[updated 15/04/2020]

Hi everyone! This is my new project, I've been working on it for some weeks and now I think it's time I start showing it to you to get some feedback. It's a world I've been planning in my head for months, so there's a lot I want to explain about it, here we go:

THEME AND INSPIRATION

Unlike my previous worlds, this one is not based on any real place in particular. It is located in an invented setting that I'm creating from different ideas (my own and other people's), with varying degrees of realism and fantasy. I like to call it semi-fantasy.

The world is located in a fictional planet from a fictional universe.

The degree of technology in this world is similar to the one in the Middle Ages, so there aren't any electronic devices or modern technology. Because of that, you will find that some game objects are missing (TVs, computers, cars...), as well as some lot types and rabbitholes (laundromat, LN clubs, science lab...).

In general, Uranesia's landscape is tropical, lush and wild. The world is an island with very high mountains and cliffs, rivers, waterfalls, jungles, beaches, etc. My biggest sources of inspiration are the world Pandora from the movie 'Avatar', the 'Tepuys' in Venezuela, Guyana, and Brazil, different real-life volcanic islands, and pictures of fantasy landscapes that can be found on the Internet:



The architecture is mostly inspired by buildings from ancient cultures such as Hindu temples, Greco-Roman cities, Incan houses and terraced fields, and also by my own ideas and Internet pictures:



I also drew some sketches of some parts of the world before starting it:

(My mum threw them out by mistake, that's why they are so crumpled xD)


Links to the full-size pictures:


TECHNICAL DETAILS

- Large map size (2048x2014), the world will feature many areas to explore, but not too many lots (I'm aiming less than 100), and they won't be as big and heavy as Barcelona's ones.
-Roadless world, there will only be paths, so no cars or taxis.
- It will require some CC (package files). No Store content.
- It includes custom recolors and lighting files.
- It will be populated, in fact, sims will play a very important role in this world and its identity.
- It will require the following EPs:


*Also a few objects from Late Night.

BACKSTORY (subject to change)

Uranesia is a lush tropical island from a semi-fantasy planet. The island is located at the edge of the known world, far away from other lands. Because of that, Uranesia and the communities that have inhabited it since ancient times have often been overlooked by the rest of the world. This hasn’t stopped them from developing thriving civilizations, however, parts of the island still remain practically unexplored by the current population: areas that are still ruled by the power of nature, gods, and spirits, and full of mysteries still to be uncovered.
You can read more about Uranesia's history HERE.

With this backstory in mind I'm building the different areas of the island. This will not be a world for regular gameplay, it will offer a different playing style, more focused on exploring and uncovering mysteries. So, to provide a more interesting experience I'm going to create a challenge to play in Uranesia, but I'll reveal more details about that in the future.

PARTS OF THE WORLD

City in the mountains (no name yet): A rich and and prosperous city nestled in the mountains, in a strategic position overlooking the ocean in three directions. It's a walled city with stone streets, public buildings, temples, water canals, etc. and a port that allows the city to trade with the outside world. Its inhabitants are part of a very organized society, with a strong focus on religious beliefs and the unity of their community. They are the descendants of refugees who fled from the Continent many centuries ago, and reached the island of Uranesia, which at that time was uninhabited.

Pirate settlement: Located on the coast, by the ruins of an old Uranesian temple, built by the inhabitants of the City near the place where their ancestors first landed. The Pirates conquered the area after a battle against the inhabitants of the City, and now control a significant stretch of the coast. They created a small settlement with a port that acts as some sort of trading colony. They live on the natural resources they get from the island. They are free folk, adventurous, and fearless, with a society far less complex than the one of the Uranesians.

The Great Jungle: Great area of wilderness, practiaclly unexplored, located on the top of the cliffs, from where super tall waterfalls flow. It's one of the most mysterious places in the island.

The Floating Rocks: Rocky area where one can find big rocks floating in the air. Apart from a big community of birds, nobody in recent history has been able to live or get there.

Volcano: The central point in the island, its peak stands higher than some clouds. It's an active volcano, on one of its slopes there is a lava flow that reaches the sea.

These will be approximately the different parts, there might be some changes or even new areas depending on the how the world turns out. Apart from these particular areas, there will be some sims who will live away from the main centers of population in different places of the island, for example: an inventor, a healer or a philosopher.

NAME

-Uranesia [uɾane'sia], from the Ancient Greek ouranós [sky] + nésos [island] - "The Sky Islands". Referring to the high mountains pointing to the sky, the floating rocks and the deco cloud effects. I initially created this name from Ancient Greek, however later I came up with a slightly different etymology without using elements from a real life language. You'll be able to find out about this, among many other things, playing the challenge once the world is out.


Pictures below:

PICTURES


Aerial view of all what I've done






Beach and coastal cliffs






At the edge of the cliff lies the "road of death"


One must go through this cave to get to it




That's why it's called the "road of death"




Waterfalls and streams






The bridge leading to the entrance of the city




Small swimmable lake in front of the city walls


Entrance gate to the city in the mountains

That's all for now, If you read this you've survived reading my whole posts I'm looking for some feedback on it, so if you have any ideas or suggestions please tell me!
Unlike Barcelona, this world gives much more space for creative and different ideas so you know, I'm waiting to read what you think about it!

More soon!!

It looks absolutely gorgeous so far! I'll definitely be sending my Sims there on vacation once it's released! I look forward to seeing more updates in the future.

but very hindi... since the world a summer one ist, maybe you.ll find some nice words for Summer Island oder something like that...
I would like to propose "Inesia" . It is not mystical but it sounds so. I took the female Name Ines to your "nesia" and if you name one of your goodesses Ines, it would fit ...
Maybe that's silly but I found your world so very beautiful as well the idea behind it, that I had to say something.
Thank you for still making so beautiful dream places.

Oooh! Can't wait!

A lot of the architecture reminds me of the architecture in Atlantis: The Lost Empire with the combination of Greek, Mayan and Indian architecture. Great movie for worldbuilding, would definitely recommend a watch for at least the scenery.




I would go for Rahasyanesia, we haven't really had an Indian world yet

I'm really liking your new projet!
A sugestion: Why not to make a poor village near the city?

Now that... looks like something that would be really fun to play with. Although I'm not usually attracted to bright and sunny landscapes, this one does looks quite dreamy. It's like some kind of upgraded Castaway-esque setting, and like, Sunlit Tides-y, but still not. It's got a very distinctive look to it, very... ethereal. Nice work you've done there!

Thank you all so much for the positive feedback! I'm glad you like the world and I can't wait to show you more

@Cheesetruck, thank you!

@hafuhga, I like the name Ines for one of the godesses, maybe "Iness" would sound more exotic Looks like most people prefer the name Rahasyanesia, if I end up choosing it, I will probably use the other two names (or variations of them) for areas of the world. Daimonesia or Daimonia would be perfect for the black magic tribe's island Uranesia for the floating rocks?

@jje1000, wow I didn't know the settings in Disney's Atlantis looked so cool. And they look incredibly convenient for what I'm doing. I'm so reconsidering the way I wanted to make Sacred island after seeing this

@MW_thesism3, I want the city to be very inward looking and closed on itself, without nearby buildings out of the walls. However, I like the idea of having a poorer section inside of it, like a working class area (of farmers mainly).

@Prismatic, Thank you! I'll try to create a darker/gloomy weather type that will appear from time to time, so it won't be always sunny

@cc1999, No, Actually Showtime and Seasons are the EPs I will use the least. From Showtime I only want to add a live show venue (as an open air theater like those of Greeks and Romans) and some recolored posters, nothing else

I think the concept might also work in the city- canals will definitely make things more interesting, and many Indian cities have an element of water in their design. Having canals will also help you fill space without having to fill it completely with lots. I think a multi-tiered fortress city with canals would look fantastic!

Some instances:

Waterfall City:


Indian Architecture:



Indian Stepwells:

Very well done so far. I had to have a second look at some of your pictures,because I suddenly doubted whether it actually was from Sims, haha (That's meant as a compliment)
I had some minor "Far Cry" flashes....

Looking very much forward to seeing how this will develop

My english is simply not good enough to describe how amazing and beautiful this world is!
Your CFE skills are unbelievable!

Jesus Christ it`s EPIC beyond words!!

This is one of the most gorgeous world I have seen :lovestruc . Waiting with baited breath for further updates
As for the name I support Rahasyanesia ( for obvious reasons ofcourse ). Rahasya can also mean mystery!

Woah! so this is what you were talking about...
Looks like it can be used as an imaginary historical hood. You really are the Picasso of Ts3 Nilxis.

@cc1999, I forgot to add, I will probably use the Spanish window/door/arch, but you're not going to have any problems if you miss Showtime.

@jje1000, Thanks again for the pictures, that Waterfall City looks so cool! I will definitely place some canals, not many, and also some aqueducts

@Tigerdyhr, Far Cry hasn't been one of my inspirations, but the scenery looks similar to what I want to do, so I'll add it to my inspiration list :P

@icemunmun, Thanks, nice to see someone from India liking it! Do you mind if I ask you questions on tumblr about words in Hindi if I need a translation? You know, Google Translate isn't very reliable...

@Crowkeeper, @exlibrisas and @tizerist, Thank you so much!!

I will be very happy to help.Ask away

Your world is beautiful beyond words - I really can't find words. It's a masterpiece.

All your worlds are beautiful, Nilxis, but I think this one may be my favourite. :lovestruc

I think you are right, pj ... I was honored to be involved in the tiniest way in Barcelona (as fairycake89) and that is a beautiful world - but I believe this one could outdo even that.

Thank you pj and Thranduil! I believe most LOTR fans will like this world

(btw, I didn't know you changed your username, glad you've mentioned it!)

----

Ok, so I've run into a problem with the world. After checking the routing data, I've seen that the water objects I've used block the routing in so many places:



I was wondering, would it be possible to create a new cloned water object from a much smaller one? so the routing-blocked area would take just a tiny space? Is there any modder who could help me with this? I would be eternally grateful.

If anyone is interested, the water object I've used is the one called "River Water Single Short" or "waterRiverUpperChina02" in S3PE

Thanks in advance!

PS: I've added a poll about the name of the island in my blog: http://goo.gl/icvfk1

Well, I just happen to conveniently have the edited river objects lying around somewhere from a long time ago as they're intended to be used in my world. If I remember correctly, I made them to take up one tile marked as non-routable (which is, very small) at the start of the objects. So, if you haven't already gotten help or solved it yourself, I'll be glad to help you out!

Yessss please!!!!
It would be awesome if you could share your edited files with me.
Thank you so much!

My file is a cloned object, so if you wish to use it, you'll have to replace EA's river object with this one in CAW, which isn't very hard to do.
On another note, I can't think of what horrors would happen if it was a default replacement, lol. I imagine China would become broken, with EA's standards.

So, do I like... attach the file to the post, or do you want me to give you a link to a download?

Attached the river object to this post, @Nilxis.

That's exactly what I was looking for! If you want to attatch it that's fine for me

I'm glad to be of assistance! I was so bothered by the huge non-routable area caused by the river back then, what were they thinking?
Is it working? Just making sure that one's the correct file (but I'm like, 99.99% sure it is).
I'm kind of thrilled to see this world develop further!

Also, I've got the edited long river object (the flat, curved, one, UpperChina02) too, in case you need it. I didn't edit the multi-direction one though, for I had no need of it at that time.