Going to play TS2 for the first time! (Kind of)

amandaneun · April 2018

I think I played once for maybe twenty minutes, but I don't remember what I did. I think I didn't even play, I was just toying with Create-A-Sim.

I'm going to download some CC and then open the game up. I've heard sooooo many great things about it, and even after the releases of TS3 and TS4, people are still calling it their favorites. Surely there must be a reason. So since I have the complete collection, I've decided to put it to use.

I'm a bit nervous about the graphics, as I completely skipped TS2 (from TS1) and went to TS3, then TS4. I think TS3 looks awful now in comparison to TS4, which I adore graphics wise. But nonetheless, still excited about the gameplay options and doing things I can't do in other installments.

If anyone has any recs of what I should do in-game, I'm all ears!

Rflong7 · April 2018

Well, I don't know why you want to since you have a New game to play which you seem to Love... but if you dare and play remembering it is over 14 years old: it'll be harder than TS4. I love the way TS3 looks and dislike TS4 over saturated blurriness- you brought it up.

Start with a few CC- default skins and eyes (modthesims has many from which to choose).
Don't forget to use the Graphics Rules Maker, unless you have a really new graphics card.

These slides give more options for making Sims - http://modthesims.info/download.php?t=610527
Fix the sim shadow- http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=569585
fakepeeps7 for kids clothes- http://modthesims.info/browse.php?gs=0&u=285828&f=342

There are some standard mods for TS2- like notownieregen/nostrayregen/nossregen/ and so on...

Cinebar · April 2018

I would suggest you play a couple of Sims and not just one because you won't see much 'gameplay' with playing a single Sim who has to get a job, skill etc. More things become more evident when you play larger households and situations.

amandaneun · April 2018

Rflong7 wrote: »

Well, I don't know why you want to since you have a New game to play which you seem to Love... but if you dare and play remembering it is over 14 years old: it'll be harder than TS4. I love the way TS3 looks and dislike TS4 over saturated blurriness- you brought it up.

My liking one game doesn't mean I can't enjoy another.

I look forward to playing it, and thank you for the help!

amandaneun · April 2018

Cinebar wrote: »

I would suggest you play a couple of Sims and not just one because you won't see much 'gameplay' with playing a single Sim who has to get a job, skill etc. More things become more evident when you play larger households and situations.

I don't think I ever play with a single sim unless I'm doing a challenge, otherwise I find myself getting bored, haha.
But thank you for the heads up! I'll make a family.

mortia · April 2018

I went back for good after getting the UC (I lost my disks years ago) and was also worried at the time about how I'd feel regarding the graphics and how much I'd miss some of the innovations of the later games. I don't miss them at all now, though, the gameplay is everything and has sucked me back in

plus there are soooooo many ways to change the look of the game and sims if you really want to.

I'd definitely suggest trying to run a business, either home or owned. It's one of my favorite things to do and can be a really fun challenge! Take your sims to a restaurant (dates are great) and check out what shopping for clothes and food is like. Build an apartment or just play one, they were the best in TS2. Have fun!

Rflong7 · April 2018

Twins are the most they can have without a mod... cheese cake only works if the house is not full- but it works.

I love The Sims but I can't go back because of the camera controls. I so wish I could.

- I guess that's just me.

You're only gonna try it out of it's era and compare it all the time. It's one thing moving forward and comparing as you go- because there's a chance of improving.

I just see so many coming here with comments of, "So many say TS2 is the best. I want to play it too." Most of them never come back. I wanted so much for TS4 to be the 'The Next Best Thing!' and it wasn't for me. So when someone who loves playing it wants to go back just because their friends say something... it makes me sad. I know there will be comments of how TS4 does it better- which I whole heartily disagree. Toddlers sound like pains- and I read that a lot.

**But have fun. It's a great game to play- imo.

RedDestiny92 · April 2018

I hope you enjoy it I play ts2 and ts4 when I'm in the mood (like now) I play them at the same time, well one game loaded at a time but you know, it's a pretty old game so of course it's very different graphicwise but I think it's easy to get used to. Some say certain things are hard but not really the needs can drop faster meaning you have to watch your sims a little more closely but again just something you can used to. I of course switch between making them happy and working on their needs. Pregnant sims can die, I usually cheat needs just because in this game when the sims are in a bad mood you get a little note that says they aren't in the mood to do something. That was always something I hated like when a tired sim will stop eating as they pass out from exhaustion if both bars get too low at the same time maybe @JULES1111 can give you some tips to make it better for you if things are off like good cc and avoiding corruption...like don't save while a sim is on the phone.

I don't know if that was ever fixed but I'm paranoid so I always make sure no one is on the phone, or there is no ringing and make sure nobody is on the lot that doesn't live there before I save.

amandaneun · April 2018

mortia wrote: »

I went back for good after getting the UC (I lost my disks years ago) and was also worried at the time about how I'd feel regarding the graphics and how much I'd miss some of the innovations of the later games. I don't miss them at all now, though, the gameplay is everything and has plum me back in plus there are soooooo many ways to change the look of the game and sims if you really want to.

I'd definitely suggest trying to run a business, either home or owned. It's one of my favorite things to do and can be a really fun challenge! Take your sims to a restaurant (dates are great) and check out what shopping for clothes and food is like. Build an apartment or just play one, they were the best in TS2. Have fun!

Back from playing! Had to take a break and tend to real life duties, but surprisingly the graphics didn't bother me as much as I thought they would. I thought they looked pretty good, considering the time period in which the game was released. And I will definitely try doing those things, thank you!

amandaneun · April 2018

Rflong7 wrote: »

Twins are the most they can have without a mod... cheese cake only works if the house is not full- but it works.

I love The Sims but I can't go back because of the camera controls. I so wish I could. - I guess that's just me.

You're only gonna try it out of it's era and compare it all the time. It's one thing moving forward and comparing as you go- because there's a chance of improving.

I just see so many coming here with comments of, "So many say TS2 is the best. I want to play it too." Most of them never come back. I wanted so much for TS4 to be the 'The Next Best Thing!' and it wasn't for me. So when someone who loves playing it wants to go back just because their friends say something... it makes me sad. I know there will be comments of how TS4 does it better- which I whole heartily disagree. Toddlers sound like pains- and I read that a lot.

**But have fun. It's a great game to play- imo.

Well, yes, when you hear something is good, I think it's natural to want to try for yourself. Anyway I can't speak for TS2 but I'll admit that when TS4 was released, I hated it and compared it all the time to TS3. Now I rarely, if ever, play TS3.

Everyone is entitled to their opinions, of course. I can see why people who played TS4 then tried out TS2 would not like it. But I've personally enjoyed it so far, though I haven't really done much? I think I just like that every installment has things to set it apart from the others. There are things I can do in TS3 that I can't do in TS4, and I've heard there's a lot that can be done in TS2 that can't be done in TS4, or TS3.

That's the magic of it and my reasons for wanting to play, really lol.

EDIT: Also, hah, the camera controls of TS2 are killing me also. I don't know if it has limited functionality or I just don't know how to use it, but it's only allowing me to rotate and zoom. I want to pick my camera up and change angles, it's driving me crazy. Only thing I would complain about so far.

amandaneun · April 2018

RedDestiny92 wrote: »

I hope you enjoy it I play ts2 and ts4 when I'm in the mood (like now) I play them at the same time, well one game loaded at a time but you know, it's a pretty old game so of course it's very different graphicwise but I think it's easy to get used to. Some say certain things are hard but not really the needs can drop faster meaning you have to watch your sims a little more closely but again just something you can used to. I of course switch between making them happy and working on their needs. Pregnant sims can die, I usually cheat needs just because in this game when the sims are in a bad mood you get a little note that says they aren't in the mood to do something. That was always something I hated like when a tired sim will stop eating as they pass out from exhaustion if both bars get too low at the same time maybe @JULES1111 can give you some tips to make it better for you if things are off like good cc and avoiding corruption...like don't save while a sim is on the phone.

I don't know if that was ever fixed but I'm paranoid so I always make sure no one is on the phone, or there is no ringing and make sure nobody is on the lot that doesn't live there before I save.

Never heard of pregnant sims dying, that's new for me! I don't mind having to give extra attention to my sims, when that's technically the point of the game lol. I'll google some cheats though, admittedly I don't ever play without cheats. I'm a cheater at best, haha. But thank you! I'll keep those things in mind.

Seera1024 · April 2018

amandaneun wrote: »

RedDestiny92 wrote: »

I hope you enjoy it I play ts2 and ts4 when I'm in the mood (like now) I play them at the same time, well one game loaded at a time but you know, it's a pretty old game so of course it's very different graphicwise but I think it's easy to get used to. Some say certain things are hard but not really the needs can drop faster meaning you have to watch your sims a little more closely but again just something you can used to. I of course switch between making them happy and working on their needs. Pregnant sims can die, I usually cheat needs just because in this game when the sims are in a bad mood you get a little note that says they aren't in the mood to do something. That was always something I hated like when a tired sim will stop eating as they pass out from exhaustion if both bars get too low at the same time maybe @JULES1111 can give you some tips to make it better for you if things are off like good cc and avoiding corruption...like don't save while a sim is on the phone.

I don't know if that was ever fixed but I'm paranoid so I always make sure no one is on the phone, or there is no ringing and make sure nobody is on the lot that doesn't live there before I save.

Never heard of pregnant sims dying, that's new for me! I don't mind having to give extra attention to my sims, when that's technically the point of the game lol. I'll google some cheats though, admittedly I don't ever play without cheats. I'm a cheater at best, haha. But thank you! I'll keep those things in mind.

Their hunger, energy, and bladder motives will deplete faster than non-pregnant Sims.

zobotxx · April 2018

Haha, hope you like it!

RedDestiny92 · April 2018

Ah yes I remember when I was younger before I knew the cheat I was playing with the pleasants and it was like Mary-sue and her daughters were protesting letting the pregnant maid move in and they wouldn't move out of the way of the entrance to the kitchen. Kaylynn died of hunger right there as they kept saying they couldn't move then they were fine once grim came. Yeah watching out for them is a big chunk of the game it's just one of those things to keep in mind, some have had issues with the cheat I use but mainly leaving alone the other options and only using the make happy part has left my game without issues and I do have some cc.

you probably already know that ctrl-shift-c together opens the cheat window..

boolprop testingcheatsenabled true is how I type it but I think on instead of true works too not sure.

and hold shift then click the mailbox, it's the house option to make all happy.

Just remember to turn it off when saving and moving houses.

same cheat but with false at the end instead.

I tend to use it most when my short attention span gets the better of me ha.

Also on that note when testing cc, I've found it's good to load up a different hood than you're playing in so you can make sure nothing weird happens just from it being in your game that way it's easier to delete without worry.

Rflong7 · April 2018

amandaneun wrote: »

Rflong7 wrote: »

Twins are the most they can have without a mod... cheese cake only works if the house is not full- but it works.

I love The Sims but I can't go back because of the camera controls. I so wish I could. - I guess that's just me.

You're only gonna try it out of it's era and compare it all the time. It's one thing moving forward and comparing as you go- because there's a chance of improving.

I just see so many coming here with comments of, "So many say TS2 is the best. I want to play it too." Most of them never come back. I wanted so much for TS4 to be the 'The Next Best Thing!' and it wasn't for me. So when someone who loves playing it wants to go back just because their friends say something... it makes me sad. I know there will be comments of how TS4 does it better- which I whole heartily disagree. Toddlers sound like pains- and I read that a lot.

**But have fun. It's a great game to play- imo.

Well, yes, when you hear something is good, I think it's natural to want to try for yourself. Anyway I can't speak for TS2 but I'll admit that when TS4 was released, I hated it and compared it all the time to TS3. Now I rarely, if ever, play TS3.

Everyone is entitled to their opinions, of course. I can see why people who played TS4 then tried out TS2 would not like it. But I've personally enjoyed it so far, though I haven't really done much? I think I just like that every installment has things to set it apart from the others. There are things I can do in TS3 that I can't do in TS4, and I've heard there's a lot that can be done in TS2 that can't be done in TS4, or TS3.

That's the magic of it and my reasons for wanting to play, really lol.

EDIT: Also, hah, the camera controls of TS2 are killing me also. I don't know if it has limited functionality or I just don't know how to use it, but it's only allowing me to rotate and zoom. I want to pick my camera up and change angles, it's driving me crazy. Only thing I would complain about so far.

Yeah, I know.

I would start out with only 1 Sim and have fun dating... maybe start them in University.

The Controls were changed in TS4 from all the previous versions. I hold the right button down and move the mouse to make the view move around. Click on an area on the lot to make it move there.
Holding the wheel button makes it spin and tilt on one point.
Use Ctrl+# (4-9) to set a camera point and then you only have to click on that number to move it to that position.
Also clicking on a Sims icon will switch camera to that Sim or using the space bar to switch active Sims and move the camera to that Sim.

*What is it that is said can only be done in TS2? What are you wanting to experience exactly?

mctsimmer · April 2018

Pick a small family starting out. Make sure to keep pregant sims well fed. They can die fast of starvation. University is great to get started. Do all the whims to get grades up. Save your game on a flash drive. The game crashes and wipes out entire neighborhoods. When it crashes, the only remaining sims are the pre-loaded.

The Sims Forums

Going to play TS2 for the first time! (Kind of)

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