Once the buildings are created, I then start adding hood decor. This is what makes the hood come alive. In this view you can see the lighthouse, old pond and rocky cliffs. You can also see the farm fields and vast amounts of green space.
You can start to see Apple County come to life with it's urban center and rural area. The aerial view allows you to see to the far edges of the hood, such as Lady Starr, the waterfall and the trail along the coast. Let's have a closer look.
The Apple Dumpling Children's Park. The addition of the carasoul near the trail emphasized that this it the kid zone.
Here is the Simonian statue flanked by the visitors center and Alisa Crawston Park. The statue and courtyard are hood deco, so no up close and personal visits just yet. The information sign and entrance to the wooded area are also deco...I wish my sims could go back there.
We're now entering Apple Plains. The community garden is completed and ready for volunteers to come and plant the new seeds. Rural farm deco emphasize the small town feel.
A quick trip to Apple Valley Metro, or "The Metro" as residents call it. Some parts of the metro are not a sight for sore eyes, instead some residents wish that these areas could simply disappear. Maybe in the future they will, but right now Fiona has her hands full with other projects.
Here's a nicer area of the city, at least the recycling bins are clean and there's even a bus stop for those late night taxi cab rides for when the walk is too long. There are no cars allowed in Apple County, except for taxis, social services vans and emergency vehicles. Residents walk to their destination which allows for some creative city planning.
A view of Pierce University. The campus is pretty much self contained on one lot, but the students enjoy a view of the coast and Lady Starr.
On the other side of the island sits Li Yoo's baby. She hasn't revealed much about her plans for the bay, but residents are excited to see what she has in store.
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How do you make your hood? Do you try to have the hood complete before moving sims in or do you allow the hood to grwo over time with your sims?
Oh, everything looks so wonderful! It's been really fun watching you build this hood from the ground up.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had the patience to do that but I generally just build and decorate a little bit and then start playing. I'm always too anxious to get to my Sims to do much work on the hood itself! Still, it's really worth it, so maybe I should!
-Carla, I understand the anxiety. Usually getting the sims into the hood is the easiest part for me thanks to all the hacks. I'm trying to allow some building as I play, so everything isn't set-in stone.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had the patience teh build everything first and then move in the sims but I have never been able to do that. I usually start with 1 sim, or 1 family of sims, plop them on an empty lot and build their first house. I start adding community lots as I need them. And then when the building bug bites, I start creating my own lots, which I myself find more satisfying than downloading a lot instead. I'll reach a point when looking out from a sim lot, I'll find the view kind of bare and I start adding the neighbourhood deco like the rocks, waves, trees and throw in a cruise ship for good measure (even though there is no actual vacation destination built for the cruise ship to port as of yet).
ReplyDeleteIt's always a long process but I love it.
-Rome Raven, building as you go has its merits as well. I'm trying to balance the two methods and wait and build lots that the hood residents are begging for later. Lately AV has been asking for a bakery and a boardwalk, so we're working on that.
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ReplyDeleteYour hood is looking so real! I applaud your patience. You have done a great job with Apple Valley.
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