I refer to Sims that have overlays added to them as -
Sims who've gotten laid.
You know the one's I'm talking about, they're face overlays that we add to make our Sims look totally different than they usually do in the game.
It's all the rage now and most TS2 story tellers are using them,...except me.
For me to show you how most of them look I'd have to snag a pix from someones blog and that's not a good thing to do, (and I won't), so I don't have an example to put in my post. But if you're a Simmer, you've seen them and know exactly what I'm writing about.
Okay wait, I did find a couple in my files -
this is a pix of a toddler with his looks drastically changed by a skin tone/overlay.
Yes, he's a cutie but I didn't like my Sims kids being born over and over with this particular skin tone/overlay and I couldn't seem to control it so I removed it completely.
Here is the same child without that skintone/overlay, (on the right).
What he has now is a skin tone that the game came up with to replace the other one.
I have to admit, I like it better cause he looks more like a Sim.
And here's another one that I have allowed in my game -
same thing, a skin tone with the face overlay added and the reason I keep it is because I can control who ends up with it and who doesn't.
This is Vicca and he's an alien in my hood.
So yeah, I DO use the overlays occasionally -
especially for my customs, never for pre-mades or townies.
Took me awhile to come to the choice of not using them regularly.
Just like any other Sim story teller out there I want my Sim pix to be the best, (that I can produce), and not using overlays makes my pix look a LOT different than those that do. I'm also a little different than some Sim story tellers in that I play my Sims and go with the stories they end up telling me, I have no strict script that I follow. I do have an outline for my stories, I have to have that, but I found if I let my Sims lead the way, some of the best stories spring to to life from them.
Guess I'm the impatient type of Simmer -
I don't want my Sims having to sit in "make up" for hours trying to get them to look a certain way just so my pix will look a certain way in my stories.
I think my Sims look just fine with a little bit of make up and other cc I add -
like eyes, beards and stuff like that. I'm not one to add new noses, lips or facial tweaks. I HAVE used the overlays in the past, (just a few), and I don't care for my Sims being transformed into someone totally "alien" than who they are -
speaking mainly of the pre-mades and townies.
Actually, if I use the overlays, it IS for aliens only.
Tanzzi, a popular and well-liked alien in my hood
Which brings me to the subject of the many, many pose boxes out there.
First let me say that I think they are wonderfully creative and I have a few myself. Thing is, I rarely use them. I like capturing the moment and at times, writing the story around what I've captured.
But once again, it's an issue of my impatience, (poses take a LOT of patience).
Cassandra Goth not having a very good day
And I'm not attempting to promote my way, (without overlays and pose boxes), as being better than those that do use them. I'm writing more about the choice I had to make to NOT use them. For a little bit I thought I'd have to add it all to my Sims to have pix that would be viewed by others as "good" or maybe even "outstanding".
Not true.
I realized that my pix do just fine in telling my stories and I like that in so many ways, it's my Sims themselves that are blazing the trails for my story lines.
Granted my pix aren't loaded with a lot of eye candy and never-before-seen facial expressions but they are loaded with the heart and soul of my Sims. Pretty darn silly of me to think, (for even one moment), that I had to jump on the same bandwagon as everyone else and load my Sims up with the overlays and spend countless hours posing them to get pix that other gamers would accept.
All we can do is our best and when it comes to Simming, it should be done with a smile on our face and LOTS of enthusiasm in our heart. The day playing my Sims or sharing stories about them becomes a major pain in the ass is the day I need to quit Simming.
I like to look at myself as some kind of "camera-person" following my Sims around, (a lot like Reality TV, I guess), getting the best candid shots I can to tell their stories. As soon as I set it in my head that I want a certain story to follow a specific path my Sims inevitably divert me away from that path onto a much better, more entertaining, (and often-times magical), adventure.
There's not a pose box or overlay created yet that can produce that kind of wonder for me - it's all from my Sims themselves!
