I don’t think there’s a single one of us that hasn’t played The Sims 4 and rushed through every moment. Find a soulmate worthy spouse in a single day? Check. Cheat needs to max skills faster for that big promotion? Check. Unfortunately, by speeding through your sims life and trying to have them be the perfect sim, your game tends to get… well, boring… really fast! In just five simple steps though, you can learn how to take your Sims 4 relationship slow and keep your game exciting.
Don’t get me wrong, even on my last legacy family I had half of the family line that I referred to as “The Perfects”. They were always reaching for the stars, trying to succeed at multiple aspirations, have the perfect family, etc. However, I still had them work for it and I learned that made all of the difference in the world!
Today, I’m here to give you tips about how to take your Sims 4 relationship slow and get the most out of your gameplay. While in most games, slow can mean boring, the truth is that in the case of The Sims 4, the slower you go, the more of a wild ride your sims are going to go on. Trust me.
*Keep in mind, all of this advice is based on the long lifespan setting!
Rule 1: Stop Looking For Your Sim’s Soulmate When Finding Love in The Sims 4
I know we all want our sims to find happiness… and we’ve all been guilty of making our sim’s perfect soulmate, moving them in next door, and forcing a meet. (If you haven’t, props to you). The most entertaining thing you can do though is let your sim search for love and date just like you would in the real world! They’ll meet some real losers along the way… but that is part of the fun!
Make it a point to send your sim out to a local commercial lot nightly, no matter how tired they are after work. Don’t cheat their needs and keep them mingling until they need to go home and sleep. But don’t worry! If they fall asleep on the floor of the club they’re at, at least you know they had a great night, right?
Rule 2: Don’t Force a Connection When Looking for a Sims 4 Relationship
When you take relationships slow in the sims, you’ll actually find some sims gravitate towards each other more than others. If your sim is flirting with sims and being rejected, chances are those sims are just not into your sim. Look at my sim Jarrett. He tried and tried, with the same approach for every sim he pursued. Everyone rejected him, until he met Tomi Markovic. She was instantly enamored by his goofy awkward charm and I didn’t even have to try. It just happened.
Rule 3: Choose Your Flirting Style When Dating in The Sims 4
Based off of your sims traits, choose the flirting style that makes the most sense for them. I chose to make Hannah naive based on her good and cheerful traits. Therefore, I refused to have her ask a sim if they were single. If the sim flirted with her, she just assumed they were single and into her. It got her into plenty of unforgettable drama along the way (and is the entire reason this story, and website exist!).
Look at the different conversation topics and think about what feels right for your sim, based on their personality. Travis was never forward with Hannah in my story. As her friend, he would occasionally hold her hands or compliment her appearance, but he wouldn’t dare outright flirt with her when they were “just friends”. I always had to keep them on a fine balance of friends with an attraction for them to eventually grow into.
Rule 4: Be Natural When Flirting in The Sims 4
I think this is one of, if not the most important rule to remember. I know I’ve certainly been in the habit before of hitting “compliment appearance” 10 times in a row because it’s the most accepted flirting interaction there is. But I’m telling you now, RESIST that urge. Look at the flirting, funny, and friendly interactions (or mean and mischief if that’s your thing) and proceed as though it was a normal conversation.
Maybe your sim is confident and romantic, so they’ll start with a pick up line and then a dirty joke. Maybe your sim is awkward and will start with a very weird joke about aliens that’s not remotely flirty. Maybe your sim is looking to be friends first and will start with small talk about the weather, a get to know, and compliment their appearance. If it seems like the way a normal conversation would proceed, you’re taking it slow and doing it right!
Rule 5: Leave the Mystery Alive in Your Sims 4 Relationship
As I already stated, by avoiding asking if the sim is single, you can keep the game full of surprises for your sim. But beyond avoiding that particular question (depending on your sims personality), avoid using “get to know” or “deep conversation” multiple times. Throw in a get to know and find out one of their traits. The trick though is to save learning those other traits and some interests for your sim’s future dates and conversations with them!
Think about it: if you find out the sim is athletic on the first meet, your sim might be thrilled and you’ll plan for their first date. On the first date, they get to know each other a little more and your sim finds out they’re a bookworm too and love the same colors. Then, one week into dating, your sim gets into a deep conversation and finds out— whoops.
This sim is evil. Shoot. You’re in too deep now, you’re in love. Suddenly you’ve got a messy story with your sim being in love with an evil criminal mastermind, pregnant with their baby, and trying to figure out how to get out before it’s too late. (That may have been how my first legacy family began…)
The main point is, rushing will tear you away from the most interesting stories the game has to offer! Take your gameplay slow and not only will the best stories be able to grow, you’ll find yourself feeling much more invested in your sim’s life!
I hope you found these tips helpful for your gameplay! If you have any questions or just enjoyed this post and want to say so, please drop a comment below!
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