Realistic skin
Disclaimer: If you are a parent of an underage teen player of The Sims 3, you should be aware that the player community has developed many modifications to the game that are easy to find by anyone who can use Google to search the Web. Most of these modifications fit the "T for Teen" rating of the game, but some mods are more R- or M-rated. (Nothing X-rated is possible with The Sims 3.) The main intent of this article is to equip responsible parents with the knowledge and techniques to ascertain whether your children might be using any game mods that you might object to. Remember, the developers and publishers of the game, and the player community at large, are not responsible for protecting your children from material that you might prefer they not be exposed to. Only parental oversight on your part can ensure that your kids are playing game content that you approve of.
Various high-quality skin mod packages for male and female Sims have now been created by fans of the game. These can be easily installed in a non-destructive manner and easily uninstalled if they are not to your taste. Tested skin mods include:
- (G-rated) Shiny skin textures that more realistically reflect the light than the default flat matte skins (for both male and female Sims)
- (G-rated) More detailed faces (for both male and female Sims)
- (R-rated) Subtle, tasteful nipples (for both male and female Sims) and realistic chest hair (for male Sims), but with barbie doll bottom halfs
- (M-rated) Fully realistic top and bottom skins for females
As with the No Mosaic mod package that removes the mosaic-blur effect when showering or using the bathroom, it's a matter of personal taste whether some of these more realistic skin options (designated above by the R and M ratings) are lewd or simply realistic and natural. Remember that The Sims 3 is played in many nations throughout the world and many cultures are not bothered by casual nudity being portrayed in their media or games.
For the adult players reading this article, you will have a roadmap that enables you to safely and non-destructively mod your The Sims 3 game to remove all censorship features such as barbie-doll skins, or alternatively to as to improve the visual quality of the barbie doll skins without adding realism that you might personally find offensive.
Steps to install the above-listed mod packages in order:
- First, install the No Mosaic mod package as described in [Mosaic-Blur_Removal_(The_Sims_3)]. This ensures that the proper Resource.cfg file is in the proper place and that the Mods\Packages folder is in the proper place for you to easily add all the .package files that compose the above-listed skin mods.
- Download HystericalParoxysm's TS3 Skin Replacements (increased texture detail and shine), then extract and install the .package files according to his instructions. Note that you can pick and choose exactly which features to install. Put the extracted .package files for the features that you choose to install in the same Mods\Packages folder that the No Mosaic mod created for you.
This step will install the two G-rated options above, and also the R-rated option if you choose the "more detailed bodies" options that use the keywords "nipples" or "hair" - Download Falcoknight's Nude Replacement Skin for Sims 3, then extract the package files and place them in the same Mods\Packages folder that No Mosaic created for you. Note that these files are direct replacements for some of HystericalParoxysm's files, so don't be alarmed if you see an overwrite notice when you place these in the Mods\Packages folder.
This step will install the M-rated option listed above. - As a final step, you must delete a particular cache file so that the skins on your existing Sims will be updated. If you do not remove this file and let the game rebuild it again at the next startup, only new Sims that you create will use the new skin overrides. Look in My Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\ and delete the file called simCompositorCache.package.
For Parents - How to determine whether your child is using any of these mods
You cannot rely on the filenames of the .package files that you'll find by downloading the above-listed mods, because smart kids will just change the names and possibly even the location of the .package files by hacking the Resource.cfg file that points to the location of mod packages.
However, if a mod is installed they cannot hide the in-game results so here is the quick and easy way to tell what's what.
- First, look for the existence of a mod packages folder and if it's not there on your child's computer, consider whether you want to strain your child's trust by proceeding with the remaining steps. If the bold-highlighted folders shown in the following paths exist, then your child definitely has some type of mods installed. If the folder does not exist, it is not a guarantee that no mods are installed; resourceful kids can easily change the default folder used by mod packages.
- On Windows: C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Mods\Packages.
- On Mac: In the Applications folder, right-click the application and choose Show Package Contents. Then navigate to Contents > Resources > transgaming > c_drive > Program Files > Electronic Arts > The Sims 3 > Mods > Packages.
- Go in-game and tell one of your child's Sims to take a shower. If the pixellated mosaic-blur effect does not occur, they have the No Mosaic mod installed (or some equivalent anti-censorship mod).
- If the shower has clear see-through glass, it wil also be obvious whether any realistic skin mods have been installed. Alternatively you can click the Sim, choose Change Outfit, then select their swimsuit outfit or their sleepwear outfit slot and see what happens. (At the time this article was drafted by the original author, there was no everyday, formal, exercise, or uniform clothing that would reveal underlying skin realism.)