Tutorial for beginners

GETTING STARTED

For players new to The Sims 2 or Sims 2 Machinima

1. Watch as many Sims 2 movies as you can, we can’t stress how important that is.

2. Spend as much time as you can playing the game before you start making movies/ Once you’ve spent some time playing the game and have a good grasp of the building tools, controlling the sims and a fair knowledge of the available sim animations and interactions, you’ll be ready to start making machinima with the Sims 2.

3. Create a folder to keep your movies clips organised. I make one for each project (named by title) and create sub-folders within that folder divided into clips organised by different scenes, still shots (if I have any), sound effects, audio files, music files, saved project files and so on.

In Game Tips
Here are some general tips, the idea is always to minimise gameplay:

1. We create a special neighbourhood for movie-making separate from our game-play ‘hoods, called Britannica Dreams Studios. We find it easier this way to keep track of sets built and “extras” created for filming purposes.

2. Create your sims in the stand-alone sim creation software, BodyShop first which comes free with The Sims 2, rather than in the CAS (Create A Sim) section of the game.

3. Build your sets before you move the cast/family in.

4. Package your empty sets up, once you’ve built them, before you move your family or ‘cast’ in, as a useful spare, perhaps for another movie.

5. Use the ‘motherlode’ cheat or ‘familyfunds’ to give your actors enough money so you can buy the sets and buy props immediately. If you have the Nightlife EP, you can use the ‘familyfunds’ cheat code to do this while on the neighbourhood or map view. If you don’t own Nightlife, you’ll have to move your family/cast to an empty lot and use the ‘motherlode’ cheat, move them back to the bin, then move them to your set.

6. Playing with free will OFF (in game options), will make your sims easier to control.

7. SAVE the game often!