Burned out? Aging hacks? Advice?

[meetme2theriver]

Meh... I'm struggling to figure out what, exactly, I want to do with my game at the moment. I don't really feel like playing RBH (I'm like 6 months behind on updating it here, anyway), and I've started fiddling around with organizing my downloads again, because I have some sort of Sims OCD... and ADHD

Comments

[verocchio]

I generally pretend that Uni students are on a different aging block. 4 days does equal a year, but this doesn't translate to all sims having longer in the main neighborhood. Like, I have 3 students that just went to college, I played them through college at their appropriate ages (2 were seniors while one was just entering college) and then when I moved the twins back to the neighborhood, I played the family for 3 days and then moved the newly graduated freshman back in. I don't know if that makes any sense? I'm probably rambling...but I hope you get the basic idea of what I mean.

[meetme2theriver]

Yeah, it makes sense, I've been doing that before too... But that messes with the seasons. I can just set them back manually, I suppose, but, yeah. There are plenty of solutions to this problem, I'm just very bad at deciding which one I prefer. :P

[nylissitt]

I have a hack that adds 2 weeks to the adult life stage and takes a week off the elder. Usually I play in a seasonal rotation, and so I do 2 default years of university per rotation. It doesn't perfectly sync but I'm happy with it.

Sometimes I have a problem with micromanaging too... :P I need to stop planning every detail and just enjoy playing around.

[meetme2theriver]

I had one by TwoJeffs for a long time, which randomized the length of the adult life stage based on aspiration, and cut down the length of the elder life stage, but the idea that twins wouldn't age up at the same time just bothered me too much in the end.

Micromanaging is a pain. I'm glad it's not just me. :P

[nylissitt]

That does sound annoying.

I'm very very bad at over-planning everything. Everyone has a life plan, it's decided who they'll marry as soon as they turn teen, etc.

I was thinking of playing a premade hood according to wants and fears, only marrying people if they spin the want or only babies through wants or risky woohoo and so on. Although I lurk on quite a few simmers' livejournals and with most of the 'hoods it feels a little like the town is 'theirs' and I'm just copying them. :P

[meetme2theriver]

I occassionally plan ahead like that too, but usually I'm pretty flexible. Suddenly someone comes along who my sim likes better... But yeah, over-planning, micro-managing, and striving for sim perfection. These are serious problems for me, and I think it's taking away my fun.

I've been toying with the idea of playing according to wants & fears too, but I don't think I can make a very rigid challenge out of it. I also need to figure out how, exactly, I want to use ACR. My sims need to breed a bit less...

Aww, it's sad that you feel that way about the pre-made 'hoods! They belong to everyone, not whoever happens to have a popular story about them at the time, although I can understand how it feels like that at times. :) Personally I just feel flattered if someone borrows any of my ideas. :P

[meetme2theriver]

:O How much do you shorten them? :)

I like shortening the teen stage, it's WAY too long compared to ... everything else. Maybe EAxis figured 'mainly teens will be playing this so need lots of TEEN TIME'. Or something.

[meetme2theriver]

Thanks for the link. Not a bad idea...

[ext_668889]

You might already know of this ageing mod that makes the length of pregnancy make sense by AlmightyHat. It's something you might be interested in, there's also a list of helpful mods that go with the ageing mod as well as updated ACR to work with it.

http://hat-plays-sims.dreamwidth.org/23906.html#cutid1

I hope you find this helpful.

[meetme2theriver]

Thanks for the link - it's nice to know someone has already done this. :) I can't see myself using it, though, because 300+/- days is just way too long of a lifespan, for me.

[nimi4]

I recommend this as well. It has 4 days = 1 year as you mention above, and the ACR modding is very well researched. The only reason I'm not using it is that it's SO LONG; my generations hardly advance with the default aging.
I think I'd, ideally, like to have 1 day = 1 year with life stages and ACR making sense in that framework. The thing is that I am afraid to mess around in the ACR files :)

[meetme2theriver]

Oh, it's a very lovely hack and idea, it's just... I can't possibly even consider playing with the lifespan that long, especially not in an uberhood, unless I accepted the idea that no one would ever get anywhere. Ever. :P

I've already modified ACR once to fit my current aging hack, so I could do it again for a 1 day/1 year mod, if you'd like? That would actually work pretty well... (except for college, and pregnancy, but...)

[katween]

I altered an age hack to add 7 days to adulthood, since I was planning to do some type of community/base hood college; not sure if that's long enough yet. And I think having college being somewhat expensive will help to let some sims go and some who can't.

[meetme2theriver]

I'd like to have some sort of system for deciding who gets to go to college, but then I'd be back at micromanaging again. :P But it is a nice idea.

[ryndom]

Maybe you could base it on aspiration and personality... like Knowledge/Fortune Sims are more likely to go, and lazy Romance/Popularity Sims are less likely to go.

[meetme2theriver]

Yeah... or on whether or not they have the want for it at a certain time (which probably would favour Knowledge and Fortune sims), and/or how much money their family has?