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Theorist
Original Poster
#1 Old 13th May 2020 at 10:28 PM
Default A few years late to the party, trying to simulate rotational gameplay
Hello! I've played TS2 for 5 years and TS3 for a while, but TS4 I didn't want to try until very recently. The first disappointment of mine is that it has very little space for lots, and I used to play many households and to build community lots! But that's beside the point, I guess, it's too late to worry about that.

What I want to ask you girls now is how to simulate the rotational gameplay. I have many households and they shouldn't do anything while unplayed: no aging, no having babies, etc. Full control please! In TS2 that was the default experience, and in TS3 it was possible to simulate it with help of mods.

I downloaded and installed the Command Center so far. On the computer pie menu I've found an option to disable autonomous marriage and flirting and changed the options to move into households to negative. Would that be enough? I wonder if my households would still gain unwanted random skill points that I don't want them to gain. Or would they change jobs.

P.S. Also, since it's one big neighborhood, I'd like for unplayed families to not progress, too. Otherwise it'd be weird that when I'm playing one household they're teens, but while I'm playing another they're already adults, even though for me it's within the same time frame. But if that's impossible it's fine, I would then enter unplayed households manually one by one and make them played
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Scholar
#2 Old 14th May 2020 at 3:13 AM
There is options is the game and mccc to prevent them from aging when your not playing them.

They won't change jobs if you keep them in your played households list (favorite list)

There probably isn't anyway from them leaving their homes and gaining skill points, but your can use mccc to clean up and forget those from time to time.

If your constantly rotating, sims will skip work and school, if you go to play a household during times they suppose to be somewhere.
You can get around that though by first clicking on another lot from the World Map, click Visit button and pick one of the sims(s) you know should be home, take them straight there without going to your own household first, then the remaining inactive sims by default will be doing what they are suppose to be doing, then you can take them back home.
Theorist
Original Poster
#3 Old 14th May 2020 at 5:56 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Citysim
If your constantly rotating, sims will skip work and school, if you go to play a household during times they suppose to be somewhere.
You can get around that though by first clicking on another lot from the World Map, click Visit button and pick one of the sims(s) you know should be home, take them straight there without going to your own household first, then the remaining inactive sims by default will be doing what they are suppose to be doing, then you can take them back home.

Thanks, I didn't know that!
Scholar
#4 Old 14th May 2020 at 10:14 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Babahara
Thanks, I didn't know that!


Yeah it's real pain, it took me over 4 years until I found a way around it.
One Minute Ninja'd
#5 Old 14th May 2020 at 11:08 AM
Under gameplay options there is a simple check box for disallowing played sims to age, as well as a pull-down for disallowing NPC/townies to not age as well.

Do remember that if you switch out of a household while a sim is pregnant, that pregnancy will still continue and the child will be born with a random name.
Theorist
Original Poster
#6 Old 14th May 2020 at 5:02 PM
What about if I decide to age a sim up? I can see that I can do it via the Command Center, but how do I do it if I want to celebrate their birthday? I suppose that if I turn aging on under gameplay options, all other playable sims will age, too...
Mad Poster
#7 Old 14th May 2020 at 5:19 PM
Adding to what Eskie227 said (turning off aging outside of the played household more or less effectively turns off story progression in TS4, except for the pregnancy issue - sims don't get married or leave or do anything much if they aren't aging, it seems, though not sure about skilling), you may want to make sure you save/quit the game at a time when fewest possible sims are at work or school, or they'll have flashing work/school icons, with the possibility of missing a work or school day. Preferably sometime after 6 PM, or whenever everyone is at home, depending somewhat on the work schedule.

The days will keep going in the neighborhood even if the sims in the rest of the neighborhood don't age, so you may want to find a particular set of days that work for rotations. Weekends could be better than weekdays due to no school. If you end on a Sunday at 6 PM in one family, the next family you play will start the same Sunday at 6 PM, and if you end this at Tuesday 4 PM and jump to the first family, they will start at Tuesday at 4 PM and not Sunday 6 PM (like they would've done in TS2). You're basically just jumping into the last played time, whenever it was, regardless of last played household, as the neighborhood time keeps going.
Lab Assistant
#8 Old 26th May 2020 at 10:52 PM
I miss my complex neighbor hood of the sims 2. I got a new computer in Dec, (had to other laptop stopped charging.) and with a ton of effort was able to download most of the sims 2, but its really small screen and crashes on me. I cant have that. I did play the sims 3 but they had the story progression to (correct me if I am wrong.) I have had a few decisions from people, about trying to make this sims 4 work for this, most of all has been said above. After the sims 2 I hoped sims 3 and sim 4 would keep this would come back as a option, but now I don't think they will.
Instructor
#9 Old 29th May 2020 at 12:05 AM
You can't really do rotational gameplay in TS4, even with mods. University was the last straw for me. I'm reinstalling 2.
Lab Assistant
#10 Old 29th May 2020 at 9:57 PM
Quote: Originally posted by drinkmorecocoa
You can't really do rotational gameplay in TS4, even with mods. University was the last straw for me. I'm reinstalling 2.


I have lots of problems trying to play on my new gaming computer. I think the main issue is that the game/computer graphics card is unrecognized. Good luck!
Scholar
#11 Old 30th May 2020 at 7:54 AM
Quote: Originally posted by drinkmorecocoa
You can't really do rotational gameplay in TS4, even with mods. University was the last straw for me. I'm reinstalling 2.


It is difficult with University, now I only allow one sim to enroll at a time.
Scholar
#12 Old 30th May 2020 at 12:38 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Citysim
It is difficult with University, now I only allow one sim to enroll at a time.


I played the first term with a sim, and made him move to the off campus lot
then switched to the second sim, and played his first term, then moved him to the same off campus lot
when my 8th sim finished the first term I switched back to the first sim and started the second term

it was a bit difficult but still really manageable and quite fun.

overall I would say that I play both generational and rotational for a couple of years now (same save), and it's very possible thing to do
but if you wanna have super strict rules and you won't compromise when needed, anything will seem impossible.
Smeg Head
#13 Old 30th May 2020 at 10:48 PM
Quote: Originally posted by bs624
I have lots of problems trying to play on my new gaming computer. I think the main issue is that the game/computer graphics card is unrecognized. Good luck!


I remember having same problems with TS3 back in the day and getting the GPU on that rig recognised by the game. You may need to edit the GraphicsCards.srg file in Bin folder if your modern GPU is missing from the lists.

Have you looked into this already? Let me know if you need help editing .srg and getting it setup correctly to recognise your GPU.

"Become a government informer. Betray your family and friends. Fabulous prizes to be won!" Red Dwarf - Back to Reality.

Find all my TS4 mods and lots here: Main Website - simsasylum.com My Section - coolspear's Mods & Lots
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