Template save file

Usually when I do a template save file, I remove pre-made sims, replace them with my own, change lots, and so on.

I usually like to fill up specific lots with restaurants and other public lots. (I noticed I placed them in the same places every time, so they are just assigned there now.) I would also replace certain families and homes I redesigned. Then I would set up the calendar with all my holidays (this has been a real chore for me every new save). Now with Eco Lifestyle I would probably set up NAPs and Eco Footprint, too.

"EgonVM;c-17562967" wrote:
Usually when I do a template save file, I remove pre-made sims, replace them with my own, change lots, and so on.

Thank you for answering. Do you have any type of lot that you find essential for your save file?

"Calico45;c-17562972" wrote:
I usually like to fill up specific lots with restaurants and other public lots. (I noticed I placed them in the same places every time, so they are just assigned there now.) I would also replace certain families and homes I redesigned. Then I would set up the calendar with all my holidays (this has been a real chore for me every new save). Now with Eco Lifestyle I would probably set up NAPs and Eco Footprint, too.

I'm def including a variety of restaurants: fish, meat and vegetarian at least.
Setting my holidays from start also sounds good.

For mine I fill all the empty lots, over the years, I have downloaded a bunch from the gallery and websites so that I only have one vacant lot in my games.

I have a bowling alley, spa, a couple restaurants, and a bar I use in my template saves. I also edit the premades a bit, mostly just adding cc body hair to all the men, I don't change traits or anything to them otherwise.

I also edit some existing lots that are missing items like sinks, appliances, and for Parkshore, I add another bathroom.

I don't like having stuff on the home lot either, so I build a lot of venues. I have a little church with a graveyard, 2 shopping malls that sell clothes, baby furniture, toys, cakes, electronics, Christmas decor, cinema, arcades, 2 smaller shopping buildings with florists, book store, gems store, ice cream parlor, beauty parlor, bakery, spa, bowling alley, a big city cafe, pizzeria, black tie restaurant, pirate ship restaurant, community pool, community garden/market. I have kept most of the bars and lounges, museums, library etc that came with the game. Where it makes sense, I add the crafting stations so sims could skill-up/earn some money while doing so.

In my save template, I have a graveyard, churches (wedding venues), cinemas, restaurants, retail (stores selling things I don't always care to grind out like things made with robotics), daycare, indoor ice and roller rinks and a few extra parks. I've gone through all community lots and added lot traits and added things from other packs to the lots already there. I've set up the holidays too. I've replaced a few Maxis lots entirely with ones I've made and a few that I've downloaded. I've also added a few sims that I'd made from either other saves or just straight out of CAS and I added all the sims 2 sims from the gallery because I just love and miss those guys!

I'm working on a template save right now. First thing I did was give all pre-mades makeovers. They all stay. Then I've filled up houses with sims from my library (both mine and others). There will be very few lots open for randomly generated sims.

I've added a spa and a couple restaurants. I'm keeping: 1 library, 1 museum, 1 gallery/art center (San Myshuno), 1 pool, 1 karaoke bar, 1or 2 lounges, 1-3 parks (most likely the big ones in WC and OS and Myshuno Meadows). I'll keep most of the regular bars, since those are the public lots my sims visit most (my sims don't get out much). The rest of the existing community lots are made residential and kept empty for any future generations.

The biggest problem for me when I scroll through all the households (not the premades)...? What families to play in the rotation?? They are basically all my favs from different saves o.o

I have a mausoleum that I built on that 20x20 lot on the island in Windenburg; I can fit a lot of urns in there because it's in a 4-level basement. I also do some major remodeling or replacement of existing venues to add pack content, like I've added the climbing walls to the Windenburg gym. I scour the Gallery for good venues and use those in my game and move venues around; in Willow Creek I moved the library to the empty Potter's Splay lot then put in a spa on the original lot.

I'm back to the game after a several month absence due to health issues so I'm thinking of planning a new template for my new starts, all but the newest pack worlds (DU and EL) since I haven't played those yet; I want to get the feel of the worlds before I start messing with them.

I like to have one retail and one restaurant in every world (once I get EL the new community lots will probably also be a standard in each of my worlds). A community lot appropriate for every career (bank for business sims, criminal hangout for criminals, city hall for politicians, school for children and teens) and then use clubs to populate these lots with sims in those careers. I like to use lot traits more as neighbourhood/world traits, I have one lot trait used for every lot in the world, then another lot trait for every neighbourhood in the world, and then a final lot trait for each individual house/lot (once I get EL I will probably use the NAP's as an extention of this concept). I set up my calendar to have a much more elaborate set of Holidays (Summer Break, First day of School, Simnation Day, Spring Cleaning, Spooky Festival, etc.) I make sure all sims have a reputation and appropriate fame levels, and I give diplomas to sims where I feel is appropriate. I also have a standard set of items I like to have at each house, thermostat, umbrella rack, roomba vacuum, laundry, family board, decoration box, bike, game console, etc.