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How "realistic" is your game?

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VeeDubVeeDub Posts: 1,862 Member
The topic of "realism" often comes up in various discussions, but it's not always clear what's meant by that term unless we happen to remember previous posts we've read by other individual simmers. Some mean "like real life" while others mean something closer to "lifelike, but fictionalized." There are also various other flavors of "realism" and it's easy to see how the meanings could be blurred or misunderstood without some kind of context. So that makes me curious to know how others see it in relation to how we each play our versions of the game.

I understand that many simmers have more than one save in which you may use different play styles (I know I do). Please choose one according to your favorite way of playing, or simply choose your most common way, if you prefer.

Note: Please read the descriptions of the poll options before choosing one. Also, the poll and discussion is not intended to imply that any choice is "better" or "worse" than any other, even if we don't understand or like any given play style other than our own. The use of or preference not to use mods and/or cheats to aid you in achieving your goals is irrelevant for the purposes of the poll.

Please share details in comments, if you'd like. I'd like to read them! :)

Realistic (Real life context) -- This would mean that you play as closely to real life as you can possibly do within the limits of of the game. It also means that you don't have any occult life states in your game. Sims age, live, and die (from any cause) the same as real people do.

Realistic (Fictional context) -- This could mean a good deal like real life but that not everything is necessarily like real life. It could be based on or inspired by various realistic fictional works or it could reflect your own personal ideal worldview (how you wish real life/the real world could be). It means a low probability of most occult life states in your game, but not that they're strictly forbidden. Sims probably age and/or die (from any cause) in your game.

Semi-realistic (Fictional context mixed with real life) -- This could mean your gameplay is based on or inspired by fictional works (including your own) but is somewhat like real life inasmuch as the fiction's reality is at least somewhat similar to real life. Occult life states may or may not exist in your game, depending on the fiction itself. Sims may or may not age and/or die (from any cause) in your game.

Unrealistic (Real life context) -- This could mean a primarily real-life basis but that your sims live idealistic lives in ideal worlds. You may or may not have occult life states in your game, and your sims likely never age or die (from any cause).

Unrealistic (Fictional context) -- This could mean based on or inspired by fictional works (including your own) which is very or completely unlike real life. You would likely have in your game whatever the fiction allows.

Anything goes!-- Definitions? Rules? Reality? Phhht, who needs 'em.

Other -- Anything that might not fit in the previous categories. Please share details, if you like.
FYI: Just because you can see my signature, don't assume that I can see yours.
Because I can't; I keep all sigs turned off. ;)
Post edited by VeeDub on

How "realistic" is your game? 186 votes

Realistic (Real life context)
5%
AlexaiMeteoraStormKatiardguezMoonCrossWarrior22illustratedhappinesscalaprfyChazzzybirdonawireIVXXXVIFatTribble23BettyNewbie1 11 votes
Realistic (Fictional context)
19%
auroraael14Kita5399Mstybl95Lynarielakokoro80alejandro15039DarkLady2788sekojranaYautjagirlPlumbobCrossingSweetieWright_84SajahiDoloresGreyOnverserPAM14109joleacoStutumBreazonajswizzlepinneduphair 37 votes
Semi-realistic (Fictional context mixed with real life)
32%
EvvieSimmerGalacticGalIcewolfHowGreatThouArtTheSpotted_Celanorbretonsimgirl1010luthienrisingAmj1995To7mpapertongueBabykittyjadeDaraviSailorCetibixtersSindocatannaliese39fiercephoenix91Winifred_Willowtexxx78 61 votes
Unrealistic (Real life context)
7%
crocobauraColorist40Monet11mcruddAquariusMomashcrash19taydevLoriTSpChadSims2OldeseadoggeHopeyStarrlogionAliSim19Sepia 14 votes
Unrealistic (Fictional context)
10%
KamioGoldmoldarCamkatPlayerSinger2010GoddessBylinealanmichael1TorieKennziKaigeLizzychicagoxxxsillysimsTTNsimmerGlacierSnowAngeliqueAdelaideSimmingalCaprianaBKerrigangranitic_truth2030mightyspritetalongirl6Hauk150 20 votes
Anything goes!
20%
IceyJStrangerthancchant86IObellemitchiebanjogreydonnhalloweenchildCAPTAIN_NXR7luxsylvanQueenMercyKathykinsKarababy52sillyangel0906DoodlyDoofusLiELFj1z1CattyBetsyGrumpyGlowfishWolfiumpermanentrose 39 votes
Other
2%
phantasmkissPamtastic72SeashoreLiviaJyotai 4 votes

Comments

  • CelSimsCelSims Posts: 2,270 Member
    edited April 2021
    Semi-realistic (Fictional context mixed with real life)
    I would add, use of any cheats to freeze or fill needs should be considered as unrealistic, personally. An interesting poll, I look forward to seeing peoples' responses.
  • VeeDubVeeDub Posts: 1,862 Member
    Semi-realistic (Fictional context mixed with real life)
    CelSims wrote: »
    I would add, use of any cheats to freeze or fill needs should be considered as unrealistic, personally. An interesting poll, I look forward to seeing peoples' responses.

    That's a good point. Unfortunately I wouldn't have had enough room for the extra poll choices that would've required. This isn't meant to be scientific, anyway; just a matter of curiosity. :)
    FYI: Just because you can see my signature, don't assume that I can see yours.
    Because I can't; I keep all sigs turned off. ;)
  • ChazzzyChazzzy Posts: 7,166 Member
    edited April 2021
    Realistic (Real life context)
    I would say I play realistically except my Sims do not die of old age. They only die by strange accidents like fire or being killed by a shark or overly angry, that kinda thing. I don’t plan their deaths. I don’t do anything strange, I don’t follow any themes, and I don’t allow any occults.

    I’m not sure which poll option to pick because I’m kind a mix between the Realistic option and the Unrealistic with real life context simply because they don’t die of aging.
  • SweetieWright_84SweetieWright_84 Posts: 4,120 Member
    Realistic (Fictional context)
    I feel like I play mostly realistic. I'm mostly a family player and rarely use occults in my normal gameplay.

    I'm not too fussed about keeping things super realistic, though. For example, if my scientist sim gets abducted by aliens and gets pregnant, I roll with it. I've actually played a household where the father was abducted six times. Only two of those resulted in pregnancy though. That was one of my favorite households to play.

    I guess it all depends really on what the game throws at me.
    Gallery ID: SweetieWright_84--Save File Thread--Youtube Channel
  • DaWaterRatDaWaterRat Posts: 3,351 Member
    Semi-realistic (Fictional context mixed with real life)
    I went with semi-realistic, but I suppose unrealistic in a fictional context makes sense too

    I play mostly spellcasters, who have day jobs, go to school, occasionally venture to Selvadorada to explore temples and help find artifacts (Excavating in Jungle adventure is pretty realistic, from what I've seen. The temples themselves less so) and sometimes have lunch with Vampires.
  • texxx78texxx78 Posts: 5,657 Member
    Semi-realistic (Fictional context mixed with real life)
    In 4 i play a semi-realistic game. My sims do the normal things people do in real life but sometimes i play with occults that will also have normal lifes.
    In 3 i play an unrealistic game, kind of a True Blood reality, where occults and humans know about the existence of each others and all species confraternize in a harmonious way (well, sometimes... 😈).
  • VeeDubVeeDub Posts: 1,862 Member
    edited April 2021
    Semi-realistic (Fictional context mixed with real life)
    Chazzzy wrote: »
    I would say I play realistically except my Sims do not die of old age. They only die by strange accidents like fire or being killed by a shark or overly angry, that kinda thing. I don’t plan their deaths. I don’t do anything strange, I don’t follow any themes, and I don’t allow any occults.

    I’m not sure which poll option to pick because I’m kind a mix between the Realistic option and the Unrealistic with real life context simply because they don’t die of aging.

    It sounds like your choice would fit under the first Realistic one. I may have worded the options a bit badly, as I didn't mean that they have to die of old age. :) I've now edited the top post to make the descriptions clearer on that point.
    FYI: Just because you can see my signature, don't assume that I can see yours.
    Because I can't; I keep all sigs turned off. ;)
  • ThriorThrior Posts: 612 Member
    Semi-realistic (Fictional context mixed with real life)
    Semi realistic. I love to inject some occult and perhaps other shenanigans but there's usually an overall set of "rules" I follow. I tend to keep the aging on at least for the families I'm playing and I hardly ever use cheats unless it's something simple like offering a certain sim makeover or something. I tend to mix occults in a way which I find immersive. For example: I may grow attached to a certain sim and want to keep them living forever. So I'll turn them vampire because, to me, that is an immersive way to keep them living forever.
  • FatTribble23FatTribble23 Posts: 845 Member
    Realistic (Real life context)
    I play as close to real life as the game allows me to. Not only no occults, no money trees, no special serums or potions to cure bad moods, etc. Of course it's always going to be unrealistic to a certain point; it is a game after all. But I do try. I have tried to play "unrealistically" in the past, but it made me unhappy and who wants that? I actually download mods to make it more realistic, like making daycare and going to the gym and nightclub etc actually cost money. It's just what makes me happy, but I fully support anyone who plays differently. In fact, I enjoy reading their stories and looking at their pictures, I just have no desire to play like that myself.
    HcmCUds.jpg
    Life needs an undo button.
  • EnkiSchmidtEnkiSchmidt Posts: 5,334 Member
    edited April 2021
    Semi-realistic (Fictional context mixed with real life)
    I started my current main save as Realistic (Fictional context) with only androids, but over time introduced aliens, ghosts, servos and paranormal activities to my setting. The world includes lots of real world elements that I wouldn't want in my own life (or anybody's, for that matter), like job shortage and prejudice. Technology is just advanced enough to allow for the backyard rocketship and freeze ray to exist, but not to make them common household objects anybody could own.

    Sims don't age, everything happens in a perpetual state of "the year was 204x". Sims also cannot die from random occurences like emotions or falling during mountain expeditions, but I feel oblidged to work the near-deaths in as crippling/harrowing experiences. My sims have to face consequences, although more often these result from my own scenarios ("Employee evaluation time, dear simmies!") than from ingame ones ("Stupid chance card, you never happened.").
  • Mstybl95Mstybl95 Posts: 5,883 Member
    Realistic (Fictional context)
    I play pretty realistic, but I also delve into fantasy if the game throws it my way. For example, one of my teens rolled something to do with occults for his trait when he aged to teen. So now he's going to dabble in it and maybe even discover a whole new world depending on how deep he goes. I'm not opposed to occults being in the game, but they're definitely not part of my main game, as in, only sims who seek it know about it. The others are always clueless and usually think of those occult sims as weirdos.

    I definitely don't use cheats or potions or money trees or anything that would not be available in real life. Most of my sims have ordinary jobs, they cannot progress in their careers past a certain level unless they have the appropriate degree, they have to actually go shopping for things like groceries, etc.
  • mustenimusteni Posts: 5,403 Member
    edited April 2021
    Not used to thinking it that way. For me it's what makes sense in sims universe, occults sure, emotional deaths sure, but I don't go out of my way to add fictional content that's not part of TS4. Also for me aging has been part of sim life since TS2. Semi-realistic or unrealistic I suppose?
  • VeeDubVeeDub Posts: 1,862 Member
    Semi-realistic (Fictional context mixed with real life)
    For my own part, I do have a few different styles for different saves, but my overall play style is semi-realistic. I like making my own rules too much to play anything besides a fictional sort of reality for very long. For example, I use MCCC to let same-sex couples become pregnant and bear their own children because I prefer at least minimal control over genetics, and adoption is obviously not ideal for that. I like a mix of sci-fi and fantasy elements in my version of reality, but I don't have many occults in my game. Of those that do exist, I only ever play spellcasters (just a personal preference for them).
    FYI: Just because you can see my signature, don't assume that I can see yours.
    Because I can't; I keep all sigs turned off. ;)
  • DaepheneDaephene Posts: 1,760 Member
    Semi-realistic (Fictional context mixed with real life)
    My Sims age realistically, and live pretty normal day to day lives except for the occult households. I rarely have them do the boring parts of real life like shopping or laundry. Magic is real in their world but they focus a lot on careers, family and hobbies that mostly exist in reality.
  • AngeliqueAdelaideAngeliqueAdelaide Posts: 1,026 Member
    edited April 2021
    Unrealistic (Fictional context)
    Real life is already boring enough, no need to bore myself even further with something that's meant to entertain me. No laundry or vacuuming allowed, witches and vampires running wild.
  • GlacierSnowGlacierSnow Posts: 2,301 Member
    edited April 2021
    Unrealistic (Fictional context)
    I think this one fits best. I tend to play pretty idealistic stories of my own devising that usually involve one or more of the occult types (often as the main characters) and follow my own whims of plot and development (or just meander through whatever I feel like doing at the moment) and my sims pretty much never age or die. I have always imaged that the world my sims live in is not Earth, but rather some fantasy world such as you would find in many fantasy novels, with their own society, beliefs and traditions that are not necessarily the same as ours in real life. I use lots of mods, cheats and cc in order to create whatever sort of story or world I want for a particular idea I have.

    Fantasy has always been my favorite genre of books (both for reading and for writing) ever since I found out about it when I was a kid (for a few years in elementary school, if it didn't at least have a dragon or a wizard on the cover, I would completely refuse to read it :lol: ), so I think this is not surprising at all.

    Edit: Additional thought on "realism" for me... Sometimes I say I want some particular aspect of the game to be more "realistic" but what I generally mean is I want more detail in how the animations look, or for sims' emotional reactions to things to seem more in line with how real people would react. I don't mean that I want less fantasy stuff.
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    My name on AHQ (and the upcoming sims forum) is "GlacierSnowGhost".
  • Calico45Calico45 Posts: 2,038 Member
    edited April 2021
    Anything goes!
    I play a lot of occult families, so I do like realistic and fantasy elements. However... I do not necessarily care what happens? Or more specifically what vein it falls into. I just follow my whims. I do have my own story goals if you will, but I never try to recreate something I've read or wrote.

    The best way I can explain it is that things like alien abductions and vampire visits can happen and I do not care. I do not tend to miss them when they do not, but do not care when they do. Magic could happen all over the world and I would not bat an eye.

    On the other hand, I am a control freak, so randomly turning Sims into spellcasters and vampires is a huge no. However, so long as my sims are not changed by random mechanics when my back is turned, I am usually good. (This includes story progression. Hated that in 3.) The only exception I can really think of is Batuu. If that were to leak, I would be rather annoyed. Then again, my Sims constantly drinking blue milk has not drove me crazy yet.
  • logionlogion Posts: 4,712 Member
    edited April 2021
    Unrealistic (Real life context)
    My sims don't die of old age and the goals are mostly to create an idealistic life. I used to play realistic in the past but I have played the game since it's release back and forth so I don't really have the patience for that any longer. That's why I often go "huh, I have mods for that" when I read some posts here on the forums.

    I don't cheat money or relationships but I do use mods to create a world that I enjoy playing more, sims can be or do whatever they want and stay young (or old...) forever.

    If I would describe my world it would probably be, kinda like real life but also a bit like a dream.
  • JustMeAlbJustMeAlb Posts: 371 Member
    Semi-realistic (Fictional context mixed with real life)
    I'm not quite Realistic (Fictional context) because I play with aging off and if a death does happen I'm more likely than not to sidestep it by reloading a save. I'll use cheats if something totally unreasonable happens, like when the whole garden suddenly reverts to just-planted or he fishes a DJ booth out of the water that's still valued at 2000. I like there to be some sort of RL explanation to everything that happens, magic happens but my sims tend to be oblivious to it. Such as when their needs become easier to satisfy due rewards traits they tend to think they are just toughening up, when needs decay stop altogether they either think they're becoming a freak or super human depending how I perceiving their personality.
    The cake is a lie
  • DoodlyDoofusDoodlyDoofus Posts: 1,177 Member
    Anything goes!
    My current Sim is the son of the Grim Reaper who is a wizard and a Sith Lord. There are no realisms in my world.
  • BabykittyjadeBabykittyjade Posts: 4,975 Member
    Semi-realistic (Fictional context mixed with real life)
    Interestingly enough I'm a big occult and fantasy lover but I play pretty realistic as possible. Though I'm not afraid to throw occults or anything else totally unrealistic I want in and aging is always off.
    Occults are more rare amongst the humans in my game. Or hidden with human forms.
    My stories are always of my own fiction but deeply based on the real life hardships of reality.
    Except for the rich famous royals in my game, every other sim has to make ends meet and struggle to get through life. It could be surviving off the grid in a broken Sulani village, or teens taking care of younger siblings after their parents death, or a cast out alien struggling to raise orphans.
    Sims staying in a haunted abandoned house with nowhere else to go during an apocalypse.

    So I'm pretty flexible and I'm not against any type of playstyle. To be honest if we had more elements of fantasy I would love to set up an awesome totally unrealistic storyline. But using what we have its mainly realistic and/or family stuff. And even the occults we do have seem more like humans with a bit of power. Plus they are non invasive. You wouldn't even know they exist in the game.

    I tried to set up an occultish fantasy world but it just didn't work. We don't have a fantasy world and everything looks too suburban or just "normal" we don't have any fantasy b/b or not much I can think of and any kind of fantasy build just looks "off" in such a normal world with occults walking around in disguise.
    Sure I could undisguise all of the occults but then the problem becomes that when I switch families and my sims are chilling at a restaurant, here comes a monstrous looking sim with blood on it's face and scars everywhere, or a weird looking alien talking to everyone and dancing like everything is totally normal😂😂😂 if sims could be afraid of undisguised occults or occults could act less silly and human I would enjoy the fantasy aspect much more.

    I sometimes feel like people mistake realistic family play for wanting more things for kids, teens and babies. Because almost everything in this game is realistic/family. We just have lacking life states.

    anyway not debating anybody just sharing my thoughts😌
    Zombies, oh please oh please give us zombies!! :'(
  • BettyNewbie1BettyNewbie1 Posts: 336 Member
    edited May 2021
    Realistic (Real life context)
    Aspirations and traits lead my sims lives, and things fall more naturally with this. Careers and relationships according, culinary sims work at the pub or kitchen, mean sims make enemies from minor inconveniences E.T.C. Pleasant Sims system for randomizing favorite colors, gender preferences, and hobbies for a more natural game. But mostly, my sims just do little things as they go along, play in the leaves, beach comb, brush their teeth, festivals.
    EDIT: Probably meant natural, if it were absolutely real, sims would not have so much achievements... Do still follow most real things, and a lot of what happens, is this way in reality. Maybe I meant fictional context, because sims get to be famous chefs if they want!
    Post edited by BettyNewbie1 on
  • LuckySimmer10LuckySimmer10 Posts: 116 Member
    Realistic (Fictional context)
    I voted realistic (fictional context) because in my main save, things mostly resemble what happens in real life, but odd occurrences and occult life states are not forbidden, but they're still rather unlikely.
  • Kita5399Kita5399 Posts: 2,112 Member
    Realistic (Fictional context)
    I went with this choice, but I have close to an even amount of realistic and nonrealistic/anything goes saves, it’s just I probably spend a bit more time playing my legacy save than the others.
  • OnverserOnverser Posts: 3,364 Member
    Realistic (Fictional context)
    I guess mine is most like the second option, I'm definitely not avid realism, there's nothing more boring for me than go to school, grow up, get married, have kids, get old, repeat. Yawn. Don't want that in real life, don't want it in the sims.

    My gameplay is more of a "romanticised" version of real life so my sims are usually attractive, live in nice places and focus a lot on relationships and romance and achieving things. And aging is always off, I don't want my sims growing old. Sometimes I'll age up kids when I'm ready but that's all. As for occults, there's occult sims in my game but and sometimes my sims will be occults as an extension to them, but supernatural storylines is never really the focus of my game
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