Hidden Fruit of the PlantSim Mod (PlantSims Keep Hair & Skintone)

Status 9/15/2024: Updated for 8/8 Lovestruck patch (PC: 1.108.349.1020 / Mac: 1.108.349.1220).

There are several excellent PlantSim mods floating around out there (Srsly's PS Lives comes to mind), but I wanted to play a storyline where PlantSims have to hide their true nature, so I made this.

WHAT THIS MOD CHANGES:
• PlantSims keep their original hair and skintone, allowing them to "blend in" with ordinary humans.
• The PlantSim trait is permanent, unless you choose to remove it.
• You can purchase a Forbidden Fruit from the Rewards store, if you don't feel like growing one.
• Idle animations and extreme hunger occur less frequently.
• Absorbing Solar Energy is more effective and gives you an Energized moodlet.
• PlantSims no longer have an effective skill modifier of +4 to Gardening, but learn Gardening and Flower Arranging at 1.5x speed.

WHAT THIS MOD ADDS:
Nothing is more annoying than starving to death because the weather is bad, or because the sun has set. This Mod equips PlantSims with two tricks to remedy this:

⚘ Bribe the Weather Goddess is available during the day and can be accessed by clicking on your Sim. They will scatter petals and beg the sky for mercy, clearing up any inclement weather for the low, low cost of §100 (Sims with the Free Services Reward Trait don't have to pay the bribery fee).
⚘ Tap into Starch Reserves is available at night, and fills the PlantSim's Hunger while draining away some of their Energy.

There are two sets of social interactions - one for PlantSims who are in hiding, and one for PlantSims who have chosen to disclose their secret to someone special. The following are available as soon as someone becomes a PlantSim:

⚘ Compliment Gardening Instincts (Friendly→Compliments)
⚘ Enthuse About Sunbathing (Friendly→Hobbies)
⚘ Hint at Existence of PlantSims (Friendly→Deep Thoughts)
⚘ Joke About Hayfever (Funny→Jokes)
⚘ Indulge in Plant Puns (Funny→Silly Behavior)
⚘ Imply Interest in Pollination (Romance→Flirtation)
⚘ Sew Seeds of Doubt (Mischief→Deception)
⚘ Mock Belief in PlantSims, to deflect suspicion (Mean→Malicious)

With a full friendship bar, PlantSims gain the ⚘ Reveal Truth about Self dialogue option, located under Deep Thoughts. This allows for additional interactions between the PlantSim and their trusted friend:

⚘ Complain about Need for Secrecy (Friendly→Complaints)
⚘ Describe Taste of Rain (Friendly→Small Talk)
⚘ Recount Tale of Forbidden Fruit (Friendly→Stories)
⚘ Share Facts about PlantSims (Friendly→Deep Thoughts)
⚘ Seduce with Spores (Romance→Physical Affection)
⚘ Claim Father Winter is a PlantSim (Mischief→Deception)
Trusted Friends can also initiate the following:
⚘ Commiserate with PlantSim Struggles or, if both are Plantsims, ⚘ Take Comfort in Shared Experiences (Friendly→Deep Thoughts)
⚘ Buddy Hug (Friendly→Affection)
⚘ Denounce PlantSims (Mean→Malicious, not available to Good, Loyal, or Compassionate Sims)

WHAT IF I DON'T WANT TO BE A PLANTSIM ANYMORE?
Click on your phone, select Travel, and choose ⚘ Undergo Herbaceous Transplant. Your Sim will be whisked away to meet with a deeply unethical botanist and will return sporting a Dazed moodlet. Former PlantSims can ⚘ Casually Announce New Status to members of their inner circle (Friendly→Gossip), resetting the whole knowledge process. They can ⚘ Obliquely Allude to Former Life (Friendly→Stories) thereafter.



OPTIONAL ADD-ONS:
I wanted my PlantSims to have at least one otherworldly feature, so I combined my mesh with Nords' Yahline Eyes, which she has generously made available for recolor. They are located under facepaint and are heterochromatic - the right eye periodically glows a vibrant green. They conflict with bracelets, but work with 3-D lashes.



TECHNICAL DETAILS:
I used the following tools to make Hidden Fruit of the PlantSim: Sims 4 Studio, STBL Studio, and TDESC Builder. Social mixers added by this mod will not run autonomously, and they have a lockout time of 60 Sim minutes to prevent spamming. Some yield sentiments or buffs, others don't. In their infinite wisdom, EA decided that only Non-Occult Teens, Young Adults, Adults, and Elders can become PlantSims, so interactions are restricted to humans of those age groups. There are other mods that unlock kids/toddlers/etc. but that feature wasn't relevant to my story idea, and I did make this thing for myself.

PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THIS MOD REQUIRES THE XML INJECTOR AND WILL CONFLICT WITH ALMOST ANY OTHER PLANTSIM MOD. This is my first attempt at true modding, and there are almost certainly mistakes, so I welcome player feedback, suggestions for additional content, tips on how to clean up my coding, etc.

Have fun with it



P.S. What is the XML Injector, & why do modders use it? A succinct explanation can be found here.