Personality

Let’s keep up this “old saw” motif: Never judge a book by its cover. No matter how beautifully (or beautifully bizarre) you made your Sim, it’s what’s on the inside that is truly going to shape his or her fortunes in Sunset Valley.

You assign each Sim a handful of traits (the actual number is entirely dependant on the age of the Sim) from a considerable list of heralded behaviors, character flaws, quirks, and other idiosyncrasies.

While you are always the puppeteer, pulling the strings on your Sim’s activities, these traits create the basis for your Sim’s personality and goals.

Traits

Traits affect your Sim’s guiding desires and core personality. Your selections here stick with a Sim throughout life, so think about potential repercussions and choose wisely. Little things can have big consequences depending on how you manage your Sim’s life.

If you select the Flirt trait from the list, your Sim will naturally be on the prowl for romance. This could be helpful in either developing a bustling social life or landing a mate for starting a household. (However, marriage and kids does not end the Flirt trait. Maybe that will cause a little trouble later?)

But there are also traits that affect the more mundane aspects of life. Selecting the Bookworm trait means the Sim is an avid reader and will gravitate toward books instead of the TV or the computer during free time.

Some traits also affect your Sim’s mood. Mood is fully explained in the Simology chapter, but just understand that mood affects your performance in life, such as on the job.

If your Sim is in a good mood, chances are strong your Sim will do better. One of the things that affects your mood is sleep. A lack of sleep means your Sim may make get cranky or excessively drowsy.

The Light Sleeper trait means your Sim wakes up at the slightest noise. That threatens your Sim’s mood. Sounds bad, right? Well, being a Light Sleeper might not be so bad if a burglar breaks into your Sim’s house.

You may choose from the following traits:

Absent-Minded

Ambitious

Angler

Artistic

Athletic

Bookworm

Brave

Can’t Stand Art

Charismatic

Childish

Clumsy

Commitment Issues

Computer Whiz

Couch Potato

Coward

Daredevil

Dislikes Children

Easily Impressed

Evil

Excitable

Family Oriented

Flirty

Friendly

Frugal

Genius

Good

Good Sense of Humor

Great Kisser

Green Thumb

Grumpy

Handy

Hates the Outdoors

Heavy Sleeper

Hopeless Romantic

Hot-Headed

Hydrophobic

Inappropriate

Insane

Kleptomaniac

Light Sleeper

Loner

Loser

Loves the Outdoors

Lucky

Mean-Spirited

Mooch

Natural Cook

Neat

Neurotic

Never-Nude

No Sense of Humor

Over-Emotional

Party Animal

Perfectionist

Schmoozer

Slob

Snob

Technophobe

Unflirty

Unlucky

Vegetarian

Virtuoso

Workaholic

As you can see, not every trait on this list is positive —but that’s only human. We are not wholly virtuous beings and so you should consider not making your Sim a total white knight.

Drop one nasty or questionable trait in the mix. Not only will it keep you from being a goody-two-shoes, but it will also open up Lifetime Wish avenues that you may find more rewarding than something attainable only by a straight arrow.

Be honest with yourself. You probably have a little Grumpy, Snob, or Mooch in there, don’t you? So why not transfer these traits to a Sim and see how they play out in a world where you don’t necessarily have to control them as much as you do in this one.

The Natural Cook trait aids your Sim’s ability to make food. Most Sims can cook to a certain degree—at least, they can make quick meals like cereal—but the Natural Cook trait means your Sim will pick up on culinary nuances at a quicker pace. Expect them to perfect cooking talents faster and never botch a recipe.

Lifetime Wishes

Traits also affect your Sim’s Lifetime Wish. The Lifetime Wish is the overall goal for your Sim. There will be plenty of smaller goals along the way, but the Lifetime Goal is the over-arching goal of your Sim’s virtual life.

Lifetime Wishes can include reaching the top spot in a specific career or mastering a craft, such as gardening.

Depending on the traits you select, you have up to five Lifetime Wishes to choose from. Different combinations or specific single traits result in specific Lifetime Wishes.

Install the Angler trait in your Sim and the Presenting the Perfect Private Aquarium wish becomes available. The requirement for this wish is to have at least 10 perfect fish in fishbowls.

Because the Angler trait makes your Sim especially adept at the rod and reel, you have a much greater chance of achieving this Lifetime Wish before the inevitable conclusion of your Sim’s life.

Favorites

In addition to selecting traits and a Lifetime Wish, you can assign your Sim personal favorites that become topics of conversation when socializing with other Sims. Having favorites in common with another Sim is a useful tool for connecting on a deeper level. You can assign your Sim a favorite food, favorite music, and favorite color. Here are some the possible favorite foods:

Belgian Waffles

French Toast

Pancakes

Fruit Parfait

Autumn Salad

Grilled Cheese

Veggie Burger

Tofu Dog

Mac and Cheese

Peanut Butter and Jelly

Ratatouille

Spaghetti with Veggie Sauce

Stu Surprise

Cobbler

Cookies

Key Lime Pie

There are seven possible favorite music styles for your Sim:

Electronica

Pop

Latin

Indie

Classical

Kids

Custom Music (you pick!)

These are the available favorite colors for your Sim:

And, finally, you can adjust your Sim’s voice. There are three choices for your Sim. Click on each to hear a sample of their Simlish. Once you make your selection, use the slider bar to alter the pitch and tenor of the voice to your personal liking.