With the University leak on the TS4 side of things, I've been seeing a lot of buzz here and elsewhere about University expansions in the Sims. Some, like me, enjoyed TS3's take on it, and it seems a fair amount of people enjoyed TS2's more. Nothing is wrong with that of course, I guess I just have a hard time understanding why.

The biggest reason is the amount of things you can do in TS3's take on University. It's a really fun experience, with so much to do. The college atmosphere is solid. You have regular classes, lectures, interactive class activities (love that one), dares, side jobs, social groups, juice kegger and bonfire parties, bowling, the list goes on. While in TS2 you could basically... study and go to class or build up skills. Yay? I guess the difference is in how the different systems are treated. TS2 didn't have a heavy focus on the classes themselves, instead it was more about "college life" which is fine. Greek houses were somewhat more in-depth, and you had a few more interactions between other members unlike TS3 where you're basically just living together.

I guess it's difficult for me to understand why since TS2's version really didn't do much for me. The terms were kind of long with not a lot to do in the meantime. In UL I don't mind sending Sims there since there's so much to do, even though I could just get the honorary degree reward and be done with it.

I'd love to hear your opinions on all of this.

It has the best build-buy in the series, that for sure. Lots of stuff that was multi-use and plain good-looking. The Uni world was probably the most realistic world in the series, and had the best-designed houses.

TS3 had a big problem early on that a lot of their new content was really designed for a single theme/use, while missing out on basic items (the game never got pot lights, for instance).

I don't know if it's underrated, but I know what these forums are going to look like when it's released. I will probably have to stay away for a few days to escape a depression.

I don't remember what uni was like in ts2, but I liked the ts3 version. Only I remember it took a while before studying had an effect on work performance and leveling.

I hope they include several activities and good rewards for hard work, as well as a higher start level when they start working.

Now I'm mixing together 3 and 4, but that's probably why this thread is here in the first place.

I have played both TS2 and TS3 Univerity life and I must say that I like the TS3 version better. I do not have any experinese of Uni life myself but as an "outsider" I think the later version is more real. In TS2 when a student goes to class they just walks off while in TS3 we can see them go there and in some cases even watch them take the class. And, as poined out, the buildings looks far better. The premade TS2 dorms looked like "dumpsters" whit all sorts of items just put in there whitout any plan what so ever. (And some of the items were ugly as can be to). In TS3 the dorms looks nice, clean in design and the furniture looks nice. Sure, the partys students gets invited to is lame (like any party in TS3) but still nice. I think the game itself have a better set up as the earlier version as it's easier to see what I have to do for my sim to succed and get better grades. Yeah, it feels more logical. Some would disagree on this but I don't care.

I'm inclined to agree, it's one of those few packs you can't really have major complains about.

Wait a minute, are some of you trying to say that our sims were supposed to go to classes and (gulps) study while at Uni? Is that what all the negative "I'm Failing!" moodlets were about, I never could understand those.

I never played TS2 so can't really compare, but Uni remains my favorite TS3 EP for the huge volume of content that it added to the game. I played for many months enjoying the new stuff before actually sending any sims to Uni World, as it so happened there were age gaps in my families' children at the time that didn't provide any older teens (Traveler mod) or YAs for whom university study seemed appropriate right away. The only major complaint I have about the Uni World experience is that if we want the inactive sims we will never play around ours to get degrees that way, we have to push them through the system ourselves and that could theoretically take forever. So that leaves us with handing out honorary degrees or just pretending to not notice that the high level medical, science, and military professionals with whom we entrust our lives have never formally studied anything beyond high school.

Much fuss had been made over the social groups that the EP shoves onto our sims, but honestly I don't find that aspect of the game difficult to ignore entirely unless I really want to engage in it for a particular sim or two. Much like the celebrity system when I'm not really interested in pursuing it, the social rankings and drop-offs just become random noise after a while.

The only thing I wish it made in:


https://www.deviantart.com/timothya...s-Bar-409047498

Same with the jewellery station in Ambitions (which sort of made it in as the glass-blowing station). We still got sort-of-restaurants in the end with the Store Set (plus Ani's mod) as well as the ITF station, but I wish we got a more fleshed-out system in an EP.

I've only played the TS3 version and it's pretty solid IMHO. While the university itself is structured differently than the one I went to myself, a lot of the in-game experience felt in line with my own and very realistic. The game often throws success your way, but in uni, you actually have to stay on top of things if you want that A degree, what with your progress bar going down whenever you're doing unrelated things. And if people (igazor :p) don't want to do that, it's perfectly valid as well... Also, while you can't hold a part-time job (which would have been the cherry on top), there's a number of ways to earn extra cash. I've got nothing but fond memories from sending my first sim to uni, allowing her a break from her noisy family and some 'me-time', while still doing something meaningful for her life. WA is a completely different experience in that regard. Plus, it's so easy to set up a homeworld uni (and nudging townies to enroll with NRaas), and I happen to enjoy the social groups when they help flesh out a character (I understand why that aspect wouldn't have too many fans). Annnd finally, the smartphone upgrade is appreciated. So on the whole, I for one wouldn't want to play without UL anymore.

It should perhaps be noted that not all of my sims are academic washouts and only attend Uni to party, because their parents made them go, or strictly to recruit new bodies for whatever nefarious enterprises they have going back home. Like so many other things in this game, I played it the way "we were supposed to" a few times and still often do, got the As across the board for the over-achievers and Cs for the more average students, and then said, "Okay, I wonder what a perfect F average looks like. Wouldn't it be more fun to never go to classes, try to purchase the final exam answers, and put any extra energy over and above keg parties into alternating between seducing one's professors and attacking them with firebombs, itchy elixirs, just plain wit and sarcasm, or whatever one has available?"

Like so many other things in this game (and am guessing the other iterations of Sims games as well), we are given the tools to work with and are limited in many cases only by our own imagination as to what we do with them.

I think some things are very fun about UL but it's hard to "enjoy them" and get good grades as well. I have 2 sisters I am currently getting through UL.
I feel the roommates are wooden and none of them have personalities. They also get in the way of "goals" but maybe I'm playing it "wrong."
The mascot gets on my nerves. I tried to have my one sim keep doing the school cheer but the mascot just walked away.

If I recall, Sims 2 Uni was VERY LONG to get through and there was a mod for speeding it up. I haven't played it in a long time, though.

I hear you, igazor. A lot of the time I'm afraid to let my sims fail at anything, when all that does is open up new storylines and change up the experience. Those straight As do get boring. Good on you for testing the boundaries!

NRaas Relativity really helps with that one, gives me enough time to have a Sim grab something to eat or use the restroom in between classes and time for other things afterward while still making sure they have enough time to study. I couldn't imagine playing without it.

I HATED University in The Sims 2. It was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too long, there wasn't much to do other than throwing parties, studying and getting into a fraternity/secret society (and other than using reward objects in the secret society lot, there was no). The only aspect I feel it did better than 3 was living in dorms (but the minigame to join a fraternity got old really quick).

On the other hand, I absolutely LOVED University Life in The Sims 3. I think open world made it a much better experience. I could also DO something related to the major of my Sim (use the special object with random Sims, group projects, practical classes) and attend lectures (which was a nice novelty, though a little repetitive). There were also dares and other fun things to do like join a varsity sport (even though it was a rabbit hole). It also added so many activities: pool tables, juice pong tables, frisbee, bonfire (and improved compared to the one in 2), bowling, coffee shops, comic book stores, etc. There were so many activities to do at the university campus, it never got boring or repetitive. The emphasis on social groups was cool too. After years of watching these cliques in movies, I could finally experience them in my game.

I honestly don't understand why people say they liked The Sims 2 University better. It has to be nostalgia and not having played with that EP recently (because if they had, they'll remember how long and repetitive and boring it was) OR the fact they like The Sims 2 more than 3 (or simply dislike TS3). Because TS3:UL is OBJECTIVELY much better. It adds so much more content than TS2U, and it takes advantage of the amazing open world to create a very engaging experience. TS3 Seasons and University Life is The Sims 3 at its PEAK.

Some pics of my favorite Sim's university experience:

The general feeling I'm getting from reading comments elsewhere is that people that don't seem to like UL are the ones who don't like open world and feel it takes too long to get anywhere on campus to do anything other than going to classes or slacking off, one or the other not both. Which I don't understand at all. It didn't take as much time in TS2 because they literally just walked off the lot to go somewhere, even classes. They'd do it when a roommate would leave the lot to supposedly go somewhere else, like to bring something back to the lot like pizza. I suppose it seemed like a novel idea at the time for TS2, but I could never go back to that style of uni now.

Half the fun to me is that it is so big and sprawling. It's actually pretty scary how realistic the overall experience can be. Have had plenty of Sims go and party through the night and get only a few hours of sleep and studying in to just barely be prepared for class the next day.

I liked TS2 uni slightly better because you got a variation with 3 university worlds, and it had charming new careers and career rewards, secret societies, and it just felt more like a chill gameplay experience.

@nitromon If that's all that's keeping you from enjoying it fully, you may want to try this mod. Has several flavors for however long you'd like.
http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=500507

Sorry folks, but those were probably my least fave EPs in both games. I found them boring overall and could not wait until the student graduated and I could be done with it. Unless it looks darn good in 4 I will skip it.

Ts2 Uni was not as fun. It added young adult life stage which was interesting but in Ts3 YA were in base game plus you can go regardless of your age. The open world campus of Ts3 was a lot of fun. The cliques(Jock, Nerd, rebel) were fun too.

I haven't played the TS2 version but as others have said, I enjoyed Uni Life mostly for the added functionality it adds to the regular gameplay and the pretty decent Build/Buy and even CAS catalog (once you get rid of all the eyesore stencils.) I don't even remember what it looked like before the smartphone upgrade. The Social groups are a plague but you mod it out/learn to live with it I guess.

As for the University experience itself - I've played it maybe 3 times overall and still have loads of things to try out but from what I remember I had the opposite problem to people here. My sims were out partying every single night, tried (and somewhat succeeded) to sleep with the whole town's population and on occasion hit on the professors' spouses and still somehow managed to get good grades without much sweat. Not to mention going in dirt poor (they had to save for weeks just to enroll) and ended up with 40k profit at the end of one term from academic funds and stealing shit from the dorm (lol), which I found not very realistic (stealing part aside). It was fun overall, there were loads of gameplay stuff to try. For some reason I always ended up with sims in the Fine Arts and a couple in the Business major but the Tech one looks like lots of fun with all the gadgets, machines and experiments they can do. Definitely will check it out next.

My only complaint for UL is those "dorms" are way too nice.

THANK YOU! I'll look into getting it.


As for UL, I think like all EPs, it just has some bugs. One of my Sims in college got a nice sports car in her inventory (the one that costs 65,000 simoleons). A pretty sweet ride for some C student who is 20 or 21 years old. (I don't recall this from my own uni days...lol).

I like both Ts2 & 3's Uni experience. I like TS2's class system + semesters more than 3, but I love the University setting due to the open world in 3. A combination of both of those would be awesome for my experience, but that's just me. I've never been one of those people that thought following your sim to school or work would be really exciting. I find it incredibly boring.
I do really like the fact that anyone can go to university in TS3 regardless of age ( older than teen ) and it isn't limited to one age group. Mature age students are a thing!

I like UL, but I agree with this. Wished the UL experience was more about gaining those first skill points instead of having them before you go. It is a bit weird that you can succesfully complete exams without raising almost no related skills beyond what you did before entering.