How does the game choose the "one hobby"

[edalbformat]

Once a hobby passes level 4, it's not important what the activities are: The computer Interweb is the universal hobby, there's a mode that covers every hobby: Browse Web About is as good or better than most interactions for a hobby for enthusiasm, and "Blog About" tends to beat everything, as most hobby actions are 150 ER, some insuperior ones (ant farm) are 100 ER, but Browse Web is 150 ER and Blog is 200.

So, science sims are sekrit danger lovers? Stargazing can lead to squashing and abduction.

The tinkering hobby is the most dangerous: Practically everything you can do is unsafe!

As for how the One Hobby is normally assigned, it is assigned sadorandomly, based on what you hate most.

I got really worried when I saw the Makin'Magic creature delivering computers to every inhabitant. I'm not playing FT cause I have no time and simply cannot tolerate TS2 without mods. In my first play, I entered the house of a girl named Una and didn't like a thing I saw over there.
First, dressed as a gypsy and I don't like the gipsy at all so much that I nuked the creature from being created. Second, the girl was awake 4 AM, alone home and even so she lauched a tip jar to the ground before playing piano. Only the fact that you are awake 4 AM is already bad signal. You may be awake at 3AM or wake up at 5AM, but at 4AM you should be sleeping.
I didn't even pay attention of what kind of life achievements Sims are going to have. I like to cheat. Everybody cheat. If you don't cheat, you are cheated.
No matter how interesting EAxis or any of their defenders try to sound, the game without all mods and hacks sucks more than rolling thumbs on a prison solitary.

[J. M. Pescado]

[sloppyhousewife]

On the other hand, it's quiet, inobtrusive, and gives your sim an excuse to sit in front of the computer all day, just like you.

True, but unlike me, my sims aren't allowed to use the computer except for writing novels and termpapers. No excuses for my sims.

I wouldn't mind the stargazing, it's the fact that, unlike other hobbies, science activities are restricted to certain times of day or to objects that require specific career paths. Or to an antfarm, which wouldn't be that bad, if it a) didn't have disgusting animations and b) weren't dropped after a few seconds. They should have made bug hunting a science activity - a tree hugger's supposed to weep at the mere idea of pinning butterflies on needles.

[J. M. Pescado]

Try noadhd if your sims are having adhd issues.

[sloppyhousewife]

I *do* have noadhd, of course. Unfortunately, that doesn't keep sims from stopping certain activities as soon as their fun is maxed. Doesn't matter anyway, as antfarms are banned from my houses after seing serious knowledge sims behave like retarded children. I guess I'll just stick to "pinning bugs on needles is science" and don't give a damn about which hobby bar is eventually raised.

[J. M. Pescado]

It helps to hit Macro Concentrate after you order the activity. Also, Macro Hobbinate will handle this also.

[Kyna]

Does it really matter if the sim pursues a more interesting (to watch) hobby than their one true hobby?  What are the benefits of the one true hobby that can't be gained by pursuing another hobby or hobbies?

[sloppyhousewife]

It helps to hit Macro Concentrate after you order the activity. Also, Macro Hobbinate will handle this also.

I'll try that as soon as I come across another hobby activity with likewise problems. I'd rather let my sims blog than watch another antfarm again.

Does it really matter if the sim pursues a more interesting (to watch) hobby than their one true hobby?  What are the benefits of the one true hobby that can't be gained by pursuing another hobby or hobbies?

Actually, it doesn't matter, except that sims are supposed to gain enthusiasm faster for their one true hobby.

[kuronue]

heh, Cuisine is a fun OTH for me - I almost maxed it out just by maxing cooking skill and serving/eating food, so I imagine if you caffinate often you'll max it easier, and when it's maxed, you get in the zone every time you serve or eat food. Not a bad perk, really.

[Zazazu]

They should have made bug hunting a science activity - a tree hugger's supposed to weep at the mere idea of pinning butterflies on needles.

Yes, this bothers me. Daphne rolls up lots of wants to catch bugs, and her getting chased by bees amuses me, but as Little Miss Nature (the only Nature sim in my entire 'hood excepting the instructor, apparently) it seems wrong for her to be planting flower beds and stocking ponds just to turn around and actively seek out new bugs to kill.

I'd think that Cuisine + Grilled Cheese would be the optimal combo.

[gyrobot]

Of course it's easy to gain enthusiasm for whatever hobby with the new web options, but where's the fun in that? I wanted some fun (fun for me, that is) activities for my science sims, too, not just systematically raise yet another couple of bars .

Well, obviously, not all One True Hobbies are enthralling to watch, and some of them are outright annoying under certain conditions. Science is not the most dull one out there, though. At least the Stargazing actions give cash prizes. If you want a REALLY boring hobby, Cuisine seems to be the dullest by far: Seriously, what is there to do? The only thing you can hope for is that the necessary grind for the cooking points your sim needs to SURVIVE will give him enough interest to unlock the Intertube actions, because other than that, what *IS* there? Gluttony does not exactly make an interesting hobby sideline. On the other hand, it's quiet, inobtrusive, and gives your sim an excuse to sit in front of the computer all day, just like you.

If all else fails, you can always drink some nectar and juice, when Angelus aint working or cooking dinners or having woohoo with his wife, he is trying veronaville nectar.

[Kristalrose]

The majority of my Sims are either Arts and Crafts, Tinkering, or Music and Dance.  Since Seasons is my favorite EP, all of my families have orchards, greenhouses, and/or fishing ponds on their lots.  So, they run up more "enthusiasm points" for the Nature Hobby, but then want to go tinker or paint all the time. 

I did buy one of my farmer-dads the junked car and have been letting him tinker on it.  His daughter is a teenager, and I thought it would be a nice present to her for college.  He's a family sim and he and the daughter are close.  Just a little realism for my game, I guess.  LOL

[Zazazu]

One of my sims (the first human marry-in) is now an elder and his one true is Tinkering. He lives in an extremely nice house and owns two level 10 businesses. He is not allowed the car, as his wife wouldn't let something that shoddy on their property. He wants to putz around on some rusty piece of junk, he can open a garage on the other side of the beach. Now that his first grandchild is also Tinkering, he probably will.

I have very few playables, but I currently have two Sports, two Tinkering, two Fitness, and one Nature.