The pros and cons of playing with aging on or off

Both, some files are on and some off. I might like off a little bit more, but it's very very close. When I DO have it on, I prefer it on long or an even longer custom setting though.

I play with aging off for all played households as I have lots of extended families and like for them to progress at my speed, I.e when I want to play and progress their stories. I don’t like feeling rushed to accomplish goals. The townies and premades have aging on because their younger generations provide friends and possible love interests for my sims.

I think it just depends on your play style. I look at a lot of people’s stories and find that it can also be fun to play on normal life span. I have to try it someday soon lol

"Nindigo;d-944950" wrote:
We all play differently. I play with aging off always, because I enjoy sticking with the same Sims and continue their story and life at my own laid back pace. If I need kids to age up, they do so by cake. But no one ever dies in my game unless I make it happen. And that suits me perfectly.

Same, like exactly the same. Each and every word in those few sentences could have been written by me. Or maybe you weren't writing about you, but about me. Yes, all that text is about me. It must be because I can totally relate. :)

I just bought this game a couple of months ago - really resisted but at this price.... So I'm playing Newcrest at normal and finding it difficult to make friends, let alone romance and family. I've rotated through all my families to make sure they have homes I like, clothing I like, jobs I like, etc. Back to "my" Sim and I finally get her married and a baby. Suddenly, my husband is getting older and I notice most of the NH is getting older. Next thing ya know, I've got nothing but elderly, single Sims. NOOOOOO!

So, found a piece on how to adjust the aging length through adjusting a file. Then got MCCC, turned the aging off and went through the NH and set all my Sims back to their first life stage and adjusted the time a bit so they are different ages within that group. Then I went through each one and got them all married off with families....and don't get to spend enough time with "my" Sim because of this.

So, how I play it now..... I like aging, although I was so sad the first time my sim became an elder in TS3. TS4, however, is so very different. They have free will but apparently they have little will. Unlike TS3, they aren't that interested in meeting others without my intervention. They don't get married. They don't even have children. So, I turn aging off and on as I wander the NH, as well as Willow Creek and Oasis Springs (?), doing for each Sim what they are unable or unwilling to do for themselves. I prefer TS3 but I oddly find the issues with TS4 somewhat challenging and find myself returning to run the circle of all 3 NHs just to keep them moving along, if not in time, at least through deeds. But I do miss my own little simmies and am always stressed that they'll age without me while I'm off doing what this silly version just won't do on it's own!