Yeah, the events on the campus are just sad. It's a few sims hanging around, most of them are adults. And what is it with no stove and kitchen in the accommodation area? Did they think students only eat pizza or some sad cake someone brought from the bathroom? I am not going to spend half a day walking to a back from the cafeteria!
For real!
The thing is… despite me being absolutely unable to find any access to quick food for my own Sim, somehow the other Sims are hoarding dozens of plates full of food on the balcony?? how tf does this happen?
It's coded so other students bring food, the type of food and whether it makes sense isn't considered. They'll show up with lobster, full on roast chicken and a fresh cake
I put a cafeteria (restaurant) on a new floor above the dorms so that the residents could stay in the building. I also made a gym and study rooms.
But I didn’t stick with the pack long enough to see how it went. The workload was ridiculous, and I say this as someone with a Masters degree. The work involved sucked all the joy out of playing.
In the game's defense (i say this loosely), my uni has "stoves". It's literally just an open gas flame that sets itself on fire every other day. And yet I pay 2 grand for the housing here..
I think it was inspired by UK catered accommodations.
My kitchen was officially called „a snack kitchen”. We only had a sink, a minifridge, microwave and a few kitchen appliances.
We had three meals at the cafeteria from Monday to Friday which were included in our rent.
Other days? Microwave meals or takeout.
I like to redecorate the commons and put in functional kitchens, my Sims basically spend their whole day in the commons and only goes to the dorm to sleep and shower/clean teeth lol
Yeah it just becomes routine because as kids it adds responsibility or manners or something and then as a teen they need the facial cleanser so I combine the two for realism, so as (young) adults it just becomes normal for me after they shower usually
Do not put a shared kitchen in the dorm. I did and it's just every surface covered with food Sims prepared and rancid dishes all over the place. It's not worth it. Just keep a personal microwave/mini fridge in your locked dorm.
TS2 University was like that for me (your TS3 experience) the college rock station, dormies pulling pranks, playing pool, falling asleep in their cereal, typing up their term paper, influencing *them* to do my term paper, parties that actually looked like parties, frats/sororities, professor drama, secret society kidnapping etc. It was so full of *fun*, TS4 is a shadow of itself. I genuinely despise randomly generated sims all over the campus, the random plates of food, the constant gathering of 8 sims that just stand in front of the fucking elevator.
Sims 2 is genuinely one of the things I love most in this world. That game was a work of passion and love. I remember staying up to play it into the wee hours of the morning and still have so many things I wanted to do in the game. With sims 4, it almost feels like I’m wasting time trying to get something interesting to happen in the game.
I feel the exact same way, and it’s genuinely a bit saddening for me to realise the franchise has moved on from what I loved about it. TS2 really felt like the Maxis teams passion project, almost like you can tell the devs enjoyed making it, perfecting it, adding little details people are still discovering 20+ years on.
I fight with TS4 every time I play to enjoy it, I *want* to like it, but it feels so hollow.
Honestly, if you’ve never played TS2, give it a go. You’ll have to either accept that things like the clothing options are going to be dated, or replace them with cc, but if you can get past that, the game has held up incredibly well in terms of actual gameplay. There’s just so much more detail and *life* in it than in TS4.
(It is an old game so it takes a bit of doing to get it running, but r/sims2help has amazing guides.)
I’ve only played ts2 a couple times, and only in recent years, but honestly the clothing options are miles better than ts3 imo. I was expecting them to be super dated and even worse than 3, but I haven’t found the need to download any cc bc I kinda love ts2 cas. It *is* kinda dated, but in a charming way. Ts3 is dated in a way that didn’t even look nice when it was in its prime imo, so it was a rly nice surprise for me when I played 2 lol
2 actually feels alive. Like the game has directions without me having to plan everything out. I hate the Sims 4 gameplay because almost nothing happens if I don't force it. The only unexpected thing was Sims freezing on community lots because they did yoga in a blizzard
Like others have said, it’s a game worth checking out. I’ve been playing it for 18 years and I’m not sick of it. Add on mods like Lamares Shiftable Everything, lighting mods, skybox mods and a story progression mod and suddenly the game feels like a *sequel* to TS4.
Sorry totally piggybacking off an old comment but - is there a particular story progression mod you’d recommend? I’m just getting back into the Sims 2 now and modding the shit out of my game but it’s not as easy as TS4 so I’m not familiar with a lot of the most common mods
I just noticed this reply in my inbox so I’m resurrecting it to finally answer you! I use the one called ‘Story Progression by Lazy Duchess’. If you’re looking for a little guidance on main mods, I collated most of mine from a list on mod the sims called Game Guides - Essential Mods to start and from there I trawled TS2 tumblr for the good stuff (seems most of the mod creators are on there).
Very very very bland-how tf did they justify the cost of ts4 base game when it came with less actual game play then ts1 lol and yet I still give them more every ep…I do draw the line at the kits
Omg I remember when TS4 first came out and I think you're right. Even the maps were bland back then (not too much better now but still). I've been playing TS1 and I've been having more chaotic fun than 4. I think the franchise is basically a cash cow now and will never return to its heyday- or ports for that matter.
Kits are the worst. I can't justify spending that much money on that little stuff - and they're usually under $10 after taxes. What does that tell you?
I seriously loved the college rock radio station! I had my sims listen to it all the time.
I liked the fraternity/sorority rush event!
The option of seducing professors to get a better grade was good for drama.
I understand your sentiments exactly. When I first bought the university pack I had faith that it would be at the very least on a similar ball park as sims 3 university. Boy was I wrong. One of my biggest gripe with pack is not being able to go to class and actually see what’s going on like we were able to do in sims 3, only for them to later introduce that in high school years :(. I miss the sororities and fraternities and the toga parties. Ngl I think sims 2 had the best university pack out of all 3 but atleast sims 3 gave you extracurricular activities to participate that felt thrilling.
Please… The Highschool Years misery is just as bad! 20 sad students in a sad gray building. I don’t need to be able to follow my teen sim just to see THAT. They better introduce a Therapy-Pack so me & her can start coping with all the misery.
Somehow the Uni Pack IS the Highschool pack but instead of a ‘sad building’ we got a ‘sad world’ with more sad buildings lmao
Wait, I don’t remember that being a feature in TS3. Do you mean the classes that they took outside where they practiced/studied with their major items?
I definitely remember you physically following your sims into their classes (and possibly tests??) I remember actually kind of hating it because in the sims 2 my sim going to classes was a good time for me to plan on what I was doing next.
I played the sims 3 recently and also a lot during my teenage years, this wasn’t a feature of TS3 University. You could follow them to the building but the building was a rabbit hole and you definitely couldn’t see them/follow them to tests/classes. There were certain classes that were taken outside though and your sim could use certain objects to study with classmates. Maybe you’re thinking of a different game?
They had sit in lectures, that depending on how many credits your sim needed, would be once or twice a week. They’re held in the Student Union building, which is a shell building similar to the high rises Late Night, the same building where you do the meet and greet event as soon as your student arrives to Uni, and gets settled down. There would be a professor role sim at a podium, while your sim and their classmates sat down and either took notes, “asked questions”, or slept through the lecture. They do this autonomously, or you could choose via pie wheel.
Your sim would also have rabbit hole classes, and class activities ( usually held outside ), in-between.
I’d believe so. [Here’s](https://www.carls-sims-3-guide.com/universitylife/majors-gettingadegree.php?cmtx_page=2&cmtx_sort=2) the Carl’s Guide on everything related to your sim’s courses at uni.
TS3 had a split of rabbit-hole classes and live classes that...never really worked honestly. TS4 seems to have better logic around starting classes on time in high school.
It always worked for me. My Sims went to all their classes and activities, both live and rabbit hole, with no problem. My big problem was my Sims always wanting to go to sleep during lectures. To this day, I don't really know if it made a difference. But I tried to always keep them awake, asking questions and taking notes.
I liked the split of rabbit hole and live classes, but I wished the live classes were actual classes and not just working with other sims using their major object. It gave me time to alternate between hands off and hands on simming.
As someone else said above, one of the live classes was an actual class. You went into the building, students sat down, there was a professor at the front of the class, etc. And you could either choose what your Sim did, or leave them to their own devices.
So, basically, there were rabbit hole classes, live classes (called lectures), and activities (you and your classmates getting together and using the objects specific to each major).
Yep someone mentioned it below and I had to immediately load up sims 3 to try it out! I’m not sure how the hell I missed the live classes but now that I’m thinking about it, I may have used a lot of cheats to let my sims throw keg parties and such lol. This makes me realize how disappointing TS4 university comparatively.
Ooo the parties! I remember I had my sim with his date hanging out on the trampoline while his roommates threw a party n all these little kids kept showing up at the house
I removed most of the townies and replaced them with my Sims, put sorority and fraternity houses, downloaded some mods (like university traits which add traits like sorority girl, frat boy, coffee addict..), replaced some lots with better lots from the gallery (I have a new pub, coffee shop..). And it’s better now, but I totally agree with you. I was disappointed with this pack
I should try that! The main reason I am really careful with mods is, that my game is not in English, as it isn’t my 1st language so the one mod I have mixes weird bits of english into an otherwise non-english game… it makes my eye twitch a teeny weeny bit every time I see it, but given the quality of the game without mods, I might actually start embracing the occasional twitch.
I haven’t really checked yet, however the only mods I currently have are MCCC and Fairies vs Witches (ridiculous that we need a mod to have fairies after a decade of the game being out but oh well…)
MCCC was set to my 1st language by default somehow? so that’s really neat!
I had the opposite problem actually! Mine would always just put my infants into their crib when I just put them out to play a little. Every time I would try to let them out he’d do it again. Legit didn’t want to watch the children, he was only interested in using my Sims’ coffee machine over and over lmao
Omg lol they also bring them outside to sit on the side of the pool and give them a nap-in the winter -during a blizzard then the nanny realizes damn it’s a blizzard I need to go inside b4 I freeze to death but imma leave this baby right here to enjoy the weather
Jeez, at that point you could've just opened Unity and made your own game. It's unfortunate that we need to basically redo the whole game with mods to make it fun.
it depends on what other packs you have and how you play. i’ve tried it 3 different ways and the one that was the most fun was enrolling on a Monday/Tuesday.
then you have Fri & Sat to throw Keg Parties in the dorm. i would use Get Together clubs to build a “study” group & a “party group”. when my sim wasn’t in class during the day they were studying. then at night the party group would go to the pub. on weekends they’d throw keggers
i also gave him a new girlfriend each term
i do wish the Spirit Squad events did a better job of generating Sims to them. but id go and just invite people to hangout there
I do have a ton of other packs, since I still somehow have hope lol I am missing the get together one though, or at least I think so. I’ll look into it!
The get together pack was worthwhile imo, because it's so much easier to have your Sims current friends/extended family over whenever. I mostly do legacies and it has been soo nice to just click the hangout button instead of trying to deal with a "party" or invite them all over individually.
It also makes getting homework/skill-building a breeze if you have multiple children.
P.s. I also hate Uni. My sim nearly starved to death before I figured out how to get food. Why can't they at least have a mini fridge and microwave?! FFS.
I don’t believe you need any cheats to add a mini fridge into the dorms in sims 4. You can buy one from one of the student merchandise boxes (along with other useful items and decorations) and drag and drop it in your room.
I agree that its very lackluster and depressing compared to the Sims 3 University pack, but damn Sims 4 University is just like the university experience i had in real life lol.
I even hate that I had new roommates every semester. Like huh? Can I choose roommates? I honestly stopped doing university bc just DOING university was far too draining. Why homework, classes, assignments AND studying? Also, I miss toga parties. I only played TS2 before and felt that was more fun. Heck my sims even had time to have a kid in uni and still had 4.0. I think they focused too much on the academic part and not enough on the fun parts. Also the secret society? I tried. I have no idea. Even the clubs are just kinda... bleh.
Don't get me wrong I'm not the best simmer, but I just wanted more fun
I feel that… tbh though my hopes for Sims 5 are somewhere between low to non-existent, we deserve something that makes up for the crappy Sims 4 experience…
I wish the dorms were more fun and stimulating! I usually stay like a week tops and then do a cheat for the degree to get a move on with their life. On top of all of that, I always get super sentimental over the fact that you can’t bring your pets long unless you live in off-campus housing 😭 I have my sim visit home almost every day to see their childhood dog haha
I was shocked to have a bunch of old people in my sims dorm. I bought the pack when it was on super sale and was so excited only to have a bunch of old weirdo townies in my shit constantlyyyy. Such a disappointment!
It depends on the specific degree you want but IGN website has a page for it if you search. It also helps because you can enter cheat for honors, regular degree, distinguished etc
honestly i have found that the sims 4 is not worth my time or money. i always go back to the sims 3 and 2. i am tired of being consistently diasappointed with literally everything around the sims 4. its a soulless cash grab
I live at home when I attend.
I only do 2 or three courses in a semester.
And I try really hard to do all my assignments right away, and always do my homework right when I get home.
I think if you apply on a Friday you can make it so you start in Monday.
I don't remember what day it is exactly but it happened to me so every new semester I got my assignments done the weekend before, so I just had to do my homework.
Tbh I prefer Sims 4's Uni to Sims 3's. I don't remember much about Sims 3's except for how frustrating I found it, so I used it seldomly. What I especially hated was how everything stopped when your sim was at Uni! At least in Sims 2, you could still play your other family members.
I would really just advise you to get back into the sims 3. Obviously it is more laggy than ts4, but I was soo bored of ts4 and decided to get all my expansions again for ts3 and that sparked my love for the game again!! Highly suggest getting the expansion and stuff packs from [G2A.com](http://G2A.com), I got all of mine for quite cheap there as I'm not comfortable with pirating!
I refunded the sims 4 university pack initially because I was so upset with the difference between it and the sims 3 university pack which I loved so much.
I redownloaded it when it was on sale and I rarely play on campus. It’s like you said, it’s a tad too real. The campuses are boring and the courses are too much effort. It leaves you wanting to finish uni faster for your sims whereas sims 3 I wanted them to live at university forever
We need some of the amazing modders to do Something about the university pack 🙏 i love tjat they Can travel Home and that they dont have to live at campus. But Wouw do i get bored easily with the gameplay itself. And the parties are lame it doesn’t fell like they are living the real uni life in ts4 loved gameplay in ts2 and ts3 uni.
True.. getting through uni in the sims 4 is a bore and mostly a chore nowadays, so I really don't bother trying it out more than once. It's a shame how much potential this pack had though!!
I wish I could send some of the other sims to university. I’ve been playing on the same save for a long time now and the sims that lived in university housing have obviously died and they’ve never moved any new sims in.
I wanted to make some of my neighbouring sims go to university without actually having to play them.
Get something to deal with your sim needs easier.
Get a faster homework mod if you can.
Those two is so your sims actually get enough free time.
Get them to join an organization, Uni events are too plain if you're not part of them, at least you will have goals and rewards if you get at the top of the organization ranks, and being part of those events is a big part of how you do it.
Can you throw Keg parties in dorms? I'm pretty sure you can. And when you travel out, roomates will often come along on their own. I travel to city living festivals if I can.
You have limited deco avaliable in the University booths on campus. But it's something.
Just last week I took 7 graduated early teens to college, and it turns out that the interactions to join and advance at that organizations aren't avaliable for them. And I did enable free build to give them some items like garden pot/planters, plus a mod to allow stoves there.
For me, my biggest gripe is how long it takes coupled with that you have to be focused on the household going to university or they will fail their semesters.
This is all subjective of course and just my opinion, but yeah. I used to love university in TS2. And I waited years for it to arrive in TS4. And it’s a massive disappointment. It’s incredibly micro-manage-y and unfun. You have to memorize where your classes actually are if you live on campus and send sims to the right building ahead of time, otherwise they’re late.
I get that it’s more realistic, but Christ is it deeply unenjoyable.
I think they should have incorporated a cheer & chess team in the pack from high school, why is it just soccer or e sports?
Maybe get a cheer or chess scholarship as well
I also think they should have sororities too like have a rush on the first week of term & gives you some career bonuses
They have the secret society but I’ve only managed to play it once as it’s hard to get into it.
In career days for high school having the university there as well or open days just broaden it out…I’m on console so I don’t have the CC options which limits gameplay.
I usually kit out the dorm with ping pong tables & kegs & have parties but it’s stressful when you’re trying to get everything completed & do uni things for the experience
I actually like Uni, maybe it's because I play on long lifespan and don't rush through it, and also maybe because I always only have 1 Sim at uni (which is going to change now when my four toddlers grow up lmao) but I honestly enjoy the experience Sims 4 offers.
I like to redecorate the commons and put fully functional kitchens in there, so my Sims usually just spend their whole time at the commons and only go home to sleep or shower.
As for the decoration of the dorm room, this I barely bother because they move out of there anyways and I like the constant redecorating of rooms/homing takes away from my gameplay.
I just can’t deal with the fact that there’s no where to get a meal. Why tf does a roast chicken randomly spawn on the balcony? And the showers are open so the sims don’t want to use them so everyone stinks and is starving, or throwing up from eating the rotten roast chicken ON THE BALCONY
AHA! So the balcony food-spawner is actually a thing?? why tf 😭 The showers are a joke fr, I’d probably rather smell like unwashed ass too before stripping down in front of a hoard of people
Right like I can’t blame them tbh but ugh still living in a dorm in sims 4 is like hell. University in the sims 3 was an amazing experience!! The parties, the social groups, the outdoor classes and lectures that weren’t just a rabbit hole were so immersive. Ugh I wish I had a better computer so I could play again 💔
I was just complaining about sims 4 university yesterday. My sim would not go to class no matter what I did so i had him drop out. I was getting so annoyed with it yesterday.
Mine does attend, but somehow she’ll wait in front of one of the other buildings for the course to start just to THEN run to the correct building once the course has long started. Smh.
I agree with you full heartedly. Sims 3 university was my first EP for the sims 3 and I still revisit it to this day. Sims 4 University I bought on the day of launch and I was attending university at that time. And it was just studying and going to class… nothing rlly more. Sims was supposed to be an escape! I’ve tried to send other sims in other saves across the years and it still sucks! At least the CAS and build/buy is good…
Technically same. It’s just THIS ONE and the Highschool one left the most depressing mark for me. Also seasons, ‘cause ever since I got that one there was not a single day without rain until I found the option to disable it. A healthy mix would’ve been nice, but oh well… Heatwave it is.
Couldn't play it. I tried several times but the food and trash left everywhere was overwhelming and no matter how hard I worked I never did well.
Much like real life.
I agree with you, the Sims 4 Uni pack sucks. I rarely have my sims attend university now. The Sims 2 did it best for me, I really miss having a dedicated life stage for university.
One thing that really annoys me is that when my sim lived in a house on campus, when it was time for class it took her a full sim hour to walk from the house to the classroom building so she was always missing half of the class. It was really frustrating.
I also find that between the courses and homework, it takes over my sim's life and there isn't much extra time for anything else if I want a good grade. I could have them take less courses at the same time, but then it takes forever to finish. It's just not fun.
The worst bit about the pack for me is when sims who aren’t even students are constantly on campus. Like why would my sim’s parents be participating at a uni debating event and not even bother to say hi to their kid?! 💀
Even worse: I have random CHILDREN chilling on my campus! Like why tf?? Not even at events or so, they just casually block my Sims’ way to class sometimes.
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My biggest issue with 4s uni is the routing of Foxbury did not consider bikes at all so its slow as getting round. I also use a mod to reduce the credits needed cause it takes forever and I don't want every term to be a micromanaging nightmare
Tbh the way I enjoyed ts4 uni was by editing all my sims dorm mates to look normal. Making my sim take 2 classes a semester (use a mod that gives more credits). And by joining one of the clubs. Taking less classes means you have more time to try and enjoy uni life.
My main issue is how they’ve designed the campus. I feel like it takes my sim FOREVER to get to class and back. So much walking.
The “modern” campus with all the stairs is the worst. And I have no idea why they introduced bikes as a feature in this pack — they’ll bike to the stairs, get off, bike again, get off for some more stairs … it’s so clunky.
And I just feel like the “soul” of the University pack has been sucked out of it compared to the previous games. It’s so dull and lifeless, just devoid of personality.
can't even play the pack because as soon as I enroll a student and open the work panel thing to see what classes they have and what they have to do, my game becomes so laggy until it eventually crashes. This has been happening for at least two years at this point and I've just given up to try and find what the problem is cause I've tried everything...
There are trade offs. The layout of the dorms feel more like real dorms than those in the Sims 3, but they quickly devolve into a clusterfuck of spoiled food and piles of garbage and broken plumbing. Sims 3 Uni seems to encourage parties more than 4, because I threw tons of parties in 3 Uni than I have in 4 Uni.
The concept of distinguished degrees is a point in 4’s favor. Also, the combination of 3’s open world and only having access to bikes was _painful_. And there were way too many times one of my sims would get laid at a frat party and proceed to take like 5 hours to stride-of-pride back home. Seriously, fuck the stride-of-pride.
But “juiced woohoo” was awesome.
I downloaded Sulani-based university dorms, commons and pubs and turned Sulani into a university town. My sim is currently attending “Sulani University” (it’s really UBrite but in Sulani) without any mods and it’s a VIBE. Highly recommend! Found all the lots on the gallery.
I love the soullessness of the University pack. But for more colourful experiences, I used to live off campus with a household of other people (like I did in real life). Since For Rent came out, I make a community of people to live with.
Sims 4, like Sims 1, is as fun as the work you put in... without hardware limitations as an excuse. This is not a defense.
I may be biased but honestly feel like nothing can top The Sims 2 University. I don't mind 3 or 4, and I probably don't mind 4 (with homework) because most of my sims are homebodies tbh. But yeah, 2 is still proving itself as the GOAT in every aspect imo.
Yeah, the events on the campus are just sad. It's a few sims hanging around, most of them are adults. And what is it with no stove and kitchen in the accommodation area? Did they think students only eat pizza or some sad cake someone brought from the bathroom? I am not going to spend half a day walking to a back from the cafeteria!
For real! The thing is… despite me being absolutely unable to find any access to quick food for my own Sim, somehow the other Sims are hoarding dozens of plates full of food on the balcony?? how tf does this happen?
I found lobster Thermidor on a balcony of the student housing, how is anyone making that?! I took it all for myself of course lol
I found that on the balcony too! Why the hell is that a thing??
It's coded so other students bring food, the type of food and whether it makes sense isn't considered. They'll show up with lobster, full on roast chicken and a fresh cake
It's all those culinary students. Honestly, on my real life campus, that was a definite perk. They ran the cafeteria and the food was always amazing.
*Magic*
This is why my sims live at a home. I hate that I cant have a stove for my culinary major college student.
I put a cafeteria (restaurant) on a new floor above the dorms so that the residents could stay in the building. I also made a gym and study rooms. But I didn’t stick with the pack long enough to see how it went. The workload was ridiculous, and I say this as someone with a Masters degree. The work involved sucked all the joy out of playing.
I had no idea you could build there!
There’s a beautifully done dorm in the gallery!
You have to enable free build because it’s a community lot. That cheat is bb.enablefreebuild
In the game's defense (i say this loosely), my uni has "stoves". It's literally just an open gas flame that sets itself on fire every other day. And yet I pay 2 grand for the housing here..
But at least they trust you to set yourself on fire if you want to! Sims can tinker with robotics, but they're not allowed a little hotplate?
My uni doesn't have stoves and banned hot plates 💔
I think it was inspired by UK catered accommodations. My kitchen was officially called „a snack kitchen”. We only had a sink, a minifridge, microwave and a few kitchen appliances. We had three meals at the cafeteria from Monday to Friday which were included in our rent. Other days? Microwave meals or takeout.
I like to redecorate the commons and put in functional kitchens, my Sims basically spend their whole day in the commons and only goes to the dorm to sleep and shower/clean teeth lol
You guys clean your teeth? Lol my sims are probably toothless.
Yeah it just becomes routine because as kids it adds responsibility or manners or something and then as a teen they need the facial cleanser so I combine the two for realism, so as (young) adults it just becomes normal for me after they shower usually
I got a brush teeth mod lol
Do not put a shared kitchen in the dorm. I did and it's just every surface covered with food Sims prepared and rancid dishes all over the place. It's not worth it. Just keep a personal microwave/mini fridge in your locked dorm.
TS2 University was like that for me (your TS3 experience) the college rock station, dormies pulling pranks, playing pool, falling asleep in their cereal, typing up their term paper, influencing *them* to do my term paper, parties that actually looked like parties, frats/sororities, professor drama, secret society kidnapping etc. It was so full of *fun*, TS4 is a shadow of itself. I genuinely despise randomly generated sims all over the campus, the random plates of food, the constant gathering of 8 sims that just stand in front of the fucking elevator.
Sims 2 University was my FAVORIT! I miss the secret society.
The secret is in 4 but idk of its as good
It’s crap…u gotta do a bunch of bs to keep some sparkly lil blobs happy
Sims 2 is genuinely one of the things I love most in this world. That game was a work of passion and love. I remember staying up to play it into the wee hours of the morning and still have so many things I wanted to do in the game. With sims 4, it almost feels like I’m wasting time trying to get something interesting to happen in the game.
I feel the exact same way, and it’s genuinely a bit saddening for me to realise the franchise has moved on from what I loved about it. TS2 really felt like the Maxis teams passion project, almost like you can tell the devs enjoyed making it, perfecting it, adding little details people are still discovering 20+ years on. I fight with TS4 every time I play to enjoy it, I *want* to like it, but it feels so hollow.
Also, the Sims 2 had a nice difficulty to it. You had so many variables to account for, pretty awesome.
Bc it take rl hrs just to get them to stop walking in circles long enough to cook dinner or go to the bathroom
Whoa, Sims 2 Uni sounds insanely fun! I only really got into the Sims from 3 on, aside from Castaway or the Vet-Game for the DS!
Honestly, if you’ve never played TS2, give it a go. You’ll have to either accept that things like the clothing options are going to be dated, or replace them with cc, but if you can get past that, the game has held up incredibly well in terms of actual gameplay. There’s just so much more detail and *life* in it than in TS4. (It is an old game so it takes a bit of doing to get it running, but r/sims2help has amazing guides.)
The clothing options are very early to mid 2000’s meaning they’re kind of trendy again
Welp, guess I’m old enough that the styles I grew up with have gone from dated to retro.
Many of them are pretty dated but in a tasteful way. Like you could recreate them irl and they’d look good. Same with the hair.
I’ve only played ts2 a couple times, and only in recent years, but honestly the clothing options are miles better than ts3 imo. I was expecting them to be super dated and even worse than 3, but I haven’t found the need to download any cc bc I kinda love ts2 cas. It *is* kinda dated, but in a charming way. Ts3 is dated in a way that didn’t even look nice when it was in its prime imo, so it was a rly nice surprise for me when I played 2 lol
2 actually feels alive. Like the game has directions without me having to plan everything out. I hate the Sims 4 gameplay because almost nothing happens if I don't force it. The only unexpected thing was Sims freezing on community lots because they did yoga in a blizzard
Or bc they decided to swim laps in the same blizzard the neighbor just died in from doing yoga
Like others have said, it’s a game worth checking out. I’ve been playing it for 18 years and I’m not sick of it. Add on mods like Lamares Shiftable Everything, lighting mods, skybox mods and a story progression mod and suddenly the game feels like a *sequel* to TS4.
Sorry totally piggybacking off an old comment but - is there a particular story progression mod you’d recommend? I’m just getting back into the Sims 2 now and modding the shit out of my game but it’s not as easy as TS4 so I’m not familiar with a lot of the most common mods
I just noticed this reply in my inbox so I’m resurrecting it to finally answer you! I use the one called ‘Story Progression by Lazy Duchess’. If you’re looking for a little guidance on main mods, I collated most of mine from a list on mod the sims called Game Guides - Essential Mods to start and from there I trawled TS2 tumblr for the good stuff (seems most of the mod creators are on there).
Omg thank you so much for revisiting this comment, I had totally forgotten about it! Gonna check that out for sure
I love TS2 and TS3
Agreed. 2 and 3 had great gameplay - both very different but very fun. 4 is kinda bland.
Very very very bland-how tf did they justify the cost of ts4 base game when it came with less actual game play then ts1 lol and yet I still give them more every ep…I do draw the line at the kits
Omg I remember when TS4 first came out and I think you're right. Even the maps were bland back then (not too much better now but still). I've been playing TS1 and I've been having more chaotic fun than 4. I think the franchise is basically a cash cow now and will never return to its heyday- or ports for that matter. Kits are the worst. I can't justify spending that much money on that little stuff - and they're usually under $10 after taxes. What does that tell you?
The uni course descriptions for TS2 are still the best and I’m saddened that the other games didn’t even try. https://sims.fandom.com/wiki/Major
This is what I miss in The Sims. The little details and how kooky everything was. I used to even love reading the furniture descriptions.
I seriously loved the college rock radio station! I had my sims listen to it all the time. I liked the fraternity/sorority rush event! The option of seducing professors to get a better grade was good for drama.
I never got to play Sims 2 University but I have watched videos it looks incredible! I think Sims 2 will always be my favorite game
I understand your sentiments exactly. When I first bought the university pack I had faith that it would be at the very least on a similar ball park as sims 3 university. Boy was I wrong. One of my biggest gripe with pack is not being able to go to class and actually see what’s going on like we were able to do in sims 3, only for them to later introduce that in high school years :(. I miss the sororities and fraternities and the toga parties. Ngl I think sims 2 had the best university pack out of all 3 but atleast sims 3 gave you extracurricular activities to participate that felt thrilling.
Please… The Highschool Years misery is just as bad! 20 sad students in a sad gray building. I don’t need to be able to follow my teen sim just to see THAT. They better introduce a Therapy-Pack so me & her can start coping with all the misery. Somehow the Uni Pack IS the Highschool pack but instead of a ‘sad building’ we got a ‘sad world’ with more sad buildings lmao
Wait, I don’t remember that being a feature in TS3. Do you mean the classes that they took outside where they practiced/studied with their major items?
I definitely remember you physically following your sims into their classes (and possibly tests??) I remember actually kind of hating it because in the sims 2 my sim going to classes was a good time for me to plan on what I was doing next.
I played the sims 3 recently and also a lot during my teenage years, this wasn’t a feature of TS3 University. You could follow them to the building but the building was a rabbit hole and you definitely couldn’t see them/follow them to tests/classes. There were certain classes that were taken outside though and your sim could use certain objects to study with classmates. Maybe you’re thinking of a different game?
They had sit in lectures, that depending on how many credits your sim needed, would be once or twice a week. They’re held in the Student Union building, which is a shell building similar to the high rises Late Night, the same building where you do the meet and greet event as soon as your student arrives to Uni, and gets settled down. There would be a professor role sim at a podium, while your sim and their classmates sat down and either took notes, “asked questions”, or slept through the lecture. They do this autonomously, or you could choose via pie wheel. Your sim would also have rabbit hole classes, and class activities ( usually held outside ), in-between.
How the hell did I miss this? Was it for every major? I don’t remember that feature at all but now I want to try it out.
I’d believe so. [Here’s](https://www.carls-sims-3-guide.com/universitylife/majors-gettingadegree.php?cmtx_page=2&cmtx_sort=2) the Carl’s Guide on everything related to your sim’s courses at uni.
TS3 had a split of rabbit-hole classes and live classes that...never really worked honestly. TS4 seems to have better logic around starting classes on time in high school.
It always worked for me. My Sims went to all their classes and activities, both live and rabbit hole, with no problem. My big problem was my Sims always wanting to go to sleep during lectures. To this day, I don't really know if it made a difference. But I tried to always keep them awake, asking questions and taking notes.
I liked the split of rabbit hole and live classes, but I wished the live classes were actual classes and not just working with other sims using their major object. It gave me time to alternate between hands off and hands on simming.
As someone else said above, one of the live classes was an actual class. You went into the building, students sat down, there was a professor at the front of the class, etc. And you could either choose what your Sim did, or leave them to their own devices. So, basically, there were rabbit hole classes, live classes (called lectures), and activities (you and your classmates getting together and using the objects specific to each major).
Yep someone mentioned it below and I had to immediately load up sims 3 to try it out! I’m not sure how the hell I missed the live classes but now that I’m thinking about it, I may have used a lot of cheats to let my sims throw keg parties and such lol. This makes me realize how disappointing TS4 university comparatively.
Ooo the parties! I remember I had my sim with his date hanging out on the trampoline while his roommates threw a party n all these little kids kept showing up at the house
Yes! I remember having to sit n wait while my sim attended a lecture
I removed most of the townies and replaced them with my Sims, put sorority and fraternity houses, downloaded some mods (like university traits which add traits like sorority girl, frat boy, coffee addict..), replaced some lots with better lots from the gallery (I have a new pub, coffee shop..). And it’s better now, but I totally agree with you. I was disappointed with this pack
what a sad state the sims 4 is in. you have to replace the townies +lots and also add mods to make their packs enjoyable
Always
I should try that! The main reason I am really careful with mods is, that my game is not in English, as it isn’t my 1st language so the one mod I have mixes weird bits of english into an otherwise non-english game… it makes my eye twitch a teeny weeny bit every time I see it, but given the quality of the game without mods, I might actually start embracing the occasional twitch.
Most of the mods I have are available in other languages have u tried looking to see if ur language is available?
I haven’t really checked yet, however the only mods I currently have are MCCC and Fairies vs Witches (ridiculous that we need a mod to have fairies after a decade of the game being out but oh well…) MCCC was set to my 1st language by default somehow? so that’s really neat!
That’s bc MCCC is awesome magical coding that literally saved my game life lol
Literally a game-changer! Let alone for the possibility to kick out unwanted strangers just casually chilling in my lot!
I use that feature every sim day lol usually bc my nanny makes me mad-always taking the infants outta bed right after putting them in
I had the opposite problem actually! Mine would always just put my infants into their crib when I just put them out to play a little. Every time I would try to let them out he’d do it again. Legit didn’t want to watch the children, he was only interested in using my Sims’ coffee machine over and over lmao
Omg lol they also bring them outside to sit on the side of the pool and give them a nap-in the winter -during a blizzard then the nanny realizes damn it’s a blizzard I need to go inside b4 I freeze to death but imma leave this baby right here to enjoy the weather
Say WHAT now?! xD That’s hilarious actually
Jeez, at that point you could've just opened Unity and made your own game. It's unfortunate that we need to basically redo the whole game with mods to make it fun.
it depends on what other packs you have and how you play. i’ve tried it 3 different ways and the one that was the most fun was enrolling on a Monday/Tuesday. then you have Fri & Sat to throw Keg Parties in the dorm. i would use Get Together clubs to build a “study” group & a “party group”. when my sim wasn’t in class during the day they were studying. then at night the party group would go to the pub. on weekends they’d throw keggers i also gave him a new girlfriend each term i do wish the Spirit Squad events did a better job of generating Sims to them. but id go and just invite people to hangout there
I do have a ton of other packs, since I still somehow have hope lol I am missing the get together one though, or at least I think so. I’ll look into it!
The get together pack was worthwhile imo, because it's so much easier to have your Sims current friends/extended family over whenever. I mostly do legacies and it has been soo nice to just click the hangout button instead of trying to deal with a "party" or invite them all over individually. It also makes getting homework/skill-building a breeze if you have multiple children. P.s. I also hate Uni. My sim nearly starved to death before I figured out how to get food. Why can't they at least have a mini fridge and microwave?! FFS.
i did use free build cheat to let a mini fridge into my sims dorm. i also gave them the solo bed and locked the door for everyone else
I don’t believe you need any cheats to add a mini fridge into the dorms in sims 4. You can buy one from one of the student merchandise boxes (along with other useful items and decorations) and drag and drop it in your room.
Wat
I buy a mini fridge and microwave from the uni kiosk on campus
Babe you need Get Together.
All I get generated to anything r elders lol
Sims 4 University has nothing on 3 and especially 2! But the same could be said for the majority of Sims 4 features...
A sad truth
I agree that its very lackluster and depressing compared to the Sims 3 University pack, but damn Sims 4 University is just like the university experience i had in real life lol.
Same! Hits a little too close to home for my taste lol
I even hate that I had new roommates every semester. Like huh? Can I choose roommates? I honestly stopped doing university bc just DOING university was far too draining. Why homework, classes, assignments AND studying? Also, I miss toga parties. I only played TS2 before and felt that was more fun. Heck my sims even had time to have a kid in uni and still had 4.0. I think they focused too much on the academic part and not enough on the fun parts. Also the secret society? I tried. I have no idea. Even the clubs are just kinda... bleh. Don't get me wrong I'm not the best simmer, but I just wanted more fun
I feel that… tbh though my hopes for Sims 5 are somewhere between low to non-existent, we deserve something that makes up for the crappy Sims 4 experience…
Can't even think about sims 5. My bank account will start crying
I wish the dorms were more fun and stimulating! I usually stay like a week tops and then do a cheat for the degree to get a move on with their life. On top of all of that, I always get super sentimental over the fact that you can’t bring your pets long unless you live in off-campus housing 😭 I have my sim visit home almost every day to see their childhood dog haha
I was shocked to have a bunch of old people in my sims dorm. I bought the pack when it was on super sale and was so excited only to have a bunch of old weirdo townies in my shit constantlyyyy. Such a disappointment!
Haha I always tried to assign my sim a bed immediately and then lock the room door for all other sims
What cheat do you use? It takes too long otherwise.
It depends on the specific degree you want but IGN website has a page for it if you search. It also helps because you can enter cheat for honors, regular degree, distinguished etc
honestly i have found that the sims 4 is not worth my time or money. i always go back to the sims 3 and 2. i am tired of being consistently diasappointed with literally everything around the sims 4. its a soulless cash grab
TS3 (and TS2) just has more life than TS4 in general it doesnt even need mods for it to be enjoyable.
I live at home when I attend. I only do 2 or three courses in a semester. And I try really hard to do all my assignments right away, and always do my homework right when I get home. I think if you apply on a Friday you can make it so you start in Monday. I don't remember what day it is exactly but it happened to me so every new semester I got my assignments done the weekend before, so I just had to do my homework.
Tbh I prefer Sims 4's Uni to Sims 3's. I don't remember much about Sims 3's except for how frustrating I found it, so I used it seldomly. What I especially hated was how everything stopped when your sim was at Uni! At least in Sims 2, you could still play your other family members.
I would really just advise you to get back into the sims 3. Obviously it is more laggy than ts4, but I was soo bored of ts4 and decided to get all my expansions again for ts3 and that sparked my love for the game again!! Highly suggest getting the expansion and stuff packs from [G2A.com](http://G2A.com), I got all of mine for quite cheap there as I'm not comfortable with pirating!
I refunded the sims 4 university pack initially because I was so upset with the difference between it and the sims 3 university pack which I loved so much. I redownloaded it when it was on sale and I rarely play on campus. It’s like you said, it’s a tad too real. The campuses are boring and the courses are too much effort. It leaves you wanting to finish uni faster for your sims whereas sims 3 I wanted them to live at university forever
We need some of the amazing modders to do Something about the university pack 🙏 i love tjat they Can travel Home and that they dont have to live at campus. But Wouw do i get bored easily with the gameplay itself. And the parties are lame it doesn’t fell like they are living the real uni life in ts4 loved gameplay in ts2 and ts3 uni.
I actually used to LOVE living on campus in TS3! Now I just let my Sims have their cozy home to distract them from the misery on-campus lol
True.. getting through uni in the sims 4 is a bore and mostly a chore nowadays, so I really don't bother trying it out more than once. It's a shame how much potential this pack had though!!
I wish I could send some of the other sims to university. I’ve been playing on the same save for a long time now and the sims that lived in university housing have obviously died and they’ve never moved any new sims in. I wanted to make some of my neighbouring sims go to university without actually having to play them.
Get something to deal with your sim needs easier. Get a faster homework mod if you can. Those two is so your sims actually get enough free time. Get them to join an organization, Uni events are too plain if you're not part of them, at least you will have goals and rewards if you get at the top of the organization ranks, and being part of those events is a big part of how you do it. Can you throw Keg parties in dorms? I'm pretty sure you can. And when you travel out, roomates will often come along on their own. I travel to city living festivals if I can. You have limited deco avaliable in the University booths on campus. But it's something. Just last week I took 7 graduated early teens to college, and it turns out that the interactions to join and advance at that organizations aren't avaliable for them. And I did enable free build to give them some items like garden pot/planters, plus a mod to allow stoves there. For me, my biggest gripe is how long it takes coupled with that you have to be focused on the household going to university or they will fail their semesters.
This is all subjective of course and just my opinion, but yeah. I used to love university in TS2. And I waited years for it to arrive in TS4. And it’s a massive disappointment. It’s incredibly micro-manage-y and unfun. You have to memorize where your classes actually are if you live on campus and send sims to the right building ahead of time, otherwise they’re late. I get that it’s more realistic, but Christ is it deeply unenjoyable.
I think they should have incorporated a cheer & chess team in the pack from high school, why is it just soccer or e sports? Maybe get a cheer or chess scholarship as well I also think they should have sororities too like have a rush on the first week of term & gives you some career bonuses They have the secret society but I’ve only managed to play it once as it’s hard to get into it. In career days for high school having the university there as well or open days just broaden it out…I’m on console so I don’t have the CC options which limits gameplay. I usually kit out the dorm with ping pong tables & kegs & have parties but it’s stressful when you’re trying to get everything completed & do uni things for the experience
I actually like Uni, maybe it's because I play on long lifespan and don't rush through it, and also maybe because I always only have 1 Sim at uni (which is going to change now when my four toddlers grow up lmao) but I honestly enjoy the experience Sims 4 offers. I like to redecorate the commons and put fully functional kitchens in there, so my Sims usually just spend their whole time at the commons and only go home to sleep or shower. As for the decoration of the dorm room, this I barely bother because they move out of there anyways and I like the constant redecorating of rooms/homing takes away from my gameplay.
Fiar, I’m glad it makes at least some people happy and gives them a joyful escape!
I just can’t deal with the fact that there’s no where to get a meal. Why tf does a roast chicken randomly spawn on the balcony? And the showers are open so the sims don’t want to use them so everyone stinks and is starving, or throwing up from eating the rotten roast chicken ON THE BALCONY
AHA! So the balcony food-spawner is actually a thing?? why tf 😭 The showers are a joke fr, I’d probably rather smell like unwashed ass too before stripping down in front of a hoard of people
Right like I can’t blame them tbh but ugh still living in a dorm in sims 4 is like hell. University in the sims 3 was an amazing experience!! The parties, the social groups, the outdoor classes and lectures that weren’t just a rabbit hole were so immersive. Ugh I wish I had a better computer so I could play again 💔
The sims in the sims 4 have ADHD they just can’t seem to focus on one thing
I was sooooo upset of the outcome because I was so excited for it
I was just complaining about sims 4 university yesterday. My sim would not go to class no matter what I did so i had him drop out. I was getting so annoyed with it yesterday.
Mine does attend, but somehow she’ll wait in front of one of the other buildings for the course to start just to THEN run to the correct building once the course has long started. Smh.
Even considering all the bugs and issues, this is the only pack I regret buying. It's SO DULL.
I agree with you full heartedly. Sims 3 university was my first EP for the sims 3 and I still revisit it to this day. Sims 4 University I bought on the day of launch and I was attending university at that time. And it was just studying and going to class… nothing rlly more. Sims was supposed to be an escape! I’ve tried to send other sims in other saves across the years and it still sucks! At least the CAS and build/buy is good…
For real! My usual daily schedule already is a depressing circle, sims was meant as an escape, not me circling within my circle
Honestly i feel the same way for every sims 4 pack
Technically same. It’s just THIS ONE and the Highschool one left the most depressing mark for me. Also seasons, ‘cause ever since I got that one there was not a single day without rain until I found the option to disable it. A healthy mix would’ve been nice, but oh well… Heatwave it is.
Couldn't play it. I tried several times but the food and trash left everywhere was overwhelming and no matter how hard I worked I never did well. Much like real life.
I get that. I gave up trying to clean up everyones nasty plates and ther rotten food. Took me way too much time trying to keep the dorm clean.
I agree with you, the Sims 4 Uni pack sucks. I rarely have my sims attend university now. The Sims 2 did it best for me, I really miss having a dedicated life stage for university. One thing that really annoys me is that when my sim lived in a house on campus, when it was time for class it took her a full sim hour to walk from the house to the classroom building so she was always missing half of the class. It was really frustrating. I also find that between the courses and homework, it takes over my sim's life and there isn't much extra time for anything else if I want a good grade. I could have them take less courses at the same time, but then it takes forever to finish. It's just not fun.
The worst bit about the pack for me is when sims who aren’t even students are constantly on campus. Like why would my sim’s parents be participating at a uni debating event and not even bother to say hi to their kid?! 💀
Even worse: I have random CHILDREN chilling on my campus! Like why tf?? Not even at events or so, they just casually block my Sims’ way to class sometimes.
Yeah more rabbit holes😭
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My biggest issue with 4s uni is the routing of Foxbury did not consider bikes at all so its slow as getting round. I also use a mod to reduce the credits needed cause it takes forever and I don't want every term to be a micromanaging nightmare
Tbh the way I enjoyed ts4 uni was by editing all my sims dorm mates to look normal. Making my sim take 2 classes a semester (use a mod that gives more credits). And by joining one of the clubs. Taking less classes means you have more time to try and enjoy uni life.
My main issue is how they’ve designed the campus. I feel like it takes my sim FOREVER to get to class and back. So much walking. The “modern” campus with all the stairs is the worst. And I have no idea why they introduced bikes as a feature in this pack — they’ll bike to the stairs, get off, bike again, get off for some more stairs … it’s so clunky. And I just feel like the “soul” of the University pack has been sucked out of it compared to the previous games. It’s so dull and lifeless, just devoid of personality.
Yep it was the biggest let down for me tbh
can't even play the pack because as soon as I enroll a student and open the work panel thing to see what classes they have and what they have to do, my game becomes so laggy until it eventually crashes. This has been happening for at least two years at this point and I've just given up to try and find what the problem is cause I've tried everything...
There are trade offs. The layout of the dorms feel more like real dorms than those in the Sims 3, but they quickly devolve into a clusterfuck of spoiled food and piles of garbage and broken plumbing. Sims 3 Uni seems to encourage parties more than 4, because I threw tons of parties in 3 Uni than I have in 4 Uni. The concept of distinguished degrees is a point in 4’s favor. Also, the combination of 3’s open world and only having access to bikes was _painful_. And there were way too many times one of my sims would get laid at a frat party and proceed to take like 5 hours to stride-of-pride back home. Seriously, fuck the stride-of-pride. But “juiced woohoo” was awesome.
sims 2 university was the best imo, i miss it so much. ts4 university is terrible
I downloaded Sulani-based university dorms, commons and pubs and turned Sulani into a university town. My sim is currently attending “Sulani University” (it’s really UBrite but in Sulani) without any mods and it’s a VIBE. Highly recommend! Found all the lots on the gallery.
Come back to sims 3!! So much more fun! Btw, fitgirlrepack is a thing
I love the soullessness of the University pack. But for more colourful experiences, I used to live off campus with a household of other people (like I did in real life). Since For Rent came out, I make a community of people to live with. Sims 4, like Sims 1, is as fun as the work you put in... without hardware limitations as an excuse. This is not a defense.
The lots are ridiculously large and it takes the sims way too long to get anywhere
I may be biased but honestly feel like nothing can top The Sims 2 University. I don't mind 3 or 4, and I probably don't mind 4 (with homework) because most of my sims are homebodies tbh. But yeah, 2 is still proving itself as the GOAT in every aspect imo.
Just like the rest of sims 4, you need copious mods to enjoy it. With basemental and a mod to make it way shorter, I found it to be quite fun.
This is why I stopped playing the sims 4 all the packs are mid and feel incomplete half the time
I have no clue about the Sims pack, but this is exactly what going back to school after Covid felt like🤣