Gameplay settings to tune life changes Neighbor Sims can and cannot have.
Controls are layered, allowing a mix and match of rules down to individual households.
Neighborhood Stories settings are on a per-save basis.
This is coming in the future and it's a good thing. But for the upcoming update it will not be in the game. I really don't understand why it's released without without these settings. I see in the comments that not every player likes or needs this feature. The acceptance could be much better with detailed game settings. Why didn't they wait untill they are done with?
Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for everyone who likes it. But for many players this could break the game without good gameplay settings. I'm concerned that they won't be as good as they promise us to be.
Let me start by saying I have never properly experienced story progression. I have played TS3 quite a little and experimented with MCCC for about a month. TS3 I haven't played enough to get a proper grasp of how things work. I didn't really like MCCC story progression, could be because of my setting, but it felt too aggressive. I play vanilla these days, so haven't tried again.
I'm still feeling optimistic about neighbourhood stories. I love the eco lifestyle baby call! Once I was playing university and my sims mother (soon to be elder) called to ask if they should try for another baby. I didn't encourage her, but it became a funny paragraph in my story where my sim's friend wondered if the mother was asking from my sim because she wanted him to look after the child when she's gone. I love that the EL and GT features are getting improved and added to the base game. Love that they keep expanding the sentiments system too.
What I really hope is that the future updates would allow me to have my played sims - not autonomously changing - and then I could populate the rest of the world with unplayed sims that the game would manage. I have a big rotation, but ideally I would like to downscale a bit, while still having the sims outside my rotation live their lives. It might not work like I hope, but just have to wait and see.
I'm curious about this and I'm looking forward to see how it works. I'm glad there's a way to control what happens because when I tried story progression with MCCC I disliked how it put together sims that I thought were horrible together and gave babies to sims that I didn't want to have babies I wanted little things to happen, but then those always happened to the wrong sims, so I quit using MCCC.
I just hope the phone calls are balanced and my sims will still get invitations to parties and other stuff. There are so many phone calls already that I wonder whether it would have been better to control story progression in some other way. Although this way goes well with the new aspirations and the aspirations sound fun! I never got that EL proposal phone call or baby phone call. My sims just always want their kids to visit them
I’m very much looking forward to seeing what this feature can add to the game as well. Just the other day I was getting a tiny bit frustrated when I had my sim ask a friend about another friend only to be met by the response that “I don’t know so and so” despite the fact that these friends of my sim’s have talked to each other on multiple occasions. If this feature will make it possible to get them to know each other and be aware of that without me having to play them (which I don’t want to), then that will be really nice - as long as I get to have ultimate control
And it sounds very promising that they are taking individual preferences as well as individual saves into consideration allowing the players to use the feature the way they see fit. Other features *cough* vampires *cough* could definitely benefit from having toggles that would allow the player to control how they worked in individual saves - just an idea for a future update maybe
I'm looking forward to the feature. I spend a lot of time on families I don't really play because I want them to have some semblance of a life in my game and having the game give a boost to my gameplay is wonderful.
One irritating thing with story-progression with MCCC, is that you visit an unplayed household and find a single parent with four childs and one bed. Or a coule with six cats or dogs and no bowls and still yhat single bed, If you play with aging of the world is filled with toddlers.
I didn't like story progression in Sims 3 so I'm not sure if would like this feature in Sims 4. I hope I can switch it off.
For me it seems to be just more popups disturbing my game. All these popups are so annoying.
This worries me as well. I've never wanted Story Progression because it's one of the (several) reasons I couldn't stand Sims 3. I understand that devs are working to try to make them customizable, but forgive me if I'm skeptical because a history of Sims 3 and 4 have shown that things don't always work as expected or implied.
I have about 200 played Sims in my game, who I've worked hours on in CAS for the last 7 years, with specifics in mind for them, and who are scattered throughout the various worlds. I don't want the game making any random choices for them whatsoever, save for behaviors that fit the traits, Aspirations, likes and dislikes I've given them. I already get very frustrated when the game chooses them to be yoga instructors and whatnot. I also play a lot of Occults and it bugs the heck out of me when my Vampires are domesticated. I don't like the idea at all that Neighborhood Stories can't be turned off. This is something that, if it ended up invasive enough, would make me quit this game because it would destroy my personal play style. I didn't support Sims 3 past the base game when it came out for this same reason. I'd hoped that, if SP ever did become a thing with TS4, that it would only affect unplayed households to avoid destroying rotational games.
Also, yeah, being bombarded with popups while I'm trying to play my game for an hour is extremely irritating. It's already like this now, and you're telling me we're getting more of that? I highly recommend finding a way for players to be able to avoid the spam altogether by turning off their Sims' phones . I play many large households and I can barely get anything done as it is and it all mostly comes from Sims I don't even care about who happened to be at the nightclub once and now think they're friends because I was forced to greet them before I could take an action.
I'm filled with trepidation for this update.
Exactly this. Now I don't need to write out a post lol. I'm terrified of story progression. I LOVE the control I have over my rotational sims knowing they won't make choice without me
@SimGuruNate
Please please please make sure there is a way to turn it off or make favorited Sims unaffected.
I acknowledge that a lot of players enjoy story progression so I'm okay with it being added as long as my favorited Sims are untouched or we can turn it off entirely.
On the other hand I like the sound of the customizations you mentioned so I'm interested to see how this plays out. And thanks for your work!🙂
Not my cup of tea. Turned it off in the Sims 3 and will do so again in the Sims 4.
Fingers crossed the dev team gives us a toggle to turn this feature on or off because this particular feature is a drastic game changer, so it really really really needs an on/off switch.
From how I understand the initial post, they seem to think that us being able to say no to, let's say a breakup, is enough. But the fact that my (currently inactive) sims even consider breaking up is already trampling on my worldbuilding
I really hope I'm wrong and there will be a toggle.
When the demo showed a sim trying to break up Bella and Morty it didn't work because she has a high relationship with him. The blog (first post) also says that attempts to do that can backfire on the sim trying it. It also mentions about traits etc being taken into consideration. Family Oriented sims might ask about a baby, whereas Hates Kids/Noncommital would be less likely? Similarly, I doubt a sim with a good relationship would call about breaking up, but one in a rocky relationship would.
If this is truly how things will work, then any advice calls should fit with the character of the sim doing the calling.
I don’t like the sound of having to influence everything to happen. I would rather it happen autonomously and I would like to fully control which households this will affect as I play rotational and I do not want it to affect any of my played families.
This! I don't want to act like a strange influencer God essentially. I want my sims to be capable of making those decisions on their own based on their traits, aspirations + other little tidbits.
But otherwise this sounds good. I play rotational and legacy style. But even as I play rotational it's only a few families. I have no need to micromanage every sim.
I didn't like story progression in Sims 3 so I'm not sure if would like this feature in Sims 4. I hope I can switch it off.
For me it seems to be just more popups disturbing my game. All these popups are so annoying.
This worries me as well. I've never wanted Story Progression because it's one of the (several) reasons I couldn't stand Sims 3. I understand that devs are working to try to make them customizable, but forgive me if I'm skeptical because a history of Sims 3 and 4 have shown that things don't always work as expected or implied.
I have about 200 played Sims in my game, who I've worked hours on in CAS for the last 7 years, with specifics in mind for them, and who are scattered throughout the various worlds. I don't want the game making any random choices for them whatsoever, save for behaviors that fit the traits, Aspirations, likes and dislikes I've given them. I already get very frustrated when the game chooses them to be yoga instructors and whatnot. I also play a lot of Occults and it bugs the heck out of me when my Vampires are domesticated. I don't like the idea at all that Neighborhood Stories can't be turned off. This is something that, if it ended up invasive enough, would make me quit this game because it would destroy my personal play style. I didn't support Sims 3 past the base game when it came out for this same reason. I'd hoped that, if SP ever did become a thing with TS4, that it would only affect unplayed households to avoid destroying rotational games.
Also, yeah, being bombarded with popups while I'm trying to play my game for an hour is extremely irritating. It's already like this now, and you're telling me we're getting more of that? I highly recommend finding a way for players to be able to avoid the spam altogether by turning off their Sims' phones . I play many large households and I can barely get anything done as it is and it all mostly comes from Sims I don't even care about who happened to be at the nightclub once and now think they're friends because I was forced to greet them before I could take an action.
I'm filled with trepidation for this update.
Exactly this. Now I don't need to write out a post lol. I'm terrified of story progression. I LOVE the control I have over my rotational sims knowing they won't make choice without me
@Simgurunova
Please please please make sure there is a way to turn it off or make favorited Sims unaffected.
I acknowledge that a lot of players enjoy story progression so I'm okay with it being added as long as my favorited Sims are untouched or we can turn it off entirely.
On the other hand I like the sound of the customizations you mentioned so I'm interested to see how this plays out. And thanks for your work!🙂
But the problem is that this feature IS extending to players that do not want it. I don't care that I can say "No, please don't!" to any of the proposed neighborhood developemnts. The moment a sim from outside my active household calls my active sim with a query, that is already the game taking control over a character of mine, making it perform a potentially out of character action. And that in turn throws me out of my immersion for a couple of minutes. It already happens with the Eco Life phoencalls (Should we have a baby, Visit mommy, I think I love you).
Households not connected to the active household doing their own thing with each other is also worrying. Not all my households have bonds with all of my others. The cops are a close-knit bunch, so are the artists, but not all cops know all artists.
There needs to be a toggle that completely turns the neighborhood system off as if it had never existed OR the new system needs to make sure to NEVER grab a sim that is marked as played for the calls. (The Eco phonecalls can choose played sims, sadly.)
I'm sorry to sound negative, but I loved Sims 4 when most people didn't. Now I see it turned into something different, and that process has started a while ago already, first with the update that gave inactive households careers, and intensified with the EL phoencalls. I'd be so disappointed if "No, please don't do that" would become my only means to deal with the game usurping my characters
I have to agree I always loved ts4 for ts4. I am uncomfortable with the fact that many want to turn it into another game. I'm playing ts4 for a reason. Not ts1 ts2 or ts3.
But yes as long as I can turn it off completely then cool.
I hate how they assign random careers too lol I always have to go in and make them quit only for them to pop up with another random one. 🤦♀️
I didn't like story progression in Sims 3 so I'm not sure if would like this feature in Sims 4. I hope I can switch it off.
For me it seems to be just more popups disturbing my game. All these popups are so annoying.
This worries me as well. I've never wanted Story Progression because it's one of the (several) reasons I couldn't stand Sims 3. I understand that devs are working to try to make them customizable, but forgive me if I'm skeptical because a history of Sims 3 and 4 have shown that things don't always work as expected or implied.
I have about 200 played Sims in my game, who I've worked hours on in CAS for the last 7 years, with specifics in mind for them, and who are scattered throughout the various worlds. I don't want the game making any random choices for them whatsoever, save for behaviors that fit the traits, Aspirations, likes and dislikes I've given them. I already get very frustrated when the game chooses them to be yoga instructors and whatnot. I also play a lot of Occults and it bugs the heck out of me when my Vampires are domesticated. I don't like the idea at all that Neighborhood Stories can't be turned off. This is something that, if it ended up invasive enough, would make me quit this game because it would destroy my personal play style. I didn't support Sims 3 past the base game when it came out for this same reason. I'd hoped that, if SP ever did become a thing with TS4, that it would only affect unplayed households to avoid destroying rotational games.
Also, yeah, being bombarded with popups while I'm trying to play my game for an hour is extremely irritating. It's already like this now, and you're telling me we're getting more of that? I highly recommend finding a way for players to be able to avoid the spam altogether by turning off their Sims' phones . I play many large households and I can barely get anything done as it is and it all mostly comes from Sims I don't even care about who happened to be at the nightclub once and now think they're friends because I was forced to greet them before I could take an action.
I'm filled with trepidation for this update.
Exactly this. Now I don't need to write out a post lol. I'm terrified of story progression. I LOVE the control I have over my rotational sims knowing they won't make choice without me
@Simgurunova
Please please please make sure there is a way to turn it off or make favorited Sims unaffected.
I acknowledge that a lot of players enjoy story progression so I'm okay with it being added as long as my favorited Sims are untouched or we can turn it off entirely.
On the other hand I like the sound of the customizations you mentioned so I'm interested to see how this plays out. And thanks for your work!🙂
Oh dear god. I HATE story progression but I don't mind trying it out as long as we have option to have control or even just turn it off completely. I play rotationally and in my main game I have over 30 households in my rotation. A story progression is going to screw them up good if I can't turn it off in that saved game
The only problem I have with this is that it turns it into fundamentally a different game, and I am not sure that should happen in a basegame patch which is not easy to just skip - unless you want no future patches. If there is a toggle to completely disable this set of features then that's ok but otherwise some people are going to be quite upset.
Interesting--I am warily optimistic...tho I wonder if this is gonna be a "middle of the road" addition that ultimately isn't really going to please anybody.
For some, it's not going to be enough autonomy for NPCs (that there's no autonomous marriage for one is kinda disappointing to me, would've loved if sims could get married on their own and maybe even get invited to weddings...tho my sims never even get invited to birthdays anymore, probably cause there's so many phone calls already ), while for others, even what they have here is going to mean giving up too much control over their world. And I don't think most simmers who are excited for story progression exactly want to role play their played sim as some kind of "neighborhood influencer"--they just want other sims to actually do things on their own, while other simmers who don't like story progression aren't going to be interested or want this at all. The reason why something like MCCC is so popular is that you can tailor it exactly to what you want and how you like to play; this doesn't promise to have the same kind of versatility, and I agree with those who have said that I hope there's an option to at least turn it off for those who really don't want that kind of thing.
Personally, I like and want for NPC autonomy, I like the idea of NPCs being able to do things like switch careers for instance, but I'm not sure I want my sims getting phone calls for every decision and I also agree with others that, just in general, the prospect of getting even more phone calls at all is...somewhat concerning lol. And I would also hope that these decisions wouldn't be totally random, but connected to the sim's traits & aspiration--like, family oriented sims should be more likely to think about having a baby than one who hates children, and lazy foodie sims with the master chef aspiration shouldn't be wanting to switch from the culinary career to athlete, stuff like that. But that might be too much to hope for.
Ideally, this should make much of MCCC obsolete, but I'm worried it's just going to create more work for it
While I am happy for those that want something like this, I am dreading this update. I like to control everything that happens in my game & I have never wanted story progression. Story progression was one of the main reasons that, although I loved TS1 & TS2, I skipped TS3. I am glad that so far, it appears that the story progression elements from this new feature will be optional. However, I am still a bit concerned. I do not want to be bombarded in game with even more intrusive calls & texts related to story progression. I hope that there will be a toggle to turn off the neighborhood stories feature entirely.
I'm kind of excited for this. I'm all for anything that makes the townies feel more alive. My only issue is the worry about the pop-ups. I have a mod to randomly choose likes/dislikes because the pop-ups became a bit annoying.
Like others I'm wary of this one. I'm not into completely controlling all my sims, but I do use some parts of MCCC for certain elements of progression for unplayed sims. The key in that is that I'm able to set up the game to control what I do want it to and also what I do not want it to do, and I have no intention of switching to a less effective system. If I can't choose to turn off every part I don't want as well as the option to turn it off completely, that's the end of the road here for me. Guess I'll just have to wait and see.
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So, this is apparently the opening phase of finally implementing some sort of story progression (yes, I read the original post which tries to differentiate this from SP). That's good, I guess, but I wonder what portion of that is in the base game, and what part is only available through packs and expansions. Maybe everything in the initial phase is base game. It wasn't clear to me.
It would also be nice if I can turn this off completely, and continue using story progression from MCCC. Not sure at the moment how the two systems will play together.
Comments
Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for everyone who likes it. But for many players this could break the game without good gameplay settings. I'm concerned that they won't be as good as they promise us to be.
I'm still feeling optimistic about neighbourhood stories. I love the eco lifestyle baby call! Once I was playing university and my sims mother (soon to be elder) called to ask if they should try for another baby. I didn't encourage her, but it became a funny paragraph in my story where my sim's friend wondered if the mother was asking from my sim because she wanted him to look after the child when she's gone. I love that the EL and GT features are getting improved and added to the base game. Love that they keep expanding the sentiments system too.
What I really hope is that the future updates would allow me to have my played sims - not autonomously changing - and then I could populate the rest of the world with unplayed sims that the game would manage. I have a big rotation, but ideally I would like to downscale a bit, while still having the sims outside my rotation live their lives. It might not work like I hope, but just have to wait and see.
Updated with Werewolf Diaries (1)
I just hope the phone calls are balanced and my sims will still get invitations to parties and other stuff. There are so many phone calls already that I wonder whether it would have been better to control story progression in some other way. Although this way goes well with the new aspirations and the aspirations sound fun!
And it sounds very promising that they are taking individual preferences as well as individual saves into consideration allowing the players to use the feature the way they see fit. Other features *cough* vampires *cough* could definitely benefit from having toggles that would allow the player to control how they worked in individual saves - just an idea for a future update maybe
This so much! I like the phone calls a lot and would be very sad if they become even rarer. Some of them I hardly get any more as is.
Please put in a setting so that these NPCs can decide their lives themselves without bombarding my sims.
Exactly this. Now I don't need to write out a post lol. I'm terrified of story progression. I LOVE the control I have over my rotational sims knowing they won't make choice without me
@SimGuruNate
Please please please make sure there is a way to turn it off or make favorited Sims unaffected.
I acknowledge that a lot of players enjoy story progression so I'm okay with it being added as long as my favorited Sims are untouched or we can turn it off entirely.
On the other hand I like the sound of the customizations you mentioned so I'm interested to see how this plays out. And thanks for your work!🙂
When the demo showed a sim trying to break up Bella and Morty it didn't work because she has a high relationship with him. The blog (first post) also says that attempts to do that can backfire on the sim trying it. It also mentions about traits etc being taken into consideration. Family Oriented sims might ask about a baby, whereas Hates Kids/Noncommital would be less likely? Similarly, I doubt a sim with a good relationship would call about breaking up, but one in a rocky relationship would.
If this is truly how things will work, then any advice calls should fit with the character of the sim doing the calling.
This! I don't want to act like a strange influencer God essentially. I want my sims to be capable of making those decisions on their own based on their traits, aspirations + other little tidbits.
But otherwise this sounds good. I play rotational and legacy style. But even as I play rotational it's only a few families. I have no need to micromanage every sim.
I think @SimGuruNate is the right one to tag.
I have to agree I always loved ts4 for ts4. I am uncomfortable with the fact that many want to turn it into another game. I'm playing ts4 for a reason. Not ts1 ts2 or ts3.
But yes as long as I can turn it off completely then cool.
I hate how they assign random careers too lol I always have to go in and make them quit only for them to pop up with another random one. 🤦♀️
Thanks I just changed it!!😅
For some, it's not going to be enough autonomy for NPCs (that there's no autonomous marriage for one is kinda disappointing to me, would've loved if sims could get married on their own and maybe even get invited to weddings...tho my sims never even get invited to birthdays anymore, probably cause there's so many phone calls already
Personally, I like and want for NPC autonomy, I like the idea of NPCs being able to do things like switch careers for instance, but I'm not sure I want my sims getting phone calls for every decision and I also agree with others that, just in general, the prospect of getting even more phone calls at all is...somewhat concerning lol. And I would also hope that these decisions wouldn't be totally random, but connected to the sim's traits & aspiration--like, family oriented sims should be more likely to think about having a baby than one who hates children, and lazy foodie sims with the master chef aspiration shouldn't be wanting to switch from the culinary career to athlete, stuff like that. But that might be too much to hope for.
Ideally, this should make much of MCCC obsolete, but I'm worried it's just going to create more work for it
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It would also be nice if I can turn this off completely, and continue using story progression from MCCC. Not sure at the moment how the two systems will play together.