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Active Lifestyle Ideas
dg51829
Posts: 300 Member
So, lately I’ve been reflecting a lot on the Sims franchise and our current gameplay. I’m super disappointed in the lack of sports and physical activities in general. The climbing wall was a great addition, but honestly only left me wanting more. I know recently we had the option to vote for a healthy lifestyle pack, which didn’t win. It really got me thinking on what I would want out of a game pack that did have a healthy/active lifestyle theme. So, I broke this into three parts: sports, vegetarian/vegan lifestyle, and health.
Part 1: Sports
I really want afterschool activities to come back and having kids/teens playing soccer, football, volleyball, baseball, basketball, tennis, gymnastics, cheerleading, and wrestling. This really bothers me we don’t have this option as we did in Sims 3. I loved that aspect of Sims 3 and it played a role in university, at least I think it did I don’t remember for certain. I was so disappointed when this didn’t show up in university. I do think this could go well with a generation’s expansion as well.
Sports is a huge part of all cultures really. I wouldn’t even care of they were rabbit holes. I just want afterschool activities. Sure, I use a mod for it, but we shouldn’t have to rely on mods to complete the game. It would also been great if there was more than just soccer at the university level. We have basketball, so why wasn’t that included?
I’d also like to be able to play outside of rabbit holes. Like have a buyable volleyball, football, baseball, ect like we did in Sims 3. Plus having ‘courts’ like we do for basketball so we could place it in gyms and have volleyball games and tennis matches. I loved volleyball in Sims 1. As a former volleyball player in middle school and high school I’d love be able to emulate that part of my life in the Sims.
Part 2: Vegetarian and Vegan Lifestyles
By this it is such a pain to figure out what meals are okay for vegetarians. Life would be so much easier with an icon. Also, why does everything have to be tofu or a salad to be vegetarian friendly. There are so many cool food ideas that could be used: stir fry, stuffed vegetables (peppers as example).
This is just a pet peeve that doesn’t have a good solution in Sims 4. But I wish we have our core traits then lifestyle traits. Because I hate wasting a spot in my traits for the vegetarian trait. Even if I was given more traits to use, I’d be happier. Sims 2 we had sliding bars that affected you in college and Sims 3 had five spots. I do not count in game traits. Honestly, traits are really lacking in the game, but that is for another post.
Part 3: Health
So, your sim never leaves their apartment. They order take out every day and play video games all day. But right now, there is little that happens to them. In real life, you would gain weight or get sickly. I’d love to see this kind of system put into the game. This is a great opportunity to use the Sims to promote a healthy lifestyle to younger players. Now, I know some people wouldn’t like it so it would be great to put something as something that could be opted out.
Having more diverse sickness would be nice as well. Like the flu, allergies, asthma, and fevers for example. I also hate how super fit and healthy sims get sick constantly. Like, how do sickness spread in the Sims 4. It seems completely random and annoying because once they get sick, they constantly get sick. If you Sim is a gym rat it should have some benefits to it.
I’d also love to be able to do maternity checks up. Doing ultrasounds for examples. One thing I loved about Sims 3 was that it was super bold when it came to childbearing as in Into the Future, we could do basically IVF where we could select every aspect of the baby. That reminded me of how edgy Sims 2 was. I’d love to see IVF make a return. It just adds inclusiveness.
In the end, Sims 4 has so much potential, but it is wasted a lot of the time. The franchise is an amazing force that makes a huge impact in young players. I started playing the Sims at eight years old. I learned a lot about budgeting and time management from the Sims. I just think that promoting healthy living would be a brilliant idea. Do you guys have any other ideas for this?
Part 1: Sports
I really want afterschool activities to come back and having kids/teens playing soccer, football, volleyball, baseball, basketball, tennis, gymnastics, cheerleading, and wrestling. This really bothers me we don’t have this option as we did in Sims 3. I loved that aspect of Sims 3 and it played a role in university, at least I think it did I don’t remember for certain. I was so disappointed when this didn’t show up in university. I do think this could go well with a generation’s expansion as well.
Sports is a huge part of all cultures really. I wouldn’t even care of they were rabbit holes. I just want afterschool activities. Sure, I use a mod for it, but we shouldn’t have to rely on mods to complete the game. It would also been great if there was more than just soccer at the university level. We have basketball, so why wasn’t that included?
I’d also like to be able to play outside of rabbit holes. Like have a buyable volleyball, football, baseball, ect like we did in Sims 3. Plus having ‘courts’ like we do for basketball so we could place it in gyms and have volleyball games and tennis matches. I loved volleyball in Sims 1. As a former volleyball player in middle school and high school I’d love be able to emulate that part of my life in the Sims.
Part 2: Vegetarian and Vegan Lifestyles
By this it is such a pain to figure out what meals are okay for vegetarians. Life would be so much easier with an icon. Also, why does everything have to be tofu or a salad to be vegetarian friendly. There are so many cool food ideas that could be used: stir fry, stuffed vegetables (peppers as example).
This is just a pet peeve that doesn’t have a good solution in Sims 4. But I wish we have our core traits then lifestyle traits. Because I hate wasting a spot in my traits for the vegetarian trait. Even if I was given more traits to use, I’d be happier. Sims 2 we had sliding bars that affected you in college and Sims 3 had five spots. I do not count in game traits. Honestly, traits are really lacking in the game, but that is for another post.
Part 3: Health
So, your sim never leaves their apartment. They order take out every day and play video games all day. But right now, there is little that happens to them. In real life, you would gain weight or get sickly. I’d love to see this kind of system put into the game. This is a great opportunity to use the Sims to promote a healthy lifestyle to younger players. Now, I know some people wouldn’t like it so it would be great to put something as something that could be opted out.
Having more diverse sickness would be nice as well. Like the flu, allergies, asthma, and fevers for example. I also hate how super fit and healthy sims get sick constantly. Like, how do sickness spread in the Sims 4. It seems completely random and annoying because once they get sick, they constantly get sick. If you Sim is a gym rat it should have some benefits to it.
I’d also love to be able to do maternity checks up. Doing ultrasounds for examples. One thing I loved about Sims 3 was that it was super bold when it came to childbearing as in Into the Future, we could do basically IVF where we could select every aspect of the baby. That reminded me of how edgy Sims 2 was. I’d love to see IVF make a return. It just adds inclusiveness.
In the end, Sims 4 has so much potential, but it is wasted a lot of the time. The franchise is an amazing force that makes a huge impact in young players. I started playing the Sims at eight years old. I learned a lot about budgeting and time management from the Sims. I just think that promoting healthy living would be a brilliant idea. Do you guys have any other ideas for this?
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Comments
I especially like the enhanced sports options. I am very disappointed that there are really only soccer and basketball as options for sims to play on their own. And what happened to sports at university? I think it would be good to include a wide variety of sports, including those popular outside of the US so it is more inclusive (rugby, cricket, etc).
I bought Sims 4 when it first came out, played for 5 hours and then did not play again until a couple of months ago. I stuck with Sims 3 as I found it to be more satisfying to play. When I started playing Sims 4 recently, I thought maybe I had not given it a fair shot and hoped that with the various expansion and game packs that I would feel better about it. There are definitely some areas I am really enjoying (dolphins and crafting in eco), but I do feel the loss of the depth that Sims 3 had. The other issue with all of our ideas being wrapped up into a launch of a Sims 5 rather than improving Sims 4 is that this seems to be a cycle. They advance a franchise and then launch a new one that is very basic and we have to play and debug and pay for more additions to get it to where we enjoy playing, and then boom, another franchise is launched. I realize that Maxis/EA needs to make money but after my disappointment in Sims 4, I am not sure I would buy any future franchise launches. Expansion packs yes, but a new franchise, no. I have been playing Sims since right before Sims 2 launched and it really is my escape. It would be nice if they would dedicate themselves to a franchise to make it great rather than keep rolling out so-so franchises after so many years.
This is a major issue for him. I love the Sims but I won't be getting Sims 5. The money grab is too much. Unless the give us a complete game right away in one package I'm out. I've spent hundreds on the Sims franchise. I won't do it a fifth time. Sims 4 has left a very bad taste in my mouth but Sims 3 lags so terribly for me. I would have to a gaming computer to run it smoothly without taking up all my space. But I do really love the ease of CC and the gallery. I miss a lot from Sims 3 and earlier games.
The health system is such a pain in the behind in Sims 4. It was annoying in Sims 3 but at least I could go to a hospital for treatments. Medicine is also so boring in Sims 4. I'd love herbal treatments for gardening or herbalist skill.
Feel like my active sims get a bit one-dimensional right now.
At least one more active-aspiration please.
There really is only literal working out. Basketball is so broken I never use it. The sparing and boxing isn't enhancing. I do enjoy watching sims toss a soccer ball/football around.
Also why does vegetarian slot have to be included as a trait? Also why was an expansion pack required to be a vegetarian that makes no sense. Back in the sims 3 vegetarian was a base game trait and you could have up to 5 traits
I would love a pack that focused on a healthy lifestyle! Maybe we could have consequences if Sims never brush their teeth? Mine don’t brush their teeth often because it’s not necessary in the game. More physical activities would be fantastic. Of course I would love a focus on a vegan lifestyle, being vegan myself. I personally love it when The Sims encourages good behavior instead of materialism and consumerism.
Me too!
Cricket is only second to soccer, when it comes to the most popular ball sports.
Kinda surprised rugby isn't on the list.
But when it comes to activities for children and teens, dance is very popular compared to many sports.
No really the options I want, as only a few are realistic to me.
Cheerleading and wrestling don't exist here.
Gymnastics aren't anywhere near as popular as dance or circus training.
Theatre is a big deal here. It's a physical activity.
Soccer is played, as is football, but not your football, we've got Aussie rules. Rugby is a thing, as is hockey.
Volleyball and baseball barely exist. Basketball and tennis do have a bit of a following.
Cricket is a big deal. It's up there with AFL (Aussie Rules)
Skateboarding and scooters are hugely popular with kids and teens. There's new skate parks popping up all over the place.
They're not inherently healthy.
I've known non-meateaters who eat nothing but junk.
I've got a friend who lost a lot of weight due to gaming, and rarely leaving his room. He was too busy playing to eat much, and when he did eat, it was junk.
Being fit and healthy doesn't make a person immune to illnesses.
Irl, it's usually an addiction issue.
I don't find gym-junkies or sports nuts to be 'healthy', even serious dancers are often seriously unhealthy.
You want healthy, then more garden digging needs to be included. You wanna get fit? Try digging a veggie patch in my back yard. It's soft soil for about 6 inches, and then it's rock hard under that. You can't use a garden spade. I've got a miners pick, and even with that I can only chip at the soil. It's back breaking work just to dig a tiny patch for some veggies... Oh, and then there's the issue with the soil quality here. This is the desert. The soil is red, and you have to load it with organic matter to get anything to grow. That means composting, and more digging.
Gardening in the game is too easy. It needs to be hard work to prepare a patch, just planting anywhere should lead to inferior plants. But once a patch is prepared, then the gardening should be a little easier. Just dig in some more compost each year, and it's good to go again.
I consider Theater as Drama Club. I don't know what your school's theater was like but mine I would not consider a physical activity unless you were the one moving the set around.
Skateboarding is a good idea.
They should really add all sorts of activates like they did with Sims 2 Freetime. It should be a bit more international inclusive, but they shouldn't completely ignore the American roots of the game. This seems to be happening lately. It can end up alienating some players that may not be as cultural exposed you could say.
I'm not saying they are. But maybe more healthier food. Like why is all the basic food basically horrible for your sims. Like it's super annoying.
This is a good point. Metabolism is not a thing. There is no diversity. Your sims only get fat from being inactive.
I don't really understand why you knitpick my post instead of add your ideas such maybe immune systems varities. Being healthy/fit does decrease you getting sick. Being healthy by eating balanced diet and exercising does increase your immunity. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/how-to-boost-your-immune-system
I didn't ever say going overboard was healthy. Lol. Anyways, that's not the point. It's about promoting a more active lifestyle, which in 90 percent of people is a healthy lifestlye.
That may be the case but that is not the theme of this post. This post is mostly about promoting an active lifestyle as in sports and how to improve the in game health system that is very broken without mods.
I don't know. I thought American High School is too detailed and would alienate majority of players. I would have voted for a School theme that added more sports and afterschool activites. I use mods for this currently. I actually talk about it in this post. https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/979167/generations-expansion-includes-school-update#latest
Good point. The basic food is terrible.
Basic food here is often considered to be meat and 2/3 veg. A lamb chop with carrots and peas. Bangers, mash, carrots and peas.
Basic mac n cheese as a meal is terrible! Personally my mac n cheese is always loaded with veggies.
And if the developers want some inspiration for some quality meals, I suggest they check out Nat's What I Reckon. He uses pretty strong language. He's a comedian, an advocate for mental health, and a bloody good cook. During the first lock down here, he started an online cooking show, because everyone was ignoring all the fresh food still available in the supermarkets. The most recent episode, was with Drag Queen Courtney Act, and they made a healthy vegan dish.
And that could lead to the opposite, a sim who works out, and eats right, but doesn't lose weight fast.
It's not really nitpicking, its thinking out loud. I do it to lots of posts that I find to be interesting, but needing more... moreness? Back and forth banter can stimulate more ideas.
It's not working for Covid 19. Fit, healthy young people are still having blood clots and stroke from it.
There are some things that no matter how fit and healthy you are, you can still end up horribly ill from.
There's been super fit and healthy gym instructors who are now showing signs of having post viral fatigue syndrome after catching the virus.
I think your percentage is too optimistic. There are a lot of people who over do it with the gym, and try so hard to be healthy, yet fail, and end up making themselves ill from it.
But why sports only?
A truly healthy active lifestyle isn't only about sports, it's about many aspects of your life.
I know someone who lives on a farm, never goes to the gym, but is super fit, because rather than driving, or riding a motor bike to go out and check on the animals or fences, he walks.
The gardening in the game is a bit pathetic, and lazy in its programming.
If you want to plant a seed, your sim should have to dig a hole first, and that is difficult to do if you don't have the muscles for it.
Weeding too. Every time I weed my garden, my 'weeding muscles' ache for the next couple of days. Weeding is a physical activity, and gives you a practical workout.
Hanging out laundry is another way to keep you fitter. Put the basket on the ground, and all the bend and reach is a gentle workout. Scrubbing the shower is another subtle workout. Picking up a toddler is exercise.
I guess what I'm trying to say, is that the game needs to take into account all the things your sim does, and how they do them, to add or detract from their fitness level. Eg, if you use the drier, you're not going to be as fit as the person who hangs their clothes on a line.
Sims who use bikes all the time should be fitter than those who don't. (if we're assuming that the ones who don't are driving invisible cars, or some other transport like that)