I am not saying that anyone reading this article is definitely playing The Sims wrong as there is no wrong way to play a game. However, I do believe that there are ways to improve one’s gameplay. Becoming aware of cheats, mods, alternate universes, in-game Easter Eggs, and unique ways of interacting with one’s Sims and the virtual world around them can greatly enhance gameplay.
I will admit that, sometimes, I fall into a bit of the rut with The Sims. I realize that I have essentially been making carbon copies of the same Sims, giving them the same personalities and plot structure, and carrying out the same activities until I get bored, delete them, and start the process over again. I know it’s a problem but I don’t know how to fix it. But every now and then, I will browse an internet forum or find a mod that allows me to do something I had no idea was even possible and find my passion for the Sims renewed.
It’s as if I am seeing the game anew and I just wanted to share that wonderful feeling with the Simmers of the world, so that maybe it might rekindle the flame of passion for someone else out there who may be feeling a little burnt out on the series. So, without further ado, here are twenty-five ways to drastically improve one’s Simming experience.
25 The Strange Things Of Sylvan Glade
Sylvan Glade is one of the few hidden worlds which can be found by traveling through the fantastical tree in the Willow Springs neighborhood in the fourth installment in the Sims series.
Unlike other hidden areas, all Sims regardless of skill level can enter this world.
It’s a cotton candy-colored world filled with faeries flying about where Sims can take part in typical outdoor activities. However, there is a small twist. If you spend enough time in the world, you might notice a sinister pair of red eyes staring at back at you from the bushes.
24 Life-Saving Flowers
One of the core facts of life is that it will end and that there is nothing that any of us can do about it. Unless you are a Sim with a knack for gardening. If your Sim has a high gardening skill, they can unlock grafting which can result in the “Death Flower” when the proper flowers are combined.
Once you’ve successfully made a Pomegranate fruit and an orchid flower, you can combine those two elements and create illusive “Death Flower” which can be presented to the Grim Reaper by a living Sim as a sort of “get out of limbo free” card in order to save a recently parted loved one.
23 Don't Upset The Wishing Well
Everyone who's anyone will tell you that wishes are not something that one should take for granted as they rarely turn out the way we intended. I mean, just watch any Disney Channel original movie whose plot includes a wish and you’ll see what I’m talking about. The same is true for the fourth installment of the Sims series. If you have Romantic Garden Stuff installed, your Sims will be able to make a wish in the wishing well. But be warned. The wishing well is a living entity who sees fit to reward or punish any Sim that tosses a coin into its watery depths as it pleases.
22 Become A Mad Scientist
The Sims 4: Get to Work expansion pack brought three new careers to the severely lacking Sims 4 job market. And the clear best career of the three was the scientist career. It is easy to excel and advance in, the daily tasks are incredibly entertaining, and high-level Scientists have the ability to create a near-direct connection with the alien world. Also, players now have the option of creating mad scientists! That’s right, if you advance far enough into the Scientist career you have the amazing opportunity to create a mad scientist who can invent devices to unleash chaos and mayhem into the lives of Sims.
21 Become Mr. Or Mrs. Bigfoot
Not all of the cool hidden features in the Sims series happened in the fourth installment. In fact, Sims 2 has some of the coolest hidden features that, for some reason, weren’t included in later versions.
For example, even though you can go camping in The Sims 4, you cannot find, marry, or invite Bigfoot to move in with you.
Um, what? In The Sims 2: Bon Voyage you could travel to the wooded world that is Three Lakes and camp out under the stars. If you stayed in the woods long enough, you might stumble across Bigfoot. And, if you built up a bit of a rapport you could eventually invite him to live with you.
20 All Hail The Grilled Cheese
Fear not Simmers and cheese lovers of the world. For, if you wish to dedicate your life to the majesty that is the Grilled Cheese sandwich, you can do so with ease in both the second and fourth installment in the Sims series. This aspiration will make it so that all of their wants, fears, and needs involve the almighty grilled cheese. In the second Sims game, one can obtain the Grilled Cheese Aspiration in the FreeTime (where it can be found as a Secondary Aspiration) and Nightlife expansions by cheats or by using the ReNuYuSenso orb. In the fourth Sims game, a Sim only needs to ingest three sandwiches in order to unlock the aspiration.
19 Bring Your Own Music To The Game
Not into having to listen to Simlish remixes of your favourite songs? Why not just upload your own music into the Sims and jam out to some tunes that both you and your Sims can enjoy? Here is how you do it. First, disable all of the songs already in game so they don’t mix in with your own music. Next, select all of the songs you want to rock out to in game. Note: the songs must all be in the mp3 format and cannot be over 320Kbps. Finally, you have to take those files and paste them into the custom music folder through the pathway of C:\Users\you\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4\Custom Music on your computer.
18 Visit The Planet Sixam
Being a mad scientist isn’t the only awesome new feature that comes with the Scientist career path in the fourth Sims game. If your Sim has reached the tenth level of the Scientist career, they can build and upgrade the Wormhole Generator and travel to the alien planet of Sixam.
Note: this world can also be achieved through the Rocket Science skill for those outside the Scientist career.
The world is a glowing planet covered in rare plants, gemstones, and metals that your Sim can harvest and explore. I have to say, I have played the career several times and have owned the game since release and I had no idea that this world even existed.
17 Become A Human Juicebox
No matter which version of The Sims you are playing (2, 3, or 4) being a vampire can be difficult. Without cheats, it can be very difficult to maintain a satisfied Sim as the thirst bar drains so quickly. Plasma packs and plasma fruit do not always refill the bar to its entirety and draining an actual Sim can affect your Sim's mood or reputation. A quick fix to this is providing your Sim with a live-in juice box in the form of either a roommate or a romantic partner. They will have near 24/7 access to yummy plasma and, if their relationship is high enough, the partner will happily oblige.
16 Doctrine And Punishment
Look, I know that playing The Sims makes people feel like some sort of deity ruling over a world of unsuspecting and knowing beings who were both brought into this world and can be eliminated by whoever is running the game. So what I’m suggesting is taking that feeling to the next level. Create a doctrine for the Sims in the world. Create strict rules that they have to follow (i.e. no meals on Sundays, no television, no internet. etc.) and punish those who disobey. Punishments can vary from removing a privilege from the offending Sim (i.e. no food or bathroom trips for 24 hours) to trapping them in a small windowless room.
15 The Power Of Voodoo
Even though the fourth installment in the Sims series has been criticized for being severely lacking and underwhelming when compared to previous games in the series, it does contain some amazing features that are new to the franchise.
One of those being the ability to purchase and use a Voodoo doll if a Sim has a high mischief skill.
This Voodoo doll can be tied to any Sims that your Sim has a relationship with and can be used to punish, reward, or even bring the Sim back to life should they pass away.
14 Use Their Traits Against Them
One of the greatest ways you can mess with a Sim is by forcing them into an environment that aggravates the traits which you, yourself, bestowed upon them. You don’t always need to resort to grand gestures in order to reek havoc on their lives. Sometimes chaos can come in subtle ways. For example, you can create a Sim who is a total neat freak and place them in a house that is absolutely filled with dirty dishes, filthy appliances, and other things that will drive them up the wall but place a fence around them so they will be unable to clean anything.
13 Burn The Clown
The Tragic Clown has been somewhat of a cult figure in the series that has existed since the very first game. According to the Sims Wiki, the tragic clown appears in the home of anyone who falls depressed while on a lot which contains the portrait of the clown. However, his attempts often fail and result in Sims being far more upset than they were before his arrival. Thanks to the handy dandy ‘testing cheat’ one can summon the clown whenever they want and can even add them to their families. Which I highly suggest doing.
12 Sixty Foot Flower Pot
Ah, ‘testing cheats,’ you are the true hero of the Sims series. There are a lot of items that can be found in buy mode that would be perfect… if they were a tad bigger or smaller. Well, worry no more because you can change the size of any object in the game. Simply enter ‘testingcheats on’ into your cheat bar, then on the object, and then hold shift while hitting either the “[“ key or the “]” key to increase or decrease the size of the object. You can use this to create the perfect area rug for your home or a sixty-foot teddy bear.
11 Don't Resist The Mods
Look, we can all agree that when compared to the previous installments in the series, The Sims 4 is severely lacking. Though the game has come a long way since release, there are still some key features missing from the game that make it feel incomplete. So, the best way to complete this game is by embracing the free mods created by the online community. New careers, traits, and interactions can be safely downloaded from the internet and applied to your game as well as features that are entirely unique to the modding community such as new textures for the game.
10 Summon The Bunny
Most Sims resolve a low social bar by chatting to someone online, calling up a friend, or calling a sadness hotline. However, if a Sim from the second installment in the series is unfortunate enough to have a bright red social bar, a special character may appear to help them recover. The Social Bunny (who comes in blue, pink, or yellow) will materialize on the lot and interact with your lonely Sim until they are happy again. But using the ‘boolProp’ cheat can allow you to summon this bunny whenever you want as well as adding them to your family.
9 The Book Of Life
Like the “Death Flower,” there are many ways for Sims to save their friends and loved ones from the Grim Reaper. In The Sims 2, Sims with a strong relationship with the soon-to-be-deceased can plead for their lives.
In the Sims 3, cheating the Grim Reaper can be done in a number of ways.
Pleading, a game of chance, and wielding the “Death Flower” can prevent the reaper from taking your Sim. In The Sims 4, a Sim's life can be spared by all of the usual methods in addition to writers being able to pen the deceased Sim's biography and forcing the ghost to read it.
8 Vampiric Intimacy
Sims are exceptionally modest creatures. Unless two Sims are in a relationship with one another, they will absolutely flip out if anyone sees them doing anything that could be considered private. So the idea of a public woohoo is usually out of the question. But vampires have no such need for privacy. In fact, when in bat form, Vampire Sims can woohoo wherever they please; regardless of who’s watching. You have not lived unless your vampire Sims have gotten intimate in a bowling alley.
7 Play With Dysfunction
If you have the Parenthood pack for the fourth Sims game, one of the best ways to play with your game is to play with dysfunction. Now teens, children, and even toddlers can rebel, make messes, and throw fits. Make a family, fill the lot with children, make all of the children despise each other, and then simply wait for chaos to ensue. A lot of players either never mess with their Sims as they see them as their children or they take the punishment to extremes and miss out on the fun of subtly ruining their lives.
6 Customize Your Pregnancy
Did you know that there are ways to attempt to get exactly what you want out of every pregnancy? In Sims 2, a Sim who eats a copious amount of cheesecake could increase your chances of having multiple births. In Sims 3, eating apples can increase the likelihood of having a boy whilst watermelon can increase your chances of having a girl. In Sims 4, strawberries can increase your chance of having a girl as well as listening to pop music. Whereas carrots and alternative music can result in having a boy. Also, having your Sim live on a lot with the “on the key line” trait will drastically increase the likelihood of twins.