Birthin' Babies and Genetics

[Orikes]

Okay, I understand that if you will end up with identicial children if you don't go into CAS and hit the randomizer between children. What I don't understand is quite why this helps. From what I understand, you don't even have to save your CAS sim, you just need to open CAS and hit the 'dice' to get a random sim displayed. Just close out and your kids from here on out will be okay? Or does the CAS thing need to be done every time?

Also, if you have a kid in House A, and then play House B, and they have a kid, do you still need to go into CAS to avoid getting the second child from House A as a clone of the first child?

Please speak in small words, for I am obviously not very sharp with this stuff. :}

[vilia]

Is that to change the personality or the look of the second sim? If it is the former then you can click on FFS Lot Debugger > Rerandomise Sim Generator to get different personalities.

[eamethyst]

If you have the Lot Debugger, do as vilia said.  Be sure to save your lot before running the generator because it will kick you out to the neighborhood screen without saving.  I usually run it before each birth, but that is probably overkill.

[Horanda]

To actually answer your question (I think), whether you click the dice in CAS or use the Lot Debugger, your actions apply to that session of play, no matter how many families you play during that session. If using CAS, you need to click a significant number of times, and should click a different number of times each time. The Lot Debugger generates a random number, then generates (and discards) that number of sims.

[rohina]

You only need to rerandomise once per play session. Also, what you are trying to avoid is the "firstborn effect" where all babies born in a single family get the same personality unless you randomise between births. I don't tend to worry about the firstborn effect for actual firstborns in a family, but I will rerandomise for subsequent kids.

[Orikes]

The randomizing can be done any time before the actual birth of the baby, right? I mean, besides Brandi Broke's kid in the initial pleasantview, the specifics about kids aren't decided until the actual birth, from what I understand. I think I've got this down now. It's still a touch confusing, but.. lot debugger installed, and that's all that's really needed.

[clem]

Be sure to save your lot before running the generator because it will kick you out to the neighborhood screen without saving.

Glad you brought this up. Does it still do this in other people's games, even after Pets? Mine doesn't kick me out, and it appears to work still; I don't seem to be having the firstborn effect.

[Dea]

Mine kicks me out to the neighborhood when I use it...It doesnt seem to take as long as the popup would suggest though...

[vilia]

The randomizing can be done any time before the actual birth of the baby, right? I mean, besides Brandi Broke's kid in the initial pleasantview, the specifics about kids aren't decided until the actual birth, from what I understand. I think I've got this down now. It's still a touch confusing, but.. lot debugger installed, and that's all that's really needed.

The 3rd baby is basically a male clone of Brandi but this can be changed http://www.moreawesomethanyou.com/smf/index.php?topic=2948.msg85355#msg85355

[cwykes]

The randomizing can be done any time before the actual birth of the baby, right?

correct. 

You're going to ask about twins next aren't you..... runs and hides..... 

[Orikes]

Pfft. Nah. I know about twins. They're easy to deal with. I was just confused on the clone glitch. Essentially, I didn't understand that the randomizing had to be done during the same play session as the baby is born. Now I got it. I'm smurt!

[witch]

Be sure to save your lot before running the generator because it will kick you out to the neighborhood screen without saving.

Glad you brought this up. Does it still do this in other people's games, even after Pets? Mine doesn't kick me out, and it appears to work still; I don't seem to be having the firstborn effect.

It has to kick you out, so the 15 or 8 or 24 randomly generated sims are not saved, otherwise you would be increasing your character files by whatever number everytime the randomiser runs.. I suspect yours isn't working if you are not returned to the hood.