How Do You Decide Where To Live?

Honestly, I have a hard time leaving Glimmerbrook, it is so beautiful and I play a spellcaster so the portal is handy.

But I also had an amazing game save in Innisgreen in the Sprucederry Grove, it was so beautiful. But I was a bit annoyed my lot overlooked a mini park with bathroom (that I can't edit).

I tried a few other lots in Windenburg, Henford-on-Bagley and Ravenwood. But I keep going back to Glimmerbrook (I have a really nice build I am not ready to leave yet, and looks great there), I think I should make larger build which has to be in a different world as Glimmerbrook has smaller lots. Just so I can try other places.

This will sound weird... I'm on the ADHD-OCD spectrum and my ADHD choice paralysis takes over when I have to choose stuff like this. So my OCD kicks in with a little system I created for myself where I'll take the day's date (for example the 4th) and count 4 neighborhoods from the one my current Sim is living in. I then count to the 4th house in that neighborhood and that's where my Sim will live. 

And I'm also a super rotational player. I choose my Sims by the same method on the Sims Wiki Fandom page. After I complete a career and aspiration with one Sim, I'll count in the same way from their name in the All Pages list and I only play Maxis created Sims. 

Currently I'm playing with Jay Bhatia (created for Cats & Dogs on the gallery). 

For me, it kinda depends on what I want my Sims to do or what kind of personalities I give them. Sometimes I create a new household specifically for a world, like when Life & Death came out because I didn't want to move any of my current households to Ravenwood.

In my current save, my main household started out in StrangerVille because I put both of them in the military career and the house was cheap. They later moved to Del Sol Valley because one of the lots there (Inner Circle) was affordable and offered enough space to add on new rooms. Eventually, I moved them into Hound's Head in Brindleton Bay because their family kept growing and they needed more space as well as a more child-friendly environment.

For their kids, I went with:
- San Myshuno for the eldest daughter because she loves city life
- Windenburg for the second daughter because I thought it would fit an artist (and because I love that world)
- Henford-on-Bagley for the eldest son because he studied biology, loves healthy food and values nature
- Sulani for one of the twins because he's a laid-back athlete who likes to hang out and relax at beaches (and values Sulani traditions)
- Chestnut Ridge for the second twin and her husband because she loves horses

I have a ton of other households in that save (I play rotational) which I put in various worlds that seemed to fit. For example, I have a young couple, very family-oriented, who I put in Sequoia Cottage. Then there's a witch who lives in Glimmerbrook, I have a chef and her wife living in Nordhaven where the chef runs a small business; one of my other Sims is a shady criminal living in Moonwood Mill (he might turn into a werewolf at some point, I haven't decided that yet), his ex-wife first moved to  Tomarang because she could only afford a small apartment. She is currently living in Tartosa with her new boyfriend, a Romance Therapist, but since she is a huge Japan fan, they will eventually move on to Mt. Komorebi. Another Sim moved from Ravenwood to Forgotten Hollow; she has the macabre trait, so both worlds fit her like a glove. Also, she's very much in love with Caleb Vatore and will eventually become a vampire herself.

So long story short, I try to match the worlds I pick to my Sims' personalities and/or careers as well as their needs. Some households have moved to a new place at least once, some have done that twice, while others are still in the same lot where I put them because I can't imagine them living anywhere else.

I do have the goal of having at least one household per world, though, except for Newcrest. I use that one exclusively for community lots (restaurants, cafés, nightclub, community center...). What I also try to do when I move a new household into a world is to use that world's gameplay with that household, so that goes into planning, too, or when I set up a household with three people who are roommates. That requires a lot that offers enough space for three Sims and can easily be adapted.

I usually pick a house based on who my family is and what they need nearby, and what they can afford (I use the freerealestate cheat sparingly). 

For example, the save file I'm currently playing started with the Fairy pack release so I set up my first family in Innisgreen. Then she married a Mermaid, so when their kids grew up, the mermaid ones moved to Sulani and the fairy ones moved to another house in Innisgreen. Now the grandchildren are getting to the age when they need to move out, so one is going to another lot in Sulani (he's a mermaid), and another fairy is going to San Sequoia because there is a house there she can afford, and she has three kids from marrying a guy with kids, so it's a family friendly location with the splash pads, etc. 

I tend to try to match places with a Sims' personality and goals/aspirations. City life for the artists or college grads looking to mingle, Brindleton Bay or Heneford for the animal lovers, Ravenwood for those with macabre natures, that sort of thing. 

I use Newcrest for recreational buildings like bowling alley, art center, pool, restaurants, cinema, maybe a couple small houses on the 20x15/20x20 lots, but mostly it's a "downtown" area. 

I agree that the worlds and lots can be overwhelming, but I love having lots of choices. 😁 I've been playing Sims 4 since it first came out and have all the packs, but I don't think I've actually visited all the lots in every world even after all these years. LOL!!! 😅 Always something new to discover!

There is worlds I never even visit. 😅

In my main save I mainly use Oasis Springs, Chestnut Ridge, as desert style more or less, ( i'm from Scandinavia and have had enough of places like spruce forests and Glimmerbrook irl 😄 )

From rural,  I use Henford (my favorite world of all time, Agatha Christie and Jane Austen to thank for that)  , Evergreen Harbor and Brindleton Bay. 

Ciudad Enamorada I use for city. (the overlapping festival bug made me move my sims from San M, and yes fixed now , but I haven't moved anyone back, it took so long that it's sort out of my head canon now) 

Sulani, Mt Komorebi are both 99% vacation destinations, with 1 normal residential in both, all rest communitylots and 2 vacation rentals in both... Tomarang will follow, some day.  

I try to use San Sequoia , Del Sol Valley and Nordhaven. Having only one played household in those..  Not sure will I continue or move sims out. 

I will give Gibbi Point a go, but most likely as custom venues only, no residential at all. 

All occult-pack worlds are not used in there, I have occult save where I only use those.

Chestnut Ridge is currently my favorite world so my main family has been living there since HR released in July 2023. I love the wide open spaces.

My other three playable families are in Willow Creek, Henford on Bagley, and San Sequoia. For no other reason than they're pretty worlds.

I usually come at it from the opposite approach: whenever a new pack is released, I think about what I want to do with that world, in terms of both community lots and in terms of the families that I might want to add there. Then once I've created those families, they go right into the rotation with my existing households. 

However, once in a blue moon, I'll get an idea for a household outside of the pack releases, and then I think of it in terms of what their lifestyle is: careers, hobbies, family structure/social needs, etc. If they are single, do they want to meet other singles? If they have kids, do they want to make friends in the neighborhood? Are they supernaturals? Are they outdoorsy? What kind of scenery or style of architecture would they prefer? Then I browse through all of my available lots in all of my worlds to find the best match.

Whenever we get a new pack I usually make a sim to try out the clothing and if I like them well enough I will put them in the world that came with the pack and will usually play with them the gameplay associated with that pack. If I make some sims to play out some specific storyline then I will choose a world that's most appropriate to the storyline, like the scientist gets to live in Oasis Springs because it's close to the science lab, and the sim that makes a living from fishing will live near the sea, and fairies will live in the forest. I do not play farms and horses in San Myshuno skyscrapers. I rarely change worlds or lots, and if I do, it's because the storyline required it, like the sim went to university. I try to have some interesting community lots in all my world mainly inspired by the sims living there that I play so they have places to hang out according to their interests and also some nice travel destination lots that my other sims can use whenever they decide to visit. 

I have been trying to have a family in each world. I have 14 families now and will grow to about 19 soon so I will try to pick worlds I don't have anyone in yet.  I think my next worlds to inhabit will be Nordhaven and Copperdale. Ravenwood seems a little scary to me (I don't play with the occults like werewolves and vampires) but the pictures I see are beautiful so I probably will settle someone there soon. And I want to get someone to Evergreen Harbor and start cleaning it up. And I do have Glimmerbrook, although I haven't played there yet. I do have plans to move a couple there and yes, dabble in the witchcraft a bit. That world does look pretty too. I might save Gibbi Point for resort or vacation only. It is also very cute there so maybe eventually a family will live there. My Magnolia Promenade is all businesses so I probably will not move anyone there. I like the variety that the different worlds bring in housing styles and culture.  

It doesn't sound weird, it sounds pretty cool. A helping hand with the decision making!