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    What Are Some Good Rotation Rules You Have?

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    fullspiralfullspiral Posts: 14,717 Member
    in The Sims 4 General Discussion
    I play a rotational game, but I don't follow any rules and just keep adding sims to my game and then I forget the others and why I created them. I tend to be all over the place in my game and lose interest because I just don't know who to play or why I should play them.

    I've decided to narrow it down to about a dozen households to rotate through, but need to be better on "rotating" so I make sure I get back to them.

    The only rule I am putting on myself is to rotate at 6Pm every Sunday night. What other rules do you rotational players use? And do you have any other tips to help me keep focus on my world? I tend to start playing and then add side characters for their particular story, and then it just keeps going from there! I have ALL these sims in my world that are connected in various ways, but I've lost the plot. lol

    Help!

    Comments

    • MorkovkaMorkovka Posts: 662 Member
      I tried to set rotation time too, but it didn't work for me, I hate to just drop things, always need some closure.
      So I set up a goal for every Sim: complete aspiration step, get promoted, level up a skill - that sort of thing - before I switch to another household.
      Works for me because character and story building is what I play for.
      It varies for every family every rotation so hard to even call it a rule.
      Guess my main rule is not putting any pressure upon myself :D

    • WildIrishBansheeWildIrishBanshee Posts: 2,105 Member
      I rotate in the same order every time, at 6 am Sunday morning. I will use a list if need be to keep track, and I do have the rotate order for my General Save listed out.
      WildIrishBanshee's Update Thread
      My Families Via PlumTree App
    • fullspiralfullspiral Posts: 14,717 Member
      @Morkovka Yes, I normally play like that too, but then I get caught up in building their story and create their side characters for it and then I lose track of my other households in the meantime. And then I get stuck, because sometimes I get to a point where I am waiting for new content for that character to be who they were meant to be....And then I get bored, and then I just don't know what to do in the game.

      There's so much I haven't even touched on in the game or experienced. And some of the new content is perfect for some of those sims I made long ago. I've had this save basically since Sims 4 came out. I need to buckle down and get back to some of them. I love them all and that's why they are still in my game.
    • fullspiralfullspiral Posts: 14,717 Member
      @WildIrishBanshee Yes. I've made a list today. I went in game and went through each world to see which sims I will narrow it down to to play, and then I made a rotation list thinking about each one of them and trying to make it as diverse and different as possible from one to the next.
    • HermitgirlHermitgirl Posts: 8,825 Member
      edited August 2019
      My only one is basically the same. I try to switch at a time that sims won't normally be at work or school. I really hate going to a family and everyone being late for work/school and maybe being penalized for it.
      Otherwise I play until my sims don't seem as interesting (then rotate) or I have a new idea I have to do (that happens way too much).
      egTcBMc.png
    • MorkovkaMorkovka Posts: 662 Member
      Well, I have each of my households focus around some aspect of the game and do everything about it, like, for example, Culinary+Mixology+Respective aspirations+Recipe collection+Experimental food collection+ Running a restaurant+ Food critic career. Some Sims focus on one of it, some accumulate related things as they are added in new content like I have an Artist+Art Critic+Style Influencer or Secret Agent+Detective+Military. I don't add more Sims than I need for it, every baby is planned. Guess it's another rule. Some Sims are on "standby" waiting for future expansion packs, announced or potential ones. My save is pretty recent though, so sooner or later I'll run out of room for development and face similar issues as you do now I guess :/
    • fullspiralfullspiral Posts: 14,717 Member
      Hermitgirl wrote: »
      My only one is basically the same. I try to switch at a time that sims won't normally be at work or school. I really hate going to a family and everyone being late for work/school and maybe being penalized for it.
      Otherwise I play until my sims don't seem as interesting (then rotate) or I have a new idea I have to do (that happens way too much).

      That's the thing! I'm not finding any of them interesting. Even though I've left most of them off with plenty to do and work towards.

      still haven't done the tombs
      still haven't even touched the acting career
      haven't touched conservationist
      haven't touched toddlers or parenthood

      I don't know what's wrong!
    • elanorbretonelanorbreton Posts: 14,541 Member
      My rules:

      Set seasons for 28 days
      Only play 7 households
      Pick a different world for each household to live in
      Rotate at 6 am after 4 days, that way each household gets played once per season
      Have a variety of sim combos, like a single sim, a couple, different family sizes, different age groups, different jobs, different interests and traits
      Keep a scrapbook record in OneNote or similar with pics and important points, a page per season per household, to look back and remind you next time you rotate.
    • MorkovkaMorkovka Posts: 662 Member
      Maybe try those new experiences? :)
      I was putting off jungle exploration till later for a long time - turned out I love it and go digging through ruins every time I don't know what to do.
      Thought I'd never enjoy playing an Evil Sim - came up with a cool character - now I love her.
      Never took particular interest in premades until introduced some of the most peculiar ones into my households - now I love playing them.

      Or maybe you need a good break from the game - this happens to everyone I think :)
    • ldmarkoldmarko Posts: 5,487 Member
      Right now I have a single family save, but plan to rotate once the kids move out. I like long life, so it's week rotation, starting in spring & rotating after the New Year's celebration. I usually do it alphabetically by household surname.
      Gallery ID: LDM2
    • Mariefoxprice83Mariefoxprice83 Posts: 8,108 Member
      I usually rotate to a new household between 6 and 7 am on a Sunday morning.
      Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven.
    • fullspiralfullspiral Posts: 14,717 Member
      elanorbreton wrote: »
      My rules:

      Set seasons for 28 days
      Only play 7 households
      Pick a different world for each household to live in
      Rotate at 6 am after 4 days, that way each household gets played once per season
      Have a variety of sim combos, like a single sim, a couple, different family sizes, different age groups, different jobs, different interests and traits
      Keep a scrapbook record in OneNote or similar with pics and important points, a page per season per household, to look back and remind you next time you rotate.

      I've narrowed it down to 12 households and they are in different worlds. Most of them are single sims and there are a few couples. I know I should try family play, but I get so bored as soon as kids come because I hate that they are forced in to school. I want the kids at home. Or some of them anyways. Maybe we will get homeschooling some day...with a farm pack. Or a school pack. Options! We need options!

      And yes, I picked up a notebook so I can start writing down what I want to do with who. And where they left off and why I need to get back to them.
    • Mariefoxprice83Mariefoxprice83 Posts: 8,108 Member
      edited August 2019
      I keep a spreadsheet listing each family and the order I play them in, though occasionally I switch the order if it makes more sense to have a specific household active on Christmas week. For example, my madhouse household was scheduled for Christmas their first time in the rotation but I'm going to switch them with one of the peasant families as it makes way more sense to have a family with small children celebrating Christmas. I really need to start thinking about relationships as a bunch of my teens have aged up or are on the brink of doing so. Unfortunately a bunch of my young male sims are more interested in pursing LTWs that marriage so my young female sims will probably have to marry NPCS initially if they don't want to be "Left on the shelf." It's a Victorian era save so such old-fashioned ideas are part of the game.
      Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven.
    • fullspiralfullspiral Posts: 14,717 Member
      Thanks for all the comments you guys. After supper, I am going to go in and start with a sim house and see how it goes from there. Or maybe I need to look at the worlds and the lots and see what I need there too before I start. Do some cleaning up, as it were...
    • Sha2520032003Sha2520032003 Posts: 2,258 Member
      @fullspiral - Great thread! I'm new to rotational play. I don't really play with any rules but I do watch my timeline as it relates to aging for all the families in my rotation. I play with aging on for the Active Household, but aging off for my Played households. Aging is on for NPC's so time keeps moving. My rotational Save is vampires. My main rule is not to set a schedule of when I should rotate to another family or have an order of how I play my families. Sometimes, I'm not finished telling a certain story or maybe I want to play another family next. So my rule is to not set any and try not to be so restrictive. I kind of play rotational with mini-rules, like always keeping an eye out for how long I spend with one family versus another, always play on long, and I always log any babies born so I can remember to age them up in the correct order. I also keep a brief log of my storylines so I stay on track. Everyone is interconnected in this vampire Save that I've been playing since the vampire GP came out, but they each have their own spin-off sort of speak.

      I really have enjoyed reading the comments from other Simmers. It's always cool to see how other Simmers play, especially rotational. I'm reading the comments and thinking that I could probably benefit being a bit more organized.
    • SharoniaSharonia Posts: 4,853 Member
      I only rotate to a new household after one sim year has been played with my seasons set to 14 days each.
    • QueenofMyshunoQueenofMyshuno Posts: 1,506 Member
      fullspiral wrote: »
      I know I should try family play, but I get so bored as soon as kids come because I hate that they are forced in to school. I want the kids at home.

      There’s a shorter school hours mod.
      There’s a no school mod.
      MCCC also lets you choose to not go to school.
      BannerMayNewcrestGradient.png
      On EA forum Stories and Legacies board and on QueenOfMyshuno.tumblr.com
    • telemwilltelemwill Posts: 1,752 Member
      The only rule I have is when I am ready to move on, I stop my current family at 5 in the morning. Starting a new household at 5 usually gives me enough time to have everyone eat breakfast, finish homework, daily work assignments, etc.

      I do play through my rotation, but I spend different amounts of time with each family. It depends on what I want to accomplish and how long they hold my interest. Roommate type households might get one or two days. If someone is pregnant, I stay with them until the baby is born. Extended family in different households may be played back and forth a bit.

      When I am absorbed in a storyline, I spend a longer time. I just finished up the Bro household, and it no longer exists. Joaquin moved in with Candy. Some days I played as Joaquin and some as Candy or her sister. Sergio, his former roommate, remodeled the house and married Siobhan Fyres. This involved playing as one or the other for several days, getting Sergio acquainted with her family, and visiting Sergio's former roommate and his new family. I then ended up having to redo the entire wedding day because I accidentally (I swear!) killed both Sergio and Siobhan on their wedding night. And I couldn't deal with that.

      Now that I have my goals accomplished with them, I will move on to someone else.
    • HestiaHestia Posts: 1,997 Member
      edited August 2019
      I have almost 200 Sims under “My Households” within a single save and I play only one save. Each with their own stories and themes. Different types from family play to single adult, mixed and more...

      I need to rotate often. Otherwise I get easily bored due to the lack of depth in gameplay, interactions between Sims, lack of traits, lack of careers and bare bone personalities.
      wB2Zykl.jpg
    • DoloresGreyDoloresGrey Posts: 3,490 Member
      edited August 2019
      I switch household every Monday 6am. So it is on regular basis, you already do that.

      Other rule is, and I think it is very important (for me at least), I have my household listed on an actual paper. In numeric order.
      Just an example:
      1. Pancakeses
      2. Zests
      3. Iggy Pancakes

      So one week I play with household number one, than on Monday I switch to household number two, the other Monday I switch to household number three... Whenever I create or split household I have to write it down on the bottom of my list. So if Pancakeses had another YA son named John and I wanted him to live on his own I would have him under 4. John Pancakes.
      So righ now it is week number one, it is Wednesday and I want to move out John. I do it via manage households. I leave him and get back to him when there is the proper time - week number 4, Monday.

      I do it this way because I play with aging on and I keep it on only for my active household (for townies every week number 1) so the aging is not messed up and everyone ages when supposed to.
      -probably just playing Phasmophobia :p
    • SimAlexandriaSimAlexandria Posts: 4,845 Member
      edited August 2019
      I've been rotating every 2 Sim days but might increase it.

      I play aging off for all the rotations until the last one and then turn it on while playing so that all the households age exactly the 2 days that I played them.

      I sort them by Alphabetical order to keep them in the same order so I don't miss anyone haha

    • fullspiralfullspiral Posts: 14,717 Member
      @QueenofMyshuno I know there's mods out there for no school, I'm just not playing with mods right now because I am too lazy to chase them down after patches when/if they need updating.

      @telemwill You make a good point about pregnancies. I would have to make an exception and stay with that house until the baby is born.

      I've always played aging off in my game, but maybe down the road I will attempt aging on for active household so that I get some semblance of time passing in the game. And especially for playing families, I think it would be needed.

      Thanks again guys, for the tips. I'm definitely going to write down where I left off with them when I rotate. I think I need to remind myself where I am heading with each house. I often forget when I spend too long with any particular sim house.
    • MVWdeZTMVWdeZT Posts: 3,267 Member
      I keep a notebook.
      I play 10 households, and I have a point system: 1 pt for each level of a designated skill, 2 pts for maxing a skill, 1 pt. for promotion (improved grades for kids count), etc. Each time a household gets 10 pts, I move to the next. I control only one Sim in each household, except on the first day in that household. At 100 pts, I switch control to the heir, who is usually a young adult by then and ready to marry, have children, etc.
      Sims 3: When the Zombies Come - Sims 4: 100 Nooboos Nabbed
    • CatzillaCatzilla Posts: 1,181 Member
      fullspiral wrote: »
      Hermitgirl wrote: »
      My only one is basically the same. I try to switch at a time that sims won't normally be at work or school. I really hate going to a family and everyone being late for work/school and maybe being penalized for it.
      Otherwise I play until my sims don't seem as interesting (then rotate) or I have a new idea I have to do (that happens way too much).

      That's the thing! I'm not finding any of them interesting. Even though I've left most of them off with plenty to do and work towards.

      still haven't done the tombs
      still haven't even touched the acting career
      haven't touched conservationist
      haven't touched toddlers or parenthood

      I don't know what's wrong!

      Trying All The Things might help boost your interest level and freshen up the game for you. Try the things you haven't tried yet.
      BTW, what is the tombs?
    • aprilroseaprilrose Posts: 1,832 Member
      edited August 2019
      I don't have a set time schedule for when I rotate but I do tend to keep a notebook so I can jot down backstory notes and future plans just so I can keep it all together. I have a lot of sims to keep track of so having a notebook helps me. I played through over 25 generations of sims so notes help me tremendously.
      Hestia wrote: »
      I have almost 200 Sims under “My Households” within a single save and I play only one save. Each with their own stories and themes. Different types from family play to single adult, mixed and more...

      I need to rotate often. Otherwise I get easily bored due to the lack of depth in gameplay, interactions between Sims, lack of traits, lack of careers and bare bone personalities.

      That's a lot of sims in one save. 80 is the most I've had in a save.
      Simming for 19 years!
      Family Tree
      Playing Mod & CC Free



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