As your Sims interact with other Sims, they create relationships. There are two main types of relationships—friendship and romantic. There are various levels for each and they can also be either positive or negative. This section discusses the types of relationships between Sims as well as how to create those relationships.
Whenever you begin socializing with another Sim, a Long Term Relationship (or LTR) window appears at the top of the screen. It shows a small portrait of the other Sim and has one or two bars. If there is only one bar, it is the Friendship meter. If there are two, the top is the Friendship meter and the bottom is the Romantic meter. Move the cursor over the portrait to find out more about the Sim and to get more details on your relationship with that Sim. The Friendship bar starts out green and turns to red if the friendship goes negative. The Romance bar starts out pink and also turns red if the romance goes negative,
This LTR window helps you keep track of the state of your relationship with that Sim during an interaction.
Introductions and Socials
Before you can even start a relationship, you must introduce yourself to another Sim. Click on a Sim to bring up a Social menu and select an introduction. All Sims can choose from three different types of introductions—friendly, funny, and rude. An introduction sets the direction of the interaction right from the start. As Sims develop skills, or are in different emotional states, additional types of introductions may become available. Sims who build up their Charisma skill, for example, can also try different introductions including cheerful, enchanting, and flirty. The latter two can help get the conversation into a romantic direction right from the start. You only get one chance to introduce your Sims to other Sims, so make sure you do it the right way.
Start off a relationship with an introduction.
Almost all relationships start off with the friendship relationship. After an introduction, you are an Acquaintance with the other Sim. Click on the other Sim again to continue the conversation and open up the Social menu. The first level of the menu lets you select from five different categories of socials. Select the category you want to lead the conversation—and relationship—in a specific direction. Here is a brief rundown on each of the categories.
- Friendly: These socials will help increase your friendship with the Sim. This is a good place to begin with for all relationships. These often lead to a Happy emotion.
- Funny: These socials include jokes and funny stories. Use these to cheer up other Sims or to get your Sims and others into a Playful emotion.
- Romance: These socials will help get your Sims into romantic relationships.
- Mischief: Using these socials help build up the Mischief skill and can have different reactions on Sims depending on your relationship and their emotions.
- Mean: These socials decrease your friendship with Sims and help put them in an Angry emotion. Use this to create enemies—not friends.
There are five different categories of socials—friendly, funny, mean, mischief, and romance.
Friendship
In most cases, you want your Sims to become friends with the other Sims in their community. Therefore, let’s learn how to make friends. Start off by selecting socials from the friendly category. A good place to start is to ask about their day. This usually results in a positive reaction as indicated by a green icon that appears above the Sims. This also increases the Friendship meter in the LTR window. You want to continue to get these positive reactions to your socials to build up your friendship. On the other hand, if you see a red icon as a reaction, that decreases your friendship and means that your social was not well received.
After a social has been given, look for a reaction. Green is good and red is bad.
Continue the conversation by getting to know the Sim or discussing interests. This can not only increase your friendship, but also provide information about the Sim. As you use these types of socials, you can learn about the other Sim’s traits. The more you know about other Sims, the better you can plan your socials to improve your friendships.
Sims can also use socials related to their traits. A Sim with a love of the outdoors can enthuse about the outdoors with other Sims. If those Sims also have the same trait, this can help develop the friendship even further. Along those same lines, as Sims develop skills, they can unlock new socials that allow them to discuss their skills and achievements in those areas. For example, a Sim who has progressed in the Video Gaming skill can debate game strategy while a Sim who has been fishing can boast about his or her biggest catch.
The goal of conversations is usually to build up the friendship. While the relationship starts out as an Acquaintance, as the green Friendship bar in the Relationship window grows, your relationship progresses. As the bar gets over half full, your relationship changes to Friends and then to Good Friends. Keep using those friendly socials and after the bar gets more than three-quarters of the way to full, a new social appears in the friendly category—become Best Friends. Select it to ask the other Sim to become Best Friends. This is a special relationship and is independent from Good Friends. In fact, if you look at the relationship in the Relationship window, it will show Good Friends and Best Friends.
Keeping Track of Relationships While the LTR window appears during conversations, it is also useful to keep track of your relationships at other times. Not to worry, we’ve got you covered. You can activate a Relationship window in the screen’s lower right corner by clicking on the icon with two people. This window shows portraits of all of the Sims who your currently selected Sim has met. You can even filter these Sims to show all relationships, just friends, just Sims in your household, or just romantic relationships. Below each portrait is an icon and a bar showing your LTR with each Sim. Move the cursor over the portrait of a Sim and a small window appears, providing more details on that Sim, including what information you have learned about that Sim—the same type of information you get from the LTR window when you are in a conversation with that Sim. The Relationship window also lets you interact with Sims. Click on a portrait to open a menu that allows you to send a text to that Sim, chat with that Sim, or invite them to go somewhere. If you are in a romantic relationship, you can even ask them out on a date from this menu. |
Maintaining Friendships
Once you make friendships with other Sims, the work is not done. Just as in real life, you need to maintain friendships or they will begin to deteriorate. Even a Best Friend can go back to being just an Acquaintance if you neglect them. In fact, if left alone, all relationships will deteriorate back to Acquaintance—even negative relationships (which will be covered later).
Because your friends may not always happen to walk by your home, or attend the same venues, you need to have other ways of staying in touch. Use your cell phone to chat or to send a text to one of your friends. This adds some more points to your Friendship meter and keeps the friendship alive. You can also invite Sims to come over to your home or invite them to travel with you to another location where you can then engage in conversation and really work on the relationship. If you have a computer, use it to chat with Sims you already know. You can find these choices under the Socialize category on the computer.
Text with your friends over your cell phone…
…or chat with them using the computer. Either method is a good way to stay in touch and maintain relationships.
Michaela Makes a New Friend
Michaela loves the outdoors and enjoys walking around her neighborhood. When she is not fishing, digging up rocks, or looking for frogs, she likes to meet her neighbors and the other Sims in the area. One day, she was talking to Judy Cole, catching up on what was going on in her life, when a new Sim walked by. Always eager to meet someone new, Michaela used her Charisma skill and decided to use a cheerful introduction.
The Sim’s name was Theresa Williams. Michaela now had another Acquaintance. She knew that if she wanted to develop a friendship with Theresa, she would need to put in some effort and be as friendly as possible. So Michaela asked Theresa about her day. This resulted in a positive response, so Michaela complimented Theresa on her outfit. Because Michaela was still Happy, she even tried brightening Theresa’s day with a social available to Happy Sims.
While they were having a pleasant conversation, Ryan Lawrence walked up and joined in. He was Angry and the situation turned into an awkward encounter. Worried that Ryan might ruin her friendly efforts with Theresa, Michaela decided to use this as an opportunity to exercise her socializing abilities.
Michaela used some friendly socials on Ryan such as brightening his day and asking about his day. She also complimented his outfit. As his demeanor changed, and his emotions along with it, Michaela got Energized by the turn of events and gave Ryan a pep talk to further cheer him up. The Energized emotion also let her enthuse about her interests.
Judy and Ryan had to leave the conversation and Michaela was worried Theresa might have to go as well. Therefore, Michaela invited Theresa to hang out. This was fine with Theresa and she agreed. Now Michaela did not feel like she had to rush the conversation and could enjoy the experience.
Michaela learned a bit more about Theresa during their conversation. For example, she has the Hates Children traits. This isn’t a real issue for Michaela. However, if she were interested in starting a family with a Sim, she probably wouldn’t choose a child hating Sim as a partner.
Excited to learn something about Theresa, and now very Energized from their conversation, Michaela went for a hip bump. That did the trick. She was doing well with the relationship and the bump gave it the bump they needed. Michaela and Theresa were now Friends.
Michaela keeps using friendly socials to find out more about Theresa. She learns that Theresa has the Active trait, so Michaela decides to discuss fitness techniques because she has been working on her Fitness skill. Because they have a common interest, their friendship improves even more.
As the conversation continues, Michaela finds another thing in common with Theresa—they both have the Loves Outdoors trait. Michaela quickly enthuses about the outdoors and before they know it, Michaela and Theresa are Good Friends.
Michaela invited Theresa over to her home to continue the conversation. Just as the sun was setting, their relationship had advanced to the point where Michaela was able to ask Theresa to be her Best Friend. Theresa happily accepted. While it took all afternoon, Michaela was able to meet a new Sim and make her a Best Friend before bedtime.
Being Mean
While you can build up friendships, you also have the opportunity to ruin friendships. One of the categories of socials is designed to decrease your friendships—mean. These socials almost always result in negative reactions that have the Friendship bar get smaller until the green disappears. Then the bar begins growing again; however, this time it is red as the relationship become more hostile. When progressing along the hostile side of the LTR, you move from Acquaintance to Disliked when you get to the halfway point of the meter. Keep going in the red to three-quarters and you are now Despised. Then if you keep throwing out mean socials, you can eventually declare the other Sim an Enemy—the opposite of a Best Friend.
Horace Makes Some Enemies
Horace isn’t necessarily a bad Sim—he was just created that way. In fact, he does not have much of a chance to be good because all of his traits and his Aspiration are designed to make him a bad person. His Aspiration is Public Enemy and his traits are Evil, Dastardly, Hot-Headed, and Mean. He is a perfect example of how to create enemies.
Soon after moving to Oasis Springs, Horace decides to venture outside of his home and look for people he can make miserable. In fact, he actually gains the Happy emotion when he makes other Sims Angry. One of the first people he runs into is Efrain Higa. He starts off with a rude introduction. That creates an unpleasant conversation right from the get go.
Horace continues by mocking Efrain’s outfit and jeering him. After insulting and yelling at Efrain, Horace is now Disliked by this Sim. And Horace is just getting started.
Next Horace throws his drink at Efrain—or at least tries to. Efrain becomes very Angry and tries to walk away. However, Horace is not yet ready to let him go.
After Horace uses several more mean socials, Efrain now Despises him. So Horace keeps it up a bit longer and then declares Efrain an Enemy.
Horace needs to be Disliked by three Sims to achieve one of the objectives for his Aspiration, so he decides to make another Enemy before lunchtime. Judy Cole walks by—and becomes Horace’s next target. As before, he starts off with a rude introduction. After a couple more mean socials, Judy is already Angry.
Shortly after becoming Disliked by Judy, Horace decides to fight her. While it seems like Judy came out ahead in the scuffle—Horace is a bit Dazed—Judy now Despises Horace. To try to save some face, Horace declares her an Enemy and then walks away. Even though he has made two Sims Despise him and now has a couple of Enemies, Horace is Happy.
Romantic
While you want to create friendships with other Sims, most Sims want to have romantic relationships as well. Romance is kept track of separately from friendship. In fact, as soon as a friendship begins taking a romantic turn, a second meter appears on the LTR window. The lower meter of the two shows the progress of the romance and starts out pink instead of green.
As soon as the romantic relationship begins, the Romance meter appears below the Friendship meter.
While friendly socials help advance the Friendship meter, use romance socials to get the Romance meter started and keep it going. However, you can’t just start with romance. You need to at least get the friendship going a bit before moving to romance. If you try romance too early, you are likely to be rejected and end up embarrassed. Not to worry. Just build up that friendship a bit more and then go for the romance.
Just like friendship relations have different levels, so too do romantic relationships. As soon as you begin down the romantic path, and the Romance meter appears, the two Sims are Romantic Interests. Keep using romance socials successfully to get to the next level—Lovebirds. As the romance meter progresses even further, the Sims become Sweethearts. At this level, a new social becomes available to ask a Sim to be a Boyfriend or Girlfriend. Finally, a Sim can propose—another social in the romance category—which causes them to be Engaged and then leads to Marriage.
Once they have a girlfriend or boyfriend, your Sims can then propose to their significant other and get married.
When your Sims decide to get married, you have a choice. They can elope and get married right away. This is cheaper and the Sims are instantly married. However, what is a marriage without a big wedding? Both Elope and Plan a Wedding Event are socials that appear on the main Socials menu when two Sims are engaged. You do not have to get married right away, despite the socials continuing to appear on the menu whenever two engaged Sims socialize.
Horace Finds Love
Now we know that Horace is a mean person. However, even mean people need some love in their life. While Michaela has little problem with romance due to her Aspiration and traits, Horace starts off at a disadvantage. However, as we will see, if Horace can succeed at romance, anybody can.
Shortly after creating two Enemies on his first day in Oasis Springs, Horace saw Julie Lawrence jogging by. Still in a Happy mood, he decided instead of making a third Enemy, he might try for a romantic relationship.
Starting off with a friendly introduction, Horace follows up with a heartfelt compliment. He was actually surprised at how easy it was. By this time, the two are having a pleasant conversation. Horace continues using friendly socials and learns that Julie has the Active and Outgoing traits.
Once he has gotten to know Julie a bit better, Horace uses his first romance social. He asks Julie if she is single. She says she is, so he follows up with a flirt and then compliments her appearance—two more romance socials. He continues with a pick up line; by this time, both Horace and Julie are Flirty and the conversation has gone from pleasant to suggestive. Then after a couple more romance socials, the Romance meter appears on the LTR window and the relationship moves from Acquaintances to Romantic Interest.
Horace moves to more physical socials by holding Julie’s hands, offering her a rose, and then kissing her hands. This takes the relationship to Lovebirds.
After a few more romance socials, Horace is ready to try for a first kiss. It goes well and is later followed by some more kissing. The two are getting along great—they are now Sweethearts—so Horace asks Julie to be his Girlfriend. She agrees and the two jump up and down giddily.
Horace has enjoyed spending the afternoon talking to Julie and does not want it to end. Therefore, he uses another romance social to invite Julie to stay the night. After a dinner at Horace’s home, the two sit on the couch and make out.
They eventually head into the bedroom and have WooHoo for the first time. Horace and Julie then drift off to sleep to finish their day of romantic bliss.
Relationship Problems
Not all romantic relationships work out. This is primarily because the player chooses to make a relationship fail. Sims with the Serial Romantic Aspiration actually have to break up with two Sims as one of their objectives. They also have to have romantic relationships with more than one Sim at a time—which can also cause problems.
Breaking up is actually quite easy to do.
Breaking up is a mean social. It is only available when two Sims are either Boyfriend/Girlfriend or are Engaged. This ends the relationship and each Sim receives a Sad moodlet that can affect their emotions. Also, the Romance meter turns red instead of pink. The further along the meter was in the pink, the further along it will be in the red and the relationship will be very awkward. Any additional romance socials are likely to fail and even friendly socials can fail. The best thing to do to try to repair this relationship is to apologize, and then work on friendly socials. However, it will take some time before the Romance meter degrades enough so that the red is all gone and then you can start over again.
Once Sims are married, they can end their relationship with a divorce. This too is a mean social. It is similar to a breakup. However, because it is much more serious, the Sims receive a powerful Sad moodlet that can last a couple of days. Trying to repair a relationship after a divorce is tough and it takes several days before you can really get started on it.
Divorce is the ultimate breakup—and it causes some powerful negative moodlets.
Jealousy is one of the reasons Sims may break up or divorce. It is caused when a Sims with at least a Romantic Interest in each other do something romantic with another Sim. For example, if a husband uses romantic socials with another Sim while in front of his wife, she will definitely get jealous and that causes some negative moodlets—and can decrease the Romance meter of the couple. Making out or WooHooing with another Sim gives a big hit to the relationship.
Affairs As you meet new Sims and find out that they are already in relationships, that does not necessarily mean that there is no chance for romance. While the Sim may reject your romantic overtures, they may also accept them. In fact, you can even become a Boyfriend/Girlfriend with a Sim who already has a Boyfriend/Girlfriend or is even Married! In fact, once you have become Boyfriend/Girlfriend with a married Sim, you have a romance social available to convince them to leave their spouse. You can even ask that the Sim move in with your Sim and then take control of that Sim when he or she becomes part of your household. |