Required Reading

Before starting a new story with your Sims, you need to know about these basic building blocks of daily life. You will see these terms throughout this guide as we detail the new additions to each category in Late Night.

Wishes

Every Sim has desires, both immediate and long term. When you create a Sim, you give it a Lifetime Wish. However, Sims also come up with smaller wishes each day that they would love for you to help them fulfill. Fulfilled wishes boost your Sim’s mood and award Lifetime Happiness Points.

Lifetime Happiness Points

These are the ultimate barometer of your Sim’s fulfillment. When you complete a wish, your Sim earns Lifetime Happiness Points.

You also earn these points when you boost your Sim’s mood over a certain threshold. Lifetime Happiness Points can be traded in for Lifetime Rewards, which affect your Sim’s personality and aptitude.

Skills

Sims can learn a variety of talents, such as writing, fishing, painting, and athletics. These skills are often tied into careers or hobbies. Certain activities increase your skill ranking. You can track your Sims’ skills in their Skill Journals.

Careers

To maintain their households, Sims must have a constant source of income. Careers provide that. There are a multitude of career tracks in Bridgeport, from athlete to journalist.

Sims can also seek out part-time jobs or turn their skills into moneymaking opportunities, such as penning books from home. Each career has several levels of promotion.

Opportunities

From time to time, Sims encounter opportunities that result in rewards when completed. Opportunities are typically related to careers and skills, but special opportunities pop up just by exploring Bridgeport and talking to people. Rewards include job promotions, physical objects, Simoleons, or relationship boosts.

Moodlets

The Sims 3 introduces a new measurement of your Sim’s happiness—moodlets. Moodlets are factors that affect your overall mood. They are good, bad, and neutral. Most moodlets have a timer that denotes how long they affect overall mood.

Some negative moodlets can be eliminated by correcting behavior or environment. To make your Sims’ life better and earn more Lifetime Happiness Points, adjust your Sims’ lives so they experience more positive moodlets.

Needs

Sims have individual needs like Bladder, Hunger, Hygiene, Social, Fun, and Energy. These needs are affected by environment, activities, and relationships. Although mood and moodlets take center stage in making sure your Sim is happy, don’t neglect basic needs.

When buying objects for your lot, be sure to keep an eye on how certain objects affect specific needs. For example, a nicer bathtub or shower will increase your Sim’s Hygiene rating.

Socials

Socials are the interactions that take place between Sims. There are literally hundreds of socials. Not all socials are available right away. Some are unlocked by developing skills.

Other socials are activated by the traits you give your Sims. Use socials to direct a conversation and engage other Sims, paying attention to their likes and dislikes so you can build better relationships. Who knows what could happen?

Playfully teasing the right Sim could lead to a lifelong love, while joking with a sourpuss could result in a new nemesis.