Your Recipe for a Great Game...

- Each household varies and can have just one or multiple sims as they move through their lifespans. Most households have several sims because most of them are couples or families but there are exceptions. I've also sometimes thrown some random sims together as roommates or added some sims in a group who might pair off with my other sims or otherwise interact with them.
- Active households? I can only actively play one household at a time but I have many playable households that I switch between. I probably have a hundred or even more. (Each are on their own lots but I may use residential rentals for some of them when any bugs are ironed out). I decide what household to play either by following a story that interconnects certain households or just deciding that I haven't played those sims in a while or just simply because I want to. The last reason is always a good enough one.
- My sims live in any or all worlds. I visit any of them based on whoever I am playing. Some neighborhoods tend to take on the character of their residents as they continue to live there. There are a few large families that have generationally grown up and some of them may tend to live in certain worlds but I use them all.
- About connecting worlds? Well, any sim can travel in between my worlds but I do give them the tendency to visit lots in certain worlds more often based on where they live. Newcrest is central for everyone and they can all go there. Willow Creek is also kind of like that and any sim can go to just about any restaurant that they want. Sims can vacation in any vacation world. Britechester accepts students from anywhere and is a neutral place for anyone studying.

Some notes though: Desert sims tend to stay in desert worlds (or neutral Newcrest) so Oasis Springs, Del Sol Valley and Strangerville are interconnected. Sulani sims mostly stay in Sulani but might venture to Tomarang now or Mt. Komorebi. Willow Creek sims tend to stay local including Magnolia Promenade. Windenburg is kind of its own place but it is near Henford or Forgotten Hollow. Some of the newer worlds like San Sequoia (just lightly explored) and Copperdale go together. I can relax a bit but I do tend to send sims to certain places based on where they live or travel. I have some nice community lots in several of the neighborhoods so sometimes I might be flexible about those.
- I definitely play in a style that is imaginatively realistic. I do have a little occult play because I've played a little bit with vampires. I have a few vampires and they are legitimately vampires. They are creatures of the night that bite and that are both amusing and tragic. They do socialize together and I have my own lore for them.
- Lifespan: For normal sims - meaning the majority of them - I have a slightly customized approach. I think I play on a normal lifespan but then I pause a lot whenever I want. It's not an epic lifespan. My sims are aging but I hit the pause button any time that I want. My rule for children is that they all reach certain levels of development. They all have essentially happy or loving childhoods with parents who love them. Maybe their parents get divorced or they might not have the wealthiest family but there needs to be love and positivity in their homes. That also means that I pause so that toddlers reach at least 3 and often more skill points in each skill, I've said that's a requirement to go to school in my game. Now, I often play infants through a lot of milestones though I don't force all of them. I pause if the parents are away all day so that they get developmental time together. Children are usually on normal except for vacations or family reasons for a pause. Teens have a longer span now so I may age some of them up sooner but I play them for about the normal span and then I allow them a few days if they need them before moving off on their own. I also pause sims at the various stages of adulthood for university, for some time to just relax and go on vacation or for personal, career or social development. I may also allow elders to pause a bit towards the end to enjoy themselves. I do leave death on though. The Grim Reaper is coming for them but I willingly give them extra time with the pause button whenever I want.
- Skill-building is normal. Any sim can earn any skill in the game. Keep working at them.
- 4 weeks per season; I like the gradual passage of time with subtle weather and seasonal transitions. I like a mix of different days in the year. For holidays, I have many of the usual ones - New Year's, Love Day, several with summer water activities, Spooky Day and Spooky Party Day, a Harvestfest and Winterfest. I've added a few culturally-specific holidays. It's possible that I might customize some more. If I play a household from a specific background, I may add other holidays. I also cancel out if sims are busy but they usually celebrate if they can.
- No mods or CC.
- About cheats? I don't cheat a lot but if I want to then I do. It's usually to set up a character that is new to the game in some specific role but I've done it any time that I want to make certain changes in the game. I'll use freerealestate to move townies or a group of random new sims into a house for example. I've also used money cheats to simulate inheritances or earnings from other income streams. If I think an excessive amount of items have broken recently in a house or that a sim is being overly billed, I'll use Kaching for a small amount of extra simoleons. I do not use those cheats all of the time though. Generally my sims are earning and making their own ways in the world. Many of them do buy their properties based on what they can afford. I sometimes use cheats to help a family afford to send a new YA child off to college or independence.
- Other? The goal is to have fun. I will say that sometimes I find a lot of fun in getting myself to play with households I might not have been interested in or pushing myself out of my comfort zone. I find they often do become more interesting. While I have plans for sims, I also like to go with the flow of the gameplay and allow for unexpected changes or connections. I have fun when my sims interact with each other or when I use different features in the game. Sims are allowed to have many different interests and to make use of community lots or events in the game. Sometimes I try to make myself do new things but I really do whatever I want and sometimes that's just letting a sim live out their days by filling up their needs or pursuing their hobbies and interests. They usually are pretty social though with families, romance, careers, pets and children. I can try to play some that are outside of that formula though. I have not played hardly any loners, that is generally not my style. I might let them be that way for a while but then they build relationships and friendships.