Traits are broken and we all need to admit it
The whole traits system needs to be reworked and updated in a patch. Most of them are not actually traits (vegetarian, cat-lover, etc...) and we shouldn't sacrifice a slot out of the already limite...
Forum Discussion
I remember at some point, I was saying the traits should be expanded to allow us to have up to 5, or something like that. I don't remember what the arguments were, but I remember some people making convincing arguments as to why that wouldn't help.
Given my experience with the teen and child traits that I made, along with what I've observed in playing with toddlers, I'm almost inclined to say that when it comes to actual behavior, a sim having a single, distinctive trait (distinctive meaning its behavior is significant enough in autonomy) gives better results than having 3. I think what Grant mentions in the tweet about wanting to find a way to provide the option to do 1-5 would be the ideal (assuming I'm interpreting correctly), since some people may want combinations that focus on behavior, while others may just want to RP certain types of characters (and it's currently impossible to be, for example, a Music Lover, Bookworm, Loner, and Dance Machine, or whatever other combination you can think of that is perfectly reasonable and normal in RL).
Part of the problem seems to be that because YA and up has 3, it doesn't make sense to make the behavior of each too strong, or they will just fight with each other. So instead we end up with a sort of milquetoast, traits aren't-very-noticeable morass of behavior.
I'm inclined to think that what would work best in terms of behavior is if the player could choose only 1 and there were some options that are very extreme and detailed in how sharply they impact the personality of the sim. Sort of like the setup for toddlers.
But then, part of the problem always seems to come back to autonomy and the pool of available actions in general. For example, sims obsessing over using computer and TV for fun if one exists, which may actually be kind of reflective of modern life lol... but can make for a very dry and repetitive game. Or sims obsessing over friendly socials in conversation, which again, might be pretty reflective of a modern society with a lot of politeness, but can make for a very dry and repetitive game.
If there's one thing every story has, it's conflict and the autonomy doesn't tend to facilitate much of that in my experience.
Also, an aside on Strangerville in relation to this:
Given my experience with the teen and child traits that I made, along with what I've observed in playing with toddlers, I'm almost inclined to say that when it comes to actual behavior, a sim having a single, distinctive trait (distinctive meaning its behavior is significant enough in autonomy) gives better results than having 3. I think what Grant mentions in the tweet about wanting to find a way to provide the option to do 1-5 would be the ideal (assuming I'm interpreting correctly), since some people may want combinations that focus on behavior, while others may just want to RP certain types of characters (and it's currently impossible to be, for example, a Music Lover, Bookworm, Loner, and Dance Machine, or whatever other combination you can think of that is perfectly reasonable and normal in RL).
Part of the problem seems to be that because YA and up has 3, it doesn't make sense to make the behavior of each too strong, or they will just fight with each other. So instead we end up with a sort of milquetoast, traits aren't-very-noticeable morass of behavior.
I'm inclined to think that what would work best in terms of behavior is if the player could choose only 1 and there were some options that are very extreme and detailed in how sharply they impact the personality of the sim. Sort of like the setup for toddlers.
But then, part of the problem always seems to come back to autonomy and the pool of available actions in general. For example, sims obsessing over using computer and TV for fun if one exists, which may actually be kind of reflective of modern life lol... but can make for a very dry and repetitive game. Or sims obsessing over friendly socials in conversation, which again, might be pretty reflective of a modern society with a lot of politeness, but can make for a very dry and repetitive game.
If there's one thing every story has, it's conflict and the autonomy doesn't tend to facilitate much of that in my experience.
Also, an aside on Strangerville in relation to this:
Spoiler
I think this is part of the reason why Strangerville feels refreshing for many. It adds in new behavior, like the goofy walkstyles and possessed appearance, that can change a sim significantly, to where it actually feels like you're interacting with something different for once. Not just another sim with a few minor tweaks in personality on top that are barely noticeable. I think the highest fame sims from Get Famous adds a similar level of "distinct", though they still fall prey to the samey feeling if you get past introducing yourself to them.
