Secret Sixth Sims Sense

For my own sims, I have no problem with using my knowledge of other sims' whereabouts to shape my story. I just invent a reason in my own head for why my sim goes where he goes.

I do think it's weird, though, when npc sims, who have never actually met my sim before, queue up an interaction with him from all the way on the other side of the neighborhood. I wish the AI for the sims had a smaller radius for picking sims to talk to .

It's more fun to me to act only on whatever is in my sims' line of sight. That led my first Strangerville sim to overlook the mystery for several weeks, because I canceled the Welcome Wagon and he ran into a single possessed sim that he explained as being drunk.

TS1 shaped my gameplay style. God's-eye view is my default.

Let me share my story
I have created this teenager in my game, her name is Mana

One day, she met Malcolm Landgraab in a pub and that guy kept on flirting her
SORRY I DON’T WANT MY GIRL TO HANGOUT WITH YOU
After some time, I made her study in college with her fiancé and Vatore siblings (so as some premade townies). Then, Caleb Vatore was having crush on her
SORRY MY GIRL HAS ENGAGED
Time passed fast, my girl is now an adult, she is having 3 sons and 3 daughters.
Her eldest son is falling in love with Malcolm’s daughter
Her youngest son is falling in love with Caleb’s daughter
However, the boys just met them in parks when they were still a kid. They did talk but after that the 2 girls called & message them everyday, therefore their friendship and romance level ?
I think this may be sort of compensation? ??or, destiny?

I do use this sense because I tend to direct my sims a lot during play. If someone is in the vicinity, my sim can talk to that person. I do form a lot of gameplay from "who runs into who". Additionally, I pay attention to where I send sims off lot. Usually I keep them in the world they are in or a related world that is nearby in my version of the game. Newcrest is a shared world for mostly common areas so anyone can go there. Sims tend to go to worlds that they know but can make trips to other worlds if they have family or if it seems like they could have a special interest.

StrangerVille sims stay there and only travel to the desert. Sulani sims only interact with each other or for the few that moved there, with family. The sims in the cooler worlds tend to stay in those versus going to the desert. Desert sims mostly stay in the desert. Del Sol Valley and StrangerVille are close enough together to drive. Windenburg is close to Glimmerbrook, Forgotten Hollow and HoB. Brindleton Bay and Willow Creek are relatively close to each other. So, I determine a lot of the places they visit by where they live. In the winter, a sim in the snow might make a trip to Oasis Springs though. Anyone can go on vacation but I try to send them based on their personalities.

A "rule" that I have for falling in love is that obviously they have to meet the other person. Usually I come up with a reason if I try to match them up but I don't force it either. I can start out thinking, "These two will get together," but if they don't meet each other and one falls for someone else ... nope ... nevermind. Occasionally I've moved in someone as a roommate but even that is a reason to have met.

Recently I've gotten even more into this. I've let my sims accept more invitations to random places and let that determine more of what happens.

I’d never really thought about it but that sounds like an interesting way of playing.

With the way I like to play, I think I tend to do both ways. I prefer to play with sims that I create myself, and rather than creating couples in CAS, the play becomes much more interesting if they meet in game instead. Sometimes it happens easily, and sometimes it doesn't. It would be great if the meetings were as realistic and natural as possible, but sometimes things just don't happen as planned so I'd have to be a bit more involved.
For instance, in one of my saves, I set two of my sims in the spice market neighbourhood in San Myshuno, but in separate buildings. My idea was that they'd meet by accident in one of the festivals. It seemed the game had other plans because the two just never ended up in the same place. I had to get my sim to befriend a premade who lived in the same building where her 'intended' was. It took a lot of effort and a number of visits before my two sims finally got to meet by 'accident'!