Sul sul Simmers! The Sims 4 was patched on 10 November – check the patch notes here – and it is huge! There is too much to talk about in just one article, so we will be sharing the changes in a series of articles. Today we will be discussing the changes to the Relationship Panel and the addition of Sentiments.
Relationship Panel and Sim Profile
First, let’s look at the Relationship Panel. Previous to the patch, hovering over a Sim in the relationship panel would open a tooltip that would fill the screen, often with a lot of “Unknown”, which isn’t really helpful. The new tooltip is now much more streamlined, only showing known information. As you can see from the below screenshots, the more that the active Sim knows about the target Sim, the more the relationship tooltip shows.
For even more detail about a Sim, the active Sim can open up the Sim Profile, which is a new feature with the November patch. Click on a Sim in the Relationship Panel and there will be a new option: Open Sim Profile. Once you do that that a lightbox will open with more information about that Sim, if more is known. It’s possible you won’t get much additional information. In the above example, all the active Sim knows about Bryce Grunt is that he’s an Adult and who his spouse is. If we open the Sim Profile for Bryce we get the added information that the active Sim is acquaintances with Bryce and that Bryce is the active Sim’s nephew.
If the active Sim knew more about Bryce, more would be shown. For example, let’s open the Sim Profile for a Sim that our active Sim knows better:
This is our active Sim’s ex-wife so he knows more about her, so the panel shows more. He doesn’t know all her traits, though (which may be part of why they’re divorced) so it does have placeholders for the traits he doesn’t know. You can also see in the panel that the Sim Profile panel will successfully pull information in from mods, as long as they are up to date. The “Perceived as Very Attractive” entry under the Relationship section is from a mod. This panel will also show career information and university degrees, if the active Sim knows that information.
Note: For relationships that existed prior to the patch, the active Sim may have to interact with the target Sim before the profile will fully update. I have many Sims who I know are friends or good friends and the Sim Profile is showing them as “Acquaintances”. Once they interact, however, the profile updates.
If you have the Cats and Dogs pack, pets also have a Sim Profile panel now.
Sentiments
One of the reasons the Sim Profile was added was to make room for more information that has been added with the patch – Sentiments! Sentiments are feelings that Sims have about other Sims that will add emotional depth to their interactions. Sentiments can be negative or positive, short term or long term, and romantic or platonic. Toddlers, children, teens, young adults, adults, and elders can all have Sentiments, although toddlers and children cannot have romantic Sentiments. Pets do not have Sentiments.
What do Sentiments Do?
Sentiments are longer term than moodlets, and affect both relationship and mood. If something significant happens between two Sims, a Sentiment can be created. If they have a good date, they might be Smitten with one another (although Sentiments can go just one way, they don’t have to be mutual). If a Sim is Smitten they will be more likely to get a Flirty moodlet when they see that Sim, and they might also autonomously initiate Romantic actions with that Sim.
The same goes for more negative Sentiments. An argument or fight can make a Sim Furious with another Sim. If a Sim is Furious they will be more likely to be angry when they see that Sim, and they are also more likely to autonomously initiate mean socials with that Sim.
If you have Parenthood, these sentiments have the potential to affect and be affected by Life Skills such as Emotional Control and Empathy.
Sims can have up to four active Sentiments with each Sim that they know. Sentiments are not permanent, although some are longer term than others. As Sims interact, short-term Sentiments might be replaced with long-term Sentiments, or they might go away, depending on how interactions go.
Where Can We See Them?
There are two places to see Sentiments. There is the Sim Profile. Any Sentiments that the Active Sim has for the Target Sim will be shown, as well as any that the Target Sim has for the Active Sim.
You can also see sentiments in the Social UI at the top of the screen, which appears when two Sims are interacting. There will be a heart-covered notebook in the Social UI. Click on that to expand the Social UI so you can see the Sentiments.
List of Sentiments
Negative Sentiments
Festering Grudge {Active Sim} has a deep-seated grudge against {Target Sim}. It’s hard to forget or forgive the past, which may make being around {Target Sim} feel very unpleasant for {Active Sim}. Bitter, Long-Term
Betrayed by Cheating Infidelity has soured {Active Sim}’s feelings for {Target Sim}. {Active Sim} may find that being around {Target Sim} brings back bad memories about what happened. Bitter, Long-Term
Deeply Wounded Some wounds take a long, long time to heal. Being around {Target Sim} brings up painful memories for {Active Sim} Hurt, Long-Term
Bitter about Breakup {Active Sim} can’t quite shake some resentment towards {Target Sim} about how their romantic relationship ended. {Active Sim} might find it unpleasant to be around {Target Sim} for a while. Bitter, Short-Term
Grudging after a Fight {Active Sim} and {Target Sim} have some unfinished business. This conflict is unresolved and tensions are high, at least from {Active Sim}’s perspective. Bitter, Short-Term
Resentful about Divorce {Active Sim} has some resentment leftover from {F0.her}{M0.his} divorce. {Active Sim} may not enjoy being around {Target Sim}.Negative Bitter, Short-term
Furious about Cheating {Active Sim} cannot BELIEVE {Target Sim} would do this to their relationship! Just the sight of {Target Sim} will remind {Active Sim} that {Target Sim} betrayed {F0.her}{M0.his} trust and cheated on {F0.her}{M0.him}. Furious, Short-term
Infuriated about Cancelled Wedding How dare {Target Sim} humiliate {Active Sim} in front of everyone at their wedding! {Active Sim} may have a hard time keeping calm around {Target Sim} for a while. Furious, Short-term
Furious Just the sight of {Target Sim} gets on {Active Sim}’s nerves these days. Like, how dare {Target Sim} show {F1.her}{M1.his} face!
Awkward after a Bad Date Negative Guilty Short term N That date was excruciatingly bad. Not {Active Sim}’s best moment. Cue cringeworthy memories whenever {Active Sim} sees {Target Sim}… Furious, Short-term
Ashamed of a Terrible Party {Active Sim} cannot believe how badly that party went. {F0.She}{M0.He} worries that {Target Sim} must think {Active Sim} is no fun and that {Target Sim} probably never wants to hang out again…Guilty, Short-term
Guilty {Active Sim} feels bad about something that happened with {Target Sim} but doesn’t know how to make it right. Guilty, Short-term
Saddened It’s disappointing to see a rift in this once-strong relationship. {Active Sim} wishes things were different, and {F0.she}{M0.he} wonders if {Target Sim} feels the same way. Hurt, Short-term
Hurt {Active Sim} feels wronged by {Target Sim}, and being around {Target Sim} will remind {Active Sim} of that pain. Hurt, Short-term
Dejected about Rejection {Active Sim} doesn’t necessarily blame {Target Sim} for turning {F0.her}{M0.him} down, but it still sometimes feels bad to be around {Target Sim}. Hurt, Short-term
Heartbroken Love hurts, as {Active Sim} is reminded of when {F0.she}{M0.he} thinks about {Target Sim}. Hurt, Short-Term
Positive Sentiments
Awed by Lifesaving Hero {Target Sim} literally saved {Active Sim} from the clutches of death. {Active Sim} is grateful and amazed! Adoring, Long-term
Deeply Connected {Active Sim} has a powerful bond with {Target Sim} that is a source of strength and comfort. Close, Long-term
Deeply in Love Some romantic moments leave a powerful impression, and {Active Sim} will never forget how {F0.she}{M0.he} fell even deeper in love with {Target Sim}. Enamoured, Long-term
Impressed {Target Sim} sure knows what {M1.he}{F1.she} is doing and {Active Sim} has nothing but respect. Adoring, Short-term
Adoring {Active Sim} just wants the best for {Target Sim} and thinks {F1.she}{M1.he} is so wonderful! Adoring, Short-Term
Closer after a Fun Party Positive Celebrations can bring Sims together, literally and emotionally. The party’s over, but {Active Sim} still feels its afterglow when {F0.she}{M0.he} spends time around {Target Sim}. Close, Short-Term
Close after a Close Call {Target Sim} almost dying has really endeared {M1.him}{F1.her} to {Active Sim}. That was a close call! Close, Short-Term
Closer from Happy Memories {Active Sim} feels close to {Target Sim} from good times and happy memories. Close, Short-Term
Growing Closer from Quality Time {Active Sim} appreciates that {Target Sim} makes time for {F0.her}{M0.him}. Time spent together seems to bring them closer together. Close, Short-Term
Open-Hearted {Active Sim} feels close to a recent addition to the family, {Target Sim}. A warm welcome! Close, Short-Term
Smitten {Active Sim} can’t explain it, but {M0.he}{F0.she} is really enamored with {Target Sim} and the sight of {M1.him}{F1.her} makes {Active Sim}’s heart beat faster! Enamoured, Short-Term
As you can see, there are many Sentiments that cover a multitude of interactions between Sims. In addition, there will be more Sentiments that come with Snowy Escape, which will release on 13 November. We will update this post with Sentiments added by subsequent packs when they release.
Final Thoughts: I am thrilled with these changes. The Sim Profile panel and streamlined relationship tooltip has made it very easy to find the information I am looking for when I check on Sims in the relationship panel. Even in the short time that I have played with the Sentiments I can already see how much richer they are making Sim interactions. Sims are much more likely to autonomously react to other Sims, which makes me feel like they have more emotional depth.
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