I agree with a lot of what you wrote. I have a really stoic Sim in my story. However, it's very hard to depict him as he is meant to be. He keeps smiling or opening his eyes really wide in a doll-like way. If I try to make him appear sterner, he goes OTT in the opposite direction -- Mr. Potato Head angry eyes, clenched fists, and a stance as if he's about to pounce. Put him into a conversation with someone and he's instantly easy going, smiling and googly-eyed again.
It would be great if I could use traits to determine how he acts in any given situation. However, traits are mostly empty and broken.
The good news is that there are many mods to help with the issue. The bad news is that the developers never thought to tackle these issues until now, TS4's sixth year. EA recently conducted a survey which is basically a dream come true if any of those features come to fruition in a meaningful way. Yet, when those official fixes will arrive and if they will work as advertised is anyone's guess. I'm sorry to say that TS4 has been a masterclass in great ideas that are never fully realized.
