Learn-to-Read Mod 1.0.52v

⚠️Important⚠️ There are now two flavors of this mod as per request.

- The original version, which affects all Sims who don't get rid of the Never Learned to Read trait.
- New Toddlers Only version, which is basically the same thing except that only Sims that have been toddlers will gain the Never Learned to Read trait. It will trigger the moment they reach level 1 on the movement skill (since realistically all toddlers will move at least once and unlock that at the very least), and will be removed upon reaching any of the removal conditions, be it Imagination Level 4, or any of the aspirations if removed later in life.

Remember to pick only one!

And fun fact before you move on: chingyu1023's Sorted Traits Picker now has my Learn-to-Read traits for some reason, so feel free to check them out on their page. Not sure how that happened but many thanks to them for implementing this!

Update log:


Full description:

Worth noting: I tested this out in a modern setting, but keeping in mind historical gameplay, specifically in the context of peasants who likely wouldn’t have been taught in school. This should be usable in any time period, but there's a relevant note in terms of historical gameplay where applicable.

Required: Base Game, though two buffs require University to be experienced.

Ever been surprised by how those Sims you never bought books for somehow grew up perfectly capable of reading? Well, I haven't been, but still decided to do something about it. Gone are the days in which you can raise your children within a raised platform without raising their skills - so long as you care for the consequences, that is. The game already provides the option for toddlers to “learn” to read at Imagination level 4, but nothing really goes wrong if you don’t get there. You’ll get benefits if you reach top-notch toddler, sure, but not increasing imagination (or any skills, for that matter) doesn’t really mean anything. There are no consequences.

Not normally, that is. So, introducing a Learn-to-Read Mod (originally dubbed the Literacy Mod before I decided that wasn’t a clear enough title). No longer will your Sims be able to pick up a book and miraculously gain the ability to read. They’ll have to actually learn to read.

Pre-existing and newly-generated Sims of any age (toddler+) will have the Never Learned to Read trait. But don’t worry, it’s perfectly possible to get rid of.

Easiest way to go about it? Reach level 4 Imagination as a toddler. The in-game learned-to-read notification is no longer meaningless, as toddlers will then gain the Learned to Read While Growing Up trait and reap all the benefits that brings.

The Learned to Read While Growing Up trait grants Sims:



And if you don’t teach your toddlers to read? Well, the main consequences start as soon as they age up into a child, and will continue being applied so long the trait remains.

Sims who are still carrying the Never Learned to Read trait will experience:



In addition to this, Sims with the Never Learned to Read trait will be fired from jobs that would require literacy in order to be performed. They will not be physically prevented from joining those jobs, but they’ll be fired when moving lots or reloading. You could thus try to keep them in a job like Engineer, for example, but they wouldn’t last long.

It’s easier to list the careers that aren’t affected by this, so here they are:

The following "jobs" will only increase performance at a 10th of the base pace. There are no longer any careers that auto-fire Sims:



The Writing, Media Production, and Programming skills will also only increase at a 1% rate so long as a Sim has the Never Learned to Read trait.

This doesn’t take into consideration whatever jobs may come from packs that I don’t own (like Interior Designer) since, well, I have not looked into it since I don’t have the packs. If you disagree with any of these careers being allowed, or think any other career should still be allowed, feel free to say so and explain your reasoning, as I am perfectly willing to listen and make changes if need be.[/spoiler]

Now, now. If your Sim didn’t reach level 4 in imagination as a toddler or otherwise spawned from the depths of CAS, there is still hope. There are ways to remove the Never Learned to Read trait and replace it with another, regardless of your Sim’s age.

Method 1: Learn-to-Read Aspiration for Children

(found under the Mental category)



Method 2: Learn-to-Read Aspiration for Teen+

(found under the Knowledge category)



What does the Can Read trait do?

It removes the Never Learned to Read trait upon addition. That’s it. Unlike with the Learned to Read While Growing Up trait, this trait will simply take the place of the previous trait upon being obtained and will not provide additional benefits. Same goes for having it on top of the Learned to Read While Growing Up trait, it doesn’t make a difference, and you only need one.

You could hypothetically remove the Never Learned to Read trait with cheats but fair warning, from the limited testing I did on removing it with cheats, it’s just going to re-apply itself upon reloading the game if it wasn’t replaced by either the Can Read or Learned to Read While Growing Up traits.

If you want to use this mod for your new toddlers and above, but don’t want to waste much time getting rid of the limitations for your pre-made Sims, I recommend cheating to complete either aspiration rather than cheating to remove the trait, since this way it should be properly replaced.

Languages:

• English
• Spanish
• French (by kimikosoma, who has written about the mod here)

Known issues:

• Not really an “issue”, but (as previously mentioned), if you cheat to remove a trait, the Never Learned to Read trait will reapply itself whenever it has the chance to if it wasn’t replaced properly.

Q&A:



Credits:

This wouldn’t have been possible for me to do without Zerbu’s Mod Constructor and The Sims 4 Studio. They are exceptional programs and I thank their creators for making them.