What HAPPENED? UPDATE «12...Next Go

GalacticGal

The first four children had an hour left until school started for them. Happily, they finished their homework beforehand. For the very first time in ages, I had their mother making sack lunches for each of them. I chose what I thought would be fairly easy, but it was taking her an eternity just to make a peanut butter sandwich. Really? I mean, really?

Her husband was out seeing to their chickens. The Coop, cleaned just the day before as part of their daily schedule, was dirty. He was to clean the coop and scatter chicken feed. While I was watching the mom make the sandwiches and chuckling to myself about how she was having to grind and then cream the peanuts. The sad music plays. I look at what's in her mood bar only to find she lost the love of her life! Say, what? Do I have a Killer chicken on the loose?

It's only raining outside, he wasn't ill and since when doesn't the game camera jerk you over to the event? I am left clueless.

So, I come here to ask: What would you do? Roll back and keep the camera on him at all times, just in case it happens again, or just play on? I'm torn. (Last time I tried to play on, it went from bad to worse, hence, my quandary.)

Please and thank you, in advance.

Stormkeep

Take the hit with grace and play on?

Play on, I say. Random, unexpected occurrences are one of the only things that really keep the game interesting.

Unless you are trying to tell a specific story and need that Sim for the story, then roll back...but it sounds to me like you had autonomy on so I assume that isn't the case.

Chickens can kill Sims, by the way, so maybe that's what happened?

Edit to add: Forgot to mention, you can make sack lunches using left overs of existing group meals that you have on hand. It's much faster (almost instantaneous) than making them from scratch. Just a tip. For a household with 4 school children it's a lifesaver.
I use a mod that puts sack lunches to inventory when they are prepared and just have my school kids pack their own sack lunch from left-overs on their way out the door to school most of the time.

greydonn

Other, please explain.

Wait, how'd he die? Was it lightening, or chickens, or some strange glitch? I can't think of any reason it wouldn't jerk the screen over to the dying sim, unless maybe the husband wasn't in the household?

I suppose my go to response when my sims die early is to play them as ghosts, but I don't know how that fits with how you play.

GalacticGal

Thank you, Both, for weighing in. I'm not in the least distraught, as I thought I might be. I do know one of the Rooster chicks was thinking of leaving because he felt neglected. The chickens are so spoiled his wanting to leave was laughable. He suddenly grew up. Maybe he was agitated he wasn't invited to the daily birthday parties? Maybe he expected some cake as a treat? I did find the dad's tombstone inside the fenced area around the coop. Maybe it's too frightening to watch a Sim get pecked to death. I just would have liked to know for certain just what happened.

greydonn wrote: »

Wait, how'd he die? Was it lightening, or chickens, or some strange glitch? I can't think of any reason it wouldn't jerk the screen over to the dying sim, unless maybe the husband wasn't in the household?
I suppose my go to response when my sims die early is to play them as ghosts, but I don't know how that fits with how you play.

Yes, the husband was in the household. He was just playing with the youngest kid. I sent him outside to care for the chickens. Been a lot of hard rain, lately. And speaking of being struck by lightning, he did get hit but that was a couple of game days prior. He was dazed, but okay — beyond being charred, that is.

crocobaura

Other, please explain.

I always exit without saving when my playable sims accidentally die. The townies urns are kept for ulterior resurrection, but I never got around to it. You need to change the variables, and instead of sandwiches and feeding the chickens, you need to send them on a surprise day trip to Sulani.

Elliandre

Roll Back to try to Save him?

WHAT DO YOU MEAN?? Should you keep making peanut butter sandwich sack lunches while the LOVE OF YOUR LIFE, your husband, lies DYING in the backyard killed by a CHICKEN?!?!

Oh this post made my day.

You must try to SAVE HIM! If you fail. You must keep the kids home from school. Dress everyone in black and hold a funeral. Remember you can make a funeral speech from the podium or microphone I can't remember which. Have a child tell everyone how their beloved Daddy was tragically killed by a chicken and Mom didn't even care, then told them, "Here's your peanut butter sandwich, go to school" and now she is in jail because obviously she killed him.

I love these types of polls. I wish you could keep making them throughout the topic so we can have a choose your own adventure with another player's family.

GalacticGal

@Elleiandre Your post just made my day! LOL Seriously, I lost a Sim and I don't know for a certainty it was the chicken.

I may just roll back to find out. At least that may give me more time to realize if I wish to carry on the twist in the plot the game handed me.

crocobaura wrote: »

I always exit without saving when my playable sims accidentally die. The townies urns are kept for ulterior resurrection, but I never got around to it. You need to change the variables, and instead of sandwiches and feeding the chickens, you need to send them on a surprise day trip to Sulani.

I have yet to save, as well. I made small, periodic saves when the children, most especially the two Toddlers that are left, gained an advancement in their skills, but that was before dad suddenly hit the dirt. I merely squished my game down to come over here and get some sage advice. I really am in a quandary on what to do. It is the first day of school for these kiddoes, but maybe dad is really stressed and he has to take his vacation time now, or lose it? (Don't worry, we'll homeschool them on the plane.)

Elliandre

Roll Back to try to Save him?

If he is killed by a chicken, do we get a new ghost animation? Shouldn't the ghost leave little piles of chicken feed around like the ghosts killed by drowning leave puddles of water?

GalacticGal

I don't know to be honest. I haven't saved the game, yet. Still trying to sort out just what to do. I have never encountered such a thing in this game. I don't enjoy playing with a ghost. Did that only once and grew bored. They can't work, but their needs have to be kept up as if they were alive. Now, that's pure fantasy land! Might be interesting to find out, though. I could always roll back another day, I suppose. Hm.

Elliandre

Roll Back to try to Save him?

There is not too much gameplay for the ghosts. I wish they could become more human as a skill, like gain the ability to walk around on legs and gain a human voice, or level up their ghost powers and gain special skills like the Vampires and Witches. And have ghostly babies and children.

WildIrishBanshee

Take the hit with grace and play on?

Do a save as, then try to figure out what on earth happened? If it were just a glitch, then obviously, you wouldn't want him dead - but the other options might make the game more interesting.

GalacticGal

WildIrishBanshee wrote: »

Do a save as, then try to figure out what on earth happened? If it were just a glitch, then obviously, you wouldn't want him dead - but the other options might make the game more interesting.

I always do a Save As, that's how I would be able to do a roll-back. I decided to exit without saving and to follow the dad this time. Turns out it was likely Death by Chicken(s). Seems Sir Buttercup wasn't over his snit and Lady Cricket also wasn't very happy. I had him give those two the last two Friendly Treats he had on him, this after Sir Buttercup had him backed into the stone fence! He fed them, cleaned their coop and otherwise survived the one attack. At least now I know what likely happened. I went ahead and wrote up an obituary for him, for my next posting of "What Happened In Your Game, the Non-Serial Version" thread.

Since he survived this go-around, I won't have to use it. I could just use the chicken attack story for amusement. I tried to catch a photo of it, anyway. As I stated in my original post, I once tried to make lemonade out of the lemons given to me by this game, but it went from bad to worse. I just was not having a good time. Same Sim, by the way, in a much earlier iteration. Since we now know we're getting a wedding pack, I also had that in my mind as I was deliberating what to do. I could just start all over, waiting until the GP came out then maybe their wedding ceremony would play out better. Oh, well. I took a chance. Guess curiosity of what happened got the best of me. Not sad, in fact, now I have a chance to fulfil the original goal I had for him.

HillyBeth

Take the hit with grace and play on?

GalacticGal wrote: »

The first four children had an hour left until school started for them. Happily, they finished their homework beforehand. For the very first time in ages, I had their mother making sack lunches for each of them. I chose what I thought would be fairly easy, but it was taking her an eternity just to make a peanut butter sandwich. Really? I mean, really?

Her husband was out seeing to their chickens. The Coop, cleaned just the day before as part of their daily schedule, was dirty. He was to clean the coop and scatter chicken feed. While I was watching the mom make the sandwiches and chuckling to myself about how she was having to grind and then cream the peanuts. The sad music plays. I look at what's in her mood bar only to find she lost the love of her life! Say, what? Do I have a Killer chicken on the loose?

It's only raining outside, he wasn't ill and since when doesn't the game camera jerk you over to the event? I am left clueless.

So, I come here to ask: What would you do? Roll back and keep the camera on him at all times, just in case it happens again, or just play on? I'm torn. (Last time I tried to play on, it went from bad to worse, hence, my quandary.)

Please and thank you, in advance.

I ended up in that same situation, and considered quitting without saving, but my sims had six kids and a lot of grandchildren already, so I didn't think it was worth losing that progress. One of my late couple's six kids froze to death on Thanksgiving because he decided to take a dip in his brother's pool. I was only controlling the host's household and tried to beg for his revival, but Grim was cruel. By this point his parents had 7 grandchildren. So I let it stick.

SikoahGrace

Roll Back to try to Save him?

I went on my personal preference. Try to SAVE him. I would lose my mind not knowing what happened. Save HIM. Or...if you can let go just play on and see where her story leads you.

Kimmer

Take the hit with grace and play on?

These kind of surprises in the game are sad, but often they also give us new possibilities how to play with the family.
Few years back I refused to accept surprise deaths and I usually exited without saving, but many times I thought afterwards "what if I just let it happen, what would happen to the family?" I decided to let the game decide if it wants my Sim to die and it's been interesting. I haven't had many surprise deaths and the victims haven't been my favorite Sims, but it's been giving me new ideas how to continue with the family.

Simmingal

Other, please explain.

A perfect time for a deathful mystery I think this calls for investigation

maybe the chickens were just hired assassins

SailorCeti

Take the hit with grace and play on?

I'm with the "keep on going, life is life" crowd. But, it would be interesting to know what happened. Make a rolled back copy, just to see. Then delete it.

SERVERFRA

Roll Back to try to Save him?

And get rid of the chicken.

sazzlysarah

Roll Back to try to Save him?

I would roll back, but I have a very particular style of game play, that does not mesh with Sims dying. Aging off baby!

blueybluesky

Take the hit with grace and play on?

I make it a rule for myself that if a sim dies, to go with it. With the only exception being my super sim. For me it just adds to the story and makes the game interesting.

lunaoddity

Take the hit with grace and play on?

Unless you are fond of the sim. Other than dying from old age, surprise deaths are very rare in my game. I would usually have another household member plea to the Grim Reaper. But if they are home alone or the plea fails...

So I would keep on unless I was fond of the sim.

GalacticGal

Kimmer wrote: »

These kind of surprises in the game are sad, but often they also give us new possibilities how to play with the family.
Few years back I refused to accept surprise deaths and I usually exited without saving, but many times I thought afterwards "what if I just let it happen, what would happen to the family?" I decided to let the game decide if it wants my Sim to die and it's been interesting. I haven't had many surprise deaths and the victims haven't been my favorite Sims, but it's been giving me new ideas how to continue with the family.

The main reason the just let it happen doesn't appeal to me, is that the camera never jerked over to the place of his demise. There was no body and Grimmie didn't show up. This was a very odd event. I believe it was a glitch of some kind. I have never once had a death in my game without the camera doing it's sudden move the camera to the scene. It was all too weird and out of place, leaving me questioning what had happened.

lunaoddity

Take the hit with grace and play on?

If it was a glitchy death I'd definitely roll back.

GalacticGal

Elliandre wrote: »

There is not too much gameplay for the ghosts. I wish they could become more human as a skill, like gain the ability to walk around on legs and gain a human voice, or level up their ghost powers and gain special skills like the Vampires and Witches. And have ghostly babies and children.

That makes me sorry I had him sell all of those plates of Ambrosia his Obsessed Fans would leave him. :O That's supposed to be the path back to life, right?

GalacticGal

Having made my decision, taking a picture of the tombstone before I exited without saving, I closed the game to think. I decided to write the obituary fitting his stature in the community. He wasn't just ANY Sim. For those of you who might be wondering, and maybe have figured it out, it was my Erik Cantrell; Global Superstar, Rock Star of some renown. Oddly enough I didn't fall to pieces when I learned he was no longer in the household. I was just flat-out confused as to what happened? Like I stated earlier, normally when a Sim perishes, the camera will take you right to the spot. The family didn't rush out the door to gather around him and weep. Kayleigh continued making those peanut butter sandwiches, the only sign of grief the moodlet in her menu bar. I wouldn't even have known something was amiss, had the music not made that sad sound, which is what made me look at Kayleigh's moodlet. Then I realized Erik was no longer in the family bar. I took the camera out back where he was last sent to feed and care for the chickens. The chickens were perfectly calm, and there stood a tombstone. No Grimmie, no chance to say goodbye. Nadda. This had to have been a glitch.

But now I have this beautiful obit (if I may say so myself) and nothing to do with it. Oh, well. Viva Erik Cantrell! Talk about having 'staying power' …

GalacticGal

blueybluesky wrote: »

I make it a rule for myself that if a sim dies, to go with it. With the only exception being my super sim. For me it just adds to the story and makes the game interesting.

He was my 'super' Sim in that he was my Global Superstar. I had just learned the way for him to be recognized for his MUSIC, after all of these years of trying. So, yeah, I'm not ready to give him up. I would only turn around and start his story yet again. I've done so, so many times I've lost count. The one save I'm trying to get back to, is his first three children were Teens. The first four have just aged to Child, not quite there and then this glitch occurs. Face/palm. May I scream now?