How do YOU play The Sims?

How do you play The Sims?

When I first start a game, I freeze the time, I use family funds cheats and I use "make needs static" cheat.
~Then I get all of my skill levels up (Takes days lol, that's why I get so (when I lose my sims, I don't want to lose my main sim, I want to keep her forever. I really hope I get to the point where nothing crashes or messes up or I did something wrong.)
~Then I play.
I drink my age freeze potion cause I have enough life points to get it. and I enable aging. (although I keep the cheats on. Can't have six kids and a job and a husband. I learned the hard way, I would love to not cheat with the moodlets cause gosh, I hate that they don't sleep anymore or anything, they don't use their beds so the room I made especially for that person isn't really theirs because they never slept in the bed.)
~Then I start the career that she wanted.
~Then I find her a boyfriend. (Going around town asking guys (and girls..but it's "inappropriate" to be with a girl. ) if they're single is a nuisance, going on dates, them not calling you back or they're always busy, lol. Takes awhile to find a man, cause I don't want to make a couple in the beginning because even though I cheat I do try to make it realistic like a woman growing up and going off own her on. Real world doesn't come with a pre-made family.)
~Then I build a bigger better house, cause I love having kids, with lots of room and every toy available in the buy mode. lol TV in every room, laptop and desk in every room.

I generally play toward the generations challenge. SO I create one single sim (generally a female), with a career oriented goal, because she's the founder, she needs to make some good money. Then after she's about halfway through being a young adult, I start looking around town for a partner for her. I'm waiting for an update to my favorite mod, a hospital one, that has a sperm bank and the option to be artificially inseminated, for those sims that don't want a partner, or that hate men, or if I just can't find an attractive single guy. LOL

But I use no cheats, unless they get stuck, no cheats. My mods help keep the rest of the town alive and running smoothly. I don't even use LTR usually. I get the observant and multi-tasker for all my sims, but past that, not usually. I'll get the super creative if they're a high-level artist though. Jet-setter if they're adventurous.

Really, I give my sims a good life, but they would have very good reason to be upset with me, as I'm a very strict player.

My way of playing is the "Generation Challenge" with my own twist of rules.

I do not use any cheats, and I start off with 1 sim. I don't make her start with nothing, I either find a starter home, or build a start home myself on a small lot.

I use the rest of my available funds to purchase the best camera (I have a mod that unlocks WA cameras in Buy mode, without WA), and send her around the town, finding the best spots to take photos. I just started on Aurora skies, so I'm trying to find some nice spots. (I could just take pictures of anything and still get the money, but where's the fun in that? )

After selling my photos and making a decent profit, I then send her to find a spouse. I try to find the best looking sim in town and snatch him up. I don't care if he's not single, I grab him and take him.

Then I give the male sim a career and leave my female sim to do as she pleases. From there on out, I stick with my family, have kids, et cetera.

I also play on "Long" lifespan instead of Normal, with my own set lifespans.

I get bored if I cheat, so I try to do it as little as possible.

How I used to play: I usually made one sim or a group of singles, used some mods and gave them LOADS of money (never used static needs cheats or anything like that, thats too cheaty) and made a nice house, most of the time they didn't even work and I just focused on growing family or advancing in their careers or skills (when it comes to skills and careers I am very strict and "enslave" my sims into a very goal orientated routine) But usually it just progressed towards making loads of children, different couples and family dramas and so on and on, getting bored and making a new house and focusing on a new sim then soon finding that particular sim stuck with several relationships and kids and loads of money and "no life's purpose" so I leave and start a new house with a new sim. lol

All in all I had enough and lately I've been sticking to the legacy gameplay. I have my female sim (1st gen) I am not using any cheats, My sim has done honest work and now has a nice little house and has advanced in her career considerably and is searching for a partner as of now to start a family.

And I must admit, since I am not using cheats anymore, the game is SO much more enjoyable and challenging.

hey, so interesting to read your way to play

me, i love to find love and make babies ^^
i like to play the legacy challenge with my own rules
no cheats!! tough way

i love customize my home i can spend days for one house!

I usually make one sim, A female. And I get her a nice place and a job. Have her make some money and get up in the career I have chosen for her. I then try and find her a date and get her married to whomever she is attracted to. I use no cheats unless she gets stuck or I need to fill her needs up in a hurry. I use no money cheats at all. I let my sims make money and I take them to the casino if they need money right away.

I try to play the same family for awhile having more than one generation.

My play style is quite open, so to speak.

I don't have history of long lasting generations, but my current save is about 8 months old now (crazy, I know!). It started as a household of 4 brothers and sisters who were all in Showtime professions. I had epic lifespan back then so during several months, none of them aged up. Only couple of months ago I switched back to 2-7-14-21-48-35-7 days per life stage and that's how I play.

I like to have my Sims in some professions and getting to control them while at work. It gives me sense of accomplishment upon completing tasks, especially firefighting.

I used cheats to buy original household house they had (freerealestate cheat) but except for that - I use no cheats. I know it's not exactly cheat-free, but all the money they earned was from their jobs and hard work, so I'm proud of that.

I don't have exact story line I follow - I just go with the flow. I had one Sim turn gay and adopt a child simply because at the moment I felt like doing it. I don't like playing a game then not saving if something bad happens. I had meteor hit my yard and kill the adopted daughter and I was indeed devastated, but moved on and adopted another one (how emotional!).

I am currently at my third generation, but playing second generation YA because of University Life. All future generations will attend University to help their future.

I also don't move out parts of my family, but instead expand the house bit by bit since it has many balconies that are size of a room.

As I progress in game, I like for it to get harder and harder, so I tend to increase number of active Sims slowly, one more for each generation

I do to usually start with one sim.
I dont use cheats normally because the game gets boring if so. What I do is find them a job and make the reach the top of the carrer whitlist I have fun trying relationships with different people, I like watching them interact. Then I find my sim a spouse, get married and lots of kids, when I get bored I'd choose one of the kids and play them story until I move out and then repeat the circle. What I like the most is how each sim can be so different so it will never be the same storyline.

I play The Sims 3 two ways. The first way was usually my way in The Sims and The Sims 2, and the second is what I am doing now in The Sims 3.

#1: Cheating
First, I'll place my Sims on an empty lot (no houses or structures). The Sims are actually in family mode, for instance I'll have parents, one or two kids (most likely teens, because little kids are annoying), and pets. Here is where I will commence the Ctrl+Shft+C --> motherlode frenzy. After I feel I have enough cash, I'll put myself into a nice house. It's not always a mansion, but it's usually pretty decent. Then, if it isn't already furnished, I'll purchase lots and lots of furniture. And afterwards I just get my Sims jobs and be on my way.

#2: Legit
Here, I'll get two Sims (currently I have two females; don't h8). I'll place them in a starter house that they can afford, and then get them both jobs. Basically I'll have a working household going. I'll keep working hard, making them happy, do fun things, just do it normally until they get rich enough that I move them into a bigger house. I wont use any cheats EXCEPT testingcheatsenabled true, because I typically want to change traits and appearance and don't want to waste the Lifetime Reward Points on the object

I've seen that doing it legitimately is more rewarding and fun. I also like to start the two Sims off as boyfriend/girlfriend, girlfriend/girlfriend, whatever the case, and work up towards marriage. Now that is even more fun then just making them married.

I mostly just build and decorate houses. I've tried to actually "play" but I get bored with it easily. I've never had a pregnant Sim or even a married couple. I did actually take one through the WA adventures in China but not France or Egypt. There's so much I'm planning to do with them someday. But by then The Sims 4 will probably be out and I'll start all over.

That's one thing we can respect EA for. They don't dump a The Sims on us every two years.

I always make the same family: two twin sisters: Karmen and Kim. Karmen, is brunette. She is also smart and a bit clumsy. Kim is blonde, which she dyes since I always leave her roots as brown. She's a party animal and flirt. I'll usually make Karmen's boyfriend, Fernando, who lives with them. He's a works in the Professional Sports career, he's absent-minded and athletic but overall a good and friendly sim. They usually just end up doing whatever new features I want to check out in EPs.

I also like to make my favorite footballers in sim form and make them all live in one huge house with a few girls also. I pretend like that's a reality show. lol.