How emotions affect skills

[DarkWalker]

I was messing with the tuning files and found what I believe to be the effects emotions have on skills (or, rather, their effective levels, used to determine success but not for unlocking interactions). The condensed version follows.

Happy: +1 to all skills, or +2 if Elated (Very Happy).
Confident: +1 to all skills, and a further +1 to Charisma. Fearless (Very Confident) increases the bonus to all skills by a further +1.
Energized: +2 to all physical skills, or +3 if Pumped (Very Energized).
Flirty: +1 to Charisma, or +2 if Passionate (Very Flirty)
Focused: +2 to all mental skills, or +3 if In The Zone (Very Focused)
Inspired: +2 to all creative skills, or +3 if Imaginative (Very Inspired)
Inspired (with Muser): +3 to all creative skills, or +4 if Imaginative (Very Inspired)
Playful: +2 to Comedy, +1 to Charisma. A further +1 to Comedy if Silly (Very Playful), or +2 to Comedy if Hysterical.
Angry: -1 to all creative and mental skills, as well as to Charisma, and +1 to Mischief. Furious increases the penalties to -2 and bonus to +2, enraged to -3 and +3.
Angry (with Hot Headed trait): -1 to all creative and mental skills, as well as to Charisma; +1 to Mischief and to all physical skills. Furious increases the bonus to physical skills (only) to +2, and Enraged to +3.
Bored: -1 to all skills.
Dazed: -3 to all skills.
Embarrassed: -1 to all social skills. Humiliated (Very Embarrassed) increases the penalty to -2, and Mortified to -3.
Sad: -1 to all skills, except creative ones, which get a +1 bonus instead. Depressed bumps the penalties to -2 and removes the bonus to creative skills.
Sad (with Gloomy trait): -1 to all skills, except creative ones, which get a +1 bonus instead. Depressed bumps the penalties to -2 and the bonus to +2.
Tense: -1 to all skills, -2 if very tense.
Uncomfortable: -1 to all skills, -2 if Miserable (Very Uncomfortable)

Keep in mind that this is only the effect on effective skill levels; emotions play a larger role than mere skill bonuses and penalties.

Edit: I just found that I had forgotten Embarrassed in this table. Added.

[ClayMask]

That's a great find!  I had been thinking that the playful emotion boosted mischief, but this shows that only angry does.

[Metropolis Man]

Nice work. Nutella did a little of her own research and found that Happy had a slight better impact on Charisma skilling than Confident.

[DarkWalker]

Nice work. Nutella did a little of her own research and found that Happy had a slight better impact on Charisma skilling than Confident.

Well, those are just the adjustments to effective skill level. Each moodlet (and the emotions are basically not-so-hidden moodlets) can also change how fast skills increase.

Specifically, from the tuning files, Happy increases Charisma gains by 25%, and Elated by 40%. Confident and Fearless both boost Charisma gains, but by only 10%.

In other words, if you are going for successful interactions, Confident is better than Happy, and Fearless better than Elated. But if going for skilling speed the opposite is true.

[ClayMask]

So the numbers you gave didn't relate directly to how fast the skills increase?  I was thinking they did.

[Devin]

I have been looking for this information. This is so helpful and I'm grateful that you posted this here. I've been struggling with childhood skills, and this will help me to blow through them. Thank you!

[DarkWalker]

So the numbers you gave didn't relate directly to how fast the skills increase?  I was thinking they did.

The skill increases are usually in line with the skill level bonuses or penalties, with each +1 to skill levels corresponding to a +20% bonus to skill gain speed, but there are some exceptions; Charisma tends to be one.

My raw(ish) data on emotion effects is spoilered below; the bonuses (and penalties) to skill gains are in there, as well as a few other things.

Mood Happy
   +1 Skill_All
   +20% gain Skill_All
   +25% gain Charisma

Mood Elated (Happy)
   +2 Skill_All
   +40% gain Skill_All
   +40% gain Charisma

Mood Confident
   +1 Skill_All
   +1 Charisma
   +20% gain Skill_All
   +10% gain Charisma

Mood Fearless (Confident)
   +2 Skill_All
   +1 Charisma
   +40% gain Skill_All
   +10% gain Charisma

Mood Energized
   +2 Skill_Physical
   +40% gain Skill_Physical
   75% Energy decay
   0.03125x Energy score

Mood Pumped (Energized)
   +3 Skill_Physical
   +60% gain Skill_Physical
   60% Energy decay
   0.03125x Energy score

Mood Flirty
   +1 Charisma
   +10% gain Charisma
   1.5x Social score

Mood Passionate (Flirty)
   +2 Charisma
   +40% gain Charisma
   1.5x Social score

Mood Focused
   +2 Skill_Mental
   +40% gain Skill_Mental
   +10% gain Charisma
   +25% gain Video Gaming

Mood In the Zone (Focused)
   +3 Skill_Mental
   +60% gain Skill_Mental
   +10% gain Charisma
   +50% gain Video Gaming

Mood Inspired
   +2 Skill_Creative
   +40% gain Skill_Creative

Mood Imaginative (Inspired)
   +3 Skill_Creative
   +60% gain Skill_Creative

Mood Muser (Inspired)
   +3 Skill_Creative
   +60% gain Skill_Creative

Mood Muserer (Inspired)
   +4 Skill_Creative
   +80% gain Skill_Creative

Mood Playful
   +2 Comedy
   +1 Charisma
   +40% gain Comedy
   +10% gain Charisma

Mood Silly (Playful)
   +3 Comedy
   +1 Charisma
   +60% gain Comedy
   +10% gain Charisma

Mood Hysterical (Playful)
   +4 Comedy
   +1 Charisma
   +80% gain Comedy
   +10% gain Charisma

Mood Angry
   -1 Skill_Creative
   -1 Skill_Mental
   -1 Charisma
   +1 Mischief
   -20% gain Skill_Creative
   -20% gain Skill_Mental
   -20% gain Charisma
   +20% gain Mischief

Mood Furious (Angry)
   -2 Skill_Creative
   -2 Skill_Mental
   -2 Charisma
   +2 Mischief
   -40% gain Skill_Creative
   -40% gain Skill_Mental
   -40% gain Charisma
   +20% gain Mischief

Mood Enraged (Angry)
   -3 Skill_Creative
   -3 Skill_Mental
   -3 Charisma
   +3 Mischief
   -60% gain Skill_Creative
   -60% gain Skill_Mental
   -60% gain Charisma
   +20% gain Mischief

Mood Hot Head 1 (Angry)
   -1 Skill_Creative
   -1 Skill_Mental
   -1 Charisma
   +1 Mischief
   +1 Skill_Physical
   -20% gain Skill_Creative
   -20% gain Skill_Mental
   -20% gain Charisma
   +20% gain Skill_Physical
   +20% gain Mischief

Mood Hot Head 2 (Angry)
   -1 Skill_Creative
   -1 Skill_Mental
   -1 Charisma
   +1 Mischief
   +2 Skill_Physical
   -40% gain Skill_Creative
   -40% gain Skill_Mental
   -40% gain Charisma
   +40% gain Skill_Physical
   +20% gain Mischief

Mood Hot Head 3 (Angry)
   -1 Skill_Creative
   -1 Skill_Mental
   -1 Charisma
   +1 Mischief
   +3 Skill_Physical
   -60% gain Skill_Creative
   -60% gain Skill_Mental
   -60% gain Charisma
   +60% gain Skill_Physical
   +20% gain Mischief

Mood Bored
   -1 Skill_All
   -20% gain Skill_All

Mood Sloshed (Dazed)
   -3 Skill_All
   -50% gain Skill_All

Mood Embarrassed
   -1 Skill_Social
   -20% gain Skill_Social
   0.25x Social score

Mood Humiliated (Embarrassed)
   -2 Skill_Social
   -40% gain Skill_Social
   0.25x Social score

Mood Mortified (Embarrassed)
   -3 Skill_Social
   -60% gain Skill_Social
   0.25x Social score

Mood Sad
   -1 Skill_Mental
   -1 Skill_Physical
   -1 Skill_Social
   +1 Skill_Creative
   -20% gain Skill_Mental
   -20% gain Skill_Physical
   -20% gain Skill_Social
   +20% gain Skill_Creative
   0.25x Hygiene score

Mood Depressed (Sad)
   -2 Skill_Mental
   -2 Skill_Physical
   -2 Skill_Social
   -40% gain Skill_Mental
   -40% gain Skill_Physical
   -40% gain Skill_Social
   0.25x Hygiene score

Mood Gloomy (Sad)
   -1 Skill_Mental
   -1 Skill_Physical
   -1 Skill_Social
   +1 Skill_Creative
   -20% gain Skill_Mental
   -20% gain Skill_Physical
   -20% gain Skill_Social
   +20% gain Skill_Creative
   0.25x Hygiene score

Mood Gloomier (Sad)
   -2 Skill_Mental
   -2 Skill_Physical
   -2 Skill_Social
   +2 Skill_Creative
   -40% gain Skill_Mental
   -40% gain Skill_Physical
   -40% gain Skill_Social
   +40% gain Skill_Creative
   0.25x Hygiene score

Mood Tense (Stressed)
   -1 Skill_All
   -20% gain Skill_All
   -20% gain Video Gaming

Mood Stressed
   -2 Skill_All
   -40% gain Skill_All
   -20% gain Video Gaming

Mood Uncomfortable
   -1 Skill_All
   -20% gain Skill_All
   2x Tidy score

Mood Miserable (Uncomfortable)
   -2 Skill_All
   -40% gain Skill_All
   2x Tidy score

Mood Sleeping
   0% Fun decay
   0% Social decay

[_Annika_]

What does this new information mean compared with the original information? Also can you please remove the spoiler? We don't use spoilers here. Thank you for finding this! The tuning files for Sims 4 compared to Sims 3 are a nightmare to navigate. "sloshed" is so funny I love the little hidden things in the code. It makes me think of "juiced" for Sims 3, even though the two obviously don't compare.

[DarkWalker]

What does this new information mean compared with the original information? Also can you please remove the spoiler? We don't use spoilers here. Thank you for finding this! The tuning files for Sims 4 compared to Sims 3 are a nightmare to navigate. "sloshed" is so funny I love the little hidden things in the code. It makes me think of "juiced" for Sims 3, even though the two obviously don't compare.

The spoiler is there just because the post would be too long otherwise, with heavily summarized information that I wrote down without much care for presentation because it was originally meant only for my own benefit. Feel free to repost it if you want.

The new info doesn't change the old one; the old info (which is repeated in the new info) is just about effective skill levels, and thus helps with finding which is the best emotion to increase the success chance of specific interactions. Added in the info I posted afterward is skill gain bonuses and penalties (which I don't pay much attention to, but from the reaction seems like many consider even more important than the info about effective skill levels), changes to need decay rates (which only Energized/Pumped and Sleeping have), and changes to the need scoring (which, I believe, change how likely the sim is to deal with the need on his own; for example, judging from the tunings, energized sims will largely ignore tiredness, and uncomfortable sims will be much more likely to tidy up things).

Edit: And Sloshed as the name for the Dizzy moodlet seems to be because sims supposedly can get drunk; the tuning file of some of the drinks do include a low intensity Dizzy moodlet. Never tested to see if I can get my sims drunk (or sloshed; whatever), though.

[ClayMask]

Thanks for also including the skill gain info.  I wonder why there are three levels of playful, embarrassed, and angry, instead of the normal two.  Edit:  I just had my Sim get into a hysterical mood, for the first time ever.  I hadn't even realized it existed before!  It had nothing to do with dialogue, but she had mood boosters of +15 at the time, with +2 of them including playful.

Also, for some reason, there are two different % numbers for comedy gain under playful.

[_Annika_]

They are 3 of the ways that your sim can die, so that is probably why they have more levels.

[DarkWalker]

Also, for some reason, there are two different % numbers for comedy gain under playful.

My bad, the 10% gain bonus should be for Charisma. I copied that wrong in my own file, fixing it.

[Carl]

This data has saved me a lot of time, as I needed to get info on how skills impact Emotions on the Guide. I compiled your information for each Skill and then listed the Emotions that alter Effective Skill Level (which I found VERY interesting myself). This should help people with their overall strategy and sometimes be able to decide that working on x Skill while in a non-ideal mood is still effective. Thank you so much DarkWalker. I gave you credit on the page I created here.

When Nutella did testing on Video Gaming, it leveled very fast with Focused over Happy. Is it possible it's getting both bonuses, counting as a mental skill and also receiving the direct bonus from Focused?

[Ciosa]

Thanks so much for the data, DarkWalker!  o we have any data on how the reward traits from childhood ambitions are affecting skill gains?  Rambunctious Scamp, Whiz Kid, etc?

[DarkWalker]

When Nutella did testing on Video Gaming, it leveled very fast with Focused over Happy. Is it possible it's getting both bonuses, counting as a mental skill and also receiving the direct bonus from Focused?

From what I understand, it gets all applicable bonuses. So, increasing Video Gaming while Focused gets the +40% bonus all mental skills get, and a further +25% bonus to the specific skill (and those increase to +60% and +50% at In The Zone, making the process quite faster than usual).

Keep in mind that I didn't personally test all of those, I just studied the format of the tuning files.

Thanks so much for the data, DarkWalker!  o we have any data on how the reward traits from childhood ambitions are affecting skill gains?  Rambunctious Scamp, Whiz Kid, etc?

From what I understood, +25% bonus to gains for the applicable skills. Exception to the Creatively Gifted reward trait, which — be it by intent or by a bug — seems to give a +25% bonus to all creative skills, and a further +25% bonus to all musical skills.