Every neighborhood is different in The 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.
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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 find a variety of neighborhoods based on the expansions you have installed. Each neighborhood has different families and storylines for you to experiment with.
The base game comes with three: Pleasantview, Veronaville, and Strangeville.
If you scroll to the end of the neighborhoods, you can select the plus option to create a whole new neighborhood. You can pick from a list of locations to select a map, then give the new neighborhood a name.
When the neighborhood loads, there are no houses or community lots. It’s a blank slate to make all your own! You can decorate it as you please, putting waves in the water, rainbows in the sky, and as many lots as you can fit on the streets.
You can also add a story to the neighborhood to give it some extra flare.
Pair the flavor text with a few screenshots taken with the in-game camera, and you’ve got a whole scenario ready to go!
How To Build New Lots
Building new lots is a breeze with the lot menu. It’s divided into three categories to make things easier for you. We’ll break it down further so you can design the perfect neighborhood.
Lots And Houses Bin
This is where the bulk of your homes and lots will be. Both residential and commercial lots are in this bin, so you can build new homes for your sims and develop a downtown shopping center.
These lots have a name by default, but you can change them when you place them. Click and drag the lot to rotate it so it fits in the desired space.
Many houses will have the number of bathrooms and bedrooms in the title.
Specialty Lots
Specialty lots include apartment complexes and hotels. These are unique lots that allow multiple families to stay on them for an extended period of time.
These are perfect for small maps where you have limited space to build but want to have plenty of sims running around.
Empty Lots
Empty lots are the true blank slate. You can choose whether they are commercial or residential lots at the start, then go from there and build a new establishment.
Once you decide that the lot is commercial or residential, it cannot be changed.
Empty lots can be as small as 3×1 or as large as 5×6. You can also build beach lots along the waterfront, allowing your sims to swim in the water like they would a pool.
You can build in more than just the default neighborhood! Take a look at the downtown and university areas for more real estate opportunities!
How To Edit An Existing Lot
To edit a lot that’s already located in your neighborhood, simply click on the lot and enter it. There won’t be any sims present, but you can access the build and buy modes to furnish and decorate the lot.
When you’re done, you can save and exit the lot, returning to the neighborhood.
How To Save Lots
See a building you like? You can save it for later use in 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 and add it to the bin.
From the menu, you can then place duplicates in any neighborhood, as the lot will be saved to your bin. However, if a lot has a family in it, you can only place it once in any neighborhood. If you want to save that lot for later use, you’ll need to move the family out before saving the lot.
