Sims only notice the deaths of those in their immediate vicinity. Some players have even reported problems of Sims in the same house not noticing a death if they are too far away, for example, on a different floor.
I have this issue. My sim has to be in the same room which dying one is or else he wouldn't notice or care. I know that on that panel on Gamescom they said that they want to have fun element in every aspect of sim life, even death, but our sims should be sad after his family member or friend death. And they shouldn't keep mourning strangers graves and get same moodlet as if they were mourning someone close.
Also, what I think HAS to be changed are random deaths. I hate the fact that now to make random death (ex. overstrain) I have to force my sim to die. I'm not so cruel to continue making my sim laught when he is in hysterical mood, propably I would be sad if he die, but I find my game not so exiting when I'm sure that my sims are safe, because proper moodlet tells me when to stop. Where's fun in that?
You make some good points. I think I'll add something to the OP about giving players the option for random death - I just saw another topic pop up about this too.
ETA: I added it but made it clear that changing the random death mechanic should be done through toggle options.
I really like a lot of what you've written here, particularly the part about graveyards or death having more of an impact on those that know the deceased sim. I generally try to focus on one family for multiple generations and as you mentioned I like to keep the gravestones of the deceased sims. This is where I miss the option to add them to a graveyard like in Sims 3 since, as you mentioned, one can quickly run out of space on the home lot.
I really like a lot of what you've written here, particularly the part about graveyards or death having more of an impact on those that know the deceased sim. I generally try to focus on one family for multiple generations and as you mentioned I like to keep the gravestones of the deceased sims. This is where I miss the option to add them to a graveyard like in Sims 3 since, as you mentioned, one can quickly run out of space on the home lot.
Thanks! I agree, I like to play one family for many generations, so not being able to organize the graves of the previous generations easily is a real bummer.
SimGuruTrev recently posted on Reddit about Ghosts. You can read his post here.
Although he identifies himself as "the primary gameplay engineer behind ghosts", he seems to have missed a pretty obvious problem with how ghosts operate in TS4. When asked how to deal with ghosts clogging up venues, he recommended that players either use a mod to cull ghosts or banish the ghosts with their urn or tombstone. But @SimGuruTrev, most Sims do not leave tombstones when they die! That is the whole problem! Yes, I can banish ghosts, but only if I happen to be on the lot when they die! This is very rare in any game where aging is left on.
Also, I wonder whether venues could be tuned to have a much lower chance of attracting Ghosts.
From played sims dying in a household that you are currently not playing to the problem with keeping unplayed ghosts on your lot if you reach max population.
My current save is the first one that I am playing a legacy in and it is a bit stressful. I do not want to lose family ghosts and from what I have gathered the game would cull the ghosts from their tombstones if I hit max-population. I really hope they are working on some form of "manage the dead"-options because it really isn't working very well.
SimGuruTrev recently posted on Reddit about Ghosts. You can read his post here.
Although he identifies himself as "the primary gameplay engineer behind ghosts", he seems to have missed a pretty obvious problem with how ghosts operate in TS4. When asked how to deal with ghosts clogging up venues, he recommended that players either use a mod to cull ghosts or banish the ghosts with their urn or tombstone. But @SimGuruTrev, most Sims do not leave tombstones when they die! That is the whole problem! Yes, I can banish ghosts, but only if I happen to be on the lot when they die! This is very rare in any game where aging is left on.
Also, I wonder whether venues could be tuned to have a much lower chance of attracting Ghosts.
The devs recommending to use a mod?
Yeah, when I played I was so annoyed with townies dying and showing up everywhere but with no way to get rid of them, they don't even show up in manage households. Just as annoying when you're playing a different family and another one of your sims dies with no way to get their grave. This could be easily solved with cemeteries, idk why we still don't have them
SimGuruTrev recently posted on Reddit about Ghosts. You can read his post here.
Although he identifies himself as "the primary gameplay engineer behind ghosts", he seems to have missed a pretty obvious problem with how ghosts operate in TS4. When asked how to deal with ghosts clogging up venues, he recommended that players either use a mod to cull ghosts or banish the ghosts with their urn or tombstone. But @SimGuruTrev, most Sims do not leave tombstones when they die! That is the whole problem! Yes, I can banish ghosts, but only if I happen to be on the lot when they die! This is very rare in any game where aging is left on.
Also, I wonder whether venues could be tuned to have a much lower chance of attracting Ghosts.
The devs recommending to use a mod?
Yeah, when I played I was so annoyed with townies dying and showing up everywhere but with no way to get rid of them, they don't even show up in manage households. Just as annoying when you're playing a different family and another one of your sims dies with no way to get their grave. This could be easily solved with cemeteries, idk why we still don't have them
Hmm...
Have you tried getting rid of the ghosts by temporarily adding them to your family?
I often add sims into my currently played household in order to advance different plots, then I enter manage household and either send them back to their regular household or delete them. Enter "testingcheats true" and then shift + click the ghost. You will then get the option to add them to your household. Then you would be able to delete them in manage household as usual. I have tried it with living sims often but never with ghosts but I believe it should work.
Very good thread. I'm currently bothered by the ghosts in dance parties that you mentioned too. Some of them are relatives of other sims in town and because of that I haven't got their urns... I assume they'll always be there?
Very good thread. I'm currently bothered by the ghosts in dance parties that you mentioned too. Some of them are relatives of other sims in town and because of that I haven't got their urns... I assume they'll always be there?
Yes, they will always be there unless you add them to a household and then delete them in CAS full edit mode (which I believe you need a cheat to do). That will also remove them from the family tree.
SimGuruTrev recently posted on Reddit about Ghosts. You can read his post here.
Although he identifies himself as "the primary gameplay engineer behind ghosts", he seems to have missed a pretty obvious problem with how ghosts operate in TS4. When asked how to deal with ghosts clogging up venues, he recommended that players either use a mod to cull ghosts or banish the ghosts with their urn or tombstone. But @SimGuruTrev, most Sims do not leave tombstones when they die! That is the whole problem! Yes, I can banish ghosts, but only if I happen to be on the lot when they die! This is very rare in any game where aging is left on.
Also, I wonder whether venues could be tuned to have a much lower chance of attracting Ghosts.
The devs recommending to use a mod?
Yeah, when I played I was so annoyed with townies dying and showing up everywhere but with no way to get rid of them, they don't even show up in manage households. Just as annoying when you're playing a different family and another one of your sims dies with no way to get their grave. This could be easily solved with cemeteries, idk why we still don't have them
Sad but true - if you read the link that's the first solution @SimGuruTrev proposes.
if you are adding the ghost to your family, instead of deleting them, use the cheats panel to remove the ghost trait, and re-kill the sim, getting a new tombstone which will allow you to then release the ghost properly, leaving your family tree intact. I've got a full walk through posted here Tombstone Recovery
If you use MC Command at all, Ghosts will often show up in the manage household tool if you use the show hidden households command at the mail box.
Oh if sims were able to write wills that would be so great. I hope we get a system where we can choose any family member or friend, also in other households, and they would get money or inventory objects when the sim dies. Similar to TS2, but with more customisation for story telling.
Thanks for the workaround, @Kluenii! I do still hope they fix this in the long run because in a massive legacy file, that would take a long time to do manually for everybody!
@Terra Oh I know! When I first figured out the process it took me a few tries and repeated save files before I was comfortable with it. I'm in my 7th generation and had been deleting non essentials and holding out on the important ghosts. My first few stone sessions were 30+ urns each time (sometimes i redid the save file to test consistency), some just to release and some to keep in a cemetary for legacy members. I wish it was simpler, but once you get comfortable with it, it actually isn't too difficult to get into a pattern and quickly stockpile up those initial urns and then do a maintenance session as needed.
I even talked with someone about modding the process and the adding to family part in order to remove the death trait prevents modding because scripts can't verify the use of testing cheats (something along those lines) I'm not a modder, but I do have some comfort working with the mods and cheats so I wasn't afraid to find the work around.
@Terra , This post is so well done! I don't know how I missed it before now.
I asked about ghosts on page 59 of the Simulation Tech Talk thread but alas, no response whatsoever. I was disappointed but since SGEugi is so good about responding to simmers, perhaps it's a case of an issue too complicated to address in the thread. You've presented clear cut issues with suggestions for improvement so I hope it will be seen and taken under advisement for improving the way ghosts are handled in TS4.
You've also brought up some interesting ideas for death in general that would enrich gameplay. Really nice job with your presentation. This is a superb example of how feedback should be offered, imho.
I would love more ways for my sims to randomly die. I know it's odd and you can always go back a save incase you don't want it to happen, but I miss it. The chance of someone not surfiving makes life more interesting. Because it can always end so you want your sims to live the best life they had (or worst hehe).
If my sim would get sick and I actually need to help her get better otherwise she ends up dying makes me care more about my sims. Because U could have lost her but made her better. It's simple logic and I hope they add those things back in patches and all that.
I would love more ways for my sims to randomly die. I know it's odd and you can always go back a save incase you don't want it to happen, but I miss it. The chance of someone not surfiving makes life more interesting. Because it can always end so you want your sims to live the best life they had (or worst hehe).
If my sim would get sick and I actually need to help her get better otherwise she ends up dying makes me care more about my sims. Because U could have lost her but made her better. It's simple logic and I hope they add those things back in patches and all that.
Yeah, in Sims 2 when my Sims got ill it was always a real threat! I learned the hard way not to have the phone in a bedroom of a Sim with the flu...
I am 100% in accordance with what is shown in this topic. Definitely we need a cemetery and solutions to these problems related to ghosts. I can not take it anymore.
Comments
I have this issue. My sim has to be in the same room which dying one is or else he wouldn't notice or care. I know that on that panel on Gamescom they said that they want to have fun element in every aspect of sim life, even death, but our sims should be sad after his family member or friend death. And they shouldn't keep mourning strangers graves and get same moodlet as if they were mourning someone close.
Also, what I think HAS to be changed are random deaths. I hate the fact that now to make random death (ex. overstrain) I have to force my sim to die. I'm not so cruel to continue making my sim laught when he is in hysterical mood, propably I would be sad if he die, but I find my game not so exiting when I'm sure that my sims are safe, because proper moodlet tells me when to stop. Where's fun in that?
ETA: I added it but made it clear that changing the random death mechanic should be done through toggle options.
Add Manage Neighbourhood Options - assign your own Sim to NPC jobs!
The Problems with Death in The Sims 4
Distinguish Elder gameplay with Elder-only reward traits
Filter Rugs by Room Size
Add Manage Neighbourhood Options - assign your own Sim to NPC jobs!
The Problems with Death in The Sims 4
Distinguish Elder gameplay with Elder-only reward traits
Filter Rugs by Room Size
Thanks! I agree, I like to play one family for many generations, so not being able to organize the graves of the previous generations easily is a real bummer.
Add Manage Neighbourhood Options - assign your own Sim to NPC jobs!
The Problems with Death in The Sims 4
Distinguish Elder gameplay with Elder-only reward traits
Filter Rugs by Room Size
Although he identifies himself as "the primary gameplay engineer behind ghosts", he seems to have missed a pretty obvious problem with how ghosts operate in TS4. When asked how to deal with ghosts clogging up venues, he recommended that players either use a mod to cull ghosts or banish the ghosts with their urn or tombstone. But @SimGuruTrev, most Sims do not leave tombstones when they die! That is the whole problem! Yes, I can banish ghosts, but only if I happen to be on the lot when they die! This is very rare in any game where aging is left on.
Also, I wonder whether venues could be tuned to have a much lower chance of attracting Ghosts.
Add Manage Neighbourhood Options - assign your own Sim to NPC jobs!
The Problems with Death in The Sims 4
Distinguish Elder gameplay with Elder-only reward traits
Filter Rugs by Room Size
From played sims dying in a household that you are currently not playing to the problem with keeping unplayed ghosts on your lot if you reach max population.
My current save is the first one that I am playing a legacy in and it is a bit stressful. I do not want to lose family ghosts and from what I have gathered the game would cull the ghosts from their tombstones if I hit max-population. I really hope they are working on some form of "manage the dead"-options because it really isn't working very well.
Yeah, when I played I was so annoyed with townies dying and showing up everywhere but with no way to get rid of them, they don't even show up in manage households. Just as annoying when you're playing a different family and another one of your sims dies with no way to get their grave. This could be easily solved with cemeteries, idk why we still don't have them
Hmm...
Have you tried getting rid of the ghosts by temporarily adding them to your family?
I often add sims into my currently played household in order to advance different plots, then I enter manage household and either send them back to their regular household or delete them. Enter "testingcheats true" and then shift + click the ghost. You will then get the option to add them to your household. Then you would be able to delete them in manage household as usual. I have tried it with living sims often but never with ghosts but I believe it should work.
Updated with Werewolf Diaries (1)
Yes, they will always be there unless you add them to a household and then delete them in CAS full edit mode (which I believe you need a cheat to do). That will also remove them from the family tree.
Add Manage Neighbourhood Options - assign your own Sim to NPC jobs!
The Problems with Death in The Sims 4
Distinguish Elder gameplay with Elder-only reward traits
Filter Rugs by Room Size
Sad but true - if you read the link that's the first solution @SimGuruTrev proposes.
Add Manage Neighbourhood Options - assign your own Sim to NPC jobs!
The Problems with Death in The Sims 4
Distinguish Elder gameplay with Elder-only reward traits
Filter Rugs by Room Size
If you use MC Command at all, Ghosts will often show up in the manage household tool if you use the show hidden households command at the mail box.
My Legacy Family Tree
Add Manage Neighbourhood Options - assign your own Sim to NPC jobs!
The Problems with Death in The Sims 4
Distinguish Elder gameplay with Elder-only reward traits
Filter Rugs by Room Size
I even talked with someone about modding the process and the adding to family part in order to remove the death trait prevents modding because scripts can't verify the use of testing cheats (something along those lines) I'm not a modder, but I do have some comfort working with the mods and cheats so I wasn't afraid to find the work around.
My Legacy Family Tree
I asked about ghosts on page 59 of the Simulation Tech Talk thread but alas, no response whatsoever. I was disappointed but since SGEugi is so good about responding to simmers, perhaps it's a case of an issue too complicated to address in the thread. You've presented clear cut issues with suggestions for improvement so I hope it will be seen and taken under advisement for improving the way ghosts are handled in TS4.
You've also brought up some interesting ideas for death in general that would enrich gameplay. Really nice job with your presentation. This is a superb example of how feedback should be offered, imho.
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/853211/dizzisquirrels-showcase#latest]
or look for me in the Gallery
aka DizziSquirrel
Add Manage Neighbourhood Options - assign your own Sim to NPC jobs!
The Problems with Death in The Sims 4
Distinguish Elder gameplay with Elder-only reward traits
Filter Rugs by Room Size
If my sim would get sick and I actually need to help her get better otherwise she ends up dying makes me care more about my sims. Because U could have lost her but made her better. It's simple logic and I hope they add those things back in patches and all that.
Yeah, in Sims 2 when my Sims got ill it was always a real threat! I learned the hard way not to have the phone in a bedroom of a Sim with the flu...
Add Manage Neighbourhood Options - assign your own Sim to NPC jobs!
The Problems with Death in The Sims 4
Distinguish Elder gameplay with Elder-only reward traits
Filter Rugs by Room Size
http://modthesims.info/download.php?t=584404