What do you spend your time on?

@PristineInsanity, I'm sorry I wasn't clear...😳 while creating Sims is one of my favorite aspects of this game, I do play the game in Live Mode more than I do anything else! 🥳 Also, only 3 or 4 people have answered your question, so it you were to get 3 other people, they would most likely give you totally different answers!  😃

And like @SheriGR said there is no wrong way to play your game.  I have a relative that started playing on console last year.  She never uses the pause button and plans each Sim's activities in real time.  She also never speeds up her game on her own , so she has the speed on the slowest speed while they are doing eating or going to the bathroom.  But she is playing the game correctly for her!  (It just drives me nuts to watch her since she tried to juggle a mulit-Sim household without using pause, which is something I haven't done in since TS1! )  But she might find my way of playing to be odd.  😉

Also , you will see people look down on others for using cheats... this is ridiculous since you aren't playing against anyone else!🤨  I use cheats because I don't want every single household to be the same!🤒😪  It gets old fast for me.  I like a mix of income levels, skill levels, goals, etc.  So, I often will use the free real estate cheat and maybe kaching  several times and then I can give my Sims a nicer house, but when I want to play a struggling Sim starting out in her or his career, I do that as well, but just don't use cheats for them. And sometimes I use motherlode, especially if I'm exploring a new pack and want to test all of the objects in that pack!    It isn't anyone else's game so I don't have to play by their "rules"!   I will never cheat at a board game, or any game I'm playing with/against  someone else, but TS4 isn't that kind of game! 🥳  I do encourage experimenting with a few different gameplay types, but nobody should play in a way they don't like. 

So, @PristineInsanity , you are playing the game right for you! ❤️

@AndyZhang2896,  Yes, I do not use CC or Mods!  (I did some in TS2 and TS3, but in TS3 I had some major problems😞 and I never went back to using them.  I don't like the problems Mods and CC create in your game, I don't like the upkeep involved, and the time I used to spend looking for CC could have better been spent playing the game!  So in TS4 I never used either CC or mods. I also find that since I spend a lot of time helping others, it is best if I don't have Mods/CC because if I test something for them, I know my results are with a "vanilla" game and not something in which some mod could be interfering with! 🤨

With the Sims of mine in the Gallery, I usually upload fresh out of CAS... but I really need to place my more skilled Sims in the Gallery! I keep forgetting though! 🤭😃  I also don't tag them a lot.  I see the usefulness of tags, but some people put tags on them that are just trendy and don't really fit.  For example, tagging the dog breed, or tagging that your household is a single parent household are useful tags, but tagging #cute or #sexy are annoying since what is considered cute or sexy is an individual thing and is really annoying. to me.  But I probably should use some more tags than I already do! 

@AndyZhang2896funny, I also put multiple outfits in several categories.🙂 Like you, I put multiple outfits in the Everyday outfit category, but unlike you, I only (usually) put one formal outfit in the Formal category (If the Sim is single, I might put a general Formal outfit, and also add a Formal outfit for a wedding if I plan on having that Sim get married!).   But I usually do multiple outfits for the categories that are worn the most... Everyday, Sleep, Hot Weather, and Cold Weather, with usually only one outfit in Formal, Athletic, Party, and Swimwear.  (Although, with Island Living, I started giving my Sims multiple swim outfits! ).  :eahigh_file:
Yes, putting socks on my Sims with shoes that you would normally wear socks with it something I always do, even if you can't see the sock! 😳 Same goes for earrings.. If a Sim wears earrings, I consider their ears pierced, and I put earrings on for each outfit (sleep and exercise will get small earrings, though.  With Swimwear on females, I often put on big hoops because some women really dress this way... they might dress more for "poolside" then actually dress for swimming! 😉 )  I also have a pet peeve about married Sims always wearing a wedding ring with each outfit! It really bothers me that the rings for the athletic and sleep categories don't' include rings, so I get rid of those tags and then I can put wedding rings on my Sims in those categories! 

I also like to experiment with makeup .. especially if my Sim has the creative trait, I can go really wild with their makeup and clothing! 🥳

I’m different! I love love love stories. I have several saves with more than 200 sims played per save. Each household has hours (who am I kidding months) of time spent playing them. They have hyper developed story lines and using clubs I have households with multiple tangled storylines on other households. For instance, a criminal organization which spans 8 households. Each has a unique function, I.e. art thief, petty criminal, mastermind, grifter. They also prey on my other sims clubs like the housewives. A bunch of rich women who do all kinds of things around town. Recently the housewife who owns an art gallery was robbed during a social gathering. Gosh who could it be... not Evie’s mild mannered husband. Cough art thief cough. See fun and games!

I don’t build anything. I’m a renovator! Download... redecorate to match story needs... start playing those sims. Not even adequate in CAS. Hehehe someone out there has made my perfect sim so I can get to gameplay. My sims also shop for everything in stores owned by different sims in the world. Coffee shops, electronic stores, gym equipment, bakeries, gourmet stores, farmer’s market.. everything. 

I do mod heavily on the PC. Especially the gameplay mods to fix problems that way I can control the stories better so the sims aren’t stuck eating sleeping working... eating sleeping working. Yuck boring. 

you be you - that is what makes the sims so great!

@stbnchristine, wow!  You gameplay technique is very impressive! :eahigh_file:  I might have to try that one of these days!  My TS4 stories are more isolated.  (To be honest, my best stories were with TS2, though).  I love that your stories span so many households in complex situations! ❤️

And I'm glad you mentioned Renovating as a play style, since no one here has mentioned it! 😉

I spend a majority of my time building in the game—especially fixing up existing homes. I would probably play with the households more if there was an actual story progression. It gets kind of "meh" due to the lack of it. It's an aspect I truly miss and unfortunately because I play on console, it's not like I can add a mod to fix this issue.

@SassiLassi, no you would still have to get that CC item from whomever makes it. 🙂 It just won't show up in your game, so if it is a shirt, you Sim might not have a shirt on, or if it is hair they might be bald. 🤨😃