I want to make it clear I never said that playing with spreadsheets was bad or that I was against it, it just doesn't work for me personally and feels too serious for what I want the game to be. Don't let other people's opinions of what you like bother you and make you feel the need to defend it! Just do what you want to do 😊
I’m so confused and sad for yall hearing all these people suffering from self imposed rules. Growing up on sims 3, I always thought want based was just taking wants into consideration, not forcing yourself to do things. I’ve always played wants based but in an unfun way. I’m indecisive so autonomy and wants and rolling a d100 help me avoid the stress of making a decision. But if I have a decision already made I’m doing it, regardless of random. I never realized so many people felt pressured by what they’ve seen online to play the game “the right way.” We are all the watcher/god of our hoods, not some rule set. I like awful shit and suffering to happen so they overcome it. But not everyone wants their sims to be in 20k debt and not able to conceive.
You're gonna have to pry my excel spreadsheet out of my cold dead hands, but even though Pleasantsims was very regimented about her rules i assumed the rest of us were already on the same page of "i play sims in ways that i think make sense for that sim, and sometimes they might tell me something cool to let them do" Like if i had a nickel for every sports party that my sims wanted that I should have let them have but didnt (and eventually modded out), i would have thousands of nickels. I think wants are fun and helpful if i dont have a better idea, but also im my sims' god and theyll do what i want even if its to put them in aspiration failure just so i can get pictures of them cooing at flour bags.
Yeah I guess I was already doing "wants-based lite" for a long time before I finally admitted to myself that that's what I was doing. I kept justifying my choices in my mind as "exceptions to the rules". So clearly, I wasn't at a point yet where I could look at my rules and think critically about them, even a year ago. I just kept bending the rules instead of realizing I didn't need to have the rules. So no, not everyone was on that page 😉
I actually love aspiration failures I roll a d12 and depending on outcome sim will have a different depression response such as, breaking up, dying hair neon color, spending all their money, getting fat, quiting job/college
You're point on the realism thing is so real. I used to feel so much guilt playing with the aspiration awards, or not making my sims pay for things like taxes or college or what not. But I cant help it. The chaos that can come along with using the counterfeiting machine makes my heart sing. And sorry taxes are too much to keep up with and it's just boring to me. I downloaded a bigger bills mod and just let that be that lol.
finally, everyone is so obsessed at astronomical levels of making sims so realistic, that they make the game boring and overwhelming, it's just a game, for god's sake
@@cameroncarrow I think most of us don’t have a problem with cindy’s gameplay rules, but she is a self admitted abuser, which has really soured her whole “pleasantsims” character/persona for a lot of us. it’s only natural people are moving away from her play style.
[Edit: Ohhhhh shit I seem to have missed some events. The tone and why you'd be uncomfortable with that influence makes sense now. I'll leave my sTranGe cOMmenT up for posterity while I go put on my clown makeup.] This is a strange comment. Unless Cindy Pleasantsims has been breaking into your house to play the game for you, there's really no need to frame her influence like some kind of mold threatening "us Simmers" as if she isn't one herself. I'm not into her playstyle either, but it is not on her if you tried it and didn't like it.
The 'rules' are there to not end up with all sims the same. Cuz if u will play the normal way, all your sims will be top career and rich. The 'rules' are there to make some diversity in your town, but all the rules are there to be broke. I tried the rule about babies (for overpopulation)... but fuk that... I love all my sims to have many babies, that's what I enjoy the most... Don't let stupid rules to stop your fun. U can have that rule for some sims; but if u don't feel it, just don't do it. It's a game, have fun and play whatever you want! Don't forget to not that it too serious!
For me I think of wants based play as, if the sims rolls a want (and I notice it) that looks fun to add to their story, I do. As far as keeping sims from marrying relatives, I have a notebook and once a sim is pared up, that’s it. I check relationships before pairing a couple and if the relationships are fine, I put them down. If they have choices I will let them decide who to marry, but only if there aren’t other sims without choices. And yes, townies absolutely get married in. In fact I have entire lots made specifically to generate teenage and young adult sims.
I basically do the same thing. I play more storybased, I use wants for inspiration and the Sims personality to fully flesh out their character. But, ultimately, I do whatever I want to carry out the story in my head 😂
Yeah, been dealing with this conundrum for a while, too, and your thoughts on the matter are almost spot on how I've been feeling as well. I do still plan to have some general guidelines for myself (shy romance sims want to find "the one," outgoing romance sims are non-committal is my big one) but if I wanna "break the rules" why not? They're my rules, I'm not trying to do a challenge, I'm just playing my game the way I wanna play. I am flip-flopping on my spreadsheet though because it help me keep track of things I care about, but at the same time I'm more worried about keeping a perfect sheet than I am getting to actually play the game and that just defeats the purpose of the sheet existing in the first place 😅
I want to find a happy medium. My problem with my og playstyle is that I have a tendency to want to max out all my skills and make the most money. It leads to a really bland grind. Wants based helped introduce the idea of failure to my gameplay. But like you said, it can really frustrate you if you see an obvious path for your sims. I am currently thinking about introducing dice rolling or ai to my game. Things like deciding a career max for my characters. Maybe they will hit their max potential or they don’t want to even have a stressful executive role.
I am a sims 3 player, never have I ever played sims 2 (it looks too much chaotic for me) but your video fits as glove to what I am seeing and experiencing with gameplays I'm watching in general, and one of the reasons we get bored with the game: this idea of making everything a challenge, wants need to be fulfilled, skills must be maximized, top of careers must be reached, life time wishes must be completed. And it get boring, because it turn the game into a never ending grinding. Sims don't interacts with other sims. Family members don't connect. Couples don't go on a date after marring. It gets BORING, repetitive and tiresome. Thank you for this video and bringing your POV
This challenges thing is something I find very odd about Sims 4 vs Sims 3 challenges. A lot of Sims 4 challenges already have the whole story line written out for you and I'm just like...where's the room for player creativity and choice. It's all too regimented. That said, I'm obsessed with super sim / ultimate sim challenges. So I definitely understand the appeal of completionist challenges. 😅
@@NoIdleSims THIS! I can't ever get into any TS4 challenge bc I honestly couldn't bring myself to have fun if everything is written in stone from the beginning. I do love watching other ppl play challenges, but as for me? Eh, no thanks 😂
@@Jollyinha but it has to be... Because TS4 is as deep as a tea spoon, Wishes and wants don't do much for storytelling purposes, and the game is easy, everything need to be told beforehand.... The thing about challenges that I see is exactly this compleationist mentality, in which every generation you have to max 5 skills, have 20 friends, complete the LTW, and it becomes all about the grinding.... No room for fun either. Even if one plays wants based it gets repetitive bc the wants are triggered by some specific actions. I don't know how it works in TS2, but in TS3 whenever your Sim prepare a salad, it will have the want to plant lettuce or learn gardening This role playing idea, where you, as a player, do what you want or what makes more sense according to Sim personality, makes total sense and not everyone knows how to do it, maybe that's also why they need everything so written dawn and set in stone Idk... Maybe I digress
@@podemechamardeeli I totally agree! It makes no sense to a wants-based gameplay in TS4 bc the wants system is awful (like... most things tbh, I love that game, but mostly bc of my own style of playing it, not bc it's a GREAT game)
I use the idea of science babies in my Sims 2 as well. I use a modded computer so Sims can *pay* $10,000 to become pregnant by their partner. If both roll to adopt, then I'll adopt. Like with Chester Gieke, he made himself a servo husband and was planning to get pregnant by surrogacy. Yet both he and his servo husband called Bender, both rolled the want to adopt, so I did that instead lol.
I was lightly nudged by baddynaddy to stop being so "influenced" by wants. It's only been a few weeks since her 20th anniversary video (my inspo for the drastic change) but I'm already having way more fun, and my sims not being happy (meaning high asp) all the time makes things way more realistic. I still use a spreadsheet for every single detail of my hood... and yes, I have a lot of rules that I can choose to follow or not... but it's far far far from my original "gameplay style" from when I got the game in 2019/2020. I loved this video! I can't wait to see your new style in action!
I play kind of want based if it fits the personality of my sims, and if it make sense in their story, but I also play fear based and roll a dice and if they are unlucky i try to fulfill some of their fear lol
I love this video, thank you for making it! Everything you said encapsulates exactly what I've been struggling with lately! I've been playing with a rotational legacy family for a few years now and I'm finding myself getting really stuck on the newest generation because of that very strict realism mindset. But looking back on the story of this family, the most impulsive and silly of choices that I made were the ones that benefited the "plot" the most! I do keep notes and spreadsheets just to keep my characters organized, but I'm trying super hard to allow myself be silly and free with this next generation. So far, I'm much happier with how it's going. The oldest of this Gen is about to enter college, and I'm very excited for the chaos. Anyways, thank you again for making this! I felt this deep in my bones. I have nothing against rigid and strict gameplay and I even admire those who can stick to it and have fun! But I'm glad to see that so many people are breaking free of the mindset that you HAVE to play the game that way.
i never really made gameplay rules for myself, i just do what's interesting to me. and that's how i ended up giving john burb (of all people) a s3x dungeon and he also had an affair with brandi broke (and she now has twins from him). i love pleasantview
I think this really depends on people and on the kind of hood one plays (historical, modern, etc). Personally, I just love making rules that suit my overall style or the storylines of my hoods. I don't know why. I just love it: writing it, thinking about it, trying to make it make sense... I guess I'm a control freak and making my own rules and following them (and editing them as I go to keep things interesting) is actually a huge part of why I play this game now. Makes me feel like there is some sort of comforting order and predictability there isn't in real life. I find rules also push me beyond my comfort zone to explore the game's possibilities and not restrict myself to what I "like playing until it gets boring". I try to make them in a way that makes almost each household different and if it at some point it removes the fun of playing, I change them to make it fun to me again. I also think wants can be an inspiration when you're stuck but not an absolute, because playing strictly want based can get very old, very boring, very repetitive, very quickly. I would never even have thought of playing "want based" before I started looking at other simmers. Until now my gameplay was just... playing. My gameplay style nowadays is a mix of random, rules and creative choices but if I play a custom hood, I will have a lot more rules and stuff like taxes, etc, although I do it in a way that is actually fun for me. If I play a more classic, modern hood like Pleasantview, I barely make rules and just rely on mods (like bigger bills) except for those fundamental rules that I feel like enhance my personal experience and enjoyment of the game in general. And my own subjective "sim realism" because I do care about it. For spreadsheets, I might use them to some extent, but when I tried to do it "seriously" like some other simmers, it was terrible. I was starting to feel like I didn't want to play if it meant I had to open that spreadsheet everytime for every household and type in things. So I stopped and enjoyed playing again.
I am actually enjoying a wants based game play because if I didn’t all my sims would be quite similar 😅 (if I did play my way they would all have max skills , all A+ college, all top of careers) so now it helps me have some sims that do struggle in life. (Been playing sims 2 since 07’ and this is my first time I’m playing wants based and I’m enjoying it.)
You might like to add motivation levels to that if you struggle with max skills, A+ etc. Someone on MTS came up with it a number of years ago to decide if a sim was an overachiever, average or a rebel/low achiever. If you dislike rules you might not like it but I enjoy rules. Once a sim turns toddler I add up their neatness points + activity and subtract playful points. If they are 8+ they are overachievers, they are the ones to top the career, be the doctors etc. I set them as smart on the bat box and they let me still have some perfect sims. If a sim scores 1-7 they are average. I play them mostly to wants, interests and hobbies. If they are 0 or less they are low/rebels. I play those sims a lot more hands off.
I've never played wants based, I'm a writer and natural storyteller. I cheat, I give my sims money, I use maxmotives, I cheat relationships up (or down), I manually change turn ons and turn offs to make some sims more attracted. I do still use spreadsheets though. However, I've used spreadsheets since before I found the Sims 2 community on RUclips. I use spreadsheets for every game I play though so...
honestly ur so right. breaking free from the hive mind of ts2 players and doing ur own thing is so freeing. no more wants-based! doing ur own thing is so much more fun
Glad you found what works for you! This is the first video I saw from you, but I'm always glad to find another TS2 enjoyer 😊 A lot of people enjoy chill, story-oriented Sims content. On terms of realism, I feel focusing very hard on rules breaks my immersion more than the odd vampire. All that to say thanks for the video and best of luck with the new direction on the channel!
I'm so happy to hear that more people are breaking free and do what feels right to them again. I only really adopted rotational play because I enjoy my Sims aging in synch but then I also deviate from the common one season = one rotation. I couldn't give two craps about seasons. It's Monday morning to Thursday morning and Thursday morning to Monday morning. I write it in the family description and that's it. What isn't noted in it, isn't important. I take my Sims' wishes into consideration but in the end I'm their evil overlord and the only wishes that need to be obeyed are mine and mine alone. Sims gameplay isn't a democracy, it's an absolute monarchy 😂
Personally, I just try to avoid fulfilling sims fears. Sure, it's nice to fulfill wants (and they can provide a nice incentive for some decisions), but going full on them can ruin your plans for that sim, almost never causes stuff like romantic sim ending up married, makes science sims the only ones that will transform into different life states (and causes them to have obsession over one specific skill) etc. But I have different issue with how I play. I have big tendency to just play optimally, which makes it so sims don't really get low aspiration, they always skilled, they never drop from college etc. And I have a problem with wanting to play all premade families, because they feel fun. I guess I should just maybe play neighbourhood specific ones (like Oldies and Burbs in Pleasantview) and treat the rest as more advanced townies?
Honestly the reason I couldn’t get into the sims 2 in the past because I felt like EVERYONE had these incredibly strict gameplay rules and they felt super daunting and tedious to me. I’m not a spreadsheet gal nor am I going to micromanage my sims. But I decided to give ts2 another go after playing ts3 the entire summer (😅) and now my gameplay style is more like ts3, more freeing and more fun! But more power to those who like the spreadsheets and wants-based gameplay, lol
This video actually got me thinking about the way I play and why I do what I do/follow what I follow. Might try and just pick aspirations based on vibes and allow for "science babies"/same-sex pregnancy for a bit and see how I like it!! TY for the thought experiment!!
To be honest, i never played by rules myself. I felt like it was overwhelming. As for the wants, i only chose those who would cause drama 😂 or those whom i find suitable for my sims. As for traits and zodiac sign, everything is randomized in my game. 😅 For me, it's easier to play based on sims' wants in sims 3.
I'm a TS4 player, but this vídeo really opened my eyes! I think it's really cool how some people play The Sims more realistically (in fact, it's the type of gameplays I enjoy watching the most), I admire those who have spreadsheets and in-depth rules. Buuuut that really ain't for me 😂 Trying to copy other's gameplay style is what kills my love for the game sometimes. I love how unserious the franchise is, and tbh it's a huge part of why ai can't get invested in the other life sims that have been lauching recently: They're too realistic, and I'm not part of that crowd. 50% of the time I do what I want, and 50% of the time I do what it makes sense for my Sim's character Everyone playing simulator games in a different way is what makes it fun imo ❤
I started a new hood and while I do have some rules I am more lenient with them. I still use dice rolls to decide aspirations for sims and I still roll two d6 dice for a 3/12 chance for any woohoo to be a try for baby, (i dont have any woohoo mods so this is my way of adding risk) because these things are still fun to me. I like some randomness since the game already gives you so much control. I think ive evolved from playing wants based to lifetime wants based. I will do things that arent part of their wants if it involves their lifetime wants.
@sarahcara44 I'm not sure what you mean by customize in SimPE. I either make my own townies in Body Shop or download townie pools from the internet. In the case of my Pleasantview, I did a little bit of both.
I want to make it clear I never said that playing with spreadsheets was bad or that I was against it, it just doesn't work for me personally and feels too serious for what I want the game to be. Don't let other people's opinions of what you like bother you and make you feel the need to defend it! Just do what you want to do 😊
@@beecampbell I ADORE my spreadsheets and I wasn’t offended. I also love spreadsheets when NOT playing Sims 😅😅.
I’m so confused and sad for yall hearing all these people suffering from self imposed rules. Growing up on sims 3, I always thought want based was just taking wants into consideration, not forcing yourself to do things. I’ve always played wants based but in an unfun way. I’m indecisive so autonomy and wants and rolling a d100 help me avoid the stress of making a decision. But if I have a decision already made I’m doing it, regardless of random. I never realized so many people felt pressured by what they’ve seen online to play the game “the right way.”
We are all the watcher/god of our hoods, not some rule set. I like awful shit and suffering to happen so they overcome it. But not everyone wants their sims to be in 20k debt and not able to conceive.
You're gonna have to pry my excel spreadsheet out of my cold dead hands, but even though Pleasantsims was very regimented about her rules i assumed the rest of us were already on the same page of "i play sims in ways that i think make sense for that sim, and sometimes they might tell me something cool to let them do" Like if i had a nickel for every sports party that my sims wanted that I should have let them have but didnt (and eventually modded out), i would have thousands of nickels. I think wants are fun and helpful if i dont have a better idea, but also im my sims' god and theyll do what i want even if its to put them in aspiration failure just so i can get pictures of them cooing at flour bags.
Yeah I guess I was already doing "wants-based lite" for a long time before I finally admitted to myself that that's what I was doing. I kept justifying my choices in my mind as "exceptions to the rules". So clearly, I wasn't at a point yet where I could look at my rules and think critically about them, even a year ago. I just kept bending the rules instead of realizing I didn't need to have the rules. So no, not everyone was on that page 😉
I actually love aspiration failures I roll a d12 and depending on outcome sim will have a different depression response such as, breaking up, dying hair neon color, spending all their money, getting fat, quiting job/college
The sims 2 community is healing 🥰
"if you try hard enough you can get that man PREGNAT!!!!" 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 PREACHHHH
You're point on the realism thing is so real. I used to feel so much guilt playing with the aspiration awards, or not making my sims pay for things like taxes or college or what not. But I cant help it. The chaos that can come along with using the counterfeiting machine makes my heart sing. And sorry taxes are too much to keep up with and it's just boring to me. I downloaded a bigger bills mod and just let that be that lol.
We are living in a age where we Simmers are finally trying to get rid of Pleasantsim's influence in the gameplay.
finally, everyone is so obsessed at astronomical levels of making sims so realistic, that they make the game boring and overwhelming, it's just a game, for god's sake
@@cameroncarrow Cindy is a manipulator and abuser
@@cameroncarrow I think most of us don’t have a problem with cindy’s gameplay rules, but she is a self admitted abuser, which has really soured her whole “pleasantsims” character/persona for a lot of us. it’s only natural people are moving away from her play style.
[Edit: Ohhhhh shit I seem to have missed some events. The tone and why you'd be uncomfortable with that influence makes sense now. I'll leave my sTranGe cOMmenT up for posterity while I go put on my clown makeup.]
This is a strange comment. Unless Cindy Pleasantsims has been breaking into your house to play the game for you, there's really no need to frame her influence like some kind of mold threatening "us Simmers" as if she isn't one herself. I'm not into her playstyle either, but it is not on her if you tried it and didn't like it.
could someone tell me what happened? i am so out of the loop here
The 'rules' are there to not end up with all sims the same. Cuz if u will play the normal way, all your sims will be top career and rich. The 'rules' are there to make some diversity in your town, but all the rules are there to be broke.
I tried the rule about babies (for overpopulation)... but fuk that... I love all my sims to have many babies, that's what I enjoy the most... Don't let stupid rules to stop your fun. U can have that rule for some sims; but if u don't feel it, just don't do it. It's a game, have fun and play whatever you want! Don't forget to not that it too serious!
For me I think of wants based play as, if the sims rolls a want (and I notice it) that looks fun to add to their story, I do.
As far as keeping sims from marrying relatives, I have a notebook and once a sim is pared up, that’s it. I check relationships before pairing a couple and if the relationships are fine, I put them down. If they have choices I will let them decide who to marry, but only if there aren’t other sims without choices. And yes, townies absolutely get married in. In fact I have entire lots made specifically to generate teenage and young adult sims.
I basically do the same thing. I play more storybased, I use wants for inspiration and the Sims personality to fully flesh out their character. But, ultimately, I do whatever I want to carry out the story in my head 😂
I’m not obsessed with realism, fuck taxes and paying for college, I like occults
overpopulation is overrated. If I have too many families and I dread playing some of them, I just turn them into townies! It is simple as that
Thank you for the point on realism. The thing that makes the Sims fun are those moments that aren’t quite realism but realism adjacent.
Yeah, been dealing with this conundrum for a while, too, and your thoughts on the matter are almost spot on how I've been feeling as well. I do still plan to have some general guidelines for myself (shy romance sims want to find "the one," outgoing romance sims are non-committal is my big one) but if I wanna "break the rules" why not? They're my rules, I'm not trying to do a challenge, I'm just playing my game the way I wanna play. I am flip-flopping on my spreadsheet though because it help me keep track of things I care about, but at the same time I'm more worried about keeping a perfect sheet than I am getting to actually play the game and that just defeats the purpose of the sheet existing in the first place 😅
I really love these apartment lots that actually look like a small hood! :) super unique and cool idea!
I want to find a happy medium.
My problem with my og playstyle is that I have a tendency to want to max out all my skills and make the most money. It leads to a really bland grind.
Wants based helped introduce the idea of failure to my gameplay. But like you said, it can really frustrate you if you see an obvious path for your sims.
I am currently thinking about introducing dice rolling or ai to my game. Things like deciding a career max for my characters. Maybe they will hit their max potential or they don’t want to even have a stressful executive role.
I am a sims 3 player, never have I ever played sims 2 (it looks too much chaotic for me) but your video fits as glove to what I am seeing and experiencing with gameplays I'm watching in general, and one of the reasons we get bored with the game: this idea of making everything a challenge, wants need to be fulfilled, skills must be maximized, top of careers must be reached, life time wishes must be completed. And it get boring, because it turn the game into a never ending grinding. Sims don't interacts with other sims. Family members don't connect. Couples don't go on a date after marring.
It gets BORING, repetitive and tiresome.
Thank you for this video and bringing your POV
This challenges thing is something I find very odd about Sims 4 vs Sims 3 challenges. A lot of Sims 4 challenges already have the whole story line written out for you and I'm just like...where's the room for player creativity and choice. It's all too regimented.
That said, I'm obsessed with super sim / ultimate sim challenges. So I definitely understand the appeal of completionist challenges. 😅
@@NoIdleSims THIS! I can't ever get into any TS4 challenge bc I honestly couldn't bring myself to have fun if everything is written in stone from the beginning. I do love watching other ppl play challenges, but as for me? Eh, no thanks 😂
@@Jollyinha but it has to be... Because TS4 is as deep as a tea spoon, Wishes and wants don't do much for storytelling purposes, and the game is easy, everything need to be told beforehand....
The thing about challenges that I see is exactly this compleationist mentality, in which every generation you have to max 5 skills, have 20 friends, complete the LTW, and it becomes all about the grinding.... No room for fun either.
Even if one plays wants based it gets repetitive bc the wants are triggered by some specific actions. I don't know how it works in TS2, but in TS3 whenever your Sim prepare a salad, it will have the want to plant lettuce or learn gardening
This role playing idea, where you, as a player, do what you want or what makes more sense according to Sim personality, makes total sense and not everyone knows how to do it, maybe that's also why they need everything so written dawn and set in stone
Idk... Maybe I digress
@@podemechamardeeli I totally agree! It makes no sense to a wants-based gameplay in TS4 bc the wants system is awful (like... most things tbh, I love that game, but mostly bc of my own style of playing it, not bc it's a GREAT game)
I use the idea of science babies in my Sims 2 as well.
I use a modded computer so Sims can *pay* $10,000 to become pregnant by their partner.
If both roll to adopt, then I'll adopt. Like with Chester Gieke, he made himself a servo husband and was planning to get pregnant by surrogacy.
Yet both he and his servo husband called Bender, both rolled the want to adopt, so I did that instead lol.
I was lightly nudged by baddynaddy to stop being so "influenced" by wants. It's only been a few weeks since her 20th anniversary video (my inspo for the drastic change) but I'm already having way more fun, and my sims not being happy (meaning high asp) all the time makes things way more realistic. I still use a spreadsheet for every single detail of my hood... and yes, I have a lot of rules that I can choose to follow or not... but it's far far far from my original "gameplay style" from when I got the game in 2019/2020. I loved this video! I can't wait to see your new style in action!
I play kind of want based if it fits the personality of my sims, and if it make sense in their story, but I also play fear based and roll a dice and if they are unlucky i try to fulfill some of their fear lol
I love this video, thank you for making it! Everything you said encapsulates exactly what I've been struggling with lately! I've been playing with a rotational legacy family for a few years now and I'm finding myself getting really stuck on the newest generation because of that very strict realism mindset. But looking back on the story of this family, the most impulsive and silly of choices that I made were the ones that benefited the "plot" the most!
I do keep notes and spreadsheets just to keep my characters organized, but I'm trying super hard to allow myself be silly and free with this next generation. So far, I'm much happier with how it's going. The oldest of this Gen is about to enter college, and I'm very excited for the chaos.
Anyways, thank you again for making this! I felt this deep in my bones. I have nothing against rigid and strict gameplay and I even admire those who can stick to it and have fun! But I'm glad to see that so many people are breaking free of the mindset that you HAVE to play the game that way.
@squeaknose I'm so happy it resonates this way! There is no right or wrong way to play, as long as it's OUR way 😌
i never really made gameplay rules for myself, i just do what's interesting to me. and that's how i ended up giving john burb (of all people) a s3x dungeon and he also had an affair with brandi broke (and she now has twins from him). i love pleasantview
I think this really depends on people and on the kind of hood one plays (historical, modern, etc). Personally, I just love making rules that suit my overall style or the storylines of my hoods. I don't know why. I just love it: writing it, thinking about it, trying to make it make sense... I guess I'm a control freak and making my own rules and following them (and editing them as I go to keep things interesting) is actually a huge part of why I play this game now. Makes me feel like there is some sort of comforting order and predictability there isn't in real life. I find rules also push me beyond my comfort zone to explore the game's possibilities and not restrict myself to what I "like playing until it gets boring". I try to make them in a way that makes almost each household different and if it at some point it removes the fun of playing, I change them to make it fun to me again.
I also think wants can be an inspiration when you're stuck but not an absolute, because playing strictly want based can get very old, very boring, very repetitive, very quickly. I would never even have thought of playing "want based" before I started looking at other simmers. Until now my gameplay was just... playing.
My gameplay style nowadays is a mix of random, rules and creative choices but if I play a custom hood, I will have a lot more rules and stuff like taxes, etc, although I do it in a way that is actually fun for me. If I play a more classic, modern hood like Pleasantview, I barely make rules and just rely on mods (like bigger bills) except for those fundamental rules that I feel like enhance my personal experience and enjoyment of the game in general. And my own subjective "sim realism" because I do care about it.
For spreadsheets, I might use them to some extent, but when I tried to do it "seriously" like some other simmers, it was terrible. I was starting to feel like I didn't want to play if it meant I had to open that spreadsheet everytime for every household and type in things. So I stopped and enjoyed playing again.
real i hate rule based gameplays like why restrict chaos or fun while playing ur own gameplay XD
I am actually enjoying a wants based game play because if I didn’t all my sims would be quite similar 😅 (if I did play my way they would all have max skills , all A+ college, all top of careers) so now it helps me have some sims that do struggle in life. (Been playing sims 2 since 07’ and this is my first time I’m playing wants based and I’m enjoying it.)
You might like to add motivation levels to that if you struggle with max skills, A+ etc. Someone on MTS came up with it a number of years ago to decide if a sim was an overachiever, average or a rebel/low achiever. If you dislike rules you might not like it but I enjoy rules.
Once a sim turns toddler I add up their neatness points + activity and subtract playful points. If they are 8+ they are overachievers, they are the ones to top the career, be the doctors etc. I set them as smart on the bat box and they let me still have some perfect sims.
If a sim scores 1-7 they are average. I play them mostly to wants, interests and hobbies.
If they are 0 or less they are low/rebels. I play those sims a lot more hands off.
I've never played wants based, I'm a writer and natural storyteller. I cheat, I give my sims money, I use maxmotives, I cheat relationships up (or down), I manually change turn ons and turn offs to make some sims more attracted.
I do still use spreadsheets though. However, I've used spreadsheets since before I found the Sims 2 community on RUclips. I use spreadsheets for every game I play though so...
honestly ur so right. breaking free from the hive mind of ts2 players and doing ur own thing is so freeing. no more wants-based! doing ur own thing is so much more fun
Glad you found what works for you! This is the first video I saw from you, but I'm always glad to find another TS2 enjoyer 😊 A lot of people enjoy chill, story-oriented Sims content. On terms of realism, I feel focusing very hard on rules breaks my immersion more than the odd vampire.
All that to say thanks for the video and best of luck with the new direction on the channel!
I'm so happy to hear that more people are breaking free and do what feels right to them again.
I only really adopted rotational play because I enjoy my Sims aging in synch but then I also deviate from the common one season = one rotation. I couldn't give two craps about seasons. It's Monday morning to Thursday morning and Thursday morning to Monday morning. I write it in the family description and that's it. What isn't noted in it, isn't important.
I take my Sims' wishes into consideration but in the end I'm their evil overlord and the only wishes that need to be obeyed are mine and mine alone. Sims gameplay isn't a democracy, it's an absolute monarchy 😂
Personally, I just try to avoid fulfilling sims fears. Sure, it's nice to fulfill wants (and they can provide a nice incentive for some decisions), but going full on them can ruin your plans for that sim, almost never causes stuff like romantic sim ending up married, makes science sims the only ones that will transform into different life states (and causes them to have obsession over one specific skill) etc.
But I have different issue with how I play. I have big tendency to just play optimally, which makes it so sims don't really get low aspiration, they always skilled, they never drop from college etc. And I have a problem with wanting to play all premade families, because they feel fun. I guess I should just maybe play neighbourhood specific ones (like Oldies and Burbs in Pleasantview) and treat the rest as more advanced townies?
Honestly the reason I couldn’t get into the sims 2 in the past because I felt like EVERYONE had these incredibly strict gameplay rules and they felt super daunting and tedious to me. I’m not a spreadsheet gal nor am I going to micromanage my sims. But I decided to give ts2 another go after playing ts3 the entire summer (😅) and now my gameplay style is more like ts3, more freeing and more fun!
But more power to those who like the spreadsheets and wants-based gameplay, lol
This video actually got me thinking about the way I play and why I do what I do/follow what I follow. Might try and just pick aspirations based on vibes and allow for "science babies"/same-sex pregnancy for a bit and see how I like it!!
TY for the thought experiment!!
To be honest, i never played by rules myself. I felt like it was overwhelming. As for the wants, i only chose those who would cause drama 😂 or those whom i find suitable for my sims. As for traits and zodiac sign, everything is randomized in my game. 😅 For me, it's easier to play based on sims' wants in sims 3.
I'm a TS4 player, but this vídeo really opened my eyes! I think it's really cool how some people play The Sims more realistically (in fact, it's the type of gameplays I enjoy watching the most), I admire those who have spreadsheets and in-depth rules. Buuuut that really ain't for me 😂 Trying to copy other's gameplay style is what kills my love for the game sometimes. I love how unserious the franchise is, and tbh it's a huge part of why ai can't get invested in the other life sims that have been lauching recently: They're too realistic, and I'm not part of that crowd. 50% of the time I do what I want, and 50% of the time I do what it makes sense for my Sim's character
Everyone playing simulator games in a different way is what makes it fun imo ❤
I started a new hood and while I do have some rules I am more lenient with them. I still use dice rolls to decide aspirations for sims and I still roll two d6 dice for a 3/12 chance for any woohoo to be a try for baby, (i dont have any woohoo mods so this is my way of adding risk) because these things are still fun to me. I like some randomness since the game already gives you so much control.
I think ive evolved from playing wants based to lifetime wants based. I will do things that arent part of their wants if it involves their lifetime wants.
The world is healing, Sims 2 players now are more into story gameplay based play-style than wants-based play-style
Yasss queen!!! So proud of you! ❤
I personally require rules to add some sort of challenge if I want to play strictly story base I normally reach for the sims 4
Your apartment/home lots look sooooo good. Do you upload them anywhere?
@TheGauld007 nah tbh i'm way too lazy to clean the lots and link my cc and stuff 🫣
Do you customize your townies in SimPE?
@sarahcara44 I'm not sure what you mean by customize in SimPE. I either make my own townies in Body Shop or download townie pools from the internet. In the case of my Pleasantview, I did a little bit of both.
amen get that man pregnant!!!!!!!!!!!!