

If they don’t have an aspiration that corresponds to a certain career, I look at their traits. If Sims don’t roll the whim for a specific career, I use their aspirations as a guide.

I also use The Personality Mod, which gives Sims a reward aspiration tied to specific whims. I use the Lifetime Aspirations mod, which makes aspirations more like they were in Sims 2 and adds a lot of new ones.


I play with the Normal Sims 4 lifespans, and make no changes to the duration of each life stage. *I used to auto-age unplayed Sims, but I found I preferred the Sims 2-syle aging, where townies and NPCs do not age unless I make them playable. Auto-Age (Played Sims) – Only Active Household.In game options, I make the following changes to aging: I also UNCHECK the box under Get Famous because I like to play with fame. In the gameplay settings, under “Pack settings,” I UNCHECK ALL boxes under Eco Lifestyle and Bust the Dust. See “Rotations” section below for more information. I also play rotationally – meaning I play the entire neighborhood starting with one family and cycling through them all in rotations. Otherwise, whatever happens in their lives is totally up to them. I only direct my Sims to do things that they have a whim for or to take care of their basic needs and keep them alive. I let my Sims fail, and many will not rise to the top of their careers or achieve their lifetime aspiration – just like in the real world. The Whim Overhaul Mod and Personality Mod are NECESSARY for this play style. They must “want” to do these things by getting a whim for them or doing them autonomously. This means I don’t force my Sims to do things like work on their careers, build skills, or pursue relationships. I play using a wants-based (or I guess in The Sims 4 we could call it whims-based) style.
