Friday 11 March 2005

Pic of the day: Roger is off to the university, there to join his childhood sweetheart. Little sister Kari waves goodbye. It's 4 years till he'll be back ... if ever. However, they can visit -- if he ever has time.

Sims2: Campus life

You choose one of your ordinary neighborhoods, and the universities are generated automatically. (You have to choose which one of them to use, though I believe you can change to another later for new students. You cannot however take a student out of one and into another.)

The universities come with a very few playable students already moved in. Then there are a few students in the container, waiting to move in. Also you can now create your own students, already as young adults ready to move in. (Use the character creator in the university neighborhood view, not in your local neighborhood! It should come pre-defined to create young adults, and have clothes to match.) None of these new playable characters will have much of a start capital, although the already active Sims may have a couple of skill points and perhaps a small extra grant. Playing any of these, and especially a fresh made student, will be a challenge. Doable, but perhaps not enjoyable unless you LIKE challenges.

But if you have raised your own little Sims and given them plenty of time to build their skills, they will have a much easier time. They will still have to study, but it will come easy to them, and they won't need to spend time raising their skills in college. (Although they still can, if they are bored.) Good grades are not assured, but within easy reach.

Any teenager can go to the uni, but to maximize lifespan you should wait until they are nearly adult. Don't let them grow up completely, though: Unlike real life, there is no entry to these universities once you're 20. Still, you want to have them acquire as many skills as high as possible before they go. And good grades too. If nothing else then because of the grants.

If you have maxed a couple skills during childhood, you can get a pretty fat check. Apply for grants by calling University on the phone. Be sure to do this before you move to campus. There are many grants to be had, and an intellectual elite teen will be richly rewarded. Beware, you need to get new grants for each semester, so do your best at college too!

Once your finances are secured, you can call University again and move. A taxi will come and pick you up just like when an adult chooses "move out". Relatives wave goodbye. Finally your new life is about to start!

***

At campus, you need to choose a place to live. I warmly recommend the dorms. You can always move out later, if you really need the double bed and swimming pool. These are dream dorms, the way dorms should have been. Each building holds 5-16 students and has facilities relevant for its size. You are unlikely to stand in line for the toilet or shower, and free food is served from 4AM till midnight. Well ... perhaps not free, but included in the price. You WILL get bills in the mailbox, and they MUST be paid. But you get roughly one each semester, and even a minimal grant is more than enough to cover them and then some. With no other expenses, it is like living at home except you don't need to do the dishes. (OK, so you don't do the dishes at home, but the Sims do.)

No matter where you live on campus, you don't have to worry about buying school books or paying for tuition. You can call your prof at any time they're awake to further discuss your studies, improving your knowledge and making friends with them at the same time. Classes last for two hours a day, but you should go almost an hour early to be sure to get there in time. Sims will automatically go to class unless they are deeply troubled by more immediate needs. (Of course, if you have manually ordered them to do some long task, this will override their wish to attend class, but you will get a warning.)

Words fail me when I try to describe the beauty of this idealized campus life. On your dorm there are stereos placed in common rooms sending non- stop college radio music, much of which is hauntingly beautiful. Just don't stand too near the arcade games, the sound from them and the squealing players clash rather harshly with the softly caressing music. A bright, airy common room let you sit down with your meal or your homework. Not that homework is always necessary: If you attend classes and call your prof daily, you should get top grades or near that. You have plenty of time to paint, play chess, dance, play kick bag and pursue a moderate level of romance.

The rooms not used by your played Sims will be filled with NPCs that move in during the first day. (You get first pick of rooms, choose wisely to save on running later.) The number of students is staggering, they may well outnumber the whole population of townies in the original game. Not only are they manifested in your own dorm, but students from other dorms (and occasionally from rival schools) will show up if you go to the shop or other general areas. (You still need the taxi and the looong load screens to get anywhere except your building, sadly. At least the load time music is more varied, and in my opinion much improved.)

One downside of living in the dorm is not for your Sims but for you. Having all the NPCs doing their things will slow down the system noticeably compared to a small family at home. To reduce this workload, fellow students disappear when they enter their rooms. You will occasionally see a thought bubble from the room indicating what's on their mind: Sleeping, studying or entertainment. If they don't lock their door, you can visit them, and the other way around, although they rarely do that.

Each dorm room comes with a single bed, but depending on the dorm there may also be a desk, or a dresser, or even a desk with a PC! The 16-room dorm (at least on the desert campus) doesn't have more than an occasional table and then in the corner rooms, but on the bright side you get real bathrooms where you can shower alone. And there are still the common areas where you can do your homework. Haven't found a dresser though, so if you're bringing a load of clothes you may consider a smaller dorm.

***

When living in a dorm, meeting people is automatic. You eat together, watch TV together, play chess together, and they just plain come up to you and do something, whether trying to hug you or lob a water balloon at you. The dorms are utterly co-ed, although the bathrooms have gender- specific doors at least. But there's no guessing who'll end up in the room next to yours. A large dorm gives you more people to pick from, whether you want friendship or romance. On the other hand, a smaller dorm may make for more contact with each, and less time spent walking. Of course, if you meet your dream Sim at the shop (perhaps while you work part-time there, if you've been spending too much) you can always phone them later even if they're in a different house. Phones are also scattered around in the dorms, and besides you'll probably have your own mobile phone unless you are either very reclusive or very poor.

I haven't seen any actual sports events, but the campus would not be complete without the overly perky cheerleader that appears where enough people are together and tries to incite everyone to join her in the silly school cheer. Also in the unlikely case that a student is fat and spends some serious time on the friendly couch, a less than friendly coach will show up and force the perpetrator to work out. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it may interfere with your plans. I am still amused that they even thought of it, though. There is supposedly a school mascot and a rival school mascot as well, but I haven't seen them yet.

And there's the occasional keg party, although you may have to arrange it yourself. Depending on your aspiration, you may even want to do this, and even get influence points for it. The fruit punch is supposedly non-alcoholic, so don't expect the wild debauchery you may remember from real college life. Not that I would know, of course ... I rented privately with elderly Christian mystics during my two winters of higher education. ^_^* Yeah, this stuff is a bit new for me too, although I went to a boarding high school before that.

If you join a fraternity or sorority, the balance of the Sim's needs shifts subtly. The social and fun needs are depleted faster, but more physical needs are slowed down. The net effect is that your Sim, and the rest of the frat boys, will tend to party and play games a lot. Well, that's what they say. I would not set my Sims' feet in such a place. I think. Besides, I've just got the game, OK? It's pretty big.

That's why, Light willing, I'll write a few words about it later as well. We haven't even touched on the academia, the 11 majors and the new career paths (and rewards!) that open for the diligent student.