"HavenRose;c-18202545" wrote:
I frequently play with 4+ sims, usually a set of parents with however many kids. For me, needs aren't too difficult to manage if I leave full autonomy on. I also tend to give certain family members roles within the family. Cooking together is a huge help since it will increase the portion size, leaving more leftovers. Whichever kid needs manners is in charge of setting the table. One parent takes cooking duty while the other is charge of repairs. One of the keys is repeating similar actions so the sims will build autonomy for certain things, like doing their homework or working out. I leave autonomy on, but keep an eye out for their queues to make sure they're not doing totally silly things. This means some pausing, but I'll usually let them do whatever they decide they want to do. If a sim starts to get weird about computers or other objects, I'll lock it or take it away so the temptation is gone. I also don't let anyone stay up all night, period. Everyone sleeps so that their schedules stay synced up. I also don't micromanage their socialization (with the exception of fulfilling specific wants). If one kid goes on a mean streak, then the parents will discipline them after the fact rather than me frantically trying to cancel the action.
As far as aspirations go, childhood aspirations are so tedious to me, so I tend to micromanage sims as toddlers to max their skills, then max out scouts so they get scouting aptitude. That's enough childhood bonus traits for my play style; I can then focus on their parenthood traits instead of making them meet 5 friends or whatever those levels are. This also makes it easier to focus on the adult's aspirations, with the knowledge that the kids will get attention when they move out and start their own families.
The other key piece for me is playing favorites and focusing on their development. In a family of 8, probably at least two of the kids are going to be favorites that I focus on, with the rest taking a backseat. If one of the not-favorites wants to skip their homework and watch a movie, it's not the end of the world. I also let each member of the family specialize their interests instead of trying to be overall skilled. If a sim has the neat trait, she gets to clean whatever she wants and do all the laundry. If one sim is creative, then they'll get all their fun from painting and cross stitch, even if there's technically time for them to build all of the skills. Sims feel more three dimensional to me if I let them keep knitting whatever they want after hitting level 10 rather than moving on to a new hobby just to build the skill. For me, it's not "wasting" their time if they're developing a personality and family dynamic.
Also, not going to lie, I do occasionally use UI Cheats to top off a motive if I've directed them to fulfill it, but the action drops from their queue or they having issues fulfilling it. I don't consider it cheating since if the sim had listened and the game behaved, the motive would have increased.
This is interesting. Thank you for sharing @HavenRose. :smiley:
Maybe one day I'll find the courage to turn the autonomy back on without constantly panicking lol
"Chicklet453681;c-18202594" wrote:
I too think any household over 3 sims is too much chaos for me personally. That isn't fun for me, I don't need my heart to race like I'm playing some video game that I'm trying to rush to beat the clock.
Nope!
I play sims to relax, not to stress me out.
YES! :tired_face:
