Motives, sometimes called needs, are the things that prevent your sim from
kicking the can before their time or going insane, so be sure they have them
fulfilled so they can worry about bigger things. The main strategy involved
in The Sims 2, much like the original, is the ability to multitask and know
when and how to do things and what to expect as a reaction. Fortunately, this
is a very user friendly game, and you usually have to be trying to get your
sims to die prematurely by motive deprivation.
Hunger:
The most important motive, most likely because your sim will die if
you ignore it for too long. Well before that though, your sim will start
screaming, nagging, and start refusing to do anything beneficial until it is
met, sometimes even interrupting his/her own cooking, resulting in a fiery
finale. Hunger is one of the biggest pulls on a sim's mood, and as such,
should always a priority above other motives.
This bar should be at least above half unless you are in a desperate fight
with time. The best way to fill Hunger is to have a sim with level 10 cook
whip up something, anything. Even a Cup o' Ramen can refill almost half of a
hunger bar if cooked by a master, but unfortunately, if your sim is fresh off
the bus, he stands a higher chance of incinerating himself in the kitchen
than anything else, so fortunately, that's where the university cafeterias
come in handy. At university, cafeteria workers cook breakfast, lunch and
dinner, but be sure to go for the fresh food they bring out, or else your sim
might accidentally come down with food poisoning.
