How does The Sims 2 handle progression and its core loop?

Overview

Recently, I watched Mark Brown’s video on "The Genius AI Behind The Sims," prompting me to revisit the game. I've invested significant time in the Sims series, with Sims 2 being my most played installment. However, it was only recently that I began to truly understand how the various progression systems interconnect. This blog aims to spotlight intriguing aspects of the progression system, focusing on Sims 2, as it's the version I've extensively engaged with.

Progress Bars

The full splendor of The Sims extends beyond a typical dollhouse simulation, delving into intricate economy balancing. These complex systems are meticulously exposed to users, ensuring they are aware of their Sim's current status. Upon moving in and preparing your Sim, a cascade of meters and progress bars emerges. Here's my analysis of the core progress bars (additional metrics include interest, hobbies, and age):

• Mood and Needs: Immediate, crucial tasks to ensure the Sim's survival by tending to their essential requirements.

• Aspirations and Influence: Reflecting long-term fulfillment and the Sim's influence, shaped by pursuing wants and judiciously avoiding fears.

• Relationships and Chemistry: Signifying social connections and romantic entanglements between Sims.

• Work Performance and Skills: Navigating skill enhancement and workplace proficiency, pivotal for securing promotions.

Abstraction And Frequency Of Change

The allure of these progress bars lies in their presentation to users and the frequency of their alterations. While figures are readily accessible for career skill points, relationship statuses, and aspiration advancement, other bars like mood, career performance, and needs are represented solely by bars, concealing underlying calculations. This abstraction allows players to interact solely with essential information while retaining an element of mystery about potential fluctuations.

Examples illustrating the frequency of changes for progress bars include:

• Frequent adjustments to needs, underscoring their high-priority nature.

• Mood fluctuations occurring more often; aspiration meters predominantly influenced by macro actions such as fulfilling wants and confronting fears.

• Varying rates of decay/regeneration for needs, influenced by factors like age, zodiac, and aspirations; older Sims experiencing quicker energy decay and bladder effects.

• Relationships exhibiting diverse decay rates, necessitating ongoing socialization to maintain connections.

• Skills displaying permanence, albeit impacted significantly only by career chance cards; skill advancement becomes progressively challenging, potentially following an exponential curve to mirror diminishing returns.

Everything Is Affected By Everything

The captivating nature of progression lies in the intricate web of interdependent systems. Unlike games where progression paths function independently, offering players the freedom to select particular paths, The Sims enriches gameplay exploration and engagement by incorporating hard gates on progression routes.

For instance, promotions in careers hinge on:

• Core Skill Progress: Requisite skill enhancement tied to career advancement.

• Networking: Cultivating a minimum number of family friends to approach a promotion.

• Mood: Balancing needs fulfillment with Sim aspirations, influenced by wants and fears.

• Randomness: A pivotal factor skewing the inputs mentioned earlier is the utilization of event cards in careers, demanding players to choose options with random outcomes (often skewed).

This interdependence necessitates active engagement with diverse systems, often leaving room for serendipitous occurrences in significant events.

Predefined Factors and Randomness

While zodiac signs and primary aspirations influence chemistry, attraction based on turn-ons and turn-offs could lead to less-than-ideal chemistry between two Sims. A weighted average of numerous parameters culminates in visual representations as lightning bolts (crossed, one, two, or three) defining chemistry.

The presence of randomness is evident in the game through various instances, notably event or chance cards that emerge during careers or vacations. These cards present scenarios and choices for players to decide upon, with outcomes determined by choice weights. For instance, choice A might yield a favorable result 85% of the time, while choice B is successful only 15% of the time.

My personal experience underlines the impact of these systems, where poor choices made during chance cards resulted in a lackluster vacation experience for my Sims. It's noteworthy that even scenarios with promising outcomes can backfire, introducing unexpected negative consequences. For instance, a delightful encounter with a magic lamp and a genie can lead to negative repercussions - a wish gone awry could result in robbery or unexpected bills.

A good defense for why these systems are made so is because The Sims, like the game of life, is often predetermined and unpredictable; however the fact that players are unaware of these systems makes it seem unfair and annoying at times.

Game Economy

Among the various systems discussed, one critical aspect remains untouched - money. While not categorized as a progression bar, money plays a pivotal role in the game's dynamics. The mechanism operates as follows: each Sim begins with a fixed sum, usually 20,000 simoleons. However, this amount proves inadequate when considering the array of expenses Sim characters must manage. To increase funds, they must secure employment, adhere to work schedules, and strive for promotions (or at the very least, avoid dismissal). Although promotions hinge on several factors, the game offers alternative avenues for accumulating wealth (financial consulting, writing books or guides, stock market investments, personal training, marrying affluent Sims, or even trading cars).

A Sim's mood before work significantly influences job performance. Players can opt to allocate funds to daily necessities like food and bills, indulge in luxuries such as opulent furniture and vehicles, or invest in assets like real estate or businesses. As time progresses, aging takes its toll, making job efficiency more challenging.

In essence, The Sims grounds its in-game economy in the passage of time. Personally, I prefer to circumvent the aging process by employing cheats, although accumulating wealth over multiple generations presents another viable strategy, mirroring real-world financial practices.

Non-core skills, skills not pivotal for career progression, can also contribute to enhanced income generation. For instance, the logic skill determines financial consulting earnings, while the creativity skill governs income derived from writing novels.

Numerous pathways to wealth exist, such as marrying a wealthy Sim. This multiplicity of choices renders the difficulty level contingent upon player decisions, fostering a captivating and engaging experience.

Core Looping Life

Transforming the essence of life into an engaging core loop poses a challenge. After all, our routine comprises waking up, working, eating, socializing, and settling bills. The Sims encapsulates these mundane actions, enhancing them with various elements:

• Meaningful Choices: The game saturates each moment of gameplay with an abundance of choices, each carrying significant consequences. While Sims can autonomously manage themselves, player interventions intensify interest by introducing consequences tied to fulfilling wants, prioritizing careers, engaging in infidelity, or extinguishing fires.

• Meaningless Choices: This isn't to dismiss seemingly insignificant choices; rather, it acknowledges their value. While many options hold minimal implications for progression, their gratifying nature enriches the experience. Examples encompass splashing in puddles instead of mopping, crafting paper planes from old newspapers instead of recycling them, or deciding between crafting a snowman or a snow angel.

• Visual Progression: Monetary wealth in the game is more than an abstract figure, manifested in the transformation of living spaces and the indulgence in opulent luxuries that wealth affords. Within just a few hours of gameplay, observable disparities emerge between the initial apartment and the upgraded abode following lifestyle enhancements or family establishment.

Conclusion

The Sims intricately weaves progression systems and its core gameplay loop. Its amalgamation of mechanics, impactful choices, and visible advancement sustains its allure. Through these elements, the game mirrors the unpredictable nature of life within its mundane tapestry, offering a truly sandbox game that is re-playable several times over.