So we are getting Diaries/Journals back!! :)
I had posted the following on the ideas forum, asking for the return of sims writing in their diaries.
I had a lot of game play suggested in it, but it looks like we are just getting the emotional control portion of it.
I am glad to see it return.
"CK213;d-857927" wrote:
The Return of The Sims Diary
I haven't played TS2 in ages, but I remember sims could write in a dairy.
I'm not sure if it was just to occupy your sims or if it actually gave them some fun or built a skill, but I liked making them do it.
I would like to see it come to TS4, but in a big, game-play enhancing way.
The game cannot read your mind and know your opinion of sims in the game. It can't anticipate the scenarios you are playing out in your sim world, but there could be a way that you can input that into the game and have it reflected in game play.
Opinions
We could have our sims write in their diary or journal about sims they have met in the game. You can select a sim from your relationship panel and the diary could have a check list of opinions that your sim could have about other sims. This sims is:
-Beautiful on the inside, outside, both, or the opposite of those
-In The Friend Zone
-An Absolute Jerk
-My secret crush
-My parent's dream
-My parent's worst nightmare
-The town floozy or player
-Not my type
-Envious of me
-Gross
-Soooo Hot!
I play rotational and sometimes I like my sims to pursue impossible relationships, or at least very difficult ones. The In The Friend Zone and Not My Type flags would make some relationships one-sided. So if I played my sim, he or she might have some special social options to any autonomous socials the sim from their diary might have. And if I was playing the In the Friend Zone sim, it would be very difficult to climb the romance ladder like sims normally would. Sometimes you want to flirt, but have it rejected because that is the scenario you are playing out.
Imagine your teen sim with two friends. One is her Parents worst nightmare and Sooo hot! The other is her Parents dream, but Not her type. When both visit they will be treated very differently by the girl and the parents.
Secret Wishes
Your sim can write their secret wish for that sim:
-Ask me out
-Propose to me
-Die!
-Offer me a promotion
There is a chance that the wish will come true. Even death.
This would address the desires of simmers to have other sims be more assertive instead of your sims having to initiate everything.
Results
After you ticked off what all your sim will write about, they will settle down with their diary and write. You will see associated thought bubbles for what you checked off along with the face of the sims they are writing about. The next time you meet that sim, you could be in for some interesting experiences helpful to the scenario you are playing out. This should make playing the game more immersive.
Emotions, skills, and time warping
The Diary could also be used to alter emotions. There should be choices specifically to get a certain emotion. You can also chose to write about certain sims and this will trigger emotions based on the relationships. Writing about enemies could make them angry. Writing about friends can make them happy. Writing about love interests could make them flirty.
They could boost skills by writing about certain topics. It could be a minor skill gain along with need increasing--like fun, and maybe some other benefits.
Perhaps diary writing/journal could be a skill that unlocks some of these features. Time warping could be one. When your sim writes, they could earn the ability to slow down time or speed it up for everyone in the household. This would allow your sims to get more done in the day. Or you could just want to make it seem like they are so immersed that time speeds by, or you just want to get the day over with, but without the sped up play. You will just smoothly change the day to night cycle, but without all the speeding up of animations.
Rotational Play and Social Dynamics
Rotating between all your sims and having them writing in their diaries about other sims could build a social consensus about certain sims in the game, that could give these sims an NPC-like status. They will get special roles with socials and autonomous acts, they will be gossiped about. If there are more than one, they will congregate together and become friends (birds of a feather).
