Do you tend to gravitate towards the same personality traits in The Sims 4? Or have you ever tried going outside the box and picking some new traits only to find they are completely boring? In my experience, a trait is only as boring as you play it to be. With these tips, hopefully you’ll be able to bring more life to your sims and the game!
1. Conflict is Key
While the game won’t let you have “conflicting” traits, such as Active and Lazy (understandably), there are still plenty of traits that mixed together, can still create quite a bit of conflict and an interesting personality.
- Example 1: if you’ve created an ambitious or overachieving sim, but they’re also family-oriented, their dreams for career success may get in the way of their family planning…or visa versa. Suddenly you have a sim striving to be a millionaire but facing the mounting pressure of wanting to find true love at the same time. They want it all…but will they get it? (like Cindy Sour from my Cindy Sour Short Stories series)
- Example 2: Your sim is Cheerful and a Perfectionist. Suddenly, you have a sim judging everyone around them with a smile on their face (like Leila Harris from The Legacy of Hannah McCoy!).
- Example 3: Your sim is Self-Absorbed but also Family-Oriented. Imagine what will happen when your sim tries raising a child with that combination. Suddenly, the little one is left to fend for themselves, or constantly trying to get their parents attention. Either way, the family dynamic will have to be interesting.
When you pick out your sims traits, try to give them some depth. Avoid the obvious combinations like “creative, art lover/music lover, perfectionist”. Instead of art lover per-say, throw something else in there that will make them more complex.
2. Personality is What You Make Of It
When I create a sim, I tend to look at their traits and try to take it beyond what’s written.
For example, my sims that are good, tend to also be naive and therefore gravitate towards bad relationships or friendships, without realizing it. If you don’t go the naive route, a good sim may also be constantly trying to better the sim universe. Maybe they’re an environmentalist and want to save Evergreen Harbor, or maybe they have a hero complex and want to “fix” the evil sims of the world (even if they can’t). If you have the Vampires game pack, this may be the perfect recipe to create a sim trying to save and cure all of the vampires for the greater good!
Another great example I have is the Self Assured trait. In my experience, this trait can be quite…the opposite. While a sim should exhibit unwavering confidence, I have found that my self assured sims are far more sensitive to how they’re perceived. Instead of truly being confident, they just want to portray themselves that way. In my story, Casey is a self-assured sim, but his overwhelming need to be on top constantly makes him compare himself to others and fear that he’s not enough.
3. Avoid Throw-Away Traits
Certain traits don’t mean much, unless you combine them, or use them correctly. For example, don’t make your sim “lactose intolerant” or “vegetarian” unless you truly plan to make it a part of your gameplay. That trait slot could go to much better use!
If, however, your sim is lactose intolerant and is a total foodie, your story could include your sim constantly dining out or learning to cook, but having to constantly work around their restrictions. I once had a large family where one member was lactose intolerant and instead of ignoring it, I had my sims constantly trying to work their meals around him. It added more interest to my gameplay. If your sim is vegetarian, maybe they also grow their own garden and they’re a green fiend trying to better the environment around them. Or, whenever they dine out with their friends, they have to go to a vegetarian restaurant.
The ultimate point is, give your sims traits layers. Surface level traits won’t bring anything to the story unless you use your imagination!
4. Make a Sim You Can Relate To
I’ve opened numerous games with the idea that I would branch out and create a sim totally different than my normal sim: he’d have black hair, be a klepto, bro, and a dance machine. I’d play him for all but 20 minutes and I realize: I’m just not that into you.
Truth be told, there’s a reason my original sims always start as females with blonde hair. As a blonde haired female myself, I find myself instantly drawn and connected to the sim, even before I give them a personality. There’s something relatable about it. From there, I use some traits that I personally find relatable too. Whether they’re family oriented, creative, romantic, etc, I tend to choose at least one or two traits for my starter sim that I can instantly understand. After all, it’s easier to bring a sim to life when you can connect to who they are.
With that said, throughout my legacies, I end up with a slew of different looking sims and different traits to boot. However, by starting with what you know it’s much easier to evolve your story from there. Following my sim’s hot headed middle child in my first legacy family was far easier to connect with when I raised him from the beginning. I had seen my sim prioritize certain sims and that one child got thrown to the side. At that point, I could connect with their backstory, even if it wasn’t one I would’ve originally understood.
Creating a villain is also easier when they’re a side character. I loved playing Summer intermittently in my story to cause trouble, but I would’ve struggled if she was my main character because she lacked depth. With that said, I have far more interest in an anti-hero like Travitha: conflicted with a horrible childhood that shaped her into thinking she was an evil villain. Her evil trait was no longer purely black and white. It was grey, and fascinating.
I hope you have found these tips helpful for making your next sim or starting your next legacy!
For some inspiration, check out my series The Legacy of Hannah McCoy and Cindy Sour Short Stories. Be sure to follow my stories on Facebook too!
