Inventor Profession

Inventor Profession

At its most simple definition Inventing and the profession of the Inventor is the use of a Scrapatronic Workbench to create and invent toys, widgets, and certain special inventions -- some of which even qualify as new technology -- using bits of scrap and recycled materials that are obtained in a variety of ways, some of them even environmentally sound!

Prior to setting out on your career as an Inventor it would be a really good idea to first level up your Handiness Skill by repairing and upgrading -- in fact it is fair to say that you will find it very beneficial to cap-off that skill before you begin your new profession as an Inventor.

The Professional Inventor creates widgets, toys and devices

-- Becoming an Inventor --

You have a number of options to pursue in opening the path to this new profession, and they are:

(1) Take a class in Inventing at the Science Labs;

(2) Use the "Dabble" option on your Scrapatrinic Workbench to muddle your way to the first Level;

(3) Purchase and read the Inventor Skill Books from the Bookstore.

Regardless of the path that you take you can either get the basic first Level and then start leveling by inventing -- or you can read all three books and quickly master the trade -- but either way there are a few things you are going to need to do regardless, and the primary one of these is find and accumulate a large amount of Scrap Material!  Fortunately there are a number of ways to obtain this basic building block of the Inventor:

Inventing requires a wide variety of tools

(1) You can purchase the materials through your bench, but that is not the ideal manner as it gets quite expensive;

(2) You can rummage for it -- it can be found in the trash cans of your neighborhood, and in fact if you have a Sim working in the Law Enforcement career track they will be doing a fair bit of trash-diving to gather intel on the citizens of your community anyway, so have them save it up for you!  Or you can do it yourself, just remember to get rid of the trash that accumulates in your inventory on a regular basis;

(3) Visit the local Junkyards and gather Scrap from the piles of jink there;

(4) Once you have leveled up you can select large objects at the scrap yards and blow them up to create the scrap you need -- but be careful what you choose to blow up and be sure nothing valuable is nearby that might also blow up (a car for example) since you will get into a lot of trouble and have to pay for anything you destroy you were not supposed to destroy!

Helpful Traits:  Ambitious, Charismatic, Friendly

As you will note above having these Traits can be helpful to your Inventor -- mostly in dealing with other people -- and of course for doing business as an Inventor!  Bear in mind though that they are just suggestions -- a Sim with other Traits can still make a great Inventor.


-- Career Levels/Titles and Details --

There are ten Levels for this non-traditional career, and listed below are the levels and their titles.  As this is one of the non-traditional professions that can be registered as a self-employed career, doing so is advisable not just so that the system is tracking your stats, but also because you will be offered additional challenges and opportunities that you ordinarily would not get otherwise. 

The following Level titles are obtained by attaining specific amounts of profit from your craft -- the amount required to unlock the specified Level is listed with it below:

Level 01: Electrocution Victim
Level 02: Nuts and Bolts Combiner ($30)
Level 03: Duct Tape Rigger ($105)
Level 04: Whatchamahickey Designer ($405)
Level 05: Experienced Innovator ($1405)
Level 06: Hosebeast ($3905)
Level 07: Father of Local Ingenuity ($8905)
Level 08: Feared Techie ($18905)
Level 09: Robotics Dealer ($43905)
Level 10: Fourth Dimensional Architect ($88905)

-- The Long Road to Mastery --

When you start out you will be inventing widgets at first -- and a lot of them -- but eventually as your skill increases you will start to invent useful and interesting (some of them amusing) objects and devices -- and with each new schematic unlocked and new invention made, your prowess, reputation, and satisfaction will grow.  Bear in mind though that the bane of your existence is going to be the burden of obtaining a sufficient supply of scrap to work with, so you should try to get used to that and get efficient and picking your sources and stockpiling the stuff so that you don't find yourself paying for it!

As an Inventor you will eventually be able to make the following items:

Level Required -- Invention Name -- Invention Type -- Scrap Needed -- Base Value
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Level 01 -- Drinking Llama -- Widget -- 2 Scrap -- $20
Level 01 -- Smasher -- Widget -- 2 Scrap -- $23
Level 02 -- Dog Toy -- Toy -- 2 Scrap -- $27
Level 02 -- Rotational Pull -- Widget -- 3 Scrap -- $29
Level 03 -- Cow Toy -- Toy -- 4 Scrap -- $37
Level 03 -- Floor Hygienator -- Big Invention -- 10 Scrap -- $197
Level 03 -- Tentacled Wind Up -- Widget -- 4 Scrap -- $53
Level 04 -- Harvester -- Big Invention -- 25 Scrap -- $529
Level 04 -- Whale Toy -- Toy -- 4 Scrap -- $52
Level 05 -- Localized Static Tester -- Widget -- 6 Scrap -- $138
Level 06 -- Floating Duck -- Widget -- 7 Scrap -- $165
Level 06 -- Robot Toy -- Toy -- 3 Scrap -- $86
Level 07 -- Flying Fighters -- Widget -- 9 Scrap -- $172
Level 07 -- Miner -- Big Invention -- 50 Scrap -- $1012
Level 09 -- Time Machine -- Big Invention -- 75 Scrap -- $2024
Level 10 -- SimBot -- Big Invention -- 100 Scrap** -- N/A

** In addition to requiring 100 Scrap, the schematic to build a SimBot also requires 1 Life Fruit, 1 Palladium Ingot, and 1 Heart Cut Pink Diamond.

-- Special Free Ambitions Package --

There is a package free on The Sims Store that includes some extra items for your Sims for the Ambitions expansion, including two new Inventor Items -- called The Ultimate Career Bundle -- which includes the Octavian and Guardian Griffon Sculptures, the Claw Dipper and Air Bender Inventor items, some dresses and some new hair styles.

The official description on The Sims Store says: "Prepare your Sims for the perils of the professional world with The Ultimate Career Bundle download. Diligent inventors can discover unique new inventions. Visionary sculptors may develop new models of creation. Investigators will benefit from exclusive cases testing their resolve and mental fortitude. Adorn all ages with a Practical Curl haircut or style adult females with a new Sophisticate’s Bun hairstyle. Experience exclusive in game content that helps make your Sim’s Ambitions a reality!"

You can obtain this package by copying and pasting the URL below into your browser on the PC you have the game installed upon -- you can then log into the Sims Store and clock the Download Button to add it to your game!

http://gb.store.thesims3.com/setsProductDetails.html?categoryId=11488&scategoryId=12492&pcategoryId=12490&index=0&productId=OFB-SIM3:21267


-- These Invention Thingies --

While some of the inventions that you will make are both obviously useful and neat -- the SimBot and Time Machine in particular -- most of the rest are really just decorations and ways to make money and amuse your Sim's customers.  Bear in mind that the quality of the inventions varies based upon your skill among other things, and the higher the quality of your inventions are, the more you will make off of them.

The Harvester
One of your "Big Inventions" is The Harvester, which is actually a vacuum for picking up scrap and other collectibles!  You will use it the most for gathering scrap following a big detonation as it makes picking up groups of items a lot easier.  Your Sims will also find that in their collecting trips the device will make picking up groups of collectibles easier as well, just saying...

To use this invention you simply have your Sim stand in the middle of the group of items you want to collect, or in your garden in the center of the plants you want to harvest, and then use the Harvester.  It will suck everything up around your Sim, and that makes short work of the task! 

Floor Hygienator
The Floor Hygienator is your first Big Invention, and it gives your Sim some positive moodlets when they stand on and use it.  These only last only a few hours, but hey, any boost is a good boost!  Be aware though that over-use of them can make your Sims sick!

The Miner
This Big Invention is perhaps the most interesting aside from the Time Machine, because of what it does and how it works.  When you place it on a lot and turn it on, the Minder will drill the patch of ground for collection items (Gems, Metal, and  Scrap for the most part).  The tunnels it creates are semi-permanent (rumor has it that the earthquake event can collapse them) and can even be named.  Your Sims can even go into them and, if they actually connect to other tunnels that are convenient to your desired destination, they can travel through them. 

The Time Machine
Probably the most desired invention for most new Inventors -- after all who does not want a Time Machine?!  With this, your Sim can take a "rabbit hole" trip (they basically leave the world area and you do not get to go with them) to the past or to the future,  and they can bring back items from those trips as well -- some useful, some not so much.

The SimBot
While these can also be obtained by spending Lifetime Happiness Points, there is something cool about making your own -- and the fact that it serves as a companion that more or less becomes attached to your household is very spiffy indeed!  The rumor has it that there are plans to expand the capabilities and the purpose of these in future expansions.