpgshipwreck by le TARDISgrade, on Flickr

The public orchard (including every pre-CL plant):

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51326834538_fe953fe0c1_w.jpgorchard by le TARDISgrade, on Flickr

One of the ruins sites:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51325940507_26a15312e3.jpgRuins by le TARDISgrade, on Flickr

There is a wishing well in this lot, and the family goes there to make offerings, in hope of receiving a blessing. I like the idea of this family living in communion with nature away from other people and worshipping the old spirits and fertility deities... in a chill, genuine way.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51327373704_d152e01e50.jpgaltar by le TARDISgrade, on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51327373689_04b5899a9a_w.jpgruins / altar by le TARDISgrade, on Flickr


https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339084898_f1ef21efee_w.jpgHillfort by le TARDISgrade, on Flickr



I'm super-reluctant to make them move to HoB because the uninhabited island is so special for them. And the close-knitted, gossipy community in HoB would be overwhelming for them, they like being on their own.

So I created other Sims to play in HoB.

"luthienrising;c-17943824" wrote:
Honestly very tempted to raise chickens in a penthouse in San Myshuno just because it's possible! (Bees are commonly raised on high rooftops where I live, at least.)

There are people who raise pigeons on rooftops in cities so why not chickens? I mean it’s the sims, you can do what you want! ?

I have a household in Windenburg that was already living like this at Rustic Residence which I renovated long ago to be a two-story home with nice finishes. I have gone back to playing them but I need the gardening bugs to be fixed since Lucas Munch lives as a farmer with numerous perfect plants, fruit trees, flowers and a greenhouse. I added the simple living trait which makes a lot of sense and an EL beehive. Regular gardening really needs to be repaired in order to accurately play out the challenge, living off of the produce and selling the extra.

I know some people might have thought it was easy to make money gardening but the gameplay needs to work. When it comes to ease or difficulty, I think that ideally players can decide how much they want. For example, I am not looking for an easy game but if I have a highly-skilled gardener running a successful farm and I want to keep it going, I should be able to do that. Anyway, I know a lot of people complained about gardening. I hadn't gotten around to this household but yes, it is unplayable unless they repair regular gardening and find a way to correct the damage from plants turning into dirtpiles and not harvesting. I'd label it an unplayable bug especially with the new pack.

Yes, I'm excited for the new vegetables but fix the old ones as well. As mentioned, the simple living lot challenge does not really work when gardening is broken if you want to make any recipes including older ones and if you want to live mainly from what your household grows.

@FurAndYarn gasp! Luuurve ?? I can't believe Sulani didn't cross my mind until I made this thread. Love the lot!

@Pamtastic72 I'm starting with desert oasis. My families there are the best suited to it and I love Spanish colonial lots... all the possibilities though! Glimmerbrook would be ? gorgeous!

@TARDISgrade you've convinced me to bulldoze that island lol I love that tiny community feel you built

@luthienrising I have 20 households in Myshuno. I had no idea you could do that, I need to try this! I have one Gardner in the city who would dig it I think ?

@ChampandGirlie I oddly don't have the veggies issues thankfully. Still, like you I enjoy a harder game and my gardening sims and floral sims could use a little challenge. I'm trying to personalize the simple living to sims I feel it fits. Some of my sims don't feel "simple" and I see them on the go while others tend to fill time painting and prefer small groups. And yet not all look as if they belong in HOB so all of these insights and ideas are incredibly helpful before I just bulldoze at random

"wahini2024;c-17943891" wrote:

@TARDISgrade you've convinced me to bulldoze that island lol I love that tiny community feel you built

You can also bulldoze the Bluffs. You can't change the lot type, but other than that you can personalise it as any other lot.

Also, the big lot on the promontory is fantastic! I have another save where I've placed a Celtic settlement there (as a residential lot). My family living there have 40 hens and 7 cows as well as an orchard, and there's still plenty of space to add more sheds - it's just they can't keep up with more animals. :D

i have nishidakes gardening in mt.k and I will probably give them some bird and/or bunny companions

and i also have family i wish to give some fox friends in mt.k

and yeah probably someone in sulani would like some chicken friends

and i might use some planters and llamas in selvadorada but I'll have to see how these things work on public lots first

also brindleton bay and windenburg surely suit the purpose as well

I'm not very interested in having too many farms per world myself cause its not my main playstyle but idk you could basically have farm anywhere

strangerville might be fun one too it kinda has that western vibe

Yes! I just got the pack yesterday and am starting the next round of a rotation, so I’m still working out logistics and figuring out the gameplay. My goal is to let different families specialize in different crops/items, so that way there’s a constant supply of stuff available that they can “barter” with each other for instead of relying on the limited selection from grocery delivery. They all won’t have to become full time farmers for that to happen, either. I love the idea of putting everyone on simple living lots just for the extra challenge, but with rotational play and seasons it’s a bit of a pain. I’m also ok with putting my apartment dwellers on simple living lots - they’ll just be paying a premium for groceries or living on takeout, which feels very realistic. I was already starting to work toward this with flowers for flower arrangements and other miscellaneous craftables.

That said, I’ll probably still make a couple of main farm families to take on the bulk of the work gardening, raising animals, and canning. The possibilities for developing an internal economy are very interesting to me. I also kind of love that groceries are so expensive, since once your sim hits a certain point making money is the game is so easy

@TARDISgrade a Celtic lot!? That is so, so cool. I have some Celtic heritage from ages ago and that sounds so fun! I had no idea about the bluffs... looks like one world in my game needs a little reno ?
...or a lot! Thank you for such wonderful ideas, wow ?