Forum Discussion

Rising Vanguard

8 years ago

Relationships and consequences

I was playing a sim of mine last night. He's a restaurant owner, owns 3 now. Anyways he had an affair with Bella Goth. I decided to go over and play her until she had the baby that was obviously going to be his. My problem with the whole situation is that there were no consequences for her having an affair, for her having another mans baby. She was able to tell Mort her "big news" and he was excited. What happened to consequences when sims had affairs. I usually play single sims but for some reason I just wanted this sim to have an affair with Bella and get her pregnant. I wanted to see some drama and well there is none. With the emphasis on emotions that the devs have bragged about you'd think they would get that right. Even in TS3 I had sims break up with my sims when they had an affair (without me doing it.) Where have you guys gone wrong? You say you couldn't get as in depth outside the sims because you worked so hard on them, is this a weird oversight? Don't get me wrong I like the ability of having multiple relationships but I almost don't have to be sneaky about it. Unless my sim is making out right in front of another sim (sometimes even if they're in the next room they don't react), there is no consequences.

Parenthood was a good GP. I think it made parenting more fun and I've actually for the first time in playing since Sims 1, have been playing families more. You got the parenting part down with the kids and being a good or bad parent but what about the relationship between the parents and how they affect the family. Bella had an affair, shouldn't the kids be affected by what that does to her and Mort's relationship (but let's be honest, it does nothing to their relationship because apparently Mort is an idiot). There's a new baby, a half sister, everyone loves her, why? Am I being to analytical about it all, delving deeper then I should be? I know I could get Mort to have some mean interactions with Bella and maybe even get a divorce but that's so forced. I want to leave their house to play another sim and come back to find that Mortimer has moved out and Bella is heartbroken. She would go on to raise 3 kids alone and maybe even "gasp" have to get a job, or maybe she'd move her boyfriend in and the kids would hate him. Maybe Mort could pay child support. There's so much more complexity that goes into a family and relationships, I'd like see that.

With all that said I'm gonna suggest something I wouldn't normally suggest. A relationship or romance GP. I'd much rather see Seasons or University (which honestly imo could be put into one EP, revolving seasons around school etc. but that's another post). I want some drama in my game that I don't have to manually make happen beyond the cheating or affair. Romance has always been a GP about dating and going out on dates blah blah. Well we can already do that. How about a romance GP where there are more intricate relationships and consequences to marriages and families. Maybe even bring in a therapist career much like the vet clinic so couples can do therapy to fix relationships (being a therapist would be fun too). A spouse could even leave the lot for a sim week or so in the case of an affair, come back and decide where to go from there. I understand I'd have to actively get the wheels in motion but I'm happy to do that when there are consequences for the choices I make for my sims. Right now you can pretty much do whatever you want and beyond a "moodlet" that makes little to no difference in your sims every day life, there is no consequences for our sims that make the wrong choices.

I'd really like to see some more work on relationships. They are pretty much one of the core parts of our sims lives. Maybe I haven't played around with it enough and I'm missing something, so if that's the case someone can enlighten me.

59 Replies

RebeccaThurston
7 years ago
"Vagenius;d-932837" wrote:
I was playing a sim of mine last night. He's a restaurant owner, owns 3 now. Anyways he had an affair with Bella Goth. I decided to go over and play her until she had the baby that was obviously going to be his. My problem with the whole situation is that there were no consequences for her having an affair, for her having another mans baby. She was able to tell Mort her "big news" and he was excited. What happened to consequences when sims had affairs. I usually play single sims but for some reason I just wanted this sim to have an affair with Bella and get her pregnant. I wanted to see some drama and well there is none. With the emphasis on emotions that the devs have bragged about you'd think they would get that right. Even in TS3 I had sims break up with my sims when they had an affair (without me doing it.) Where have you guys gone wrong? You say you couldn't get as in depth outside the sims because you worked so hard on them, is this a weird oversight? Don't get me wrong I like the ability of having multiple relationships but I almost don't have to be sneaky about it. Unless my sim is making out right in front of another sim (sometimes even if they're in the next room they don't react), there is no consequences.

Parenthood was a good GP. I think it made parenting more fun and I've actually for the first time in playing since Sims 1, have been playing families more. You got the parenting part down with the kids and being a good or bad parent but what about the relationship between the parents and how they affect the family. Bella had an affair, shouldn't the kids be affected by what that does to her and Mort's relationship (but let's be honest, it does nothing to their relationship because apparently Mort is an plum). There's a new baby, a half sister, everyone loves her, why? Am I being to analytical about it all, delving deeper then I should be? I know I could get Mort to have some mean interactions with Bella and maybe even get a divorce but that's so forced. I want to leave their house to play another sim and come back to find that Mortimer has moved out and Bella is heartbroken. She would go on to raise 3 kids alone and maybe even "gasp" have to get a job, or maybe she'd move her boyfriend in and the kids would hate him. Maybe Mort could pay child support. There's so much more complexity that goes into a family and relationships, I'd like see that.

With all that said I'm gonna suggest something I wouldn't normally suggest. A relationship or romance GP. I'd much rather see Seasons or University (which honestly imo could be put into one EP, revolving seasons around school etc. but that's another post). I want some drama in my game that I don't have to manually make happen beyond the cheating or affair. Romance has always been a GP about dating and going out on dates blah blah. Well we can already do that. How about a romance GP where there are more intricate relationships and consequences to marriages and families. Maybe even bring in a therapist career much like the vet clinic so couples can do therapy to fix relationships (being a therapist would be fun too). A spouse could even leave the lot for a sim week or so in the case of an affair, come back and decide where to go from there. I understand I'd have to actively get the wheels in motion but I'm happy to do that when there are consequences for the choices I make for my sims. Right now you can pretty much do whatever you want and beyond a "moodlet" that makes little to no difference in your sims every day life, there is no consequences for our sims that make the wrong choices.

I'd really like to see some more work on relationships. They are pretty much one of the core parts of our sims lives. Maybe I haven't played around with it enough and I'm missing something, so if that's the case someone can enlighten me.

Maybe Mortimer has an extra hidden trait where he doesn't get jealous unless it's blatant. Maybe he thinks the baby is his own and just forgot he didn't woohoo with Bella to create that baby (he is getting up there in years).

I like the idea of a therapist career. I like the idea of a romance pack - attractions and lightning bolts anyone? Cuddling under stars? Slow Dance with Sim? Selecting what gender your sim wants to hook up with? Reintroduction of the matchmaker? They could revisit past iterations for more ideas.

They could also add a fix so that family orientated, faithful sims don't cheat even if they aren't part of the active household.
gingerkitty1234
5 years ago
Okay, someone might have mentioned this (I gave up reading everything after the second page, there's so much! I'll tackle it after I post this) but occasionally people do react to it. To be fair, they don't much in my game anymore- I mean, I have MCCC and there are half-sisters and step-siblings and cheating galore- but a while back, I had a sim start the game by flirting with Eliza Pancakes for a bit, not quite enough for a relationship. After a while, I forgot that I'd done that, and ended up getting in a relationship and having a wedding with some random person. I invited everyone my sim knew to the wedding, including Eliza. Eliza, of course, watched the ceremony, and when it was over promptly smacked the bride! Like I said, it was a while ago, so I don't remember it very well, but the spouse either slapped Eliza or the bride? Maybe both? I was SO shocked, and then I was like, "Ooooh. Whoops."

I haven't had much drama since then, besides my latest game- a sim I'd played since birth married the MCCC autonomous second child of the Landgraabs, Peter. I had planned to have them get divorced since they were children and were friends, because that was just my sim's storyline, and Peter ended up getting the 'hothead' trait so it kind of worked out. Anyways, my storyline was pretty forced- any time Peter got angry because of his trait, I had him go yell at or provoke my sim, so they could have a low relationship when they divorced. Now, another part of that storyline was getting pregnant and getting married immediately so the baby wouldn't be born out of wedlock. That actually ended up being twins, something I wasn't planning on, but whatever. The twins were toddlers when I started having Peter do mean interactions with my sim, and even when they were in the room, they didn't notice or care. They were actually in the room when Peter and my sim divorced and they didn't react at all! The toddlers and my sim moved in with my sim's parents, and the only moodlet they have is 'new friends' because they were hanging out with their grandparents a lot more while my sim is sobbing her eyes out about the divorce. To be fair, they are toddlers, but shouldn't they react to not being with one of their parents at all? I mean, when their dad would leave for work, even if they were occupied and in a different room they would get sad for hours!

Anyways, I agree with what people on here are saying about consequences, even though my goal was to find someone talking about a sim's family members losing their relationship with their ex, because my sims parents were friends with her husband before the divorce, and now one of them doesn't seem to know him at all and the other has a very low 'acquaintance' relationship with him. So... yeah!
jamesh9823
5 years ago
The "Confess to Cheating" has been missing since Sims 3. I don't know if that's because they've been trying to be more accepting of flings and polyamory or what, but they could easily make it an option so it triggers some tension. We want more tension and high stakes, SIMS 4!
AbbyBaba729
5 years ago
My Sim has had two girlfriends, 4 wives, and three mistresses. He cheated on his first girlfriend, left his fiance at the altar, and cheated on his mistress after they got married. Shouldn't there be some sort of consequence for this? Shouldn't it be harder for him to form attachments because no one trusts him?? Also because of the magic of no consequences, he is now happily married to his first girlfriend.
texxx78
Seasoned Ace
5 years ago
Consequences should be sims 4 next step. I think maxis is heading the good way recently so my hopes are high. And this was in one of the surveys. I hope it got enough votes...
user5647
New Ace
5 years ago
> @telmarina said:
> Consequences should be sims 4 next step. I think maxis is heading the good way recently so my hopes are high. And this was in one of the surveys. I hope it got enough votes...

I´m really hoping for this too! Like more adequate reactions in relationships. Maybe a romantic pack that give you the reputation “faithful” and “unfaithful” with different negative/positive impacts on your sim.

I think it´s the right direction with the new “sentiments” but I hope they will add “lifelong” sentiments that don´t fade (unless you do some work). I´m also hoping for a memory system where the sentiments can affect the memories (become “redefined” and temporary change the feelings about your good memories to a sim if you got a bad “sentiment” with someone = they will redefine their memories with an unfaithful spouse when they still have a bad temporary/lifelong sentiment).
AbbyBaba729
5 years ago
I don't agree with having to pay to fix a fundamental problem. More activities for couples, maybe, could be a pack. But realistic relationships? No. That should be base game.
comicsforever
5 years ago
"telmarina;c-17775745" wrote:
Consequences should be sims 4 next step. I think maxis is heading the good way recently so my hopes are high. And this was in one of the surveys. I hope it got enough votes...

me to
KLAlexis
Rising Vanguard
5 years ago
Welcome to the Sims 4 ?. Where Sims like to give a surface impression that they are affected but deep down they are for some reason programmed to not care that much. Imaginations can only go so far before the lack of immersion can ruin it.

Some people can push past that. I can not. If my sim has the committed trait and their SO cheats on them. Then, gosh darnit I want them to throw a fit, or leave the area, or punch/slap/cry at the cheater, call them soggy bread or a llama, take off that ring and shove it up their arse... or throw it on the ground?. Let my sims traits dictate how and what they will do. Isn't that the point of traits in the first place? Let the sim's relationship bar dictate how affected and long it'll take for them to get over it and find someone else.

Shooot. Maybe after this they'll hate love and never want to get into another one for a while.That's the type of beauty and complexity I want in Sims. Many relationships don't do anything serious unless you force it or mod it.

"simmer_jay;c-16248885" wrote:
But see this is the thing. The developers almost can't win. Let's say, in the case of the OP's situation, Mort was upset and divorced Bella. Many simmers would complain that they can't tell their own stories, and that situations are being forced on them.

But then you get other players who want the game itself to put its own consequences in. Not judgement to other simmers, but I never understood the "I want to tell my own stories" argument. Like the OP, it feels forced and contrived. It's what I loved about the cats and dogs ep. The pets are totally surprising. You don't know what they're going to do. I still don't think I've seen every pet animation, in fact I know I haven't as I haven't started training dogs yet.

So which is it? Player controlled drama, or uncontrolled drama from the game?

They can use a toggle like the story progression one from Sims 3. I think that would help. However, just because something in the sims has a toggle doesn't mean it'll always work like it should. The devs should fix it but they sometimes don't or miss something.

So, in this case I think that they could implement a system when in CAS. Some traits aren't traits but are hobbies, interests or lifestyles. I think they should separate those. Let us choose a lifestyle, interests and traits, and do hobbies (via skills) in game. Or, another idea is things can be acheived by how that sim behaves and lives in live mode. Unfortunately, I don't see any of this happening as it would require a lot of overhauling and resources.