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Every neighborhood is different inThe Sims 2, and you can even create your own. Each neighborhood has a story you can shape, from the love affairs to the growing families around town. You can control it all at the press of a button.
We’ll help you start customizing the neighborhood, allowing you to build streets lined with colorful houses and bustling downtown areas. There’s nothing like designing a city of your own, and The Sims 2 allows you to design almost every aspect. Here’s everything you need to know to build a new neighborhood and refine the existing ones.
How To Make A New Neighborhood
When you first start up the game, you’ll finda variety of neighborhoodsbased on the expansions you have installed. Each neighborhood hasdifferent families and storylinesfor you to experiment with.
The base game comes with three:Pleasantview, Veronaville, and Strangeville.
If you scroll to the end of the neighborhoods, you canselect the plus optionto create a whole new neighborhood. You can pick from a list of locations to select a map, thengive the new neighborhood a name.
When the neighborhood loads, there areno houses or community lots. It’s a blank slate to make all your own! You candecorate it as you please, putting waves in the water, rainbows in the sky, andas many lots as you can fiton the streets.
You can alsoadd a story to the neighborhoodto give it some extra flare.
Pair the flavor text with a fewscreenshots taken with the in-game camera, and you’ve got a whole scenario ready to go!
How To Build New Lots
Building new lotsis a breeze with the lot menu. It’sdivided into three categoriesto make things easier for you. We’ll break it down further so you candesign the perfect neighborhood.
Lots And Houses Bin
This is where the bulk of your homes and lots will be. Bothresidential and commercial lotsare in this bin, so you canbuild new homesfor your Sims and develop adowntown shopping center.
These lotshave a name by default, but you can change them when you place them. Click anddrag the lot to rotate itso it fits in the desired space.
Many houses will have thenumber of bathrooms and bedroomsin the title.
Specialty Lots
Specialty lotsinclude apartment complexesand hotels. These are unique lots thatallow multiple families to stayon them for an extended period of time.
These areperfect for small mapswhere you havelimited space to buildbut want to have plenty of Sims running around.
Empty Lots
Empty lots are the true blank slate. You canchoose whether they are commercial or residential lotsat the start, then go from there andbuild a new establishment.
Once you decide that the lot is commercial or residential,it cannot be changed.
Empty lots canbe as small as 3x1 or as large as 5x6. You can alsobuild beach lots along the waterfront, allowing your Sims toswim in the water like they would a pool.
You can build in more than just the default neighborhood! Take a look at thedowntown and university areasfor more real estate opportunities!
How To Edit An Existing Lot
Toedit a lotthat’s already located in your neighborhood,simply click on the lot and enter it. There won’t be any Sims present, but you canaccess the build and buy modesto furnish and decorate the lot.
When you’re done, you cansave and exit the lot, returning to the neighborhood.
How To Save Lots
See a building you like? You cansave it for later usein another neighborhood or create a duplicate. Click on the house menu, then the icon of a house with an arrow. Select the lot you want to save andadd it to the bin.
From the menu, you can thenplace duplicates in any neighborhood, as the lot will be saved to your bin. However, if a lot has a family in it, you canonly place it oncein any neighborhood. If you want to save that lot for later use, you’ll need tomove the family outbefore saving the lot.
