Sims 4 Gameplay Hints and Tips

[jillz]

I've noticed that the selection of actions when you click on another Sim is random & based on their current Emotional State every time you click on them. In order to find the action you want action every time, you need to go into "More" and then whatever category it's under and then keep hitting "More" until you see it.

Alternatively, you can go into game options and change the Social Options wheel back to Sims 3 style, where you get a radial dial with the categories instead of the random actions you see first.

[MarianT]

I decided to see if it was possible to save a sim to the gallery who had skills and a career, and discovered that it is. I evicted my practice sim, then clicked on the option to add her to the gallery. I exited that game, then opened a new game and put my practice sim in -- she had all her skills and the same level of career.

[Ellenser]

A few tips I've discovered while playing:

Ctrl+Shift+tab to switch between Sims 3 Camera controls and Sims 4 controls. This is especially useful when in build mode and trying to rotate objects outside of the 45 degree rotations. I tend to stick to the Sims 4 controls when in live mode.

You can press and hold "alt" to move paintings/wall decorations/windows/etc. around the wall now! That's fantastic!

In the needs panel you can click on the little icon next to the needs to fulfill the respective need. For instance, you can either click on the fridge and go through many clicks to find the right meal or just click the little icon next to the Hunger need and they'll feed themselves automatically. Be careful about this for things like using the bathroom as I think sometimes they'll walk in on another sim

The ability to bulldoze the entire lot while in build mode. No longer necessary to exit the household and go to the map view to do so.

Pressing "M" goes into the travel screen automatically. The sim you have selected at the time is the one who goes travelling, though the game also gives a prompt to see if you want to invite other sims out as well.

In the options menu (under Gameplay) there is the option to return the "traditional social menu" which is my preferred menu of choice, as mentioned in the post above.

When taking a sim out to a community lot and you leave someone home who decides that they won't go to work, instead of switching control to that sim (and going through the loading screen), just have that sim come to the community lot and then send them off to work there. I was kind of annoyed when I didn't realize that and I went back to my home lot twice in order to get sims off to work.

[Indira]

BULLDOZE LOT
If you want to redo the whole building/home from scratch, you can bulldoze the house by clicking on the icon for "Lot Info Panel" located at the top of screen. Look for the icon of the bulldozer on the far right.

[kanzaki]

I'm not getting these either, wth!

You have to click the at work icon in the portrait area, not the portrait itself

[callycat]

More of a warning this one -- I had the currently in play sim throw a party at the mansion owned by another family I'm playing, and my sim hung around the house later. He chatted to the owner of the house so much that he distracted her from her new baby, who was promptly taken away for neglect! I had no control over the mother or any other member of the family, so be careful when you go visiting.

[Ferretmania]

If you don't want the little blue tutorial windows  to show up all the time when you play, you can turn them off in Origin.
Open up Origin and right click on your sims 4 game icon. Choose Game properties.
In the window that pops up write "--no_tutorial" without the quotation marks and hit apply.

[Mack]

I am sure I read it somewhere or seen it on a video but for the love of me I can't not find it again, even through research. Can someone tell me how to move an object 1/4 grid. I want to move a table closer to the sofa. I taught I could do this. Can it be done?

[jesirose]

When painting, you can stop painting, move the half-finished work to the wall, to start another painting, then put the work in progress back on the easel later to finish it.

[sunshine_2406]

I am sure I read it somewhere or seen it on a video but for the love of me I can't not find it again, even through research. Can someone tell me how to move an object 1/4 grid. I want to move a table closer to the sofa. I taught I could do this. Can it be done?

I had to do some searching to find this myself. You press F5 to turn it on and then again to turn it off.

[Drguyks]

Not sure if this has been mentioned, but when you move to a new house all sims return home. So in Sims 3, if a sim was out and about, the home sim would move while the away sim was unaffected. This is no longer the case in Sims 4. Both parties are immediately returned home or rather to the new house.

[Playalot]

If you have a sim at level 10 fitness he is able to mentor other sims in fitness. So if you go to the gym and mentor sims they become your friends in one mentoring session. Easy way to make new friends if you need to up your friend count.

[callycat]

Haven't seen this one mentioned yet -- as well as getting them from penpals, you can find postcards when you rummage in litter bins at the park.

[saltpastillen]

You can rummage in litter bins? You live - you learn... (should have thought to check this out myself but there is so much new stuff I am getting side tracked all the time...)

[callycat]

You can rummage in litter bins? You live - you learn... (should have thought to check this out myself but there is so much new stuff I am getting side tracked all the time...)

Yes, you always get a heap of rubbish that you can scavenge upgrade parts from as long as you have at least level 1 handiness, but you can also get random items. So far I've only had an apple and a postcard from Appaloosa Plains, but I haven't had many tries yet.