Forum Discussion

Feestbloempje's avatar
2 years ago

Routines - set a schedule for your sims

We all know time management is a big part of the game: making sure your sims' needs are met, getting them to bed on time and performing daily tasks. While it can be fun to manage your sims' life like this, it can also get repetitive. So, why not automate some of it?

Autonomy in this game does a pretty decent job. However, there are times where we might like more control over it. For instance, when your sim comes home from school, most of the time they'll run off to the computer to play games. Which might be realistic, but how neat would it be if we could have them pull out their homework, instead? What if, every morning at 6 AM, sim A starts preparing breakfast, while sim B takes care of the garden and animals, without us having to pause our game to prompt them to do it? We could schedule a club meeting every Sunday from 3 to 5, and have our writer sim have dedicated writing time, etc.

With routines, you could plan a rigorous schedule for your sim to keep. Or perhaps merely give them a set bed-time, so you won't have to worry about it, while you're controlling another sim.

I think this function could be extremely versatile. It will make our sims behave more like we expect them to, as well as remove some of the repetitiveness that tends to creep into gameplay. It would allow us to focus more on a specific sim, while knowing the rest of the household will take care of itself. Also, when visiting friends or neighbors, it would be cool to watch them stick to their routines. And when you don't want your sim to follow their routine for a bit? Just pause it.

Anyhow, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

4 Replies

  • So like I think we can already I toggle my Sims to their homework right after they come home from school unless they are sleepy, hungry or need entertainment I tend to they're needs first then do homework. Same with waking my Sims up they tend to the morning needs and cook breakfast while they cook breakfast the rest of the family is waking up doing the morning routine then they sit eat, watch TV and get ready for school and work. Saturday and Sunday is lazy day lol.
  • Chungytoon's avatar
    Chungytoon
    Rising Traveler
    2 years ago
    I think that would be great. The only thing I've seen Sims adapt to is completing homework on their own if they've got high enough grades (either that or there's generally nothing to do on the lot).

    I imagine the moment you start a new household, every Sim starts out with default autonomy. Their traits, likes, and dislikes will obviously play a role in it, so if they're a bookworm, they'll head to the bookshelf instead of the computer. The moment you start playing them more however, they'll gradually adapt to whatever you usually do with them. If the player commands them to use an object, that object will be added to their autonomy pool if they spend a good amount of time with it. Again, their CAS traits will either increase or decrease the chances of them performing them. It's like Sims will steadily build themselves a Top 10 list of favorite activities that is ranked based on how often they use them, whether they gain a positive or negative moodlet from it, their traits, their likes and dislikes, their current emotion, etc. (Players can potentially set this up for them automatically if they want.)

    Some objects are NEVER touched by Sims autonomously, nor are they ever repaired as often. If an object breaks, most Sims will attempt to repair it, while Lazy or Slob Sims ignore it. The higher their handiness skill, the more objects they'll be willing to repair on their own.

    Sims 3 had a system where you can use an object until your Sims levels up in the skill it's associated with. It even shows what time the action is expected to be finished at. That would be really useful.

    The scheduling system can honestly be implemented in the base game calendar or Parenthood bulletin board. Instead of just a small interaction menu, you'll get a full menu with an exact time you want to schedule curfew and what activities are being done in the household at any given time, whether it's for the whole family or each individual Sim. Young adults and older will follow it to a T, but teens and younger might stray off depending on their behavior. Player-made Get Together clubs can also have a set time to hold meets that'll show up in the calendar.

    I really hope these all come in either a huge QOL update or even pack refreshes. The level of customization in Get Together's club system needs to carry through a lot of features in the game and its packs.
  • "Chungy;c-18311572" wrote:

    The scheduling system can honestly be implemented in the base game calendar or Parenthood bulletin board. Instead of just a small interaction menu, you'll get a full menu with an exact time you want to schedule curfew and what activities are being done in the household at any given time, whether it's for the whole family or each individual Sim. Young adults and older will follow it to a T, but teens and younger might stray off depending on their behavior. Player-made Get Together clubs can also have a set time to hold meets that'll show up in the calendar.

    I really hope these all come in either a huge QOL update or even pack refreshes. The level of customization in Get Together's club system needs to carry through a lot of features in the game and its packs.


    Yes, exactly! I was also thinking of the Parenthood bulletin board, but for gameplay purposes it might make more sense if it were integrated into the UI, via the calendar, the sim profiles, or a new type of management screen.

    I also like your idea of teens rebelling against their schedule. Perhaps this could depend on the relationship with their parents. They'd be more likely to rebel when they don't get along.
  • I think this would be great! I would love a set routine in the morning that I didn't have to think about, but perhaps even letting a sim's traits take over a bit.


    • A lazy sim would sometimes sleep in even though his/her schedule tells them to wake up at 6 am. Sometimes they'd skip making breakfast for the family even though they're supposed to.
    • A perfectionist sim would follow the schedule meticulously.
    • A sim who is adventurous would get bored with a set schedule and become tense, perhaps even refuse to follow it.
    • A child/teen in the rebellious phase might refuse all together.


    ...and so on. Done right a schedule could both be a way for me not to have to tell the sims what to do all the time, and a way for sims to express their personality more. Using the calendar or parenthood bulletin board are great ideas.

    If they were to do something like this though, I would also want it to extend to butlers. I hate that I cannot set a time for my butler to wake up, or tell my butler to make breakfast or dinner at a certain time, even if the family isn't at home (if I tell her to make a meal they might very well end up with lobster for breakfast and pancakes for dinner).

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