The Sims 4: A Guide to Disabling Autonomy

The Sims 4 offers a vast range of gameplay options, positioning it as one of the most sophisticated life simulators available. Players have the freedom to manipulate their Sims according to their preferences, while still allowing a degree of autonomy for the Sims to independently go about their daily lives even when not directly supervised by the player.

However, autonomy in The Sims is not always advantageous, as Sims frequently cancel player-initiated actions or even put themselves at risk of fatal outcomes. This guide intends to assist gamers in disabling free will within The Sims 4.

How Autonomy Works in The Sims 4

Autonomy is a key feature in The Sims 4, allowing players to customize its impact on their gameplay.

While players cannot exert full control over a Sim's emotions, as they are influenced by life events and the environment, they do have the ability to adjust the level of free will within their household. This includes taking complete control over a Sim's actions, such as their bathroom usage. However, players cannot prevent a Sim from experiencing discomfort if their needs are low or their surroundings are unclean.

How to Disable Autonomy

Gamers have multiple autonomy options in The Sims 4 that can be customized to their preferences and ensure the well-being of their Sims. To adjust the Autonomy settings, players can navigate to the Menu, choose Settings, and then select the Game Options tab. In this section, they have the choice to enable or disable Autonomy.

When Autonomy is set to Full in The Sims 4, Sims will independently manage their own needs and make decisions based on their abilities. While this grants them the freedom to explore and act as they please, it also comes with potential risks. Sims may behave recklessly and find themselves in unfavorable situations. To mitigate this, gamers can switch off autonomy. This restricts Sims to only performing autonomous actions that are essential for their survival, such as trying to leave a pool if they are becoming exhausted.

Alternatively, players can keep autonomy on but turn it off for their selected Sim by activating the Disable Autonomy for Selected Sim option.

Sims 4

Franchise The SimsPlatform(s) PC, PS4, Xbox OneReleased September 2, 2014Developer(s) MaxisPublisher(s) Electronic Arts

Editor's P/S

As a Gen Z netizen, I have mixed feelings about The Sims 4's autonomy feature. On the one hand, I appreciate the ability to let my Sims do their own thing and live their own lives. It's fun to watch them interact with each other and make their own decisions. On the other hand, I sometimes find that the autonomy feature can be a bit too much. My Sims will often do things that I don't want them to do, like cancel actions that I've initiated or put themselves in danger.

Overall, I think the autonomy feature is a good addition to The Sims 4. It gives players more control over their Sims' lives, but it also allows for some unexpected surprises. I would recommend trying out the different autonomy settings to see what works best for you.