Wishes

It is through wishes that Sims feel both fulfilled and productive, but not all wishes are equal. In fact, there are other ways to define a Sim’s life besides Lifetime Wishes. The day-to-day desires of Sims are also very important, such as the desire to chat with another Sim or learn a new recipe. These smaller wishes commonly factor into the overarching Lifetime Wish, and also help with skill development and the career advancement.

Fulfilling a promised wish to a Sim results in the acquisition of Lifetime Happiness points. The reward is not nearly as much as a Lifetime Wish, but the points from fulfilling smaller wishes really add up over time.

Making Wishes Come True

Almost as soon as your Sims move into their new houses, they start expressing wishes and desires via the Wish panel at the bottom of the screen. Sims can have up to four active wishes at any time and express one in the arched bubble above the Wish panel. To promise a new wish to a Sim, left-click on it. That moves it into the Wish panel. If you find an incoming wish more appealing than a promised wish but have no more empty slots, right-click on one of promised wishes to remove it. There is no penalty for getting rid of a promised wish.

The Wish panel

Once added to the Wish panel, a wish stays there until it is either fulfilled or denied. The number of Lifetime Happiness points for a promised wish do not deteriorate over time either. If you hold on to the Have a Baby wish for several days before attempting to fulfill it, it is still worth the same number of Lifetime Happiness points as the first moment it appeared.

Wishes are not universal. Every Sim wants different things, although you may see similar wishes appear within Sims in the same household that have similar traits, skills, or careers. Ages also affect the wishes, as a child will want different things than an adult. It is also important to note that some promised wishes disappear when a Sim ages up. Because the Sim is moving into a new age group and possibly gaining a new trait that affects personality, that Sim is likely to have totally different desires.

Lifetime Happiness Points

Whether you accumulate Lifetime Happiness points by boosting mood up into the bubble or by fulfilling wishes, they all go into the same pot. These Lifetime Happiness points can then be traded for Lifetime Rewards, which are a collection of special objects, skill modifiers, or personality tweaks that can make your Sim’s life easier or send it spiraling into an entirely new direction.