Alien

An Alien is a life state in The Sims 2 for PC/Mac, console, Nintendo DS, and Gameboy Advance, in The Sims 3: Seasons, and The Sims 4: Get to Work.

In The Sims 2, unlike other life states, they do not have any special abilities or properties, other than their appearance. However, if Seasons is installed, they have a greater tolerance for high temperatures. Technically, playable aliens in The Sims 2 are merely Sims with an alien appearance. The alien eyes and skintone are not normally available in Create a Sim, but can be unlocked by using testingcheatsenabled to enter the CAS debug mode. In The Sims 3: Seasons and The Sims 4: Get to Work, however, the alien life state is more developed, and aliens do have special abilities of their own.

While alien abduction can occur in The Sims, aliens themselves do not appear, and creating them would require the use of custom skins.

Culture
From what little information is given from the family history of Pollination Tech#9 Smith, a player can see what appears to be a complex culture on their home planet based on a hive mind. At least to an outside observer, their society appears to be structured in a way not unlike that of bees or ants, where individual aliens have roles parallel to the functions within a hive. Birth Queens are the central, and seemingly only, reproductive system of the aliens, except for the work of the Pollination Technicians. It appears that whoever impregnates them has no marital attachment to them, and that the sole purpose of a birth queen is to breed. Colony Drones are the workers of alien society. What work they do seems unclear, but it is assumed that they do menial tasks that would be equivalent to a working class Sim. Pollination Technicians perform the work of abducting and impregnating male Sims. They seem to be recent phenomenon in alien society, as there are no known Pollination Technicians that have bred with Birth Queens.

Growing hair may be seen as a societal faux pas in the unseen hive, as they appear to be able to grow it, but don't unless they retire or emigrate off-world. Clothing is highly suggestive for Birth Queens, while being a uniform for males in all avenues of work. Children are presumably taken away from their parents, as evidenced by PT9's lack of parental relationships (he has no memories of his parents, grandparents, or anyone else in his family except his wife and children).

Careers
Pollination Technicians are allowed to retire from their assigned jobs, and can settle on planets of their choices. Pollination Tech#9 Smith retired on his "favorite" planet, the one which Sims reside on. According to PT9's careers panel, it appears that the alien society has no outstanding pension plans for those wishing to retire abroad, as he receives none.

Young aliens, regardless of gender, seem to be able to seek higher education in Sim universities, which places the roles of Birth Queens as an optional career choice, as Stella Terrano is able to enroll in La Fiesta Tech with no difficulty.

Physiology
Aliens are capable of growing hair on their heads and face just like Sims, however, they are only capable of producing black pigment naturally, as they don't possess genes that create other colors. They have dominant green skin that is universally the same tone throughout the species. They have dominant black eyes, seemingly with either black iris and black sclera, or possibly with the entire eye being the receptor. Alien eyes may be much larger than Sim eyes, may have a distinct oval shape, and may be sharply tilted, though some aliens have eyes that are generally Sim-like in size, shape and tilt. Alien ears can vary in shape, being either very small or pointed at the top, suggesting semblances of races, like Sims. Faces are almost always long and gaunt, with either small Sim-like noses or pressed up slits in the center of the face. However, it appears that some aliens do have noses that are Sim-like in size and shape. Mouths usually have thin lips, or none at all, and the inside of the mouth is light blue, the gums being the most prominent. Teeth are essentially the same. Alien bodies have the same metabolic rate as those of Sims. They age at the same rate, and gain or lose fitness when they exercise or overeat just as Sims do, with no advantage to either. Since the inner mouth is blue, it is safe to assume that the blood of aliens is blue also, indicating that it is hemocyanin and not hemoglobin present in their bloodstreams, an indicator that they are not mammals. If so, it is very inconsistent, as lifeforms with hemocyanin cannot eat the same foods as those with hemoglobin, whereas those aliens who have chosen to live among Simkind eat the same food Sims do. As it is not known what aliens eat on their own planet or ships, it is possible that those who choose to live off-world are first adapted to be able to eat the foods of their adopted planet. Aliens seem to be slightly more resistant to heat than Sims are. However, aliens are just as vulnerable to cold as Sims.

Genetic compatibility
Aliens are startlingly similar to Sims, to the point that they can reproduce with one another with no ill effects. Hybrids typically either have minimal differences or major differences from their alien parent due to the nature of Sim genetics.

Life state compatibility
Alien physiology can adequately support Sim-earth based life states, with minor alternate differences mostly associated with the skin tone and eyes.

Origins
Aliens have only dominant genes, and universally detrimental personality traits such as shyness and sloppiness have been selected against, most aliens have "perfect" personalities, such as Pollination Technician, who can father hybrid children with partially perfect personalities; but some aliens have more varied personalities such as Pollination Tech#9 Smith.

Aliens appear to have less genetic variety, as their species has virtually no variation beyond facial structure and body structure. All pure aliens have the same shade of green skin and have genes for black hair and eyes. This suggests that all forms of genetic variation, such as recessive genes equivalent to light blue eyes and grey eyes in Sim DNA, have been selected against to the point where only the most dominant genes have come out on top—in aliens, recessive genes do not exist. Whether this change is due to natural selection or due to the alien's social structure is undetermined. Since recessive genes are almost never lost, they may be dormant in alien DNA, potentially playing a part in future Sims games as a source of genetic variation to add to gameplay mechanics.

It is possible that aliens had a dark green skintone early on in their species' history, assuming that aliens are mammal-like. The skintone and eyes suggests that they may be closer to amphibious life or reptilian life. However, the presence of blue blood suggest that they have hemocyanin, which is usually present in cephalopods, gastropods and some arthropods. This might suggest that aliens were genetically engineered some time in their history. It is also possible that aliens assimilate DNA of other species into their own, which suggests a motive for impregnating Sims, in hope of introducing the hybrid children into alien society and allow them to have children with other aliens, resulting in the Sim genome being added into alien DNA. This means that aliens may have hundreds, maybe thousands of ancestors and it would be nearly impossible to identify all of them.

Physiology
Hybrid children can inherit normal looking noses roughly 2/3rds of the time, though the remainder can inherit the infamous slits in the middle of the face. 80% of the time, green skin is inherited (100% with first-generation alien hybrids, though they can have children with Sim skin tones, assuming that their spouse isn't green). There are some cases of first-generation hybrid children inheriting Sim skin tones, allowing them to blend into society unnoticed, assuming they did not inherit erratic facial features. However, there are times when only partial resemblance is inherited. Those with Sim skins may inherit black eyes, but will physically resemble those with brown eyes. It is possible for green-skinned hybrids to inherit dominant Sim eyes instead of black eyes. Also, hybrids with Sim eyes may inherit aspects of the alien eye structure such as size or tilt. Typically, there is minimal ear difference. Long, gaunt faces are commonly inherited.

Since the alien parent usually has a perfect genetic personality (10 nice, 10 outgoing, 10 neat, 10 active), this is also partially inherited and passed on, which can last for generations before finally being diluted.

How to become impregnated by aliens
There are four ways to become impregnated by Aliens in The Sims 2. Two ways are legitimate and two ways involve cheating, which poses a risk of the game being damaged if debugging tools are not used.

Normal gameplay

 * Telescope - A male adult Sim can stargaze with the Farstar e3 telescope until he gets abducted. The chances of this are at a modest 0.05%, which can only be altered by mods or by using with the FreeTime aspiration benefit "Summon Aliens". After the Sim is abducted, they will return a few hours later, pregnant with an alien hybrid.


 * Electro-Dance Sphere - If the player has the Nightlife expansion pack, male Sims can also be abducted using the machine if they have been abducted previously with a telescope, or if very lucky, the dance sphere. This method varies in effectiveness between 1.65% to 2.5% depending on how many times the Sim has been abducted previously, but the chances are significantly higher than a telescope, regardless of how low it can get.

Cheating

 * In-game Debugging Mode - Entering the cheat  then shift-clicking on the telescope and choosing "Debug - get Abducted". After this point, the process continues as normal. If Freetime is installed, this cheat will no longer work; all the Sim will do now is walk up to the telescope and cancel the action. Note that using cheats to get Sims abducted has been known to cause errors in the household, fixed only by moving the household out, and moving them back in.
 * The Tombstone of L & D - Initiating the  cheat, then shift-clicking on any Sim and spawning the Tombstone of Life and Death allows the player to open up testing options to initiate quick pregnancy in any gender. The options "Make me alien pregnant" and "Speed up my pregnancy" in the pie menu make this the fastest, albeit riskiest, method of all. Both options will work, regardless of gender.

Creating an alien in Create a Sim
The Debug Mode of Create a Sim can be entered by activating testingcheatsenabled, entering CAS, then holding Shift+N. This unlocks CAS features that are normally hidden, including the alien skin tone and eyes. Once the skin tone and eyes are selected, Debug Mode can be turned off by holding Shift+M; if other aspects of alien appearance are desired, they can be created with the normal face-adjustment sliders.

This is safer than cheating in-game, as there is minimal opportunity for the game to crash as it likely would in normal gameplay. Furthermore, Sims created in CAS have homogeneous genes, so this creates a "pure" alien rather than a hybrid. This also allows the creation of alien Sims who do not have the extreme personalities that alien-Sim hybrids often inherit.

The Sims 2 for console
The player can select an alien skin in the console version of The Sims 2. If a Sim has an alien skin, their eyes will be widened and colored black. When using the alien skintone, only the main facial modifier is available.

There are four pre-made aliens for The Sims 2 console version; John Gray, Mary Gray, XY-XY Smith and XHT-F Smith.

Additionally, Sims can be abducted. Because pregnancy does not exist in this console version, alien pregnancy does not result from abductions.

The Sims 2 for Nintendo DS
Aliens have a key role in the storyline of The Sims 2 for Nintendo DS. The town of Strangetown will be invaded by Emperor Xizzle and his minions. The aliens appear a little less human as the ones in The Sims 2 for PC, though Johnny Smith, an alien hybrid who works at the shop, retains a fairly human appearance apart from his green skin. A Sim can get abducted but cannot be impregnated, so aliens are not playable. With the assistance of the Mod Bed the Sim can change their skin to resemble that of an alien. Strangely, aliens seem far more hostile towards Sims in this game than in any other in the series.

The Sims 3: Seasons
Prior to the release of The Sims 3: Seasons, it was confirmed by EA that aliens would return in that expansion pack. Towards the end of the Seasons announce trailer at around the 1:15 mark, a Sim looks up and a bright light appears on and around him. It is assumed that he was being abducted, similarly to The Sims 2, but without the use of a telescope. Also, aliens make minor appearances in each season in the same trailer.

Players cannot create aliens in Create a Sim, as there were coding issues when developing Seasons. However, the alien skin tone, as well as the Alien Eyes Modifier, Alien Ears, and Alien Eyes sliders are available in CAS. These can be used to create Sims that look like aliens, but they will not have the alien abilities.

Hybrids
Technically, aliens aren't "occults" like other creatures. They are a new type of Sim with their own unique DNA that can blend with human DNA through WooHoo. That way, when a child is born, instead of there being a 50/50 chance of it being an alien, it actually determines how much alien DNA the child has and grants them alien powers based on how pure their bloodline is. As the game progresses over multiple generations, and there are more relationships between aliens and humans, part-alien Sims will find their gene pool depleting until their Sim DNA is predominant again, at which point they'll need to start a relationship with a new pureblood alien if they want future generations to gain alien powers.

However, this does not imply that there can be hybrid powers with other occult types. Should an alien WooHoo with another creature, there's a random chance the child may grow up as the other creature with dormant alien DNA. That may produce, for example, a fairy with wings that has green alien skin and a bald head. Such a "hybrid" would have only fairy powers though, but no alien abilities at all.

Aliens are unable to get plastic surgery due to "cultural differences". (Technically, they can't get plastic surgery due to the coding issues that prevent them from being created in CAS.)

Careers
Aliens can work in a part-time job in a Science lab as "Test Subjects". They can also work the same jobs as any other Sim. The job description of the Military career given to Aliens is: "The military (career) is prepared to spend generously to acquire intelligence from any alien that is willing to betray its own kind."

Attracting aliens
While a Sim is asleep, there is a chance that aliens will visit their lot and collect data from the area. When this happens, the Sim can get up and speak with the alien, eventually befriending them. If the relationship becomes high enough, the alien can be asked to move in. Aliens will be more likely to come to a Sim's lot if they use a telescope often and collect space rocks.

When attracting aliens, a Sim does not have to be asleep; however it is suggested that a Sim attempting to attract aliens have a high level of logic (around 8 points) and be carrying around 10 moonstones or space rocks. The Sim should be doing an outdoors activity at night.

Motives

 * Brain Power
 * This motive replaces energy for all aliens teen and older. Children and toddlers use the normal energy bar.
 * Keeping space rocks (meteors) provides a large boost in the motive.

Abilities
List of powers:
 * "Mental Scan" - Easily learn a Sim's traits. Each scan reveals one trait of the selected Sim.
 * "Transmuting precious metals and gems" - Increase value or alter their geological composition which accelerates the natural process quicker.
 * "Mind Control" - Transform a random guest into a servant for 2 Sim hours and force them to do household chores.
 * "Recombobulation" - Rather than having to manually fix a broken object, an alien can simply zap it with their brain for a speedy repair.
 * Brain power lasts much longer and replenishes much faster than energy.
 * Restoring brain power is a separate option. Sleeping offers no benefit to aliens.
 * Aliens scan objects around the neighborhood to record data.
 * They leave clues behind of their presence.
 * They can establish telepathic links to nearby Sims for taking care of their or the Sims' motives such as:
 * Drain the Sim of his or her motives
 * Transfer a variety of benefits directly to them
 * Boost another Sim by sacrificing their own motives
 * Summon a meteor to fall at their targeted location.

*Its actual name is the "Galaxa Space Car".
 * UFO
 * It is an alien's preferred vehicle.
 * Aliens can use their UFOs to:
 * Abduct a Sim or their friends (as a joke).
 * Invade a community lot. Sims in the lot below will run around in panic while the ship zaps around the area with its cannons. Some may end up with the singed moodlet.
 * Travel. The ship will disappear into a rabbit hole. Messages will frequently appear describing the adventure, depending on the destination chosen. Upon return, the alien will receive a long green moodlet, and may also bring home gems or space rocks.
 * Create violent storms.


 * Abductions
 * Aliens can abduct both male and female Sims.
 * They can choose any Sim to abduct.
 * Abductions do not require a telescope, but using one increases the chances of being taken.
 * Collecting space rocks also attracts aliens.
 * During an abduction, the chosen Sim comes out of his location, looks up at the sky mesmerized by colorful lights and then is caught in a "tractor beam" and taken to an unknown location.
 * As in previous Sims games with aliens, abducted Sims never know exactly what happens during the abduction.
 * Non-occult male Sims can be impregnated by them.


 * Interactions with normal Sims
 * A Sim can befriend an alien and use its UFO.
 * Aliens can raid a science lab for space rocks at night between 8PM and 6AM, but there is a chance they will be arrested and put in jail for several hours.


 * Impregnation and Birth
 * Sims have a chance to get pregnant after abductions.
 * An offspring from an impregnated Sim is pureblood alien.
 * Fictionally, impregnated male Sims are not pregnant. Instead the aliens experiment on them when abducted, resulting in their body being the host of the alien offspring during an incubation period.
 * Only non-occult male Sims can get pregnant by aliens after abductions.
 * When Woohooing with an occult there is a chance that the baby is pureblood, occult or hybrid.

The Sims 4: Get to Work
In The Sims 4, Sims can go into outer space and bring back small alien creatures in containers, and can keep them as pets. Sim-like playable aliens, however, return in the Get to Work expansion pack. Aliens are similar to those in previous games, though there are a few differences. For example, they appear roughly the same as before, but glow slightly when feeling strong emotions.

Appearance
Aliens appear similar to those The Sims 3: Seasons. A notable exception is that they now have multiple skin tones, including blue, green and purple. They wear either a black, green, or grey body suit. Aliens can also wear normal Sim clothing.

Abilities
Aliens have unique abilities, which are:
 * Analyze personality - Allows aliens to discover other Sims' traits before meeting them.
 * Empathize - Allows aliens to feel the emotion of the Sim they direct it on.
 * Disguise Self - Allows aliens to switch to a human appearance, which they can use to hide from Sims.
 * Alter Disguise - Allows aliens to change the disguise they use. It is much the same as Create a Sim, but does not allow for changing traits, names, body size, or strength.
 * Erase Mind - Appears after an alien has been found out. It allows an alien to erase a Sim's mind after the Sim has discovered the alien. There is a chance the interaction could accidentally reset the relationship between the alien and the Sim. Appears as a mischief interaction.
 * Probe - Aliens can scare Sims with a mechanical device, which shows many objects. This prank will give Sims a "Probe Panic" moodlet, which lasts for 4 hours, while simultaneously making the Sim uncomfortable. Also appears as a mischief interaction.
 * Resurrect Dead Alien Collectable - Aliens can bring alien collectibles back to life as an interaction on a dead alien collectible.
 * Transmute Metal, Crystal, and Elements - Aliens can transmute metals, crystals, and elements that are placed in the world, changing it into another one as well as changing the Rarity.

Create a Sim
Aliens can be created from the Create a Sim menu. This is similar to the Supernatural Type button from The Sims 3: Supernatural. From Create a Sim, players can choose from a range of alien face presets, unique eyes, and a range of skin tones such as blue, purple and green. They can also adjust the pointy ears. There is also a range of alien-like makeup which can also be used by normal Sims.

Aliens can also have a range of skin tones such as blue, purple and green. Prior to Patch 17, aliens could not wear regular clothes and were incapable of having hair. They would always wear their alien suit, unless they were in their disguised form. However, the update allowed aliens to wear clothes and hair, with the only limitations being the lack of skin details and styled looks.

Disguise/Secrecy
Aliens can change themselves to look like normal Sims. At any time, players can edit and adjust how an alien will look while disguised. While disguised, an alien can appear like a normal Sim and not be spotted by Sims. If a Sim figures out the alien is in disguise, the alien can erase the Sim's mind and go about their day pretending to be a normal Sim.

Sixam
There is a secret lot, called Sixam, which can be visited through the Electroflux Wormhole Generator built using the Invention Constructor or via a rocket ship. Sims can explore the lot and see various collectibles and plants, as well as meet aliens.

Attracting aliens
Just like in The Sims 3, alien abductions can happen randomly during the night. If a Sim works in the Science career and they fail a day at work, the Sims chances to be abducted is increased. Another way of increasing the chances is if the scientist Sim creates a satellite dish through the invention constructor, they can use the satellite to call aliens to the lot to which can increase the chance of alien abduction furthermore.

Life State Features
There are multiple small life state features that distinguish Aliens from Human Sims.

The Sims (Console and PC)
Aliens only take an interest in those who take an interest in them. The Sim returns a few hours after his or her abduction with a changed personality. At this point in time, 25 years before The Sims 2, aliens are clearly just beginning serious research on Simkind, and have minimal knowledge of Sims themselves - though the alien pregnancies of Nestor Caliente and Glarn Curious would likely have occurred prior to the events of The Sims. It is also too far back in time to tell what type of alien carries out the abduction.

In the console story mode, abduction is rather more difficult than in free play mode. When a Sim is abducted, nothing is shown but the Sim acting frightened and freezing up going into the air. As in the PC version, the Sim looks as though he or she is being electrocuted and floats upward.

The Sims 2
In regards to Sims being abducted, aliens take the dignified and fair approach of only taking an interest in those who take an interest in them. The Sim returns a few hours later with a memory of the abduction, but, with one exception, is not otherwise affected. The exception is that adult male Sims will be "pollinated" by the NPC Pollination Technician, whose sole purpose is to abduct male Sims and impregnate them with their DNA. How this is done is unexplained, as is the reason for doing it. What is referred to by Sims as a painful, embarrassing, and frightening abduction is merely "pollination" to the aliens, which inevitably results in an alien-Sim hybrid.

The Sims 3: Seasons
In general, nonresident aliens do not take an interest in abducting Sims who have not taken an interest in them, though there is a small chance that a Sim walking at night will be abducted. If this happens, the interaction cannot be cancelled and the only way to prevent it is by deleting the UFO before the Sim is abducted. A Sim who has been abducted will return with a negative "Abducted" moodlet that lasts 12 hours. If the Sim is a non-occult male who is an adult or young adult, there is a chance that he will receive a negative "Unexpected Weight Gain" moodlet after the "Abducted" moodlet has expired. If he does, he will give birth to a 100% alien baby. Apparently, these aliens do not create hybrids, but use abducted male Sims as host bodies for alien genetic material. How this is done is unexplained, as is the reason for doing it.

Aliens who have joined a family and become playable bring their UFOs along. They can use this to abduct Sims they know, but this is in the nature of an alien practical joke.

The Sims 4: Get to Work
Alien abduction returns in The Sims 4: Get to Work. An abduction can occur anytime at night (9 pm to 4 am). When an abduction does occur, the Sim will stop whatever they're doing and go to the spot of abduction. The Sim will then be beamed up by a blue light into a UFO and be flown off. The Sim will then come back a couple hours later with a moodlet pertaining to aliens and abduction.

Both female and male Sims, including aliens, can be abducted. Only males will return with a 25% chance of alien pregnancy, while females will only receive the moodlet.

Sims in the scientist or medical profession are more likely to be abducted. The satellite dish and the worm hole generator also increase the odds. The satellite dish can also be used to contact aliens, which may trigger an abduction. Likewise, the satellite dish can also be used to prevent abductions for up to 24 hours.

Gallery
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Trivia

 * According to the The Sims 2 for console ending cinematic, aliens fart through their ear.
 * In The Sims 3: Seasons, using the "buydebug" cheat, it is possible to gain access to an alien's spaceship without needing to meet or befriend an alien.
 * Unlike in The Sims 2, aliens in The Sims 3: Seasons are treated as an entirely new life state with their own set of abilities. However, unlike other life states in The Sims 3, aliens are not considered occults.
 * The fact that all aliens found in the The Sims 3: Seasons start out bald may suggest that pureblood aliens are supposed to be incapable of growing hair. However, the game mechanics are no different when editing aliens in CAS; it's possible to give them any hairstyle.
 * In The Sims 3: Seasons, an alien's UFO can travel to the Moon, the Great Asteroid Belt or planet Sixam. It describes Sixam as being inhabited by nameless aliens. When an alien Sim travels there, he or she seems to be treated like an ignorant foreigner.
 * Sometimes when gossiping, Sims may say, "People are saying that (Sim Name) is actually an alien, living undercover in our neighborhood!".
 * In The Sims 3, if both Seasons and Supernatural are installed, a witch is capable of stopping alien pregnancies via their Sunlight Charm spell since the related moodlet registers as negative instead of positive unlike regular pregnancy.
 * If this spell is used after a day has passed, this will trigger a "Became Thin" memory if Generations is installed.
 * In The Sims 4, there is an alien at the center of the crowd in The Sims 15th Anniversary main menu.
 * The planet Sixam was first featured in The Sims 3: Seasons as a text-based adventure which Sims can travel to through the Galaxa Space Car's Space Travel upgrade. Sixam was then changed to a secret lot in The Sims 4: Get To Work where Sims can visit.
 * In The Sims 4: Get to Work, aliens have a special birth certificate, gravestone, and urn.
 * In The Sims 4: Get to Work, if there is an alien in the household, Sims can watch a channel called "!#*%&$@%" which showcases multiple skits of aliens living normal lives.