I might be in the minority here but I love the socials of the sims in 4. All you have to do is to start them off and they take over, talking as if I had chosen the topics. In Sims 3, the 2 sims would stand there, looking at each other, moving imaginary rock around with their foot and if there weren't any interactions clicked, they would move on. I like it much better in 4, and keep wondering what they're talking about, lol.
As far as eating and talking, I love that too. Yes, they can get wordy but is much better than what we had, imo...sims getting up from the table as soon as they were done and no convo whatsoever. If I recall, there was that same problem in Sims 2, especially in Uni when sims were due in class and all would be gathered around the table, talking. I loved that and love it again.
In my house, dog hair sticks to everything but the dog.
TS3 sims don't even talk at all. You have to force them to speak. I'm grateful for Sims 4 lol
Mine talk to each other. When they do things like play video games together, play pool, or if they're sitting close to each other in the same room they chat. They often don't go out of their way to talk to each other, true (unless you use the "irresistible" trait from UL. Then you have to beat other sims off with a stick because everyone wants to talk to you, LOL). And I do think this could have been better in TS3. But, I think they've gone too far to the other side in TS4 in a lot of ways. I wish there was a little more balance.
TS3 sims don't even talk at all. You have to force them to speak. I'm grateful for Sims 4 lol
Mine talk to each other. When they do things like play video games together, play pool, or if they're sitting close to each other in the same room they chat. They often don't go out of their way to talk to each other, true (unless you use the "irresistible" trait from UL. Then you have to beat other sims off with a stick because everyone wants to talk to you, LOL). And I do think this could have been better in TS3. But, I think they've gone too far to the other side in TS4 in a lot of ways. I wish there was a little more balance.
I agree. I started enjoying sims 3 recently. I didn't know about that trait lol. I wish they were more activities for the sims to do together in sims 4. The game is too new tho
The socialisation is great fun, but you have to be on the ball to stop them spinning out. Keep an eagle eye on needs and be liberal with the cancel buttons.
It is worth playing with the different kinds of cancel. If a circle drops with a smaller circle overlaying it and you have other stuff queued up, cancelling the bigger circle will allow the current interaction to finish and then the sim will move to the next item in the queue. If the sim is doing something like reading, on computer, reading, doing homework, etc, then it will also make the sim cease talking.
If the other sim keep talking, then use the Goodbye or Go away interaction - the latter will hit the relationship negatively, but hey, they keep bugging your sim..does your sim really want them as a friend?
Also pause is your friend
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
That must really be frustrating. We need a gag option, to silence them.
There is! Cancel the talking and they will eat
That never works for me. If I cancel the talk action, a new one pops up immediately. And the worst really is the musical chairs because they always want to be right by the Sim they are talking to, making a large meal all but impossible. Also, if two Sims are flirting, and a third Sim butts in, that third Sim gains the romance bar just by listening in. Then everyone gets awkward. This is also what causes the incest bug, when your Sims children butt in while the parents are being romantic.
The social is TERRIBLE in this game!
Visit me in the gallery! CC-free builds under origin name Piperbird!
That must really be frustrating. We need a gag option, to silence them.
There is! Cancel the talking and they will eat
That never works for me. If I cancel the talk action, a new one pops up immediately. And the worst really is the musical chairs because they always want to be right by the Sim they are talking to, making a large meal all but impossible. Also, if two Sims are flirting, and a third Sim butts in, that third Sim gains the romance bar just by listening in. Then everyone gets awkward. This is also what causes the incest bug, when your Sims children butt in while the parents are being romantic.
The social is TERRIBLE in this game!
I feel like I am playing a different game!
I do get the musical chairs, which is bloody annoying, but cancelling always works for me.
Awkward conversations happen because it is in a social setting. If a group of people are all sat round a table and someone blows a kiss across it, then some may find that awkward. The interaction wasn't private.
And I can definitely vouch for the fact that children butt in when you are trying to communicate with your spouse/partner/etc in any way, romantic or otherwise!
Same with dates. If you want privacy, don't sit in the middle of a public park or a crowded bar! These sims are social, self-centred bunch and they all assume they are at the centre of the universe. If a sim is bothering any of my sim couples, Go Away usually does the job.
When I first got the game, I thought it was just a big chaotic mess, but one day I sat down to play, turned all autonomy off and then paused frequently, and I mean frequently, so I could see how it all worked. After I could see that there was sense under it all, I enabled the AI for all except my controlled sim and dialled back the pausing frequency. Now, I only occasionally pause when it all gets too much. So I pause, go round and untangle 'em and carry on.
I have had fantastic social moments in the game and i think the social stuff is terrific. Of course, there is a lot of room for improvement, but the key to make it all flow right is to understand what is happening and use strategies to come up with solutions. The game provides lots of tools to do what you want. the key is using them in the right combinations at the right time.
Just before I wrote this. I have just had a household of 4 teen sim girls and one YA female eat a meal in total silence with only the YA talking before and after the meal.
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
I like the group chats in theory, but in game they're so annoying! Random strangers just come up and join in, so I keep having to cancel the entire chat, walk somewhere else, then call that sim over who I initially wanted to talk to (especially on dates). I really wish there was a social option to kick sims out of the group convos!
Also hate how the sims want to sit down whenever they're talking, then get up and go and sit somewhere else, then move again...
I like the group chats in theory, but in game they're so annoying! Random strangers just come up and join in, so I keep having to cancel the entire chat, walk somewhere else, then call that sim over who I initially wanted to talk to (especially on dates). I really wish there was a social option to kick sims out of the group convos!
Also hate how the sims want to sit down whenever they're talking, then get up and go and sit somewhere else, then move again...
There is. Ask to Leave when your sim is at home and Goodbye and/or Go Away when you are out and about.
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
This is one of the things that really bothers me about this game. The social. They talk...then hug...then talk...then take a selfie...talk some more......lather, rinse, repeat. They talk while they do everything. They never shut up! To me what the Sims do isn't multi-tasking. Ask anyone who has ever cooked a sit down Thanksgiving dinner for the whole family. Now that's multi-tasking.
"People really love to explore 'failure states. In fact, the failure states are really much more interesting than the success states." ~ Will Wright
TS3 sims don't even talk at all. You have to force them to speak. I'm grateful for Sims 4 lol
Yes, it's ridiculous, they should call it a game or something, actually having to do things to get things moving
(it's nonsense by the way, they do talk to each other, just not like maniacs like in Sims 4)
I like the group chats in theory, but in game they're so annoying! Random strangers just come up and join in, so I keep having to cancel the entire chat, walk somewhere else, then call that sim over who I initially wanted to talk to (especially on dates). I really wish there was a social option to kick sims out of the group convos!
Also hate how the sims want to sit down whenever they're talking, then get up and go and sit somewhere else, then move again...
There is. Ask to Leave when your sim is at home and Goodbye and/or Go Away when you are out and about.
Since it's a game I wouldn't mind having to do things, like making them stop talking. The problem is: those sims are much stronger than my instructions, they just cancel it.
It is one of the reasons I like the game as each situation it throws at you is subtly unique. To me it is a puzzle to be solved and what strategy I use depends on the situation. The primary puzzles the game offers you are social ones - well their version, anyway.
Taking a date to a park for example. Typically, I try and get to the most quiet location as I can to reduce the chances of being interrupted by some crazy. I will pause the game and work my path out to that location (benches, nice places to stand, etc) I do this as I don't want them doing a sprint, sometimes I do - nowt like running free.
In this park situation, it is likely we will only get approached by one sim, maybe two, in the first instance and the Go Away interaction rarely fails here. If it does then an argument may ensue, might even escalate to a fight (date is ruined anyway), but such is life. Rarely does this happen though. Go Away is usually very effective here. If I reach my location, then all is well and my sims will be on a promise
In a busy enclosed space like a bar, then I just accept the fact that these places are chaotic. If on a date, then I will simply move forward with my sim's objective and include others in the conversation. It is an interesting challenge to have a date and to complete the objectives (well, mostly -depending what they are!) while socialising with others. Yeah, there is the occasional awkwardness, but I suspect many RL dates have those.
The game makes me come up with new strategies and tactics for each situation.
If I want to bring a group of Sims together for a specific reason at a fixed time - a family meal, for example, then I prep well beforehand. I know I will want all my sims in a certain mood and that I want them all in a single place at the same time. My lazy goto approach is somewhere around 30 to 15 mins beforehand, I pause the game, check bladders, set moods and then send each sim to a high attraction object - computer, tv, stereo, meditation stool, shower, conversation! - anything that you know will fix a sim for reasonable length of time. This stops hungry sims randomly cooking BLTs and otherwise generally messing about in the kitchen.
When the sim that has prepared the meal and it is placed where you want it, then you can do Call to Meal. Depending on how much control want, I may pause again and select starting seats, but I usually just accept what the game gives me. If I want a very controlled meal, then I use pause and go round each Sim and queue up the social interactions I want. I also examine who the sims have autonomously started talking to and adjust according to my own desire or the whims of the sims.
If you want the head of the table to dominate the situation, then queue a lot of interactions for that sim and include all sims to get their attention. When time flows again, those will be the interactions that are executed first. If it starts to slip away, use pause and correct it.
Other times, I like a meal to last all day and be utterly chaotic and at the end of the day it looks like a herd of bulls have gone through the house. They can be really good fun with laughter, tears, anger. I often pause in these situations and just look at all the little things going on.
Finally, Sims learn. If you tightly control new sims, you can train them to behave as you want.
The game is an excellent challenge, IMO. Above I have only touched on how I deal with these social puzzles, but I also have to take account of traits as well which can really send you stuff from left field.
Thank you to all that have read this far
o/
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
If they aren't multi-tasking doing god knows what they are talking and talking and talking and doing more multi-tasking that what I noticed it's annoying at times it makes me want to back to Sims 3 or Sims 2 I wish they tone it down a bit and yes group chats can get out of hand and it seems if you're on a date *cough* other sims love to interrupted that's annoying
I have never been able to make this happen, but if I have a couple in the bathroom, say one in the shower one on the toilet they talk. I personally love the social stuff, because I always struggled maintaing relationships before. Now my sims actually have friends. Makes it easier for the larger households I prefer
So I just started playing The Sims 4, I've been playing since the first Sims game and have been very involved in the community during The Sims 2.
While I wasn't too keen on The Sims 3, I decided to give this one a try, for old time's sake. I actually don't mind a lot of the changes (ie. toddlers, cast and pools weren't my thing and the work travel was a bit of a time waste just to have a visual). However there's a couple things that I've come across, this one is the most frustrating for me:
The amount my Sims seem to talk to everyone is interfering with their daily life.
Going outside to talk to one Sim? Forget it, lets have a group discussion with 10 Sims instead! Is there a mean Sim, then you've
got bad luck, because everyone will end up being in a bad mood. Also very cool on dates.
Food also doesn't seem a necessity, as the Sims end up talking more than they eat, so if there's a pregnant Sim her hunger bar almost
drops quicker than she can fill. Not pregnant, but trying to fill up the bar? Lolnope, let's just follow the other Sims around the house just to talk to them while they're trying to work out, or use the toiler, for that matter. Cancelling the talk interaction doesn't help, it just spawns a new one just as quickly. But hey, who needs food anyway.
Anyone else having the same thing?
Yes, especially in GTW, I have to keep my Sim busy because if I don't she/he loves to chat. Also the other employees love to chat as well and it is very annoying at times because they interfere with my Sim who is working.
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It is one of the reasons I like the game as each situation it throws at you is subtly unique. To me it is a puzzle to be solved and what strategy I use depends on the situation. The primary puzzles the game offers you are social ones - well their version, anyway.
Taking a date to a park for example. Typically, I try and get to the most quiet location as I can to reduce the chances of being interrupted by some crazy. I will pause the game and work my path out to that location (benches, nice places to stand, etc) I do this as I don't want them doing a sprint, sometimes I do - nowt like running free.
In this park situation, it is likely we will only get approached by one sim, maybe two, in the first instance and the Go Away interaction rarely fails here. If it does then an argument may ensue, might even escalate to a fight (date is ruined anyway), but such is life. Rarely does this happen though. Go Away is usually very effective here. If I reach my location, then all is well and my sims will be on a promise
In a busy enclosed space like a bar, then I just accept the fact that these places are chaotic. If on a date, then I will simply move forward with my sim's objective and include others in the conversation. It is an interesting challenge to have a date and to complete the objectives (well, mostly -depending what they are!) while socialising with others. Yeah, there is the occasional awkwardness, but I suspect many RL dates have those.
The game makes me come up with new strategies and tactics for each situation.
If I want to bring a group of Sims together for a specific reason at a fixed time - a family meal, for example, then I prep well beforehand. I know I will want all my sims in a certain mood and that I want them all in a single place at the same time. My lazy goto approach is somewhere around 30 to 15 mins beforehand, I pause the game, check bladders, set moods and then send each sim to a high attraction object - computer, tv, stereo, meditation stool, shower, conversation! - anything that you know will fix a sim for reasonable length of time. This stops hungry sims randomly cooking BLTs and otherwise generally messing about in the kitchen.
When the sim that has prepared the meal and it is placed where you want it, then you can do Call to Meal. Depending on how much control want, I may pause again and select starting seats, but I usually just accept what the game gives me. If I want a very controlled meal, then I use pause and go round each Sim and queue up the social interactions I want. I also examine who the sims have autonomously started talking to and adjust according to my own desire or the whims of the sims.
If you want the head of the table to dominate the situation, then queue a lot of interactions for that sim and include all sims to get their attention. When time flows again, those will be the interactions that are executed first. If it starts to slip away, use pause and correct it.
Other times, I like a meal to last all day and be utterly chaotic and at the end of the day it looks like a herd of bulls have gone through the house. They can be really good fun with laughter, tears, anger. I often pause in these situations and just look at all the little things going on.
Finally, Sims learn. If you tightly control new sims, you can train them to behave as you want.
The game is an excellent challenge, IMO. Above I have only touched on how I deal with these social puzzles, but I also have to take account of traits as well which can really send you stuff from left field.
Thank you to all that have read this far
o/
Ok, I can understand it's kind of fun when you treat it like that lol. But to me it's just life simulation, I hated the paparazzi in 3 and I hate the continuous intruders in this game. I went to a very lonely spot with my sim (the magic tree) and in no time she was surrounded by 5 (five!) sims who canceled my instructions ("Now please examen that tree will ya!?"). And last time I played my sim went to a bar, sat next to a guy and started a conversation, when some kid sat down and started joining the conversation. I wouldn't mind if it happened sometimes but so far it happens all the time. For me there's no challenge there, it just annoys me.
It is one of the reasons I like the game as each situation it throws at you is subtly unique. To me it is a puzzle to be solved and what strategy I use depends on the situation. The primary puzzles the game offers you are social ones - well their version, anyway.
Taking a date to a park for example. Typically, I try and get to the most quiet location as I can to reduce the chances of being interrupted by some crazy. I will pause the game and work my path out to that location (benches, nice places to stand, etc) I do this as I don't want them doing a sprint, sometimes I do - nowt like running free.
In this park situation, it is likely we will only get approached by one sim, maybe two, in the first instance and the Go Away interaction rarely fails here. If it does then an argument may ensue, might even escalate to a fight (date is ruined anyway), but such is life. Rarely does this happen though. Go Away is usually very effective here. If I reach my location, then all is well and my sims will be on a promise
In a busy enclosed space like a bar, then I just accept the fact that these places are chaotic. If on a date, then I will simply move forward with my sim's objective and include others in the conversation. It is an interesting challenge to have a date and to complete the objectives (well, mostly -depending what they are!) while socialising with others. Yeah, there is the occasional awkwardness, but I suspect many RL dates have those.
The game makes me come up with new strategies and tactics for each situation.
If I want to bring a group of Sims together for a specific reason at a fixed time - a family meal, for example, then I prep well beforehand. I know I will want all my sims in a certain mood and that I want them all in a single place at the same time. My lazy goto approach is somewhere around 30 to 15 mins beforehand, I pause the game, check bladders, set moods and then send each sim to a high attraction object - computer, tv, stereo, meditation stool, shower, conversation! - anything that you know will fix a sim for reasonable length of time. This stops hungry sims randomly cooking BLTs and otherwise generally messing about in the kitchen.
When the sim that has prepared the meal and it is placed where you want it, then you can do Call to Meal. Depending on how much control want, I may pause again and select starting seats, but I usually just accept what the game gives me. If I want a very controlled meal, then I use pause and go round each Sim and queue up the social interactions I want. I also examine who the sims have autonomously started talking to and adjust according to my own desire or the whims of the sims.
If you want the head of the table to dominate the situation, then queue a lot of interactions for that sim and include all sims to get their attention. When time flows again, those will be the interactions that are executed first. If it starts to slip away, use pause and correct it.
Other times, I like a meal to last all day and be utterly chaotic and at the end of the day it looks like a herd of bulls have gone through the house. They can be really good fun with laughter, tears, anger. I often pause in these situations and just look at all the little things going on.
Finally, Sims learn. If you tightly control new sims, you can train them to behave as you want.
The game is an excellent challenge, IMO. Above I have only touched on how I deal with these social puzzles, but I also have to take account of traits as well which can really send you stuff from left field.
Thank you to all that have read this far
o/
Ok, I can understand it's kind of fun when you treat it like that lol. But to me it's just life simulation, I hated the paparazzi in 3 and I hate the continuous intruders in this game. I went to a very lonely spot with my sim (the magic tree) and in no time she was surrounded by 5 (five!) sims who canceled my instructions ("Now please examen that tree will ya!?"). And last time I played my sim went to a bar, sat next to a guy and started a conversation, when some kid sat down and started joining the conversation. I wouldn't mind if it happened sometimes but so far it happens all the time. For me there's no challenge there, it just annoys me.
Ah, the crew that likes to flash mob dates, eh? Well, the solution to that is easy. The SimRay. You do have one of those, don't you?
If you get mobbed, then make some nice ice statues. That works every time
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
I agree with ModerateOsprey, you have to do some planning before a big event. Once in a great while I can let my sims run free and talk to their hearts content...they all stop talking at some point, lol. Recently, Alex Goth went to his mother's birthday party. I usually decline but Bella was getting close to elder and it was time, so the party was great. Well, if you don't count the fact that Cassandra ate all the birthday cake (kept going back for more, lol.) Bella blew out the candles just at the right time, Alex hugged his mom, and everyone sat around the dining room table and talked. I loved it.
Have they fixed the dating disaster yet? As far as I can see, every time my sims go on dates with those who call or ask someone else out on a date it always ends the same...horrible time (even though it wasn't) and don't ever call me again. It's totally useless so I just have my sims call the intended target over and proceed from there. No butt ins, no problem.
In my house, dog hair sticks to everything but the dog.
I agree with ModerateOsprey, you have to do some planning before a big event. Once in a great while I can let my sims run free and talk to their hearts content...they all stop talking at some point, lol. Recently, Alex Goth went to his mother's birthday party. I usually decline but Bella was getting close to elder and it was time, so the party was great. Well, if you don't count the fact that Cassandra ate all the birthday cake (kept going back for more, lol.) Bella blew out the candles just at the right time, Alex hugged his mom, and everyone sat around the dining room table and talked. I loved it.
Have they fixed the dating disaster yet? As far as I can see, every time my sims go on dates with those who call or ask someone else out on a date it always ends the same...horrible time (even though it wasn't) and don't ever call me again. It's totally useless so I just have my sims call the intended target over and proceed from there. No butt ins, no problem.
*nods*
I normally ignore all inbound calls as I simply don't trust that feature after seeing that birthday invites were random (rather than giving you a heads up), so I simply reject all dates and invites - I'd have modded it out if one was available. Thankfully, there doesn't seem to be a relationship hit.
However, after reading your post, I may find a use for the inbound birthday calls. I love emergent gameplay like you have described in your post - set some starting parameters and then let things play out for good or ill. To me, it is about spotting those opportunities, when to let the leash off and when to step in to take control to let these dramas emerge. Sometimes, you have to do heavy course correction, sometimes, just the tiniest of nudges, or sometimes it all comes together absolutely beautifully ;joy
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
Comments
As far as eating and talking, I love that too. Yes, they can get wordy but is much better than what we had, imo...sims getting up from the table as soon as they were done and no convo whatsoever. If I recall, there was that same problem in Sims 2, especially in Uni when sims were due in class and all would be gathered around the table, talking. I loved that and love it again.
Mine talk to each other. When they do things like play video games together, play pool, or if they're sitting close to each other in the same room they chat. They often don't go out of their way to talk to each other, true (unless you use the "irresistible" trait from UL. Then you have to beat other sims off with a stick because everyone wants to talk to you, LOL). And I do think this could have been better in TS3. But, I think they've gone too far to the other side in TS4 in a lot of ways. I wish there was a little more balance.
I agree. I started enjoying sims 3 recently. I didn't know about that trait lol. I wish they were more activities for the sims to do together in sims 4. The game is too new tho
It is worth playing with the different kinds of cancel. If a circle drops with a smaller circle overlaying it and you have other stuff queued up, cancelling the bigger circle will allow the current interaction to finish and then the sim will move to the next item in the queue. If the sim is doing something like reading, on computer, reading, doing homework, etc, then it will also make the sim cease talking.
If the other sim keep talking, then use the Goodbye or Go away interaction - the latter will hit the relationship negatively, but hey, they keep bugging your sim..does your sim really want them as a friend?
Also pause is your friend
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
That never works for me. If I cancel the talk action, a new one pops up immediately. And the worst really is the musical chairs because they always want to be right by the Sim they are talking to, making a large meal all but impossible. Also, if two Sims are flirting, and a third Sim butts in, that third Sim gains the romance bar just by listening in. Then everyone gets awkward. This is also what causes the incest bug, when your Sims children butt in while the parents are being romantic.
The social is TERRIBLE in this game!
I feel like I am playing a different game!
I do get the musical chairs, which is bloody annoying, but cancelling always works for me.
Awkward conversations happen because it is in a social setting. If a group of people are all sat round a table and someone blows a kiss across it, then some may find that awkward. The interaction wasn't private.
And I can definitely vouch for the fact that children butt in when you are trying to communicate with your spouse/partner/etc in any way, romantic or otherwise!
Same with dates. If you want privacy, don't sit in the middle of a public park or a crowded bar! These sims are social, self-centred bunch and they all assume they are at the centre of the universe. If a sim is bothering any of my sim couples, Go Away usually does the job.
When I first got the game, I thought it was just a big chaotic mess, but one day I sat down to play, turned all autonomy off and then paused frequently, and I mean frequently, so I could see how it all worked. After I could see that there was sense under it all, I enabled the AI for all except my controlled sim and dialled back the pausing frequency. Now, I only occasionally pause when it all gets too much. So I pause, go round and untangle 'em and carry on.
I have had fantastic social moments in the game and i think the social stuff is terrific. Of course, there is a lot of room for improvement, but the key to make it all flow right is to understand what is happening and use strategies to come up with solutions. The game provides lots of tools to do what you want. the key is using them in the right combinations at the right time.
Just before I wrote this. I have just had a household of 4 teen sim girls and one YA female eat a meal in total silence with only the YA talking before and after the meal.
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
Also hate how the sims want to sit down whenever they're talking, then get up and go and sit somewhere else, then move again...
There is. Ask to Leave when your sim is at home and Goodbye and/or Go Away when you are out and about.
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
(it's nonsense by the way, they do talk to each other, just not like maniacs like in Sims 4)
Also, if they are going to talk can they PLEASE stay in ONE seat. It is like they have to sit right next to the person to have a conversation.
Lastly, how are they going to have all this socializing and they cannot talk to each other while fishing...I think that annoys me the most.
Taking a date to a park for example. Typically, I try and get to the most quiet location as I can to reduce the chances of being interrupted by some crazy. I will pause the game and work my path out to that location (benches, nice places to stand, etc) I do this as I don't want them doing a sprint, sometimes I do - nowt like running free.
In this park situation, it is likely we will only get approached by one sim, maybe two, in the first instance and the Go Away interaction rarely fails here. If it does then an argument may ensue, might even escalate to a fight (date is ruined anyway), but such is life. Rarely does this happen though. Go Away is usually very effective here. If I reach my location, then all is well and my sims will be on a promise
In a busy enclosed space like a bar, then I just accept the fact that these places are chaotic. If on a date, then I will simply move forward with my sim's objective and include others in the conversation. It is an interesting challenge to have a date and to complete the objectives (well, mostly -depending what they are!) while socialising with others. Yeah, there is the occasional awkwardness, but I suspect many RL dates have those.
The game makes me come up with new strategies and tactics for each situation.
If I want to bring a group of Sims together for a specific reason at a fixed time - a family meal, for example, then I prep well beforehand. I know I will want all my sims in a certain mood and that I want them all in a single place at the same time. My lazy goto approach is somewhere around 30 to 15 mins beforehand, I pause the game, check bladders, set moods and then send each sim to a high attraction object - computer, tv, stereo, meditation stool, shower, conversation! - anything that you know will fix a sim for reasonable length of time. This stops hungry sims randomly cooking BLTs and otherwise generally messing about in the kitchen.
When the sim that has prepared the meal and it is placed where you want it, then you can do Call to Meal. Depending on how much control want, I may pause again and select starting seats, but I usually just accept what the game gives me. If I want a very controlled meal, then I use pause and go round each Sim and queue up the social interactions I want. I also examine who the sims have autonomously started talking to and adjust according to my own desire or the whims of the sims.
If you want the head of the table to dominate the situation, then queue a lot of interactions for that sim and include all sims to get their attention. When time flows again, those will be the interactions that are executed first. If it starts to slip away, use pause and correct it.
Other times, I like a meal to last all day and be utterly chaotic and at the end of the day it looks like a herd of bulls have gone through the house. They can be really good fun with laughter, tears, anger. I often pause in these situations and just look at all the little things going on.
Finally, Sims learn. If you tightly control new sims, you can train them to behave as you want.
The game is an excellent challenge, IMO. Above I have only touched on how I deal with these social puzzles, but I also have to take account of traits as well which can really send you stuff from left field.
Thank you to all that have read this far
o/
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
Ah, the crew that likes to flash mob dates, eh? Well, the solution to that is easy. The SimRay. You do have one of those, don't you?
If you get mobbed, then make some nice ice statues. That works every time
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
Have they fixed the dating disaster yet? As far as I can see, every time my sims go on dates with those who call or ask someone else out on a date it always ends the same...horrible time (even though it wasn't) and don't ever call me again. It's totally useless so I just have my sims call the intended target over and proceed from there. No butt ins, no problem.
*nods*
I normally ignore all inbound calls as I simply don't trust that feature after seeing that birthday invites were random (rather than giving you a heads up), so I simply reject all dates and invites - I'd have modded it out if one was available. Thankfully, there doesn't seem to be a relationship hit.
However, after reading your post, I may find a use for the inbound birthday calls. I love emergent gameplay like you have described in your post - set some starting parameters and then let things play out for good or ill. To me, it is about spotting those opportunities, when to let the leash off and when to step in to take control to let these dramas emerge. Sometimes, you have to do heavy course correction, sometimes, just the tiniest of nudges, or sometimes it all comes together absolutely beautifully ;joy
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