Hi everyone!I'm a volunteer psychology researcher and we're using the Sims 3 as a model for human behavior, but we're a bit stuck. We record a video for every person and then analyze the footage later to see what's been done, unfortunately that takes a lot of volunteer manpower to sift through and a lot of time to do it. Is there a way to see a full list of actions taken by a particular Sim (we just need to figure out how they interacted with other sims)? We only have them controlling one for the whole session while the others just stand around.Thank you so much for your help!

Interesting question and I really don't know the answer, but I can suggest you turn on memories in the Options menu. Its annoying, because they get a memory recording for every simple thing they do. Hopefully someone else will have a better suggestion.

Memories enabled is a good idea.

theingventor wrote: ↑

January 4th, 2020, 5:55 pm

We only have them controlling one for the whole session while the others just stand around

I don't really understand what you mean, is their autonomy disabled?
And how do you play? EA Standard or with nraas mods? If it is EA Standard what will you analyse exactly? You know, we all play with mods because the standard way is mostly not satisfying

theingventor wrote: ↑

January 4th, 2020, 5:55 pm

I'm a volunteer psychology researcher and we're using the Sims 3 as a model for human behavior

Sure you've thought this one through?

theingventor wrote: ↑

January 4th, 2020, 5:55 pm

Is there a way to see a full list of actions taken by a particular Sim

Unfortunately no, the game doesn't log this information outside of memories which cover important events (buying a fish at the store is important) but not every interaction.

Chain_Reaction post_id=71256 time=1578227316 user_id=2 wrote: ...buying a fish at the store is important

You left out sneezing in the park.

I'll express the same concern here that I did on the OP's post at MTS. This analysis, however it can be managed mechanically, is going to at best provide insight into TS3's game functions and AI. What remains uncertain to me is how the quantum leap can be made from that to the stated goal of analyzing and drawing conclusions about human behavior rather than sim behavior. The assumption that one leads naturally to the other may require some further thought. I'm not in any way a behavioral scientist, but the mathematician in me feels compelled to warn that when one begins with what could be a flawed hypothesis, one can end up logically concluding anything.

Sims do not really have the capacity for independent thought, nor do they ever truly plan ahead or consider the long-term consequences of their actions as humans at least have the capacity to do. What we see them do on screen is react to their immediate needs, wants, and environment with at best short-term goals -- for example, what compels them to feed, change, and cuddle a crying baby is not so much love and affection, but they are programmed to "know" doing so will stop the awful crying sounds. Nor do they have the capacity to look in the fridge and realize the household only has enough food for a few sim days, so they will need to plan a trip to the grocery store or the equivalent soon (this is admittedly a poor example because in an unmodded game sims can magically pull food and cooking ingredients out of their fridge any time they want to). Or that their cash flow situation is such that in about three or four sim weeks they will be unable to pay the twice weekly bills and be in some serious financial difficulties if further action is not taken.

But perhaps there is more to this study than merely watching sims and recording their reactions and behavior patterns.

I should probably explain this one better, sims 1-4 are not controlled by the player. Sim 5 is. We want to record what actions Sim 5 takes because it represents the actions taken by the player. The game is unmodded and we are specifically looking at the social interactions.

theingventor wrote: ↑

January 5th, 2020, 3:01 pm

it represents the actions taken by the player

.
So, because you controll what sim 5 does (free will off?), you surely can easily write down what you do and use memories in addition.
I go with Igazor.
What do you wanna get out of this? Do you have more than one player, means you wanna track what different players do?
Because everything what Sims do on their own is completely programmed, and not quite good at all.

Oh, I see.You are recording and analyzing player reactions to stimuli, in particular those being presented on the screen by the game. Not sim behavior. Yes, that is very different. But then there is the element that these players must know they are being observed, no? They may be less likely to grab their playable sims and have them blow up stuff and do silly things if their sims are at the moment hungry or have other needs and goals to attend to. In private, I suspect that most players might not react exactly the same way to such scenes. It is a game, after all, and we always have the option of quitting without saving if the silly things we have made our sims do turn out to be not such great choices.

But perhaps that element of knowing one is being observed is already being accounted for in some way.

I don't need any recommendations for design, as I said I'm just a volunteer. Just looking to streamline the process.

I realize that, but the subject of this study sparked my curiosity as I am sure it did that of others. Hence the ensuing comments. Sorry if they were not wanted, but it's kind of the nature of discussion boards to invite...discussions.