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How Chemistry Works in The Sims 2 (+ mods to tweak it)

Leto Mills

63,708 views

00:00 Intro
1:52 Overview
7:43 The Factors - Primary Aspirations
11:09 The Factors - Zodiac Signs
12:41 The Factors - Personalities
35:04 The Factors - Turn-ons & Turn-offs
38:14 The Factors - Other Factors
50:01 Conclusion

Cyjon’s Study of Chemistry: http://cyjon.net/node/86
Sims wiki article on chemistry: https://sims.fandom.com/wiki/Chemistry
Sims wiki article on personality: https://sims.fandom.com/wiki/Personal...
Sims wiki article on aspiration benefit (massive attraction): https://sims.fandom.com/wiki/Aspirati...
Sims wiki article on potions: https://sims.fandom.com/wiki/Potion
Sims wiki article on juice: https://sims.fandom.com/wiki/Juice
Sims wiki article on the Genie: https://sims.fandom.com/wiki/Genie#Th...

Ani Bats video that the clip from 5:23 is extracted from: Let's Play The Sims 2 | Pleasantview S02E0...
Many thanks to Ani for allowing me to use this clip!

**Mods (by order of mention)**

DeeDee’s No Bi Gender Preference Decrease: https://deedee-sims.tumblr.com/post/6...

Midge the Tree’s Gender Pref Allow Wants Fix: https://midgethetree.tumblr.com/post/...

HobbesED’s Secondary Aspiration Attraction: https://modthesims.info/d/643015/seco...

Midge the Tree’s Romantic Standards: https://midgethetree.dreamwidth.org/1...
(also check out the original Romantic Standards made by Simler90: https://modthesims.info/d/609030/roma...)

Bstu’s No Aspiration Chemistry Penalty mod: https://bstu.tumblr.com/post/65651907...

Simler90’s Aging Townie Aspiration fix: https://modthesims.info/d/647130

Nopke’s Aging Townie Aspiration fix: https://modthesims.info/d/660852/agin...

Dreadpirate’s Zodiac Compatibility Overhaul: https://dreadpirate.tumblr.com/post/6...

BellaDovah’s No Zodiac Chemistry mod: https://belladovah.tumblr.com/post/64...
Or on MTS: https://modthesims.info/d/653309/no-z...

Lazy Duchess's post about untying zodiac sign and personality points with the RPC laucher: https://lazyduchess.tumblr.com/post/6...
Lazy Duchess's RPC launcher: https://lazyduchess.tumblr.com/post/6...

Epi’s Baby personality mod: https://episims.tumblr.com/post/61132...

PineappleForest Potion defaults: https://pforestsims.tumblr.com/post/6...
Or on MTS: https://modthesims.info/d/665049/buya...

PineappleForest Magical Reagent defaults: https://pforestsims.tumblr.com/post/6...

Buyable ReNuYu Porta-Chug by BastDawn: https://modthesims.info/d/250855/buya...

Buyable Matchmaker Potions + ReNuYu by PineappleForest: https://pforestsims.tumblr.com/post/6...

Turn-on and turn-off fix by tunaisafish (only if you don’t want custom replacements): https://modthesims.info/d/318327/attr...

PineappleForest Perfume Display and Bottle defaults: https://pforestsims.tumblr.com/post/6...

Simler90’s Perfume mod: https://modthesims.info/d/631694/perf...

Turn-ons/offs custom replacements:
Simler90: https://modthesims.info/d/609675/upda...
Midge the Tree: https://midgethetree.tumblr.com/post/...
Lazy Duchess: https://lazyduchess.tumblr.com/post/6...
Epi: https://episims.tumblr.com/day/2021/0...

Marhis’s Beauty Wish doesn’t bring visitors at night: https://modthesims.info/download.php?...

Cyjon’s debugger (to fix stuck Beauty wishes, among other things): http://cyjon.net/node/148

Cyjon’s Genie Initialization fix: http://cyjon.net/node/434

Cyjon’s New Genie Wishes: http://cyjon.net/node/390

**More mods:** https://docs.google.com/document/d/1t...

~ Tracklist ~

Waiting by Ghostrifter Official | SoundCloud: ghostrifter-official
Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/
Creative Commons CC BY-SA 3.0
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...

By Loyalty Freak music on https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all...
Harsh Love
The Candle
Love Her
One Cool Minute
Waiting TTTT
Beach
No Cadillac
Summer Pride
I Care

20 Comments

@WikiCap 4 years ago

I actually think that all this 5.0 personality penalty thing makes perfect sense. If you are e.g. something in the middle between being messy and being neat, those who are more messy would consider you too neat, and those who are more neat would consider you to be not neat enough. So you cannot satisfy anyone. Sad, but realistic.

@itamarmedeirosnetto 4 years ago

I knew It was detailed but never knew It was THIS detailed

@andrew_allegedly 2 years ago

The way this game is about to go 20 years old and we’re STILL amazed by its depth, complexity, and sheer scale. And couple it with April Black’s videos on demystifying corruption, we even find that the code actually is shockingly sophisticated and powerful. Its unreal how much love and genius went into making this game what it is and how outright brilliant it really is.

@hellorayna 4 years ago

Thank you for explaining why my sims refuse to use the dishwasher and go all the way upstairs to wash dishes. Haha great video.

@bybyden 4 years ago

Me after all my life i thought the attraction is based just on turnon/turnoff : 😮😯😲😦😧😨🤡

Great video! Thank you!

@dina12987 3 years ago

Man I really miss this from newer games, It's so in depth! I get why newer games would struggle with an attraction system like this without point-like personalities, but still! Sims 2 may have been "simplified" compared to the others, but it's on a whole nother level than the others when it comes to things like this.

@Marticore 4 years ago

Holy crap... Excellent work!!!
I finally understand the calculation of personality points, as reading about it I found it too complicated and difficult. I also learned a few useful details. Thank you!

@tistoaries1931 4 years ago

I knew TS2's attraction system was complex, but not THAT much lol !
The very little bonus for being in Twikkii Island (or any tropical destination I guess) is interesting... When booking a stay for lovers, I think I will choose this place more often then.

@samifranco5541 2 years ago

i still think the developers of this game where extremely bold to implement all this kind of interaction, for its time was pretty revolutionary how they try to imitate normal social interactions

@LaughOLott 4 years ago

I just got back into Sims 2 because my sims4 is BROKEN.. But man I really appreciate the level of detail in Sims 2

@ErikLeroux 2 years ago

“Relaxed Object” made me happier than I can possibly express

@SkeruSeven 4 years ago

After 15 years of playing Sims2, I still learned new stuff :D
Except the whole chemistry rules: I didn't know you can mix oranges with cucumbers for a love drink! Thanks ^^

@snarkbotanya6557 3 years ago

The attraction penalty for different personality scores is weird and complicated, but I can see where they were going with it. The more extreme a Sim's own personality trait is, the more they notice a lack of it, or its opposite, in their partners. As a couple of examples, let's take a strong introvert and moderate extravert (Outgoing 1 and Outgoing 7); and a neat freak and someone who's not sloppy, but not particularly organized either (Neat 9 and Neat 5). For the introvert and the extravert, their traits clash, but the strong introvert notices it more because they have less tolerance for unwanted social interaction than the moderate extravert has for going without social interaction, hence the greater part of the penalty coming from the introvert's side of the equation. For the neat freak and their not-neat-not-sloppy partner, the neat Sim gets annoyed by their patner not cleaning up to their standards, while the not-neat-not-sloppy Sim doesn't really appreciate or not appreciate their patner's organization skills because cleanliness or lack thereof isn't really a big deal to them, hence the penalty coming entirely from the neat Sim.

@rashigupta986 4 years ago

This was one of the most well made videos I have seen about the Sims 2 in the recent past. Thank you for compiling all this data. It was super easy to follow from your clear explanations!

@shalryma 4 years ago (edited)

This was the only maths class that I sat through with pleasure! This stuff is simply fascinating! Well done!

As a kid I thought the only reasons for chemistry were turn ons and turn offs. And they are, of course, broken as well 😅

@k_oscxx3 1 year ago

"romance and family are notoriously incompatible"
how did don and cass even get ENGAGED?!

@bekahbratt 4 years ago

Sims 4 could never tbh

@BellaDovah 4 years ago (edited)

I’ve not finished watching yet but I just have to comment after watching the personality section. While I daren’t try to change the formula, I really think I will look into removing the personality cap (or cap it at 14). Thank you for mentioning my no zodiac mod, I still firmly stand by it but what I did in that to make up for losing a potential +35 bonus, I brought down the threshold required for 3 bolts a little. While that works, I think it could be better balanced to put this back how it was and uncap personality (if it’s feasible with my limited knowledge). I’m also now extremely tempted to change every sim’s personality in SimPe if they have 500 points to either 499 or 501… Its so interesting to be able to learn so much more about the game after what feels like a lifetime of playing it, thank you for another excellently put together video absolutely jam packed with information!

Edit: finished now. Difficult to sit through?! You had my full undivided attention and I was captivated by every second! I loved it! To add, I do tend to always change the randomly assigned turn ons/offs to premades based on what I think suits them. I think the main reason for this is that for a lot of them, even with a replacer (I use Lazy Duchess’ as I designed it and requested it) its usually pretty clear which ones would usually be a turn on and which would usually be a turn off except for in very specific circumstances. I can’t allow a seemingly ‘normal’ sim to be turned on by stink or a sim to be turned off by a good skill without a good storytelling reason for them to be. I think I will also look into the Twikkii Island buff, I think it should still be subtle though, maybe +7? If I can even find it haha! Anyway, well done and thanks again😊

@AniBats 4 years ago

Omg! Leto, this was incredible, I'm completely blown away 🤯 When you mentioned that you were making this video, I knew it would be something that I'd love. I didn't know it would sweep me away quite like this. It's a work of art! The time and dedication, the heart and soul, that you've put into this is insane. I loved every second of it, and will go right back to a re-watch of it. This is deeply fascinating, and you made it so easy to understand and follow along. You are a master at this, really wow!!! Thank you so much for creating this ❤

@mrplumbob95 4 years ago

Wow, you did an incredible job. Chemistry system was always kind of black magic to me so now I can finally understand what's going on. I didn't know it's that detailed