Pink Poogle Toy Forum

Sims do go to classes, although you do not attend them as well (which ticked off some people...not me, how boring would that be??) Obviously there are added objects, new careers and rewards (only accessible if a Sims graduates from university), and I've noticed that starting their sophmore year, they get an additional want slot (5 instead of 4). I think that continues into adulthood, but I'm not certain.

I've found University to be very enjoyable. As someone who never uses community lots, I've found that I actually LIKE using them in the college neighborhoods. My Sim needs to study and has full energy? Off to the library to find some kindred spirits! My Sim enjoys exercise? Off to the gym to work out and then make some spare cash by being a personal trainer. I also enjoy having my creative Sims head out to the various student lounges, etc, and playing an instrument. The pay pretty good, I can usually make at least 200 simoleons in one sitting.

I also like the addition of the lifetime wants. Basically, it's a want that can range from getting to the top of a certain career ladder, gaining a certain number of best friends or simoleons, or having 3 children graduate from university. If a Sim achieves this want, they receive 25,000 aspiration points, and live the rest of their life in platinum mode. The lifetime wants are heavily based on a Sim's aspiration, but unfortunately already created adults and eldery Sims often have lifetime wants that are impossible or difficult to attain. For example, a popularity Elderly Sim in the political profession's lifetime goal might be to reach the top of the athletic field. That's simply not possible unless you find a cheat (I think the debug mode might work for this, although it has a great deal of potential to royally mess up one's game) to change them back into an adult to start from scratch. Not really a fun option if you've already had them lead a life that you've wanted them to lead. Granted, you don't HAVE to follow those lifetime wants, especially when they're impossible due to have an already-created character, but it's still just a tiny bit frustrating. Especially since I like to let my Sims have their ways. What can I say, I don't control them, they control me. ^_-

Also important to note, you can send a teen to university at any stage of that age. So if you REALLY hate teenagers, just call up to apply for scholarships (do that first, then call up to send them to university...otherwise you won't get anything past the 500 base simoleons) as soon as they age to teens. On the other hand, if you feel like a Sim's lifespan is entirely too short, let them live out their teen years and then send them to University to really expand their lives. The way they did this was really a nice compromise. I've noticed that many people on the BBS hate teenagers, or think lives are too short or already too long, so by making the young adult life stage where it could actually replace teenage years was a really smart decision. Also, at least in University Neighborhood community lots, time does go on when your Sim is there. They can leave for class from a community lot, and when they return home, the amount of time til their 'final exam' has been shortened during their stint away from the dorm (or wherever they are living). That way the college years don't drag out forever and ever.

Hopefully this will give you a bit more information to help in your decision. It really isn't right for everyone...but it was definitely the right addition for me. ^_^

Wow...thanks MyleneFarmer. I don't know if I should really get it then, I'm not a big public place person. O__O Maybe I will once I get my new computer, since I'd just have to uninstall it in about a year anyway. Plus it'll be cheaper, I can afford it better and if I don't like it my pocket money won't exactly be completely wasted.

Even with as much as I love it, I really wish I had waited until the price came down. I'm not sure it's quite worth the $35 (US) that I spent on it, simply because money is a big issue for me right now (anyone know of some companies looking for C++ programmers? :p). The next EP, Nightlife, will definitely be one I'll wait awhile to get. I didn't particularly like Hot Date, and I have a feeling this one will fall under the same category for me.

What happens when you graduate from university do you stay there or go home?

The Sim returns to their neighborhood. "Career students" aren't possible in this game (a shame...I'll never be able to create myself ^_-). From what I've read (I still haven't graduated a Sim yet) they have 72 hours from their final exam to have fun in the University neighborhood (throw a party, etc) before they are forced to move back to the neighborhood. Once they return, they can rejoin their family (they've made it much easier to combine families now) or can start on their own.

Important note: Don't waste time making your little University Sim gain lots of money. When they leave University, they still end up with the usual starter 20,000 simoleons, even if they had managed to acquire more than that during their college years. I don't know if they receive that 20,000 if they return to their family home or not though. I presume they would not. Once I finally get a Sim graduated, I can further comment. Or someone that already knows could do the same. ^_^v

Edit: Okay, just found out my important note from above is inaccurate. It is true that they get the usual starter 20k when they move back home. However, I've recently read that if they have over 20k in their funds, they also take home anything over 20k that they have. For example, your sim had 30k in the bank. They get the usual 20k, plus the 10k they had over the typical 20k, so they go home with 30k. If they only had 18k, then they would simply take home 20k, nothing more. Make sense?

Sigh

I lost all my other characters

My favourite guy (angus mcloud) was top of every career path at one point in his life (elixer of life no cheats!) And now i lost him (user data deleted) so I wanted to get him on platinum mood all the time!

THats quite cool feature though...

I preordered Sims 2 University, and I recieved it about 3 days after it came out (central receiving at my college is super slow, and they only deliver the slips that say you have a package to the mailroom once a day), and I love playing it.

For a college student, the game is extremely entertaining. I find it amazing how they managed to capture so many aspects of college life in condensed "sim" form. The dorms are especially fun, because there are so many other sims to interact with, but unless you put them there yourself, you don't have to control them.

I think the most amazing part of the expansion pack is the music. When I first said this to my roommate, she thought I was crazy because she hadn't played her copy yet, and all she thought of when it came to sims music was the typical MIDI stuff while you're in buy or build mode. There are two different things that make the music aspect of the game so cool. The first is the new college rock station on the radio. Maxis got up and comming artists like Dexter Freebish and Abra Moore to record their songs in Simlish. My personal favorite is "Outsider" by The Daylights. The other thing is the fact that sims can now play instruments together. The piano, guitar, drum set, and bass can all be played at the same time. All the sims play the same song perfectly in time, and if they have enough creativity points, it really sounds great. They can play for money, too, which is fun.

Yeah, there is some really good music in University now. I've actually started allowing my Sims to turn on the radio. I never let them before. ^_-

I actually managed to play for about 4-5 hours today. It's been a long time since I've been able to keep myself amused with Sims 2 for that long. I think I'm finally getting over my burn out. Certainly took long enough.