10 Retcons That Makes The Sims Timeline Inconsistent
There is a lot of conflicting lore in The Sims franchise, especially related to its timeline. The first three games are meant to span a 50+ year timeframe. But, with so many advances between the 2000 release date of The Sims 1 and the final Sims 3 expansion in 2013, many aspects don’t make sense. Some of this is Maxis’ purposeful doing. The third game is meant to take place first in the timeline, but still makes use of modern technology and norms.
The Sims 4 is excluded from all of this, taking place in a totally separate alternate universe. It is possible for past Sims to show up, but they only share a name. Most characters' history fully conflicts with something in a previous game or doesn’t exist at all. However, some fans believe this timeline is a branch which has small links to the original. This could include a direct crossover of lore, possibly in a future expansion or timed event - and it could explain why some of these seem so contradictory.
10 The Altos & Landgraabs Mostly Disappeared
They Said Hello To Someone’s Little Friend
Making The Sims 3 the farthest point in the past and The Sims 2 the latest in the future has created some strange outcomes. In the former, the neighborhood of Sunset Valley is ruled by two rival families: the established Landgraabs and new-money Altos. Lurking elsewhere are the Goths, who carry some weight but don’t have as much power as the others.
The inclusion of the Altos was to piggyback on the fame of The Sopranos, which had exploded in popularity. But being a late comer to The Sims franchise meant the family fully vanished within 25 years. The Landgraabs had some shadowy mentions, mostly controlling college secret societies. But, even they became eclipsed by the once minor Goths.
9 The Summerdreams Lost Their Magic
Kids Really Do Drain Mana
The Summerdream family in The Sims 2 are meant to be fantasy characters from the works of William Shakespeare. Oberon and Titania are helping to raise their two children, Puck and Bottom, to hopefully be good people in the world of Veronaville. This town was shipped with TS2’s basegame, which had no playable occult characters. Despite the lore, the family had no in-game powers.
Later on, Oberon and Titania showed up in The Sims 3: Supernatural, living in the neighborhood of Moonlight Falls. To showcase the new occults, both were made into Fairies with all kinds of spell knowledge. This results in the two losing or hiding their magical prowess after starting a family.
8 Kent Capp’s Personality, Name & Gender Are Random
Their Third [REDACTED] Was Very [DATA NOT FOUND]
In the town of Roaring Heights, Contessa and Consort Capp are raising their two daughters, Goneril and Regan. Little do they know Contessa already has a baby on the way. The Sims 2 establishes that this is the first and only son, Kent Capp. He will later have a younger sister, Cordelia, who herself bears Tybalt, Hermia, and Juliette.
However, the pregnancy mechanics of TS3 are fully randomized. The baby that is born could be either gender and might not be named Kent. The trait system also acts very differently than personality, meaning that even a boy named Kent might not be the same Nice and Lazy stat Sim.
7 Bella Goth & Michael Bachelor Can Have An Incestuous Relationship
Building The Family Circle
In TS1, players are given pre-made families to try out if they don’t want to make their own custom Sims. This includes the Pleasant family, duo Roomies, and the single Michael Bachelor. Choosing the latter gives someone the chance to pursue dating, even if it means seducing a local heartthrob like Bella Goth. You could even go as far as having a baby between the two.
Fast-forward to The Sims 2 where it is slyly revealed that Bella’s birth name is Bachelor and that she is Michael’s younger sister. Players learning this back in 2004 may have been horrified of their past actions. With the Legacy Collection being just a rerelease, incest is still an optional part of the game.
6 Mrs. Crumplebottom’s First Husband Probably Killed Her Second One
Dead & Loving It While Looking For Revenge
The rowdy Mrs. Crumplebottom has hated loving Sims couples since the debut of TS1: Hot Date. She seems to have been bitter about the loss of her true love, Robert Crumplebottom, who was crushed by a chandelier. Or maybe she really loved Erik Darling, who drowned before they could conceive a child? For a long time, Maxis was cagey about if Robert and Erik were the same person.
The Sims 2: How To Revive Deceased Sims
It is possible to revive Sims in The Sims 2. But, this is a big commitment requiring a university degree, mastering a hobby, or knowing people.
One major fan theory is that Erik’s ghost continued to spook away new suitors, leaving Agnes Crumplebottom for a long time. But, Robert was not fazed and became the second husband. Erik had to go to extreme measures and crush Robert with that chandelier, finally breaking Agnes for good.
5 Kaylynn Langerak Should Be An Elder Or Dead
Young Adults Are Strictly For College
While the Goths have some power in Sunset Valley, a more minor TS3 household is the Langeraks. Most of the members are messy, but young Kaylynn loves cleaning and one day will be the main maid of Pleasantview. Kaylynn is a child - the same age range as Mortimer Goth and Bella Bachelor.
However, in Pleasantview proper the Goths have aged all the way to elder while Kaylynn is still an adult. This makes her the same life state as the oldest Goth daughter, Cassandra. Some of this is due to TS2 shipping without the young adult age group. It was added for TS2: University and meant to be for the more dramatic college students. Either Cassandra should have been patched to this age, or Kaylynn increased to elder.
4 The Montys Had A One-Sided Feud Without Ever Knowing The Capps
I HAve Never Seen This Man In My Life
The major rivalry in The Sims 2’s Veronaville is between the Montys and Capps. In their backstory, Patrizio and Consort have been at each other’s throats for a long time. They battled for the affection of Contessa, with Consort ultimately winning. However, in the town of Monte Vista it is implied that the Monty family is clueless of the Capps.
There is no way they could one day meet another family who would become their ultimate rivals.
This might be an error on Maxis’ part. Alternatively, it could be in regard to the whole Monty family. with Patrizio never revealing his past to wife Isabella, or his parents, Valentine and Silvia. Or on a darker note, Patrizio is really a cheater and tried to break up Consort and Contessa’s marriage while he himself was already married to Isabella.
3 Personal Cellphones Were Replaced By Landlines
Carpools & 56k Modems Are The Way Of The Future
Within game lore, The Sims 2 takes place 50 years after the start of TS3. But, in real life, the third game came out only a few years later. In this time, all kinds of technology and everyday aspects changed. The biggest being the widespread use of cellphones, and eventually the iPhone and BlackBerry during The Sims 3: University Life.
What resulted is that Sims had access to smartphones, were checking the internet, and posting on social media. Then, 25 years later that trend died and everyone relied on calling taxis from their home landlines. In many cases, a house only had one phone and a sibling might need to yell at each other that their friend was calling. Additionally, 50 full years later and pay phones on the street is the best means of finding vacation NPCs. It just doesn't make sense.
2 Adult Goopy GilsCarbo Has A Cultural Regression
The Old-Timey Film Called “Avatar”
One of the biggest victims of the setting gap is Goopy GilsCarbo, the lovable townie in Pleasantview of TS2. His story is further trisected with two different The Sims 3 DLCs, Monte Vista and Barnacle Bay. This means that while aging from child to adult, the man loses up to nine years of pop culture and conveniences, based on owned expansions.
His cellphone is trashed, getting food requires driving to the store, and "Last Friday Night" by Katy Perry becomes decades older than Hot N’ Cold. Goopy possibly has a daughter, Celeste GilsCarbo, with his estranged wife Alice. The latter two enjoy all the comforts of TS3 and the real-life advancement. But, in The Sims universe, Goopy is stuck in 2004 world progress.
1 Cassandra Goth Is To Blame For Two Skip Brokes
How Don Lothario Ended Up 50 Years In The Past
The Sims 2 doesn’t fully create every Sim, even ones returning from the first game. Dead or out of town ones are only memories. Maxis wasn’t careful with this and wound up making two Skip Brokes in the back end. This isn’t game breaking, but can make cheating info and migrating more annoying.
In The Sims 3, they further toyed with this mistake in an old 2009 blog post. At some point, Cassandra Goth was fed up with her fiancé, Don Lothario, and somehow sent him 50 years into the past to Riverview. This was the original home of the Brokes and Newbie families. Maxis staff joked that it was this time travel incident that in some way resulted in two Skips. But, what exactly occurs is still a mystery in The Sims franchise.
