The normal swimming animation has made a come back with IL, though non of my sims are using it. They are still doing their little "doggie" paddle. I could have sworn I read or heard some place that if sims were level 5 fitness or higher, that they would swim normally? Or does that option only unlock if your sim is a lifeguard like in Sims 3?If that is the issue, has anyone released a mod that allows sims to swim normally?

They do swim freestyle in the pools, too, if their skill level allowes for it (Fitness 4).There's also a big jump in swim speed from level 5 to 6.Here's some pics I took a few days ago in the Windenburg public pool:https://66.media.tumblr.com/d16ad114b81315dbd4acfd447bae3165/tumblr_ptk2xpFRwE1t1fm14o1_540.jpghttps://66.media.tumblr.com/e3d87fecd0381b03b155c22d7f8ced02/tumblr_ptk35d0LOw1t1fm14o2_540.jpg

"GoldenBuffy;c-17132527" wrote:You know what (I think I'm having a brain fart lol) Can sims only swim like that in the ocean? Are they stuck doing the "doggie" paddle in pools?That's not doggie paddle. That's breast stroke.

"Beardedgeek;c-17133006" wrote:"GoldenBuffy;c-17132527" wrote:You know what (I think I'm having a brain fart lol) Can sims only swim like that in the ocean? Are they stuck doing the "doggie" paddle in pools?That's not doggie paddle. That's breast stroke.I agree! I'm assuming an English/US English thing here, since 'Freestyle' is what we would call front crawl here in the UK. And doggy-paddle looks, well, like a dog swimming. Dogs definitely don't do breast-stroke!Linguistics aside, all my sims use the faster stroke when going farther, and the slower when just ambling about. All of them have some levels in fitness though, so I'm not sure where the new animation kicks in. Or what mods might conflict!

the further out in the ocean they go, the more the swim style changes. shallow water= wading, next level water= doggie paddle, next level water= breast stroke, and deep water & distance swimming= Freestyle. the higher fitness skill you have the more of these styles are available, including speed.

I've had a sim freestyle. He has a body fitness of 9 though... not sure when they start doing it. Adding in he doesn't have a job at all. Here's some shots of him swimming out to one of the little islands. I'd love to know when they start doing this also.https://i.imgur.com/muKNhI5.pnghttps://i.imgur.com/mA8dzJS.png

Normal Swimming | EA Forums

EnkiSchmidt
Hero
6 years ago
They do swim freestyle in the pools, too, if their skill level allowes for it (Fitness 4).
There's also a big jump in swim speed from level 5 to 6.

Here's some pics I took a few days ago in the Windenburg public pool:

https://66.media.tumblr.com/d16ad114b81315dbd4acfd447bae3165/tumblr_ptk2xpFRwE1t1fm14o1_540.jpg
https://66.media.tumblr.com/e3d87fecd0381b03b155c22d7f8ced02/tumblr_ptk35d0LOw1t1fm14o2_540.jpg
Beardedgeek72
New Spectator
6 years ago
"GoldenBuffy;c-17132527" wrote:
You know what (I think I'm having a brain fart lol) Can sims only swim like that in the ocean? Are they stuck doing the "doggie" paddle in pools?

That's not doggie paddle. That's breast stroke.
SimArchangel
6 years ago
"Beardedgeek;c-17133006" wrote:
"GoldenBuffy;c-17132527" wrote:
You know what (I think I'm having a brain fart lol) Can sims only swim like that in the ocean? Are they stuck doing the "doggie" paddle in pools?

That's not doggie paddle. That's breast stroke.

I agree! I'm assuming an English/US English thing here, since 'Freestyle' is what we would call front crawl here in the UK. And doggy-paddle looks, well, like a dog swimming. Dogs definitely don't do breast-stroke!

Linguistics aside, all my sims use the faster stroke when going farther, and the slower when just ambling about. All of them have some levels in fitness though, so I'm not sure where the new animation kicks in. Or what mods might conflict!
magooo63
6 years ago
the further out in the ocean they go, the more the swim style changes. shallow water= wading, next level water= doggie paddle, next level water= breast stroke, and deep water & distance swimming= Freestyle. the higher fitness skill you have the more of these styles are available, including speed.
Hermitgirl
New Spectator
6 years ago
I've had a sim freestyle. He has a body fitness of 9 though... not sure when they start doing it. Adding in he doesn't have a job at all. Here's some shots of him swimming out to one of the little islands. I'd love to know when they start doing this also.
https://i.imgur.com/muKNhI5.png
https://i.imgur.com/mA8dzJS.png
GoldenBuffy22
6 years ago
Hmmm. I must have a mod that's preventing this then (though I've updated all the ones I use). Because I have two sims who have maxed out fitness and they aren't using the new swim animation.
posie1987
6 years ago
I think it might depend on the distance and type of water you're in, I could be wrong. I had a sim doing the usual swim animation over shallow water near her water villa but when I instructed her to swim out to a deep water buoy she changed to freestyle where the water got deeper (where you can't see through to the corals). She was only about 3-4 level fitness. I assumed it was like how sims choose to walk or jog depending how far away their destination is.
GoldenBuffy22
6 years ago
You know what (I think I'm having a brain fart lol) Can sims only swim like that in the ocean? Are they stuck doing the "doggie" paddle in pools?
FKM100
6 years ago
I haven't tried swimming in a pool since getting IL, but I did notice that my sim with fitness level 10, who had been swimming freestyle (and she is not a lifeguard), reverted to dog paddle after she got cramp from being in the water too long. So it does seem to be situational.
floridameerkat
6 years ago
My sim's son (who is child aged) sometimes swims freestyle, so I wonder if the motor skill acts the same as the fitness skill in kids when it comes to swim styles?