==============================================================================
The Sims and The Sims Livin' Large Guide ver.1.0
(and so, this is mostly OK as the guide for The Sims: Deluxe Edition as well)
==============================================================================
author : Hafiz Rahman
e-mail : notinmybackyardplease@yahoo.com
first started : 08 February 2003
last updated : 29 May 2003
==============================================================================
0. Table of Contents / Version History
==============================================================================
0. Table of Contents / Version History
1. Introduction
2. A Quick Intro to The Sims
2.0. The Sims
2.1. The Sims Livin' Large
3. Create-a-family
3.0. About a family
3.1. Character personalities
3.2. Zodiac compatibilities
3.3. Members consideration
3.4. Moving-in
4. Sims Behaviors
4.0. Between Free Will and not
4.1. One deadly need, and 7 others...
4.2. Mood
4.3. Sims' way of thinking
4.4. Sims and your order
4.5. Skills
4.6. Health
4.7. What a Sim dislikes and why
4.8. SimKid behaviors
4.9. Guests behaviors
5. Building
5.0. Stats
5.1. Building consideration
5.2. To mix or not to mix
5.3. Starting ideas
5.4. Second story
6. Objects
6.0. Specific objects behaviors
6.1. List
7. Relationships
8. Career
8.0. The Sims Career List
8.1. Livin' Large Career List
8.2. Standalone careers
9. Growing family
9.0. Baby
9.1. SimKid
10. Livin' Large only!
10.0. Livin' Large objects
10.1. Neighborhoods
10.2. Miscellaneous
11. Cheats and stuff
11.0. Playing tricks
11.1. Money, money, more money
11.2. Cheat codes
12. Miscellaneous
12.0. The Sims: Did You Know?
12.1. Careers Description
13. Credits and References
=-= Version History =-=
Version 1.0 ~ initial release.
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1. Introduction
==============================================================================
I actually wanted to tell you about how I didn't have enough disk space to
install the better expansions and instead was stuck with Livin' Large, but I
personally disbelieve that it would bring you even the slightest hint of
interest. In other words, I'll shut up already.
I was browsing through the Livin' Large page on GameFAQs and found only a
single FAQ on it, sitting there looking alone and stuff. So I took my duty
as an author to, euh, (satiate my narcissistic need while pretending to)
help the gaming world in general. And here's the result, hope you all like
it.
NOTE: If you really start reading from the beginning, you may find obscure
reference about the game itself from time to time (e.g. I may point out
a little about careers on chapter 6. Objects; while the career itself
will be explained later in Chapter 8) You will definitely learn more as
you read through the FAQ, so don't be worried when facing such occasion.
/\___________________________________________________
//\\__________________________________________________\
// \\ This FAQ has spoilers within. And, judging \
WARNING! from its size, that's an AMAZING amount of \
// \\ spoilers already. If you don't mind it, then \
//!!!!!!!!\\ go ahead. If you find it a bugger, though, feel \
\ free to leave and do whatever's best for yourself.\
\_________________________________________________________\
\_________________________________________________________\
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2. A Quick Intro to The Sims
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______________________________________________________________________________
2.0. The Sims
To put it short, The Sims is all about planning a live, and then living as is.
You will have to lead your Sims (those guys in the game that you all design
and stuff) to endure the hardship of their life.
NOTE: I will randomly use "he" or "she" or "it" when referring to your Sim,
depending on whichever I feel like at the time. No other reason beyond
that.
The Sims is composed of three different playing mode, they are -Live-, -Buy-
and -Build- mode. You can switch between the three almost anytime you're
playing (except during special events) at no cost at all. Logically, though,
before you can place someone in a house, you will need to build him a house
and buy something to put into the house. As he eventually live through the
days, you will get more money to do some rebuilding or buying better objects.
In -Live- mode, you will have to point your Sim to do whatever you think they
have to do. They have some different needs (this will be discussed soon) and
as their programmer made them, they are not that smart when it comes to
helping themselves, and here's where you come to play. You will tell him to
sleep, to study, to step to the next succesful ladder of a career and such.
In -Buy- mode, you will browse through different categories of objects. These
will help your Sim in life, and everything starts from the cheap item through
eventually the better ones with such price tag. These objects have different
ways and stats about which and how much will they fulfill your Sims need, and
the more expensive they are, the better the feature is (usually, though).
In -Build- mode, as it should be obvious, you will provide the best shelter
you can think of for them. You put walls, pools, plants, doors, and such. You
may not realize it, but this mode drains your money quickly. All those objects
may be cheap, but you will have to buy a lot at once (say, you just don't
build a single wall and call it a house, do you?). It is advisable to start
small, and slowly developing as you have the money.
Note that the game flows in real-time while playing -Live- mode, and it will
be completely paused everytime you switch to -Buy- and -Build- mode. Uh, and
you can also completely pause the game by pressing P (short for Pause) or ~
(that tilde thing next to key 1).
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// ~ Quick Shortcut ~ //
// ~ Learn to use these keys, a definite help they are! ~ //
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// //
// Key Function //
// ----------------------------------------------------------------- //
// ~ / P Pauses the game during -Live- mode //
// 1 Switches the game speed to Normal (-Live-) //
// 2 Switches the game speed to Fast (-Live-) //
// 3 Switches the game speed to Very Fast (-Live-) //
// F1 Switch to -Live- mode //
// F2 Switch to -Buy- mode //
// F3 Switch to -Build- mode //
// F4 Switch to Photo Album //
// F5 Switch to Option mode //
// Tab Toggles between first and second story (if any) //
// Enter Chooses "OK" when prompted //
// Spacebar Chooses "OK" when prompted as well //
// Esc Chooses "Cancel" when prompted //
// Y Chooses "Yes" when prompted //
// N Chooses "No" when prompted //
// Delete Sells / Delete objects after being chosen in Buy/Build mode //
// Alt+Tab Switch from The Sims to another application currently open //
// (very useful when, like, writing a guide like this :) //
// ----------------------------------------------------------------- //
// //
// Mouse action (i.e. done with a left click) //
// ----------------------------------------------------------------- //
// +Ctrl(hold) Deletes building objects //
// +Shift(hold) Builds square room (wall tool only) //
// Fills an entire room (floor tool only) //
// Fills an entire connecting wall surface (wallpaper //
// tool only) //
// ----------------------------------------------------------------- //
// //
// To delete a wall, for example, hold Ctrl and click on the wall //
// drag it the way you build the wall. Then let go of the mouse //
// button FIRST, not the Ctrl key. This act works with wall, tile, //
// wallpaper, door, window, and all. //
// //
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// "I'm not sure what to do so, I'll just press whatever!" //
// Selphie Tilmitt, Final Fantasy VIII //
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
______________________________________________________________________________
2.1. The Sims Livin' Large
Now since this is also a guide on Livin' Large, I will also have to explain
about the expansion. In many ways, Livin' Large plays just like the original
game, but with new objects, careers, characters, and some tweak into the
previous installment (and therefore the name, "expansion").
One of the most obvious change to Livin' Large is that the availability of
5 neighborhoods at once. All these neighborhoods are identical (i.e. just like
the one in the original). The first neighborhood remains as an exact copy from
the first game. The second has only three different pre-made house (each of
which were made according to the three featured themes) and a pre-made family.
The rest of the neighborhoods are simply empty lots.
There are many new objects to the game: most has quite the same attribute
and price to some of the original, but with different looks to reflect the new
themes. Some are totally new and independent objects. Some other are new ways
to raise stats: guitar, woodworking table, chemistry set, and a telescope.
Some new happenings and features are gained through the objects. Looking
through the telescope may cause your Sim to be abducted by who-knows-what,
chemistry set can make different potions with different result (or simply an
explosion if you're not good enough), asking the crystal ball and doing what
it said may raise your personality (or otherwise).
New NPCs are also available, some appeared in a very new way that is via
the fuse between them and objects. This includes the Genie (by cleaning the
lamp, no less) and Servo, the robot maid. There are also five new careers
for the slightly amused by the previous ones.
To sum it up, Livin' Large adds quite a lot to the game. It will take a
while for you to take a look at all the new objects and possibilities, and
if you're quite bored through the same old building choices of The Sims, take
Livin' Large for a reason to start your house anew. Refresh your wallpapers,
change your tiles, remodel the windows, anything!
==============================================================================
3. Create-a-family
==============================================================================
______________________________________________________________________________
3.0. About a family
Before you probably know the reason, it is inevitable for you to fill the
neighborhood with a lot of family. You shouldn't expect to make an exclusive
family of yourself, hoping that the game will just go on well like in RPGs.
The game itself didn't provide that many NPCs for you to interact with, so
you will have to do that on your own. You don't have to play all the family,
but you simply have to have them.
Oh yeah, in terms of The Sims, a family is regarded as a single or group of
people under the same last name that will, by default, live altogether during
the game. There can be 1 to 8 characters in a family, each of which you will
have to design yourself. All the way through the game, it is possible for a
character from a family to move to different family either through marriage or
moving-in. Now if you're set to go, let's go create-a-family!
______________________________________________________________________________
3.1. Character Personalities
I know there are quite some steps you will need to do before taking into
consideration your personalities, but I doubt you can't safely do such tasks
like finding the create-a-family button or naming your family and characters
or choosing their clothes and all. So let's now quickly discuss about how you
will make use of those free 25 Personality Points instead.
There are five different personalities you will see during the making of
your character, and with those 25 points you will have to decide how your
character will be. Take further note that, although it says Neat, you will
have to fill the whole empty bar to have a Neat Sim. Otherwise, if you
leave it empty, you will get a real messy Sim instead.
Here's the explanation:
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// ~ Character Personalities ~ //
// ~ How they turn out to be, it's all in ye hands! ~ //
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// //
// 1. Neat //
// It's not easy to explain how a neat person is because I never really //
// be one, but heh, I'll just explain about things I rarely do :) Neat //
// Sims are basically like those of the neat people. There are some few //
// tasks a Neat Sim will do on his/her own: flushing the toilet after //
// use, washing their hands after that too, and cleaning out their own //
// (and others if any) dishes after eating. Neat Sim also never leaves //
// water puddle on the floor after bathing, something that the Messy //
// Sim seems to enjoy doing again and again. Messy Sims also rarely //
// flush, clean dishes and wash hands. //
// //
// NOTE: although Messy Sim never do such task automatically, you can //
// always tell them to do so. So, the only difference is that you //
// will have to tell a Messy Sim to flush the toilet after they //
// are finished, while you won't have to do so for a Neat Sim. //
// //
// Pts. Name Desc. //
// ------------------------------------------------------------------- //
// 0-2 Slob So I occasionally leave a pizza box or two lying //
// around, and I don't mind the flies buzzing all //
// over. Why clean up when everybody else is willing //
// to do it? //
// //
// 3-7 Occasional When it comes to cleaning up, I have a few basic //
// Cleaner rules. I flush when I'm done, throw away my own //
// junk, and take out the trash now and then. //
// //
// 8-10 Neat Freak I'm known to wash a dish as soon as I've finished //
// eating. The trashcan's barely full before it's //
// taken out. The paper is recycled as soon as I've //
// finished reading. And the house is always //
// spotless whenever I'm about. //
// ------------------------------------------------------------------- //
// //
// 2. Outgoing //
// Being outgoing is perhaps like enjoying and feeling alright being //
// around many people. Talking, playing, everything. That's something //
// an Outgoing Sim will do. Outgoing Sim will easily have better choice //
// of interactions when with others, and to compensate their desire to //
// socialize, they will need frequent talk with friends. In other hand, //
// a Shy Sim is quite obvious: they don't need that much of the talk, //
// but it will be harder for them to make friend too. //
// //
// Pts. Name Desc. //
// ------------------------------------------------------------------- //
// 0-2 Shy Being self-conscious and introspective, I don't //
// have a great need to be social. It's hard for me //
// to meet new people and make friends. //
// //
// 3-7 Member of I'm a little reserved, and it takes me a while to //
// the Crowd warm up to new people. You won't see me in the //
// middle of huge crowds at parties, but I won't be //
// sitting quietly in a corner either. //
// //
// 8-10 People I am an extrovert. I love to talk to everyone. I //
// Person crave social interactions. Basically, I'm a //
// social animal. //
// ------------------------------------------------------------------- //
// //
// 3. Active //
// As an Active Sim, he/she will get up faster in the morning, have //
// some games of basketball with the neighbor, and to dance and do //
// everything that takes energy. In exchange, they will quickly lost //
// the comfortness of a recliner, something a Lazy Sim will prefer over //
// all the other thing. Beware though, Lazy Sim also obviously takes //
// quite some time to wake up, and they somehow can never walk faster //
// than those of the Active Sims. //
// //
// Pts. Name Desc. //
// ------------------------------------------------------------------- //
// 0-2 Lazy Is there anything worse than getting out of bed //
// in the morning? Who needs ambition--a warm couch //
// and a good show is all anyone needs. //
// //
// 3-7 Laid Back Though not always on the go, I am somewhat //
// motivated. Though I tend to linger a little too //
// long in a nice cozy chair, I won't be caught //
// sitting there all day either. //
// //
// 8-10 Energetic Some say I'm a live wire. Some say I have ants in //
// my pants. Either way, it just means that I'm //
// always on the go and anxious to get there. //
// ------------------------------------------------------------------- //
// //
// 4. Playful //
// It doesn't take half a brain to admit you are a Playful guy. You're //
// currently reading some guide for videogames, duh. You, like all the //
// Playful Sims, enjoy new games, joking with your friends, just about //
// anything that involves doing fun. A Serious Sim is probably the guy //
// who frowns at you; they enjoy quietness while reading serious books //
// about who-knows-what. //
// //
// Pts. Name Desc. //
// ------------------------------------------------------------------- //
// 0-2 Serious Sims who spend their time joking around just //
// irritate me. Don't they understand that their //
// frivolous folly is meaningless? So much more fun //
// can be gained by reading a good book. //
// //
// 3-7 Amused I laugh at good jokes, dance if there are other //
// people on the floor, and like to play games. //
// Generally, I like having fun, but I don't go //
// overboard. //
// //
// 8-10 Life of When I'm not telling jokes, I'm laughing at them. //
// the Party I've never seen a game I didn't want to play. //
// That's why everyone knows the party is always at //
// my house. //
// ------------------------------------------------------------------- //
// //
// 5. Nice //
// This only covers the aspect of interaction with another, duh. It's //
// hard to call you a nice person if you're only nice to yourself. A //
// Nice Sim will have friends easier, while the Grouchy Sim enjoys more //
// the idea of taunting the others in hope of getting into a fight. //
// //
// Pts. Name Desc. //
// ------------------------------------------------------------------- //
// 0-2 Mean Everything makes me mad, especially when someone //
// says I have a temper. If everything wasn't always //
// broken, or other Sims weren't always bothering //
// me, I probably wouldn't have to blow my stack so //
// often. //
// //
// 3-7 Easy-going While some Sims can get on my nerves a little, //
// overall I'm pretty good-natured. //
// //
// 8-10 Compassionate I like giving hugs and compliments. I love //
// making friends with everyone. If everyone were //
// more like me, the neighborhood would be a nicer //
// place. //
// ------------------------------------------------------------------- //
// //
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// "My lusty personality can't be described by any one type!" //
// Meis Triumph, Thousand Arms //
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
______________________________________________________________________________
3.2. Zodiac Compatibilities
As you try different combinations of personalities, you will see that the
zodiac sign for your Sim is changed accordingly. This sign is used for one and
only matter: that is to decide how compatible your Sim is with other Sim's
zodiac. For a start, here are the zodiac signs and stuff:
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// ~ Zodiac Signs ~ //
// ~ I personally don't care about this, but who knows! ~ //
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// //
// NOTE: The "Example" stats are gained as you click the name of a zodiac //
// as soon as they appear when you place the points. When you do so, //
// the name will shuffle to the next zodiac and you will get the //
// "Example" stats from there. //
// //
// 1. Aries //
// Dynamic and confident, most Aries never shy away from the //
// opportunity to strike up a conversation with anyone. However, they //
// can be somewhat impulsive and quick-tempered. //
// //
// --------------------------------- //
// Good with : Taurus, Gemini //
// No Good with : Cancer, Libra //
// Example : Neat (5) //
// Outgoing (6) //
// Active (8) //
// Playful (3) //
// Nice (3) //
// --------------------------------- //
// //
// 2. Taurus //
// The typical Taurus is strong-willed and determined. That can often //
// mean determined to have a good time. //
// //
// --------------------------------- //
// Good with : Aries, Libra //
// No Good with : Cancer, Virgo //
// Example : Neat (5) //
// Outgoing (5) //
// Active (3) //
// Playful (8) //
// Nice (4) //
// --------------------------------- //
// //
// 3. Gemini //
// Youthful and lively, many think Gemini have enough energy for two. //
// Also energized by conversation, it isn't surprising to find them //
// bouncing from one topic to the next at parties. //
// //
// --------------------------------- //
// Good with : Virgo, Pisces //
// No Good with : Aries, Capricorn //
// Example : Neat (4) //
// Outgoing (7) //
// Active (8) //
// Playful (3) //
// Nice (3) //
// --------------------------------- //
// //
// 4. Cancer //
// There is nothing extreme about Cancers--they are very balanced. They //
// can also be very changeable which can be good or bad depending on //
// the situation. //
// //
// --------------------------------- //
// Good with : Taurus, Scorpio //
// No Good with : Aries, Gemini //
// Example : Neat (6) //
// Outgoing (3) //
// Active (6) //
// Playful (4) //
// Nice (6) //
// --------------------------------- //
// //
// 5. Leo //
// The ultimate 'people' people, Leos are complete extroverts. //
// Unfortunately, this makes them deficient in other areas. //
// //
// --------------------------------- //
// Good with : Cancer, Sagittarius //
// No Good with : Gemini, Capricorn //
// Example : Neat (4) //
// Outgoing (10) //
// Active (4) //
// Playful (4) //
// Nice (3) //
// --------------------------------- //
// //
// 6. Virgo //
// Modest and shy, introverted Virgos take pride in their meticulous //
// and practical approach to life. Unfortunately, these same traits can //
// also result in a very fussy individual. //
// //
// --------------------------------- //
// Good with : Sagittarius, Aquarius //
// No Good with : Taurus, Leo //
// Example : Neat (9) //
// Outgoing (2) //
// Active (6) //
// Playful (3) //
// Nice (5) //
// --------------------------------- //
// //
// 7. Libra //
// Romantic and charming and incredibly sociable, it's hard not to like //
// a Libra. However, their social pursuits leave them little time for //
// more practical endeavors. //
// //
// --------------------------------- //
// Good with : Cancer, Virgo //
// No Good with : Scorpio, Pisces //
// Example : Neat (2) //
// Outgoing (8) //
// Active (2) //
// Playful (6) //
// Nice (7) //
// --------------------------------- //
// //
// 8. Scorpio //
// While somewhat withdrawn from social activities, Scorpios are //
// forceful and determined in more practical pursuits. //
// //
// --------------------------------- //
// Good with : Leo, Pisces //
// No Good with : Libra, Aquarius //
// Example : Neat (6) //
// Outgoing (5) //
// Active (8) //
// Playful (3) //
// Nice (3) //
// --------------------------------- //
// //
// 9. Sagittarius //
// Jovial and carefree Sagittarians are also blessed with boundless //
// energy. Unfortunately, this combination can also make them restless //
// and careless. //
// //
// --------------------------------- //
// Good with : Capricorn, Pisces //
// No Good with : Libra, Scorpio //
// Example : Neat (2) //
// Outgoing (3) //
// Active (9) //
// Playful (7) //
// Nice (4) //
// --------------------------------- //
// //
//10. Capricorn //
// Armed with a dry wit, Capricorns can often be found telling a good //
// joke. Also being very practical, they strive for order and //
// discipline. //
// //
// --------------------------------- //
// Good with : Taurus, Aquarius //
// No Good with : Gemini, Leo //
// Example : Neat (7) //
// Outgoing (4) //
// Active (1) //
// Playful (8) //
// Nice (5) //
// --------------------------------- //
// //
//11. Aquarius //
// Friendly and amusing, Aquarians are excellent companions. Being well //
// balanced in other areas helps to make them one of the most agreeable //
// signs. //
// //
// --------------------------------- //
// Good with : Sagittarius, Capricorn //
// No Good with : Virgo, Scorpio //
// Example : Neat (4) //
// Outgoing (4) //
// Active (4) //
// Playful (7) //
// Nice (6) //
// --------------------------------- //
// //
//12. Pisces //
// Selfless and kind, Pisces are one of the nicest signs. They're //
// active too. However, this combination can make them emotionally //
// restless and indecisive. //
// //
// --------------------------------- //
// Good with : Gemini, Scorpio //
// No Good with : Aries, Leo //
// Example : Neat (5) //
// Outgoing (3) //
// Active (7) //
// Playful (3) //
// Nice (7) //
// --------------------------------- //
// //
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// "And you think God can only make 12 different traits and fates?" //
// A friend of mine, or probably myself //
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
NOTE: A character's zodiac is, in fact, not permanent. I know this because I
always make a Pisces Sim, but as I increase their personalities
through the crystal ball quest (explained later), I find out that the
zodiac of mine is changed accordingly.
______________________________________________________________________________
3.3. Members Consideration
Now you may want to decide how many people you want to include in a family.
There is no absolute must about that, duh, you can have as few as you want or
vice-versa. This section will only provide the facts known so you can put them
in mind anytime a decision is near.
1. Bachelor
Living as a bachelor, or being alone in the family, is only good for
three reasons. (1) If you're seeking for greater challenge. (2) If you're
so idealistic about making the direct imitation of your real-life (i.e.
you also live alone) and (3) You want to eventually let other Sim marry
your bachelor, and therefore letting her to move to another family.
Being a bachelor is not good as a starting point for you to learn the game,
because you will miss a lot and will likely meet many trouble on the way.
Therefore, until you grasp most of the point of the game, it is better for
you to go with:
2. Two Sims
Anytime you want to get to know the game better, make a family with two
Sims. The idea is to let each of your Sim have his/her own task. One should
be the "moneymaker", going to work and stuff, while the other should be the
"homer", that is to stay at home. This basically balances the difficulty
and closes the weak points of each other (i.e. "moneymaker" can't clean the
house and greet the guests when at job, and this is where "homer" comes in;
while the "homer" can't make any money with all the business at home,
the "moneymaker" can).
When living as a bachelor, you have to be both a "moneymaker" and a "homer"
for yourself, which from time to time is proven near impossible. Go with
Two Sims, all the way!
3. Eight Sims
The big mother of a challenge is to take care of EIGHT different Sims all
at once. Everything starts from your money: you only got 20000 § at the
beginning, and the fact is that such amount is quite enough to make a
decent starting house...for only two Sims. Remember that you will need to
buy more beds, dining table, a lot of chairs, different objects, and such.
If somehow you're able to give them a quite dependable house, you will
have to go the rough task. The good part about having eight Sims is that,
with the "moneymaker/homer" strategy, you can easily have 7 "moneymaker"
while a single "homer" is enough. That makes way greater income, obviously,
but when the time has come to raise their stats for a job promotion...
4. To have or not to have...
Even if you want to have eight Sims in the family, you just don't have to
start with eight at the beginning. You can slowly (and safely) begin with
two Sims, and then begin marrying, having kids and maybe asking the same
gender neighbor to move in to your house. Before then, you can always
make preparation first! Build bigger house, more bedrooms, and buy better
objects!
Each kid you have will cut 10% off of your bills, so if you have an adult
and 7 kids (you always have to have at least one adult), you will only have
to pay 30% of your total bills. Kids can't go to work, but they are able to
paint, and will occasionally get 100 § from grandpa or when studying with
the computer if they have the best grade at school.
More adults, as it is already mentioned, will let you have more people to
work, and quick money therefore. Make a balance between adults and kids,
and see if it worksbest for you.
______________________________________________________________________________
3.4. Moving-in
Now that everything is ready, all you have to do is to move-in your family
into the neighborhood. You will also see there are another pre-made family
there. You can always evict them out of the house to replace them with your
very own neighborhood set.
With Livin' Large, you can have five different neighborhoods. The #1 is
exactly the one you see on the original The Sims, the #2 is a new one with
three newly-themed house and a pre-made family, while the rest (#3-#5) are
empty neighborhoods with no house or family. Personally, I went to the fifth
neighborhood to build my very own, but you can do anything you want.
When moving-in, you can buy a house (if any) or just buy an empty lot and
build on your own. Also note that the lots have different size, and therefore,
different price. It doesn't matter as to their surroundings, though. Just
because you buy a lot near the river, doesn't mean you can do a fishing there.
(although... hey, that's quite a good idea to have specific lot feature!)
Most of the lots, though, have different terrain height, meaning that it
will cost you more to flat out the land (note that walls can't be build on
such terrain, and so can't anything else for that matter). If you just started
out, just buy the empty lot exactly behind "The Sims" wood sign (the one that
shows you the credits screen). It's quite cheap, the land is completely flat,
and the size is agreeable.
==============================================================================
4. Sims Behaviors
==============================================================================
______________________________________________________________________________
4.0. Between Free Will and not...
Through the Game Option feature, you can decide whether you want to turn
off the Free Will of your Sims or not. Free Will is the feature to let the
game engine to control your Sims to help themselves. However, as it was stated
by Will Wright, the designer of The Sims, they make the people in the game
really dumb (while the objects are really smart). Sims can't find a job by
themselves, for example. They only have the slight intelligence akin to the
animal's instinct, that is to do stuff around hoping to fulfill their need in
the process (euh, maybe there's more, Maxis programmers, don't shoot me...).
Due to that fact (and maybe because I'm an egoistical dictator), I always
turn Free Will off, especially when playing the one Sim that resemble myself
in the realm of The Sims. When I played another family, though, I went more
carefree and let the Free Will kicks them whenever they wanted to go.
Should you use the help of Free Will, though, take note that (1) you will
still, without no doubt, HAVE to order your Sims to do certain tasks, and
(2) remember that your order is absolute, and therefore will always takes
first place compared to their Free Will's order in the term of priority. Say,
if your Sim is going to the toilet on his own, and then you tell him to turn
off the TV, he will do your order first.
It will be hard for you to manually give order if you have many people in
the family, so if you insist on turning the Free Will off even with eight
Sims in the family, a nice trick is to frequently use the Pause key. You can
always give order(s) that way, and no time is wasted.
______________________________________________________________________________
4.1. One deadly need, and 7 others...
In total, your Sims have eight different needs that will affect their live,
and their mood, should they are filled and vice-versa. Here they are...
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// ~ Needs ~ //
// ~ It doesn't take an artist Sim to be a moody Sim! How unlucky! ~ //
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// //
// 1. Hunger //
// Hunger is what I meant with "one deadly need". This is because only //
// this can cause death to your Sim when it isn't satiated. You know, //
// it's sort of amusing having to tell all you friends this, but here //
// goes: //
// //
// you need to have an eat to fill your Hunger bar. //
// //
// ... //
// ... ..., //
// //
// Euh. Anyway. Your Hunger bar depletes naturally as time goes by, and //
// it may go faster depending on what you're doing at the time. Also //
// note that, naturally, your Bladder bar will decrease faster when //
// you're eating. When your bar is empty, grab a quick eat or else you //
// will die soon. You can only have an eat through (1) the fridge, //
// (2) buying pizza (not dependable), (3) the bar table (not satiating) //
// and (3) guest's gift (so totally not dependable/satiating at all). //
// //
// 2. Energy //
// You need Energy to do everything except for sleeping and a nap; both //
// are coincidentally the two out of the three ways to regain back your //
// Energy. Another way is by having a whole lot of coffee. //
// //
// Your Energy bar depletes all the time, each action takes different //
// amount of energy (i.e. playing basketball is more tiring than //
// wasting the whole day watching TV). You won't die when it's empty, //
// but your Sim will automatically ignore you and quickly get a sleep //
// on whatever they're standing on at the time. This is NO GOOD. //
// Sleeping in the bed is much, much better. //
// //
// 3. Comfort //
// Comfort is a weird Need to explain. I imagine that, in real life, //
// my "Comfort Bar" will exactly be near empty when I haven't take a //
// bath for quite some embarassing length of time. But in The Sims, //
// you can have a full Comfort bar even with empty Hygiene bar. //
// Anyway, as to the game, Comfort is gained back through everything //
// that involves (1) bed, (2) chairs and such, and (3) bathtub. //
// //
// Your Comfort bar decreases as you do anything standing. This is also //
// an advantage, though, because the bar also increases as you do //
// anything sitting. You will normally fulfill this bar as you try to //
// fulfill other needs. When it's empty, nothing will happen, but heck, //
// the only way I could think of a Sim with an empty Comfort bar is //
// if he build too big of a house that he can't afford to buy a chair. //
// //
// 4. Fun //
// Come to think about it, everybody needs to have fun. This goes quite //
// different depending on personalities, though. Serious Sim will enjoy //
// a good reading more than a game of pool. The most common way to fill //
// this bar is to watch TV, but as you will find there are different //
// objects with different fun factor. //
// //
// The Fun bar decreases anytime you do too much work. When it is too //
// empty, nothing will really happen, but for even the smallest attempt //
// of rescue, tell your Sim to read that newspaper before it decays to //
// a junk--that, in fact, is the cheapest way of fun you can get. //
// //
// 5. Hygiene //
// Hygiene drops naturally everytime you're not using the shower/tub/ //
// washing hand. Hygiene drops everytime you let that timer roll. It //
// is inevitable, although it is not all that dangerous after all. //
// //
// When the Hygiene bar is empty, nothing will happen as well. The bar //
// will suddenly reach zero if your Bladder bar (see below) is empty, //
// but nothing could fix the problem like a quick visit to the bathroom.//
// //
// 6. Social //
// Now this is kind of weird too. Every single Sim, regardless of //
// personality traits, needs to be social at times. Even those with an //
// absolutely empty personality. In other words, even if you have a //
// shy, mean, introverted and lazy Sim, they will eventually have to //
// get out and talk with others too. //
// //
// The bar decreases anytime you're not in touch with other. Different //
// acts toward your Sim's friend have different Social-filling feat. //
// When it's empty, it is said that your Sim will reach the level that //
// of a crazy guy; but I never experienced that. Just grab that phone //
// and call a friend, or just talk to your family member. It's all the //
// same. //
// //
// 7. Bladder //
// Bladder is a very fun bar, because it takes only a mere minute from //
// zero to full bar. This is the reason why you always need a bathroom //
// for your house. //
// //
// This bar goes off everytime, but faster when you're eating or having //
// more and more coffee. When it's empty, your character will wet his/ //
// her pants and also leaving a water puddle on the floor. Should that //
// happen, the Hygiene bar will also deplete extremely. Other than //
// that, though, nothing else is quite fatal about it. //
// //
// 8. Room //
// The last Need is quite complicated. This basically rounds out how //
// your Sim is feeling about the surroundings. In short, they always //
// want a clean, bright, enough space, and a properly decorated room. //
// If the room can't fulfill the requirements, the Room bar will never //
// be full. //
// //
// Room bar depletes quickly if you move your Sim to a poor room, and //
// it drops faster than a rock when the plumbing is broken and water is //
// flooding the floor. This bar goes up and down fluidly unlike the //
// others. You don't really have to pay much attention to this; should //
// this decrease, chances are you will have a better room for your Sim //
// to fix the problem in a zip. Again, nothing's happen if it's empty. //
// //
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// "Zidane, I need eat more different food. I still hungry!!! You need //
// come back, take me more places, show me more food!" //
// Quina Queen, Final Fantasy IX //
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
NOTE: Another way to quickly refill your needs is to make a Blue Potion
through the Chemistry Set (explained later). The Blue Potion, albeit
appears randomly, will fulfill three different needs (also random) to
the fullest! A definite mood-raiser, this is!
______________________________________________________________________________
4.2. Mood
Mood is the overall sum of all your eight Needs bar status, but not exactly.
Your Mood ranges from five full green Mood (which is good) all the way down
to zero, to one red Mood to five full red Mood (by which you are in a good
trouble).
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// Picture of a Mood bar in action //
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// //
// == 5 -, //
// === 4 | //
// ==== 3 > Green // The more you have here, the better! //
// ===== 2 | //
// ====== 1 -' //
// ,----, //
// | | ZERO Balance // It's also possible to have zero mood too! //
// | | ZERO //
// '----' //
// ====== 1 -, //
// ===== 2 | //
// ==== 3 > Red // The more you have here, the worse! //
// === 4 | //
// == 5 -' //
// //
// //
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Mood comes into play when you're going to interact with any object that
involves raising stats. You will need at least one green Mood, or else your
Sim will reject your order, saying he/she is not in the mood for it. Also
remember that it doesn't matter if you're going to raise your stat or not.
You may have 10 full Creativity stat and only want to do it for fun, but when
your Sim is not in the mood, he won't do the piano too.
What I mean when I said Mood is not the exact round of the Needs is the
fact that it is possible to have four full green Mood even if one of your
Need bar is in red. All you need is to have four to six full bars (this
gets easier as you have better and better objects) and the mood will be
quite high as well.
This goes otherwise, too. It only take a totally empty need bar to decrease
the Mood. So, to sum it up, a couple of full needs is better than an even
set of needs; an even set of needs, though, is better than near-full bars
with a couple of empty bars.
Mood also factors in your job performance. The better Mood you have when
going to job, the better your performance is. When you have fulfilled all the
requirement for a job promotion (explained later) but never seem to get it, it
is probably because of the Mood. If you keep on going on a bad Mood, your
performance drops and may eventually bring you to the brink of demotion. Watch
out.
______________________________________________________________________________
4.3. Sims' way of thinking
Behind all those skin and all, your Sim is composed out of many lines of
programming algorithm. It already has quite some pre-set ways to do things you
told them to do. These includes pathfinding, priority, and reaction.
The first is pathfinding. Most of your orders will involve many walk to your
Sim. For instance, your Sim will choose the closest path to an object out of
the many. This become a bit messy when somebody is on their way. When a
collision is detected between Sims, both will stop. Your Sim will then try to
find alternative path. If there isn't any, one of them will consider a
retreat (that is walking out of the way). Normally, your Sim will then
continue the walk, but it appears that your Sim will stand for nothing in
quite a minute before they continue the job.
When something is on the way and there's no solution found (like you're
telling your Sim to replace a bulb, but the floor lamp itself is inaccesible),
your Sim will tell you about it. Also, when your Sim is running straight to
any topiaries (this only available via download or in Livin' Large), he/she
will then stop and completely FORGET all the task (i.e. you need to reorder).
The next is priority. This only matters when you allow your Sim to have
their own Free Will. There are occasions when your Sim will ignore your order
and do what they think is best. You may only order a real hungry Sim to read
a book, but don't be surprised when he suddenly add "Eating" to the top of
the list and put your order to second.
A mix between pathfinding and priority is the fact that your Sim will always
choose to walk on tiled-floor than on grass, even if a grass path to a target
is closer than a tiled path. Not that it matter that much, just an info much
heavier to the amusement side.
Another is reaction. According to personalities, your Sim may get along well
(or not) with another. Sometimes the guest will try to interact with your Sim
some more, and he may not enjoy it. Another kind of reaction is the waking-up
sequence (in which Active Sim will be on their feet faster than lazy ones) and
whatever they're doing when a fire is on. During the latter, your Sim will
madly crying out loud being so panic at all. You can order him to call the
fireman and all, but he will then catch the hysteria again (regardless of Free
Will or not).
When they receive gift from visiting guests (not from interaction option),
a Sim will first react by looking for a surface to put them down. They also
do the same thing after they grab the bill letter from the mailbox. If the
order is cancelled or there is no surface found, they will automatically put
the item on the floor. Sometimes, though, it saves a lot of time that way.
Think about it.
______________________________________________________________________________
4.4. Sims and your order
4.4.1. Giving orders
When you think of it, your Sim are nothing more but everything you ordered
him to do. By default, your Sim will follow any order. He will try to replace
the bulb under the risk of getting electrocuted if you told him to. He will
cook the food under the risk of causing fire if you told him to, too.
All that fact comes into advantage for us, the players. There are some
considerations when giving orders: first is that without any order, a Sim
will just stand up doing nothing at all until they run out of energy and
sleep, or they run out of food and die. This means that you will always want
him to be under command, for his own good.
The best way to give orders is to queue commands. You already know that the
most common thing to do after eating is to go to toilet. So, you pause the
game, choosing "Eat" on a plate of food and then clicking "Use" on the toilet
all at once. That will queue the commands. Consecutive orders work as well as
one-by-one order, they may in fact save you a lot of time. You can give
consecutive orders on the fly, though (meaning no need to pause the game) but
you will usually have to get used to the game flows first before being able
to think what's next fast enough.
There are occasions when ordering comes slightly different. One is when
your Sim is sleeping. Normally, he will stay in the bed until it reaches 6
AM in the morning. This goes even though his Energy (i.e. the only reason
why you want him to sleep) is already full before 6 AM. Now, by adding
another order after sleeping, you will be able to cut the habit and get more
free time to do more things. Whether telling her to serve meal or whatever,
always tell your Sim to do anything else after sleeping.
By Livin' Large, there will be this new "friend" called the cockroach. The
only order you could do to them is to spray them, and your character can only
have that order in the list to do the job. When it works, your Sim will then
continue to seek another cockroach to spray. The watering order also work
similarly. They will water all the plant found inside and outside unless you
told them to do anything else too.
As it is already told, sometimes Sim can lost all the orders in their list
if they bump into something. Nothing solves this, you just have to give them
another order. Refer to section 6.0 "Specific objects behavior" for more
about how ordering affect your Sim's act when using some certain objects.
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// "Captain, sir! We await your orders, sir!" //
// Haagen, Pluto Knight VIII, Final Fantasy IX //
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
4.4.2. Cancelling orders
You can also stop whatever your Sim is doing by clicking at the picture of
the order. When reading a book, for example, cancelling will stop your Sim
and she will then return the book to the shelf. Cancelling a sleep will wake
your Sim up. Cancelling an eat will leave you a half-empty plate, but still
ready to be eaten again (the meal, not the plate, duh).
Sometimes, cancelling won't do the job. This is specifically happen when
a Sim is already doing the task while it is a single yet long-animated task.
Take "Drinking Coffee" for example. Another tip of cancelling is when you
take your bill. When doing so, your Sim will automatically seek for the
closest surface (table, end table) to put it down. But heck, you can cancel
the task AFTER your Sim got the mail. She will put it down the floor, and by
then you will be able to quickly pay for it. This also works similarly when
receiving cake or flowers from guests.
Cancelling also speeds-up other tasks, such as washing the dishes or
emptying the trash. When doing the latter, you can cancel before she go to
the outside trashcan. There will be trashes all over the floor, but you can
pick it up and put it down the inside trashcan again (and voila, it won't be
full! Wonder where the rest of the trashes go...)
______________________________________________________________________________
4.5. Skills
Skills are essential in overcoming various problems you will without no
doubt encounter during your game. You will have to spend a lot of time working
on these. Read on.
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// ~ Skills ~ //
// ~ Gotta read lots, lots, lots of books, and more! ~ //
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// //
// 1. Cooking //
// This is the most important skill to learn at the beginning, //
// especially for the "homer" Sim. Of course, you will definitely want //
// to learn it when playing Bachelor as well. //
// //
// what it does: //
// Cooking skill is one of the factors that make satisfying meal //
// (another is the quality of the kitchenwares used). The better your //
// Skill is, the faster you'll get a full Hunger bar. Another usage of //
// this skill is to avoid the chance of causing fire when using the //
// stove. The poorer your skill is, the bigger the chance you will //
// burn your whole house down. Some job careers also require you this. //
// //
// how to learn: //
// There's only one way to learn Cooking, that is by purchasing a //
// bookshelf and choosing to Study Cooking from it. I imagine that the //
// skill should also increase the more you cook; but no, it isn't. //
// //
// 2. Mechanical //
// Mechanical has a lot to do with fixing and/or making things. The //
// Repairman (whom you can call by phone) has a perfect Mechanical //
// skill, and therefore may be of a help during the beginning of the //
// game when your skill is low. //
// //
// what it does: //
// Mechanical will help you a lot when things are broken. Of course, //
// you can always call the Repairman, but why not taking the skill to //
// its best so you can do it yourself and save money? In Livin' Large, //
// the better the skill is, the higher the price of the Gnomes you make //
// with the woodworking table. Most job careers also require you this. //
// //
// how to learn: //
// Previously, much like Cooking, you can only learn Mechanical skill //
// through learning from books. But with Livin' Large, you can buy the //
// woodworking table. You will make a lot of Gnomes with that thing, //
// and the longer time you spend, the faster you'll get your skill up. //
// //
// 3. Charisma //
// You will need to have a good quality of Charisma to charm other //
// people to do whatever you wanted them to do. Not that you can do //
// that thing in The Sims, duh, it's just some filler sentences... //
// //
// what it does: //
// Nothing much, really. It is only important for some job careers, //
// and that actualy is all. //
// //
// how to learn: //
// You will have to buy any kind of mirror and choose Practice Speech //
// from there. //
// //
// 4. Body //
// Everyone wants a good body. Everyone wants to be strong. Do you? //
// //
// what it does: //
// Surprisingly, nothing much, too. It is only important for some job //
// careers. You'd think that with this you will be able to do more //
// things (like, pushing furnitures somewhere out of the way), but no. //
// Oh, it is also said that this help when you get into fight with //
// other. //
// //
// how to learn: //
// Buy the exercise machine, and use it. Also know that this skill //
// takes you the most energy to learn compared to another, so try not //
// to overdo it. You can also build a pool and swim there to eventually //
// gain the skill. There's no blue indicator bar when swimming, but //
// the skill will still go up (although at the more lengthy time). Go //
// with the exercise machine all the way. //
// //
// 5. Logic //
// Logic has escaped the mind of many, many Sims. How about yours? //
// //
// what it does: //
// Nothing. It helps you to advance most job careers, but nothing else. //
// //
// how to learn: //
// In The Sims, the only way to learn Logic skill is by playing chess. //
// With Livin' Large, you can also buy the chemistry set or telescope //
// as they help too. //
// //
// 6. Creativity //
// It is Creativity all they need the most to make games like The Sims. //
// It is your ability to make something "new", something original. //
// //
// what it does: //
// Advancing job careers. Uh, and good Creativity skill will raise the //
// price of the paintings you make, but not by much compared to what //
// Mechanical skill is to the Gnome. Yes, a single painting at 10 //
// Creativity sold higher than a single Gnome at 10 Mechanical, but by //
// the time you finished your painting, 10 Gnomes or more should be //
// finished too. //
// //
// how to learn: //
// Buy the piano, or the cheaper easel. With the Livin' Large, you //
// should also try the electric guitar. //
// //
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// "I'm fine by myself now. I have all the skills I need to survive. I'm //
// not a child anymore." //
// Squall Leonheart, Final Fantasy VIII //
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Note that it takes longer time to learn more and more skills. You can easily
start getting a couple of skill points by wasting some hours, but it will
obviously take you more than a full day to max them out from nine to ten. Be
patient, and always keep an eye on your Energy and other Needs.
Fully skilled Sim also do not get much else in practical. My first Sim who
had reached that was in fact a "homer". Since she didn't work, most were
simply wasted. She still called the Repairman just for fun, and so the only
way it mattered was when she cooked a real good meal for the whole family.
______________________________________________________________________________
4.6. Health
Now as you download the Guinea Pig object or installed Livin' Large, it is
indeed possible for your Sim to get sick. This can usually be recognized when
he/she is sneezing and all. Sickness can happen when your Sim is playing with
the Guinea Pig while the cage is not clean (you will notice this if you find
the "Clean" option on the object). Be warned, though, that it is possible to
get bitten by the Guinea Pig and get sick even though there is no "Clean"
option when you ordered to "Play" (this mostly happened if you queue the order
after sleeping or other long-time acts).
When it happens, most of the need bars (most notably the Energy bar) will
drop faster then usual. These are things you need to take note about sickness:
1. Yes, sickness can cause death. Be terribly aware of this fact, because
unlike another things that may also cause death (e.g. being electrocuted
or hunger), death by sickness may come unpredictably. You may still have
a sick Sim with quite good mood and somewhat satiated needs, but it doesn't
mean they won't die an hour later.
2. When a Sim is sick, their Energy bar drops really fast. Because of this,
NEVER ever force your Sim to do anything beyond their condition, especially
stat raising. In order of priority, you will need to keep an eye on Hunger,
then Energy, Bladder (which goes altogether with Energy, you'll soon see)
and probably Hygiene and Comfort.
3. A cure for the ill Sim is a tight sleep and a lot, lot cups of coffee. My
suggestion is that you put an endtable or any surface near the bed, and
tell your Sim to drink around five or more cups of coffee before obviously
telling him to go to the toilet. I remember that Will Wright said something
about giving the ill Sim a lot of nice hot drinks--but since the game
doesn't provide any other kind of drinks (except from the bar object, which
obviously isn't all that nice and warm), I guess coffee is the best bet.
4. It is said that an ill Sim may not go to work. Fortunately, this suggestion
has been proven wrong. This probably has a lot to do with the quicker
decay of Energy and Hunger bars when working (both being the most deciding
needs whether your Sim will survive or not), but there's always a way. You
shouldn't tell your Sim to do anything at home (except to fulfill their
needs) and they'll be quite safe when at work. Your ill Sim will spend a
lot of time sleeping and drinking coffee, and then use the little hours
remaining to have an eat, bath, and probably a nap. Tell them to work as
usual, then tell him to sleep, have coffee, toilet, eat. Lather, rinse,
repeat.
This is probably hard to do when you don't have quite good objects yet;
when that happens, you could just go to work a day, stay home the next day,
go to work again, and that should also help too.
5. Sickness may jump from a Sim to another; in other words, keep a healthy
Sim away from the ill one. This probably goes depending on time, not
interaction. This fact is an obvious advantage, because when in absolute
dire need to fulfill the Social bar (and you will, sooner or later), your
ill Sim could just hug a roommate for a couple time and then quickly leave
to avoid further problem. This is quite OK as long as done fast enough.
An ill Sim will regain back his health after two or more days (depending on
how well she got rest, coffee, and an overall good mood).
NOTE: With Livin' Large, you can buy a decorative item called the Guinea Pig
painting. Viewing it will cure your ill Sim automatically. Also, you
may ended up making a White Potion from the Chemistry Set when a Sim is
ill. It doesn't come up automatically, though, so stick with the
painting instead.
______________________________________________________________________________
4.7. What a Sim dislikes and why
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
When sleeping:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
They don't like being in the same room with anybody and anything doing certain
(especially noisy) activities. These include:
- phone ring
- cuckoo clock (download, or Livin' Large)
- turned on TV
- turned on stereo set
- baby cry
- other Sim playing with piano
- other Sim playing with PC
- other Sim working with the exercise machine
- other Sim playing with the guitar
- other Sim playing with other object I fail to notice, as long as they make
sound.
If Sim A is already sleeping when Sim B is doing one of the above, Sim A
will suddenly wake up. When Sim B is already doing one of the above when
Sim A is going to sleep, it will be impossible for Sim A to do it unless
Sim B stops her act first.
Waking up a Sim when their Energy bar is not yet filled also disturbs them.
In other hand, a Sim will not want to sleep in a double bed with another Sim
she doesn't have quite a good relationship yet (about 60-80, I guess). This
may be quite a punch to your wallet to buy different bed for different Sim,
so it is always advisable to have really good relationship with the same
family member. That way, you can have two Sims sleeping in the same bed,
which saves money and space (i.e. you will naturally need only one bedroom
in the stead of two, or probably can use the second room for SimKid).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
When using the toilet:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
They don't like another person inside the bathroom, EXCEPT they know the
person really well (i.e. they have high relationship points, explained later).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
When bathing:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
They also don't like another person inside the bathroom, EXCEPT they know the
person really well.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
When an object is broken:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sometimes, your Sim may break an object when using them. When this happens,
the act is stopped abruptedly and you should immediately call the Repairman
or fix the object yourself.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disasters:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
In a smaller scale, they hate trash, dirty bathrooms, and messy beds. Of
course, they hate more serious things like floods and fire too.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Relationship:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Like, you don't like it if a random person hugs you in all of a sudden, do
you? So do your Sim then. There will also be certain things they dislike in
the regard of love matters, but it will be discussed more in its own section.
______________________________________________________________________________
4.8. SimKid behaviors
There will be different section to discuss more about the SimKid, but here
we will be just talking about their difference with the adult Sim behavior.
They are basically the same with adult Sim. They can sleep in both the kiddie
bed or the common beds (the way an adult Sim can also sleep in both, too). A
kind of special thing is that they are not considered as a real problem in the
bathroom. They can be with another family member (although maybe not so with
guests) in the same time without no worries. They also have quite a tendency
to make a whole lot of water puddles after using the shower.
Also note that SimKid cannot raise skills, and have no usage of them anyway
(they can't serve meal, repair, go to work). The very same mood/needs rule
still apply, though.
______________________________________________________________________________
4.9. Guests behaviors
Obviously, you cannot control those guest Sims who make a visit to your
house. They have their own Free Will, and your role is to satiate what they
need. In other word, be a good host.
This is what I use to experience when having guest. First, they will knock
your door and STAY AWAIT until you GREET them. They don't wait forever,
though, so if they're ignored for around an hour or more, they will eventually
leave (and probably get mad at you). Once you greet them, they will instantly
enter your house; and this begins your job as a host.
Normally, if your guest comes from "unused family" (i.e. a family you make
not to be played, just so you can have them as friends. This will be explained
later), they will come with the default need: They're HUNGRY.
IT IS BETTER FOR YOU TO SERVE MEALS BEFORE INVITING GUEST
Now if you have meals prepared, the guest will quickly grab it and have an
eat. You can make better use of this fact by taking a meal as well. This will
trigger a social conversation, which obviously adds up the Social need (with
the Hunger since you're eating, and most likely Comfort too). If your Sim is
not hungry, though, just let him do anything else for a while.
When they're finished, guests will feel what your Sim usually feel: they
have to go to the bathroom. Let them go first and then use the toilet too
(especially if you were also eating) or use another toilet if you have it.
After that, your guest is ready to be interacted with (i.e. the only reason
why you need them). Sometimes, though, they will probably go for the coffee-
maker first (they need a quick boost on Energy, perhaps). After that, chat to
them, play chess, whatever.
At some point or another, their Free Will should lead them do fulfill their
needs with objects found in your house. If their Fun bar is low and you're so
unlucky that you don't have anything resembling "fun", then your guests will
eventually go back home to find the entertainment on their own.
REMEMBER THAT YOUR GUEST IS ALSO A HUMA--ERR, A SIM, MEANING THAT YOU SHOULD
ALWAYS TAKE NOTICE ON THEIR NEEDS AS WELL.
==============================================================================
5. Building
==============================================================================
Unless you buy a pre-made house, you will have to make one for your own.
Answer me, what's the fun of buying pre-made houses? Oh. Yeah. It's fast and
doesn't require us the tiniest amount of brain cells. But hey, building is fun
too, if you just spend enough time and imagination with it.
______________________________________________________________________________
5.0. Stats
The Sims began as a housemaking simulation, and had it stayed that way, this
Stats should occupy a major portion in the game. But no, so instead it only
becomes a really, really worthless and unnoticed part. You don't need to care
about this mostly. If your Sim live there happily, it doesn't matter what the
Stats said. Here they are anyway:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sq.Ft.:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is the area inside the house--the area enclosed by walls. Sims like lots
of room, the more the better, and they really won't be happy if space is
limited.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bedrooms:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
A bedroom is any room that has a bed. As long as you provide your Sim with
comfy beds, they'll sleep well and wake re-energized.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bathrooms:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Only room that contains a toilet, tub or shower is considered a bathroom. Sims
definitely need at least one bathroom to relieve their bladder and hygiene
needs.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lot Size:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
A lot can happen on a lot. They come in various sizes and cost accordingly.
There are another parts of your house that, unlike the above stats, are
scored accordingly in the sense that the more they are, the better. They are:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Size:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is the size of the buildings you have in the house, probably scored
solely on the in-house (i.e. doesn't include yard). I came into that thought
because I used not to give a thing to the yard, but I expand the house a lot
and somehow this stat is full already.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Furnishings:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is the round-out of all the objects you have in your house. To test this
out, I started a new family and bought them only one thing, the Servo. And
the Furnishing stats skyrocketed to the fullest. But when there's cheaper
items around, the score should drop.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yard:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now this is where they judge how pretty your yard is. The easiest way is to
plant more and more trees until this stat is full. But you can normally build
swimming pool and nice gardens to boost this.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Upkeep:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
What's a shiny house if it's left dead for years? Upkeep stat goes up and down
all the time. When there are broken item, dirty toilets, burned bulbs, the
Upkeep stat goes down. When all is fixed, it goes back up. Note that whenever
you start a game, this stat is full (yeah, because you don't have any objects,
let alone to be broken anyway)...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Layout:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
If your Sims frequently bump one another when going all around the house,
you can safely tell something's wrong with the Layout. This is the hardest
stat to satiate, you will always want all the activity in the house work
fluidly between one another. I can't really say much else because I used to
get low Layout score... just try not to place too much unneeded wall and see
if it works.
______________________________________________________________________________
5.1. Building consideration
Now the only reason why you would or would not want to put something on that
empty lot to eventually make a decent hourse out of it is how your Sim will
feel about it. You may make a really good house in your own eyes, but maybe
there's something wrong there according to your Sim. Maybe it's too big, maybe
it's too simplistic, maybe you just put too much things there.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Walls
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
============================================================================
Control reminder
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
(hold)Ctrl + click-drag : delete wall
(hold)Shift + click-drag : build square room
============================================================================
a) Corners
Sims enjoy more the imaginative approach into the standard, square-shaped
walls that develop a room. It appears that they liked the cut on the corner
more. I honestly didn't see any big difference between standard and cut-out
corners, but aside from the fact that cut-out corner saves money, it's always
worth a try, no?
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// Wall Corners //
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// //
// 1) This is the standard corner: //
// ___ //
// | //
// | //
// //
// //
// 2) This is the cut-out corner (which a Sim likes more): //
// ___ //
// / //
// | //
// //
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
There's a downside to making cut-out corners, though, namely the placing
limitation. To put it short, a single cut-out corner will cost you an empty
grid that you should get had you decided to use the standard corner. Remember
that this one grid is sometimes very valuable, you know, due to it's place.
You can have decorative items there, or floor lamps.
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// Between the Possible and the Impossible //
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// //
// 1) You can make combination between diagonal and normal wall like this: //
// //
// | North //
// |___ W E //
// / S //
// | //
// //
// but you cannot make the combination like this: //
// //
// ______ North //
// / W E //
// | S //
// | //
// //
// A normal wall could not go across a diagonal wall if there's another //
// normal wall by the other end of the diagonal wall. In the picture, //
// you could see the normal wall could not go to west because there's //
// another normal wall by the end of the diagonal wall (going north). //
// In much easier words, two normal and a diagonal could not collide. //
// //
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Also note that NOTHING could be placed on the diagonal wall. No painting,
no wall lamp, no window, no door, no anything. Well, you could still place
wallpapers, but that's all I know.
b) functions
Now back to the basic: why do you want to add a wall? To make a room, that's
correct. And what's the use of a room? To separate different functions between
them, right. In other words, you need to make a BATHroom and a BEDroom because
you don't want to fuse them into a BATHBEDroom (since, you know, sleeping with
a toilet nearby just doesn't seem quite right).
It is a bit easier to determine in The Sims, though, because all they care
is just bedroom and bathroom. You can make whatever other room as you wish:
playroom, studyroom, partyroom, poolroom, hothouse, workshop, whatever. It is
already discussed in the Sims Behaviors section that Sims want some sort of
privacy for both bedroom and bathroom (albeit for some slightly different
reason). Aside from that, it's all yours.
The moral of this subsection is that: you always want to make separate
bathroom and bedroom. All the livingroom kind of thing can go whatever they
want.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Room
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
a) General info
Now, speaking technically, what is a room? Square-shaped grids surrounded
with walls? Square-shaped grids surrounded with walls with cut-out corner?
WRONG.
First, a room can be of ANY KIND OF shape. As long as:
1. The space is entirely surrounded with walls.
2. There's no fully separating wall between space. Here's an exercise:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1) ______
| This, my friend, is not a room. It's missing a wall.
| |
|_______|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
2) _______
| | This is a full room.
| |
|_______|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3) _______
| | | This is also a full room. There's a wall in the middle, but
| | | it fails to fully separate the space.
|_______|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4) _______
| | | No, this isn't a pant. These are TWO ROOMS. The wall in the
| | | middle has now complete.
|___|___|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
5) ____ Now, this may look like something out of your math
/ \_______ textbook. Take it simply, it's also a room despite the
/ \ rather funky approach to the design.
|_______ \
\______|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I hope you all could understand these little notes. If you can't, it is
suggested for you to start a journey to Tibet and, uh, seek the meaning of
life or something.
b) What makes a good room
Note that a full room, as explained above, is not yet to be a perfectly
liveable room. You should be able to notice them quickly, but here they are:
1. A room needs at least a door to get in and out.
2. A room needs some windows to provide maximum lighting in the days.
3. A room needs some lamps to provide maximum lighting in the nights.
4. This is not an absolute must, but any kind of wallpaper and tile should
help a lot on the aesthetic side and all.
5. A good room is not of a huge size, but is enough to contain the whole
objects that are going to be put there, so a Sim could use all of them
freely and safely enough.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Door and Window
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
============================================================================
Control reminder
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
(hold)Ctrl + click-drag : delete door/window (but not the wall)
============================================================================
There's only little thing we could talk about these two objects, but let's
discuss them as well. First is the door. A door is regarded basically as a
wall; a combination between wall and door also separate space into different
rooms. A door can only be placed on normal, not diagonal walls. A door also
needs two empty grid in front and behind it. This is obvious, I think, you
need both space to freely go in and out via the door. There are many kind of
doors in The Sim, but they're just for aesthetic matter and simply serve and
behave the same way (e.g. that "frame-only" door is, after all, also a door
so that albeit the look, it still doesn't connect between rooms into a single
room).
Still regarding doors, there is currently no double-doors both in The Sims
and Livin' Large. You may want to place two doors next to each other as a
front door; When you have more than one guest, repairman, gardener, and maid
all in one time, it will be quite a mess when people have to queue to get in
or out. Also make quite some free grids surrounding the door, avoid narrow
corridor like plague. Here's an example:
| | | and - : walls, both occupy a single grid
| | D : doors
-|-D-|-
| | Never make something like this! It will only leave your Sim
| | a mere 1-grid wide space, meaning it will only be accesible
for one Sim in a time. Compare with the next:
| |
| | If you make things like this, you will have wider space which
-|---D---|-- will be a big help to avoid collision.
| |
| |
Always note that the "space limiter" doesn't always have to be walls:
in can also be objects, plants, flowers, anything. Always remember to put
things far enough from the door to let it have good enough space for your
Sims to get in and out.
A window works to let the sunlight into the room. You will want to put as
many window as it is needed to provide the maximum lighting. Simply add one
by one until the room doesn't get any brighter. You could still add more,
though, maybe for decorative reason (like in most pre-made houses).
Note that an inside window (a window simply placed inside, so it doesn't
directly receive sunlight) doesn't transfer light from a room to another.
Here's a graphical example.
ooooo ################## o = outside
ooooo # # # # = wall
ooooo | / # | = window
ooooo | Room / Room # / = inside window
ooooo | 1 / 2 #
ooooo # # #
ooooo # # #
ooooo ##################
oooooooooooooooooooooooo
oooooooooooooooooooooooo
As you see there, the Room 1 should be bright (because it has a window
leading outside), but then Room 2 will be totally dark. Notice that the
inside window will not transfer the light from window in Room 1 to Room 2,
despite its being adjacent with.
The minimum total of a window needed for a room is based on the room's size,
and it really doesn't matter on which side the windows are placed. If a room
only needs two, you can place both next to each other, or on different side,
anywhere as you wish. Although, still, you can't place it on diagonal walls.
Uh, no. Actually, I had experienced that a slight difference in placement
may also cause slightly different effect. Placing a window here, for example,
may only do a bright+1 (or whatever like that), but a window next to it may
do bright+2. I don't have any explanation about this. Should you know, please
mail me up.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Swimming Pool
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
============================================================================
Control reminder
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
(hold)Ctrl + click-drag : delete pool
============================================================================
Everybody loves swimming pool. When you choose the water button, you will get
a set of 3x3 tiles; Eight of them are cheap, outdoor tiles (meaning you will
be able to delete or replace them) and the one in the middle is the pool
itself. When you spread them, the water area will get wider with the rest of
the tile still surrounding them.
Also note that you need, at the very least, to place the ladder by the edge
of the pool so your Sim can have access into it. The diving board is optional,
but since there's nothing else you can have in the pool, then why not?
You can have an indoor swimming pool, but you can't have them on the second
story (i.e. don't just go building a whole lot of pillars just to realize
that it's impossible to have pool there like I did).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tile and Wallpaper
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
============================================================================
Control reminder
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
(hold)Ctrl + click-drag : delete floor / wallpaper
(hold)Shift + click-drag : - fill an entire room with the same tile
- fill an entire connecting wall surface with
wallpaper
============================================================================
All these things will slowly empty your wallet, especially in the beginning.
If you can afford it, it is always best to have them. If you can't, though,
make it the last priority. Remember that different style costs you differently,
while there definitely isn't any advantage of having a tile/wallpaper over
another aside from aesthetic side (which doesn't count in-game, anyway).
In other words, start cheap first. They may look rather plain in the eye, but
there's nothing wrong about it according to your Sim. Also note that I haven't
experienced any matter in the regard of placing tile/wallpaper not at what it
seemed to be their "appropriate" place. Like, the tile/wallpaper set for the
bathroom shouldn't make any problem when placed in the bedroom, or outside.
______________________________________________________________________________
5.2. To mix or not to mix
There have been a lot of ideas about not separating rooms differently at all.
It does not, in fact, bother your Sim should he sleep in a room when there's
a guest around. So then comes the idea to have only two different rooms in
the house; the bathroom (this one OBVIOUSLY needs to be separated) and the
large room for kitchen/bed/living room/dining room all in one pack.
While this DEFINITELY saves money because you don't need to build that much
of a wall, there are certain downsides to this. First is of course in regard
of your sleeping Sim. Realized or not, you will eventually place certain
objects that may annoy your sleeping Sim (refer to subsection 4.7. What a Sim
dislikes and why).
One of the biggest offender is the phone. You never know when this will ring
and wake up your Sim, while you will definitely have one in the house. Others
are the turned on television or stereo sets. Both these objects can easily be
left unnoticed for quite some time; only to have your about-to-sleep Sim
complaining about them.
Another problem is room rating. A small, separate bedroom is easier to take
care and decorate than a mix of different rooms altogether. If you mix
everything, that basically means you will also have dirty plates in your
bedroom, maybe unrecycled papers, withered plant, dirty aquariums, and all.
At the plus side, though, you will only have to concentrate on decorating that
one room alone to satistfy the Room need most of the time.
So, to sum it up, it basically is not a big problem to mix everything in one
room. Here are some ideas to better your life and help your Sim more:
1. Place the telephone inside the bathroom, or probably outside.
2. Never place the Cuckoo Clock. If you have one, place it in the bathroom.
3. Always make sure everything's turned off before telling your Sim to sleep.
4. When not playing alone, make sure that whenever you have a sleeping Sim,
tell the others to do less-noisy things. Practice speech, read books,
cook, stuff like that. Or maybe you can temporarily place the stuff
outside if you really need too (works okay with the exercise machine, TV,
and probably anything else) and move back in when they're done.
______________________________________________________________________________
5.3. Starting ideas
Especially after you bought a vacant lot, you will have quite a little to both
build your house and buy necessary objects. Because of this, you will have to
make certain limitations to the size and layout of your house. You will
probably want to use the ideas of mixing rooms as explain on the previous
subsection; or you will not.
Either way, these are MY ideas about the layout. Emphasize the "MY" point
because it is, in fact, not recommended for you to use. It will be a whole lot
better if you take mine as a starting point, think about how ridiculous it is
for your taste, and begin making a better one. Trust me, I want you to do that
instead.
As a start, remember this. It is good to place your front door as close as
possible with the mailbox. If you have installed Livin' Large, you could see
in the 2nd Neighborhood that the retro-themed house (with the Mashuga family)
is a real bad example of front door placement, because it's at the different
side with the mailbox. Imagine how long it should take to get and pay bills,
newspapers, and all. You may want to build a little flower garden in front of
your house, so give it three space or so from the mailbox, then start building
walls. Something like this:
4 D : front door
3 -----D------ [t]: trashcan
2 GGG GGGG [m]: mailbox
1 G : garden (i.e. flowers, anything)
0 --------[t]--[m]---
######## ROAD #####
And here are some of my layout (the in-house only). Remember that the walls
are only a rough work to ease my job, you can have cut-out walls if you want.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. The simple mix
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|------|---------| FD : Front door
| 2 D 3 | D : Door
| | | 1 : Bed area
|-D----| | 2 : Bathroom
| 4 | 3 : Kitchen and dining area
| 1 | 4 : Living room
|--------FD------|
Explanation:
This is where the fuse between the bedroom + kitchen + dining room + living
room is applied. Place a bed or two in the bed area, put the kitchenwares
next to the walls and have a table in the middle (area 3). Have TV and stuff
in area 4. The bathroom is quite self-explanatory.
Advantage:
It's awesomely cheap. You only need to build two different room, one is very
small (the bathroom) and nothing else.
Disadvantage:
You will need to put the phone in the bathroom and stuff, everything to keep
a sleeping Sim comfortable due to the no privacy at all.
Expansion possibility:
|-----|
| 5 |-------|
| | 3a |
|------|-D---| | 3a: Kitchen area
| 2 D 3b | 3b: Dining area
| | | 5: Study room
|-D----| |
| D 4 |
| 1 | |
| |-FD----------|
|------|
Explanation:
You can now seal off the bed area with walls to further privacy, and you can
expand the northern side area for anything, most notably the addition for
another room, which I used as a study room in my example. Also the removal
of the kitchen area so you can have much wider dining room.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. A slightly better privacy
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|-----|
|------| 3 |------| FD: Front door
| 2 |--D--| 4 | D: Door
| | 1: Bedroom
|----D|---FD--------| 2: Kitchen and dining area
| 1 | 3: Bathroom
|-----| 4: Living room
Explanation:
With this, you cut the left part of your yard that's supposed to be a garden
and build a bedroom there. I know that nobody actually place a bathroom
directly in front of the front door; but no, Sims care not about this. So
why should you?
Advantage:
You will have a complete privacy when sleeping and the chance for another Sim
to work on noisy things without hesitation. There will be a lot more space to
place things unlike before and the house is quite expandable due to the simple
and the few amount of walls used.
Disadvantage:
Still much more expensive than the first layout, though, due to the cost of
a new bedroom.
Expansion possibility:
|------|
|-----| 5 |
|------| 3 |-----D| 5: Study room
| 2 |--D--| 4 |
| |
|----D|---FD--------|
| 1 |
|-----|
Explanation:
I hate fully symmetrical building, so I placed the Study Room to the north
of the living room instead of to its south. Or if you want to have a fully
balanced house, then something like this:
|------| |------|
| 6 |-----| 5 |
|-D----| 3 |----D-| 5: Study room
| 2 |--D--| 4 | 6: Bedroom
| | 7: All-purpose room
|----D|---FD--|D----|
| 1 | | 7 |
|-----| |-----|
Explanation:
Now you have two bedrooms (you know, for your SimKid or something) and another
vacant room for whatever you wish. This cuts down your garden, of course, so
you can easily delete room 7 if you want, and only add room 6. Or delete room
6 and only add room 7. Whatever fits you best.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. The big family
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|--------------|---| FD: Front door
| 2 D 1 | D: Door
|-D--|--D------| | 1: Kitchen area
| 3 D 4 | 2: Bedroom
|----|--FD--- 5 | 3: Bathroom
\-----| 4: Living room
5: Dining area
Explanation:
When you start a house with eight family members, you don't build a lot of
bedrooms with one bed each for them. Instead, you build a huge bedroom with
a lot of beds. This is where the wide bedroom comes in. Note that your Sim
has no problem sleeping in a room with no matter how many other Sim around,
so despite the barrack-esque look, it's quite okay. It saves a lot of money
too. Also note the use of diagonal wall by the dining area. This is to make a
certain feeling of space, because it is in fact quite narrow for the living
and dining area had they were limited by common, vertical wall. Also: the door
next to the kitchen area. This is so that your "homer" Sim (you will have one,
duh, you're playing eight Sims!) can quickly serve dinner after sleeping
without having to get out through the south door.
Advantage:
The usage of walls is quite limited. You basically have only three rooms which
reduces a lot of other cost (especially for decoration).
Disadvantage:
The living room and dining room has to be sacrificed (i.e. they have to have
smaller space) as to save money for walls and stuff.
Expansion possibility:
|-----|
|----|--| |----| 1: Kitchen area
| 8 D D 7 D 1 | 2: Dining area
|----| |-----| |---| 3: Bathroom
| 3 D | 6 D 2 | 4: Living room
|----| |--D--| | 5: Bedroom (1)
| 9 D 4 |---| 6: "homer" Sim's bedroom (2)
|----|--FD---|D----| 7: All-purpose room
| 5 | 8: Bedroom (3)
|-----| 9: Bedroom (4)
Explanation:
If you have the money, why not? Assuming you have a double-bed in each, then
two Sims can occupy a bedroom (in the stead of the 8:1 ratio in the beginning)
for better privacy. Also note the replacement of the bathroom to the more
northern room; this is because as far as I know, according to an architectural
law or something, you don't place similar functioned rooms next to each other
(which is bedroom 8 and 9, in my case) unless you're making some sort of hotel
or apartment, which I wasn't. Uh, yeah, the dining area is moved too; because
it's almost a rule that they must be close enough to the kitchen (which is
also slightly moved). Also note the placement of the two doors in the
All-purpose room; this is to save your Sims more time when going from the
left side to the right and vice versa.
CLOSING STATEMENT:
No matter how excellent a house is, though, there WILL be a big change when
you also have to consider this next section. introducing: The Second Story.
______________________________________________________________________________
5.4. Second story
Why having to spread out every single room to the north, to the east, to the
west and to the south to get enough space, if you can expand it to the ABOVE?
Most of the time, I had this problem of TOO MUCH AVAILABLE SPACE when I wanted
to build a second story. This was especially when I was playing a small family
when the need of many bedrooms is non-existant. I used to build everything on
the first story, and when I have the double space, I don't have any idea about
how I should make use of it.
The moral of my story is: if you really wanted to make use of a second story
(i.e. not for bragging rights), then plan as soon as possible. If you have
spare money and wanted to add a study room, decide if you want it right now
or soon after you have enough money to build the second story for that room.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
In addition to that, you can actually have an extra grid on the second story;
In other words, you can place a tile on a first story wall, and have a second
story wall next it. It's better be experienced than told, though, so just try
a bit and see what I mean.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Basic
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Okay, now as you already grasp the very meaning of the second story, let's
begin making them. The ways of building the second story are quite simple,
actually. If you have a room on the first floor, you can have another room
directly above it. If you have a pillar on the first floor, you can have a
room right above it too.
The key to building a second story is Tile, actually. While you can have
grasses on the first floor, you can't expect your Sim to hover around the
second story. Also note that yard objects do not belong to the second story.
This includes many stuff in Build mode like the swimming pool and most plants
that have to be placed on grass (like trees).
If you're ready, then purchase a ladder of your choice. Just the way common
sense used to say, place that ladder next to any wall. Not only this adds in
safety (in real life, anyway, as there's no falling incident in The Sims), but
this also helps the aesthetic feeling of the room.
Now that the ladder is placed, switch to the second story view (press Tab
or use the game's interface) and you will see empty grids there. Now you can
start placing tiles, and surround them with walls according to your needs.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Remember that you don't need to make an exact clone of your first story. You
can only use half of the available grids, and the game will fix the rest for
you (e.g. the roofs and overall look).
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Pillars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
You will use these for one purpose and one purpose only: to have a second
story tile when there's no wall under it. No, wait. You can use these for
decorative purpose too, I guess, to give your house a certain accent and such,
but that isn't all I wanted to discuss right now.
A pillar, despite what it may show you, actually support a 3x3 grid. You may
only see one above it in the beginning, but if you place a tile on it, it will
expand to all direction for you to place more tiles. In other words, if you
want a second story area by the size of 6x1, for example:
you don't have to buy six of them!
1 P P P P P P P: Pillars
1 2 3 4 5 6
no need for this! You only have to buy two pillars!
1 P P P: Pillars
1 2 3 4 5 6
(in fact, if you make full use of it, two pillars are enough for 6x3/3x6!)
this is enough. If you still have any problem, just imagine a pillar as the
middle tile in a fully available 3x3 grid (which IS its feature, after all).
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3. Balcony
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When you have a second story, you also have to have a balcony. I don't know
what's the reason behind this, maybe it gives you a certain feel of
awesomeness when watching other people down there from high above a balcony.
And just admit it, you want a balcony too, right?
It is fairly simple to build one. You already know that a second story floor
can have an extra grid over the first story one; but one grid is not enough
for a balcony. You will want around 2 or three grids there, depending on your
taste.
The way to do it, of course, is to place pillars. With these, you don't have
to build room on the first story to support the balcony (and a balcony does
NOT want a room under it, anyway). So you basically tile all the grid you
wanted to be a balcony, place surrounding fences (uh, not that a Sim will fall
down from an open balcony, mind you), and wall the back side of the balcony
and add a door to the inside.
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4. Gravity-defying second story
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Say, do you hate having pillars to support your balcony? Maybe they just
look plain ugly and can never match your Japanese-themed house? Me too,
sometimes. Now what if we somehow delete the pillars when the balcony is
already build? Will the floor just crumble down, disappear, or what?
No, baby. They stay.
Uhm, let me state this again in a much less compassionate speech. You can
sell all your pillars, and your balcony will stay intact. Just sell them the
same way you sell other objects, and voila! You have set your very own
gravity-defying house.
You can go extreme with this fact, too. If you have the money, you can place
nothing else but a ladder and a whole lots of pillars, then build your entire
house on the second story. Sell the pillars and see what happen. Let some of
the corner pillars stay and you will have what some of the folks here in
my country, Indonesia, have; a fully second story house with nothing much else
under it. And then start telling your friend the house is special to avoid the
attack of wild animals and floods, and voila, they praise your imagination!
(As a little aside, though, wild animals and floods actually ARE the reasons
why some of our people have that sort of a house.)
==============================================================================
6. Objects
==============================================================================
A house and an object is like the dark and the light; Each cannot go without
another. Once you get through the daunting task of building your house, you
can now calm down and start choosing what kind of thing you want your Sim to
enjoy. Provided you still have spare money in hand, of course.
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// NOTE! //
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// //
// You can sell an object you just bought and gain //
// back your full money as long as you do that within //
// the same day you bought the object. This does NOT //
// mean 24 hours after you bought the object. Rather, //
// you have whatever the time remaining in the //
// current day to do so. So, if it's 10 AM, you have //
// 14 hours to sell the object and still acquire your //
// money back. //
// //
// This is especially useful when buying the PC to //
// find your Sim a job. Buy a PC, search for job, //
// accept, and sell the PC back. No harm's done, and //
// you have more options for job thanks to the PC. //
// //
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
______________________________________________________________________________
6.0. Specific objects behavior
Some objects work differently from the other. Before we're talking about the
most common ones, I'll include the specific first.
- Bed -
Your Sim will continue to sleep until 6 AM unless you use the order "Wake up"
or you give him another order in the queue. When you tell him to "Wake up",
your Sim will do that right at the time, regardless of energy, and most
likely will be yelling at you. This works best when a burglar is barging in.
When you simply give another order, your Sim will wait until his Energy is
all green before he wakes up and do the order.
A double bed needs free space to its left and right so two Sims can sleep
there at the same time.
- TV -
When watching TV, your Sim will keep on sitting until they have full Fun bar,
much like a bed is to the Energy bar. When you queue the order, they will wait
until the Fun is full too (unless of course if you cancel the Watch TV order).
Note that a Sim doesn't turn off the TV when they're finished; it's best to
queue a "Watch" and a "Turn Off" order all at once. See the result.
- Computer -
When playing with the computer, your Sim will also stay there until the Fun
bar is full. In addition to that, she will also turn off the computer. The
difference is that, if you add an