I’ve seen some people saying Smart Zoi has been getting worse after the few last updates, but honestly as someone who doesn’t use it that often, it’s hard for me to tell what’s actually improved and what’s deteriorated.
For those who use it regularly: what differences have you noticed recently? What worked better before, and what feels off now?
I’m struggling how to answer… On one hand, the game’s overall depth has improved SO MUCH in the last year. A+
Dabbling in generational playing for the first time ever over last few months…and loving it! More dynamic relationships and interactions…such an improvement.
But on the other hand, some of the autonomy is wonky since update before last. Not awful or unplayable by any stretch of the imagination, but clunky at times. I love preferences and have always set them per Zoi. Obsessive-ish behaviors have always occurred and could be influenced by preferences, traits, etc…but I feel like “preferences” or “traits” are weighted too heavily and force them in loops they won’t stop on their own (specifically reading & coffee come to mind).
During the first funeral service, the Chief Mourner would NOT stop reading a book, so no one could interact with her… so the automatic play would not work without my facilitating it which I don’t wanna do. 
(I LOVE the automatic play-throughs of big events. I can observe/enjoy and not stress.)
So maybe SmartZoi used to have more influence and curbed some of the behaviors.
Or maybe SmartZoi has nothing to do with it.
No idea.
But I do feel like their autonomy is a bit off somehow.
Not enough to stop me though obviously, lol. 
I honestly feel the autonomy is a bit off too lately. The game has improved so much overall that those moments stand out even more when they happen.
I wonder if we’re blaming SmartZoi for something that’s actually more of a general autonomy issue instead. Like Zois getting too locked into certain behaviors or routines regardless of the context around them.
The funeral example really shows it perfectly 
I’m actually curious what others think about this too, especially people who use SmartZoi a lot more consistently.
Not sure.
On one hand, Zois seems MUCH MORE REACTIVE to anything I put in their smartzoi information.
Like they make it an obsession and never stops.
For reference, I put in the text box : “Plays piano, cook her own food, paints”
Along with other things… And let me tell you, she never stopped doing these things over and over again, obsessively. For the hubby I had put that “he likes to box, use dumbbells” and other training cues… He was obsessed with it as well.
I ended up removing almost everything from the box for more generic things like “wants to have many babies” and “loves their partner”. Otherwise my Zois went crazy.
So yes, it;'s been tremendously improved… I am quite impressed.
HOWEVER, they need to chill, take a break… Don’t chain these things non-stop.
Maybe do one of them once an hour or something, if you’re bored.
So is it really an improvement? Not really.
I don’t use smartzoi. Because it’s not my preference right now. Until it stabilizes.
Ok so i have done some testing since i noticed the team had started to work on the sliders and the result from playing around with smartzoi is that
It clings on if the zoi is doing something bad
I wrote that this zoi liked kindness, good company ,friendliness and warmth etc etc everything along that line and everything was working smoothly for a while until the zoi fluked and wanted to be nasty and smartzoi locked onto that nastiness instead of following the preferences that i had wrote down .
But before that mean streak broke the pathway smartzoi was working fine,
ps i had to remove smartzoi to break the nastiness because it ended up doing same thing over and over and again.
It followed the instructions that i had wrote down until the ordinary autonomous kicked in and broke it.
I also noticed something else by removing that you are romanticly interested also removes the mean streak .
My zoi had her first good conversation with a random zoi the other day without going nuts for no reason when i had ticked off that box, she was just vibing and had fun ( she even managed to get a friend out of it) so right now i am trying to make another rag to riches run now when things has calmed down .
The game is now paying attention to the zoi personality and traits and not to mention the city management sliders
I had fun with the game and felt most relaxed as for a change
So yes smartzoi is trying to help if you have wrote down instructions but the ordinary autonomous behaviour is causing gaps in the routines so it cannot do what it’s meant to do.
Right now we have been given more negative perks so there is no wonder the game is struggling to understand .
It needs information.
From what i have read on both steam and chats that a lot of people new and old is now choosing to play without autonomous on to keep their generation play intact.
I do not think this is what the team wants but this is where we are right now 
I am pretty sure they will figure out how to balance their autnomous behaviour one day but yes it is a long run and a steep mountain to climb.