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Field Researcher
#726 Old 1st Feb 2015 at 4:44 PM
UNIVERSITY: I agree with HP: Playing the Uni life is a drag. Takes far too long, and not much to do around their one class per day! (Wow, sign me up!) I usually build my own dorms and put stuff in them that may not be all that realistic and jacks up the bills a fair bit, but I prefer that to having to send them all over town to do things. Also, with showers all over the place, why are so many Uni students so indifferent to hygiene? Green fumes pouring off people all the time. It's off-putting. And who the hell gets personal visits from their professors at the dorm? I mean really! This is usually some old bag they've met once or twice before declaring a major that they might have three relationship beans with, and yet she'll show up and ring the bell twenty times every other day for weeks. Then when you finally let her in she ignores you anyway! I don't mind stupid game-play stuff that you can avoid or ignore, but that one is kind of a pain the bum. What I do like about Uni is that it's four extra years of life, during which they not only get a degree (and therefore greater earning-power in the workforce) but also plenty of time to gain tons of skill points, and find and get attached to a mate without sucking up precious years of adulthood.

HOLIDAY FUN STUFF: I love Santa too, but I wonder why he spends so much time in the bathroom. He might drop a few toys for the kids, but then it's straight to the loo for hours. I think it's a nice addition to the game though, having Santa visit. (And I actually kind of like it when the tree catches fire. Call me nuts.) Too bad there are no interactive Halloween things, like having little dressed up kids show up demanding candy, or else throwing eggs at your house. Hah! That would be hilarious! I actually threw my very first New Years party the other day, and it was great! Nice to see a party with some different stuff to do, like banging on pots and making a racket, and having Father Time there. I've never actually thrown a birthday party for anyone; the family just gathers around the cake and the kid grows up and that's that. I have no idea if anything special happens at birthday parties, maybe I'll throw one and find out.
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Mad Poster
#727 Old 1st Feb 2015 at 5:07 PM
Oh boy are you wasting your opportunities with University. That's the Drama Professor ringing your doorbell - she's in love with everybody.

University. Getting out and meeting people and mixing it up with streakers and throwing toga parties and getting rid of the pesky virginity and joining a Greek house and throwing toga parties and having cow mascot fights and making up and breaking up with your high school sweetheart and finding your one true love and wasting your first two years only to wake up and change your aspiration at the beginning of Junior and knuckling down to learn how to work and renting a house with all your BFFs and suddenly realizing what impossible slobs they are and walking all around campus by clicking from one lot to another and making out in the library and OMG THE KITCHEN IS ON FIRE AND IT'S TIME FOR MY FINAL -

Holey cheese I love University....

I do suggest making all your own community lots, though. The ones that ship with the universities are too big and too bare, even by Maxis standards.

Ugly is in the heart of the beholder.
(My simblr isSim Media Res . Widespot,Widespot RFD: The Subhood, and Land Grant University are all available here. In case you care.)
Field Researcher
#728 Old 1st Feb 2015 at 5:17 PM
Thanks for the reply, Peni. I had no idea you could set the price on the makeover chair! Dang! Well, that makes a lot more sense. It was a thing that I've just never explored fully, I was always more interested in running retail stores for clothes and furniture. Restaurants are fun too.

About Uni: Remind me of what drama potential you mean. I've had them join Greek houses and Secret Societies and start a band and go around playing instruments for tips, etc. but is there something I'm missing? I wouldn't be surprised if there is. I've never had anybody begin an affair with a professor for good marks, but when I play Uni I usually have five teenagers from town go at once and I've usually got them paired up in my mind already (I'm a great believer in arranged sim marriages). Then I spend all my time trying to find a suitable life-partner for the fifth one. It might be cool for the fifth-wheel of the bunch to try that, but my sims are usually too ambitious to have to resort to such sleazy tactics, lol.

Overall, of course, you're right: They're all good in their own ways, and there is something for everyone. I never liked the witches/vampires/zombies/werewolves very much, although I know they are very popular. Sims should be terribly afraid of them, but nobody bats an eye if a witch suddenly swoops down on her broom in front of your restaurant or whatever. It renders the whole thing pointless if you ask me. Same with green alien children with enormous eyeballs. If nobody's reacting to it, what is the point? Ghosts are the only supernatural elements I really like, because a really badly haunted house is actually a dangerous place to live. You can't get a decent night's sleep, and with your needs depleted you can be frightened to death very easily. I wish the other supernatural creatures had similar effects on people.
Scholar
#729 Old 7th Feb 2015 at 5:48 PM Last edited by Dizzy-noodles : 8th Feb 2015 at 4:11 AM.
Hello everyone!

Long time no see, hope you're all well! I have been on a sims hiatus due to various reasons, but I have really missed it! I'm getting a new laptop which should be able to cope with the game properly, and be able to run all EP's and SP's. I did get the Ultimate Collection, but I don't want to install it, as I want to leave some things out.

I have worked out which EP's I want (just not getting Uni or OFB), but am stuck on SP's. I have spent the last few hours reading this thread. I also tried to look at some pictures of what is included in the SP's, on the databases here http://sims2defaults.dreamwidth.org/ and here http://sims2-objectdefaults.dreamwidth.org/ , but the pictures are so small! Maybe my eyesight is going. Anyway, does anyone know of any larger pictures I could look at please?

EDIT-Just found some Ikea pictures, thank you HystericalParoxysm http://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=334781

I'm not sure if I would like the clothing/hair you get in the SP's, as I am very picky and have downloaded lots of lovely cc over the years. Clothes and hair are probably my favourite type of cc.

I'm not much of a builder, but it has begun to irritate me that the maxis furniture doesn't match, for example, in the bedroom you can't have a matching wardrobe, chest of drawers, bedside table, bookcase, and bed. Or in the living room, you can't have a matching sofa, chair, TV, stereo, bookcase and end table.

I like the kid's dragon costume from Family Fun Stuff, but I'm not sure it's worth installing the whole thing just for that. I also like the idea of Celebration Stuff, as I do enjoy my sims' weddings, but again I'm not sure if I would like everything that you get.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks
Theorist
#730 Old 7th Feb 2015 at 6:22 PM Last edited by CaliBrat : 13th Feb 2015 at 12:59 AM.
I'm not sure as to what is the best or worst EP or SP. I have all except Kitchen and Bath (for now). Personally, I tend to stay with maxis/EA made stuff. I think that who ever made the Maxis/EA stuff must have a warped sense of humor to not make matchin items. Luckily for us, we have some really good sim creators that fixed some of this hole that was left. While this is an old list and not really updated, there are still valid links to items that match in game stuff. http://simswiki.info/wiki.php?title...ist:Maxis_Match
I just love N99 and their MM stuff.

Have you tried the SIms Wiki to see objects? http://sims.wikia.com/wiki/Category...ort=mostvisited
Scholar
#731 Old 8th Feb 2015 at 2:55 AM
Oh thank you so much, that Maxis Match link is really helpful, it might be just what I'm looking for!

I did have a look at the Wiki link, but I couldn't find much furniture, I'm going to have another look.

I've decided to get Celebration Stuff. I'm still not sure about Family Fun Stuff. I'm considering Ikea Stuff.

As for recommending EP's to others, I've only played Nightlife and Pets, but I love them both and couldn't play without them!
Nightlife:
+ Attraction.
+ Dates.
+ Vampires.
+ Cars.
+ Lovely clothes and hair.
+ Downtown-fun for outings and your sims can live there aswell.
Pets:
+ Werewolves.
+ Dogs, cats, birds, womrats, fish tanks (not sure if they came with Pets).
- No horses Huge minus points for Maxis, although I do have Rebecah's amazing horses. The only thing that has ever made me consider Sims 3 is the horses and all the stables stuff (I don't like anything else about Sims 3 though).
- No bunnies or lizards (although you can download lizards).
- No waterbowl?! Very unrealistic. I had to download one.
+ Lots of cute interactions between pets and sims.
+ Lots to do with pets, breeding, training, taking for walks etc.
+ Completes life, you can't have people without animals.
- Strays are annoying. I don't mind walkbys, I might want to adopt one of those pets. But the dogs that come and bark on your doorstep irritate me. Or ones that come and meet my sims, I don't want my sims talking to townies, so I don't want them talking to strange pets either.
+ I actually quite like the strays digging holes and messing up your flowers, it adds a bit of realism.
+ There are some nice wallpapers etc. and some of the pet equipment is nice.
- Pet wants are annoying when they are about a pet who does not live in the same house as your sim.
Lab Assistant
#732 Old 13th Feb 2015 at 12:22 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Laurcleve
About Uni: Remind me of what drama potential you mean. I've had them join Greek houses and Secret Societies and start a band and go around playing instruments for tips, etc. but is there something I'm missing? I wouldn't be surprised if there is. I've never had anybody begin an affair with a professor for good marks, but when I play Uni I usually have five teenagers from town go at once and I've usually got them paired up in my mind already (I'm a great believer in arranged sim marriages). Then I spend all my time trying to find a suitable life-partner for the fifth one. It might be cool for the fifth-wheel of the bunch to try that, but my sims are usually too ambitious to have to resort to such sleazy tactics, lol.


I guess it depends on your playing style -- I personally love Uni (it's actually why I'm here right now despite technically being on a TS3 test period, lol, that's how much I miss it), but I don't like to micromanage too much. I usually have a general idea of what I want to do with my sims, but if they choose to do otherwise, I just go with their whims and wishes; I only step in to keep them from dying.

College is kind of perfect for that, especially with ACR installed - I also used to play with a hacked beer keg for parties that would wreck absolutely havoc, and it was so much fun. Freshman year is the best; I held introductory parties held at every Greek house with all the freshmen + the friends of the Greek houses invited. I held a similar bash for graduates, too. I came up with the idea of fraternity/sorority rushes for a while, but that got pretty hectic for the ones living at the Greek houses (it's basically partying 24/7 for an entire semester while trying to keep up your grades), but at least it wasn't boring.

It gets slightly less dramatic when you have smaller batches of same-year students at the same time, but at the same time, it also makes for closer friendships. Or not always, lol - Tank Grunt still managed to pick fights with every single person outside of his own dorm at every party he went to. But Johnny Smith graduated with at least 20 new friends, I think

Either way, TS2 college was such a blast IMO. Whether they went party-crazy or simply developed a new circle of life-long friends, maybe found the love of their life or a new hobby (Tank maxed his Logic skill and became a total chess maniac, through which he made his first friends), those four long years were almost never eventless; thanks to all that spare time, they had freedom to really do exactly what they wanted... whereas in the main 'hoods, they're usually so preoccupied with their daily lives and responsibilities (especially after they grow older and have families) they just can't go crazy in the same way. Well, unless they want to go to work with half of their needs in red and come back to screaming quadruplets, that is
Test Subject
#733 Old 14th Feb 2015 at 4:39 PM
Nightlife is a must!

Fell fast in love with OFB despite thinking I would hate it. :lovestruc

If Apartment Life was bit a more well-engineered and playable it would be in my favorites too.

Seasons, well... it adds seasons and hot cocoa!

Free Time has nice items but can get annyoing and the Hobby system isn't for me really.

University and Bon Voyage are games on their own IMHO and not essential to me.

Pets is just utterly uninteresting to me (not a pet person in RL too) but of course almost all my Sims familys now have one of those crazy critters.
Theorist
#734 Old 3rd Apr 2015 at 3:57 PM
Aah, the makeover chair! I once had an elder living in a run-down cabin with raggedy furnishings and a big dog. As I was at the huge shopping mall (the one with a gorilla on top), the elder male wandered in. Awhile later I heard shouting and looked over towards the salon. He had gotten a makeover with huge red lips and big round cheeks, lots of mascara and still had his scruffy beard. I was appalled. Later I went to his house and he still had all that mess on him. I was so upset that he would have to roam the hood looking that way, as I had no idea how to fix it. I thought death would be better, but then he would be the oddest looking ghost. I finally realized it was a face mask and remove-able. He got to live awhile longer, happy with his sloppy dog and all.

I don't care much for pets, themselves, but there are nice objects from that pack. I've got pets blocked everywhere and occasionally have the loner type sim who has a cat or dog for their only companion. It's neat to see a sim jog by with their dog on occasion. All expansions have their good and bad but worth it to have the complete set and avoid what you don't like.

When you forgive, you heal. When you let go, you grow.
Lab Assistant
#735 Old 8th Jun 2015 at 11:52 AM
Excluding all of the stuff packs: I would have to throw Seasons under the bus because it contributes nothing toward making the game more pleasurable to play. Its either always raining or its always snowing and all of the fking leaves on the ground dont get me started. And when summer rolls around you better hope to god it falls on the weekend you have off or youre gonna miss it. Pass
Lab Assistant
#736 Old 10th Jun 2015 at 9:50 PM
I didn't have any SPs except for Celebrations until I had decent enough internet to download the UC.
My favourite SP is Ikea. I like the fact I can go to Ikea and buy the same or similar stuff my Sims have!

As for EP, it is really hard... It's between Nightlife (as a must), Open for Business and FreeTime I can't live without.
Test Subject
#737 Old 14th Jun 2015 at 11:30 PM
My favourite SP is definitely H&M, the clothes that it gives you are really nice. I guess celebrations is the one I use the least? I never want to waste my sims hard earned cash on items they're only going to use once, like pretty wedding deco!

EP-wise, I'm big on university despite its unpopularity. It can drag on a bit, but I like the extra lifespan it gives my sims, and university is always the time when my sims grow and change the most (just like real life!) I find it a welcome change from the usual focus on family life, and the extra time lets me really get to know my sims. Love freetime, too! Hobbies give sims a bit more character, and the items that come with it give their homes more character (my personal favourite is the sewing machine!) The ability to age up townies is useful, too.
Nightlife I could probably live without, since I prefer to use the "walk to lot" feature rather than driving, and rarely bother with downtown, but I do love the attraction system.
Bon Voyage and Pets are probably the ones I rely on the least (except for the walk to lot feature, which I think came with BV). I like them both and enjoy what they have to offer, but they don't feel NECESSARY in the same way many of the others do. (Seasons and OFB are a must for farming, fishing, subhoods, player-owned community lots, and general seasonal prettyness. It'd be hard to run my BACC hood without them.) Pets are cute but I don't feel attached to them the way I do my sims, and holidays are a luxary most of my sims can't afford (although the themed sets are lovely, and I intend to make an east asian hood someday)

Check out my Simblr over at Kat's Simming Adventures !
Test Subject
#738 Old 13th Jul 2015 at 12:03 AM
Hi everyone! I don't know if I'm gonna get a reply or anything, but I just wanted to know something.
There is a kind of stuff pack that I've always been looking for but that I can't find, I used to own it. It has the Sim icon on a red shopping bag, I think.
Could anybody tell me what's its name?
Thanks!
Forum Resident
#739 Old 13th Jul 2015 at 1:10 AM
@serugenerica Could you be thinking of H&M Fashion Stuff?

"God created dinosaurs. God destroyed dinosaurs. God created Man. Man destroyed God. Man created dinosaurs.

Dinosaurs eat man...Woman inherits the earth."

- Michael Crichton, Jurassic Park


My Simblr | Hadi Family Tree
Test Subject
#740 Old 13th Jul 2015 at 1:21 AM
Quote: Originally posted by TARLACHRed
@serugenerica Could you be thinking of H&M Fashion Stuff?


Hey, thanks for replying so soon!
Actually it isn't, I was just thinking that I should have added that to my comment
I don't know if it was a non-official pack or what it was, it had new hairstyles and clothes, I think.
Forum Resident
#741 Old 13th Jul 2015 at 2:42 AM
Hm... I don't know what else you could be thinking of, other than perhaps Open For Business? *shrug* I'm just grabbing things with shopping bags on the cover and suggesting them! Try going over this link from Wikipedia; maybe you'll find this enigma of a stuff pack on there. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sims_2

Sorry I could not be of more help to you, but I hope you find what you were looking for.

"God created dinosaurs. God destroyed dinosaurs. God created Man. Man destroyed God. Man created dinosaurs.

Dinosaurs eat man...Woman inherits the earth."

- Michael Crichton, Jurassic Park


My Simblr | Hadi Family Tree
Field Researcher
#742 Old 5th Aug 2015 at 7:51 PM Last edited by spikesminx : 8th Sep 2015 at 6:18 PM.
Okay here's my humble (and long) contribution:

Nightlife: I don't even consider Nightlife as an expansion pack, to me, it's just a continuation of core base game, I use double deluxe after all. Attraction. Best thing to come out of this game so far (better if you have ACR). I actually know just how much those little people want to sleep with other people and how hot they are. The results are always hilarious, especially if the people they really wanna do it with is some fugly townie instead of the good looking rich guy next door. Cars, which are kind of a requirement instead of a bonus so it's got to be counted. I also like the date/outing system, how it can go dreamy or hilariously wrong. Also, without Nightlife, there aren't nearly enough flirt interactions, and I just love those.

Freetime: Yes, the "in the zone" thing is annoying. Or the game telling you if they lost interest in their passion or not. Still, there are hacks to remedy that. One true hobbies really add character to sims, to the point I can't think of them without it. It helps that whenever I make a Harry Potter sim he unfailingly rolls his one true hobby as sports (lol quidditch), but more than that, it helps me to see my sims as more than cookie cutter people. It adds quirk, as in, yes, you wouldn't expect the Grunt dude to roll music & dance as his one true hobby, but he, in fact, loves to jam to the rhythm when he comes home from the military work. Secondary aspirations! Yes, that sim who is a Family/Romance is unstable because of their aspirations. And while Fortune sims were just, you know, Fortune sims before, I can now think that Fortune/Pleasure sims only want money to squander it on their journey to a painless life, while Fortune/Family sims want to provide for their family. Random, but I also like the record player thingy.

OFB: For obvious reasons. You just feel like you should be able to make a self sufficient town, Riverblossom Hills, for example, one of my favorite neighborhoods, doesn't have anyone working in a Maxis or custom career. The farmer dude sells his lovingly grown vegetables because that's all his life consists of. One of the sims runs the local 711 market, the other knits and sells clothes, because there are no widely known retail stores in their town, the town's a really small one. Realism, you know? I've yet to discover how you can run a rundown motel without making it a vacation hood though, gotta read up on that. What's so good about this expansion pack is that there's definitely something you haven't tried yet, it never gets old. Yes, you might have run a bakery a thousand times, but you probably haven't tried selling books in a cute little bookstore with a nerdy hermit.

Seasons: Farming! Though I'd love it if there was any way in which you could make custom veggies grow, it's still good as it stands, it's a good, full, satisfying expansion pack. "OMG it's hailing" is annoying, but there are hacks for that. Other than that, with Seasons, you can make elderly ladies that grow veggies in their tiny little urban backyard, organics snobs who only eat home grown food, even isolated mystery islands in which people have to survive with only grown food. It's also good for medieval games! Fishing is also great, if you have Saladin's produce and fish packing stations, you can sell them at stores or cook them if you're too broke to buy your food. Also, the Seasons country furniture is to die for. The only thing I don't like about seasons are those weird sparkles fresh food get when cooked, just no, blah to those. But there are hacks for that, as well.

Apartment Life: The flats system is good and necessary. I especially like the British townhouses look you can do with it, or the trailer parks. I don't think that there's anything extra special that this EP brings other than the apartments system, but it's necessary, so there. Also the Kiss/Dance and Kiss/Suck Face, so precious and adorkable and awkward. I love them. Oh, and the little diner setup with the NPC cook. The bad thing about it? The social groups. OMFG someone please stop those social groups from appearing in every hood, they're not so easily modded out, I get confused.

Pets: Eh. The crazy cat lady or gentleman gets old after awhile. Pets don't really affect sims' lives, if it was something like Family/Popularity sims hitting aspiration failure after the pets get sick/don't eat much, or Maxis designed horses and chicken, it could be entertaining. But right now, it's just cats and dogs just hanging out by themselves without really adding anything to the gameplay and/or sims' life, they're just sitting there looking vaguely cute. Nah. It would be better off as a stuff pack or something, methinks.

Bon Voyage: Don't get me wrong, I loved this one the first time I played it, the little minigame with "will he be able to get room service or meet the bigfoot or won't he" was fun at first, but. After I did it once it just wasn't. The vacay hoods are fun and great on their own, but what this EP fails in is that it is so, and I mean so, hard to make your own vacation hood. The tourists and locals are so hard to make from scratch/modify/whatever. I'd also like some sims to permanently live in vacation hoods rather than just visit. As it stands, I only like it because it adds character to sims, with sims of different aspirations wanting different vacations (Family always wants Mountain, Popularity Tropical, Knowledge Far East, I think). Another bonus of this EP is beaches, even if you don't like vacations, you can use the beach lots to build on.

University: Honestly? I only install this one for want/fear locks and 6 wants and the minifridge. Other than that? Uhm, not one I really like. One thing that should have been done with this EP was adults & elders being able to go to uni and marriage/pregnancy at college. Hacks can make those possible, though. This EP it's too isolated from other gameplay, if young adult was a lifestage that took place at the hometown instead of the uni town it would be a lot more interesting.

I don't have any stuff packs other than M&G right now because of computer issues, but I played them in the past. My ranking would be:

IKEA: Hands down, the best SP. So, so many functional, pretty, simple, cheap, modern furniture. IKEA couches look good in literally every type of decoration except for medieval type of stuff, and I often don't need loads of CC just for the house to not look like it was decorated by a bunch of broke students who just put whatever mismatched furniture their neighbors threw out.

Kitchen & Bath: Second best after IKEA. The bath and kitchen furniture are a must for my game, too bad my computer can't handle SPs on top of EPs.

Teen Style Stuff: I really like the desks, TVs and bookcases from this stuff pack. Non eye bleeding clothing for teens as well.

M&G: Yeah, the solar system is possibly good, but I never use it. The smell air and sniff flowers thing was annoying before I modded it out. I've also heard it makes the game easier for builders, but I don't build much. The reason I love it is the setquarterplacement cheat. Perfect for cluttering the house with no fuss.

Celebration Stuff: Love this one for the male tuxedos and not much else.

Family Fun: Good kid furniture.

H&M: Good if you like the Maxis clothing. The clothes are good for Maxis standards, but even when I install it I end up default replacing the clothes for completely different or better fitting versions.

Happy Holiday: I like the... candle?

Glamour Life: What was the point of this stuff pack?
Instructor
#743 Old 9th Aug 2015 at 5:50 PM
Quote: Originally posted by spikesminx


University: Honestly? I only install this one for want/fear locks and 6 wants and the minifridge.


I don't know why but the minifridge part really made me laugh

Bustin' Out!
Field Researcher
#744 Old 21st Dec 2015 at 5:26 PM
Is it worth installing the Ultimate Collection?

lemonade
Mad Poster
#745 Old 21st Dec 2015 at 5:40 PM
Well, that depends. It doesn't add anything extra, and you can't use AGS with it, which is a dealbreaker for me; and you have to jump through a few hoops to make other editing tools like SimPE and other utilities work with it, and it probably breaks some hacks, and it's only available as a download not in hardcopy, and if you really hate one EP's features you can't leave it out, and if your graphics can't handle Seasons and above you're SOL.

But if you're only going to want to play with all EPs and SPs, and don't create, or don't mind if not everybody can use what you create, and don't use editing tools much, and aren't worried about having disks in case of computer disaster, or for some reason can't get all the disks - sure. Especially if you can get it for free, which I think you still can if you know how. I haven't heard that it breaks anything or creates new hassles that are any worse than the old hassles.

Do your research. Nobody can decide that question but you.

Ugly is in the heart of the beholder.
(My simblr isSim Media Res . Widespot,Widespot RFD: The Subhood, and Land Grant University are all available here. In case you care.)
Field Researcher
#746 Old 21st Dec 2015 at 7:30 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Peni Griffin
Well, that depends. It doesn't add anything extra, and you can't use AGS with it, which is a dealbreaker for me; and you have to jump through a few hoops to make other editing tools like SimPE and other utilities work with it, and it probably breaks some hacks, and it's only available as a download not in hardcopy, and if you really hate one EP's features you can't leave it out, and if your graphics can't handle Seasons and above you're SOL.

But if you're only going to want to play with all EPs and SPs, and don't create, or don't mind if not everybody can use what you create, and don't use editing tools much, and aren't worried about having disks in case of computer disaster, or for some reason can't get all the disks - sure. Especially if you can get it for free, which I think you still can if you know how. I haven't heard that it breaks anything or creates new hassles that are any worse than the old hassles.

Do your research. Nobody can decide that question but you.


Thanks for your help!

I've opted to purchase a copy of The Sims 2 on eBay with the four-disk install, given that my current disk copy's serial code doesn't work. If it did, I wouldn't even be considering a digital download. In the meantime, I'm going to install the Double Deluxe from my Origin account to get myself back into the game. Seriously though - I don't want all of the EPs wasting space on my computer!

I think it's worth having a working disk copy of the original anyway, given they're much more reliable for future use. The little games you get to play as you install also give me a tonne of nostalgia.

lemonade
Mad Poster
#747 Old 21st Dec 2015 at 10:21 PM
It is true that AGS does not work with UC.

I broke my original Sims 2 basegame cd a long time ago. Kept on playing, it fortunately broke after I installed it due to general clumsiness and stupidity. I could not find a replacement, and still have not found one (I am still looking). I was reasonably happy with the discs, even played a vanilla game with no mods at all for four and a half years. I do have all the expansion packs and the stuff packs, excluding Teen Style Stuff.

What I did find, eventually, was the Double Deluxe. Then there was a hardware problem with my pc and it was one of those install everything again times.So I installed the Double Deluxe DVD and my discs. My game crashed a lot and I had to install it again and again, which I found very irritating and time-consuming. I concluded that the Double Deluxe is not working that well with the CD's then. I did play for a long while, though, but it did not run smoothly like it used to do.

The Ultimate Collection, for me, changed my game in positive ways. It has, since I installed it almost immediately when it became available, only crashed once (that was yesterday and I have sorted it since).

All the mods I use work, so do most of the utilities (I believe it is only AGS that does not work with UC), but you have to do things a little differently sometimes - it is the exception, though, not the rule). Yes, there are players that cannot use my creations - but then there are players who can, and personally I do not prefer stuff that is made for the Base game - because, for one thing, custom base game beds and baths and chairs do not work with pets and, for another, fridges do not have Free Time or OFB options. And in my humble opinion there have to be players who feel the same way as I do about creations..

You cannot build a lot that is base game only, but there are plenty of UC players who download the other lots anyway, so you can still create.

You only have to download the UC once - the only other time you will ever need to download it is if you buy a new pc - if you want to start a fresh vanilla game, you simply delete the Sims 2 UC folder, start the game and a new one is created. If anything else goes wrong, it can be repaired in Origin, but you do not have to be logged in to play it at all.

I am playing Sims 2 using the Ultimate Collection on Windows 10 now - I had to do some graphics fixing, and one will probably have to do that again after a repair - so simply keep backups in case you need it.

So due to my personal experience, I will stand up for the Ultimate Collection
e3 d3 Ne2 Nd2 Nb3 Ng3
retired moderator
#748 Old 21st Dec 2015 at 10:58 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Peni Griffin
Well, that depends. It doesn't add anything extra, and you can't use AGS with it, which is a dealbreaker for me;

Me too; I really use AGS a lot.

Quote: Originally posted by Peni Griffin
you have to jump through a few hoops to make other editing tools like SimPE and other utilities work with it, and it probably breaks some hacks

I had no problem getting SimPE to run, and I've not found any hacks that won't work with UC that work with a full disc install.

One thing I'll say for the Ultimate Collection is that it's so convenient! It really downloaded and installed quickly for me, and is ready patched. Installing from discs takes a very long time.
Mad Poster
#749 Old 22nd Dec 2015 at 1:05 AM
@Justpetro I think you may have had other problems other than DD for my copy is working and has been working ever since I got it way back in 2008.

It runs AGS and my no cd mods work great with it.

I got UC for my Windows 8 computer and I have 2.6 sets of disk versions of the full game.
1 set is the 4 cd base game with all the EP/SP's on there own disks.
1 set with Deluxe or Double Deluxe (I have both) with another set of stand alone CD/DVD's of the EP's and SP's and this is the set that I use the most of.

I also have the other 3 tri paks but only as back up just in case I need them way in the future.

All my Beginning Hoods here at MTS. http://www.modthesims.info/member.php?u=7749491
All my Beginning Hoods as Shopping Districts plus Old Town. http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=523417
MooVille, a tribute to Mootilda and her fabulous lots http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=534158
Mad Poster
#750 Old 22nd Dec 2015 at 7:02 AM
@marka93 - the Double Deluxe did indeed work with the other CD's; it just crashed more often than before or after. The game was slow at times, as well as the loading times (if it loaded at all). Of course it might have had something to do with configuration, I can only talk about my own experience. I did upgrade my pc in the meantime, but only after starting to use the UC.

I broke CD number 3 of the cd base game set, perfectly in two halves, still stashed away with the other 3 unbroken ones, the DD and the rest of the stuff ( i have obtained 3 copies of Mansion and Garden since it is the play disk, never really thought of the no cd mod ) - for in case disaster strikes and I should need them. Hopefully not.

And UC, on the other hand, does not crash; I only had to repair it twice (that was also due to general stupidity); and it loads and runs very quickly on Windows 10.
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