The quick answer

For most new saves, use this baseline in Game Options, Gameplay.

• Sim Lifespan: Long
• Auto Age, Played Sims: On
• Auto Age, Unplayed Sims: On
• Autonomy: Full
• Disable Autonomy for Selected Sim: On

Why this feels smooth

• Long lifespan gives you time to learn systems, build skills, and enjoy careers without rushing birthdays.
• Auto aging for everyone keeps the world alive so friends, rivals, and neighbors progress with you.
• Full autonomy lets non selected Sims care for needs and act sensibly.
• Disabling autonomy for the selected Sim prevents the game from stealing your queued actions, so you stay in control while the rest of the lot stays lively.

Presets by play style

Relaxed sandbox

• Lifespan: Long
• Auto Age, Played: Off
• Auto Age, Unplayed: Off
• Autonomy: Limited
  Best if you want to build and tell slow stories without time pressure or world changes.

Balanced story flow

• Lifespan: Normal
• Auto Age, Played: On
• Auto Age, Unplayed: On
• Autonomy: Full, Disable for Selected Sim On
  Good for first legacies and rotational play, steady aging with plenty of breathing room.

Faster legacy challenge

• Lifespan: Short
• Auto Age, Played: On
• Auto Age, Unplayed: On
• Autonomy: Full
  Use when you want generations to turn over quickly and decisions to matter sooner.

Small tweaks that improve the first save

• If you rotate among households, consider Auto Age, Only Active Household. This keeps the families you are not playing from jumping ahead between visits.
• If chaos bothers you on busy lots, try Autonomy, Limited during big events, then switch back to Full for daily life.
• If you like world evolution but not random disasters, enable aging for unplayed Sims and keep your own household on Long.

What to watch for

• If birthdays arrive before you try careers or romance, move from Normal to Long.
• If the world feels frozen, turn on Auto Age for unplayed Sims.
• If your Sim keeps wandering away from queued tasks, verify that Disable Autonomy for Selected Sim is on.
• If lots feel idle, switch Autonomy to Full so roommates and visitors look after needs and join activities.

Where to change these

From the main or pause menu, open Game Options, then Gameplay. You can adjust lifespan, aging, and autonomy at any time, even mid save. The game applies the changes immediately.

Bottom line

For a smooth first save, give yourself time, keep the world aging, and let everyone act on their own while you keep tight control of the Sim you are actively directing. Long lifespan, full autonomy, and aging on for all households deliver the calmest learning curve with a world that still feels alive.