Campus Crazies

As expected, I've been spending all my gaming time diving into Two Point Campus and I have to say that I've been having a great time.  I haven't made a ton of progress and have completed the first 4 or so campuses.  Maybe I'm crazy or doing it wrong, but I like to three-star each campus before I move onto the next one.  So, what's the same and what's new in the next chapter in the Two Point-iverse?

Anyone who played Two Point Hospital will immediately recognize the fact that many of the core gameplay mechanics are virtually the same.  Students and staff have basic needs that must be met; designing, placing, and decorating rooms is the same--rooms still have a prestige level that is impacted by the size and items you place in the room;  you'll still need to train staff to meet the needs of the many students who populate your campuses.

Even though many of the core mechanics of the game have stayed the same the focus in Campus is much more client/student oriented.  The ultimate goal on each campus is to keep your students happy and help them earn high grades.  Student happiness isn't just simply fulfilling their basic needs--students want to create relationships (of the friendship and romantic varieties), and be entertained.  These needs can be maintained through special rooms--the student lounge and student union rooms are both great hangout spots where friendships can blossom--or even through single items.  Students who are seeking romantic relationships might request a special bench that can be placed outside or a cupid statue.  Clubs are another unique way to keep students happy and there are several varieties (each with their own benefit)--in true Two Point fashion, these clubs are definitely a tad silly.  The power napping club teaches students the ability to rest and regain energy basically anywhere; the book club can actually help students learn faster; the power walking club improves student healthiness as does the nature club.

DJ Sue Chef puts on a performance in the student union.

The students and campuses themselves vary widely--the first few campuses have goals that are focused toward a single specialization, so far I've built campuses for gastronomy students who seem to be concerned with creating giant foods; robotics students who are focused on creating the perfect iron giants; a castle campus filled with wannabe knights.  The gameplay takes place during an "academic year" and you can choose the courses that will be taught (which is based on the goals for each map).  At the end of each year during "summer break" you are presented with new campus requirements and can choose to add or improved courses.  This break is nice because it gives you time to build new structures and rooms to improve your campus and work toward satisfying the increasingly complex requirements for each star-level.

Students come in a variety of "archetypes" and I haven't had much of a chance to delve into exactly what that means--a handy loading screen tip implies that different types of students have different needs.  It's fun to see the different type of students who show up on campus--goth students seem to enjoy the many gothic themed items (like the coffin bookcase or the raven lamp); posh students seem to enjoy...themselves?  I haven't had many posh students and their demands have been mostly for hat stands and posh pictures.

I'm hoping to get to some of the more advanced campuses and offer up many courses during my upcoming play sessions.  If you enjoyed Two Point Hospital, Campus has much of the same feel with enough differing mechanics to keep if feeling like a new spin on the formula.