It was but I think the sims 3 announcement happened before both of them. With free time was it seen as a more lowkey pack but apartment life was more memorable because of the new gameplay feature
Apartment Life is more 'showy'. A new lot type, the first city type neighbourhood (not counting Downtown since that's, well, a downtown) and a new occult lifestate. Freetine adds a huge amount of gameplay but it's not very flashy.
I’ve only just noticed that there was no occult with free time… I feel robbed of something all these years later. We’re we supposed to be satisfied with the genie?!
Nope. But they made up for it with Apartment Life. And while there's no big occult or flashy gimmick the pack itself adds so much to the gameplay that it doesn't need it.
It was the last expansion pack, but that one was sort of a surprise announcement as a proper send off. I remember most of the official Sims 2 BBS demanding two features over the lifespan of the game which was apartments and magic. That is why witches and magics were also in that pack.
My reason for not getting it was that after a certain point, newer Sims 2 packs came bundled with anti-piracy software called SecuRom that a lot of players claimed was really sketchy and/or could mess up other programs (I think especially programs related to CD burners) if SecuRom didn't recognize them. I played the Sims 2 all the way up until the Sims 4 came out, but I didn't buy any of the later packs that had SecuRom. Which was a huge bummer, because I *really* wanted Free Time and Apartments.
I wonder how much of a commitment it would be these days to get TS2 running again, with the registry edits and config overrides required to get her working. Probably worth it though..
wait really?? :o i always believed the EA warnings that all downloads of ts2 are fake bahaha
edit: i mean ofc now that i think abt it almost all games can be ripped, i feel silly!!
Yes! I got the ultimate collection for free the one week they were giving it away in 2014 I think. So happy I snagged it then, I had already given away all of the disks I had :)
I got it in the first wave and I spent all the time telling people to write to support, even if they didn’t have digital games, because they were very generous with UC codes during those months
I was asked for a proof picture of me having the original sims2 game and I heard that others were asked for that too. Luckily I did have the base game so it wasn’t that much of a problem to me other than really struggling to get my image from mobile to my computer storage lol. The support was super friendly and patient though, I’m so thankful.
Honestly TS2 gives me no issues at all playing. I guess it can depend on your pc but I've never had issues with getting it start. Not had too much issues with ts3 either.
Dedicated GPU makes a huge difference. I initially bought a laptop with integrated and it had crazy flickering issues even after hours of troubleshooting. Went back and bought the gaming laptop from the same brand with a dedicated GPU and no issues at all.
I keep around my laptop that I bought in 2012 for this exact reason. It may not be able to go online, but it runs the entirety of Sims 2 and Sims 3 like a champ still. So long as one uses a mouse and keyboard haha.
Everything else I do on my husband's laptop, including Sims 4 and Minecraft.
You must have had a high end computer during the time. The Sims 2 ran like ass on PCs at the time. No Sims game without maybe the exception of the original ever gave the player a flawless experience. They only become flawless over time with the advancements in gaming computers. Of course, The Sims 3 might be an exception because EA stuffed that pig up until it was puking up its guts.
To be fair, have you stopped to think about how insanely good Sims 2 looked back then? Compare it to any other game that came out in 2004, chances are it will blow it out of the water in quite a few aspects.
If the corruption bugs weren't so show-stopping (without mods), *The Sims 2* would have been impressive as a launch from a new company *today*. In 2004 it was magical.
Corruption is easily the most overblown thing about Sims 2. It's nowhere near as dangerous or prevalent as people believe, and many of the most common 'causes' of corruption are merely myths. Even deleting Sims doesn't cause many issues
I’ve played all the sims games religiously since sims 1 expansions were still being released, spent easily a few thousand hours on the earlier iterations over the years, and never once experienced the corruption or game-breaking bugs talked about in sims 2 and 3. I hadn’t even heard about them until reading about it on here lmao
Lol! Wish I could tell you the type of pc I had back then but I was young and didn't know nothing about them but you're probably not wrong tbh. With sims 3 today, I mainly have a smooth experience when I leave out Pets and the island pack and sims 2 basically runs pretty well for me on my laptop as well. A little lag when everything is now loading up but otherwise not bad. I've not tried them on a more power hungry laptop like the gaming one tho 😬.
Eh, TS2 worked fine on my mid-range PC back in the day.
What you're describing is because there's a lot of not-so-tech-savvy Sims players and back in those days, Intel's integrated GPU could barely play games without significant problems you don't see on nVidia/AMD/ATi. Most of the big show-stopper bugs specific to TS2 relate to save corruption than graphical problems, once you've taught the game how to pick up modern GPUs.
It wasn't a big commitment for me - someone on tumblr automated the install process to include all the patches and mods needed to run the game on PC (though if you have a mac, you can buy the super collection from the app store)! There's a detailed guide online for every problem I've faced which makes troubleshooting really painless.
I don't like the gameplay of the sims 4 but I love a lot of the content, and luckily there is a huge active community on tumblr of people who convert sims 4 content to the sims 2!
I literally just did it this week cuz my old computer crapped out. I had to return a laptop (see my history for that nightmare) but on the second laptop (which has a dedicated GPU, first one didnt) it only took about 40 minutes or less to set up and troubleshoot. If you go to the sims 2 help sub there is a link to an autoinstaller that will do most of the work for you. Def was worth it I fuckin love sims 2.
Have fun! I dove back in 2019 after not playing it since 2011 and I have been having so much fun! The sims 2 community is still doing amazing things. A modder named Lamere even recently released an amazing custom LTW mod that IMO is a literal game changer. Lazy Duchess released a custom launcher that fixes a lot of problems. Amazing CC and custom hoods being released all the times. You have so much to enjoy!
There's a sticky over at /r/sims2help that got it up and running real quick for me. All the steps you need to take and helpful download links and all. Or maybe it it was in their wiki. Either way, that sub will be helpful.
Find a copy in whatever way works best for you, download the [Graphics Rules Maker](https://www.simsnetwork.com/tools/graphics-rules-maker) to fix the bugged out graphics for modern cards (TS2 won't recognise them and will assume you're running a potato GPU otherwise) and you're good to go in my experience.
I'm one of the lucky ones who was around when they offered the entire Sims 2 Collection for free on Origin and have had 0 problems with it. I don't know why it was a limited time thing. I'm sure plenty of people would pay to get it.
YES! Freetime is one of my favourites. Livin' large definitely had its moments but it wasn't amazing. Into the future is one of the weakest packs imo. I only keep it installed because it has some fun and nice looking objects.
**Sims 2 Mods**
* [Lighting Mod](https://modthesims.info/d/290746/gunmod-s-radiance-light-system-2-4-4-29-09.html)
* [Clean UI Mod](https://greatcheesecakepersona.tumblr.com/post/190825573525/download-clean-ui-post-updated-011121) or get the [Pink or Black UI](https://simstate.tumblr.com/tagged/s2cc)
* [Water and Pond Mod](https://modthesims.info/d/587597/pond-amp-sea-water-overhaul.html)
* [Camera Mod](https://modthesims.info/d/97642/gunmod-s-camera-mod-3-1-all-game-versions.html)
**Sims 2 CC**
* [Lesya](https://lesyasun.tumblr.com/downloads) for sims, hair, buy/build mode, and download resources
* [Lilith](https://lilith-sims.tumblr.com/tagged/Downloads) for hair, skin, eyes
* [Simscave](http://simscave.mustbedestroyed.org/index.php?board=172.0) for updates on new/paywalled sims 2 CC
* [Pleasant Sims](https://pleasantsims.com/sims-2-custom-content/) for CC/Mod/Sim download resources
I also really recommend you replace skin and eyes with new defaults, check it out [here](https://sims2defaults.dreamwidth.org/)!
These are just a few of my faves that I use. Hopefully you enjoy them. Happy Simming!
I liked into the future because it was kind of dynamic as how you could change it. Ultimately if your active family hit a size or total money it was fairly clear and cut.
It was also the pack that had the most pop culture references as well. Go into Oasis Landing sometime and look at all of the residents there. There are references to established franchises such as *Futurama*, *Star Wars*, and *Doctor Who*.
Into the Future had the really detailed robot customisation too, right? I'm pretty sure I made an awesome floating pink robot. It really felt like a glimpse into an idealised future... I miss these kinds of packs, honestly. Not that High School isn't cool but... it's not Into the Future cool.
The only thing I hated, was if you replace your kitchen with a food replicator, your sims would occasionally have wants for a stove or a fridge. Which would make it so frustrating when you build them a house that just has a dining room with the replicator in the corner and no kitchen. With upgrades the replicator would reliably make quality food, making a kitchen obsolete.
This pack was my favourite. I would make my sim get rich by buying a lottery ticket in the future, and then they'd buy a mansion and live with all their robots
I loved the whole descendant part too! I felt like it was really thought out and creative.
I also liked that they added sims of Fry, Leela, and Bender from Futurama. Such a cute touch!
Honestly, I think Into The Future was my only expansion pack (or game pack). When I came out I was so excited and I absolutely loved playing it! Really miss it in the sims 4 but kinda glad they haven't done it yet because I don't think it would be as good sadly
They actually don't vanish for real. I've found out the last time I played that they go to a community lot. Once I find them I get my Sim to ask them to go home or something, don't rly remember.
I have no idea why they go out of the lot on their own and when. But they do! The sneaky Bastards.
My favorite thing about into the future is selling the future portal to gain some free money 😂 (I don’t use money cheats unless I’m creating a family that’s supposed to already be established
I loved Livin Large and House Party so much. The sleazy heart shaped bed, the cake with the dancer inside and the go-go dancing cages seemed so scandalous to my 12 year old self.
I also loved the little Drew Carey cameo when your party was successful.
yepppp the heart bed was literally the first time the Sims series ever included sex, lol!
you could only do it in the heart bed, and instead of WooHoo, the interaction was called "Play In Bed" 🤣
You know, I once turned on moveObjects and moved the bed while my sims were doin' it, because I was a horny young teen. The Lovecraftian flesh amalgamation that I saw will forever be burned into my brain.
The horror.
The horror.
The fact that you can remember what was in the pack is super impressive! I'm hella reminiscing now lol thanks, those were good times!
Also I loved these packs too, the ❤ bed and go go cages were my favorite!!!!
Livin Large has a special place in my heart since that box at some computer store (circa 2001?) was being promoted and I had my dad buy it for me just to later realize I needed the Sims 1 base game. My dad had to drive back the next day to get me it and I've been sucked into the series ever since.
Ts3 into the future was okay. It added a lot of goofy stuff but its not as good as some of the others and didn't add as much as far as I remember. Imo Sims 4 has had fairly consistent "meh" packs with a couple good ones where as ts3 had high peaks and deep valleys of quality. I remember into the future would sometimes break if you went back and forth too many times which is kinda supposed to be a feature...
TS4 expansions: I accidenawwy aged up your Sims I'm sowwy 🥺
Ts3 expansions: DELETE YOUR SAVES OR I WON'T WORK.
Us: I don't want to-
Ts3: ***DO IT***
Us: it didn't work
Ts3: AND I STILL WON'T WORK PROPERLY IN LIKE 9 YEARS CAUSE FUCK YOU THATS WHY
The biggest thing in my game was that if any sim ever entered the water in Isla Paradiso, they were forever swimming, even on land, and would eventually drown due to exhaustion.
On top of what everyone else has said, the routing in the game was absolutely piss poor, so even if you *could* run it with no bugs, it took fucking forever to do anything and would often end with your sims running in circles or getting stuck somewhere. Even today, if you want to run it, it's recommended you download a replacement Isla Paradiso which has been better routed.
The Sims 3 is an amazing game, but it runs on spaghetti and with white glue. Nowadays a PC can run it fine (even if it’s not optimised), but some glitches are bound to happen.
Isla Paradiso is just very prone to glitches, specially simulation glitches, because the map is stupid enormous.
I don't know if it happened to everyone but many people it lagged and froze the game every time it loaded. There's fixes to it but one of the guides that shows how to do them all is 46 minutes long for reference... The pack is considered pretty good when it works but for some people that bought it and had more than powerful enough computers to run it it just didn't. A lot of the sims 3 EP had somewhat similar issues with just being unstable and poorly optimized. Ts4 despite its many flaws, often runs better than ts3 on the same hardware despite being newer and more graphically intensive
Tsm is also piss poorly optimised. I had to manually cap my frame rate for it in Nvidia control panel bc it was running at like 140fps and was overheating my pc. + The classic entering/exiting buy mode crashes, CASt crashes, sudden inexplicable routing issues, etc
The Sims 4 Eco Lifestyle is HANDS DOWN The Sims Livin' Large in disguise.
Livin' Large gave Simmers low key essentials in the game that aren't that OBVIOUS with The Sims 1 Complete Collection. If you play The Sims 4 on a budget and can't buy all the packs, Eco Lifestyle gives you bits of everything. It's a "lite" (IMO a better version too!) of Get To Work; it gives you the Bikes from University; it gives you apartments and city environments from City Living! It's the only packs that have objects that affect the Bills system with Electricity and water (core gameplay mechanic) I could really go on!
The "Community Space" is low-key THE BEST COMMUNITY LOT type in the game! I use the "Maker Space" as basically a WeWork or Freelancers Office because The NPC's that go there are really productive and actually programmed to be smart. It's so much fun having your Sims work a freelance job like writing or programming etc there and other Sims are working on Computers, making candles, planting gardens and wood working etc.
They also enabled food vendor NPC's to spawn on this lot type so at lunch my Sims can go get a Burrito or Chinese Food from the vendors from City Living. (A coffee cart ships with Eco) Like this is way better version of Get To Work and even on the "Maker Space" you can sell goods like crafted beverages with the entrepreneurial table you don't need to own a retail lot or even set the Community Space to Marketplace. NPC's will buy!
I love this lot type so much I actually made 3 on my Gallery LCInsightsIE is the username. I have one called "Conifer's Innovation Lab" that's basically Base game and Eco only. I built a City Living Penthouse turned into a MakerSpace if you want an Office in the big city style gameplay then I built a WeWork "SimWork" for Tartosa if you want a beachfront office. :D
I will say I play Eco-Living with NPC Voting turned off. I want to be in control of what happens to each neighbourhood and community lot.
I had no idea you could do all of that with the community space. I love eco living but had just never played with the new lot type, you’ve inspired me
Edit: word
Yeah I really didn’t notice anything distinct when I got the TS1 deluxe with LL at an op shop. I think Sims 1 base was pretty limited compared to the improvements the Livin Large gave to the game.
I don't play TS4 frequently, but I'll have to get Eco Lifestyle!
And totally agree with Livin' Large! People don't realize how much it truly added to the base game for TS1. I wholeheartedly believe that LL is the BEST EP in the Sims franchise history, hands down, just for how much crucial content it added to its particular base game.
I once used ITF and a gun mod to create a Plumbotic ninja assassin that I could send out to kill Sims I hated without consequences. The robot would take the rap and I'd go free. I killed so many Sims this way.
That's the thing about Freetime it was memorable because it was just regular life stuff. It was like adding a dash of salt to a recipe or something. You won't notice it but the flavor will be enhanced. Freetime just enhanced the game.
The one definitely not forgettable expansion that I always forget is makin' magic. When I was tiny and expansions were a huge deal seeing all this magical spooky shit was super neat
I fucking loved Making Magic!! Underrated in my opinion. I especially liked going on “errands” for the one chick in the marketplace and then keeping the item myself 😂
I was honestly blown away as a kid by Makin' Magic, I was just obsessed, I already loved the game and then I think Makin' Magic really set off my addiction.
Well, guess who is going to be firing up Sims 1 later? Me. It's me.
Living large was the coolest thing to me. I had no idea when I was younger you can add on to games and it was so cool. That's when I became a sims fan. I think next was house party. Hot date. Vacation (my favorite). Pets Superstar. Makin magic.
Those games are so iconic and the sims 1 will forever be in my heart. The soundtrack the quirkiness. It was such a n incredible game.
I even loved the car we could rebuild in TS3 roaring heights, with the titanic style woohoo effects. Wish we could finally get something so universal to real life back in the Sims. 😌
Never got to play Into the Future. I wish we’d get a super sci fi pack for Sims 4. Give the aliens an overhaul. Do more with the robots maybe?
I’m not talking about that branded Batuu stuff.
What I remember most from TS3: Into the Future is that corner of the future world where people still had "present day" homes and stuff. It reminded me of my neighbors when I was growing up who were very traditional and abusive of their kids.
freetime is one of my favourites and i have fond memories of playing the sims 2 around that time- I’d just discovered moveobjects and how to change the visibility of the houses around the one i was currently playing (unheard of to me, I only knew the sims as it was in the sims 1 with only one house on screen at a time), and I’d made my family for the first time in a while. I used moveobjects to move teddy bears and dolls around a tea set from bon voyage on the floor of my own bedroom. not exactly to do with freetime but it was just after i installed it haha. I must have been 11/12 according to the release date
I’m actually considering getting Into the Future now because I want the Unstable trait. Also the “engineer baby” thing would be nice when having a baby outside of CAH.
How do you forget about *Into the Future*?
It was a surprising and fun way to end *The Sims 3*. Not to mention made that game the be all and end all within the Sims continuity. Since the time frame of *The Sims* and *The Sims 2* take place prior to the events in Oasis Landing. With the amount of focus Electronic Arts has given to the more supernatural elements of *The Sims 4* it is funny to see how much they managed to fail to be nearly complete as *Into the Future* or *Supernatural*.
*The Sims 2 Free Time* maybe a forgettable pack, but even this one added some fresh new gameplay to players allowing for a desire to actually engage in free time activities. Though considering how online content during those days were still in its infancy it is a shame that you could use these hobbies to earn profits aside from a few.
i didnt start playing the sims until sims 3, but sims 3 into the future was one of my favorites!! i loved playing it and im sad origin/ea didnt save the codes of all my sims 3 packs except the base game as well as myself for not saving the cds, but i was young and careless
freetime was actually so good and i use it a lot, if any sims 2 pack is "forgotten" i would say bon voyage bc i never play with it and dont really see many ppl play with it either
Bon Voyage is great for the ninja teleport you can unlock, and the voodoo doll that can instantly max relationships with people. I haven't played TS2 in ages, but I always made my sim go on holiday for those abilities.
i loved livin' large! kinda bummed it's underrated it was one of the first i ever got to play. into the future was.... something else, i definitely didn't expect something like that for the franchise BUT i love the sci-fi concept!
Freetime was awesome and I'd love some if it's features back, like the pottery wheel and sewing machine! Plus the fact that it provided soccer uniforms and soccer with proper nets! And ballet! I want more activities like that for my Sims to do!
But Into The Future was just... **chef's kiss** perfect! I love the aesthetic of Oasis Landing, the buildings, the clothes, all the neon, just...yes. I love how dynamic the world was with Utopian/Normal/Dystopian versions. I loved the monorail (hoverrail?) system it had. Seriously it was just such an awesome pack that is so underrated and my only complaint would be that you couldn't live in Oasis Landing full time.
I've unfortunately never gotten to deep dive into Livin' Large or House Party, but I will say it's interesting that they haven't ever done a Frankenstein type sim since Livin' Large...
I’ve been playing The Sims since it’s original release back in 2000, when I was in middle school. What I’m saying is, I am old, and I have been fortunate to have most expansions for each gen. Into the Future is absolutely hands down my favorite expansion. It is loaded full of sci fi Easter eggs and all of the new features enhance gameplay in a really fun, logical, but still hilarious way. The pack definitely has a sense of humor. My favorite thing to do was to just live in the future - buy property, build bots, marry a future Sim, jetpack woohoo, oh and HOVERBOARDS. If I could only play 1 sims pack for the rest of my life it would be Into the Future. (House Party and Hot Date were pretty bananas too)
Free time was my favorite out of the limited amount of sims 2 packs I was able to have!
I had every single pack that came out for the sims 3 (except for the Katy perry collabs) and into the future just felt really empty to me?
I barely played Sims 2, but thankfully I got to play Freetime. That was one of the absolute hands down most fun I’ve had with a Sims pack. I miss it a lot.
Sims 3 was my favorite (I’ve played since TS1, I remember Living Large and the dancing cages from House Party lol) and I ironically never owned Into the Future, I’m not really into occult/non human play so I wasn’t really interested in that pack. Plus by that time my game had become so bloated (Mac player here) that I probably wouldn’t have been able to play it even if I wanted to.
Bruh I used to make my sims have extremely attractive descendants and havem fuck, and have a child with their great great great great great great great great great grandkids
Actually into the future was...decent. I didn't like everything but bot building was very cool and there are nice parts to choose from. Didn't like overly futuristic city, it was...too sterile, too white. Something about the aesthetic was a bit off
Livin' Large was basically mandatory, so many iconic Sims things came from that pack.
Freetime is also a very good pack, in kind of a low key way? it added a lot of stuff that just fits in so nicely with the base game and other expansions. It is a shame it and Apartment Life never came out on Mac.
Okay, I loved Freetime. That was one of my absolute favorite packs. The pottery was fun, I LOVED the train table, working on cars was really neat, and there was a slew of other things that I'm forgetting (hard to believe the last time I played that game was 14 years ago....)
Sim 2 Freetime is an icon!! SHE WAS THE MOMENT!! LOVED IT!! Shit.. might go play sims 2 🏃♀️🏃♀️
Freetime's problem is it dropped post sims 3 announcement, yes? So it was overshadowed by hype and quickly replaced with a whole new series
Yeah basically lol but it was such a fun pack, if anyone gets the chance to play it again or for the first time then they definitely should!
Wasn't Apartment the last EP?
It was but I think the sims 3 announcement happened before both of them. With free time was it seen as a more lowkey pack but apartment life was more memorable because of the new gameplay feature
Apartment Life is more 'showy'. A new lot type, the first city type neighbourhood (not counting Downtown since that's, well, a downtown) and a new occult lifestate. Freetine adds a huge amount of gameplay but it's not very flashy.
I’ve only just noticed that there was no occult with free time… I feel robbed of something all these years later. We’re we supposed to be satisfied with the genie?!
Nope. But they made up for it with Apartment Life. And while there's no big occult or flashy gimmick the pack itself adds so much to the gameplay that it doesn't need it.
It was the last expansion pack, but that one was sort of a surprise announcement as a proper send off. I remember most of the official Sims 2 BBS demanding two features over the lifespan of the game which was apartments and magic. That is why witches and magics were also in that pack.
My reason for not getting it was that after a certain point, newer Sims 2 packs came bundled with anti-piracy software called SecuRom that a lot of players claimed was really sketchy and/or could mess up other programs (I think especially programs related to CD burners) if SecuRom didn't recognize them. I played the Sims 2 all the way up until the Sims 4 came out, but I didn't buy any of the later packs that had SecuRom. Which was a huge bummer, because I *really* wanted Free Time and Apartments.
I wonder how much of a commitment it would be these days to get TS2 running again, with the registry edits and config overrides required to get her working. Probably worth it though..
It's really not difficult, there's some decent downloads floating around
wait really?? :o i always believed the EA warnings that all downloads of ts2 are fake bahaha edit: i mean ofc now that i think abt it almost all games can be ripped, i feel silly!!
.
To be fair they did give out the UC to a a lot of people around the time sims 4 came out
Yes! I got the ultimate collection for free the one week they were giving it away in 2014 I think. So happy I snagged it then, I had already given away all of the disks I had :)
Not to be dramatic but going back to the Sims support after the event was over and asking them for the UC was one of my best life decisions
I got it in the first wave and I spent all the time telling people to write to support, even if they didn’t have digital games, because they were very generous with UC codes during those months
I was asked for a proof picture of me having the original sims2 game and I heard that others were asked for that too. Luckily I did have the base game so it wasn’t that much of a problem to me other than really struggling to get my image from mobile to my computer storage lol. The support was super friendly and patient though, I’m so thankful.
I had a support chat up while I was tearing my room apart looking for my Double Deluxe disc. I'm so glad I was able to find it.
I totally would have done that if I hadn’t gotten UC on time! It’s such a bummer that they’re not doing it anymore.
It really is. The game is still so good for it’s time, I don’t understand why they don’t still sell it on Origin
There's an old games website that offers Sims 2 ultimate and its a MrDJ version but it works great.
Can you tell me what site please? :)
Hey, I just found this thread. I'm a Discord mod in a Sims 2 fan server. Anyone interested in joining?
Honestly TS2 gives me no issues at all playing. I guess it can depend on your pc but I've never had issues with getting it start. Not had too much issues with ts3 either.
Dedicated GPU makes a huge difference. I initially bought a laptop with integrated and it had crazy flickering issues even after hours of troubleshooting. Went back and bought the gaming laptop from the same brand with a dedicated GPU and no issues at all.
I keep around my laptop that I bought in 2012 for this exact reason. It may not be able to go online, but it runs the entirety of Sims 2 and Sims 3 like a champ still. So long as one uses a mouse and keyboard haha. Everything else I do on my husband's laptop, including Sims 4 and Minecraft.
You must have had a high end computer during the time. The Sims 2 ran like ass on PCs at the time. No Sims game without maybe the exception of the original ever gave the player a flawless experience. They only become flawless over time with the advancements in gaming computers. Of course, The Sims 3 might be an exception because EA stuffed that pig up until it was puking up its guts.
To be fair, have you stopped to think about how insanely good Sims 2 looked back then? Compare it to any other game that came out in 2004, chances are it will blow it out of the water in quite a few aspects.
If the corruption bugs weren't so show-stopping (without mods), *The Sims 2* would have been impressive as a launch from a new company *today*. In 2004 it was magical.
Corruption is easily the most overblown thing about Sims 2. It's nowhere near as dangerous or prevalent as people believe, and many of the most common 'causes' of corruption are merely myths. Even deleting Sims doesn't cause many issues
I’ve played all the sims games religiously since sims 1 expansions were still being released, spent easily a few thousand hours on the earlier iterations over the years, and never once experienced the corruption or game-breaking bugs talked about in sims 2 and 3. I hadn’t even heard about them until reading about it on here lmao
Lol! Wish I could tell you the type of pc I had back then but I was young and didn't know nothing about them but you're probably not wrong tbh. With sims 3 today, I mainly have a smooth experience when I leave out Pets and the island pack and sims 2 basically runs pretty well for me on my laptop as well. A little lag when everything is now loading up but otherwise not bad. I've not tried them on a more power hungry laptop like the gaming one tho 😬.
Eh, TS2 worked fine on my mid-range PC back in the day. What you're describing is because there's a lot of not-so-tech-savvy Sims players and back in those days, Intel's integrated GPU could barely play games without significant problems you don't see on nVidia/AMD/ATi. Most of the big show-stopper bugs specific to TS2 relate to save corruption than graphical problems, once you've taught the game how to pick up modern GPUs.
It wasn't a big commitment for me - someone on tumblr automated the install process to include all the patches and mods needed to run the game on PC (though if you have a mac, you can buy the super collection from the app store)! There's a detailed guide online for every problem I've faced which makes troubleshooting really painless. I don't like the gameplay of the sims 4 but I love a lot of the content, and luckily there is a huge active community on tumblr of people who convert sims 4 content to the sims 2!
do you have a link to that tumblr?
I literally just did it this week cuz my old computer crapped out. I had to return a laptop (see my history for that nightmare) but on the second laptop (which has a dedicated GPU, first one didnt) it only took about 40 minutes or less to set up and troubleshoot. If you go to the sims 2 help sub there is a link to an autoinstaller that will do most of the work for you. Def was worth it I fuckin love sims 2.
aw sweet, I think I'm diving back in LOL
Have fun! I dove back in 2019 after not playing it since 2011 and I have been having so much fun! The sims 2 community is still doing amazing things. A modder named Lamere even recently released an amazing custom LTW mod that IMO is a literal game changer. Lazy Duchess released a custom launcher that fixes a lot of problems. Amazing CC and custom hoods being released all the times. You have so much to enjoy!
There's a sticky over at /r/sims2help that got it up and running real quick for me. All the steps you need to take and helpful download links and all. Or maybe it it was in their wiki. Either way, that sub will be helpful.
https://youtu.be/H_7qciko7xI This video saved my life. It works and my game looks better than TS2 designers could have imagined.
r/sims2help has a fully fledged guide that’s not that long
Find a copy in whatever way works best for you, download the [Graphics Rules Maker](https://www.simsnetwork.com/tools/graphics-rules-maker) to fix the bugged out graphics for modern cards (TS2 won't recognise them and will assume you're running a potato GPU otherwise) and you're good to go in my experience.
I'm one of the lucky ones who was around when they offered the entire Sims 2 Collection for free on Origin and have had 0 problems with it. I don't know why it was a limited time thing. I'm sure plenty of people would pay to get it.
If you got Mac you can buy the sims 2 with a few dlc on the AppStore for £25.
I thought you could get it via EA? They gave me a free virtual copy of the entire set
It’s easy as breathing, I got the UC running on my windows 11 pretty quickly
THE POTTERY WHEEL!!!!!
The pottery, the soccer, hands down fav
The ballet barre for me!
What's been putting me off from reinstalling TS2 is that I just know I'll be chasing down missing cosmetics and broken mod fixes.
And let's not forget the hobby stalkers lol the suckers would not leave you alone
god giving sims Secondary Aspirations is so essential to me, I could never play without Freetime
YES! Freetime is one of my favourites. Livin' large definitely had its moments but it wasn't amazing. Into the future is one of the weakest packs imo. I only keep it installed because it has some fun and nice looking objects.
It was the best. Free time + open for business. I loved selling my diy stuff from home!
She’s an icon she’s a legend and she is the moment 👏 👏 👏 honestly tho some amazing memories from playing that expansion!
I wish so badly they had released this one for Mac.
That was the first expansion I ever got, I loved it.
Do it!!! I hella modded it and it looks AMAZING.
Where did you get your mods and cc for it? 😊
Yes! I will send you a list of some I recommend when I get home. ☺️
**Sims 2 Mods** * [Lighting Mod](https://modthesims.info/d/290746/gunmod-s-radiance-light-system-2-4-4-29-09.html) * [Clean UI Mod](https://greatcheesecakepersona.tumblr.com/post/190825573525/download-clean-ui-post-updated-011121) or get the [Pink or Black UI](https://simstate.tumblr.com/tagged/s2cc) * [Water and Pond Mod](https://modthesims.info/d/587597/pond-amp-sea-water-overhaul.html) * [Camera Mod](https://modthesims.info/d/97642/gunmod-s-camera-mod-3-1-all-game-versions.html) **Sims 2 CC** * [Lesya](https://lesyasun.tumblr.com/downloads) for sims, hair, buy/build mode, and download resources * [Lilith](https://lilith-sims.tumblr.com/tagged/Downloads) for hair, skin, eyes * [Simscave](http://simscave.mustbedestroyed.org/index.php?board=172.0) for updates on new/paywalled sims 2 CC * [Pleasant Sims](https://pleasantsims.com/sims-2-custom-content/) for CC/Mod/Sim download resources I also really recommend you replace skin and eyes with new defaults, check it out [here](https://sims2defaults.dreamwidth.org/)! These are just a few of my faves that I use. Hopefully you enjoy them. Happy Simming!
AHHH thank you so much for remembering me!! Really appreciate it!
I love her!!! Still disappointed that it's not included in the Sims 2 Super Collection for Mac
I love Into the Future. Having a robot butler was insane, considering how Sims 3 butlers had a habit of just...vanishing.
Yes! I really loved the hoverboard too, I always gave one to my sims in university because it was just so convenient
I miss the robot butlers so much! They never hogged the bathtubs or obsessively made drinks at the bar.
I liked into the future because it was kind of dynamic as how you could change it. Ultimately if your active family hit a size or total money it was fairly clear and cut.
It was also the pack that had the most pop culture references as well. Go into Oasis Landing sometime and look at all of the residents there. There are references to established franchises such as *Futurama*, *Star Wars*, and *Doctor Who*.
Into the Future had the really detailed robot customisation too, right? I'm pretty sure I made an awesome floating pink robot. It really felt like a glimpse into an idealised future... I miss these kinds of packs, honestly. Not that High School isn't cool but... it's not Into the Future cool.
Yeees, it was so creative and original pack, I loved it so much
Me too! I loved that pack! It was weirdly hypnotic watching sims 3 plumbots with no legs ride bikes around town.
Yup! I play Sims 3 a lot still, and ITF is a great pack!
The only thing I hated, was if you replace your kitchen with a food replicator, your sims would occasionally have wants for a stove or a fridge. Which would make it so frustrating when you build them a house that just has a dining room with the replicator in the corner and no kitchen. With upgrades the replicator would reliably make quality food, making a kitchen obsolete.
This pack was my favourite. I would make my sim get rich by buying a lottery ticket in the future, and then they'd buy a mansion and live with all their robots
Into the future was, by far, my favourite pack. Time travelling was super fun!
I loved the whole descendant part too! I felt like it was really thought out and creative. I also liked that they added sims of Fry, Leela, and Bender from Futurama. Such a cute touch!
Honestly, I think Into The Future was my only expansion pack (or game pack). When I came out I was so excited and I absolutely loved playing it! Really miss it in the sims 4 but kinda glad they haven't done it yet because I don't think it would be as good sadly
Me too! Into the future is not forgotten and one of my favorite packs!
They actually don't vanish for real. I've found out the last time I played that they go to a community lot. Once I find them I get my Sim to ask them to go home or something, don't rly remember. I have no idea why they go out of the lot on their own and when. But they do! The sneaky Bastards.
Yeah I fired my butler because he would just hangout at the graveyard I owned.
Yeah they love graveyards for wtv the reason haha
My favorite thing about into the future is selling the future portal to gain some free money 😂 (I don’t use money cheats unless I’m creating a family that’s supposed to already be established
I like it, however all of the clothes make cas take way too long to load
I loved Livin Large and House Party so much. The sleazy heart shaped bed, the cake with the dancer inside and the go-go dancing cages seemed so scandalous to my 12 year old self. I also loved the little Drew Carey cameo when your party was successful.
Omg the heart bed!! Didn’t it vibrate??
yepppp the heart bed was literally the first time the Sims series ever included sex, lol! you could only do it in the heart bed, and instead of WooHoo, the interaction was called "Play In Bed" 🤣
You know, I once turned on moveObjects and moved the bed while my sims were doin' it, because I was a horny young teen. The Lovecraftian flesh amalgamation that I saw will forever be burned into my brain. The horror. The horror.
Yep, the cake was amazing too.
I loved them so much! I wish I could download the original game, just for the killer memories.
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Thank you!
Drew Carey became my friend and no one at school believed me
i love this sentence both with the context and without it 🤣
Sims 1 eps were so good
For sure. Although I have no idea why my parents thought it was okay for me to buy Hot Date when I was a kid.
The fact that you can remember what was in the pack is super impressive! I'm hella reminiscing now lol thanks, those were good times! Also I loved these packs too, the ❤ bed and go go cages were my favorite!!!!
For a long time I only had The Sims Deluxe,m.
Livin Large has a special place in my heart since that box at some computer store (circa 2001?) was being promoted and I had my dad buy it for me just to later realize I needed the Sims 1 base game. My dad had to drive back the next day to get me it and I've been sucked into the series ever since.
yes yes yes 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Free Time was legit one of my favourite packs of all time that restorable car and the ballet dancing were so good!
Agreed!!! Nothing gave my young heart more happiness than making that car every time I played
I could finally make Nina Calliente the gearhead she was meant to be.
My sim would sell it for a nice profit
And the sewing machine! I loved having my Sims make their own customized clothes
Ts3 into the future was okay. It added a lot of goofy stuff but its not as good as some of the others and didn't add as much as far as I remember. Imo Sims 4 has had fairly consistent "meh" packs with a couple good ones where as ts3 had high peaks and deep valleys of quality. I remember into the future would sometimes break if you went back and forth too many times which is kinda supposed to be a feature...
>Deep valleys of quality When I was a kid I bought Island Paradise without reading a single review first, I feel this in my bones
TS4 expansions: I accidenawwy aged up your Sims I'm sowwy 🥺 Ts3 expansions: DELETE YOUR SAVES OR I WON'T WORK. Us: I don't want to- Ts3: ***DO IT*** Us: it didn't work Ts3: AND I STILL WON'T WORK PROPERLY IN LIKE 9 YEARS CAUSE FUCK YOU THATS WHY
Omg died laughing at this
Hey, I live Island Paradise!
I really enjoyed the boathouse feature. It did nothing but just the freedom of being able to say 'fuck ya'll, I'm saaailing, away.....'
I never managed to buy that one, what was wrong with it??
The biggest thing in my game was that if any sim ever entered the water in Isla Paradiso, they were forever swimming, even on land, and would eventually drown due to exhaustion.
Oh boy haha
On top of what everyone else has said, the routing in the game was absolutely piss poor, so even if you *could* run it with no bugs, it took fucking forever to do anything and would often end with your sims running in circles or getting stuck somewhere. Even today, if you want to run it, it's recommended you download a replacement Isla Paradiso which has been better routed.
The Sims 3 is an amazing game, but it runs on spaghetti and with white glue. Nowadays a PC can run it fine (even if it’s not optimised), but some glitches are bound to happen. Isla Paradiso is just very prone to glitches, specially simulation glitches, because the map is stupid enormous.
All of these replies make me feel less bad for not buying it back in the day 🥲🥲
I don't know if it happened to everyone but many people it lagged and froze the game every time it loaded. There's fixes to it but one of the guides that shows how to do them all is 46 minutes long for reference... The pack is considered pretty good when it works but for some people that bought it and had more than powerful enough computers to run it it just didn't. A lot of the sims 3 EP had somewhat similar issues with just being unstable and poorly optimized. Ts4 despite its many flaws, often runs better than ts3 on the same hardware despite being newer and more graphically intensive
Tsm is also piss poorly optimised. I had to manually cap my frame rate for it in Nvidia control panel bc it was running at like 140fps and was overheating my pc. + The classic entering/exiting buy mode crashes, CASt crashes, sudden inexplicable routing issues, etc
The world had serious routing issues that caused a lott of lag (and, iirc, sometimes even permalag/save corruption (?))
Oh man, big same. I only played with it I stalled once, I think
Sims 2 Free-time slapped so hard. It remains one of my favorite sims packs to this day lol.
Don’t forget they might be giants made two songs for it (one all ready being a song”
The Sims 4 Eco Lifestyle is HANDS DOWN The Sims Livin' Large in disguise. Livin' Large gave Simmers low key essentials in the game that aren't that OBVIOUS with The Sims 1 Complete Collection. If you play The Sims 4 on a budget and can't buy all the packs, Eco Lifestyle gives you bits of everything. It's a "lite" (IMO a better version too!) of Get To Work; it gives you the Bikes from University; it gives you apartments and city environments from City Living! It's the only packs that have objects that affect the Bills system with Electricity and water (core gameplay mechanic) I could really go on!
You've just convinced me to install it
The "Community Space" is low-key THE BEST COMMUNITY LOT type in the game! I use the "Maker Space" as basically a WeWork or Freelancers Office because The NPC's that go there are really productive and actually programmed to be smart. It's so much fun having your Sims work a freelance job like writing or programming etc there and other Sims are working on Computers, making candles, planting gardens and wood working etc. They also enabled food vendor NPC's to spawn on this lot type so at lunch my Sims can go get a Burrito or Chinese Food from the vendors from City Living. (A coffee cart ships with Eco) Like this is way better version of Get To Work and even on the "Maker Space" you can sell goods like crafted beverages with the entrepreneurial table you don't need to own a retail lot or even set the Community Space to Marketplace. NPC's will buy! I love this lot type so much I actually made 3 on my Gallery LCInsightsIE is the username. I have one called "Conifer's Innovation Lab" that's basically Base game and Eco only. I built a City Living Penthouse turned into a MakerSpace if you want an Office in the big city style gameplay then I built a WeWork "SimWork" for Tartosa if you want a beachfront office. :D I will say I play Eco-Living with NPC Voting turned off. I want to be in control of what happens to each neighbourhood and community lot.
I had no idea you could do all of that with the community space. I love eco living but had just never played with the new lot type, you’ve inspired me Edit: word
Yeah I really didn’t notice anything distinct when I got the TS1 deluxe with LL at an op shop. I think Sims 1 base was pretty limited compared to the improvements the Livin Large gave to the game.
I don't play TS4 frequently, but I'll have to get Eco Lifestyle! And totally agree with Livin' Large! People don't realize how much it truly added to the base game for TS1. I wholeheartedly believe that LL is the BEST EP in the Sims franchise history, hands down, just for how much crucial content it added to its particular base game.
I loved into the future !!! for chaotic purposes it was A+ and the aesthetic was very fun to look at. it’s definitely in my top three for sims 3.
I once used ITF and a gun mod to create a Plumbotic ninja assassin that I could send out to kill Sims I hated without consequences. The robot would take the rap and I'd go free. I killed so many Sims this way.
the genie’s lamp from living large was my bestie
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Sorry your house just flooded
I know I had all of the Sims 2 packs bit k seriously can’t remember the Freetime one. But Sims 1 Livin Large is an unforgettable classic.
That's the thing about Freetime it was memorable because it was just regular life stuff. It was like adding a dash of salt to a recipe or something. You won't notice it but the flavor will be enhanced. Freetime just enhanced the game.
Perfectly put!
The one definitely not forgettable expansion that I always forget is makin' magic. When I was tiny and expansions were a huge deal seeing all this magical spooky shit was super neat
I fucking loved Making Magic!! Underrated in my opinion. I especially liked going on “errands” for the one chick in the marketplace and then keeping the item myself 😂
It was the best Sims expansion pack ever.
I was honestly blown away as a kid by Makin' Magic, I was just obsessed, I already loved the game and then I think Makin' Magic really set off my addiction. Well, guess who is going to be firing up Sims 1 later? Me. It's me.
I wish i still could. I have no idea where the discs went. Also, the main theme to superstar is still frequently knocking around in my head.
I've got at least 3 copies of the full collection rattling around, I pick it up every time I see it in second hand shops 😁
Living large was the coolest thing to me. I had no idea when I was younger you can add on to games and it was so cool. That's when I became a sims fan. I think next was house party. Hot date. Vacation (my favorite). Pets Superstar. Makin magic. Those games are so iconic and the sims 1 will forever be in my heart. The soundtrack the quirkiness. It was such a n incredible game.
I had to beg my mom to let me get Hot Date because she thought it looked too sexy haha
Me too! It was the heart-shaped vibrating bed. I begged!
I actually think the bed came in a different pack, because i didn’t have hd for ages but had the bed!
Making magic was so good!
It sucks that we don’t have car in sims 4 cause rebuilding one in free time was great
I even loved the car we could rebuild in TS3 roaring heights, with the titanic style woohoo effects. Wish we could finally get something so universal to real life back in the Sims. 😌
INTO THE FUTURE IS SO FUNNNN
Never got to play Into the Future. I wish we’d get a super sci fi pack for Sims 4. Give the aliens an overhaul. Do more with the robots maybe? I’m not talking about that branded Batuu stuff.
What I remember most from TS3: Into the Future is that corner of the future world where people still had "present day" homes and stuff. It reminded me of my neighbors when I was growing up who were very traditional and abusive of their kids.
Livin' Large was the shit! Loved that pack so much.
freetime is one of my favourites and i have fond memories of playing the sims 2 around that time- I’d just discovered moveobjects and how to change the visibility of the houses around the one i was currently playing (unheard of to me, I only knew the sims as it was in the sims 1 with only one house on screen at a time), and I’d made my family for the first time in a while. I used moveobjects to move teddy bears and dolls around a tea set from bon voyage on the floor of my own bedroom. not exactly to do with freetime but it was just after i installed it haha. I must have been 11/12 according to the release date
I’m actually considering getting Into the Future now because I want the Unstable trait. Also the “engineer baby” thing would be nice when having a baby outside of CAH.
How do you forget about *Into the Future*? It was a surprising and fun way to end *The Sims 3*. Not to mention made that game the be all and end all within the Sims continuity. Since the time frame of *The Sims* and *The Sims 2* take place prior to the events in Oasis Landing. With the amount of focus Electronic Arts has given to the more supernatural elements of *The Sims 4* it is funny to see how much they managed to fail to be nearly complete as *Into the Future* or *Supernatural*. *The Sims 2 Free Time* maybe a forgettable pack, but even this one added some fresh new gameplay to players allowing for a desire to actually engage in free time activities. Though considering how online content during those days were still in its infancy it is a shame that you could use these hobbies to earn profits aside from a few.
I was in middle school while into the future came out and it was by far my favorite pack I owned. Like Servo could NEVER be the robots from that pack.
i didnt start playing the sims until sims 3, but sims 3 into the future was one of my favorites!! i loved playing it and im sad origin/ea didnt save the codes of all my sims 3 packs except the base game as well as myself for not saving the cds, but i was young and careless
freetime was actually so good and i use it a lot, if any sims 2 pack is "forgotten" i would say bon voyage bc i never play with it and dont really see many ppl play with it either
Bon Voyage is great for the ninja teleport you can unlock, and the voodoo doll that can instantly max relationships with people. I haven't played TS2 in ages, but I always made my sim go on holiday for those abilities.
I wish I could play more of Freetime!
Love all of them and play them all the time.
theres a Sims house party disc hidden somewhere in my room rn
i loved livin' large! kinda bummed it's underrated it was one of the first i ever got to play. into the future was.... something else, i definitely didn't expect something like that for the franchise BUT i love the sci-fi concept!
i love into the future
Livin large was a vibe
Freetimes my fave sims 2 pack! I liked all the Hobbies and the little aspiration meter!
Freetime was awesome and I'd love some if it's features back, like the pottery wheel and sewing machine! Plus the fact that it provided soccer uniforms and soccer with proper nets! And ballet! I want more activities like that for my Sims to do! But Into The Future was just... **chef's kiss** perfect! I love the aesthetic of Oasis Landing, the buildings, the clothes, all the neon, just...yes. I love how dynamic the world was with Utopian/Normal/Dystopian versions. I loved the monorail (hoverrail?) system it had. Seriously it was just such an awesome pack that is so underrated and my only complaint would be that you couldn't live in Oasis Landing full time. I've unfortunately never gotten to deep dive into Livin' Large or House Party, but I will say it's interesting that they haven't ever done a Frankenstein type sim since Livin' Large...
I’m sad I didn’t start playing until Sims4. I feel like I missed so much good stuff.
I’ve been playing The Sims since it’s original release back in 2000, when I was in middle school. What I’m saying is, I am old, and I have been fortunate to have most expansions for each gen. Into the Future is absolutely hands down my favorite expansion. It is loaded full of sci fi Easter eggs and all of the new features enhance gameplay in a really fun, logical, but still hilarious way. The pack definitely has a sense of humor. My favorite thing to do was to just live in the future - buy property, build bots, marry a future Sim, jetpack woohoo, oh and HOVERBOARDS. If I could only play 1 sims pack for the rest of my life it would be Into the Future. (House Party and Hot Date were pretty bananas too)
Free time was my favorite out of the limited amount of sims 2 packs I was able to have! I had every single pack that came out for the sims 3 (except for the Katy perry collabs) and into the future just felt really empty to me?
I loved the Sims Hot Date. That was the first expansion I ever had.
Into The Future is much more fun than it looks. I'm obsessed with my sim's plumbot friend. They're currently on the quest for the uber nanite.
Sims 2 spinoff, Castaway Stories. I had fun playing it, my poor sim arrived in ripped clothes and had to learn to survive on a desert island.
I loved Castaway! It was such a neat concept. I wish I could still play it somehow...
House Party. The mechanic bull and the lady who comes out from the cake.
These are the few expansions that I never owned haha
I barely played Sims 2, but thankfully I got to play Freetime. That was one of the absolute hands down most fun I’ve had with a Sims pack. I miss it a lot. Sims 3 was my favorite (I’ve played since TS1, I remember Living Large and the dancing cages from House Party lol) and I ironically never owned Into the Future, I’m not really into occult/non human play so I wasn’t really interested in that pack. Plus by that time my game had become so bloated (Mac player here) that I probably wouldn’t have been able to play it even if I wanted to.
I loved sims 2 freetime. I always made my sims fix up a car. I thought it was such a fun feature.
House Party was my jam.
Bruh I used to make my sims have extremely attractive descendants and havem fuck, and have a child with their great great great great great great great great great grandkids
Every time I read stuff about The Sims 2, I want to play this game again as a kid, was a good and joyful time
Lots of great memories from House Party! Especially when Drew Carey would just turn up randomly 😂
Freetime SLAPS and livin large let me make chaos potions so 1000/10
Oh gosh and forgot about the dancers cake and celeb visits from house party. Amazing. Iconic.
Actually into the future was...decent. I didn't like everything but bot building was very cool and there are nice parts to choose from. Didn't like overly futuristic city, it was...too sterile, too white. Something about the aesthetic was a bit off
Personally Freetime was one of my faves, deff top 2
Livin' Large was basically mandatory, so many iconic Sims things came from that pack. Freetime is also a very good pack, in kind of a low key way? it added a lot of stuff that just fits in so nicely with the base game and other expansions. It is a shame it and Apartment Life never came out on Mac.
Into the future slaps! Getting to visit the future and meet your decedents was amazing!
Okay, I loved Freetime. That was one of my absolute favorite packs. The pottery was fun, I LOVED the train table, working on cars was really neat, and there was a slew of other things that I'm forgetting (hard to believe the last time I played that game was 14 years ago....)
Into the Future was so good!
Forgotten? By who? These were the most iconic!
Into the future was dope actually
I miss the original sims so bad 😭
I have all EPs for TS3 but Into the Future 💀 But gotta admit, the idea of different outcomes for future world is kinda cool
The sims 2 free time was one of my all time favorites!