Remind me NO big projects.

2 sims is easy, 3 is doable, and I've managed 4 sims lately. I felt pretty smug about that; I felt it was a real breakthrough for me. More than 4 is unwieldy and stressful. In addition, my computer doesn't like large groups (6 +), it gets skippy and slow. It also skips with really large lots.

I've just found out that more than 2 at a time in University is a headache that isn't worth the trouble. I was doing 4, oh, it was not pretty, plus my computer objected to a full dorm. As an added problem, one of the students was a werewolf and kept getting furious. I think she was channeling my mood as I tried to get them through just 1 week, with 2 classes each. :D

I'm still trying to get into a rhythm with rotating families. I tend to get fixated and forget to rotate.

NRowe, NO BIG PROJECTS. ;) Now, that that is out of the way. Are you planning on purchasing High School Years? If so, focus on which Sim(s) you wish to take through high school. Don't let yourself get sidetracked, we're down to seventeen (17) days to release. I say this in all earnestness. Write down the idea, and pursue it at a later time.

If you're not going to get HSY, then go for the project you have in mind. Do what makes you happy.

And I have a hard time playing with fewer that four Sims. That couple without kids is hard for me. I must fill the house! I also have autonomy slammed on full. This way I can focus on the Sim (such as Erik) and their goals, while knowing the rest will be all right. I also employ the Pause Button. Remember it's your friend. That way if one of the other Sims is going from yellow on their way to red, I can intervene and set things right, again. I love MCCC.

I have always been one to take the harder path, though. I think it's in my DNA. If I don't feel challenged, I get bored. And, I'm almost never bored. Truly. I have come to recognize, if I can't manage my household of Sims, then it's possible I should stand down from playing that day. Because it's me. I'm tired or worn out, or something. But again, that's just me.

"simgirl1010;c-18146393" wrote:
What happened to Bonnie?

Bonnie is still there. She moved to Sulani, becoming a marine biologist. Because she’d been so unlucky in love, she wistfully threw a coin in the wishing well. Evil me made it give her a ghost soulmate (partly because Bonnie was experimenting with exploring the night). But that’s where things went wrong, Bonnie travelled to the magic realm to become a spellcaster in order to bring her love back to life. Meanwhile neighbourhood stories and/or MCCC made a mess of the townies. I undertook a project to build Bonnie and Rylee a lovely new, big home but it was taking too long. Both to raise the money and bring Rylee to life. Restartitis hit.

Bonnie is the main Sim I intend to restart. However I have three additional characters who are interested in science and the occult in their own ways and instead of taking Bonnie back to a teenager; I’m sorta toying with playing four as roommates through uni.

"luciusstorm;c-18146396" wrote:

Edit - one trick I did figure out, with my teenage werewolves... I'm using LittleMsSam's Choose your Roommate mod

I have to consider this sort of strategy…. Could be useful.


@CK213. I stand in awe of Simmers with big projects and long term gameplay like yours!

@Isharell Uni is exactly what I had/have in mind, Thanks for the warning.


Big thank you to everyone else for your input and insights. Keep them coming, not done with this yet.

@NRowe As far as University is concerned, I have to confess I fixate on their grades while ignoring everything else. :/ They don't go to games or to the bar or any clubs, possibly because I was never interested in doing that in RL, but mostly because I'm fixated on skilling up and getting good grades. It's a habit I just can't break! I've learned in the past that I can't get a student thru with more than 2 or 3 classes in one session without stressing myself out - it's a pity they need 12 to finish. I play Vanilla, but I have heard there are mods that can lower the number of classes needed to graduate. With 3 sims and 1 raging werewolf it was just too much for me. :D I deliberately didn't take any of the werewolf skills that would calm her down - I'm trying to decide how she is going to develop as a were.

I'm in the process of finishing a big dorm that has a lot of skill building objects inside in order to maximize my time. The dorms that come with the game are so bare bones you are forced to send your sims out to skill up. I don't have time for that! Another thing to watch for when in Uni, the sims gain weight like crazy. Gym equipment is ok, but I've found Yoga helps the best.

So if you play in a more relaxed style you may enjoy taking 4 sims thru Uni. You have to apply to Uni in advance and then wait a few days to get accepted. The more skills you have the better the classes you are offered. I'd suggest starting Uni on Friday night or early Saturday, that way you'd have time to get their Term Paper or Presentation ready along with that first batch of homework before classes start on Monday. Don't forget to give the Presentation during the week, you won't get credit if it just sits in your inventory.

Oh, and I forgot to say before: NO Big Projects!

"Isharell;c-18146975" wrote:
...
I'm in the process of finishing a big dorm that has a lot of skill building objects inside in order to maximize my time. The dorms that come with the game are so bare bones you are forced to send your sims out to skill up. I don't have time for that! Another thing to watch for when in Uni, the sims gain weight like crazy. Gym equipment is ok, but I've found Yoga helps the best.

...

You got that right.
I put a lot of effort into making over dormies.
I can't just sit back and watch them gorge themselves on all the fattening food they insist on bringing in.
Giving them Fitness likes and making them athletic helps a lot.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/f116/cireking213/09-17-21_8-01-57_AM.png?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds
Also forming a fitness club. :)

"CK213;c-18147022" wrote:

"Isharell;c-18146975" wrote:
...
I'm in the process of finishing a big dorm that has a lot of skill building objects inside in order to maximize my time. The dorms that come with the game are so bare bones you are forced to send your sims out to skill up. I don't have time for that! Another thing to watch for when in Uni, the sims gain weight like crazy. Gym equipment is ok, but I've found Yoga helps the best.

...

You got that right.
I put a lot of effort into making over dormies.
I can't just sit back and watch them gorge themselves on all the fattening food they insist on bringing in.
Giving them Fitness likes and making them athletic helps a lot.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/f116/cireking213/09-17-21_8-01-57_AM.png?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds
Also forming a fitness club. :)

@CK213 Great idea! A fitness club for my college kids - I've got to do that. I haven't tried out the club system yet, now I will!

"jpsulsuldagdag;c-18146403" wrote:

"DaniRose2143;c-18146399" wrote:
@luciusstorm That was the problem I was having getting the scene shot where Londyn revealed her proposal plans prior to news of Leonardo keeling over dead. It was taking forever to get Summer, Liberty, and Matteo to stay put while she revealed her news. The second the last person sat down someone else would get up and walk off. I wanted to yank my hair out. When I go back tonight to shoot it I'll probably give up and just do the reveal as a series of one on ones instead of a group thing.

oh how I can relate so much to this hahahahahah

I tried earlier to just have Londyn, Summer, Liberty sit down on Summer's three person couch and one of them would always get up and go sit by themselves on the loveseat across from the others. I could get them to sit still then but I had one sim with their back to the camers or everybody in profile. That's when I tried going to Liberty and Matteo's place and that's when things really went wrong.

I play multigenerational households so I get to families of 8 sometimes. It's not as fun, and I have to pause it so often that it takes forever to get through a sim week. Inevitably I will not make my goals with some of the sims in the house before they age up due to divided attention. It gives my save more variety to have some large households and some tiny ones, so I don't avoid it totally I just don't let most families have more than one pregnancy so they max out at 2 kids (maybe I'll see triplets someday but not so far).

Currently a lot of my households have 4-6 sims (1-2 grandparents Adult or Elders, 2 parents YA or Adult, 1-2 kids infant-teen). The ones with fewer than that mostly are small because the heir hasn't fully grown up or married or had kids yet and the grandparents either live elsewhere or have died. The way I've been doing aging (with MCCC and potions of youth for elders) the grandparents tend to die of old age while their grandchildren are teens so I've never had 4 generations in the same household.