Alexander's College video

[Kala]

I was wondering if someone could tell me what it's like, so I know what to expect when he get enough money to go.  In my game, he lived with his sister and Don.  Morty died of old age ten sim days ago.

[aussieone]

I presume you're talking about the special event that plays when a sim goes off to college?

It starts when the Sim is dropped off to college by taxi, he/she is accompanied by a parent (the parent that the sim has the better relationship with I think, but don't quote me on that), then the sim does a twirl, ages into YA status, receives a teary hug goodbye from the parent, a streaker or mascot runs bye, the YA cheers/laughs, the parent is mortified and then the screen reverts back to normal play.

[Ancient Sim]

That only happens if you have cinematics, of course.  I've never seen it myself because the game refuses to let me because it doesn't like my video card.   Probably just as well as I prefer to send them in batches from the neighbourhood screen, it's much quicker.

[Pegasys]

You'll also get a special surprise with Alexander's video in particular

[idtaminger]

You'll also get a special surprise with Alexander's video in particular

Really? What kind of a surprise? I already sent Alex to school, but I don't remember anything special about it...

[syberspunk]

Wait a minute... there's a special video for going to college? I think I sent one sim to college once from an actual family in the neighborhood. But I don't remember seeing this event at all.

All I remember is the sim getting dropped off at the dorm. I don't remember parents being there.

Is this what happens if you don't have cinematics? How can I enable cinematics? Or is it solely based on your video card? I have a pretty powerful video card, or at least I thought it was decent.

Can someone explain to me the following:

A) How do you turn on cinematics? Is it an option in the UI panel?
B) Is there anyway to enable them by tweaking any files? I know there are issues with how the game thinks that certain graphic cards are less powerful than they reall are, and that the game will tend to force a lower setting. Is this something that can be fixed by tweaking a file?
C) What happens when you send sims off to college if you Don't have it turned on? (Or if your graphics card is incapable of supporting them).

I wonder what else I might be missing. I thought my graphics card was good enough because I do get the cinemas for Woohoo in Bed, Woohoo in Hot Tub, Woohoo in Car, birthdays, proposals (engagement and marriage), weddings (both successful and getting left at the altar), sim and alien birth, and very first kiss. Are there any others I might have missed? I haven't had a graduation yet at all, so I don't know what that one looks like either. There may be others, but I just haven't seen them yet.

Ste

[idtaminger]

Well, I've only gotten the video when a sim enters a uni lot by himself (not in a group) w/no other families already living there.

[gali]

It all depends:

1) If you send to college a CAS sim - you won't get a video clip.
2) If you send a townie, you will get an age transition only (no clip).

3) Only if you send a hood-born teen, you will get the video clip. But if you send one kid to a private house - you'll get a clip; if you send to the same house his brother/sister - you lose a clip.

Global: it has to be a hood-born teen, and always placed in a dorm.

[simmiecal]

A) How do you turn on cinematics? Is it an option in the UI panel?

Here is where you turn the cinematics on and off. In this picture example, it is OFF.

B) Is there anyway to enable them by tweaking any files? I know there are issues with how the game thinks that certain graphic cards are less powerful than they reall are, and that the game will tend to force a lower setting. Is this something that can be fixed by tweaking a file?

Sorry, not geeky enough to answer, but I think when you first load the game, it sometimes puts the settings lower than you can handle. I would suggest that after loading the game, always check the settings and move them "up" if it lets you and you think your system can handle it.

C) What happens when you send sims off to college if you Don't have it turned on? (Or if your graphics card is incapable of supporting them).

Same thing that you described - they show up in a taxi. The cinematic is neat when you see if the first few times but you're not really missing all that much. Since you get the cinematics for woo hoo, it should be able to support going to college. It's been a while, but I think that you only get the cinematic if they move from the house and not if you "send teens to college" from the neighborhood screen. Also, I think only the first teen to move into each lot gets the cinematic. But my memory is a little fuzzy right now, so I could be wrong on these two points.

I wonder what else I might be missing. I thought my graphics card was good enough because I do get the cinemas for Woohoo in Bed, Woohoo in Hot Tub, Woohoo in Car, birthdays, proposals (engagement and marriage), weddings (both successful and getting left at the altar), sim and alien birth, and very first kiss. Are there any others I might have missed? I haven't had a graduation yet at all, so I don't know what that one looks like either. There may be others, but I just haven't seen them yet.

The graduation party is cute, but I don't like doing parties that much so I usually don't bother. I can't think of any other cinematics other than maybe a golden anniversary party - never have thrown one so I don't know if there's anything special about that one.

Ste
[/quote]

[simmiecal]

Global: it has to be a hood-born teen, and always placed in a dorm.

Gali -

I've gotten a cinematic when a teen moved directly to a private residence when they went to college. Not sure where I heard it, but it sticks in my mind that the cinematic will only occur ONCE per lot - meaning if another sim has lived in the private residence before, even if they aren't living there at the moment, then you won't get the cinematic.

[Sandilou]

Ste, the moment of 'surprise' is usually a student running by - sometimes a streaker, sometimes a mascot/cheerleader, sometimes just an arse. (Not really!)  The student walks off into Uni while their parent shakes their head and looks on with despair.  

At the end of the terminally long stay that is the University experience, its only right that your new graduate throws a leaving party.  The cut scene for that shows the streaker running back again, while your sim grows taller, puts on the ugliest maxis suit the random generator can find and then jumps into a taxi for the main neighbourhood.  

Please note that JM's magic box of tricks does allow you to choose the adult clothing for your sim.

[RainbowTigress]

I've never seen any of the cinematics, and I probably won't for a long time until I have some extra money to do what I want with.  So would anyone be awesome enough to either make a video of the college arrival/graduation movie, or point me to where I could see one?  I downloaded some videos someone had made of the other events mentioned, such as first kiss, growing up, having a baby, etc., so I did get to see those.  I'd like to see some of these college scenes though if possible!

[birene]

Hey rainbow, try http://www.ireneks.de/MOV00002.mpg. Hope this works. It's an 3MB MPG file. If you have Windows Media Player it should download to it. (Or better click right on the link and save to your harddrive, to play it from there.)

Unfortunately you can't use the game camera for this movie, because the cinematic starts immediately after the loading screen, so I filmed it with my camcorder, hence the rather bad quality. You'll probably have to put the volume of your speakers way up to get decent audio, too.  

Also, I have no idea why it's a robber that runs over the screen, like the others said, it's supposed to be a streaker or a mascot, but my game is weird sometimes.

[Oddysey]

I've gotten the burglar and the social bunny. Very weird.

[Pegasys]

You'll also get a special surprise with Alexander's video in particular

Really? What kind of a surprise? I already sent Alex to school, but I don't remember anything special about it...

It has to do with who  *cough*Sim obsessed over by the masses*cough* drops off Alexander...

[Process Denied]

I was so glad that it was Alex that was the first one in the house or I would have missed the surprise.  I have had all sorts of weird run bys since NL.  I have had the ones mentioned and also a person in the French Fry Actor's costume.  I had played this game for a long time till I got a video card that allowed me to see the cinematics.  It was just two weeks before NL was released.  Highly recommend the upgrade.

[qvcatullus]

Alright, I'm at work and I'm just too lazy/impatient to wait until I go home and work all that out to send Alexander to college (I don't like the Goths much, myself). Anyone care to just go ahead and share the spoiler?

[simmiecal]

Alright, I'm at work and I'm just too lazy/impatient to wait until I go home and work all that out to send Alexander to college (I don't like the Goths much, myself). Anyone care to just go ahead and share the spoiler?

I'm guessing this involves *cough*Bella*cough*.

[SaraMK]

Alright, I'm at work and I'm just too lazy/impatient to wait until I go home and work all that out to send Alexander to college (I don't like the Goths much, myself). Anyone care to just go ahead and share the spoiler?

I'm guessing this involves *cough*Bella*cough*.

I sent Alexander to college a couple of weeks ago, and I distictly recall Mortimer being the one who sent him off.

Maybe Mortimer has to be dead?

EDIT: Yup.

[Kala]

Alright, I'm at work and I'm just too lazy/impatient to wait until I go home and work all that out to send Alexander to college (I don't like the Goths much, myself). Anyone care to just go ahead and share the spoiler?

I'm guessing this involves *cough*Bella*cough*.

I sent Alex to Uni and I saw Ms. Cough Cough

[RainbowTigress]

Hey rainbow, try http://www.ireneks.de/MOV00002.mpg. Hope this works. It's an 3MB MPG file. If you have Windows Media Player it should download to it. (Or better click right on the link and save to your harddrive, to play it from there.)

Thanks a lot for doing that!  That was funny, a little corny, but funny.  It played just fine in WinAmp, which is my default player.  I wonder how other people were able to record the cinematics?  I can't remember where it was I got those.  It may have been from a post on the BBS, but it was pre-Uni.  Anyway, thanks again.  Who knew the General could be such a softie?

[Liss]

oh yeah!  hehe I was playing Strangetown and sent the older Grunt boys to college, and it showed the cine for the first one.  That was priceless! lol

[birene]

I wonder how other people were able to record the cinematics?

Any other cinematics (like marriage, birth etc.) are perfectly recordable with the game camera, because they happen during gameplay and you can use the picture/movie panel. But this cinematic happens sort of before gameplay starts, so no panel, and the V-key doesn't work either. 

[RainbowTigress]

Oh ok, that explains it.  Thanks, birene.

[Process Denied]

Alright, I'm at work and I'm just too lazy/impatient to wait until I go home and work all that out to send Alexander to college (I don't like the Goths much, myself). Anyone care to just go ahead and share the spoiler?

I'm guessing this involves *cough*Bella*cough*.

I sent Alexander to college a couple of weeks ago, and I distictly recall Mortimer being the one who sent him off.  Mortimer has to be dead to see her.

Maybe Mortimer has to be dead?

EDIT: Yup.