Long Live Sims - How to?

[TheChronicR]

The purpose of this topic is simple. Please list all the possible natural (no cheats, on normal lifespan setting) ways you know to make your Sims live as long as possible - traits, skills, certain activities. Ambrosia and the makeover/tattoo bugs do not count. Thanks.

[Schipperke]

Vegetarians and Sims who complete the Athletic skill challenge involving X hours of cardio workouts are supposed to live longer.  I'm not sure I believe it, though.  I've also heard that having a high number of happiness points contributes to long life.  Again, I'm not aware of any evidence for this claim.

[TheChronicR]

That's why I'm asking. Do these supposed ways help? What's your experience with them, people?
I never knew that lifetime happiness is supposed to contribute to a Sim's long life. Thanks Schip.

[Hosfac]

The only sim that I ever had who was a vegetarian and had completed the Marathon Runner challenge (this is the one that lets sims live longer), lived to be about 120 days old.  How much this was due to these factors and how much was due to random chance is anyone's guess.  I've had Grim come and claim sims long before their age bar had filled up.  There are also times when he's taken his merry old time clearing out the house, even though they weren't vegetarians or even athletically inclined.

[TheChronicR]

Hm. Thank you Hosfac. I am extremely curious because my legacy founder is vegetarian while my dynasty generation theree's spouse is going to complete the Marathon Runner challenge.

[Cheezey]

Funny thing happened to me with the marathon runner challenge. In my legacy, the third generation heir was one of a pair of twins, and there was also a sister about 4 sim days older than the twins.  Well, the heir had the astronaut lifetime wish, so she had athletic skill maxed and I had her complete the marathon runner challenge.  She died at 92 days.  Her twin sister didn't kick off until she was 105 days, and her older sister outlived her, too.  Neither of them were fitness hounds or vegetarians.

[Juxtaposition]

I've been testing Sim longevity, and so far my biggest factor has been employment, it's been adding about 10 days to a Sim life on average compared to similar Sims who retired early in elderhood, or were never employed in the first place.  I haven't done enough testing of it to feel sure, but early data points to it being important. 

Runners and highly athletic gain about 6 days over those who aren't, but again, that's early data.

I haven't tested vegetarians enough to have any opinion on that.

I haven't noticed happy points making Sims live any longer, yet.

[RubyLovesSims]

Vegetarians and Sims who complete the Athletic skill challenge involving X hours of cardio workouts are supposed to live longer.  I'm not sure I believe it, though.  I've also heard that having a high number of happiness points contributes to long life.  Again, I'm not aware of any evidence for this claim.

Hm, I know that the Vegetarian trait does make Sims live longer, but I'm not sure about the Cardio workouts challenge, however.
I doubt that having more Happiness points makes Sims live longer, though.

[Pam]

The thing is, Chronic, that there's no proof of any of these things.  The makes certain claims about the Marathon Runner challenge and being a Vegetarian, but there's no real proof to back it up.  One of our members once figured out that it's a complex mathematical equation that increases the possibility of extending life and a lot of other stuff that was over most of our heads.  Even if you could pin down some firm data, there's always going to be a random thing where a Sim will live to 125 days for no apparent reason that blows a hole in every theory.  There's really no point in trying to find ways for your founder to live longer.  Not as a concrete challenge strategy, at least.

[TheChronicR]

The thing is, Chronic, that there's no proof of any of these things.  The makes certain claims about the Marathon Runner challenge and being a Vegetarian, but there's no real proof to back it up.  One of our members once figured out that it's a complex mathematical equation that increases the possibility of extending life and a lot of other stuff that was over most of our heads.  Even if you could pin down some firm data, there's always going to be a random thing where a Sim will live to 125 days for no apparent reason that blows a hole in every theory.  There's really no point in trying to find ways for your founder to live longer.  Not as a concrete challenge strategy, at least.

Well, can we still keep the topic for guests to view it and (maybe) gain some new info? Or should I (or you) remove it?

[Pam]

It can stay for now.  Just don't expect any great revelations about how to get Sims to live longer. 

[TheChronicR]

It can stay for now.  Just don't expect any great revelations about how to get Sims to live longer. 

Okay, thank you.

[secretsim]

Just my two cents... I wonder if it's just a little random and depends on story progression (and glitches therein). I *feel* like my happier Sims live longer... the ones where I constantly fulfill their wishes, etc. I also agree with another poster who seems to think that employment makes them live longer. The various heads of my legacy family throughout the generations are like the happiest Sims alive because they've got everything and they keep getting their wishes fulfilled seem never to die. I finally just killed the last one off so his son could still be young enough to take over!

[TheChronicR]

Now that's interesting! Happy Sims live longer, ha! Thanks for sharing, I'll test that theory. But it's very realistic either ways.

[xFezIsAFreakx]

Oh, I know about this!! My friend (the one who had 29 generations of sims before he gave up) does experiments and stuff with sims, and he had one where he'd have two seperate games with the same copy of a sim with the same traits and everything and he'd treat one good and grant her wishes and achieve her lifetime wish, etc. so she had loads of Lifetime Happiness Points but he'd do the complete opposite with the other and keep her miserable all the time.... but then, shock of all shocks, when they reached the elder stage.... The happy one died fourteen days before the sad one! (and that's including calculations about how far along they were in their lives when they started, etc.) So it probably is just random..