Notification
Notifications are a game mechanic used to inform the player of what's going on in their game.
The Sims
All notifications in The Sims are delivered in the form of a popup box. When shown, the game would be paused, and the player would be required to click a button in order to continue playing. Depending on the event, a short sound effect or jingle would play as well.
Unlike later games in the series, The Sims did not feature a non-intrusive notification system, and players may find a large number of dialog boxes to be annoying.
The Sims 2
In The Sims 2, dialog boxes continue to appear for crucial notifications, or for situations where the player is required to make a decision, such as chance cards. Other than that, most notifications appear at the top-right of the screen, and will not interrupt gameplay. Notifications can be dismissed by clicking on the "X" next to them, or by simply waiting for them to expire on their own. Notifications can be pushed by in-game objects, controllers, or by a Sim themselves. If a Sim pushes a notification, clicking on the notification will cause the camera to jump to that Sim, if they are on the lot.
Notifications in The Sims 2 are not nested or combined. If multiple notifications appear, the newest will appear on top, while older notifications will be pushed towards the bottom of the screen.
The Sims 3
Notifications in The Sims 3 appear on the top-right of the screen, much like The Sims 2; however, if multiple notifications are pushed, they will be combined into a single notification bubble in order from oldest to newest, and can be panned through using two arrow buttons. In addition, players can hide notifications that they do not want to dismiss yet by clicking on the "Toggle Visibility" button at the far-right of the notification, which will hide all active notifications from the player; receiving a new notification will cause the notification bubble to appear again. Notifications are divided into five types:
- Store: For notifications relating to The Sims 3 Store.
- Player Updates: For notifications relating to the player updates system.
- Information: For informational notifications notifying the player of events in-game.
- Lessons: For notifications providing tips and gameplay help.
- Chatty: For notifications regarding the conversations Sims are having.
Much like The Sims 2, dialog boxes pausing gameplay may periodically appear, such as notifications for potential opportunities.
The Sims 4
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