The Sims
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-FAQ by Fatman |
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_ /\
(^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^) /\ | | __________ \/
( ) / \| | / ________| __ _ __ __ ____
^^^^^^^| |^^^^^^^ / | | / | | | |/ | \ / ___|
| | __ /__ ___|____ | | | | | | | | \___ \
| | | | | || ______| \ \________ |__| |___|__|_| |____/
| | | |__| || |____ \_______ \
| | | __ || ____| \ \
| | | | | || |______ | | Designed By Maxis
| | |__| |__||________| _______/ / Published by EA
(Electronic Arts, Inc.)
--------|__|-------------------------|_________/-----FAQ by Fatman-------
The Sims FAQ
-Everything I know about The Sims will be in this guide, and I will update as
needed.
-The most recent version of this FAQ can be found at http://allgames.yeah.net
-Please refer to the Coming Soon section - I need suggestions!
Updates
Version 1.9 | 3-25-00 | Updated codes, added 2.8 Cool Ideas, Updated FAQ
Version 1.8 | 3-12-00 | Did a much needed spelling/grammar check, started FAQ,
added new code.
Version 1.7 | 3-09-00 | Added 1.1 The Neighbors, Added i. Review / Overview,
(Please look at coming soon! I need your help!) Added 9. Last Time I Played...
Version 1.6 | 3-06-00 | Worked all week on this. Added 2.65 A Place For The
Kids, Added to Table of Contents and Updated section i (You GOTTA See This.),
Added 4.25 Sim Health, added 7 Known Bugs, and - it took a lot of time - ADDED
4.35 THE JOBS
Version 1.5 | 2-29-00 | Big Update! Fixed minor errors, Added more in Section
1, Added 4.4 School, 2.25 A Very Nice Touch and 2.6 The Great Outdoors, Added
7 Coming Soon, Changed ASCII art slightly
Version 1.4 | 2-28-00 | Added 3.7, changed minor errors, added 4.3, changed
old 4.3 to 4.4
Version 1.3 | 2-21-00 | Changed minor errors, added 4.3, added Cheats and
other stuff
Version 1.2 | 2-20-00 | Added ASCII art, changed minor errors, added 3.6,
started section 4!
Version 1.1 | 2-20-00 | Fixed Table of Contents, added 2.6, Wrote Section 3!
Version 1.0 | 2-20-00 | Everything's New!
Table of Contents
i. Review / Overview
ii. NOTES!
1. Building A Family
1.1 The Neighbors
2. Building A Home
2.1 Walls
2.2 Doors
2.25 A Very Nice Touch
2.3 Windows
2.4 Wallpaper and Flooring
2.5 Bragging Rights
2.6 The Great Outdoors
2.65 A Place for the Kids
2.7 Suggested Homes
2.8 Cool Ideas
2.81 The Apartment
2.82 Casino
2.83 Restaurant
2.84 Bar
2.85 Really Good Idea
2.9 Final Words On Building
3. Furnishing your home
3.1 Four Basics
3.2 Living Room
3.3 Kitchen
3.4 Bedroom
3.5 Bathroom
3.6 Security
3.7 Lighting and Decorations
4. Living the Sim Life
4.1 The Basics
4.2 The Eight Needs
4.25 Sim Health
4.3 Money and Jobs
4.35 The Jobs
4.4 School
4.5 Love, Life, and Death
5. Cheats and other stuff
6. Links
7. Known Bugs
8. Coming Soon
9. Last Time I Played...
--------------------------
INTRODUCTION
--------------------------
The Sims is a Maxis game somewhere between SimCity and SimAnt. In my opinion,
it is the best yet. It is a realistic simulation of family life, containing
all the twists and turns you could ever hope to see. It covers everything from
making lunch to making friends to making babies to making money. Yep, it's all
about making. Your Sims (simulated people) can live in a shack or a mansion.
They can have a pool or a pool table. And if you have the money, both!
--------------------------
i. Review / Overview
--------------------------
I officially was hooked in September 1998.
Maxis games grabbed me and wouldn't let go. I slowly became addicted to Maxis,
after grabbing a copy of SimTower from Maxis's website and having a copy of
SimTown lying around. But I was itching for more. I wanted SimCity 2000 like
it was the apocalypse. But I had no cash at the time. So I waited until
Christmas until a relative was thoughtful enough to give me SimIsle plus "The
Ultimate Collection" - SimCity 2000, SimCopter and Streets of SimCity.
Then I was really hooked.
As I stumbled through the boxes, I saw an offer for $20 off SimCity 3000. I'd
been watching the website for months, waiting for a release date. The sheet
said Fall 1998, but that had come and gone. So I waited the month until late
January, when I discovered... could it be... YES! SC3K (Maxis Junkie Slang for
SimCity 3000) would be out on February 2nd! I grabbed every cent I could find
and ordered it from Maxis. I would go to Best Buy every day and look over the
box until it came.
Then I was incredibly hooked.
I played for months, until mid June when my city building fantasies slowed. I
got 4 months out of it, and a recent trip to the museum hooked me on
RollerCoaster Tycoon. So I bought that and played it until it's expansion
pack, which I bought and played some more. But in September, I vaguely
remembered a video clip on the SC3K disk. The Sims, was it? Hmm. I grabbed the
disc from the rack and watched the clip. Wow! I went to SimCity.com and found
The Sims had a website. In almost a deja vu of last year, I checked the site
every day. And soon I found that The Sims would be released exactly one year
and two days after SC3K.
I was so hooked that I couldn't get out.
So on the first day it was out I hastily called Best Buy and checked if they
had it in stock. No. Dang! The next day I checked Babbages. They had it, and
for $40 too! It was an average price, but I went and checked Best Buy
regardless. They had it for $50, but I wanted to use a gift card and got them
to lower their price. I bought it and played immediately.
I am hopelessly hooked.
For the past month I've been making families, from the family of a
successful doctor to the family with two black brothers living together to a
bachelor who ended up moving out to a family based on the three most known
people at Maxis (Will Wright, Luc Barthelet, Lucy Bradshaw - maybe later I'll
add Ocean Quigley as a neighbor.) It's an incredibly original idea, as it
isn't like the millions of Doom clones out there. It keeps you hooked because
you haven't done it before. You are the dictator. Hey, want to put a shower
right by the pool, like at gymnasiuns? Whatever! I've explored so many of the
possibilities in this game, and I'm hoping Mr. Wright has more in store for
us. Or else I'll kill the Sim I made of him! Bwhahahahaha! But I still can't
stop playing the game, regardless. There's always more motivation for me, like
if I want to get a pool table, a big screen TV and a computerized toilet.
I'm going to be hooked for a long time.
Graphics: 9/10
Wow! This is something that I thought Maxis wouldn't ever do. The characters
are 3-D, and look pretty good none the less. The furniture and architecture
were obviously cared for greatly, as seen by the detail put into it. The
people just look plain great, and their wardrobes are simply smashing (How
would you like a blonde with a tube top and leather jacket on over it? Huh?).
They even get you with lighting, as lights in one place will show up there
more than further away.
Gameplay: 10/10
First of all, it just doesn't get old. I could have 8 families running and
want more. The interface is simple, as you can select a character and click on
the object you want to use. One thing I would've liked is a "house map" for
easy navigation.
Sound: 10/10
Geez! These Maxis fellows were so articulate with the sound that my family
thinks the doorbell rang when it's only the SimDoorbell. You can hear them
"ouch"ing when they cut themselves, or the shower running in the bathroom.
Best of all, it fades out as the view gets further away, like in real life.
You don't hear a shower throughout the house, but it isn't silent either.
Wow Factor: 10/10
I play this the first time and say, "Oh. My. God." This game is like none
other, and even a junkie like me who knew what to expect was shocked.
Overall Rating (Not an average): 98%. This game is the best I've ever played
and I must recommend you GO OUT AND BUY IT RIGHT NOW (unless you already have
it).
--------------------------
ii. NOTES
--------------------------
You can give your Sims free will or not using the options menu, but free will
will let them do things themselves. No free will lets you be the absolute
ruler of them.
STRAIGHT FROM MAXIS!
YOU CAN GET MORE THAN ONE NEIGHBORHOOD!!!
How can I save more than one game?
The Sims design is to play one neighborhood at a time.
If you want to save several different neighborhoods, you can copy the
\\UserData folder located within \\The Sims folder on your hard drive. Copy
this folder into a different location and that neighborhood will be preserved.
When you want to play those houses, remove the current \\UserData folder and
place the backed up folder into \\The Sims folder.
You heard it here.
--------------------------
1. Building a Family
--------------------------
Unless you use the tutorial family or the pre-made one, the Goths, you can't
operate a house without a family inside, even if it's only a bachelor. You can
use the pre-made families, such as Pleasant, Roomies, or Bachelor, but it's so
much more fun to create your own. When you go to the Family building screen
(accessible from the neighborhood screen), click Create New Family and then
add its members, one by one. You can change their name, gender, skin color,
age (Child or Adult), and personality (or choose a pre-made personality by
selecting their astrological sign - geez, everything's pre-made!)
The Personality Points include:
Neat: This determines how likely your Sims are to clean up after themselves.
If you find it a pain telling your Sims to put their dishes in the sink or to
flush the toilet, put this up.
Outgoing: This is how well your Sims will be socially. If your Sims always
decide against what they were going to do, like talking to someone, you might
want to make your next Sims high in this.
Playful: This will determine what a Sim likes to do. This isn't too crucial. A
serious Sim will rather read a book than sit in front of the TV and a playful
Sim the opposite.
Active: This will determine how long it takes for a Sim to wake up, and it
will also affect how a Sim has Fun. A lazy Sim likes lounging on the couch
watching TV more than playing basketball. But an active Sim will be a monster
on the court.
Nice: This will also affect social. If your Sim is a nice Sim, they will have
a higher success rate while talking or interacting with other Sims in general.
My advice is to keep everything leveled out when you have a bachelor. If you
want to focus more in any area, my advice is to take a few points from
Playful. Outgoing would be your next choice to pull from. My shy Sims had
short conversations, and then as they liked each other more, the conversations
lengthened, until the shyness was cancelled out. But in a family of two, you
should have one of them very neat (though the other should be up there) Both
should be very active, or at least the one who stays at home and cooks meals,
etc. be active (can cook breakfast with little delay). Make them nice, too, so
that they can get others to be friends and advance in careers.
So you don't WANT a leveled out person, hmm?
Here's a suggestion: first fill each meter about a third of the way. Then
bring Neat and Active up to about 3/4 of the way up. Finally, add the
remaining points to the other 3 equally. If you find you have an odd point
left out, add it to nice or outgoing.
Another suggestion is to stagger on neat and put everything else up, and hire
a maid.
1.1 The Neighbors
Well, there are two ways to go. First, you can make a feeder family. This is a
family where you don't do things with them. Just make eight people and stick
'em in one family. Make their horoscopes agreeable with your Sims'. Build a
home with a wall and a phone on that wall (or a phone and an end table -
whatever.) Then use them to advance in your career. But if you're like me -
restless - you're going to want to play these families too. A family of two is
good to start out with. Later on they can have kids, get married or you can
get really ambitious and make a family of eight right from the start.
Remember! Once you finish a family, YOU CANNOT GO BACK AND EDIT IT. You may,
however, edit each individual family member during the process of family
building. When you finish, you can select "Move In Family" to put them in a
pre-made house, or try your hand at...
--------------------------
2. Building A Home
--------------------------
2.1 Walls
Walls are extremely important. Without them your Sims would have an extremely
low room rating - more on that later. You could also not place fire alarms,
paintings, the cordless phone, windows, etc. etc. etc. They also make the
house a heck of a lot prettier. You will want several rooms - a bedroom, a
bathroom, a kitchen, and a living room. Walls can be placed by clicking and
dragging, or a complete room by shift-clicking and dragging. Delete walls by
control-clicking. One thing I found which saved me money and made my Sims
happier is to not place a door between the kitchen and living room - to
connect them freely. So if it looks like this:
______________________________________________
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| Kitchen | Living Room |
| | |
| | |
| | |
|_____________________|_______________________|
Consider changing it to this or something similar.
______________________________________________
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| Kitchen | Living Room |
| | |
| | |
| |
|_____________________________________________|
This will save you money on walls, smoke detectors, burglar alarms, and your
Sims will have a higher "Room" rating. Be warned: you have to make this large
room well lit by using windows and lighting frequently. You do, however, want
to put walls / doors in between bedrooms and bathrooms, because if you're
running the stereo and someone's trying to sleep, you could be in trouble. And
Sims don't usually like other Sims barging in on them when they are on the
john.
2.2 Doors
For your first home you will want 3 doors - Bedroom, bathroom, and front. Do
not overdo it with too many doors because you ARE on a budget. After
purchasing that expensive lot and building lots of walls, you need to spend
even more.
2.25 A Very Nice Touch
If you're looking for a very nice touch to make you look rich when you have a
second story and still staying economical, try this
If your front wall looks like this:
________________/______________ / = Door ___ = Wall
Try changing it to look like this
_____/_____
________|C P P C|__________ / = Door ___ = Wall C = Column P = Potted
Plant
You'll be surprised at what a small front porch can do for your house.
2.3 Windows
Windows don't do too much except light the room during the day. The bigger the
room is the more windows you will have to build. Again, you are on a budget so
stay economical and buy the cheapest model.
2.4 Wallpaper and Flooring
Wallpaper is something you can do without, but it also makes your house unique
and nicer looking. You should probably add wallpaper last, as if you run out
of cash you can do it later when your Sim gets a job. Flooring is also
unnecessary, unless you build a second floor - a task I recommend you approach
when you have saved up for it. Then flooring is absolutely necessary, as you
don't want your Sims falling through the floor.
2.5 Bragging rights - A Second Floor and a Pool
When your Sims start rolling in dough, you can build some spiffy add-ons to
their house. First off is a second floor. The first thing you'll want to do is
add a staircase and switch to second floor view. You can then build flooring
around it - in front of and connecting to the stairs. After that, build walls
surrounding the flooring and you'll have your basic second floor. You'll
probably want to have a bathroom on the second floor, and at least one bedroom
(give the kids a view). You'll also want to have some form of entertainment.
But the staircase alone costs a lot, so you may want to wait to buy these.
When you build a pool - rather expensive - you build it square by square - or
in a large rectangle by holding down shift and dragging. You will then want to
add a ladder into the pool, and optionally a diving board. I would recommend
you go for the pool first, because it increases the aesthetic appeal of your
house more, it's fun, it gives you a work out, and only the real rich people
(or people who saved for a long time) have a pool (whereas even _I_ have a
second floor.). And it costs less.
Let's say you have built a one room second floor with an area of a measly 6x5.
We're going to stay cheap as we can here. Which means the wallpaper will be
ugly. You give ?00 for the cheapest stairwell. ?540 for the 22 walls needed
to encompass it. ?76 for 44 squares of very cheap wallpaper (inside and out).
?50 for thirty squares of cheap flooring. ?776 WITHOUT FURNITURE! But with
that same money, you could buy a 6x5 pool, a diving board and a ladder to get
out with. And it's so much more useful. Adding a bed upstairs? Could be 4 more
squares of pool.
2.6 The Great Outdoors
Your Sims may find that their room rating drops when they go outside. You need
to add things to make the outdoors look nice, like plants, hedges, etc. Being
the fool that I am, I did not build up my yard until more than a month after
my Sims moved in. So they would always walk out and go to work in a bad mood
all because of that one room rating. So, the first thing I did is described in
"A Very Nice Touch" above (section 2.25). This did a little bit. But soon I
added more. Here's a diagram of my patio.
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
HPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPH
HP PH
HPPPPPPP PPPPPPPPH P = Plant
HFFFFFFF FFFFFFFFH H = Hedge
HF GGFH F = Fence
HF C C FH G = Grill
HF TTTT FH T = Table
HF TTTT FH C = Chair
HF/_L__C__C__L__FH / = Door
L = Wall Light (Downloadable from thesims.com)
It's very very very pricey - One hedge alone costs ?50 - ?80. You can ignore
the hedges if your cash is limited, but it is a nice touch.
2.65 A Place for the Kids
Well, kids may find it's fun to go outside. Why not make things more
accessible to them? You might want to try building them a playhouse or even
put their room outside. Heck, you could have an entire little house for the
kids to do everything in.
First Floor
__
|
|
| ____________
H | |B CCC | \ = Door PC = Computer
o | | | B = Burglar Alarm TV = TV
u | \ S| S = Stereo SWSW = Stairway
s | |C | C = Chair JJ = Jungle Gym (Outside)
e | |PC___TVSWSW_| CCC = Couch JJ
| JJ
__| JJ
Second Floor
__
|
|
| ____________
H | | CCC BS| \ = Door P = Phone
o |______| | BS = Bookshelf
u \______\ BBB |SWSW = Stairway
s | | P| CCC = Couch
e | |_BBB___SWSW_| BBB = Bed
|
__|
Note that I added a passageway from the kids' house to the main house. This is
for midnight bathroom breaks and passageway to breakfast when it's night and
the room rating will gall if they walk outside. Plus, add a few big windows
and you have a mock highway overpass.
2.7 Suggested Homes
Note: The intention of this is to give you an idea of how to build a house.
You can work off these and change them or whatever.
KEY:
x = Window
\ = Door
One by one square on design = 2 by 2 square in game
_ or | = wall
= = sidewalk
On A Budget
_______x__________x______x_____x____
| | |
| | | |
| | \ Bed x
| | | |
x Kitchen |Living Room |_______|
| | | |
| | \ Bath x
|______x______|__x___\__x__|___x___|
======================================
Rich
_______x________x_________x___________x____
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
x Kitchen | Den | Bath x
| | | |
| | \ |
| ______________\_______________|____\_____|
| | |
| | |
| | |
x Living Room \ Bed x
| | |
| | |
|____x_________x____\_|_____x________x_____|
==============================================
2.8 Cool Ideas
2.81 The Apartment
Well, one thing which is hard to control and requires cheating is an apartment
complex! That's right. My favorite idea: On the first floor, make a large room
for the landlord - very lavish. Make a smaller room next to it - the "front
desk" area, including a desk, a couch, an office chair, a computer, and some
kind of decoration. Then add two or three rooms next to it. You can opt for
their main doors to lead into a hallway, or outside. You'll want to furnish
all these rooms with a bed, a chair, a TV, a phone, and a bathroom (shower,
sink, toilet). You'll want to put in a dining room and an expensive kitchen.
The key in furnishing these rooms: When the rooms are public, like a game
room, a dining room, a front desk or a kitchen, make them costly. Private
rooms should be cheap and only the bare essentials. The second floor should
have a couple private rooms too. I also added a game room. When you make more
money, you can call this a hotel by adding a pool, a casino, a restaurant, and
a bar. I'll cover those later. But you might want to turn on Free Will for a
while. It's hard to control 8 people.
2.82 Casino
You could try playing with the apartment - instead of putting a front desk and
private rooms downstairs, put the front desk in this room and put the
apartments upstairs. Make the downstairs a casino. Download the slot machine
off thesims.com and make rows of slot machines in the room. Then call a party
and have everyone go gambling. You could probably ever add the touch of public
restrooms.
2.83 Restaurant
Well, if you want to get adventurous, make the first level a restaurant. Place
a grid of tables and then put down a row of counters to separate the dining
from the cooking. Then create state of the art cooking facilities. Serve
dinner and invite everyone over. So everyone takes a plate and sits and eats.
2.84 Bar
Put in a row of counters and put seats in front of it. Then put seats in front
of it. Make a drink bar behind this row of counters and you have a bar. You
could even put a TV nearby like all bars do.
2.85 Really Good Idea
Combine all 3 of these into one room! Put a casino-restaurant with a bar and
watch how sweet it'll get. Then add a wood floor and a stereo and you have a
stage. Have people dance to the music and you have entertainers.
2.9 Final Notes on Building
To delete a wall control-click when the tool is a wall, To delete wallpaper do
the same with the wallpaper tool, etc. Shift-click using the wall tool and
drag to create a rectangle, as well as with fences, pools, etc. Shift-click
with wallpaper, flooring, etc. to cover a whole room. And don't overdo it! You
have to buy furniture, pay bills, and eat, among other things.
--------------------------
3. Furnishing your home
--------------------------
3.1 Four Basics
There are four basic things to remember when furnishing a house. Eat, Sleep,
Poop and Polish. You must have a refrigerator (or a phone to order pizza), a
bed, a toilet, and a shower (or a bath - you get my drift). By the way, After
I list something here, I won't list it elsewhere.
Starting Out - one person:
Llamark Refrigerator (Eat) ?00 plus food costs (?0 for Serve Meal, ?0 for
Meal/Quick Meal, ? for Snack)
Spartan Special (Sleep) ?00
Hygeia-O-Matic Toilet (Poop) ?00
SpaceMiser Shower (Polish) ?50
Total: ?850
Recommended - one person:
Porcina Refrigerator Model P1g-S (Eat) ?200 plus food costs
Spartan Special (Sleep) ?00
Flush Force 5 XLT (Poop) ?200
Sani-Queen Bathtub (Polish) ?500
Total: ?200
3.2 Entertainment and Accessories
For Entertainment, you should have a stereo, a TV, a computer, or something
else like that. Start off with only one of them; then you can go back later
and get more if you have enough money. You should also have a chair, or if you
have more than one person in the family, a couch or two. Be aware there may be
hidden costs, such as a couch for the TV or a desk and chair for the computer.
Starting Out - one person
Monochrome TV - ?5
Sioux Wicker Chair - ?0
SCTC Cordless Wall Phone - ?5
Total: ?65
Recommended - one person:
Trottco 27" Color Television - ?00
Zimzants Component Hi-fi Stereo - ?50
Indoor-Outdoor Loveseat - ?60 (For TV)
Moneywell Computer - ?99
Posture Plus Office Chair - ?00 (For Computer)
London "Cupertino" Collection Desk/Table - ?20 (For Computer)
SCTC Cordless Wall Phone - ?5
Total: ?704
Suggested Layout:
___________________________
| S P | P = Phone
| | TV = TV
| | PC = Computer on Desk
| | C = Chair
| C T| CO = Couch
| O V| S = Stereo
| |
| |
| C |
|____________PC_____________|
3.3 Kitchen
Sure, You can live with JUST a fridge, but you'll be so much less hungry if
you buy other things. You need to cut the food (you can use the food processor
or just the Sim's hands, a cutting board and a knife) and cook it too (Note: I
never use a stove for risk of fire. A microwave will do you well). Now you sit
at a table and eat (Note: When the food is cooked, it is brought to the
closest possible counter/table space. If you have a serving table, put it
nearer to the microwave/stove/whatever than the table). Then you need to
dispose of any trash and wash the dishes. Ahhhh, a chef's life.
Starting out - one person:
Numica Kitchen Counter (x3) - ?50
Brand Name Toaster Oven - ?00
Hydronomic Kitchen Sink - ?50
Mesquite Desk/Table - ?0
Werkbunnst All Purpose Chair - ?0
Total:?60
Recommended - one person:
Tiled Counter (x3) - ?50
Positive Potential Microwave - ?50
XLR8R Food Processor - ?20
Epikouros Kitchen Sink - ?00
Colonial Legacy Dining Table - ?00
Touch of Teak Dinette Chair - ?00
Total: ?120
Suggested Layout:
__________
| S F M R| T = Table
| | C = Chair
| TT | S = Sink (on counter)
| TT | F = Food Processor (on counter)
| C | M = Microwave (on counter)
| | R = Refrigerator (on counter)
|__________|
3.4 Bedroom
The Bedroom is easy. All I ever put in there is a bed, although you may opt
for a lamp, a dresser, or an end table
Starting out - one person:
Nothing!
Recommended - one person:
Anywhere End Table - ?20
Love 'N' Haight Lava Lamp - ?0
Pinegulcher Dresser - ?50
Total: ?450
Suggested Layout:
_____________
| | B = Bed
| BBL | L = Lava Lamp (on end table)
| BB D| D = Dresser
| BB D|
| |
|_____________|
3.5 Bathroom
Once again, The bathroom is easy, because there are only 4 items you need.
Starting out - one person
"Andersonville" Pedestal Sink - ?00
Total: ?00
Recommended - one person
Medicine Cabinet - ?25
"Andersonville" Pedestal Sink - ?00
Total: ?25
Suggested Layout
_______________
| T | B = Bathtub
| BB| T = Toilet
|S BB| S = Sink and Medicine Cabinet
| BB|
|_______________|
3.6 Security
The next two things you'll need is 3 fire alarms (?50) and a burglar alarm
(?00). Place one burglar alarm by each door out of the house and a fire alarm
in every room (if, for example, there is a half wall between the living room
and kitchen, you don't need to put an alarm in both).
Total: ?50
3.7 Lighting and Decorations
Not only do these two increase aesthetic appeal, but also the room rating.
Other furniture such as dressers and pianos increase this, not to mention
windows, but these two categories in general are all about room. Outside you
may choose to use plants, hedges, and trees to increase this (along with the
fountain and some statuary fron the decorations section and some wall lighting
downloadable from thesims.com). Indoors you may want to place decorations in
places where you could not place a window, or even lighting. Have a place in
the middle of the room where your Sims' room rating plummets, it's nowhere
near a wall and you're on a tight budget? Buy yourself some lighting that
doesn't need a wall or a table. And remember: While a fire alarm may cover a
whole room, one light fixture won't. The bigger the room, the more lights (or
windows) you'll need! And spread them out. If you have a large, well-lit room,
the room rating will still be higher nearer those lights. Decorations are a
nice touch, but sometimes get pricey. If you're an art dealer, it could be a
smart move to invest in these, for, as normal items plummet in value after you
use them, these will rise in value and bring you a nice profit after you wait
for their value to rise. Room and cash. A nice deal, if I do say so myself.
Total - One Person - Starting Out: ?625
Total - One Person - Recommended: ?0249
--------------------------
4. Living the Sim Life
--------------------------
The best part of life is living, and the best part of The Sims is also living.
Although it may be a bit frustrating at times, it's gonna be fun.
4.1 The Basics
The main thing you'll want to keep your eye on is the mood meter. At first, my
Sims were unhappy - i.e. the mood meter was at 0 (5 being highest, -5 being
lowest.) But as I got the hang of the game, their mood soared to 3, and at
times even 4! In The Sims, it's all about the mood. With a good mood, things
move faster, you get promotions at work, and you make more money to buy more
items to increase your mood. And up it goes, until you're so attached that
when your Sim is happy, you are happy, and when he's sad, you feel like
beating the computer. But the one main thing to keep the mood up is to satisfy
all your Sim's needs.
4.2 The Eight Needs
-Hunger
Hunger is satisfied by a meal, whether it is a snack, meat and potatoes, a can
of beans, or pizza. Usually meat and potatoes, whether it be for breakfast,
lunch, or dinner (Beans and pork chops for breakfast. Mmm.) will be the most
satisfying, especially if the person who cooked it has a high Cooking skill.
As their skill gets higher, the meals they prepare will fill them up more and
more until one plate will be enough food for 12 hours. Pizza is for people
who: a) don't have the money for appliances b) will set something on fire if
they cook or c) just think pizza is cool and don't care how it doesn't fill
their Sims up. A snack could be for when the kids are hungry and their parents
are at work, or if they just need a little more on the hunger meter. Word to
the wise: DO NOT LET SIMS COOK DINNER ON THE STOVE IF THEY ARE UNEDUCATED IN
COOKING. I, actually, never use the stove. I use the microwave or a toaster
oven.
-Comfort
I've always noticed that sitting in front of the TV replenishes fun and
comfort, which are often the only two that are low, and sleeping boosts
comfort and energy, which, for me are also very low often. But those are the
best solutions if any of those two are problems. What to do if Comfort is the
only thing low? Study. Go to the bookcase, get a book and study cooking,
mechanical, or, for kids, study for school.
-Hygiene
After a while, The Sims do get dirty. (And if they're real dirty for a long
time, they start sniffing themselves and saying, "eeew") There are sinks and
showers and tubs to solve this. When I wake my Sims up (quite early - SimRob
has a 9 to 5 job and gets up at one to get ready) I send them to the bathroom,
where they use the bathroom and hit the shower. No sink in between. When
everyone gets up, Hunger, Bladder, Hygiene and Fun all are low for everyone,
So I'll have my Sims switch off between the TV, the dining room and the
Bathroom. One by one they come out sparkling fresh. The shower and bath do
seem to leak a lot, so be ready to grab the mop. If you wash your hands
frequently you can spend less time in the shower, though.
-Bladder
When you have to pee, you have to pee. Out of the eight needs this is the
easiest to keep up because a run to the toilet will relieve you in ten seconds
(real time, not Sim time) while it may take five minutes of the TV to boost
the fun rating to the max. Once again, Sims in my house take a shower after
"going". Don't let your Sims have "accidents", or else their Hygiene rating
will fall like a muffin dropped from 30,000 feet. You can have trouble when
Sim after Sim doesn't flush, as I only had one Sim who would ever flush out of
four.
-Energy
This is a tough one. Although it seems like my Sims never have the energy to
have fun after school/work (I guess they shouldn't be waking up at 1!) I can't
change it around. First off, energy can only be replenished by Naps, Sleep,
and about 40 cups of coffee. The coffee is so insignificant that I hardly
bother (unless I want to hear the funny noise they make). Naps often last for
merely an hour, and that isn't nearly enough time to regain energy. And sleep
is only once a day, and if your Sims wake up too early (like mine) they'll
have to go to bed at 3 or 4 (like mine). NOTE: Since the original publication
of this section, my SimKids have learned to get ready quicker (watch that TV
at night!) and have been waking around 4. They now stay up until eight, if I
push it. SimRob the same - He temporarily got a 10 PM - 4 AM Job and took it
easier - when that 9 to 5 job came back, he was waking at 3 and 4
-Fun
There's one way to relieve your bladder - pee. There's one way to relieve
hunger - eat. And there's one way to relieve energy - sleep. Fun is the most
diverse, as there's so many you can do, and so many other needs that can be
relieved while having fun. For example, the Espresso maker has a little bit of
fun and a little energy put together. Sitting down and using the computer,
watching TV, or reading a book boosts comfort too. You can grab a friend and
play basketball and get the social up too. And the most diverse of them all is
sitting on the couch watching TV with a friend while chatting, bringing up the
Fun, Social, and Comfort ratings. It seems that different kinds of Sims will
like different kinds of fun, as the more playful may jump at the dollhouse and
the serious one will like a book. And a serious Sim will enjoy that Romance
show on the tube, as a more playful one may prefer Action or Cartoons.
-Social
The phone can call the cops, the pizza guy, the maid, or the repairman. But
most importantly your friends. (LET ME STRESS THE IMPORTANCE OF A PHONE HERE!)
For example, imagine SimJim and SimKim. SimJim calls SimKim one day and asks
her to come over. SimKim is busy so SimJim tries the next day. SimKim seems
excited at the prospect of seeing SimJim and comes over. They talk for a while
until SimJim gets tried and asks SimKim to leave. SimJim and SimKim are now
great friends, but don't talk for a while until SimJim gets lonely and calls
SimKim. SimJim gives SimKim a hug and finds the social rating goes up quicker
than while just talking. Soon they compliment each other daily and start
kissing, and their Social ratings rocket up. SimJim is never lonely with
SimKim.
-Room
Room is something that happens automatically. If you step into a large well
lit room your Room rating skies, if you step into a dark bathroom it falls.
Decorations help, as do windows and lighting. But trash and broken items and
other messes make it lower. Room is basically the Aura of your house - how
good it feels just so sit there. Surprisingly, my Sims do not like being
outside as much as inside. But the better the house is, and the better it is
kept, the higher the Room rating will be.
4.25 Sim Health
Although it was previously thought to be left out from the game, your Sim CAN
get sick. Here are the words directly from Maxis.
My Sims are coughing and sneezing a lot. How can I cure them?
When Sims get sick, they need lots of rest and hot liquids. Keep their energy
bars really high. They'll get better in a few days. You might need to take a
sick day off from work. It's also a good idea to keep sick Sims away from
healthy ones, or they might infect them.
You heard it here.
4.3 Money and Jobs
You need money to pay the bills, eat, and buy new stuff. And the only ways to
get money is selling things, getting an important phone call, or working at
your job. Now, selling things will not get you the money you started with, as
a used coffeemaker isn't worth as much as a new one. Important phone calls are
very random and you can't rely on them (but if you get one, you get lots of
money - often more than a job gets in a day). But a job is the best way to let
those Simoleons roll in.
There are a variety of jobs - Law Enforcement, Medicine, Science, X-Treme,
Athlete, Politics, Military, Business, Entertainment and Life of Crime. Most
of them are the same thing - i.e. you don't get a VCR or something like that
if you enter the Entertainment career track. But things like skill points
needed, uniforms, pay, amount of different jobs in the career track, or job
descriptions change. First you have to get a job - look in the paper or try
the computer (If you have one). You'll get a window that pops up that tells
you the job opening and it asks you if you want to take the job. If you're
searching online, you can look again for a better job. So you take the job.
Always have one person be a stay-at-home mom/dad/husband/wife to make friends,
do chores and get IMPORTANT money making phone calls. You have to be up from
bed in order to catch that carpool. It will be a very very ugly old car. Of
course, the carpool doesn't have to leave until your shift starts - exactly
one hour after it comes. So you have about one extra hour to do your thing.
You can miss the carpool for a day off (no pay, though). Don't miss two days
in a row, though, or else you'll be fired.
If you want a promotion, improve your mood and get the requirements you need.
You can find them in the Job screen. The requirements could be getting more
friends or increasing skills.
THE SKILLS
Mechanical
This comes in handy around the house. It makes it easier to fix that shower
that's been plaguing you or that burnt out bulb that needs replacing. Plus it
saves the cash you spend on the repairman. You read books about mechanical
stuff to increase this. It's often needed in careers like Medicine (Mechanical
work on bodies).
Cooking
The only other one that helps around the house - cooking is crucial to filling
that Hunger meter and preventing fires. Once again - you're reading a book.
One career that likes this is Military (KP duty).
Charisma
It's all in the talk. Don't stutter and others will look at you better.
Practice speech in front of the mirror and it's smooth sailing. Politics seems
to like this, as public speaking is important.
Creativity
New, unique ideas are the key to success in careers like Crime (I guess
there's more than one way to snatch a wallet). Play the piano or Paint to work
on this. Personally, I recommend painting because: a) It's fun - as is the
piano b) it's cheaper c) you can make money by selling those paintings. The
first few are worth 5, 6, and 7 Simoleons, but soon my paintings went for
?0 or more!
Body
Looking good and being strong come in handy when you're an athlete, among
other jobs. You can work out on the exercise machine, or swimming in a pool.
Myself, I like the pool, but you can use the exercise machine if you have a
low budget. In the pool, your Room rating plummets while the Fun rating rises.
Plus, Speedos and Bikinis! The exercise machine keeps your stats the same as
they would be if you stood around doing nothing for a while - most stats
slowly dropping. One quick drawback to the pool - It takes four times as long
to work out there than on the exercise machine.
Logic
Playing chess increases Logic - valued in Science among others. This is
another job where there's only one way to increase it.
When you get a promotion, your carpool gets better, your hours change, and,
most importantly, you make more money.
4.35 The Jobs
How The Jobs Will Be Ranked
I will take into account wage, hours, and overall skills/family friends
needed. I will determine wage and hours by how much money you made/how many
hours you worked if you made it all the way up, spending 2 days at each job.
FF - Family Friends
M - Mechanical
Co - Cooking
Ch - Charisma
Cr - Creativity
B - Body
L - Logic
Note: THIS IS HOW MUCH YOU NEED TO IMPROVE, NOT WHAT YOU NEED TOTAL.
How They're Listed
Job.....................HOURS-HOURS|WAGE|FF|M|Co|Ch|Cr|B|L
Politics
Campaign Worker.........9 AM - 6 PM|?20|0|0|0|0|0|0|0
Intern..................9 AM - 3 PM|?00|0|0|0|2|0|0|0
Lobbyist................9 AM - 3 PM|?60|2|0|0|1|0|0|1
Campaign Manager........9 AM - 6 PM|?30|2|0|0|1|0|1|0
City Council Member.....9 AM - 3 PM|?85|2|0|0|1|1|1|0
State Assembly..........9 AM - 4 PM|?40|3|0|0|0|1|1|2
Congressperson..........9 AM - 3 PM|?00|2|0|0|1|1|1|1
Judge...................9 AM - 3 PM|?50|3|0|0|1|1|1|2
Senator.................9 AM - 6 PM|?00|3|0|0|3|1|0|1
Mayor...................9 AM - 3 PM|?50|0|0|0|0|0|0|0
Mechanical: 0
Cooking: 0
Charisma: 9
Creativity: 5
Body: 5
Logic: 7
Total Stats: 26
Total Hours (Worked at each job for two days): 140
Total Pay (Worked at each job for two days) : ?0,070
Job.....................HOURS-HOURS|WAGE|FF|M|Co|Ch|Cr|B|L
Entertainment
Waiter/Waitress.........9 AM - 3 PM|?00|0|0|0|0|0|0|0
Extra...................9 AM - 3 PM|?50|0|0|0|2|0|0|0
Bit Player..............9 AM - 3 PM|?00|2|0|0|0|0|2|0
Stunt Double............9 AM - 4 PM|?75|2|0|0|1|1|1|0
B-Movie Star............10 AM- 5 PM|?75|2|1|0|1|1|1|0
Supporting Player......10 AM- 6 PM|?00|2|0|0|2|1|1|0
TV Star.................10 AM- 6 PM|?50|2|1|0|1|1|1|0
Feature Star............5 PM - 1 AM|?00|2|0|0|1|3|1|0
Broadway Star...........10 AM- 5 PM|1100|2|0|0|2|3|1|0
Superstar...............10 AM- 3 PM|1400|0|0|0|0|0|0|0
Mechanical: 2
Cooking: 0
Charisma: 10
Creativity: 10
Body: 8
Logic: 0
Total Stats: 30
Total Hours (Worked at each job for two days): 136
Total Pay (Worked at each job for two days) : ?1,300
Job.....................HOURS-HOURS|WAGE|FF|M|Co|Ch|Cr|B|L
Law Enforcement
Security Guard..........12 AM- 6 AM|?40|0|0|0|0|0|0|0
Cadet...................9 AM - 3 PM|?20|0|0|0|0|0|2|0
Patrol Officer..........5 PM - 1 AM|?80|1|2|0|0|0|0|0
Desk Sergeant...........9 AM - 3 PM|?40|1|1|0|0|0|2|0
Vice Squad..............10 PM- 4 AM|?90|2|0|1|1|0|1|1
Detective...............9 AM - 3 PM|?40|2|0|0|1|0|0|2
Lieutenant..............9 AM - 3 PM|?90|2|1|0|1|0|1|1
SWAT Team Leader........9 AM - 3 PM|?25|2|0|0|1|2|1|1
Police Chief............9 AM - 5 PM|?50|2|0|0|2|2|0|3
Captain Hero............10 AM- 4 PM|?00|0|0|0|0|0|0|0
Mechanical:4
Cooking:1
Charisma:6
Creativity:5
Body:7
Logic:10
Total Stats: 33
Total Hours (Worked at each job for two days): 128
Total Pay (Worked at each job for two days) : ?950
Job.....................HOURS-HOURS|WAGE|FF|M|Co|Ch|Cr|B|L
Business
Mail Room...............9 AM - 3 PM|?20|0|0|0|0|0|0|0
Executive Asst..........9 AM - 4 PM|?80|0|2|0|0|0|0|0
Field Sales Rep.........9 AM - 4 PM|?50|1|0|0|2|0|0|0
Junior Executive........9 AM - 4 PM|?20|2|0|0|0|0|0|2
Executive...............9 AM - 4 PM|?00|3|0|0|1|2|0|1
Senior Manager..........9 AM - 4 PM|?20|2|0|0|1|0|2|1
Vice President..........9 AM - 5 PM|?60|2|0|0|1|1|0|2
President...............9 AM - 5 PM|?00|2|0|0|1|2|0|1
CEO.....................9 AM - 4 PM|?50|2|0|0|2|1|0|2
Business Tycoon.........9 AM - 3 PM|1200|0|0|0|0|0|0|0
Mechanical: 2
Cooking: 0
Charisma: 8
Creativity: 6
Body: 2
Logic: 9
Total Stats: 27
Total Hours (Worked at each job for two days): 140
Total Pay (Worked at each job for two days) : ?0,800
Job.....................HOURS-HOURS|WAGE|FF|M|Co|Ch|Cr|B|L
Life Of Crime
Pickpocket..............9 AM - 3 PM|?40|0|0|0|0|0|0|0
Bagman..................11 PM- 7 AM|?00|0|0|0|0|0|2|0
Bookie..................12 PM- 7 PM|?75|2|0|0|1|1|0|0
Con Artist..............9 AM - 3 PM|?50|1|2|0|1|0|0|0
Getaway Driver..........5 PM - 1 AM|?25|1|1|0|1|0|1|1
Bank Robber.............3 PM -11 PM|?30|2|0|1|0|1|1|1
Cat Burglar.............9 PM - 3 AM|?40|2|2|0|0|2|0|1
Counterfeiter...........9 PM - 3 AM|?60|2|0|0|3|1|1|0
Smuggler................9 AM - 3 PM|?00|2|0|1|2|2|0|1
Criminal Mastermind.....6 PM -12 AM|1100|0|0|0|0|0|0|0
Mechanical: 5
Cooking: 2
Charisma: 7
Creativity: 8
Body: 6
Logic: 4
Total Stats: 32
Total Hours (Worked at each job for two days): 134
Total Pay (Worked at each job for two days) : ?0640
Job.....................HOURS-HOURS|WAGE|FF|M|Co|Ch|Cr|B|L
Medicine
Medical Technician...... 9 AM- 3 PM|?00|0|0|0|0|0|0|0
Paramedic...............11 PM- 5 AM|?75|0|2|0|0|0|0|0
Nurse................... 9 AM- 3 PM|?40|2|0|0|0|0|2|0
Intern.................. 9 AM- 6 PM|?10|1|1|0|0|0|0|2
Resident................ 9 PM- 4 AM|?80|1|0|0|1|0|1|2
GP......................10 AM- 6 PM|?50|1|1|0|1|1|1|0
Specialist..............9 PM - 3 AM|?40|2|2|0|0|2|0|1
Surgeon.................10 PM- 4 AM|?00|2|1|0|1|1|1|2
Medical Researcher......9 PM - 4 AM|?75|2|1|0|2|1|1|1
Chief of Hospital.......9 PM - 4 AM|?50|0|0|0|0|0|0|0
Mechanical: 8
Cooking: 0
Charisma: 5
Creativity: 5
Body: 6
Logic: 8
Total Stats: 32
Total Hours (Worked at each job for two days): 136
Total Pay (Worked at each job for two days) : ?0440
Job.....................HOURS-HOURS|WAGE|FF|M|Co|Ch|Cr|B|L
Military
Recruit................. 6 AM-12 PM|?00|0|0|0|0|0|0|0
Elite Forces............ 7 AM- 1 PM|?25|0|0|0|0|0|2|0
Drill Instructor........ 8 AM- 2 PM|?50|0|1|0|1|0|0|0
Junior Officer.......... 9 AM- 3 PM|?50|0|0|1|0|0|2|0
Counter-Intell.......... 9 AM- 3 PM|?00|1|1|0|2|0|0|1
Flight Officer.......... 9 AM- 3 PM|?50|2|1|0|0|0|1|2
Senior Officer.......... 9 AM- 3 PM|?80|2|3|0|1|0|0|2
Commander............... 9 AM- 3 PM|?00|1|3|0|0|0|3|1
Astronaut............... 9 AM- 3 PM|?25|2|1|0|2|0|2|3
General................. 9 AM- 3 PM|?50|0|0|0|0|0|0|0
Mechanical: 12
Cooking: 1
Charisma: 7
Creativity: 0
Body: 10
Logic: 9
Total Stats: 32
Total Hours (Worked at each job for two days): 120
Total Pay (Worked at each job for two days) : ?0440
Job.....................HOURS-HOURS|WAGE|FF|M|Co|Ch|Cr|B|L
Athlete
Team Mascot.............12 PM- 6 PM|?10|0|0|0|0|0|0|0
Minor-Leaguer........... 9 AM- 3 PM|?70|0|0|0|0|0|2|0
Rookie.................. 9 AM- 3 PM|?30|1|0|0|0|0|3|0
Starter................. 9 AM- 3 PM|?00|2|1|0|1|0|1|0
All Star................ 9 AM- 3 PM|?85|2|1|0|1|0|1|0
MVP..................... 9 AM- 3 PM|?10|2|0|1|1|0|1|0
Superstar............... 9 AM- 4 PM|?80|2|0|1|1|1|1|0
Assistant Coach......... 9 AM- 2 PM|?50|2|0|1|1|1|1|0
Coach................... 9 AM- 3 PM|1000|2|0|1|3|1|0|0
Hall Of Famer........... 9 AM- 3 PM|1300|0|0|0|0|0|0|0
Mechanical: 2
Cooking: 4
Charisma: 9
Creativity: 3
Body: 10
Logic: 0
Total Stats: 28
Total Hours (Worked at each job for two days): 120
Total Pay (Worked at each job for two days) : ?1070
Job.....................HOURS-HOURS|WAGE|FF|M|Co|Ch|Cr|B|L
Science
Test Subject............ 9 AM- 3 PM|?55|0|0|0|0|0|0|0
Lab Assistant...........11 PM- 5 AM|?30|0|0|0|0|0|0|2
Field Researcher........ 9 AM- 3 PM|?20|1|0|1|0|0|0|1
Science Teacher......... 9 AM- 4 PM|?75|2|0|0|1|1|0|1
Project Leader.......... 9 AM- 5 PM|?50|1|2|0|0|2|0|0
Inventor................10 AM- 7 PM|?40|1|2|0|0|1|0|2
Scholar.................10 AM- 3 PM|?40|2|1|2|1|0|0|1
Top Secret Researcher...10 AM- 3 PM|?40|1|1|0|0|3|0|2
Theorist................10 AM- 2 PM|?70|2|1|1|1|3|0|1
Mad Scientist...........10 AM- 2 PM|1000|0|0|0|0|0|0|0
Mechanical: 8
Cooking: 2
Charisma: 5
Creativity: 10
Body: 0
Logic: 10
Total Stats: 35
Total Hours (Worked at each job for two days): 128
Total Pay (Worked at each job for two days) : ?0640
Job.....................HOURS-HOURS|WAGE|FF|M|Co|Ch|Cr|B|L
Xtreme
Daredevil............... 9 AM- 3 PM|?75|0|0|0|0|0|0|0
Bungee Jump Instructor.. 9 AM- 3 PM|?50|1|0|0|0|0|2|0
Whitewater Guide........ 9 AM- 3 PM|?25|1|1|0|0|0|2|0
Xtreme Circuit Pro...... 9 AM- 4 PM|?00|1|1|0|0|0|0|1
Bush Pilot.............. 9 AM- 3 PM|?75|1|2|0|0|0|2|0
Mountain Climber........ 9 AM- 3 PM|?50|1|1|0|2|3|0|0
Photo-Journalist........ 9 AM- 3 PM|?50|2|1|0|1|1|1|2
Treasure Hunter.........10 AM- 5 PM|?25|2|0|0|2|3|0|2
Grand Prix Driver.......10 AM- 4 PM|?25|2|0|1|3|2|1|1
International Spy.......11 AM- 5 PM|?25|0|0|0|0|0|0|0
Mechanical: 6
Cooking: 2
Charisma: 8
Creativity: 9
Body: 8
Logic: 9
Total Stats: 32
Total Hours (Worked at each job for two days): 124
Total Pay (Worked at each job for two days) : ?0600
Here are the results for the jobs' rankings:
10. Politics - Score.........12.7
9. Medicine - Score.........14.4
8. Life of Crime - Score....16
7. Law Enforcement - Score..16.5
6. Business - Score.........19
5. Science - Score..........21.4
4. Entertainment - Score....25
3. Xtreme - Score...........28
2. Military - Score.........30.4
1. Athlete - Score..........40.7
If you want reasoning behind these scores, email me.
4.4 School
Just as adults have to work, kids must go to school. Every morning that you
have kids, a school bus will come to pick them up. Now, kids don't get fired
from school after skipping 2 days, but if they slack off and their grade goes
down, it's off to military school. Those kids will be gone. To keep their
grade up, they should study on the computer or in a book and you have to keep
their mood up. So don't be a tyrant and make them spend every moment studying
and doing chores - all work and no play equals no more kids. But don't think
that this isn't like a job - If they do well in schoolwork, grandparents will
be generous in rewards for good grades.
4.5 Love, Life, and Death
There are three big things that define the life cycle after one is born. One
falls in love, has kids, and dies. Then it starts over again with the kids.
The same thing happens with your Sims. Let's take the story of SimJim and
SimKim above. Now, they fell in love with each other by chatting all the time,
kissing, etc. (Other social actions include Fight, Tease, Brag, Compliment,
Tickle, Give Back Rub, Play, and Tell Joke). If SimJim proposes to SimKim (in
the same way that they would talk to each other previously), and SimKim
accepts, then SimJim and SimKim move in with each other. Now, If SimLynn
becomes very good friends with SimKim, then SimKim can ask her to move in with
her. It's like propose, just with same-gender Sims. But when SimJim moves in
with SimKim, or vice versa, then all their money is pooled together, and, if
either is living alone but with kids, then the kids come too. If there's
another adult, then the kids stay with him.
In The Sims there is an incredible amount of jealousy. If SimLynn and SimKim
both love SimJim, then when SimLynn sees SimJim and SimKim kissing, SimLynn
will go up and deliver a great big smack across SimKim's face and they won't
like each other very much. SimLynn's social rating will fall. But if your
couple makes a quick escapade to the bathroom to smooch, the possibilities
could be endless.
Now, SimJim and SimKim are married. They are so happy together that they now
can sleep together. One day you may get a window asking, "Do you want to have
a baby?" If they just live together, are two same-gender Sims, or just SimJim
living alone the window will ask, "Do you want to adopt a baby?" Babies are a
real pain in the but, but you can manage them effectively. If you only have
one adult (assuming there are two) tending to the baby at a time, and you let
them alternate, things will work out. While SimJim is tending to the baby,
SimKim could be watching TV, cooking dinner, or taking a bath. And Later,
during SimKim's turn, SimJim could repair that fussy sink, shoot hoops, etc.
If it's bedtime, let SimJim sleep on the couch and keep SimKim in bed by that
fussy little monster. When the baby's crying, everyone (except kids) in the
room wakes up from their naps and complains about him. So let SimJim get a
good night's sleep and SimKim can tend to the baby (But let SimJim watch him
tomorrow). Don't neglect the baby! My first kid cried all night in the living
room while Rob and Jean (my Sims' names) snoozed away upstairs. Pretty soon,
El Social Workero came and busted us and took little baby away. But I learned
better and now it's a family of four, with Joanna (looks like she likes
Barbies) and Allen (Ultra-Nerd. He has a pocket protector and thick glasses!).
When tending to babies, there are 3 options. Feed, Play, and Sing. When the
baby wakes up crying you should probably feed him, play with him and sing him
to sleep. If he's still awake, feed him again and sing to him again. Feed and
sing until he falls asleep. After exactly 72 Sim Hours, your baby will have
grown up. He's now a kid. Kids don't require much looking after by the
parents. All you have to do is let adults cook for them (they can only grab
snacks from the fridge) and they do the rest, sleep themselves, have fun
themselves, etc.
Finally, there's death. Death occurs when: A)You starve B) Your oven sets on
fire and kills you C)You get electrocuted from attempting to fix something. If
they die then an urn or a tombstone (depending whether they die indoors or
out) is placed. There is 24 hours of mourning by the family, and then they're
free to do whatever. But they can go back and mourn if they want. But if
there's death, there's a ghost who'll come around the house randomly and spook
whoever comes near...
--------------------------
5. Cheats and other stuff
--------------------------
Command Prompt
Press [Ctrl] + [Shift] + C during game to display the command prompt.
1000 Simoleans and More
Press Control+Shift+C during gameplay. A small window will come up. Type in
"klapaucius" for 1000 simoleans, or, to set the time of day, "SET_HOUR X"
where X is 0-23. Handy if you're in the shower and your carpool is 2 minutes
away.
Submitted by Shot2Hell
1000 Simoleons
Type "klapaucius" at the command prompt.
Submitted by the Simoleons
7000 Simoleons
Enter the "1000 Simoleons" cheat, then type "!;!;!;!;!;!;!" at the command
prompt.
Submitted by the Simoleons
Display Personality and Interests
Select a Sim, then type "interests" at the command prompt.
Submitted by the Simoleons
Draw all frames
Type "draw_all_frames on" at the command prompt. To turn it off, type
"draw_all_frames off" at the command prompt.
Submitted by the Simoleons
Island home
Type "water_tool" at the command prompt.
Submitted by the Simoleons
Map Editor
To enable the map editor, type "map_edit on" at the command prompt. To turn it
off again, type "map_edit off" at the command prompt.
Submitted by the Simoleons
Route Balloons
Type "route_balloons on" at the command prompt. This displays little balloons
explaining why a character is delayed or not doing what you asked.
To turn it off, type "route_balloons off" at the command prompt.
Submitted by the Simoleons
Set event logging mask
Type "log_mask" at the command prompt.
Submitted by the Simoleons
Set free thinking level
Type "autonomy #" at the command prompt, where # is an IQ between 1 and 100.
Submitted by the Simoleons
Set grass growth
Type "grow_grass #" at the command prompt, where # is a rate of growth between
1 and 150.
Submitted by the Simoleons
Set time of day
Type "set hour #" at the command prompt, where # is an hour in military time
(1-24).
Submitted by the Simoleons
Tile Information
Type "tile_info on" at the command prompt, then move your cursor over any
object for detailed information. To turn it off again, type "tile_info off" at
the command prompt.
Submitted by the Simoleons
Toggle "Ticks"
Type "sweep on" or "sweep off" at the command prompt.
Submitted by The Simoleons
This code from a friend:
I had a bachelor (been playing bachelor from the start.) with 10 in all stats
except creativity. How? move in a house, build, lets say, a workout gym, and
work the day away! when tired and upset, save, go to neighbourhood,evict,re-
move in,work again. repeat as needed. can be done with all activities! ALL!!!
--------------------------
6. Links
--------------------------
The Sims Homepage - www.thesims.com
--------------------------
7. Known Bugs
--------------------------
All These Bugs can be fixed with patches on thesims.com
Sim Twitches and Melts into Ashes
Sim Walks Around Nude
Sim Permanently Censored
Sim Killed by Guinea Pig
Sim Changes Clothes due to Guinea Pig
Repairman Dies
Neighbor tells Sim to come visit
Can't Delete Desks
Can't Take Night off for jobs without being fired
Staircase Says "In Use" when it isn't
No Comfort from Recliner
Carpool Doesn't Arrive
Can't Clean up snack from floor
--------------------------
8. FAQ
--------------------------
Q: What is The Sims?
A: A new game from the creator of SimCity simulating life.
Q: How can I find out more?
A: Read my FAQ, or go out and BUY IT! NOW! Support Maxis Games.
Q: Is it worth my $34.99?
A: YES! It's on the top of the charts. It got 96% from PC Gamer. It got an A-
from Game Revolution. A 9.1 from GameSpot. And it got a 98% from me.
Q: Hey! I spent $50.00 on this game! Where did you get it for $34.99?
A: Best Buy.
Q: Weird things have been happening in my game...
A: Check Section 7 Known Bugs and check if your problem is up there.
Q: I have a male and a female Sim. How can they have kids?
A: If you continue to have them talk, they will like each other more. When
their rankings with each other are over about 75, they fall in love and you
can get with the real Romantic stuff. The higher they are, the more likely
you'll be to have a baby. It won't happen right away, but with patience, it
will come.
Q: How can my Sims get married?
A: First, get their stats up to 100 with each other. Then get her in a real
good mood, and propose. If it doesn't work the first time, keep trying.
Q: Do kids or adults age?
A: Nope.
--------------------------
9. COMING SOON
--------------------------
I need your input!
I feel as I've finished the FAQ, but I need you to send in ideas. I've had one
person do this asking for expansion of section 1 (If he wants recognition,
send me an email. I lost your name). Even if it's something small, like a
change in design or SIMplification. I guess I caught on to the game too
quickly...
I also want to add a guide to all the furniture. It may take a while. If
anybody can help, I'd be thankful.
--------------------------
10. Last Time I Played...
--------------------------
Apariente: Everybody's getting a job.