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Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#1 Old 1st Dec 2017 at 5:20 PM
Default Legacy Issues- How do you pick your heirs?
I'm serious, the worst part of any Legacy I've ever played has got to be picking the heirs. I just simply get to attached to the ones who I'm considering. So how do you go about picking them in your games?
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Alchemist
#2 Old 1st Dec 2017 at 6:45 PM
Well, first of all my simmies always have several kids, so that there more to chooce from. I tend to make the final choice only after the kids turn to teenagers because before that happens, it harder to know what they will look like as young adults. So, their appearance is one factor... a kinda big factor... shallow, I know. Gender is one thing, of course, because I play with different gender after every 1-2 generations. So looks, gender... and then there's always one of the kids that seem to get my attention more than others. Don't know why, really. Their likes are not important to me and those can be changed anyway. Same with hair color.

My current family has 5 teenagers, one girl and four boys. Since this time it's a boy's turn, the girl is automatically ruled out. When it comes to their looks, two of the boys are ruled out. I've been comparing the two remaining boys for the past two days and I think I've made up my mind. I like them both, they look a lot alike but I like the other a bit more. There's just something about him and I've mainly played with him when they were all still kids. This basically happens with every generation.
Alchemist
#3 Old 1st Dec 2017 at 9:11 PM
Depends on the rules you've established. If I'm doing a legacy based on passing on certain traits (e.g. hair/eye/skin color), it's pretty easy. Otherwise, I've had sims reach young adulthood before deciding which of them was the heir, and sometimes I expanded the house and let the spares continue living in the household too.

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Mad Poster
#4 Old 2nd Dec 2017 at 12:51 AM
Mine are usually the younger children in my town's families and they'll inherit the family home when they age up though the parents might not be around much longer as their yougest might be born near their elder stages.
Lab Assistant
#5 Old 2nd Dec 2017 at 4:18 AM
I depend on their romantic relationships when they were teenagers, and whether the last name is good or not. Usually, I select the one who has the best-looking partner. If the last name of the family is already good, I choose a boy heir. If the last name is bad, I choose a girl. If there are no good partners, I send them to University and try to seduce one of the students.
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#6 Old 2nd Dec 2017 at 8:13 PM
@varpunen, I like the idea of switching genders every other generation, as I tend to get stuck with a lot of, well, lesbians lol. It's not much of a strict legacy or anything, so most of the spouses are premade by other people except maybe the first two. I think this generation I'll go with a girl and then switch to boys the next two, so thanks for the help!

@sweetdevil, no specific physical traits needed, which makes it harder lol. There's preferred traits, of course, like these bright blue eyes one of the mothers has, but nothing specifically needed. Part of the challenge for mine is simply immortal founders...who like to risky woohoo at any point of time. And they have fertility boosters. But thanks for the help!

@tadolseon, part of my issue in previous ones was almost always making the heir the firstborn child, which I even did with my cat generations on accident (thankfully did not make that mistake again!), but I can understand that point. I'm refusing to pick the oldest from this generation even though he's my favorite and want to pick from the youngest three so far. Again, immortal founders so I don't have to wait until they're almost elderly to pick but I think I'll do that for the next generation at the least. Thanks! :D

@dlseis, so far no partners, since they're all young right now. I also have the spouse already picked out so only the spares get a romantic relationship in their teens. But it's a good idea, so thanks! I'll be sure to use Uni once I get it lol.
Mad Poster
#7 Old 2nd Dec 2017 at 10:33 PM
Just curious here, why is it a "mistake" for the first born to be an heir; did I miss where this was explained? Coincidentally, I am raising this question as I happen to be the first born of a first born (x2 more times) myself, although there isn't much of a legacy involved in my sector of the real world. The family name in our case is dying out anyway because all of the males in my generation who do have kids have had all girls and I don't think the now old-fashioned family rules on that, such as they are, will change quickly enough to preserve the name. No real ancestral home in play, though. There's a model train set some of the others might be coveting, but Dad is still having way too much fun with it himself. And maybe a set of vintage encyclopedias floating around someplace?

Anyway, in-game I always look to the first born first as I consider whom the heir will be. Current generation, 12 kids. Numbers 1 and 3-5 are disqualified for...reasons ranging from comparative instability for lack of a better way to put it to I just can't see them having enough or even any kids themselves. Number 2 jumped ship and has his own legacy going in a Traveler mod connected world within the same game so although he loves his family and visits frequently, he isn't interested (and as a Science Center clone, he's only genetically related to one parent and not to the founders anyway). Number 6 is the winner. Although his younger brothers 7 and 8 and sister 10 would have been fine choices too, they were just unfortunate enough to be born later.
Mad Poster
#8 Old 3rd Dec 2017 at 12:21 AM
I have always run 2 parallel lines and normally each has just one child, so there is no decision to make. In the rare cases where a couple had 2 kids I just picked whoever I liked most. I did it that way for my family of 34 generations.
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#9 Old 3rd Dec 2017 at 2:56 PM
Quote: Originally posted by igazor
Just curious here, why is it a "mistake" for the first born to be an heir; did I miss where this was explained? Coincidentally, I am raising this question as I happen to be the first born of a first born (x2 more times) myself, although there isn't much of a legacy involved in my sector of the real world. The family name in our case is dying out anyway because all of the males in my generation who do have kids have had all girls and I don't think the now old-fashioned family rules on that, such as they are, will change quickly enough to preserve the name. No real ancestral home in play, though. There's a model train set some of the others might be coveting, but Dad is still having way too much fun with it himself. And maybe a set of vintage encyclopedias floating around someplace?

Anyway, in-game I always look to the first born first as I consider whom the heir will be. Current generation, 12 kids. Numbers 1 and 3-5 are disqualified for...reasons ranging from comparative instability for lack of a better way to put it to I just can't see them having enough or even any kids themselves. Number 2 jumped ship and has his own legacy going in a Traveler mod connected world within the same game so although he loves his family and visits frequently, he isn't interested (and as a Science Center clone, he's only genetically related to one parent and not to the founders anyway). Number 6 is the winner. Although his younger brothers 7 and 8 and sister 10 would have been fine choices too, they were just unfortunate enough to be born later.


For the cats, the mistake in picking from the first litter was that the heir aged up and started reproducing with their mate...and the parents would go and make more. By the time the heir had her second litter, the parents were on their fourth litter with half of their adult stage to go. So I'm not picking the ones born super early in the adult stage again. >.< I do find your way of doing it interesting though! I'm very curious about this legacy now lol.
Field Researcher
#10 Old 3rd Dec 2017 at 3:31 PM
Mine is always the youngest born. I try to make it be an older child but my heirs always inherit the house and the parents live with them and help contribute to income and child raising so it sucks choosing the first born and then having all the siblings still around until they age up. I choose the youngest so all other siblings are aged up and gone, redecorate the whole house to suit that sim, and focus on career and getting married. I also only play female heirs but am currently trying to break that simming habit and play a boy heir. Usually my sims would have kids and stop once they had a girl and that one would automatically be the heir.
I spend a lot of time with the heir as a kid and teen, building skills and hopefully meeting a potential future husband. I also like when the older siblings stop by for visits.
Forum Resident
#11 Old 6th Dec 2017 at 12:46 AM
For me it depends on how interesting the sim is as a kid or a teenager. I keep my sims on high free will, so if they do little interactions on their own, or their wants are interesting and coincides with their traits. I usually pick that sim to be the heir.
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#12 Old 6th Dec 2017 at 1:11 AM
@Simsdestroyer, I play similar to that. I've got quite a few weirdos in the family, with the exception of the second born child who's just...plain. The eldest child adores his Imaginary friend and pulls pranks all of the time, third child likes pregnancy a bunch, and the fourth and fifth are still tots but the fourth seems evil even without the trait.
Alchemist
#13 Old 6th Dec 2017 at 9:18 AM
I never have the interest to keep the heir living with his/hers parents and/or grandparents. The second the heir turns into young adult, I build them their own home and move out, leaving the parents to live on their own. Of course, I do make it so that the parents can't have any more children. I don't want them to keep reproducing like bunnies. Same goes with the siblings because otherwise the whole town would be full of members of the same family line and I don't want that. So, they can marry but not reproduce. Though, for the first time in the history of this family I have an heir who has his own home while still being a teen, living there with his lover. I'm having so much fun with it.

It's funny how some siblings stand out in some way. One of the boys in the current generation is a total drunk. While still under the same roof, he was constantly drinkin at the bar at home. Now, whenever I see him at the town, he's always either ordering drinks or making them by himself. He can't stay away from the bottle. :D
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#14 Old 6th Dec 2017 at 9:42 PM
Quote: Originally posted by varpunen
I never have the interest to keep the heir living with his/hers parents and/or grandparents. The second the heir turns into young adult, I build them their own home and move out, leaving the parents to live on their own. Of course, I do make it so that the parents can't have any more children. I don't want them to keep reproducing like bunnies. Same goes with the siblings because otherwise the whole town would be full of members of the same family line and I don't want that. So, they can marry but not reproduce. Though, for the first time in the history of this family I have an heir who has his own home while still being a teen, living there with his lover. I'm having so much fun with it.

It's funny how some siblings stand out in some way. One of the boys in the current generation is a total drunk. While still under the same roof, he was constantly drinkin at the bar at home. Now, whenever I see him at the town, he's always either ordering drinks or making them by himself. He can't stay away from the bottle. :D


I'm only keeping them in the house due to the challenge in and of itself, so can't move them out exactly. I tend to move worlds every few generations to one that better fits the goals (right now they're in Deery Meadows, and the save file has two bars, a vampire lounge, and a horse ranch near the school. Lots of the kids, I'm sure, would get picked off by vampires at some point but they just can't be bothered. And drunks with the horses. And that idea for the heir is quite nice! I've done a few of those as the start of a legacy before.

Oh my, it is funny how they can do that! I've had a few interesting kids in previous families, but so far none of them have been total drunks. :P
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