The Sims 4: Using Tiny Living with Discover University

Presented by EA Game Changers

When I first got my hands on The Sims 4 Tiny Living, I immediately knew it was the perfect pack to compliment Discover University. Starving college students will find living in micro-homes both affordable and convenient while finishing their studies and so many of the new objects in Discover University compliment the space-saving focus of Tiny Living.

I’ll be showing off all the different ways to blend Discover University with Tiny Living to give your college students a true tiny living experience that won’t cramp their style or their wallets.

Mini-Fridges

Of course, mini-fridges are the first thing that come to mind when you think of conserving space. The mini-fridge has a large slot on it for a microwave, so you can have your fridge and microwave all on one tile. The kitchen pictured above in this Discover University micro home makes use of this setup. Now your college Sims can microwave all the breakfast burritos they want!

Combine TVs and Dressers

Did you know small TVs can be placed on top of this Discover University dresser and they’re still functional? Total game changer in a tight space. This definitely brings back memories of my university days. What university student didn’t have a tiny TV on top of their dresser in their dorm room?

Maximizing Bathroom Space

Bathrooms can be some of the hardest rooms to design in a tiny home. You can’t just leave them open-concept like the rest of the home unless you like having embarrassed Sims all the time, but it can be a nightmare finding the tile space for them. A shower, toilet, and sink stuffed into a tiny space often ends up looking cramped, so how to resolve this issue? Discover University comes with an open shower that’s super tiny and doesn’t take up a whole tile, making the space look bigger. For some added style and privacy, use one of the new Discover University dividers to create a shower stall. They’re ultra slim and don’t make the space feel closed in like a thick, chunky wall section would.

Additionally, you can use the new dividers just about anywhere you want to define a space without making it feel small and dark.

Compact Floor Mirror

In a tight space, you don’t want to use up a floor tile for anything that isn’t absolutely essential, like a mirror. Luckily, Discover University comes with a new floor mirror that hardly takes up any floor space at all! This is great for any fashion-forward college student who wants a full-body mirror in their dorm or tiny home but doesn’t have a lot of floor space to work with.

Laptops

While the base game does have a laptop, it is a locked career reward and inaccessible to players without playing through the Freelancer career or using cheats. Laptops also came with StrangerVille, but for Discover University players who don’t like to cheat and who don’t own StrangerVille, laptops will be new to them.

The laptop is a great way to get all your school work done and save space because they’re completely portable! Just pop it into your Sim’s inventory when it’s not being used and drag it out onto any available surface with seating whenever you need it. You don’t even need a study desk if you have a laptop; any flat surface with a chair out in the world can be your study desk.

Individual Storage Chests

While the new storage chest that comes with Discover University does take up two full floor tiles, it can hold hundreds of objects your Sim wants to tuck away for safe keeping. Being able to claim and name these storage chests gives your Sim added privacy and prevents any pesky roommates from touching their stuff. My micro home didn’t have the space indoors for this big chest, so I placed it outside on the patio and it looks great as outdoor storage! Putting objects outdoors can be a good way to free up space indoors, too.

Bicycles

Sizing up toy cars to put on a faux driveway have been popular with builders for years now, but if you’re building on a small 20×15 lot, you might not be able to justify using up that kind of space for a mode of transportation that isn’t even functional. It’s a lot of wasted yard space on glorified clutter.

Bicycles to the rescue! The bikes are super thin, lightweight, and compact. They can be placed absolutely anywhere on your lot, no need to lay out a driveway for them, and they are 100% functional! Ride them to class, to the library, to the local pub, go for a joyride and take in the sights around Britechester. Oh, and if you don’t want it sitting out in the yard when you’re not using it, just drag it into your Sim’s inventory. The ultimate space-saver in transportation.

Bring the Party Outdoors

Okay but how are your Sims supposed to party in a micro-home? Simple. Take the party outdoors. Even on a 20×15 lot, there’s still plenty of yard space left over after building a micro or tiny home that can be used for just about anything you like; gardening, swimming, sports… and parties. Create a faux patio with terrain paint or stone floor tiles and pop a juice keg and BBQ out there. Set a ping pong table up in the yard and pump tunes with the new outdoor floor speakers that will make your neighbours complain about the noise.

This micro home pictured above is more suited to the quiet university student who just wants a peaceful place to study and do a bit of gardening, but it gives you an idea of all the extra space at your fingertips and what you can do with it.

Storytelling Opportunities

Nothing is more suited to the college lifestyle than tiny living and now with the Tiny Living stuff pack, your university students will be rewarded for their tiny living lifestyles with tonnes of useful gameplay rewards. Reduced bills are going to be a huge financial help to college students trying to pay off their tuition, and other rewards allow them to make friends more easily and enjoy added comfort while living in a small space. The Tiny Home Residential lot type is ideal for playing out college-based stories.

Want the micro home featured in this article for yourself? It’s on the Gallery! It has no CC and uses only base game and Discover University content. Search for SnarkyWitch. This lot is called Itsy Bitsy Uni Dreamy.

For more ways to use Tiny Living with other packs, see our article, The Sims 4 Tiny Living: Building With Other Packs.