The Sims 2
The Sims is a strategic life-simulation computer game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. It was created by game designer Will Wright, also known for developing SimCity. It is a simulation of the daily activities of one or more virtual persons ("Sims") in a suburban household near SimCity.
The Sims was first released on February 4, 2000 (one day before Chinese New Year).[1] By March 22, 2002, The Sims had sold more than 6.3 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling PC game in history;[2] the game has shipped 16 million copies worldwide as of February 7, 2005.[3] Since its initial release, seven expansion packs and sequels, The Sims 2 and the new sequel The Sims 3 (each with their own expansion packs), have been released. The Sims has won numerous awards, including GameSpot's "Game of the Year Award" for 2000.
Creation of families
When starting, the game offers players pre-made characters as well as the option to create more Sims that they can control. Creating a Sim consists of creating a "family" (identified by a last name) that can hold up to eight members. The player can then create Sims, by providing the Sim a first name and optional biography, and choosing the gender (male or female), skin complexion (light, tan, or dark) and age (child or adult) of the Sim. The personality of the Sim is dictated by five attributes (neat, outgoing, active, playful, and nice) and a specific head and body type. A Sim's body is bundled with a specific body physique and clothing. The player cannot change a Sim's face, name, skin tone, or personality once it has been moved onto a lot.
Life Stages
In the Sims, there are only 3 life states, Baby, Child, Adult. The only life stage that can be passed is baby. Children cannot grow up (unless cheats or the Makin' Magic expansion pack are used). Adults are the most advanced life stage and are able to have children, get jobs, etc.Each family, regardless of how many members are in it, starts with a limited amount of cash (§20,000) that will be needed to purchase a house or vacant land, build or remodel a house, and purchase furniture. All architectural features and furnishings are dictated by a tile system, in which items must be placed on a square and rotated to face exactly a 90 degree angle with no diagonals. Walls and fences go on the edge of a "square" and can be diagonal, whereas furniture and Sims take up one or more squares and cannot be diagonal. Artwork may not be placed on diagonal walls in the same way as furniture may not be placed against a diagonal wall. There are over 150 home building materials, landscaping options, furnishings, and design objects Sims' lives Sims are directed on the basis of instructing them to interact with objects, such as a television set, a piece of furniture or another Sim. Sims may receive house guests, which are actually based on the Sims of other game files. The player cannot control "visiting" Sims, although it is important for Sims to interact with one another in order to develop a healthy social life and gain popularity.
Sims, if enabled within the game, have a certain amount of free will, meaning they will engage in activities when left to their own devices, though player commands will override anything a Sim decides to do on its own. However, Sims may not perform important commands, such as find a job or conceive a child, on their own initiative. Unlike the simulated environments in games such as SimCity, SimEarth, or SimLife, the Sims are not fully autonomous. They are unable to take certain actions without specific commands from the player, such as paying their bills. Thus, if left alone, without any player supervision, the Sims will eventually develop overdue bills and their property will be repossessed.
A lazy and sloppy Sim The player must make decisions about time spent in personal development, such as exercise, reading, creativity, and logic, by adding activities to the daily agenda of the Sims. Daily need fulfillment must also be scheduled, such as personal hygiene, eating, and sleeping. If the simulated humans do not perform need fulfillment, they suffer consequences. For example, if they do not eat, they will die of starvation. If they do not go to the bathroom, they will wet themselves. If they do not have fun, they become depressed and unwilling to do things. When Sims have low motives they are more likely to be nasty to other Sim characters by insulting them, slapping them and even attacking them. Financial health is simulated by the need to send the Sims to find jobs, go to work and pay bills.
There are several career tracks, with ten steps in each. A Sim that makes a number of new friends and learns the right skills can get promoted, and receive a raise and changed work hours. The original careers are Business, Entertainment, Law Enforcement, Crime, Medicine, Military, Politics, Pro Athlete, Science and Xtreme. The expansion packs add new careers.
The inner structure of the game is actually an agent based artificial life program. The presentation of the game's artificial intelligence is advanced, and the Sims will respond to outside conditions by themselves, although often the player/controller's intervention is necessary to keep them on the right track. The Sims technically has unlimited replay value, in that there is no way to win the game, and the player can play on indefinitely. It has been described as more like a toy than a game.
File size: 279.4 MB
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