Yeah, I mean, reality is not a "perfect world", lol.

I'd like a bit of both systems I'd say. A slider to say what amount of random townies are gay, bi, straight etc. Say 60% gay, 40% straight then 5% either side bi or something like that.

Then for playable sims have a preference option like frankie said. Then they're definitively locked in to an option either way. So that then if I'm off playing with a different character and John gets bored while Sam is away for the weekend, he at least goes for another guy instead of me coming back to find him with a wife and kid etc

Somehow, I don't think that a slider could work because the neighbourhood comes already premade and random generation of bi and gay sims might create havoc. Imagine grandpa sim dicovering at the age of 80 that he was really ment to be gay. I like the system as it is now, where sims's preferences are neutral and that we can influence them through gameplay. Or maybe they should add it as a trait that we can choose at some point in their life if we want to.

Maybe it's just me being simplistic but couldn't any "omg teh gayz!!" issues with parents or whatever be resolved by simply having something in the game's options/settings: "Enable autonomous same-sex interactions"?

They've had rather gay-friendly stuff before but because TS1 and TS2 required you to basically make your sims gay, it eliminated any controversy over it - I'm actually pretty surprised that there wasn't more of a "omg ur sims can be gay!!! sooo rong!!" outcry about the games previously. With TS3's neighborhood playing itself (aside: ughh that sounds like it will suck) romantic interactions must be autonomous... so just make it optional for those who want it, and those who don't can have their little Leave it to Beaver neighborhood if they want that too.

Yeah I know the town is premade and all but I didn't really mean it exactly like that. Although if your neighbours grandpa from down the street suddenly revealed that he was gay then why not in the sims too?

Your own sims would be exempt from this option, just townies. And as HystericalParoxysm said, if you don't specifically go and turn it on then the regular user doesn't have a thing to worry about.

You've got me thinking though, setting aside making it optional, which wouldn't harm anyone...how about the default settings? If there are townies that are pre-programmed kleptomaniacs, have times changed enough for them to include a default gay couple somewhere as part of the default town everyone starts off with?

Well, nobody really waits that long to acknowledge himself/herself and moreover sims don't work like real humans do. And besides, all townie sims are potential playable sims since all sims live in houses now they don't just appear out of nowhere like Sims2 townies. And you can't just set it as random chooser because just as randmly you can have any sim you're playing disovering s/he is gay. Setting all teen ratings aside and potential gay controversy, not all people play gay couples simply because they don't relate in any way to that side of life and having preset gay sims would be pointless for them. So, to me it seems more player friendly having a same sex preference trait that we can choose for them or to have such preference influenced through the gameplay. Even more so since, as you mentioned, sims characteristics are defined through the trait system. If you have a Kelpto sim and a harworking sim, or an artistic sim defined by their trait system, then why not their sexual preference? It will also eliminate the annoyance of random assignment and you'll know exactly who of your sims will be gay or not.

[QUOTE=HystericalParoxysm]Maybe it's just me being simplistic but couldn't any "omg teh gayz!!" issues with parents or whatever be resolved by simply having something in the game's options/settings: "Enable autonomous same-sex interactions"?
QUOTE]

This is a good idea. They had this option w/ another game I played...Kudos. It was just a little click and you could make your choice. Choices are good.

Well, if the folks at ReNuYu can make a potion that changes you from being turned on by vampires in swimwear to being turned on by fat people in face paint, I don't see why they couldn't also allow you to change your sexuality.

Given that the neighbourhoods are supposed to be autonomous, sims will have to fall in love by themselves. So I say make sexuality like turn-ons/turn-offs, where it is assigned to your sim but changeable by magic potion.

Well, I am all for autonomy as long as it can be turned on/off as an option for all types of people.

It would be so cool if sims were born like that:

- 85% straight
- 10% bisexual
- 5% gay/lesbian

(and some even were "born in the wrong gender")

It would also be cool that some sims and families were "homophobic" and some sims were scared of coming out because of "social fears and norms", while some sims and families were "open minded". Genetic sexuality will make much more sense than "starting off as asexual".
I have always fantasized about making a "gay village" in The Sims 2. Maybe there will even be a gay bar in The Sims 3? One can only dream.
Instead of the stupid "forced interactions" it could come naturally by birth and sims could discover it in the child or teen period. The gay sims could go to the gay bar where all the gay townies go to meet other gay sims. That would be cool.

But it probably won't be that way. My fantasy is too "dangerous" for the gay-critical parents. It would probably end in controversy because parents don't want their children to play it anymore. And adding a gay bar would REALLY result in huge anti-sims 3 crowds. It won't sell as much.

Your ideas are great, but yeah, EA won't make a gay bar. But they won't necessarily make a straight bar either. All bars and places for that matter are mixed which is nice but at the same time it's fair. The realism of your ideas are great but it would be way too complicated and besides, The Sims games have always been about mixed worlds and mattering less about sexuality, religion and politics. It's the only way for the game to be fair.

BP- Tempting to resist to debate that guy.... resistance is gone, much as I like to tell that guy where to get off and go on a rant, I won't for the kind people of MTS2.


Anways, we all know where I stand, especially for those who are familiar with the Buffyverse, I agree witsome of the suggestions here, it could make life so much easier. And having fears/wants and homphobic sims are just like real life, I owe a Gay/Lesbian Alliance club so I know how it goes, especially when coming out to the family. (I thought in TS2 Miss Crumplebottom was going to smack my lesbians/gay sims but unless they were doing something she doesn't like, then she just walks by)

But, I would also like to choose which townies can become lesbians/gays or should be straight rather then having the game choose for me, especially if there's a townie that's perfect for my lesbian sim but she's straight, although I can do change her (How do you think Samantha Ottomas ends up with Priya Ramaswami in nearly all of my Neighbourhoods)

It sure will help control the Sim population.

Nervous Subject (Strangetown) and Kent Capp (Veronaville) have their gender preferences set to male. Do you think EA intended it? I think they did on purpose.

Sims in the Sims 2 can be easily (and unrealistically) swayed to change sexual preference. Every time you make them flirt with another sim, their preference for the gender of the "flirtee" goes up.

And, of course, sexual preference can also be set with SimPE.

I never noticed it it is funny that I have made Kent Capp gay more times than I've made him straight. However, Nervous Subject I always make straight and turn him goth and have him marry the sister of the two siblings that came with Bluewater Village, the one with the short pixie hair, and I turn her goth and make them have a goth daughter as one of my goth families. Goth looks good on them.

But that's what bugs me. Why can't they just make a set and unchangeable gender preference option? Sometimes I feel like I have to put facial hair as a turn-on for a gay Sim just to be ultra sure that he won't be turned on by female Sims and same with straight male Sims and that I choose makeup as a turn-on for them (even though guys can wear it but it is not as frequent as women).

LOL! i always ALWAYS put makeup as one of the turn ons for my guy sims so they don't turn out gay. XD What can i say? i like messing with my genetics.

I like the idea of being able to make your sims straight/gay/bi. I've actually thought about it before, that it would be nice to have. I usually make sims with the idea of their orientation in mind. But sometimes, I want to change their orientation...so idk.

Yeah but to have it changeable is not realistic and many of us want realism in our game. I mean in SimPE (if there will be one for TS3) I don't care, you should be able to change everything like you currently can. But if you CAN change, say because you accidentally chose the wrong option or something, it should be in options mode or maybe an object can do that. But hey, as long as they have a set gender preference and cannot change on their own no matter what happens, I'm fine with that.

I really hope that you can at least make gay sims, and than the slider thing would be cool.

But how would you know if a townie is gay/bi/straight. It would be a pretty strange situation if my controllable gay male sim would ask a random male townie out on a date, and the random male townie would turn out to be straight. Don't think that would make my sim very happy. And it would be very strange if my sim would have to go ask every other sim in a nightclub if they're gay.

Same here. I got GTA: Vice City when I was 12. Didn't harm me none.
On-topic: If my Sims want to be gay/bi/asexual/whateverexual, I'll let them.

And I got Sims 2 at 9 or 10, anyway kids at that age allready know where the babies come from and they are informed about gay thing too, so...

Yes, in Europe they may be. In the U.S... very different story, unfortunately.

I think it'll be quite fun to not know a townie's gender preference. It'll be a challenge trying to "talk" to the desired Sim of your choice and finding out that there is no mutual chemistry because of the preference. It can serve as what NL had added with the "ask..." interaction.

Yeah my little sister is 10 and she understands homosexuality, but only because I myself am gay. All of her friends have no idea what it means and they're so completely ignorant about the whole situation. It's not their faults, however, it's the parenting and the closed-mindedness of my medium-sized old-school American town.

U.S. culture is very very different and much more sheltered, which I will admit does have it's benefits as well as it's disadvantages.

Anyways - back on topic (Sorry!), I think a slider would be a great idea, but realistically? EA would NEVER. I think if anything, it's going to be the same as in TS2 simply because it doesn't cause controversy. If you don't want gay sims, you're not going to play with gay sims and you probably don't even realize that sims can be gay in the first place. Whereas if you want gay sims, that option is always available because of the neutrality of preference.

Honestly I don't think much will change with the whole homosexuality aspect.