Introduction
It is possible, using a combination of mods and EA debug commands, to add Sims to custom worlds using Edit-In-Game in the Create-A-World tool (CAW). Testing to date demonstrates that these Sims will be installed with the world file, and will act just as the premade Sims in Sunset Valley or Twinbrook. However, creators should bear in mind the pool of testers has been small and largely non-technical. These testers have now maintained working worlds across four or five generations without any corruption that is apparent to end users. Suffice to say, worlds populated with this method should carry warnings, but appear to be safe if certain rules are followed. Even so, it is a sensible precaution to back up the world before attempting this.
This tutorial assumes readers understand how to install and manage custom content.
Requirements
* NRaas DebugEnabler
* NRaas Porter
* NRaas MasterController
Players can find the latest version of all the NRaas mods at twallan's NRaas Industries
In-depth Method
This section was written by Kiwi_tea. It goes into detail about populating worlds. It deals with multiple issues that may need addressing.
For the quick, basic method, go HERE
Preparations
The first thing you want to do is create a fresh folder in My Documents so that you don't clutter up your gameplay library with families you're going to add to CAW. This is an optional step, but it can be very helpful for keeping things organized. Just rename your "The Sims 3" folder in My Documents, and start your game. The game will generate a fresh folder and you can have a group of save games specifically for building families, lots, and testing out Beta-quality and below world files.
Make sure you install all the appropriate NRaas mods in the new folder that the game has generated.
Make all the households that you want to add and save them to the library Edit Town mode. You do not need to share them. There will need to be a residential lot in the world for each and every one of these households. Make sure you name each household differently, and keep a record of which is which. You can change the household names in CAW later, so if you have two Smith families name them Smith1 and Smith2 for the moment. When using the Porter mod you will need to be able to recognize which family is which based only on these names. Bear in mind relatives can be in different households, you can reattach them later using the MasterController mod.
Step One: Using the Make Sim command in Edit-In-Game Edit Step One: Using the Make Sim command in Edit-In-Game
Lots are an essential requirement. They are the vessels that carry all a creator's Sims and their data. First, the creator should finish their world, excepting only small details like the odd bush or street lamp. This is a precaution to ensure the Sims' data is preserved perfectly, without any risks that might arise from building upon or shifting lots with Sims in them. Creators can risk it if they want, but it is not recommended. Before adding Sims it might pay to switch the Story Progression toggle off, as while the Sims only seem to do basic processes and have static motives, it is best to have fewer processes running that might go wrong.
All the action takes place in Edit-In-Game mode, so once the world is ready, enter it.
Now simply type "makesim" into the cheat console and you will have an active homeless Sim.
The Make Sim interaction spawns a random EAxis pudding-faced Sim. This Sim automatically becomes the player's active household and active Sim, just like when playing the game. Sims in Edit-In-Game have no free will, and their motives are static (don't worry, they don't remain static in the actual game). They can run around town, and interact with most objects, but bear in mind they will always be standing up when the player first opens the game, so sitting them in a chair or on a bed will result in upright Sims clipping weirdly through the objects. The random Sim I've been saddled with is Gregg Edward. For a random Sim he's surprisingly unfugly, but this process as totally random as the EAxis townie spawning in the game, so most of the time these Sims will look ridiculous. At any rate, players should now have a Sim standing about on a lot in Edit-In-Game, and under their control. It might appear that these Sims do not have Lifetime Wishes (the box will be blank), but these are registered and do survive the export process.
This Sim is a powerful tool, unlocking many more commands that, without an active Sim, are not available. However, creators should use the additional debugging commands (under NRaas DebugEnabler) with extreme caution, if at all, and if you do not know what a command does DO NOT TOUCH IT.
Step Two: De-fuglying and clean up Edit Step Two: De-fuglying and clean up
This step is where NRaas MasterController comes in handy, although not essential. If creators want only to make Sims and then de-pudding them, dress them properly, change their traits and wishes, and add description text then awesomemod is sufficient. Just use MasterController's various functions by clicking on the City Hall and running everything from there. Spawn each new Sim on the lot you wish them to inhabit using Make Sim. Creators who want a population of inter-related Sims with varying careers and skill levels, can have that using MasterController as well. Do not try to use the EA debugging commands to set skills and careers: MasterController is safer and more reliable. Players who have used MasterController previously will have no trouble with this, and for players unfamiliar with the mod it is very intuitive. It should not pose any steep learning curve, and twallan provides further instructions on his forums (linked to above).
Creators can edit family descriptions from Edit Town mode, but should not try switching or moving active families here. This will deselect the current household. Instead use MasterController's Add Sim command to move Sims from one household to another. Without an active Sim, creators cannot select other Sims, so it is necessary to use Make Sim at the beginning of every session in Edit-In-Game. For this reason, it is best to try and add all the Sims to a world in one session (step three will be helpful in this regard). Any excess Sims can be destroyed cleanly using SuperComputer's Total Annihilation interaction.
Pregnancies set with SuperComputer's Pollinate command will carry over successfully into the world you create.
Step Three: How to add premade Sims Edit Step Three: How to add premade Sims
When the creator discovers that CAW blocks access to Create-A-Family in Edit-In-Game, and that all the accessible manifestations of Create-A-Sim don't allow access to premade Sims, they can start to see a horrifying one-by-one effort of sculpting and resculpting every single Sim in the entire world individually. Forever.
Adding ResidentsEdit Adding Residents sectionEdit
There is, after all, not even access to the genetic mixing tool for making children. The outlook is bleak until the creator discovers that twallan's Porter mod also works in Edit-In-Game so long as they have an active Sim in the world. Porter allows creators to add families from the family bin into lots simply by clicking on the lot, selecting Porter, then Unpack, then choosing the name of the family in the bin. Note that you will see a warning message stating, "This household does not appear to be a Porter household." For this reason, it helps to keep the family names distinct from one another - creators can always change them using Edit Town mode once they're in Edit-In-Game. So it's simply, really: Build all the families in the game itself, save them to the bin, and then introduce them into Edit-In-Game using Make Sim > Porter > [Family name].
Creators can make the families related in interesting ways using SuperComputer's Advanced > Family > Add [relative] feature. Importing premade Sims is the only way to get Sims with celebrity status, as well.
Adding Townies
Townies (aka "homeless Sims") are the pool of Sims that the games drafts to become bouncers, mixologists, etc. If you want premade townies you start by adding them exactly the same way as other Sim households. Once the family you want to be homeless is installed in a household click on one of the walls and select MasterController's Evict command. If you want to clear the lot you can go to Edit in Game and bulldoze it. The homeless Sims will disappear, but they will still be in the world file.
Adding Service NPCsEdit Adding Service NPCs
To add Sims to the hidden Service NPC household just click on a Sim and select MasterController's Advanced > Set Service command. Choose which service you want your Sim to perform and when the game loads up the Sim you chose should be your new Mailman or Repairman.
A Warning about Ghosts & MummiesEdit A Warning about Ghosts & Mummies sectionEdit
Ghosts and Mummies added in Edit-In-Game lose some of their essential data during saving, specifically the data from when they were normal Sims. Hence Ghosts and Mummies always become hopelessly corrupted. Likewise, urns containing dead Sims are stripped of their Ghosts, and will present simply as "Remains" objects. Players seeking to incorporate Ghosts and occult Sims into their worlds must offer these Sims in a shared save file - there is no other way. Vampires and Simbots can both be added safely, thankfully.
Step Four: Reset motives before saving Edit Step Four: Reset motives before saving
Before saving there is one essential step that creator must take using NRaas DebugEnabler. Sims' motives are calculated in accordance with the time in the world. More than likely the creator has let the clock run in Edit-In-Game, and this can cause an intial lag in when the motives begin to calculate for players who have just loaded up the world. Thank twallan of NRaas for providing a specific solution to this issue. Using DebugEnabler, and making sure the game is paused, type in the restartmotives command. Now save the game, without letting the clock run again. This ensures that all Sims' motives will start calculating as soon as the world is loaded. If you adjust the world in any way that lets the clock run, remember to redo this step before saving.
Drawbacks
Sims should not have complex relationships with objects, nor pre-existing skill data if they are imported with the Porter mod. Do not important Sims that have written books, painted paintings, or made nectar bottles, etc. There is a good chance these objects, if also imported, will corrupt. There is also a chance the Sim's skill data will not save in its entirety. Creators should keep the Sims they import clean and simple - preferably fresh from Create-A-Sim or Create-A-Family. Set all skill levels with the MasterController mod or by skilling up manually once the Sims are in Edit-In-Game mode. Bear in mind at all times that not all processes run in Edit-In-Game mode, and there is the risk that any but the most basic data won't transfer into this environment, or be preserved in CAW more generally.
Do not ever let a Sim die in CAW. It never turns out well, and often crashes the entire program. The NPC household doesn't exist in Edit-In-Game, so there's no Grim Reaper or any other services, and this mode doesn't run death scenarios properly. You'll just corrupt Sims. Force Kill with SuperComputer is not a way around this. It just results in Urns with heavily corrupted Sims attached.
