I think I am kinda mid level in storytelling. I flip flop between casual gameplay and telling stories on my tumblr all the time.
I don't really think about having a deep plot in general; just in some cases I feel like certain situations should be fleshed out so I do so. lol.
Sometimes I think about writing detailed stories, but I also don't have the patience in the end.
I am calling it Immersion Buffing.
I go into story mode once in a while to add some depth to my game. But I don't get so caught up in it that I am spending more time telling a story than I am playing like I used to with TS3.
I have a thread that I keep for documenting my game play and sharing with others what I am doing.
And most of the time it's in Let's Play mode:
These My Sims collectables have been sitting around in inventories for quite awhile until I realized I had the perfect display for Meadow to show them off.
Meadow has a new responsibility.
Being totally irresponsible.
I forgot that she was supposed to grow up to be a bit irresponsible, for that was how I was playing her young adult self.
Now I have to work off that full responsibility meter.
Zane can help clean up after her since he is supposed to be the responsible one.
Bastet is doing her happy dance.
Because they are celebrating birthdays today.
Which of course means cake.
Hecate has already had her turn, now Ceridwen has a go at the candles.
Bored.
An unfortunate side affect of aging my sims down is they still retain their young adult traits.
These girls are still dance machines and get bored if they don't do enough dancing.
Your turn, Bastet.
Ceridwen passes on the cake and goes for some meat.
This was an adorable phase of their life, but I am glad to be moving on.
Hmm...
Bastet was the cute one as toddlers.
But I think the crown of cuteness may have been passed on to Hecate.
Now Meadow has three more playmates.
And once in a while I will switch to Story mode.
She notices something about Bastet.
[Gasp!]
"Bastet! Stand up! Stand Up!"
"Your Eyes!"
"What about my eyes?"
"They've changed!
You have cat eyes now."
"I bet Ceridwen and Hecate have the same. Why don't you go make a fuss over them."
"But this is so exciting. No one else on the planet has eyes like yours, well, other than cats."
Miss Peregrine is speechless.
She didn't expect such changes this early.
"They’re so shiny, like diamonds. Pretty kitty eyes."
"I'm not your pet, ya know!
I'm a person!"
"I'm sorry, Bastet. I didn't mean anything by it. We're sisters."
"Fine. Just stop making a fuss, ok?"
[Back to Let's Play mode:]
I think these two need to room together.
A change of living quarters is in order.
Someone is after Hecate's crown of cuteness.
No more toddlers.
I think it's time for some new arrivals.
No need to worry about them.
They're as thick as thieves... uh, pirates.
The story telling part is just to draw me deeper into game by giving my sims more character, motivation, and purpose.
For me it varies. In Sims 3 I focused one household and then from that household I started rotating between 4 (there were in the end 4 others but I let them go into the story progression) including the original one as the family got bigger, children moved out and started their own households, got married had kids, got divorced moved in with dad and dad, met someone new, and you get the picture. In Sims 3 it wasn't easy to do rotational play like in Sims 4 but I made do and I had some very nice storylines intvined within the same family tree.
In Sims 4. I have now 20+ household in my rotation spread over all worlds (something I have to manage to fit in with Seasons but I'll manage) and all with variety of storylines and background (their past) and some households have stories that are even intertwined with one or more households (most within the same world/hood though although there are some households who are intertwined beyond worlds, mostly because of past friendships). As they are so many I can't give each and everyone huge storylines or even detailed backgrounds (aka their past life). Some of my Sims, even my some of favorites just don't get much of their pasts outlined.
I have households that get a big part of my attention (usually get about 1-2 sim week of play time each time) and I have households I like to call supporting households that get a bit less (there I spend 2-3 sim days in each, but can also vary if I need to finish their storyline before moving onto another). I also have households I play very rarely and may not even get a turn in a rotation. Reason for that is that they are very superficial and mostly for just being there. Some of them, like the Pancakes won't become relevant until their kids become a child or even a teen. So ol' Bob and Eliza are just doing their thing raising their kids and going to work.
As for how I keep track, I write them down in a way. Some I write down as more detailed while others are just jottings and even a keyword here and there, especially if it is something that hasn't happened yet but is going to, just to make sure I have something to refresh my memory as I move through my rotation. In one storyline I have a rough flowchart just to keep up but that is the one that does intertwine a lot of households about 7 (or 9 I not sure and I'm too lazy to stand up and check my notes)....and you know, sometimes the stories just happen in my head while browsing on the internet, cooking, cleaning and even at work. But just because they happen there doesn't mean those stories or invalid. I incorporate them into my stories and I sometimes don't need to play them out if they are not big events, like childbirth, weddings, birthdays, etc.
And I soo have a hankering for sharing these storylines as you have probably witnessed in some of posts of mine, with them being overly long with descriptions of my Sims and their lives/stories Someday I will. Eventually, here and yes in the approbriate section of these forum but I am not really ready or even know where to begin. My world has become so big with so many households with intertwining (some of them) lives. I also have to find a good place to store images so I can post them here. I've already checked out my Imgur account and I think I can use it. Maybe I get the courage soon But I am nowhere ready though and I am going end this before I get this any bigger
I think I'm somewhere in the middle, to be honest. I LOVE writing, but my memory is poor so I'd have to record my gameplay to write chapters. I started doing that with my first challenge, but it makes my game so slow and lag sooo bad that it takes forever to do a single thing, so I had to stop :/ When I start a challenge, I create my own backstory for the characters. Sometimes I'll take bits and pieces of the original challenge story and weave it together with my own, other times I'll just create my own story altogether. I love giving them stories, but I usually don't go to extreme lengths to set it up like you see in LPs on youtube.
However, I AM working on a setup for the runaway teen challenge. I started her with her family, and working on the relationships and getting screenshots for the intro post. Mostly, it's just the introduction and then screenshots from the series - sometimes with a small story attached, sometimes just alone lol
My simblr is still relatively new, so I'm still trying to find my "it" factor that makes me happy haha
Sometimes with really relaxed playing I just make my sims and go with the flow of how I feel like things are meant to happen and don't plan anything in advance unless I get a good idea for later and therefore keep that in my head. On other occasions I will in depth plan what the story-line is like as far as what the kids will be like ( on paper) and in my head what they will look like, one parent or the other, their hair .etc. 95% of the time if it's in depth planning its due to me making sure that the sims I play on my tumblr are always interesting.
i can have that to sometimes i like creating stories but i get bored very quick because the game doesn't really add much drama on it's own and when i make i up there is no suprise wich i like to be suprised by the game i also get bored very quickly of townies because they all act the same i hope they will add more personality stuff in later that would definetly help
I've never been a Story teller per say, I'd prefer the game offer events, and situations for things to happen. TS4 seemed like non-functional decor/set dressing. I like events to actually happen in game.
I'll have an idea of where I might want a story to go, but I'm more a retroactive storyteller, if that makes sense. I like to let my people free-will in conversations a lot, and kind of take cues from that. And if a sim seems way more interested in someone other than the one I wanted them to hook up with ... well, I don't force it. Or I do, the proposal goes horribly wrong, and I finally take the dang hint.
I also go with their moods more than I used to ... if a sim is Angry and wants to fight with his brother, I let him, rather than shoo him off somewhere to calm down, etc.
Admittedly I've always been fond of storytelling even long before getting into the Sims. I love the explore the many things possible whether that is in the Sims or actual stories. Usually I like to mix things, make my favourite characters or OCs in the Sims and try to reenact their stories/situations.
I also became very fond of some of the premade Sims, especially Caleb, Lilith and Vladislaus and I'm planning on making a story (hopefully with a video, maybe more) in which Lilith and Vlad fall in love and all the Vampires fight either against or with Vlad. Miss Hell, thinks Vlad's reign should end and that the vampires should be in their hands thus she stands up against her 'friend' and tries to kill him. Every vampire has to pick a side and they have to protect what they love, work together and try to stay alive in said process.
"When the Ashes are two, a flame alighteth.
Thou'rt Ash, and fire befits thee, of course..."
My stories have medium detail. Certain things I plan out WAY in advance (like a baby is just born and I decide who they'll marry XD) ans other stuff I just go with the flow!
I dont get that deep into story telling, mostly cause I find that the amount you can write in the family desc is to short, I would like to though as I love to write, I just need to figure out where the pictures go when I take them. Usually though I get 1Sim from the Gallery that is based on a fandom I lie, then make them a wfie/husband, kid and dog, like I have family with Saix from Kingdom Hearts based sim has a wife and a toddler and aChowChow (that looks like a panda)
I care a lot about storytelling but I find myself getting lazy about it after awhile. I always come up with a pretty detailed background for each of my characters and try to play out scenarios based around those. Typically I also have an "end goal" in mind, meaning I preplan what I want to happen to this sim and what I plan to do with any family they have. Im really bad at sticking with one story though. Usually after a week or so of playing one, I stray and start playing a new one. I've only had one family I've created an elaborate storyline for and stuck with. I'm now 5 generations in and still going!
I don't really get into storytelling. I have a couple who married, they have kids, careers, aspirations, own businesses, go on vacation, etc. I only take a pic if something happens that I want to share on the forum. With 2 and 3 I followed more of a story mode, with detailed pics but now I just load my game and play. I usually have a general sense of what I want to accomplish when I load my game.
Suuuper detailed. TOO detailed. So detailed that none of my sims stories ever get posted anywhere because I get bogged down with trying to create really specific scenes exactly the way I picture them. I was trying to learn to make cc and poses recently just so that I could make the scene I wanted, and cc and pose-making is really not my thing.
This is exactly me. It's all about the story. I do it like a soap opera. It began with my first family and went from there years ago and I am going into the forth generation. I'm super slow and detailed.
Quite a few of my sims are modeled after characters I use for other things, so they'd have stories before becoming sims. The ones that don't...I tend to see if the stories evolve naturally, but usually they won't, so I don't go too far into storytelling for those ones.
I'd say I'm in the middle when it comes to story telling. I usually randomize their traits based on the parents traits using Pinstar's trait generator and then I come up with the hobbies, career (down to what level they will be) and everything like that. I also decide what character values they will have if they aren't my starter Sims. I usually marry Sims based on looks (not necessarily best looking but most unique looking and hair-eye colour) as I find it interesting to watch how genetics play out. It is fun when they marry a Sim with a completely different personality as it gives you two different types of Sims to play. Most of the stories are juts in my head and I keep a little notepad to keep the key things (hobbies, career level, etc.) in case I take a long break from the game.
Oh, I'm a huge storyteller with my Sims. My Sims always have a backstory which I note down and try to keep within that story in the game. I'm heavily into writing and even have a couple of blogs I put my stories on. In the case of my writing, I have very detailed schemes and ideas, so my written stories are very much plot driven. I use Mods and poses in most of my chapters and try to get just the perfect shot. Staging the scene, especially a wedding, is the most time consuming, so I can see why others wouldn't have the patience for it. Me, I love writing so much and playing the game, so it's a perfect outlet. I'm very attached to my Sims and have backups of my backups.
I'm a TS3'er through and through and am not very familiar with posing in Sims 4. Maybe one of these days I'll learn, but for now, I'm happy illustrating my stories with Sims 3.
I guess it's a mix. Sometimes I just need some sims to fill roles or to live next door, then I won't play them a lot or I can make uop their story later. But mostly I get way too detailed. In CAS I create one former generation in order to build their background. Might even create a siblings family that will get trashed shortly after some family photos are taken, lol.
In character making I have additional DNA, so I'll know whether they need glasses, have freckles, beautyspots, have sparse or heavy hair growth, are intellectual and successful. I even know how well their femininity/masculinity balances. Pluss of course color/pattern/style references
So, when I create their kids, I will first check their extra DNA. Often that will also limit the traits, like if they score very low on intellect, it would feel wrong giving them the Genius trait. If a female is very masculine, she will probably wear pants. I also know their social class, which will help deciding their looks.
So yeah, it's detailed and it's fun. When they are moving in, I already know them pretty well
I used to be very into it, including writing stories. But now I just don't have the time. Plus adult life gets in the way. I just try and enjoy the game for what it is, for the time I am able to binge on it.
Comments
I don't really think about having a deep plot in general; just in some cases I feel like certain situations should be fleshed out so I do so. lol.
Sometimes I think about writing detailed stories, but I also don't have the patience in the end.
Origin: SeraphicPink
I go into story mode once in a while to add some depth to my game. But I don't get so caught up in it that I am spending more time telling a story than I am playing like I used to with TS3.
I have a thread that I keep for documenting my game play and sharing with others what I am doing.
And most of the time it's in Let's Play mode:
These My Sims collectables have been sitting around in inventories for quite awhile until I realized I had the perfect display for Meadow to show them off.
Meadow has a new responsibility.
Being totally irresponsible.
I forgot that she was supposed to grow up to be a bit irresponsible, for that was how I was playing her young adult self.
Now I have to work off that full responsibility meter.
Zane can help clean up after her since he is supposed to be the responsible one.
Bastet is doing her happy dance.
Because they are celebrating birthdays today.
Which of course means cake.
Hecate has already had her turn, now Ceridwen has a go at the candles.
Bored.
An unfortunate side affect of aging my sims down is they still retain their young adult traits.
These girls are still dance machines and get bored if they don't do enough dancing.
Your turn, Bastet.
Ceridwen passes on the cake and goes for some meat.
This was an adorable phase of their life, but I am glad to be moving on.
Hmm...
Bastet was the cute one as toddlers.
But I think the crown of cuteness may have been passed on to Hecate.
Now Meadow has three more playmates.
And once in a while I will switch to Story mode.
[Gasp!]
"Bastet! Stand up! Stand Up!"
"Your Eyes!"
"What about my eyes?"
"They've changed!
You have cat eyes now."
"I bet Ceridwen and Hecate have the same. Why don't you go make a fuss over them."
"But this is so exciting. No one else on the planet has eyes like yours, well, other than cats."
Miss Peregrine is speechless.
She didn't expect such changes this early.
"They’re so shiny, like diamonds. Pretty kitty eyes."
"I'm not your pet, ya know!
I'm a person!"
"I'm sorry, Bastet. I didn't mean anything by it. We're sisters."
"Fine. Just stop making a fuss, ok?"
[Back to Let's Play mode:]
I think these two need to room together.
A change of living quarters is in order.
Someone is after Hecate's crown of cuteness.
No more toddlers.
I think it's time for some new arrivals.
No need to worry about them.
They're as thick as thieves... uh, pirates.
The story telling part is just to draw me deeper into game by giving my sims more character, motivation, and purpose.
In Sims 4. I have now 20+ household in my rotation spread over all worlds (something I have to manage to fit in with Seasons but I'll manage) and all with variety of storylines and background (their past) and some households have stories that are even intertwined with one or more households (most within the same world/hood though although there are some households who are intertwined beyond worlds, mostly because of past friendships). As they are so many I can't give each and everyone huge storylines or even detailed backgrounds (aka their past life). Some of my Sims, even my some of favorites just don't get much of their pasts outlined.
I have households that get a big part of my attention (usually get about 1-2 sim week of play time each time) and I have households I like to call supporting households that get a bit less (there I spend 2-3 sim days in each, but can also vary if I need to finish their storyline before moving onto another). I also have households I play very rarely and may not even get a turn in a rotation. Reason for that is that they are very superficial and mostly for just being there. Some of them, like the Pancakes won't become relevant until their kids become a child or even a teen. So ol' Bob and Eliza are just doing their thing raising their kids and going to work.
As for how I keep track, I write them down in a way. Some I write down as more detailed while others are just jottings and even a keyword here and there, especially if it is something that hasn't happened yet but is going to, just to make sure I have something to refresh my memory as I move through my rotation. In one storyline I have a rough flowchart just to keep up but that is the one that does intertwine a lot of households about 7 (or 9 I not sure and I'm too lazy to stand up and check my notes)....and you know, sometimes the stories just happen in my head while browsing on the internet, cooking, cleaning and even at work. But just because they happen there doesn't mean those stories or invalid. I incorporate them into my stories and I sometimes don't need to play them out if they are not big events, like childbirth, weddings, birthdays, etc.
And I soo have a hankering for sharing these storylines as you have probably witnessed in some of posts of mine, with them being overly long with descriptions of my Sims and their lives/stories
However, I AM working on a setup for the runaway teen challenge. I started her with her family, and working on the relationships and getting screenshots for the intro post. Mostly, it's just the introduction and then screenshots from the series - sometimes with a small story attached, sometimes just alone lol
My simblr is still relatively new, so I'm still trying to find my "it" factor that makes me happy haha
I also go with their moods more than I used to ... if a sim is Angry and wants to fight with his brother, I let him, rather than shoo him off somewhere to calm down, etc.
I also became very fond of some of the premade Sims, especially Caleb, Lilith and Vladislaus and I'm planning on making a story (hopefully with a video, maybe more) in which Lilith and Vlad fall in love and all the Vampires fight either against or with Vlad. Miss Hell, thinks Vlad's reign should end and that the vampires should be in their hands thus she stands up against her 'friend' and tries to kill him. Every vampire has to pick a side and they have to protect what they love, work together and try to stay alive in said process.
Thou'rt Ash, and fire befits thee, of course..."
This is exactly me. It's all about the story. I do it like a soap opera. It began with my first family and went from there years ago and I am going into the forth generation. I'm super slow and detailed.
I'm a TS3'er through and through and am not very familiar with posing in Sims 4. Maybe one of these days I'll learn, but for now, I'm happy illustrating my stories with Sims 3.
In character making I have additional DNA, so I'll know whether they need glasses, have freckles, beautyspots, have sparse or heavy hair growth, are intellectual and successful. I even know how well their femininity/masculinity balances. Pluss of course color/pattern/style references
So, when I create their kids, I will first check their extra DNA. Often that will also limit the traits, like if they score very low on intellect, it would feel wrong giving them the Genius trait. If a female is very masculine, she will probably wear pants. I also know their social class, which will help deciding their looks.
So yeah, it's detailed and it's fun. When they are moving in, I already know them pretty well
Four Seasons Properties