I get what you’re saying here. I’ve been playing since Sims 1... (technically. I was super young when i discovered it and even then, when I did discover Sims, Sims 2 was already more than halfway through. But I digress )
...and to be honest I think that when first starting out with a Sims game, no matter the iteration, your sims will indeed look like crap. At least mine did. But this is based on my own opinion and my own experience with the game. There will always be others with better looking games than me but here’s what I think would help:
To start with, get default replacement CC. Items like default eyebrows, hair, eyes and skins are HUGE game changers when it comes to the look of your simmies.
Also, getting lighting mods will bring a whole new aspect to the game you never would have imagined. I know it’s just simple lighting but dang if it doesn’t make things look prettiful
You don’t need a whole bunch of CC, really. Like others smarter than me on here have already pointed out, playing around with the sliders is the key to having interesting looking sims. But admittedly, having default skins, eyes, and whatnot does help. Just my two cents
I’ve been playing around with my in-game lighting lately trying to find a new look and so far I’m liking this one. Very clear and crisp and bright without being overly cartoony.
A CC skin may help if you don’t like the vanilla look, it won’t help to solve the OP’s problem imo. I see a lot of CC covered sims looking alike as well (and a lot of skins I find uglier than vanilla myself, so that’s clearly a matter of preference). Where it comes to creating variety it does come down to pulling sliders. I disagree a vanilla sim will automatically look like plum (which isn’t what the OP is adressing by the way).
My sims tend to look somewhat the same because I apparently have a one-tracked mind about how sims should look. But, they don't HAVE to look the same.
This is me also. My sims look very similar, mainly from the front, but often quite different side on. Or, I'll use CAS children of my three main couples who look almost like a clone of their Mum or Dad. Still though, they look similar enough for people to have remarked upon it before.
I ceased worrying over it, and just accepted that is "my style" and left it at that.
A CC skin may help if you don’t like the vanilla look, it won’t help to solve the OP’s problem imo. I see a lot of CC covered sims looking alike as well (and a lot of skins I find uglier than vanilla myself, so that’s clearly a matter of preference). Where it comes to creating variety it does come down to pulling sliders. I disagree a vanilla sim will automatically look like plum (which isn’t what the OP is adressing by the way).
I agree with you
I typed my response out very late so probably did not articulate enough. Lol
Also I agree with your thoughts on certain CC skins looking...not so great. Some of the skins make sims have a weird, greasy and shiny look to them
I have this same problem too actually as my sims all tend to look the same after a while. In fact I got so bored with having a sameness to my game that I started playing with aliens and other random supernaturals. They definitely have faces only a mother can love
So, OP, if you are still reading this just start experimenting with spiders. SLIDERS. I mean sliders. Autocorrect makes me giggle. lol.
Anyway, they truly make all the difference. But I’m just re-stating the obvious so I’ll just bow out of here before I ramble anymore. :P
So, OP, if you are still reading this just start experimenting with spiders. SLIDERS. I mean sliders. Autocorrect makes me giggle. lol.
Spiders!
But yeah, sliders. It's easy to get stuck with your personal taste and make similar looking sims and to start with the same type of features. One idea is to use the randomizer in CAS and then do small tweaks. Or start with different pre-made shapes than the usual ones and tweak them into something unique.
I sometimes take NPC's into CAS to change their looks.
Outside of CC skins and getting to know sliders well, there's also customizing your own clothes to make your sims stand out.
This was one of my naval officer sims: Admiral Toshio "Animal" Nakamura.
(Note there really isn't a "naval" career unless you download custom careers which you have to have NRAAS Careers mod in order to do.) Some guy did a Navy Career (with Mass Effect References).
I'm still waiting for the Navy Officer Career that is the standard career path starting from Lieutenant Jr. Grade (O-1) all the way to Admiral (O-10) with the appropriate career garments. I don't know all the ins and outs of programming a custom career.
Always "River McIrish" ...and maybe some Bebe Hart. ~innocent expression~
A CC skin may help if you don’t like the vanilla look, it won’t help to solve the OP’s problem imo. I see a lot of CC covered sims looking alike as well (and a lot of skins I find uglier than vanilla myself, so that’s clearly a matter of preference). Where it comes to creating variety it does come down to pulling sliders. I disagree a vanilla sim will automatically look like plum (which isn’t what the OP is adressing by the way).
I agree with you
I typed my response out very late so probably did not articulate enough. Lol
Also I agree with your thoughts on certain CC skins looking...not so great. Some of the skins make sims have a weird, greasy and shiny look to them
I have this same problem too actually as my sims all tend to look the same after a while. In fact I got so bored with having a sameness to my game that I started playing with aliens and other random supernaturals. They definitely have faces only a mother can love
So, OP, if you are still reading this just start experimenting with spiders. SLIDERS. I mean sliders. Autocorrect makes me giggle. lol.
Anyway, they truly make all the difference. But I’m just re-stating the obvious so I’ll just bow out of here before I ramble anymore. :P
I must add I really like there are so many different skins out there (I use kurasoberina’s primer myself now) because it makes all our games look unique, even when we’re all playing the same game. I think a common ‘trap’ is that we all have our preferences where it comes to looks, so we tend to create our sims that way. I did a test once on a Dutch forum, where I asked simmers - we knew each other and each other’s creations/stories very good) - to create two new sims, a male and a female, and send them to me. Then I posted them in random order and people had to guess who had created them. The results were remarkable, most people guessed right and linked the right sims to the right forum members (mind you, it wasn’t multiple choice, just showing the sims and they had to fill in names themselves)
(experimenting with spiders, LOL, glad you corrected that )
... I think a common ‘trap’ is that we all have our preferences where it comes to looks, so we tend to create our sims that way....
I agree. There are certain things I don't like about the default settings on the sliders (all set to zero). The proportions on the face are off so I always change those things on all my sims making them all have a similar look which is different from EA's default look.
@JoAnne65 It's very true that we all have our own style. Back in the day (on the old forum) when I had lots of simmer friends I could always tell who a sim belonged to just by looking at them.
@JoAnne65 That was a great idea! Would it work here? Maybe I could guess one or two right.. @Mikezumi , I think I would recognize your sims intense faces
@Auroraskies Mine only look intense because I try to catch a neutral face and sims naturally have either intense or goofy faces and, as cute as the goofy faces are, when I am trying to see if I have the right look, the intense face works best Goofy Intense
@Mikezumi Those were funny expressions! You are right, sims have often more stages than momentum. But their features are very defined, I meant intense in a good way
@JoAnne65 That was a great idea! Would it work here? Maybe I could guess one or two right.. @Mikezumi , I think I would recognize your sims intense faces
Oh some I'd most definitely guess and those who are very active in the 'What happened in your sims 3 game today?' will probably be best at it
@Mikezumi This look is one of my favourites as well:
Comments
Zumi and the Winchester Brothers
The Watcher's Caretaker - A Limited ISBI
...and to be honest I think that when first starting out with a Sims game, no matter the iteration, your sims will indeed look like crap. At least mine did. But this is based on my own opinion and my own experience with the game. There will always be others with better looking games than me but here’s what I think would help:
To start with, get default replacement CC. Items like default eyebrows, hair, eyes and skins are HUGE game changers when it comes to the look of your simmies.
Also, getting lighting mods will bring a whole new aspect to the game you never would have imagined. I know it’s just simple lighting but dang if it doesn’t make things look prettiful
You don’t need a whole bunch of CC, really. Like others smarter than me on here have already pointed out, playing around with the sliders is the key to having interesting looking sims. But admittedly, having default skins, eyes, and whatnot does help. Just my two cents
Beautiful photo.What lighting mod do you use?
https://graceymanorsims3.tumblr.com/
Here’s what I use: http://nilxis.tumblr.com/post/146704527436/uranesian-weather-this-is-the-weather-ive-created
I’ve been playing around with my in-game lighting lately trying to find a new look and so far I’m liking this one. Very clear and crisp and bright without being overly cartoony.
This is me also. My sims look very similar, mainly from the front, but often quite different side on. Or, I'll use CAS children of my three main couples who look almost like a clone of their Mum or Dad. Still though, they look similar enough for people to have remarked upon it before.
I ceased worrying over it, and just accepted that is "my style" and left it at that.
PoppySims Archive
InnaLisa Pose Archive
Devolution of Sims - a once customisable open world sandbox which has become a DLC Party catalog in a shoebox
I ♡ Pudding
I agree with you
I typed my response out very late so probably did not articulate enough. Lol
Also I agree with your thoughts on certain CC skins looking...not so great. Some of the skins make sims have a weird, greasy and shiny look to them
I have this same problem too actually as my sims all tend to look the same after a while. In fact I got so bored with having a sameness to my game that I started playing with aliens and other random supernaturals. They definitely have faces only a mother can love
So, OP, if you are still reading this just start experimenting with spiders. SLIDERS. I mean sliders. Autocorrect makes me giggle. lol.
Anyway, they truly make all the difference. But I’m just re-stating the obvious so I’ll just bow out of here before I ramble anymore. :P
Spiders!
But yeah, sliders. It's easy to get stuck with your personal taste and make similar looking sims and to start with the same type of features. One idea is to use the randomizer in CAS and then do small tweaks. Or start with different pre-made shapes than the usual ones and tweak them into something unique.
I sometimes take NPC's into CAS to change their looks.
This was one of my naval officer sims: Admiral Toshio "Animal" Nakamura.
(Note there really isn't a "naval" career unless you download custom careers which you have to have NRAAS Careers mod in order to do.) Some guy did a Navy Career (with Mass Effect References).
I'm still waiting for the Navy Officer Career that is the standard career path starting from Lieutenant Jr. Grade (O-1) all the way to Admiral (O-10) with the appropriate career garments. I don't know all the ins and outs of programming a custom career.
Always "River McIrish" ...and maybe some Bebe Hart. ~innocent expression~
If I ever run out of ideas I try to make sims based on my favorite characters.Currently working on one for Halloween.
https://graceymanorsims3.tumblr.com/
(experimenting with spiders, LOL, glad you corrected that
I agree. There are certain things I don't like about the default settings on the sliders (all set to zero). The proportions on the face are off so I always change those things on all my sims making them all have a similar look which is different from EA's default look.
Zumi and the Winchester Brothers
The Watcher's Caretaker - A Limited ISBI
Goofy
Intense
There is no in-between
Zumi and the Winchester Brothers
The Watcher's Caretaker - A Limited ISBI
@Mikezumi This look is one of my favourites as well:
(slightly distracted, in their own world)
Can you tell
You are not alone.
Yes, pudding sims do look the same, to me they look like this:
Zumi and the Winchester Brothers
The Watcher's Caretaker - A Limited ISBI
I really love this way of looking at it. It's a good thing to remember, I reckon
PoppySims Archive
InnaLisa Pose Archive
Devolution of Sims - a once customisable open world sandbox which has become a DLC Party catalog in a shoebox
I ♡ Pudding
Dang...my guys all DO look very similar!!
Zane:
Forgot his name:
Matt:
L:
Light:
Sebastian:
Lee:
*Fairy Jared and Vampire Connor*