The Birth Control Mirror

[J. M. Pescado]

I keep reading this as some kind of contraceptive item or technique. Also, #grah requires moar WITCHY POOFS!

[Buzzler]

Updated to Version 7. See first post for changes.
I hope next time I say something silly like "simple revamp the whole thing into an object-less mod" somebody is kind enough to slap me with a fish. What a pain...

Now I get two messages for each birth.

Fixed.

I keep reading this thread title as 'The Birth Canal Mirror'.   

That's an association I don't take responsibility for. Really, I don't even want to imagine what a "Birth Canal Mirror" might look like ... too late, I just imagined some kind of periscope. Thank you very much!

I keep reading this as some kind of contraceptive item or technique.

There's no way out of it for me, is there? I couldn't have called it pollinator or anything, because twallan already had something like that. Next time I meat Doc Brown, I'll kick him in the nuts, steal his De Lorean and influence myself to name it "The Mirror That Does Things To Women".

[CaptaiNemo]

Thanks for the objectless update, very nice!

But I've got an.. uh.. hunch that the BCM is responsible for a lot of crashes to desktop I've been having lately (usually right after switching to a sim from a different household, when the camera starts to zoom all over the town, roughly about every 20 minutes or so, and more frequently if I switch a lot). This occured to me when I updated to version 7 and the mirror was initially disabled - and I had not a single crash for several hours. After turning it back on it crashed just 20 minutes later.

Any chance something bad can happen right when the active household changes?

[Buzzler]

@orion: Well, I think there's nothing in there that could cause a CTD, but if you upload your 'hood, I'll have a look at it. I can't give you a timescale though, because RL is keeping me busy lately.

[CaptaiNemo]

Hm. The crashes currently aren't very frequent and my hood file has become unwieldily large (is there a way to clear out old data, e.g. sims that died 500 years ago and noone knew anyway?), so I rather not upload it - maybe when it crashes every 20 minutes again, it'll be easier to reproduce as well.
I did notice though, that the interaction on the mailbox to return a stolen item causes a crash that seems identical. Do sims autonomously perform that interaction? If not, it might even have been an insane, kleptomanic sim, choosing the interaction randomly every now and then when the camera happens to sweep by his house.

[morgy]

is this comp. w/ WA?

[Buzzler]

is this comp. w/ WA?

No, right now it's not even compatible with version 1.6.6 of the base game. I'm going to look at it tomorrow to make it compatible with 1.6.6. Hopefully it's going to be compatible with WA as well then, but I don't have WA and it's not really a must-have to me.

[morgy]

is this comp. w/ WA?

No, right now it's not even compatible with version 1.6.6 of the base game. I'm going to look at it tomorrow to make it compatible with 1.6.6. Hopefully it's going to be compatible with WA as well then, but I don't have WA and it's not really a must-have to me.

thank you buzz!!!!

[Buzzler]

Updated to Version 8. See first post for changes.
What I wrote about the AgingManager applies to this mod too. Should work with 1.6.6/1.7.9 (and WA) now, but I'm not absolutely sure. Please report errors, if they occur.

[morgy]

Updated to Version 8. See first post for changes.
What I wrote about the AgingManager applies to this mod too. Should work with 1.6.6/1.7.9 (and WA) now, but I'm not absolutely sure. Please report errors, if they occur.

thank you so much hun!!  You make my game sooooooooooo fun!!!  Can I have your sim babies?

[krustie]

hi im going to regret asking as im sure im going to sound like a tool, but i have a "stuck chicken" as you put it and would love to see if this will fix it but cannot find it in game.  i read it is no longer an object, but was wondering how i go about unsticking this darn chicken? i dont normally use mods so this is a first. cheers!

[Buzzler]

@krustie: Click on the rectangular mirror that costs 300§. Then click 'Birth Control' and 'Extract Stuck Chicken'. A menu will pop up which lets you select the afflicted (or soon to be afflicted) Sim.

If you don't have a 'Birth Control' menu on the mirror, the framework isn't installed correctly.

[Buzzler]

Updated to Version 8.1.
This is not a feature update but a bugfix. Thanks to Tangie for pointing it out; I appreciate it.

I'd be really surprised if this was actually the first time the bug occured, though. Kinda thought-provoking. You people probably wouldn't even tell me if my pants were on fire...

[lordrichter]

If it makes you feel any better, the only bug I ever see is that the Mirror does not save settings between game sessions.

[Buzzler]

Updated to Version 8.2.

If it makes you feel any better, the only bug I ever see is that the Mirror does not save settings between game sessions.

Fixed. And yes, it makes me feel better. A little.

[Tangie]

Updated to Version 8.1.
This is not a feature update but a bugfix. Thanks to Tangie for pointing it out; I appreciate it.

I'd be really surprised if this was actually the first time the bug occured, though. Kinda thought-provoking. You people probably wouldn't even tell me if my pants were on fire...

Buzzler, I lol'd. Several times. Well, one was actually a snort but that's ONLY because I have a cold. 

I wouldn't feel too badly about it, really. It happened because I decided to try the Dragons Dance thingie (I adore Douglas Adams), and I probably wouldn't have noticed it but just got curious. If it had happened to others I suspect they were just so desperate to populate their 'hoods that they really didn't notice or care. Otherwise they probably use one of the other options, since those are what I also use most of the time. So thanks, baa baa and all that, for making and maintaining this mod.

[Buzzler]

Updated to Version 9.
This is a massive revision, but you guys probably won't notice much of it, since the interface didn't really change that much. There's a lot of new or changed code, so it's entirely possible that new bugs show up.

When I saw Sustain-o-Mat pollinating a freshly baked YA, who looked like a punk, had a music LTW and no family-oriented traits, I was fed up with the random pollinations. I dropped them completely in favor of a scoring system. Next thing to implement will be to actually show the pollinations happen.

Regarding folks who actually use Sustain-o-Mat: Please use the ShowScoredBCMVictims cheat and tell me, if it makes sense to you. Or to be precisely, just tell me if it doesn't make sense to you and why. BTW: All scores and all settings have a range of 0..1000. When changing the settings, a window will pop up with a bit of explanation. The Redneck score is a constant value which will override the scoring if a sim has been identified as a redneck. The other numbers besides the total score showing up when using the cheat are: JS - Job Score; FiS - Financial Score; FaS - Family Score; AS - Age Score/Compressed Age Score; WS - Wish Score; RS - Risk Score

I wouldn't feel too badly about it, really. It happened because I decided to try the Dragons Dance thingie{...}

I'm still dumbfounded that people instantaneously asked about the Dragons' Dance but never ... as Zorg said: "I hate warriors, too narrow-minded. I'll tell you what I do like though: a killer, a dyed-in-the-wool killer. Cold blooded, clean, methodical and thorough. Now a real killer, when he picked up the ZF-1, would've immediately asked about the little red button on the bottom of the gun."

[airilina]

ShowScoredBCMVictims works.  It makes sense, especially when trying to configure the Sustain-O-Mat.  FYI, I had a sim with FaS1200.  Is it supposed to be that high?

What I'd like to know is how exactly a sim's score becomes that of a Redneck.  I have one sim whose score is 50.  She has a FaS of 500, which is her only high number.  Edit: I was rushed when I wrote this earlier, so let me rephrase...  I'm interested to know exactly what data churns out the overall score.  I have three females who are 50s, two 12s and one 1.  But what does the 50 represent?  A sim who is flirty, low FiS, high FaS, etc.?  Or is it just a random number and they just by chance hit on it?

Is it also possible to configure the Sustain-O-Mat with regards to the financial score?  Last 'hood I used BCM on I had lots of poor families who would overstuff the houses, and only the men could work with any regularity.  I like how your scoring system takes into account "this" first and "that" later, and I think that taking a good financial score into consideration could influence the decision to have more babies.  (Of course, if this is already into effect and I just haven't played with it long enough to see it, I do apologize and thank you in advance.)

Also, I would just like to add that I really like the way you changed the Raw Data.  It's much easier to read, along with the fact that I get a much better snapshot of what my population looks like, e.g. more females vs. males, not enough cribs, etc.

Edit: Sustain-O-Poll shows thumbnails of women who are pregnant and the father, but there are no names, words, etc.  When I mouse over the thumbnails they do not mention who the women are, so I didn't automatically know them since I haven't played them.  I wasn't sure if that was supposed to happen.

[Buzzler]

Updated to Version 9.1.

FYI, I had a sim with FaS1200.  Is it supposed to be that high?

No, I'ts supposed to be capped. It is now.

What I'd like to know is how exactly a sim's score becomes that of a Redneck.  I have one sim whose score is 50.  She has a FaS of 500, which is her only high number.  Edit: I was rushed when I wrote this earlier, so let me rephrase...  I'm interested to know exactly what data churns out the overall score.  I have three females who are 50s, two 12s and one 1.  But what does the 50 represent?  A sim who is flirty, low FiS, high FaS, etc.?  Or is it just a random number and they just by chance hit on it?

The number itself is in fact random. You can change it in the configuration section of the pie menu. 50 seemed to work well, since most unplayed sims score pretty low. The question whether a sim is qualified to be a redneck is not random, though. There are 6 clues right now: 1. low net worth ((lot cost + family funds) divided by number of sims in the household); 2. less beds than sims in the household; 3. job level of 2 or lower; 3. no sim in the household has a job level higher than 4; 4. 3 siblings or more; 5. 3 children or more;

If 4 or more clues are true, the sim gets the redneck score. I admit it's kinda crude right now. I would appreciate suggestions on how to improve it.

Is it also possible to configure the Sustain-O-Mat with regards to the financial score?

There's a lot of variance in the financial score and it had a tendency to dominate the total score at first. I changed the weighting then. FiS and JS are weighted onefold, FaS is weighted twofold, and wishscore is weighted threefold. The age score gets applied to the mean of these scores. That makes sense to me. I think money alone won't make anyone wish for offspring.

Last 'hood I used BCM on I had lots of poor families who would overstuff the houses, and only the men could work with any regularity.  I like how your scoring system takes into account "this" first and "that" later, and I think that taking a good financial score into consideration could influence the decision to have more babies.

Poor sims in overstuffed houses should automatically score lower, since their net worth is lower, their job score tends to be lower, they lack beds and cribs etc. On the other hand, I didn't want the scoring system to score rich sims higher per se. The score is supposed to represent the possibility of a sim to have a child now. We all know that poor families breed just the same, right? Often more, since they tend to place more value on family than on personal (work-related) development. It made sense to me in the 'hoods I tested it in. You tell me, if it makes sense in your 'hood.

Edit: Sustain-O-Poll shows thumbnails of women who are pregnant and the father, but there are no names, words, etc.  When I mouse over the thumbnails they do not mention who the women are, so I didn't automatically know them since I haven't played them.  I wasn't sure if that was supposed to happen.

No, this was not supposed to happen. The complete message string was right there, but I forgot to pass it to the notifier instead of the empty placeholder, which was just there to shut the compiler up. It is fixed now.

[airilina]

The question whether a sim is qualified to be a redneck is not random, though. There are 6 clues right now: 1. low net worth ((lot cost + family funds) divided by number of sims in the household); 2. less beds than sims in the household; 3. job level of 2 or lower; 3. no sim in the household has a job level higher than 4; 4. 3 siblings or more; 5. 3 children or more;

If 4 or more clues are true, the sim gets the redneck score. I admit it's kinda crude right now. I would appreciate suggestions on how to improve it.

It might be too easy with what you have currently for a sim to be considered a redneck.  For example, a new couple who married and lived in the parents' house finally move into their own.  Usually the game moves them into a house with no pin money (clue 1).  They are young, so they have low level jobs (clue 3 and 4), and one of them may have three siblings.  They could be rednecks based on the math, but they could also be workaholics, athletic, ambitious, etc.

Is there any way to use traits as part of the equation?  I envision a redneck with much of the above and also someone who is a couch potato or slob, and maybe party animal (they love that liquor).  If that is possible, perhaps the threshold could be raised to five or more clues.

Of course, I'm just throwing out some ideas.  I intend on tweaking the scoring system for now to see what works best for me.

We all know that poor families breed just the same, right? Often more, since they tend to place more value on family than on personal (work-related) development.

Well, yes, that is true.

It made sense to me in the 'hoods I tested it in. You tell me, if it makes sense in your 'hood.

Put that way, that does make sense and that is how my 'hood operated.  It just so happened that the 'hood I first ran the BCM on had a more genteel flavor to it.  I thought that more money would make it at least easier on families to sustain several children.  However, the way it works currently is more realistic.

Edit: Raw data says I have six pregnancies.  Sustain-o-Poll only shows two couples.  Should it be showing all six?

[J. M. Pescado]

Trying to model "poor sims are clowncars" tends to negatively affect your game neighborhood composition as sims is a highly materialist game where sims depend on objects for their basic survival and cannot improvise. The result is a bunch of inadequately cared for sims that pee on themselves and die.

[Buzzler]

Usually the game moves them into a house with no pin money (clue 1).

No, the value of the lot/house counts, too. There are usually no houses worth less than ~15k and the threshold is 5k per sim, i.e. 10k for a couple. This clue is actually pretty hard to "achieve".

Is there any way to use traits as part of the equation?

Sure. Wish score and risk score are entirely trait-based.

Edit: Raw data says I have six pregnancies.  Sustain-o-Poll only shows two couples.  Should it be showing all six?

Sustain-o-Poll shows you couples? It's supposed to pollinate sims. That's what it does here, anyway.

Trying to model "poor sims are clowncars" tends to negatively affect your game neighborhood composition as sims is a highly materialist game where sims depend on objects for their basic survival and cannot improvise. The result is a bunch of inadequately cared for sims that pee on themselves and die.

I say let them die. TS3 has too much of the marshmellow fairy land as it is, anyway. That and I have my WIP banking mod running, which I use to let families in inadequate houses take out a loan to move to a better home. Then I watch them struggle to pay it back and if they fail to pay their installments on time, the experimental WorkThemDead class gets them in its steel grip.

The redneck thing isn't really meant to model "poor sims are clowncars", though. Not on a regular basis, anyway. With the default settings, rednecks will almost always score lower than suitable non-rednecks. And sims living in houses that can support their family will score higher. Even more, if it can support one more member or if they have a free crib.

[airilina]

Sustain-o-Poll shows you couples? It's supposed to pollinate sims. That's what it does here, anyway.

It appears to.  Raw data shows six pregnant.  Sustain-o-Poll shows two couples.  Raw data still shows six pregnant.

[Buzzler]

It appears to.  Raw data shows six pregnant.  Sustain-o-Poll shows two couples.  Raw data still shows six pregnant.

I looked at the code and found no apparent flaws. I checked it in the game: Raw data found one pregnant sim. Then I used Sustain-o-Poll and it pollinated one sim. Afterwards raw data found two pregnant sims. Everything seems to be in order.

It kind of confuses me that you write "Sustain-o-Poll shows..." You're talking about the "x got knocked up by y" notifications, right? You could try to take out BCM (delete the script cache), then start your game and let it run for a couple seconds, save and quit, and finally put BCM in again.

[airilina]

Yes, when I wrote that it "shows" I meant the notifications pop up.  Sorry for my explanation error.

I did as you recommended and now it is working as intended.  I'm usually meticulous about deleting the scriptCache every time I install a new mod.  Perhaps I failed this time.