I have been out travelling again to try a Sims game. This time it was The Sims 3 University Life, which was coming to stores in March 2013. I started the day as early as I usually do for these events: up at 5:30, then a flight from Gardermoen to Arlanda, then a taxi to EA Nordic's office in Stockholm. I arrived just in time for the event and was ready to test the new pack.
We first got a short presentation of how the day would work. Later there was a surprise preview that pointed toward Island Paradise, a live chat with SimGuruArgus, and then the event wrapped up in the evening. Before I start talking about the game, I want to thank EA and Joyce for a fun day with great people. I also want to thank Lime from iSims Sweden, Frida, Axel, Maria, and Antonina for help with notes and pictures from the event.
As always with these preview articles: this is my impression of the version we played. It was not the final build, so bugs could still be fixed and features could change before release. Do not read further if you want to know nothing before trying the pack yourself.
Create a Sim: what is new
I started where most players start: Create a Sim. There was not a completely new CAS system here, but there were many new clothes for women and men, several new hairstyles, three new traits, five lifetime wishes, a new music taste, and some new glasses. The overall style was clearly built around campus life: casual student clothes, social-group identities, and a few things that felt made for dorm and university stories.
The new music taste was Geek Rock. That fit the pack well, because the Nerd social group and technology/student culture were such a big part of the identity of University Life.
New traits
| Trait | What it does |
|---|---|
| Socially Awkward | Socially awkward Sims try to fit in, but sometimes they say the wrong thing at the wrong time. It is not easy to be socially awkward, and it can become very awkward in conversations. |
| Avant Garde | Avant Garde Sims know what is art and what is not, and they are happy to tell others. They are difficult to satisfy, but the trait is useful for Sims who choose Fine Arts at university. |
| Irresistible | Irresistible Sims are very charming, but sometimes they get more attention than they asked for. Dates are easier to get, and other Sims tend to gather around them because they are hard to resist. |
New lifetime wishes
- Blog Artist: reach level 10 in the Social Networking skill and have a five-star blog.
- Major Master: earn three degrees in three different subjects.
- Perfect Student: earn a university degree with a perfect GPA.
- Max Influence in All Social Groups: reach the top level of influence with every social group.
- Street Credible: reach level 10 in Street Art and create seven masterpieces.
Clothing and Build/Buy galleries
I also split the preview material into CAS and Build/Buy galleries. The CAS gallery was sorted by women and men, because University Life had a lot of everyday student clothes rather than one single headline costume. The Build/Buy gallery had 103 objects in the build I counted.
Those galleries mattered because University Life was not only a travel-to-campus pack. The clothing, dorm pieces, social objects, activity objects, comic-book-store details, bowling objects, and campus furniture were part of what let the student theme carry back into ordinary home-world play.
Before travelling to university
When I moved into a house in the normal home world, the university mascot came to visit. The mascot gave the household a bucket of university items: small flags, a teddy bear, and an aptitude test. The test shows how prepared the Sim is before applying, and it can affect what kind of head start or support they get at university. When we watched the mascot, he even started dancing Gangnam Style.
After taking the aptitude test, Sims could use the new smartphone to call the university and apply. That application screen let me choose what to study and how long the Sim should stay.
Majors and career benefits
| Major | What it is for |
|---|---|
| Communications | For Sims who like being around other Sims. A Communications degree helps with Journalism, Politics, and Fortune Teller careers. |
| Physical Education | For Sims who cannot sit still at a desk all day. Physical Education helps with the Professional Sports career. |
| Fine Arts | For creative Sims who want simoleons from art instead of only being a starving artist. Fine Arts helps with Music, Culinary, and Film careers. |
| Science and Medicine | For Sims who want to learn the building blocks of life and do something useful for the world. It helps with Science and Medicine careers. |
| Technology | For Sims who embrace the technological lifestyle. Technophobes should probably stay away. Technology helps with Military and Law Enforcement careers. |
| Business | For Sims who want shopping carts, negotiations, simoleons, and power. Business helps with Business and Criminal careers. |
The university world
The university town was very nice. There was only one university world to travel to, but it had a clear old-English campus look in the architecture. The world had a main campus area for school, while apartments and houses were spread around the wider town.
There were many small details around the world. The local cafe was not just a rabbit hole; Sims could buy cakes, hang out, and maybe get a part-time job. There was also a bowling alley and a comic book store. Those places mattered because University Life was not only about attending classes, but about building a student routine outside the classroom.
The town felt large enough to explore. I could see how the world would work for dorm stories, shared houses, campus parties, social groups, and the more everyday student life that happens between classes.
Life at university
Once my Sim arrived and moved in, the university panel became one of the most important tools. It showed what the Sim was studying, their grades, what they could improve, which days they had classes, and how the week was structured.
The week usually worked like this: seminar classes in academic buildings on Monday and Wednesday, classes or activities outside the classroom on Tuesday and Thursday, and an exam on Friday. The academic progress meter was the easiest way to follow how the Sim was doing. It was calculated from the latest exam and could be affected in several ways.
The basic requirement was simple: show up to class. Studying outside class also helped, and Sims could study with books, on the computer, or even from the smartphone. Studying too much at once could make the Sim demotivated, so it was not just a matter of grinding forever.
You also did not have to study all the time. University Life added plenty of activities outside class, and if your Sim was the type who preferred fun over responsibility, cheating on exams was possible. They could write a cheat sheet, ask other Sims for help, or even get someone else to take the exam. There was risk, of course.
Social groups
Social groups were one of the biggest new systems. Sims could gain influence with different groups by socializing with members of that group or by using objects and interactions connected to the group. Playing video games, for example, could help build Nerd influence.
A Sim could belong to several social groups at once. You could see which group another Sim belonged to by hovering over them, and you could track your own progress by using the smartphone or clicking the Sim. The progress panel showed what you had unlocked and what was still ahead.
This mattered because social groups connected campus life to rewards. Influence could unlock interactions, opportunities, and even career paths, so it was not just background flavor.
What is the benefit of a degree?
There were several benefits to completing university. Sims who graduated could start at a higher level in careers connected to their degree, earn more money, receive career bonuses more often, and move up faster.
The final grade was what mattered most after university. A better grade meant better results in working life. For example, a Sim who finished with an A could start directly at career level 4 and earn noticeably more money.
New skills
University Life added several new skill systems, but the two I focused on most were Social Networking and Street Art.
| Skill | Details from the preview |
|---|---|
| Social Networking | This skill is about connecting with friends through texting, blogging, and smartphone apps. Sims can also build it by surfing the web, watching videos online, or reading books about social networking. Blogging is a big part of it: Sims can gain followers, earn simoleons, ask readers for donations, and even sell a popular blog. As the skill increases, Sims unlock new smartphone covers and apps. |
| Street Art | Street Art lets the neighbourhood become your canvas. With street-art gear in the catalogue, Sims can make art on walls and roads. There are tags and murals, with murals being the more artistic option. Higher skill levels let Sims create better pieces, but tagging outside your own home can attract police attention. |
New plants
The pack also added 17 new plants. I did not list every single one in the original article because I did not have all the final names yet, but examples included chamomile, cinnamon, lavender, liquorice, and peppermint. These plants connected nicely with the new campus and skill systems, especially for Sims who like gardening or collecting.
PlantSims
This was the creature many people had waited for, and I can confirm that University Life brought back PlantSims. They were quite similar to the Sims 2 version, but with some new details.
PlantSims do not have hunger or bladder needs, but they have the other needs and a special water need. They can get water by drinking, bathing, or going out in the rain if Seasons is installed. Babies and children get water automatically, so it is not something they need to manage until they are older.
One fun thing is that PlantSims can become a plant and go down into the ground. The Sim turns into a plant, with the plumbob floating above it, and this is how they regain energy and water. It also looks very cool when they walk, because flowers appear behind them and disappear after a few seconds.
PlantSims have special interactions with plants. They can get to know them, ask about their day, flirt, compliment, and insult them. They also have a different way of showing whether they like or dislike other Sims through kisses. One kiss can make another Sim become completely obsessed with the PlantSim, while another can make the other Sim throw up.
Because PlantSims are products of nature, they learn Gardening faster than other Sims and also learn the Science skill faster. If you do not want a Sim to be a PlantSim anymore, they can visit the science centre or drink a bottle of Super Spice to cure it.
To expand a PlantSim family, you need Forbidden Fruit. Plant it, take care of it, and when the time is right you can literally pull a child up from the ground. Eating Forbidden Fruit is also the way to become a PlantSim.
Final impression
There is still a lot I have not covered, but I feel like this goes through most of what I saw. University Life added more than a campus destination: it added degrees, schedules, exams, social groups, smartphones, blogging, street art, new plants, PlantSims, and a real student chapter between home life and career life. Do not forget to check the object and clothing galleries from the preview galleries too. Thanks for reading my article.