Reacting to Memories: The Happy, the Sad and the Tragic.

[Cassie]

Hi all!

Well, a discussion was taking place in the 'Hospital' thread, and to save it from going any more off-topic than it already has, I have decided to go ahead and make a little thread for it.

So basically, Sims have memories in TS2. But what are they useful for? Absolutely nothing. Yes, they are there, but they don't do anything. They're pretty much pointless.

So what we were saying is, how would it be for Sims to actual feel emotions when remembering things? Places and people can create these emotions. For example, if your Sim meets the love of their life in the diner, and they get married etc etc, whenever they go into that certain diner (or wherever they met their significant other) they would get a happy moodlet or perhaps sigh or smile as they pass it, making them aware that this is where they met.

I also would like to quote Nicole's (dejadejavu) excellent elaboration to this:

Sims should definitely remember where things took place, not just what happened. If sims got married at a certain spot, it could especially romantic for them to go back, but maybe a romantic sim just wandering past that spot could get a happy moodlet. Especially if he/she also has the dreamer trait. This should also work for other scenarios, say teens have a favorite house to party at. Whenever they go over there, they automatically get a little bit of a boost because they've had a history of having a good time.

This should happen in a negative way as well, if a sim had a tragic moment somewhere, they might not feel the happiest in that spot. This is definitely true with real people. I had some awful experiences at this place where I worked, and whenever I'm in the area (especially if I walk by), I start to feel really angry/sad etc. Maybe a teen sim got dumped for the first time somwhere, or a tough sim lost a fight. They should avoid/be uncomfortable at that place. This shouldn't last for too long though, maybe a few days. More if they got left at the altar or something.

End Quote.

Also, what if, for example, Melanie Sim had just broke up with her husband/boyfriend after a long time, with many happy memories? And she strolls passed the hospital - she had broken her leg, and Michael Sim had been the doctor to fix her up, and they'd fallen in love. What if, after the spilt, she gets upset when she passes the hospital? Wouldn't that really work with over-emotional Sims? She could start crying, and recieve an unhappy moodlet thereafter.

Reactions to memories should take place for all kinds of things - good and bad. Maybe they could get upset when they pass by where they used to work but got fired? Or upset when they pass the spot where a good friend or member of the family passed away? Even if it's a certain room. If Grandma Sim died warm in her bed in her bedroom, what if the Grandma's daughter, who had a strong bond with her mother, immediately felt unhappy and uncomfortable being in that room? There are tons of possibilities for this...

But not just places - what about Sims too? It would be amazing if Sims could recognise when a Sim and another Sim look like each other (with no family ties). What if they had a bad relationship with the Sim the other Sim resembles? What if they looked like their Ex?
That could be asking a lot, but still, Stubborn Sims who don't forget and forgive things easily should always react to a Sim who did something mean to them in the past, such as spreading a rumour, when they see them in the park or at the shops etc.

Please, elaborate if you can! And I'd like to know what you all think of this.

A lot of credit goes to Nicole for helping me expand this idea.

- Cassie x

[dejadejavu]

That was a hefty post! Karma for you. I love these ideas, why aren't we game designers???

But yea, memories don't have any meaning whatsoever in the current game. In fact they generally frustrate me because I like going through my sims memories and having them look colorful and eventful. I get really frustrated if they're a bunch of "Met New Sim" memories. That's just one of my neurotic tendencies.

I think that they might actually do this in TS3. I read one article where they said that if a sim pees themself at a party he/she will avoid the attention of other sims and remain embarrassed and antisocial for probably the rest of the party.

I hope they take this farther, and say a sim has peed himself in the past, at future parties he might be overly obsessed with going to the bathroom.

I really like your idea of recognizing the looks of different Sims. I know plenty of people in real life who've been more attracted to a person because they looked like someone they loved before, or the vice versa.

On a slightly different note, I hope sims can recognize pretty and ugly. I'm tired of my gorgeous sims liking hideous sims who dress awfully too. Oh yea, sims better have senses of style.

Anyway thanks Cassie for wonderful ideas. Let's submit them to EA and watch them run to us with job offers

[Cassie]

Thank you! Once I'd posted I was a little overwhelmed - it was much longer than it felt while posting.

The party situation is interesting! Paranoid Sims could never want to go to a party again in the fear that people will remember their little accident. And I adore your idea of them having (or thinking they have) a more active bladder at parties from then on.

And I feel the exact same way about recognising looks, I've thought this before - in TS2, when a fat, big-nosed fashion victim walks passed one of my pretty, slim gorgeous Sims and my Sim actually whistle's or sighs as they go passed. : I mean, come on. That would never happen in the real world. At least, not in a sane one.
I know beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but still - I think Sims should 'date' Sims who are on their level of attractiveness, and be 'attracted' to beautiful Sims, of course.

I wish we could submit all of our ideas... why aren't us on this forum in charge of this game?! It makes me think of us being 'VIP's' and having our say, but I'm not even going to begin with that...

[dejadejavu]

So far, this is the meatiest thread ever.

Wow that is an amazing description! "Fat, big-nosed, fashion victim." Love it. It is really annoying when sims like the creepiest people.

I hope sims can recognize everything. What if someone sitting next to them was reading their favorite book, they could recognize that and strike up a conversation.

Another thing that I'm debating if I want or not, is for sims to not just be able to randomly talk to someone. In real life, if you just tried to tell someone a joke, or went up and started to chat, they'd be pretty miffed. There has to be some sort of "in." Whether its watching something ridiculous together, having something in common, etc. Maybe if you're waiting in line together, and its taking forever, you could click "Talk about..." in the pie menu and then "Long Line." There could be all sorts of scenarios like that. Maybe two single parents kids end up playing in the park, you could talk about your kids playing together.

Also I hope that if there is some sort of turn on/turn off system, sims won't be so retarded about the choices. Like we should be able to classify what traits we think are bad/good. Townies will not have any bad traits for their turn ons. However if we create a sim we can do whatever we want.

[CountryGal4132]

I love this idea, once again it elaborates the sim's personality and makes them more personal.  I love this idea.  Hoorah for u!

[Cassie]

(27-04-2008 09:51 PM)dejadejavu link Wrote:So far, this is the meatiest thread ever.

Wow that is an amazing description! "Fat, big-nosed, fashion victim." Love it. It is really annoying when sims like the creepiest people.

I hope sims can recognize everything. What if someone sitting next to them was reading their favorite book, they could recognize that and strike up a conversation.

Another thing that I'm debating if I want or not, is for sims to not just be able to randomly talk to someone. In real life, if you just tried to tell someone a joke, or went up and started to chat, they'd be pretty miffed. There has to be some sort of "in." Whether its watching something ridiculous together, having something in common, etc. Maybe if you're waiting in line together, and its taking forever, you could click "Talk about..." in the pie menu and then "Long Line." There could be all sorts of scenarios like that. Maybe two single parents kids end up playing in the park, you could talk about your kids playing together.

Also I hope that if there is some sort of turn on/turn off system, sims won't be so retarded about the choices. Like we should be able to classify what traits we think are bad/good. Townies will not have any bad traits for their turn ons. However if we create a sim we can do whatever we want.

Expanding on the book idea... what if they remember who bought them the book? Or for what reason (maybe it was a birthday present)? And then they can start thinking of that Sim, or the occasion they recieved it.

And your idea of the two single parents sitting together in the park with their kids, talking about their children playing together, makes me think of another way to create a new romance.

Sorry for the short reply, it's late and I need to get to bed. I shall elaborate tomorrow.

(27-04-2008 10:21 PM)CountryGal4132 link Wrote:I love this idea, once again it elaborates the sim's personality and makes them more personal.  I love this idea.  Hoorah for u!

Thank you! Muchly appreciated.

[gothika]

really good idea Cassie. Karma for you as well.
Yes i think the memories in TS2 game is very pointless. After a death of a sim they'll just cry or something.
And that will be the end of that. Which doesn't bring much realistic characteristics to the table. :-\
Nicole has a really great mind (:
lol. ;D

[CountryGal4132]

and when sims visit the graves of sims that they loved or were parts of thier families they could get sad or cry a little as they lay flowers at the grave.

[sims3luva22]

I love these ideas except I think that past memories that get resolved in the future should disappear or possibly have a different moodlet or replace it altogether.

For example: Tom Sim was left at the alter, he then is afraid of marriage and or has a bad moodlet everytime he attends a wedding.

Tom meets Cara while at his sisters wedding. In the future Tom marrys Cara whom he thought would never happen and now replaces his old memory, with a good one. Now he runs into his ex who leaves him, but he now doesn't hate her as much. (not good to hold grudges lol)

My reasoning is that I love, love the idea of memories but I don't want my sim to be swamped with them everytime they come in contact with someone because our sims will be forever in odd moods lol.

I think a EAxis made "movie" would be cool too again if a memory happens but it would play out major things. Like, if a sims grandma dies, when that sim thinks of her, a movie shows up all the good memories that sim had of their time together. Of course this wouldn't happen all the time.

And if they saw the ghost of their dead grandparent, wouldn't that scare them instead of make them sad or happy lol

[CountryGal4132]

that's a good point.  I certainly wouldn't want a phobic sim running around because of multiple bad experiences that could be resolved but won't because the game won't let them.