Sims Talk: Free Time hobby determination

[strangetomato]

I'm getting pretty ready to install Free Time, especially now that InSIM SimPE has been updated (that was fast). I will, however, need a plan of attack for all of my story sims, and their hobbies. I have a little list going already, and maybe I'll post it later to think out loud. I just found a list of traits that determine a sim's "true hobby", so I thought I'd share, in case you haven't seen it yet. This gives me a good idea of what my sims might end up with, but I'm not really liking how this element of the game works.

So it seems that the pre-determined "true hobby" that sims are given with Free Time is based on a combination of personality, skills, and interests. And here are the categories (I swiped this from the BBS somewhere):


Arts & Crafts - sloppy, nice - creativity - culture, fashion
Cuisine - neat, lazy - cooking - food
Film & Literature - shy, lazy - charisma - entertainment, culture
Fitness - outgoing, active - body - health
Games - playful, grouchy - logic - entertainment
Music & Dance - outgoing, serious - creativity - entertainment
Nature - sloppy, playful - cleaning - animals, environment, weather
Science - neat, serious - logic - sci-fi
Sports - active, grouchy - body - sports
Tinkering - shy, nice - mechanical - toys


I'm not really into this idea. It's way too limiting and it creates these "types" for each hobby. (Oh, but why don't I love grouping people into limiting categories? It's so much fun. *sigh*) Like aspiration, why not let us look at the personality of our sims and determine the hobby interest ourselves? Or let it be random, or at least more random than it is right now. The way it's set up now, you can only be into certain hobbies if you have a certain personality, which is, quite frankly, bullshit. I know plenty of musicians that are not serious, plenty of neat artsy types (more than sloppy ones, really), and why on earth would you need to be grouchy to enjoy sports? Argh, I say. Argh!

Using Buck Grunt as an example, he could end up with cuisine (not so bad), science (errm...), or he could end up with tinkering. Tinkering, people! What happened to him wanting to be a "pet stylist to the stars"? I have no idea why shyness would be connected to tinkering, anyway. Seriousness would be more accurate, in my opinion. But how limiting is that?! I want him to have arts and crafts (and he'll have it, don't worry), but the game creators have decided that a neat sim wouldn't like sewing? This makes no sense to me. Have they never heard of Martha Stewart? She's not exactly a slob.

... and Nervous Subject will probably like sports? That just seems wrong to me too. Shouldn't outgoingness be a factor for that one too? (I think I'm leaning towards film and literature for Nervous, myself. I haven't decided yet, but he does seem to like to read a lot, despite the high energy level.)

I'm not sure what to think of it all, really, but I don't really like it. It's just too limiting for me (but at least gender was not a factor). I think I will be taking the hobby destiny of my sims into my own hands, in most cases.

So what do you think?

Edited to add: My brain read that as InSIM, but I should have said SimPE. Oops! I need a nap.

Comments

[ndainye.livejournal.com]

I agree that it would be nice to be able to change it in some instances. However, since sims start gaining enthusiasm as soon as they hit toddler hood; the only time frame for choosing the primary hobby for a sim would between birth and the toddler birthday. Anytime past that would either require a re figuring of currant enthusiasm levels or a delay in gaining enthusiasm until such a time as the primary was chosen. Both of which would require a more complicated program design.

The only thing I could see working for letting sims choose their own primaries would be say the first hobby to reach x level would be the set hobby for that sim. The drawback there would be that depending upon the type of gaming a player does, there would be a very large chance that almost all sims born in a particular players game would have the same favored hobby based upon which toddler toy that player prefers to plop their kids down next to.

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

You're very right. If it is determined at the toddler transition, personality is all you really have to go by for it to make any sense from a programming point of view. Maybe I just dislike the idea of having a OTH at all (since who really has a predetermined hobby from birth?), but in some ways, it is an interesting concept.

I just wish that there were more characteristics considered, and more overlap. So that you weren't so boxed in. Like, if a sim was extreme in a personality category that is associated with a hobby, it would be considered as one of the random options, but you could be considered for any of the hobbies that this is true for. I'm sure it works something like that now, but if it's going to be limited like that, I'd like it to be more complex.

[hidden-kitten.livejournal.com]

I never use anything but Charisma bunny because that's the only skill I absolutely hate waiting for sims to build. Made easier by the Law career reward, but I hate having the podiums :/

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

I'm like this too. I'm all about the charisma bunny.

Although lately, I've been less controlling, and I usually just let the toddler decide which toy they want to play with on their own. And... surprise! That's usually the toilet. :D

[ndainye.livejournal.com]

I used to be like that, but once BV started taking skill levels into consideration for attraction I stopped force skilling my sims for anything other than bare minimum university and job requirements. Now I just set the toddler down in a room with a collection of toys and let them go at it, it's kinda interesting which kids choose what. Of course some kids will prefer the dollhouse, the toy box or the potty over anything skill based :) Pleasure seekers in the making.

[hidden-kitten.livejournal.com]

Serious kids always pick the logic skiller, while my outgoing ones choose the bunny. Others switch it up between the logic and creativity. Not one of my sims has ever chosen the bunny unless other toys were taken or I forced it. I think even after I get FT that I will force Charisma skill, especially since I don't think the 2-3 points during toddlerhood will really matter.