Advanced Simulation & Population Options
The Sims 4 has come a long way in giving players more control over their gameplay. Features like Neighborhood Stories, Wants & Fears, Dust, Acne, Body Hair, Aging, and Pack-specific gameplay options have been fantastic additions. I'd love to see EA continue that trend by adding an Advanced Simulation section in the Gameplay Options.
This wouldn't change the default experience for existing players. Instead, it would simply give players the ability to customize how populated and dynamic they want their worlds to be.
Suggested Options
Household Size
Adjustable maximum household size.
Default remains 8 Sims.
Optional higher limits (10, 12, 16, etc.) with a performance warning.
Roommate Limit (Discover University)
Adjustable roommate limit.
Allow players to create larger dorms, apartments, communes, retirement homes, or boarding houses without requiring mods.
Stay Over Guest Limit (Growing Together)
Adjustable maximum number of Stay Over guests.
This would allow larger family reunions and sleepovers while still keeping the default limit for players who prefer it.
Maximum Lot Population
Low
Medium
High
Custom
Players with more powerful hardware could increase the number of Sims allowed on residential lots while players on older hardware could keep the defaults.
Townie Generation Options
Instead of forcing random townie generation, allow players to choose:
Normal (Current Behavior)
Prefer Existing Sims
Only Generate New Sims When Required
Disable Random Townie Generation
Many players spend hundreds of hours creating or downloading Sims they actually want to appear in their worlds. Giving us more control over townie generation would make saves feel much more personal.
Roommate Controls (Discover University)
Please add roommate-specific gameplay options such as:
Prevent roommates from inviting guests.
Prevent roommates from inviting romantic partners.
Prevent roommates from inviting friends.
Lot Trait or Gameplay Option to disable roommate visitors entirely.
This would be especially useful for dorms, communes, shared apartments, and players who simply want a quieter household.
Why This Would Be Beneficial
These settings would not replace the existing game.
The defaults would remain exactly as they are today.
Instead, players who enjoy larger households, populated communities, or carefully curated saves would finally have official tools to customize their experience without affecting everyone else.
Console players would especially benefit because they do not have access to script mods.
Mods Already Do Some of This
Yes, PC players already have excellent mods such as MCCC and other population or roommate mods that provide many of these features.
However, console players cannot use script mods, and many PC players also prefer playing a vanilla game.
Having official gameplay options would:
Make these features available to everyone.
Reduce dependence on mods after game updates.
Allow players to customize their saves using supported in-game settings.
Continue EA's recent trend of giving players more control over how they experience The Sims 4.
The Sims has always been about letting players tell their own stories. Giving us more control over population, households, roommates, visitors, and townie generation would let every player tailor the simulation to fit their preferred playstyle while leaving the default experience completely unchanged for everyone else.
