Mood question

[Peregrine_Falcon]

Have to bring up a newbie question - I think I know the answer but just want to make sure. When I'm trying to keep my Sims in a good mood, is the actual mood bar all that's important? In other words, if it's maxed out as high as it can go, I shouldn't be too worried about their needs being middling? Or is there some additional benefit to having a very high mood and also having all need bars pretty close to full.

[Pam]

The needs relate directly to the mood bar.  If your Sim is hungry or tired (or anything else negative), the mood bar will go down.  So, it's important to watch both the mood bar and the needs bars.  If you only watch the mood bar, you may end up neglecting your Sims needs and it will all go down hill.  Mood is also affected by the moodlets your Sim receives.  Things like decoration, first kiss, having a baby, etc. will bring positive moodlets that also raise the mood bar.

[CSquared2]

To take what Pam said one step further, several large positive moodlets can max out the mood bar, making it appear the sim is in a great mood.  However, if a need gets into a crisis state, the major negative moodlet is going to have an effect, even if it's not on the mood bar.  Sims who are very hungry or tired cannot perform certain actions, like cleaning, for example.  The negative moodlet will also have a big impact on job performance if it happens to occur while your sim's at work.  If needs are middling, I'd take care of a couple to avoid, as Pam alluded to, having to take care of them all at once later on.  There's nothing like a sim who's exhausted, hungry, dirty, bored, lonely and needing to pee.   

[Leto85]

Also some skills can have an impect on the moodbar, especially in combination with good quality objects, jobs and traits. Take cooking for example: the better your skill is the better the food and therefore the mood. If you buy the best objects to make a grand chef kitchen, while being on level 10 cooking on the upgraded (needs handyness) best stove while cooking with perfect ingredients (need gardening and or fishing) while those ingredients came out the best fridge that is out there (you get one at reaching level 10 cooking) than there is no way the mood your sim will get from eating that food will go below +75 for the next 8 hours.
If your sim after that has drinked a perfect bottle of nectar the moodlet from eating food will go even higher: +93 was my personal record.

[Peregrine_Falcon]

Thanks very much everyone - I think that pretty much confirmed what I thought but it's good to know. I like to have my Sims have their needs met, and then also have positive moodlets which stack up and max out the mood bar.

[ejnarts1]

Don't forget how certain traits affect how high moodlets go. The "over emotional" trait boosts almost every moodlet by around 10%...one of my favorites.