Contents

Installing the Game. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Welcome to Your Sims Newest Homes!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 The Rental Market. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Reputations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Social Groups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Bewitching New Acquaintances. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Other New Stuff. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Hints and Tips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Performance Tips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Customer Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Warranty. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

www.thesims2.co.uk

Stay in the Game and Register with EA!

Create an EA Member Account and register this game to receive free cheat codes and game hints from EA its fast and easy! You can register during the installation process or via the Electronic Registration link found in the games START menu. Alternatively, visit our website at www.gamereg.ea.com and sign up today! Note: Registering this game to your EA Member Account saves a copy of your game Serial Number to your EA My Account details so you can refer back to it in the future.

Epilepsy Warning
Please read before using this game or allowing your children to use it. Some people are susceptible to epileptic seizures or loss of consciousness when exposed to certain ashing lights or light patterns in everyday life. Such people may have a seizure while watching television images or playing certain video games. This may happen even if the person has no medical history of epilepsy or has never had any epileptic seizures. If you or anyone in your family has ever had symptoms related to epilepsy (seizures or loss of consciousness) when exposed to ashing lights, consult your doctor prior to playing. We advise that parents should monitor the use of video games by their children. If you or your child experience any of the following symptoms: dizziness, blurred vision, eye or muscle twitches, loss of consciousness, disorientation, any involuntary movement or convulsion, while playing a video game, discontinue use IMMEDIATELY and consult your doctor.

Precautions to Take During Use

Do not stand too close to the screen. Sit a good distance away from the screen, as far away as the length of the cable allows. Preferably play the game on a small screen. Avoid playing if you are tired or have not had much sleep. Make sure that the room in which you are playing is well lit. Rest for at least 10 to 15 minutes per hour while playing a video game.

Installing the Game

Important Note: Please do NOT install The Sims 2 Apartment Life in the same location where you installed The Sims 2. If you do, The Sims 2 Apartment Life les will overwrite The Sims 2 les, and neither game will work properly! By default, the installer automatically installs The Sims 2 Apartment Life into a separate location. If you choose to install The Sims 2 Apartment Life elsewhere, please make sure that it is not the same place where The Sims 2 is installed. If you mistakenly installed The Sims 2 Apartment Life in the same location, to get both games working again, please reinstall The Sims 2 and then reinstall The Sims 2 Apartment Life.

Backing up The Sims 2 Game Files We strongly recommend that you back up your saved game les before installing The Sims 2 Apartment Life. To back up your saved game les: 1. Find your saved games on your computer (C:\My Documents\EA GAMES\The Sims 2 with a default installation or C:\users\<username>\Documents\EA GAMES\The Sims 2 for Vista users). 2. Copy these les and folders to a safe location on your computer. Because you may have many les to store, we recommend compressing them using a le compression utility or burning them to a CD. 3. If you uninstall The Sims 2 Apartment Life and want to play a previous The Sims 2 product, such as The Sims 2 base game, copy these backed up user data les back to the same locations. Delete the les that are currently in the folder, then copy the backup les into this location.

When uninstalling your most recent expansion pack, the uninstaller deletes all saved games as they are unreadable by previous versions, including The Sims 2 base game. Backing up your saved games before installing allows you to restore these les if you uninstall this expansion pack. For more information on backing up your game les, please see the readme le.

Note: For system requirements, see electronicarts.co.uk. To install (disc users): Insert the disc into your disc drive and follow the on-screen instructions. Once the game has installed you can launch it from the games AutoRun menu or by locating the game through the START menu. Games on Windows Vista are located in the Start > Games menu and on earlier versions of Windows in the Start > Programs (or All Programs) menu. To install (EA Store users): Note: If youd like more information about purchasing direct downloads from EA, visit www.eastore. ea.com and click MORE ABOUT DIRECT DOWNLOADS. Once the game has been downloaded by EA Download Manager, click the install icon that appears and follow the on-screen instructions. Launch the game (once it is installed) directly from the EA Download Manager. Note: If youve already purchased a title and would like to install it on another PC, rst download and install the EA Download Manager on the other PC, then launch the application and log in with your EA account. Select the appropriate title from the list that appears and click the start button to download the game. To install (third party online users): Please contact the digital retailer through whom you purchased this game for instructions on how to install the game or how to download and reinstall another copy.

Starting the Game

To start the game: Games on Windows Vista are located in the Start > Games menu and on earlier versions of Windows in the Start > Programs (or All Programs) menu. (EA Store users must have the EA Download Manager running.)

REGISTRATION REQUIRED TO ACCESS ONLINE FEATURES. INTERNET CONNECTION REQUIRED. END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT REQUIRED TO PLAY. EULA, EA ONLINE TERMS & CONDITIONS AND FEATURE UPDATES CAN BE FOUND AT WWW.EA.COM. YOU MUST BE 13+ TO REGISTER WITH EA ONLINE. EA MAY RETIRE ONLINE FEATURES AFTER 30 DAYS NOTICE POSTED ON WWW.EA.COM.

Welcome to Your Sims Newest Homes!

Welcome to the fast-paced world of apartment living! Your Sims can leave the idyllic suburbs and enjoy new experiences and opportunities when they move into apartment buildings. Whether theyre sharing a tiny place with roommates, starting their family in an affordable apartment, or living the highlife in a penthouse suite, your Sims will love having new friends and neighbors right next door. Watch their social lives and careers soar as they embrace their new surroundings and reap all of the benets of apartment living!

Saving and Loading

Your game data is saved by lot. When you exit a lot, you are asked if you wish to save the game. If your active Sim goes to another lot in the same neighborhood, the game saves automatically when you exit the lot.

The Rental Market

To move a family into an apartment, select a family from the Sim Bin and click a rental property. Once the family is in the lot, nd an available apartment and click the door. To see how much the weekly rent is for an apartment unit, click its front door. If your Sim wants to take a look before committing to an apartment, click the front door and choose CHECK OUT APARTMENT. Once your Sim(s) are moved into their new apartment, the other apartments in the building rapidly ll up with your Sims brand new neighbors! Note: You can still choose to move in more of your own Sims from the Neighborhood screen if you want. The non-playable Sims who are living there simply move to another spot in town and any relationships your Sims have built with them remain intact.

Neighbors
Good fences might make good neighbors, but your Sims have only rather thin walls between them and the rest of the buildings inhabitants. Still, when theyre not waking you in the middle of the night with their carrying on, they can be an awfully good timehanging out at the pool, working out at the gym, sharing the communal barbecue area, and more.

Visiting Neighbors
Theres nothing like close quarters to encourage friendships. Your Sims are so close to their neighbors in an apartment building that theyre almost living with them! Finding someone to chat with is just a few steps away. Head down the hall or downstairs and your Sim can go visit neighbors at their place provided someone is home. Click a neighbors door and choose one of the options.

Noise Pollution
One of the downsides of apartment living is having shared walls with your neighbors. If your Sims live next to exceptionally noisy folks, they might hear much more than theyd like. Never fearif your Sims neighbors noise levels become too disturbing, your Sims can take action. Your Sims can BANG ON WALL to not-so-subtly let the neighbors know they arent appreciating the decibel level. They can also go to the neighbors door to COMPLAIN ABOUT NOISE. Beware! Noisy neighbors can wake up sleeping Simseven babies. So take care where you position your Sims beds! When the neighbors are creating a racket you not only hear the noise, you also see ashy shapes at the wall where the noise is seeping through. Thats the wall to bang on, if your Sims are so inclined. Tip: When your Sims get along with their neighbors everyone tries to act more neighborly. This includes keeping noise levels reasonable. So being nice to other Sims in the apartment building is a very good policy!

Roommates
Ah, the joys of a roommate! They pay part of the rent, theyre sometimes fun to have around, but you never know if theyre going to set re to the kitchen! Your Sim can use either a computer, newspaper, or a telephone to nd a roommate. Roommates are non-playable characters (NPCs), so you cant direct their actions, but you can click their thumbnail to see how theyre doing. For a harmonious household, its best if roommates can get along. But if your Sim ends up with a nightmare roommate, they can jettison them if they want. To give an antagonistic roomie the boot, click on him or her and then choose KICK OUT. Note: You can only have one NPC roommate at a time. If your roommates really hit it off, they might decide to become more than roommates. Your Sim can ask a roommate they really like to <move in> or they can even propose marriage. If the NPC roommate accepts, they become a full-edged member of the household and you can control them too.

Finding a Roommate
The perfect roommate may be just as far as your Sims computer, daily paper, or phone. Grab the computer or newspaper, and choose the SEARCH FOR ROOMMATE option. The Sims currently looking to rent a room are displayed in a pop-up screen. You can also place an advertisement for a roommate from the phone. Potential roommates will respond to the ad within a few days.

Sims currently looking to rent a room Click a name to review details about that Sim. Click this button to offer the Sim shown a room to rent.

Pay attention to the roommates personality. If your Sim is very neat, they wont get along very well with a sloppy Sim. But maybe thats what you want.

Landlords
One of the benets to renting is that when something goes wrong, the landlord is the one who has to take care of it. Nasty bug infestation? Call the landlord! Toilet clogged and running over? Call the landlord! When something needs xing your Sim can either request repair directly from the landlord when theyre on-site or call them on the phone. Landlords also help keep the grounds maintained by picking up trash, tending outdoor plants, and cleaning up puddles in common areas.

Paying Rent
Rent is due every Monday. Your Sims pay their rent at the lot mailbox. Click the mailbox and choose PAY RENT. If your Sim fails to pay rent, the landlord will come to collect it. If your Sim fails to pay rent for three days, the landlord refers their account for collection. NPC roommates pay their rent if their roommate satisfaction is high enough. If their satisfaction is low they might forget to pay their rent. If so, your Sim can get them to cough up the rent. Click the roommate and choose COLLECT RENT.

Redecorating in Apartments
When your Sims are renting their home, there are limits to how much they can change the dcor. In apartments, your Sims are limited to updating their oors, painting (or papering) the walls, and adding decorative elements like columns.

Reputations
Your Sims can develop reputations that can help them advance in their career, make new social connections, and more. When your Sim performs friendly socials on community lots, their reputation improves. Initiating unfriendly socials harms their reputation. To view your Sims reputation, from the Personality Panel, click the Reputation icon.

Networking
When your Sim is out visiting community lots, its a good idea to say hello to the townie Sims. Making great rst impressions can lead to networking rewards such as being introduced to a Sim theyd get along with, landing a new job, or getting their rent lowered! Watch out though because bad rst impressions can also have unexpected consequences!

Social Groups
Some Townie Sims that your Sim meets may belong to one of several social groups. The group that they belong to affects the type of greeting and stories that are most successful with them. If your Sim uses the appropriate greeting or tells the right type of story, their relationship gets an extra boost. Social groups include Gearheads, Bohemians, Jocks, Techies, and Socialites.

Bewitching New Acquaintances

All sorts of things happen when you leave the burbs behindand some of it can even be accurately described as, well, magical! In more densely populated areas the likelihood of meeting extraordinary Sims increases so it should come as no surprise that your Sim just might encounter a witch or a warlock when theyre out and about. If your Sim feels drawn to this supernatural lifestyle, they can attempt to befriend a witch. Once their relationship is strong enough, they can ask their new magical friend to introduce them into the Ways of the Light or to teach them the Path of Darkness.

Magic Spell Books

When your Sim is initiated into the ways of witchery, they receive a spell book and a cauldron from the witch or warlock who initiated them. The spell book is the foundation of their magical education and powers. You can check their abilities, study different types of magic, and more by clicking the book. Your Sims magic skill levelto increase their skills study the spell book. Your Sims magical alignment Neutral Spells (that your Sim knows) Good Spells (that your Sim knows) Evil Spells (that your Sim knows) Items that your Sim can craft

Spells
There are three sorts of spellsgood, neutral, and downright evil. The type of spells that your Sim casts aligns them to either the good side or the dark side. The more spells of a certain type they cast, the further over the spectrum they move toward that alignment. Good Spells Good spells generally make the Sims they are cast upon feel better than when they started. Good spells include things like healing sick Sims, increasing Sims motives, and increasing friendships. Neutral Spells Evil Spells These spells dont necessarily make Sims betteror worse. Neutral spells include conjuring up food, magically cleaning oneself, and teleporting. If your Sim enjoys causing trouble theyll love these spells which include making Sims throw up, breaking up relationships, and starting res.

There are many more spells that your Sims can discover. When your Sim learns a new spell, it is marked with an asterisk in their spell book the next time they open it. There are also some spells that are available only if you have certain expansion packs. For example, if you have The Sims 2 Pets installed, your Sim can summon a cat from another dimension! Explore the options and cast your Sims magic everywhere. To cast a spell, click a witch or warlock Sim and choose CAST SPELL and then choose a spell to cast. You can also cast some spells by clicking on certain objects, such as puddles or re, as well as on the ground and other Sims.

Broomstick Travel
Once your Sim becomes a witch or a warlock they can nally say goodbye to carpooling and calling taxis. Teen Sims can also y to schooleven if theyve already missed the school bus. To send your witch Sim to work, click the Sim and choose FLY TO WORK. To visit another lot, click the Sim and choose FLY TO LOT COMMUNITY LOT. If your Sim becomes a witch (or warlock), they automatically gain access to secret lots inhabited by the High Witch of Light and High Witch of Darkness. They can choose to go there through normal means (such as calling a taxi), or they can choose to y there on their broomstick.

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Other New Stuff

The Sims 2 Apartment Life has loads of other fun new features and objects to keep your Simsand youhappy. Here are just a few of them. Youll undoubtedly discover more as you play.

Actions
Wash Face and Brush Teeth Jump Rope Dance Kiss Give your Sims hygiene a simple boost with these two new interactions available at medicine cabinets. This is a good way to get t and have some fun! Click a Sim and choose JUMP ROPE. A sweet and romantic way for your Sims to lock lips. Choose this social and your initiating Sim twirls the object of their affection before dipping them and going in for a smooch.

Objects
Closets You can now build a closet to store all your Sims clothes. First build a very small room and then add closet doors. To nd closet doors, look in the Dressers section of the Miscellaneous menu in Buy Mode. You can choose a freestanding clothing rack or a closet with mirrored sliding doors. For a quick snack on the go, your Sim can hit the vending machines. These space savers are perfect for smaller homes, like apartments! Now you can get your Sims upstairs while taking up less space in your buildings. Give your Sims buildings the nishing touch they deserve by adding just the right ceiling. Ceiling tiles can be customized similarly to oor tiles. Vending Machines Spiral Staircase Ceilings

Tip: You can use the new 45-degree view to get a better look at your ceiling handiwork. Click in Build or Buy mode or press G. More Romantic Than You Double Bed Mysterious Looking Bookcase (Phone) Silent Mode Lure your Sims romantic partner into bed. It looks like an ordinary bookcase, but there is something about it that seems almost as if it could be hiding something. Perhaps a closer inspection of its reading materials will divulge its secrets. Do your Sims need to be left undisturbed? Now they can choose to screen their calls or turn the ringer off altogether for some real quiet time. Click the phone and choose your desired setting.

Wall Tools
To move objects youre placing on a wall up and down, press the [ and ] keys. To return an object to its original placement, press ESC. To place two or more items on one tile, press CTRL-ALT-click when placing.

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Hints and Tips

Your Sims cant get to sleep because the neighbors are making noise all night? If you cant move their bed away from all shared walls, try putting more furniture and decorations against the shared wall. The more stuff you pile up against the wall, the more of their cacophonous racket is absorbed. Which means less interrupted shut-eye for your Sims. Roommates can be helpful, as long as you can keep them happy. They pay part of the rent (how much depends on the size of your household) and can offer you opportunities and discounts if they are good enough friends with your Sim.So itliterallypays to keep those housemates happy. Keeping roommate satisfaction high depends on both the relationship between the roommateand your Sim and the roommates overall mood. When both are high, your roommate should be a model living companion. If things go sour though, make sure that your Sims roommate still pays the rent.If not, your Sim will need to use their inuence to get them to do so before collection timeor pay the whole thing and collect their portion later. Its evening and your Sim wants to head out for an hour or two. Now instead of calling a Nanny, if your Sim has a good enough relationship with their neighbor, they can ask them to watch their kids. The neighbor comes over and stays until the adult Sim returns. No charge! Now thats neighborly!

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Performance Tips
Problems Running the Game
Make sure you meet the minimum system requirements for this game and that you have the latest drivers for your video card and sound card installed: For NVIDIA video cards, visit www.nvidia.com to locate and download them. For ATI video cards, visit www.ati.amd.com to locate and download them. If you are running the disc version of this game, try reinstalling DirectX from the disc. This is typically found in the DirectX folder on the root of the disc. If you have Internet access, you can visit www.microsoft.com to download the latest version of DirectX.

General Troubleshooting Tips

If you have the disc version of this game and the AutoPlay screen does not automatically appear for installation/playing, right-click the disc drive icon found in My Computer and select AutoPlay. If the game is running slowly, try reducing the quality of some of the video and sound settings from the games options menu. Reducing the screen resolution can often improve performance. For optimum performance when playing, you may like to disable other background tasks (except the EADM application, if applicable) running in Windows.

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Customer Support
If you have trouble with this game, EA Customer Support can help. The EA Help le provides solutions and answers to the most common difculties and questions about how to properly use this product. To access the EA Help le (with the game already installed): Click the Technical Support link in the games directory located in the Start > Programs (or All Programs) menu. To access the EA Help le (without the game already installed): 1. Insert the game disc into your DVD-ROM drive. 2. Double-click the My Computer icon on the Desktop. (For Windows XP, you may need to click the Start button and then click the My Computer icon). 3. Right-click the DVD-ROM drive that has the game disc and then select OPEN. 4. Open the Support > European Help Files> Electronic_Arts_Technical_Support.htm le. If you are still experiencing difculty after utilizing the information in the EA Help le you can contact EA Technical Support.

EA Customer Support on the Internet

If you have Internet access, be sure to check our EA Technical Support website at: http://support.electronicarts.co.uk Here you will nd a wealth of information on DirectX, game controllers, modems, and networks, as well as information on regular system maintenance and performance. Our website contains up-to-date information on the most common difculties, game-specic help, and frequently asked questions (FAQs). This is the same information our support technicians use to troubleshoot your performance issues. We keep the support website updated on a daily basis, so please check here rst for no-wait solutions.

Support Centre Contact Info

If you require further assistance and would prefer to speak to a technician, telephone our Customer Support team (9am-9pm, Monday-Friday): Telephone: 0870 243 2435 Note: No hints or codes are available from the Support Centre. Fax: 0870 2413231 Calls charged at national call rates; please consult your telecoms provider for details. To help us diagnose the problem please generate a DirectX Diagnostic report of your PC before calling us: Click Start > Run and type dxdiag. Click OK, then once the report is complete, Click SAVE ALL INFORMATION and save the report to your Windows Desktop.

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Warranty
Note: The Following warranties only apply to products sold at retail. These warranties do not apply to products sold online via EA Store or third parties.

Limited Warranty
Electronic Arts warrants to the original purchaser of this computer software product that the recording media on which the software programs are recorded will be free from defects in materials and workmanship for 12 months from the date of purchase. During such period defective media will be replaced if the original product is returned to Electronic Arts at the address below, together with a dated proof of purchase, a statement describing the defects, the faulty media and your return address. This warranty is in addition to, and does not affect your statutory rights in any way. This warranty does not apply to the software program themselves, which are provided as is, nor does it apply to media which has been subject to misuse, damage or excessive wear.

Returns After Warranty

Electronic Arts will replace user-damaged media, current stocks allowing, if the original media is returned with a cheque or postal order for 7.50 per disc, payable to Electronic Arts Ltd. Please remember to include full details of the defect, your name, address and where possible, a daytime telephone number where we can contact you. Electronic Arts Customer Warranty, PO Box 1096, Guildford, GU1 9JN, United Kingdom. Electronic Arts excludes any warranty in relation to the Product if it is bought second hand and the consumer is not the rst end user of the Product.

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 2008 Electronic Arts Inc. EA, the EA logo and The Sims are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All Rights Reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Uses Pixomatic Rendering Technology.Copyright 2002-2008 by RAD Game Tools, Inc. This product includes software developed by the OpenSSL Project for use in the OpenSSL Toolkit (http: //www.openssl.org/). This product also contains software written by Eric Young (eay@cryptsoft.com). See The Sims 2 Apartment Life OpenSSL License le for applicable copyright notices, terms and conditions of use, and disclaimers. This product also contains software written by Tim Hudson (tjh@cryptsoft.com). STLPort License Agreement Boris Fomitchev grants Licensee a non-exclusive, non-transferable, royalty-free license to use STLport and its documentation without fee. By downloading, using, or copying STLport or any portion thereof,Licensee agrees to abide by the intellectual property laws and all other applicable laws of the United States of America, and to all of the terms and conditions of this Agreement. Licensee shall maintain the following copyright and permission notices on STLport sources and its documentation unchanged: Copyright 1999, 2000 Boris Fomitchev This material is provided as is, with absolutely no warranty expressed or implied. Any use is at your own risk. Permission to use or copy this software for any purpose is hereby granted without fee, provided the above notices are retained on all copies. Permission to modify the code and to distribute modied code is granted, provided the above notices are retained, and a notice that the code was modied is included with the above copyright notice. The Licensee may distribute binaries compiled with STLport (whether original or modied) without any royalties or restrictions. The Licensee may distribute original or modied STLport sources, provided that: The conditions indicated in the above permission notice are met; The following copyright notices are retained when present, and conditions provided in accompanying permission notices are met: Copyright 1994 Hewlett-Packard Company Copyright 1996, 97 Silicon Graphics Computer Systems, Inc. Copyright 1997 Moscow Center for SPARC Technology. Permission to use, copy, modify, distribute and sell this software and its documentation for any purpose is hereby granted without fee, provided that the above copyright notice appear in all copies and that both that copyright notice and this permission notice appear in supporting documentation. Hewlett-Packard Company makes no representations about the suitability of this software for any purpose. It is provided as is without express or implied warranty. Permission to use, copy, modify, distribute and sell this software and its documentation for any purpose is hereby granted without fee, provided that the above copyright notice appear in all copies and that both that copyright notice and this permission notice appear in supporting documentation. Silicon Graphics makes no representations about the suitability of this software for any purpose. It is provided as is without express or implied warranty. Permission to use, copy, modify, distribute and sell this software and its documentation for any purpose is hereby granted without fee, provided that the above copyright notice appear in all copies and that both that copyright notice and this permission notice appear in supporting documentation. Moscow Center for SPARC Technology makes no representations about the suitability of this software for any purpose. It is provided as is without express or implied warranty.

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