Some days it doesn't pay to play

[resin]

You know, thanks to hacks and a well-oiled computer I usually run a trouble-free game, but I just need to bitch about my Sims 2 experience today, especially since I was home from work and wasted much of the day on this.

I play one lot for a while...okay, a long while (36 sim hours). Many things happen: children are born, elders frolic, maids clean up newspapers, and adults stomp their feet and cry when they can't go up the stairs. All typical. I watch the lot progress for a moment while I take a sip of coffee. In mid-sip a warning pops up. "Warning: all portals on this lot have been deleted. Exit the lot without saving!" That's when I realize that I hadn't saved the lot since playing...at all. Yes, I'm an idiot: why do you ask?

After the rage fades, I start the game again and go to another lot. Here we have a fresh-faced young lad who wants to get into private school. Being no fool (this time), I save the game at 4:30 and call the headmaster.
The headmaster shows up, looks at two rooms and then ends the tour early. Okay, no problem, I'll wow him with my lobster thermidor. The headmaster eats one plate...no food points. Then he gets on the swings and becomes un-"shoo"-" or "call over"-able. THEN he gets in the hot tub and becomes completely unselectable. Finally, with 30 seconds to go, he gets out of the hot tub and downs two more plates of lobster thermidor, gives no food points still and rejects the child. Needless to say, I exited without saving.

Ugh. It's a good thing I like boardgames.

[DMDye]

I'm sorry you are having a rough time... this is a prime example of the old internet joke... Do like Jesus and , *save*! As soon as you get a 'milestone' or anything worth saving.

I believe the Headmaster can be called on consecutively (every day) until he allows your kids into the Private School.

[SaraMK]

The Headmaster has become seriously glitched. I can get my kids into private school because I am used to not having dinner at all (skipping dinner has always been my strategy for winning this scenario). But when I DO have dinner, I get ZERO points for it. Ugh.

[witch]

The dinner thing has always been dodgy for my headmasters too, I wait till I get the message his tummy is rumbling before I call for dinner, otherwise he pretends he hasn't heard. I do get points that way.

BTW Where're all the Headmistresses? Another thing I noticed - the headmaster nearly always responds best to the teenage girls in my lots, don't know if that's just coincidence or a bit yucky.

[Pegasys]

Do you use the Entertain... Call to dinner command? Otherwise, just Serving dinner won't yield food points.

[gali]

If it wasn't so sad, I would laugh a lot - hilarious story....

I shrug only of the thought that I will lose such long story.... Have my compassion....

[radiophonic]

Can't say that hasn't happened to me. Typically, I save after a) Important events and b) Whenever I walk away. 

I've never had issues with the Headmaster, in fact, I managed to get 30 food points for a burnt grilled cheese sandwich once.

[syberspunk]

I recall Pescado mentioning in chat that the Headmaster tends to have more juvenile interests so it is best to have him chat with teens and children rather than adults. You will less likely get bad conversations this way.

In my test runs for my private school phone plug-in (in what was essentially a clean/fresh install), I rarely failed at the scenario. If I ever did, it was usually related to having bad conversations. I was testing this on the Pleasant house, and I'm not exactly sure there is a correlation, but Daniel or Mary-Sue tended to have better conversations when their mood was Gold or Plat. But I did notice, after taking Pescado's advice, that the headmaster would have better convos with Angela, and even the insufferable Lilith.

Also, when doing the tour scenario, the scoring actually depends on where the Headmaster is standing. Since he always follows you and stops about a footstep or two behind the sim giving the tour, you should position your sim in such a way that the headmaster will end up standing next to objects that boost the environment score. So, if you have expensive objects and/or lights concentrated in a certain area, stand near them in such a way as to maximize their proximity to the Headmaster. I believe the tour ends whenever the score reaches above 40 (maybe 30...). So... Pescado again recommends showing him a few crappy rooms first, saving the "best for last" so you can get a big boost. I usually get about 45 on the room tour.

By this time, the headmaster is probably hungry. While I'm doing the tour, I have another sim cook the food so it will be ready right away. Since Angela is the only one with cooking points, and only 3 at that, the best food she can make is hamburgers. At least, I think those give the best food points, but it seems variable. *shrugs*

After dinner's done, I "FINISH HIM" with a little light conversation via Angela or Lilith, whomever is free and in the better mood. And voila, scenario is done, with minutes to spare, and usually almost always above 100+ if not 90+ in the very least.

Ste

[KellyQ]

I play one lot for a while...okay, a long while (36 sim hours). Many things happen: children are born, elders frolic, maids clean up newspapers, and adults stomp their feet and cry when they can't go up the stairs. All typical. I watch the lot progress for a moment while I take a sip of coffee. In mid-sip a warning pops up. "Warning: all portals on this lot have been deleted. Exit the lot without saving!" That's when I realize that I hadn't saved the lot since playing...at all. Yes, I'm an idiot: why do you ask?

I do this myself quite frequently. I'll suddenly realize that I have played a lot for hours and hours without ever saving and if something bad happens, well, I'm kind of screwed if I save with the bad event and screwed if I don't save.  You'd think I'd learn, wouldn't you?

[J. M. Pescado]

After dinner's done, I "FINISH HIM" with a little light conversation via Angela or Lilith, whomever is free and in the better mood. And voila, scenario is done, with minutes to spare, and usually almost always above 100+ if not 90+ in the very least.

It's worth noting that the size of the score awarded is nearly entirely irrelevant, once you pass: In fact, the headmaster will likely try to sod off at the nearest available opportunity when you have a passing score, although you can pile on points for the hell of it if you can keep him busy. Otherwise he will attempt to congratulate you and leave.

[skandelouslala]

I play one lot for a while...okay, a long while (36 sim hours). Many things happen: children are born, elders frolic, maids clean up newspapers, and adults stomp their feet and cry when they can't go up the stairs. All typical. I watch the lot progress for a moment while I take a sip of coffee. In mid-sip a warning pops up. "Warning: all portals on this lot have been deleted. Exit the lot without saving!" That's when I realize that I hadn't saved the lot since playing...at all. Yes, I'm an idiot: why do you ask?

I sympathize so much on this one.  A few days I got a wonderful and exciting *cough* "This application has crashed" message only to realize that I hadn't saved in quite a few sim days..immediately wiping out loads of progress  for one of my sims on his way to 20 woohoos.  Grr.

[resin]

Also, when doing the tour scenario, the scoring actually depends on where the Headmaster is standing. Since he always follows you and stops about a footstep or two behind the sim giving the tour, you should position your sim in such a way that the headmaster will end up standing next to objects that boost the environment score. So, if you have expensive objects and/or lights concentrated in a certain area, stand near them in such a way as to maximize their proximity to the Headmaster. I believe the tour ends whenever the score reaches above 40 (maybe 30...). So... Pescado again recommends showing him a few crappy rooms first, saving the "best for last" so you can get a big boost. I usually get about 45 on the room tour.

By this time, the headmaster is probably hungry. While I'm doing the tour, I have another sim cook the food so it will be ready right away. Since Angela is the only one with cooking points, and only 3 at that, the best food she can make is hamburgers. At least, I think those give the best food points, but it seems variable. *shrugs*

That almost exactly echoes my normal headmaster strategy. The problem was that he didn't give any points for the food (lobster thermidor!) and then got seriously buggy after that. I did use the "Entertain - call for dinner" option rather than just serve the food, but he didn't seem to care. Also, I didn't save after calling him, since I know that messes things up.

It's not like I haven't had trouble with the headmaster before; in fact, despite any precautions I take it usually seems to be about a 50/50 chance of the scenario veering off into madness like this. I just had to complain because I had already had a buggy experience earlier in another lot. Bleh...and not in a good way.

Thanks for the sympathies, all!

[Ellatrue]

I almost never need to have them speak to him. Tour of the house with move_objects and all of the good items (plus a few new ones) in each room they visit, plus any food above hamburgers, and you're in.

[SaraMK]

Do you use the Entertain... Call to dinner command? Otherwise, just Serving dinner won't yield food points.

Yup. He has dinner with no problems. But I still get no points for it.

[BeckerCheez]

Lately in this neighborhood I've started, I've called the Headmaster over, and after the tour of the house, he'll freeze.  I can delete him safely using move_objects, and nothing happens in terms of the headmaster points/timer---it disappears.  It's a pain in the arse to invite the guy back over, but usually a different one comes anyway.  Dunno why I'm getting this problem. 

[Sleepycat]

I've never done the Headmaster thing, I just cheat and use InSIM to place any acceptable kids in private school - no poor trash in that school 

[witch]

My experience has also been that the headmaster sods off straight after dinner. I use simpe to apply to private school, paying more is great too, now only my rich sim kids go.