I WILL NOT PURCHASE SIMS 5 IF…

"telemwill;c-18195970" wrote:
If rotational play is impossible.

YES! In Sims 3 it's impossible because it's built around legacy-only gameplay with one core family per save file. Sims 4 has the My Families but it's not enough.

In theory, rotational play basically says "freeze the other households in my rotation list while I'm not playing them. I want zero progression* of my families while I'm not playing. I want to jump right back in where I left off when I get to playing them again."

We can also take it a step further.

To make this work, every save file Starts with a universal calendar (Week 1, Day 1 / Season: Fall). Playing ONE of your played households will progress that timeline FOR THAT HOUSEHOLD AND HOUSEHOLD ONLY into the future. Let's say you end on Week 2, Day 8, Season: Winter). If you want to play your next household, they are technically in the past still on Week 1, Day 1 / Season: Fall and you get to play the same week but from THEIR perspective.
https://assets.ltkcontent.com/images/185992/Chef-s-Kiss_60f9c90abd.jpg
We ALSO need an age up townies and NPCs button that basically will push THEIR timeline to match the Week #, Day #, Season X of the household furthest into the future. This will progress them, age them up, kill them off if they are ready to die of old age, etc. etc.!

https://c.tenor.com/7o12Y-fC2UMAAAAC/simon-cowell-congratulations.gif

*technical note: like in Sims 1 and 2, certain developments are "pushed" to other playable household when you aren't playing them. For example, if I'm playing Household A and I become friends with someone in Household B, when I go to play Household B, that friendship is "pushed" to that household and is recognized. Giving gifts also works in that way. But everything else is frozen in time while you are gone from playing that household.