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HH4 Poll - Gas' degree of interference

Mar 11, 2019#1

GasBandit

Sims 4 is, of course, an impressively complex social interaction engine. But it's not perfect. In order to leave some "game" in there for the player, there's still some things sims just won't seem to do for themselves.

How active a role should I take to address these deficiencies?

Options would be:

1) Completely passive observer - no matter how many toilets clog or aspirations go ignored, I will only watch and document the failings of the AI. After all, hardship and adversity can be entertaining to watch, too, right?

2) Mostly-hands-off administrator/troublefixer - In Rimworld, I barely had to interfere with the individual pawns at all, outside of combat situations and structure planning/construction. Mostly it was sufficient to set policy and let people do their thing, though there were little exceptions that made me have to take an active role from time to time. In Sims 4, this would mean I'd only intervene for things that generally don't take care of themselves, like broken appliances.

3) Active motivator - However, HFA2, for example, required me to exert a great deal of control over the toon I was playing for that day, as without direction, he or she would literally stand around doing absolutely nothing - AI only controlled the characters whose day it was NOT. So, I had to step into the role of the character, and for the most part, I played the toon how I thought it would play itself, in context - generally only taking actions and making decisions that would be consistent with that character's behavior when I was not controlling it. Granted, I had to go a little above and beyond in a couple instances (cough STEINMAN). This option means that if I see a sim neglecting their aspirations, or something else that I think is a failing of the AI that contradicts the wants and established behaviors of a sim, I will take steps to get the sim back on track.

4) ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL (harbinger style) - This option means I will do whatever suits me, in the interests of making a more interesting story happen. I will make you flirt. I will make you fight. I will cause drama. YOU WILL BE MY PUPPETS. DANCE FOR MY AMUSEMENT! This was, more or less, what I had to do for Darkest Dungeon: Halforums edition - because there was really no "personality" to go with things other than name, class choice, and color scheme. Everything that happened was a direct result of my own choosing, not any consideration for that the characters would do.

So, my question is, what do you guys think should be my level of control in this?

Mar 11, 2019#2

drawn_inward

Do your worst, sir.

Mar 11, 2019#3

Celt Z

I'm honestly okay with any of them, but options 3 and 4 make the funniest stories.

Mar 11, 2019#4

DarkAudit

Are you going to have whims on or off? How will you be spending our reward points? PROTIP: potions suck.

Mar 11, 2019#5

GasBandit

DarkAudit said:
Are you going to have whims on or off? How will you be spending our reward points? PROTIP: potions suck.

Yeah, I think it's obvious to anyone who looks that potions are a bad deal. Mostly I would intend to spend rewards in line with the aspirations of the individual sim.

I haven't decided on whims yet, but I'm leaning toward "off." Too much to keep track of for 80 people

Mar 11, 2019#6

General Specific

GasBandit said:
2) Mostly-hands-off administrator/troublefixer - In Rimworld, I barely had to interfere with the individual pawns at all, outside of combat situations and structure planning/construction.

So is this the option to take if I want CeltZ to marry me again? :unibrow:

Asking for a friend.

Who is me.

Mar 11, 2019#7

Tinwhistler

GasBandit said:
Yeah, I think it's obvious to anyone who looks that potions are a bad deal. Mostly I would intend to spend rewards in line with the aspirations of the individual sim.

I haven't decided on whims yet, but I'm leaning toward "off." Too much to keep track of for 80 people

Just as an FYI, whims "off" just means they're not visible. You will still accidentally fulfill them from time to time, and earn aspiration points. I just checked my main sim, and I had about 3800 of them because I'd forgotten they existed between this latest playthrough and sims3

Mar 11, 2019#8

GasBandit

General Specific said:
So is this the option to take if I want CeltZ to marry me again?

Asking for a friend.

Who is me.

Mar 11, 2019#9

GasBandit

Tinwhistler said:
Just as an FYI, whims "off" just means they're not visible. You will still accidentally fulfill them from time to time, and earn aspiration points. I just checked my main sim, and I had about 3800 of them because I'd forgotten they existed between this latest playthrough and sims3

Thanks, I did know that, but I appreciate tips and input as I've only been playing Sims 4 for about a week and am still "discovering" stuff as I go

Mar 11, 2019#10

GasBandit

Edited the original post to reflect that it occurred to me, Option 4 is basically what I had to do for Darkest Dungeon: Halforums Edition.

Mar 11, 2019#11

Gruebeard

GasBandit said:
Edited the original post to reflect that it occurred to me, Option 4 is basically what I had to do for Darkest Dungeon: Halforums Edition.

I'm changing my vote from 4 to 3, then.

I don't wanna die a horrifying death.

Mar 11, 2019#12

GasBandit

Gruebeard said:
I'm changing my vote from 4 to 3, then.

I don't wanna die a horrifying death.

Carelessness will find no clemency in this place. Death waits for the slightest lapse in concentration. Teetering on the brink, facing the abyss, a hand's-breadth from becoming unwound... the human mind is fragile as a robin's egg.

Mar 11, 2019#13

Squidleybits

4. Why not

Mar 11, 2019#14

PatrThom

3 and 4 can lead to the most amusing stories, but the handcuffing required of 1 and 2 can also lead to quality entertainment.

I voted 2, because to do otherwise would run counter to what I said in the prefs thread.

—Patrick

Mar 11, 2019#15

Celt Z

General Specific said:
So is this the option to take if I want CeltZ to marry me again?

Asking for a friend.

Who is me.

Yeah, baby!

As long as you don't have a pool.

Mar 11, 2019#16

DarkAudit

Celt Z said:
Yeah, baby!

As long as you don't have a pool.

It's not the pool that kills ya, it's the walls around them.

Mar 11, 2019#17

Tinwhistler

GasBandit said:
Carelessness will find no clemency in this place. Death waits for the slightest lapse in concentration.

No shit. These posts got me playing Sims again, and I invited Bella Goth over to my house.

While I was finishing up a phone app for my job, she grabbed a plate of Plasma Fruit Salad out of the fridge, sat at the table, and proceeded to burst into flame. Literally, WTF?

Mar 11, 2019#18

DarkAudit

Tinwhistler said:
No shit. These posts got me playing Sims again, and I invited Bella Goth over to my house.

While I was finishing up a phone app for my job, she grabbed a plate of Plasma Fruit Salad out of the fridge, sat at the table, and proceeded to burst into flame. Literally, WTF?

Were either you or she a vampire?

Mar 12, 2019#19

Tinwhistler

DarkAudit said:
Were either you or she a vampire?

My sim is, she isn't. But all my googling hasn't turned up any information about plasma fruit salad catching normies on fire.

Mar 12, 2019#20

Tinwhistler

DarkAudit said:
Were either you or she a vampire?

figured it out. I had given her tainted rose perfume earlier. Evidently it can cause you to spontaneously combust.

Mar 12, 2019#21

Emrys

Tinwhistler said:
figured it out. I had given her tainted rose perfume earlier. Evidently it can cause you to spontaneously combust.

Well, I now know what to take off my Christmas wish list.

Mar 13, 2019#22

Bubble181

Emrys said:
Well, I now know what to take off my Christmas wish list.

...why? You're never so cold you think to yourself bursting into flames sounds like a good option?

Mar 13, 2019#23

DarkAudit

Tinwhistler said:
figured it out. I had given her tainted rose perfume earlier. Evidently it can cause you to spontaneously combust.

Literal hunka hunka burning love.

Mar 13, 2019#24

Emrys

Bubble181 said:
...why? You're never so cold you think to yourself bursting into flames sounds like a good option?

I live in the frozen wastes by choice.

Besides, I have a coat of doomweasels. I'm never cold.

Mar 13, 2019#25

Squidleybits

I have cat space heaters. They work when they want to.

Mar 13, 2019#26

HCGLNS

Deus ex machina 80s TV soap opera writer level interference.

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