Does cologne affect anything besides turn-ons/off?

[idtaminger]

I don't think the implementation of skin-color turn-ons itself would be racist. It's only when pple intentionally use them in a racist fashion that it's racist.

I find it annoying that you can't make sims be turned on by tans, for example. In RL, lots of pple think tanned skin is hot. Is that racist? Of course not. Also, in RL pple do tend to factor race in when it comes to relationships. Pple tend to flock towards their own races. But a preference for one type doesn't necessarily mean hate towards another. And even if you have skincolor as a turn-off, just b/c you won't necessarily date a certain type of person doesn't mean you hate the race. I have quite a few asian friends who don't like dating white guys, but does that mean they hate white pple as a whole? Absolutely not.

And plus, skintone turn-on/offs would make things so much easier for my sims, as my turn-on/offs for each sim are pretty much exactly the same, and I'd like a way to divvy it up a bit. Eyecolour differentiation would be great too. This one isn't controversial at all. So why the heck did they not implement it?

[ZephyrZodiac]

Who knows what goes through their minds?

You're right, though, preference for a particular skin colour is not necessarily racist and quite honestly, when you have carefully selected turn-ons/offs for your sims and they go and get three lightning bolts for another sim entirely, and none for their partner, I don't really see how you could make your sims racists if you tried!

[Pegasys]

I think they didn't implement things that can't be changed. Skin color, eye color can't be changed. The only TOTO that can't be changed, AFAIK, is Gray Hair. I also think they didn't implement skin color because even though it's only how it's implemented in the game that makes it racist or -non racist, there'd be a lot of potential on the BBS, or people might put up stories that could be interpreted as racist.

[ZephyrZodiac]

Well, of course, that's true, they could, which just goes to show that the way the BBS is set up is dangerous - people don't need turn-ons/offs of skin colour in order to create a racist storyline!

[angelyne]

Have sim C and sim D woohoo'd?  Just a thought........

You get the hearts before they have  even met.  It's enough for one sims to be walking past another sim to get the effet.

Actually this is kinda funny, because my sim was on the sidewalk when the postman came to deliver a letter, and at the same time, another sim walked past.  I got the heart effect.  I thought she was reacting to the postman so I had her say hi and "scope him out".  She shrugged.  Nada.  So it was the other walking by.  I didn't have time to make sure who he was.  So now I'm stuck with my popularity Sim wanting to be friends with an butt ugly Maxis NPC while the mystery sim has vanished into the mists.

[MissDoh]

Have sim C and sim D woohoo'd?  Just a thought........

You get the hearts before they have  even met.  It's enough for one sims to be walking past another sim to get the effet.

Actually this is kinda funny, because my sim was on the sidewalk when the postman came to deliver a letter, and at the same time, another sim walked past.  I got the heart effect.  I thought she was reacting to the postman so I had her say hi and "scope him out".  She shrugged.  Nada.  So it was the other walking by.  I didn't have time to make sure who he was.  So now I'm stuck with my popularity Sim wanting to be friends with an butt ugly Maxis NPC while the mystery sim has vanished into the mists.

If you look closely when your Sims sleep they dream about Sims that they show hearts for, there will be a bubble with a face appearing above their heads along with the little "heart" music so it is a way to found out who that mystery Sim is.

[J. M. Pescado]

But I don't agree.  Your vampire can be cured, your beefy boyfriend can get fat and out of shape, and you can put your fat wife on a exercise program and get her in shape!

But these are all actions that require a concious desire to alter your sim, not something that will fluctuate on its own. All the other factors are not things you have absolute control over: Sims remove their glasses and hats without your input, accessories and makeups are often misrepresented and used for things which have nothing to do with the purported category, and hair color is all replaced by gray. None of these factors are things you have the final word in. Beefy Arm, vampire, and fat, however, are absolutely under your control. These will not change unless you exert an effort to make them change.

[ZephyrZodiac]

So if all my sims are turned on by Beefy Arm and Vampirism, and turned off by Fatness, there should be quite a few LBs around!

[Lythdan]

But I don't agree.  Your vampire can be cured, your beefy boyfriend can get fat and out of shape, and you can put your fat wife on a exercise program and get her in shape!

But these are all actions that require a concious desire to alter your sim, not something that will fluctuate on its own. All the other factors are not things you have absolute control over: Sims remove their glasses and hats without your input, accessories and makeups are often misrepresented and used for things which have nothing to do with the purported category, and hair color is all replaced by gray. None of these factors are things you have the final word in. Beefy Arm, vampire, and fat, however, are absolutely under your control. These will not change unless you exert an effort to make them change.

What about custom hair? That won't change unless you change it...

[ZephyrZodiac]

Same applies to hair colour, hats, glasses etc.  You have to make the effort to get your sim to change these things!  And if you have noeatcrap II, then only lazy sims will get fat!  (Oh, and sometimes neithr thin or fat YAs will eat a meal made by the dorm cook, and suddenly they are fit!  Don't tell me I caused that by telling my sim to EAT!

[Lythdan]

Actually, if you do glasses, your sim can get attracted to jewelry, because that's in the glasses bin. And they take them off for bed, anyway. And Hair Colour changes when you get old

[ZephyrZodiac]

Unless your sim has custom hair that doesn't change!

[Renatus]

I also think they didn't implement skin color because even though it's only how it's implemented in the game that makes it racist or -non racist, there'd be a lot of potential on the BBS, or people might put up stories that could be interpreted as racist.

But what's to stop someone from putting up a racist story (or story that could be interpreted as racist) now? 

Simply giving the player a choice over their sims' eye, skin, and hair colours (not to mention sexual orientation and being able to control them at all) gives them the potential to express their biases. I have big doubts that if skin colours were a part of the turn on system in the game it would suddenly inspire someone to express a previously latent racist tendancy, when the base game did not inspire them to express it.

It could, possibly, inspire someone to make a sim that is racist, but I don't see the problem with that as the players are not their sims, much like writers are not their characters. Problems with people on the BBS would perhaps inspire them to actually manage it properly, like a company BBS rather than one reminicent of a badly-run fansite.

Of course, this would require EA/Maxis to be sensible, and the world is pretty short on miracles right now.

[J. M. Pescado]

What about custom hair? That won't change unless you change it...

Custom hair is prone to misrepresentation and is a vague, ambiguous category. All custom hair, regardless of type, is considered all the same, be it hair-dyed-to-unrealistic-colors, or anotherwise normal hairmesh that just happens to not be Maxian.

[ZephyrZodiac]

So basically if two elders have custom hair then having grey hair as a turn on won't work, you'd need to have custom hair as a turn on.  You know, I think I'd already figured that one out!

[angelyne]

But these are all actions that require a concious desire to alter your sim, not something that will fluctuate on its own. All the other factors are not things you have absolute control over: Sims remove their glasses and hats without your input, accessories and makeups are often misrepresented and used for things which have nothing to do with the purported category, and hair color is all replaced by gray. None of these factors are things you have the final word in. Beefy Arm, vampire, and fat, however, are absolutely under your control. These will not change unless you exert an effort to make them change.

That's a good point.

It's true that the costume makeup and glasses are wildly misrepresented but those are all custom objects, so you are in control of what you put into your game.  I've managed to rationalize this into a turn-on turn off that makes sense.  For example, my only custom costume makeup are mostly freckles and birth marks.  So I just need to think that if I use that as a turn-on or turn-off that my sims are attracted/repelled by freckles or birth marks.  Which is entirely possible.  Same for accessories, but it's more strained  You could have sims turned off by piercings, or earings etc.  In a way it makes the turn on/off system a little more varied.  The only one I avoid entirely is makeup as every single one of my female sims wears makeup of some description

[ZephyrZodiac]

I think that make-up is a problem here, as most of my sims, male and female, have eye-make up of some description.  Same goes for blusher, as some just look like natural colour on the cheeks, which many paler skinned people have!  and any goth teens have to have black lippy!

[Lythdan]

Yeah, nearly everyone in my neighbour hood is a make-up wearer. Make make-up turn off and would prolly make my sims an old maid, since they would probably be repelled by EVERYBODY.

[ZephyrZodiac]

I quite often put very natural looking lippy on male sims too, just often looks better than the Maxis default.  Really, I don't know why they included it at all!  Now, on the other hand, they could have included sloppiness as a turnon/off!  I mean, very neat people are turned off by a sloppy person so why not sims?

[nocomment]

Oooo, that would be good.  Sloppiness and neatness would both make good turn-offs.  Especially when you consider that extremely neat sims are pretty strange really - making up other people's beds, "cleaing up" plates of fresh food, and cheering when it's time to clean the toilet!

I imagine it's too complicated to make personality a turn-off/on, however.

[Lythdan]

I wish they could be turned on/off by rich sims. I now it's not a visual thing as such, but it would be great for the Dina Caliente types! 

[ZephyrZodiac]

At least then they would be keen on marrying them more quickly!  I mean, as it is, they meet the rich sim of their dreams, and it takes ages to get the relationship up high enough for the marriage option!  3 LBs and it wouldn't take half as long!

[Lythdan]

At least then they would be keen on marrying them more quickly!  I mean, as it is, they meet the rich sim of their dreams, and it takes ages to get the relationship up high enough for the marriage option!  3 LBs and it wouldn't take half as long!

I guess if they're are really gold-diggers, you can give them 'grey hair' as a turn-on. 

[ZephyrZodiac]

Well, that would certainly be an advantage for Dinah if she's really set on marrying Mortimer!  But before NL, the Pleasantview I was playing had dinah married to a romance sim called Dylan who had a daughter.  She married Dylan because she really seemed to have the hots for him, and since the daughter liked her, and both she and Dylan were slobs, I thought, why not?  And she was perfectly happy, and spun an enormous number of family wants!

[angelyne]

I wonder if some modder will crack the turn-on system.  There are soooo many possibilities for various turn ons, as was illustrated in this thread.  I know it's only a small part of the attraction equation, but it's rife with possibilities.  I just love this new attraction system.  Now I let my sims pretty much pick their partners autonomously, by seeing if they will get crushes on their own.  Sometimes I'll just help them along by navigating through the initital meeting.  Otherwise they often start off on a bad foot.