I'm thinking it's a good idea to post something today, so that it does not look like I've abandoned this project.
The progress on Laural Falls is slow, but indeed steady. I have been working on the last of its neighborhoods, the east-end beach community.
This community is located to the east of the heart of the city and consists of four beach homes along a quiet strip of beach, south of the airport. It also includes a community lot (small park) that serves as a secluded camping/fishing spot.

So, I did some more testing today, and I found my waiters and waitresses standing on the dock outside the cruise ship . . . oh, did I forget to mention Laural Falls has a cruise ship? 

As I was saying, my crew was standing on the dock waving their arms and complaining. Being the Sims they are, they couldn't figure out how to get from the dock to the ship.

As of this posting I have corrected this issue. And this seems to be a good time for a brief preview of the cruise ship.

An Introduction to Laural Falls

I've been giving serious thought to trying to figure out what inspired me to create my own world for my Sims 3 game, and the more I think about it the more it seems inspiration had nothing to do with it. Looking back, it seems I spent more time trying to make improvements to the city than I spent actually playing the game.

So, it just makes sense to try to build the city the way I want it, rather than try to rebuild a pre-made city to fit my likes.

Now, about this world . . .

There were three things of importance, I decided, if I were to actually build this thing:

1) Most importantly, if it's going to be user-friendly, it can't have any custom content. That also meant it was not going to be a themed city. This presented a challenge . . . how to make it unique without having any of that wonderful custom content to fall back on. I chose to take advantage of one of the nicer improvements the Sims 3 offered over the Sims 2 -- the object editing tool.

2) It needs to be as close to completely functional as possible. This means I had to account for all the things the Sims do in the game . . . learning skills, collecting things, completing goals, and room for expansion.

3) It needs to be as seemless as possible. In other words, I want my world to appear to be one fluid area, not defined by square lots, especially since the Sims 3 allows the Sims to move freely across the map.

Less important considerations soon followed, like offering things the game doesn't. For example, Laural Falls has a Roman Cathedral that is fully functional. What I mean by that is that it's not just a decorative lot. There is also an airport (sorry, planes aren't possible without custom content), but it is a functioning community lot. There is a reason for your Sim to visit. One of my favorites is the yacht club. The yachts docked at the pier are fully functional homes, actually on the water, but only your richest Sims can afford them.

You will also find a college and a winery in the Laural Falls world, as well as a campground in the woodland area, and a Vampire mansion in the seedy part of town down by the docks. But my most favorite is the lighthouse. Your Sim can actually live at the lighthouse lot.

So, Laural Falls is simply a tribute to an average U.S. city with a little bit of everything to offer your Sims.

The city pictured here is not in its final development.