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Mad Poster
Original Poster
#1 Old 18th Aug 2018 at 11:15 PM
Default If you pick your sims' aspirations randomly, how do you do it?
If you roll randomly for aspirations and turn-ons, what's your method of doing that? I know you can roll aspiration with the Sim Blender - are there other methods people use? What about secondary aspiration?

I actually wrote a small python script that generates two aspirations and three turn-ons and writes them to a file named after the sim. I find this prevents "wait, that was just a test!" syndrome and also allows me to hide the roll from myself until the sim ages to teen. That way, I don't play my children with the predetermined knowledge about what their aspirations will be, and let them grow their own personality traits so that the aspirations can complement those, rather than predetermining them.
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Field Researcher
#2 Old 18th Aug 2018 at 11:26 PM
I have a tin of dice on my desk and I roll a d6 when a child ages to teen, or when a townie moves in and needs to have a secondary aspiration chosen.

Most sims have their aspirations and secondaries chosen randomly with a die roll, but some inherit aspirations from their parents. Sometimes I think of building a more complex table that gives weight to the parents' and grandparents' aspirations, but still allows for random chance in the outcome.
Lab Assistant
#3 Old 18th Aug 2018 at 11:31 PM
Think you will find a lot of information regarding this using the search engine on the site, but anyway.

I use a die when the sim in question turns to teen if I have not made up my mind. Since turn on and of also are useful for dice I use two dice then, one d6 and another one for the "page" of turn ons. Secondaries are usually not rolled at the same time and I usually decide those as other parts of the game, such as "crap I need comfort soup NOW".
Mad Poster
#4 Old 18th Aug 2018 at 11:36 PM
random.org because my RL toddler carries off my D&D dice. I use the old legacy system: 1= fortune, 2= knowledge 3= family 4= romance 5= popularity 6= pleasure, a double roll of the same number gives a secondary of grilled cheese.

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Mad Poster
Original Poster
#5 Old 18th Aug 2018 at 11:41 PM
I actually don't include grilled cheese at all in my selection process - grilled cheese sims are just too single-minded and not especially fun to me. Though, I haven't actually used the grilled cheese aspiration since I installed Free Time, so maybe it's better when there is another aspiration there to balance it.
Mad Poster
#6 Old 18th Aug 2018 at 11:49 PM
Dice, with numbering proceeding from left to right on the choice screen. However, it's not always a d6, because it's not always an even chance. If I've raised a kid as far as teen, I generally have a pretty good idea of what aspiration will suit them. If there's a draw between two, I may call high/low. Sometimes I'll use a d8 or d10 and weight the roll in favor of the "immature" aspirations - Pleasure, Popularity, Romance - with the mental reservation that if it doesn't work I can change the aspiration in college, retaining the original aspiration as a secondary.

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Mad Poster
#7 Old 19th Aug 2018 at 4:42 AM
LOL, if I'm choosing an aspiration randomly I close my eyes on the aspiration screen and wave the mouse about. XD
Mad Poster
#8 Old 19th Aug 2018 at 5:53 AM
I don't usually randomize, but when I do I just use a dice.

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Forum Resident
#9 Old 19th Aug 2018 at 6:35 AM
I use random.org

I build small houses *^*
Test Subject
#10 Old 19th Aug 2018 at 7:58 AM
I never even thought about using a dice! I think I'll try that out next time I make a sim. I usually don't randomize and just pick the aspirations I think fit the sim I make (but I tend to always pick the same ones over and over again...) so yeah, definitely going to try out a dice randomized roll.
Theorist
#11 Old 19th Aug 2018 at 8:02 AM
I do all three things; dice, random.org and waving my mouse about on the screen, depending on what I feel like and whether I know where my dice are at the moment.
I never include Cheese either, since it's not an aspiration that's selectable from the growing up screen.

For the secondary aspiration I have no rules when, if or how I choose it.

I do wish that they had given us a few more aspirations still in the expansions, just for further variety. Proper aspirations, not joke ones like Grilled Cheese.

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Taking an extended break from Sims stuff. Might be around, might not.
Forum Resident
#12 Old 19th Aug 2018 at 10:16 AM
Dice here too. I leave turn ons as they are when a child ages to teen. For CAS sims I'll roll dice as well, one to determine the page, one for the turn on/off. If the number is invalid I roll again. I will select the aspiration myself for "plot sims" (for example in the Beginning of... hoods where some sims are predetermined) and rarely for sims that exhibit a strong tendency towards one aspiration as children (usually if a child keeps bringing home friends and visiting other children after school, they're set for Popularity). Twins usually get the other's main aspiration as secondary.
Theorist
#13 Old 19th Aug 2018 at 3:41 PM
I just roll a die for both the main and secondary aspirations.


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Forum Resident
#14 Old 19th Aug 2018 at 6:30 PM
wheeldecide.com
e3 d3 Ne2 Nd2 Nb3 Ng3
retired moderator
#15 Old 19th Aug 2018 at 11:49 PM
I usually use one of my many collected programs.

Phaenoh's:

http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=293685

katrisims:

http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=512487

Notovny:

http://notovny.com/programs.html

Max3D:

(The name lists can be customised)
http://simfileshare.net/download/661822/

On a related note-


I have a load more of these programs, many outdated now, but these few are the ones I use often. Occasionally I'll use a die, though!
Screenshots
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#16 Old 20th Aug 2018 at 12:33 AM
Yeah, I think I used some of those programs in the past, but none of them did exactly what I wanted, so I wound up writing my own script.
Field Researcher
#17 Old 20th Aug 2018 at 1:53 AM
I mostly just get a die and roll it, and whichever number it lands on is the aspiration I choose. But sometimes if I'm not happy with it, I'll roll a few more times and whatever number shows up the most is the one I go with.
Forum Resident
#18 Old 20th Aug 2018 at 3:01 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Charity
LOL, if I'm choosing an aspiration randomly I close my eyes on the aspiration screen and wave the mouse about. XD

That's how I choose clothes I don't care about, like pajamas or underwear.

I also use dice. Usually, I have an idea of an aspiration I don't want for that sim, but otherwise, I don't care which.
Lab Assistant
#19 Old 20th Aug 2018 at 3:43 AM
Like many have said above, I use a d6! I like to have primary aspiration be random, but I choose a secondary aspiration sometime in the late teens/early young adulthood stage according to their personality and the patterns I tend to see in their wants. The d6 corresponds with each aspiration going from left to right. Also, I leave the turn ons and turn offs as spawned when the little popup comes up. What I've noticed is most sims tend to roll a parent's hair color as either a turn on or turn off, which is neat.

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Scholar
#20 Old 20th Aug 2018 at 3:51 AM
I would just use my fingers or a number generator such as this one if I can't decide on an aspiration https://www.google.com/search?q=num...chrome&ie=UTF-8.
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#21 Old 20th Aug 2018 at 4:11 AM
Quote: Originally posted by bbostic8
Like many have said above, I use a d6! I like to have primary aspiration be random, but I choose a secondary aspiration sometime in the late teens/early young adulthood stage according to their personality and the patterns I tend to see in their wants. The d6 corresponds with each aspiration going from left to right. Also, I leave the turn ons and turn offs as spawned when the little popup comes up. What I've noticed is most sims tend to roll a parent's hair color as either a turn on or turn off, which is neat.


I doubt it's programmed that way. There's a 36% chance of getting at least one hair color, and then either a 25% chance or a 50% chance that each hair color you get matches a parent's hair color.
Lab Assistant
#22 Old 20th Aug 2018 at 4:14 AM
@kestrellyn you're probably right about that.

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See something of mine you like? Just ask, and I'll get you a link to the item you're looking for.
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retired moderator
#23 Old 20th Aug 2018 at 11:05 AM
Quote: Originally posted by kestrellyn
Yeah, I think I used some of those programs in the past, but none of them did exactly what I wanted, so I wound up writing my own script.

You know, I'd be very interested in adding your to my collection, if you ever shared it...
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#24 Old 20th Aug 2018 at 2:01 PM
It's a pretty simple barebones python script without a real user interface, but I can share it when I get home.
Mad Poster
#25 Old 20th Aug 2018 at 3:17 PM
I count. I have OCD and am always counting anyway, so I might as well put it to good use. :3

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