The Sims 2/Gameplay

When you first load up The Sims 2, you can load up a neighbourhood or select a tutorial. If you've never played The Sims before, it's a good idea to play the tutorial. If you have you can select an advanced tutorial to introduce you to new elements in the game. This article serves not to replace the tutorials but to explain how the elements in The Sims 2.

Neighbourhood
The neighbourhood is where sims live. There are not connected in any way. In the neighbourhood view you have access to five panels.
 * Families: Brings you to Create-A-Sim and families that haven't moved into a house
 * Lots and Houses: Gives you houses and lots to place in the neighbourhood. Also allows you to access community lots and unowned houses.
 * Decorations: Gives you objects to decorate and add flavour to the neighbourhood with.
 * Neighbourhood Story: Allows you to add a storyline to your neighbourhood.
 * Options: Gives you options to affect gameplay.

Lots
In lot view you have access to five modes. Live mode gives you several elements that affect gameplay. The following section talks about the main elements. Note that elements introduced in expansion packs are not covered.
 * Live Mode: This is where all the action takes in the sims world
 * Buy Mode: Lets you buy objects for your sims to use
 * Build Mode: Gives you tools to construct houses
 * Story Mode: Lets you give your lot a storyline
 * Options Affects gameplay

Ages
Each age has it's own challenges. There are six ages in The Sims 2. Sims start out as babies and grow into each age. After reaching elder they eventually age our and die.
 * Baby
 * Toddler
 * Child
 * Adolescent
 * Young Adult (if you have University)
 * Adult
 * Elder

Aspiration
Aspirations provide goals for your sims to achieve. There are six aspirations in The Sims 2.
 * Grow up: The desire to grow up.
 * Family: The desire to get married and have kids.
 * Fortune: The desire for money and career advancement.
 * Knowledge: The desire to achieve maximum skill levels and experience the supernatural.
 * Popularity: The desire for fame and friendship.
 * Romance: The desire to have many lovers.
 * Pleasure: The desire to live life to the fullest (if you have Nightlife)
 * Grilled Cheese: The desire to eat grilled cheese (if you have Freetime)

Wants and Fears
Wants are the goals that your sims want to achieve. Fears are events that your sims want to avoid. Achieving wants and fears fills your aspiration score. Filling your aspiration metre gives you access to special objects to alter your sims life.

Needs
Needs are your sims basic physiological needs. There are eight needs. Needs affect mood. Mood is an overall rating for your sims. The mood affects how well sims build skills and perform tasks.
 * Hunger: The need to eat.
 * Comfort: The need for relaxation.
 * Bladder: The need to go to the toilet.
 * Energy: The need to rest and replenish yourself.
 * Fun: The need for enjoyment.
 * Social: The need to socialize.
 * Hygiene: The need to clean.
 * Environment: The need for a clean environment.

Relationships
Relationships are scores for how well your sims like other sims. There are two types of score. There are also several relationship types.
 * Daily: A short-term score.
 * Lifetime: A long-term score.
 * Enemy
 * Friend
 * Crush
 * Best Friend
 * Love
 * Steady
 * Engaged
 * Married
 * Family

Skills
Skills affect how well your sims perform tasks and with what efficiency they do it.
 * Cooking: How good your sims cook food and what foods your sims can cook
 * Mechanical: How well your sims repair items.
 * Charisma: How well your sims can speak.
 * Body: How well your sims exercise.
 * Logic: How well your sims play games.
 * Creativity: How well your sims paint and play piano.
 * Cleaning: How well your sims clean.

Careers
Sims need work to earn money. The main part of a sims life is advancing in a career track. There are ten career tracks that sims can choose from. When sims are teens they can get an after-school job. This will give them a boost when they grow up. Upon reaching the elder age, they may retire and receive a pension.

School
Children and teens must attend school. At the end of every school day sims receive homework. Homework helps sims achieve a good grade. Grades can form the basis of some sims wants. If you earn an F grade then the social worker takes your kids away.

Personality
Personality affects sims autonomy. There are five personality scores that affect your sims.
 * Neat/Sloppy
 * Outgoing/Shy
 * Active/Lazy
 * Playful/Serious
 * Nice/Grouchy

Fitness
Fitness is generally unimportant but can form the basis of some wants. Overeating food can make your sims fat while building body skill makes your sims fit.

Interests
Interests are what sims talk about. There are several topics sims choose from when talking to their friends and the level of interest corresponds to their reaction in the conversation. Interests can be changed by reading magazines.

Memories
When events happen in sims lives, they remember it. Memories serve as a history record as well as a topic that can be discussed between sims. There are two types of memories; positive and negative. Sims can be congratulated over positive memories and can be teased about negative memories. Sims do eventually forget memories. However this does not show in the memories panel.