Wants-Based Gameplay?

Sims aren't going to go leave the lot of their home autonomously to meet a random person on the street. If you click somewhere in the world otherwise chances are they probably will if other sims are around and then go from there. Also, sending them to other places like a bar or park or any other places and not just having them on the lot will be helpful so they can go out and socialize on their own. Even with other sim games with sims passing by, sims just don't go out to just greet them, so gotta offer a little direct sometimes if you just like to spectate.

Wants can be rolled due to a sims traits, mood or socializing. There are mods out there that perfect more on this and give some more variety to them so your sims aren't repeating various ones.

I would take a look at the Custom Wants Mod by the Daily Plumbob or Bienchen (Sims4me) whimoverhaul mod.

Just a reminder that when you use mods and CC you take on any responsibility for what may happen in your game even with a consistent and reliable modder with MC Command it's always a risk. I always test in a test save before comitting it to my saved ones.

Thank you so much for your response! I have heard good things about the Daily Plumbob's custom wants mod (and its Hopes and Fears mod, to that end). Maybe its finally time to get my feet wet with mods, :) 

This thread has a lot of helpful information about using mods. It may help you if you decide to use mods in your game. 
[INFO] How to Use Mods and CC | EA Forums - 9360653

Putting my words in here, I felt like you years ago, now I have a ton of mods that I can’t play without 🙂

Bienchen (Sims4me) whimoverhaul mod.is one of them, it’s easy to install and broken up by packs it’s changed my gameplay and become a must have for me! I highly suggest you plop that in your mods folder 😊

Finding ones player style is never easy, it took me years of various tries before I figured out what would get me going and most of all, keep me entertained in the long run. When it comes to watching your sims rather than micromanage, there are of course things that can be done. Make sure your setting is on full autonomy, for one, but if you do not place your sim in situations where things happen - there is nothing you can do to make things happen. 

Playing of wants can get repetitive fast, but like others have said there are plenty of good wants-mods that can add variation. If you are worried about "getting the wrong link" I recommend Curseforge. You download from the app, and there is no risk of getting it wrong. It's also easy to uninstall mods if a certain one wasn't to your liking. 

If you want to continue without mods there are a few things you can do, depending on which packs you have. 

• Combine wants, fears and aspirations, for greater variety. Even if it's just in your head, using these as "what does X want to do next?" will give you some variation. If you have the bucket list can also add variation to your game. 
• Let traits and lifestyles be a large part of what you decide for your sim - and let these be randomized when aging up. Different traits should result in different wants even in an unmodded game, and you can always decide actions and reactions based on them. 
• If you have Growing Together or Lovestruck sims will react in more different ways towards different people (there are mods to amplify this as well). Adding different dynamics to a relationship will also play a part. 
• Choose an active or semi-active career, and go with your sim to the work place. They are bound to speak to someone during the work day. 
• Use the club feature from Get Together to create clubs that match your sims personality. Start club gatherings and then watch them unfold. As you set up activities for the club, their actions will be more varied than normal game play. 
• Play a challenge of some sort. 

For me, I found out that I like to see my sims have a story, it can be something they have to overcome, something that happens to them, some struggle... it's when it gets too easy that I get bored. Rotational play can also add variation. For me the decades challenge has done the trick, as I need to consider what my sim can do, what they would be likely to do, and it gives me a chance to do what I love - research. I hope you find something that brings back the joy in the game for you. 

Do you have full autonomy on?  You can find it under Options>Gameplay. While this might not totally solve your problem, it should help. I like to play full households, to the point where I have adjusted how many Sims per household, via MCCC.  I then focus on the target Sim of the moment, knowing the others will tend to themselves for the most part. Sometimes, if there are child Sims or younger, you the player must step in from time to time.

You'll find your style just in playing the game, for the most part. I'm a family player, but I'm also into having my Sim be an incredible Superstar, Rock Star.  (I have a mod for that.)

Thank you, Rosemow! I'll take a look at this thread.

I do have full autonomy on and it has been a lifesaver (literally, for Sims that is). I think I'll give the MC Command Center another shot, but mix it with a few other mods this time. Thanks again!

Thank you for your reccomendation, JesLet40! I've heard of Curseforge, but I wasn't sure how to confirm its reliability. I'll definitly take a look at what all mods it offers.

It's reassuring to hear that you had a similar experience in your early Sims 4 journey, and this makes me confident that I CAN keep going with the game. I've heard of Bienchen's whim overhaul mod several times now, so maybe it's a sign that it's the right mod for me. Thanks for your help!