Aspiration (The Sims 2)

Aspiration

An aspiration failure

Userbox:

For the lifelong goal system in The Sims 4, see Aspiration (The Sims 4).

For the secondary aspiration system in FreeTime, see Secondary aspiration.

Aspiration is the personality attribute that determines a Sim's wants and fears.

The Sims 2

Sims will have one of eight aspirations at any given time. The base game does not allow a change of aspiration after a Sim is created or becomes a teen. The University expansion pack allows a Sim to change aspiration once after finishing their sophomore year. The Nightlife expansion pack added the ReNuYuSenso Orb, an aspiration reward which allows a Sim to change aspiration. In the FreeTime expansion pack, Sims can have a secondary aspiration.

• Babies have no aspiration. (When viewed in SimPE, or made selectable with testingcheatsenabled, they will be shown as having the Grow Up aspiration, but this does not affect gameplay)
• Grow Up: All toddlers and children have this aspiration, and it cannot be changed without the use of cheats and/or hacks. Growing up involves learning essential life skills and (in the case of children) making friends and being successful at school. As soon as children grow up to become teenagers, the player can choose their aspiration.
• Family: Family Sims will want to have children, and eventually grandchildren, and for those children to excel in their own lives.
• Fortune: Fortune Sims want to earn money, gain promotions, marry a rich Sim, and put their income towards new household items.
• Knowledge: Knowledge Sims want to gain skill points, and to eventually max out all skills. They may even want to experience things that other Sims fear, even things such as seeing ghosts, alien abduction, or changing life state. They are also the only Sims that will gain a positive memory of becoming a zombie, being abducted by aliens and seeing a ghost.
• Popularity: (sometimes referred to as Reputation or Fame): Popularity Sims most of all want to accumulate friends and best friends. Parties are also craved by these Sims.
• Romance: Romance Sims want to engage in casual romance, and particularly WooHoo. They are perhaps unique in that their fears are actually wants to most other Sims (marriage, babies etc.) Romance Sims get negative memories from going steady, engagement and marriage with one exception; they will not get a negative memory after marrying a rich Sim. Despite fearing having babies, Romance Sims will still get positive memories of becoming parents.
• Power: (hidden) This aspiration can be obtained by a cheat. It's a combination of Popularity and Fortune (though it is unfinished).

Nightlife

• Pleasure: Pleasure Sims want to have fun, go out, meet new Sims, and engage in romance. (although not as much as Romance Sims)
• Grilled Cheese: (Only available through use of cheats, The Sims 2: Freetime secondary aspiration or the ReNuYuSenso Orb.) The wants and fears of Sims with this aspiration mostly have to do with eating grilled cheese.

FreeTime

• Secondary aspiration: Sims are able to have a second aspiration, but are not required to have one. A Sim with a secondary aspiration will receive wants and fears from both aspirations. The Grilled Cheese aspiration can be selected as a secondary aspiration.

Defunct

With testingcheatsenabled, players can find another aspiration, Power. It was apparently an abandoned thought, because it has no icon and its wants and fears are a combination of Popularity and Fortune aspiration wants and fears. The "Power" aspiration usually involves making friends and gaining promotions. However, this aspiration is not possible to get in any other way, and as such, is defunct. (Furthermore, the aspiration bar cannot be accessed without a reset process).

There was also going to be a Craft aspiration, but it was removed early on in development, as it is only referred to in unused text strings and tiny bits of code. However, the Craft aspiration was re-used in the console versions of the game.

The Sims 2 (GBA)

There are three possible aspirations in The Sims 2 on Game Boy Advance. Five points are awarded for each (up to the 5th) conversation of the same type as the Sim's aspiration in each episode.

• Friendly
• Intimidating
• Romance

Tips & Tricks

• Most of the wants and fears mentioned apply to different aspirations as well, but less frequently. For example, Family Sims will often have a want to gain a skill point (usually Cooking, Cleaning or Mechanical), and Fortune Sims will often want to gain skill points needed for promotion. On the other hand, Knowledge Sims may occasionally want to have a baby (especially right after getting married), and often want to buy skill building objects. Sims with a secondary aspiration can get wants related to that aspiration.
• Sims with Knowledge as a secondary aspiration will roll wants to become different creatures, but may still fear alien abductions. It is not uncommon for a Sim with Knowledge as a secondary aspiration to roll both a want and a fear of being abducted, much like a Family Sim rolling both a want and a fear of having a baby.