Hack for more realistic college GPA (possible?)
Liz:
Quote from: rufio on 2008 July 30, 12:48:28
It's just too easy to fall into a compulsive bar-filling rut after a while.
It really is, but getting hung up on filling the bars really drains my Fun meter. Unless a sim is missing skills necessary to pass a course, just going to class a couple of times (with their Needs in good shape) before attending their Final can easily give them a passing grade. Passing a semester is almost effortless. But if I want them to get *good* grades, if I want them to go for the 4.0, I (and they ;p) need to work a little for it.
The only reason I even stress whether they pass or fail is that I don't want to be stuck playing additional semesters. Uni is long enough as it is! I could be quite satisfied with 48-hour semesters instead of 72. There are enough hacks out there to shorten semesters if desired, though, and I do think that's the angle from which to approach this, instead of adding to the assignment/paper tedium.
I think part of the reason for a bar-filling tendency is the open-ended nature of the game. With literally no end in sight, meeting big goals like reaching the top of a career or maxing skills - or even the shorter term goals like filling the class meter - can help give a sense of accomplishment to playing the game. Unfortunately, however, it's easy to get caught up in achieving these goals and not pay enough attention to the interim opportunities for fun along the way.
SnootCB:
You could try playing the sims by personality. A Popularity sim who is hooked on the idea of becoming Big Sim on Campus might spend all their time on the phone, throwing parties, or at a college community lot meeting new people (where time still ticks for them)- and they only manage to pass by influencing other students to do their work for them. A Knowledge sim that is more of a gaming geek than a bookworm might spend most of their time in front of the computer doing anything BUT their term paper.
I generally have an idea of what I want any given sim's final GPA to be when they start college and I work towards keeping it at just that level. That is a bit of a challenge in itself. You might have more fun doing it that way- say, "I want sim X to keep a 2.7 GPA" and try to maintain that sim's 2.7 for 8 semesters. The goal doesn't have to be a 4.0 average.
jolrei:
Grades are unimportant after hitting the "pass" threshold. Passing the semester for me is purely to get the next semester going so we can continue to HAZ MOAR FUNNZ! If I have run out of things to do, it's time to college adjust that sim's ass to grad party mode.
Jolrei Uni tip #1:
If your sim woohoos a couple of professors and at least 4 other sims, and then invites them all to a party, with ACR running, you just have to sit back and watch the fireworks. (OMG! It's fulla starz!)
J. M. Pescado:
The amusing thing is that without any cheap exploits or even cutting into any potential "fun shenanigans" I can imagine, I can STILL max out 4.0 straight just on the downtime. Because I'm just that awesome. Probably because I hate sleep.
rufio:
Lots of good ideas here - I'll have to try some out with my next batch of YAs.
Quote from: jolrei on 2008 July 30, 13:52:00
Jolrei Uni tip #1:
If your sim woohoos a couple of professors and at least 4 other sims, and then invites them all to a party, with ACR running, you just have to sit back and watch the fireworks. (OMG! It's fulla starz!)
Wouldn't that cause you to lose a crapload of class performance, though? I've noticed that negative interactions with professors = negative class performance. Or was that your point?
ETA: Also, IIRC, if they're all romance sims, nothing will happen anyway. I had a sim woohooing with multiple dormies in her dorm and sat around for a couple of semesters wondering where all the slapping went. :P
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page