#cedarcreeksave

some save file screenshots, trying to redecorate Willow Creek from scratch [wip]

... some recent save file wip in Willow Creek and Newcrest

WELCOME

Hello and welcome to my blog dedicated to my Sims 4 save file project called Cedar Creek (working title, will probably change in the future) that has been sitting in my head for far too long.

I’m currently trying to rebuild Willow Creek (and Newcrest because my ADHD is feeling extra ambitious and giddy at the moment) completely from scratch — having emptied the worlds completely thanks to @sdmsims flamethrower mod — using TOOL and a mix of other mods to build my own version of an nostalgic (but not-so-perfect) rural town. The goal is to create something that feels lived in, shaped by history and is quietly unsettling.

So far, the save file is still a work in progress! On here I want to share updates, lore and history, households, storylines, recolours/CC and someday maybe even make the whole thing downloadable (probably quite difficult as I use a huge amount of mods/cc and am notorious for abandoning projects, but we'll see).

I also have a Pinterest board where I share pictures.

Always feel free to message me or ask questions :)

NAVIGATION

🌲 wip 🌲 lots 🌲 townies 🌲 lore

Concept | The Save File

as this is an ongoing project some details might change in the future ...

Cedar Creek is not a dramatic place. Nothing spectacular happens here, at least not on the surface. It’s a rural town that once existed for a reason and no longer does. The industry that once sustained it is gone. Jobs are sparse. What remains is a slow kind of decay; economic, social, and emotional.

Mainly inspired by Twin Peaks, Stranger Things, Life is Strange and my own incredibly vast and unique creativity, it's supposed to have a late 80s / early 90s US Pacific Northwest feel (dense forests, yellowish grainy light and big, suffocating mountain ranges), but I'm currently not too strict about it and rather let my creativity run completely free (probably not a good idea but we'll see how it plays out).

Short History | Cedar Creek

as this is an ongoing project some details might change in the future ...

Cedar Creek started — like a lot of towns — as a forest. By the late 1800s it was shaped by early logging camps that became a permanent settlement, later transforming into a company town centered around a lumber mill. The mill’s boom years brought stability through the 1940s and 50s, but safety neglect, environmental damage, and corporate control defined its foundation.

By the 1960s and 70s, automation, layoffs, and declining timber demand pushed the town into stagnation. During this period, North Cascadia Resources (NCR) arrived, leasing land for speculative oil exploration that left behind contamination, abandoned infrastructure, and legal fallout that was quietly buried. A major industrial accident in the late 70s marked the breaking point, collapsing the mill economy entirely.

By the late 80s, the town became a place of economic decline, environmental scars, and fractured community memory. In short: quiet, decaying, and deeply haunted by what was never fully resolved.

Content Warning | Core Themes

Important: everything mentioned is explored in a narrative context and is not intended to glorify or romanticise real-world harm!!!

Social & Psychological: working-class poverty, small-town decay, rural isolation, generational trauma, hopelessness, teenage angst, emotional stagnation, substance abuse, mental health issues (anxiety, depression-coded themes), collective memory vs. forgotten history or nostalgia as distortion, gossip and rumour, small-town social pressure and surveillance, decline of communal trust, underground music scenes (and their sexism), the paradox of the mad genius and its twisted lie, the blurred lines of morality and the nature of evil; the absence of absolute truth.

Environmental & Atmospheric Horror: contaminated environments, environmental pollution and ecological damage, unsafe and overgrown industrial sites (abandoned rigs, mills, etc.), fog, decay, and unsettling atmosphere, abandoned buildings, “eerie realism” (whatever that is)

Crime & Violence (most things are historical/part of the lore): implied domestic abuse, petty crime, discrimination, workplace accidents, industrial disaster, murder, death and mortality in a small-town setting, legal cover-ups, unresolved tragedies, corruption in local government/institutions, looting of historical artefacts, indigenous presences erased quietly, a cult-like organisation (maybe idk)

Inspirations | pop culture and the sims 4 community

As I already mentioned, I was heavily inspired by Twin Peaks, Stranger Things, Life is Strange, 80s/90s culture, and furthermore by a lot of other incredible authors, books, TV shows, films, art, music (mainly grunge and metal) and a lot more that would unfortunately be too much to mention here (maybe I will do a separate post in the future).

What I specifically want to mention, though, are all the brilliant creators from the Sims 4 community who inspire me a lot to create my own things, mainly these incredible save files: portsim by @florwal, @silentpinessave by @cosmoosims, @windbrook by @folkling + the current one they're working on and furthermore these vastly talented builders: @wolfxdreamersims (and the save file they are currently working on), @moonwoodmillz, @helgatisha

... and honestly much more I see on Pinterest and Tumblr!

Thank you so much for your incredible work and that you decided to share it with the world!

A special thanks also to all the cc/mod creators I can't mentioned because otherwise this post would get way too long. Creating this save file (and playing this game in general) wouldn't be possible without you!