The Sims 2/Parties

Parties are a way for your sims to get to together to socialise and celebrate events. This article reviews the mechanics of parties and how to get the best score.

Starting a Party
Parties are started at the telephone. Just select it during decent hours and choose Throw Party and choose from the options available. There are four kinds of parties in The Sims 2 although later expansions give you more kinds. These options are. The next step is to choose who you want to attend the party. Choose from a list of sims you sim knows. The maximum number is controlled by your computers RAM. Note that a sim won't attend simply because they were invited. They have to have a high daily with them.
 * House Party: A normal get-together
 * Birthday Party: Celebrate a sim's birthday
 * Wedding Party: Celebrate a sim's wedding
 * Anniversary: Lets two elders celebrate their marriage

Party Score
The party score is split into six levels. This party score is raised and lowered by a variety of factors. The main factor is relationship change during the party. If it goes up, so does the score. If it goes down, the party score goes down with it. The change required to alter the score is based on the number of sims at the party. If you have a large number of sims, you'll need a large relationship boost to change the party. Also, if you only invited two or three people, the relationship requirements are also changed. Otherwise it would be too easy.
 * Roof-Raiser
 * Good Time
 * Not Bad
 * Snoozer
 * Real Dud
 * Total Disaster

Another factor that contributes to the score is guest attendance. If some of them don't attend, it will be harder to achieve a high score for your party. The game will also tell you if sims aren't coming. If guests leave during the party, then the score will also take a reduction.

The last thing that alters scores is special event parties. If sims don't get married during a wedding or don't grow up during a birthday then it will be virtually impossible to achieve a high party score.

Finally, the cops may arrive under these conditions. The cops don't reduce the party score. They just end the party. The score that was last displayed is taken as the party score.
 * After 11pm
 * Stereo turned up
 * More than four people on the lot

Guest Needs
Guests require that their needs be fulfilled in order for them to stay. First of all, they arrive with their needs at a set level. This level will generally be at the top. This means that they won't immediately waste time filling needs at once. When they arrive, their actions are dictated by your sims and their needs. It is a good idea to make sure your prepared for them when they arrive and supply objects to fill their needs. Otherwise they'll leave and your party score will take a hit.
 * Hunger: The buffet table is brilliant for hunger. It means that for $300, your sims can choose from gelatin, turkey and salad without having to prepare them. If, however, you don't have this budget, make sure you prepare some food. This may be troublesome if you invited more than six guests.
 * Comfort: Guests will use any object except for beds to satisfy their comfort. Make sure you provide enough seating, though. If other people are using the chairs, they won't be able to use them.
 * Bladder: The answer is simple. Get a toilet. Note that, like comfort, if too many people are lined up to go, they may simply give up and leave. Also make sure that your sims can go. Bladder failure is usually embarrassing. However it's more embarrassing at a party.
 * Energy: The only object that can satisfy guests energy, is the coffee or espresso machine. These objects, however, reduce bladder. So be careful, using this object.
 * Fun: Group objects are best for fun. These are objects like TVs, darts and Myshuno. Some of them do have limits regarding the number of players, though. Alternatively, any of the Play interactions on your sims can satisfy fun.
 * Social: Social should, theoretically, be the easiest need to satisfy. As long as your sims are doing stuff with other sims, then there's nothing to worry about.
 * Hygiene: Guests can use baths and showers if hygiene gets too low. Like bladder, if other guests are using them, they may simply leave.
 * Environment: Make sure your house is kept clean at all times. If all your guests are neat, then you've got nothing to worry about. If they're sloppy, make sure you got someone on patrol to clean.

Anniversaries
Anniversaries can only be initiated under these conditions. Anniversaries don't need something special to happen. In fact, there's no difference except for the guests turning up in formal.
 * 1) Elder sims are married
 * 2) Elder sims married when they were adults.

Birthday Parties
Birthdays can only happen when sims have the Grow Up self-interaction. During the party, one of the sims must grow up, or you'll have a negative party score. The cake, while not compulsory, allows sims to fill hunger and also comes with a special movie that would not happen otherwise.

Weddings
Weddings are only available when two sims are engaged. During the party, the sims must marry or the party score will be reduced. Guests arrive in formal during weddings. If you have a toasting set, guests may toast the couple. During the wedding, click on the sim's fiancée or the wedding arch to get married. The wedding arch comes with a special movie. After the party, a limo comes and takes the couple on their honeymoon. They come back, with all of their needs full.