The sims 2

The Sims 2 is a strategic life simulation computer gamedeveloped by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. It is thesequel to the best-selling computer game, The Sims, which debuted on February 4, 2000.[2] It was first released on September 14, 2004 for Microsoft Windows. A port to Apple Mac OS X was released on June 13, 2005. Eight expansion packs and nine stuff packs were subsequently released. In addition several console versions have been released. Though not commonly known, The Sims 2 is offered on mobile platforms. Mobile manufacturers such as Nokia offer The Sims 2 from the Ovi Store. A sequel, The Sims 3, was released in June 2009.[3] [4]

The Sims 2 has the same concept as its predecessor and sequel, The Sims 3, players control their Sims in various activities and form relationships in a manner similar to real life.The Sims 2, like its predecessor, The Sims, does not have a defined final goal; gameplay is open-ended. Sims have life goals, wants and fears, the fulfillment of which can produce both positive or negative outcomes. All Sims age, and can live to 90 sim days depending on the degree to which their aspirations are fulfilled. The Sims 2 builds on its predecessor by allowing Sims to age through six stages of life and incorporating a 3D graphics engine. Although gameplay is not linear, storylines exist in the game's pre-built neighborhoods. Pleasantview is based 25 years after the town in the originalThe Sims. Strangetown's storyline is based on the supernatural, and is loosely connected with Pleasantview. Veronaville's characters are based on Shakespeareancharacters.

The Sims 2 was an instant success, selling a then-record one million copies in its first ten days.[5] As of July 2012, The Sims 2 has sold more than 20 million units worldwide and is thebest-selling PC video game of all-time.[6] During April 2008,The Sims 2 website announced that 100 million copies of The Sims series had been sold.[7] In addition to its commercial success, The Sims 2 was well received by critics gaining a 90% score from aggregators Metacritic and GameRankings.[8] [9] {| class="toc" id="toc" style="font-size:12.499999046325684px;border-color:rgb(170,170,170);color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;line-height:19.194442749023438px;"

Contents
[hide] *1 Gameplay ==[edit] Gameplay== From the neighborhood view, the player selects one lot to play, as in The Sims.[10] There are both residential and community lots, but Sims can only live in residential lots. Community lots are where Sims travel to in order to purchase things like clothing and magazines, and to interact with NPCs and townies.
 * 1.1 Sims
 * 1.1.1 Create-a-Sim
 * 1.2 Social interactions
 * 1.3 Careers
 * 1.4 Comparison to The Sims
 * 2 Development
 * 3 Reception
 * 4 Controversy
 * 5 Editions, compilations, and add-ons
 * 5.1 OS X version
 * 5.2 Expansion packs
 * 5.3 Stuff packs
 * 5.4 Core game editions
 * 5.5 Expansion-only compilations
 * 5.6 Downloadable Content
 * 5.6.1 Pre-order Content
 * 5.6.2 The Sims 2 Store
 * 5.7 Third-Party Tools
 * 6 References
 * 7 External links
 * }

The player can choose between playing a pre-made inhabited lot, moving a household into a built-up lot, or constructing a building on an empty lot. One novelty from The Sims is foundations.

The player switches among the "live" mode (default) to control Sims, the "buy" mode to add, move or delete furniture, or the "build" mode to rebuild the house. Buy and build mode for community lots is locked when player Sims visit the lot but are available from the neighborhood view. It is also possible to import neighborhood terrains from SimCity 4.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10" style="line-height:1em;">[11]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.194442749023438px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px;">The game contains some time-bound social challenges that provide a reward if successful. Sims can throw parties to gain aspiration points or invite the headmaster over for dinner in order to enroll their children in private school.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-GameSpy.27s_review_of_The_Sims_2_9-1" style="line-height:1em;">[10] Some expansion packs have new mini-games, like running a Greek house in University or dating inNightlife. In Nightlife, each day is a challenge to keep both Sims as happy as possible while accumulating aspiration points. Various other expansion packs introduce supernatural characters which Sims can be turned into. This includes Vampires (nightlife), Werewolves (pets), Plantsims (seasons), Zombies (university life), and Witches (apartment life). ===<span class="editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;float:right;font-size:12.499999046325684px;margin-left:5px;">[edit] Sims=== <p style="line-height:19.194442749023438px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px;">The main aim of the game is to lead a Sim from the start of life to death. A Sim will be born when a female Sim and a male Sim try for a baby. The mother will spend 3 days pregnant before giving birth to a baby.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-GameSpy.27s_review_of_The_Sims_2_9-2" style="line-height:1em;">[10] Players can name the new Sim. The baby will change into a toddler in 3 days, and 4 more days for the toddler to change into a child. After 8 days, the child morphs into a teenager, and will live 15 days before changing into an adult. After 29 days, the Sim will become an elder and will die, the length of the final stage depending on the aspiration bar when they age.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.194442749023438px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px;">Babies, toddlers, children, teens, and adults can be advanced to their next life stage at any time during the 24 Sim hours before they will grow up automatically. For babies, this requires using the birthday cake. Toddlers, children, teens, and adults can use the "Grow Up" self-interaction. If the University expansion pack is installed, teens have the option to go to college, where they will be young adults for approximately 24 days. A cheat can be used to stop aging. By entering into the cheatbox (cheatbox is opened for pressing control, shift and 'c' on the keyboard) 'aging off' (without apostrophes) the sims will not age until 'aging on' is typed into the cheat box.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.194442749023438px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px;">Players will need to build up talent badges, skills and relationship with other people, so that he can be successful in their career.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-gamerevolution.com_11-0" style="line-height:1em;">[12] A player will also need to make sure a Sim is happy and well by fulfilling wants (including lifetime wants, avoiding fears, and fulfilling motives).

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.194442749023438px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px;">Pregnancy, toddlers, teens and elders are new stages of life. Young adult is a unique age added with theUniversity expansion. Teen Sims will become young adults once they are moved to a University, and will be adults once they leave campus, regardless of the reason. During Pregnancy, the belly does not expand gradually. Instead, every day, it "pops" to a bigger size. ====<span class="editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;float:right;font-size:12.499999046325684px;margin-left:5px;">[edit] Create-a-Sim==== <p style="line-height:19.194442749023438px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px;">In The Sims 2, Create a Family is entered by clicking the "Families" button in the lower left-hand corner of the neighborhood view, then clicking the large "Create New Family" button. Clicking the button labeled "Create A Sim" will expand a tab which has the "Create a Sim" and "Make a Child" icons. "Make a Child" will be grayed out unless the family contains an adult male and adult female. Clicking the "Create a Sim" icon will generate a random adult Sim, who may be male or female which can be edited by the player.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.194442749023438px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px;">As opposed to The Sims, any age besides baby or young adult (which must be made in the University Create a Student) may be created. Instead of having to choose from already finished faces which include hair, it is now possible to alter the facial structure (e.g. widening the nose, thinning the lips, elongating the chin, etc.) and choose any hairstyle to go with it. Different eye colors and an additional skin tone is available for the Sims as well. If the Sim is older than a child, their aspiration and turn-ons/offs (Nightlife or later) may be determined. As in The Sims, there are five personality traits, and 25 personality points which can be assigned to those traits.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1up.27s_review_of_The_Sims_2_12-0" style="line-height:1em;">[13] However, in The Sims 2, all personality points must be assigned. Additionally, there are twelve pre-set personalities, one for each of the twelve zodiac signs. A zodiac sign will be set which matches the personality the player has selected for the Sim. ===<span class="editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;float:right;font-size:12.499999046325684px;margin-left:5px;">[edit] Social interactions=== <p style="line-height:19.194442749023438px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px;">There are several new social interactions introduced in The Sims 2. These new social interactions can create memories and can be related to certain age groups. Social interactions can come up in the Wants and Fears panel and can be dependent on the Sim's personality and aspiration. Sims with certain personalities may not want to complete certain social interactions.
 * Influencing<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13" style="line-height:1em;">[14]
 * Influencing social interactions are introduced in the University expansion pack. A Sim is able to influence another Sim to complete a social interaction or a chore. Sims gain influence points by completing Wants and can lose influence points by completing Fears. The size of the influence bar depends on the number of friends that the Sim has. It also can grow in size with business perks from the Open for Business expansion pack.


 * Chemistry<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-aboutnl_14-0" style="line-height:1em;">[15]
 * The Nightlife expansion pack introduces Turn-Ons and Turn-Offs. Teenagers and older are able to choose their turn-ons and turn-offs. These determine the chemistry that one Sims has with another in the form of lightning bolts. Sims can have up to 3 lightning bolts with another Sim. The higher the chemistry is that a Sim has with another Sim, the greater the chance for social interactions to be accepted. New turn-ons and turn-offs are introduced with the Bon Voyage expansion pack.


 * Fury<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-aboutnl_14-1" style="line-height:1em;">[15]
 * Fury is introduced in the Nightlife expansion pack and occurs when one Sim gets angry at another. During this time relationships with the Sim who is furious are harder to build. Also, the Sim who is furious may pick a fight or vandalize the home lot of the Sim they are furious with. Fury can be caused by another sim burgling the sims house, getting fined after calling emergency services when there was no emergency, fighting, cheating on (the cheater or the sim that was cheated with) and more.


 * Reputation<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-15" style="line-height:1em;">[16]
 * Reputation is introduced in the Apartment Life expansion pack. A Sim gains reputation by interacting with other Sims on community lots. Sims with higher reputations are more likely to gain perks such as free objects and job promotions.

===<span class="editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;float:right;font-size:12.499999046325684px;margin-left:5px;">[edit] Careers=== <p style="line-height:19.194442749023438px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px;">There are careers that come with the game that require skills and a certain number of friends in order for promotion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-The_Sims_2_Reviews_16-0" style="line-height:1em;">[17] Success in these careers unlocks career rewards and higher salaries plus bonuses. Sims also will receive chance cards. Correct answers to these chance cards will create rewards for Sims while incorrect answers could cause a Sim to lose its job. Nightlife and Apartment Life allow Sims to gain promotions through social interactions with other Sims.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ActionTrip.27s_review_of_The_Sims_2_17-0" style="line-height:1em;">[18] ===<span class="editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;float:right;font-size:12.499999046325684px;margin-left:5px;">[edit] Comparison to The Sims=== <p style="line-height:19.194442749023438px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px;">Graphically, The Sims 2 is more detailed than The Sims and lets players to view its world in full 3D. This is a change from earlier Sim games, such as SimCity 2000, which used dimetric projection and fixed resolutions, as the camera was in The Sims. In The Sims, Sims are 3D meshes, but The Sims 2 introduces far more detail in mesh quality, texture quality, and animation capability. A Sim's facial features are customizable and unique, and Sims can smile, frown, and blink. The player can adjust a Sim's features in the in-game Create-a-Sim tool; for example, noses can be made to be very large or very small. Texturing is achieved through use of raster images, though it appears more lifelike.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.194442749023438px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px;">The Sims 2 characters pass through seven life stages - babies, toddlers, children, teenagers, young adults (only with University), adults, and elders - with eventual death of old age, while babies in The Sims only become children before ceasing to continue aging. The aspiration system (described above) is also new to The Sims 2. Sims can become pregnant and produce babies that take on genetic characteristics of their parents, such as eye color, hair color, facial structure, and personality traits as opposed to Sims, in which the baby would take on random appearance and personality. Genetics play a major role in the game, and as such, dominant and recessive genes play a larger role than they did in the original game. A player can also aspire to have a Sim abducted by aliens. Males then have the chance to become impregnated and produce after three Sim days a half-alien child.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.194442749023438px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px;">Some of the other additions to gameplay are career rewards, a week cycle, the cleaning skill (which was a hidden skill in The Sims), a variety of meals (depending on time of day), exercise clothing, body shape affected by diet and exercise, and houses built on foundations. ==<span class="editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;float:right;font-size:12.499999046325684px;margin-left:5px;">[edit] Development== <p style="line-height:19.194442749023438px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px;">EA Games announced on May 5, 2003 that the Maxis studio had begun development on The Sims 2.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-announce_18-0" style="line-height:1em;">[19] The game was first shown at E3 in Los Angeles, California on May 13, 2004.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-announce_18-1" style="line-height:1em;">[19] Will Wright admits that while most of the content of The Sims 2 are original ideas, inspiration for its own expansions and constituents spawned from the successes of the first game. The community interest in the antecedent The Sims: Unleashed and The Sims: Hot Date expansions ensured the creation of The Sims 2: Pets and The Sims 2: Nightlife expansions, respectively.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-19" style="line-height:1em;">[20]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.194442749023438px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px;">After development concluded, designers from Maxis regarded The Sims 2 as very capricious during creation. Bugs would appear, and Sims would be "tweaked", or have anomalies not present in a previous run.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-20" style="line-height:1em;">[21] A teaser trailer was provided on the Makin' Magic CD but was later uploaded to websites all over the Internet. ==<span class="editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;float:right;font-size:12.499999046325684px;margin-left:5px;">[edit] Reception== <p style="line-height:19.194442749023438px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px;">The Sims 2 had a successful E3.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-27" style="line-height:1em;">[28] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-28" style="line-height:1em;">[29] The game also received the Editor's Choice Award from IGN and GameSpy upon final review of the finished product.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-29" style="line-height:1em;">[30] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-30" style="line-height:1em;">[31] From 71 online reviews, the average score was 90 out of 100. Seven of those sources awarded the game a 100 out of 100 score.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-31" style="line-height:1em;">[32] X-Play gave the game a 4/5. However, critics noted some serious bugs in the game.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.194442749023438px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px;">The Sims creator, Will Wright was recognized by being nominated at the Billboard Digital Entertainment Awards for Visionary and Game Developer.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-32" style="line-height:1em;">[33] The game was also nominated for two international awards in 2005.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-33" style="line-height:1em;">[34] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-34" style="line-height:1em;">[35] The Mac version of the game won an Apple Design Award in 2006.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ada_35-0" style="line-height:1em;">[36]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.194442749023438px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px;">The Sims 2 was an instant commercial success, selling a then-record one million copies in its first ten days.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Fahey.2C_Rob_4-1" style="line-height:1em;">[5] The game sold 4.5 million units within its first year, and 7 million by October 2006.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-36" style="line-height:1em;">[37] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-37" style="line-height:1em;">[38] As of July 2012, The Sims 2 has sold more than 20 million units worldwide and is the best-selling PC video game of all-time.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-salesfigure_5-1" style="line-height:1em;">[6] During April 2008, The Sims 2 website announced that 100 million copies of The Sims series had been sold.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-The_Sims_2.com_-_100_Million_Sold_6-1" style="line-height:1em;">[7] ==<span class="editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;float:right;font-size:12.499999046325684px;margin-left:5px;">[edit] Controversy== <p style="line-height:19.194442749023438px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px;">The Sims 2 malleable content and open-ended customization have led to controversy on the subject of pay sites and sexual modifications. Custom content is distributed through independent websites, some of which charge for downloading materials. Charging money for custom content is a violation of the game's EULA,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-38" style="line-height:1em;">[39] which prohibits the commercial use of Electronic Art's intellectual property.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.194442749023438px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px;">On July 22, 2005, former Florida attorney Jack Thompson alleged that Electronic Arts and The Sims 2 promoted nudity through the use of a mod or a cheat code. The claim was made that pubic hair, labia and other genital details were visible once the "blur" (the pixelation that occurs when a Sim is using the toilet or is naked in the game) was removed.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-39" style="line-height:1em;">[40] Electronic Arts executive Jeff Brown said in an interview with GameSpot:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-40" style="line-height:1em;">[41] This is nonsense. We've reviewed 100 percent of the content. There is no content inappropriate for a teen audience. Players never see a nude Sim. If someone with an extreme amount of expertise and time were to remove the pixels, they would see that the sims have no genitals. They appear likeKen and Barbie.<p style="line-height:19.194442749023438px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px;">Prior to Thompson's statement, there was an enterable code which allowed to modify the size (including to zero) of pixelation accessible from the console menu. Shortly after the statement, subsequent patches and expansion packs removed the "intProp censorGridSize" code; this code had been left over from the beta testing stage of the original game and had not been intended for a public audience. ==<span class="editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;float:right;font-size:12.499999046325684px;margin-left:5px;">[edit] Editions, compilations, and add-ons== The Sims 2 base game, eight expansions (University,Nightlife, Open for Business, Pets, Seasons, Bon Voyage, FreeTime, and Apartment Life), and nine stuff packs (Family Fun Stuff, Glamour Life Stuff, Happy Holiday Stuff, Celebration! Stuff, H&M Fashion Stuff,Teen Style Stuff, Kitchen & Bath Interior Design Stuff,IKEA Home Stuff, and Mansion & Garden Stuff).<p style="line-height:19.194442749023438px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px;">Many Sims games have been ported to OS X byAspyr. The Sims 2 has also been released for a number of video game consoles including thePlayStation 2, the Xbox, Nintendo DS and theNintendo GameCube. ===<span class="editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;float:right;font-size:12.499999046325684px;margin-left:5px;">[edit] OS X version=== <p style="line-height:19.194442749023438px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px;">OS X ports of the base game, six expansion packs, and three stuff packs have been released by Aspyr Media. The port for the base game was announced on October 19, 2004.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-41" style="line-height:1em;">[42] The Sims 2 had reachedbeta status on March 1, 2005, and was released on June 17 the same year.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-42" style="line-height:1em;">[43] It was, at release, compatible with Mac OS X Panther and above. The Sims 2 Bodyshop was also available for OS X. ===<span class="editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;float:right;font-size:12.499999046325684px;margin-left:5px;">[edit] Expansion packs=== <p style="line-height:19.194442749023438px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px;">The Sims 2 expansion packs provide additional game features and items. Eight expansion packs have been released with no current plans for more expansion packs beyond The Sims 2: Apartment Life.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.194442749023438px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px;">The first expansion pack, University, adds a new aging period to Sims which is Young Adult. Once they reach this life period, they can go to University to earn a degree, allowing them to take up any one of four graduate-exclusive careers. The expansion added several key gameplay elements which have been included in all expansions succeeding it. The Sims 2: University has won two Editor's Choice awards from syndicated game review publications. It received mixed reception.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-43" style="line-height:1em;">[44]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.194442749023438px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px;">The second expansion pack, Nightlife, centers on the new downtown area, which has various activities, such asbowling, karaoke, dining and dancing, as well as a photo booth, and includes a dating mini-game which allows player to engage in their Sims' relationships in greater depth. In Nightlife, players can own their own cars instead of relying on the carpool to get to work or the bus to get to school.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-44" style="line-height:1em;">[45] There are several models and colors available. In addition, driveways and garages can be built into the Sim's lot. Also new, more customized swimming poolscan be designed. Included is a new diagonal shaped swimming pool tool, which can be used to create extensive shapes. However, the pool ladder and diving board may only be attached to pool tiles square on the lot.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.194442749023438px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px;">The third expansion pack, Open for Business, allows players to own and run their own businesses. The main change to the core game introduced by Open for Business is a new neighborhood type — the Shopping District, the default one being named Bluewater Village (which is also the name of a British shopping center). A number of Sims live here, such as a toymaking family, a woman who owns a home-based flower shop, a family bakery, and a rich tycoon who owns a nightclub and an electronics shop. Community lots are more flexible now, removing many of the gameplay restrictions that were present on them in the original game. Players can now save the game while their Sims are visiting community lots. Reloading their household automatically takes the player to the community lot where the Sims are located. There are new objects in this expansion. While furniture styles and the build-mode selection have been expanded, the biggest difference is the addition of business-oriented items such as cash-registers, shelves, elevators, and crafting centers that Sims can use to create things to sell.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.194442749023438px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px;">The fourth expansion pack, Pets, allows sims to own cats and dogs. Pets features 75 pre-made breeds of dogs and thirty pre-made breeds of cats.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-45" style="line-height:1em;">[46] Create-A-Pet is similar to "Create-a-Sim", where a user builds a human Sim characters. In Create-a-Pet, players may customize a cat or dog by choosing patterns and colors of coat, body shape, facial structure, and personality, which determines playfulness, neatness, loyalty, aggression, and intelligence. Pets have motives like their Sim counterparts. Sims and pets are similar except for the absence of the "Environment" motive, which "Scratching" replaces in cats and "Chewing" in dogs.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-46" style="line-height:1em;">[47] Sims may also train their pets to do various tricks. Pets can follow one of three career paths: Security, Showbiz and Services. When pets get promoted, various pet-related "unlockables" are made available along with a code so players can share these items with others.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.194442749023438px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px;">The fifth expansion pack, Seasons, introduces two new game play concepts to The Sims 2 series: weather andseasons. Each season lasts for approximately five Sim days and players have the option to alter their order of progression. Sims are able to build snowmen during the Winter, rake fallen leaves in Autumn, jump in puddlesduring Spring, occasionally experience heatstroke in Summer and so on. Besides being a visually interactive addition, each season enhances Sim's attributes in certain ways.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-47" style="line-height:1em;">[48]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.194442749023438px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px;">The sixth expansion pack, Bon Voyage, focuses mainly on traveling. There are three vacation destinations in Bon Voyage: Three Lakes (the mountain woodland), Takemizu Village (the Far East) and Twikkii Island (the beach). The player can choose to take a single Sim, or a group on a vacation to one of these areas. While on vacation, Sims do not have to work or go to school. Each destination has its own secret lot which can be found by getting a secret map. One of the ways a player can get a map is by digging on terrain. Players can also create custom destinations or buy vacation homes. There are many new NPCs including ninjas, pirates, fire dancers, local chefs, various hotel staff, etc. Sims can learn different things such as dances, massage and gestures from the locals at vacation destinations.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.194442749023438px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px;">The seventh expansion pack, FreeTime, allows sims to have hobbies. With this expansion, Sims can pursueemployment in five new careers including dance, entertainment, intelligence, oceanography and architecture. The ten hobbies included in the expansion pack are fitness, cooking, music/dance, sports, nature, science,films/literature, gaming, tinkering, and arts/crafts.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-48" style="line-height:1em;">[49] Every Sim is created with a predetermined "preferred" hobby which cannot be modified by the player. While the bar is filled, the Sim is "in the zone", shown graphically as a white glow around the Sim; causing their needs to decay more slowly than usual, as to allow extra time on that hobby.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.194442749023438px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px;">The eighth and final expansion pack, Apartment Life, brings magic back to the franchise and new features like Sims' relationships with neighbors inhabiting the same apartment building, interacting with an NPC landlord, a new reputation system, and new activities for publicly accessible lots.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Sims2Site_AboutExpansionPage_49-0" style="line-height:1em;">[50] ===<span class="editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;float:right;font-size:12.499999046325684px;margin-left:5px;">[edit] Stuff packs=== Main article: The Sims 2 Stuff packs<p style="line-height:19.194442749023438px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px;">Stuff packs are add-ons that intend to add only new items (usually in the amount of 60) to the base game. However, some releases include certain gameplay elements introduced in previous expansion packs. There are nine stuff packs so far. The Sims 2: Holiday Party Pack served as the pilot release for this line of products, which were called "booster packs". After the success of the pilot release, EA named the releases "stuff packs" and launched the line with The Sims 2: Family Fun Stuff. The Sims 2: Mansion & Garden Stuff is the final stuff pack forThe Sims 2. ===<span class="editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;float:right;font-size:12.499999046325684px;margin-left:5px;">[edit] Core game editions=== ===<span class="editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;float:right;font-size:12.499999046325684px;margin-left:5px;">[edit] Expansion-only compilations=== <p style="line-height:19.194442749023438px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px;">Compilations of expansion packs and stuff packs without the core game have also been released. ===<span class="editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;float:right;font-size:12.499999046325684px;margin-left:5px;">[edit] Downloadable Content=== ====<span class="editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;float:right;font-size:12.499999046325684px;margin-left:5px;">[edit] Pre-order Content==== <p style="line-height:19.194442749023438px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px;">Most of expansion packs and stuff packs were released with pre-order items. This game content was redeemable at the official site using a code supplied by the retailer from which the player purchased, each retailer was often associated with an exclusive download. A total of 60 pre-order items were released. ====<span class="editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;float:right;font-size:12.499999046325684px;margin-left:5px;">[edit] The Sims 2 Store==== <p style="line-height:19.194442749023438px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px;">The Sims 2 Store was an online store where players of The Sims 2 for PC could purchase and download content for their game online for additional fees. It offered objects, clothing, skins, and hairstyles that are both exclusive to the store and also come from earlier expansion and stuff packs.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.194442749023438px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px;">It also had featured seven exclusive item collections that could only be found in the store. The store used a point system that players can purchase. It was opened from July 2008 to March 31, 2011 as a beta version limited to the United States and Canada. To download, players must install The Sims 2 Store Edition and the EA Download Manager. The exclusive collections were "Cubic", "Art Deco", "Spooky", "Castle", "Asian Fusion", "Art Nouveaulicious" and "Oh Baby", including a total of 471 items. ===<span class="editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;float:right;font-size:12.499999046325684px;margin-left:5px;">[edit] Third-Party Tools=== <p style="line-height:19.194442749023438px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px;">SimPE is an open-source utility for The Sims 2 that allows editing of Sims' characteristics, relationships and careers. It also allows the creation of objects. The SimPE interface is not considered intuitive<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-58" style="line-height:1em;">[59] and users risk corrupting the game files.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-59" style="line-height:1em;">[60] TS2 Enhancer, developed by Rick Halle, is a commercial utility for editing characters and neighborhoods, but has since fallen into disuse.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-60" style="line-height:1em;">[61]