Sims 2 Custom Neighborhood Tutorial (Part 4 – Residents)

Welcome back to my Sims 2 custom neighborhood tutorial series. In part one, we went over planning our neighborhood, in part two we created an empty ‘hood, and in part three we started creating our residents in Body Shop.

Now in part four, we’re completing our resident Sims in Create-A-Sim (CAS). This is really more like part 3.5 since it’s a continuation of creating our resident Sims, but the first part was getting insanely long. So, I had to break it into two.

Creating Sims for my ‘hoods is serious business for me, so I take a very methodical approach. Here’s how I complete the process in-game after I’m done in Body Shop.

Zodiac & Aspiration

Before I begin creating my Sims in CAS, I plan out their zodiac signs and aspirations in my spreadsheet. Since there are 12 zodiac signs and I’m creating 24 Sims, I will create two Sims for each zodiac sign.

I use a custom system of choosing aspiration based on zodiac sign. You can read more about this in my post on choosing Sims 2 aspirations. Following is a chart showing the aspirations I assign to each zodiac sign.

Using the system above, I also get an equal number of aspirations in my ‘hood. There are two zodiac signs for each aspiration, and I assign each zodiac sign twice. This results in four Sims with each of the six aspirations. 

I roll a number between 1 – 12 on random.org. Then, I assign the corresponding sign/aspiration to each Sim – just going down the list. Once a sign has been used once per gender, it’s out of the running. Each sign can only be used twice – once for males and once for females. 

Here’s what my spreadsheet looks like after assigning zodiac signs and aspirations:

The only information in my spreadsheet at this point is favorite color and zodiac sign/aspiration. I also added a column for occupation so I don’t have to keep going back and forth between tabs. I fill in all the other information in the next step in CAS. 

Create-A-Sim (CAS)

Now we’re ready to actually bring our Sims to life in CAS. This can also take a while, depending on how many Sims you start with. But it’s usually much faster than the Body Shop part.

Open your game and load up your custom ‘hood. Now, go into CAS from the neighborhood screen. This is a good time to name your Sim if you haven’t already. 

Naming Sims

My favorite name generator for choosing Sim names is Namey by muffin labs. I like that you can choose between “common” and “rare” names, it includes surnames, and it uses the US Census Bureau. (If you aren’t from the US or don’t wan’t US names, this obviously won’t work for you.)

Another option is using a Baby Name book (which I also own – even though I don’t have kids of my own). My Sims are my children. Don’t judge me!

Or, you can just make up the names yourself. In my custom ‘hood of Edgewood, I named my Sims after their occupations. The town baker’s last name was Baker and the town seamstress had the last name of Taylor. I like to use Behind the Name to find name meanings.

I first choose a name for my Sim, record it in the spreadsheet, then create them in CAS as outlined below. 

Finding Your Sims

In CAS, click on “Choose Existing Sim” to open up the Sim Bin. Here, you’ll find ALL the Sims you’ve created in Body Shop for that particular gender. You’ll need to have the gender set to female to see your female Sims and the gender set to male to see your male Sims.

Select the Sim you want to work on. I always start with my #1 Sim (from my planning spreadsheet) just to make things easier to track.

Now your Sim will replace the random Sim in CAS, and you can put the finishing touches on. This is your last chance to modify the Sim, so make sure they’re exactly how you want them. (Technically, you can modify them later in-game, but this is your last chance in CAS.)

Appearance

First, I go to Step 3: Hair & Face. I make any changes I want to my Sim’s face. Because I can get a much closer look at my Sim in CAS (compared to Body Shop), sometimes I might need to fine tune the features here. For example, if the eyes turned out too big or the mouth is too close to the nose, etc. 

Next, I go to Step 4: Makeup, Facial Hair, and Glasses. This is where I apply my Sim’s makeup and add glasses or jewelry. As I stated above, I used to roll to randomly decide who wears glasses, but now I just choose the Sims I want to wear them.

And finally, I go to Step 5: Clothing. Now, I choose my Sim’s clothing for all outfit categories. I keep their favorite color in mind and try to find outfits that suit them in that color. I will also look at my spreadsheet to remind myself of their occupation and personality. 

Personality

The personality part is easy since I’ve already planned out the basics for each Sim. I choose their zodiac sign and aspiration, and for the FIRST Sim with each zodiac sign, I leave the personality points at default.

For the SECOND Sim with each zodiac sign, I change it up a little while still keeping their sign the same. For example, I might remove one point from Neat and place it in Playful, etc. I do this just so that no two Sims have exactly the same personality points. 

If I’m playing around with the personality points and the sign changes, I undo and try again. I want the personality to fit within the chosen sign. I just want it to be slightly different. 

I record the personality points in my spreadsheet so I know I haven’t made any two the same by accident (auto-fill lets me know if I do). 

Turn-Ons & Turn-Offs

For the first turn-on, I like all my Sims to have a hair color. I roll a random number between 1 – 4 to choose the color. I try to distribute the hair color turn-ons evenly, so everyone has a chance to be attractive to someone.

Then, I roll 1 – 32 (the remaining number of turn-ons) to get their second one. For the turn-off, I also roll randomly 1- 31 to choose. This gives me a lot of interesting combinations. I will adjust if I roll something I don’t like (such as stink for a turn-on).

Now we’re all done and can save our Sim! They’ll be placed in the Family Bin in our neighborhood, ready to move in. I don’t move them in yet, though. First, we need to create their homes and businesses – which is what I’ll cover in the next part of this series (coming soon). 

Conclusion

Creating Sims for my custom neighborhood is so much fun to me. This is where I start getting to know them and who they might become in my ‘hood. Of course, this is just my way of creating Sims. You don’t have to get as detailed as this. Do whatever you like!

I’m simply posting my methods to give you some inspiration and show you what can be done. As with everything else when it comes to The Sims, take what you like and disregard the rest. See you in the next one!

Sims 2 Custom Neighborhood Tutorial Series

Read more in this series below:

• Part 1: Planning your Neighborhood
• Part 2: Creating an Empty ‘Hood
• Part 3: Creating Resident Sims in Body Shop
• Part 4: Finishing Resident Sims in CAS
• Part 5: Starting Builds (Coming Soon)
• Part 6: Decorating the ‘Hood  (Coming Soon)
• Part 7: Setting Up to Play  (Coming Soon)

Related posts:

Sims 2 Custom Neighborhood Tutorial (Part 1 – Planning) Sims 2 Custom Neighborhood Tutorial (Part 2 – Empty ‘Hood) Sims 2 Custom Neighborhood Tutorial (Part 3 – Body Shop) Sims 2 Custom Content Sites List (Maxis Match)