Create a world still a real possibility + Features wish list & Concept walkthrough

Updated - After putting together an in-depth walkthough (including ideas from this thread) and sending it to SGGrant, he replied with the following tweet, which confirms that they are indeed taking CAW seriously and in active talks over how it could work!


Some very thoughtful videos put together by our fellow simmers on YouTube!

---

OP - I don’t want to say I’d given up on a Create a World tool ever seeing the light of day, but I was starting to feel concerned that the structure of TS4 worlds would make it unlikely that we’d ever get such a tool. But recently I asked SGGrant on Twitter if CAW was at all possible and I’m quite excited and hopeful with his response, even just to hear that it’s something they’re still considering after all this time!

---

Seeing as Grants meeting is today, I thought I’d throw together a quick wish list of features I’d like to be included. Feel free to share your own and I’ll add them here!

Settings

• An option for custom vacation worlds
• Ability to change length of day/night cycle
• Climate controls for Seasons integration (Freezing/Cold/Temperate/Hot/Desert)
• Preset world layouts for inexperienced players to edit
• Sharing custom worlds through the Gallery
• An option to add/remove worlds from each save, for those that don’t want every world in every save - suggested by @Luthienrising
• Custom world map and world icon option, as well as a ‘default’ map and icon for those who don’t have access to photoshop
• World lighting options e.g. red sky, green water, purple sunsets
• Time of day menu to show where the sun rises and sets

World Setup

• Multiple neighbourhoods per world
• Maps of various sizes (tiny, small, medium, large) and heights (low=100, medium=200, tall=300) - suggested by @Bettyboop55
• Dynamic water heights let’s you sculpt lakes and rivers at different heights on the map
• Placeable playground and park equipment for public spaces - suggested by @Cynna
• Access to all decor objects, trees, backdrops, of the dlc packs that you own (much like how it worked in TS3) e.g trees from Jungle Adventures, city building decor from City Living
• Placeable preset apartment blocks and penthouses from City Living (have same layout, but makes them usable outside of San Myshuno)
• Biomes/World Types such as suburban, desert, beach, jungle/forest, and urban - suggested by @12JEREMIA

Gameplay

• Edit in game functionality (the ability to build on lots/create and add households directly through the CAW tool) - suggested by @Bettyboop55
• Custom greetings for each world e.g. kiss cheek, shake hands, wave - suggested by @Amandèle
• Pedestrian traffic options on/off or light/heavy (changes how many sims will walk through the public spaces of each neighbourhood)
• Pets spawning toggle on/off (whether or not cats and dogs will show up in the world)

Tools

• Basic terrain sculpting tools (a given, I’m sure, but just making sure) - suggested by @Bettyboop55
• Terrain painting tools (with LOTS of different textures to choose from) - suggested by @Bettyboop55
• A functional road tool, for future integration with cars (it would be as simple as a drawable road texture with 4 routes, 2 on either side of the road for the sidewalks, which pedestrian Sims would walk along, and 2 ‘unused’ routes that cars and bicycles would drive along should they ever be patched in, but in the mean time could be used for vfx cars to ‘drive’ along)
• Environmental VFX and SFX markers to create more dynamic worlds - suggested by @Bettyboop55
• Collectables spawners (fish, frogs, plants, rockpiles, pet digspots) - suggested by @Bettyboop55
• Preset lot sizes e.g. 20x30, 40x40, 64x64 (it was a nightmare trying to measure specific lot sizes with TS3's lot placer)
• Ability to create custom lot sizes e.g. 10x35, 42x56, 30x60 - suggested by @Bettyboop55
• Object resize tool (size up/size down)
• Tree randomizer (changes the size and rotation of each tree you place)