Share what you do for realistic gameplay!

Realistic dating life
In my game I strive to make finding love and having relationships feel realistic. It takes a long time for a deep romantic relationship to form. I never force sims to meet, and sims usually has multiple love interests over the course of their life. Because of this - there is a lot of dating. In fear of my dating gameplay becoming repetitive I have thought up different ways to do dates (instead of just going to a restaurant again and again and again).
I usually do the "invite for a date" to get relevant goals as well, either if it's just on the home lot or not, but it’s not necessary.

Dating for teens
In my game, serious romantic relationship between teens typically begin to form after they have established a friendship OR after getting an instant connection during a juiced night at the teen club. Juiced teens are hormonal animals, so it only seems fitting :lol:. They have dates in realistic scenarios where they have a chance to build romance. Because they are of limited funds and freedom, and usually know each other from school or friend group it feels realistic for them to meet up at home for first dates.

• Movies and chill: I make sure they have a TV area for themselves, dim the lights, pop some popcorn, make them swipe a couple glasses of wine unnoticed and see how they get on.
  
• When a teen gets a school project I always invite over a friend to pretend it’s a group project. It's a great way to build relationships - and a really realistic date scenario as well.
  
• They can also invite their love interest over to do homework, go to a private area and hope a parent doesn’t barge in while they do their awkward flirting.
  
• Group dates: Going bowling, karaoke-night, pool hangouts and skating in summertime etc. Doing teen activities as a group, but using it as a opportunity for you sim to get closer to the sim they fancy.
  

Dating for young adults
Young adult sims are more free-moving and meet potential love interests everywhere - from work, going out, ++. So they use dates initially as a way to get to know each other (both friendly and romantic) and see if they click. I like do make them do a shared activity. Later, if they are compatible and eventually get together, they meet at home more often, visits friends together, go on vacation (spring break with friends for teens) and so on.

• Meeting up at a café for a cup of coffee and conversation (I have a mod which enables me to make group order at food stalls also. With Seasons food stalls are everywhere, and it’s great scenery for casual first dates!)
  
• Going to the museum together: This is great for creative (or snobby) sims. With a goaled date the goals becomes things like "look at painting together", I find it organic for them to look around while making some conversation before eventually sitting down and get to know eachother.
  
• Going to a yoga class together: Especially if one of them has the wellness skill. It’s cool to see them doing the yoga classes together, and afterwards they order sparkling water or something healthy at the spa bar for - again - conversation.
  
• Going to the gym together: One thing I want is the ability to go jogging together, and having them route the same path instead of going different directions. For now, if a sim is either active or has high fitness skill, they can invite to go to the gym together. If the sim they are inviting is not enjoying themselves it’s a good indicator that they are not the right fit for one another.
  
• Going ice skating in the winter: This is something my sims are generally not good at, and it's great to see sims step out of their comfort zone both physically and emotionally. Also, if one of them on an off chance is really good at this, they can teach the other!
  
• Making dinner at home. Your chef sims can impress their date with a great meal. And when Eco Lifestyle comes out, you can invite your date over for a fresh batch of home-grown, ultra-organic, fresh, farm-to-table fizzy juice!!!
  

:star: What I hope you take away from this :star:
To implement new date ideas yourself a good rule of thumb is to look at the skills and traits your sim (or the other sim) has and think - what is something they can do together based on this? For example, if one of them has a high fishing skill and loves the outdoors, they can invite for a fishing date. Building from this mindset you can also think of dates where both sims are out of their comfort zone and doing something new, or dates where they bond over a shared interest. By doing a shared activity, you can see if they are a good match by looking at reactions, body language and relationship acceleration.