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Inventor
#426 Old 14th Mar 2011 at 10:56 PM Last edited by Saturnfly : 8th Apr 2011 at 11:13 PM.
What is your most favourite/least favourite expansion pack, and why?
My fave is definitely Seasons. The rain/ thunder is such a neat feature, and quite realistic. Snow is awesome, although can be a little annoying at times, but an overall win. + The items and other neat features like gardening and fishing is wicked!

Apartment Life is another of my favourites, I just think it adds a realistic touch. I also love that you can visit neighbours and use all their stuff xD.

An EP I could probably live without is Pets. Although I do love the pets, I just don't have them all that often in my game.

What is your most favourite/least favourite stuff pack, and why?

Fave pack would be Happy Holiday Stuff. It's like a mini EP. ;D

I only have two stuff packs, so I couldn't really pick one I dislike.

If you could rank how much you like each expansion or stuff pack in order, what would your order be?

1. Seasons
2. Bon Voyage
3. Nightlife
4. Uni
5. Apartment Life

If you had to remove an expansion, which one would it be, and why?

Pets, although I do like it, I don't really use it as much as the other ones. I'd miss it if I didn't have it, though.
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Lab Assistant
#427 Old 15th Mar 2011 at 8:35 AM
Quote: Originally posted by iCad
--The addition of this EP, since I now have all but Bon Voyage, made my game run slower. Not slowly enough to be annoying to me, but loading times did increase by a noticeable amount. I don't think this is entirely AL's "fault," though. I think it's merely a consequence of an older machine, a lot of EPs and a few SPs, the fact that I keep a spreadsheet and genealogy database software open at the same time to track my playing, and, currently, too much CC that wants pruning, particularly the "get rid of hairs that I never use/don't like in game project" that I've been putting off...oh, forever. But I could be wrong. It does add a lot of stuff, so maybe it is partly the EP's "fault." But that would also be understandable, since it does add a lot of stuff. You can't have your cake and eat it, too, after all.


Its not AL, its your computer (how I know- experience lol) Computers which have a lot of stuff on don't really agree with AL, as they lag then, and oldish computers don't either.

I used to play Sims on my Dad's computer (7 years old now) and Double Deluxe used to run slightly slowly, but only used to lag on community lots. But when I installed AL its used to lag all the time, on apartment lots aswell. I then installed pets which didn't make it run slower.
But now I play Sims on my laptp which I got in October '10 and it works perfectly. Since installing it I have installed Uni, OFB, Seasons and Teen Style and theres no prob. I only use my laptop for petz and sims, so I don't have a problem for space.

I'm glad your'e enjoying it, though! I used to feel like the only one who REALLY liked it. I adore Peek-a-boo, too, its so damn cute when they do it autonomously <33
Test Subject
#428 Old 21st Mar 2011 at 7:53 AM
EXPANSIONS
Definately FREETIME first because of the restorable car, train table and I LOVED the idea of the secret memberships to secret lots!
Secondly PETS because you can buy pets (Duh!)
Thirdly SEASONS because of all the weather and stuff.
Fourth NIGHTLIFE because of the great clubs and diners (Reds Famous 50's diner is my FAVORITE!!!)
Fifth UNI because I really liked the really plain houses and dorms in the campus!
Sixth OFB because I enjoy making buisneses (Tip: selling cars is hardest!!!)
Seventh BONVOYAGE because the hotels are nice.
Eigth APARTENT LIFE because there wasn't much I liked in that!!!
STUFF PACKS
Firstly MANSION AND GARDEN because at the same time that I got that I got seasons and it went well with it (also like the solar!)
Secondly KITCHEN AND BATH because I liked the Kitchens and houses that came with it.
Thirdly IKEA because I liked the idea that you could get real life furniture
Fourth GLAMOUR LIFE because it went well with K&B
Fifth CELEBRATION because of the houses!
Sixth TEEN STYLE because of the really cool surfer furniture!
Seventh H&M FASION because of the clothes
Eighth FAMILY FUN... well not really my type exept for the vacation clothes and ship stuff

And that's all :D

I LOVE HOTRODS!!!
Scholar
#429 Old 21st Mar 2011 at 11:32 PM
Quote: Originally posted by iCad
-- I DON'T like it that, although the apartment shows furnished and deco'ed in Build mode, when rented everything but the kitchen/bath fixtures and the closets go away. It threw me for a bit; I thought something was wrong until I finally realized the logic of it. Still bugs me, though.

Turn boolprop on, walk sim over very close to door, shift-click, and you can rent furnished apartment.

"Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so."
- Douglas Adams (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)
tumblr
Undead Molten Llama
#430 Old 22nd Mar 2011 at 9:40 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Kailacat
Turn boolprop on, walk sim over very close to door, shift-click, and you can rent furnished apartment.


Yeah, I know that now, having actually read HP's little tutorial. So, that's been good. I still don't understand why it wouldn't have been made a regular option but...whatever, EA!

I did notice that the rent doesn't go up when renting furnished, so maybe that's the reason. Maybe two "rent calculation algorithms" would have not worked. So...yeah, whatever. I just manually charge Sims who rent furnished apts/houses a reasonable amount of extra rent and move on.

ETA, 'cuz I forgot:

Quote: Originally posted by HoodieDoodie
Its not AL, its your computer (how I know- experience lol) Computers which have a lot of stuff on don't really agree with AL, as they lag then, and oldish computers don't either.


Actually, I think the issue was a faulty initial install of AL, which is likely my computer's fault. When I went to play again, the computer seemed to have forgotten that AL was installed, even though the files seemed to be there. So, I uninstalled/reinstalled the EP and after that I had no noticeable lag whatsoever. My game took the same amount of time to initially load and to load a lot as it did before. Playing a big apartment building will lag slightly, but that's just because the lot is large and because my computer's specs are not top-of-the-line; I have the same "problem" with large dorms and large community lots.

I'm mostly found on (and mostly upload to) Tumblr these days because, alas, there are only 24 hours in a day.
Muh Simblr! | An index of my downloads on Tumblr.
Lab Assistant
#431 Old 19th Apr 2011 at 11:17 PM
I know I just saw this thread and it's nearly a month old but I would like to add my input.

Most Favorite EPs:

1) University: Young Adult Stage and clothes. I love the increased skilling I can get done to access the Uni-only jobs after graduation. I also almost always have my Playable Sims scope the gym and their dorm for potential mates. Also, if I forget to do it before they go to college, once they get there they buy their cell phone, handheld video game and MP3 player from the kiosk.

2) Free Time: The Hobbies hooked me. The ONLY thing I don't like about the enthusiasm levels is the level that allows them to browse the Web about their hobby. THEY DO NOTHING ELSE. U have to tear them away from the PC.

3) Seasons: I love the weather and the clothes that they wear for Fall and Winter.

4) Nightlife: I have just started going Downtown with my Teens to get their cell phone, and handheld video game and MP3 player before going to college.

5) Apartment Life: Rod Humble's PC. If I have a family with a Teen, I have the Teen take the PC with them to college along with their phone, game system and MP3 player. I don't like that u can't replace it if it breaks, or when only one is delivered in a multi-Teen house.

Least Favorite EPs:

Pets. They come all the time, and the dogs dig up holes all the time. Too much of an annoyance and distraction to me. I didn't reinstall it last night when I did a massive uninstallation/reinstallation of the TS2 Holiday Edition, EP's and SP's.

OFB: I initially didn't like this one but bought it anyway just to have the complete series. But once I saw a business lot, it gave me ideas for other ways to play the game.
#432 Old 6th May 2011 at 12:25 AM
EPS:

1. Bon Voyage - I just love Twikki Beach!

2. Seasons - Well...I just love it :D!

3. FreeTime - More interactions and fun things to do.

6. Nightlife - Go clubbing
{ 6. OFB - I need to use it more

7. Pets - Not as good

SPS:

1. H&M Fashion Stuff - Nice meshes

2. Teen Style Stuff

3. Celebration Stuff

Worst EP:

Pets - They kill your home, make babies block your way, look cute and that's about it!

Worst SP:

Celebration Stuff - Just download some CC! Sooo much nicer and cheaper.

I got Nightlife + Celebration Stuff in Double Deluxe so I don't know what the original gameplay is like.
Test Subject
#433 Old 8th May 2011 at 12:22 AM
Expansion packs in order:

1. At the top, shining, haloed, glittery and beautiful is Apartment Life. Throughout my Simming life, I've wanted to be able to have several families on the one lot, and this gave it to me! Along with witches, but I'll let that one go (ha, ha, ha).

2. Second, it has to be University, because I'm a bit of an academia-geek and lovelovelove the Young Adult phase. Really extends playtime with a Sim, and has made careers a little more realistic.

3. Then, Seasons. I was so enamoured by this, the first time I played I kept screaming "IT'S SNOWING!" and confusing my parents. Well worth a buy, if only for the penguin.

4. Freetime comes next. Much appreciated for its hobbies and new objects, but loses a few points because of annoying phone calls and house visits to tell me how skilled my Sims are.

5. I figure I should like Bon Voyage more than I do, but I just don't use it as much as the others. I do love the objects and build items, though. Beautiful.

6. Second to last is Nightlife, more likely than not because it didn't install properly on my PC so I don't have the best feelings towards it, personally.

7. The one I'd remove if I had to choose ... Pets. It's my most recent addition, so that may have something to do with this positioning. But I'm also not that much of an animal person (I know! I'm sorry! )

The only stuff pack I have is Glamour Life... and it's alright! I wouldn't recommend against buying it, though I'm not sure I'd have purchased it myself (it was a gift - much appreciated, I hasten to add!)

Edited to add: just realised I missed off Open for Business! I do like it, honest ... I'm just not very good at building up businesses, I don't think.
Lab Assistant
#434 Old 16th May 2011 at 4:45 AM
I have all the EPs except Apartment Life. I also had Double Deluxe, though, so I don't know what's Nightlife and what's not. Otherwise, my favorites:

1. Seasons: Gardening can get a little old when you do it on every lot, but I *love* the sparkly food from homegrown meals, so I have to do it! The non-sparkly meals look so unappetizing in comparison. I also love the weather. Rain and snow and falling leaves! The penguin who comes around when it's snowy is beyond cute-- wish he were adoptable!

2. Open for Business: I love setting up and designing home businesses. It's fun to make bakeries and fruit stands and whatever else. I almost never do shops on community lots because I can't stand the loading times, so there are lots of converted garages and carefully locked doors during business hours!

3. Freetime: I like the ballet barre, and the restorable car is fantastic for skillbuilding, an affordable ride, or a high-profit sales item. I liked the crafting stations (pottery, sewing, robots) a lot at first, but I use them less and less as I get tired of them.

4. University: Fun as a change of pace from the families of my main hoods. I've only ever used the dorms-- what's the point of living in a house?

5. Bon Voyage: I like it well enough, but the loading times keep me from sending my sims on vacation too frequently.

6. Pets: If I could get rid of one EP, it would be this one. The pets are cute, I guess, and I like pets in real life; but in the game, they just don't add much besides extra chores, and their stuff takes up a lot of room.

For SPs, I have a few, but the standout is definitely IKEA Stuff. The furniture and deco items are cheap and better looking than most of the Maxis stuff, and I use them constantly.
Forum Resident
#435 Old 16th May 2011 at 5:22 AM
I recently got Apartment Life, and I think I like the furniture it comes with more than the feature of living in apartments. I love the playground equipment, the spiral staircase, the wall-bed, the clothes, and a bunch of other things. I haven't really gotten into having a sim in an apartment yet.
Mad Poster
#436 Old 16th May 2011 at 1:42 PM
Apartments have their annoying features as living spaces, but they also have lots of story and game mechanical uses. Watch out for the way they drain your net worth! If you live in a house and you move, you recoup most of your investment, but if you live in an apartment, your rent vanishes into the ether once a week. And you don't realize how much you rely on the ability to tweak your residence as you live in it (this is the only place to put that bookcase, but it blocks a window - never mind, move the window over one square; new baby, time to convert the study and stretch it by two squares) until you lose half your building options.

Personally I think AL is worth it just for the new animations, but I'm a sentimental sucker.

Ugly is in the heart of the beholder.
(My simblr isSim Media Res . Widespot,Widespot RFD: The Subhood, and Land Grant University are all available here. In case you care.)
Test Subject
#437 Old 18th May 2011 at 7:58 PM
Ive got Nightlife, Seasons and Glamour Life. Seasons is by far my favourite, but the other two are great aswell, so I don't really have a least favourite.
I love the collections and gardening in Seasons, the weather is just something that should have come with the base game for me, ha ha! It adds a bit of variety to the game, and that's important when you stick with one family like I do.
I used to have Pets a few years ago, but it killed our computer, so I actually got rid of the entire game, base and all! (We've upgraded our computer now though, faster, more RAM, etc.). Pets was a huge disappointment to me. It is good, it is nice to have animals and design them too, and the objects were nice, but I never had enough time to play, train or care for pets while I was dealing with getting my Sims promoted or getting the kids through school. I was also sad that I couldn't control them. Even if it was just to order them to eat when they need to or to pee outside, it would have been an improvement.
I guess (from what I've heard/read) that Bon Voyage is kinda pointless for me personally. I like to actually make progress in my Sims' lives, making money and babies (lol) and I think the novelty would wear off quickly.

I'm thinking about getting another EP. Here's what I've narrowed it down to, I need some more advice:

University - Depends how many days each Sim is at university. I can currently get through one Sim's childhood in one night if I set my mind to it, so unless it's like 15 days I think I could handle it. I like my Sims to max careers and if this would help unlock new ones and climb the ladder faster it would be great. But it wouldn't add any new features to the game in general since the EPs I already have are after that.
Freetime - I think the pop-ups and hobbies would get on my nerves, but a friend of mine has it and I've seen the new objects. They're awesome, there's so much more to do! But like I said about Pets, my Sims rarely have any free time.
Apartment Life - Sounds awesome, but the whole witches and warlock thing is wasted on me. Gathering ingredients for the juices in Seasons is a pain in the butt for me, so goodness knows how I'd fare with that! Also, the limitations with building and furnishing put me off. But the ceilings, multiple families and the whole modern feel are attractive to me. One more thing, though: living in an appartment kinda knocks off the option of growing crops, making Seasons (which I love every aspect of!) pointless on come lots. Or have I got that wrong?

So advice would be appreciated. Also, I'm after Teen Stuff and H&M Stuff. Is H&M Stuff the one that adds accessories? Because I'd like that. Bear in mind, my computer, although it's better than it was, isn't very good. We got it upgraded a good 2 years ago; it's our only one (I know people who have 5...) and I have a lot of stuff stored on it - not much custom content though, mainly schoolwork and art/stories. If you think that a certain EP is more demanding than the rest, or would collide with what I already have, please say.
Thanks.^^
Mad Poster
#438 Old 18th May 2011 at 8:45 PM
I feel your pain on the computer. We also only have one, as far as games are concerned (the laptop is dedicated to word processing ONLY; I even took off Solitaire) and we never have the latest-greatest. Fortunately, since all these games were made several years ago, even a slightly outdated system can run them these days.

You might try buying up all the EPs that sound remotely interesting to you at this time, when they can still be had cheaply, so you can add them as later computer upgrades make it practical.

My advice, for what it's worth:
University students spend eight semesters of 65 hours each plus up to 72 hours grace-time afterward on campus. How many days this works out to be depends on the player because the semester clock keeps running on University Community lots.

If you take a student from the dorm to a Downtown lot the semester hours freeze and he's returned to the same space time continuum just as he would be from a normal residential lot, but if he goes, for example, from the dorm to the student union to the gym to the library to the dorm, spending two hours at each community location, six semester hours will have passed for him by the time he gets back to the dorm, although the dorm clock will have frozen at the time he left. If his class time comes up while he's on a UC lot, he'll autonomously go to class unless his mood and motives are low or you cancel the action, be gone for the appropriate period, and return to the lot he left with motives and GPA adjusted to recognize the class time; then, on returning the dorm, will go again when class time rolls around. Once you graduate, you can hang around doing whatever or you can pick up a phone and return to the main neighborhood.

It is important to note that at University, you skill faster and you skill on UC lots. If while at the library your student studies mechanical, at the gym goes swimming or works out, and at the student union plays guitar, he'll return to the dorm with mechanical, body, and creativity improved. You also aren't confined to the dorms: once you have enough money, you can move into a residence and keep a garden there, improving your gardening skill. If you go to a University lot with a fishing pool, you can fish, take the fish home, and eat it. So if you're a skilling fiend, University is for you.

Beginning with sophomore year, sims get five want slots. At the beginning of junior year, they get the option to change their aspiration without using the Orb. At the beginning of senior year, they gain two locks for their wants/fears panels. At graduation, they acquire six want slots. This can be an enormous boon to daily play; I always feel cramped with my CAS-created adults and their four wants/one lock restrictions.

Many people say that University is boring and others of us dispute this (there's a whole thread on this). If you focus on one sim at a time it probably is. If, however, you send a bunch of playables to college together, the gameplay is a lot of fun, you have lots of social opportunities, and you can graduate with a large circle of friends. Most of my students graduate with about a dozen (some of whom, however, are family members).

A graduated sim may get hired pretty high up on the career tracks for careers appropriate to his major. An Economics major can start his working life as the President of a company, for example. If your focus is on getting promotions, you may like that a lot, or you may find it makes getting to the top of a career too easy.

If you are looking to get out of a skilling/promotion rut and actually have time for gardening and training pets, University would provide a good opportunity for that, as it really takes the pressure off later years, and inserts a liesurely expanse of time at the beginning of the sim's adulthood, which doesn't count against the adult's allotted days, and can be used for matchmaking, setting up professional rivalries, and experimentation. If you're happy with the way you play now, you may find that adding University removes too much of the challenge of moving up the corporate ladder by frontloading your sims with friends, dates, and skill points. It's my own personal favorite EP because I'm all about building social networks and stories.

Apartment Life might work better for your playstyle. You can grow things on Apartment lots - IF you build an apartment to suit. The game doesn't automatically let you build apartment lots, but there are friendly tutorials here that will assist you. The witches show up a lot on Community lots, but they mostly play with the weather and bugs - you don't have to talk to them any more than you have to talk to the vampires in Nightlife. Living in an apartment has a smaller upfront cost and a larger day-to-day cost - rent is easily the highest bill you'll ever pay, and it's due every Monday morning - and having a mix of apartment dwellers and householders in your game can create significant differences in how the families play all by itself.

However - if your computer has a problem with tall buildings and deep basements, you will have to limit which apartments you use, as a lot of them can be annoying to play in exactly the same ways.

I only just got Freetime myself, and I've hardly experienced anything of the hobbies yet. The secondary aspirations may be of more interest, given your playstyle. What hadn't been clear to me before I got it is that, in addition to the benefits and change in want-rolling habits that come with the secondary aspirations, it becomes possible to grant your sim benefits with your aspiration points which relate directly to work and their needs. All sims (not just financial ones) can accrue work benefits, like accruing vacation days faster.

I suggest reading the wikis on each one, and buy according to your tastes; bearing in mind that any EP you buy has the potential to be the one that expands your tastes.

Ugly is in the heart of the beholder.
(My simblr isSim Media Res . Widespot,Widespot RFD: The Subhood, and Land Grant University are all available here. In case you care.)
Lab Assistant
#439 Old 18th May 2011 at 9:54 PM
University (my personal favorite) is 75 Sim hours per semester for 8 semesters, or 4 years. Graduating University opens the following careers: Artist, Natural Scientist, Paranormal and Show Business. It also adds the Young Adult age group which has the ability to gain skills and make friends before hitting the working adult careers. If you gain the skills and friends needed in University, you can start at level 6 or higher in whatever job your Sim gets. Both Teen Style and H&M add accessories.

This should help explain about the EP's and SP's if you still need to choose which ones to get http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sims_2
Test Subject
#440 Old 19th May 2011 at 9:22 PM
Thanks for the advice, I'll have a read up. It's probably going to be either University or Apartment Life - or both? Ha ha! A couple of stuff packs will be helpful, too.
Top Secret Researcher
#441 Old 20th May 2011 at 5:57 PM
If you spare the money for Stuff Packs, I'd suggest you invest in Expansion Packs instead: more game feautures, more fun.
Test Subject
#442 Old 4th Jun 2011 at 7:10 PM Last edited by MimiRox : 4th Jun 2011 at 7:40 PM.
My favorite EPs:

1. University - I like the young adult stage and the fraternities and sororities make it more fun.
2. Nightlife - I like going to clubs and having more places to hang out with all my sim friends. And the cars are awesome!
3. Open for Business - Having your own business puts a new spin on the game and I love those awesome robots.
4. Pets - I could not imagine life without my cat so it was nice for my sim to have a pet too. There were some things I didn't like about pets though. I wish you could take your pets with you to college. I can understand no pets in dorms but if you live in a house, you should be able to take them with you and don't have to leave them alone to suffer abuse from my psychotic little sister who thinks she's a fishie. I also didn't like the fact that there was not much variety in the type of pet you could have. What about people who like reptiles, amphibians (not me), horses, bugs and spiders, and other types of animals for pets?

EPs I wish I had:

1. Apartment Life - I like the idea of witches and living in apartments; but unfortunately it only comes in DVD Rom.
2. Free Time - I always though that there should be more activities for my sims when they are not at work. I was told not to get this one because of the incessant phone calls.
3. Bon Voyage - I like the idea of vacations and the beach, BUT I heard lots of bad things about SecureRom and how it can mess up your computer. So, I'll pass on this one probably.

The Worst EPs I have:

1. Seasons - It makes loading on my computer take forever even though my computer far exceeds the system requirements. I don't like the sunburn and frostbite. I also hate how my sim cannot stay in a hot tub for 1 minute without going into heat exhaustion. I know a lot of you are all about the pretty graphics, but I prefer gameplay to the pretty scenery. On the plus side, I did like the skating and ice skating rinks. They were pretty cool, but the aspect of season that makes me not want to uninstall it is gardening and the new education and gamer careers.

2. The "Stuff Packs" - major waste of money. Enough said!
Test Subject
#443 Old 29th Jun 2011 at 11:41 AM
I haven't bought any of the packs yet, but it looks like that Nightlife and Seasons are at the top of a lot of lists. I'll have to thinking about getting either or both. Thanks guys!
Instructor
#444 Old 29th Jun 2011 at 2:33 PM
I couldn't imagine paying full price for the stuff packs. The H&M Fashion Stuff is not all that bad. You get three different department style fashion store lots for different neighbourhoods with a runway, manequins, new clothes that are actually decent and double storey windows and doors.

Celebration stuff is light on quantity but it has some worthwhile party gear.

Kitchen and bathroom is nothing special. You get a towel rack with plain towels for decoration purposes only. You can get your sims to "view" the towel rack and a speech bubble appears above their head and you just know they are thinking "Yeah, what the hell am I looking at? You paid how much for this? My stomach's empty damnit." There's nothing else worth mentioning.

Eps

Apartment life brings the ability to place two items on the same wall and adjust their height. Which is a handy tool. Witches and broomsticks, spiral staircases, heartshaped bed, secret door, 45 degree camera angle, multiple families on the one lot. That, nightlife and OFB seem to have the best features.

I haven't played university long enough to understand its appeal. If you like being a poor student in a shabby dorm with excess responsibilities this is the game for you. I don't know what else it does.
Mad Poster
#445 Old 29th Jun 2011 at 2:51 PM Last edited by Peni Griffin : 30th Jun 2011 at 5:10 AM. Reason: to add link to referenced thread
With excess responsibilities? What responsibilities do your students have, Josepina? And you don't have to live in the shabby dorm. You can pledge a Greek, or you get grant money each semester, geared to your grades, which will enable you to move into a residence, possibly with roommates. You can also spruce up the dorm. University works best with a lot of playables, as you have all that extra time to build and break relationships, set up storylines to be continued in the main hood, and really get to know your sims. All of which is kind of wasted if they only have relationships with dormies when they move out.

Plus, zombies, influence (a lifesaver for pregnant toddler mothers - invite your friends over, influence one to fix the exploding sink, one to play with the toddler, and one to clean, then fix supper for everybody, eat, and fall into bed), six wants and two locks for graduates...

There's a "Univeristy is boring? Why?" Thread that will give you a wide variety of takes on this EP.

http://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=430214

Ugly is in the heart of the beholder.
(My simblr isSim Media Res . Widespot,Widespot RFD: The Subhood, and Land Grant University are all available here. In case you care.)
Instructor
#446 Old 29th Jun 2011 at 7:34 PM
Well my impression of it is more acheivement orientated. The students are not only responsible in going to school, they are required to study as well as live with complete strangers and have social responsibilities. All the while living in a dorm that is designed very inefficiently to achieve these goals and with so little money there is no choice but to get a job. I found it daunting. But that's just one person's opinion and there seems to be a very amusing sounding thread devoted to people's opinions on this topic which I can't seem to find using 'University is boring?' as the search phrase.
Field Researcher
#447 Old 29th Jun 2011 at 7:36 PM
I vote Seasons. I had NL, OFB and Uni before I had Seasons - and Seasons made a bigger impact on the game and game play than any of the others. You get the weather, which adds so much depth to the game. You get four new careers that don't require Uni degrees. You get the autumn skilling boost. You get gardening, which can be a full time occupation for your sims (even without OFB- you can sell produce through Buy Mode and make money) or just a way to make a little spare cash, add sparklies to the foods and spend time doing something fun. You get plant sims, who aren't the most interesting sims, but they can spawn plant babies without an (in-game) mate and they're great if you're running a farm. You get SAVING OF LEFTOVERS! Yay! No more packing excess foods in inventory to keep it from rotting; no more pulling parents away from changing diapers to make a lunch meat sandwich for a child (kids can take leftovers from the fridge.)

If you get Seasons, you might want to pop over to MATY and pick up warmthfixes and antiweatherreaction (prevents sims jumping out of bed at three in the a.m. to look out the window and declare "It's snowing!")

Second vote is OFB. I had NL before OFB and NL was all right. Then I got OFB and was like wow, this is better than NL. You get get about any kind of business you can think of, including home businesses; you get the crafting benches and all the things they make; and you get servos, who are less annoying than vampires (vampires must remain in coffin from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. or their motives starting falling. Phone rings -vamp pops out of coffin. Door bell rings -vamp pops out of coffin. Vamp gets bored or something -vamp pops out of coffin. The only thing that takes away the annoyance of constantly putting the vamp back in his box during daylight hours is picking up some sort of hack to make vamps stay in coffin. So much for immortal, impervious vampire sims. And they don't even have to drink blood.)
Field Researcher
#448 Old 30th Jun 2011 at 12:25 AM
I would get Seasons first; the amount of background it adds to your game is superb. Having the change of seasons is terrific; it adds so much atmosphere to the game, I can't imagine an future Sims game that wouldn't have seasons.

My next recommendation would then depend on your playstyle and what you like.

NL: If you like to go to community lots a lot/want the ability to go on dates, get NL.

FT: I like FreeTime for the hobbies it adds, making me feel like my sims have a little more that's different between them.

OFB: I personally don't like OFB all that much, but I don't like running home businesses - a lot of people love that one for the ability to build an in-game economy and do create-a-city challenges. If that's your style, OFB's a great choice for you.

If you like supernaturals, then I'd get NL for vampires or Apartment Life for witches; witches are my favorite supernatural. (If you want to base your decision on supernaturals, I'd say AL>NL>Pets>Seasons>>>OFB or Uni, but that's just me.)

AL: The witches are the main appeal here; I don't actually play apartments all that much.

Uni: I like the careers Uni adds, and you can use the time at Uni for things like building a hobby, badging, or finding your sim's perfect mate (or trying to have them WooHoo 20 other sims or get a big head start on 20 simultaneous lovers. I'd get Uni before OFB.

Pets: Pets themselves aren't that great after the novelty's worn off, but I do like playing my werewolves (modded, of course.) If you really want animals in-game, get this one, but I'd definitely place it behind a lot of the others.

BV: My sims got stuck on vacation the first time I ever tried to send them, so my view of vacations is probably negatively unfairly skewed. However, I don't think BV adds a heck of a lot to the game, and Bigfoot as a supernatural is completely bleh for me.

So, I guess my overall ranking personally is: Seasons>NL>FT>AL>Uni>Pets>BV or OFB (I'd have to look at the objects/clothing again to figure out which one I'd rather have.) Your mileage may vary, depending on some of the factors I talked about above.
Mad Poster
#449 Old 30th Jun 2011 at 1:39 AM
Dear god, I didn't even know you could get a job in University - unless you mean working in the cafeteria/as a barista/etc.?

Of course the dorms are designed badly - all the buildings that come with the game are designed badly! And the first semester is very, very tight if you're going with a sim who was never played before, because all you have is the $500 stipend. You can start with a fair amount of money - up to $3,500, which is enough to move into a residence and improve the furnishing some - if you earned scholarships as a teen; but if you're living in a dorm, you don't actually need money! You can skill and do stuff for grades on University community lots, so you don't need to buy your own computer, musical instruments, exercise equipment, or bookcases, but can go to the library, gym, student center, etc. This also shortens your semester. The food made by the dorm chefs is monotonous, but free. And dates are cheap if you choose the right venue. Plus, all the playables on a lot share the same money pool, so joining a Greek or having high school friends or people from the family bin move in with you benefits everyone.

Relax with it and explore more (this is my advice for any EP, actually; they're all fun if you let them be), and don't worry about your grades. As long as you pass, you'll get your grant money. Not everybody has to make the dean's list, and there's no penalty for not doing a term paper or assignments. For sims who get wants to do them, though, that 3,500-point morale boost is great.

I'll see if I can find my own thread and go back to where I mentioned it and put in a link. No promises, though.

Ugly is in the heart of the beholder.
(My simblr isSim Media Res . Widespot,Widespot RFD: The Subhood, and Land Grant University are all available here. In case you care.)
Instructor
#450 Old 30th Jun 2011 at 4:41 AM Last edited by Josepina : 1st Jul 2011 at 5:33 AM.
Yeah the cafeteria, every 20 seconds you get 10 smackaroonies. So use more than one preplayed scholarship earning sim, and join a sorority makes the game less stressful. Good tips.

Edit: I shamefully forgot to mention my absolute favourite Apartment Life feature (aswell as The Sims in general) that is built-in wardrobes with mirrored doors. Love it!
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