Forum Announcement, Click Here to Read More From EA_Cade.
Sim Personality Depth - Bring back Personal bios, Zodiacs, favorites and more
FreezerBunnyCowplant
Posts: 3,957 Member
Our Sims need more depth. Here are things from past games that made Sims more alive and interesting.
1. Personal bios
Many pre-made Sims and families have written biographies. These biographies allow players to piece together a storyline for that particular Sim or household. These storylines are often intertwined with other Sims and families in the neighborhood or world, creating a broader story for the player to explore.
2. Favorites (& Dislikes)
Favorites are part of a Sim's personality and can be set for them in Create-A-Sim. There are three types of favorites: food, music, and color. A Sim's autonomous behavior is mildly affected by their favourites. For example, a Sim that likes lobster thermidor will always be very happy after eating lobster thermidor.
3. Zodiac signs
Sims will generally get on well with other Sims who have the same sign, because they are attracted to others with similar personalities. However, personality and zodiac are separate contributors to chemistry, because Sims will keep the same sign even if their personality points are altered. "Attracted to" and "disgusted by" are not absolutes, but modifiers that help or hinder the growth of a relationship.
Sims can discover other people's signs by asking them in the romantic interactions section: "Ask sign".
1. Personal bios
Many pre-made Sims and families have written biographies. These biographies allow players to piece together a storyline for that particular Sim or household. These storylines are often intertwined with other Sims and families in the neighborhood or world, creating a broader story for the player to explore.
2. Favorites (& Dislikes)
Favorites are part of a Sim's personality and can be set for them in Create-A-Sim. There are three types of favorites: food, music, and color. A Sim's autonomous behavior is mildly affected by their favourites. For example, a Sim that likes lobster thermidor will always be very happy after eating lobster thermidor.
3. Zodiac signs
Sims will generally get on well with other Sims who have the same sign, because they are attracted to others with similar personalities. However, personality and zodiac are separate contributors to chemistry, because Sims will keep the same sign even if their personality points are altered. "Attracted to" and "disgusted by" are not absolutes, but modifiers that help or hinder the growth of a relationship.
Sims can discover other people's signs by asking them in the romantic interactions section: "Ask sign".
Post edited by FreezerBunnyCowplant on
23
Comments
overall traits need a big rework cuz they don't really work as they should, and there could be way more of them. also, make them more compatible with emotions and give them more importance. when you have less than 20 emotions and all sims behave guided by them, it's normal that they all will end up acting the same.
AviaTheDramaFiend.wordpress.com
(not always sims related but I review and discuss television shows and movies. Foreign or not.)
I play on console and PC now! YAY!
☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ Follow me on the gallery ☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ Origin ID: Missmagoo2
Ｏ(≧▽≦)Ｏ
(I work with CC so make sure you check that box to see my "hidden" content!)
L'uinversSims profile: https://luniversims.fr/profile/46983-missmagoo2/
Favorites had a huge influence on the Sims autonomy.
Favorite music:
When Sims turn on stereo it will always be their favorite music
They learn skills faster while listening to favorite music
Favorite food:
Sims will autonomously eat favorite food
Sims will get very happy after eating favorite food
Sims can already cook their favorite food, even if it’s higher level cooking skill
Star signs just gave a pop up every now and then saying "these signs are compatible!" and made it slightly harder/easier to talk to some sims and that was about it. Can't say I ever noticed favorite color having any effect on gameplay at all either same with food and music. They got a positive moodlet occasionally from music/food but that was all it did, it didn't really expand personalities much at all. And with bios, there's already written bios for every household in 4 which you can see in manage worlds.
Imo what the game actually needs to add personality depth is for traits to be overhauled so they affect autonomy for townies much more heavily. Evil sims should be rude and hard to talk to, snobs should be rude and judgemental towards poorer sims, loners should be unsociable and avoid crowded lots, creative sims should autonomously do more creative things, etc etc. That's what actually would add depth in my opinion rather than "I'm happy because I'm eating my favorite food".
I'd be amused if Sims had more obvious "deal breakers" for their romantic relationships. I realize traits like "hates children" kind of operate in this fashion, but I don't think it complicates gameplay quite enough yet, personally.
First I would ask a few key questions and make the answers selectable traits.
1. How Active is this Sim?
Lethargically Lazy, Mundanely Moderate, Ably Athletic, Total Gym Rat,
2. How does the Sim sleep?
Light Sleeper, Normal Sleeper, Heavy Sleeper
3. How do they keep their home?
🐸🐸🐸🐸 & Span, Neurotically Neat, Messy, Pungent Pig Sty
4. How does Social is the Sim?
Socially Awkward, Shy, Loner, Friendly, Charming, Party Animal
5. How is the Sim with family?
Family Oriented, Dislikes Children
6. How is the Sim with Money?
Frugal, Miser, Materialistic
I would then ask about eating habits.
What is this Sim's eating style?
1. Hates Sweets
2. Loves Sweets
3. Omnivore
4. Pescetarian
5. Vegan
6. Vegetarian
7. Junk Food Junky
Then I would have Preferences
1. Favorite color
2. Favorite Food
3. Favorite Music Genre
4. Favorite Book Genre
5. Favorite TV & Movie Genre
6. Favorite Hobby
7. Favorite Vacation Zone Type
8. Favorite Weather
9. Favorite Pet Type
10. Favorite Flower
Then I would add Chemistry - Turn Ons/Turn Offs
Eye Color
Facial Hair
Fitness
Hair Color
Intelligence
Life State - For Example Mermaids, Plant Sims, Vampires, etc.
Makeup - No Makeup, Makeup and Full Face Makeup
Pet Ownership -
Smell - Perfume, Stinky, No Fragrance
Wealth Level - Broke, Comfortable, Wealthy - The story tellers will love it
Zodiac Sign
_Especially_ the attraction system. It makes me SO SAD that no matter what I do, no matter how "flirty" of a mood they get in, my Sims absolutely will. not. FLIRT unless I _tell_ them to! I don't want to _force_ everybody into the relationships I choose--I want to see what happens on its own and go with it! I keep Free Will turned on at all times for a _reason_. I...I don't want to be the one who nudges relationships into starting all the time. I want _them_ to be able to choose.
And if some people don't like that? There can be a toggle!
I've heard that _apparently_ some peoples' Sims are always getting together in ways they don't want and it's annoying, but (a) it's never happened to me and (b) it seems this is only happening with storytelling on, in houses they _weren't_ currently playing. I want this to be able to happen at a house I AM playing. I don't want two randos to have a rando kid I don't get to name in the background. I want _my_ Sims to be able to pick their mates, in front of me. Like...why doesn't the "flirty" trait actually MAKE THEM RANDOMLY FLIRT?! It sounds like it should! But I've had Romantic _and_ Outgoing Sims watch a romantic movie, be around several potential partners and...do nothing. Unless I tell them to.
I could throw in other things here, like, can't there be a difference between _doesn't want to have/raise their OWN kids_ and "hating all kids because they exist"? Like, there are lots of childless by choice people who don't go around stomping dollhouses and laughing maniacally. But this is long enough already.
They really need to allow players have to chose how much of a hothead, clumsy, neat ect a sim is. When I think my sim is neat a little dusting here and there but not constantly cleaning. Puld make sense if she was a perfectionist but even then. I mean perfectionist in the skills she's achieving. Everyone sees traits different When I think loner I see just preferring to be alone not that they become tense around strangers. Sure they can be come tense around large groups but not have that stranger danger moodlet. Now if there was a shy trait the stranger danger would make sense. If all sims act the same regardless of other traits are they really that unique.