After student life, the opening of shops, nightlife and all its excesses, here is a small revolution in the American model family offered by the most famous game in the world. The arrival of animals revolutionizes the daily well-being of an entire neighborhood. Do not think of animals as decorative items that you can play with from time to time; they can be considered "limited" Sims, for several reasons.
30 million friends
First of all, when creating an animal, you will find different personality traits. You can forge her however you want unlike Sims who had to spread their points and couldn't be fully active, neat, mischievous and likeable at the same time. Pets can be over-excited, independent, hostile, or naughty geniuses, but also the perfect opposite: silly, lazy, affectionate, fearful, and demanding. The real constraint will be for the human anyway. He will have to act accordingly and take a lot of his free time to have interesting interactions with his companion. The first big difference in gameplay that exists in this relationship is that you can't directly control an animal. If he needs to go to the toilet, well, so to speak, he'll do whatever he has to do anywhere; yes, the environmental quality takes a big hit. For the dog to do what is expected of him, he must be educated, trained and provided with the objects he needs to avoid constantly walking behind him and thus obtain a more intense social life. Of course, the term social life may seem extreme, but it is the gauge that reacts the most when you initiate interactions with animals. In fact, animals can be perfect substitutes for your goofy neighbors. All Sims players know it well: the social life gauge is the most complicated to manage. Due to the permanent presence of animals in a house, it is in good shape. The other side of the decor is the time spent with them. It's not as complicated to manage as a baby or child Sim, but there is still a lot of work behind it if you really get involved in the game. The animal can show autonomy but it takes still 75% of free time. And never forget that the Sim must meet his basic needs and of course, go to work. Alone, it's a real hell. Small remark therefore: it might have been interesting to make a single life possible with the arrival of animals. Obviously, the concept of the perfect American family at the Desperate Housewives continues: a couple and two kids, the magic formula remains the same.
Dressage
But let's ignore what we already know to devote ourselves to the arrival in the homes of furry animals. Among the sixty critters available (dogs and cats combined), there will necessarily be one you will fall for. At first, like with a baby, it's hell. The dogs make holes in the garden, the cats their claws on the sofas. It is therefore appropriate to scold them when they do stupid things. Otherwise, they will start over again. Your fears are of course not the same as in the other additional discs, they are related to the content of this disc. If you are afraid that Fido will attack the leather chair and that indeed he does and it is the free fall at the level of the mind. The shrink will arrive soon. By being lax, this gauge which was always in good shape in the basic game ends very quickly at the lowest. It is therefore necessary to compensate by buying a few objects dedicated to animals (cat trees, kennels, small toys, etc.). Although animals have no aspirations or fears, they still have needs (the same as humans, except the Environment which turns into Chew/Claw). After a few days, the bad habits will be completely gone. But it will be necessary to teach them a few more and more impressive tricks. From this moment, several possibilities are offered to the owner. He can search through the classifieds to find a job for the animal. He will evolve between three professions (security, show-biz and services). This can compensate for the fact that the Sim is alone at home and can provide an increasingly substantial windfall of money. Even later, it will be possible to cross dogs, for example, to obtain puppies that are more trained than their parents when you took them in. The genetic heritage of the different things learned is transmitted up to 30%. If the parents know 5 tricks each, so 10 in all, there is a good chance that the puppy will already know how to do three things from an early age. And of course, you can improvise as a trainer to obtain a substantial windfall of money. 15 animals can live together in the same household.
Pet/Sims Relationships
These reports work much like with the Sims between them but remain very simplified. A Sim can be another's nemesis, just as they can be their best friend. Between the two, they can be simple acquaintances, friends… The dog has two types of relationships. The first is the pack, that is to say all known people for whom the dog shows sympathy. With this animal, there is a privileged relationship with a person: the master. The first human person to reach 80 relationship points with the animal becomes the master. Of course, this level can drop if the Sim does not take care of his companion and lead to a tragedy, in the worst case: flight. The animal will then wander around the neighborhood. If he is tattooed, a neighbor will be able to bring him back but it is not certain.
For the cat, it is quite different. These animals being autonomous enough not to have to bother with a master, felines have only one type of relationship with people or other appreciated animals: "Only mine". Their autonomy makes them much less "interactive" than dogs, but they have a very interesting advantage. Dogs should be bathed regularly, even if it does not affect their mood at all, it strongly affects the environmental quality of a room. The cat is clean. Everything was really well thought out. But what is striking, once again, is the real depth of the game, which the gamers that we are do not necessarily see. While the pace of the game may seem cushy, know that there are more dynamic ways to play than putting down a piece of furniture and waiting for the Sim to use it. Those who have mastered the game perfectly will see at least four of their needs increase simultaneously while constantly learning a skill. Rarely has the game been so deep. The smallest object can revolutionize the whole house. Did you know that a party can last all night and the following day thanks to a simple percolator and many toilets? It is clear that the animals make a big mess of this beautiful harmony by entering a home, but the gameplay is completely renewed thanks to them and The Sims 2 ultimately remains a coherent title.
