The Sims 3 Pets Guide Essentials Basics
Required Reading
Wishes: Every Sim has desires, both immediate and long-term. When you created a Sim, you gave 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: In order to maintain their households, Sims must have a constant source of income. Careers provide that. There are a multitude of career tracks in Sunset Valley, 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 Sunset Valley and talking to people. Rewards include job promotions, physical objects, Simoleons, or relationship boosts.
Moodlets: The Sims 3 introduce 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’ life so they experience more positive moodlets.
Needs: As in The Sims™ 2, Sims have individual needs like Bladder, Hunger, Hygiene, Social, Fun, and Energy. These needs are affected by environment, activities, and relationships. While mood and moodlet 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.