The Sims 3

[RoyGBiv]

This is a continuation from here ...

I'm starting its own thread to end the hijack of the original ...

The "living neighborhood" is the one thing that sounds most handicapping to me. I make liberal use of "aging off" and "elixir of life" to customize the ages of each household. It would be nice if it could be engaged selectively, to turn on neighborhood aging for only certain lots, though.

I really don't understand how all this works yet. I don't play that way, although I know a lot of people do. The only reason I ever started multiple households was to make it easier to make friends since the requirements for jobs were so steep with individual relationships degrading so quickly. I either have aging off or on and just leave it that way, usually off 'cause I think the time scale is absurd. I'll turn it on or use a cheat to age someone when I'm ready for them to age.

There's actual options now for turning off aging rather than cheats, and there's this community progression option thing I haven't figured out yet. I know what it does in theory, but I haven't paid much attention to the effects. It seems like this would work like you want, i.e. you have aging on for the household you're playing, but turn the community progression off to keep everyone else frozen ... I think. Again, I haven't messed with that yet.

There are also options for the number of days in a life cycle, so the aging makes more sense to me now, and I'll likely keep it on.

There are other elements to the game that are intended to be surprises that allow manipulation of all this, but I haven't found them all yet. One is the "death flower," which you find as just a seed without knowing what it is. You plant it, and it grows a flower you can use to bring someone back from the dead. I think there are other things too. I have two "unknown" seeds at the moment, but I haven't planted them yet.

Do you know why some of them insist on nude hot tubbing?

Nudist gene? :)

Some personality types are more prone to that than others. In Sims 3, they've completely changed the way this functions (personality attributes) so that it makes more sense, imo. One of the traits you can choose for any character is in fact "never gets nude" to prevent that sort of behavior. Certain combos of other traits, e.g. flirty + brave + doesn't consider consequences, etc. might make you a Sim that runs around naked as much as possible.

Ghosts

Controlling the ghosts is not inherent to the game, but there's already a mod out that allows it. There's another one that doesn't allowed you to control them but removes some of the more annoying aspects of their existence. That one can have some odd side effects. The developer said with the mod he'd seen a ghost end up haunting one of the tiles at the bottom of a pool.

Televisions and other objects

This all seems to make more sense in the Sims 3. No, I don't think there's a slider for just the television volume. However, at least with the Sims I've played so far, they're not forever turning the damn thing on and leaving it on constantly. It may just be part of the "neat" personality I've chosen for my current Sim (always does the dishes), but whenever they get done watching television, they always turn it off. So, it doesn't come across as so obnoxious.

A television is almost a requirement in this game, at least for the moment. The "Fun" want is more of a factor in this game with the new way they do employment and "moodlets." You can end up with a very pissed off Sim at the end of the day, and a television is the best way to relieve the stress. I haven't found it a problem though.

In general, my Sims seem to be reacting to objects more intelligently. That is, I haven't found anything yet that works as that homing beacon. There's also a better differentiation between no automatic actions, some automation, and none, which seems to help.

More later ...

[Why Syzygy]

1. Thanks!

The time scale certainly is absurd. When I started the first episode, I didn't know how to turn it off. It was entirely frustrating. Much more interesting and satisfying to calibrate that.

Likewise the first time, I stayed with one household, the 'Broke'. But I discovered one of the teens cultivated a relationship with a Townie, and when he grew up, she didn't. So he was lonely for the rest of his life and never even had a first kiss! So sad. I bring a few certain Townies into play. After the first run through, I had much better insight into them. The second play session, I used the aging methods to bring in the other Sims. One of the Townies pissed me off so much through the first session, I have punished her ever since. Of course at that time I didn't have access to all the cheat codes which now enable me to prevent the stunts she pulled. (I'm not sure what they call the pre-householded Sims. Do you read the BBS at all?)

It seems I read the Death Flower brings them back, but they are still ghosts. Is that true, if you know yet?

Sounds like they've done a good job on more diverse personality types. I suspect that all the nude ones are "Leos" as it is now.

For Sims2, I've found playing "red hands" gives them as much fun as TV. I've leared to do it as soon as a visitor with a high enough relationship shows up. I've had enough of them "move in" to know that all their needs are at a low tide when they come over. It's especially good for the children when they get home from school. It boosts it very quickly. The playhouse is a quick fun lifter too. "Viewing" even gives them a pretty healthy dose of fun. If I ever play Sims3, I certainly hope there are more things to do than watch TV.

With you from the earlier thread, walking across the street would be the best enhancement they could program.

In my second session, I had three generations, starting again with the 'Broke' family.

Wanted to mention .. it may sound callous to age one of them so they can hurry on to the Grim Reaper. However, there are many players who will just kill them outright, and devise new and improved methods to do it! I'm not a killer. Assisted old age is my outer limit. Not that I didn't want to once or twice. When my gamer friend, who has set me up with my game stash, gave me Morrowind, I wasn't planning to kill anyone. But you won't get very far in that game unless you do. He said if I didn't kill them, they would kill me. I got killed a lot at first. I also feel a lot better about using the money cheat than stealing. I'm such a girl. :shrug:

[RoyGBiv]

2. Reading the BBS ...

I read the modding forums. I generally find more useful information from people who understand the internals of how the game works and are truly addicted. Also, reading posts from the truly addicted makes me feel less pathetic at my own addiction.

My favorite one is MoreAwesomeThanYou.com (MATY). There's a certain mad scientist type of culture there that will eat newbies alive for asking what they consider stupid questions, so I never post. But, I learn quite a bit just from reading.

Speaking of, in reference to a comment I made in the other thread, reading MATY today allowed me to learn the workaround from the game launcher/custom content installer problem. There's already a third-party installer. It's BETA, but it works.

[Why Syzygy]

3. I don't know anything

about the launcher, etc. Glad you found something that works, though. Since my HD is now 75% free, it loads a lot faster.

What an awesome forum! Mad scientist indeed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2KL61WOvxI

This turns up in a search for the site name. It isn't apparent how it's linked. Still brilliant.
Do you know what release or EP these building tools are from?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRugsM_0wgM

On Sims2, did you use the Career Rewards? I use boolprop to get whatever I need. The operating table is the funniest. You can hear them say, "Don't need that"... The punching bag increases body skill faster than anything else. I don't cheat on the skill building, other than max attribute so they can wear thinking cap, and getting the objects I want. They still have to go through the motions. Honestly, I could never figure out how to get the 'slider' cheat to work. No biggie.

[Why Syzygy]

4. Wow. This neighborhood stuff is great!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36_CAdOHbpg&NR=1

I'm so glad they got house slippers.

[MedleyMisty]

5. Gah, MATY

Great hacks and the people know their way around the technical side of the game, but yeah - as a Sims friend who does participate there said, terrible social environment.

Err - I'm truly addicted. I sort of have given up my life to writing a story with the game, lol.

http://medleymisty.wordpress.com/

There, that should make you feel better about your not really real addiction. ;)