Is it just me or are sims basements scary. When you go down to basement level there is nothing but black and emptiness, that's kind of creepy.
I mean Even when you build a room it's still all around you...... Thoughts?

What would you prefer to see? Worms wriggling? Maybe the odd leatherjacket overwintering?

At least they didn't use bright UI white...

I kinda like that room. Looks cozy.

I would rather it white but not bright. just image If our eyes didn't adjust to the dark like it does, it would be creepy. That's what the blackness feels like to me.

If you were staring at white background, your eyes would hate you.

I totally agree and I rarely use basements because of it. Its depressing staring at a lonely box in an eternal empty void of darkness. It the same design as sim 3 basements and that tool was developed to create tombs, so I assume it was meant to look creepy. (And, of course, cheap to develop.)

Instead of an eternal void of blackness, I would like to see the main ground texture, like in sims 2 but with the improved functionality. Also, basements should have foundations with windows, like in real life. What house has a basement completely underground? But just anything more cheerful or busy than empty blackness would be nice.

It's not often I find discussions on this and was starting to wonder if it was just a few people. Maybe they shouldn't let us see whats around the room at all. Just flat ground. We can per-determined the size by resizing a grid map on the first floor then press OK to make that a basement level room. Decorate from there.Kinda like the picture below. And yeah, Basement windows would be awesome!

That's the beauty of TS3 - you can have a basement built into a foundation, or one built underground... or both.

Also, you can attach windows to a foundation at ground level by bulldozing the but of foundation where you want the window, adding a wall to complete the room, a privacy window (to be the actual window), and some fencing on the end of the foundation to "mask" it. Works like a dream.

That's why I love build mode in TS3, the buildings won't look at pretty as the lots in TS4, but they'll be a hell of a lot more complex. If TS3 didn't have a five-floor requirement... ummph.

I have a few basement with windows.
Just put a swimmimgpool next to the basement, so that one wall touches it, and then put a window in that wall, you can now watch what is going on under water. (There is nothing going on, it's just imagination.)
You could even build a pool around a basement to have more windows... oh, I have to try that!!

The Sims 3 had great landscaping indeed! They took a giant step back with this one for sure.
Even though I want to create a basement sometimes to make my build unique I just don't like going down there. I don't want to have to build a pool every time. =/
A good for now solution.

Basements are by nature, dark & creepy. That's why they invented the walkout basement.

Go ahead, besmirch the basements all you want. But come the Zombie/Nuclear/Trump Apocalypse, you'll be glad if you've got one. And the smell of damp and mildew will be the new smell of comfort and joy. Stock up on the candles though. Dark basements? Never a good thing in any eventuality. Unless you have D Trump in your basement.

And also, with a little creative ingenuity, basement/bunker complexes can be more exiting and as brightly lit, natural daylight lit, as any modern atriums you care to mention.


All your basements are belong to us...

Although, as a final word of caution, if a basement ever has the description "Cabin in the woods Evil Dead basement," then STAY AWAY!!!!!!

Then again when you consider the sizes of most of the stuff that has to be placed on the ground around houses. Space becomes a major factor so its nice to be able to make basements. Just as an experiment I have built a two level basement. One level has the exercise equipment. I don't know what I will place on the second level yet. I just added it so the space will be available if needed. Of course I am too lazy to delete it now.

When they bring Nectar making back in, as it has be there in one form or another with all past iterations of the franchise, then you'll have a traditional Wine Cellar ready to go. I too have an empty portion of the lowest basement awaiting the arrival of TS4 Nectar.

True, but like I stated, consider the space requirements for all those extras which have to go out doors. The space ship is just one of those darn space devouring objects. So basements are ideal for many purposes including storing items for quick changeovers such as party and barbecue equipment along with exercise equipment. A quick pause and swap out is all it takes. Nice part is the by placing items in that kind of storage the sims don't keep asking for the stuff. They just can't use it until I want them to.

edited to add: You can even build the pool in the basement if you want. Although I do suggest that all ceiling lights be installed first to keep from having to use cheats to place them.

My basements are always torture dungeons completely packed with Halloween decorations.
I'm testing to see if the color orange will make sims go insane a little faster.

I gave the Goths a crypt in their basement. It just seemed to fit the Goth family traditions.