Lights

Lights are featured in The Sims series, and constitute a very broad category of objects, ranging from wall lights to street lamps. They provide light and improve the mood of Sims.

The light engine for The Sims 3 itself has provoked some controversy among players as light does not flow from one floor to another, and often does not flow off of lots, leaving harsh visible edges on buildings and streetwalks. A higher level of bloom was introduced coinciding with The Sims 3: Ambitions.

Types of lights
When The Sims was first released, there were only floor lamps and table lamps. Wall lights were introduced with the downloadable Wall Light Pack, which was included in Livin' Large. Ceiling lamps were introduced in Hot Date. When Hot Date introduced sub-categories into buy mode, floor lamps were labeled "Standing Lamps" and ceiling lamps were labeled "Hanging Lamps". There is also an "Other" category, which mostly consists of outdoor lights.

In The Sims 2, lights are divided into these categories: Table Lamps, Floor Lamps, Wall Lamps, Hanging Lamps, Outdoor Lamps, and Miscellaneous. For the most part, the "Miscellaneous" category contains street lighting. As in The Sims, "Hanging Lamps" is the label used for ceiling lamps.

In The Sims 3, lights are divided into five tabs in buy mode under the following titles: Table Lamps, Floor Lamps, Wall Lamps, Ceiling Lamps, Outdoor Lights.

Auto-Lights
In The Sims, outdoor lights come on at nightfall, and turn off at 3:00 am. Indoor lights will generally turn on when a Sim enters a room and turn off when no more Sims are in the room, or when all Sims in the room are asleep. Most will only do this if the time is between 6:00 pm and 8:00 am, or if a room has no windows, but some will do it regardless of the time of day.

In The Sims 2, when an outdoor light is on auto, it will turn on at 7:00 pm and turn off at 2:00 am. Indoor lights that are on auto will be on between 7:00 pm and 7:00 am unless all Sims in the room are asleep.

Light options and customisation
In The Sims, only some lights are clickable, and can be turned on and off manually. These lights will also go on when a burglar alarm goes off. Lights that have been turned on or off manually, or that have been turned on by a burglar alarm, will go back to automatic at 8:00 am. These clickable lamps also have bulbs that will periodically burn out and need to be replaced. The repairman will replace these bulbs. Sims can replace bulbs themselves, but may get electrocuted, though increasing the mechanical skill greatly reduces the risk of electrocution.

In The Sims 2, all lights are clickable. They have the options "Turn On", "Turn Off", and "Auto-Lights". The player can turn individual lights on or off, or can turn all lights in the room or on the lot on or off. The "Auto-Lights" feature is enabled by default, but the "Auto-Lights" option can disable or re-enable it for individual lights, or for all lights in the room or on the lot. When an outdoor light is on auto, it will turn on at 7:00 pm and turn off at 2:00 am. Indoor lights that are on auto will be on between 7:00 pm and 7:00 am unless all Sims in the room are asleep.

It appears that lights in The Sims 2 do not burn out.

Lights are very customisable as of The Sims 3, and wall lights can generally be shifted up and down walls. Lighting can be adjusted for both color and intensity, and players can enter RGB codes to add custom light colors using the Shift, Ctrl + click interaction.

Various expansion packs have enhanced light behaviour throughout the series, so that light settings can be controlled by tomb objects if The Sims 3: World Adventures is installed. World Adventures also introduced a wide range of invisible light sources available using the Buydebug cheat. Initially, lights could only sit in one position on walls, but as of a base game patch coinciding with the release of The Sims 3: Late Night, most lights can be shifted up and down walls.