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Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#1 Old 27th Sep 2017 at 4:15 AM Last edited by Greenplumbbob : 30th Sep 2017 at 5:13 PM. Reason: re-categorizing
Default How do you age your sims?
I'm looking for guidance, advice, anything to help me resolve this issue I can never seem satisfied with!
So....I want Sims I don't play normally to age, but I tend to play households that are having relationships with my sims, so then if I have the option for played sims not to age they stop aging, but what if there is a heartbreaking, earth shattering break-up? And I never wanna see that sim again I would like for them to continue to age....but they won't not without all my other played households aging as well....it's like a catch 22, if I want them to break up and get back together I don't want that said target sim to DIE before I can reunite them! I just don't know how to handle this and it's seriously frustrating. I know about the whole cake thing and being able to age whoever you want up but that's time consuming trying to remember who should be at what age.

So what do you do?? What works for you?? I don't really play rotational I just tend to mingle my Sims with the neighbors. Any suggestions on how to keep up with the aging will be much appreciated!
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Mad Poster
#2 Old 27th Sep 2017 at 7:55 AM
I understand this problem. I often want certain Sims to age and the rest to stay on hold until I'm ready for a transition to a next life-state. I haven't figured out the answer. Mostly, I play with aging off and occasionally turn it on for the town for limited periods of time. When I'm with a certain family, I may allow them to age when I've reached whatever goals I cared about.

There is a mod that someone made recently that allows a Sim to have the "immortality" trait. It's in the downloads section. I was thinking it might be helpful to give it to Sims that I didn't want to age, while allowing the rest of the town to age, but I'm not convinced this is the solution I want either. I've thought about just turning on the game and letting it run with certain households as well (without my actively playing it). You can do this with the randomly generated townies as well, so long as you move them into a place first.

Addicted to The Sims since 2000.
Scholar
#3 Old 27th Sep 2017 at 9:02 AM
I don't age them. That's why I have too many, heh. I basically freeze aging in MCC.
Scholar
#4 Old 27th Sep 2017 at 10:52 AM
You can easily just uncheck Aging off on Played Sims, but keep aging on Unplayed sims, I'm unsure what you mean catch 22.




But anyway I keep aging on everyone, I like generations to move along, it helps Maxis cope with its 300 sim-limit, keeps my game running in top performance, and i like my kids to be completely independent someday, and If I want grandma to live longer, it isn't hard to save up 1500 reward points for a youth potion, but if all looks lost there's the Wishing Well, it might backfire and turn you in the a playable ghost but there is a cure, and at least it pauses your aging while you seek one.
Test Subject
#5 Old 27th Sep 2017 at 3:34 PM
I have all the auto-aging off because I was finding that if I spent too much time in one house, I'd find out that another had had a baby that was now a child and I'd completely missed the toddler stage. I do have autonomy on high for things like getting married and pregnant though, since I like that to move along without me. Then I just play based on the notifications that pop up (like, so-and-so has had a baby) Thank you MC Command Center!
Theorist
#6 Old 27th Sep 2017 at 7:53 PM
Quote: Originally posted by LEONGenesis
I have all the auto-aging off because I was finding that if I spent too much time in one house, I'd find out that another had had a baby that was now a child and I'd completely missed the toddler stage. I do have autonomy on high for things like getting married and pregnant though, since I like that to move along without me. Then I just play based on the notifications that pop up (like, so-and-so has had a baby) Thank you MC Command Center!

VERY important to not miss that toddler stage! Best age. The only thing Sims 4 did right!
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#7 Old 28th Sep 2017 at 6:26 AM
Well I've started a new game, and I've decided to try it with all the aging on but the lifespans be set on long, if this doesn't work for me I'll probably just turn off aging for played Sims and focus on aging Sims that are close with my family. It just gets overwhelming at times, trying to remember whose older, whose kids should be around the same age, and when I feel it's appropriate and time to age them.
Scholar
#8 Old 28th Sep 2017 at 8:23 AM
I had quite a few grandchildren all born about the same age, in two different families. It was crazy overwhelming but because I had "birth photos" of them that were time-stamped, I could tell who was oldest-youngest, and who would need to be aged up first. Now that 99% of all the grandchildren are aged up, they're all paused on young adult. I don't know where I'll go from here but I guess I'll have to turn on aging for one of them and then all of them, eventually. God don't do what I did and let your sims breed like rabbits! O_o
Instructor
#9 Old 28th Sep 2017 at 10:34 AM
I never age them.
Test Subject
#10 Old 28th Sep 2017 at 3:47 PM
Quote: Originally posted by ShigemiNotoge
VERY important to not miss that toddler stage! Best age. The only thing Sims 4 did right!


Right!? I LOVE the TS4 toddlers, probably the only element of this game that I truly think is done better than in previous iterations (with a few microscopic exceptions). Parenthood + City Living and massive load of cc are what brought me back to TS4 after I'd all but given it up!
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#11 Old 28th Sep 2017 at 7:14 PM
Quote: Originally posted by spidergirl79
I had quite a few grandchildren all born about the same age, in two different families. It was crazy overwhelming but because I had "birth photos" of them that were time-stamped, I could tell who was oldest-youngest, and who would need to be aged up first. Now that 99% of all the grandchildren are aged up, they're all paused on young adult. I don't know where I'll go from here but I guess I'll have to turn on aging for one of them and then all of them, eventually. God don't do what I did and let your sims breed like rabbits! O_o




Yea...I learned this lesson the hard way as well on the Sims 2, all those kids, all their kids, alllllllll those rotation's I just wanted to yank my hair out! I love that they tried to make it a little easier by at least having aging options in the Sims 4....but I just wish there was more options...like a specific button to push on each households info panel that specifies if you want this family to age or no....that would be awesome. :D
Mad Poster
#12 Old 28th Sep 2017 at 9:02 PM
I always play with auto aging off. Then, when I feel like a sim has gotten the most out of the age they're currently at, I age them up to the next stage. My problem is that I have a hard time aging any sims past adult. So it's very rare for my sims to die of old age, there are very few elders in my game, and I've even run into situations where some of my sims know their great-great grandparents...who still aren't elders :P

The Receptacle still lives!
Scholar
#13 Old 28th Sep 2017 at 11:15 PM
Quote: Originally posted by lil bag2
I always play with auto aging off. Then, when I feel like a sim has gotten the most out of the age they're currently at, I age them up to the next stage. My problem is that I have a hard time aging any sims past adult. So it's very rare for my sims to die of old age, there are very few elders in my game, and I've even run into situations where some of my sims know their great-great grandparents...who still aren't elders :P


Same, same. I'm too soft. I've only had a few elders die, elders who were created AS elders, to be parents of already existing adults in game, to add to the story, they died and it was like ... oh
Theorist
#14 Old 29th Sep 2017 at 3:22 AM
Quote: Originally posted by spidergirl79
Same, same. I'm too soft. I've only had a few elders die, elders who were created AS elders, to be parents of already existing adults in game, to add to the story, they died and it was like ... oh

my problem is while I play with ageing on my sims still never make it to elder because I get bored of the children once they're young adults and go start a new family to have kids :\
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#15 Old 30th Sep 2017 at 5:27 AM
I try to keep everyone in line and on track aging wise, I guess I have OCD tendencies :-O I do keep aging off a lot I like to control EVERYTHING and that includes when they age. I've had many Sims I created die of old age it hurts my heart sometimes but hey that's the cycle of life. :-D
Lab Assistant
#16 Old 30th Sep 2017 at 8:35 AM
If you have MCC (https://deaderpoolmc.tumblr.com/) you can flag those sims to age so all the other played sims can remain being frozen in time. I have some favorites in the neighborhood that I give this special treatment of being flagged with Aging off.
Virtual gardener
staff: administrator
#17 Old 30th Sep 2017 at 5:12 PM
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