For its 25th anniversary, EA has re-released bugs and crashed included. Any player more used to the modern versions of The Sims may be surprised by the level of difficulty present in the earlier games, especially in The Sims 1. However, if any players are having a particularly hard time managing their Sims needs with their career and relationships, there may be a simple reason for it.
Starting a new household in The Sims 1 presents all the expected challenges of a fresh save, namely a low-paying job and no real savings. However, the number-one mistake players make when they first begin their game is not investing in their household appliances. Neglecting upgrades can adversely impact a Sim’s household in more ways than rookie players may expect.
Why Do Needs Drop So Fast In Sims 1?
Needs Decay Is Brutal In The First Game
The Sims 1 is easily the most difficult game in the entire series. The game may seem deceptively simple at first, since players need only keep their Sims well-fed, well-rested, and entertained enough to maintain good careers and relationships. However, of all the games in the series, The Sims 1 has the fastest Needs decay. Players must constantly balance eating, going to the bathroom, showering, and sleeping, especially if their Sims have a busy life. It’s a Herculean task to get even a single Sim to green in all their Needs bars, especially at the beginning of the game.
The reason The Sims 1 is so difficult is that it’s the very first game in the series, and it hadn’t yet figured out the ideal balance of Needs decay for long-term play. It’s likely that the game was aiming for a sense of realism, like Sims needing to eat and go to the bathroom before their carpool picks them up like most real people do. Unfortunately, even the shortest activity can take hours of in-game time, which throws off any life-like scheduling. Later games in The Sims make keeping a Sim’s Needs bars full much easier, especially in The Sims 4.
Invest In Your Sims 1 Home
Purchagrades Makes A Sim's Life Easier
If players are struggling too much with balancing their Sim’s career and their basic needs, it’s likely because they’ve cheaped out during Build Mode at the very start of the game. The Sims 1 doesn’t provide players with a lot of money, otherwise known as Simoleons, when they create a new household. The humble beginnings of most Sims mean they’ll likely be living with the absolutely cheapest beds, fridges, TVs, and furnishings possible until they’ve got a promotion or two and more funds to use. However, this is the very reason a Sim’s Needs deplete so quickly.
The best way to make the most of your time is to invest in high-quality items that a Sim will use every day. Items like their bed, shower, fridge, and TV should be upgraded as soon as players can afford them, since it refreshes a Sim’s Needs much faster than cheaper items. For example, buying a better-quality bed will fill up the Sleep bar over the course of a night rather than a cheaper bed only partially filling it, which means a Sim would need to sleep more often.
The Best Appliances To Buy In Sims 1
Mid-Range Upgrades Can Be Worth It
To best help Sims fulfill their daily needs, players should upgrade their Sim’s appliances as soon as they can comfortably afford to. Since the re-release of The Sims 1 and 2 includes all the expansion packs for the first game, every special item is available to new players. For example, players should try to upgrade their shower from the cheapest basic option, the SpaceMiser Shower, to the Aluminumb Shower System from Livin’ Large. This shower has a rating of eight hygiene and is significantly cheaper than other showers at 1,333 Simoleons.
Other good choices for an upgrade would be for the stove, from the cheap Dialectric Free Standing Range, priced at 400 Simoleons, to the Pyrotorre Gas Range, priced at 1,000 Simoleons. However, by saving up just 600 more Simoleons, players can buy the Olde Thyme Restored Oven, with a rating of nine hunger, from Livin’ Large for 1,600 Simoleons. It isn’t the most expensive choice in the game, but saving up the extra amount gives a significant increase in the quality of food.
While upgrading kitchen appliances can help with Needs decay, leveling up the Cooking skill will result in better quality meals and happier Sims.
Upgrading a television is obviously the best way to prevent fun decay, but it is also, unfortunately, one of the most expensive items to replace. The most basic TV, the Monochrome TV, costs only 85 Simoleons with a lowly rating of two fun. The next best upgrade is the Trottco 27” Color Television B94U, which costs 500 Simoleons, but only upgrades to a rating of four fun. Getting this mid-range TV is still worth it for Sims struggling through their day job in The Sims 1.
The Sims (2000)
- Released
- February 4, 2000
- ESRB
- T
- Developer(s)
- Maxis
- Publisher(s)
- Electronic Arts
- Franchise
- The Sims
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo GameCube, Xbox (Original)
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