Autonomous University v1

10-8-26 Revision: Sorry guys, I'd uploaded the files in the wrong order so it had people downloading the Optional add-on instead of the actual mod - I've revised it so that they are all in the same zip file instead. Apologies!

Autonomous University is an autonomous academic management overhaul for Discover University. This is something I've wanted for years and since it seemed like this didn't annoy anyone as much as it did me (I could never find a mod that actually did this and it drove me crazy kjsdfnjkdfsn), I decided to take a crack at it myself. This is for simmers who usually play with a family where there are multiple storylines running at once, and the just-started-college teen/YA roleplay would require waaaay too much attention to ensure the student didn't flunk out - now you can trust your college student sims to do their coursework without your manual involvement! 

What Autonomous University Does

AU gives college student sims a background decision-making system that helps them recognize and work on their own coursework, study when it makes sense, prepare major projects, and engage with useful academic activities with much less player micromanagement. Sims are given different academic behavior styles, so not every student handles university exactly the same way. Currently, Autonomous University has your sims managing the following cateogories on their own (due to expand in the future):

Homework

University sims can recognize when coursework needs attention and autonomously work on the appropriate homework. You no longer need to manually hunt down every homework book and tell your student to get started.

Term Papers

Sims can work through the term paper process more independently, including:

• Starting a term paper
• Returning to unfinished work
• Continuing progress
• Improving the paper
• Submitting it when appropriate

Presentations

AU can manage the presentation preparation process through its different stages:

Capture Information → Refine & Organize → Practice Presenting → Give Presentation. 

The system can recognize the presentation's current progress, determine what the sim needs to do next, and handle the presentation board appropriately.

Computer Study

University sims can autonomously choose to study for their enrolled courses using a computer.

Textbook Study

Sims can also use university textbooks autonomously when the appropriate course and textbook are available.

Professor Contact

AU can encourage useful academic interactions such as:

• Email Professor
• Office Hours

Guest Lectures

Sims may also consider attending guest lectures when the game's normal time and location requirements are met.

Exam Study Urgency

Courses with exams can become more important to study for as needed.

Smarter Academic Autonomy

AU is not designed to constantly interrupt your sim and force them to study. The mod evaluates possible academic actions and tries to choose an appropriate time to act.

A university student sim can now:

• recognize academic work that needs attention
• build a list of useful academic priorities
• wait if they're already doing something meaningful
• remember an academic task while they're busy
• return to schoolwork when they're available
• avoid repeatedly stacking the same academic actions

The intention is for university behavior to feel like part of normal sim autonomy rather than a nonstop homework command.

Student Types

Not every university student behaves exactly the same way. AU includes different Student Types (assigned automatically) that influence how strongly sims are drawn toward academics.

Overachiever
Highly academically driven.
Overachievers are strongly attracted to coursework, studying, important projects, and improving their work. They tend to be straight A students, though its not garunteed. 

Model Student
Responsible, engaged, and dependable.
Model Students are especially interested in completing responsibilities, contacting professors, and taking advantage of useful academic opportunities. This type tends to be a frequent A-B student.

Easygoing
The typical middle-of-the-road student.
Easygoing sims usually handle what they need to do, but school isn't their entire personality. They may procrastinate and become more motivated as deadlines approach. This type tends to be a frequent C student.

Free Spirit
School has competition.
Free Spirits are more easily distracted by everything else happening in their lives and may put academics off longer than other students. They can still pull things together when the pressure rises. This type tends to be a frequent C-D student.

Disengaged
A Sim who is beginning to check out of university altogether.
Disengaged students have very low academic motivation and are intended to represent sustained academic withdrawal rather than simple procrastination. This type tends to be a frequent D-F student.

NOTE: Student Types influence behavior, but they do not automatically guarantee certain grades. AU gives sims more responsibility over their own education however it doesn't promise they'll make good decisions - and that's part of the fun :).

Requirements

• Lot 51 Core Library is required.
• The Sims 4: Discover University is required.

Installation

1. Download megansway_AutonomousUniversity.zip
2. Make sure Lot 51 Core Library is installed.
3. Place both the megansway_AutonomousUniversity.package and megansway_AutonomousUniversity.ts4script files in your Mods folder. 
4. Do not place the .ts4script file more than one folder deep.
5. Make sure Script Mods are enabled in your game settings.

Compatibility

AU is designed to work primarily through Discover University's existing academic systems. Mods that heavily replace or alter the same university interactions may affect behavior. Potential compatibility areas include mods that change tunings such as:

• University Homework
• Term Papers
• Presentations
• Studying
• Professor Interactions

Tuition-only mods and unrelated university mods are less likely to interfere, but compatibility can never be guaranteed with every mod combination.

Troubleshooting Cheats

aup.logpath - to find out where your log is when reporting issues/bugs

aup.status - to view the general health of the mod (useful to send as a screenshot during reports)

aup.student_type - to check what student type your sim is

aup.ping - triggers the mod if for any reason its not working, usually solves minor issues

Thank You

Feedback is very appreciated at this stage so if you find any issues or bugs, let me know! In the future, I plan to add more 'university life' features touching areas such as organizations, spirit rallies, school rivalries, and etc that will primarily be aimed toward the roleplay aspect. For now, I hope you enjoy and GO BRICHESTER!!

OPTIONAL ADD ON: I've also included a small mod that raises the costs of courses to 1,500 simoleons to make university feel more realistic - this is completely optional and not needed to make the mod work.