What are "mods"?

[girlwhoplayssims]

I feel kind of dumb asking this because almost every post includes something along the lines of "no you can't do that but you can use a mod".

What are mods? Is it when you click Ctrl Shift C and put in a cheat? Or is it when you download something? How do you get them?

I've been working on a sim who mastered inventing and I hate going through the whole process of gathering gems for a simbot. I looked online and it said the only other way was by using a "mod", whatever that is.

So does everyone have access to these? Are mods cheats for just about everything on sims 3?

Can someone name some websites that I can download mods off of?

edit: Thanks Wai- I already built the miner, found the padallion, collected the life fruit, and the map does lead me to the pink diamond. I have plenty of pink diamond, I just can't figure out how to get it into a heart shaped cut! There's no option when I click the "Cut..." button, so am I supposed to find it that way?

[Audren]

"Mods" is short for Modifications, which are add-ons created by other players that change some aspect of the game. These can allow for added features or functionality to your game, but they can also cause gameplay issues. There's an entire sub-forum devoted to mods here.

As for your gem-collecting issue, you may be able to find one at the Consignment Store. That's how I get mine.

[Wai]

Mods, personally, I don't use them, but the mods thread should tell you which are good and which to be avoided, if you want to use them.

The pink diamond is available spawned on the map, sorry, I can't remember exactly where, but, I think it is in the guide on this forum, there are maps of most of the towns which will show you the rough locations.  If you tell us which map, some here will probably be able to point you to the right places.

Other places and ways of getting them:
The consignment store. (If you don't mind being a little crafty, put a couple of extra tills in the store to increase your chances.)  Another way to increase your chances is to buy up everything in the store forcing the shop to restock.

The board breaker - you need to master martial arts and break 150 oak boards for this to work.  You may have to break just a few, or an awful lot of space rocks before you get one. You will get a wide variety of different rocks this way, some quite valuable.

The miner - make one on the invention bench, or buy one.  Again, you might get one on your first dig, but, more likely you will need to do many digs.  You will get a wide variety of different items this way, some quite valuable.

Testingcheatsenabled true - Buydebug -place an epic gem spawner on your lot, or anywhere you prefer and wait for one to spawn.  Needless to say, this is outright cheating.  You will get a wide variety of different rocks this way, some quite valuable.

I believe that there are other ways, but I don't have all the EP's.

[KRae]

Am I correct in understanding that you have pink diamonds but just can't cut them into heart-shape? You need to collect all types of gems to unlock the heart-shape cut.

[Wai]

Ah, you have the gems. Sorry,

So, you need to learn how to cut them.  I'm not sure how many gems have to be cut before the heart shape becomes available.  Look in the Guide, it lists the value of all gem cuts there and tells you how many you need to unlock the heart shape.  However, I would just keep sending off gems to be cut.  A quick way to get lots of gems to cut is to buy from the consignment store.  You could well buy a heart cut pink there for about 8k. too.  If you have WA you can buy and collect lotd of gems while on holiday to speed up the unlocking of the hear.  I usually unlock this cut within a few days of play by buying gems and getting them cut.  You can use these with meteors, metals or relics to produce tiberium and make huge sums of simoleans.  Again, check the guide for how to transpose.

[girlwhoplayssims]

Thanks Wai! I guess I just needed to be patient and wait until the option for cutting them into a heart shape popped up.

[Pam]

The heart shape becomes available once you have collected 10 types of gems.

As for the issue of mods, I personally do not use them.  They can and do cause problems with the game.  One of the first questions we ask someone who is having a problem is, "Are you using any mods?"  I advise caution, especially if you are a new player.  Bringing mods into your game adds a whole other level of issues, like making sure you get the updated mod every time an update to the game is released.  I'm also sorry that you're reading that mods are a solution so often.  My preference is for answers to be within normal game play rather than jumping straight to suggesting a mod.

[KRae]

I've tried different mods, but like Pam says, they can create a whole new set of issues. Even trust worthy mods like NRaas may do things you don't necessarily want. I tried Nraas Story Progression to have a more active town, but everyone hooked up so young, it was hard to spouses. Although, I didn't have problems with Master Controller, most everything I did with it, I could do using testingcheats. The only mod I ever use any more is Overwatch just to keep my game clean. As I'm playing a challenge file now, I'm not even using that. Pam's right. Mods are really not necessary in most cases and in a way it's more fun to figure things out without them.