Waffle's Motive Decay Overhaul (Patreon)

Changes the default Motive Decay rates to make the game less sandbox-y and make rewards and upgrades more meaningful. These changes bring the game more in line with The Sims 2- Early game will be harder. Better furniture will help you out more. And late game rewards won't feel as overpowered, but you're more incentivized to get them and perform upgrades on things.

Decay Rates (From Max to Minimum)

Bladder: 19 Hours -> 14 Hours
Hygiene: 48 Hours -> 30 Hours
Hunger: 16 Hours -> 11.75 Hours
Fun: 22.5 Hours -> 20 Hours
Social: 38 Hours -> 30 Hours
Energy: 24 Hours -> 21.5 Hours

Note that these are for MAX to MIN. Sims will get distressed from these earlier but don't necessarily have to take care of them any earlier than you'd normally start to worry about them, except Hunger, which needs an extra meal a day usually. These are also altered by the game for sims of different ages, occults, and traits- the values listed are baselines for a generic Sim with no alterations.

Add-on: Pet Motive Decay

Cat Energy: 16 Hours -> 8 Hours
Cat Affection: 16 Hours -> 13 Hours
Cat Hunger: 18 Hours -> 13 Hours

Dog Play: 12 Hours -> 9.5 Hours
Dog Affection: 15 Hours -> 11 Hours
Dog Hygiene: 512 Hours (?!) -> 125 Hours

Horse Fun: 12 Hours -> 24 Hours
Horse Social: 15 Hours -> 27 Hours
Horse Hygiene: 38 Hours -> 58 Hours
Horse Hunger: 13 Hours -> 21 Hours

I made Cats sleepier, friendlier, and hungrier, dogs more playful, needy, and dirty, and horses less high maintenance (not necessarily realistic, but they require too much attention IMO).

I've been using something similar in my own game for years, but it hadn't been updated or adjusted in a while, so I did it now, to coincide with my upcoming Comfort Motive mod.

You do not need Cats/Dogs for the horse changes or Horse Ranch for the Cats/Dogs changes, the mod will work if you're missing one of them.

Update 3.15.25 - Energy decay has accidentally been SLOWER than EA default this whole time. I only just noticed as I've culled my mods folder way down and something else I used to have must have been affecting something too. Sims will now properly be tired sooner than EA default instead of later.

I've also added an optional add-on: Energized Nerf. When a sim is Energized their Energy drops at .75x speed, or 25% slower. I don't like that very much. I made it .925x speed, or 7.5% slower.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!

I also have Sitting Slows Energy which makes Energy decay slower when...uh, sitting.

Additionally, Comfort Motive has some negative impacts on Energy, with it decreasing faster and faster with each "Stage" of discomfort.