Tutorial: Making Adopted Children Look Biological

[Spaz]

I'm kind of tired of my gay sim's adopted children looking... well, adopted? So I looked up surrogacy mods but found nothing other than "tutorials" on moving in a female sim, knocking her up, and moving her out once the baby was born, and well I did not find that to be a satisfying method. Which is why I came up with this idea...

Let me know if this is "non-awesome" or might result in a BFBVFS, but I wanted to point out that I haven't encountered any problems with this method so far.

So here goes:

1 - You'll want to use the "editsim" cheat and open up each sim parent and save them to the sim bin. (Note: this doesn't seem to work for sims who are not on the currently selected lot."

2 - Once you have both sims saved, you'll want to go into "Edit Town" and into the "Create Sims" tool.

3 - Using the sim bin "saves," recreate the sim parents.

4 - Now depending on whether the parents are of same or opposite genders, you'll need to have them of opposite genders, easily achieved for same-sex couples by ticking the opposite gender on one of the sims. (Obvious, much?)

5 - Anyways, now you'll want to use the "Play with Genetics" tool, mess around with it until you have an offspring to your liking. This might also be a good time to plan out outfits, change personality to resemble the parents, etc.

6 - Save the offspring to the sim bin, cancel the household and return to your game.

7 - Now to apply the changes to the offspring, simply open up the cheats console and use the "editsim" cheat on the offspring and apply the sim bin save.

6 - Create household, place somewhere in neighborhood.

7 - With the adopted offspring selected, use the "bodysnatch" cheat by entering the offspring "replacement"'s name in the cheat console like this: "bodysnatch Simmy Simons" Simmy Simons being the replacement's name.

8 - And voila, a child that looks hopefully "more" biological.  

Hope this helps.

Please comment.   Thanks.  

EDIT: Smiley appearing where a smiley shouldn't have. <_<

EDIT, AGAIN: Perfectionism strikes again. <_<

EDIT: For fail-ness and unreliavole-ness.

[J. M. Pescado]

7 - Now to apply the changes to the offspring, simply open up the cheats console and use the "editsim" cheat on the offspring and apply the sim bin save.

What are you, the Unreliavole? You can't access the simbin in Editsim. To do this CORRECTLY, you should complete the household creation process, install them somewhere, return to your original sim you wish to change, then use the "bodysnatch" command to devour the newly-created sim and steal his skin for your original sim. You can perform this method for any sim you wish to have look like any other sim you can make.

[Spaz]

What are you, the Unreliavole?

Apparently. 0_0 The idea worked better in my head, I guess. <_<

I'm going to have to look up this "bodysnatch" feature you speak of, heard it thrown around once or twice never thought I'd need it.

So the tutorial did end up being deemed "un-awesome." :\

[Motoki]

Well if Pescado would actually enable (without a mod) same sex Try for a Baby in the Science Lab then people wouldn't need to jump through such hoops. Or better yet, some sort of DNA combining, instant offspring method since I kind of hate the male pregnancy thing. I'll deal with it though if the only other alternatives are the above shenanigans or fugly EAxis DNA rugrats.

Bodysnatch, while a nice feature to have, I kind of avoid since if you want to give a sim 'surgery' or else have them look different than anyone currently in town it requires creating a superfluous sim.

I miss having (TS2) SimPE since it was easy to just copy the facial structure of any sim, even bin ones, and move it over to another sim in town. It's probably doable with S3PE actually, just less user friendly. I'll have to look into it.

[Chandria]

If I'm talking off the top of my head, I know I'll get pounced on for this, but here goes anyways.

I have Twallan's super computer in my game along with AM, and while I don't have any gay couples at the moment, couldn't his computer's "Pollinate" command circumvent the AM's anti-male/male pregnancy and produce a biological child of both parents?

If not, I am fairly sure that the relationship could be changed with it from adopted to biological by setting both of the adult males as parents.

If I'm wrong, pounce away.   

[Motoki]

I haven't tried Twallan's computer, but his Pollinator does indeed bypass Pescado's draconian ban on same sex pregnancy on the back end. I imagine the computer would work similarly.

[J. M. Pescado]

As far as I know, there's no current ban. The rules presently require that for a pregnancy to be valid, the sim to be pollinated must have a valid pregmesh. Additionally, there are rules to handle situations where there are no Y chromosomes. If you pollinate female-female, you will get a female no matter how many apples you eat, simply because without a Y chromosome in the picture, you can't get a male.

[Motoki]

As far as I know, there's no current ban. The rules presently require that for a pregnancy to be valid, the sim to be pollinated must have a valid pregmesh. Additionally, there are rules to handle situations where there are no Y chromosomes. If you pollinate female-female, you will get a female no matter how many apples you eat, simply because without a Y chromosome in the picture, you can't get a male.

I thought you said you blocked Same Sex Try for a Baby but then allowed for it in the Science Lab. 

Well call me confused. Anyway, if that's the case Twoftmama's Same Sex Pregnancy mods should work too, though she's been noting they don't work with Awesomemod.

[jezzer]

I haven't tried Twallan's computer, but his Pollinator does indeed bypass Pescado's draconian ban on same sex pregnancy on the back end.

Far be it from me to point out unfortunate wording, but...

[J. M. Pescado]

I thought you said you blocked Same Sex Try for a Baby but then allowed for it in the Science Lab. 

Well call me confused. Anyway, if that's the case Twoftmama's Same Sex Pregnancy mods should work too, though she's been noting they don't work with Awesomemod.

Should work as long as you're trying to do this in a science lab.

[varmint]

My tried-and-true, biologically-correct homopregnation method is:

1. Male pregnancy meshes. I use these, they haven't been updated in a while but they still work fine for me.
2. Use pollinate command from twallan's supercomputer. After successful pollination, supercomputer also allows you to set the gender of the nascent spawn. There's also an 'Instant Baby' command in there I've never played with.
3. Congratulate your new homoparents.

I have awesomemod running throughout, and it is fine with all of this.

[Spaz]

If not, I am fairly sure that the relationship could be changed with it from adopted to biological by setting both of the adult males as parents.

The game does this automatically, what I would like is for the adopted sim to look as if it were a biological offspring. Because fugly maxis genes are, well.. fugly maxis genes. <_<

My tried-and-true, biologically-correct homopregnation method is:

1. Male pregnancy meshes. I use these, they haven't been updated in a while but they still work fine for me.
2. Use pollinate command from twallan's supercomputer. After successful pollination, supercomputer also allows you to set the gender of the nascent spawn. There's also an 'Instant Baby' command in there I've never played with.
3. Congratulate your new homoparents.

I have awesomemod running throughout, and it is fine with all of this.

This worked great, thanks.  Just tried it in a "test save" everything came out as should be except that my sim's outfits (all of them except nude) were the exact same, I'm assuming this can be changed via the dresser or editsim though, right?

[Chandria]

If not, I am fairly sure that the relationship could be changed with it from adopted to biological by setting both of the adult males as parents.

The game does this automatically, what I would like is for the adopted sim to look as if it were a biological offspring. Because fugly maxis genes are, well.. fugly maxis genes. <_<

...

Just tried it in a "test save" everything came out as should be except that my sim's outfits (all of them except nude) were the exact same, I'm assuming this can be changed via the dresser or editsim though, right?

I didn't see anything about the genetics in your original post, though you did mention looks, but again, with Twallan's supercomputer you can edit any existing adopted child in CAS to modify their looks more in line with their parents (though now that you know how to pollinate for a male/male genetic child, this probably won't be a future problem). 

Be careful with editing a pregnant Sim in CAS, sometimes the game will allow it and sometimes it won't, for me the time limit for editing is just before the first baby bump shows up, after that my game (I'm not sure about others, some can and some can't) won't let me take a pregnant Sim into CAS at all.  I end up 'hoping' that my nicer maternity clothes will end up being used, but I'm mostly disappointed. 

[Spaz]

I didn't see anything about the genetics in your original post, though you did mention looks...

Well from the way "genetics" seem to work in the Sims 3, they seem to be all about looks. There was an article in the forums somewhere, stating that if a parent changed their hair color via the "Change Appearance" option on mirrors, that it would be passed down as if it were their natural hair color.

Be careful with editing a pregnant Sim in CAS, sometimes the game will allow it and sometimes it won't...

When you say CAS, do you mean editing through the "editsim" cheat or using the "Plan Outfit"/"Change Appearance" options? If you mean the latter, that would suck if the sims ends up with ugly randomized maternity clothing. >_<

EDIT: Was looking for that article again and found this...

Changes are not retroactive, so a sim that has already had its genetics "set" will STILL retain its inheritances even after you change it. But haircolor genetics effectively no longer exist and eyes are a bit of a crapshoot, too.

What I'm wondering is if this applies to the "bodysnatch" changes?

[varmint]

This worked great, thanks.   Just tried it in a "test save" everything came out as should be except that my sim's outfits (all of them except nude) were the exact same, I'm assuming this can be changed via the dresser or editsim though, right?

Sadly, if you mean the pregnant sim, no, there aren't a lot of maternity fashions available, that set of meshes only includes one or two clothing options for each category. But hey, it's better than invisible torso syndrome. As for using dressers or mirrors or any kind of edit-sim-like command on pregnant sims - I don't do it. I don't think you're supposed to. Or maybe I'm just superstitious. Basically, once they start to show, they can only use clothing that has a pregnancy mesh, which is limited even for women, it's not like they have the full range of choices. Best to just wait until the spawn is ejected, then you can restyle to your heart's content. No maternity fashion for you.

[Spaz]

...that set of meshes only includes one or two clothing options for each category.

That's why I love Create-a-Style.

[J. M. Pescado]

Bodysnatch, while a nice feature to have, I kind of avoid since if you want to give a sim 'surgery' or else have them look different than anyone currently in town it requires creating a superfluous sim.

This isn't TS2. The "superfluous" sim is completely consumed by the process of bodysnatching them, and no "gubbins" are left behind to clog your game up.

[Slymenstra]

This goes off a bit on a tangent, but I wanted to share in case some of you are unaware.  There is a way to choose the outfit before they pop.

What I do to make sure my pregnant sims wear nice pregnancy outfits is I create a 2nd clothing option in CAS of each category in clothes I know have a pregnancy mesh.  I make my sim wear the outfits before he/she pops.  You have to dress him/her in each category in the 2nd selection.  When they do pop they stay in the clothes I planned for them (as long as they have pregnancy meshes).  So they have everything looking nice from their shoes to their earrings, from everyday to swimsuit.

No more random ugly outfits with crazy shoes.  I have gotten some nice female clothing from Poppysims.

[Spaz]

What I do to make sure my pregnant sims wear nice pregnancy outfits is I create a 2nd clothing option in CAS of each category in clothes I know have a pregnancy mesh.

Question is, does this work the same with the male pregnancy meshes? Or are they separate pieces of clothing?

[J. M. Pescado]

Same deal. Note that AwesomeMod will detect a pregnant sim without a valid pregmesh as an error condition and resolve it by falconpunching so as not to have an invisible sim.

[vorpal]

If this is so, then I have to report a failure of this process, because I forgot to reinstall the meshes and did indeed have an invisible Sim.

[Spaz]

Same deal. Note that AwesomeMod will detect a pregnant sim without a valid pregmesh as an error condition and resolve it by falconpunching so as not to have an invisible sim.

That's good to know, so according to my test fambly, I do not have to worry about falconpunching. Cool.

[Claeric]

I am curious why Awesomemod feels as if it should protect people from themselves.

If you don't have male pregnancy clothes, you probably don't have males get pregnant. So why does the game ABORT babies, simply to protect stupid people from having to deal with an invisible upper body when their sim starts to show?

As well, the whole "reality" thing is confusing, too. If a Female-Female pregnancy must have such harsh conformance to reality that XX + XX = XX, then why even allow it to begin with? Either allow it and let them have boys, or don't allow it at all, because allowing it and making it constrain to reality in terms of chromosomes is ridiculous, moreso than allowing it and allowing any gendered children. If you're going to follow such ridiculous rules you may as well disable gay sim marriage and cause a death to occur whenever a vehicle clips through another.

I just don't understand the awkward conformity to how reality works with this one situation, it makes no sense. You're allowing something impossible and disabling something impossible at the same time, it just seems ridiculously contradictory.

You've got a game where robots walk around making out with mummies and living ghosts, where women can apparently lick each other's vaginas and somehow that makes a baby, but god forbid that baby have a Y chromosome?

[varmint]

I am curious to see what would happen if two men were allowed to have a hideously deformed and barely-human spawn that had two y-chromosomes. It's lifespan would be incredibly short, it would have limited mobility and the only interaction it could perform would be Friendly -> Please Kill Me. Could someone get on this?

[Bottle-O-Cunt]

As well, the whole "reality" thing is confusing, too. If a Female-Female pregnancy must have such harsh conformance to reality that XX + XX = XX, then why even allow it to begin with?

You've got a game where robots walk around making out with mummies and living ghosts, where women can apparently lick each other's vaginas and somehow that makes a baby, but god forbid that baby have a Y chromosome?

OMFG! LESBOPHOBE!!111!!!
Burn at stake. Immediately.

That said, I must ask: Does AM give a popup message saying that that Male-Male fembryo is going to be forcefully aborted?
If so, that will remind me to get some mpreg clothes before trying again. I don't know about you vole, but floaty heads are certainly not my cup of tea.

About two Y chromosomes fusing, make believe that Your Almighty Pescadidness has worked in a necessary evol into such a fertilization: instant miscarriage, or failure to conceive. Adjust the chances if you can. My math fails just as much as the Vole's brain.