The Sims

[kieyra]

http://help.ea.com/en/article/how-to-get-the-sims-2-ultimate-collection/

 

Because you’re a passionate The Sims 2 player, we’re making The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection available free of charge to download to your Origin library. To add the game, just follow these steps:
Start by downloading and installing Origin. If you already have Origin you can skip to step 3.
Not an Origin member? Create a free Origin Account to get in the game.
Launch Origin and log into your Origin Account.
From the ‘Games’ tab in the Origin menu, select ‘Redeem Product Code’ and enter the code
I-LOVE-THE-SIMS
If you’re already an Origin member, you can also redeem your code online. Just visit the Origin code redemption page and log in to your Origin Account. Then enter I-LOVE-THE-SIMS in the ‘Product Code’ field.

Log into Origin and download and play the game any time you want .

Thanks for being a passionate The Sims fan, and enjoy your copy of The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection.

This code will available for redemption until July 31st, 2014 at 10AM PDT.

[Dandesun]

I have... I think most of the Sims 2. I will forever have a soft spot for that one because they created Veronaville that was filled with various Shakespearean families and, man, did I have fun with that one.

 

I had Romeo and Juliet break up, Juliet ended up marrying Mercutio while Romeo and Tybalt ended up falling in love and moving into the Capp family home which infuriated the patriarch so much that he died shortly after. So Romeo and Tybalt ended up filling the house with their kids... actually, they moved another guy into the house and had a polyamorous situation going on there.

 

And I took all of the various families out of the bin and populated the entire town with Capps and Montys and Summerdreams.

 

Most places I went to had great love of Strangetown but my geekery goes in a different direction.

[PrincessEnnui]

Heh. I got the Sims 2 on my laptop. For those of us with Windows 8, I just want to say, you'll have some problems. Now I must look into Veronaville. Thought it sounded familiar...

[JayKay]

Ohhhhh. Man. I am so glad that I saw this, just in time. Texted my best friend and brother about it. We're all hyped up. Those were the good old days. Thank you!

[Dandesun]

I'm wondering if we should change the topic to cover all the Sims -- from the original to 4 that's coming out in September.

 

I got on board the Sims train a bit later than most... right as Sims 2 was coming out. A writer on 1Up wrote one of the most hilarious reviews I'd ever read -- seriously, I laughed out loud several times -- as he played his way through the game for about a week to test it all out and it was enough to convince me to give it a try. The first family I created was a soap family that I hated (The Rappaports from Llanview in One Life to Live) because I figured if I messed up and they died I wouldn't be all that upset.

 

And then they were all really entertaining and endearing and I got attached. It was horrible.

 

So I've played the original, 2 and 3 and also look forward to 4 for any number of reasons. I know they aren't having toddlers or pools in 4 because they've upped the mechanics in other areas. I liked toddlers at one point but I'm not too bothered by them going away... mainly because getting other Sims to teach them how to walk, talk and potty train them got to be quite a grind. And no pools (I'm sure they'll show up later) basically means  you have to come up with different ways to kill your Sims (if that's something you do -- I know plenty who use that to cull the herd, so to speak.)

 

I do know that dying of laughter is a thing in 4 so that's an option.

 

Anyway, how do you prefer to play your Sims? Stories? Building? Something else?

[PrincessEnnui]

I always start off with one sim and then trap another one in a relationship. :)

 

When I had the Sims 2 a few years back, I got mods for sim versions of Sephiroth (Final Fantasy VII), Yuna (Final Fantasy X-2), and Sakura (Cardcaptor Sakura). It was an odd, but bad ass family.

 

I was on tumblr and found this page you guys might enjoy.

[halgia]

Changed the thread title. If someone has a witty subtitle, we can change it; I actually never really played any of them, though now I have The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection if I ever feel the need to. :)

[immortalfrieza]

I didn't really get into the Sims until 3, so going back and playing the Sims 2 Ultimate Collection is a bit jarring in many ways. In particular the things I missed were having to direct the Sim to do just about everything, including things that in 3 were things the player could do themselves, like turning alarms off, throwing newspapers in the trash, turn on lights, etc. That and the open world of 3 made everything seem more alive and dynamic than being stuck with one lot and whoever wanders by. The lack of playable ghosts in anything but 3 is also a minus, that was one of my favorite life states. Those just the big things but there's also a lot of little touches in atmosphere and mechanics that make Sims 3 better in many ways.

 

So far though, I've found the Sims 2 to be a little deeper in few ways that set it apart from 3, particularly in terms of the sim's personalities. Having a couple dozen criteria to determine a sim's personality most of which could be altered by their actions was much better than simply giving them a few traits and they're pretty much stuck like that. Another thing I've noticed is that in 2 even using the means to reduce the micromanagement needed Sims still have to have their needs and wants tended to pretty much constantly, unlike in Sims 3 where it's pretty easy to get to the point where your sim barely needs to be attended to at all, the former tends to stay interesting longer.

 

I'm sort of excited for Sims 4 too. I don't mind the lack of toddlers or pools or anything since I never used either much to begin with, but I'm hoping they don't reset things back to zero too much with the base game. I don't want to have to buy a dozen expansion packs again just to be able to get back to doing as much as I could in Sims 3 with it's expansion packs. I'm also hoping the semi-open world they're going to include in place of the Sims 3 fully open world is expansive enough to allow some freedom and things like collecting.

Edited August 3, 2014 by immortalfrieza

[JayKay]

I've only played 1 & 2, but I probably had 12 gigs of Sims 2 custom content on my old PC (R.I.P.), and the Bodyshop program didn't help. I'd spend days customizing the perfect outfits for each Sim I wanted to create, then a week building and furnishing the house... and then play as the Sim for a few hours before starting over on another one.

 

I built a really detailed cabin in the woods with stuff like a tarot card table and sigils on the floors and scary/creepy custom content everywhere and placed a grouchy old lady Sim in it. Thanks to some of the CC objects, you could kill people pretty easily so I'd have her kill whoever wandered by her house and bury them in the backyard behind her little garden. I had a whole story for it in my head but I can't remember now. Eventually one night a bunch of ghosts kept showing up and she died of fright.

 

And then I buried her in the backyard with all the rest.That game was awesome.

[Chrissytd]

For those who have played it, what are your thoughts on The Sims 4?

[BizBuzz]

Hey ya'll!

 

My daughter (15) is a Sims fanatic.  She just started high school this year (we homeschool via online school) and the semester is over just before Xmas, and so far, 6 subjects, 6 A's.  I had it in my head to get her Sims 4 as a surprise, not for the good grades, but for the consistency she has shown this year and really doing most of her school work on her own.  She really grew up this year.

 

I have not purchased it yet, only cause I know how buggy things can be at first, so I have held off.  I am hoping one of you might be able to let me know if Sims 4 is finally ready to be a good game?  Anyone play it so far?  Any thoughts?

Edited November 13, 2014 by BizBuzz
Because there is a big difference between buggy and buddy. Duh.

[Dandesun]

Sims 4 is one I'm waiting on despite there being things that I quite like about it -- the builder tool for one thing.

 

But I'm still having fun with Sims 3 to be honest. And I haven't even checked out More Awesome Than You to find out what's borked and what isn't. That site is probably one of the best for finding problems and fixing them but it's VERY rough on newbies who don't do the research before asking questions.

[scarynikki12]

I'm still enjoying Sims 3 as well.  I love creating large families, getting each child married and then having them move to a different lot while the wife is knocked up so that their kid gets a computer generated name.  It always makes me laugh.  Right now the family I'm playing includes one son who isn't very smart as his twin girls are named Krista and Christina (well played, computer) while the other son seems to have a thing for names that were hot a hundred years ago and named his twins Myra and Errol.  It's just so random and silly.  The daughter is the one I'm sticking with for the moment so I may or may not give her kids silly names as well. 

 

I figure I'll tackle Sims 4 once this stops being fun.

[ESS]

I have Sims 4 and I like it a lot. But I did love Sims 3 too. 

[himela]

I have heard that people don't like Sims 4 so far and they suggest we should just play sims 3. What is your opinion from the ones who have it? Is it worth the money or not?

[Sweets McGee]

I've been really into The Sims since I got the original way back in 2000, and I got both Sims 2 and Sims 3 right when they came out. But I haven't bothered with Sims 4 yet. I've heard too many mixed things about it and frankly I'm still having fun with Sims 3. I like to start a "family" with a few unrelated roommates, then pick one to continue life with and play their courtship and marriage and kids, and then move on to one of the kids' lives when they get older, and leave the rest of the family to the AI.

[AntiBeeSpray]

I tried out Sims 3 for the Wii via rental and just couldn't get into it :(. it's kind of sad since I like the series ok. The Urbs on the other hand (for the GBA) I love, bugs and all. It just felt more fleshed out for some reason.

[funkopop]

I have heard that people don't like Sims 4 so far and they suggest we should just play sims 3. What is your opinion from the ones who have it? Is it worth the money or not?

 

I bought Sims 4, I actually bought a newer computer so I could play it and to be honest I went back to Sims 3 after a couple of weeks of play.  I think the Sims 4 CAS is amazing and the lot building is a lot easier, but actual gameplay is really lacking.  And this has been a big complaint for Sims 4 but the lack of travel is a huge omission but even if you could travel you could only go to the gym and maybe the park.  Its not very fun, maybe after some expansions it'll flesh out but I find the base game of Sims 3 a lot more well rounded than Sims 4.

[AlottaShade]

I keep going back and forth on Sims 4. I'm currently playing an eight person house and it's very entertaining to see how everybody interacts, but the game is so lifeless.

[himela]

I wanted to ask you, when you play sims do you let the sims have total free will and do whatever they like or do you completely control what they do? I want to completely control what they do cause once I let my sim do whatever she liked and she spent hours playing with the thing that waters the plants and sending messages on her mobile. I mean, it was useless and boring. Is sims 4 any different? I mean, are there various things happening or is it boring as well?

[Dandesun]

I turn into a control freak with the Sims... I really do and it gets exhausting. I've been trying to train myself to let them do what they do.

 

But then I get frustrated. "WHY ARE YOU BEING STUPID?!" God, especially if there is a computer or any kind of game in the house. I mean, depending on their characteristics... some will do anything to play chess 24/7. Some will play with the slip n slide. Some will paint until they pass out from exhaustion. It's funny in a way but it also gets old. And that's even until Sims 3. It's why hacks become so damn vital to gameplay.

 

I downloaded the 48 hours of Sims 4 to try it out and there were some interesting aspects to it but I need more time to figure it out and... I think I'll wait until the price drops.

[funkopop]

I have low free will when I play Sims 3 at least and I usually turn off Seasons except Spring and Summer because rain/snow get on my nerves. Also when the Supernatural EP came out I was happy when they fixed the zombie population.  With Sims 3 one of the things I loved that they ended up adding is the roommate option.  I like having a roommate that I don't have to control but lives with me.  That was a nice addition. 

 

I started playing Sims 4 again last night and I had a good time.  I'm warming up to it. I found it a bit annoying that when one of my household is on another lot that switching between playable characters requires a loading screen.  Not long but if you just want to check on the person it can get to be too much.   I see that their next expansion will be Sims Go To Work so I guess there will be playable jobs, paying $39.99 sounds ridiculous, though.  I was not a fan of the Career Expansion Pack for Sims 3 so hopefully they do it a little better this time around.

[Sandman87]

Yesterday I had an idea for an interesting home, so I fired up Sims 3 at about 7 pm "just for half an hour or so" to do a little designing on one of the lots. Half an hour later it was 2 am. I should have remembered what a time sink the game is.

[AntiBeeSpray]

I keep going back and forth on Sims 4. I'm currently playing an eight person house and it's very entertaining to see how everybody interacts, but the game is so lifeless.

 

Exactly. You hit the nail on the head! Couldn't figure out what was missing in Sims 3, but you put it straight forward. It just feels so lifeless now :(.

[Sandman87]

I don't know if it's "lifelessness" or something else, but I find that I have less and less inclination to spend money on each successive iteration of the franchise. I bought every expansion for The Sims, about half of the expansions for The Sims 2, none of the expansions for The Sims 3, and now I don't even have any desire at all to get The Sims 4.

I think part of the problem is that I resent being obliged to spend more money for things in the expansions that should have been in the basic game to start with, and to install them I also have to install changes to game mechanics that I don't want.

[funkopop]

Yesterday I had an idea for an interesting home, so I fired up Sims 3 at about 7 pm "just for half an hour or so" to do a little designing on one of the lots. Half an hour later it was 2 am. I should have remembered what a time sink the game is.

 

I started playing SimCity yesterday after work at around 5ish and didn't finally stop until 9:30.  It is absolutely a "just another 30 minutes" game. 

[Sandman87]

I did some more reading about Sims 4 since my previous post, mainly because I was thinking about buying it. The consensus seems to be "don't bother if you have Sims 3", so instead I ordered a bunch of expansion packs from Amazon. It's been glorious chaos in my sim house ever since. Zombies infest the neighborhood during every full moon. The kids have imaginary friends helping them do their chores. The paparazzi are camping in the street outside my door. Everybody seems obsessed with hopscotch, hot tubs, jam sessions, and meeting a vampire. The family's Egyptian vacation home is overrun with magical pharaoh gnomes. And there's a time-portal-thing on the front lawn that I'm afraid to go near.

 

Best $50 (roughly) I ever spent. Gotta love Amazon's prices.

[himela]

@Sandman87 I get what you are saying, I have played many of the sims3 expansions but I still don't get how the creators of this such popular game created a new, much anticipated expansion that is by most people considered worse than the last one that is live for what, 4 years? I mean, isn't it weird? I love sims3, maybe it's my style of playing but I have pretty much have done it all, I didn't like pets, travelling or new professions like magician and singer etc, maybe I'm too hard to please I don't know. I was expecting sims 4 with joy and I was hoping for something different and more developed, but all I hear since it launched is "don't buy it, just play sims 3, it's better". For now my plan is to wait for at least one or two new expansions of sims 4 and buy all of it. But still, I find it disappointing. What were the creators thinking?

[Chas411]

Has anyone warmed to Sims 4? I ask as I'm thinking about buying it this weekend.

[AntiBeeSpray]

Been playing it lately. Finally got it last year. Love it. Been rather busy lately though, so I haven't played it as often though.

[junemeatcleaver]

I played Sims 4 a little bit a couple of years ago, it's just not for me.  I miss the open world of Sims 3 and was deeply disappointed I couldn't run all of the expansions at once.  I might have to redownload that Sims 2 complete EA gave away a while back.

[thecatmeows]

I was obsessed with The Sims 2, like full-on obsessed. I was on all the forums, chats, etc. I uploaded my legacy to TS2.com stories, the 'Chance' legacy. I played Sims 3 a little (mostly in college), then my computer broke so I stopped playing. I ended up getting a MacBook Air, which is not conditioned for gaming. I was bummed when I heard The Sims 4 wouldn't include toddlers, so I had no interest. I'm a family player and I play for the generations. So, last winter I saw an ad for where I could get The Sims 4 base game for $9.99 - wow, considering it's like $50 usually. I played the trial and saw they'd added toddlers. I bought it, and I've bought most of the expansions and several of the packs. I enjoy it, though I really wish I weren't playing on my MacBook because it makes it so hot. I went through a phase last winter where I was playing it almost every day, but I've dropped to occasional use. I want to get a desktop one of these days so I can have all the games on it, since I contacted EA and was able to get The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection as well as gain access to the Sims 3 games I'd registered online to download. 

Edited November 3, 2018 by thecatmeows

[Luckylyn]

Buzzfeed’s Single Girl Tries The 100 Baby Challenge on Sims 4

[BetterButter]

The Sims 4: “Create-a-World” Mod Coming October 21st (Reveal Trailer)

[Virtual]

I’ve played The Sims 2 on both console and PC (obviously the PC version blew away console version for me). Same with The Sims 3 (console and PC versions were closer together in enjoyment, which I liked).

So far I have only played The Sims 4 on PC. It’s pretty enjoyable as well, though I do need to get a new PC for it to play better. I plan on playing more once I do that.

[BetterButter]

Sims 4 Update Accidentally Adds Incest

[BetterButter]

‘The Sims’ Movie in the Works with Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap, Vertigo and ‘Loki’ Director Kate Herron