Finally the expansion pack we have been waiting for since the original Sims is here, and it rocks!!!
is by far the best one yet.
The opportunity to actually see your Sims work and direct them in a working
environment has been a requested feature since the first Sims came out.
However up until this point we have been left to only imagine what our Sim
must be doing as an executive chef. So does this expansion answer all the
hopes and prayers of Sims aficionados when it comes to their Sims and
work? The short answer is not exactly, as we are still unable to follow our
Sims to any job they may take in the paper or find on the computer, this
expansion focuses strictly on running your own business, but do not let that
get you down as it is implemented incredibly well.
Firstly there are many different types of businesses you can open. Ones
where you charge people to buy items, (think furniture store), you can even
craft your own items, one where you charge people for services, (think hair
salon), or one where you charge people simply to spend time on your lot
(think a club). You can also have any or all of these businesses operating on
the same lot so there are no restrictions.
You can open any or all of these business on your home lot, or on a
commercial lot. Opening a business is very simple, all you have to do is get
on the phone and buy a lot, or prefab business, or let people know that you
are opening one in your home. Then you need an open and closed sign to let
people know when to shop, items to sell, and a cash register to take their
money. However even with the savings of opening a shop on your home lot
you will need lots of money to either pay for the supplies to craft items or to
buy the items wholesale, and possible pay employees. Although in reality you
can keep your job and open a business so cash is not a major problem in the
long run, but it will take a goodly amount to start up your shop.
However running a business also requires different skills so even if your Sim
has max everything he will not have any better business acumen than another
Sims with no skills. So to get those skills you have to start doing the action,
whether it is selling, or arranging flowers, over and over and over, in an
effort to get either a bronze, silver, or gold level badge. Depending on what
level badge you have it opens up new options for you Sims, like the dazzle
ability with a gold sales badge. Unfortunately there is no bar that goes up
showing how close you are to getting a badge. You simply have to do the
action over and over until you are told that you received one. Of course if you
would rather not put in the effort it is possible to hire employees with
different skill badges to do the work for you. I would defiantly recommend
that you hire a gold level cashier as otherwise it takes forever to ring up
customers and they may get upset and leave.
One of the neatest new features in my mind is that if you are running a store
and see another one of you created Sims come in and purchase something, if
you go and play that Sim the item they purchased autonomously in your store
will be in their inventory, a wonderful piece of realism.
All in all this is a wonderful expansion that any Sims owner should buy. It
adds a whole new dimension to the game and gives you lots more to do when
you Sims have max skills and scads of cash and are at the top of every career.