How do you simulate the idea of a cruise? Also what kind of prices are flights and hotel stays?
Pretty much like... this. (sorry, I needed more then words here )
So it's a ship, usually placed somewhere in Sulani since it's the only world we have with oceans. I downloaded this one from the gallery and added the Quake Zone trait for wave imitation.
(More under the spoiler cut)
My sims can book a cruise via the internet one week early, to figure out the price I googled various cruise's and chose whatever fit best. This one was based on a very expensive cruise but my sims could afford it at the time
The ship itself a restaurant area,
An arcade area,
An outside pool area,
A nice little lounge space on the top and also bedrooms and a spa area of which I didn't take screenshots.
Whenever they get to their destination (in my game it was Oasis Springs) they just hop off board, go explore the world and then come back few days later to return home.
Prices for hotels are figured through googling how much would they cost in that particular area (so when looking for a hotel in Del Sol Valley I googled Los Angeles hotel prices) since I don't use that feature too often. For flight prices, I have this whole system where one km (I use them instead of miles) equals 0,3 simoleons for standard and 0,4 for business class. For example, Sulani and Oasis Springs are 4320 kilometers apart so the standard ticket price per person will cost 1300 simoleons and for business class 1700 (all numbers are rounded). But to get from San Myshuno to Newcrest, which are only 950 km apart, it will cost 280 simoleons per person and 380 for business class.
I generally try to have couples who plan to marry meet each others' families before marrying unless it is very rushed or they are eloping.
I only use the wellness treats with pets. Some pet owners use automatic feeders and tools but others have the time to cook meals for their pets or to do more laborious chores.
The appliances in the kitchen vary depending on the world and household. For example, now I'm playing the Elderberry house in Britechester. They always have tea and coffee available. More Americanized households have popcorn makers and ice cream.
Some households are a lot more extraverted than others, that impacts whether they stay in a lot or go out or travel. Sims have personalities and their choices tend to follow those preferences. Their travel between the worlds is influenced by that. There's not a lot of travel between the desert and non-desert worlds unless visiting relatives. Everyone can visit Newcrest because it is a centralized community space. City sims rarely leave the city unless going on vacation. Whether sims have a home birth or go to the hospital depends on where they are, their personalities and the number of children they have.
Sulani is slowly being discovered and developed, currently you need a "visa" to move there and it is largely undiscovered by outsiders. It will get gradually more developed but it is starting as a less developed island population. The residents never travel back to the mainland yet. Only very wealthy sims have vacationed there and they had to stay overnight, basically camping.
Most households do laundry, there are limited households that do not, such as university students in dorms. Most apartments have laundry if it will fit in the space.
I play with sims from different socio-economic backgrounds. However much money they have varies, they are not all the same. Who marries who can be complicated because there is sometimes parental pressure. Children sometimes follow their parents into the same careers. The parents also "choose" their babies' names, meaning that the name is something that I think the parents would choose based on their backgrounds and personalities. One generation influences the next. There are sims who go off to be independent but that occurs as their personalities develop gradually.
Some households are religious and some aren't. I actually have 3 churches now. There are several other religions in the game. Sims vary in terms of how observant they are. The religious institutions aren't just for weddings. Some sims are in religious clubs that gather to be observant.
There are several criminal or villainous sims. They tend to keep being devious unless they reform. Sims do sometimes mellow out as they get older.
Realistic dating life
In my game I strive to make finding love and having relationships feel realistic. It takes a long time for a deep romantic relationship to form. I never force sims to meet, and sims usually has multiple love interests over the course of their life. Because of this - there is a lot of dating. In fear of my dating gameplay becoming repetitive I have thought up different ways to do dates (instead of just going to a restaurant again and again and again).
I usually do the "invite for a date" to get relevant goals as well, either if it's just on the home lot or not, but it’s not necessary.
Dating for teens
In my game, serious romantic relationship between teens typically begin to form after they have established a friendship OR after getting an instant connection during a juiced night at the teen club. Juiced teens are hormonal animals, so it only seems fitting . They have dates in realistic scenarios where they have a chance to build romance. Because they are of limited funds and freedom, and usually know each other from school or friend group it feels realistic for them to meet up at home for first dates.
Movies and chill: I make sure they have a TV area for themselves, dim the lights, pop some popcorn, make them swipe a couple glasses of wine unnoticed and see how they get on.
When a teen gets a school project I always invite over a friend to pretend it’s a group project. It's a great way to build relationships - and a really realistic date scenario as well.
They can also invite their love interest over to do homework, go to a private area and hope a parent doesn’t barge in while they do their awkward flirting.
Group dates: Going bowling, karaoke-night, pool hangouts and skating in summertime etc. Doing teen activities as a group, but using it as a opportunity for you sim to get closer to the sim they fancy.
Dating for young adults
Young adult sims are more free-moving and meet potential love interests everywhere - from work, going out, ++. So they use dates initially as a way to get to know each other (both friendly and romantic) and see if they click. I like do make them do a shared activity. Later, if they are compatible and eventually get together, they meet at home more often, visits friends together, go on vacation (spring break with friends for teens) and so on.
Meeting up at a café for a cup of coffee and conversation (I have a mod which enables me to make group order at food stalls also. With Seasons food stalls are everywhere, and it’s great scenery for casual first dates!)
Going to the museum together: This is great for creative (or snobby) sims. With a goaled date the goals becomes things like "look at painting together", I find it organic for them to look around while making some conversation before eventually sitting down and get to know eachother.
Going to a yoga class together: Especially if one of them has the wellness skill. It’s cool to see them doing the yoga classes together, and afterwards they order sparkling water or something healthy at the spa bar for - again - conversation.
Going to the gym together: One thing I want is the ability to go jogging together, and having them route the same path instead of going different directions. For now, if a sim is either active or has high fitness skill, they can invite to go to the gym together. If the sim they are inviting is not enjoying themselves it’s a good indicator that they are not the right fit for one another.
Going ice skating in the winter: This is something my sims are generally not good at, and it's great to see sims step out of their comfort zone both physically and emotionally. Also, if one of them on an off chance is really good at this, they can [pretend to] teach the other!
Making dinner at home. Your chef sims can impress their date with a great meal. And when Eco Lifestyle comes out, you can invite your date over for a fresh batch of home-grown, ultra-organic, fresh, farm-to-table fizzy juice!!!
What I hope you take away from this
To implement new date ideas yourself a good rule of thumb is to look at the skills and traits your sim (or the other sim) has and think - what is something they can do together based on this? For example, if one of them has a high fishing skill and loves the outdoors, they can invite for a fishing date. Building from this mindset you can also think of dates where both sims are out of their comfort zone and doing something new, or dates where they bond over a shared interest. By doing a shared activity, you can see if they are a good match by looking at reactions, body language and relationship acceleration.
Had to include this date, I really like the picture. Here my sim Elias, who after uni still couldn't make more than a garden salad, invited his love interest over. Even though she did not get to eat anything fancy, they still had a great time. It was a good match!
I got so into it yesterday with my previous post, but definitely do NOT feel like you have to write a novel to post in this thread - all lengths are appreciated and encouraged, be it a sentence or an essay!
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Wanted to also share something I do for sleepovers This made me add a realistic aspect to housebuilding as well, by incorporating guest bedrooms.
Firstly, practical things to make it work:
Use MCC to make "invite to spent the night" a friendly interaction.
Lock all bedrooms except from the one you want the guest(s) to sleep in. That makes them way more likely to route to the place you want them to sleep.
I also sometimes get the guests into the room they're supposed to sleep in and lock the door (but please remember to open it again haha)
For children & teens having friends sleep over
I use the mattresses from Outdoor Retreat for them to sleep in. Make it a movie night, game night or whatever else! Super fun.
For adult friends, family, in-laws and such
Either mattresses as well, or implementing a guest bedroom (this depends on the financial situation of the family, and size of the house). Before this I never built guest bedrooms, but it’s so realistic to have! Now grandparents can spend the weekend at the house to visit grandchildren, plus it makes visits from family and friends who live in other worlds more realistic.
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Thanks again to everyone posting and sharing ideas!
@illustratedhappiness I love the date ideas! I'll definitely be incorporating the traits into picking the activity for my sims' dates. So fun and cute.
I downloaded a zodiac trait package and now I'm picking a zodiac for all of my sims. It's a reward trait for zero points and gives them more of a personality, related buffs and whims. Haven't noticed a whole lot so far, but I did just implement it in my game. I also use a 'Passion' which lets you either pick random likes and dislikes or choose them yourself for your sim. Sims actually start acting to what you put in. If you put in they like socializing in a mean way, they'll do it all the time. It's great!
I have noticed that I don't really make use of male pregnancies, which I assume is due to some need for realism that I have. Also, my Sim homes tend to look pretty down to Earth. I prefer that my Sims eat a varied diet, but far from always what has the fewest calories. In real life nothing tends to be perfect for a prolonged period of time. Also, there is no glamour in my played Sims' life, as that is not a part of my own reality.
Origin ID: Nindigo79
A smile is the prettiest thing you can wear
Time enjoyed is never time wasted
The appliances in the kitchen vary depending on the world and household. For example, now I'm playing the Elderberry house in Britechester. They always have tea and coffee available. More Americanized households have popcorn makers and ice cream.
@ChampandGirlie This is so good. It seems like a great way to implement a mutual culture in a world to make different worlds feel more unique. Could you elaborate on things like that you do in other worlds as well? Thank you for sharing all those ideas
@Duvelina Thank you for mentioning the Love Hate mod - it looks super helpful! This also let me to discover Triplis, and I found 2 other mods on his page which enables things I've been thinking of (Walk Your Way; Lock Skill Gain) as well
@Nindigo Does the Sims list exact calories somewhere? Or do you go by what seems healthy/unhealthy? Oooh, this gave me an idea of having fish at least once a week! I'll start thinking more of my sims having varied diets. The only thing I've implemented in my game per now is that they have more special meals on weekends and basic/everyday meals during the week. Thanks for sharing
In my historical save, I try to have them make meals that makes sense for the time period/season. For example, someone living in the 1800's probably would not know what a fish taco is, and they definitely would not know what a tofu taco is. And during the winter/spring, when there would be less fresh vegetables and fruit available, but in the summer and spring they tend to have salads or other produce-filled foods.
I also try to pick objects that would realistically be in their house. My family can technically afford a bookcase, but they're poor and the lower class would never have been able to afford the bookcase and all of the books to fill it with- not to mention the issue of not knowing how to read!
I made my sims family into a club, as both the children have either moved out or gone to university, so for special occasions such as Christmas, can just organise a club gathering. I made the club actions, eating, be friendly and being funny with each other 😊
Do the Triplis mods still work? I noticed this modder doesn't seem to have been active in some time and the patches that are mentioned are from about a year ago. Which is unfortunate, I'm very intrigued by some of them!
I also try to pick objects that would realistically be in their house. My family can technically afford a bookcase, but they're poor and the lower class would never have been able to afford the bookcase and all of the books to fill it with- not to mention the issue of not knowing how to read!
@Krueger Hahaha, I chuckled at that. I hope you'll find the upgrades to off-the-grid lots in Eco Lifestyle fitting well into your historical save As well as the "Back to the old days" N.A.P!
@xxxannmariexxxx Clubs are such an underrated feature! Doing this, do you find the sims sticking autonomously to the rules of the club a majority of the time?
@juliekaye They're still active from what I can tell. All their active mods were reported as fine as of the April patch See forum post here. Also did not find any issues with the ones I tested earlier today.
@juliekaye They're still active from what I can tell. All their active mods were reported as fine as of the April patch See forum post here. Also did not find any issues with the ones I tested earlier today.
Awesome, thanks for the link to the forum post. Maybe they just don't update their website as much anymore as that shows old patches. I tried to search the forums but I think I did it wrong. Nothing except stuff from 2017 came up...I don't know. Sometimes I don't "internet" very good. lol
@xxxannmariexxxx Clubs are such an underrated feature! Doing this, do you find the sims sticking autonomously to the rules of the club a majority of the time?
Yeah they really are! No they don’t stick to them all the time, but I find that once you tend to get one of them doing something, the others start to join in etc
Yeah they really are! No they don’t stick to them all the time, but I find that once you tend to get one of them doing something, the others start to join in etc
I feel like adding activities to the club makes them do it WAY too much. I added bonfire activities (along other things), they would only do bonfire activities and I added ordering drinks to a different club yesterday and they kept lining up drinks at the bar. I had to delete the activity so they would actually socialize. So you might need to stay on top of the activities when you're hosting a club gathering.
I feel like adding activities to the club makes them do it WAY too much. I added bonfire activities (along other things), they would only do bonfire activities and I added ordering drinks to a different club yesterday and they kept lining up drinks at the bar. I had to delete the activity so they would actually socialize. So you might need to stay on top of the activities when you're hosting a club gathering.
Mine sometimes do nothing but eat if I have that as one of the activities. I finally had to get rid of it because they'd just keep going back for a new plate. And my homework club (just the kids in my household, thought it would be easier to get them to do instead of directing all 4 constantly), despite it being the only activity, seem to refuse to do it at all.
@xxxannmariexxxx , @Duvelina, @juliekaye
Reflecting on your observations maybe it's best to just to the social interaction as club motives. That will make it less likely that they go off on the computer and stuff during gatherings as they'll stick together and prioritise socials. And then if you'd like them to do something else like interacting with a gameplay object you can press "do X together".
I usually just do the regular "add to group"-thing so that I can press an object and make everyone do it at the same time. It's so quick to set up and you can add 7 sims immediately w/o worrying about club points. Can't count how many times I've pressed "Go here together" to get everyone to the same room haha. But the social prioritisation is worth testing out, so I'm gonna create a family club today
Also - with family as clubs, when they get the bored moodlet from not having a club gathering, you can take that as them missing family and wanting to hang out. Cute!
@xxxannmariexxxx , @Duvelina, @juliekaye
Reflecting on your observations maybe it's best to just to the social interaction as club motives. That will make it less likely that they go off on the computer and stuff during gatherings as they'll stick together and prioritise socials. And then if you'd like them to do something else like interacting with a gameplay object you can press "do X together".
I usually just do the regular "add to group"-thing so that I can press an object and make everyone do it at the same time. It's so quick to set up and you can add 7 sims immediately w/o worrying about club points. Can't count how many times I've pressed "Go here together" to get everyone to the same room haha. But the social prioritisation is worth testing out, so I'm gonna create a family club today
Also - with family as clubs, when they get the bored moodlet from not having a club gathering, you can take that as them missing family and wanting to hang out. Cute!
I go back and forth on whether a club is best or the add to group function. I think for household, add to group might be best. I do like the club feature to bring in family that have moved out. That's handy to get them all back together easily. I mostly ignore club points. Although I think some club options help gain skills faster so that's useful. I have a mod that lets kids and teens earn skills doing homework and going to school so most of mine end up fairly maxed out of a lot by the time they're YA. Totally cheating in a way but honestly, making them constantly skill up all the time outside of school is annoying to me. They go to school 5 days a week for several weeks of their life - shouldn't they learn some of those skills in school?! Though I've started choosing the school options that don't make them skill up as fast and reserving that option for once or twice a week instead. Just so they're not all complete geniuses at everything. lol
oh some nice ideas here, when I'm not in the mood for it I do whatever like when I have some time to play and update so I wait for a pregnancy to play out. Though when I do bother with detail I like basic things like sims brushing their teeth before leaving the house. Having a few different outfits everyone helps with laundry or dishes. I have made some resorts for honeymoons for couples that don't really travel but want some alone couple time before they have kids. I always have some books and a backpack in my kid's room. If the table is set I have the food taken to the table and everyone grabs a serving and sits before eating, kids are excused for bed time but typically they stay until everyone has eaten, when they are behaving anyways. I sometimes use the vet treats but sick pets are always taken to a vet by someone.
As for dating that depends on the sim and time in their world, on long they go out and get to know one another and no matter their bars I tend to ignore that and keep to story sometimes cheating relationships down even if need be. Maybe I should try a baby shower or something.
Birthdays are usually different one family at 6 am I'd wake up whoever would make the cake and put candles on it then call everyone in to blow out candles the party would start a little while later but they can be an all day thing when I want them to be. Oh yes tots always have nap time even if I have to wake them up let them play a little and send them back to bed to get them through the night I will. There is probably something else but I guess I don't do it often enough, but it sounds fun I like stuff like that...naturally I guess lol.
Reddestiny921 on the gallery...still not sure if I capitalized the second d..lol
All the sims err'day
The most realistic feeling gameplay I do is the decades challenge. I try to replicate real period houses and decor as closely as possible off of pictures I find, and I nerd out on researching each decade to make sure my gameplay is as historically accurate as possible, for jobs, hobbies, holiday celebrations, names, etc. Then the family progresses through time too, which gives more depth to the family legacy aspect.
But some of the things I do in my modern households are clubs for teens and kids for activities they are involved in, like a swimming club or chess club. I also pretend they have subject specific homework where they level up in skills like writing, cooking, or fitness. I do a prom event as a club meet-up with required outfits I create, hosted at a nightclub.
It’s all about the food for me. I plan menus for holidays/special days.
Egg Day (Easter): ham dinner, garden salad, cheesy bread, carrot cake and lemonade
Founder’s Day (aka a day to celebrate me lol): shrimp cocktail, sushi (a mod), Caesar salad, breadsticks, lobster thermidor, honey cake and iced tea
Simdependence Day: hot dogs, hamburgers, grilled chicken, apple pie, vanilla ice cream and lemonade
Spooky Day: camper’s stew, cheese eyeballs, spooky cookies and zombie cake
Harvestfest: turkey dinner, garden salad, plain muffins (pretend like they’re cornbread muffins), mac and cheese, sweet potato pie and iced tea
Winterfest: same as Harvestfest but I also make a winter cake, glazed fruit cake (from the baking skill, not the welcome wagon stuff) and a grand breakfast in the morning
For birthdays, I imagine that the sim has a favorite food or dessert. In one save, my celebrity chef sim would make her son bread pudding and spaghetti, his twin would get a cheesecake and fish tacos. Their younger sister got chocolate cake and cheese pizza. Sunday dinners include things like meatloaf (a mod), chicken and dumplings (same mod), shepherd’s pie, crown roast, roast chicken and a few other things. There’s always some kind of dessert on Sunday. My current save, they eat a lot of chicken stir fry, grilled cheese with tomato soup (same mod as above), cornbread and collard greens (yep, same mod), spaghetti and bread pudding. I also cook foods based on the season. Spring and summer there’s a lot of seafood and grilled items and fruity desserts or ice cream. Fall and winter there’s comfort foods, soups and stews, bread and rich desserts.
For adult club gatherings there’s coffee or tea and various pastries, usually whatever I have in the household inventory. Kids club gatherings is usually blt, taco casserole or chicken burritos and decorated cereal marshmallow bars or chocolate or vanilla cupcakes. For my pride holiday, there’s always two rainbow gelatin cakes, one frosted and one plain but no set food menu.
This is why at least one sim in every household I play does the chef career. The forever fresh trait is essential to my gameplay. This is also why I need recipes with every pack.
@juliekaye I mean, it might be classified as "cheating", but it's only realistic for Sims to gain skills while they are in school and doing homework - that's what those things are for! @RedDestiny92 I like your dining rituals, you are certainly raising some good mannered children @LissyK9 The Decades Challenge is so intricate, I admire everyone who does it. @UniqueKhaos Ahh how I wish they'd add hates/favourites into the game. Good on you for creating it yourself. @glowinangel2006 Have fun @OhMyHemsworth Nonono, you're not doing it wrong at all - this is just another approach to the game
Thank you for everyones ideas, I love reading about them and I learn new things every time
Wow, such an AMAZING thread - & such great ideas and creativity!!!
One of the things I do is have Family Reunions in my game using the club feature or one of the events.
I'm also big on proposals and weddings in the game. I feel that proposals/weddings are special and are geared towards the couple & I really try to personalize my Sims wedding day or proposal. So for all my Sims that get married....I tailor their wedding specific to them....I hunt for the perfect dress/suit, the perfect venue, the perfect hair that fits their style/personality. I feel that for some of my Sims, they would prefer a traditional wedding in a church, whereas other Sims may want something different. Here's a few pics of my favorite proposals and weddings:
My founder of the Forrester Legacy Challenge - Hayden & Adrian Forrester
Gen 4 heir - Layke and Johan Forrester
Gen 5 heir - Luna Forrester & Orange Bailey Lighthouse Proposal
@Sha2520032003 I absolutely love your screenshots! Can I please be a guest at your next wedding haha 😇 Proposing at the lighthouse it so perfect. I sometimes forget it’s even there. Now I have my next proposal location ❤️
Comments
So it's a ship, usually placed somewhere in Sulani since it's the only world we have with oceans. I downloaded this one from the gallery and added the Quake Zone trait for wave imitation.
(More under the spoiler cut)
The ship itself a restaurant area,
An arcade area,
An outside pool area,
A nice little lounge space on the top and also bedrooms and a spa area of which I didn't take screenshots.
Whenever they get to their destination (in my game it was Oasis Springs) they just hop off board, go explore the world and then come back few days later to return home.
Prices for hotels are figured through googling how much would they cost in that particular area (so when looking for a hotel in Del Sol Valley I googled Los Angeles hotel prices) since I don't use that feature too often. For flight prices, I have this whole system where one km (I use them instead of miles) equals 0,3 simoleons for standard and 0,4 for business class. For example, Sulani and Oasis Springs are 4320 kilometers apart so the standard ticket price per person will cost 1300 simoleons and for business class 1700 (all numbers are rounded). But to get from San Myshuno to Newcrest, which are only 950 km apart, it will cost 280 simoleons per person and 380 for business class.
@illustratedhappiness glad you're enjoying it!
I generally try to have couples who plan to marry meet each others' families before marrying unless it is very rushed or they are eloping.
I only use the wellness treats with pets. Some pet owners use automatic feeders and tools but others have the time to cook meals for their pets or to do more laborious chores.
The appliances in the kitchen vary depending on the world and household. For example, now I'm playing the Elderberry house in Britechester. They always have tea and coffee available. More Americanized households have popcorn makers and ice cream.
Some households are a lot more extraverted than others, that impacts whether they stay in a lot or go out or travel. Sims have personalities and their choices tend to follow those preferences. Their travel between the worlds is influenced by that. There's not a lot of travel between the desert and non-desert worlds unless visiting relatives. Everyone can visit Newcrest because it is a centralized community space. City sims rarely leave the city unless going on vacation. Whether sims have a home birth or go to the hospital depends on where they are, their personalities and the number of children they have.
Sulani is slowly being discovered and developed, currently you need a "visa" to move there and it is largely undiscovered by outsiders. It will get gradually more developed but it is starting as a less developed island population. The residents never travel back to the mainland yet. Only very wealthy sims have vacationed there and they had to stay overnight, basically camping.
Most households do laundry, there are limited households that do not, such as university students in dorms. Most apartments have laundry if it will fit in the space.
I play with sims from different socio-economic backgrounds. However much money they have varies, they are not all the same. Who marries who can be complicated because there is sometimes parental pressure. Children sometimes follow their parents into the same careers. The parents also "choose" their babies' names, meaning that the name is something that I think the parents would choose based on their backgrounds and personalities. One generation influences the next. There are sims who go off to be independent but that occurs as their personalities develop gradually.
Some households are religious and some aren't. I actually have 3 churches now. There are several other religions in the game. Sims vary in terms of how observant they are. The religious institutions aren't just for weddings. Some sims are in religious clubs that gather to be observant.
There are several criminal or villainous sims. They tend to keep being devious unless they reform. Sims do sometimes mellow out as they get older.
In my game I strive to make finding love and having relationships feel realistic. It takes a long time for a deep romantic relationship to form. I never force sims to meet, and sims usually has multiple love interests over the course of their life. Because of this - there is a lot of dating. In fear of my dating gameplay becoming repetitive I have thought up different ways to do dates (instead of just going to a restaurant again and again and again).
I usually do the "invite for a date" to get relevant goals as well, either if it's just on the home lot or not, but it’s not necessary.
Dating for teens
In my game, serious romantic relationship between teens typically begin to form after they have established a friendship OR after getting an instant connection during a juiced night at the teen club. Juiced teens are hormonal animals, so it only seems fitting
Dating for young adults
Young adult sims are more free-moving and meet potential love interests everywhere - from work, going out, ++. So they use dates initially as a way to get to know each other (both friendly and romantic) and see if they click. I like do make them do a shared activity. Later, if they are compatible and eventually get together, they meet at home more often, visits friends together, go on vacation (spring break with friends for teens) and so on.
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Wanted to also share something I do for sleepovers
Firstly, practical things to make it work:
Use MCC to make "invite to spent the night" a friendly interaction.
Lock all bedrooms except from the one you want the guest(s) to sleep in. That makes them way more likely to route to the place you want them to sleep.
I also sometimes get the guests into the room they're supposed to sleep in and lock the door (but please remember to open it again haha)
For children & teens having friends sleep over
I use the mattresses from Outdoor Retreat for them to sleep in. Make it a movie night, game night or whatever else! Super fun.
For adult friends, family, in-laws and such
Either mattresses as well, or implementing a guest bedroom (this depends on the financial situation of the family, and size of the house). Before this I never built guest bedrooms, but it’s so realistic to have! Now grandparents can spend the weekend at the house to visit grandchildren, plus it makes visits from family and friends who live in other worlds more realistic.
--
Thanks again to everyone posting and sharing ideas!
I downloaded a zodiac trait package and now I'm picking a zodiac for all of my sims. It's a reward trait for zero points and gives them more of a personality, related buffs and whims. Haven't noticed a whole lot so far, but I did just implement it in my game. I also use a 'Passion' which lets you either pick random likes and dislikes or choose them yourself for your sim. Sims actually start acting to what you put in. If you put in they like socializing in a mean way, they'll do it all the time. It's great!
Zodiac traits: https://modthesims.info/d/641488/zodiac-traits-1-1-1.html
Love and Hate mod: https://triplis.github.io/mods/love-and-hate.html
Too Good at Goodbyes forum thread
Too Good at Goodbyes blog
A smile is the prettiest thing you can wear
Time enjoyed is never time wasted
@Duvelina Thank you for mentioning the Love Hate mod - it looks super helpful! This also let me to discover Triplis, and I found 2 other mods on his page which enables things I've been thinking of (Walk Your Way; Lock Skill Gain) as well
@Nindigo Does the Sims list exact calories somewhere? Or do you go by what seems healthy/unhealthy? Oooh, this gave me an idea of having fish at least once a week!
I also try to pick objects that would realistically be in their house. My family can technically afford a bookcase, but they're poor and the lower class would never have been able to afford the bookcase and all of the books to fill it with- not to mention the issue of not knowing how to read!
@xxxannmariexxxx Clubs are such an underrated feature! Doing this, do you find the sims sticking autonomously to the rules of the club a majority of the time?
@juliekaye They're still active from what I can tell. All their active mods were reported as fine as of the April patch
Awesome, thanks for the link to the forum post. Maybe they just don't update their website as much anymore as that shows old patches. I tried to search the forums but I think I did it wrong. Nothing except stuff from 2017 came up...I don't know. Sometimes I don't "internet" very good. lol
Too Good at Goodbyes forum thread
Too Good at Goodbyes blog
Mine sometimes do nothing but eat if I have that as one of the activities. I finally had to get rid of it because they'd just keep going back for a new plate. And my homework club (just the kids in my household, thought it would be easier to get them to do instead of directing all 4 constantly), despite it being the only activity, seem to refuse to do it at all.
Reflecting on your observations maybe it's best to just to the social interaction as club motives. That will make it less likely that they go off on the computer and stuff during gatherings as they'll stick together and prioritise socials. And then if you'd like them to do something else like interacting with a gameplay object you can press "do X together".
I usually just do the regular "add to group"-thing so that I can press an object and make everyone do it at the same time. It's so quick to set up and you can add 7 sims immediately w/o worrying about club points. Can't count how many times I've pressed "Go here together" to get everyone to the same room haha. But the social prioritisation is worth testing out, so I'm gonna create a family club today
Also - with family as clubs, when they get the bored moodlet from not having a club gathering, you can take that as them missing family and wanting to hang out. Cute!
I go back and forth on whether a club is best or the add to group function. I think for household, add to group might be best. I do like the club feature to bring in family that have moved out. That's handy to get them all back together easily. I mostly ignore club points. Although I think some club options help gain skills faster so that's useful. I have a mod that lets kids and teens earn skills doing homework and going to school so most of mine end up fairly maxed out of a lot by the time they're YA.
As for dating that depends on the sim and time in their world, on long they go out and get to know one another and no matter their bars I tend to ignore that and keep to story sometimes cheating relationships down even if need be. Maybe I should try a baby shower or something.
Birthdays are usually different one family at 6 am I'd wake up whoever would make the cake and put candles on it then call everyone in to blow out candles the party would start a little while later but they can be an all day thing when I want them to be. Oh yes tots always have nap time even if I have to wake them up let them play a little and send them back to bed to get them through the night I will. There is probably something else but I guess I don't do it often enough, but it sounds fun I like stuff like that...naturally I guess lol.
All the sims err'day
But some of the things I do in my modern households are clubs for teens and kids for activities they are involved in, like a swimming club or chess club. I also pretend they have subject specific homework where they level up in skills like writing, cooking, or fitness. I do a prom event as a club meet-up with required outfits I create, hosted at a nightclub.
Egg Day (Easter): ham dinner, garden salad, cheesy bread, carrot cake and lemonade
Founder’s Day (aka a day to celebrate me lol): shrimp cocktail, sushi (a mod), Caesar salad, breadsticks, lobster thermidor, honey cake and iced tea
Simdependence Day: hot dogs, hamburgers, grilled chicken, apple pie, vanilla ice cream and lemonade
Spooky Day: camper’s stew, cheese eyeballs, spooky cookies and zombie cake
Harvestfest: turkey dinner, garden salad, plain muffins (pretend like they’re cornbread muffins), mac and cheese, sweet potato pie and iced tea
Winterfest: same as Harvestfest but I also make a winter cake, glazed fruit cake (from the baking skill, not the welcome wagon stuff) and a grand breakfast in the morning
For birthdays, I imagine that the sim has a favorite food or dessert. In one save, my celebrity chef sim would make her son bread pudding and spaghetti, his twin would get a cheesecake and fish tacos. Their younger sister got chocolate cake and cheese pizza. Sunday dinners include things like meatloaf (a mod), chicken and dumplings (same mod), shepherd’s pie, crown roast, roast chicken and a few other things. There’s always some kind of dessert on Sunday. My current save, they eat a lot of chicken stir fry, grilled cheese with tomato soup (same mod as above), cornbread and collard greens (yep, same mod), spaghetti and bread pudding. I also cook foods based on the season. Spring and summer there’s a lot of seafood and grilled items and fruity desserts or ice cream. Fall and winter there’s comfort foods, soups and stews, bread and rich desserts.
For adult club gatherings there’s coffee or tea and various pastries, usually whatever I have in the household inventory. Kids club gatherings is usually blt, taco casserole or chicken burritos and decorated cereal marshmallow bars or chocolate or vanilla cupcakes. For my pride holiday, there’s always two rainbow gelatin cakes, one frosted and one plain but no set food menu.
This is why at least one sim in every household I play does the chef career. The forever fresh trait is essential to my gameplay. This is also why I need recipes with every pack.
@RedDestiny92 I like your dining rituals, you are certainly raising some good mannered children
@LissyK9 The Decades Challenge is so intricate, I admire everyone who does it.
@UniqueKhaos Ahh how I wish they'd add hates/favourites into the game. Good on you for creating it yourself.
@glowinangel2006 Have fun
@OhMyHemsworth Nonono, you're not doing it wrong at all - this is just another approach to the game
Thank you for everyones ideas, I love reading about them and I learn new things every time
One of the things I do is have Family Reunions in my game using the club feature or one of the events.
I'm also big on proposals and weddings in the game. I feel that proposals/weddings are special and are geared towards the couple & I really try to personalize my Sims wedding day or proposal. So for all my Sims that get married....I tailor their wedding specific to them....I hunt for the perfect dress/suit, the perfect venue, the perfect hair that fits their style/personality. I feel that for some of my Sims, they would prefer a traditional wedding in a church, whereas other Sims may want something different. Here's a few pics of my favorite proposals and weddings:
Gen 4 heir - Layke and Johan Forrester
Gen 5 heir - Luna Forrester & Orange Bailey Lighthouse Proposal