1. When you begin your play what rules do you abide by (if any)
No cheats except reset sim and bb.moveobjects on. No forcing relationships upon the sims (I pursue friendships with sims that call my sim often and I pay attention to my sims' whims) and I try to prioritise them socialising over other things if they get the oportunity. 2. How many characters do you play and are they usually single..married...married with kids or are they direct family members (example ..mom dad and/or siblings
Around 10, although I plan for this number to grow a lot. They are all from the same family, I don't really get attached to the households that came with the game. It started as a regular legacy challenge, which I still maintain, so I keep the heir in the "legacy lot" and keep track of the points (just because I feel that it leads me to discover new things about the game that I wouldn't explore if it wasn't for that).
I usually figure out the sibling's life (at least what they should do after becoming young adults) and I move them to a different lot, normally. I also decide how much money they get when they move out,for example, if they had a part time job, I estimate how much they made and give them that, sometimes I give them nothing and do a rags to riches with them, if it fits the story.
Other times I started in a less organised & less story-driven way, also playing with random sims and I used to lose interest quite fast. I also would like to be a bit more organised still, and keep track of more things related to my game play, as the family tree grows. 3. how long does this type of play hold your interest approximately? ( for example..a week...a month ...longer?)
For me it's all about the story line, I randomise my sims traits, unless there's a specific trait that's perfect for the story. And then I like to figure out what they should do as adults observing what things they like to do as kids and how their relationship with the rest of the family is. So with each new kid I see a new possibility and this way it is always interesting to me. ** 4. Do you usually use NewCrest so you can create your own town or do you have a favorite neighborhood and why?
I tried populating New Crest once, but the scenery is too bland for me and I gave up. Now I just put most of the generic cummunity-based lots there, restaurants and cafes, a spa. More thematic community lots I place in towns with more "personality" to them, for example I place the cementery in Forgotten Hollow (gives me an excuse to go there often, because otherwise I wouldn't). My favorite town is Sulani because it is so stunning. San Myshuno is also cool to me. 5. Would you say there is any draw backs to rotational play and if yes then what would those draw backs be?
As mentioned above, University is not quite compatible with this type of game play 6. other then using rotational play what type of simmer are you in game...for example ...do you prefer family related play....single sims over couples...do you prefer to begin as a teen in a family or something else.
I'm not fascinated by the concept of marriage irl, so I only have my sims get married if it makes sense in their story, I have no problem having unmarried couples. If I start a new save, I like to start with a single sim and no money and I usually do the most and write a story about how they got to that point, because it's fun to me. I feel that I wouldn't care that much about my sim if they just fell from the sky onto a lot with 20 000 simoleons and no backstory.
** other things I do to keep me interested in the game is I keep a list of new things in the game I would like to explore (careers I haven't played through yet, aspirations I haven't explored, some types of occult sims I haven't explored much yet, more unconventional types of relationships
- ones that are not the canon of a married pair, I haven't really had a criminal sim yet and I have some cool ideas of how that would go). So whenever I don't know what to do I check out that list
how do you usually use your groups
I love groups, I have one for every hobby that I can think of (I have a community lot equipped to house club meetings where sims can do any hobby), one for rebel teens & kids, one for homework, one for debate, one for single sims that are ready to mingle and I create more as I think of new possibilities. I am very interested what other players like to place in their neighborhoods to create a good community feel
all types of community-based lots that I can find, the more the merrier for me. Especially restaurants, cafes, parks. I always have a stunning wedding venue, so if my sims get married, the ceremony looks great. In general, I love to send them to community lots / visit other sims at their homes and take pictures with their friends and hang those at home
1. When you begin your play what rules do you abide by (if any) 2. How many characters do you play and are they usually single..married...married with kids or are they direct family members (example ..mom dad and/or siblings 3. how long does this type of play hold your interest approximately? ( for example..a week...a month ...longer?) 4. Do you usually use NewCrest so you can create your own town or do you have a favorite neighborhood and why? 5. Would you say there is any draw backs to rotational play and if yes then what would those draw backs be? 6. other then using rotational play what type of simmer are you in game...for example ...do you prefer family related play....single sims over couples...do you prefer to begin as a teen in a family or something else.
1) My only rule is to keep it to one week play for each family, so that everyone gets the same amount of time played. 2) I play with up to 3 families, and 1 or 2 singles mixed in that I keep alone or just serial romancing around. So, 5 overall households in total. 3) Like 2 days, but I do keep the rotational save so when I get bored of playing 1 household in one save I'll just switch to my rotational one. 4) I can't build at all, so no. NewCrest is just the world I throw all the spa and restaurants in. My favorite world to play in is Willow Creek. In Sims 2, I'm obsessed with Pleasantview. In Sims 3, I'm obsessed with Sunset Valley. The first base game hoods always become my favorite. 5) Playing rotationally. I love sticking to one family, especially when I get on a roll with their lives. Kind of feels annoying to have to switch when I'm having fun with one family, but I don't want their playtimes to get too separated. 6) I am entirely a family player. The only reason why I have those 1 or 2 singles in my rotation play at all is just to add some different flavor at the end of a rotational play of all 3 families. It's more boring, but it does give me time to relax slightly, because trying to balance two parents and two or three kids is a big hassle, especially when I'm obsessed with micromanaging the entire game at all times. I can't let my Sims do what they want because they'll somehow set everything on fire, so I have to watch them like a hawk.
1. When you begin your play what rules do you abide by (if any)
None, just have fun.
I guess the only "rule" would be, that I don't play my sims out of character, meaning a loner sim would not go to a night club and stuff like that...but it's a pretty loose rule tbh.
I have to schedules eithers, I play the household I feel like playing for however long I want to, sometimes I play 3 households in one hour and sometimes I play one household for 3 hours...whatever I feel like that day.
2. How many characters do you play and are they usually single..married...married with kids or are they direct family members (example ..mom dad and/or siblings
Currently? Idk...I've got everything, single, married with kids, couples, multi-generational households (from grandparent to grandchild), with and without pets, all of them.
3. how long does this type of play hold your interest approximately? ( for example..a week...a month ...longer?)
well, when did Sims4 come out for consoles? since then and still going.
4. Do you usually use NewCrest so you can create your own town or do you have a favorite neighborhood and why?
I use whatever world I feel like fits for the sim(s) to live in, my sims are spread out over multiple worlds...NewCrest is not one of them though, I do not like that world.
5. Would you say there is any draw backs to rotational play and if yes then what would those draw backs be?
Not for me. Btw I play with aging off, so that might take some of the struggles away.
6. other then using rotational play what type of simmer are you in game...for example ...do you prefer family related play....single sims over couples...do you prefer to begin as a teen in a family or something else.
I like variety, which is why I play rotationally, so I can play with EVERYTHING whenever I feel like it, that's why I hardly ever get bored.
I love to create my own world(s), so I delete pre-mades/NPCs in houses and build my own venues/homes, besides the creative side of it, I also care more about the sims that way.
1. When you begin your play what rules do you abide by (if any)
I started my save 6 years ago, did start with many households. I played rotationally in TS1, TS2 and TS3 as well, so my routine was already well tested.
2. How many characters do you play and are they usually single..married...married with kids or are they direct family members (example ..mom dad and/or siblings
I tried to limit the number of sims to play, but I must have 70+ households by now, and there will be more... I play with each season lasting 14 days, and I play normally just 1 simday per house. Because there's too many my rotation lasts 2 sim years (takes 2 sim years to make a full round). Sometimes I play an extra year without aging them all on new year's eve, especially when there is a new EP etc that I like to explore a bit by being with one household over many days.
3. how long does this type of play hold your interest approximately? ( for example..a week...a month ...longer?)
6 years so far, and not planning to stop quite yet...
4. Do you usually use NewCrest so you can create your own town or do you have a favorite neighborhood and why?
I play all the worlds. Some favorites, but I need to like the family I'm playing, too. Say if someone are moving to a different world, I often know them well enough to see what world will suit them.
5. Would you say there is any draw backs to rotational play and if yes then what would those draw backs be?
Some game play features require quite some played time in one household, say if you like to reach a certain skill level. I have sims crafting stuff, but it takes them a lifetime to get beyond those beginner items Also, playing a feature like StrangerVille or exploring the Selvaforada jungle, will be more fun if not switching households too often.
6. other then using rotational play what type of simmer are you in game...for example ...do you prefer family related play....single sims over couples...do you prefer to begin as a teen in a family or something else.
Majority of my current population is born in game, and I don't really play a certain style as I switch so often and get variety. I like family life more than career climbing, but in my game there are a few sims who are very focused on their career, they just don't get the promotions they probably would like to have
There's plenty of info on my game on the blog linked in my signature. I also run an online residents registry (linked from top of that blog). It's too time consuming to recommend, but you might find some ideas there if you need some inspiration.
I had to giggle when lem doodle said ..rotational play is her poison of choice ....the amount of sims included in your rotational play is just mind blowing to me...wow just wow is all i can say.
mingussss..this is a great idea. ** other things I do to keep me interested in the game is I keep a list of new things in the game I would like to explore (careers I haven't played through yet, aspirations I haven't explored, some types of occult sims I haven't explored much yet, more unconventional types of relationships
- ones that are not the canon of a married pair, I haven't really had a criminal sim yet and I have some cool ideas of how that would go). So whenever I don't know what to do I check out that list
Duvelina...i know it is a great idea and why the community (folks just like yourself) are so good to bounce idea off of....i have just started using rotational play now and laughing at myself for not having done this before ..i have played sims for a long time and yet this is my first experience doing this and it is a lot of fun already. Thanks so much for your input.
simmerville...that is also amazing..you have played in your save for six years...pretty impressive to see that. I am really excited with this idea now and have things set up in game to get this rotational play started ...it is so fun to see the direction these sims will go and what will happen along the way.
Ravanspit ...1. When you begin your play what rules do you abide by (if any)
None, just have fun.
I guess the only "rule" would be, that I don't play my sims out of character, meaning a loner sim would not go to a night club and stuff like that...but it's a pretty loose rule tbh.
I have to schedules eithers, I play the household I feel like playing for however long I want to, sometimes I play 3 households in one hour and sometimes I play one household for 3 hours...whatever I feel like that day.
2. How many characters do you play and are they usually single..married...married with kids or are they direct family members (example ..mom dad and/or siblings
Currently? Idk...I've got everything, single, married with kids, couples, multi-generational households (from grandparent to grandchild), with and without pets, all of them.
I could see myself spending a couple hours in one household so it is good to see that some do it that way....pretty sure most of my sims will end up with at least a spouse ...thanks for your response ...i am enjoying so much the input of other folks!
1) No Rules - I just play whichever I feel like. Sometimes I stay a week with a household. Sometimes I play 4 households the same night.
2) I have a lot of households. Probably around 30. Basically, I play with most all the premades. I think around Cats and Dogs, I only pick 0-2 premade households to play. My premades seem to live forever, and they don't have many kids.
3) I've been playing like this for years
4) I use all the worlds.
5) The biggest drawback is University Life. I can't seem to leave the students. They do poorly in school and flunk out.
6) I play soap opera style. With giant complicated storylines.
For Example: Johnny Zest came back to the Landgraab household with his girlfriend Summer Holiday. Nancy hates Summer. And at first, Summer flirted with Geoffrey just to annoy Nancy. But Geoff and Summer fell deeply in love without ever acting on it. But then a vampire stole Johnny's memory, and Summer found herself suddenly single and very sad. Malcolm is now a young adult who is jealous of Johnny, swooped in during a romance festival and woohooed with Summer, getting her pregnant. And then the story just went on and on.
5) The biggest drawback is University Life. I can't seem to leave the students. They do poorly in school and flunk out.
ah yes, Uni is a bit of a problem for rotational play, I totally forgot about that.
What I do is have them be done with all they need to do before the weekend and than I can play another household from at least saturday to monday morning. Also I make sure to put multiple played sims (from originally different households) in the same dorm.
Also I make sure to put multiple played sims (from originally different households) in the same dorm.
How does this help you? Are you able to play them as if they were the same household that way? I don't know, I've only ever sent 1 sim to uni at a time and sending multiple sims from different households at once would be actually more realistic and if one's able to control them at once it would be brilliant!
Also, @Simmerville, I am so fascinated by the complex gameplay system you have come up with. By turning ageing on for just one day a year, are you counting the "days" they live as years? super interesting. Also, I'm having a great time reading further explanations of your system in your blog.
@imhappy soap opera style sounds so fun!! I have some ideas for that. I loved the netflix show La Casa De Las Flores, which is not really a soap opera, but it has that style - highly recommend, especially if any of y'all speak spanish - and I'm dying to recreate parts of that story line with my sims, but I'm afraid things will get out of hand, feel that if the story gets too bizarre I won't like it anymore
How does this help you? Are you able to play them as if they were the same household that way? I don't know, I've only ever sent 1 sim to uni at a time and sending multiple sims from different households at once would be actually more realistic and if one's able to control them at once it would be brilliant!
If you put them in the same dorm then it treats them as the same household, so - yes - you can play them all at once. I do that quite often.
But I also do leave sims at uni and rotate away from them sometimes if I am not bothered about them getting an A or A+ grade. They usually end up with a B or C if you don't actively play them there (well, that is my experience anyway - others have said they fail). I also sometimes find sims that have enrolled in uni on their own when I start playing their household - they are studying from home.
5) The biggest drawback is University Life. I can't seem to leave the students. They do poorly in school and flunk out.
ah yes, Uni is a bit of a problem for rotational play, I totally forgot about that.
What I do is have them be done with all they need to do before the weekend and than I can play another household from at least saturday to monday morning. Also I make sure to put multiple played sims (from originally different households) in the same dorm.
Thank you for the idea! I've only played through uni once and it was with a single sim, but grouping some together would actually work very well for my game. Will have to start planning this.
When I played with a single sim I did it in two parts. Starting with first and second term (also I rotated to play his girlfriend during the weekends). Then I moved him back to his parents "for holidays" until I felt like returning to play third and fourth... and fifth term. It didn't bother me much to do uni this way, but it was a bit different from what I normally play and when I can rotate freely. It felt more ambitious and not something I want to do all of the time.
I had to giggle when lem doodle said ..rotational play is her poison of choice ....the amount of sims included in your rotational play is just mind blowing to me...wow just wow is all i can say.
And what a great poison it is, lol! And yeah, that's a whoooole lotta pixels! But I love 'em, and there's always a different way to play and a new story to tell. Seeing as you're starting up rotational play yourself, you might be surprised how many Sims you'll have in a year or two's time! Whether you wind up with ten or two-hundred, I hope you'll have lots of fun in the process!~ ✌
1. When you begin your play what rules do you abide by (if any)
I try very hard to play each household for one week. It works until the target couple gets married, then I have to force myself to play their parents' households.
2. How many characters do you play and are they usually single..married...married with kids or are they direct family members (example ..mom dad and/or siblings
In my ancestral game save (the one that is my current Rotational Play) I have two households. My Sevier family with the first three kids being teens; and the next two being children. With the Hawkins household the two eldest daughters are teens and the two boys are children, and the current youngest starts off as a toddler.
3. how long does this type of play hold your interest approximately? ( for example..a week...a month ...longer?)
Interesting question. It all depends. Sometimes I make it all the way until the first three children of the target couple are toddlers before I get a tad bored. Other times, I get the first six children born. I have a very hard time pulling away from this household. So, it all depends on how long that takes in real time.
4. Do you usually use NewCrest so you can create your own town or do you have a favorite neighborhood and why?
Yes, I do use NewCrest (glad I'm not the only one who spells it that way ) but it's only because my family helped to tame the Original Wild West, which was westernmost North Carolina at the time, but eventually became Tennessee. So I set up the Settlements in NewCrest. My game generally begins in the year 1761, just prior to the target couple's wedding. They removed to the Settlements in 1773.
5. Would you say there is any draw backs to rotational play and if yes then what would those draw backs be?
I definitely find drawbacks. As I've already stated a few times, it's very hard for me to pull away from my target couple. But, I have to in order for their younger siblings to be born. I have broken discipline many a time, when I realized the nephew or niece was born before the auntie or uncle. Oopsie! I've had to correct this, sometimes, by pulling the parental household into CAS to add the 'missing' child. Sometimes, I'll save the game and switch households prior to the end of a week, to make certain a baby gets born.
6. other than using rotational play what type of simmer are you in game...for example ...do you prefer family related play....single sims over couples...do you prefer to begin as a teen in a family or something else.
I prefer family-related play. I also very much enjoy playing a celebrity Sim. In that game save Erik gets a great deal of attention, but I try very hard to not neglect his four siblings, at the same time. Often, he invites them along to his concerts. Playing a single Sim bores me to tears, however. That's the hardest part for me when playing Pinstar's Legacy Challenge. You have to start out with a single Sim.
My current save is the longest I’ve ever played with a select group of sims. Their storIes started four years ago and I am still going.
1. When you begin your play what rules do you abide by (if any): Play for a minimum of 1 sim week or pregnancy. Aging is for the household only. Keep the generations aging together.
2. How many characters do you play and are they usually single..married...married with kids or are they direct family members (example ..mom dad and/or siblings) I try to keep it to a max of five families in my rotation. I do play siblings and other sims for a short time just to develop relationships, or build houses and more in-depth storyline’s. I give myself ALOT of freedom. I have a Mermaid Amazon Challenge going with roughly 14 sims across two households.
I have a royal family household - so King & Queen, the crown Princess, Her hubby and their three kids...plus a maid. Then I’ve got a vampire legacy with five sims in the house - no kids and a Spellcaster type academy set up.
3. how long does this type of play hold your interest approximately? ( for example..a week...a month ...longer?) 4 years and counting at this stage. I give myself the space to play one family for as long as I want. Sometimes I focus on one family for a month or more and sometimes I’ll jump into another family for a few days and go back. I don’t have a strict structure.
4. Do you usually use NewCrest so you can create your own town or do you have a favorite neighborhood and why? I do use Newcrest, it’s mainly townhouses, a shopping/cafe/night club/night markets area & a park. Oddly enough I mainly play in Windenburg...it’s not even my favourite world...it’s just where a number of the families live.
5. Would you say there is any draw backs to rotational play and if yes then what would those draw backs be? I think if it is too structured/strict it can start to feel forced. I do struggle with the generations as well. I try to keep the kids aging and growing families around the same time and this gets a little bland if I’m favouring one household over the other.
6. other then using rotational play what type of simmer are you in game...for example ...do you prefer family related play....single sims over couples...do you prefer to begin as a teen in a family or something else. I don’t play a lot of normal suburban families. I have a Spellcaster academy I am majorly favouring at the moment. I have a royal family that is on Gen 8, a Mermaid Amazon type legacy going on - mermen are infertile...so the mermaids must seduce sim men to continue the species, a vampire family with some twisted plot lines & only 1 extremely suburban family. I happen to love them but they are the only “normal” family I play.
1. When you begin your play what rules do you abide by (if any)
Two hard rules: Every family I play gets 2 weeks in-game before I switch to the next family, and I usually switch on Sundays around 8AM unless I'm playing sims at University (in which case, the switch happens at night on Friday, after the semester is over). And every household in my rotation must have children at some point, via woohoo or adoption, to keep the generations going.
2. How many characters do you play and are they usually single..married...married with kids or are they direct family members (example ..mom dad and/or siblings
I don't know how many characters I play. Most of them are probably married with kids, but it really depends on the state of their lives? I have single sims who I just haven't found a partner that I like for them yet, single sims who have things I want to accomplish before they have kids, married couples with goals that I want to reach before they have kids etc. And plenty of blended families living together.
3. how long does this type of play hold your interest approximately? ( for example..a week...a month ...longer?)
Years, I guess? I've been playing these same rotations since the game came out but it's very hard for me to get bored with The Sims 4.
4. Do you usually use NewCrest so you can create your own town or do you have a favorite neighborhood and why?
Sulani is my favorite world but I choose the worlds based on the sim. So I have some sims that I think of as city sims, they'll live in San Myshuno. I have sims who are more suburban, they'll be in Newcrest, Willow Creek, Brindleton Bay. Sims who want to be famous might head to Del Sol Valley etc.
5. Would you say there is any draw backs to rotational play and if yes then what would those draw backs be?
There's a lot of moving pieces in rotational play and sometimes things fall through the cracks. I forget to turn aging on and off at certain times, or I forget specific goals that I wanted for a specific sim in a household even though I have notebooks full of this information. It's a lot to keep track of, but for me that's a part of the fun.
10. other then using rotational play what type of simmer are you in game...for example ...do you prefer family related play....single sims over couples...do you prefer to begin as a teen in a family or something else.
In the very beginning, I started off with 2 saves, 6 married couples per save. Now that I'm in it a little bit (6 generations, about to be 7), I have to say that I don't have a preference. I think I enjoy playing more when I have goals in mind for each sim or household of sims. When I'm not sure what I want to happen for a sim or a household, then it gets a little more tricky to get through them.
1. When you begin your play what rules do you abide by (if any) I have one major rotational save. When I started it I created the original families using the rules from the Build A City challenge, and for a long time I rotated strictly at 6am on Mondays, always randomized traits and randomized aspirations. Over time I've relaxed a bit on the schedule but it's still usually about a week, give or take. A couple of times I've stuck with University through the full program just because I didn't want to keep coming back and back to the same students. I also now don't really randomize things as much unless I need some kind of a household goal; then I might look at the Random Legacy challenge and roll something from there. I usually like to have a general goal or style for each household. I also wait on new content until the "right" sim is up in the rotation for it; for instance, with both Strangerville and RoM it was quite a long time before I played any of the content in the rotational save because I wanted to get to the household or sim that it made sense for. On the other hand I had a perfect sim to take up knitting when that came out a couple of weeks ago.
I keep aging off for all but the active household until I'm back to household #1; then I turn it on for NPCs and let them develop. I use MCCC to turn off all culling. Also, if they start a fire they have to manage it themselves; I don't put it out for them. It's one of the few ways to get an accidental death in the game, although I've had a couple of teenage vampires incinerate themselves because they wouldn't stay out of the sun and also one sim who unexpectedly died by lightning strike. For whatever reason I have never gotten an emotional death in this save although I have in others.
I also collect taxes from each household so that if I want to start a new one out with extra cash or in a house they couldn't afford out of pocket, they can borrow the money from the Bank of Me and repay it. This also helps a little with the problem of them all getting filthy rich too easily.
2. How many characters do you play and are they usually single..married...married with kids or are they direct family members (example ..mom dad and/or siblings I currently have 123 active sims, which I only know because I keep them listed in a spreadsheet. All my households are descended from or married into the original four families I started with. (In fact a couple of the originals are still there, thanks to vampirism and ghost...ism). They have all manner of family structures including singles and childless couples.
3. how long does this type of play hold your interest approximately? ( for example..a week...a month ...longer?) I've played this save 2-3 years and while I have several others saves I enjoy, I've never had another rotation take off for me like this one did. If I need to spice it up a little I'll pick a random event to subject them to and that's led to some neat stories for some sims I didn't really know what to do with. If I am consistently bored with a particular household I'll "retire" it to townie status.
4. Do you usually use NewCrest so you can create your own town or do you have a favorite neighborhood and why? I placed my original four families at the top of the map in Newcrest and also now have a family on the 5th lot, but the rest of Newcrest is all community lots. I have a lot of families in San Myshuno but also have them in every town except Glimmerbrook.
5. Would you say there is any draw backs to rotational play and if yes then what would those draw backs be? As others have mentioned University throws things off; I get around that by either just bulling through the entire thing on campus, or having sims go to school from home. The other annoyance is not being able to keep seasons consistent among all of them. In my mind each rotation is one concurrent week for all families, but even with 28 day seasons one family might celebrate Winterfest and another a summer holiday in the same rotation. (On the other hand I wouldn't want to run the same holiday 27 times, so I've just learned to live with it.) I know other simmers have been able to work out a pattern that makes it more consistent but it depends on how many households there are and how often they're rotated.
6. other then using rotational play what type of simmer are you in game...for example ...do you prefer family related play....single sims over couples...do you prefer to begin as a teen in a family or something else. I tend to tilt toward family play for the most part, but have tried out many other styles as well. I tend to start challenges and then abandon them. I'm having a lot of fun right now with a family that is directed by what happens in BitLife.
As far as groups or clubs go I use a lot of family clubs to do activities together or short term clubs to achieve a specific goal (like finding a spouse), plus it's a good way to achieve the childhood social aspiration. For community lots I put down anything that strikes my fancy at the time I need it.
I go big when I do rotational play so I use mods to stop culling and to make it easier to play the way I like. (MCCC & Slice of Life are my must-haves)
I delete every sim in the beginning - yes, even the townies - and fill all the towns with my own single sims. Yes, it does take a really long time. But, I use custom content and I really don't like how my creations look amongst the other sims, so it's a necessary pain.
I tend to go 4 sim weeks per household. But, it totally depends on how their household is going. Does the sim have a job? Are they making enough money to support themselves? If not, I'll play with them until they're living comfortably. Is the sim in university? Are they getting good enough grades? If not, I'll play with them and help them to get their grades up. Is the sim lonely? I'll help them find love. Do they want to have a family? I'll help them along. If the sim is doing fine - i'll just check up on them every once in awhile.
I will play with the same "world" for months and will get plenty of fun out of it. I do have a save file titled "beginning" just in case I want to start all over with the sims I've placed in the game. Sometimes starting all over is refreshing!
Variety is something that I really struggle with doing on my own, so that's where the slice of life mod helps out. It randomizes jobs, skills, friends, etc. and makes sure that I don't stick to the "same old" stuff. MCCC helps me to randomize marriages and pregnancies so that my sims are not always single and childless. I put it on a lower % so it will take some time for any of this to happen.
All-in-all, playing rotational is lots of fun! But, it takes a lot of patience and a lot of dedication to make sure your households are happy (or not happy, if that's what you're going for) and it can be quite the challenge, especially if you play vanilla.
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1. When you begin your play what rules do you abide by (if any)
Before University I used to play week by week on Normal Lifespan, ending each week on Sunday at 6 am. Now I play on Long Lifespan and play all four seasons (7 days each) and switch on Sunday 6 am in Spring. I try not to cheat too much, but a teeny bit here and there for emergencies are ok. I mostly let things happen and turn it into a story.
2. How many characters do you play and are they usually single..married...married with kids or are they direct family members (example ..mom dad and/or siblings
I am a family player and so all the sims I play are related to each other in some way(Immediate and/or distant). The families vary from single to married, divorced, etc.
3. how long does this type of play hold your interest approximately? ( for example..a week...a month ...longer?)
Depending on the family. I love some more than others, but the last save, before losing it, was 3 years old. I still miss them lol.
4. Do you usually use Newcrest so you can create your own town or do you have a favorite neighborhood and why?
I tend to have my families all over. I enjoy the different seasons (I use a weather mod) and it keeps me from getting bored.
5. Would you say there are any drawbacks to rotational play and if yes then what would those drawbacks be?
University can be a bit of a bother as well as sim AI and death, but I have learned to time things.
6. Other than using rotational play what type of simmer are you in-game...for example ...do you prefer family-related play....single sims over couples...do you prefer to begin as a teen in a family or something else.
As I have stated before, I enjoy playing families and have adapted the Legacy gameplay into my playstyle.
There is some new things to read today and i am so excited.
Apparently when you are not playing with a household you placed into your town ...the sim you are not playing can have feelings. That sounds funny, let me explain. I started my rotational play going to the single male sim who is dating my first sim. All together this rotational play centers around four sims. 1. main household..single female. 2. Single male who dates main household sim. 3. main household's best friend who lives next door to her. 4. single male sim who will date main household's best friend.
When i was playing with my main household, single female..she invited her best friend and the two guys to a pool party at a venue i added to the town. it seemed to go great ...everyone left then and went back home.
now when i go into the household of the guy who is dating my main sim ..i see he definitely does not like the guy i created to be his best friend. It is going to take a bit of effort to mend this relationship ..it is kinda funny..folks have said nothing happens in this game, well it might not to the extent that some want but this relationship status was totally unexpected to me and not what i had intended. This raises a new question ..do you often find that relationships between your played households changes significantly as your rotate? ( i thought the relationship with the two guys went great at the pool party..who knew?)
Galactic Gal...I think it might be fun to have some parents in the game...might be something that. Kinda reminds me of generations, thanks for that idea! I wonder how many folks start with like say a couple..married but then add in parents to get the ball rolling? I have come to realize that there is a lot that can come into play with setting up a rotation. You could have a challenge inside of your rotational play(credit/Kamino/mermaid) ..you could certainly have a next generation of kids going to university by putting them all in the same dorm.(credit/RavinSpit) So many possibilities.
Galactic Gal...you have a very creative back story using NewCrest...how do you manage clothing then ..do you rely on mods or get by with what is in game?
@Kamio...from reading the input here from so many ..i can see how the number of sims you might have in a rotational play can really grow in number...especially when you might not choose to have each household evolve from one family. A few folks now have said they do not rotate to any specific structure ..might be the way i do this as well. I can see how it might be hard to move on if something going on at the moment is interesting.
nyxValkoinen....
6) I am entirely a family player. The only reason why I have those 1 or 2 singles in my rotation play at all is just to add some different flavor at the end of a rotational play of all 3 families. It's more boring, but it does give me time to relax slightly, because trying to balance two parents and two or three kids is a big hassle, especially when I'm obsessed with micromanaging the entire game at all times. I can't let my Sims do what they want because they'll somehow set everything on fire, so I have to watch them like a hawk.[/quote]
I can see how that is because of what just happened in the rotational play i have ...now the two guys that i wanted to be great friends nearly hate each other....and i had no clue of this either as it happened. I can only manage the home i play since i do not use mods. will have to see how relationships go as i move along.
Today I was playing a character I had invested a lot of time in to get to look just right. I had also designed the perfect house. I was playing a very serious game when an unusual townie walked by. I dropped everything and began playing this townie as a sloppy, erratic, unemployed artist. I had a blast! That is the joy of rotational play. I earn points by following my own whims, lol.
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No cheats except reset sim and bb.moveobjects on. No forcing relationships upon the sims (I pursue friendships with sims that call my sim often and I pay attention to my sims' whims) and I try to prioritise them socialising over other things if they get the oportunity.
2. How many characters do you play and are they usually single..married...married with kids or are they direct family members (example ..mom dad and/or siblings
Around 10, although I plan for this number to grow a lot. They are all from the same family, I don't really get attached to the households that came with the game. It started as a regular legacy challenge, which I still maintain, so I keep the heir in the "legacy lot" and keep track of the points (just because I feel that it leads me to discover new things about the game that I wouldn't explore if it wasn't for that).
I usually figure out the sibling's life (at least what they should do after becoming young adults) and I move them to a different lot, normally. I also decide how much money they get when they move out,for example, if they had a part time job, I estimate how much they made and give them that, sometimes I give them nothing and do a rags to riches with them, if it fits the story.
Other times I started in a less organised & less story-driven way, also playing with random sims and I used to lose interest quite fast. I also would like to be a bit more organised still, and keep track of more things related to my game play, as the family tree grows.
3. how long does this type of play hold your interest approximately? ( for example..a week...a month ...longer?)
For me it's all about the story line, I randomise my sims traits, unless there's a specific trait that's perfect for the story. And then I like to figure out what they should do as adults observing what things they like to do as kids and how their relationship with the rest of the family is. So with each new kid I see a new possibility and this way it is always interesting to me. **
4. Do you usually use NewCrest so you can create your own town or do you have a favorite neighborhood and why?
I tried populating New Crest once, but the scenery is too bland for me and I gave up. Now I just put most of the generic cummunity-based lots there, restaurants and cafes, a spa. More thematic community lots I place in towns with more "personality" to them, for example I place the cementery in Forgotten Hollow (gives me an excuse to go there often, because otherwise I wouldn't). My favorite town is Sulani because it is so stunning. San Myshuno is also cool to me.
5. Would you say there is any draw backs to rotational play and if yes then what would those draw backs be?
As mentioned above, University is not quite compatible with this type of game play
6. other then using rotational play what type of simmer are you in game...for example ...do you prefer family related play....single sims over couples...do you prefer to begin as a teen in a family or something else.
I'm not fascinated by the concept of marriage irl, so I only have my sims get married if it makes sense in their story, I have no problem having unmarried couples. If I start a new save, I like to start with a single sim and no money and I usually do the most and write a story about how they got to that point, because it's fun to me. I feel that I wouldn't care that much about my sim if they just fell from the sky onto a lot with 20 000 simoleons and no backstory.
** other things I do to keep me interested in the game is I keep a list of new things in the game I would like to explore (careers I haven't played through yet, aspirations I haven't explored, some types of occult sims I haven't explored much yet, more unconventional types of relationships
- ones that are not the canon of a married pair, I haven't really had a criminal sim yet and I have some cool ideas of how that would go). So whenever I don't know what to do I check out that list
how do you usually use your groups
I love groups, I have one for every hobby that I can think of (I have a community lot equipped to house club meetings where sims can do any hobby), one for rebel teens & kids, one for homework, one for debate, one for single sims that are ready to mingle
I am very interested what other players like to place in their neighborhoods to create a good community feel
all types of community-based lots that I can find, the more the merrier for me. Especially restaurants, cafes, parks. I always have a stunning wedding venue, so if my sims get married, the ceremony looks great. In general, I love to send them to community lots / visit other sims at their homes and take pictures with their friends and hang those at home
2. How many characters do you play and are they usually single..married...married with kids or are they direct family members (example ..mom dad and/or siblings
3. how long does this type of play hold your interest approximately? ( for example..a week...a month ...longer?)
4. Do you usually use NewCrest so you can create your own town or do you have a favorite neighborhood and why?
5. Would you say there is any draw backs to rotational play and if yes then what would those draw backs be?
6. other then using rotational play what type of simmer are you in game...for example ...do you prefer family related play....single sims over couples...do you prefer to begin as a teen in a family or something else.
1) My only rule is to keep it to one week play for each family, so that everyone gets the same amount of time played.
2) I play with up to 3 families, and 1 or 2 singles mixed in that I keep alone or just serial romancing around. So, 5 overall households in total.
3) Like 2 days, but I do keep the rotational save so when I get bored of playing 1 household in one save I'll just switch to my rotational one.
4) I can't build at all, so no. NewCrest is just the world I throw all the spa and restaurants in. My favorite world to play in is Willow Creek. In Sims 2, I'm obsessed with Pleasantview. In Sims 3, I'm obsessed with Sunset Valley. The first base game hoods always become my favorite.
5) Playing rotationally. I love sticking to one family, especially when I get on a roll with their lives. Kind of feels annoying to have to switch when I'm having fun with one family, but I don't want their playtimes to get too separated.
6) I am entirely a family player. The only reason why I have those 1 or 2 singles in my rotation play at all is just to add some different flavor at the end of a rotational play of all 3 families. It's more boring, but it does give me time to relax slightly, because trying to balance two parents and two or three kids is a big hassle, especially when I'm obsessed with micromanaging the entire game at all times. I can't let my Sims do what they want because they'll somehow set everything on fire, so I have to watch them like a hawk.
None, just have fun.
I guess the only "rule" would be, that I don't play my sims out of character, meaning a loner sim would not go to a night club and stuff like that...but it's a pretty loose rule tbh.
I have to schedules eithers, I play the household I feel like playing for however long I want to, sometimes I play 3 households in one hour and sometimes I play one household for 3 hours...whatever I feel like that day.
2. How many characters do you play and are they usually single..married...married with kids or are they direct family members (example ..mom dad and/or siblings
Currently? Idk...I've got everything, single, married with kids, couples, multi-generational households (from grandparent to grandchild), with and without pets, all of them.
3. how long does this type of play hold your interest approximately? ( for example..a week...a month ...longer?)
well, when did Sims4 come out for consoles? since then and still going.
4. Do you usually use NewCrest so you can create your own town or do you have a favorite neighborhood and why?
I use whatever world I feel like fits for the sim(s) to live in, my sims are spread out over multiple worlds...NewCrest is not one of them though, I do not like that world.
5. Would you say there is any draw backs to rotational play and if yes then what would those draw backs be?
Not for me. Btw I play with aging off, so that might take some of the struggles away.
6. other then using rotational play what type of simmer are you in game...for example ...do you prefer family related play....single sims over couples...do you prefer to begin as a teen in a family or something else.
I like variety, which is why I play rotationally, so I can play with EVERYTHING whenever I feel like it, that's why I hardly ever get bored.
I love to create my own world(s), so I delete pre-mades/NPCs in houses and build my own venues/homes, besides the creative side of it, I also care more about the sims that way.
1. When you begin your play what rules do you abide by (if any)
I started my save 6 years ago, did start with many households. I played rotationally in TS1, TS2 and TS3 as well, so my routine was already well tested.
2. How many characters do you play and are they usually single..married...married with kids or are they direct family members (example ..mom dad and/or siblings
I tried to limit the number of sims to play, but I must have 70+ households by now, and there will be more... I play with each season lasting 14 days, and I play normally just 1 simday per house. Because there's too many my rotation lasts 2 sim years (takes 2 sim years to make a full round). Sometimes I play an extra year without aging them all on new year's eve, especially when there is a new EP etc that I like to explore a bit by being with one household over many days.
3. how long does this type of play hold your interest approximately? ( for example..a week...a month ...longer?)
6 years so far, and not planning to stop quite yet...
4. Do you usually use NewCrest so you can create your own town or do you have a favorite neighborhood and why?
I play all the worlds. Some favorites, but I need to like the family I'm playing, too. Say if someone are moving to a different world, I often know them well enough to see what world will suit them.
5. Would you say there is any draw backs to rotational play and if yes then what would those draw backs be?
Some game play features require quite some played time in one household, say if you like to reach a certain skill level. I have sims crafting stuff, but it takes them a lifetime to get beyond those beginner items
6. other then using rotational play what type of simmer are you in game...for example ...do you prefer family related play....single sims over couples...do you prefer to begin as a teen in a family or something else.
Majority of my current population is born in game, and I don't really play a certain style as I switch so often and get variety. I like family life more than career climbing, but in my game there are a few sims who are very focused on their career, they just don't get the promotions they probably would like to have
There's plenty of info on my game on the blog linked in my signature. I also run an online residents registry (linked from top of that blog). It's too time consuming to recommend, but you might find some ideas there if you need some inspiration.
mingussss..this is a great idea. ** other things I do to keep me interested in the game is I keep a list of new things in the game I would like to explore (careers I haven't played through yet, aspirations I haven't explored, some types of occult sims I haven't explored much yet, more unconventional types of relationships
- ones that are not the canon of a married pair, I haven't really had a criminal sim yet and I have some cool ideas of how that would go). So whenever I don't know what to do I check out that list
Too Good at Goodbyes forum thread
Too Good at Goodbyes blog
Ravanspit ...1. When you begin your play what rules do you abide by (if any)
None, just have fun.
I guess the only "rule" would be, that I don't play my sims out of character, meaning a loner sim would not go to a night club and stuff like that...but it's a pretty loose rule tbh.
I have to schedules eithers, I play the household I feel like playing for however long I want to, sometimes I play 3 households in one hour and sometimes I play one household for 3 hours...whatever I feel like that day.
2. How many characters do you play and are they usually single..married...married with kids or are they direct family members (example ..mom dad and/or siblings
Currently? Idk...I've got everything, single, married with kids, couples, multi-generational households (from grandparent to grandchild), with and without pets, all of them.
I could see myself spending a couple hours in one household so it is good to see that some do it that way....pretty sure most of my sims will end up with at least a spouse ...thanks for your response ...i am enjoying so much the input of other folks!
2) I have a lot of households. Probably around 30. Basically, I play with most all the premades. I think around Cats and Dogs, I only pick 0-2 premade households to play. My premades seem to live forever, and they don't have many kids.
3) I've been playing like this for years
4) I use all the worlds.
5) The biggest drawback is University Life. I can't seem to leave the students. They do poorly in school and flunk out.
6) I play soap opera style. With giant complicated storylines.
For Example: Johnny Zest came back to the Landgraab household with his girlfriend Summer Holiday. Nancy hates Summer. And at first, Summer flirted with Geoffrey just to annoy Nancy. But Geoff and Summer fell deeply in love without ever acting on it. But then a vampire stole Johnny's memory, and Summer found herself suddenly single and very sad. Malcolm is now a young adult who is jealous of Johnny, swooped in during a romance festival and woohooed with Summer, getting her pregnant. And then the story just went on and on.
ah yes, Uni is a bit of a problem for rotational play, I totally forgot about that.
What I do is have them be done with all they need to do before the weekend and than I can play another household from at least saturday to monday morning. Also I make sure to put multiple played sims (from originally different households) in the same dorm.
Also, @Simmerville, I am so fascinated by the complex gameplay system you have come up with. By turning ageing on for just one day a year, are you counting the "days" they live as years? super interesting. Also, I'm having a great time reading further explanations of your system in your blog.
@imhappy soap opera style sounds so fun!! I have some ideas for that. I loved the netflix show La Casa De Las Flores, which is not really a soap opera, but it has that style - highly recommend, especially if any of y'all speak spanish - and I'm dying to recreate parts of that story line with my sims, but I'm afraid things will get out of hand, feel that if the story gets too bizarre I won't like it anymore
But I also do leave sims at uni and rotate away from them sometimes if I am not bothered about them getting an A or A+ grade. They usually end up with a B or C if you don't actively play them there (well, that is my experience anyway - others have said they fail). I also sometimes find sims that have enrolled in uni on their own when I start playing their household - they are studying from home.
When I played with a single sim I did it in two parts. Starting with first and second term (also I rotated to play his girlfriend during the weekends). Then I moved him back to his parents "for holidays" until I felt like returning to play third and fourth... and fifth term. It didn't bother me much to do uni this way, but it was a bit different from what I normally play and when I can rotate freely. It felt more ambitious and not something I want to do all of the time.
Updated with Werewolf Diaries (1)
I try very hard to play each household for one week. It works until the target couple gets married, then I have to force myself to play their parents' households.
2. How many characters do you play and are they usually single..married...married with kids or are they direct family members (example ..mom dad and/or siblings
In my ancestral game save (the one that is my current Rotational Play) I have two households. My Sevier family with the first three kids being teens; and the next two being children. With the Hawkins household the two eldest daughters are teens and the two boys are children, and the current youngest starts off as a toddler.
3. how long does this type of play hold your interest approximately? ( for example..a week...a month ...longer?)
Interesting question. It all depends. Sometimes I make it all the way until the first three children of the target couple are toddlers before I get a tad bored. Other times, I get the first six children born. I have a very hard time pulling away from this household. So, it all depends on how long that takes in real time.
4. Do you usually use NewCrest so you can create your own town or do you have a favorite neighborhood and why?
Yes, I do use NewCrest (glad I'm not the only one who spells it that way
5. Would you say there is any draw backs to rotational play and if yes then what would those draw backs be?
I definitely find drawbacks. As I've already stated a few times, it's very hard for me to pull away from my target couple. But, I have to in order for their younger siblings to be born. I have broken discipline many a time, when I realized the nephew or niece was born before the auntie or uncle. Oopsie! I've had to correct this, sometimes, by pulling the parental household into CAS to add the 'missing' child. Sometimes, I'll save the game and switch households prior to the end of a week, to make certain a baby gets born.
6. other than using rotational play what type of simmer are you in game...for example ...do you prefer family related play....single sims over couples...do you prefer to begin as a teen in a family or something else.
I prefer family-related play. I also very much enjoy playing a celebrity Sim. In that game save Erik gets a great deal of attention, but I try very hard to not neglect his four siblings, at the same time. Often, he invites them along to his concerts. Playing a single Sim bores me to tears, however. That's the hardest part for me when playing Pinstar's Legacy Challenge. You have to start out with a single Sim.
http://www.getfreeebooks.com/star-trek-original-series-fan-fiction-trilogy/
1. When you begin your play what rules do you abide by (if any): Play for a minimum of 1 sim week or pregnancy. Aging is for the household only. Keep the generations aging together.
2. How many characters do you play and are they usually single..married...married with kids or are they direct family members (example ..mom dad and/or siblings) I try to keep it to a max of five families in my rotation. I do play siblings and other sims for a short time just to develop relationships, or build houses and more in-depth storyline’s. I give myself ALOT of freedom. I have a Mermaid Amazon Challenge going with roughly 14 sims across two households.
I have a royal family household - so King & Queen, the crown Princess, Her hubby and their three kids...plus a maid. Then I’ve got a vampire legacy with five sims in the house - no kids and a Spellcaster type academy set up.
3. how long does this type of play hold your interest approximately? ( for example..a week...a month ...longer?) 4 years and counting at this stage. I give myself the space to play one family for as long as I want. Sometimes I focus on one family for a month or more and sometimes I’ll jump into another family for a few days and go back. I don’t have a strict structure.
4. Do you usually use NewCrest so you can create your own town or do you have a favorite neighborhood and why? I do use Newcrest, it’s mainly townhouses, a shopping/cafe/night club/night markets area & a park. Oddly enough I mainly play in Windenburg...it’s not even my favourite world...it’s just where a number of the families live.
5. Would you say there is any draw backs to rotational play and if yes then what would those draw backs be? I think if it is too structured/strict it can start to feel forced. I do struggle with the generations as well. I try to keep the kids aging and growing families around the same time and this gets a little bland if I’m favouring one household over the other.
6. other then using rotational play what type of simmer are you in game...for example ...do you prefer family related play....single sims over couples...do you prefer to begin as a teen in a family or something else. I don’t play a lot of normal suburban families. I have a Spellcaster academy I am majorly favouring at the moment. I have a royal family that is on Gen 8, a Mermaid Amazon type legacy going on - mermen are infertile...so the mermaids must seduce sim men to continue the species, a vampire family with some twisted plot lines & only 1 extremely suburban family. I happen to love them but they are the only “normal” family I play.
1. When you begin your play what rules do you abide by (if any)
Two hard rules: Every family I play gets 2 weeks in-game before I switch to the next family, and I usually switch on Sundays around 8AM unless I'm playing sims at University (in which case, the switch happens at night on Friday, after the semester is over). And every household in my rotation must have children at some point, via woohoo or adoption, to keep the generations going.
2. How many characters do you play and are they usually single..married...married with kids or are they direct family members (example ..mom dad and/or siblings
I don't know how many characters I play. Most of them are probably married with kids, but it really depends on the state of their lives? I have single sims who I just haven't found a partner that I like for them yet, single sims who have things I want to accomplish before they have kids, married couples with goals that I want to reach before they have kids etc. And plenty of blended families living together.
3. how long does this type of play hold your interest approximately? ( for example..a week...a month ...longer?)
Years, I guess? I've been playing these same rotations since the game came out but it's very hard for me to get bored with The Sims 4.
4. Do you usually use NewCrest so you can create your own town or do you have a favorite neighborhood and why?
Sulani is my favorite world but I choose the worlds based on the sim. So I have some sims that I think of as city sims, they'll live in San Myshuno. I have sims who are more suburban, they'll be in Newcrest, Willow Creek, Brindleton Bay. Sims who want to be famous might head to Del Sol Valley etc.
5. Would you say there is any draw backs to rotational play and if yes then what would those draw backs be?
There's a lot of moving pieces in rotational play and sometimes things fall through the cracks. I forget to turn aging on and off at certain times, or I forget specific goals that I wanted for a specific sim in a household even though I have notebooks full of this information. It's a lot to keep track of, but for me that's a part of the fun.
10. other then using rotational play what type of simmer are you in game...for example ...do you prefer family related play....single sims over couples...do you prefer to begin as a teen in a family or something else.
In the very beginning, I started off with 2 saves, 6 married couples per save. Now that I'm in it a little bit (6 generations, about to be 7), I have to say that I don't have a preference. I think I enjoy playing more when I have goals in mind for each sim or household of sims. When I'm not sure what I want to happen for a sim or a household, then it gets a little more tricky to get through them.
I keep aging off for all but the active household until I'm back to household #1; then I turn it on for NPCs and let them develop. I use MCCC to turn off all culling. Also, if they start a fire they have to manage it themselves; I don't put it out for them. It's one of the few ways to get an accidental death in the game, although I've had a couple of teenage vampires incinerate themselves because they wouldn't stay out of the sun and also one sim who unexpectedly died by lightning strike. For whatever reason I have never gotten an emotional death in this save although I have in others.
I also collect taxes from each household so that if I want to start a new one out with extra cash or in a house they couldn't afford out of pocket, they can borrow the money from the Bank of Me and repay it. This also helps a little with the problem of them all getting filthy rich too easily.
2. How many characters do you play and are they usually single..married...married with kids or are they direct family members (example ..mom dad and/or siblings I currently have 123 active sims, which I only know because I keep them listed in a spreadsheet. All my households are descended from or married into the original four families I started with. (In fact a couple of the originals are still there, thanks to vampirism and ghost...ism). They have all manner of family structures including singles and childless couples.
3. how long does this type of play hold your interest approximately? ( for example..a week...a month ...longer?) I've played this save 2-3 years and while I have several others saves I enjoy, I've never had another rotation take off for me like this one did. If I need to spice it up a little I'll pick a random event to subject them to and that's led to some neat stories for some sims I didn't really know what to do with. If I am consistently bored with a particular household I'll "retire" it to townie status.
4. Do you usually use NewCrest so you can create your own town or do you have a favorite neighborhood and why? I placed my original four families at the top of the map in Newcrest and also now have a family on the 5th lot, but the rest of Newcrest is all community lots. I have a lot of families in San Myshuno but also have them in every town except Glimmerbrook.
5. Would you say there is any draw backs to rotational play and if yes then what would those draw backs be? As others have mentioned University throws things off; I get around that by either just bulling through the entire thing on campus, or having sims go to school from home. The other annoyance is not being able to keep seasons consistent among all of them. In my mind each rotation is one concurrent week for all families, but even with 28 day seasons one family might celebrate Winterfest and another a summer holiday in the same rotation. (On the other hand I wouldn't want to run the same holiday 27 times, so I've just learned to live with it.) I know other simmers have been able to work out a pattern that makes it more consistent but it depends on how many households there are and how often they're rotated.
6. other then using rotational play what type of simmer are you in game...for example ...do you prefer family related play....single sims over couples...do you prefer to begin as a teen in a family or something else. I tend to tilt toward family play for the most part, but have tried out many other styles as well. I tend to start challenges and then abandon them. I'm having a lot of fun right now with a family that is directed by what happens in BitLife.
As far as groups or clubs go I use a lot of family clubs to do activities together or short term clubs to achieve a specific goal (like finding a spouse), plus it's a good way to achieve the childhood social aspiration. For community lots I put down anything that strikes my fancy at the time I need it.
I delete every sim in the beginning - yes, even the townies - and fill all the towns with my own single sims. Yes, it does take a really long time. But, I use custom content and I really don't like how my creations look amongst the other sims, so it's a necessary pain.
I tend to go 4 sim weeks per household. But, it totally depends on how their household is going. Does the sim have a job? Are they making enough money to support themselves? If not, I'll play with them until they're living comfortably. Is the sim in university? Are they getting good enough grades? If not, I'll play with them and help them to get their grades up. Is the sim lonely? I'll help them find love. Do they want to have a family? I'll help them along. If the sim is doing fine - i'll just check up on them every once in awhile.
I will play with the same "world" for months and will get plenty of fun out of it. I do have a save file titled "beginning" just in case I want to start all over with the sims I've placed in the game. Sometimes starting all over is refreshing!
Variety is something that I really struggle with doing on my own, so that's where the slice of life mod helps out. It randomizes jobs, skills, friends, etc. and makes sure that I don't stick to the "same old" stuff. MCCC helps me to randomize marriages and pregnancies so that my sims are not always single and childless. I put it on a lower % so it will take some time for any of this to happen.
All-in-all, playing rotational is lots of fun! But, it takes a lot of patience and a lot of dedication to make sure your households are happy (or not happy, if that's what you're going for) and it can be quite the challenge, especially if you play vanilla.
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1. When you begin your play what rules do you abide by (if any)
Before University I used to play week by week on Normal Lifespan, ending each week on Sunday at 6 am. Now I play on Long Lifespan and play all four seasons (7 days each) and switch on Sunday 6 am in Spring. I try not to cheat too much, but a teeny bit here and there for emergencies are ok. I mostly let things happen and turn it into a story.
2. How many characters do you play and are they usually single..married...married with kids or are they direct family members (example ..mom dad and/or siblings
I am a family player and so all the sims I play are related to each other in some way(Immediate and/or distant). The families vary from single to married, divorced, etc.
3. how long does this type of play hold your interest approximately? ( for example..a week...a month ...longer?)
Depending on the family. I love some more than others, but the last save, before losing it, was 3 years old. I still miss them lol.
4. Do you usually use Newcrest so you can create your own town or do you have a favorite neighborhood and why?
I tend to have my families all over. I enjoy the different seasons (I use a weather mod) and it keeps me from getting bored.
5. Would you say there are any drawbacks to rotational play and if yes then what would those drawbacks be?
University can be a bit of a bother as well as sim AI and death, but I have learned to time things.
6. Other than using rotational play what type of simmer are you in-game...for example ...do you prefer family-related play....single sims over couples...do you prefer to begin as a teen in a family or something else.
As I have stated before, I enjoy playing families and have adapted the Legacy gameplay into my playstyle.
Apparently when you are not playing with a household you placed into your town ...the sim you are not playing can have feelings. That sounds funny, let me explain. I started my rotational play going to the single male sim who is dating my first sim. All together this rotational play centers around four sims. 1. main household..single female. 2. Single male who dates main household sim. 3. main household's best friend who lives next door to her. 4. single male sim who will date main household's best friend.
When i was playing with my main household, single female..she invited her best friend and the two guys to a pool party at a venue i added to the town. it seemed to go great ...everyone left then and went back home.
now when i go into the household of the guy who is dating my main sim ..i see he definitely does not like the guy i created to be his best friend. It is going to take a bit of effort to mend this relationship ..it is kinda funny..folks have said nothing happens in this game, well it might not to the extent that some want but this relationship status was totally unexpected to me and not what i had intended. This raises a new question ..do you often find that relationships between your played households changes significantly as your rotate? ( i thought the relationship with the two guys went great at the pool party..who knew?)
Galactic Gal...you have a very creative back story using NewCrest...how do you manage clothing then ..do you rely on mods or get by with what is in game?
@Kamio...from reading the input here from so many ..i can see how the number of sims you might have in a rotational play can really grow in number...especially when you might not choose to have each household evolve from one family. A few folks now have said they do not rotate to any specific structure ..might be the way i do this as well. I can see how it might be hard to move on if something going on at the moment is interesting.
nyxValkoinen....
6) I am entirely a family player. The only reason why I have those 1 or 2 singles in my rotation play at all is just to add some different flavor at the end of a rotational play of all 3 families. It's more boring, but it does give me time to relax slightly, because trying to balance two parents and two or three kids is a big hassle, especially when I'm obsessed with micromanaging the entire game at all times. I can't let my Sims do what they want because they'll somehow set everything on fire, so I have to watch them like a hawk.[/quote]
I can see how that is because of what just happened in the rotational play i have ...now the two guys that i wanted to be great friends nearly hate each other....and i had no clue of this either as it happened. I can only manage the home i play since i do not use mods. will have to see how relationships go as i move along.