The pros and cons of playing with aging on or off

Nindigo · July 2018

We all play differently. I play with aging off always, because I enjoy sticking with the same Sims and continue their story and life at my own laid back pace. If I need kids to age up, they do so by cake. But no one ever dies in my game unless I make it happen. And that suits me perfectly.

How do you play and why that way?

SimChessack · July 2018

I play with aging on at all times, and have them age up on their "birthdays" as the game determines, because I mostly play Legacy challenges. Aging is a requirement for that challenge.

RedDestiny92 · July 2018

I prefer playing on long with aging on, with or without rotation that is better for me I like to see things moving along while I play.

Cupid · July 2018

I learned very quickly that I'd only be able to enjoy this game with aging off. My saves are all set in static, unchanging worlds where I've made all the citizens exactly to my liking. With all the time I've put into those sims, I'd hate to just see them vanish away and die.

BlueSeaWaves · July 2018

I want to be able to play with aging off so I can keep all the original townies but I like time going by. I want to play a new legacy but I’m not sure how I’ll do it

Huiiie_07 · July 2018

I play with aging off mostly to have more time for completing goals. I also play a bit rotationally so I just turn off aging to prevent too much stress for me

All in all, I play much like you, op. However, I sometimes turn aging on when my sims completed everything I've planned for them. I will then usually wait until everyone aged up and then turn it off again.

BelongtoLCMS · July 2018

It really depends on the game file. I play with aging on normal or long. I play legacy families. Having sims die of old age, if they had not died accidentally before that is a good thing. Playing with aging off would be no fun fot me.

Pegasys · July 2018

I play with aging on because I like the passage of time and having a mild sense of urgency to complete goals and tasks. Not everyone will complete their aspiration, get to the top of their career, or max out their skills. Plus I love seeing the new generations growing up so the old generations need to die off to make room for the new.

However, I will use the Potion of Youth as it makes sense in my game. And occasionally I will have a loved one plead with Grimmy so they can be spared that way as well.

verlainem · July 2018

I am currently playing normal life span ageing on. I do make use of the potion of youth. However some time in my rotation I messed up I have an eldest son about to become an elder and I think his father just became one recently. I have not played my rotation game since installing Seasons. I used to play long life span, but now I want to see the townies die off and new ones entered the rotational families lives. I have 3 families that are intermarried, so the next generation will have to marry townies or premades.

Monday · July 2018

I play with normal aging on. I do legacies, I love seeing the new generations come into their own and seeing how the family evolves over time. I have a rotational save I don't touch much that's on long lifespan so I can do the generational thing but get a little more time between the different families.

I've experimented a little with short lifespans, and I intend to do that more, because sometimes I get impatient waiting for a child to grow up, and I like the idea of needing to move more quickly to say, find a spouse before they get too old or having more difficulty succeeding in a career. I like the prospect of a family growing too rapidly while they struggle more to get promotions and money becomes a greater issue. I imagine it'll offer a greater challenge and I'm curious to see how it goes.

3KNPen · July 2018

CrystalAbyss1 wrote: »

I want to be able to play with aging off so I can keep all the original townies but I like time going by. I want to play a new legacy but I’m not sure how I’ll do it

@CrystalAbyss1 you can set aging to only affected your currently played household only. So your family would age but the town would remain static.

musteni · July 2018

I play with aging on, normal or sometimes long lifespan. I like to see the generations come and go, but because I play rotationally, I get to have my sims around longer than if I was focusing on one household. When an old character dies, it gives room to the new ones. The challenge of limited days is really part of sims for me. It forces me choose what skills, aspirations, relationships etc. to focus on and those choices make my sims individual. Sometimes I wish I could play another way, but the thought of playing a single sim who never dies just terrifies me.

citysimmer · July 2018

I play with aging on for only active household, since I mostly play rotational. Sometimes I turn it off all together so I don't feel rushed.

Hermitgirl · July 2018

I play with aging off. I usually play them kind of like real life time wise... I can't see trying to cram in both casual and fun parts of life, learning and going to work in that small of an amount of time. I age them up when it feels right to do so (or when they have finished the milestones I want them too)and usually that only applies to teen and younger.
I've only tried shorter lives as challenges.

Evie0602 · July 2018

I usually play with aging off because I don't like to see my sims get older. I have some toddlers that I plan to keep as toddlers forever.

DeKay · July 2018

Aging off, also the same as OP. I had the same household since the beginning of this game back in 2014. WOW. IT'S BEEN THAT LONG?? *me just realizing this*

sekojrana · July 2018

I play with aging off, kinda close to real time. I'm still playing the same households I started with in 2014 and the only birthdays I've had so far are 3 babies to toddlers and 1 toddler to kid a couple weeks after the game released, and I think I've had like, 3 weddings. My only problem is I don't want to age my kid up to teen because there's such a big gap so I'm thinking about starting another save a few years in the future to account for their sudden change in growth. I kinda wish there were preteens and an age between toddler and child for this reason alone. I'm also hoping for a season length mod to pop up because 4 weeks per season is way too short for me. I've also only had 1 death in my game, and that was an accident from a mod I installed to I cheated him back to life and now he just walks around with his own urn in his inventory lol

SikoahGrace · July 2018

I used to turn it on and off as I needed. But now I just keep it off. The way I am playing right now there is absolutely no reason to have it on. Everyone ages up with the cake. Elders live in a nursing home. I'm so invested with my Sims and stories atm that I can't imagine them dying off just yet. The exception is when I am ready for my elders to pass on. Then I play with aging on and allow them to move on...unless I change my mind lol. Pets in my game never die. Like...ever...

3KNPen · July 2018

I usually play with aging on and usually normal length since I play a lot of challenges that require it.

However my absolute favorite way to play the game in on Short Time Length. I love seeing the passing of time and it makes for a fun challenge trying to get everything done I want for my sims but allow them to also live as normal a life as possible. I also get bored sometimes when playing on a longer lifespan waiting for the next generation to take over so short makes it all happen a bit quicker.

I would love to attempt a save where aging was off or even just on long but I fear I would get tired of it very quickly.

invisiblgirl · July 2018

Normally, I play with aging on, because I want my Sims to progress through each life stage and its accomplishments. However, I've had to turn aging off in my current game because a) I want my older Sim to reach the top of the gardening career, and promotions take forever once you get to level eight; and b) I want her to get all her plants to the 'perfect' stage, which is no longer possible within a normal Sim lifetime.

I'd get rather bored playing with aging off all the time - eventually, my Sims have maxed out all of their skills and there's just not much left for them to do.

Destin2016 · July 2018

I play with aging off always. I prefer to age my sims up when I’m ready to.

happyopi · July 2018

Aging off, so I have time to really play all premades. When I started the game I didn't like the Munch much, and I realized since Seasons I actually played them more than I ever did in the 2+ years before.
With aging on they would be old, the sons having moved out, and I would have missed on getting to know them.

I can spend as long as I want with a family without feeling guilty I'm ignoring the others.

creedles · July 2018

> @Nindigo said:
> We all play differently. I play with aging off always, because I enjoy sticking with the same Sims and continue their story and life at my own laid back pace. If I need kids to age up, they do so by cake. But no one ever dies in my game unless I make it happen. And that suits me perfectly.
>
> How do you play and why that way? :)

I also play with aging off, but when its time for the children to age up, I imagine it either being 2 to 6 years later. My main sim is a vampire, so he won't ever age anymore, but his friends and family all aged up. His sister who was 7 years older than him is now elderly and telling people he is her son since her eldest birth son died. I have the extreme violence mod, so the vampires in my game are dangerous and deadly but I also have a vampire hunter who kills vampires, but he was recently turned into a vampire too as an elder, he became a vampire hunter because when he was 12, his whole family was killed by vampires and he slayed his first vampire at 12, and then when he was 47, his wife and children were also killed by vampires, so now he kills vampires all the time and lives as a recluse. My main sim who is a vampire, tries not to drink from anyone and instead lives off of plasma/blood packs because he didn't want to be a vampire in the first place.

creedles · July 2018

Aging off, until its time for the children to age up. From babyhood to to toddler, I imagine 1 to 2 years have passed, then toddler to child, 5 to 6 years have passed, then I got the height slider to make preteens out of teens, just make them as short as possible and if they are male, make their frame feminine and give them a female voice (the middle female voice sounds most like a preteen). In my game I just do numbers and ages, newborn is baby, 1 to 3 years old is toddler, 6 to 11 years old is child, 12 is preteen, 13 to 17 is teen, 20 to 34 is young adult, 35 to 64 is adult, 65 and over is elder. I wish they would add actual preteens though for the sake of growing up gradually.

ambrown · July 2018

Huiiie_07 wrote: »

I play with aging off mostly to have more time for completing goals. I also play a bit rotationally so I just turn off aging to prevent too much stress for me

All in all, I play much like you, op. However, I sometimes turn aging on when my sims completed everything I've planned for them. I will then usually wait until everyone aged up and then turn it off again.

i have been playing like this too recently- i am enjoying it alot!

ambrown · July 2018

@creedles your game sounds so interesting, do you make stories from it and post them?

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The pros and cons of playing with aging on or off

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