Fun story. So yesterday I was getting frustrated with the lag in my current world, so I decided to re-start my Sims world. Basically... I saved all of my custom built lots and families, started a new Bridgeport world, put everything back into place, and started fresh. Yeah it was kind of annoying losing a lot of progress in my Sim's life, but HOLY MOKO THE SAMOAN BIRD KING did the lag go way down. Also... all of the annoyances with the online dating system VANISHED. I now think there's some bug that the online dating system automatically adds Sims who have been in a world for a long while, but doesn't automatically add those who are brand new. We'll see if how it goes in my new world, but thus far it seems to be going great.



Ehhhh I dunno about this. I've been on an online dating site before, and I specifically remember it was strictly 18+. Adding teens into the online dating system in the Sims would also open up adult-teen relationships, which I know EA doesn't want to touch with a 27836759174 foot pole.

EA won't touch inter -teen (romantically at least) (at least last time I checked) with a 100 petaflop pole either... Back to the main topic - Every guy my sim goes out with is either married or already in a relationship...the only single dues are the guys I place in town, lol

So EA figures adultery is OK, even adultery between species is OK (as long as you don't mind the stock "WooHoo with occult" shame moodlet), but teen romance is taboo. And is it impossible to conceive that the young graduate, already engaged to his high school sweetheart, can't even kiss her to celebrate graduating, because she's 2 days younger than he is, without it being considered romance with a minor?

When will these guys at EA finally figure out that Romney lost?

Don't get me wrong, I hated Romney, but I don't see how that's even relevant...

Simply put, the age of consent is 18 in many parts of the United States (such as California and Florida) and therefore if they added full inter-teen romance on the same level as adults, they would have to raise the ESRB rating from T for "teen" to A or M.

There's plenty of mods out there that unlock teen romance, and even adult-teen romantic interactions. I see no reason for EA to bother putting it in, especially if it means it will artificially limit the game's audience, and therefore, budget.

It's funny that CA is not only an age of 18 consent state, and there is no age gap provision, probably making it about the most restrictive in the country. Even FL provides for that. Regardless, age of consent in most states is 16 to 17, with many allowing for an age gap provision. However, in no state, CA included, is dating, hugging, holding hands and kissing considered illegal, so I really don't think EA would be risking their T rating for a loosening of the reins. Full inter-teen romance might not be considered sufficiently family wholesome for EA, but the draconian limitations on teen could be a little lighter without masses of protestors outside their Redmond office (although it is in CA).

I think that perhaps the general American public is not quite as conservative as is typically portrayed. EA is already portrayed as the "worst company in America", so maybe lightening up and letting a teen use the kissing booth at the fair, or even have access to some online 'dating" system (implemented with a bit more care than the current Adult model) wouldn't really be sticking their neck out too much.

I'm familiar with the mods available to remove blocks in behavior based on age, but I think that EA is as well. So they are aware that a portion of their target market is already playing in a manner not in keeping with their vanilla version T rating. Perhaps they view that as a relief valve, keeping that portion of their customer base happy, without having to offer the feature themselves, and potentially getting grief for it.

Still, I'm bothered that it's OK for a kid to watch Daddy burn to death at a birthday party when the cake caught fire (yes, it happened, yes I'm still traumatized by it and avoid sim birthday parties to this day), but a YA kissing their teen fiance goodnight is crossing some line.

*shrug* I just really don't see it as that much of a problem. It's getting this thread off-topic anyway. If you think it's game-breaking for you, there's PLENTY of mods to open up teen relationships and adult-teen romance.

To steer this back on-track... virtually every real world online dating site I've seen out there is strictly 18-and-over. All other teen romance issues aside, I think that keeping teens off the online dating system reflects reality, so I don't see a reason to change that.

While I do agree that restricting teens from online dating is hardly game breaking, I do think the online dating system as it exists is broken. It might be cute the first time for Gus Hart to be chasing you for a date, but it's hardly the system I would implement. Then again, I was bothered by the stalking system of sims calling you up and wanting to get to "know" you, because you learned a craft . At least Shimrod gave us a mod to stomp that "new feature" out.

At least I'm not being forced to use the dating system. Still, it would have been nice to use if it worked.

There should have been an interaction when one accepts a date to tell the sim the called sim is not interested or yell at them for being married searching for dates.

So far my witch kept getting calls from an insane townie. She yelled at him, insulted him, turned him into a toad, into a mummy via an alchemy potion and still kept getting calls for dates.
She received one call too many and went to his house, was invited in, and set his house on fire burning him to death so the calls would cease.

As this is a worldwide game, do you not think they could put the extra content in other countries? they use different discs for different regions anyway, and here in the uk the age of consent is 16, but nobody bats an eyelid if anyone 14 or older is doing it, in some parts of continental europe it is as low as 14 i think.

although i can see why they dont put more 'adult' content in, i also think very few parents look at ratings when letting their kids play games or watch films. i think they tend to look at the grid on the back of the box where it tells you how much violence/sex/language is in it. i know i was allowed to watch some 18 rated films at age 15, but not all, it depended on what my parents thought i could handle, and i definately watched 12 rated films on my own from about 8 years old.

but as i said, i can see why they dont put it in, and as others said, it doesnt really affect us all because there are mods to sort it out anyway

Meh. Like I said before, teenage romance is something I don't want the devs to waste time on. The modding community has figured out how to "unlock" it for the small number of people who desire its implementation, so that's good enough for me. California and Florida have an age of consent at 18, which is enough combined population (therefore, market) to rival pretty much any other country out there, at least in Europe. I'd rather the devs spend their time working on expansions and other stuff.

Back on topic with online dating...

I guess you missed the part where I said that my TEEN could checkout other TEENS. Sims is not real life after all and teens can date each other in the game. It actually would make things easier by setting up a teen with someone of the appropriate age.

I sometimes confuse the teens and the Y/A wasting time socializing with the wrong age. It can be hassle for the younger sims to find the right kind of friends or in the case of teens, love interest.

This seriously made me laugh. Did it matter that he had the insane trait or is this normal for all sims? My matriarch keeps getting called for dates and I always refuse but I wonder, do sims ever autonomously accept? I would hate to leave my legacy to play another household only to return to discover that my sim is labeled a cheater because of a stupid phone call date she would never actually accept.

I was laughing at it too. I think it just for active sims. They all get called for dates from all the married people in town not just the insane ones. I have 4 sims currently and they all get calls for dates about the same time one after another and it is annoying to keep clicking no every time from the same old people. I also made a fortune with all the married sims sending gifts in the mail. I got enough gifts in the mail to tear down a wall and add a new skill room and an extra bathroom/bedroom plus new car.

I've found it not that hard or my teens to meet others. I just have them "talk with friends" all day at school. They boost their charisma, they still get on the honor roll, and still graduate valedictorian as long as their homework is done each night. I can scroll through their relationship panel, and check out who they are either already friends with, or at least acquainted with from school, and set up meets from there. As there is only one school in town, your child and teen sims will know all their classmates/townies in no time.

One odd occurrence that progression seems to drive (I've seen this with stock EA, and now use Twallan's SP, so this might no longer be true in EA SP, it's been a while), is that if there are not enough townies in the age range (if I stocked a town myself and there were no matching age groups when the kids were born) the game will generate babysitters for teens as classmates, and paper delivery kids for children, so they have someone to talk to. While you can date a babysitter, you can't go visit them.

How do you make them online date???

The only appropriate solution for such a problem.



Have an active Sim head to any computer and choose Online Dating - Make A Profile. You need Seasons installed, though.

I tried the Online Dating for my Sim once and decided to not opt for it. Married people wanting my Sim, who is in a relationship herself, to meet at 10 AM - screw work - and I don't even have an option to make their meeting go horrible without having a bad moodlet. Why not have a good moodlet of "Told off annoying Sim"?

you know, it's actually an example how the real life is bugged and poor implemented and done completely without proper quality control

Maybe with exception of "online dating with parent", but still... :D

Non-snarky reply: use the computer.

Real reply: All the sims that were dating online when this thread was started are probably off the market, because they're not into necro'd posts.

I always use this feature, it always help my sims to have acquaintances.I love the fact that when she is somewhere and she sees a boy she met , she wants to speak to him to know him better.It is not like real life but it's very close to.

The Online dating app unfortunately don't show any supernaturals it only shows human sims it's too dull it needs supernaturals.

You can date both parties of the couple, have a polycule

Or have the sim slowly realize they loved your sim and not the spouse

I used to ship Susan Wainwright with a crapton of characters