Pud-o-Matic!

[pixelcurious]

Do all my sims look alike?

This was the basis of a conversation some of us had a few days ago. I decided to see if it holds true for me. I did this with Sims 3 only, though, because I have bajillions of Sims 2 sims and most of 'em aren't in my sim bin anymore, so I would have had to download them and just NO. Too much work.

Comments

[toastsims]

I have A LOT of trouble telling Sims 3 sims apart... they all look like they are fraternal twins or something. But these all look different to me, so you must be doing something right!

[furryjackal]

That's the age-old accusation a lot of people throw at Sims 3, but the thing is, with some effort you CAN make some pretty unique Sims. A lot of the 'generic glamour-doll Sims' you see around the community at large DO look alike probably, though, out of sheer laziness, I feel. This is a trap the Sims 2 people fall into, too. Constantly using the second face template with a tweak of a nose or something. Probably why 'ugly' Sims got so 'in' with TS2.

I just personally have a habit of using the same features over and over again, I fear.
That said, I'm going to throw my Sims in this and see if I really fall into these traps as much as I THINK I do.

[pixelcurious]

I'm betting you will find they're more different than you think.

One of the factors in the accusation, in my opinion, is that there just isn't the same array of skintones, face shaders, blushes, etc. to give the appearance of individuality. Especially right at first, but even now.

Unlike Sims 2 where you can the same sim and make them look radically different just by changing the skintone and adding face shaders. Remember the old Pixel-trade "CC Makes the Sim" challenges? Some of those, I could hardly believe the contributors didn't change the facial structure. But it was all done with makeup and skintones.

[pixelcurious]

Thank you! I find that true with pre-mades. Many have that rounded sameness that gave rise to the pudding reputation.

[gheez]

*Smiles* Oh this is good. I think yours are pretty unique and very distinctive. (Not so sure about some of mine.)

Totally and utterly recognise 6 and 7. Am pretty sure of who number 5 is. I also think I know 3 and 2. I think, lol, as I'm now dithering about 1 and 3.

Okay, my guess:

1. Tousling
2. Fitzradley
3. Little Miss Blue
4. Hyperion
5. Pixel
6. Lindy
7. Susie-Q

I'd love to give this a go with some of the ones in my sim bin. Looks like you also gave them matching eye colours as well, so I'll do that too. Hopefully have something done after I've eaten. :)

[pixelcurious]

You got 2 right (he makes an interesting woman) and 5-7 of course. It wasn't really fair of me to include two sims nobody had seen, was it?

I await yours with interest!

ETA: Here are the answers. I should have done this to begin with ^_^;;

[gheez]

Gosh, Hyperion and Tousling look so different in their 'as you created them' state. And I did wonder about Little Miss Blue and whether I was right, kept dithering between the two numbers.

To me, Fitzradley, as a woman, looks like a woman who may have had an interesting past.

Mine are up :)

[pixelcurious]

There seems to be a BIG difference in face shape with elders. They get much bigger in the cheeks. Tousing is the most dramatic, I think, going from young adult female to elder male.

He was an attempt to make a wise old Chinese dude. Emphasis on attempt. :P

Tousing is Cantonese for Saturn btw!

[furryjackal]

Yeah, I'm going to take this challenge, although I'd honestly say the ears shouldn't factor in, genericing them down. That's still something that 'packages' with the Sims without all the window dressing. Ya know?

My concern was mostly that once you take all the paint-job and window dressing off, you get 'generic' faces. But I want to see HOW much of the 'same traps' I fall into, really.

[pixelcurious]

Sure, ears are a negligible point. I was just trying to eliminate factors in my visual comparison. :)

I'm itching to look at some of the "CC Makes the Sim" challenges again. I know I did one...

[furryjackal]

It really is an unfair accusation and honestly I think the whole 'pudding' thing that the big mucky muck Sims 3 hate-sites have pushed has kind of enforced that belief in the community. But that's just my opinion. I do agree that a lot of it is that Sims 2 is ALL window dressing since there IS so much more love for it, more skins, more variety, nose shaders, blushes, etc etc....

[meetme2theriver]

I think they look quite distinctive! It's certainly possible to make unique looking sims with TS3, I've seen people make some REALLY impressive ones, it's just that the pre-mades and the townies tend to be kind of pudding-y.

Also, I must know that that adorable little pink mouse thing in your/gheez's icons is.

[pixelcurious]

They are called Bobi and Nini. I think Nini is the white one, but I'm not sure... I'm also not sure where they come from originally. They don't seem to be Sanrio characters. My knowledge of such things is lacking, though.

[meetme2theriver]

Thanks! A very quick google search only gave me links to collections of icons of them. Guess it's just one of those things. They are quite adorable. :)

[pixelcurious]

They might just be MSN type icons. I'd love to see plushies of them, though! Actually they wouldn't be difficult to create.

[sixamsims]

I have an odd ability to make S2 Sims into S3 Sims....it's a freaky talent of mine, but I just don't get paid for it (LOL)!

[pixelcurious]

EA should pay you for it! You would do a much better job than their prequel-premades. None of EA's look anything like they do in TS2.

[sixamsims]

Awwww thank you. That would be nice :)

[meetme2theriver]

I agree with this statement!