BUT Sims 4 Sims do feel a bit more self-efficient once they get their routines and depending on their personalities (in wanting or refusing to do certain things), and Sims 4 does feel easier in that it’s harder for Sims to die this time around. (Some of my Sims in all of the previous Sims games sometimes randomly died for various reasons, and I was trying so hard to keep them alive, too, lol!)
Edited to add:
Regardless, all Sims games require some sort of micromanaging of some sort, so maybe a different type of simulation game may be a better alternative?
BUT Sims 4 Sims do feel a bit more self-efficient once they get their routines and depending on their personalities (in wanting or refusing to do certain things), and Sims 4 does feel easier in that it’s harder for Sims to die this time around. (Some of my Sims in all of the previous Sims games sometimes randomly died for various reasons, and I was trying so hard to keep them alive, too, lol!)
Edited to add:
Regardless, all Sims games require some sort of micromanaging of some sort, so maybe a different type of simulation game may be a better alternative?
I don't disagree with your general sentiment, btw....I just disagree that any previous version of the game did it any better. I enjoy the heck out of the Sims games, but having decent AI which makes it play like an actual simulation has just never been it's strong suit as far as I'm concerned.
A different type of game may be what you need, but as someone who also craves a game like what you are envisioning I honestly can't think of any decent recommendations. I've played all the other games mentioned so far in this thread. And I heartily enjoyed several of them....but they aren't quite scratching the itch that you describe any more than the Sims games do, imo.
The closest any came, for me, was Rimworld. I have over a thousand hours of playtime in it, and enjoyed every minute. But it has it's limitations as well. No babies and thus no "future generations" for example.
BUT Sims 4 Sims do feel a bit more self-efficient once they get their routines and depending on their personalities (in wanting or refusing to do certain things), and Sims 4 does feel easier in that it’s harder for Sims to die this time around. (Some of my Sims in all of the previous Sims games sometimes randomly died for various reasons, and I was trying so hard to keep them alive, too, lol!)
Edited to add:
Regardless, all Sims games require some sort of micromanaging of some sort, so maybe a different type of simulation game may be a better alternative?
I don't disagree with your general sentiment, btw....I just disagree that any previous version of the game did it any better. I enjoy the heck out of the Sims games, but having decent AI which makes it play like an actual simulation has just never been it's strong suit as far as I'm concerned.
A different type of game may be what you need, but as someone who also craves a game like what you are envisioning I honestly can't think of any decent recommendations. I've played all the other games mentioned so far in this thread. And I heartily enjoyed several of them....but they aren't quite scratching the itch that you describe any more than the Sims games do, imo.
The closest any came, for me, was Rimworld. I have over a thousand hours of playtime in it, and enjoyed every minute. But it has it's limitations as well. No babies and thus no "future generations" for example.
You tried Crusader Kings 2/3 yet? More abstract than the sims for sure, but lots going on.
Awake.
Shake dreams from your hair
My pretty child, my sweet one.
Choose the day and choose the sign of your day
The day's divinity.... The Ghost Song - Jim Morrison
You tried Crusader Kings 2/3 yet? More abstract than the sims for sure, but lots going on.
2 but not 3 (yet). I had a lot of fun with 2 and 3 is on my watchlist over on Steam. I've slowed down on the buying of new games in recent years because I have probably 100 that I've bought and not yet gotten around to playing (between PC and PS3). Sad, but true.
My sims normally take good care of themselves, so everyday routines would mostly work fine. I want longer story lines than walking to that fridge, though, so in my case I use a mod to easily adjust their needs and delete buffs. UI Cheat helps with this, as most of the interface can be adjusted. Say I play a sim on my rotation only for 1 simday and he is just about reaching a goal, I will not bother with using the toilet so i might cheat his bladder to rather focus on the puzzle he is into being a jungle quest, gardening or science or the most important career gig.
This is a safe mod, I've used it for years and the creator ALLWAYS update it within hours after a patch release. Good thing is that it does not really change anything that is saved and would become a problem if you one day remove the mod - it just allow you to cheat on things you see in the game user interface, like skills, mood, needs, reputation etc. If I remove it, I can simply play one without it.
Also, you sound experienced, but I am too, and the TS4 action queues sill confuses me. We don't always see what our sim is up to, because they sometimes need to go through a long string of actions, say if we tell them to change a toddler's diaper, the adult will first sit down with the toddler to chat. I used to cancel their action because I had no idea they actually sit down to ask the toddler if they want the diaper changed. If they need to walk to find seating, it can take quite some time and I never really understood why a parent can not just change that thing without asking... Anyway, sometimes they seem dumber than they are
You could also try locking some doors trying to limit the use of attractive entertainment etc all the time. Organizing a house seems to be a lot more than coming up with a good floor plan in this game, as they might leave a fresh groupmeal on the coffee table in another room, rather tha on the dining table in the kitchen where you cooked. Such stupid behavior will sometimes make me "feed" them with that cheat, just because I don't want to waste a full simday to get their meal cooking and serving right.
If you have many packs, it might be fun playing with features/locations you normally don't. Make a challenge that basically is not what you like, and make sims looking different from your "main street".
There was an excellent post on this forum within a year or so of this game's release by one of the developers who went into some depth on the autonomy of the sims. I have searched and searched I can't find it During questions after the main post the developer confirmed there was a degree of training with a new sim required for effective autonomy, even for basic needs. I have noticed this myself when it comes to basic needs.
I always ensure I set a routine for the first few days of new sim's life and they, mostly, stick to it. Of course, if you play a sim and give it no routine then it will start to ignore needs etc to get that video game/dance/etc game fix. Speaking of which, most of the subtlety from the training/traits etc seems to be drowned out by highly amplified object attraction such as computers, sadly. I dearly wish they would do some balancing with objects.
That could maybe explain why I feel that some of my sims are better at taking care of their need than others... I remember being annoyed at one sim in a household so I just let them do what they wanted and I watched as my other sims made food when they were hungry, and went to bed when they were tired, while that particular sim was starving and did not go to sleep.
I mostly play the game by following one simple rule, when your need is yellow, make it go back to green before it goes red. Maybe sims can be trained to do that more by themselves.
There was an excellent post on this forum within a year or so of this game's release by one of the developers who went into some depth on the autonomy of the sims. I have searched and searched I can't find it During questions after the main post the developer confirmed there was a degree of training with a new sim required for effective autonomy, even for basic needs. I have noticed this myself when it comes to basic needs.
I always ensure I set a routine for the first few days of new sim's life and they, mostly, stick to it. Of course, if you play a sim and give it no routine then it will start to ignore needs etc to get that video game/dance/etc game fix. Speaking of which, most of the subtlety from the training/traits etc seems to be drowned out by highly amplified object attraction such as computers, sadly. I dearly wish they would do some balancing with objects.
That could maybe explain why I feel that some of my sims are better at taking care of their need than others... I remember being annoyed at one sim in a household so I just let them do what they wanted and I watched as my other sims made food when they were hungry, and went to bed when they were tired, while that particular sim was starving and did not go to sleep.
I mostly play the game by following one simple rule, when your need is yellow, make it go back to green before it goes red. Maybe sims can be trained to do that more by themselves.
TS3 works that way, too. They get generic wants until you make them do stuff and then start rolling wants to do those types of things and autonomously engaging.
I don't ever have that happen in TS4 and I always give them routines and hobbies. They all either go to dance or the computer no matter what. I tell them to watch movies together and they never autonomously choose to watch tv or movies. I literally have to assign each family to their own family club so they interact in any meaningful way and do the things that they actually like.
Thanks everyone. You've all given me a lot of good suggestions. I'll check out some of those mods, and some of the alternatives. For now, I just feel extremely burned out on it all. And, maybe that's an underlying issue as well.
Whenever I create a new family, I always end up motherlode-ing them into one of my custom houses. Soon after, I just no longer feel the need to play. So, that's another issue, defeating the purpose of the game.
When I do play a family, and I have several just sitting there, they all feel the same, regardless of what their traits, ambitions, and jobs are. It comes down to making sure they take care of their needs, getting them in bed so they don't oversleep, and making them stop doing whatever hobby they're into and go to work.
There's a uniqueness that seems to be entirely missing. If things were the other way around, and I had to pull them off a routine to do something new, like try a new craft, or visit a lot, that would be a LOT more interesting. But, as it is now, I have to do all that other stuff, and never seem to fit the time in for a new craft or visiting a nightclub. It's so stale.
This game needs more Sailor Moon!
Hold SHIFT while using the FRIEZE tool to apply it to a single wall, and not an entire room!
Comments
BUT Sims 4 Sims do feel a bit more self-efficient once they get their routines and depending on their personalities (in wanting or refusing to do certain things), and Sims 4 does feel easier in that it’s harder for Sims to die this time around. (Some of my Sims in all of the previous Sims games sometimes randomly died for various reasons, and I was trying so hard to keep them alive, too, lol!)
Edited to add:
Regardless, all Sims games require some sort of micromanaging of some sort, so maybe a different type of simulation game may be a better alternative?
(She/her)
I don't disagree with your general sentiment, btw....I just disagree that any previous version of the game did it any better. I enjoy the heck out of the Sims games, but having decent AI which makes it play like an actual simulation has just never been it's strong suit as far as I'm concerned.
A different type of game may be what you need, but as someone who also craves a game like what you are envisioning I honestly can't think of any decent recommendations. I've played all the other games mentioned so far in this thread. And I heartily enjoyed several of them....but they aren't quite scratching the itch that you describe any more than the Sims games do, imo.
The closest any came, for me, was Rimworld. I have over a thousand hours of playtime in it, and enjoyed every minute. But it has it's limitations as well. No babies and thus no "future generations" for example.
The Winters family Tree --- My Mods
You tried Crusader Kings 2/3 yet? More abstract than the sims for sure, but lots going on.
Shake dreams from your hair
My pretty child, my sweet one.
Choose the day and choose the sign of your day
The day's divinity....
The Ghost Song - Jim Morrison
2 but not 3 (yet). I had a lot of fun with 2 and 3 is on my watchlist over on Steam. I've slowed down on the buying of new games in recent years because I have probably 100 that I've bought and not yet gotten around to playing (between PC and PS3). Sad, but true.
The Winters family Tree --- My Mods
This is a safe mod, I've used it for years and the creator ALLWAYS update it within hours after a patch release. Good thing is that it does not really change anything that is saved and would become a problem if you one day remove the mod - it just allow you to cheat on things you see in the game user interface, like skills, mood, needs, reputation etc. If I remove it, I can simply play one without it.
Also, you sound experienced, but I am too, and the TS4 action queues sill confuses me. We don't always see what our sim is up to, because they sometimes need to go through a long string of actions, say if we tell them to change a toddler's diaper, the adult will first sit down with the toddler to chat. I used to cancel their action because I had no idea they actually sit down to ask the toddler if they want the diaper changed. If they need to walk to find seating, it can take quite some time and I never really understood why a parent can not just change that thing without asking... Anyway, sometimes they seem dumber than they are
You could also try locking some doors trying to limit the use of attractive entertainment etc all the time. Organizing a house seems to be a lot more than coming up with a good floor plan in this game, as they might leave a fresh groupmeal on the coffee table in another room, rather tha on the dining table in the kitchen where you cooked. Such stupid behavior will sometimes make me "feed" them with that cheat, just because I don't want to waste a full simday to get their meal cooking and serving right.
If you have many packs, it might be fun playing with features/locations you normally don't. Make a challenge that basically is not what you like, and make sims looking different from your "main street".
That could maybe explain why I feel that some of my sims are better at taking care of their need than others... I remember being annoyed at one sim in a household so I just let them do what they wanted and I watched as my other sims made food when they were hungry, and went to bed when they were tired, while that particular sim was starving and did not go to sleep.
I mostly play the game by following one simple rule, when your need is yellow, make it go back to green before it goes red. Maybe sims can be trained to do that more by themselves.
TS3 works that way, too. They get generic wants until you make them do stuff and then start rolling wants to do those types of things and autonomously engaging.
I don't ever have that happen in TS4 and I always give them routines and hobbies. They all either go to dance or the computer no matter what. I tell them to watch movies together and they never autonomously choose to watch tv or movies. I literally have to assign each family to their own family club so they interact in any meaningful way and do the things that they actually like.
Whenever I create a new family, I always end up motherlode-ing them into one of my custom houses. Soon after, I just no longer feel the need to play. So, that's another issue, defeating the purpose of the game.
When I do play a family, and I have several just sitting there, they all feel the same, regardless of what their traits, ambitions, and jobs are. It comes down to making sure they take care of their needs, getting them in bed so they don't oversleep, and making them stop doing whatever hobby they're into and go to work.
There's a uniqueness that seems to be entirely missing. If things were the other way around, and I had to pull them off a routine to do something new, like try a new craft, or visit a lot, that would be a LOT more interesting. But, as it is now, I have to do all that other stuff, and never seem to fit the time in for a new craft or visiting a nightclub. It's so stale.
Hold SHIFT while using the FRIEZE tool to apply it to a single wall, and not an entire room!
** SailorCeti's Builds **
If you download one of my builds, by all means, leave me a message and tell me what you did and did not like about it.