Game guide:Creating a new neighborhood

Some players of The Sims series of games may wish to build in, create Sims for, and play with a neighborhood of their own construction, rather than the Maxis-created neighborhoods. This tutorial details how new neighborhoods can be created in each game.

The Sims
In The Sims, all neighborhood data is stored in UserData folders. Without any expansion packs installed, there is only one UserData folder, limiting the player to having only one playable neighborhood at a time. Multiple neighborhoods are possible however.

Base Game only
To start, locate The Sims' data folder on the computer hard drive. If using a PC, this may be located at. Select the UserData folder and copy it. Move back to the Maxis folder and paste the copy of the UserData folder there. You may wish to create a subfolder within the Maxis folder, but outside of The Sims, to organize multiple UserData files; in order to store more than one here, the names of each folder will have to be changed.

To switch neighborhoods, exit The Sims and open the Maxis program folder. Enter The Sims folder and cut the UserData folder there - it may be sensible to rename the folder before moving it, so it can't be confused with other UserData folders. Move out to the Maxis program folder, or to wherever the other UserData folders are stored, and paste the folder down. Locate the neighborhood that is to be played, and cut it from its location, then move back into The Sims folder and paste it down. Make sure once the folder is pasted that it is renamed to UserData, otherwise the game will not recognize it.

With Livin' Large, The Sims Deluxe Edition, or later
Locate The Sims' data folder on the computer hard drive. If using a PC, this may be located at. The four new neighborhoods are stored as additional UserData folders (i.e. UserData2, UserData 3, etc.), and new neighborhoods can be created by duplicating one of the UserData folders and renaming it to the next number incrementally. Using this method, there can be up to 99 neighborhoods.

If playing with Unleashed installed, the Old Town extension of the neighborhood will be the same between neighborhoods. However, all these houses and lots can be demolished and, if done, any neighborhoods that are copied off of that neighborhood will not have the demolished lots.

Additional info
SimPrograms offers a number of downloadable programs that allow players to more easily manage organizing and duplicating neighborhoods for The Sims. Those downloads can be found here.

The Sims 2
Neighborhood management for The Sims 2 doesn't take place in the program folder; it takes place wherever games are saved. This is often in the computer's Document folder; saved game information is often located at  (in Windows XP or earlier), or at   (in Windows Vista or later). However, the amount of folder tweaking necessary to create new neighborhoods is reduced significantly from The Sims, so adjusting these folders may not be necessary.