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vyvexthorne's avatar
vyvexthorne
Seasoned Ace
3 years ago

Do Family Dynamics seem a little borked to anyone else?

I noticed if I create a family and give say the husband the "close" dynamic, then the wife will also have "close" as a dynamic and there's no way to give her a different dynamic. However, when the game adds them naturally through game play, only one sim will receive the dynamic. So you can have a husband that is a Jokester and a wife that is not. 

On that note. Through game play the only options I've ever gotten are Jokesters and Strict. They both happen extremely quickly with any autonomous prank / mischief action between new spouses / newly aged up children. The strict one I've only gotten with toddlers and it is also extremely quick into the infant aging up to toddler and performing any learning type action with the toddler. I did not take either of these options when they popped up because I dont' want my sims to be Jokesters or Strict.  They haven't received any other options since those first pop ups and it's been in game years since. 

6 Replies

  • @vyvexthorne The dynamic thing is a little weird for me too. I will have a parent potty train their toddler for the first time and the game will ask me if I want the relationship to be strict... pretty sure potty training is not strict dynamic but basic parenting?

    Most helping actions with toddlers are considered strict, which I find odd, since their are some skills they cannot learn on their own. Also, some toddler traits prefer parental support, such as clingy and inquisitive, and so should not still be prompting strict dynamics when providing said support. Traits should factor into the dynamic - toddler is clingy and parents are helping with everything - supportive; toddler is independent and parents are helping with everything - strict makes sense. Maybe some toddlers will wants a jokester dynamic such as silly and wild, while there are toddlers that want a close relationship with their parents, such as charmer and angelic. Who knows what the fussy toddlers toddlers want... but I think that is the point! They could want any of the dynamics. Or all of them. At. The. Same. Time. So. Fussy.

    As they age, helping with homework also becomes strict parenting somehow (how dare they help the child who chose to do their homework! So strict and not supportive at all!) I feel that telling children to do their homework would be strict but helping is supportive and the game should be able to distinguish - I think with parenthood, you can influence kids to do their homework, which would be a strict dynamic vs base game helping with homework which I believe should be a supportive dynamic.
  • vyvexthorne's avatar
    vyvexthorne
    Seasoned Ace
    3 years ago
    @ValFreya13 Yep, and the main problem seems to be that all that is ever offered is Strict or Jokester. If anyone has ever had any of the other options offered I'd love to hear that and specifically what actions or traits their sims might have had to encourage those dynamics.
  • vyvexthorne's avatar
    vyvexthorne
    Seasoned Ace
    3 years ago
    @shinjitenoyami That's interesting. Is it like one of the first actions you do with them? I still haven't had any other popups since the initial ones I had after first installing the game pack. The children have grown up and left the house and have new families of their own at this point. but no more options since then to change family dynamics. I guess If I really cared I'd just go in and set them with cas.fullleditmode.
  • SimTresa's avatar
    SimTresa
    Seasoned Ace
    2 years ago

    I don't think I've ever gotten "close" offered, but my sims usually start out with tha tone. I've had supportive at least once, can't remember wha triggers it. But if my sims tell one joke, suddenly they're jokesters. Sometimes I'll get lucky and they just like funny conversations. 

    But every toddler interaction triggering the strict popup is way over the top. How is feeding your hungry toddler strict? By hungry, I mean so far in the red she was angry, and this is a picky eater who won't eat until she's in the yellow then still might not finish her food. 
    seems like the only parent-initiated toddler care action that doesn't count as strict is the autonomous play interaction. I know some of these developers must be parents, so I really don't get this.  

  • When I get the dynamics in the game, it is always mutual. But I also usually only get jokesters (half or more of the kids will become jokesters with a sibling, and occasional there's a parent/child or married couple set of jokesters) or strict (every single time a parent interacts with a toddler, so I have started just canceling this one).

    I have also once or twice got permissive when a parent was neglecting a toddler. Meanwhile the toddler was starving, stinky, exhausted, etc...