Dating is a new way in The Sims 2 Nightlife to improve a relationship between two sims. With the attraction and chemistry system introduced in this expansion pack, improving your romance should be a breeze. In this article, we reveiw date mechanics to help you utilise this new system to your advantage.
Who to Date
Firstly, you have to choose who you want to date. Since dating is a romantic action, you can only date sims that you can have a romantic relationship with(e.g. Teens can only date teens. Adults can't date children). You can't date blood relatives either. Other than these restrictions, you can date whoever you want.
Starting the Date
There are four ways to get a date.
- Ask...On Date. Asking in person.
- Call...Ask Out On Date. Asking over the phone.
- Being asked by another sim over the phone.
- Ask for Blind Date. Interaction on the Gypsy Matchmaker.
Asking for a blind date gives you a random sim. This sim will not be in a commited relationship with any other sim.
Choosing a location
Your sims can date anywhere except the secret society lot included with The Sims 2 University. If you date at a residential lot, the other sim will come to you. If you date at a community lot, you must drive there. If you don't get going within the hour, then the other sim will decide that he or she has been stood up. Standing up has negative effects on a relationship.
Dating
You can keep track of the date with the date metre. From a glance it tells you:
- The current date score.
- How much time you have.
- The dates identity.
- The dates aspiration.
- The dates wants and fears.
The date score is divided into seven sections, each which represent how well the date is going. When the date starts the score starts in the middle. If it reaches the exact bottom, the date ends. During a date points are added or subtracted for almost every event involving your sim. The date score also exists as an invisible number plane ranging from 0 to 1000. With 0 at the bottom of the Horrible rating and 1000 at the top of the Dream Date rating. The main type of event that can happen is a social interaction between two sims. Every social interaction has a base score that is multiplied with the relationship score gained or lost to produce a number of points that are added to the date score. This score is then altered by personality and aspiration. When an event happens, personality will adjust the score. A sim with personality on one extreme (e.g. Outgoing/Shy 10) will provide maximum points while a sim on the other extreme (e.g. Outgoing/Shy 0) will subtract maximum points. How much points are added or lost depends on the personality score. This is accessible through the simology panel
Date Events
The following table is a list of social interactions and their effect on the date score. There are too many social interactions in The Sims 2 to list here so instead, only social interaction types will be listed. Effect 1 means that the relationship change for both sims will be added to the date score. Effect 2 means that the relationship change is also added but is doubled as well for the date score. If the interaction decreases relationship, the date score will also be decreased.
| Effect 1 | Effect 2 | Other |
|---|---|---|
| Appreciate, Entertain, Irritate, Play, Prank, Talk | Dining socials, Flirt, Hug, Kiss, Slow Dance | Fight(effect 3), WooHoo (effect 5) |
These interactions also affect the date score but include personality and aspiration boosts. Unlike the previous table there is no effect 1, effect 2, etc. Each interaction has a base score which personality and aspiration add to. The score for personality shows the maximum available. To acheive this, personality must have a score of 10. The penalty means that the score will be the value shown if the personality is 0. This base score also assumes that the interaction is between the two dating sims(with the exception of the Bite Neck interaction).
| Interaction | Score | Personality boost | Penalty | Aspiration boost | Aspiration penalty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Object-based cuddle | 40 | Outgoing 20 | -10 | Romance 15 | Knowledge -10 |
| Rejection | -50 | Outgoing 10 | -20 | Knowledge 15 | Romance -50 |
| Bitten by Vampire | 24 | Playful 25 | -25 | Knowledge 200 | Family -50 |
| Engagement | 210 | Nice 150 | -50 | Family 200 | Romance -100 |
| Rejection | -440 | Nice 5 | -100 | Romance 50 | Family -100 |
| Marriage | 240 | Nice 150 | -50 | Family 200 | Romance -100 |
| Rejection | -5100 | Nice 5 | -100 | Romance 50 | Family 100 |
| Go Steady | 96 | Nice 50 | -25 | Family 200 | Romance -100 |
| Rejection | -92 | Nice 50 | -100 | Romance 50 | Family -100 |
| Throw Food At Table | 36 | Playful 15 | -10 | Pleasure 15 | Knowledge -5 |
| Rejection | -28 | Playful 10 | -35 | Pleasure 5 | Knowledge -25 |
| Talk To Pregnant Sims Belly | 20 | Nice 10 | -10 | Family 10 | Romance -10 |
This next list of interactions include object interactions, autonomous behaviours and any other event that has an impact on the date score. SIm A refers to the sim that initiated the date and Sim B refers to the sim being dated.
| Event | Score | Personality boost | Penalty | Aspiration boost | Aspiration penalty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acheive Crush Relationship | 100 | Outgoing 50 | -50 | Romance 50 | Knowledge -50 |
| Acheive Love Relationship | 200 | Outgoing 50 | -50 | Romance 50 | Knowledge -50 |
| Acheive Pregnancy | 200 | Nice 50 | -100 | Family 200 | Romance 350 |
| Aspiration Desperation (Sim B) | -300 | Playful 100 | -200 | N/A | N/A |
| Aspiration Faliure | -400 | Playful 200 | -200 | N/A | N/A |
| Bite Neck (Sim A) | 200 | Mean 100 | -100 | Knowledge 100 | Family -50 |
| Bladder Failure (Sim A) | -200 | Sloppy 200 | -300 | N/A | Popularity -500 |
| Bladder Failure (Sim B) | -600 | Sloppy 200 | -300 | Family 100 | Popularity -500 |
| Dance Sphere Lose High (Sim A) | -70 | Lazy 50 | -50 | Knowledge 20 | Pleasure -20 |
| Dance Sphere Lose High (Sim B) | -100 | Lazy 50 | -50 | Knowledge 20 | Pleasure -20 |
| Dance Sphere Lose Medium (Sim A) | -50 | Lazy 25 | -25 | Knowledge 20 | Pleasure -20 |
| Dance Sphere Lose Medium (Sim B) | -80 | Lazy 25 | -25 | Knowledge 20 | Pleasure -20 |
| Dance Sphere Win Low | 15 | Active 15 | -10 | Pleasure 10 | Knowledge -5 |
| Dance Sphere Win Medium | 35 | Active 25 | -25 | Pleasure 20 | Knowledge -20 |
| Dance Sphere Win High | 45 | Acitve 25 | -25 | Pleasure 20 | Knowledge -20 |
| Date Dies | -1000 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Defeat Grim Reaper | 300 | Playful 100 | Serious -200 | Knowledge 400 | N/A |
| Dine At Restaurant | 150 | Playful 50 | -50 | Pleasure 50 | Knowledge -20 |
| Eat Bad Food | 5 | Lazy 5 | Mean -5 | N/A | Pleasure -5 |
| Eat Good Food | 50 | Lazy 25 | -25 | Pleasure 50 | Knowledge -10 |
| End Date without Unlocking Time Bonus | -200 | N/A | Outgoing -50 | Knowledge 50 | Romance -50 |
| Energy Failure (Sim A) | -100 | Lazy 100 | Shy -100 | Knowledge 10 | Popularity -100 |
| Energy Faliure (Sim B) | -300 | Playful 100 | -200 | Knowledge 10 | Popularity -100 |
| Fall Asleep in Food (Sim A) | -150 | Nice 50 | -100 | Family 25 | Popularity -100 |
| Fire | -250 | Playful 10 | -35 | Pleasure 5 | Knowledge -20 |
| Food Dropped By Waitor | -50 | Sloppy 100 | -75 | Fortune 10 | Popularity -25 |
| Gain Furious Relationship (Sim A) | -200 | Nice 100 | -200 | Family 50 | Popularity -25 |
| Get Booed (Sim B) | -50 | Outgoing 25 | Shy -25 | Knowledge 10 | Popularity -25 |
| Get Caught Cheating | -250 | Outgoing 100 | Mean -100 | Romance 150 | Family -100 |
| Get Caught Scamming Restaurant | -200 | Mean 200 | -200 | N/A | Fortune -100 |
| Get Cheered | 25 | Outgoing 50 | -25 | Popularity 25 | Knowledge -10 |
| Get Hit By Crumplebottom | -250 | Nice 100 | -50 | Family 50 | Romance -200 |
| Get Influenced | 25 | Outgoing 25 | -25 | Popularity 10 | Pleasure -5 |
| Get Lectured By Crumplebottom | -100 | Nice 50 | -100 | Family 50 | Romance -200 |
| Get Meal Comped | 100 | Outgoing 25 | -50 | Fortune 50 | N/A |
| Go Broke | -200 | Outgoing 50 | -100 | Knowledge 50 | Fortune -200 |
| Lose Crush Relationship | -150 | Nice 50 | -50 | Knowledge 50 | Romance -50 |
| Lose Fight | -150 | N/A | Mean -50 | Knowledge 25 | Popularity -100 |
| Lose Love Relationship | -200 | Nice 150 | -150 | Knowledge 100 | Romance -100 |
| Reaction-Smells Bad | -50 | Sloppy 50 | -50 | Knowledge 25 | Pleasure -25 |
| Reaction-Smells Yummy | 50 | Neat 25 | -40 | Pleasure 25 | Knowledge -10 |
| Repoman | -400 | N/A | Shy -100 | N/A | Fortune -200 |
| Scam Resturant | N/A | N/A | N/A | Fortune 50 | Family -100 |
| Sing Duet | 50 | Playful 25 | -25 | Romance 25 | Knowledge -25 |
| Smustle Dance Together | 50 | Active 25 | -25 | Pleasure 25 | Knowledge -25 |
| Smustle Dance Rejection | -50 | Lazy 25 | -25 | Knowledge 25 | Pleasure -25 |
| Social Worker | -700 | Mean 300 | Nice -300 | Pleasure 100 | Family -500 |
| Streak (Sim B) | 50 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Throw Up (Sim A) | -100 | Sloppy 100 | Neat -250 | N/A | Pleasure -100 |
| Throw Up (Sim B) | -100 | Sloppy 100 | Neat -250 | N/A | Popularity -50 |
| Tip Staff | 25 | Nice 45 | -50 | Fortune 50 | Knowledge -25 |
| Unsuccessful Slow Dance | -200 | Nice 100 | -50 | Knowledge 50 | Romance -100 |
| Use Photo Booth Together | 30 | Outgoing 40 | -50 | Popularity 25 | Fortune -10 |
| Win Fight | 100 | Mean 100 | -300 | Popularity 50 | Knowledge -25 |