I must be the only one who never gets any problems ?
I actually don't have that many problems. I get a bug or two every once in awhile but they usually don't last or cause major issues with my game. Heck, I was playing XCOM yesterday night, spent 2 hours doing some missions and then everything froze and I lost it all. Had to start over again. I have yet to have TS4 do something like that to me, fortunately.
Note: Yes, I should've been saving more--I wasn't paying attention.
Origin ID: ebuchala I'm not a psychopath. I'm a high-functioning psychopath. Reaper
I think stories are at the heart of every person's life - our internal narrative. The game is about virtual people and it seems to me whatever playstyle you have, ultimately that is about telling a story whether that be from emergent stories where the autonomy does it thing, or that story is carefully constructed, perhaps for sharing in screenshot, blogs and whatnot - sometimes both or a hybrid. A story is being told.
Even if you use the game mostly for building, I suspect that sims will at least have a look around inside when it is done. As soon as that happens then a story has been made, even if very short.
The OP was largely complaining about the game's issues getting in the way of them enjoying it's story potential and seemed to me was looking for answers on what approach that they can take to minimise frustration. A valid desire, IMO.
I explained in an earlier post in this thread that the game is chock full of issues, but I would also like to defend the game in that what the devs have attempted with these sims has never been done anywhere else, barring the earlier sims games, but they have tried something different here to those.
It is a challenging game even without the bugs, but for me, when it does come together, it is pure magic.
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
Well, I think the original storytelling discussion came into the thread in response to someone who said they find it tedious to have to keep prompting their sims to do things. The person liked building but couldn't get into the gameplay because they wanted the sims to do more things on their own. And then someone pointed out that a lot of the gameplay focuses around storytelling so if the player doesn't get into that aspect of playing, they aren't going to enjoy live mode that much. But, yes, it can get confusing since terminology can be interchangeable at times.
Origin ID: ebuchala I'm not a psychopath. I'm a high-functioning psychopath. Reaper
The gameplay is storytelling, really. Some people play their stories with a focus on the game's levelling system: careers, collections, ambitions, and the like. Some people play their stories with a focus on family life, often over many generations. Some people play "challenge" stories, like the Runaway Teen Challenge; there's a topic listing lots of player-created challenges in one one the Creative Corner categories here. Some people play open-ended stories involving multiple households - mine tend to be out intertwining lives across a few households (but I also populate the whole world, seeding myself lots of potential stories). Some people play "deviantly," wreaking as much havoc as they can.
If you're not into making a story happen, then the gameplay might just not be for you.
The OP described bugs and poor A.I. that resulted in strange sim behaviour. He/she nowhere said that they are not into story making. The whole point of the sims is story making and I felt the point he/she was making is that in 4 it is harder to do as you have little control of your sims' behaviour - they often just do what they want and act strangely. It is difficult to predict their behaviour as there is often no logic to it. He/she seems to be finding the sims' A.I. and the ever appearing numerous bugs, a hindrance to her/his enjoyment. It is these things that are affecting his/her story making.
In The Sims 4, you do not rule.
It really is a poor state of affairs when someone comes to this board and eloquently describes real and factual problems in the game as preventing their enjoyment of it, and the only response you can give is to imply they lack the ability to story make. It is dismissive and is akin to an ostrich burying its head in the sand to claim it is the op and not the game that is the problem.
The bugs, illogical multitasking, and unpredictable sim behaviour are facts, and some players find these things a barrier to their enjoyment of the game. They should be discussed, not the OP's ability to story make. You're twisting the discussion around from the game to the OP and it is patronising.
It is always some deficiency in the poster and never the game. This annoys me as it seems like a tactic many Sims 4 fans on this board do to make sure the discussion is moved away from discussing the bugs and problems 4 has onto to specific posters.
I think people who love Sims 4 simply overlook things like that? I was watching a Let's Play of GT and the guy who made the video ordered his sim to rudely introduce herself to another sim who would be in a rivaling club. So she walked at her, and at the same moment the lady she was going to insult stood up and walked away, to sit at another table. "Oh, geez, she is so rude, she doesn't even want to sit next to her" the guy said and I went 'no... , this sim just walked away from the conversation, they do that.' I mean, in Sims 3 when I tell my sim to adress someone, the other sim waits and that may be unrealistic, but in the end they're actually talking to each other. But I think he just genuinely saw in differently than me, because he kept having fun that his sim was insulting this woman, while she was just talking and making gestures in space, with the other woman not even looking at her, sitting at the other side of the room.
I do that when I play as well. It makes the game more fun to be creative and pretend the woman is being rude. I tend to be a story teller as I play.
ETA: the not showering thing worries me because I saw someone else mention it on the forum. I haven't run into it in my game and hopefully I don't.
What you're describing there is not story making, it is excuse making.
Well said. I will give you one example that breaks my ability to story tell something. For fifteen years when I clicked on a Sim to go say something to another my Sim went to that location. That is the way it has always been. In this game it doesn't happen, but my Sim may stand and wait for the other Sim to come to my Sim and then speak to him/her. Even if my Sim is standing upstairs in a house and the other Sim is about a block away outside, down the street.
This here is a major problem in this game because all other multitasking centers around this feature I would call a major flaw. Because this game isn't programmed to make my Sim go where I tell it to go, it breaks immersion, story telling and what I may want to play, and all multitasking in the game concerning two Sims interacting revolve around this flaw and how they will move around to get to each other. For fifteen long years it's understood if you click on another Sim your Sim would go to them, but not anymore, you have no idea what they may do. They may just decide to sit down at a table and wait for the other to come to the table. Totally crazy programming. Not smart at all. ETA: At no time did we click 'call over' and therefore it's a major flaw in this game and breaks everything about story telling.
ETA: I don't know I didn't have to make up stories much in the other games, because they were life simulators and my Sims was actually living simulations and not pretending a poor excuse for programming as I just pointed out was the reason they didn't react to a Sim being rude. Why not? because a Sim who moves away is flawed by multitasking.
Isn't that what the Go Here command is for?
You misunderstood. Say Larry is outside at the public space and Betty is upstairs in your house. You click on Larry and tell your Betty to go say something to Larry. It may or may not happen. Larry may come from down the street into your Sim's house and then your Sim will speak to Larry. This is why the Retail is flawed, too. Because after fifteen years Sims don't go to the other Sims you click on but wait for them to come to you. That was never the case in all three Sim's games before. It's understood when you click on another Sim your Sim will go to that Sim but not in TS4 it's totally backward.
It's about as 'smart' as telling the Sim to use the pc and they don't move but the stuff they ordered appears where they are, in inventory. It's all backwards and why so many have a problem with liking it and or playing it. It doesn't make any sense whatsoever. And this will break someone's story, if they wanted their Sim to run to that other Sim (for screen shot) but they didn't but just sat down to wait for the other Sim to come to them. It's the 'call over' interaction without ever doing it and why it is flawed and wrong.
I know it's the opposite of the previous sims games but I feel like in a way it's more realistic, cuz if you're going to talk to someone when they're so far away, it's a bit ridiculous that they wait, like they know something is up. But if the sim you want to talk to comes into the house and then imagine like your sim sees them and then carry out whatever interaction you asked them to do, I think it's a bit more realistic.
That being said, you said Larry is in a public place and Betty is at home. In my game, if I do that, Larry will still be standing and waiting for Betty to run to him (like in the old sims games). The only situation Larry goes to your sim is when he's already invited or has already said that they're coming over, etc. In other words, passers by don't just go into your house. Well, at least in my game it's like that anyway.
No, I have fussed about this since day one. Totally backward. If you build a home in WC (replace Library etc.) you will find out what I mean. And it doesn't have to be just there but anywhere near a public space the Sim will come to your Sim instead of normally your Sim going to the 'object' as they should.
I've had a house in Willow Creek since day one and don't remember this happening. But now my sims don't live in WC anymore. Let me just into my game and try again.
Okay, did some testing. Here's a box house (LOL) that replaced the WC library.
So my sim is in his house and I told him to talk to this lady who's far away (right at the end of the stretch).
You can see him running to her.
And running to the other lady who's just behind his house.
And walking to another lady outside of his house.
It's also the same for sims that he already knows as well.
The reactions not working did kill storytelling for at least a year. They AI and game mechanics still have a long way to go to provide a wider range of stories. It is much harder to tell interesting stories when Sims are "fake" happy and party all the time. Might just be me, but I want more depth to my stories than that.
“Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.” –Helen Keller
The reactions not working did kill storytelling for at least a year. They AI and game mechanics still have a long way to go to provide a wider range of stories. It is much harder to tell interesting stories when Sims are "fake" happy and party all the time. Might just be me, but I want more depth to my stories than that.
I definitely don't want Disneyland in my game so I'm always checking out mods that will help with that. The need for negative emotions is great. Definitely something they should be looking at. And I'm a bit disappointed that they missed the perfect opportunity to add a scared emotion during Halloween. I suppose they could add one in the spring/early summer for weddings.
But, I like how they've been working on that aspect because I think it has some wonderful potential to really make this game shine. Might take a bit to get there, but I'm hoping it's worth it in the end.
Origin ID: ebuchala I'm not a psychopath. I'm a high-functioning psychopath. Reaper
I definitely don't want Disneyland in my game so I'm always checking out mods that will help with that. The need for negative emotions is great. Definitely something they should be looking at. And I'm a bit disappointed that they missed the perfect opportunity to add a scared emotion during Halloween. I suppose they could add one in the spring/early summer for weddings.
But, I like how they've been working on that aspect because I think it has some wonderful potential to really make this game shine. Might take a bit to get there, but I'm hoping it's worth it in the end.
Yep exactly. Like the game seems more geared toward positive only emotions. I don't like that. At least with GT, it is easier to make enemies between Sims now, but it is still not enough drama. Even my Sims seem super friendly and happy around the ghosts. Not scared of them at all. Yeah a fear emotion I've wanted for awhile. It just makes it feel more limited for my deviant and storytelling styles have it geared toward the more Disneyland mentality. I want a wider range of emotions.
Yeah it probably will take more work and time to fine tune the AI more. A linear memory system would work so well with this game too. Shame they missed that opportunity again for another Sims game.
“Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.” –Helen Keller
To me it seems like The Excuse for The Sims 4 is "storytelling" to take pics with props and cheap FX to "Portray" a story to share with social media. What about the players who just PLAY, I need functional, meaningful, useful things to have in my sims everyday life. I take pics if something catches my eye, but I play the Sims to Play the Sims! If they're so smart they'd remember the things they did, it'd show in the game. They'd acknowledge their surroundings, families, and events. I don't want to create a background and pose my sims to tell stories. I want to play! That does not seem to be the base of this GAME. It's all a facade, what do they have days and time for when you can't spend it doing real stuff. It's not all about taking a pretty picture, make it actually happen, and they should be smart enough to respond.
I don't know about others but when I use the term "storytelling" I'm not talking about posing or taking screenshots, etc. I use my sims to play out stories, kind of like playing with Barbies or dolls. To me storytelling happens while I'm playing so I'm happy with them giving me the tools I need to play out the stories I have in mind.
Same here. It's all in my head. Always has been with the sims.
I definitely don't want Disneyland in my game so I'm always checking out mods that will help with that. The need for negative emotions is great. Definitely something they should be looking at. And I'm a bit disappointed that they missed the perfect opportunity to add a scared emotion during Halloween. I suppose they could add one in the spring/early summer for weddings.
But, I like how they've been working on that aspect because I think it has some wonderful potential to really make this game shine. Might take a bit to get there, but I'm hoping it's worth it in the end.
Yep exactly. Like the game seems more geared toward positive only emotions. I don't like that. At least with GT, it is easier to make enemies between Sims now, but it is still not enough drama. Even my Sims seem super friendly and happy around the ghosts. Not scared of them at all. Yeah a fear emotion I've wanted for awhile. It just makes it feel more limited for my deviant and storytelling styles have it geared toward the more Disneyland mentality. I want a wider range of emotions.
Yeah it probably will take more work and time to fine tune the AI more. A linear memory system would work so well with this game too. Shame they missed that opportunity again for another Sims game.
I tend to be mildly deviant--I prefer drama and action so my stories can be somewhat out there. I can't stand how happy the décor makes sims. My gloomy, creative sim shouldn't be happy just because he walks into a well-decorated room, especially after having a fight with someone. But, I'm holding out hope that this is one of those things they'll have the time and resources to develop. A cheerful sim should bounce back from negative stuff easier than a gloomy one and I'd really like to see them implement this with the new emotions system they're developing.
What's a linear memory system? I kind of like the original way they set memories up where you could assign emotions to them (I need to be able to set them and change them over the course of the game), and they had them sectioned off into different saves, etc. I'd prefer to be able to sort and organize them myself, sort of like making my own memory book--if they had done that and kept the emotions so we could assign them ourselves, I would probably actually use their memory system. Since they seem to have bungled it completely with the last patch, I won't be using it at all, I guess unless they revise it so it functions.
Origin ID: ebuchala I'm not a psychopath. I'm a high-functioning psychopath. Reaper
I tend to be mildly deviant--I prefer drama and action so my stories can be somewhat out there. I can't stand how happy the décor makes sims. My gloomy, creative sim shouldn't be happy just because he walks into a well-decorated room, especially after having a fight with someone. But, I'm holding out hope that this is one of those things they'll have the time and resources to develop. A cheerful sim should bounce back from negative stuff easier than a gloomy one and I'd really like to see them implement this with the new emotions system they're developing.
What's a linear memory system? I kind of like the original way they set memories up where you could assign emotions to them (I need to be able to set them and change them over the course of the game), and they had them sectioned off into different saves, etc. I'd prefer to be able to sort and organize them myself, sort of like making my own memory book--if they had done that and kept the emotions so we could assign them ourselves, I would probably actually use their memory system. Since they seem to have bungled it completely with the last patch, I won't be using it at all, I guess unless they revise it so it functions.
Oh like in the Sims 2. How they gathered memories over time and it effected their emotions. Even toddlers would cry about growing up. It was adorable. Like Sims could remember when they had their first kiss, when they got married, when they did woohoo for the first time, and when they had a kid. It had an order to it that made sense and helped keep track of my stories. Yeah I'm a deviant player too. It is fun playing the darker side of the Sims sometimes.
“Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.” –Helen Keller
I tend to be mildly deviant--I prefer drama and action so my stories can be somewhat out there. I can't stand how happy the décor makes sims. My gloomy, creative sim shouldn't be happy just because he walks into a well-decorated room, especially after having a fight with someone. But, I'm holding out hope that this is one of those things they'll have the time and resources to develop. A cheerful sim should bounce back from negative stuff easier than a gloomy one and I'd really like to see them implement this with the new emotions system they're developing.
What's a linear memory system? I kind of like the original way they set memories up where you could assign emotions to them (I need to be able to set them and change them over the course of the game), and they had them sectioned off into different saves, etc. I'd prefer to be able to sort and organize them myself, sort of like making my own memory book--if they had done that and kept the emotions so we could assign them ourselves, I would probably actually use their memory system. Since they seem to have bungled it completely with the last patch, I won't be using it at all, I guess unless they revise it so it functions.
Oh like in the Sims 2. How they gathered memories over time and it effected their emotions. Even toddlers would cry about growing up. It was adorable. Like Sims could remember when they had their first kiss, when they got married, when they did woohoo for the first time, and when they had a kid. It had an order to it that made sense and helped keep track of my stories. Yeah I'm a deviant player too. It is fun playing the darker side of the Sims sometimes.
Oh that sounds like a great system. I think Zerbu's mod Affinity (?) is supposed to do something similar. Yeah, that would be ideal, I think, for a memory system. I never really got into the memory stuff in TS2 so I didn't realize that's how it worked.
Origin ID: ebuchala I'm not a psychopath. I'm a high-functioning psychopath. Reaper
Oh that sounds like a great system. I think Zerbu's mod Affinity (?) is supposed to do something similar. Yeah, that would be ideal, I think, for a memory system. I never really got into the memory stuff in TS2 so I didn't realize that's how it worked.
Sort of, not quite as detailed. But I do love his mod. Oh you should try that game if you have time. The AI in it is my favorite. So much detail with the Sims themselves and the emotions. The Sims truly felt unique from each other. The aspiration system is pretty cool too. Their was a real fail system with it that the Sims actually went crazy with different reactions depending on which aspiration they had. It was cool. The fail dates were funny too. Sims would drop a bag of poo by the door.
“Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.” –Helen Keller
I tend to be mildly deviant--I prefer drama and action so my stories can be somewhat out there. I can't stand how happy the décor makes sims. My gloomy, creative sim shouldn't be happy just because he walks into a well-decorated room, especially after having a fight with someone. But, I'm holding out hope that this is one of those things they'll have the time and resources to develop. A cheerful sim should bounce back from negative stuff easier than a gloomy one and I'd really like to see them implement this with the new emotions system they're developing.
What's a linear memory system? I kind of like the original way they set memories up where you could assign emotions to them (I need to be able to set them and change them over the course of the game), and they had them sectioned off into different saves, etc. I'd prefer to be able to sort and organize them myself, sort of like making my own memory book--if they had done that and kept the emotions so we could assign them ourselves, I would probably actually use their memory system. Since they seem to have bungled it completely with the last patch, I won't be using it at all, I guess unless they revise it so it functions.
Oh like in the Sims 2. How they gathered memories over time and it effected their emotions. Even toddlers would cry about growing up. It was adorable. Like Sims could remember when they had their first kiss, when they got married, when they did woohoo for the first time, and when they had a kid. It had an order to it that made sense and helped keep track of my stories. Yeah I'm a deviant player too. It is fun playing the darker side of the Sims sometimes.
One of the Sims 2's best features. I miss it a lot. I'm still not sure what the Sims 4 team was going for with the changes they made. I'm very curious what part of the old system didn't work and what it conflicted with - imperfect as that system was it seemed a lot better than the new. I like having my sim's photos end up in screenshots, but on the balance I think I'd happily give it up just to get the old memory system back.
One of the Sims 2's best features. I miss it a lot. I'm still not sure what the Sims 4 team was going for with the changes they made. I'm very curious what part of the old system didn't work and what it conflicted with - imperfect as that system was it seemed a lot better than the new. I like having my sim's photos end up in screenshots, but on the balance I think I'd happily give it up just to get the old memory system back.
It was. Yeah I dislike the new memory system for the Sims 4 even more than the old one.
“Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.” –Helen Keller
The other thing that drives me crazy is multi tasking. I never know what 'goes' together. When I try to plan out my queue, it messes everything up.
I queue up eat breakfast, then publish books at the mailbox. So my Sim carries her plate to the mailbox, mails the books, stands there eating, then places the plate on the sidewalk where I can't pick it up again.
My Sim comes home tense from work, so I queue up a bubble bath, then the toilet, then read a book. She takes the bath, reads the book on the can, then stands in the bathroom reading instead of going to any of the comfortable places to sit.
The next morning I queue up the toilet, then calling a friend. She calls WHILE using the bathroom.
While eating, I notice the option to flush the toilet is available. I thought that was strange, because I thought my Sim always did. So I queue it up for after she is done eating. She gets up, flushes her dinner, then goes and watches TV. Since she didn't actually eat anything, I have to make her a second dinner.
My Sim is reading when she gets hungry. She puts her book down (in the randomest places) and goes to eat. She needs to read for work, though, so I queue reading for when she is done eating. So she puts her food down (on the floor, naturally), and goes back to the book. No, you need to eat first. Puts the book behind the TV and eats standing in the kitchen.
My Sim NEVER stops texting. While eating, while writing, while watching TV, while talking face to face with another Sim. I wish we could take those phones away, it slows down what they are supposed to be doing.
I am constantly fighting with my Sim to just sit there and do as commanded, but the multi tasking feature makes them do whatever they want.
I also have several collection and emotion related problems that make this game such a mess for me to play.
I'll agree that the multitasking system is a little wonky and unpredictable, but that's the fun about it. Sometimes I'm surprised at what Sims can or can't do while also doing something else. I've found that you learn what can and what can't be done as you play. Directing a sim to sit down somewhere specific to read a book while having a drink is a little wonky too, but eventually you find out what's the right order of actions to make them do it right.
It's a good but unpredictable system. But still good to me.
One of the old emotion related bugs popped up again after a few hours of playing. If you complete one of the wish bubbles (what are they called?), a new one does not replace it until my Sim either sleeps, or gets a different emotional state. Once the emotion changes, the which bubbles come back. It's really annoying.
Other emotion problems I used to get, but have not seen this time yet:
Being in an emotional state (like angry) when the Sim has no moodlets relating to that state at all
Being in a 'Fine' state when the Sim has happy or energized or focused moodlets
Emotions flipping so quickly I can't actually accomplish any of the emotion related wishes, even though all environmental items are turned off
I think there were others, but those are the ones I can remember right now (distracted watching Doctor Who).
Visit me in the gallery! CC-free builds under origin name Piperbird!
One of the old emotion related bugs popped up again after a few hours of playing. If you complete one of the wish bubbles (what are they called?), a new one does not replace it until my Sim either sleeps, or gets a different emotional state. Once the emotion changes, the which bubbles come back. It's really annoying.
Other emotion problems I used to get, but have not seen this time yet:
Being in an emotional state (like angry) when the Sim has no moodlets relating to that state at all
Being in a 'Fine' state when the Sim has happy or energized or focused moodlets
Emotions flipping so quickly I can't actually accomplish any of the emotion related wishes, even though all environmental items are turned off
I think there were others, but those are the ones I can remember right now (distracted watching Doctor Who).
Have you tried repairing your game? You seem to have so many bugs. I've been playing this game every day and I don't notice this happening this that often. I do get the "fine" bug or sometimes the emotional whim is under energized/inspired, etc, even when overall my sim is in another emotion state. Usually this happens when you fast forward through the game too much. But this kinda bugs don't really bother me so much cuz they're not game breaking.
I think there are many more bugs that are waaaaay worse like the permanent refreshed moodlet after a camping vacation. I still couldn't even find a solution to it. It's the worst. Your sim will have the happy moodlet forever until they die and I'm not even exaggerating. Even saving the sim after he's already bugged to My Library and putting him back in a new game doesn't help either. The only option is to go back to previous save.
The other annoying bug is how generic lots get bugged sometimes and it won't let you change it to another lot type. And it will stay locked like that, again forever. The only thing you can do is to go back to a previous save before you messed up. LOL.
I find it very difficult to get negative emotions in TS4, and I had to read a guide on how to get the 'dazed' emotion! It's sort of a shame since now I find it incredibly hard to get death by Anger or Embarassment. Thankfully death by Hysteria is marginally easier, but for the sake of storytelling and ghost abilities this isn't always a great thing. I can manage to get the emotional deaths by cheating, but it's not always fun and honestly? I'd love for one of my Sims to accidentally die of Anger. I mean, as long as they weren't a Heir or something. That wouldn't be fun.
Also, just another tip on completing emotional whims. (I usually don't bother with them cuz my sim has too many points anyway LOL.)
Let's say your sim is inspired and wants to go to paint. But that might take some time before the whim disappears. What you can do is give a "boost" to your sim's emotion. Make them happy. Usually getting "happy" moodlets can give a boost to positive emotions. You can make them eat a delicious dish, you can make sure all their needs are in the greens (this will give them a +1/2 moodlet, I can't remember the exact point).
The more boosts you have, you will realize that you get more points to the inspired moodlet, which can also cause your sims to be 'very inspired'.
Some pics to show:
Now, I got one inspired moodlet here which is only +1. That means, you need a lot more inspired things to do or happy moodlets to boost the inspired one. Ignore the 6 hours thing. It only shows you how long the moodlet will last but it doesn't mean it won't be overridden.
This is a moodlet boost. Pretty explanatory. It's a happy moodlet that boosts the inspiration one and it's +2. So now in total you have +3.
Again another happy moodlet from a good meal. Of course, this might be harder to achieve especially if you don't have the best kitchen appliances and the best cooking skill level. Now, I have +4, which is pretty good and won't be overridden by negative emotions. You might want to keep it that way or also find more happy moodlets to boost the inspired one. A nice decorated environment will give another +1.
That being said, since I have a lot of happy moodlets that acts as boosts, I must be very careful not to get my sim to do something else that might give them another emotion.
For example, over here, I made him watch comedy on purpose (+1) and tell the funniest joke (+2) = +3 which overrides the +1 inspired moodlet, I had before. All the happy moodlets will change to boost the playful one. You can now see the light blue strip at the back now since the inspired one got overridden.
Therefore, you have to be very smart about it and not use the boosts too much unless you're very very sure you're not going to get other positive emotion moodlets that could easily change your sim's overall mood.
Overall, I like to use the boosts to make my sim maintain that certain emotion without suddenly going back to "fine" or be overridden by negative emotions such as angry or embarrassed.
I'd rather you get a couple of other inspired moodlets in this situation that maybe add up to +3/4 without counting the happy moodlet boosts, then I think you should be quite fine.
Here are some simple things your sims can do to get more of the particular positive emotions:
An inspired whim, you could either cook a gourmet meal (that sometimes gives an inspired moodlet but not 100% guaranteed) or cloudgaze (comes with Outdoor Retreat tho), or maybe drink Healthy Green/Calming Chamomile tea, take a thoughtful shower or play with a mold of clay.
A focused whim, you can drink Pitch Black tea, play chess, or use the microscope or telescope.
An energized whim, you can drink Run Oolong tea, take a brisk shower, make a protein shake or a special meal (I forgot the name LOL, but you will have that option on the fridge when your sim is energized), research for workout techniques, take medicine (if you have GTW).
A confident whim, you can brush your teeth or drink Earl Grey, Hot tea, or psych self up in the mirror.
A flirty whim, you can watch the romance channel on TV, eat heart shaped cookies after making them (it's a special recipe for when your sim is flirty), take a steamy shower and then a cold shower (what?)
A playful whim, you can take a bubble bath, watch comedy, write jokes on the computer, tell loads of jokes!
Alternatively, if you have a hot tub, the aromatherapy have different types that could give your sims certain moodlets.
Oh that sounds like a great system. I think Zerbu's mod Affinity (?) is supposed to do something similar. Yeah, that would be ideal, I think, for a memory system. I never really got into the memory stuff in TS2 so I didn't realize that's how it worked.
Sort of, not quite as detailed. But I do love his mod. Oh you should try that game if you have time. The AI in it is my favorite. So much detail with the Sims themselves and the emotions. The Sims truly felt unique from each other. The aspiration system is pretty cool too. Their was a real fail system with it that the Sims actually went crazy with different reactions depending on which aspiration they had. It was cool. The fail dates were funny too. Sims would drop a bag of poo by the door.
Oh, I played Sims 2. It was my first Sims game. But I spent a lot of time just learning to play, building and enjoying my sims. It was quite awhile ago, though. I, sadly, can't handle the graphics anymore--they're way too dated looking to me.
Origin ID: ebuchala I'm not a psychopath. I'm a high-functioning psychopath. Reaper
Oh that sounds like a great system. I think Zerbu's mod Affinity (?) is supposed to do something similar. Yeah, that would be ideal, I think, for a memory system. I never really got into the memory stuff in TS2 so I didn't realize that's how it worked.
Sort of, not quite as detailed. But I do love his mod. Oh you should try that game if you have time. The AI in it is my favorite. So much detail with the Sims themselves and the emotions. The Sims truly felt unique from each other. The aspiration system is pretty cool too. Their was a real fail system with it that the Sims actually went crazy with different reactions depending on which aspiration they had. It was cool. The fail dates were funny too. Sims would drop a bag of poo by the door.
Oh, I played Sims 2. It was my first Sims game. But I spent a lot of time just learning to play, building and enjoying my sims. It was quite awhile ago, though. I, sadly, can't handle the graphics anymore--they're way too dated looking to me.
I must have so much CC in sims 2 that it truly doesn't look outdated to me. The gameplay, on the other hand, feels very outdated.
There are a lot of things in that game that I feel they did right (animations, memories, etc), but that's about it. Others, I feel were evolved upon. S2 was also not without its flaws. To be honest, I play S4 these days, but that's because I just can't play S2 without all the EPs and SPs, and they're not available to the Mac. I need my apartment Life and Freetime to be able to fully enjoy it, and Bon Voyage was the last EP available to the Mac.
There are things I like about S4. I just feel it could have been so much better than it is. These days the original The Sims and The Sims 4 are the only sims games I play. I play the original on my Surface and S4 on the Mac. And to this day, the original is the only one I can play without CC or mods.
Dissatisfied with Sims 4 and hoping for a better Sims 5
To me it seems like The Excuse for The Sims 4 is "storytelling" to take pics with props and cheap FX to "Portray" a story to share with social media. What about the players who just PLAY, I need functional, meaningful, useful things to have in my sims everyday life. I take pics if something catches my eye, but I play the Sims to Play the Sims! If they're so smart they'd remember the things they did, it'd show in the game. They'd acknowledge their surroundings, families, and events. I don't want to create a background and pose my sims to tell stories. I want to play! That does not seem to be the base of this GAME. It's all a facade, what do they have days and time for when you can't spend it doing real stuff. It's not all about taking a pretty picture, make it actually happen, and they should be smart enough to respond.
That's what I've been wondering... Where's the Game? I miss just Playing the Sims.
Oh, I played Sims 2. It was my first Sims game. But I spent a lot of time just learning to play, building and enjoying my sims. It was quite awhile ago, though. I, sadly, can't handle the graphics anymore--they're way too dated looking to me.
Have you tried repairing your game? You seem to have so many bugs. I've been playing this game every day and I don't notice this happening this that often. I do get the "fine" bug or sometimes the emotional whim is under energized/inspired, etc, even when overall my sim is in another emotion state. Usually this happens when you fast forward through the game too much. But this kinda bugs don't really bother me so much cuz they're not game breaking.
I think there are many more bugs that are waaaaay worse like the permanent refreshed moodlet after a camping vacation. I still couldn't even find a solution to it. It's the worst. Your sim will have the happy moodlet forever until they die and I'm not even exaggerating. Even saving the sim after he's already bugged to My Library and putting him back in a new game doesn't help either. The only option is to go back to previous save.
The other annoying bug is how generic lots get bugged sometimes and it won't let you change it to another lot type. And it will stay locked like that, again forever. The only thing you can do is to go back to a previous save before you messed up. LOL.
I have repaired the game, and even completely uninstalled and reinstalled it months ago. I use no CC or mods, so the issues with the game are in the game itself. Most of the bugs - like the collection spawners never coming back - I've had since the day the game came out. The majority of the emotional bugs popped up after I reinstalled the game.
Visit me in the gallery! CC-free builds under origin name Piperbird!
Comments
I actually don't have that many problems. I get a bug or two every once in awhile but they usually don't last or cause major issues with my game. Heck, I was playing XCOM yesterday night, spent 2 hours doing some missions and then everything froze and I lost it all. Had to start over again.
Note: Yes, I should've been saving more--I wasn't paying attention.
I'm not a psychopath. I'm a high-functioning psychopath. Reaper
I think stories are at the heart of every person's life - our internal narrative. The game is about virtual people and it seems to me whatever playstyle you have, ultimately that is about telling a story whether that be from emergent stories where the autonomy does it thing, or that story is carefully constructed, perhaps for sharing in screenshot, blogs and whatnot - sometimes both or a hybrid. A story is being told.
Even if you use the game mostly for building, I suspect that sims will at least have a look around inside when it is done. As soon as that happens then a story has been made, even if very short.
The OP was largely complaining about the game's issues getting in the way of them enjoying it's story potential and seemed to me was looking for answers on what approach that they can take to minimise frustration. A valid desire, IMO.
I explained in an earlier post in this thread that the game is chock full of issues, but I would also like to defend the game in that what the devs have attempted with these sims has never been done anywhere else, barring the earlier sims games, but they have tried something different here to those.
It is a challenging game even without the bugs, but for me, when it does come together, it is pure magic.
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'm not a psychopath. I'm a high-functioning psychopath. Reaper
I've had a house in Willow Creek since day one and don't remember this happening. But now my sims don't live in WC anymore. Let me just into my game and try again.
Okay, did some testing. Here's a box house (LOL) that replaced the WC library.
So my sim is in his house and I told him to talk to this lady who's far away (right at the end of the stretch).
You can see him running to her.
And running to the other lady who's just behind his house.
And walking to another lady outside of his house.
It's also the same for sims that he already knows as well.
https://youtube.com/c/PetrisaltPetrisalt
I definitely don't want Disneyland in my game so I'm always checking out mods that will help with that. The need for negative emotions is great. Definitely something they should be looking at. And I'm a bit disappointed that they missed the perfect opportunity to add a scared emotion during Halloween. I suppose they could add one in the spring/early summer for weddings.
But, I like how they've been working on that aspect because I think it has some wonderful potential to really make this game shine. Might take a bit to get there, but I'm hoping it's worth it in the end.
I'm not a psychopath. I'm a high-functioning psychopath. Reaper
Yeah it probably will take more work and time to fine tune the AI more. A linear memory system would work so well with this game too. Shame they missed that opportunity again for another Sims game.
Same here. It's all in my head. Always has been with the sims.
I tend to be mildly deviant--I prefer drama and action so my stories can be somewhat out there. I can't stand how happy the décor makes sims. My gloomy, creative sim shouldn't be happy just because he walks into a well-decorated room, especially after having a fight with someone. But, I'm holding out hope that this is one of those things they'll have the time and resources to develop. A cheerful sim should bounce back from negative stuff easier than a gloomy one and I'd really like to see them implement this with the new emotions system they're developing.
What's a linear memory system? I kind of like the original way they set memories up where you could assign emotions to them (I need to be able to set them and change them over the course of the game), and they had them sectioned off into different saves, etc. I'd prefer to be able to sort and organize them myself, sort of like making my own memory book--if they had done that and kept the emotions so we could assign them ourselves, I would probably actually use their memory system. Since they seem to have bungled it completely with the last patch, I won't be using it at all, I guess unless they revise it so it functions.
I'm not a psychopath. I'm a high-functioning psychopath. Reaper
Oh that sounds like a great system. I think Zerbu's mod Affinity (?) is supposed to do something similar. Yeah, that would be ideal, I think, for a memory system. I never really got into the memory stuff in TS2 so I didn't realize that's how it worked.
I'm not a psychopath. I'm a high-functioning psychopath. Reaper
One of the Sims 2's best features. I miss it a lot. I'm still not sure what the Sims 4 team was going for with the changes they made. I'm very curious what part of the old system didn't work and what it conflicted with - imperfect as that system was it seemed a lot better than the new. I like having my sim's photos end up in screenshots, but on the balance I think I'd happily give it up just to get the old memory system back.
I'll agree that the multitasking system is a little wonky and unpredictable, but that's the fun about it. Sometimes I'm surprised at what Sims can or can't do while also doing something else. I've found that you learn what can and what can't be done as you play. Directing a sim to sit down somewhere specific to read a book while having a drink is a little wonky too, but eventually you find out what's the right order of actions to make them do it right.
It's a good but unpredictable system. But still good to me.
Other emotion problems I used to get, but have not seen this time yet:
Being in an emotional state (like angry) when the Sim has no moodlets relating to that state at all
Being in a 'Fine' state when the Sim has happy or energized or focused moodlets
Emotions flipping so quickly I can't actually accomplish any of the emotion related wishes, even though all environmental items are turned off
I think there were others, but those are the ones I can remember right now (distracted watching Doctor Who).
Have you tried repairing your game? You seem to have so many bugs. I've been playing this game every day and I don't notice this happening this that often. I do get the "fine" bug or sometimes the emotional whim is under energized/inspired, etc, even when overall my sim is in another emotion state. Usually this happens when you fast forward through the game too much. But this kinda bugs don't really bother me so much cuz they're not game breaking.
I think there are many more bugs that are waaaaay worse like the permanent refreshed moodlet after a camping vacation. I still couldn't even find a solution to it. It's the worst.
The other annoying bug is how generic lots get bugged sometimes and it won't let you change it to another lot type. And it will stay locked like that, again forever. The only thing you can do is to go back to a previous save before you messed up. LOL.
It's sort of a shame since now I find it incredibly hard to get death by Anger or Embarassment. Thankfully death by Hysteria is marginally easier, but for the sake of storytelling and ghost abilities this isn't always a great thing.
I can manage to get the emotional deaths by cheating, but it's not always fun and honestly? I'd love for one of my Sims to accidentally die of Anger. I mean, as long as they weren't a Heir or something. That wouldn't be fun.
Let's say your sim is inspired and wants to go to paint. But that might take some time before the whim disappears. What you can do is give a "boost" to your sim's emotion. Make them happy. Usually getting "happy" moodlets can give a boost to positive emotions. You can make them eat a delicious dish, you can make sure all their needs are in the greens (this will give them a +1/2 moodlet, I can't remember the exact point).
The more boosts you have, you will realize that you get more points to the inspired moodlet, which can also cause your sims to be 'very inspired'.
Some pics to show:
Now, I got one inspired moodlet here which is only +1. That means, you need a lot more inspired things to do or happy moodlets to boost the inspired one. Ignore the 6 hours thing. It only shows you how long the moodlet will last but it doesn't mean it won't be overridden.
This is a moodlet boost. Pretty explanatory. It's a happy moodlet that boosts the inspiration one and it's +2. So now in total you have +3.
Again another happy moodlet from a good meal. Of course, this might be harder to achieve especially if you don't have the best kitchen appliances and the best cooking skill level.
That being said, since I have a lot of happy moodlets that acts as boosts, I must be very careful not to get my sim to do something else that might give them another emotion.
For example, over here, I made him watch comedy on purpose (+1) and tell the funniest joke (+2) = +3 which overrides the +1 inspired moodlet, I had before. All the happy moodlets will change to boost the playful one. You can now see the light blue strip at the back now since the inspired one got overridden.
Therefore, you have to be very smart about it and not use the boosts too much unless you're very very sure you're not going to get other positive emotion moodlets that could easily change your sim's overall mood.
Overall, I like to use the boosts to make my sim maintain that certain emotion without suddenly going back to "fine" or be overridden by negative emotions such as angry or embarrassed.
I'd rather you get a couple of other inspired moodlets in this situation that maybe add up to +3/4 without counting the happy moodlet boosts, then I think you should be quite fine.
Here are some simple things your sims can do to get more of the particular positive emotions:
An inspired whim, you could either cook a gourmet meal (that sometimes gives an inspired moodlet but not 100% guaranteed) or cloudgaze (comes with Outdoor Retreat tho), or maybe drink Healthy Green/Calming Chamomile tea, take a thoughtful shower or play with a mold of clay.
A focused whim, you can drink Pitch Black tea, play chess, or use the microscope or telescope.
An energized whim, you can drink Run Oolong tea, take a brisk shower, make a protein shake or a special meal (I forgot the name LOL, but you will have that option on the fridge when your sim is energized), research for workout techniques, take medicine (if you have GTW).
A confident whim, you can brush your teeth or drink Earl Grey, Hot tea, or psych self up in the mirror.
A flirty whim, you can watch the romance channel on TV, eat heart shaped cookies after making them (it's a special recipe for when your sim is flirty), take a steamy shower and then a cold shower (what?)
A playful whim, you can take a bubble bath, watch comedy, write jokes on the computer, tell loads of jokes!
Alternatively, if you have a hot tub, the aromatherapy have different types that could give your sims certain moodlets.
Oh, I played Sims 2. It was my first Sims game. But I spent a lot of time just learning to play, building and enjoying my sims. It was quite awhile ago, though. I, sadly, can't handle the graphics anymore--they're way too dated looking to me.
I'm not a psychopath. I'm a high-functioning psychopath. Reaper
I must have so much CC in sims 2 that it truly doesn't look outdated to me. The gameplay, on the other hand, feels very outdated.
There are a lot of things in that game that I feel they did right (animations, memories, etc), but that's about it. Others, I feel were evolved upon. S2 was also not without its flaws. To be honest, I play S4 these days, but that's because I just can't play S2 without all the EPs and SPs, and they're not available to the Mac. I need my apartment Life and Freetime to be able to fully enjoy it, and Bon Voyage was the last EP available to the Mac.
There are things I like about S4. I just feel it could have been so much better than it is. These days the original The Sims and The Sims 4 are the only sims games I play. I play the original on my Surface and S4 on the Mac. And to this day, the original is the only one I can play without CC or mods.
That's what I've been wondering... Where's the Game? I miss just Playing the Sims.
I have repaired the game, and even completely uninstalled and reinstalled it months ago. I use no CC or mods, so the issues with the game are in the game itself. Most of the bugs - like the collection spawners never coming back - I've had since the day the game came out. The majority of the emotional bugs popped up after I reinstalled the game.