Okay, so I did an experiment with rotational gameplay. First I did a "save as," so I could return to my original family if this did not work.For auto-aging, the setting was "Active Household Only," and for unplayed Sims it was "off."I made note at the time I left my original household. It was in-game Saturday at 8:37 p.m. Female sim had 3 days left before aging to adult, and had just become pregnant. I noted the days to age-up for other family members as well.I went to another house. It was in-game Saturday at 8:37 p.m. when I arrived. Single resident had 9 days left until age-up. I played there until in-game Tuesday at 2:58 a.m., at which point he was 6 days left until age-up, then returned to my original household.At the original household, it was Tuesday 2:58 a.m., which surprised me because that's not how it worked in Sims 2. Female Sim had given birth (I was warned by others that this would happen). Her days left to age up was now 2, but I guess that's because I left them at 8:37 p.m. on one day and returned at 2:58 a.m. on another day, crossing the midnight line? All other Sims in the household also had their days to age up reduced by 1. If I had returned at at a time before midnight, I wonder if the aging would have been affected. I'll have to go back and try that in the next round.So: it would appear you CAN engage in rotational play. However, things will not be frozen where you left them. Aging should not be affected, I guess, unless (possibly) you pass the midnight line; more trial needed on this one. Might be good to try to rotate at the same general time each time (like 5 a.m. or 10 p.m.). Also, pregnancies are not suspended. Sim will give birth.

There needs to be a clear option for Aging Off for Everyone if TS2 players want to keep things 'frozen' as in TS2. Because either way you choose the settings in TS4 they don't seem to be actually stopping the Sim you left from carrying on with those important events like having a baby etc. that no TS2 player would want to miss in this game.

@MsPhyI play a rotational style game. I currently have twelve households, and I rotate among them. Since I made the mistake of creating some of my sims as adults rather than young adults, I currently have turned aging completely off. I'm going to see if it's possible to manually age my sims when I want. The only real problem I've found in my gameplay is that sims do give birth before I want them to. I'm hoping maybe there will be a way to "tweak" the length of time a sim remains pregnant. I have an "in-game" calendar that's part of my play style. So, I "pretend" it's January when I'm playing Sim A's household, then when I move to Sim B's household, it's "February"...and so on. Thus, if Sim A gets pregnant in January, I want to go back to that household 9 "months" later when my in-game rotation tells me it's October, and I want her to then have the baby. As it is now, the babies are born way ahead of my game schedule. I just have to live with it for now, but I've asked in the mods forum if there might be a way to adjust this.Other than that, the rotational style is working well for me. My sims will go out, meet people, and make friends while I'm playing other households, but thank goodness, they don't have career promotions, change jobs, or conceive children on their own. Good luck with your game play. I hope it works out for you and your sims, too.

Wait...so you're saying they still age? I have been playing 4 families, well, until one of them disappeared. Now I'm playing 3 families, but I haven't really paid much attention to their ages. That would ruin my game if they are actually aging without my consent.

I'm curious about what happens with things other than aging. Did you see any changes is relationships or skills? Or we're those other Sims pretty much in stasis?Oh also - the date changes but they'll age up later now if not aged up manually, right? turning off aging us basically turning off aging *up*?

"Lizziemay12;12646386" wrote:Have you got the drop down menu after 'Autoage (Played Sims)' to 'Active Households Only'? And then the check box after 'Autoage (Unplayed Sims)' is unchecked? If so, then the game runs as normal but they don't lose days off their age. They still look young and ageless no matter how long you leave them. It's like turning off aging in Sims 3, but for all the story progression. Was their any changes to their relationships or wealth at all?See above. Autoage was set to Active Households Only."Mstybl95;12646457" wrote:Wait...so you're saying they still age? I have been playing 4 families, well, until one of them disappeared. Now I'm playing 3 families, but I haven't really paid much attention to their ages. That would ruin my game if they are actually aging without my consent. No. If Autoage is set to Active Households Only, it appears that time does, indeed, pass (the unplayed Sims are not frozen), but they (probably) do not age if you return around the same time of day you left. My Sims aged 1 day, but the played Sim aged 3 days. However, I returned to the house in the wee hours of the morning instead of at night, so I'm thinking that's what caused the one day aging. I need to test this more. I should note that my Sims were not at home when I returned to them (I left them at home). The adults had gone out to a venue.

Aging for "Active Household only" works not as expected -- an experiment in rotational gameplay

Cinebar
11 years ago
There needs to be a clear option for Aging Off for Everyone if TS2 players want to keep things 'frozen' as in TS2. Because either way you choose the settings in TS4 they don't seem to be actually stopping the Sim you left from carrying on with those important events like having a baby etc. that no TS2 player would want to miss in this game.
NoWayJose527
11 years ago
@MsPhy

I play a rotational style game. I currently have twelve households, and I rotate among them. Since I made the mistake of creating some of my sims as adults rather than young adults, I currently have turned aging completely off. I'm going to see if it's possible to manually age my sims when I want.

The only real problem I've found in my gameplay is that sims do give birth before I want them to. I'm hoping maybe there will be a way to "tweak" the length of time a sim remains pregnant. I have an "in-game" calendar that's part of my play style. So, I "pretend" it's January when I'm playing Sim A's household, then when I move to Sim B's household, it's "February"...and so on. Thus, if Sim A gets pregnant in January, I want to go back to that household 9 "months" later when my in-game rotation tells me it's October, and I want her to then have the baby. As it is now, the babies are born way ahead of my game schedule. I just have to live with it for now, but I've asked in the mods forum if there might be a way to adjust this.

Other than that, the rotational style is working well for me. My sims will go out, meet people, and make friends while I'm playing other households, but thank goodness, they don't have career promotions, change jobs, or conceive children on their own.

Good luck with your game play. I hope it works out for you and your sims, too.
MstyBL95
11 years ago
Wait...so you're saying they still age? I have been playing 4 families, well, until one of them disappeared. Now I'm playing 3 families, but I haven't really paid much attention to their ages. That would ruin my game if they are actually aging without my consent.
luthienrising
Hero+
11 years ago
I'm curious about what happens with things other than aging. Did you see any changes is relationships or skills? Or we're those other Sims pretty much in stasis?

Oh also - the date changes but they'll age up later now if not aged up manually, right? turning off aging us basically turning off aging *up*?
phyllisp160
New Spectator
11 years ago
"Lizziemay12;12646386" wrote:

Have you got the drop down menu after 'Autoage (Played Sims)' to 'Active Households Only'? And then the check box after 'Autoage (Unplayed Sims)' is unchecked? If so, then the game runs as normal but they don't lose days off their age. They still look young and ageless no matter how long you leave them. It's like turning off aging in Sims 3, but for all the story progression. Was their any changes to their relationships or wealth at all?

See above. Autoage was set to Active Households Only.

"Mstybl95;12646457" wrote:
Wait...so you're saying they still age? I have been playing 4 families, well, until one of them disappeared. Now I'm playing 3 families, but I haven't really paid much attention to their ages. That would ruin my game if they are actually aging without my consent.

No. If Autoage is set to Active Households Only, it appears that time does, indeed, pass (the unplayed Sims are not frozen), but they (probably) do not age if you return around the same time of day you left. My Sims aged 1 day, but the played Sim aged 3 days. However, I returned to the house in the wee hours of the morning instead of at night, so I'm thinking that's what caused the one day aging. I need to test this more.

I should note that my Sims were not at home when I returned to them (I left them at home). The adults had gone out to a venue.
Cinebar
11 years ago
"MsPhy;12646649" wrote:
"Lizziemay12;12646386" wrote:

Have you got the drop down menu after 'Autoage (Played Sims)' to 'Active Households Only'? And then the check box after 'Autoage (Unplayed Sims)' is unchecked? If so, then the game runs as normal but they don't lose days off their age. They still look young and ageless no matter how long you leave them. It's like turning off aging in Sims 3, but for all the story progression. Was their any changes to their relationships or wealth at all?

See above. Autoage was set to Active Households Only.

"Mstybl95;12646457" wrote:
Wait...so you're saying they still age? I have been playing 4 families, well, until one of them disappeared. Now I'm playing 3 families, but I haven't really paid much attention to their ages. That would ruin my game if they are actually aging without my consent.

No. If Autoage is set to Active Households Only, it appears that time does, indeed, pass (the unplayed Sims are not frozen), but they (probably) do not age if you return around the same time of day you left. My Sims aged 1 day, but the played Sim aged 3 days. However, I returned to the house in the wee hours of the morning instead of at night, so I'm thinking that's what caused the one day aging. I need to test this more.

I should note that my Sims were not at home when I returned to them (I left them at home). The adults had gone out to a venue.

Then this means there is some type of story progression in TS4. Because in TS2 Sims would have been home when you went back to their house, though they may have been on community lots when you visited lots as another Sim. They still would be at home when you got there. This is one weird SP imho. It's not TS3 nor TS2 style SP at all.
Starwing6
11 years ago
I agree. Other than pregnancies, rotational gameplay is great! I make sure to play through the whole pregnancy so I can experience it, but otherwise, I rotate as desired. I'm so glad that it's back!

Sims with the Romantic trait will likely develop romantic connections while you are not playing them. This doesn't seem to interfere with current relationships since there is no jealousy or reputations (yay), so just ignore the person and the relationship will decay and disappear. For sims that I never want to flirt with anyone else, I don't give them that trait. It's easy enough to make sims flirty without them having the trait.
phyllisp160
New Spectator
11 years ago
"Cinebar;12646680" wrote:
"MsPhy;12646649" wrote:
"Lizziemay12;12646386" wrote:

Have you got the drop down menu after 'Autoage (Played Sims)' to 'Active Households Only'? And then the check box after 'Autoage (Unplayed Sims)' is unchecked? If so, then the game runs as normal but they don't lose days off their age. They still look young and ageless no matter how long you leave them. It's like turning off aging in Sims 3, but for all the story progression. Was their any changes to their relationships or wealth at all?

See above. Autoage was set to Active Households Only.

"Mstybl95;12646457" wrote:
Wait...so you're saying they still age? I have been playing 4 families, well, until one of them disappeared. Now I'm playing 3 families, but I haven't really paid much attention to their ages. That would ruin my game if they are actually aging without my consent.

No. If Autoage is set to Active Households Only, it appears that time does, indeed, pass (the unplayed Sims are not frozen), but they (probably) do not age if you return around the same time of day you left. My Sims aged 1 day, but the played Sim aged 3 days. However, I returned to the house in the wee hours of the morning instead of at night, so I'm thinking that's what caused the one day aging. I need to test this more.

I should note that my Sims were not at home when I returned to them (I left them at home). The adults had gone out to a venue.

Then this means there is some type of story progression in TS4. Because in TS2 Sims would have been home when you went back to their house, though they may have been on community lots when you visited lots as another Sim. They still would be at home when you got there. This is one weird SP imho. It's not TS3 nor TS2 style SP at all.

Yeah. I think I can work with it, but I want to make sure I understand exactly how it all works before I really get into it. Keeping a log of my "Save as" games so I can go back if things don't work out at some point. I'm going back so I can be there for the birth of Alice's baby. As long as the family members do not age while I'm gone, I'm okay with them not being frozen in place. I'll just make sure to be there for the babies. I'm still going to go back and test whether returning to my first family at a similar time of day as when I left them makes any difference on the aging, as I was surprised to see that 1-day difference.
phyllisp160
New Spectator
11 years ago
"simonevans1963;12647862" wrote:
Hey all, not sure if I missed anyone else mentioning this, so apologies if repeating, but the options for auto-aging are for "played sims" and "unplayed sims", rather than "active". Played sims are all those sims you have played in the game, irrespective of if you are playing them at the moment ... at least that's what I take it to mean, because if you look in household management, sims are split into "played" and "unplayed", including those who don't have playable homes. I think this means that if you switch auto-aging off for unplayed then rotate round, the households you have played will continue to age and sims you haven't played won't ... this even includes sims you played in a household, then moved them out to be "not in world". This is nothing like the Sims 2 rotational style.

However the rest of it seems pretty much like Sims 2 from what I have seen in my game, because besides aging there is minimal progression in any of the households, unless I actively get involved. Other households only get jobs and have families if I jump in and make it so, and it looks like other households only socially interact with each other and other sims if the household I am playing is involved somehow ... so the sims who are in the public spaces or the community lots my household visit have their relationship bars go up with whoever it is they are with. I have moved sims into existing households, even made spouses, left them alone and then later when I have checked on them to see what's happened, they don't even know each other, even when I have edited them to be spouses. I also have the option switched on for other sims to move into empty lots, and have not seen that happen once yet.

There are two aging boxes. I don't have access to the game at present, so no screenshot, but one is for unplayed Sims (townies and households you've never played), which you can toggle on and off.

The other box has a drop-down menu for your played Sims (any household you've played, even for a minute). From the drop-down you can choose no aging, played Sims, or active household only.

Played Sims means that any households you've played, even for a minute, will age right along with the household you're playing.

Active household only means only the household you're playing right now will age. The Sims you are not playing will not freeze in time like in TS2; the days pass for them, and they might not be at home when you go back to them, but they will not have had days subtracted from their lifespan (i.e., they don't age when you're not playing them).

Honestly, I missed the "active household only" the first time I examined the menu, so I wondered later if it came with a patch. It might just have been me not noticing, however. Go into your game an see if you can see what I see.
D3ONA
11 years ago
i am playing with auto age off for "active household only "as well as "unplayed households". i planned to manage a world in rotational gameplay. i figured since there was no sp i could decide everyone relationships when it came to romance. i would have couples paired up and eventually have everyone start a family at the same time. i was wrong. when i started playing other households i noticed the unplayed sims started relationships and crushes with certain sims .i expected they would meet and have friendships, but i just didnt expect some of them to have started romantic relationships. some of them are with married sims !? i also noticed so many npc's are roaming around are now elders ,since time stood still for everyone except the them. ummmmmm.......now what do i do to salvage my game plan ? "Weider Stories" was not what i was going for .