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Forum Resident
Original Poster
#1 Old 20th Apr 2019 at 11:03 PM
Default How Would You Fix: ALIENS!!?
So... last Fall, I started this "How Would You Fix" series on the different supernaturals in the game. But I realized, I completely missed one! The reason is, they came with the original game and I used a list of EPs to make the series. I'd like to blame it, at least in some small part, on having Double Deluxe, and not the base game... but I think that's a stretch. So without further ado, and to make up for this egregious error...

It's time for our next "How Would You Fix" installment, and this time we're going to focus on ALIENS!!! The Aliens were introduced in The Sims 2, base game. They were the seeds that set the stage for all non-human game play in the TS2 saga. Of course, people were disappointed in only 1 color. Or that all aliens had a common parent and couldn't marry... fortunately those were fixed.

So what else about sim aliens would you have liked to have done differently? Are there things you think they should've had? Items and objects? Skills? Needs, wants, desires? Anything that'd make them more playable? More enjoyable? More realistic (or more fantastic)? If you have ever wished upon a shooting star for anything to have been done different, post it here!! All your starry-eyed cosmic creativity can be added below! The limit on the number of ideas you can share is equal to the number of stars in the sky!

Remember though: this is not a request thread... it's merely a discussion thread, to share ideas. But if any adventurous creator would like to take hold of any of the ideas and run with them, please: FEEL FREE!!

So let your best, your worst, your craziest, your most impossible ideas fly like a saucer through the cosmos! Tell us what you think would've made Aliens better! Be sure to "Like" your favorite ideas, and as always, please continue your contributions to the previous "How Would You Fix:" discussions for Zombies, Vampires, Servos, Werewolves, Plantsims, BigFoot, Genies and Witches!

And thanks again to each and every one of you for playing along!! I look forward to hearing your ideas.


-grinEvilly
>=)
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Mad Poster
#2 Old 20th Apr 2019 at 11:58 PM Last edited by simmer22 : 21st Apr 2019 at 6:22 PM.
As of now the only thing they've got is the looks and... well, that's it. Except for their alien father in the family tree, they're basically sims with a different look. I think the cinematic birth only happens to male sims (because they're the only ones with default alien births), and I can't remember if one of the university scholarships is for alien sims or for sims who've been abducted, but I think it's the latter. So not much to play around with in a default game.

Some ideas, though:
- I kind of liked the possibility of being able to disguise as a human in TS4, and that other sims can discover the disguise.
- Ability to make genetic aliens in CAS (not just visual with CC)
- Maybe have some child/teenager/adult realization where they discover that they're alien and look different from the rest of their family the first time they look in a mirror.
- Some alien tecchy clothing would've been nice (I kept using the motorcycle outfit as space suits for a while, because that was the closest I could find).
- I'd love if they came with their own spacecraft as a vehicle, or had the option to buy one (and could go for trips to 'aid with science projects'), and that they could tinker on the spacecraft (but regular humans couldn't, because the technology would be too difficult to understand unless their logic level was at a minimum of 8-9).
- If you're an alien, you don't build a boring car in your spare time. You build a space ship! (FT build-a-UFO function)
- Chance cards for work and school that are related to the sim being an alien.
- Maybe aliens could learn logic faster from toddlerhood, and perhaps other skills, too.
- Alien kids start out with better grades because of higher logic skills
- Perhaps having some other non-human skills, like telepathy/hypnosis (ability to 'read' minds or control other sims - could come in handy when making friends or finding a mate) or telekinesis (because making things fly is fun!) and teleportation (already ingame, but much more interesting when there's a reason for it). These could all be skilling activities, so the sim gets better at them with time.
- Alien toddlers stealing bottles from other toddlers by telekinesis.
- Would also be fun if the babies could fly around like they do in the cinematic birth video, just to spook their parents.
- Maybe babies and toddlers having the ability to levitate off their mattress, with some kind of reaction from the parents if they saw.
- Ability to discover aliens exist, and reactions on this, plus reactions on figuring out a sim is really an alien (knowledge sims may love it).
- Bizarre foods from their home planet, perhaps reactions from regular sims when tasting it.
- Growable alien plants for spicing up those foods.
- Possibility of adopting an alien baby (because if you know they exist, you don't have to be abducted).
- Maybe having some random alien tech as skilling objects, which normal sims can't use.
- If alien kids are neglected they're not picked up by the social worker, but by their alien parent who comes and scolds the abductee parent, and they fly away together in an UFO. Or perhaps they simply get abducted by the tractor beam and don't return home.
- At least one alien-like set of furniture, perhaps with some fun surprises.
- Access to a special alien TV channel only aliens can access. TV is automatically switched over to regular TV if a human enters the room.
- Ability to use the telescope to look for their home planet.
- Oh, and of course the ability to use the phone to "phone home"
Mad Poster
#3 Old 21st Apr 2019 at 1:11 AM
That would be interesting. Phoning home? What if that generated a pure alien who could be called with the special alien phone and then the alien townie could be invited to stay for a few days once you build a relationship with him or her? Or what if the first abduction generates a new Pollination Tech NPC? And what if that alien that was generated could also become one of the 'fathers' of alien children until he or she is made playable? Once the alien is made playable, a new PT NPC is generated with random DNA (but always alien skin and eyes) and will impregnate male sims.
Mad Poster
#4 Old 21st Apr 2019 at 12:03 PM
I'd love that-the 'other parent' for an alien could be summoned and made playable. Introduce him to the entire neighborhood and become a member of it.

Receptacle Refugee & Resident Polar Bear
"Get out of my way, young'un, I'm a ninja!"
Grave Matters: The funeral podium is available here: https://www.mediafire.com/file/e6tj...albits.zip/file
My other downloads are here: https://app.mediafire.com/myfiles
Field Researcher
#5 Old 21st Apr 2019 at 12:46 PM
I would like aliens to have a few special idles. Just so their body language occasionally marked them as not quite as human as other Sims.
Lab Assistant
#6 Old 21st Apr 2019 at 2:22 PM
I would like for half-aliens to be added as a Pollination Technician once they reach adulthood. That way they would have the special ability to impregnate male Sims via abduction.
Mad Poster
#7 Old 22nd Apr 2019 at 1:46 AM
If your sim is part alien, and he/she gets abducted, the memory should be "Oh my gosh, I met the other side of my family! They're so amazing!" Or "Oh my gosh, I met the other side of my family! They're so weird!" depending on if the abductee is a knowledge sim or some other aspiration.

I think everything else I'd like has been modded in already . . .

Pics from my game: Sunbee's Simblr Sunbee's Livejournal
"English is a marvelous edged weapon if you know how to wield it." C.J. Cherryh
Field Researcher
#8 Old 22nd Apr 2019 at 1:52 AM
I would start by not making them all related to one another. I wanted to test alien genetics in various ways and was disappointed to find out that you can't have an alien-alien relationship because it's apparently incestuous. Hmm... except maybe Pollination Tech 9? I wonder.

Also, alien should be in the turn-ons just like witches, Servos and all the other life states already are.
Theorist
#9 Old 22nd Apr 2019 at 2:12 AM
I really love the idea of Aliens being able to cook weird alien dishes, maybe that could have been a special skill. Maybe they could also have special alien paintings when painting, maybe with a round canvas and all.

One thing I'd really would have liked for aliens would have been a special alien haircolour, either dark green, purple or pink. They have special skin, special eyes, why not special hair? (And no the explanation "aliens don't have hair" doesn't work, since Maxis gave the Pollination Technician Black Hair genes, which is doubly weird, since it's dominant, meaning a redhead Sim will suddenly have a black haired baby and the greyish-black most basegame hairstyles have doesn't look all that good with the pale-green alien skin. Red would have been a better choice imho)
I also think it should have been possible to create Aliens in CAS without CC or Cheats and/or to have Aliens settle in the hood. And yeah some Alien clothes would have been nice.
Maybe give them a thing where they master logic quicker and body slower.

Other than that I'm pretty happy with how Sims 2 aliens turned out.

Avatar by MasterRed
Taking an extended break from Sims stuff. Might be around, might not.
Forum Resident
Original Poster
#10 Old 22nd Apr 2019 at 4:44 AM
Wow! Some really cool ideas posted here!

Quote:
I would like aliens to have a few special idles. Just so their body language occasionally marked them as not quite as human as other Sims.


@Aysarth -- what kind of anims did you have in mind? i'm interested in what you had in mind!

Quote:
I would like for half-aliens to be added as a Pollination Technician once they reach adulthood. That way they would have the special ability to impregnate male Sims via abduction.


@LösserFöffel -- this reminds me of my idea, on how I would change aliens... It's not exactly the same, but i would create a unique career reward, only available to those with alien genes. It would be a cross between the SimSanto Inc. Biotech Station and the Eclectic and Enigmatic Energizer...

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net...=20110629150354 https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net...=20100321172046

...hmmm... that didn't turn out how i expected. i thought it'd embed the images...

The genetic alien would sit at the biotech portion, while the male sim would be strapped into the bucket, and while mashing away at the control panel, the alien sim would wind up impregnating the male sim. I guess that's the long way to go about saying that I think alien sims should've had a means to impregnate male sims. (this may or may not require a censor blur) =)

Keep the great ideas coming, everyone!


-gE
Forum Resident
#11 Old 22nd Apr 2019 at 5:17 AM
The biggest fix that I think is needed for "aliens" is that they actual need to be aliens. We only have half-alien half-Sim hybrids born from alien abduction/impregnation. Afterwards, the game treats them the same as any other Sim. To have the hybrids considered alien, a decision woul have to be made as to when is a Sim an alien. Are they only aliens if a parent was? How about if a grandparent was an alien? If a great grandparent was? And there would need to be some flag that would be set to flag them as such much like there are flags for vampires, zombies, ghosts and plant sims. So that might take a bit of work to do.

Now if there WERE aliens, I'd like them to have...
1) Some special abilities so they would be more like the other Maxis creatures who differ from normal Sims in various ways. Perhaps some mind control functions (similar to the voodoo doll) but one which has fewer options as the hybrid becomes more generationally separated from the alien parent (i.e. more human"). Maybe use a shake hands interaction with voodoo doll or other options and call it something like Alien Mind Games.
2) Definitely different skins/hair/eyes. Hair should be a custom hair - not one of the four standard base colors.
3) A different body shape. Since differing heights would be a problem for interactions, maybe something much leaner and thinner. (But this would be really tough to implement without creating additional toddler, child, teen, young adult and elder shapes too, so it's probably not doable.)
4) An easily implemented/modifiable MPT hack to take care of the problem of all aliens being related. (The MPT hack I use has 4 different aliens as a potential parent in alien impregnation.)
5) The ability to communicate with their space relative via phone or some other hand-held device so they can build a relationship with their alien ancestor if they so desire.
6) A longer life expectancy yet a much higher likelihood of contracting illnesses and more severe illnesses. Maybe more allergies (sneezing) during spring.
7) A higher attraction for other non-familial alien hybrids and a higher possibility of twins (or more) when breeding with them. Perhaps a higher attraction to logical Sims but a decreased likelihood of being able to breed with any normal Sims and no chance of breeding at all with any other type of creature.
8) A new grow-able & edible alien crop likely brought back from space that only hybrids can produce which improves all their motives when they consume it.

In general, I'd like for the Sim "aliens" to have more differentiation from "normal" Sims, in other words, things that they can do that other playables cannot.

All of my Conversions, Creations and Stories may be found here:
HobbesED's Conversions and Creations

My most recently shared items (with pictures) may also be found here:
HobbesED's Dreamwidth

Mad Poster
#12 Old 22nd Apr 2019 at 6:35 AM
Quote: Originally posted by HobbesED
The biggest fix that I think is needed for "aliens" is that they actual need to be aliens. We only have half-alien half-Sim hybrids born from alien abduction/impregnation. Afterwards, the game treats them the same as any other Sim. To have the hybrids considered alien, a decision woul have to be made as to when is a Sim an alien. Are they only aliens if a parent was? How about if a grandparent was an alien? If a great grandparent was? And there would need to be some flag that would be set to flag them as such much like there are flags for vampires, zombies, ghosts and plant sims. So that might take a bit of work to do.

But to be considered an alien is this game, don't you just have to wear the green alien skin and the black alien eyes? You know, the ones that are usually hidden in CAS?

Je mange des girafes et je parle aussi français !...surtout :0)

Find all my old MTS Uploads, on my SFS, And all new uploads Here . :)
Mad Poster
#13 Old 22nd Apr 2019 at 8:06 AM
@HobbesED Midge The Tree has a mod where aliens can assess mood and past, and even influence for free (uses the 'manipulate' animation).
Mad Poster
#14 Old 22nd Apr 2019 at 10:08 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Neverwinter_Knight77
Also, alien should be in the turn-ons just like witches, Servos and all the other life states already are.

Tunaisafish replaced the broken "custom hair" TO with alien in one version of their "Attraction Traits Fix". Requires at least one of the following EPs: Bon Voyage, Freetime, Apartment Life, Mansion & Garden.
http://www.modthesims.info/d/318327...-06-for-bv.html

Simler90 also has a mod that uses an alien TO. There are several configurations of this mod, so read the description carefully to make sure you understand which Maxis TOs got replaced with which new ones. Requires all EPs plus M&G.
http://www.modthesims.info/d/609675...ye-colours.html
Alchemist
#15 Old 22nd Apr 2019 at 11:02 PM
some seem to consider ghosts as part of this list.

aliens; the shipped version ones are fine to me.
Forum Resident
Original Poster
#16 Old 22nd Apr 2019 at 11:16 PM
Quote: Originally posted by mdsb759
some seem to consider ghosts as part of this list.

aliens; the shipped version ones are fine to me.



Hrmph... that's an interesting point. Ghosts aren't playable... but neither are genies, and they're definitely considered an altered life state. I suppose a valid argument could be made for ghosts. But we can keep that for another post. This one's about aliens, and some really great things have been mentioned already. Thankfully, they don't lay eggs whose hatchlings cling to your sims' faces, and their offspring burst out of their chests! That might impact the T rating...

Keep the ideas coming, everyone!


-gE
>=)
Forum Resident
#17 Old 23rd Apr 2019 at 2:13 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Rosebine
But to be considered an alien is this game, don't you just have to wear the green alien skin and the black alien eyes? You know, the ones that are usually hidden in CAS?

Good question! I've run with a Multi-Pollination Technician mod for years and before that, I used a different (non-Maxis) skin for my aliens. Is that how the game identifies aliens? And if so, does an unmodded game actually use that identification as alien for anything? I can't think of any Maxis interactions or objects that are unique to or excluded from an alien but I may not have seen them since my aliens haven't been Maxis aliens in at least 10 years.

I don't think there is a checkbox for a Sim being an alien in SimPE as there are for other creatures (including ghosts). If that is how it is/was identified then that doesn't seem like a good solution either. You could have twins born from the same abduction and if one had the alien skin and eyes and the other only had the alien skin, then the first would be considered alien and yet their twin not.

All of my Conversions, Creations and Stories may be found here:
HobbesED's Conversions and Creations

My most recently shared items (with pictures) may also be found here:
HobbesED's Dreamwidth

Mad Poster
#18 Old 23rd Apr 2019 at 2:39 AM
Well, there is now a turn on/turn off for aliens. If I understood properly, alien skin or alien eyes triggers it.

Je mange des girafes et je parle aussi français !...surtout :0)

Find all my old MTS Uploads, on my SFS, And all new uploads Here . :)
Mad Poster
#19 Old 23rd Apr 2019 at 2:47 AM
See, I have a MPT hack (actually several) already. I have one of BoilingOil's Alien mods-the version that makes same sex pregnancy possible for abductees. I use forcetwins to ensure all alien pregnancies are at least twins. I have Tunasiafish's alien attraction, Sophie David's alien mirror token set thing (oh, geez, I need to look up what it's called: gives a token that tells the game how alien an alien is and uses that for scholarships and whatnot). I have my alien worshiping cult.

Pics from my game: Sunbee's Simblr Sunbee's Livejournal
"English is a marvelous edged weapon if you know how to wield it." C.J. Cherryh
Mad Poster
#20 Old 23rd Apr 2019 at 8:13 PM
Sunbee: if you find that Sophie David mod that "tells the game how alien an alien is" could you please post it? As for me; I have many sets of multi-Pt's. I don't mind the Maxis greenish skin, but hate those blank black eyes. I have read that if you genetisize PTs they won't impregnate..but don't think this is true. And I can't see that the game recognized ANY "alien" skin (likes/dislikes).
BUT what I would really like is some different behavior - as different as their skin or faces can be, they are still just Sims. Wish there were TOKENS to make them act differently...I don't know, maybe passing out if someone flirts with them, or barking likea dog if someone irritates them.

Stand up, speak out. Just not to me..
Alchemist
#21 Old 23rd Apr 2019 at 8:42 PM
about alien turn on/off; I do not recall seeing it.

remembered a short while ago::
sort of in the process of creating a multi-PT set.
Mad Poster
#22 Old 23rd Apr 2019 at 9:55 PM
The alien turn on/off is part of a mod that fixes the TOs to have them work properly and make sense. The Alienism trait replaces the buggy custom hair trait.
Forum Resident
#23 Old 24th Apr 2019 at 12:02 AM
Quote: Originally posted by JDacapo
The alien turn on/off is part of a mod that fixes the TOs to have them work properly and make sense. The Alienism trait replaces the buggy custom hair trait.

Any idea how the mod determines aliens? Does it require Sims to have the S5 alien skin, custom eyes or what?

All of my Conversions, Creations and Stories may be found here:
HobbesED's Conversions and Creations

My most recently shared items (with pictures) may also be found here:
HobbesED's Dreamwidth

Field Researcher
#24 Old 24th Apr 2019 at 12:33 AM
I play aliens as intersex, so any gender pairing can have children (and might end up with accidental impregnations).
Mad Poster
#25 Old 24th Apr 2019 at 5:07 AM
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