Please Help Me Decide … Do I:

Id keep with ancestral one but do things i want to do first

unless there is things they really must do before getting married and can't do after getting married

I answered "play a different game each gaming session". I do this with all my saves (probably about 70 of them).
Sims shouldn't be stressful, it should be fun. I also find Cottage Living very hard and I feel like I can't progress when all the time goes taking care of animals and gardening. I had to take a break from Cottage Living and I'm now playing my other saves.

I hate to give into the notion it's too hard, because I started gaming with Sims2 and I don't like just how easy it's become. But there's the rub. I went on to play Sims3 beginning with it's release, same with Sims4. That's far more years than I played Sims2, which only ended when Sims3 came around. Oi!

I think what I'll do is either both in a single gaming session, or do the every other day (sort of like a rotation, if you will). I do need a break and instead of finding it relaxing, it's become stressful. Too much of that in the world right now. Plus, the fact that for all of my Sims' labors, the festivals have failed not once but three times. Ending without so much as a notice as to who won. As I've stated in other posts, I don't care if my Sims aren't the winners but for no announcement at all and suddenly the festival fizzles away? Waste of time.

Thanks for your response.

I'd start a new one and practice Country Living with that so that you would find your ancestral save easier to control next time round.

Good luck!

I think I'd be switching back and forth, but not necessarily every time I played. I'd be most likely to play whichever one caught my fancy on that particular day...In fact, that is how I usually play, now that I think about it. :D

The animals and gardening in CoL is tricky; I've never done gardening before and now I'm totally hooked (even my vampires are gardening, growing Plasma Trees). The animals are needy; maybe you need to have a few less? they say Patchy the Strawman will help with the gardening, have you considered getting one of them?

This new pack has been so tough (in a really good way) I'm considering re-starting in a fresh save, now that I have a better idea what I'm doing. Don't let it stress you out - this is supposed to be fun.

"Sindocat;c-17951857" wrote:
Scale back. One hen, one rooster. Only plant what you eat, plus maybe a cash crop (flowers sell well). One cow OR llama if you really have to have one.

My Sims are up before the sun - farm life seems to wake them at about 5 AM game time - and one Sim, dedicated to those chores, with no other rabbit-hole responsibility, starts with the chickens (scatter feed, call out any chickens in coop, collect eggs, clean coop) then sees to any garden plants that need attention. If you also have a cow, some other Sim probably needs to see to the cow's needs first thing, as well. My sims buy milk, for now. In any case, I don't finish morning rounds until sometime between 10 and Noon. I seldom do more than a single passing social on my chickens - my softie sim is heartbroken when I trade friends for meat, so I am trying not to over-befriend the poultry.

Animal needs multiply, the more you have. A full roster is a full time job. But, speaking of jobs, on days my rabbit-hole employed sim has off, we are usually able to spend the day from noon on pursuing other things, on other lots, including an in-game romance, scenic proposal, and simple "just us & the Watcher" wedding.

I do have my Sims go out very early, too. There are three Teen boys (who are in school, currently), the two Child girls are not in school, as this is the 18th century. So between the boys helping out with chores prior to school, and the two girls taking care of the farm animals, leaving the parents to tend to the garden, it's still madness. LOL I spent a little time today building the cabin for the eldest boy and his bride. I had to scale it down to fit the 30 X 20 lot, should I desire to place them in HoB. I'm still on the fence over that one. I have given that lot the Simple Life challenge. They will have one cow and possibly a Rooster and a Hen.

"Isharell;c-17951864" wrote:
I think I'd be switching back and forth, but not necessarily every time I played. I'd be most likely to play whichever one caught my fancy on that particular day...In fact, that is how I usually play, now that I think about it. :D

The animals and gardening in CoL is tricky; I've never done gardening before and now I'm totally hooked (even my vampires are gardening, growing Plasma Trees). The animals are needy; maybe you need to have a few less? they say Patchy the Strawman will help with the gardening, have you considered getting one of them?

This new pack has been so tough (in a really good way) I'm considering re-starting in a fresh save, now that I have a better idea what I'm doing. Don't let it stress you out - this is supposed to be fun.

I may very well do the switching back and forth bit. I have already deleted some of the Main Save saves (I do the Save As) so I can roll-back when necessary. I began the rotation with the wrong Sim is what it amounts to. Dummy me, I started with Erik. But leaving his household I just couldn't do. So, I've decided when I begin play again, I will start with his brothers, then his sister, and then his household. That way, I will be incentivized to get to the next lot. :) And, perhaps, every other day I'll play my Ancestral game save rotation.

Thank you, All, for responding. You've been a huge help. :)

I don't have Cottage Living, but in general if I find that a save isn't holding my attention, I play a different one until I feel like playing the one I stopped. Occasionally I abandon saves because I never get the "want-to" back, but that's ok. Any time it stops feeling like play and too much like work, I take that as a signal that something needs to change.

I agree with @VeeDub!
I chose that you play a different save in each session, but really you should just play which ever save takes your fancy during that particular session.
Forcing yourself to play a save takes out the fun, we've all been there, and it can really diminish your enjoyment and playing almost becomes a chore!
(I don't have CoL but I've been in similar situations with my own saves). :smile:

(Maybe you could create a rental lot in HoB so the Sims in your original save could vacation there, then you still get to enjoy some of the new pack with your old save.)

If you wanted to try again try dedicating responsibilities.

My couple with a toddler routine:

Both parents get up at 5 do a quick need fulfillment. Usually they are ready to go by 6 or 7.

Emma goes wakes up the toddler (Piper) who uses the restroom before being put in highchair to eat. Emma does household chores like cleaning up plates vacuuming and wiping down surfaces before letting Piper out and going to take care of the bees-garden-wash clothes

Piper does her thing on autonomous around noon for realism sake I like to have her take a nap.

Meanwhile why that was going on Johnny is outside taking care of the animals. He starts with the chickens after giving each a single soci feeding cleaning collecting and hatching/selling when needed the chickens, he repeated the same with their cow, rakes leaves or shovels snow if needed and heads to the stall to sell their goods. Usually then its between 1 and 3 depending on crops or any stubborn animals and they have the rest of the afternoon to themselves. By 7 they all eat dinner together, Piper gets a bath, and read to sleep. The adults get alone time until 10 then to bed they go.

To help with this though, Sunday is the family grocery and cooking day. I have Emma prepare meals for the week ahead and put them in the refrigerator.

Saturday they go to the fair and sell their goods using the table.

"VeeDub;c-17952067" wrote:
I don't have Cottage Living, but in general if I find that a save isn't holding my attention, I play a different one until I feel like playing the one I stopped. Occasionally I abandon saves because I never get the "want-to" back, but that's ok. Any time it stops feeling like play and too much like work, I take that as a signal that something needs to change.

Sage advice. I went into my Ancestral game save and into another world from where the families live. Instead of playing them for the time, I decided to build the cabin John built for Sarah Jane as their first home. I was going to use the one in Hob, so I found a vacant lot of that size, after visiting that small lot way up by the waterfall again. I thought it would be okay, originally, but upon another look, there didn't seem to be any adequate way to grow crops. I intend to take on the Simple Living challenge, as that would replicate life in the 18th century more directly. Crops can't seem to manage in the seasons, without a green house. So, I rebuilt the cabin (mind you no picture or even description beyond the basic 10' by 10' or 10' by 14' or even a 14' by 14' foot square and that it was an open floor plan). So, I played around on the empty lot to see just what size would reap what I wanted. I found it very peaceful and relaxing, which is just what I needed. After I finished up, I saved the lot to My Library, and bulldozed the lot I had built it on, leaving it free for whatever I may wish to place there in the future. The young couple were mandated by their fathers to live close to their families. John's father had gifted him land about a half-mile away from where the Sevier's lived at the time. If living in HoB doesn't work out, I'll plop the lot down on the slightly bigger one just below the 64 X 64 in Windenburg, which is where the Sevier's are now.

Then I went into Windenburg and played the Sevier family for a bit longer. Sometimes, I just get tied up in knots. Once I find a way to loosen said knot, then I can move forward. Many thanks for the advice, which was sorely needed. It often helps me to see what it is I really want, when I don't agree with an opinion. Helps to narrow it down to make that decision. :)

I am grateful.