Is your Scientist sim seeking more interesting friends than those they can find in their local Welcome Wagon? Are they tired of the same old boring sim-versations, and want someone to befriend who can speak on their level of intelligence? Do they prefer artificial friends to the real thing? Let us introduce you (and them) to Wheatley, an exciting Invention Constructor mod!
Artificial Intelligence has advanced by leaps and bounds in recent decades, especially when it comes to building emotional relationships with humans. In the world of the Sims 4 there are several non-living beings that your sims can befriend, such as stuffed animals, the Lin-Z Smart Speaker, Potty Mouth 2.0 talking toilet, Patchy the scarecrow, Servos, and more.
One of the less utilized devices your sims can build a relationship with is the Invention Constructor which can be found at FutureSim Labs, as part of the Scientist career path. It’s a cool enough looking device with a lot of nifty features, but if you find the lovability to be a bit lacking you’ll enjoy the Wheatley Invention Constructor mod by saltyglow.
Getting Started as a Scientist
Get To Work was the first Expansion Pack to be released for the Sims 4 and brought with it three new Professions: Detective, Doctor, and Scientist. Unlike the more hands-off careers of the base game these new jobs enable players to travel to work with their sims, tending to their needs and completing various work-related tasks throughout the day to raise performance and advance towards a promotion. Every Profession has its own unique tasks, dedicated objects, and a secret work lot for a really immersive experience; your sims will even have Tasks to complete on their own time to aid towards their occupational ascent.
Sims in the Scientist Profession focus on analyzing, inventing, testing, and exploring. They study samples, concoct serums, invent new devices, run experiments, and the most dedicated minds may even dream of visiting Planet SixAm to observe aliens in their natural habitat! In order to perform these duties, sims gain access to several career-exclusive objects including the Invention Constructor. This object allows you to invent and upgrade various devices:
- Momentum Conserver – Provides a +1 Focused Buff
- SimRay – Can be upgraded to do various things such as freezing sims, transforming sims and objects, and even controlling the subject’s mind
- Hover Lamp – A, alien-looking lamp that grants +2 Focus
- Satellite Dish – Use these dishes to affect the mood of entire neighborhoods, communicate with aliens, and tune into a special extraterrestrial TV station
- Cloning Machine – Duplicate collectibles, food, and even sims
- Electroflux Wormhole Generator – Contact aliens, test the environment, and travel to Planet SixAm
As you can see, the Invention Constructor is a really useful object for your sims! In addition to these tasks, sims can socialize with the Invention Constructor to fill their social need and make a friend without leaving the laboratory. Toss in a bathroom and some way to nap and eat, and they’ll never have to go outside again!
Making Friends with Wheatley
Those familiar with the Portal video game series will know Wheatley, who appeared in Portal 2 to help and hinder the player character throughout the game. He’s not particularly smart or trustworthy but what he lacks in poise, he makes up for in charm, clueless optimism, and pure entertainment factor. Wheatley has made special appearances in several other games, and was even nominated for “Character of the Year” at the 2011 Video Game Awards.
The mod by saltyglow takes the Invention Constructor and replaces the AI unit with a mesh of Wheatley, complete with his shiny rounded body and bright blue “eye.” Now you can tap into the unhinged fun of Aperture Science labs for your own mad antics in the comfort of your own research lab! He functions just like the base game Invention Constructor so you can invent and upgrade all the necessary devices for the Scientist career in addition to using him for socialization.
Known Conflicts
The Invention Constructor has had a long-known issue with the animations malfunctioning in the base mesh, which unfortunately we have to wait on the Sims Team to fix. It doesn’t affect the functionality of the object though, so you can still reap all the benefits of having this unhinged little orb as your companion.
Because it’s a special object, only sims in the Scientist career track can interact with the machine. This is also the case with the vanilla Invention Constructor and is an intentional limitation, not a bug.
Final Thoughts
If you’re bored with the regular Invention Constructor and want to add a little variety to your AI assistant options, Wheatley will be a welcome addition to your research team. He can build and upgrade objects for you as well as provide some entertaining conversation during downtime when you’re feeling a bit lonely. So long as you don’t give him too much power, your sim will share a mutually beneficial relationship with the little guy that spans from here to the moon. Enjoy his antics, and happy simming!
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