I'm not quite sure what to think of this, and I'll try to keep it short though I don't know how well I'll succeed...

First, I'm using version 1.00.05, and I got my VF game from LDW. I have a family where all 5 kids are gone away to college, and the mom died, leaving the dad all alone. He is (or was?) 65, and was back to being Elated.

So I was enjoying watching him walking on the treadmill when I noticed that the toilet was blocked. I picked him up to have him fix it, but as I dropped him onto the toilet, he looked up and closed his eyes, and though he was still standing (in the bathroom), and I could see him just as well as I could a moment ago, I can no longer select him.

It was a little disturbing to me to see him wandering around the house but not being "selectable". I quit my game and then opened it again, and found him lying on the bed, and then the announcement that he had passed away popped up.

I just thought this was a little strange. And I was hoping he'd live longer than 65 virtual years, since his health bar was all the way full...

Did I do something wrong? Or do our little virtual people die even if they have perfect health?

I've had peeps with full happiness and health bars die. Arthur has the game programmed so that they did of old age anywhere from fifty-five to around seventy some years. I think we can add a few years to their lives by good care, but no matter how well you take care of them they're not going to live any longer than their early seventies.

I wish they could live as long as real people can live...

I try to feed my little people only organic groceries (but sometimes the event that gives them a promotional bag of groceries isn't organic, and I go ahead and give it to them to free the space on my tool bar) and I encourage them to exercise, and I try not to make them work once they reach master level in their careers for fear I'll work them to death.

Sometimes, though, all they want to do is work...

I also give them fruit and the hand gel whenever they become available. But still, they die in their late fifties to middle sixties (in my families, it seems that the "runners" always die in their fifties for some reason, so maybe they ran themselves to death or something).

I guess there's nothing I can do to get them to live to 70, huh?

It sounds as though you picked him up at the very moment he died. Normally the game would have moved him to his bed, but it "lost" him. When you restarted the game it "found" him again. As Lewanda says, peeps often die with full happiness and health bars. At least 65 is quite a good age for a peep.

Most of mine live to at least 69-71, but some die earlier than that. Like you I give them the best of care. I don't think there's anything else we could do to prolong their lives. I'd like to see them live to their 80's at least.

I think Arnie's right too about your peep getting ready to die when you picked him up, and that causing the game to lose him until you restarted it. It didn't have anything to do with your picking him up.

The organics really do help with longevity as I saw a 7 year difference in one peep's life when I gave her organics as opposed to the regular groceries. I haven't personally seen any peeps live until 70+ but just reaching 60 is pretty good in this game! It's really old for our peeps.

wow. that was pretty lucky, picking him up right when he died. he got to "live", or be a zombie, for a little more! i also hope the toilet did'nt ruin the bathroom floor .

Call me insensitive if you like but I get fed up with my peeps once they slow down at 55, I wouldn't want some old man tottering around until he was 80 making it hard for me to start a new generation! I'm a horrible person!!

You're not a horrible person. If the little people lived longer, they would take longer to slow down. At least that's what logic tells me.

Thanks! This is actually what I wanted to know (what happened when I picked him up). I was so involved in giving all those details, though, that I forgot to ask my question.

Thanks, everyone, for your responses! I don't feel so bad about this any more.

Meanwhile, I have accidentally restored the family back to before the mom died from a backup, when I meant to give myself a second chance at picking the child that I wanted to inherit the house...

dansmot, I think it would be great if we could keep the elders and still start a new generation. That's what this game is missing...grandparents. I've heard so many say they can't wait for them to die when they get older. That really disturbs me as to the affect that kind of thinking might have on the younger generation who are playing this game.

Lyssaria, you're right! I found out early in the game that the fruits and vitamins will let us keep our little peeps a bit longer. Though, even with that sometimes they die early. At least with the fruit and vitamins mine die with perfect health.

I think they're more concentrated on the excitement of starting a new generation than to have the elders pass away I at least hope that's what they're getting from the game although that is a pretty dangerous territory! I would love for them to have grandparents.

I think Grandparents would be a great idea, lot's of families have a grandparent living with them, why not our peeps?! Besides, it would be nice to have the experienced elder adding to the bank!! But, I expect if Arthur does allow Grandparents on VF2 I would assume they would be retired and not work anymore anyway!

Yeah grandparents is good idea at least this way you not have to wait till they die to start a new gen.