===========================
THE SIMS FAQ/STRATEGY GUIDE
===========================
A game from Maxis
For the PC
By JonL
jon_liang88@hotmail.com
ICQ: 74360442
Version 1.0
25 March 2000
7:55 a.m.
http://www.crosswinds.net/~thesimsjonl88/main.html (Under Construction)
This FAQ may be reproduced electronically, printed, or copied FOR PRIVATE AND PERSONAL USE ONLY
and may not be altered in any way. It may not be printed in a magazine, placed in a CD or
disket, or anything else than above. This FAQ is Copyright 2000 JonL. Please e-mail me when you
read this FAQ or if you want to correct some errors or mistakes. If you e-mail me to correct any
mistakes or errors, your name will be listed at the credits section. The latest version of this
FAQ can be found at:
a) http://www.gamefaqs.com
b) http://home.planetinternet.be/~twuyts
c) http://www.the.spoiler.com
d) http://vgstrategies.about.com
e) http://dhl.net
f) http://www.crosswinds.net/~riktor
g) http://www.thesimsms.cjb.net
h) http://www.angelfire.com/sd/kronk
My ICQ uin is 74360442.
=================
TABLE OF CONTENTS
=================
1 Introduction
2 Review
3 System Requirements
4 Things That You Should Know
5 How To Play
6 Personalities
7 Mood
7.1 Hunger
7.2 Comfort
7.3 Hygiene
7.4 Bladder
7.5 Energy
7.6 Fun
7.7 Social
7.8 Room
8 Time
9 Build Mode
10 Buy Mode
10.1 Seating
10.2 Surfaces
10.3 Decorative
10.4 Electronics
10.5 Appliances
10.6 Plumbing
10.7 Lighting
10.8 Miscellaneous
11 Room Names
12 Sim Names
13 Budget
14 Skills
14.1 Cooking
14.2 Mechanical
14.3 Charisma
14.4 Body
14.5 Logic
14.6 Creativity
15 Services
15.1 Maid
15.2 Gardener
15.3 Repairman
15.4 Pizza
16 Disasters
16.1 Flood
16.2 Fire
16.3 Burglary
16.4 Death
17 Careers
18 Marriage
19 Proposing
20 Moving In
21 Babies
22 Kids
23 Downloads/Addons
24 Note To Everyone
25 Known Bugs
26 Hints And Tips
27 Frequently Asked Questions
28 Cheats
29 Links
30 Version History
31 Credits
===============
1 INTRODUCTION
===============
Maxis have released another new Sim game. Is it addictive like the other games? Yes. Is it fun
like the other games? Yes. What so fun about this game? It is almost the same with SimCity or
SimTower or any other Sim games. There are no goals. That means once your Sim is perfect with
his career, life and his house, that means there are nothing left to do...Wrong. You can set
disasters, such as fire, or you can build more furniture, maybe add some decorations, you can
change your jobs or you can marry somebody that is already married. You can just screw up their
lives! If you haven't bought it yet, go buy it now! It is worth it for sure.
From INCITE PC # 7, June 2000:
Game BRIEFS: "You've played THE SIMS enough times by now to notice those scary process messages
That appear while loading. So just what is the program doing when "Reticulating Splines",
"Inserting Chaos Generator", and "Balancing Domestic Coefficients" flash across the bottom of
your screen? Absolutely nothing, actually. "They're inventions of (Creator) Will Wright's
imagination," says a Maxis spokesman. Speaking of THE SIMS, expect Maxis to release an
expansion pack this fall...
From Excite News, May 11 2000:
"The winner of Game of the Year, The Sims, was selected because of its innovation," said Jim
Charne, President and Executive Director of the Academy. "With this game, you can create the
home of your dreams, complete with fixtures, family life and a wide range of career paths. This
simulation of family life is really more than a game. It's what interactivity is all about."
=========
2 REVIEW
=========
The Sims is a very amazing game. Why? Because it is different from the other games because you
don't get to shoot aliens or monsters, collect power ups, kill people and the other stuff that
usually appears in a game. But, this game is still a fun, addictive and exciting game. Because
in The Sims, you get to control people's lives.
What started as a 'house building' game (Like the other sim games like SimCity (where you get
to build cities), SimTower (where you get to create your own tower) and other sim games by
Maxis), turned into a people simulator. How? Because, Will Wright thought that after you've
build a house, he'll have to include little people to check out how cool (or not) the house is.
So, Will Wright then started to concentrate a bit more on those tiny people and ta-da! The Sims
is created.
Okay, now back to the review. You might think that it is a boring game because all you do is
look at your sim walking here and there, sitting, standing, eating, etc., etc. The you're
completely wrong. There are many possibilities in this game. Always wanted to build a dream
house of your own? Build one now! Want to see two men kissing? No problem! Want to be the
richest kid in the neighbourhood? Okay! What about drowning your sim? Or burning him? Getting
sick? All these are possible in this game!
GAMEPLAY: 9/10
This game is a masterpiece. Great gameplay. Get robbed. Get a kid. Fight with your neighbours.
Once you pop the CD into the CD-ROM, there's no way you're gonna stop! The idea of including
the 8 needs makes the game more challenging. Try not to burn your house. Try and maintain a
balanced budget. Try and get promoted. All these activities take time and still the game is
very fun.
GRAPHICS: 10/10
The graphics are excellent. All of the sims have different faces and features. Every detail
have been carefully included from the knife to the fork.
AUDIO: 10/10
The sims are really 'alive'. The music and the voices of the sims have been beautifully
recorded. Even the quality of the audio is excellent from the talking to the footsteps.
REPLAYABILITY: 9/10
When you quit this game, you'll have a feeling to play this game again! Bored of the game
already? Download new objects and skins at http://www.thesims.com. Boring gameplay? Try and
get promoted till the last level of the career! Bored of the family? You can always make
another family.
OVERALL: 10/10
This game won three awards including The Game Of The Year. You might have guessed why by now.
If you haven't get The Sims, go get one now. You won't regret buying this game for sure.
======================
3 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
======================
The system requirements here are taken directly from the box.
Operating system Windows 95 or 98 (Windows NT is not supported)
CPU type and speed 233 MHz or faster Intel Pentium processor
Memory 32 MB RAM
Hard Drive space 300 MB plus space for saved games and Windows swap file
(Additional space required for DirectX installation)
Graphics card High Colour capable 2 MB PCI or AGP video card with DirectDraw
compatible driver
CD-Rom speed 4x CD-ROM drive (600KB/second transfer rate) using a 32-bit Windows
Other needs DirectX 7 compatible sound card; keyboard, mouse
My computer ran The Sims smoothly (With all the effects on and the details high) although it is
only 150 MHz!
==============================
4 THINGS THAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
==============================
There are things that you should know before you continue reading my FAQ:
1) The blue panel at the bottom left corner of the screen is called a 'Control Panel'.
2) The little people you control in this game are called a 'Sims'.
3) The money symbol for this game is '§' which can be done if you press Alt+0167.
==============
5 HOW TO PLAY
==============
Are you new to this game? If you are, go visit the tutorial house first. It is the house with
the orange pointing arrow. There, you will probably learn how to play. If you still have a
question, e-mail me.
Start a new family- At the Neighbourhood screen, go and click on the 'Select or Create Family'
button. It is at the furthest top-left button. When you create a family, you
have to put the last name first, so be aware. You don't want your Sim's name
to be 'Newbies Bob' or something. If you want to move a family to a house,
just select the family and click on the 'Move In' button. It is one of the
buttons at the bottom of the 'Select A Family' button. This is the same for
deleting a family.
Evict or Destroy- Click on the 'Evict or Bulldoze' icon at the top of the Neighbourhood screen.
Then, click on any house which are occupied with Sims. Click on 'Yes' when a
dialog pops out, asking if you want to evict the family. The family in the
house will be sent to the 'Select A Family' window. If you want to destroy a
house, just click on any EMPTY houses and click on 'Yes' when a dialog appears,
asking you if you want to bulldoze that house.
Move In- If you want to move a family into a house, just click on the 'Move in Family' button at
the bottom of the 'Select A Family' window. Click on an empty house to buy it (Make sure
you have enough cash) or click on an empty land to buy it and build your own house. If
you don't know how to build a perfect house, go and buy a 'ready' house.
================
6 PERSONALITIES
================
All the Sims have personalities. Different personalities have different attitudes. You can
create your Sim's personalities at the 'Create A Sim' window. You have only 25 points. There
are five personalities: Neat, Outgoing, Active, Playful, Nice.
The personalities have opposites too:
Neat/Sloppy- Neat people like to clean up messes and always flush when they uses the toilet.
Sloppy Sims leave puddles after they bathe and don't even bother to wash the dishes
after they eat.
Outgoing/Shy- Outgoing Sims like to talk and their relationship with other Sims boost up very
fast even if they talk a little. Shy Sims talk very little and the relationship
with other Sims go up very slowly.
Active/Lazy- Active Sims comfort goes down slower than lazy Sims. Lazy Sims tend to sit down
forever when you order them to do something else.
Playful/Serious- Playful Sims like to play basketball while serious Sims prefer to read books.
Nice/Grouchy- Nice Sims like to mix with other people. Grouchy Sims prefer to fight with other
Sims.
=======
7 MOOD
=======
Your Sim's mood depends on how you fill him up, have fun and how many times you go to the
toilet. There are eight Needs: Hunger, Comfort, Hygiene, Bladder, Energy, Fun, Social and Room.
To see your Sim's mood, just click on the 'Live Mode' button. You will know which button it is
if you play the tutorial. If you don't know, It is the button with a picture of two people.
===========
7.1 HUNGER
===========
The Hunger Need can be fulfilled by filling your Sim up or in other words, eating. Remember to
put a refridgerator and a food processing machine like a microwave or a food processor at the
start. When your cooking skill is good, go buy better equipments. The better your equipments or
the higher your cooking skill, the more filling your Sim is. You can also order pizza if you're
lazy to cook.
============
7.2 COMFORT
============
To raise your 'Comfort' meter, go sit on a chair or something. The better the chair, the faster
the comfort raises.
============
7.3 HYGIENE
============
Go and take a bath to raise this meter. Note that a bathtub is better than the other bathing
equipment.
============
7.4 BLADDER
============
When this meter gets low, that means your Sim is ready to 'go'. Remember to add a toilet and a
sink nearby too for your Sims to wash their hands after they 'went'. Drinking coffee or eating
food will lower the meter down.
===========
7.5 ENERGY
===========
This energy meter will go down even if you stand. This meter is extremely important for your
Sim's daily life. Always keep this meter up. This meter can be raised by drinking coffee and
sleeping.
========
7.6 FUN
========
No Sim like to be bored. Serious Sims may read books to raise the fun meter up or playful Sims
might play computers, watch TV, play pinball or play basketball.
===========
7.7 SOCIAL
===========
Sims like to make friends, like us. Make sure your Sims are nice, if not, he might end up
fighting with another Sim. You can fulfill this meter by talking to your neighbours when they
pass by your house. Remember to add a phone at your house so that you can call them over.
=========
7.8 ROOM
=========
Sims like houses with good architectual design. The more corners, the better. They also like
roomy rooms. Make sure all the rooms are near to each other, so that your Sim don't need to take
one hour to go to the toilet from the living room. Adding decorations such as fireplaces or
pictures will boost up the room meter. Add a lot of decorations and pictures in the bathroom if
your bathroom is small to boost up the room meter in the bathroom.
=======
8 TIME
=======
The time in The Sims are really fast. And I mean really really fast. You might take 30 minutes
just to take the newspaper and put it on the table. By no time, it will be night. The 'Pause'
button proves useful here. To pause, just click on the 'pause' button (It looks like the pause
button that you usually see at radios) or you can just hit (~) on your keyboard. When paused,
you can take a break or you can also command Sims to do some stuff.
=============
9 BUILD MODE
=============
In 'The Sims', you can build your own dream house. Just click on the 'Build Mode' button (The
one with the house icon at the control panel) or press F3. There are a few tools that can be
used to build a house: Terrain, Water, Wall, Wallpaper, Stairs, Fireplace, Plants, Tiles, Door,
Window, Roof and Hand tool. These are the strategies I normally use (You may make it
bigger/smaller):
Make sure you use the White Picket Fence or some other fence for your lawns. You can also build
the swimming pool outdoors. Note that this tactic is quite a good tactic because everything is
quite near each other. The bedroom is near the kitchen, if your Sim is hungry and is also near
the bathroom if his/her bladder meter is low. After eating, your Sim can go take a swim at the
swimming pool which is just nearby or watch the TV. He could also go to the bathroom. For
really small houses, you should try this:
Keys:
B- Bed
L- Light
T- Toilet
S- Shower
R- Refrigerator
R1- Range
T- Television
C- Couch
S1- Sink
After you've bought/build a house, it is time for you to fill it up with furniture and
decorations. Just click on the 'Buy Mode' icon or press F2 and there is a list for you to buy.
Click on it again to find out which items are fit to put in what room. I prefer to put tables
and chairs this way:
Keys:
T- Table
C- Chair
C
CTTT
TTTC
For longer tables:
CTTT
TTT
CTTT
Or:
CTT
TT
C
This is strategy gives space for other stuff like newspapers and radios. For beds, try and use
this:
Key:
B- Bed
P- Plant
______
P BB P
BB
BB
Or,
Key:
L- Light
B- Bed
______
L BB L
BB
BB
Here's a list of stuff you can buy at 'Buy Mode'. Objects that are marked '*' means objects that
Can be downloaded at http://www.thesims.com.
=============
10.1 SEATING
=============
Sioux Sity Wicker Chair
Price: §80
Comfort: 2
Werkbunnst All Purpose Chair
Price: §80
Comfort: 2
Libri di Regina Bookcase
Price: §900
Fun: 3
Other: Cooking Skill Point
Mechanical Skill Point
Study
The Funinator Deluxe
Price: §1200
Fun: 5
Other: Children Only
Group Activity
Antique Armoire
Price: §1200
Room; 2
Chimeway & Daughters Piano
Price: §3500
Fun: 4
Room: 3
Aristoscratch Pool Table
Price: §4200
Fun: 6
Other: Adults Only
Group Activity
==============
11 ROOM NAMES
==============
Too many empty rooms? Need to furnish those rooms with something? Get some room names here.
These 'room names' are actually different kinds of rooms (Bedroom, kitchen, etc., etc.). If you
like, you can send me some other room names!
Bedroom- A room with a bed. Add-ons: Or maybe you can add an armoire and a couch for fun
Kitchen- Can be connected with the living room. A refrigerator, a range, a few counters and
don't forget a dining table and a few chairs. Add-ons: You can add a trash compactor,
an espresso machine and even a sink.
Bathroom- Put a toilet, sink and a bathtub. Add-ons: A mirror and a counter.
Living Room- A sofa, a TV, a telephone. Add-ons: A bookcase, a trash can and a table or end
table.
Reading Room- Include one or more bookcases and couches. Add-ons: a telephone (so that the sim
won't need to run around the house just to get to the phone).
Games Room- A pool table, a computer, a pinball machine, a slot machine, a few chess tables, a
virtual reality set and a few chairs or couches. Add-ons: Any decorative item.
Entrance Room- This room is not your living room. This room is at the entrance of your house.
You can put a couch, a telephone and even the stairs to the second floor here.
Add-ons: Any decorative item.
Study Room- A couch, a bookcase and a computer: Add-ons: A table and a few chairs.
=============
12 SIM NAMES
=============
Can't think of a name for your Sims? Here I have a whole section of names! If you want to
contribute any names to me, e-mail me. These names can be used for first and last names.
Male names:
Sanders Blacksmith Ryan Brian Alex Sim Matthews Nicholas George John Allen Daniel
Mike Tom Danny Paul Steven Edd Frank David Michael Josh Adam Walter Alexander
Irvine Eric Jerry Kent Kirk Jolly Perkins Perrin Hopkins Will Dave Hayter Arthur
Female names:
Kelly Jessica Rose Kana Lucy Melissa Suzie Sally Karen Adelee Elaine Yvonne Diana
Alice Sherry Ann Nancy Sara Meryl Susan Claire Jill Regina
==========
13 BUDGET
==========
Same like other Maxis games, there is a budget. To bring up the budget window, just click on
your money at the bottom left corner of the screen. You must get money flowing in and out, make
sure it is balanced. Don't spend till you have no more money, save some money for food and
bills. Always check your budget to see how is your money coming in and out. The budget also
shows you how many days since you moved into the house. NOTE: You can get money also by not
working. Some telephone calls can give you money. But those calls are random. You can also be an
artist, working at home. To be a 'home artist', simply raise your creativity skill to full (10)
and begin painting pictures. Once your Sim's painting is complete (He stops painting), click on
the painting and select 'Sell Painting'. You will get from §3 to §166, depending on your
creativity skill.
==========
14 SKILLS
==========
There are a few skills that you need to raise to get promoted. The skills are: Cooking,
Mechanical, Charisma, Body, Logic and Creativity. Here we have a list of all the skills and how
To get them. Some skills are useful for your daily life, too.
=============
14.1 COOKING
=============
Your Sims have to eat to survive. In that case, you must have at least 3 cooking skills to cook
safely. Buy a bookcase and a chair beside it so that your Sims can comfortably read books.
Select 'Study Cooking' and wait for your Sim to get skill points. The more your cooking skills,
the better and more fulling your food is. This skill is also used for some jobs.
================
14.2 MECHANICAL
================
When your bulbs need replacement, this is when this skill prove useful. You can save money if
you fix stuff yourself, but it may kill your Sim. Just read Mechanical books from the bookcase
and wait for your Sim to get some skill points. NOTE: It is better for you to get only 1 Skill
Point everyday since these reading stuff takes so much time. This skill is used in some jobs.
==============
14.3 CHARISMA
==============
Your Sim need to be good at talking in public areas. To raise this one up, buy a mirror and put
it in your room. You can also buy the medicine cabinet, because it is a two-in-one. This skill
is no use around the house, but it can be used to get you promoted.
==========
14.4 BODY
==========
Buy exercise machines or swim in the swimming pool to get this skill points. No use around the
house, it is for you to get promoted.
===========
14.5 LOGIC
===========
Sims need to think logic and to get some logic skill points, buy a chess set. Make sure you buy
a comfortable chair too. This skill is just for you to get promoted.
================
14.6 CREATIVITY
================
To get some Creativity skill points, paint a picture. Or, you can play the piano, if you had
one. NOTE: Always paint pictures as you can sell the paintings. The piano is also way more
expensive.
============
15 SERVICES
============
You can call 'Services' if you had a phone. Services in this game are very useful. If you have
only one Sim in your house, it is even more useful. NOTE: Using these services can save A WHOLE
LOT of time. Here is a list of services:
==========
15.1 MAID
==========
Lazy to clean up all those rubbish? Just call a maid! A maid will come in the morning everyday
to clean up your house. She charges you §10 per hour. The maximum pay for the maid is §70 so
when the pay reaches §70, she will leave even when there are still rubbish to clean. She will
also leave when there is nothing left to clean. Keep your house as clean as possible so that you
don't waste too much money.
==============
15.2 GARDENER
==============
Only §10 per hour in 3 days, the gardener waters all your plants. But it is better to put trees
than plants because trees don't need to be watered and it raises your room meter.
===============
15.3 REPAIRMAN
===============
The repairman replaces bulbs or fixes stuff. You don't really need him if your mechanical skill
is high. He charges you §70. Really expensive.
===========
15.4 PIZZA
===========
If you're lazy to cook, you can order a pizza. You don't need to pay until the pizza deliverer
comes at your door and until you greet him. The pizza price is §30. NOTE: The pizza deliverer
takes 30 minutes to arrive at your house.
=============
16 DISASTERS
=============
Like SimCity, this game have disasters. But the disasters are not as deadly as SimCity's
disasters and are easily avoided. I'm writing down all the important disasters only. Sure,
there is more, but all the other disasters are not to worry about. Here's a list of common
disasters:
===========
16.1 FLOOD
===========
This disaster can't be avoided. Your diswasher or bathtub may spoil one day and it will flood
the whole room. Call a mechanic or if you want to save money, fix it yourself. Make sure you
have at least 1 Mechanical Skill Point or your Sim may be electrocuted to death. A flood will
bring the room meter way, way down. So after you've repaired it, clean up the room.
==========
16.2 FIRE
==========
This is the deadliest disaster in this game. You may lose tons of money or you may even lose
your Sim if you're not quick enough. To avoid this disaster, just make sure your Sim have enough
Cooking Skill Points while cooking. Buy a fire alarm too just in case.
==============
16.3 BURGLARY
==============
A burglary appears if you're very rich. During a burglary, a word 'Burglar!' will appear and a
PIP, showing the burglar will appear too. The burglar would normally steal the most expensive
item in your house, but luckily, you will receive a partial reimbursement from an insurance
company. You will even be awarded §1000 when you catch the burglar.
To catch a burglar, make sure you have a burglar alarm at every entrance of your house, facing
OUT. To make sure whether it is facing out or not, just look at the blinking red light. If the
blinking light is facing out, that means you're on the right track.
===========
16.4 DEATH
===========
Death can happen at many ways. Here's the list:
1) Electrocuted to death.
2) Burned to death.
3) Drown.
4) Starved to death.
5) Die of sickness.
All these disasters can be easily avoided. Just make sure you have enough energy before swimming
or you'll drown! Oh yeah, to avoid getting sick, don't stay too long in the tub and clean your
Guinea Pig's cage frequently.
===========
17 CAREERS
===========
In The Sims, you can find jobs through the computer or newspaper. Here's the list of level 1
jobs:
1. Business
Mailroom- Minimum wage, but you're on the ground floor of one of SimCity's mega-corps. Keep the
copier and coffee machine in working order. Be organized, prompt, and friendly when you
push that cart through the halls--maybe some sharp-eyed company officer will consider
you for a kick upstairs.
2. Entertainment
Waiter/Waitress- You're available for auditions, but can still make your tips at night. Good
people-skills could get your picture and resume served along with the salad.
3. Law Enforcement
Security Guard- A badge, a gun...and the graveyard shift. As you're required to supply your own
firearm and uniforms, it doesn't leave much in your pay envelope. Also, you can't
leave your post--which means your skills on the hot plate come in handy at meal
breaks.
4. Life of Crime
Pickpocket- Entry-level two-bit thief--but you are your own boss. Dexterity and physical speed
are obviously important. A certain amount of charisma is helpful, too, if you are
going to charm those marks before you dip into their coats.
5. Medicine
Medical Technician- Entry-level, low-paying grunt work in a big medical lab--but a way to test
your aptitude and interest in exploring a doctor's world. Taking X-rays,
logging samples, preparing test results are among your duties.
6. Military
Recruit- Buzz cuts and boot camp. I don't know but I've been told, scrubbing latrines gets
mighty old. Better maintain prime physical shape to advance from the trenches. Cooking
and Repair skills also help you pass KP and cleanup detail earn your stripes.
7. Politics
Campaign Worker- The salary is miniscule, but you get your feet wet in the political puddle by
helping a favourite local candidate into office. The job requires long hours
managing telephone teams and volounteer groups canvassing neighbourhoods for
votes.
8. Pro Athlete
Team Mascot- A young athlete has to start somewhere--even if it's sweating inside a cartoon
animal suit. A very physical grunt job with lousy pay--but at least you can watch
the game from up close. You are also expected to keep your suit in good repair.
9. Science
Test Subject- While earning science degree, you're picking up a mediocre salary as a human
guinea pig at a local kinetics lab. It's a way to introduce yourself to the
scientific community, but it's tough to be charming after several hours in a wind
tunnel.
10. X-Treme
Daredevil- You've turned a bar bet into the foundation of an extreme career. In short, you'll
try anything, the crazier the better. Swim under the surface of a frozen lake, leap
between rooftops with a bicycle, beat a train to a crossing, juggle a chainsaw while
whistling 'Dixie'. Your workday is short, but intense.
============
18 MARRIAGE
============
Ah, the smell of happy Sims in the air...It is not easy to make a Sim marry. First you have to
know the person. Then talk till he/she becomes a family friend. Then love grows, then propose.
A marriage cost money, too. If the person you marry live in another house and has no husband,
then you get all his/her money! You can marry as many people you want, but watch out for
jealousy. You will know if someone is jealous by listening to the music. If there is bad music,
watch out.
=============
19 PROPOSING
=============
To propose, you have to make sure that the relationship with you and the person you want to
propose is 100%. Then, make sure you fill him/her up. Go to a room with a very high room meter
and call her over. Make her happy (like kissing, hugging, dancing, etc.) and propose! You will
probably succeed if you follow my instructions. If she/he don't accept it, she/he will give the
reason why. Try again another day if you didn't succeed. NOTE: Proposing takes a lot of time so
you will have to be patient
=============
20 MOVING IN
=============
Just say you're so fed up with calling neighbours over by the phone. You can ask them to move in
your house! Just make sure that the two Sims are the same sex. You can do that with a man and a
woman also, but proposing is better. The neighbour has to be in your house, too. When your
relationships are good, you'll notice a selection called 'Move In' when you click on your
neighbour. Click on it and see the action.
If both of their relationships and moods are good, the neighbour accepts. If not, they will give
many silly excuses. So make sure both of their relationships and moods are pumped up. You may
try again next time.
NOTE: If the person you asked to move in is the only person living in his house, he brings in
all his money and his job along. If he has some kids, he would bring them along too. If he had a
wife, all his money and kids will be given to his wife.
This 'moving in' thing is good for making money. Just make sure that the neighbour that you want
him to move in have no kids or wives. Then, when he moves in, you get all his money! After that,
just drown him or starve him to death. Make sure you sell the tombstone or urn away or he will
come and haunt you. Then, do the same tactic to another neighbour (Just keep repeating) and you
will get loads of money!
==========
21 BABIES
==========
If your Sims does enough kissing and such, a dialog will appear, asking whether you want a baby
or not. Sometimes, they will ask you through the phone too, if your Sims are lonely married
couples for a very long time. Anyway, the baby appears in a free cradle. That's good news. The
bad news is, you can't keep the cradle when it grows up. It will disappear.
You can't change your baby's personalities (Nice, Outgoing, etc.) but you can name him (Thank
god!). If your baby is extremely hungry, it will be taken away by a social worker (Too bad). You
must take care of your baby REALLY properly for a three day period. You may think this is short,
but these three days is a nightmare that can't be escaped.
I recommend one adult to stay at home (usually a woman) and another adult to go to work (usually
a man). Make sure the adult that is staying at home always respond very quickly to the baby's
cry when the working adult is at work. When the working adult is back, the home adult can do
his/her daily stuff (Eating, sleep, etc.) while the working adult takes care of the baby. Once
the working adult gets too tired/hungry or whatever,wake the home adult up and take care of the
baby while the other Sim goes to sleep. Repeat the process until the baby becomes a child.
Follow these steps when the baby is crying:
1) Feed
2) Play
3) Sing
That should make the baby back to sleep again. If not, try finding out what is wrong with the
baby. If you don't take care of your baby well, it is bye-bye time. NOTE: You can move the baby
cradle by going into 'Buy Mode' and clicking on the cradle. This is good because you can avoid
long walks to the cradle and save time.
========
22 KIDS
========
After three days, the baby 'transforms' into a kid. Your kids appear with random skins, sex and
personalities. You might think a kid is useless, but actually, he/she is pretty useful.
Kids can get some money for you. Around §500 once a week or so. How? Just make them study and
go to school in a good mood. When your kid has an 'A+', you get §500 from grandpa! Cool. What
about when he gets low marks? He gets taken away.
Kids are a good source of social too. If your Sim is out at work, your other Sim could talk to
the kid to raise the social meter up. If you have time, call kids from other houses too, so that
your kid can have a little game of chasing.
Kids never grow up. No matter how you make them. They have no romances too. Make sure you don't
make them drink coffee because they don't drink it anyway.
There is a list of items and programs that you can download at www.thesims.com. Note that every
Thursday is a SimDay. New downloads appear on SimDay. Here's the list of downloads you can
download at www.thesims.com:
Patches:
- Version 1.1 Patch
Objects:
- Trash Pack
- Coped Flowers
- Topiaries
- Party Balloons
- New Plants
- Guinea Pig
- Moose Head
- Cuckoo Clock
- Four New Wall Lights
- Slot Machine
Skins:
- MTV Skins
- Physical Skins
- Skin Pack One
Homes:
- White House
- Valentino House
- Snooty House
- Maximus House
- Hatfield House
Other programs:
- Facelift and Facelift Gold
- HomeCrafter
- SimShow Skins
Remember, you have to register to download these stuff.
====================
24 NOTE TO EVERYONE
====================
- I will update this FAQ every SimDay (Thursday) in Malaysia. If you want to know, I will add
these stuff:
a) More jobs and the pays.
b) ASCII Art
c) More stuff.
If you can supply any info, I will be glad to accept it. You will be given credit.
- My grammar is very bad so I'm sorry for any grammatical mistakes. Please e-mail me if there
are ANY grammar mistakes even if I misspelled something.
- Please rank this FAQ and/or suggest how to improve this FAQ. All ranks and suggestions will be
appreciated.
==============
25 KNOWN BUGS
==============
Does this game have bugs? Yes. Here's a few:
1. Repairmen can't walk up or down hills to repair things, only to repossess things. So if your
entire house is elevated below or above the sidewalk (I know one lot starts out like this, lot
2 I believe), and you call a repairman, they will just stand in place for 8 hours, bill you
and leave.
2. If a Sim 'Sam' is watching TV on a couch and another Sim 'Stanley' tries to interact with
Sam, then Stanley will simply stand in front of Sam to stop watching TV. However, Sam will be
blocked from standing up, because Stanley is standing in front of him. Even if you cancel's
Stanley's 'Interact with Sam' action, Stanley won't be able to move. They will be stuck doing
Nothing for a few hours - possibly missing work, or urinating on themselves.
3. Similarly, if a Sim, 'Escher' is painting and another Sim 'Dopey' is standing behind him
trying to interact with him, Dopey will block Escher again. However, this time Escher will be
able to stop painting, and he will occupy the same square as Dopey, so that neither of them
can move under any condition. The only way to resolve this situation is to evict everyone in
the home.
4. If you have guests, and they are swimming in your pool, you can't ask them to leave, or even
to stop swimming. They will swim and swim and swim sometimes until they just come out of the
pool and collapse in front of the pool ladder. If there are any Sims is in the swimming pool
when the pool ladder is blocked, they will all die.
5. If you delete any picture in a scrapbook, then the caption for the picture is automatically
overwritten.
6. Sim 'Jim' was working out, while the visitor Sim 'Tim' was walking towards him, to speak to
him. I cancelled Jim's workout order, but not before Tim was standing over him, blocking the
workbench exit. You know the character finishes his workout, his arms drop and he says 'WHEW!'
Well, Jim was doing that 5 times before Tim moved away to a distance. He was a visitor, so I
couldn't control him at that time.
7. One of the floor lamps burned out, so I made my character call the repairman. He came over,
touch the lamp and got electrocuted. Thanks for the patch, he didn't die (there is a joke in
there, somewhere). He finish it and went on as usual. It was funny seeing him light up like a
Christmas tree, though.
8. I have 8 sims in a household. One works at night. Four starts work at 8, the last three at
9. When 8 o'clock carpool arrived, the four got to work with no problems and the work pictures
showed up on their face photos. When the 9 o'clock carpool arrived, the first one went at
9:30, the second one at 9:45. I had trouble getting the third one out of the swimming pool (It
seems that I had to click on the 'get out' order before the 'go to work' order, because she
kept swimming and swimming, ignoring the "go to work" order). By the time she went towards the
car, it was 10:10, the car went off. When that happened, ALL OF THE SIX PEOPLE WHO WENT TO
WORK MAGICALLY APPEARED IN THE READING ROOM OF THE HOUSE WITH THEIR WORK PICTURES GONE. This
is not the first time it happened. It seems that whenever any one Sim misses work, the other
Sims who work the same or close to it job time, who is already at work appears back home. This
also happens to my other 2 sims in a different house (in the bathroom, this time), but not as
as the 8. I got the version 1.1 patch when this happened. The bad news is those 6 sims won't
get paid, even though they went to work. If this happens again, I'll see if I can make them
miss work the next day to see if they get fired. See if I can make them miss work twice and
not get fired using this glitch.
9. If you have 8 sims and decided to bring in a kid or ask marry/move in option and the
visiting sim says yes, the game will crash. When my 8 sims raised a baby, I took photos. When
the baby became a kid, the game stopped and revert back to the PC choice option (the one with
all the objects shown when you first turn on the PC). Even though it didn't save the events
that happened, the photos of the baby still remain.
Just tell me if you have more!
==================
26 HINTS AND TIPS
==================
If you have any other hints or tips, send it to me.
- There is a way you can "adopt" neighborhood kids. When the parent comes, keep the kid busy and
don't answer the door. Eventually, the parent will go away, you can actually KEEP the kid!!
Great way to improve social standings.
- Here is a 'money cheat' I always use: First, make a small square house with only one phone
inside. Then, move in an unmarried person to that house. After that, go back to your original
guy and make friends with that person. After your relationships are good, propose/ask the sim
to move in. If you succeed, then you get all of that sim's money! Repeat the process until
you've had enough.
- To make sure whether a person will accept your proposal, just kiss one time before you
propose. If your kiss is not the passionate kind, then the other sim won't accept. If your kiss
is the passionate kind, then the other sim will accept.
- The best job to start off is the military career. It has the best starting pays and steady job
hours. It also doesn't need family friends to advance at the first few levels of the job.
- Try and buy the most expensive bed at the beginning of the game because it can help you save
a lot of time.
- It is better to buy a trash compactor than a trash can because you don't need to empty a trash
compactor. It is also better to buy a dishwasher because it saves more time.
- The more your cooking skill points, the faster you prepare meals and the more filling you get.
- I had my sim purchased some party balloons one time. There are five balloons tied together on
a weight to be put on the floor. Every hour or so, one of the balloons pop, leaving confetti
on the floor. In the end, it leaves a pile of confetti in less than five hours. Something for
the maid to do. Kind of waste of time and money, really.
- Don Hopkins, Software Engineer: Here's and interesting way to subtly 'tilt' in the game by
distorting time, one person at a time: If you point to the selected person while they're
walking, they will slow down. Applications: You can follow the selected person around with a
cursor to make them more efficient! If a hot babe comes over and two wild and crazy guys are
racing over to her for some one-on-one social interaction, you can give one guy the advantage
by slowing the other guy down. Rationale: The 'real' reason for this feature is to make people
easier to select for social interaction: they slow down when you point at them so they won't
slip out from under the mouse as fast. The slowing down when you point at deselected people
was such an interesting way to subtly effect the game that we decided to make it speed up when
you point at the selected person too. (since you don't need to click on the selected person).
Since some of these questions might have spoilers, I decided to move it all the way down here.
VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: These answers have been answered by me with MY experience with this game.
Some answers could be wrong so please inform me if you find any wrong answers. I appreciate your
cooperation.
Q: How do I find for jobs?
A: Just search for a job in a newspaper (It is delivered every morning) or on a computer.
-----
Q: How do I build a second story?
A: Make sure you build a staircase first. Then, click on the Second-Story button and build
tiles. If you want, you can even add a balcony.
-----
Q: Can my Sims grow up?
A: No, luckily.
-----
Q: Can children grow up?
A: No.
-----
Q: Is this game worth buying?
A: Yes.
-----
Q: Is this game worth renting?
A: For goodness sake, go buy it!
-----
Q: Do they have public holidays?
A: No. Your Sims have to work or go to school every single day.
-----
Q: Can Sims die of old age?
A: No.
-----
Q: How do I actually erase something when I made a mistake in build mode?
A: Just select the thing you want to erase (like if you want to erase a wall, click on the wall
button) and hold the Ctrl button. Click or click and drag the thing you want to erase.
-----
Q: Can you get more items in Buy Mode?
A: The only way is download. Maxis didn't hide any secret objects that you can buy in the game.
-----
Q: My Sims won't sleep together! Why?
A: This might be because your Sims relationship isn't good. Make sure that they are really good
friends or lovers if you want them to sleep together.
-----
Q: Why don't I seem to get promoted? What is wrong?
A: Make sure that you go to work in good mood and you've fulfilled all the required number of
skill points and family friends.
-----
Q: Can I actually leave my house? (Like going to another Sim's house).
A: No. You can only go to work or to school with the carpool/school bus.
-----
Q: Can my Sims change clothes?
A: Yes, if you buy a closet.
-----
Q: Why don't my Sim go to bed/come out of bed?
A: There must be an obstacle near by. Make sure there are no plants, walls or lamps blocking the
sides of the beds. This is the same for hot tubs.
-----
Q: Can you buy cars in this game?
A: Sadly, no.
-----
Q: How do you throw parties?
A: You can't exactly 'throw a party'. There is no such option to throw a party in this game.
But, you can call all your friends and your house will be full with people, like you're having
a party. Add in some Party Balloons (downloadable at www.thesims.com) for a more 'realistic'
look.
-----
Q: There are ways a Sim could die that was covered in yours and other people's FAQ, but a friend
told me that a Sim got in a fight with another and KILLED him. That was not discuss in other
FAQs. Is it true? Has that happen in your game?
A: No.
-----
Q: Is it true that you can get a Body Skill Point by swimming in a pool? I don't see a Skill
Gauge when he's swimming, but one when he's working out, reading, etc. Does the computer keep
track without it?
A: Yup, you can. I've tried it before when I wanted my Sim to drown. They don't show the Skill
Gauge when you're swimming, I just don't know why.
-----
Q: I have created 8 Sims and put them in a small shack that only had a small bathroom, kitchen
with a fridge and microwave and 7 beds (used to be 8, but sold one to feed them). The only
thing they had for fun was reading the newspaper. Before long their 'fun' gauge is VERY low
(Almost null). I saved then went over to 2 Sims I've made before them, that have TV, swimming
pool, rec room, the works. If the two Sims invite the 8 Sims over for a party, they come and
really enjoy themselves, would it show on the 8 'fun' gauges when I go control the 8 Sims
again?
A: No. The fun gauges will still remain the same as if nothing happened. But if they made a new
family friend at the party, then the number of family friends will change.
-----
Q: I downloaded the patch for version 1.1. Then, I tried to type in the money cheat but it can't
work. Why?
A: Maxis changed the money cheat for Version 1.1. Check the 'cheats' section for the new cheat.
-----
Q: There is a marking on the lower right corner of one of my character's face photo. A red plus
with a circle around it. I got it when both of my characters reached the final job levels.
What does it mean?
A: That symbol appeared at my game too but this time, I made it to appear. Just right-click on
your Sim's picture and it will appear. That symbol means that the camera is following it. But
I haven't get the final job levels yet, so I don't know what it means.
-----
Q: I've heard about if two people who live in the same house get in a fight, one of them leaves.
What if they were neighbours who live in different houses. Suppose my character want to get
Sim 'lowlife' out of the neighbourhood. Can the same action work on this as well?
A: I tried to do that but everytime I slap,tease or scare him (Those option appear before
'fight'), the neighbour will just walk away from your house, back to his house. Everytime I
tries to call him up, the phone will not be answered. So I can't answer that question.
-----
Q: Can you kill of the maid, repairman and the gardener? If you lure them in a pool and remove
the way out, will they die the same as a regular Sim?
A: You CAN kill a repairman by electrocuting it. I'm not sure about the maid and the gardener.
I've once tried it on the social worker or something like that. The worker just disappeared
after a few hours (leaving no tombstones or urns).
-----
Q: Can you take custody of a kid from a neighbor the same way you ask a neighbor to move
in/propose?
A: I don't think so.
-----
Q: I keep losing in the slot machine! How can I win?
A: The lower the fun meter, the more chance of winning money.
-----
Q: Is there a way to uncensor the sims when they're taking a crap or pee or bathing? Like a way
to see the sims naked? Like a code or something?
A: So far, there are no codes or cheats, but I heard that there's a patch. Don't ask where.
-----
Q: How can other people (sims) play chess with me?
A: Just play the chess first, then the other sims will join in by themselves.
-----
Q: What will happen when I don't go to work? (The phone will ring and first a warning second
you're fired) What will happen if I don't answer the phone?
A: A window will then appear, saying that you've missed work and they gave you a warning/fired
you.
-----
Q: With a dresser I can switch my Sims´ normal clothes, but I can´t change swimsuit, PJs and
formal clothes. It does´t seem a big deal, but as for me it´s kind of boring when all your
Sims are wearing the same swimsuits, the same PJs and the same formal clothes. I've
downloaded a program to view the textures and there I found various types of swimsuits, but I
couldn't find a way to switch it in a game. Using the same program I found out that there
only one type of PJ and only one type of formal dress. Is there a way of assigning different
clothes of that type (PJs, Swimsuits, Formal) to different sims?
A: I'm not sure, but I heard that if you download SimShow Skins, you can. You can download
SimShow Skins at http://www.thesims.com.
-----
Q: If all the adult sims die, what will happen to the simkids?
A: The simkids will be left alone in the house.
-----
Q: If all the sims die, what will happen to the family photo album? Is there an option to save
before the last sim dies?
A: The family photo album will remain the same. After the last sim dies, the game will change
the time speed to the maximum and nothing will happen. The game won't quit or go back to the
neighbourhood screen unless you command it to do so. So, you'll have a chance to save after
the last sim dies.
-----
Q: If a visiting sim comes a sick sim's house and gets affected by him, can this be carry over
to the visiting sim's house when you play him?
A: I'm not sure because my sim has never gotten sick before. I guess the visiting sim will get
sick.
==========
28 CHEATS
==========
Here's a list of type in cheats for this game, NOTE: Press Ctrl+Shift+C to bring up a command
prompt. Type in these codes:
1000 Simoleons
Type 'klapaucius' ('rosebud' for version 1.1) at the command prompt.
7000 Simoleons
Enter the '1000 Simoleons' cheat, then type '!;!;!;!;!;!;!' at the command prompt.
Display Personalities and Interests
Select a Sim, then type 'interests' at the command prompt.
Draw all frames
Type 'draw_all_frames on' at the command prompt. To turn it off, type 'draw_all_frames off' at
The command prompt.
Island home
Type 'water_tool' at the command prompt.
Map Editor
To enable the map editor, type 'map_edit on' at the command prompt. To turn it off again, type
'map_edit off' at the command prompt.
Route Balloons
Type 'route_balloons on' at the command prompt. This displays little balloons why a character is
Delayed or not doing what you asked. To turn it off, type 'route_balloons off' at the command
Prompt.
Set event logging mask
Type 'log_mask' at the command prompt.
Set free thinking level
Type 'autonomy #' at the command prompt, where # is an IQ between 1 and 100.
Set grass growth
Type 'grow_grass #' at the command prompt, where # is a rate of growth between 1 and 150.
Set time of day
Type 'set_hour #' at the command prompt, where # is an hour in military time (1-24).
Tile information
Type 'tile_info on' at the command prompt, then move your cursor over any object for detailed
information. To turn it off again, type 'tile_info off' at the command prompt.
Toggle 'Ticks'
Type 'sweep on' or 'sweep off' at the command prompt.
=========
29 LINKS
=========
There are many The Sims sites all over the world wide web. Here are some of my favourite sites:
http://www.thesims.com- The Sims official site by Maxis.
http://www.crosswinds.net/~thesimsjonl88/thesimsmain.html- My The Sims homepage.
http://www.angelfire.com/sd/kronk- The Mercenaries Ultimate homepage. A great fan site for The
Sims fans.
http://www.crosswinds.net/~riktor- The Diary Of A Sim. Many interesting diaries written by The
Sims fans.
===================
30 VERSION HISTORY
===================
These dates are Malaysian dates:
Version 0.1 (26/03/2000)- First release of this FAQ. Lots more updates to go.
Version 0.2 (30/03/2000)- Time flies so fast. I've done a lot of work and added a new section,
called 'Known Bugs'. Thanks to apieper@vt.edu.
Version 0.3 (06/04/2000)- Added some new sections like the 'Cheats' section. Corrected some
mistakes and added some new information.
Version 0.4 (15/04/2000)- Sorry for the late update. I was working on another FAQ. I promise
that the next update is gonna be a blast!
Version 0.5 (20/04/2000)- Tada! Another new update! I've added some stuff and did some
corrections. The complete furniture list is coming at the next update.
Version 0.6 (27/04/2000)- The complete furniture list is here. And one more thing, I would like
to congratulate Joseph Peitler for the 'Best Contributor' for my FAQ.
And, I also want to thank him for all his time for contributing and
improving my FAQ.
Version 0.7 (08/05/2000)- I've had fever so sorry for the late update. What else can I say?
Version 0.8 (11/05/2000)- A lot of work done on this FAQ, you may not noticed it.
Version 0.9 (18/05/2000)- Note that I've changed my ICQ, so those who contacted me through ICQ
last week must contact me through the ICQ again. New section 'Sim
Names' and 'Room Names'.
Version 1.0 (25/05/2000)- I've added a review and still constructing new section 'Fun Stuff'.
Probably the section will be available next update.
===========
31 CREDITS
===========
These are all the people who I really want to thank.
- The guys at Maxis for bringing this game to us. Great job!
- The 'The Sims' official homepage, http://www.thesims.com, for providing some useful
information.
- CJayC for creating a superb FAQ site. Keep it up!
- My mum for getting me the computer and buying this game for me.
- My sis for helping me some stuff on the FAQ.
- All the other 'The Sims' FAQ makers for inspiring me into making this FAQ especially DSimpson.
- http://sages.ign.com for the cheats.
- Joseph Peitler for contributing a lot of stuff to my FAQ so I moved him up here. Thanks!
- Dmattsen for letting me borrow some of the item names from his FAQ. And, go check out his
'Buyer's Guide'.
These are the people who contributed something to my FAQ and I want to thank:
