The Sims 2 Official PC Game Guide

...not bought my copy of the Prima Official Game Guide for Sims2 for the PC, quite a while after I bought the game itself. I paid £12.99 for it from a High Street shop. I think I paid full price for it, but you can find it now for 34% less on Amazon and on line shops, and there are probably lots of copies on Ebay.

The book starts off with the basics of how to play Sims2 and gives some outline as to the basic needs of a Sim. Even though ...
...were things in the first chapter and first few pages that I had not realised, so the book was starting to pay for itself already.

The book itself is over 350 pages thick and it is bright and colourful and it would not be difficult to read the whole thing through in one evening. It is divided into five different sections, from the most basic to the most difficult of game-play. There is also a one page Appendix giving the main cheats, ... more

I think I would have been lost if I had not bought my copy of the Prima Official Game Guide for Sims2 for the PC, quite a while after I bought the game itself. I paid £12.99 for it from a High Street shop. I think I paid full price for it, but you can find it now for 34% less on Amazon and on line shops, and there are probably lots of copies on Ebay.

The book starts off with the basics of how to play Sims2 and gives some outline as to the basic needs of a Sim. Even though I had owned the game for a little while, there were things in the first chapter and first few pages that I had not realised, so the book was starting to pay for itself already.

The book itself is over 350 pages thick and it is bright and colourful and it would not be difficult to read the whole thing through in one evening. It is divided into five different sections, from the most basic to the most difficult of game-play. There is also a one page Appendix giving the main cheats, although it misses off the only cheat I have ever used, which is the one which gives me 50000 simoleans currency which is important (to repeat) if you want a decent house 

Even though I had played the game for a while, the book gave me a whole new approach into playing it. For example I couldn't work out how I could buy a house for the first time within the simolean allowance given at the start of the game, but even the second section of the book talks through how to do that and what to buy as a priority, whereas before that I was buying furniture at random then wondering why things were not going quite to plan financially.

Until I read the book, I had not figured out how quickly you need to get tasks done, e.g. like getting a job or bringing up kids, or the importance of making friends. Once you have read the book, then play the game again, you start to realise that things are happening for a reason and you cannot just ignore them, or there will be repercussions later.

I always found playing the pre-built families quite difficult, but the book does talk you through one way of approaching the different family units in each of the Neighborhoods that are included in the game. I found this was good for me to learn how Sims would behave if you do and do not carry out certain tasks but I still prefer to make my own families and own neighbourhoods, probably as I still find it easier than managing old sims 

Sims are more complicated than you think and the chapter on Simology does give a lot of information on how Sims behave as they do, why they react to things differently, and even the effect that their star signs and interests might have on their daily lives.

At least 11 of the 23 chapters are dedicated to the part of playing the sims during their lifetime or the generation game. Unlike earlier versions of the Sims, there are six stages of live for Sims2. These range from three days as a baby, through the toddler, child and teenage stages, and through to adult and finally as an elder (before the grim reaper comes). Even understanding the process and what you should do and when to celebrate a transition is important in the age transition process, and something which the book guides you through extremely well.

One of the most important tasks when playing Sims is to keep their Mood high, and the book gives quite a lot of information of what to do for each of the main age groups to ensure that Sims are as happy as possible. I know there was no way I would have worked them out without the book, as they are so fickle. I didn't even realise that the items you purchase can have an effect too, such as the type as kitchen cupboard can make the Sims learn to cook more quickly 

I think this book helped me to understand all the different complexities of managing a lot of sims on a Neighbourhood site. Whereas before, I could not completely understand their behaviour, the book made some things easier for me to understand. However it also made it easier for me to experiment and play with different scenarios and built in scenes to see what I could get. The book is nothing like the booklet that comes with the game, in that it goes far beyond individual transactions and how things interact with each other, and instead shows how delicate and intricate different choices, such as what you cook for dinner, or what furniture you choose, has on the overall mood and aspiration of your Sim.

If there was a downside to the book it is that there are large chunks of it which are dedicated to different items, and so you can skim pages and pages of information about different items within the same house. This information might be useful for reference, but even some brief information about the impact of the item on mood scores is available without needing to refer to a detailed summary.

Overall, I think that this book is essential to anyone who owns the PC Sims2 game and I think the on line price is excellent value for money. I have had a lot more fun out of my Sims2 game since I bought the book and realised that I could go a lot further with the game than I originally thought

If you own Sims2 , then this is essential reading :)

 

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