I’m definitely in the minority here, as a player who doesn’t actively ‘play to kill’, but I do wish that random death would occur, you know, autonomously. It’s the natural consequence of story progression. Would it kill EA to occassionally have an adult Sim die of some accidental cause offscreen?

In my abortive TS2 integrated hood, I devised a city Court to adjudicate local disputes. My idea was that Sims should have common law. Whatever the judged ruled in cases would become part of the local law. For example, a Sim dies when he is electrocuted by a television. His next of kin sues the television company in the Court. Maybe the judge would decide that yes, the company is liable and has to pay damages. Then that would become a precedent and any manufacturer could be liable.

This ‘Case Law’ would contrast with what I call Sim Law, the inherent rules of the game. Examples – Sims can’t commit murder. Bills must be paid otherwise you get Repo Man’d. Same-sex marriage is legal.

I thought having a legal system like this would be a nifty way to introduce rules into the game and create drama and tension. Breaches of the law such as trespassing or theft (both obvious ones in Sims games) could have a bit more colour than simply deducting a fine from the family funds. Hypothetical scenario – a pesky neighbour is hauled before the judge for repeatedly stealing lawn ornaments. However, the accused has hardly any money to pay a fine, and it’s his first offence. The judge orders him to do community service! For a week, he has to clean his neighbour’s house.

I’m looking forward to seeing if any of this will work in game.