The Sims 2
Cover image missing, please upload it | |
Developers | |
---|---|
Maxis | |
Publishers | |
Electronic Arts | |
Release dates | |
Windows | September 14, 2004 |
macOS (OS X) | June 13, 2005 |
The Sims | |
---|---|
Subseries of Sim | |
The Sims | 2000 |
The Sims Online | 2002 |
The Sims 2 | 2004 |
The Sims Stories (series) | |
MySims | 2008 |
The Sims 3 | 2009 |
The Sims Medieval | 2011 |
The Sims 4 | 2014 |
Key points
- Runs well on low-end hardware
- Large community
- Although the game's patch site has now gone down, many expansion pack patches are available from the PCGamingWiki filespace.
Availability
Versions
Deluxe Editions
There are multiple deluxe editions of The Sims 2.
- Holiday Edition - Includes Holiday Party Pack
- Deluxe Edition - Includes Nightlife
- Double Deluxe - Includes Nightlife and Celebration Stuff
The Sims 2 Store Edition
There was briefly an online store that sold additional items for use in The Sims 2. To use the store, the game required a patch to The Sims 2 Store Edition. Store Edition removed the need for a physical CD, but introduced instability to the game. Support was pulled from the Sims 2 Store, and the Store Edition is no longer available.
Essential improvements
Patches
The game, its expansions plus the Family Fun Stuff pack requires patching after installation.
Disable intro movie
To disable the intro movie that plays every time the game opens, navigate to the following folder:
<path-to-game>\TSData\Res\Movies
Move/rename/remove intro_eng_audio.movie. The intro movie won't play anymore.
Game data
Configuration file(s) location
Save game data location
Save game cloud syncing
System | Native | Notes |
---|---|---|
Origin |
Video settings
Widescreen resolution
The game's max res is 1600 x 1200. For higher resolutions you need to edit the following file:
EA GAMES\(Latest expansion installed)\TSData\Res\Config\Graphics Rules.sgr
Set maxResWidth and maxResHeight to your display's native width and height, or copy/paste the following:
option ScreenModeResolution setting $Low uintProp maxResWidth 2560 uintProp maxResHeight 1600 uintProp defaultResWidth 800 uintProp defaultResHeight 600 setting $Medium uintProp maxResWidth 2560 uintProp maxResHeight 1600 uintProp defaultResWidth 1024 uintProp defaultResHeight 768 setting $High uintProp maxResWidth 2560 uintProp maxResHeight 1600 uintProp defaultResWidth 1024 uintProp defaultResHeight 768 end
Field of View Modification
Each of the game's cameras can have their FOV set independently using the fov parameter in their Camera Settings files, which are contained in %USERPROFILE%\Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\Cameras
Input settings
Audio settings
Issues fixed
Vista/7 Compatibility
The Sims 2 is compatible with newer versions of Windows, however the original release of the game has issues, and will show an error message when loaded. Patching the game or installing the expansion packs will correct this.
Stuck Sims/Poorly Placed Objects/Frozen Objects
Periodically, a sim may become trapped or an special object may be placed in a bad location, preventing a sim from doing anything. In other cases, a normal object may be improperly tagged as "in use" and cannot be moved, sold, or manipulated. To fix these issues, open the cheat console by hold Ctrl, Shift and C, then type moveobjects on
and enter buy mode. You can now pick up the sim or broken object, and move it to another location. To restore the game to normal after this, open the cheat console again, and type moveobjects off
.
System requirements
Windows | ||
---|---|---|
Minimum | Recommended | |
Operating system (OS) | 98, 98SE, ME, 2000, XP, Vista | |
Processor (CPU) | 800 MHz | 2.4 Ghz |
System memory (RAM) | ||
Hard disk drive (HDD) | 3.5 GB | 15.0 GB (For all Expansion Packs) |
Video card (GPU) | ATI Radeon 7200 nVidia GeForce 2 Series 32 MB of VRAM DirectX 9.0 compatible | ATI Radeon 9600 nVidia GeForce 6 Series 64 MB of VRAM DirectX 9.0c compatible |
Other | When the Seasons (or Later) Expansion Pack is installed, T&L incompatible graphics chips can be used[citation needed]; however it requires a Minimum CPU speed of 2.4 Ghz. |
macOS (OS X) | ||
---|---|---|
Minimum | ||
Operating system (OS) | 10.3.8 | |
Processor (CPU) | 1.2 GHz PowerPC G4/G5 | |
System memory (RAM) | ||
Hard disk drive (HDD) | 3 GB | |
Video card (GPU) | ATI Radeon 9000 nVidia GeForce FX5200 32 MB of VRAM |