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''The Sims 2'' is a Strategic Life Simulation Game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts . It is the sequel to the popular game '' The Sims ''. The game was released on September 17 2004 in both CD-ROM and DVD-ROM formats. The DVD-ROM version, called The ''Sims 2 Special DVD Edition'', contains a "Bonus Disc" with broad information on the Sims 2, interviews with the game developers, and commercials of past ''Sim'' products. A ,'' a re-release with holiday-related content, was released on November 17 2005 . DESCRIPTION Sims age through 6 unique stages: Baby , Toddler , Child , Teen , Adult and Elder (although another stage, ' Young Adult ', was added with the ''University'' expansion pack). Unlike the previous game, when children stayed children and there was little game progress, the stages of life encourage players to move the game along and create relationships between Sims. Family relationships are much more integral to this version of the Sims than the previous version. As Sims age, get married and have children, these relationships are recorded in an extensive family tree. In this installment of the series, Sims can have more realistic marriages with engagements and parties. Sims are pregnant before having children (unlike in the previous version, where children just appeared). Other unique events such as deaths, birthdays and a first kiss also take place in a Sim's lifetime. Good and bad experiences are kept as memories and can affect the Sim's behaviour. environment, aspirations of a selected Sim are also available for view, indicating the Sim's "Wants" and "Fears".]] The graphics and house design engines have improved with more choices for houses, neighborhood design, food and clothes. The ''Sims 2 Body Shop'', a tool which allows a user to design a Sim's body, clothing, genetic features, etc., was available well before the game's release. ''The Sims 2'' introduces a new aspect into the game: Aspiration. Aspiration manifests itself in two ways: the aspiration which each Sim has, and the Aspiration Meter. Sims will each have an aspiration which is set either when they are created by the player, generated by the game (if they are an NPC ), or chosen by the player when they become a teenager. The five aspirations are: Romance, Family, Knowledge, Popularity and Fortune. A sixth aspiration, that of growing up, is possessed by all sims when they are toddlers and children, and a seventh aspiration, the Pleasure aspiration, was included with the ''Nightlife'' expansion pack. Also, an eight aspiration, the Grilled Cheese aspiration was included with the ''Nightlife'' expansion pack. There are six levels to the aspiration meter: The highest is platinum, beneath that is gold, followed by two levels of green and two of red (red being negative aspiration and therefore an undesirable state). The level is raised when a Sim fulfills a " Want ", and is lowered when a " Fear " is realized. Wants and Fears are different for each sim depending on several factors including aspiration type, age and aspiration meter level. They may change on a daily basis, and are displayed graphically in slot-machine fashion on the toolbar. When the Aspiration Meter is high, aspiration rewards may be properly used. For example, the Elixir of Life aspiration reward allows a Sim to live longer. If this aspiration reward is used before the Aspiration Meter reaches the gold level, however, it sometimes backfires and the Sim loses life days. The Aspiration Meter also affects how long an elder will live for once they enter this phase of their life. This also means that while the game still has no set goals, there is a new strategic level to balancing a Sim's life as players now have a limited time in which to fulfill Aspirations, meet needs, progress in a career, socialize and possibly have a family. "More Realistic" When ''The Sims 2'' was in pre-release stages, game creators stated that they were removing the Robot s and Genie s from the original game to make the game "more realistic". However, when the game was released, aliens were already embedded into the game, which most fans did not consider normal. Since aliens the expansion packs have also produced zombies (''University''), vampires (''Nightlife'') and robots (''Open For Business''). Fans have little doubt that something else will appear in a future expansion pack. However, some other aspects of the game are more realistic compared to the original, when it comes to everyday life. For example, in The Sims 2 there is pregnancy, achieved with the ''Try For Baby'' interaction, if the pregnant Sim is female, and getting abducted by aliens, if the Sim is male; whereas, in the first ''The Sims'', if two Sims kissed repeatedly, the player would get a dialog box asking them if they wanted a child. Also, ''The Sims 2'' has life stages, memories, aspirations, fears, and more control over their life. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS The system requirements for ''The Sims 2'' (from the official ''The Sims 2'' website) are as follows: ''Windows''
''Mac''
At the time of release, many criticized ''The Sims 2'' for needing extremely high system requirements. In fact, just the ''required'' (and not optimum) system specs meant that many PC's purchased as late as 2001 would not even be able to run it at all. A similar complaint was levied against another Maxis game, '' SimCity 4 '', released more than a year and a half ago. BUGS ''The Sims 2'' contains a number of '' should correct most of the problems below).
:If you have moveobjects activated and delete a Sim that has age-transitioned since your last save, exit to the neighborhood without saving. Otherwise, if you try to restore them by using the hidden Reset Age Duration option on the trash can, they will return to the lot in the age band they switched to...but accessing the behaviors and animations of the age group they left behind! :In the case of most age group transitions, this makes the bug harmless. Children will act like toddlers, teens like children, adults like teens, and elders like adults. But if your Sim was an infant that had transitioned to toddler and was deleted without being saved first, then the game has a skeleton conflict. :It will use the skeleton for toddlers but the animations and behaviors for a baby. The toddler animations which the game tries to run on the baby skeleton will fail, causing the action that was being performed with the toddler to fail also. This makes it impossible for your Sims to pick them up and tend to their needs. If the social worker shows up, she won't be able to take the toddler. However, the save and exit options, which are locked when the social worker arrives, are not re-enabled, because the social worker's routine failed without cleaning up after itself. This renders the lot unplayable, as the game goes into an Infinite Loop . The only way to escape the game is through the Windows Task Manager. :The glitch is named the "Boddler" Glitch rather than "Toddler" Glitch because the toddler acts like a baby, or "Boddler." Other age groups that act like babies produce variations called the Bild, Been, Bault, and Belder. But it's the same skeleton conflict in all of them. One of the first uses of the word "Boddler" to describe this is by a user on the official Sims 2 website, posted to the BBS section on October 27 of 2005. Similar bugs produce groups known as the Tild, Teedler, Tault, Toolder, Cheen, Chault, Chelder, Tendault, Telder, and Aulder. With University, it's also possible to have Byaults, Tyaults, Chyaults, Tenyaults, and Yaulders, but these are rare. The occurrence of beens and byaults increases with the presence of third-party no-townie-respawn hacks. Boddlers are easy to spot, as they are toddlers acting like a baby. Byaults and Beens are also easy to spot, since they are Young Adults and Teens that act like babies.
Bugs also surfaced relating to both expansion packs. These have been tackled with patches released in October 2005. Another patch was released in February 2006. VARIOUS EDITIONS OF THE GAME As of 2006 , three different editions of the game have been released:
EXPANSION PACKS ''The Sims 2: University'' See Also: The Sims 2: University Maxis released the first '', on March 2 , 2005 for PC and December 12 , 2005 for Mac. In it, Sims can be sent to College in a new neighborhood type called University. A "Teen" sim sent to the university will become a "Young Adult," a new age group introduced with this expansion, and that sim will become an "Adult" when it graduates or flunks out. Sims that don't attend the university will skip Young Adult and become Adults, as in the original version of the game. A more minor introduction in ''University'' is the addition of "influence points" that can be used to influence others to do a certain thing. The game also introduces zombies and career based rewards which can be "purchased" when you reach a certain level in a specific job. ''The Sims 2: Nightlife'' See Also: The Sims 2: Nightlife The second expansion, '''', it includes entertainment options like Nightclub s, Restaurant s for romantic dinners, and bowling alleys, in a new neighborhood type called Downtown (much like the University Town in the first expansion pack). A new attraction system introduces turn-ons and turn-offs that cause Sims to be attracted to or disgusted by other Sims. Players will now be able to see other lots in the neighborhood from inside a lot. In addition, players can now own cars instead of taking the carpool. Maxis also added Vampire s that bite sims, thus turning them into vampires as well. However, vampires can be entirely avoided if the player does not want to play with them. Nightlife also added two new aspirations: #Pleasure: Pleasure sims' wants are extremely variable as they seek only to enjoy life. #. This can be fixed by re-using the ReNuYu Senso Orb when in gold or platinum aspiration. A special car download (the HotRod Hauler Chop Socky Special) was available to those who preordered the game. ''The Sims 2: Open for Business'' See Also: The Sims 2: Open for Business ''The Sims 2: Open for Business'', the third expansion pack for ''The Sims 2'', allows your sims to operate their own Businesses . They are able to manage their staff and develop their talents. Create prized items to bring in top dollar or watch as things go haywire while they are making the next big thing. Players can choose to set up businesses like an Electronics store, a Restaurant , a Beauty Salon , a Boutique shop, and much more. It was released on March 1 , 2006 . This expansion pack also offers robots as sims in the nostalgic form of Servo from The Sims Livin' Large and also robots which help with various housework so that maids and gardeners are not needed. They can water plants, pick up garbage, keep your house safe from robbers, put out fires, and even bring back food when they sense that your sim is hungry. A special Mascot download (a chicken suit) was available to those who preordered the game. STUFF PACKS The Sims 2 Stuff Packs are packages that offer approximately sixty new objects, NPCs and textures, but contain no new gameplay elements. Two stuff packs and one expansion pack are planned for release in every six month cycle. ''The Sims 2 Holiday Party Pack'' See Also: The Sims 2: Holiday Edition ''The Sims 2 Holiday Party Pack'' (''The Sims 2: Christmas Party Pack'' in Europe) is a '' in a single package. However, the pack on its own is available through European retailers in a CD-ROM . Although not officially announced as such, this pack can be considered as the first stuff pack since it contains new objects but no new gameplay elements. ''The Sims 2 Family Fun Stuff Pack'' See Also: The Sims 2: Family Fun Stuff The next ''The Sims 2'' stuff pack has been announced, ''''. {Link without Title} An advertisement in the form of a flyer was included in ''The Sims 2: Open For Business''. ''The Sims 2 Family Fun Stuff Pack'' was released on April 13, 2006. ''The Sims 2 Family Fun Stuff Pack'' includes over sixty all-new items including all new underwater and fantasy themed sets composed of castle beds, sun dresses, tropical wall-hangings, and more. Some European stores offered a special outfit (a green dress) to those who preordered. Target stores were also given this item. HUMOR AND INSIDE JOKES Veronaville The neighborhood ''Veronaville'' is supposed to be a spoof of ''''. Her character (as well as a third family, the ''Summerdream'' family) was pulled from '' A Midsummer Night's Dream '', another Shakespearean play. Characters from other Shakespearean plays can be found in the family trees in Veronaville. Although these spoofs are supposed to parallel the plays they parody, the ''Romeo and Juliet'' parody is significantly less tragic than the actual play. (E.g., Tybalt cannot kill Mercutio to imitiate the conspiracy and suicide of Shakespeare's play, but can still laugh if he sees Mercutio die from a satellite falling on his head, etc...) Other names based on plays include '' King Lear '', '' The Tempest '', The ''"Hal plays"'', '' Othello '', '' The Merchant Of Venice '', '' Julius Caesar '', '' Antony And Cleopatra '', '' Love's Labour's Lost '', '' Measure For Measure '', '' Macbeth '', '' Hamlet '', '' Much Ado About Nothing '', and '' The Taming Of The Shrew ''. See also: List Of Pre-made Sims In Veronaville Llamas Llama s appear in ''The Sims'' (as in many Maxis titles). Speculation suggests that this is an inside joke due to one of the producer's love of '' Monty Python '' movies (specifically, '' Monty Python And The Holy Grail '', where its opening credits credited llamas for the movie's production). An alternative explanation is that this is paying homage to the work of Jeff Minter , a legendary games programmer who began programming games, featuring all sorts of fluffy animals, for the Vic-20 and Commodore 64 for his company Llamasoft . Michael Bachelor Should one take a look at the Goth Family Tree , they can find out more about Bella's branch of the tree. As it turns out, "Michael Bachelor" is her brother (now deceased). The Bachelor family was one of the pre-packaged families that came with the original '' The Sims ''. Only one person was in that family...a man named Michael (his urn/tombstone can be found in the Caliente house in Pleasantview). Furthermore, examining the memories in Pleasantview shows that before he died Michael married Dina Caliente - the woman who now wants to marry Bella's husband, Mortimer Goth... Mary-Sue Pleasant One of the characters living in Pleasantview is named "Mary-Sue Pleasant". This is probably a reference to the term " Mary Sue ," which is used to describe an idealized character in a work of Fan Fiction . It may also bear relevance to the original ''The Sims'', wherein there was a pre-packaged family named the Pleasants (Mary-Sue's husband, Daniel Pleasant, was also from the original ''Sims''. Daniel is the brother of Jennifer Burb, who is the wife of John Burb and mother of Lucy Burb. The Burb family is available as a package in Pleasantview). Angela and Lilith Pleasant Angela, the 'good twin', is named Angela because of its similarity to 'Angel'. Lilith, the 'bad twin', is named Lilith because Lilith was supposedly the first wife of Adam , according to the Jewish Midrash. She was a seductress, and therefore 'bad'. {Link without Title} Bella Goth Bella Goth, the wife of Mortimer Goth in ''The Sims'', is absent from the family when the game begins, as it is revealed she was abducted by aliens. A missing person's photograph of her appears on milk cartons seen while preparing some foods, but she can also be found as a townie in Strangetown without her memory of her old residence and family. Although some say she can be found in the hot air balloon which is a neighborhood decoration, the figures in the hot air balloon are actually taken from screenshots of ''The Sims Hot Date''. Several family photo albums also reveal her past actions prior to her alien abduction. The Newbies Looking into the family tree of the Broke family will reveal that Brandi's parents are Bob and Betty Newbie, the tutorial characters of ''The Sims''. The family tree will also reveal Bob's parents and Betty's parents. The characters shown in the family tree strongly resemble their original selves from ''The Sims''. References to popular culture Television channels and content Television Channel s in ''The Sims 2'' mirror those found in real-life television networks:
It should also be noted that several city scenes are in-game video clips from '' SimCity 4 '', including a KidzTube television program depicting a robot destroying a city, and various outdoor news reports in the Sim Broadcasting Network. Furniture and electronics
Miscellaneous
CONSOLE/HANDHELD PORTS ''The Sims 2'' was released on the following Consoles and Handhelds : The game made its debut to the console/handheld market during Q4, 2005 ( source ). GameSpot gave all the console versions a 6.5, and said "The Sims 2 loses something in translation from PC to consoles. Namely, its addictive, entertaining gameplay." On several websites, the Sims 2 for PlayStation2 was considered an outrage and many people wanted their money back; saying that all the qualities from PC mode (getting pregnant, aging, etc.) had been taken away. At the moment it will be announced on '' will be ported to Xbox 360 , PlayStation 3 , Wii , Nintendo DS , Playstation Portable , and Cell Phones. As with the Port of the original ''The Sims'' to consoles, the game will most likely feature greatly different mechanics and goals as compared to the original computer version. The Nintendo DS version has a few mini games including painting a picture. Also the console games have 2 modes of control, direct control, the default mode which allows you to walk your sim directly, and classic, where you have a light tower starting above your sim, where you can move it to select objects to use; e.g: The PC. USER MODIFICATIONS ("MODS") The Sims 2 enjoys a large fanbase of users who enjoy modifying both game content and behavior. Such fans are often called Modders . Modders have developed websites to share and distribute modifications to the "base" or unmodified game. Using programs such as '' SimPE '', users are able to examine and edit game objects. Such edits can be as simple as a "recolor" (where a user provides an alternative color or texture to an already-exiting game object) to the creation of completely new items,"meshing", for use in the game. Other modders work to directly modify the game's original code. Such modifications can be as simple as disabling a game interaction (such as removing the sim's ability to play "kicky bag" with one another) to expanding or enlarging a game interaction (such as enabling teen sims to become pregnant). Mods of any kind can significantly change game play techniques and strategies, and can fundamentally change the "flavor" of gameplay. Modders are not limited to changing game behavior. Tools exist to modify a specific sim's appearance, gender, memories, skills, personality, and relationships. Modders are also able to modify existing careers and add new careers which can add a new exciting aspect to game play. ACCUSATION OF SEXUAL CONTENTS On '' Electronic Arts issued a statement correcting Thompson, pointing out when the blur was removed from a Sim, the Sim lacks anatomical definition (there are no visible genitalia much like naked dolls). Several third-party mods, including custom meshes, are required to make nude Sims have the features Thompson accused the game of having. Most makers of such mods have taken some measures to prevent players under the age of 18 from accessing such mods. Thompson later retracted his misstatements concerning "pubic hair" and other details about which he was misinformed. However, he defended his fundamental position on ''The Sims 2'', and expressed his opinion that EA should "lose their right to defend their copyright" on the ''The Sims 2'' because the company does not ''prevent'' the mod community from making adult-oriented changes to the game. However, while one can lose their rights to enforce a Trademark by not defending it, this does not extend to Copyrights , so his expressed opinion lacks legal grounding. See Also: Jack Thompson (attorney) EA executive Jeff Brown told US website GameSpot: One Albert Mackenzie from the website illspirit.com claims that he deliberately baited Thompson into his attacks on The Sims 2 as "the Hot Coffee fiasco began to reach dizzying heights of sillyness." He reproduces a purported e-mail exchange with Thompson on his site {Link without Title} . SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS Official sites
Producer journals
Resources
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