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Why does the meter keep dropping?
GhoulSlayer66
Posts: 106 New Member
I'm taking the Science and Medicine degree course and for some reason while I'm researching samples the meter which gauges what your grade is going to be is dropping while I'm doing the research. Shouldn't it be going up? I read another thread that this meter is really screwed up and the only way to pass if you're having similar problems is to cheat. That's what I had to do with my other sim and I'm doing it with this one too. I hate to cheat but what's the sense in taking the course if you can't pass it?
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It's strange though the meter's going down when your sim is actually doing something that's connected to the major. It does work when your sim studies fine arts anyway (painting).
The problem is it drops way faster than it goes up. It took me 3 days using the "make all happy" cheat to keep him going in order to get a full meter. When I play without cheating it barely goes over halfway and drops like a rock when you're sleeping, eating, etc. I read another forum where a lot of people were having the same problem yesterday. http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/655681.page
It's been a long time since I had a sim study for the Science & Medicine major but I do recall the one sim that did being able to raise the meter when using the science machine. However, he had not mastered the skill yet. So far in my game using an object when the skill is mastered won't raise the academic progress meter. (So a Fine Arts sim who's mastered painting shouldn't paint for credit but instead do something else.) So, if your sim has already mastered the science skill you'll need to do something else like study from the book, a computer, smart phone, or use the skeleton object or focus on one of the other Science & Medicine related skills.
Most recently in my game with 4 sims at university taking 2 classes I can get the meter maxed by Wednesday:
Mon - use the wonder petal (eat raw), go to classes using Study Hard with kicky bag in between to raise the fun bar, one study session with the textbook at study hard (usually at a venue like the comic book store, bowling venue, grotto, or the coffee shop), possibly use the major object once.
Tues - class/activity, study session with the textbook or computer at study hard (usually at the library), use the major object at least once.
Wed - repeat of Monday
The meter hits the max sometime during Wed and then I just have to maintain it. I don't use cheats (but I do use mods, Relativity might help manage the fun bar somewhat). I also have them eat and sleep like normal, although these sims have the LTRs: hardly hungry, steel bladder, meditative trance sleep, dirt defiant. That helps. After maxing the academic progress bar I don't use the Study Hard option or the Try Hard option on classes/finals because it's typically not necessary.
If I had your issue, I would first remove all mods and CC and play without installed CC (via the launcher panel option on the "Installed Content" tab) just to see if that could be the issue. Maybe try the resetsim cheat (which in my experience resets the academic progress bar, so be warned). Last case scenario, I'd consider dropping the sim out and going back, but if this happens to all your sims then something else rather than a one time travel glitch is to blame.
Your issues sounds like some sort of bug/glitch or something. I don't know of the cause or of a solution. But if you use mods, check that they are updated for the patch level you are running. I recently discovered what I thought was a simple tuning mod was actually causing sims in my game to be unable to change into outerwear; never would have guessed that.
He's not maxed out, he started university at 0 science level. I'm wondering if it's because he wants to get his degree in one trip. He got a scholarship for 18 credits and he's taking 36 now so he has 3 classes on M,W,F. It sounds like you only had 2. Perhaps it's because he doesn't have enough time between classes to study and experiment that I have to cheat? It takes me until Wed. to get a full bar and that's while he works hard during every class, studies, and experiments around the clock. We kind of got diverted from my original question though. Why is the meter going down when he's using a skill that is needed for the degree? Also, the skeleton increases the science skill as well so it's not a good substitute if you've already maxed the skill. I don't use any mods and he has a lot of the same LTR's as you mentioned. He already got his LTW before I sent him to university (World Renowned Surgeon). I just want him to be able to clone and make plantsims, plus I was hoping it would increase his pay. The bonus to cheating, I just finished the first week of school and he's already level 7 science.
The skeleton increases academic performance even if all the related Science & Medicine skills (science, gardening, fishing, and alchemy) are mastered. It's the only substitute if your sim has mastered those skills. It's the only non-study non-class option my current sims have since they've about mastered every skill in the game. It seems to work well enough compared to studying.
I've sent sims to university taking 3 classes to get a degree in one visit. I haven't had any issues keeping the meter full or having it dropping as bad as you describe, and that's without working on any skills related to their major.
I don't think so. You sim doesn't have to use any of the skills related to their major. My current batch of sims don't use any of the related major skills (they are all mastered so it's pointless). They just attend class, study from the textbook or computer, and use their major object. Raising skills is not necessary to succeed academically (but it's great option).
You could just buy the science station at home. That's how most of my sims mastered the skill. You do need the degree for the pay boost though, and it totally makes sense to go to university to kill two birds with one stone.
Two possible explanations. Some skills don't award the sim skill progress until the activity is stopped. Writing is one example, handiness is another. I've had a sim in the Communications major not raise the academic meter when writing but then I see a jump once they stop (either stop writing or complete the novel) in both the skill level and academic meter. (This was a while ago, he hadn't mastered writing yet.) I don't remember if it's like that with the science skill, but you'd have noticed by now if that was the case.
The other possibility (which I mentioned before) is that your game is glitched or it's a bug (needless to say, make sure your game is patched). If that's true, I don't know why or how to fix it. I've come across that other thread you posted before, so I know some people have problems with the academic meter. The academic meter is supposed to decrease steadily during the term, but not as bad as you describe. It works sensibly in my game. To give you a general idea, after maxing the meter, it will fall about 5% over night. Pretty easy to make up in one class or studying hard for one study session.
If the science skill isn't raising the meter, then I'd not use it and try other methods during the term. If your sim is taking 36 credits, that will be a 2 week visit. The meter should disappear after the last Friday exam and reappear the first Monday class at the level you left it. So you'll have the whole weekend to do whatever you want with your sim without worrying about the academic meter. Try focusing on the science skill during the weekend. [Note: resetting the sim either with the cheat or if the game does it during the weekend will make the meter reappear and it will start to fall. I've had that happen a few times, very annoying.]
If you are not adverse to mods, NRaas Master Controller with the Master Controller Cheats module allows you to set the academic progress level directly. Click on the sim and choose NRaas/Master Controller/Intermediate/Career/Job Performance and type in the level you want (scale is -100 to 100).
edit: the wonderpetal herb increases academic performance gain by 10%. Eating it directly will give your sim the longest effect (18 hrs, IIRC). I think you can buy it at the grocery store, if not you'll have to search the lots for the bush and harvest some. I'm starting to use that routinely until the meter is maxed. Many herb bushes are hidden in regular build-mode bushes, adjust the camera very close to the ground so that these fade away and you'll be able to see the obscured herbs and other harvestable plants.
I haven't played a sim with no LTRs in a very long time, and I didn't realize how NRaas Relativity made things a bit easier (I have Relativity set to cut the time speed in half). I also forgot that the wonderpetal sims can buy at the grocery store isn't very good quality. My sims grow their own and it's prefect quality which means almost no herb nausea and a longer duration of effect. This test sim got herb nausea most of the time he ate the herb, which didn't help things at all.
I also had no idea that Relativity made getting from place to place a lot quicker (i.e. less time). So I mismanaged my sim's time badly on Monday and he was late to each class.
Anyways, on Tuesday I had him research science from about 3:30 pm to about 11 pm with one bathroom break. The academic progress bar showed the red down arrows but didn't decrease much at all. Here's a comparison:
You are totally correct. The science skill doesn't contribute to the academic meter, which is probably a bug unless the effect depends on skill level, and he barely got to level 2. I don't remember this problem when I sent my very first sim to university - he also majored in Science & Medicine and learned the science skill while at university.
Anyways, on Thursday after 8 am class and a study session at the library I sent him fishing (he had no fishing skill). The academic progress meter showed green up arrows and I was able to max the meter by late evening.
Lastly, I did not see the meter drop especially fast. The rate of drop seemed the same as in my previous games. The rate of gain too really, adjusting for the fact that the wonderpetal wasn't active most of the time like it usually is in my game.
Here's a strip of pics throughout his first week. Compare the meters, especially from Mon pm after his last study session and Tues am when he first wakes up, and again Tues 11 pm when he quits researching science to Wed am when he first gets to class. Those drops during the night seem normal to me.
What was most interesting is that there was actually a professor giving the student lecture on Tuesday; I've never had that in my game. Must be one of the mods I have. :roll: Time to check and determine which one is responsible.
I'm pretty sure that it was a bug. I went back and used the same machine again later and the meter was going up.
I think my meter drops at roughly the same speed as you describe once it's maxed out. The problem I see is that unless I keep their moods up with cheats they can't get it much past halfway. Maybe it has something to do with some of their negative traits? He's clumsy and unlucky and so is his wife (I had the same problems with her). His original traits were Good, Clumsy, Unlucky, Easily impressed, and Genius (He added 2 more during his visit to University). Hers are Overly-Emotional, Unlucky, Easily Impressed, Family Oriented and Genius.
While we're at it, do sims get a bonus trait for every degree or just the first one?
Sims only get one bonus trait slot for a degree. Each degree after will let you change the trait in that slot, but not add another slot for another trait. Same with social groups.