Editing Other Families in The Sims 4: A Comprehensive Guide
The Sims 4 is a game built on the foundation of creative freedom and control. While you primarily interact with your active household, the game provides avenues to influence the lives of other families in your simulated world. Editing other families in The Sims 4, whether for aesthetic purposes, storytelling, or to create a more vibrant community, can be achieved through various methods. These methods range from simple aesthetic changes to complete overhauls of their identity and home. Understanding these methods allows you to shape your Sims 4 world to your exact liking.
Methods for Editing Other Families
There are several ways to edit other families in The Sims 4. Your approach will depend on the level of change you wish to implement and your willingness to use cheats.
1. Using Cheats: The “Cas.fulleditmode” Command
This is the most powerful method, unlocking the full Create-A-Sim (CAS) potential for any Sim, regardless of their household status. Here’s how to use it:
- Open the Cheat Console: Press Ctrl + Shift + C (or all four triggers on consoles).
- Enable Testing Cheats: Type “testingcheats true” and press Enter. This is a necessary precursor to most other cheats.
- Enter Full Edit Mode: Type “cas.fulleditmode” and press Enter. This unlocks all CAS features for non-active Sims.
- Access CAS: Now, Shift-click on the Sim you want to edit. A menu will appear, and you should select “Modify in CAS.”
This method lets you change everything about a Sim, including their age, gender, name, aspirations, traits, and appearance. You can even adjust their relationships with other Sims. It’s the ultimate tool for complete customization.
2. Managing Households: Moving Sims and Merging Families
The “Manage Households” option, accessible from the world map, allows you to move Sims between households, transfer them to your active household, or merge existing households. While this doesn’t directly let you edit their appearance without using CAS afterwards, it is very useful to be able to move them into your household.
- Open Manage Households: Go to the world map and click the icon in the upper-right corner.
- Find the Household: Browse through “My Households” or “Other Households” to locate the family you want to manipulate.
- Merge or Transfer: You can either move Sims into your active household (temporarily or permanently) or merge them into another existing family.
- Edit in CAS (Optional): If you want to edit their appearance, move them into your active household, then use a mirror or dresser to access CAS, or use the “cas.fulleditmode” cheat.
This is useful for adding interesting Sims to your active household, giving them a makeover, and then moving them back out.
3. Evicting and Modifying: Free Build Cheat and Lot Editing
This method focuses on changing the houses of other families. It’s more involved but offers complete control over their living environment.
- Evict the Family: In “Manage Households,” select the family you want to edit and choose “Evict.” This moves them into the “Other Households” tab, leaving their lot empty.
- Enable Free Build Cheat: While on the lot, open the cheat console and type “bb.enablefreebuild” and press Enter. This cheat allows you to build on any lot, even those normally locked.
- Edit the Lot: Now you can completely remodel the house, add new rooms, change the landscaping, and decorate to your heart’s content.
- Move the Family Back In: Go back to “Manage Households” and move the evicted family back into their newly renovated home.
This approach allows you to completely transform the living spaces of other families, influencing their story and the overall aesthetic of your Sims 4 world.
4. Limited CAS Editing: “Modify in CAS” via Shift-Click (Household Sims Only)
Without using the “cas.fulleditmode” cheat, you have limited editing options for Sims within your own household. This method, however, does not work to edit Sims that are not in your household.
- Shift-Click a Sim: While playing your active household, Shift-click on a Sim that is in your active household.
- Select “Modify in CAS”: Choose this option from the menu that appears.
- Limited Editing: You can change their hair, outfits, accessories, and makeup. However, you cannot change their traits, aspirations, or other fundamental aspects of their identity.
This is a quick and easy way to tweak the appearance of your household Sims, but it’s less powerful than the full “cas.fulleditmode” cheat.
Understanding the Limitations
While these methods offer significant control, it’s essential to understand their limitations:
- Story Progression: The Sims 4 has a limited story progression system for non-active households. While you can change their appearance and homes, their lives largely unfold without your direct intervention unless you switch to playing their household actively.
- Game Stability: Excessive use of cheats, especially those involving deleting or moving large numbers of Sims, can sometimes lead to game instability or unexpected behavior. Save your game frequently!
- Ethical Considerations: Some players feel that drastically altering the lives of other Sims detracts from the game’s simulation aspect. It’s a single-player game, so the ethical questions are purely for your own consideration.
Enhancing Your Sims 4 Experience
By mastering these editing techniques, you can significantly enhance your Sims 4 experience:
- Create a Diverse and Interesting Community: Populate your world with Sims that have unique looks, backstories, and homes.
- Tell More Compelling Stories: Influence the lives of other families to create dramatic or humorous narratives.
- Customize Your Neighborhood Aesthetic: Ensure that every house and Sim in your world aligns with your personal taste.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. How do I enable cheats in Sims 4?
Press Ctrl + Shift + C (or all four triggers on consoles) to open the cheat console. Type “testingcheats true” and press Enter.
2. What does “cas.fulleditmode” do?
It unlocks the full Create-A-Sim (CAS) potential for any Sim, allowing you to change everything about their appearance, traits, aspirations, and relationships.
3. Can I edit the gender of other Sims?
Yes, using the “cas.fulleditmode” cheat, you can edit the gender of any Sim in CAS.
4. How do I change a Sim’s traits?
Using “cas.fulleditmode”, enter CAS for the desired Sim and click the “Modify Sim” button in the top left corner. This takes you to the screen where you can change traits and aspirations.
5. Can I edit pre-existing relationships between Sims?
Yes, using “cas.fulleditmode”, you can modify relationships in CAS by clicking on the “Manage Relationship” button.
6. Why can’t I edit a Sim’s relationship in CAS?
If you get an error message saying you cannot edit an existing relationship, make sure that you are using the “cas.fulleditmode” cheat. If that isn’t working, try to completely delete their existing relationship before you can assign a new one. Also, keep in mind that, to make them siblings, they should all be the same age.
7. How do I change the description of a household in the gallery?
You can save the household to your library, remove it from the gallery, change the description in your library, and re-upload it.
8. Can I edit lots that are normally locked?
Yes, use the cheat “bb.enablefreebuild” while on the lot to unlock build mode.
9. How do I add a Sim to my active household using cheats?
First, make sure cheats are enabled. Select a Sim, and choose the “Add to Family” option to add them to an active household in The Sims 4.
10. Can two households interact in Sims 4?
Yes, Sims from different households can interact. However, to play both households, you would have to create 2 different save-games for them.
11. Can I manage multiple households in Sims 4?
Yes, you can manage multiple households from the world map.
12. How do I age up a baby in Sims 4?
Newborns will age up into Infants on their own, but you can also Age Up Newborns early into an Infant Sim by clicking on them and selecting Age Up.
13. Can I edit Sims appearances without cheats?
Within your own household, you can Shift-click on a Sim and select “Modify in CAS” for limited editing options (hair, outfits, accessories). You can only access and edit the lots you own.
14. What happens if I evict a family and then don’t move them back in?
The game will eventually generate a new family to fill the empty house.
15. Where can I learn more about game design and learning?
Visit the Games Learning Society at GamesLearningSociety.org to explore the intersection of games, learning, and education. This organization explores the power of games in transforming educational experiences and provides valuable resources for educators, designers, and researchers alike. The Games Learning Society is at the forefront of understanding how interactive experiences can drive engagement and foster deep learning.
Ultimately, editing other families in The Sims 4 is about expanding your creative control and shaping your virtual world to match your vision. By mastering these techniques and understanding the limitations, you can create a more engaging, diverse, and personalized Sims 4 experience.