Lifetime want

Not to be confused with Lifetime wish.

Introduced in The Sims 2: University, a Sim's Lifetime Want (or LTW) is a special want that represents the Sim's ultimate goal or something that would make his or her life "complete".

Children and toddlers do not have Lifetime Wants. After a child (or a PlantSim toddler) grows up, and his or her aspiration is chosen, he or she will receive a randomly selected Lifetime Want. As a rule, the Lifetime Want will not be selected until a) one of the Sim's want is fulfilled, or b) the player saves, exits to the neighborhood screen, and returns to that household.

Lifetime Wants tend to be very difficult to complete during a Sim's natural lifetime. When one is fulfilled, a Sim will receive a very large amount of aspiration and influence points. Once a Sim has fulfilled a Lifetime Want, they will receive another Lifetime Want.

Without the FreeTime expansion pack, Sims who achieved a Lifetime Want will also receive a permanently platinum Aspiration bar. This in turn causes that Sim to have a permanently platinum mood and reach perma-platinum status.

If the FreeTime expansion pack has been added, the first Lifetime Want realized by a Sim will contribute to that Sim's Lifetime Aspiration score, but will not create perma-plat status unless the Sim is close to maxing out his or her Lifetime Aspiration Meter. It will, however, max out the Sim's aspiration bar, and cause that platinum aspiration to decay very slowly.

Lifetime Wants by Aspiration

A Sim's Lifetime Want is based on their aspiration. For example, a Sim with the Family aspiration will tend to have a family-related LTW, such as having a specific number of children or grandchildren, whereas a Sim with the Fortune aspiration will tend to want to earn a certain amount of money during his or her lifetime.

If FreeTime is installed, selecting a secondary aspiration for a Sim will not change the Lifetime Want, but will make the Lifetime Wants for the secondary aspiration available if the player uses a cheat or mod that allows the LTW to be reselected. If the player selects a secondary aspiration before a Sim's Lifetime Want appears, the randomly selected LTW may be one of those for the secondary aspiration.

University had Lifetime Wants to reach the top levels of the Artist, Natural Science, Paranormal, and Show Business careers, but later expansion packs "stepped" on these. They can be restored through the use of mods.

Family

University

• Graduate 3 Children from College
• Become Captain Hero
• Have 6 Grandchildren
• Marry Off 6 Children
• Reach Golden Anniversary.

Pets

• Raise 20 Puppies or Kittens

Seasons

• Become Education Minister
• Marry off 6 children
• Have 6 grandchildren
• Reach Golden Anniversary

Freetime

• Become World Class Ballet Dancer
• Become Head of SCIA

Fortune / Wealth

University

• Become Business Tycoon
• Become Chief of Staff
• Become Criminal Mastermind
• Become Hall of Famer
• Earn §100,000

Open For Business

• Own 5 Top-Level Businesses

Pets

• Have 6 Pets Reach the Top Career Level

Seasons

• Become Media Magnate
• Become Space Pirate
• Become The Law

Freetime

• Become Prestidigitator
• Become Head of SCIA
• Become World Class Ballet Dancer
• Become Hand of Poseidon
• Become City Planner

Grilled Cheese

Note: only available in the Nightlife and FreeTime expansion packs.

Nightlife

• Eat 200 Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

This particular Lifetime Want will remain even if aspiration changes. It is the only Lifetime Want without a description involving the purpose of the Want and the only one that will not roll up a new one when fulfilled.

Knowledge

University

• Become Chief of Staff
• Become Criminal Mastermind
• Become Mad Scientist
• Max out 7 Skills

Seasons

• Become Media Magnate
• Become Space Pirate
• Become Education Minister
• Become Game Designer

FreeTime

• Become City Planner
• Become Head of SCIA
• Become Prestidigitator
• Become Hand of Poseidon
• Become World Class Ballet Dancer

Pleasure

Note: only available in the Nightlife expansion pack.

Nightlife

• Become Celebrity Chef
• Become Professional Party Guest
• Have 50 1st Dates
• Have 50 Dream Dates
• Become Criminal Mastermind

Seasons

• Become Game Designer

Popularity

University

• Become Captain Hero
• Become Celebrity Chef
• Become General
• Become Hall of Famer
• Become Mayor
• Have 20 Simultaneous Best Friends

Open for Business

• Own 5 Top-Level Businesses

Pets

• Have 20 Simultaneous Pet Best Friends

Seasons

• Become Media Magnate
• Become Rock God
• Become The Law

Romance

University

• Become Celebrity Chef
• Become Hall of Famer
• Become Professional Party Guest
• Have 20 Simultaneous Lovers
• WooHoo with 20 different Sims

Seasons

• Become Rock God
• Become The Law

Player Tips & Tricks

• Theoretically, it is possible to have any individual Sim complete all of the Lifetime Wants without breaking the rules of the game, though this would take a fair amount of effort and liberal use of Aspiration rewards.
• When a child Sim grows up, the player has to pick their Aspiration, but their Lifetime Want won't be shown right away. In order to see it, the player has to a) fulfill one of the Sim's wants, or b) save, go to the neighborhood screen, and return to that household. The neat thing is that a player who doesn't like the Lifetime Want is Sim is given can go right back to the neighborhood screen (without saving) and return to the household to get a different Lifetime Want. This is a cheat-free way to pick Lifetime Wants. (However, it has not been tested.)