The Sims 3 Guide




SuperCheats.com Unofficial Guide to The Sims 3


 

The Sims series began with the best-selling game in the history of the PC format. Following this success, countless expansions and a sequel established the brand and set up EA for Spore, aiming to add to The Sims creator Will Wright's legacy. Now we have the second sequel. The Sims 3 uses the next generation of PC hardware since the last game's launch in 2004, allowing exploration beyond the confines of the local neighbourhood, and customisation of virtually all aspects of your Sims' lives.

This guide on The Sims 3 begins with a tour of Sunset Valley. It is the only town that comes included with the game. Unlike other versions of The Sims however, you can visit any location on the map without loading screens, and many of the features seen in expansion packs for The Sims 2 are all bundled into locations within the valley. While many gamers will be familiar with the everyday running of a Sim's life from the previous games, exploring the town itself and getting used to the locations takes time, and the hope is that this section of the guide will help you get up and running faster. Information on workplaces, , community locations, amenities and collectibles will help in planning a life for your Sims without muddling through and missing out on what Sunset Valley has to offer. There is also a section on the Edit Town facility, which allows you to transform River View to suit your own needs, as well as details on how to get EA's second town for The Sims 3, River View.

The second section of this guide is on the Create-a-Sim tools, and comprehensive information on the Build and Buy Modes. Making your Sim look lifelike can be a breeze if you know what you are doing. The in depth customisation options far outstrip anything in The Sims 2. There are many ways to go about starting the game, whether you choose to purchase a plot of land and build from scratch, purchase a furnished house to move straight into, or skip the Create-a-Sim stage altogether and play one of the game's built-in scenarios. Information on all the options available to you is provided in this section of the guide. Tips on buying a good lot and the essential items for your Sims' houses are included, as well as a video for the cheapest possible starter-house. Some objects give Sims specific bonuses, or increase the attractiveness of a room. This can give your Sims positive (or negative) moodlets, which can make them happier (or quite the opposite). All the objects that provide bonuses are listed, as well as moodlets, lifetime wishes and general wishes relating to the decoration of your Sims' homes.

In the future a section on the Life of your Sims will be provided. This will include tips on careers, hobbies, socialising and raising a family. The final section will be a modders guide, with information on how to make your creations, get them online and get people downloading them!



   




The Sims 3 Guide - Sunset Valley

Sunset Valley

Sunset Valley is the home town of your Sims. If you want to succeed at the game and make the most of life for your Sims, you will want to learn the map. Exploration is very much encouraged in the game, and there are plenty of secrets to find that many gamers will never even touch. This section aims to give you locations and information for all the treasures of Sunset Valley as well as some of the more mundane areas.

The town is massive, and is part of EA's main change to The Sims formula, with neighbourhood exploration. Everything is linked with no loading, so you can visit your neighbour's house, the grocery store or the town park, which all continue naturally whether you visit or not. Some lots are private, and others are open to the community.

Note: Compass directions assume the beach and sea is to the south.


A basic map of central Sunset Valley.

 



   




The Sims 3 Guide - Sunset Valley

Workplaces

Work dominates the lives of most Sims, providing money and goals. Sunset Valley has many options available for those interested in finding work. These locations also have leisurely activities available too, for those who wish to relieve stress rather than increase it:

Landgraab Industries Science Facility: Fame and fortune await those seeking a career in Science here. Either that or a life of boredom. You can also attend logic and gardening classes here, as well as taking a tour of the labs for those interested. Any insects you have collected can be given to the facility in return for some Simoleons. It's right to the west in the hills of Sunset Valley.
 
Wilsonoff Community Theatre: The illustrious but unpredictable line of work in the music industry can be pursued here. Unfortunately there's nothing for budding thespians to enjoy, though a tour of the theatre and movies should keep most happy. You can also take guitar classes here. Find it sandwiched between the bookshop and grocery store.


The theatre is a great place to unwind.

Sacred Spleen Memorial Hospital: A lucrative but stressful career in medicine awaits you if a visit is paid to the hospital. Its central location is essential, north of the art gallery, on the southernmost street in the main town area.

Llama Memorial Stadium: At the Memorial Stadium you can start a professional sports career, as well as attend fitness classes, and sports games and concerts. Your Sims will sometimes express desires to get fit, attend an event or pursue a career as an athlete. To locate the stadium, look south west of the Fort Gnome Military Base, to the far east of the town.


A career as an athlete awaits at the stadium.

Community School for the Gifted: This is where your Sim will go to school, if they are the right age, obviously! Sims can also attend painting classes here. It is handily located to the east of hospital, to the west of the central park.

Hogan's Deep Fried Diner: Here, like at the Little Corsican Bistro, you can join a cooking career. You can also eat and drink at the diner, as you may expect, and also take a cooking class if you want to begin improving your Sim's abilities. It is located to the west of the school and above the hospital

Doo Peas Corporate Towers: There are two careers available here, one is a business career, and the other is journalism. You can also attend a writing class. Locate the Towers by looking directly north (just across the road) from the Diner.

Little Corsican Bistro: The Bistro allows Sims to get a bite to eat or a drink, indoors or out. You can also take up a cooking career and take a class in all things culinary. Locate the Bistro on the same street as the bookshop, next to the grocery store.


Learn to cook at the Bistro.

Outstanding Citizen Warehouse Corp: At this somewhat dodgy looking warehouse, you can join a criminal career. Get there by going to the south east of the Langraab Industries Science Facility, due north of the Corporate Towers. You may also find some collectibles in the warehouse's back yard.

City Hall: Many bureaucratic careers can be started with a trip to City Hall, which can be found in the same street as the Corporate Towers, directly north of the central park. With the charismatic nature of politicians, courses are also offered in the subject. You can also take a tour. It's located due north of Central Park.


Take a tour of City Hall

Police Department: The only option here is to sign up for a career in law enforcement. Get there to the east of the central park, next to the Memorial Library

Fort Gnome Military Base: Obviously here you can join the army and begin a military career in Sunset Valley's home regiment. More surprisingly, you can take a Handiness course here to improve your Sim's technical prowess. You can also go on a tour of the base. Find it to the north east of the Memorial Stadium to the far north east of town. It's also south east of Stoney Falls, if that's one of your favourite fishing spots.

Part-Time Jobs

These are available at Divisadero Budget Books, Sharma Day Spa, Pleasant Rest Graveyard and EverFresh Delights Supermarket. More information on these locations can be found below.



   




The Sims 3 Guide - Sunset Valley

Other Facilities

Sunset Valley is stocked full of interesting buildings and useful locations to help your Sims through everyday life that are completely unrelated to careers:


Sunset Valley has plenty to do.

Divisadero Budget Books: Vital for learning new skills, honing talents or just catching up on a good book. Your Sims can also get a part time job here. The book store is on the always-useful southern street in the main town area.

Sharma Day Spa: Two part-time jobs are available here, one as a spa specialist, the other as a receptionist. There is also a huge list of relaxing and often expensive services, such as massages and a 'relaxing rendezvous'. These improve your Sims' mood. The spa is next to the Lofty Cerulean Blue Pool, on the western street of the central town block.

28 Hour Wellness Gym: As the name suggests, open all day, night and more, the Wellness Gym allows you to swim, work out and pump iron to improve your strength and athleticism. The point of the gym is for those Sims who wish to socialise while they lift weights, but also those who don't want to shell out on their own treadmill or exercise machines. Sandwiched between the City Hall and Doo Peas Corporate Towers, the gym is located on the northern street of the main town.


Make use of the Gym

EverFresh Delights Supermarket: This is where your Sims can buy some of the more elaborate items involved in cookery, or just shop for the mundane. You can also sell fish and vegetables to the supermarket, as well as pick up a part-time job and somewhat bizarrely, take a fishing class. Find the supermarket on the same row as the book store, the southern street in town.

Le Petit Shark Pool Center: Swimming is the name of the game here, and this large outdoor pool is a popular spot for socialising. It's on the southern street of the town, along with the book store and supermarket.

Lofty Cerulean Blue Pool: Much the same as the Le Petit Shark Pool Center, this is a slightly more upmarket pool, but essentially the same. Visit whatever's closer, but bear in mind that there is also a swimming pool in the Wellness Gym. Find this pool on the west of the main town, next to the Spa.

Papyrus Memorial Library: Like the gym, perhaps the main reason for visiting the library is to get free access to otherwise premium items. As well as reading books, Sims can also enjoy the play room stocked with toys, keeping the kids amused while the adults bone up on the latest bestseller. You can also use the Computer to look for jobs or practice writing. There is also a bathroom in the library, in case nature calls while you are skilling up. Recipes and music are not stocked in the library. Almost on its own, the library can be found next to the police station on the eastern street of the main town.


The library is not just about books.

Sunset Institute of Modern Art: In the art gallery you can quite simply explore and view all the exhibits, as well as socialise with likeminded Sims. This cultural gem can be accessed next to Le Petit Shark Pool, on the same street as the book store.

Pleasant Rest Graveyard: An intriguing location in Sunset Valley, there are plenty of secrets to unearth at the cemetery (see Secrets, below). Actual interactions here, apart from socialising with the deceased, include a part-time job, mourning, exploring the catacombs and touring the mausoleum. The graveyard is located to the north of the main town.

Central Park: The main hub for socialising in The Sims 3, as well as the focal point of the town. Other parks, fishing spots and party locations can be found dotted around the rest of the valley. Look out for chess tables, barbeques and mini-bars to really get things going. It's easy to find, smack bang in the middle of the map.


Make use of the park's facilities.



   




The Sims 3 Guide - Sunset Valley

Investments

As well as starting a career at some of the abovementioned locations, many also allow you to invest in them. Simply click on them to bring up the context sensitive options, should you have enough money, and select Become a Partner. Prices vary from place to place, and you can eventually buy the business completely if you build up your investment enough (usually just a little over double your first investment). The cheapest investments start at 7,000 Simoleons for Divisadero Budget Books and EverFresh Delights Supermarket, going up to 40,000 Simoleons for Langraab Industries Science Facility.


Buying out the Diner

Possible investments are:

Little Corsican Bistro
Divisadero Budget Books
Doo Peas Corporate Towers
Sharma Day Spa
Hogan's Deep Fried Diner
EverFresh Delights Supermarket
Outstanding Citizen Warehouse Corp.
Sacred Spleen Memorial Hospital
Landgraab Industries Science Facility
Wilsonoff Community Theatre


Make an investment.

After investing, you will then get a cut of the profits, and if you own the business completely, the whole lot. You can also perform tasks such as firing staff and renaming the place.



   




The Sims 3 Guide - Sunset Valley

Secrets

Here are some hints, tips and secrets that you may not otherwise have known about Sunset Valley.

Graveyard secrets: At the Pleasant Rest Graveyard, there is plenty to see and do.

Firstly, the catacombs underneath the lot is filled with ghosts, ghouls and is not for the faint-hearted Sim. Still worth a visit though! You may also come across a Mysterious Mr. Gnome! You also get some great items from it, and some humorous choices to make in the meantime.

If you turn up at night, ghosts will be roaming the graveyard. You can move gravestones from where a Sim dies, such as a family member in your house, to the Pleasant Rest Graveyard to stop them from pestering your Sims at home (and messing up your appliances!). You can then visit them there. Look out for the graves of Sims you once knew in the cemetery, and their ghosts! Some Sims have a desire to see a ghost.


Entering the catacombs at the graveyard. You'll have to find out what happens inside for yourself!

Use the Papyrus Memorial Library to learn as well as relax. In addition to all the educational books, there is also a computer and the slightly less education play room mentioned above.

If you follow the military career, you receive special interactions with Fort Gnome Military Base. You can also show dates and friends around, which may or may not impress them.

If you follow the criminal career line, your house will never be robbed.

On the beach, Sims can interact with the icebox to serve food and drinks to friends.


Start a beach party!

Sunset Valley contains many collectibles, in addition to all the books, household objects and other items more closely associated with everyday life. These include the Robot Fish and Vampire Fish, as well as the iconic Mysterious Mr. Gnomes. More details on possible locations for these are below.



   




The Sims 3 Guide - Sunset Valley

Collectibles

The most collectible items in Sunset Valley are Gems, Metals, Butterflies, Beetles, Seeds, Fish and Meteorites. Quite a list. These can be found dotted around communal locations, parks, ponds and the beach. Below is a brief guide to the best places to find the most lucrative of these collectibles, as well as what to do when you find them.

Items are by no means guaranteed to be found in the specified locations. Day to day they will appear and disappear. You may also find them in locations no listed here. Just explore and use this as a guide for ideas of where you may find certain items.



   




The Sims 3 Guide - Sunset Valley

Collectibles - Gems

While gems may not sound as interesting as Butterflies or Beetles, they can be even more valuable. They take a little more work to make them ready for sale in your inventory. You would be wise to get a gem cut, as this increases its value, possibly tremendously – though it costs a lot in itself. As you collect more and more gems, more highly specialised cuts become available, with the most advanced increasing the value of a gem five times over, though it does cost 1,000 Simoleons. You send the gem to be cut via the mailbox on your house's lot. You can then sell it by dragging it into the sell section of your inventory (marked by a faint Simoleon symbol).


Sending a gem off to be processed.

Below is a list of the gems and their value before they are cut. You can then send them off to be processed and it will increase their price. Clearly however, for the more common gems the price of the professional process is far greater than the value of the gem, so be careful. Price also varies by the weight of the gem, though never by more than about fourty-percent of the prices listed below.

Aqua: 21 Simoleons
Smoky: 25 Simoleons
Emerald: 30 Simoleons
Ruby: 35 Simoleons
Yellow: 60 Simoleons
Tanzanite: 95 Simoleons
Diamond: 200 Simoleons
Special: 350 Simoleons
Rainbow: 700 Simoleons
Pink: 1,650 Simoleons

The Pink Gem is only found in one place, and that is at the start of the cliffs on the eastern part of the beach. It must be accessed from the road above, the one that goes past Little Corsican Bistro heading out of town to the east.

The Rainbow Gem can be found in the deposits by the Summer Hill Springs, among the cliffs between Pinochle Pond and Fort Gnome Military Base, and the cliffs by the beach, below the coastal road.


Finding a gem

The Special Gem can be found in the deposits on the coastal road going out of Sunset Valley to the east, down the hill from Crystal Springs.

Gems can turn out to be Mysterious Mr. Gnomes, when analysed.



   




The Sims 3 Guide - Sunset Valley

Collectibles - Metals

There are only five metals to be found in Sunset Valley, but the most valuable, Plutonium, can fetch 1,800 Simoleons at its heaviest weight. When you first collect a metal it is dirty and must be processed to be valuable. It costs a flat rate of 40 Simoleons to do this, and increases the saleable price by a whopping 75 percent each time. It's almost always worth it therefore, except for very common metals, such as Iron, when not heavy enough to make a large profit. The prices of each metal are listed below, again varying by weight as with gems. The prices listed are the metals in their heaviest forms:

Iron: 20 Simoleons
Silver: 35 Simoleons
Gold: 120 Simoleons
Palladium: 500 Simoleons
Plutonium: 1,800 Simoleons

Plutonium can be found in a number of locations, in the woods behind Lofty Cerulean Blue Pool and right on top of the hill to the north of the map, at SimHenge.

Palladium can be harvested from the rocks around Sunnyside Strand, or the far western end of the southern beach in Sunset Valley. You may also find some in the back garden of Outstanding Citizen Warehouse Corp.

Gold is quite common, and you shouldn't have too many problems finding it. Look in the cliffs beneath the out-of-town road heading east, or at SimHenge.

Metals can also turn out to be Mysterious Mr. Gnomes, when they are analysed.


Literally a gold mine for metals and insects!



   




The Sims 3 Guide - Sunset Valley

Collectibles - Meteorites

Meteorites are a bit more interesting than the others, especially as they can range from small to absolutely massive. The catch with these is that you don't know the type of meteorite until you have it identified. The raw price of a meteorite is based on its weight, and there is a large element of risk in finding out how rare it is, as you could reduce the value. Meteorites, in their first form, are grouped as follows (maximum price is listed based on maximum weight):

Small: 30 Simoleons
Large: 200 Simoleons
Huge: 4,500 Simoleons

After analysis, these prices could be increased by as many as 10 times over! That could make a small meteorite very profitable indeed, but of course the more expensive meteorites are incredibly rare, so this is an unlikely outcome. You can sell meteorites with the inventory sell section (marked by a faint Simoleon symbol), or put them in your house. Huge meteorites can make attractive garden ornaments!

Huge meteorites may be found in the cliffs above Crystal Springs, as well as in the clear land between Pleasant Rest Graveyard and Fort Gnome Military Base.

Large and Small meteorites are dotted around the rest of the valley, though premium locations for seeing them are at Pinochle Pond, Stoney Falls and on the beaches.



   




The Sims 3 Guide - Sunset Valley

Collectibles - Butterflies

You should be able to see butterflies flitting through the air when you are exploring. You can then click on them and catch them. They can then be put in a terrarium from your inventory (where they appear once caught) or sold to Langraab Insdustries Science Facility.

The most common creature in the butterfly category is a moth. As such it is only worth 5 Simoleons. The rarest however is the Rainbow Butterfly, worth a lucrative 1,080 Simoleons. The complete list is below:

Moth: 5 Simoleons
Monarch: 10 Simoleons
Zephyr Metalmark: 25 Simoleons
Red Admiral: 35 Simoleons
Mission Blue: 50 Simoleons
Green Swallowtail: 90 Simoleons
Royal Purple Butterfly: 150 Simoleons
Silver Spotted Skipper: 325 Simoleons
Zebra Butterfly: 650 Simoleons
Rainbow Butterfly: 1,080 Simoleons

The more expensive they are, the rarer they are. Some possible locations for the rarer ones are below however. While the locations below are reliable, clearly butterflies have their own minds and may not simply appear for you the first time you look. Perseverance is the name of the game.  Similarly, some locations such as Pleasant Rest Graveyard have lots of different types. You will just have to keep looking until you find the rarities listed below.


Collecting butterflies

The Rainbow Butterfly can be found at Pinochle Pond. This is located directly north of the town, as far north as you can get before hitting the hills. You may also be able to find it in the land north of Pleasant Rest Graveyard.

The Zebra Butterfly likes to live nearby too, so explore the surrounding area of Pinochle Pond among the trees.

The Silver Spotted Skipper can be found on the beach, near the icebox and patio area. You may also find it near the Pleasant Rest Graveyard and Pinochle Pond.



   




The Sims 3 Guide - Sunset Valley

Collectibles - Beetles

Much like butterflies, you can see the beetles crawling along the ground. Some are also incredibly rare and thus have high prices on their little heads. They can then be put in a terrarium from your inventory (where they appear once caught) or sold to Langraab Insdustries Science Facility. A list of the beetles in The Sims 3 and their value is below:

Cockroach: 1 Simoleon
Ladybug: 10 Simoleons
Japanese Beetle: 15 Simoleons
Water Beetle: 30 Simoleons
Light Beetle: 40 Simoleons
Rhino Beetle: 90 Simoleons
Stag Beetle: 175 Simoleons
Spotted Beetle: 400 Simoleons
Trilobite Beetle: 750 Simoleons
Rainbow Beetle: 1,400 Simoleons


SimHenge is a great place to find collectibles

You can find the Rainbow Beetle in the land surrounding Llama Memorial Staidium. If you can wade through the legions of other beetles that inhabit it, the patch of land to the east of Pleasant Rest Graveyard, across the road, also sports the Rainbow Beetle.

The Trilobite can be found in the same spot, but you can also catch it on the beach to the south of town, to the east of the patio area.

The Spotted Beetle can be found near Pleasant Rest like the others, but in addition to this, between the houses on the small plots of land directly north of City Hall.



   




The Sims 3 Guide - Sunset Valley

Collectibles - Seeds

Seeds can be found across Sunset Valley, though particularly by Landgraab Industries Science Facility and usually close to roadsides. The most lucrative seed to find is that of the Death Flower. The flower itself can be harvested once from Pleasant Rest Graveyard, or found by chance while fishing. It allows you to buy more time from the Grim Reaper should your Sim die. It is not valuable in itself however, unlike the Money Tree, which can fetch 800 Simoleons per 'money bag' produce if in perfect condition.


The Death Flower, by the entrance to Pleasant Rest Graveyard.

Of course, to make use of the seeds, plant them in your garden and look after them well. You can then sell their fruit.



   




The Sims 3 Guide - Sunset Valley

Collectibles - Fishing

There are a number of obvious fishing spots around Sunset Valley, these are Crystal Springs, Pinochle Pond, Recurve Strand, Summer Hill Springs, Sunnyside Strand, Stoney Falls and other locations such as the pond in Pleasant Rest Graveyard and Central Park.


Night fishing is a great way to catch rare fish and relax.

Experiment with bait and increase your Fishing skill to get more lucrative catches. Maximum prices for fish you catch are listed below:

Largemouth Bass: 33 Simoleons
Jumbo Largemouth Bass: 61 Simoleons
Blue Catfish: 49 Simoleons
Rainbow Trout: 87 Simoleons
Jumbo Blue Catfish: 124 Simoleons
Jumbo Rainbow Trout: 221 Simoleons
Golden Trout: 518 Simoleons

You can also catch other items however, i.e. ones that are not fish! As well as the Death Flower, Bubble Bath, Rubber Ducky, Laptop, MoodLite Candle, Guitar, Birthday Cakes, Flame Fruit, Money Tree Seeds and the Mysterious Mr. Gnome (more below) can all be fished out of the pools of Sunset Valley. You can sell your fish to Everfresh Delights Supermarket, eat them yourself, or put them in a tank in your house.



   




The Sims 3 Guide - Sunset Valley

Collectibles - Mysterious Mr. Gnomes

When you manage to locate a Mysterious Mr. Gnome, if you put him in your house as any other item, indeed like you would an ordinary gnome, he will come to life in the early hours of the morning (around the same times as ghosts) and have some fun. He will also cause mischief and meddle with your objects!

You can find him as a gem, metal, while fishing, in Pleasant Rest Graveyard's Catacombs or as part of the Thief career. Try interacting with him to see his unusual character. You could also sell him from 1,000 Simoleons, but who would be that heartless? Tell him apart from regular gnomes by the flower on his hat.

Note: All collectible items can be displayed in some form or another in your house, or in your garden. Doing this can dramatically increase the attractiveness of your rooms and garden, and thus improve your Sims' moodlets. 



   




The Sims 3 Guide - Sunset Valley

Edit Town

While the above is all well and good, it is not unreasonable to want to alter Sunset Valley slightly. As well as simply moving your own family around to other lots, and perhaps picking out a different family to play as, you can change more critical elements of Sunset Valley to suit your wants and needs.

To access the Edit Town feature, use the Options menu.

There are a few key areas of Edit Town to explore:

Changing Positions: You can alter the location of community locations in the town centre, basically shifting the grid map of Sunset Valley around. Obviously you can do the same with residential properties, perhaps making the map more convenient for your family, or simply more interesting.

Changing Purpose: One of the most exciting things to do in Edit Town is to find unused plots of land (i.e. those you could build a house on in Build Mode) or evict the tenants, and then create a new community location. How about a library with a swimming pool in it? Use the cheats to fund these endeavours if you must, but the thrill of knocking down a house and opening up the area to the rest of Sunset Valley really is great. You can change a lot from private to community by clicking on it in Edit Town mode to access its options.


Use Edit Town mode to change lot type

Changing Appearance: Perhaps obviously, you can pick a lot already in use and just change its appearance. Some families have small houses and massive gardens, and there is nothing to stop you from completely altering their land in Edit Town mode. You could, for example, create a large hill where it was previously flat, make new ponds, forests or perhaps something completely different, like a run-down derelict section of town. The possibilities are endless. Having a slum with depressed Sims living cheaply could give Sunset Valley a whole new character. Or, you could just paint someone else's house pink.

You can also edit lots such as the school and library, changing their position and appearance. Some restraints naturally must be in place to stop gamers from destroying a functioning town, but the tool is pretty powerful.


It's a very nice town.



   




The Sims 3 Guide - Sunset Valley

River View (New Town)

While you can't currently begin a new town from scratch, and the Edit Town tool is limited by patches of uneditable terrain (these areas are not assigned to lots, so therefore cannot be altered), EA have released a new town called River View.

Downloading it is not as simple as it perhaps should be.

First, go to www.thesims3.com

Click the Create an Account link and register your game. Note that you will need your game's serial number to do this (those who have downloaded the game should have River View already).

You should then be given Sim Points to spend in the game's store, so head there using the navigational buttons on the website and download the River View map.


Download an extra town



   




The Sims 3 Guide

Create-a-Sim


The Create a Sim mode allows you to handcraft someone who looks just like you – a digital representation of yourself. Of course, you can also sculpt a repulsive hobo, or the most beautiful icon. This part of The Sims 3 is not just about looks however, as an extensive set of personality traits can be picked from to give your Sim a unique behaviour that no other in Sunset Valley shares. After briefly examining the tools on offer to craft your Sim's looks, we'll move onto getting their personality just right.

Appearance

First of all you need to pick a model to start off from. Either choose one of the pre-made Sims using the icon at the bottom near the navigation tools as shown below, or try your luck with the Randomise tool until you find something suitable. These allow you to find someone who looks relatively like what you want your end product to be, and you can then edit the finer details to make it a reality. Of course, you could just pick one and skip all this stuff, or just Randomize everything and enjoy/live with the result.


Use the pre-made Sim tool to pick a model as your starting point.

Basics: The idea is to pick a Sim to begin with who looks roughly like your target. If you prefer to just go with the default however, you will need to change the basics like Gender, Skin Tone, Age, Weight/Height (on a slider bar) and Name. Use the Gender icon to access the menu for these basics. At this stage your model will probably still not look ideal, but there is plenty of time for that later.

Hair: Access the Hair panel (indicated by a hairbrush) to pick a hairstyle for your Sim. While the selection is not exactly endless (unlike the colours!) you can usually find something to match your idea. The hair is crucial, as it is probably the most noticeable and distinctive feature of most people (and Sims). Facial hair similarly characterises the model very strongly, more than eye colour or nose shape. Choose a hair colour (more choices are available by clicking on the brush icon, including multi-coloured patterns!) and any hats etc. before moving on. Eyebrows and lashes round out the panel if you think your Sim needs a change in that department. The latter are ideal for female characters, while the former allows male Sims to replicate that evil genius look.


Use the Hair menu to completely change styles. The colour options are literally endless.

Looks: With the hair in place sorting out the finer details becomes easier as your Sim starts to look more and more like your target person (in theory). Use the Looks panel, indicated by a head shape, to adjust all of the minute facets of your Sim's face. Pick a template from the list, and then access the Advanced options, indicated by the magnifying glass. Use the sliders to alter each template more precisely for areas such as cheeks or lips to suit your needs.

Clothing: The final category is Clothing, indicated by some trousers and a top icon. You can ignore this tab if you like, but it adds a lot of additional personality to your Sim. Clothing is split into five categories: Everyday, Formal, Sleepwear, Athletic and Swimwear. Everyday is the main one; it is what your Sim will wear each regular day. There are also occupational outfits, which you will not be able to tailor to your own desires – your Sims automatically change into these before work. Use the Create a Style tool (shown by a paintbrush image) to alter colours, textures and astonishingly fine details to get the look you want. After picking your outfits and their colours (you can also download custom content from the Internet, or design your own on your computer), continue onto the crucial Personality section.


Pick your Sim's clothes, tasteful or otherwise.

Personality

Traits: Traits are what make up a Sim's personality in The Sims 3. You can pick five out of a whopping 63 if you are building an adult, whereas children pick them up based on how well they have been raised. Some are easier to interpret than others. For example, Athletic creates a Sim naturally interested in a career in athletics, as you may expect, but it also gives them desires to work out, improve their fitness and go to the gym.


Choose some Traits for your Sim.

Many Traits give your Sim special interactions with certain places or objects. Something like Computer Whiz gives your Sim special abilities when interacting with a PC, for example. Other Traits are harder to work out. Something like the Insane Trait just needs to be experimented with to see how your particular Sim and their combination of other Traits reacts to losing their mind! Rest assured however that it is almost guaranteed to be fun. Every trait in the game is listed below, and a brief explanation of each is given:

Absent-Minded – Your Sim finds it hard to concentrate on simple tasks.
Ambitious – Your Sim has desires to succeed, be great, rich and popular.
Angler – You Sim has a natural flair for fishing.
Artisitic – Your Sim has a natural flair for art.


A trip to the art gallery will please Artistic Sims in particular.

Athletic – You Sim has a natural flair at sports.
Bookworm – Your Sim loves reading.
Brave – Nothing can scare your Sim. Try out the Catacombs underneath the Graveyard.
Can't Stand Art – Eurgh! Your Sim detests art. Don't visit the gallery…
Charismatic – Your Sim loves to speak. A career in politics may not be a bad idea.
Childish – Your Sim has never grown up and still acts like a child.
Clumsy – Simple tasks can become a chore for a clumsy Sim.
Commitment Issues – Relationships are tough for a Sim with Commitment Issues, but also more spontaneous!
Computer Whiz – Your Sim is a master of computer technology.
Couch Potato – Your Sim is lazy and would rather sit at home than go out on the town.
Coward – The opposite of Brave, your Sim is scared easily. Don't visit the Graveyard!
Daredevil – Your Sim loves taking risks.
Dislikes Children – Your Sim doesn't like children.
Easily Impressed – Your Sim enjoys tasks and events that others may find boring.
Evil – Your Sim has a passion for all things bad, and enjoys making others unhappy.
Excitable – Like the Easily Impressed Trait, your Sim finds simple and even mundane tasks exhilarating.
Family Orientated – The opposite of dislikes children, your Sim would adore the chance to have a family.
Flirty – Your Sim can effortlessly woo the opposite sex with one-liners and a raised eyebrow.
Friendly – Your Sim enjoys the company of others and finds it easy to be nice and make friends from acquaintances.
Frugal – Your Sim is good with money and never spends unnecessarily or wastes items.
Genius – Naturally gifted with supreme intelligence, your Sim is incredibly clever.
Good – Your Sim is good-hearted, the opposite of evil.
Good Sense of Humour – Laughing at every joke cracked in the room, your Sim loves to laugh.
Great Kisser – The kiss seals the deal with your Sim.
Green Thumb – A natural flair in the garden belongs to your Sim.
Grumpy – Your Sim is easily angered and is the opposite of Friendly.
Handy – Your Sim has a gift for fixing and tinkering with household objects. People from across Sunset Valley will ask you for help.
Hates the Outdoors – Your Sim can't stand parks, ponds or even just being outside.
Heavy Sleeper – The grim reaper himself would struggle to get your Sim out of bed. Fires and burglars are more regular threats however.
Hopeless Romantic – Convince the opposite sex of your Sim's attractiveness through carefully selected actions and words, always providing a positive outcome. Unless the other person hates romance of course!
Hot-Headed – Like the Grumpy Trait, but with more shouting.
Hydrophobic – Your Sim is scared of water, or more accurately, dislikes it strongly.


Hydrophobic Sims won't enjoy a swim, so don't be cruel like this.

Inappropriate – Turning up at a business meeting in a bikini may be on the cards for your Sim.
Insane – Your Sim is unpredictable and prone to swings in character, mood and personality.
Kleptomaniac – Your Sim loves to collect the knicks and knacks from around Sunset Valley and horde them.
Light Sleeper – Your Sim will be easily woken during the night, making a good sleep difficult to come by. The opposite of Heavy-Sleeper.
Loner – Your Sim likes to be alone and doesn't need friends.
Loser – Your Sim has a natural talent for…losing.
Loves the Outdoors – The opposite to Hates the Outdoors, your Sim enjoys all external activity, as well as just being at one with nature.
Lucky – Your Sim has good fortune regularly thrust in their face.
Mean-Spirited – Your Sim enjoys ruining the mood of others and fails to see the silver lining to many-a-cloud.
Mooch – Your Sim has a talent for getting money and favours out of other people.
Natural Cook – Your Sim is gifted in the kitchen, and may wish to pursue a career in catering.
Neat – Your Sim hates mess and will keep their house spotless, or lose their mind trying.
Neurotic – Naturally nervous, your Sim struggles to hold it together when the excrement hits the fan.
Never-Nude – Your Sim refuses to go naked, wearing clothes in the shower.
No Sense of Humour – Your Sim finds literally nothing funny. The opposite of Good Sense of Humour.
Over-Emotional – Your Sim will break down at every birthday party, crying into their cake. They enjoy making mountains out of molehills.
Party Animal – Your Sim loves a night on the town, or a house party, or a beach party, or any sort of party.
Perfectionist – Absolute success is the only goal for your Sim. Failure is not an option.
Schmoozer – Your Sim loves to suck up to others and make friends with compliments.
Slob – The opposite of the Neat Trait, your Sim is happy living in squalor.
Snob – Your Sim is vain and loves the sound of their own voice, with desires to be the best Sim in town.


Certain Traits give new conversation options – not all of them positive.

Technophobe – Your Sim hates electronics and will avoid activity involving them if possible.
Unflirty – The opposite of the Flirty Trait, this makes your Sim stumble through the early parts of relationships and react badly to others making advances on them.
Unlucky – The opposite of the Lucky Trait, your Sim will appear cursed.
Vegetarian – Your Sim gets ill if they eat meat.
Virtuoso – Your Sim loves to sing and play instruments.
Workaholic – Your Sim enjoys working hard.

Special Abilities: Here are some of the best or most interesting points to come with a selection of the above Traits:

Absent-Minded Sims sometimes need reminding of their tasks.
Angler Sims begin the game with a skill book on fishing.
Athletic Sims work out to the maximum quicker.


Athletic Sims excel at exercise, as well as enjoying it.

Brave Sims will put out fires and apprehend burglars. They can also demand a raise at work.
Charismatic Sims begin the game with a skill book on charisma.
Childish Sims can fish in swimming pools and play with children's toys for a mood bonus.


You can get a childish Sim to play with children's toys, no matter how old they are!

Computer Whiz Sims can earn a living as a hacker through their PC.
Coward Sims faint or run when confronted by problems.
Daredevil Sims can put out fires with ease and will not burn to death.
Good Sims can donate to charity using the mailbox.
Green Thumb Sims begin the game with a skill book on gardening.
Handy Sims will always fix the object they are repairing, so no more electrocuting dishwashers!
Heavy Sleeper Sims cannot be awakened even by fire or burglar alarms.
Inappropriate Sims can find objects in Sims' rubbish bins.
Insane Sims can fish in swimming pools.
Kleptomaniac Sims accidentally steal from others and bring the items back home.
Light Sleeper Sims wake up when a burglar invades.
Lucky Sims are less likely to be burgled or have their house catch fire.
Mooch Sims can eat on other Sim's property (steal their food), as well as gaining money through conversations.
Neat Sims can clean the entire house at the click of a button.
Vegetarians live longer than other Sims.
Workaholic Sims can work from home on their computer.

Pyromaniac Sims can set objects on fire at will. This is a secret trait that is hard to come by. Children of fire-fighters can inherit the love of flames.

While some Traits are more interesting than others, or have more obvious benefits, that doesn't mean others should be ignored. Rather any Trait can add an element of unpredictability to tasks such as socialising and work. It's great when you discover a new facet to the game based on taking a risk with one of your Sim's Traits, so experiment!

Wishes: Based on your Sim's Traits and their environment, social life and upbringing, they will have certain small requests that you as the player can fulfil for Lifetime Happiness points. These can be redeemed for special perks that will be outlined later in this guide. You may get minor Wishes, such as to clean up some dirty dishes, or more influential requests, like to improve your Sim's fitness or find them a date. While many of these are also influenced by everyday life, your Sim's general personality as defined by their Traits has a commanding effect.


Some Wishes are predetermined by your Sim's Traits.

Lifetime Wishes: Compared to regular Wishes, Lifetime Wishes are massive. These are picked after you create your Sim and choose their Traits. Pick carefully, as some will be far more attainable for your Sim's lifestyle than others. Most involve getting to a certain position in a particular career, while a few ask you to max out various skills to get the lucrative rewards.


Choose a Lifetime Wish for your Sim.

Depending on the difficulty of the wish, they will contribute a set amount towards Lifetime Rewards. They create many more points than Wishes regardless. Bear in mind that it is far easier to get your Lifetime Wish if you start as a younger Sim, as opposed to picking up someone already middle-aged. You can see all the Liftetime Wishes below, along with brief instructions on how to get them:

Become an Astronaut (Level 10 Career in the Military, and Astronaut branch)
Become a Creature-Robot Cross Breeder (Level 9 Career in Science)
Become a Grand Master in Chess (Max out the Logic skill and Chess ability)
Become a Master Thief (Level 10 Career as a Thief)
Become a Superstar Athlete (Level 9 Career as an athlete)
Celebrated Five Star-Chef (Level 10 Career as a Cook)
CEO of a Mega-Corporation (Reach CEO position in Business Career)
Forensic Specialist: Dynamic DNA Profiler (Level 10 Career in Law Enforcement, and Forensic branch)
Gold Digger (Marry a wealthy partner and visit their ghost when they die)
Golden Tongue, Golden Fingers (Max out either the guitar or charisma skills)
Heartbreaker (Have a specified number of different girlfriends or boyfriends)
Hit Movie Composer (Level 10 Career as a Musician, and in Symphonic branch)
Illustrious Author (Max out the painting and writing skills)
International Super Spy (Level 10 Career in Law Enforcement)
Jack of All Trades (Level 5 in four separate careers)
Leader of the Free World (Level 10 Career as Politician)
Living in the Lap of Luxury (Generate a specified amount of household net worth)
Master of the Arts (Max out the Guitar and Artistic skills)
Perfect Mind, Perfect Body (Max out the Athletic and Logic skills)
Presenting the Perfect Private Aquarium (Collect a specified number of fish and put them in your aquarium)


The game has its own in depth explanation for each wish.

Renaissance Sim (Level 10 in three skills)
Rock Star (Level 10 Career as Musician, and the Rock branch)
Star News Anchor (Level 10 Career as a journalist)
Super Popular (Make a specified number of friends)Swimming in Cash (Save a specified amount of cash)
Surrounded by Family (Have a specified number of babies and raise them successfully)
The Emperor of Evil (Level 10 Career as Evil Criminal)
The Culinary Librarian (Learn every recipe in the game)
The Perfect Garden (Plant a specified number of plant varieties)
The Tinkerer (Max out the Logic and Handiness skills)
World Renowned Surgeon (Level 10 Career in Medicine)

More information on Lifetime Rewards will be offered in the Life section of this guide.

Having created your Sim, you also need to pick their various 'Likes'. These are pretty much their favourite food, music and colours. It's not exactly in depth, but the choices add another nice spark of personality, ensuring no two Sims are ever likely to be the same. You can also select your own favourite music, if you have enabled custom soundtracks as described in the Cheats and Tips section of this guide. If you regret your choice of Traits you can change these using accumulated Lifetime Happiness points later in the game.

Note: The game also features 'preset' families, which are already created and you can just takeover. Each has a different scenario and difficulty settings based on their personalities and current situation when you take them over.



   




The Sims 3 Guide

Choosing a House or Plot of Land

Before you can get to the fun of the Build and Buy modes you need to pick somewhere to construct your house, or choose an empty property to move into.

Acquiring Land

Before you can begin to build your house, you first need to get some land. You could (if you have already played, or cheated and have plenty of money) buy a house already on a lot and demolish it to create your own. Of course, you are also allowed to just make minor alterations to the structures already in place. There are a few things to consider when choosing a plot:


The flat squares indicate empty plots of land.

Practicality:

While it doesn't exactly take all day to get into town from anywhere on the map, it is handy to be closer to all the local amenities. Bear in mind that the car pool for your job will always come an hour before work, regardless of where you live. This means that living next to where you work is not only depressing, it's not particularly useful either. Perhaps the key factor in terms of the location of your house should be the interests of your Sims (or the interests that you want to try and foster in them).

There are a number of great lots positioned next to areas of interest in Sunset Valley. The most notable is 53 Waterfall Way. This is a plot on its own, situated right next to the classic fishing spot beneath the waterfall to the north of the map. You also have the largest plot in the game adjacent to the Summer Hill Springs, while the two Skyborough Boulevard properties and the one on Oak Grove Road are all superbly close to the town itself.


Waterfall Way is a great lot to buy if you love scenery, fishing or collecting bugs and beetles!

Again however, you can buy a property already in the centre of town or next to a place of interest and demolish and rebuild it! If you have the money that is. Use Edit Town mode to change the lot type from Communal to Private and stake your claim to locations previously off-limits. You may have to knock down the library though...

Location:

There are benefits that your Sims will receive for lots positioned in particularly beautiful locations. The Beautiful View moodlet provides a handy bonus to receive every time your Sim looks out of the window. The properties on Sunnyside Boulevard, Sun Song Avenue and the cliffside lots on Redwood Parkway all overlook the sea and provide a tidy bonus to your Sim's mood. You can also get the Beautiful View Moodlet elsewhere of course, just not as obviously as with seafront lots. You can expect to pay more for lots in areas such as Redwood Parkway, as it is something of an exclusive neighbourhood.

Size:

The final distinguishing factor between lots is size. This is also the biggest contributor to the price of a lot. The largest area of land available for purchase from the off is Summer Hill Court. This is on the hill to the west of town, next to the Landgraab and Alto households. It's nearly twice the size of any other lot in the game, and will cost you double too (14,700 Simoleons). Summer Hill Court is the ultimate place to show off your successful Sims. Sunnyside Boulevard has great views, a large plot and is in a quiet neighbourhood, but will cost almost 7,000 Simoleons. It may not sound a lot, but this is just the plot, no bricks and mortar included.


Summer Hill Court is only for seriously successful Sims

Probably the best value lots are those at Pinochle Point, with large lots yet a small price tag reflecting the lack of amenities in the area.

You only have 16,000 Simoleons to spend at the start of a new game, so pick your land wisely, and remember that you need that money to build and furnish your house if doing it all from scratch!

Alternatives

Vacant Houses:

There are empty houses that have already been constructed in Sunset Valley. These don't involve evicting a family, but can come pre-loaded with furniture upon request. At the start of the game only three houses are within the 16,000 Simoleon budget (with furniture), and each of these are in the same location to the north of the town. If you want to furnish them for yourself, you can potentially get a great house and just live with some tatty items until you get a job. Mosquito Cove is a fine-looking property, and at around 16,000 Simoleons unfurnished you could, just about, get it as an incredible starter house if you have multiple Sims in your household.


Mosquito Cove is a beautiful property at a great price

Getting a pre-furnished house has the advantages of allowing you to get straight into life with your Sims, which is suitable for younger users or those who prefer the simulation side of the game to the building and creative aspects.

Note: If there are more Sims in your household you get an additional 2,000 Simoleons for each one in your starting budget.

Evict a Household:

A house isn't vacant? You can live anywhere you want in Sunset Valley, just use Edit Town to evict a family and move your own Sims in! It's that simple. Once you have kicked one family out, your lot can buy the newly-empty house providing they have the funds. The evicted family can even take all their furniture and a copy of the house with them, if you want to move people around or fancy playing God and saving the evicted from dwelling in oblivion.


Evict a Household if you don't like them, or you just want their house…

Preset Households:

The game comes with plenty of families you can 'take-over', thus eliminating the Create a Sim mode and letting you just pick any house you want. Again, this is ideal for youngsters of those just wanting to get straight into the game. Each has a different scenario and difficulty settings based on their personalities and current situation when you take them over.



   




The Sims 3 Guide

Build Mode

For some, the Build and Buy modes of The Sims are their favourite feature. Building, decorating and furnishing the house of your dreams may take precedence over practicality and appeal for your family of Sims. The Build Mode in The Sims 3 allows unparalleled customisation and you can create some very impressive and unique structures.

Once you have selected and purchased a suitable lot, you need to go into Build Mode, indicated by a saw and paint roller, and begin constructing your dream house. The formula for building has changed very little since the first Sims game.

Foundations:

If your lot happens to be particularly uneven or sloping and you don't want to waste money levelling the terrain, you can place a foundation. This creates a smooth and sturdy support base for your house, as well as raising it up off the ground by a few feet. This of course costs money however, so don't be afraid to just build from the earth. Foundations are required if you want a basement or decking, however, so it is often worth the early price (otherwise you'll have to demolish your house and start again later to put in a basement, should you want one!).

Walls and Layout:

You will want to begin by drafting out the shape of the rooms with the wall tool. Select the create room tool to build a complete room with just a drag of the mouse, or you may wish to manually place each section of wall. I personally build a square perimeter that I want for the house using the room tool and then lay the walls out between it to create divisions.

When it comes to playing the game single-storey houses are much easier to manage than three-storey town houses, so this is worth considering when designing your structure. It may not be realistic for modern life, but a bungalow is far simpler. Make a choice on matters like these before you start laying walls, as they will begin to eat into your budget if you begin wastefully placing them. Remember though to use CTRL Z to undo careless actions and you won't waste your money!


Dividing up the house with walls to create the floorplan.

Remember that you need a bathroom and kitchen as essentials, and a place to sleep. This is the pretty much the bare minimum for any real house. Of course, you could have a bed-sit, where the bed is in the living room, with a sink and microwave also in the same room for example. You will need at least a shower though, and obviously a toilet, so some smaller separate room will be required. As you begin to go to work and earn money you can start to expand your house from the minimal rooms you may have begun with.

Something worth remembering is that if you have multiple Sims sharing a bedsit, one awake and cooking or showering may wake the other Sim up. With two incomes coming in you should try to build a more private house.

Doors and Windows:

You of course also need doors and windows. While you may think that you can get away with just artificial lighting, your Sims won't enjoy their life stuck in a dingy room very much. Windows also add light in Build and Buy Mode, allowing you to see the real colour of the walls. Wallpaper often looks great until you turn the light on and realise it's a putrid pink, not a stylish beige.


Some of the windows let in more light than others.

Just leaving an open gap instead of a door also won't cut it, as the two connecting rooms will be interpreted by the game as just one large open-plan area.

Roofing:

The roof pretty much builds itself. The game automatically places one for you, or you can manually place it by hand. They range from traditional triangular designs to completely flat or even domed plans should you fancy adding a mosque into Sunset Valley. As the video below shows, manual placement of roofs has its pitfalls, but if you want a more complex design, for example with a variety of roof types such as a flat top with a circular dome offset on one side, you will need to do it yourself.

The computer also struggles with some of the options, such as automatically manufacturing the dome, but to be honest you rarely notice the roof, so if it's too low by a couple of feet only perfectionists may want to go to the trouble of redoing it.


Adding a roof can be tricky, or you can just let the computer do it for you.

Flooring and Wallpaper:

Flooring and wallpaper will be noticed by your Sims, and they will moan if they go uncovered. On the cheap though, this is perhaps a sacrifice you are willing to make. In the flooring department you can choose from carpet, wood, tiles, brick, pretty much any texture to make your room complete. You can tailor every facet of it using Create a Style to make it just ideal for your colour scheme inside the house.

Walls can of course just be painted in standard colours, and to be fair the game's choice of patterns is often fairly repulsive. Using Create a Style to edit them is absolutely essential. Click the Create a Style tool when selecting wallpaper or floors, or click the paint palette icon in Build mode and then select the wallpaper to make changes.

External Paint and Textures:

Make sure you remember to use the masonry styles to effectively 'wallpaper' the side of your house and the sides of the roof in bricks (or an alternative, if you fancy being a renegade). Otherwise you Sim will get a negative moodlet from an undecorated building!

Upstairs and Downstairs:

Adding an extra floor to your house can be difficult, mainly because of the placement of the stairs. It's best to plan from the beginning if you want an additional floor, to be sure that there is enough room below to fit the stairs in. A good idea to subvert this problem, however, is to create a corridor on the side of the house, like a fire-escape, to allow access upstairs.

If you are having problems placing the stairs, ensure both the upstairs and downstairs floors have been laid i.e. carpet them both before trying to put the stairs in, as this can cause problems. You also want to place the stairs from the lower of the two floors. Stairs also look ugly, so make sure you use wallpaper to cover the side of them and use Create a Style like anything else to get them to fit in with your décor. You can also see a video for placing stairs in the Building a Basement section below.

Gardens:

A garden also shouldn't be ignored when planning, designing and building your Sim's house.

The terrain deformation tools allows you to model stunning outside areas. Adding water is easy with the pond tool, while more affluent Sims may choose to add a pool for that extra splash in the back garden. Trees, bushes, shrubs and flowers will all dramatically increase the beautification of your house and make yous Sims more content. Some of the external items can get really expensive however (such as the Fighter Jet or Fountain), so should rightfully be left until last.

You can raise, lower and level the terrain, as well as adding water. By far the most striking tool for outside areas, however, is the ability to add massive trees and rocks. This can create a real feeling of individuality for your house and make it look much more at home in Sunset Valley than just a boring lawn or a few shrubs and ornaments.

There is also the terrain paint tool which allows you to create sand, mud or stone designs to replace the boring grass, and completely for free. You can also pick out designs with small flowers in. This makes a much more appealing view and saves the time of covering your garden with flowers and bushes, though these should be used to finish off the look. Terrain paints are a great, cost-effective way to create an interesting garden without the need for expensive plants and trees.

Expanding Your House:

Once your Sims are flourishing in successful careers and with plenty of friends you can begin to expand. As well as new rooms you can add balconies, basements, decks and completely separate annexes (perhaps for elderly Sims you don't want cluttering up your youthful home anymore?

Building a Basement:

Foundations, while essentially only appearing useful in the early house-building stages to level the ground do have other, more important uses. If you build your house with a foundation early on you can create a basement with minimal fuss. Draw a foundation around where you want the base of the house to be, then hold CTRL and hollow it out by dragging an area inside.

The terrain deformation tools let you lower the level inside the hollow foundation and create space for an extra room. You can then use the level terrain tool to create a smooth surface which a floor can be built on. Make sure you don't drop the level down too low, you can't build a bat cave and the steps won't reach!


Use a hollow foundation to allow you to dig down and create a basement.

Then make sure you have pasted a floor both downstairs and up, and place in some steps to allow your Sims to go backwards and forwards between the levels. Finally, finish off the decorating and you have yourself a secluded and hopefully beautiful hidden floor.

Building Decking or a Porch:

There is a specific decking foundation tool. Select it and you can add things like a base for a porch, or indeed a deck in your back garden. If the whole house is built on foundations (as is best if you want a good deck), use the decking to create a new floor area jutting out from the side of the house. You can then place a small set of steps to allow access to the garden, or perhaps to the road if you are creating a porch.

Building a Balcony:

Balconies can add a lovely little seating area to the front of a house, usually in the master bedroom. They are easier to install than decking, but require more thought in terms of presentation. To build one, when placing the upper floor, simply leave a space over the floor below where you want the balcony to be.

So for example, if you have two large rooms downstairs, you would build the walls for two identical rooms upstairs, except one would have an indentation in. You can then place a different floor outside the room, such as a stone design, put up a railing and a sliding door into the bedroom!

You can also use columns to create an extended area from the upper floor – great for balconies and creating overhangs over porches.


Adding a gravity-defying balcony to the bed-sit that is shown being created at the end of this guide.

Loft Conversions and Gables:

Surprisingly you can't do a loft conversion in The Sims 3. If you try to build an extra layer where the roof is, or to use floor tiles to cover the ceiling under the roof it pushes the auto-roof up another layer. You can create gables in the roof however. To do this, just make a small box room at the front of the house and you can then use the roofing tools to build a section of additional roof around it. This can really give a mansion-look to your house.



   




The Sims 3 Guide

Buy Mode

Buy Mode lets your Sims really make the most of their hard-earned cash. From microwaves to TVs to magic gnomes, every item in the game has a use and its own appeal. While not every item is listed below, the most important, interesting and useful products in The Sims 3 are described, as well as the cheapest price for each:

Essentials

Bed: All beds provide the same level of stress release, and the cheapest still gives you a decent amount of energy from using it. Once you reach the Sleep-Slave Double Bed however, a whopping 10 energy can be regained a night's rest to completely fill your Sim's energy bar with a minimum of sleep. The more expensive ones also add to the attractiveness of a room. Minimum Price: 300 Simoleons

Toilet: Essential for, well, the obvious. There is no pressing need to get a more expensive toilet. While they are more reliable and get dirty less, they all provide the same relief – that is maximum bladder expunging. The Porcelain Throne for 1,800 also gives a small room attractiveness bonus. Minimum Price: 250 Simoleons.

Sink: Ideally you want a sink in the bathroom and the kitchen, but you can manage with just one if you're desperate. The cheapest sink breaks regularly, but at that price, you can hardly complain. You can also get sinks that can be embedded into work surfaces to save space, but the cheapest of these is slightly more expensive. Minimum Price: 120 Simoleons.

Shower: Showers are quicker than baths and the cheapest is also the most cost effective way to keep clean. They provide a higher hygiene bonus than tubs too. The Shower of Power for 1,600 only gets you 9 hygiene points, compared to 7 with the cheapest, albeit with a room bonus, so there's not much in it, apart from of course reliability. Minimum Price: 425 Simoleons.

Microwave: Any student will be aware of the possibilities of living off a microwave, and indeed it is possible. They are also fast and cheap. The Steak and Prank Microwave costs just 240 Simoleons, compared to the cheapest cooker at 400 Simoleons. These will enable you to create hot meals. Of course, if you really want to slum it, you could have a fridge on its own and just keep eating jam sandwiches. A blender is also a good alternative to a microwave in The Sims 3.  Minimum Price: 240 Simoleons.

Fridge: Essential as the place where you get all your food!  - The Chillgood Fridge costs 375 Simoleons and provides you with decent Hunger relief. The advantage of a cooker is that you don't necessarily need a fridge to make food on it. The issue is that without a fridge you won't be able to enjoy the quick luxuries of juice or cereal. Minimum Price: 375 Simoleons.


The ultimate cheap kitchen.

Lighting: Sims won't like it in the dark at night with no artificial lighting, so ensure you spend at least a little on the cheapest lights. Minimum Price: 65 Simoleons.

Secondary Items

These are not quite essential to a functioning house, but should be the next things in line that you buy after your toilet and fridge.

Alarms: For home safety you need a fire alarm and a burglar alarm. Both of these together will set you back just 350 Simoleons, and surely you can't put a price on your family's safety and security. These will wake your Sim when something is wrong, as well as the emergency services required for dealing with the trouble. Minimum Price (together): 350 Simoleons.

Note: Heavy Sleepers may still not be woken up by these alarms.


Alarms are essential for anyone with valuable items or loved-ones in their homes.

Computer: You can do many things on a computer. As well as relaxing or having fun playing games, you can find a job and hone your writing skills. The cheapest comes in at a hefty 800 Simoleons (and regularly breaks), but considering what you can do with it, that's not too bad. Minimum Price: 800 Simoleons.

Television: Life without a TV can be pretty miserable, so get one of these as soon as possible. The cheapest is 200 Simoleons, so is instantly affordable, and also allows you to work out in front of it using the Fitness channel. More expensive TVs also have more channels (allowing you to improve skills like Cooking while you watch) and provide more fun, but the cost rises to an impressive 8,000 Simoleons at the top end for a wall-mounted flatscreen. Minimum Price: 200 Simoleons.


A big TV can really give a room an edge.

Phone: A house phone makes setting up house-parties, calling the emergency services or just ordering a pizza a breeze. You could always use your Sim's cel-phone though. Minimum Price: 35 Simoleons.

Sofa: You can't really have a television without somewhere to sit and watch. There are plenty of choices, with comfort increasing with the price. As usual, the more pricey options also help improve a room's attractiveness. Minimum Price: 225 Simoleons.

Dishwasher: These save your Sim from having to wash all the dishes, dirtying the sink and taking a lot of time. Neat Sims will automatically put dishes in the washer, but you may have to order dirtier ones to do the tidying. Beware of electrocution when repairing. Minimum Price: 300 Simoleons.

Table and Chairs: When Sim's come round your house they won't want to sit on the floor. A simple table and chair not only provides somewhere to read a book or do homework, but is more importantly a social area for wining and dining. Minimum Price (table and two chairs): 140 Simoleons

Garbage Bin: When preparing food your Sims will leave trash around the house unless there is a bin available, or they will waste time going outside to dispose of it, so an in-house solution is almost essential - especially so cheaply. Minimum Price: 25 Simoleons.

Dressers: Not essential, but nearly there, especially for the woman of the house. These allow you to customise your Sim's outfits and to get them to change into them at will. Minimum Price: 450 Simoleons.


A dresser will make any Sim obsessed with their outfits.

Birthday Cake: If you have younger Sims in your household, a Birthday Cake is needed to fully celebrate the event. You can also use it to force an age transition i.e. from child to adult. By clicking on it you can start a party! Oddly this is supposedly an outside accessory, though you can find certain tables to place it on indoors. Minimum Price: 30 Simoleons

Baths: While these are less effective in terms of hygiene than showers, they relieve stress, something only the most expensive shower (1,600 Simoleons) can boast. Minimum Price: 500 Simoleons.

Coffee Maker: When your Sim hasn't had enough sleep, or has an important social function to attend after work, a quick energy boost can be provided with coffee. There is only one solution on the market, and as such it costs a lot of cash. Minimum Price: 1,100 Simoleons.

Skill Boosters by Item

There are a variety of items that you will want to include in your house's furniture if you want to easily rank up your Sim's skills. They are listed below, along with the cheapest version of each. For Televisions, these have different channels based on price, so no minimum price is listed.

Mirror: A mirror will improve your Sim's Charisma skill. Minimum Price: 50 Simoleons

Television: TVs can improve Athletic, Cooking, Gardening and Fishing Skills (the HiFi Plasmondo TV boasts all these)

Radio: Radios can boost the Athletic skill. Minimum Price: 150 Simoleons

Cookers and Stoves: These boost your Cooking skill. Minimum Price: 400 Simoleons


Items such as cookers can improve your Sim's Skills while they live out their life..

Microwaves and Blenders: These boost your Cooking skill. Minimum Price: 240 Simoleons

Exercise Machines: These boost your Athletic skill. Minimum Price: 900 Simoleons.

Chess Set: This improves your Logic skill. Price: 450 Simoleons (Outdoor version 350 Simoleons).

Bookshelves: These can boost Logic, Cooking and Handiness skills with no additional purchases. Books for other skills can be bought and placed in a bookcase too. Minimum Price: 175 Simoleons.


Bookshelves come pre-loaded with classics.

Telescope: This improves your Logic skill. Price: 600 Simoleons.

Easel: This improves your Painting skill. Price: 300 Simoleons.

Guitar: This improves your Guitar skill. Price: 600 Simoleons.

Computers: These can improve your Writing and Logic skills if you have the right traits. Minimum Price: 800 Simoleons.


You can do a lot with a computer, including improving your Writing skills, or Logic, if you have the right Trait.

Barbeques: These improve your Cooking skill. Minimum price: 300 Simoleons.

Baseball and Football: These improve your Athletic skill. Minimum price: 65 Simoleons.

Skill Boosters by Skill

Below is a list of the skills in the game that can be raised by purchasing certain items. Of course there are also other ways to improve these skills, but these will be addressed in the Life section of this guide to come.

Athletic Skill: Baseball, Football, Exercise Machines, Radios and Televisions.

Charisma Skill: Mirrors.

Cooking Skill: Barbeques, Bookshelves, Microwaves and Blenders, Cookers and Stoves and Televisions.

Fishing Skill: Televisions.

Gardening Skill: Televisions.

Guitar Skill: Guitars.

Handiness Skill: Bookshelves.

Logic Skill: Computers, Telescopes and Bookshelves.

Painting Skill: Easel.

Writing Skill: Computers.

Environmental Boosters

These items improve the look of a room considerably, often at a minimal price. If your Sims are complaining about the tatty state of your décor, a few of these dotted around will soon set things right. If you total 10 environmental bonus points per room, then you are on the right track to a stunning masterpiece.

Lamps and Wall Lights: Lighting is essential in any house. Of the lamps on offer, some provide 1 and 2 point environmental boosts. The Feisty Fiesta Wall Lantern is the cheapest to offer 1 point, while the Bunker Hill Floor Lights cost 300 Simoleons and offer 2 points. Minimum Price: 145 Simoleons.

Rugs: These are a great way to dress up a room with a minimum of cost. Every rug in the game produces an attractiveness bonus to the area it is in. Some of them look pretty repulsive, so be sure to customise their design and colour. Minimum Price: 30 Simoleons.

Coffee Tables: Only a few coffee tables give room bonuses, but they have little use otherwise so it's worth mentioning here! The cheapest one is the Roman Coffee table, while the Literal Coffee Table provides the best boost, at 2 points. Minimum Price: 185 Simoleons.

Paintings and Pictures: These all provide an instant environmental boost, ranging from 1 to an impressive 10, with price scaling appropriately. The cheapest is Anabolic Champ, which still allows a worthy 2 environmental plus points for the room. Minimum Price: 9 Simoleons.


A display like this can really add to a room's value, both cosmetically and practically.

Bathroom: In the bathroom you can buy toilet roll holders and towel racks – not essential but adding 1 environmental to point to a hard room to keep attractive – at an incredible price. There is also a toilet, The Porcelain Throne, which gives two points, a shower, the Shower of Power, giving 1 point, and a bath, the Tub Nouveau, with a whopping 4 environmental points. Minimum Price: 2 Simoleons.

Mirrors: These provide instant environmental boosts (2-4 points) as well as allowing a Sim to improve their Charisma. Minimum Price: 50 Simoleons.

Kitchen Counters and Cabinets: These give your Sims extra space for food preparation, but all apart from the Country-Fried Counter also provide bonuses to a room's appeal. Minimum Price: 100 Simoleons.

Accessories: Statues, miscellaneous bric-a-brac and candles all help improve a room's environmental appeal. Most, such as the Super-Absorbent Super Towels and the Magazine Restraint System are very cheap but still provide a point or two in environmental bonuses. At the top end, statues and sculptures can reach 10 environmental points. Minimum Price: 4 Simoleons.

Outdoor Ornaments: Check out the Langraab Industries Science Facility Fountain, for 60,000 Simoleons and the F-Class Hunter-Killer (a fighter jet) for 75,000 – both giving maximum bonuses. Not many objects that can be safely put outside give environmental boosts, so these are worth considering. Cheaper alternatives include Sleeping Gnome McMulty and Shocking Pink Flamingo – 2nd Edition. Minimum Price: 5 Simoleons.


Some items are clearly more expensive than others, and these are mainly for people who just want to show off...

Curtains and Blinds: These line the windows and add points to a room's attractiveness (from 2-3). The cheapest is the Cortinas Festivas and if you can live with its general style, you're onto a winning room. Minimum Price: 50 Simoleons.

Expensive Objects and Upgrades

The more expensive objects are, the less likely they are to break, the easier they are to keep clean, and the more beneficial they are when used. If you have a handy Sim they can upgrade items, stopping them from breaking, making them self-cleaning or improving efficiency. This may sound like a minor thing, but if you can prevent potentially deadly fires or electrocuting dishwashers, your Sim is far more likely to make old age.

Create a Style

Just as with Create a Sim, Create a Style is a brilliant tool to edit and customise the game's often dreary default items. Use it by clicking the paint palette, and then the object you want to change. You can edit almost every item in the game, though some like Painting ands Pictures cannot be changed. With Create a Style you can change texture, pattern and every colour involved with the object. It is hard to recommend changing textures too often, as this can lead to some seriously lurid or out of place objects. Check out the video of Create a Style in action on a statue below.


Create a Style is a valuable tool, in the right hands.

Tip: Remember to save your styles using the folder icon in the Create a Style screen 0 you can then replicate it at will.

Creatures and Collectibles

Fish, Beetles, Butterflies, Meteorites, Gems and Metals can all be caught or collected, and then displayed proudly in your home. Depending on the rarity of the items they can add a lot to the attractiveness of a room.

Fish must be kept in Aquariums inside the house.
Beetles will be automatically put in a Terrarium when dragged out of your inventory.
Butterflies will be automatically put in a Terrarium when dragged out of your inventory.
Meteorites can just be placed into a room, but if you get them analysed first they may add more attractiveness to an area (or they may add less! See the collectibles section of this guide for more information).
Gems can be cut to increase their rarity and value, also adding to a room's environment. Raw gems still have their charms however. You can display a gem on a surface, on a pillow or on a pedestal.
Metals should be smelted to make them more attractive.

Decorative Wishes

Your Sims will have certain wishes depending on the quality of their environment. All those related to beautification of a house are listed below.

Buy a Couch: More comfort required!
Buy an Easel: There's something missing from your Sim's home.
Buy an Exercise Machine: Your Sims wants to be able to work out at home.
Buy a Fishbowl: Your Sim wants a new friend in their lives.
Buy a New Car: The ultimate status-symbol.
Buy an Object Worth…: Your Sim wants an object of a certain class.
Buy a Treadmill: There's something missing from your Sim's home.
Buy Something: Your Sim wants some new stuff.
Buy Something to Plant: Your Sim wants to see the life creation process in their own backyard.
Decorate House With Paintings: Your Sim wants some art in their house.
Get a…: Your Sim wants what they are asking for…
Put a Fish in Fishbowl: You need to put a fish in that empty bowl…
Repair Something: Your Sim is fed up with broken household items. Fix them!
Sell Something: Too much clutter and not enough money.Spend …: Your Sim wants to improve their house.
Use an Object: Interact with something, anything!
Use an Object: Your Sim wants to interact with anything!

Decorative Lifetime Wishes

The way your house is furnished and the items within can contribute towards three of the game's Lifetime Wishes.

Living in the Lap of Luxury: All the items in your house must add up to a certain amount to get this Lifetime Wish ticked off.

Presenting the Perfect Private Aquarium: Enough fish collected will not only add to a room's appeal, but will contribute towards this Lifetime Wish. Get a certain amount of perfect wish in your bowl to complete.

The Perfect Garden: This Lifetime Wish can be gained from planting a certain number of unique specimens in your Sim's garden. Each has to be perfect though, or they won't count towards the total.

Decorative Moodlets

Your Sims will have certain moodlets (positive or negative additions to their mood) depending on the quality of their environment. All those related to beautification of a house are listed below. Some relate to the quality of items, while others can happen just by being in the same room as a particular object!

Positive:

Beautifully Decorated: 40 – The pinnacle of beauty in a house.
Beautiful Vista: Variable bonuses – A beautiful house makes for a beautiful vista.
Comfy: Variable bonuses - A great chair makes a great Sim.
Cozy Fire: 15 Mood – A roaring fire makes a room comforting to Sims.
Decorated: 10 Mood – A nicely decorated room gives a Sim a mood boost for as
long as they remain in the area.
Exhilarating Shower: 20 – A good shower can wake up and stimulate your Sims.
Inspired: 15 Mood – An impressive piece of artwork or sculpture will give your Sim a healthy boost for 4 hours.
Nicely Decorated: 20 – A room to posh for the Decorated moodlet will dramatically increase a Sim's enjoyment of a given area.
New Stuff!: 20 Mood – Expensive and most importantly new items will impress your Sims.
Pristine Picture: 15 Mood – A high quality TV will give your Sim more pleasure from watching it.
Superior Equipment: 30 – Excellent tools in the kitchen give satisfaction.
Warmed: 25 – A large fire will comfort your Sims.
Well Rested: Variable bonuses – A good night's sleep on a comfy bed will set a Sim up for a long day well.

Beautiful View: Variable bonuses – If your house is in a great location it will inspire Sims who visit.


Your Sims can get mood bonuses from posh or appealing rooms.

Negative:

Bad Night's Sleep: -15 - Your Sim's bed is just so uncomfortable!
Bad Reception: -10 – A cheap TV won't impress your Sims.
Buzz Crashed: -10 – Drinking coffee eventually has its own side-effects.
Can't Stand Art: -10 – Certain Sims aren't worth trying to impress with paintings or sculptures.
Cold Shower: -10 – Some showers aren't as good as others.
Dirty Surroundings: -15 – Clean up to remove this moodlet.
Disgusted: -5 – The house is too dirty.
Filthy Surroundings: -30 – Not quite vile, but nearly there.
It's Dark: -10 – Put some lights in the room!
Rude Awakening: -10 – A badly designed house means some objects will wake sleeping Sims.
Tastes Like Fridge: -10 – Your Sim's fridge is so cheap everything tastes the same!
Technophobia: -10 – Some Sims just don't like TVs.
Uneven Cooking: -10 – Cheap cookers and stoves don't cook things all the way through. Yuck.
Unfinished Room: -10 – Make sure the room is painted and carpeted!
Vile Surroundings: -40 – Dirty houses more than unattractive ones will bring out this moodlet.



   




The Sims 3 Guide

Starter Bed-Sit

Here is a video of the building process in action. You may get some ideas from seeing it visually. This movie shows the creation of the cheapest house you can construct. Sure, it looks like a prison, but this is just to get you going. Once your Sim gets a job they can work their way up the monetary scale and begin to expand, as the latter half of the video shows.


Building the cheapest house in a bed-sit layout.

This house cost just over 4,000 Simoleons to construct and furnish. Not bad really, and this will have a contented Sim for at least a while. You could knock some money off that if you don't mind making your Sim miserable for a while.


You can then extend the house, even adding a balcony, once your Sims save up enough Simoleons.



   




The Sims 3 Guide

Building Tips

Remember to use ALT to place objects without the grid.

Hold CTRL F to allow diagonal tiles to be placed.

Use the 'Create a Diagonal Room Tool' to craft more interesting house designs.

Hold SHIFT to place the floor over an entire room.

Create a floor and put objects in before putting in walls. This ensures you don't waste space if you're on a tight budget.

Use the Day/Night Toggle to allow you to see how your new items or house looks at night.

Various cheats are available to help with building houses and object placement. Check them out in the Cheats section for Sims 3.



   




The Sims 3 Guide - Life Guide

Skills - Introduction

In The Sims 3 there are a variety of 'skills' that your Sims can learn. Once you have acquired a particular skill, you can then continue to train and improve your level of proficiency at it. Getting better at a skill often opens up new options in your Sims' lives, careers or relationships.

The following chapters will go over the basics, acquiring and developing skills and the skill journal.



   




The Sims 3 Guide - Life Guide

Skills - The Basics

Below is a list of every skill with a basic description of each.

Athletic:

Athletic Sims want to keep fit. They are proactive, desiring lots of jogging, visits to the gym and both firm muscles and a lean physique. Once you learn the skill your Sim can jog around Sunset Valley. Experienced Athletic Sims can also Train others in their discipline. The Law Enforcement, Military and Professional Sports career all need fit Sims, albeit in different measures.


The gym can be intimidating for those new to the world of fitness.

Charisma:

A charismatic Sim will love the sound of their voice and have great confidence in public-speaking. The main avenues of reward, should you follow this skill and improve it for your Sims, are new dialogue options and social interactions. A career in Politics is the chief aim for most charismatic Sims, though it is useful in all walks of life as higher profile jobs get more demanding on a Sim's personality. Maintaining relationships and friends is crucial as a set number of these are required to move up the Charisma levels.

Cooking:

Not only do Sims with the Cooking skill enjoy preparing food, they are also good at it. Just experimenting in the kitchen will help develop your Sim's skills in this department, though you have to actually prepare the meal, rather than just eating a microwave dinner and calling it cooking. Sims can learn new recipes from books, or as they develop their skills. The more a Sim practices a particular dish, the nicer it will get each time.
 
Fishing:

Fish-mad Sims have plenty of options in Sunset Valley; fishing is an easy hobby to support, and one that allows you to experience nature and all the glory of the game world. Just practicing your art will develop the Fishing skill, while experimenting with different bait, locations and times of day will allow better, bigger and more valuable (or beautiful, depending on your mindset) fish to be caught.

Gardening:

Every Sim has a garden, so get planting once you have some seeds. Constant care and attention are required to nurture a perfect plant, but doing so repeatedly will improve your Sim's skills and set them on the road to green-fingered heaven. Rarer plants can be grown as the Gardening skill improves, until finally your garden will be the envy of all your neighbours. Of course, you can also grow ingredients for use in cooking, or indeed sell the produce for cash!


Gardens don't have to be this big to be enjoyed.

Guitar:

Some Sims will be naturally musical, but others can still pick up an instrument and learn to play. Eventually, once continual practice begins to make perfect, your Sim can play for cash in public areas – wowing other Sims with their impressive performances. The better a Sim gets, the more songs they can play and the more accurately they play them. Your guitar, once purchased, can be stored in the inventory and whipped out in public places for a quick song.

Handiness:

Handy Sims are arguably the most useful around the home. Cheap items break very regularly, so it is also the easiest to naturally develop as your Sims tinker and meddle, trying to repair broken appliances. As the Handiness skill improves, a Sim can also upgrade items to improve their performance or increase their reliability. Neighbours will also request help in fixing their problems, for money of course! Be careful though, handy Sims are frequently exposed to dangers such as electrocution, which can be a one way ticket to a visit with the Grim Reaper.

Logic:

Logical Sims not only enjoy chess and astronomy, but they love intelligent conversation and testing their skills against others. Once the Logic skill reaches a particular level, they can even teach other Sims and pass on their knowledge.


Chess is the best way to improve Logic.

Painting:

Painting is a very rewarding skill for Sims to learn. Not only can you sell your paintings for cash, but they can be hung up around your house to beautify the environment. It takes a heck of a lot of patience to become good at, and the best paintings take a long time to craft, but the end results cannot be argued with.

Writing:

Writers in The Sims 3 are very similar to the painters. With the Writing skill a Sim can, after much time spent on the Computer, produce a novel of saleable quality. More genres are unearthed as a Sim practices and moves through the Writing ranks, while getting regular royalties is the eventual reward for a successful writer.


Use a Computer to get going with Writing.



   




The Sims 3 Guide - Life Guide

Acquiring and Developing Skills

Before you can increase your ability at something, you first have to learn how to do it. For an artist, a Sim who wants to learn the Painting skill, they can, for example, either buy an easel and interact with it, or take a class at the local school. Your Sims can then nurture and develop their talents to improve them. Below is a list of every skill, how to get started with it and how to develop it (note that you can use the Acquire guidelines to develop the skill as well), including information on the rewards each gives your Sims:

With the rewards, first the requirement necessary to unlock it is listed, and then the reward itself.

Athletic

Acquire: Interact with exercise machines, take a class (at Llama Memorial Stadium), read a book, go for a swim, or use a television or stereo to work out to.
 
Develop: As you move through the levels your Sim will be presented with new exercise routines. These include things like 'Don't Break a Sweat' and 'Good Pacing', and working out to these demands will result in different quality contributions to the Athletic skill. Many have negative side effects, such as making your Sim more fatigued or unhygienic following exercise.

Levels:

Level 1: Once your Sim learns the Athletic skill they can jog anywhere in town. 'Don't Break a Sweat' is also unlocked at Level 1, avoiding the Hygiene implications of working out.


Sims learn the Don't Break A Sweat exercise method at Level 1 – notice how when you switch between them, the Sim's hygiene meter stops going down.

Level 3: The 'Good Pacing' training regime comes at Level 3, which allows you to work out for longer. Once at Level 3 Sims can get a bonus after exercise in the form of the 'Pumped' moodlet.

Level 5: 'Push Self' is at Level 5, increasing the speed of workout but creating the Sore moodlet, if you select it. Sims now also move faster when directed around town.

Level 6: Sims can now help to train others in the ways of the fitness guru.

Level 7: 'Quick Burst' is at Level 7, where again quicker results come at the expense of feeling sore and fatigued.

Other Rewards:

Body Builder: 60 hours spent improving strength - unlocks a posy Flex move to impress others.

Fitness Nut: 75 hours of cardiovascular routines - to avoid the downsides of over-exercising.

Marathon Runner: Run 500 kilometres - to achieve a longer life.

TIP: You don't need to buy expensive equipment to be able to work out. Use the Television, Stereo or cheap sports equipment (such as the American football) to shed some calories. You can also work out for free at the 28 Hour Wellness Gym, and any swimming pool.

Charisma

Acquire: For a Sim looking to start their Charisma skills, the usual class is available (at Sunset Valley Town Hall), they can perform in front of any household mirror, or they can read a book on the subject.


Taking a class is by far the easiest way to acquire a new skill – it's not exactly the cheapest, however.

Develop: After following the Acquire guide above to learn the Charisma skill, Sims can use social gatherings as another means to boost their ability. For each level of development, your Sim must have a certain number of friends and relationships. You can see a list of these below:

Level 1: None
Level 2: 2 Relationships
Level 3: 1 Friend, 3 Relationships
Level 4: 2 Friends, 4 Relationships
Level 5: 3 Friends, 6 Relationships
Level 6: 4 Friends, 8 Relationships
Level 7: 5 Friends, 10 Relationships
Level 8: 6 Friends, 15 Relationships
Level 9: 8 Friends, 20 Relationships
Level 10: 10 Friends, 25 Relationships

Levels:

Level 1: Your Sim quickly learns the new Friendly Greeting. They will also acquire the Charming Introduction ability. This becomes more and more effective as a Sim's Charisma skill improves.

Level 2: The Amusing Greet is learnt.

Level 3: The Interesting Greet is learnt, which can impress other Sims. The Sim will also learn the Get To Know ability. In conversation, this is used for discovering the Traits of other Sims to make future conversation easier.

Level 4: The Flirty Greet is acquired, with Romantic relationship bonuses.

Level 5: The Affectionate Greet is learnt, again with Romantic bonuses. At Level 5 a Sim also discovers the Smooth Recovery ability, which allows them to rescue a conversation which is heading in a bad direction.

Level 6: The Funny Greet is learnt.

Level 7: The Impressive Greet is gained for your Sim.

Level 8: The Hilarious Greet is acquired, providing a Funny relationship bonus..

Level 9: The Loving Greet is gained, with Romantic bonuses.

Level 10: The Hot Greet is gained, with Romantic bonuses.


Being a celebrity has its advantages.

Other Rewards:

Celebrity: 25 Friends in Sunset Valley – this provides faster relationship building for the future.

Comedian: 100 Jokes told (that others found funny) – Jokes are more frequently successful.

Everybody's Best Friend – 10 Best Friends – making friends becomes quicker and easier.

Personable: 50 Traits of other Sims discovered – allows Traits to be learnt more easily.

Super Friendly: 20 Friends – friendships don't diminish over time once established.

TIP: Attend as many parties as possible, fraternise at the park and barge into people's houses uninvited to make as many friends and acquaintances as possible! See Making Friends in the Relationships section for more pointers.

Cooking

Acquire: Budding chefs can take a class (at Hogan's Deep Fried Diner, or Little Corsican Bistro), read a book on cookery, or simply practice it by preparing a meal.

Develop: Practice, practice, practice to improve your Sim's cooking ability. The more a Sim cooks (they must 'Prepare' a meal, just getting some cornflakes out of the fridge doesn't count), the better they get at a particular meal, and up the levels they go.

Levels:

Level 1: Sims now learn the Ratatouille recipe. Pancakes, Peanut Butter and Jelly and Hotdogs can all be learnt too when Level 1 is reached, if they buy the appropriate books from the Bookstore.


More recipes can be learnt with each level of the Cooking skill.

Level 2: Goopy Carbonara and Grilled Cheese recipes can now be learnt after purchase from the Bookstore.

Level 3: Fish and Chips and Cookies are learnt automatically by Sims at Level 3.

Level 4: Fruit Parfait is learnt automatically at this level, while Spaghetti and Sushi Roll recipes can now be acquired.

Level 5: The Cheesesteak can now be cooked by Sims. They can also buy the Stu Surprise recipe.

Level 6: Cobbler can now be cooked. The Hamburger recipe can also be learnt if purchased.

Level 7: Sims now automatically learn how to cook Eggs Machiavellian, but can also purchase the recipe for Key Lime Pie.

Level 8: Tri-Tip Steak can be cooked by Sims. They can also learn Grilled Salmon if the recipe is purchased.

Level 9: The festive Stuffed Turkey recipe is automatically acquired when this level is reached. Sims can buy French Toast and Dim Sum recipes too.

Level 10: Both Baked Angel Food Cake and Ambrosia recipes are automatically learnt at Level 10. The Lobster Thermador recipe can also be purchased.

Rewards:

Menu Maven: Learned all recipes – nicer food of a higher standard is regularly prepared.

Star Chef: 50 Meals prepared – nicer food of a higher standard.

World-Class Chef: 75 Meals Prepared – food prepared much faster.

TIP: Nice food will provide positive moodlets for Sims. At the same time, disgusting food will repulse them. Using poor ingredients or poor appliances will contribute to a bad meal (with moodlets such as Uneven Cooking), or vice versa. To cook Ambrosia, the legendary Deathfish is required, as well as the Angel Food Cake – it increases life expectancy.

TIP: Use the Skill Journal to keep track of your recipes.

Fishing

Acquire: To start the Fishing skill, just sit by a pond and throw a line in there by interacting with it. You can also read a book or take a class in it (at the EverFresh Delights Supermaket).

Develop: Fish to your heart's content and you will move through the ranks of the Fishing skill. You can of course also read books to boost your abilities too. Use Bait (once you hit Level 3 and are able to do so) to increase your chances of catching fish. Each fish you catch boosts your skill rating, and while sitting by the water all day without a bite will improve your skill, it won't do it as much as a productive morning's catching. Fishing early in the morning is a great time for this.

Levels:

Level 1: Goldfish and Alley Catfish can now be caught.

Level 2: Jellyfish and Rainbow Trout can now be caught.

Level 3: Red Herring and Tuna can now be caught.

Level 4: Piranha and Tragic Clownfish can now be caught.

Level 5: Siamese Catfish and Blowfish can now be caught.

Level 6: Salmon and Black Goldfish can now be caught.

Level 7: Shark and Swordfish can now be caught.

Level 8: Angelfish and Vampire Fish can now be caught.

Level 9: Robot Fish and Lobster can now be caught.

Level 10: Deathfish can now be caught.


Fish at the Graveyard for the chance to catch the Deathfish, when at Level 10, or Vampire Fish at Level 8.

Rewards:

Amateur Ichthyologist: Catch one of each type of fish – helps your Sim catch bigger fish.

Commercial Fisherman: Catch 350 fish – allows for faster fishing.

Fish, Bait and Locations:

Here is a list of all the fish in the game, where to find them, and what bait they prefer. The Maximum Price is the price given if the fish is caught at its heaviest possible weight – the actual price will frequently be considerably lower, particularly with the rarer fish.

Minnow:

Rarity: Common
Location: Anywhere
Bait: Apple
Maximum Price: 11
Level Required: 0

Anchovy:

Rarity: Common
Location: Saltwater
Bait: Tomato
Maximum Price: 11
Level Required: 0

Goldfish:

Rarity: Common
Location: Freshwater
Bait: Lettuce
Maximum Price: 16
Level Required: 1

Alley Catfish:

Rarity: Rare
Location: Anywhere
Bait: Cheese
Maximum Price: 20
Level Required: 1

Jellyfish:

Rarity: Common
Location: Saltwater
Bait: Grapes
Maximum Price: 19
Level Required: 2

Rainbow Trout:

Rarity: Common
Location: Freshwater
Bait: Eggs
Maximum Price: 18
Level Required: 2

Red Herring:

Rarity: Common
Location: Anywhere
Bait: Hot Dogs
Maximum Price: 5 (it is a Red Herring after all)
Level Required: 3

Tuna:

Rarity: Common
Location: Saltwater
Bait: Onion
Maximum Price: 25
Level Required: 3


Use bait to increase your chances of catching rarer fish.

Piranha:

Rarity: Rare
Location: Freshwater
Bait: Watermelon
Maximum Price: 30
Level Required: 4

Tragic Clownfish:

Rarity: Rare
Location: Anywhere
Bait: Bell Pepper
Maximum Price: 32
Level Required: 4

Siamese Catfish:

Rarity: Common
Location: Anywhere
Bait: Minnow
Maximum Price: 41
Level Required: 5

Blowfish:

Rarity: Rare
Location: Saltwater
Bait: Potato
Maximum Price: 47
Level Required: 5

Salmon:

Rarity: Common
Location: Saltwater
Bait: Lime
Maximum Price: 45
Level Required: 6

Black Goldfish:

Rarity: Common
Location: Freshwater
Bait: Goldfish
Maximum Price: 49
Level Required: 6

Shark:

Rarity: Rare
Location: Anywhere
Bait: Red Herring
Maximum Price: 70
Level Required: 7

Swordfish:

Rarity: Common
Location: Saltwater
Bait: Anchovy
Maximum Price: 60
Level Required: 7

Angelfish:

Rarity: Rare
Location: Anywhere
Bait: Alley Catfish
Maximum Price: 85
Level Required: 8

Vampire Fish:

Rarity: Rare
Location: Graveyard
Bait: Garlic
Maximum Price: 225
Level Required: 9

Robot Fish:

Rarity: Rare
Location: Landgraab Science Facility
Bait: Piranha
Maximum Price: 275
Level Required: 9

Lobster:

Rarity: Common
Location: Anywhere
Bait: Tuna
Maximum Price: 120
Level Required: 9

Deathfish:

Rarity: Rare
Location: Graveyard (between 12AM and 5AM)
Bait: Angelfish
Maximum Price: 1,000
Level Required: 10

TIP: You can also use fish as decorative items, or, more unusually, as fertiliser for the garden.

TIP: Using bait increases your chances of catching fish. Using the favourite bait of each fish only helps things further!

Gardening

Acquire: To become a gardener you have to take a class (at the Langraab Industries Science Facility), read a book, or plant a seed.

Develop: Weed your plants as a Level 2 gardener and Fertilize them at Level 3 to ensure healthy and flourishing flowers. Pottering around in the garden and reading plenty of plant books will boost your skill.

Levels:

Level 2: Your Sim can now use the Weed action to help keep plants clear.

Level 3: The Fertilize action is unlocked, which allows a Sim to boost a plant's growth.


You can find seeds dotted around Sunset Valley.

Level 5: Sims can now plant 'Uncommon Seeds', or rarer varieties of plant-life.

Level 6: The Revive Plant action is unlocked, which makes it possible to attempt to rescue a plant from the grave.

Level 7: Sims can now plant 'Rare Seeds', even rarer varieties of plant-life.

Level 8: A special opportunity presents itself at the Bistro.

Level 9: A special opportunity presents itself at the Bistro.

Level 10: A special opportunity presents itself at the Bistro. The reward for completing all three of these opportunities is the Omni Plant seeds.

Rewards:

Botanical Boss: Harvest 75 perfect fruit and veg – plants are less likely to die if you don't look after them.

Master Farmer: Harvest 650 fruit and veg – plants retain water and fertilizer for longer.

Master Planter: Plant every plant on offer – weeds are reduced on all new plants.


Plant the seeds in your home lot and water regularly, to see them grow.

TIP: Use the most effective fertilizer to maximise plant growth. In descending order they are Vampire Fish, Angelfish, Lobster, Shark, Blowfish, Piranha, Siamese Catfish, Tragicv Clownfish, Red Herring, Life Fruit, Swordfish, Black Goldfish, Salmon, Tuna, Jellyfish, Minnow, Flame Fruit, Garlic, Bell Pepper, Steak, Watermelon, Rainbow Trout, Grapes, Lime, Apple, Potato, Onion, Tomato, Lettuce, Egg, Burger Patty, Cheese, Alley Catfish, Goldfish, and Anchovy.

TIP: Sims who 'Love the Outdoors' will simply enjoy the giddy thrill of examining a growing specimen.

Guitar

Acquire:  Just buying a guitar and twanging around on it will develop the Guitar skill. You can, of course, also take a class (at the Wilsonoff Community Theatre).

Develop: Once learnt, serenading your housemates and locals is the best way to improve the skill. Play at public locations, and as you level up more songs can be learnt. The Perform skill unlocks at Level 5, making the music enjoyable to listen to.


Purchase a Guitar in Buy Mode and begin learning the skill.

Levels:

Level 1: At least two new practice songs are learnt.

Level 2: At least two new practice songs are learnt.

Level 3: At least two new practice songs are learnt.

Level 4: At least two new practice songs are learnt.

Level 5: Three new songs are learnt. Sims can also now use the Perform action, and the Serenade romantic action. The Sheet Music Yes Ma'am, I Do, can also be purchased at this level.

Level 6: At least one new perfect song (the Sim will never fail while playing it) is learnt. Flamenco Fever can also be purchased as Sheet Music at this level.

Level 7: At least one new perfect song is learnt. A Perfect Moment can also be purchased as Sheet Music at this level.

Level 8: At least one new perfect song is learnt. Improvise Here and Now can also be purchased as Sheet Music at this level.

Level 9: At least one new perfect song is learnt. Dream Escape can also be purchased as Sheet Music at this level.

Level 10: At least one new perfect song is learnt.

Rewards:

Guitar Star: Play at 10 public events – more tips can be earned performing.

Master Guitarist: Learn every song available – a new song is unlocked.

Money Maker: Earn 5,000 Simoleons in tips and fees – a new song is unlocked.


Put the Guitar in your Sim's inventory and play in public!

TIP: The tips from playing are nice, but once your Sim reaches a certain level of quality and renown as a guitar player among the residents of Sunset Valley they may be asked to perform at parties and functions for big bucks.

TIP: Performing social interactions following a guitar song is a great way to start a conversation on the right foot.

Handiness

Acquire:  As well as foolhardily attempting to repair a faulty household appliance, you can take a Handiness class (at Fort Gnome Military Base), or read a book.

Develop: Tinkering, Repairing or Upgrading items will always improve your Sim's Handiness skill. Beware of electrocution however! Once 10 electronic items have been successfully repaired, your Sim becomes an Electrician and avoids the risks in the future.

Levels:

Level 3: The Upgrade action is unlocked. This allows objects to be improved (see below). The first type of upgrade is Self Cleaning. At Level 3 the Dishwasher can be made quieter, the Doorbell sound changed, the Shower's heat improved, the Stereo made louder and Window insulation improved (reducing bills).

Level 4: At Level 4, the Coffeemaker can be fitted with a timer (coffee is made automatically when your Sim wakes up) and the Stove can be made fireproof.

Level 6: The Shower can be made to cause exhilaration, and the Trash Compactor's capacity can be improved. The Television can have additional channels added. Sims can now use the Prevent Breakage upgrade to keep items from breaking down.

Level 7: The Gas Fireplace can be made to start when a Sim enters, and the Stove can be made to produce better quality food. The Television can have even more channels added.

Level 8: The Computer can get a graphics boost to make games more fun, while the Stereo can be improved in two departments, to increase the mood boost Sims get from it, and to ensure the music of one Stereo can be heard all over the house. The Television can have even more channels added.

Level 9: The Grandfather clock can be made more valuable. The Television can have more additional channels added.

Level 10: The Television can have the maximum number of additional channels added. Sims become members of a guild and so receive a huge 25% discount in Build Mode.


Get to Level 3, and you can make that toilet self-cleaning!

Rewards:

Electrician: 10 Electrical Repairs – no risk of electrocution during handiwork.

Plumber: 10 Plumbing Repairs – no repaired plumbing objects will ever break again.

Tinkerer: 10 Unique Upgrades (one of each type e.g. Self-Cleaning, Unbreakable) – upgrades will never fail again. 

TIP: All the upgrades have a risk of failure, which can end in electrocution, or damage to the object, until the Tinkerer reward that is!

TIP: The more items are repaired the more likely they are to break in the future. Upgrading an item to Unbreakable status is the only way to avoid this peril.

TIP: You can only have one upgrade per object running at once, so be sure to pick intelligently.

Logic

Acquire: If you buy a chess set you can learn the Logic skill by just playing with it. Other ways to do it are taking a class (at Langraab Industries Science Facility), reading a book, or using a telescope.

Develop: You can read Logic guidebooks, play Chess (there is a skill and a whole facet of the game centred on Chess) or a Computer to further your Sim's Logic skill.

Levels:

Level 3: Sims can now use the Search Galaxy action with a Telescope. This can earn them some Simoleons discovering new uncharted phenomena. 

Level 5: Logicians can now use the Tutor action on Children and Teenagers. Sims can now also brag about their Telescope.

Level 10: Sims can Tutor any aged Sims, but only up to their current level in the specific skill.


The Telescope is a great way to improve Logic.

Rewards:

Celestial Explorer: 20 Space Discoveries – can discuss space with acquaintances.

Grand Master: Level 5 of the Chess ladder – anyone playing chess against your Sim will improve their Logic skill twice as fast.

Skill Professor: 30 Hours Tutoring Time – others learn skills from your Sim twice as fast.

Teacher Extraordinaire: 20 Hours Tutoring Time - others learn skills from your Sim twice as fast.

TIP: Logic Sims can use the Solve the Unsolvable action with a Computer to earn some Simoleons on the side.

TIP: As your Sim improves their ability at Logic, it reduces the time necessary to rank up other skills.

Painting

Acquire:  As you might expect, to learn the Painting skill, just buy an Easel and let it rip. You can also take a class (at the Community School for the Gifted).

Develop: A Sim moves from Dabble, to Practice, and then to Paint as they progress through the Painting skill. Just using the easel is enough to move through the ranks.

Levels:

Level 1: The Practice action is now available, allowing Sims to pick the canvas size.

Level 5: The Paint action replaces Practice, allowing Sims to earn money from their pictures. Sims can now also use the Paint Still Life action, allowing them to paint what they see in front of them. A Sim's paintings now also increase in value over time.

Level 6: 'Brilliant' Paintings can now be crafted, earning even more money or providing greater environmental boons.

Level 7: Sims can now use the Paint Portrait action, where any Sim picked can be chosen for a portrait.

Level 8: Your Sim can now use the Paint Memorised Scene action to reproduce a mobile phone image taken in the game on canvas.

Level 9: Sims can now paint 'Masterpiece' Paintings, earning even more money or providing greater environmental boons.


Buy an easel and start painting those masterpieces!

Rewards:

Brushmaster: 35 Paintings – painting speed is significantly increased.

Master Painter: 5 Masterpiece Paintings – dramatically increases the value of your Sim's paintings.

Proficient Painter: 6 Brilliant Paintings – increases the number of Brilliant and Masterpiece paintings produced.

TIP: Paintings can be used to beautify your home, not just for cash.

TIP: When a Sim dies, their artwork is more appreciated and thus more valuable.

Writing

Acquire: For writing, anyone can develop the skill on their computer. There is also a class, and a book teaching you the basics.

Develop: Refining their Writing skill at the Computer is a great way to develop a Sim's literary prowess. They can also read books on Writing to improve themselves.


Writing a novel is a long-term project – thankfully the game allows you to continue it after a break!

Levels:

Level 1: Science Fiction books can now be written.

Level 2: Novels can now be written using the appropriate action through the Computer. Comedy books can be written by Sims with the Good Sense of Humour Trait. Trashy Novels can also now be crafted.

Level 3: Drama novels and Children's books can now be written (Sims need Level 6 of the Painting Skill to write Children's books).

Level 5: Sims with the Hopeless Romantic Trait can now write Romance novels. Comedy books can now be written by any Sim.

Level 6: Historical Novels can now be written.

Level 8: Mystery Novels can now be written.

Level 10: Romance Novels can now be written by any Sim. Masterpiece novels can now also be produced.

Rewards:

Prolific Writer: 20 books written - more successful and popular books produced.

Specialist Writer: 5 Novels in one Genre – more successful and popular books produced in this genre.

Speed Writer: 15,000 Simoleons in Royalties – writing speed is dramatically increased.

TIP: Potentially great novels can generate a steady flow of income from royalties. A novel can be written by using the Write Novel interaction at the Computer. They can then come back to it and continue writing whenever they have free time.

TIP: More royalties are accrued by Sims with a higher Writing level, and depending on the popularity of the genre i.e. the saturation of the market in that area. Your Sim's book may even appear in the local bookstore!



   




The Sims 3 Guide - Life Guide

Skill Journal

Use the game's Skill Journal to keep track of how far your Sims are from the next level in a skill, and what they can do to get there. It will also give you titbits about the other side of skills – such as rewards, additional details and so on.


The Skill Journal is a vital tool.



   




The Sims 3 Guide - Life Guide

Careers Introduction

There is a wealth of careers for Sims to take up in Sunset Valley. Many are closely related to particular traits. Some are more profitable than others, while a select few allow creatively-minded Sims to really express themselves. A list of all the full-time jobs can be seen below, along with the hours Sims are required to work at them, the wages, pension payments, and various tips about the job.

This section isbroken down into full-time jobs, pàrt time-jobs, general careers tips and retirement.



   




The Sims 3 Guide - Life Guide

Full-Time Jobs

Business

Basics: The Business career may sound a bit generic, but in fact, it can be quite addictive to work your way up through the office based environment. It is a cut-throat career to follow, with plenty of sucking-up to bosses and hard work required to advance.

Location: Doo Peas Corporate Towers.


Doo Peas is home to two career-lines.

Levels:

Level 1: Coffee Courier – 800 Simoleons per week – 40 Pension.
Level 2: Filing Clerk – 1,040 Simoleons per week – 50 Pension.
Level 3: Report Processor – 1,355 Simoleons per week – 70 Pension.
Level 4: Corporate Drone – 1,765 Simoleons per week – 90 Pension.
Level 5: Department Head – 2,650 Simoleons per week – 130 Pension.
Level 6: Division Manager – 3,445 Simoleons per week – 170 Pension.
Level 7: Vice President – 4,480 Simoleons per week – 220 Pension.
Level 8: CEO – 5,736 Simoleons per week – 280 Pension.
Level 9: Venture Capitalist – 6,884 Simoleons per week – 330 Pension.
Level 10: Power Broker – 2,841 Simoleons per week – 400 Pension.

Hours:

Levels 1-4: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, 08:00-14:00
Levels 5-7: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, 08:00-15:00
Level 8: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 08:00-14:00
Level 9: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 08:00-14:00
Level 10: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, 08:00-11:00


Take the opportunities when they come up to progress.

Key Skills:

You need a good relationship with bosses and a regular positive mood. No specific skills are necessary to succeed in business.
 
TIP: In the Business career, you are given control over meetings once a certain level is reached. This means you are often forced to spend time outside working hours trying to impress your superiors. Once the Power Broker level is reached, you work hardly any hours, but can schedule meetings for big bucks on top of your weekly wage.

TIP: To improve your relationship with your superiors, try the Suck Up To Boss action while at work; note, however, that this will decrease your relationships with co-workers. If in a good mood, the Power Work action will add much to your chances of earning a promotion – just make sure it doesn't come at the expense of your stress levels or work performance will drop.

Criminal

Basics: This is a fun career for many players of The Sims, especially those with Sims bearing Traits such as Evil. Surprisingly, you can apply for a 'job' as a criminal by answering an advert in the newspaper or indeed on a Computer.

Location: Outstanding Citizen Warehouse Corp.

Levels:

Level 1: Decoy – 500 Simoleons per week – 30 Pension.
Level 2: Cutpurse – 700 Simoleons per week – 40 Pension.
Level 3: Thug – 950 Simoleons per week – 50 Pension.
Level 4: Getaway Driver – 1,200 Simoleons per week – 60 Pension.
Level 5: Bagman – 1,550 Simoleons per week – 80 Pension.
Level 6: ConArtist – 1,875 Simoleons per week – 90 Pension.

The Criminal Career then splits into two paths, Thief and Evil:

Thief:

Level 1: Safe Cracker – 2,400 Simoleons per week – 120 Pension.
Level 2: Bank Robber – 2,440 Simoleons per week – 120 Pension.
Level 3: Cat Burglar – 3,600 Simoleons per week – 180 Pension.
Level 4: Master Thief – 8,400 Simoleons per week – 400 Pension.

Evil:

Level 1: Henchman – 3,250 Simoleons per week – 160 Pension.
Level 2: Evil Sidekick – 3,400 Simoleons per week – 170 Pension.
Level 3: Super Villain – 4,800 Simoleons per week – 230 Pension.
Level 4: Emperor of Evil – 6,300 Simoleons per week – 300 Pension.


There are lots of options for fulfillment in the Criminal career.

Hours:

Levels 1-2: Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 10:00-16:00
Levels 3-6: Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 21:00-03:00

Thief Level 1: Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 21:00-02:00
Thief Level 2: Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 21:00-02:00
Thief Levels 3-4: Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 21:00-01:00

Evil Level 1: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, 21:00-03:00
Evil Level 2: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 21:00-03:00
Evil Level 3: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 21:00-02:00
Evil Level 4: Monday, Tuesday, Friday, 21:00-02:00

Key Skills:

Criminals need the Athletic skills to acquire promotions. There is also the usual good mood needed on a regular basis.

TIP: The key to succeeding as a criminal is making friends in the industry. Use the Meet Accomplices and Conspire With Accomplices actions while at work to build these relationships and help earn promotions.

TIP: In the Thief branch of the Criminal career, Sims can use the Sneak action. This allows them to enter other Sims' homes without them waking up! If you do get caught however (watch out for burglar alarms!), you do have to go to jail for a period.

TIP: Those who are truly evil (i.e. Emperors of Evil!) will scare off anyone with cowardly traits! This may not be useful, but it's particularly cool.

Culinary

Basics: As well as having an extensive skill-tree relating to Cooking, Sims who love food can adopt a career in this area.

Location: Little Corsican Bistro or Hogan's Deep-Fat Diner.


Pick your favourite of the two eateries for your place of work.

Levels:

Level 1: Kitchen Scullion – 740 Simoleons per week – 40 Pension.
Level 2: Spice Runner – 950 Simoleons per week – 50 Pension.
Level 3: Vegetable Slicer – 1,150 Simoleons per week – 60 Pension.
Level 4: Ingredient Taster – 1,400 Simoleons per week – 70 Pension.
Level 5: Line Cook – 2,300 Simoleons per week – 110 Pension.
Level 6: Pastry Chef – 2,950 Simoleons per week – 150 Pension.
Level 7: Sous Chef – 2,720 Simoleons per week – 130 Pension.
Level 8: Executive Chef – 3,000 Simoleons per week – 150 Pension.
Level 9: Chef de Cuisine – 3,015 Simoleons per week – 150 Pension.
Level 10: Five-Star Chef – 4,200 Simoleons per week – 200 Pension.

Hours:

Levels 1-4: Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 15:00-21:00
Levels 5-6: Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 15:00-20:30
Level 7: Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 15:00-20:30
Level 8: Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 15:00-20:00
Level 9: Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 15:00-20:00
Level 10: Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 15:00-19:00

Key Skills:

As you might expect, improving your Sim's cooking skill is the main goal of this career. Bear in mind that you can do it while working, using the Practice Cooking action.


Sims can use Practice Cooking to level up the Cooking Skill while at work.

TIP: From Level 4 onwards Sims can bring home food from work. It's usually pretty good, so will be appreciated by everyone in the household.

TIP: Level 7 and over Sims get a discount on eating at the restaurants.

TIP: Level 10 Culinary Sims receive the Master Chef Fridge, which provides superb ingredients and is pretty much the best piece of kit a kitchen can have.

Journalism

Basics: Like the culinary career path, Sims hoping to become journalists also frequently practice in their spare time and have honed their creative skills using a Computer.

Location: Doo Peas Corporate Towers.

Levels:

Level 1: Paper Boy – 1,125 Simoleons per week – 60 Pension.
Level 2: Automated Spell-Checker Checker – 1,295 Simoleons per week – 70 Pension.
Level 3: Freelance Writer – 1,490 Simoleons per week – 80 Pension.
Level 4: Professional Blogger – 1,505 Simoleons per week – 80 Pension.
Level 5: Anonymous Source Handler – 2,410 Simoleons per week – 120 Pension.
Level 6: Investigative Reporter – 2,508 Simoleons per week – 120 Pension.
Level 7: Weather Man – 3,012 Simoleons per week – 150 Pension.
Level 8: Lead Reporter – 3,768 Simoleons per week – 180 Pension.
Level 9: Editor-In-Chief – 4,712 Simoleons per week – 230 Pension.
Level 10: Star News Anchor – 6,128 Simoleons per week – 300 Pension.

Hours:

Levels 1-3: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, 08:00-14:00
Level 4: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, 08:00-12:00
Level 5: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, 08:00-13:00
Levels 6-9: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, 08:00-13:00
Level 10: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, 08:00-12:00


Sims in the Journalism career need to interview fellow Sims and write news reports on them – try to get the interviewee on side first with some flattery.

Key Skills:

Both Writing and Charisma are important skills for earning promotions as a journalist. Sims can use the Practice Writing action while at work to level up the Writing skill as they go.

TIP: Sims in the Journalism career must write articles and reviews on their computer at home – outside of work hours! This is required for promotions, and requires interviewing Sims around Sunset Valley or attending certain events for reviews.

TIP: At Level 10 your Sim can brag about a news story in conversation.

Law Enforcement

Basics: The antithesis of the Criminal career, the Law Enforcement occupation is one for good-hearted and brave Sims, seeking to make a difference (a positive one) in Sunset Valley.

Location: Sunset Valley Police Department.

Levels:

Level 1: Snitch – 1,175 Simoleons per week – 60 Pension.
Level 2: Desk Jockey – 1,390 Simoleons per week – 70 Pension.
Level 3: Traffic Cop – 1,645 Simoleons per week – 80 Pension.
Level 4: Patrol Officer – 1,945 Simoleons per week – 100 Pension.
Level 5: Lieutenant – 2,300 Simoleons per week – 110 Pension.

The Law Enforcement Career then splits into two paths, Forensics and Special Agent:

Forensics:

Level 1: Wiretap Reader – 4,025 Simoleons per week – 200 Pension.
Level 2: Crime Scene Technician – 4,750 Simoleons per week – 230 Pension.
Level 3: Sketch Artist – 4,484 Simoleons per week – 220 Pension.
Level 4: 3D Crime Scene Modeller – 5.292 Simoleons per week – 260 Pension.
Level 5: DNA Suspect Reconstruction Simulator – 7,940 Simoleons per week – 380 Pension.

Special Agent:

Level 1: Vice Squad – 2,760 Simoleons – 140 Pension.
Level 2: Undercover Specialist – 3,260 Simoleons – 160 Pension.
Level 3: Special Agent – 3,858 Simoleons per week – 190 Pension.
Level 4: Triple Agent – 4,544 Simoleons per week – 220 Pension.
Level 5: International Super Spy – 6,816 Simoleons per week – 330 Pension.


The life of a cop can be very rewarding.

Key Skills:

You need the Logic skill as a given, but once the career splits in two you require either the Painting skill (for Forensics) or the Athletic skill (for Special Agent) in order to seriously progress.

TIP: Sims at Level 3 in the overall Law Enforcement career can catch burglars.

TIP: Earlier on in the career you need to build a strong relationship with your partner on the beat. Use the Chat With Partner action to accomplish this.

TIP: Law Enforcement Sims can search through other Sims' rubbish to gather information. They can also interview other Sims with the same result.

TIP: Special Agents can use the Raid Warehouse action to search the Outstanding Citizen Warehouse Corp. (at Level 5) to earn some money and kudos on the side, while Forensic Sims get their own Laptop and can use the Run Analysis action to earn some cash too.

Medical

Basics: Busy, stressful, but making a huge difference to the lives of everyone in Sunset Valley, those willing to follow medicine will have to devote their life to the profession – the rewards are there to be had, however.

Location: Sacred Spleen Memorial Hospital.

Levels:

Level 1: Organ Donor – 640 Simoleons per week – 40 Pension.
Level 2: Bed Pan Cleaner – 750 Simoleons per week – 40 Pension.
Level 3: Paramedic – 950 Simoleons per week – 50 Pension.
Level 4: Medical Intern – 1,650 Simoleons per week – 80 Pension.
Level 5: Resident – 3,500 Simoleons per week – 170 Pension.
Level 6: Trauma Surgeon – 4,050 Simoleons per week – 200 Pension.
Level 7: Gene Therapist – 3,840 Simoleons per week – 190 Pension.
Level 8: Infectious Disease Researcher – 4,200 Simoleons per week – 200 Pension.
Level 9: Neurosurgeon – 7,200 Simoleons per week – 350 Pension.
Level 10: Deadly Disease Specialist – 9,600 Simoleons per week – 460 Pension.

Hours:

Levels 1-2: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, 09:00-15:00
Level 3: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, 09:00-15:00
Level 4: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, 09:00-19:00
Level 5: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, 09:00-18:00
Level 6: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, 19:00-03:00
Levels 7-8: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 09:00-14:00
Level 9: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 09:00-17:00
Level 10: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 09:00-14:00


Sometimes you are given books to read in order to get a promotion at work or to impress the boss.

Key Skills:

Logic is key for Medical Sims, but equally important is keeping stress down despite the long hours. The Sleep in Ready Room and Watch TV in Ready Room actions can both help your Sim relax at work.

TIP: From Level 4 onwards your Sim has a pager and can be called into work at any time. It's a very stressful career, but the final rewards are huge.

TIP: At Level 10, you get the Play Golf action, which actually lets your Sim have fun while at work!

Military

Basics: While not as rigorous as life in the army outside of The Sims, working in the Military career line requires fitness and skill at mechanics.

Location: Fort Gnome Military Base.

Levels:

Level 1: Latrine Cleaner – 1,120 Simoleons per week – 80 Pension.
Level 2: Grease Monkey – 1,400 Simoleons per week – 100 Pension.
Level 3: Grunt – 1,540 Simoleons per week – 110 Pension.
Level 4: Squad Leader – 1,965 Simoleons per week – 150 Pension.
Level 5: Flight Officer – 2,262 Simoleons per week – 170 Pension.
Level 6: Wing Man – 2,604 Simoleons per week – 190 Pension.
Level 7: Fighter Pilot – 2,997 Simoleons per week – 220 Pension.
Level 8: Squadron Leader – 3,447 Simoleons per week – 250 Pension.
Level 9: Top Gun – 3,966 Simoleons per week – 290 Pension.
Level 10: Astronaut – 6,000 Simoleons per week – 430 Pension.

Hours:

Level 1: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, 07:00-14:00
Levels 2-3: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, 07:00-15:00
Levels 4-5: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 07:00-14:00
Levels 6-8: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 07:00-13:00
Level 9: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 07:00-13:00
Level 10: Monday, 07:00-01:00 (18 hours!)


The military base can be an exciting place.

Key Skills:

Sims need the Athletic and Handiness skills to move through the Military ranks.

TIP: At the highest levels of the Military career random Sims will salute you around the town.

TIP: Show Sim the Jet and Show Sim the Spaceship actions unlock along the way, which allow your Sim to impress dates.

Music

Basics: One of many artistic careers in The Sims 3, the life of a professional musician involves working in a structured environment, as opposed to the busking and house-parties of a hobbyist.

Location: Wilsonoff Community Theater.

Levels:

Level 1: Fan – 625 Simoleons per week – 30 Pension.
Level 2: Roadie – 740 Simoleons per week – 40 Pension.
Level 3: Stagehand – 875 Simoleons per week – 50 Pension.
Level 4: Band Manager – 1,315 Simoleons per week – 70 Pension.
Level 5: Music Talent Scout – 1,244 Simoleons per week – 60 Pension.

The Music Career then splits into two paths, Rock and Symphony:

Rock:

Level 1: Lyricist – 1,932 Simoleons per week – 100 Pension.
Level 2: Backup Vocalist – 2,512 Simoleons per week – 120 Pension.
Level 3: Lead Guitarist – 2,451 Simoleons per week – 160 Pension.
Level 4: Pop Icon – 3,432 Simoleons per week – 200 Pension.
Level 5: Rock Star – None – 350 Pension.

Symphony:

Level 1: Quartet Member – 1,868 Simoleons per week – 90 Pension.
Level 2: Orchestra Seat – 2,432 Simoleons per week – 120 Pension.
Level 3: Orchestra Lead – 3,164 Simoleons per week – 160 Pension.
Level 4: Conductor – 4,116 Simoleons per week – 200 Pension.
Level 5: Hit Movie Composer – 7,204 Simoleons per week – 350 Pension.


Join the music career at the theatre.

Hours:

Levels 1-2: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, 15:00-21:00
Level 3: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, 16:00-22:00
Level 4: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, 16:00-21:30
Level 5: Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, 17:00-22:30

Rock Level 1: Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, 18:00-23:00
Rock Level 2: Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, 19:00-24:00
Rock Level 3: Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, 20:00-00:30
Rock Level 4: Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, 21:00-01:00
Rock Level 5: None

Symphony Levels 1-3: Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, 15:00-20:30
Symphony Level 4: Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, 15:00-20:00
Symphony Level 5: Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, 13:00-18:00

You need to make sure your Sim is decent at the Guitar skill before trying to make it as a musician, for fairly obvious reasons. In the Symphonic branch you also need to level up your Logic skill to progress. You can use the Study Music Theory action while at work to improve both of these.

TIP: Once you embark on the Rock branch you can hold concerts at the theatre and stadium (when you interact with it). Use the Practice Performance action while at work to prepare in advance and make the performance go better.

TIP: As a Rock Star, Sims don't have to work if they don't want to. Holding concerts and autograph sessions is the chief money-making asset here.

TIP: Symphonic-branch Sims get a new stereo for the house at Level 5, as well as free entry to the theatre at Level 3.

Politics

Basics: The main skill involved in politics is Charisma. Convincing other Sims of your own ability to lead is integral in advancing through the political ranks. Some don't like politicians, and it will be your duty to drum up support ahead of important campaigns.

Location: Sunset Valley City Hall.

Levels:

Level 1: Podium Polisher – 700 Simoleons per week – 40 Pension.
Level 2: Ballot Counter – 925 Simoleons per week – 50 Pension.
Level 3: Campaign Intern – 1,150 Simoleons per week – 60 Pension.
Level 4: Yes-Man – 1,350 Simoleons per week – 70 Pension.
Level 5: City Council Member – 1,875 Simoleons per week – 90 Pension.
Level 6: Local Representative – 2,000 Simoleons per week – 100 Pension.
Level 7: Mayor – 2,600 Simoleons per week – 130Pension.
Level 8: Governor – 3,200 Simoleons per week – 160 Pension.
Level 9: Vice President – 3,600 Simoleons per week – 180 Pension.
Level 10: Leader of the Free World – 5,700 Simoleons per week – 280 Pension.

Hours:

Levels 1-2: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, 09:00-15:00
Level 3: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, 09:00-16:00
Level 4: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, 09:00-15:00
Level 5: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, 09:00-14:30
Level 6: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, 09:00-14:30
Levels 7-8: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 09:00-14:00
Levels 9-10: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 09:00-13:30


Charisma is the key skill of the politician.

Key Skills:

Politicians need Charisma as well as plenty of energy with all the campaigning that takes place.

TIP: Be sure to use the Ask For Campaign Donation once at Level 5 in order to gain future promotions. You can also throw campaign parties to get donations too.

TIP: At certain points throughout the career you will be offered the chance to take a bribe or be corrupt. If you are caught then your career as a politician is over.

TIP: At the highest level, other Sims are inspired and will wave at you if they spot you.

Professional Sports

Basics: For Sims well versed or interested in developing the Athletics skill, a career in Professional Sports is the best bet. A legion of adoring fans is just one of the perks for those who succeed in this career.

Location: Llama Memorial Stadium.

Levels:

Level 1: Rabid Fan – 375 Simoleons per week – 30 Pension.
Level 2: Snack Hawker – 750 Simoleons per week – 60 Pension.
Level 3: Toddler Sports Coach – 975 Simoleons per week – 70 Pension.
Level 4: Minor Leaguer – 1,016 Simoleons per week – 80 Pension.
Level 5: Rookie – 1,524 Simoleons per week – 110 Pension.
Level 6: Starter – 2,668 Simoleons per week – 200 Pension.
Level 7: AllStar – 3,204 Simoleons per week – 230Pension.
Level 8: MVP – 3,838 Simoleons per week – 280 Pension.
Level 9: Superstar – 4,620 Simoleons per week – 330 Pension.
Level 10: Sports Legend – 5,544 Simoleons per week – 400 Pension.


As well as concerts and sports matches, you can start a career in Professional Sports via the Llama Memorial Stadium.

Hours:

Levels 1-3: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, 15:00-21:00
Level 4: Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, 15:00-21:00
Levels 5-6: Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, 15:00-20:00
Levels 7-8: Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, 15:00-19:00
Levels 9-10: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, 15:00-18:00

Key Skills:

The Athletic skill is obviously the main one here. Sims can use the Work Out In Gym action to improve it while they are at work.

TIP: At Level 5 Sims start playing matches in their sport and must maintain a decent win-loss record to get future promotions. Improving the Athletic skill and using the Prepare For Game action both increase the chance of winning.

TIP: At Level 10 Sims can hold autograph and sponsorship sessions for some cash on the side.

Science

Basics: Up there with the Medicine career for real intellectuals, the Science career is a more structured alternative. As a result however, the rewards are not so great.

Location: Langraab Industries Science Facilities

Levels:

Level 1: Test Subject – 1,200 Simoleons per week – 60 Pension.
Level 2: Lab Tech – 1,440 Simoleons per week – 70 Pension.
Level 3: Useless Contraption Manipulator – 1,730 Simoleons per week – 90 Pension.
Level 4: Fertilizer Analyst – 1,940 Simoleons per week – 100 Pension.
Level 5: Carnivorous Plant Tender – 2,328 Simoleons per week – 120 Pension.
Level 6: Aquatic Ecosystem Tweaker – 2,796 Simoleons per week – 140 Pension.
Level 7: Genetic Resequencer – 3,356 Simoleons per week – 160Pension.
Level 8: Top Secret Researcher – 4,028 Simoleons per week – 200 Pension.
Level 9: Creature-Robot Cross Breeder – 3,627 Simoleons per week – 180 Pension.
Level 10: Mad Scientist – 5,442 Simoleons per week – 260 Pension.

Hours:

Levels 1-3: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, 09:00-14:30
Level 4-6: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 09:00-14:00
Levels 7-8: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 09:00-13:30
Levels 9-10: Monday, Tuesday, Friday, 09:00-13:30


Langraab Industries is the place to go for the science career.

Key Skills:

Surprisingly, the Gardening, Handiness and Fishing skills (the latter two come later, however) are required to reach the top of the Science career.

TIP: Use the Do Independent Experiment action to help get promotions as quickly as possible.

TIP: At Level 10, Sims can use the Do Science action on objects. This works like upgrading an item through Handiness (though with different results), and can have positive or negative effects depending on the action's success.



   




The Sims 3 Guide - Life Guide

Part-Time Jobs

There are also a good number of part-time jobs in Sunset Valley. Similarly to full-time positions, Sims can get promotions and earn a maximum of 1,315 Simoleons per week in these jobs – not bad!

All the jobs start in the afternoon, either at 3pm, 4pm, or 6pm, and last for 3 hours each – making them perfect for youngsters. The hours and days don't get longer with promotions, so don't feel afraid to aim high. Each of the locations below has three promotions.

Divisadero Budget Books
Pleasant Rest Cemetery
EverFresh Delights Supermarket
Sharma Day Spa (there are two jobs here)


Getting a part-time job is a great way to earn some cash while leaving plenty of time for personal development.



   




The Sims 3 Guide - Life Guide

Career Tips and Retirement

General Career Tips

To do well at work, your Sims need to be in a good mood every day and use the hard working actions whenever possible. Occasionally opportunities will present themselves for advancement, and these should be taken at every chance. There are also random encounters, such as a bad or good event taking place at work.

Retirement

Your Sims can retire from work when they reach a certain age – complete with a pension (even as a Criminal, bizarrely!).  



   




The Sims 3 Guide - Life Guide

Relationships

Every single person in Sunset Valley has their own unique character. You can befriend them, fall out with them, or use them to help get you through each day. They may be a mechanic, your boss, or just the guy who sells you tomatoes at the grocers. Relationships, no matter how trivial they may seem initially, can flourish into meaningful and very personal bonds. Or, the guy who sells you tomatoes could just stay as a guy who sells you tomatoes. The world is your oyster. There are many reasons for investing some time in learning the best ways to succeed in relationships in the Sims, as well as the skills required to do so most easily. From the first time you set eyes on someone, a slider is created – get to the end, and you've got yourself a love interest. Go too far in the other direction and it could be an enemy for life.

Below are all the different stages you can reach on the slider:

Enemy
Old Enemies
Disliked
Stranger
Acquaintance
Ex-Spouse
Ex
Distant Friend
Friend
Good Friend
Best Friend
Best Friends Forever
Romantic Interest
Partner
Fiance
Spouse

Most of these are self-explanatory. Some depend on certain conditions being fulfilled (such as having a divorce with the person, or an engagement). Others just vary based on the quality of your relationship. After each day that passes without some sort of relationship building, the slider will move towards the middle. So, for example, if you are trying to maintain a negative relationship with one of your Sim's enemies, ignoring them for a week will actually improve your relationship; they'll eventually end up as your Acquaintance again. The same goes for Friend – don't pay them enough attention and they'll stop considering you as their chum.


The game provides lots of information regarding relationships (using the Relationships tab at the bottom right of the screen).

Conversations

Every conversation is a social interaction that could start a new blossoming relationship, or, in some cases, even lose your Sim their job! The extremes of socialising in the Sims 3 are stark.  Each Trait that your Sim possesses effects what they will talk about in conversation (as indicated by the little icons that pop up above their heads). Skills too allow for new conversation interactions. Picking the right thing to say obviously has a big effect on what is said and how the target Sim will react to it. You can pick for your Sim to talk about an interest, such as Books or Art. They could Flirt, or tell a joke. Conversations are a tricky balancing act and the personality of the target Sim is even more important than that of your own – putting on a different face for different Sims will be crucial, particularly for Sims whose jobs require strong relationships.

If, for example, you tell a Joke to a Sim who has no sense of humour, the result is clear. Some Sims hate being flirted at, while others lap it up. Some are obvious and do not vary, while others certainly depend on who you are talking to.


Conversation options depend completely on your Sim's traits and skills.

Look out for a Sim's reaction to the conversation path that you have picked. Usually you just won't get the symbol to show that you have improved a relationship if they are a touch incompatible with your line of enquiry. Persist though, and they will get bored and it will negatively affect your relationship. You can basically try everything once to boost a relationship, and when something works, don't be afraid to keep at it for a while. You will see the 'So-and-so thinks this Sim is boring' text in the top left hand corner of the screen – at which point you should probably change tact.

Making Friends

As mentioned above, the foolproof and easiest (though fairly laborious) way to make friends is to find someone you like the look of, and try every possible conversation branch (only the positive ones!). Use common sense. If your Sim is interested in books, try to talk to people outside the bookstore or in the library – and talk to them about books if you have the option!

Making Enemies

Winding people up in Sunset Valley is both satisfying and easy. The actions you need to take are fairly commonsensical, and you get the bold red minus signs above both Sims' heads when you're doing it right. There is little to be gained from having enemies, except for the fun of annoying people in a virtual game!


A double-team effort to make a new enemy. You can even have a physical fight – just make sure your Sim wins...

Why Relationships are Important

Unless your Sim has specific traits, such as being a Loner, they will get a great deal of happiness from their friends.

Keeping on the good side of co-workers and bosses is vital for advancing in most careers too.

TIP: You can have too many options on the interaction menu – this will remove some of the less important ones (often moving them to a 'More' option in the menu). The fact that the game willingly does this perhaps shows you how little they really matter: most do a very similar job to the rest.

TIP: Keep an eye out for the Trait icons on the conversation actions. These show you that something your Sim is interested in has contributed to the option, and is often a good choice to further a relationship.



   




The Sims 3 Guide - Life Guide

Families

Introduction

Starting a family in The Sims 3 is still a pretty easy thing to do. Pick your Sim and chat them up, using the guide above. It will probably take a few days to really get them on-side, but you shouldn't feel you have to wait too long before making any serious commitments – things move a lot faster in the game than in real life! It is possible to get along with most Sims in the game, regardless of personal differences – as long as you avoid offending them.

Of course, you can create a family when you first start the game, but sowing the seeds of a great family dynasty in the game is by far the most interesting way to go about it. To show that you are serious about a relationship, use the romantic conversation actions to progress.


Building up a steamy relationship is crucial if you hope to start a family.

Both of these can nudge your relationship into the world of romance, as opposed to the doldrums of friendship. If your Sim is rejected, change the subject and give romance with the target a miss for a while – they can start to think your Sim is a stalker if you persist for too long! Friendships can take a real hit if you don't accept how the other person feels early enough. Sure, you can try again, just not right away.

Once the relationship reaches the romantic stage, use more compliments, hugs and kisses to move it onto the next level: Love.

Use the Propose Going Steady action to make you and your love interest partners. At this stage, such a move rarely fails – just make sure you are on a role with romantic actions in the conversation before attempting it.

You can then Propose Marriage, and either Have Private Marriage (use the action on your partner) or Get Married (while at a party you have thrown) to make it official.

Having Children:

The best indicator that both parties want to have children come with Wishes – they'll tell you they want children. You can of course set it in motion as soon as the Try For Baby action appears in the menu (once one Sim thinks the other is Irresistible (in the top-left corner, Try for Baby and WooHoo actions open up). After this is complete, you will then (if successful, as indicated by a positive noise shortly afterwards) have to deal with pregnancy for a few days.

TIP: Having problems conceiving? There is a Fertility Lifetime Reward that you can buy from the Lifetime Rewards menu. This increases the chance of conception and of having twins or triplets.


Like in real life, pregnant Sims are prone to mood swings, depression, ecstasy and physical changes in their appearance.

Pregnancy Tips:

While much of what happens during the pregnancy, such as the number of children (i.e. twins or triplets), the traits of the baby and its gender are down to chance, there are some things you can do during the pregnancy to swing fate in your favour.

Twins and Triplets: Listen to children's radio and watch children's TV.

Boy or Girl: Eating lots of apples boosts your chances of having a boy, whereas watermelon does the same for girls.

Traits: Keeping the mother happy and reading the pregnancy books available at Divisadero Books (the mother and father may have wishes to read these too) allows you to pick the traits at birth. Depending on how well the pregnancy went, you can pick both, one, or none of the traits. Disastrous pregnancies will lead to negative traits being picked by the evil computer.


Having a baby may only take a few days in The Sims 3, but the experience will stay with your Sims for the rest of their lives – and the nature of the pregnancy will stay with the child.

TIP: Sims in the Medical profession can offer advice to mothers-to-be to help it all go more smoothly.

TIP: You can also adopt babies, children and teens in The Sims 3. Select the Adoption Service from the telephone's Services menu to start this off.

Age Transitions

Baby

Babies are pretty easy to look after in The Sims 3. The hardest thing is trying to keep your adult Sims happy while being woken up at very inconvenient times every night. Make sure you put the baby to sleep when it's tired, change it when it's dirty, and feed it when it's hungry. There is little else to worry about at this stage – babies can't really do much in The Sims 3, though you can play with it and give it attention.

TIP: Don't ignore your baby or the Social Worker may come round – they can even take your baby away!


The age transition from baby to toddler is one of The Sims 3's most remarkable moments.

Toddler

Toddler is the first really crucial stage in a child's development. As they can crawl around, toys come into play and can keep toddlers amused for hours. The main things you need to worry about at this point are:

Teaching your child to walk
Teaching your child to talk
Teach your child to use the potty

All three of these can be achieved using actions while interacting with your child. Unlike babies however, they do care about how much fun they are having – so make sure you buy them enough toys and give them plenty of attention.

The reason teaching toddlers the crucial life skills is so important is because it allows you to pick their third trait (the other two are picked depending on how well the pregnancy went, at birth). If you fail to teach the skills to your child, the chances are this third trait (which is then picked automatically), will be negative. Buy the First Step Potty Chair to allow potty training to take place.

TIP: Other Sims seem to enjoy interacting with toddlers as much as the child enjoys the attention!


Teaching a toddler the basics of life is absolutely essential for their success later on in life.

Child

School comes into play during the Child stage, and a parent's interactions begin to have a much greater effect on the child. Ensuring that your child does their homework allows them to get an A at school, and such high achievers can then pick their next Trait when the age transition occurs.

Children can now also make real friends. They can leave the house to visit friends, other lots, and of course school, and are able to look after themselves to a good degree. Children can also learn the Fishing and Painting skills.

TIP: Every stage in development is crucial to building up a healthy relationship with their parents.

Teen

The most unpredictable age, as many will attest to, teenagers in the Sims can take part-time jobs as well as suffering from all the responsibilities of a child at school. They can also learn all the skills in the game. Teenagers can have romantic relationships, though only to a certain extent. Once again, grades must be kept high to achieve the final trait choice.

TIP: A teen's rebellious streak can be nurtured by keeping them out after the 23:00 curfew.


Children and teenagers both have the responsibilities of school to deal with.

School

Teenagers are in school for one hour less than children, finishing at 14:00, making more time for the important part-time jobs and socialising. Students can also work on their homework at school, sleep in class and make friends while at school. By far the best way to get good grades, however, is to Work Hard and do homework at home and on time!

Children and teenagers can also get detention from cheating on homework or sleeping in class!


Much like jobs, children can receive and make the most of various opportunities at school.

Keep the good grades up and the child can make it onto the Honor Roll (three days of straight As). Doing homework every night using the book in the child's inventory is the biggest contributor to good grades. Failing to do so will see grades drop. Adults can also help children with their homework, and those with the Logic skill complete it quicker. If the development of your child was good, they will often do the homework voluntarily. Trying to get a disobedient child to do so is a great deal more difficult!

Young Adult and Adult:

Basically everything in this guide thus far is relevant to adults. There is nothing they can't do, but preparing for old age should be a goal after the Young Adult stage has been passed. Ensuring your Sim has a good pension, a supportive family and a good quality of life are all crucial for the next transition.


Retirement gives Elders the chance to appreciate the finer things in life.

Elder

Surprisingly, Elder Sims can do everything that adults can, including careers – so you haven't lost your chance to achieve that Lifetime Wish for your Sim once they reach this stage.

TIP: Use Life Fruits (eat them), Ambrosia (eat it) and Death Blossoms (keep it in your inventory to give to the Grim Reaper) to help keep away from death's door for a little longer.


Death is, naturally, the final stage of life, even in The Sims 3.

TIP: Change the aging speed in the game's menu to make each of these last much longer. Sometimes things move a little too quickly at the default speed to really enjoy.



   




The Sims 3 Guide

The Sims 3 Community Introduction

The Sims 3 contains many extras outside of the main game as part of a package designed to entice gamers away from piracy. Once you register your copy of The Sims 3, as well as getting a new town, Riverview, you will also receive £6/$10 worth of Sims Points to spend in EA's store. The only way to officially download new items for the game is in this store, while you can use the Exchange to get alternative versions of the standard in-game items that other gamers have created using Create-A-Style.

Also on The Sims 3 website are facilities for blogging, video and screenshot upload, and generally a Sims 3 version of Facebook!

Finally, and unofficially, you can use a 'hack' to allow player-created items into the game. This means completely unique items in all shapes and sizes can be made and put into the game.

All these options will be explored in this guide.
 
TheSims3.com

The Sims 3 website has four crucial areas. These are My Page, Exchange, Store, and Movies & More. Each of these can provide new content, information and extra longevity to The Sims 3, so getting to know them and how to best make use of them is key. Exchange and Store involve getting new or altered items into your game, while My Page and Movies & More are related to the community side of things. We'll look at each one and how to best make use of it from hereon in.



   




The Sims 3 Guide - Mod Guide

My Page

The My Page section of the Sims 3 website is basically the hub for all your activities relating to the game. Much of it is community based, and does not generally add any life to the game itself. Here is a list of the options available on 'Your Page', and what they all provide:

Edit Avatar: Like a forum signature, this allows you to choose an image to represent yourself – shown to other gamers.

Edit Traits: You can choose some traits for yourself from the same list as in the game itself. You can pick up to five.

Redeem Free SimPoints: If you haven't done so already, use this link to get your £6 worth of free points to spend on in-game items!

My Studio: This shows all the custom content you have uploaded to The Sims 3.com. If you access My Studio (use the link that appears when you rollover My Page at the top of the page), you can see all the items from the Exchange, all your Media, and all your Movies and Stories.

My Friends: You can add other Sims users to your Page to keep track of them – just go to their profile and click 'Add as Friend'. If you access My Friends (use the link that appears when you rollover My Page at the top of the page), you can see all your friends listed. Use the site search to look for a Member you might know to add as a Friend.


Your Page is your online hub.

My Favourites: This section shows any items that you have shown a particular interest in. A bit like Friends, find the item and click 'Add to Favourites'. If you access My Favourites (use the link that appears when you rollover My Page at the top of the page), you can see a list of all your 'Favourited' items.

My Messages: This area gives you any messages other users or the Sims administration have sent you. If you access My Messages (use the link that appears when you rollover My Page at the top of the page), you can see any new messages.

About Me: Here all of your games are listed – for many it will just be The Sims 3.

My Story: If this is blank, you can click the 'Edit' link to add to your 'Story'. In effect, this is just a personal profile.

My Blog: You will notice a tab next to My Story called My Blog. This is where you can provide a narrative, opinions and musings on The Sims 3 – keeping other gamers in touch with your goings on in game and online. Click on New Blog Post to add to the list. You can also edit and delete them later.

My Account and Settings: If you access My Account (use the link that appears when you rollover My Page at the top of the page), you can see how much space you have left to upload items to The Sims 3.com, as well as allowing you to Edit Account Info, change your Site Preferences, Register a Game, and see your Store Account Info.



   




The Sims 3 Guide - Mod Guide

Exchange

The Exchange is full of items that are in the main Sims 3 game, but have been customised by players. You can use Create-a-Style to fine tune many aspects of the game's items, though nothing in the Exchange is actually unique or hand crafted – you could create the same item using the in-game tools. Nonetheless, it's a nice feature to get some attractive items from skilled creators. Perhaps its chief advantage is for getting brilliantly-designed houses and celebrity look-alike Sims!

Main: This page lists all the highlights from The Sims 3 Exchange.

Objects: Using this link allows you to search for a Buy or Build Mode object of your choice. You can either use the search box provided or check the box in the Build or Buy category and pick from the list. There is also an Advanced Search mode, though this is hardly more advanced – you can however choose to allow objects in any language, which broadens your possibilities.

Sims: Much like the Objects tab, here you can search using keywords or specify Age, Gender, Skin, Weight and Build parameters to pick from. Again, advanced options are available. Try searching for your favourite celebrity – chances are someone has created them and uploaded the Sim for everyone else to use!


A fitting tribute?

Lots: This is perhaps the most useful part of the Exchange, as creating detailed and impressive houses is both difficult and time consuming. You can select the type of Lot (Commercial or Residential), the Number of Residents and the Size of the Lot. Some of the Commercial lots are just mind-blowing – it really will inspire you to experiment with the game more than before.

TIP: You will probably have to make space in your town for any new lots, so consider that when making your choice.

Households: This is a collection of Sims, complete with stories to go with them. You can pick the number of Sims in the household as well as the funds available to them. In effect you are downloading scenarios to make your game more interesting. Some of the most popular ones right now include a married couple living with the Grim Reaper, the Obama family, and a couple with 82 newborn babies.

Clothing: People are able to be a bit more creative with Clothing, as this is one of the areas that Create-a-Style really comes into play. You can search by Gender, Age, Category (e.g. Everyday, Formal) and Type (e.g. Tops, Bottoms).

Hair Colour: Again, hair colour allows many different types of patterns, not only colours. The options aren't endless, but there are a few worthy downloads in there. There are no search criteria here – just look through the database.


Some of the lots are just incredible.

Accessories: These come largely in the form of shoes, jewellery, socks etc. and the list can be limited by Age, Gender and Type of accessory.

Patterns: The bulk of The Sims 3's Create-a-Style feature is made up of patterns. You can use them on upholstery, objects, wallpaper, carpets – generally you could apply these patterns to pretty much anything in the game. Use the Type box to pick which sort of texture you want the pattern to be associated with.

TIP: To the top right of the screen you can ‘Sort By Recommendations’, which ensures only the most popular items are shown to you – this is a great way to get the best of the Exchange quickly.



   




The Sims 3 Guide - Mod Guide

The Store

The Store is The Sims 3's crowning achievement. While even this long after release it's not exactly bustling with items (presumably we'll see that in the expansion packs), it does provide some unique and novel objects that can really put new life into your game.

Pricing: Items on the store tend to go for about 100 points – this is for a general item that will add a lot to your game. In terms of relation to real currency, 100 SimPoints equals 1 US Dollar (or 1,000 SimPoints for £6). You are entitled to receive 1,000 free SimPoints upon registering your version of the game. To redeem them, go to My Account using the Store side-menu. You can also buy SimPoints, in quantities of 500, 1,000 or 2,000. Each new expansion pack for the Sims should give you 1,000 points upon registering – so you may just want to try and make them last! Some of the sets themselves cost over 1,000 points, however.

IMPORTANT: You will not be able to register a credit card for purchasing more SimPoints unless you set your Language correctly. Use the 'Select Language' link in the bottom left hand corner of the website to change to where your card is registered – when it comes to entering your card details, your country of residence should then be correctly assigned by default.

As well as the highlights, listed on the Main page of the store, there are five sections to look at:

Main: This is where you are able to see all the newest creations from EA. It also gives a list of the most popular items, and any older objects that are worth reminding people about (such as the extra town available for free, Riverview).

Sets: The Sets page lists complete houses full of items. They are usually of the same theme, and provide similarly styled objects to create a matching collection. Some sets feature around 50 items, while others closer to 10. The price of a set relates to the number of items included. You can buy all of the objects in the sets separately using the Home Décor tab. Also, you can purchase just one room worth of objects – simply click the name of the set on the left hand side, and then the room you want.


Complete sets of themed items are available.

Home Décor: This is arguably the most interesting and useful part of The Store. It contains all the new items available for the game, listed in a similar way to in Buy Mode in game (on the left) and in a slideshow in the centre of the page. You save a lot of money buying in sets as opposed to purchasing each item individually, but there may well be something that really peaks your interest that isn't in a set, or just one part of a set that attracts you.

Home Improvements: This section features new items for Build Mode, and outdoor objects. As such, there are only two main sections, but it gives you a finer hierarchy within each one. Some of the new doors are really worth investing in, as they are a bit more imaginative than the standard fare.

Clothing: A very popular part of the Store, this gives you access to all of the new premium items of clothing available in The Sims 3. After picking a gender and relevant age group, you can select to either buy individual items of clothing, or complete outfits – right down to the shoes.

Hair: The final section of the Store, but another important one for fashion aficionados, you once again pick gender, age and then individual styles. You can purchase hair or hair with accessories (usually hats).



   




The Sims 3 Guide - Mod Guide

Movies and More

In the Movies and More section you will see a Youtube-like page with other users' home-Sim videos in a slideshow. As well as watching the Movies and 'Stories' of other players, you can upload your own for them to enjoy.

Create a Movie: Click the Create a Movie link on the Movies and More homepage to get started. You can either use movies you have recorded from the game (more on this below), or use pre-set Sims ones that the developers have provided – mainly to get you used to the interface. A combination of the two also works.

To begin, select the clips you want to include in your movie, and drag them into the area marked 'Timeline'. If you want to use your own videos from the game, click the 'My Videos' button.

You can then add more clips, re-organise them by dragging, and add a whole lot of effects to them in order to make a high quality video. You can use the 'Images' button to put a still picture in the place of a video, setting its duration using the slider beneath the image itself.


Making a Movie.

Next are the special effects. Click the 'Sound' button to add audio to your scene. Videos already feature their own sound, but you can click the 'Mute Audio' checkbox having selected the clip in question if you want your own soundtrack over the top. These are taken from the music in the game. Drag the song you want into the 'Soundtrack' part of the page.

Use the 'Transitions' tab to add various effects to move from clip to clip without it being an abrupt change. Drag the one you want onto the little thumbnail representing the video clip or image. 'Effects' work similarly, but affect the whole clip, instead of just the start or end. Drag them onto the thumbnail to include them.

Finally, 'Captions' add some text to the clip, as getting the Sims to convey a story by any other means is pretty hard, considering their language. You can only have one caption per clip.

Use the 'Preview Clip' button to take a look at how each section of your video looks so far. Select the first clip in the timeline and then click the 'Preview It!' button. Once happy with the video, click 'Save It!'. You will then be taken to a page where you can add a title, category (from music video to tutorial), language, description and privacy settings (so you can share it just with friends, for example).

You can then post it on social networking sites, embed it on your own webpage or share it via email. Click the Finish button to complete the process!

Create a Story: The Story home page lists all the stories other gamers have contributed to The Sims 3 website. A story is a narrative, complete with still images, that is meant to be read, rather than watched like the Movies. You can write far more than the captions in a Movie provide.

First of all you need to pick a background colour for your story. Think of it like a book, where each page has text and an image. You can of course leave the background as white if you want. The first page should feature an image (you drag these in as with the Movie mode) and title. You can change the font, text alignment and any other styling of the text. Click the Add Page button to create more pages – anything after the first page should feature more text and an image – creating a storybook.

You can use the same music as with the videos, simply drag it into the soundtrack box, as well as transitions to help the move from page to page (these should be dragged onto the page thumbnails). Click 'Preview It!' to see it in action, and 'Save It!' when you're happy with it. Once saved, you can do all the same things as with movies, such as sharing it, and giving it a category, title and description.


Making a Story.



   




The Sims 3 Guide - Mod Guide

Game Launcher

Introduction

The Sims 3 game launcher acts as your central hub for most of what goes on in the game. Much like the game’s official website, here you can see many of the latest official items available, ones that you have downloaded, and movies and screenshots that you have captured during the game.


The game launcher houses all your Sims 3 downloads (the official ones!)

Recording Video and Screenshots

The Sims 3 includes a powerful video recording suite, and a more ordinary image capture facility. To capture video, press V during play or click the camera icon. You can in fact activate the capture while in open play and then go into the Create a Sim or Edit Town modes with the movie still recording – so there is a lot of possibilities open to you. Ensure that you peruse the Video Capture options menu to ensure that the video will be suitably compressed and that you are able to record for long enough.

Screenshots are more simple, and you can capture them with or without the game’s interface overlaid.

When you have a collection of assets taken from the game, they can then be accessed from the Sims 3 Game Launcher, from the Sims 3 folder, or on TheSims3.com website, when creating a story or video.


Use the Game Launcher to view and upload all your recorded video and images from The Sims 3.

Installing Official Items

Items will install automatically once downloaded from TheSims3.com – or when double-clicked if saved to a location on your computer. The Sims 3 Game Launcher will open and a progress bar will be shown. Once it completes, the item is then in the game and ready for use!



   




The Sims 3 Guide - Mod Guide

Modding The Sims 3

While EA's Store is a nice feature for The Sims 3, and there are some free items in there, the first two Sims games were made great by the user-generated content that numbered into tens of thousands of items – all free on the internet. EA have implemented the Store to provide items themselves (effectively creating a monopoly on objects, to stop people from providing their premium items for free). Thankfully, there is a way around this. After downloading a few files and moving a few things around, you are able to put mods and new objects into The Sims 3, and this guide aims to show you how to do this!

NOTE: Do not use this guide to download premium content for The Sims 3 for free. The instructions below are intended to allow you to use community created items.

Getting Started

The Sims 3 uses .package files for the majority of its extra content.

NOTE: This guide only provides instructions for Windows versions of the game.

First of all, there are a few files that must be downloaded and put in the correct location on your computer before your game will accept new content. The mega-hub at ModTheSims.com has a download that automatically does all the foot-work for you (as well as making it so you just double click the mod files and it installs them for you once you download them), which you can get here. We will cover the manual way too, however, if you don't want to change file associations or alter too much of your system.

Step One: Download the 'Framework' here. You will need WinRar or an alternative to be able to extract the files. Click 'Save' when the box appears, and put it somewhere easy to access, like your computer's Desktop.

Step Two: Right click the downloaded 'Zip' file and click extract files (this option will only appear if you have downloaded WinRar or an alternative!). Navigate to the game directory, which will be C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3, or something to that effect. Click OK to complete the extraction. You can check the destination on your computer to ensure both the Mods folder and the resource.cfg file have been added to your system.

You are now ready to go on installing new items and mods.


Go to the linked website and download the Zip file. Extract it to the right folder, check the files have been added, and you're good to go

Installing New Items

Most gamers will be happy with The Sims 3 and just want new items to extend the life of their game. The following tutorial will show how to go about doing this.

The best place to download new items from is ModTheSims.info. You need to register before they let you download anything, but it's well worth it (and it's free!). Use their site to select an object you wish to add to the game. For most things, such as new lots or items (anything really with a .package extension), you will be putting them in the same place. Go to Downloads ? Sims 3 ? and then choose your category – Buy Mode will give you in game objects and items. Pick anything that takes your fancy.


Installing new, free content is easy, once you know how

After using the link to download your chosen item, save it somewhere such as your Desktop with easy access, and extract the files to C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Mods\Packages. Once done, your item should now be available in game! Start up The Sims 3 and check it out – for most things the download page will tell you how to access them, but for something like a table, it should be self-explanatory – just go to the location in Buy Mode where you would usually expect to be able to purchase such an object.

NOTE: While the vast majority of items you download from third-party sites such as ModTheSims.info come in .package format, others (such as official The Sims 3 items) are Sims3Pack files. Luckily, these are even easier to install, and just require double clicking or activating from The Sims 3 Launcher.

Installing New Lots

Lots are downloaded in exactly the same way as items, but take a little more manoeuvring to get it into the game. Having downloaded the file to your computer and moved it into The Sims 3 folder, load up The Sims 3 and access Edit Town mode (you have to access one of your saved games and then go into the menu while in game to do this). Depending on whether your download was a community or private lot, you will need to open up the respective type of space on your game map. If you select a lot and try to pick your building from the menu, it will give you the plot size. Find a suitably sized location, change it to community or private depending on the downloaded file, and drag it in – you now have your new lot!


Putting one of the Sims 3 community’s impressive lots into the game.

Installing Mods

There is a huge wealth of mods available already for The Sims 3, most designed to correct what some see as errors in the original release, or to add life to the game with new challenges. Most mods work simply by putting their .package file in the usual folder, but some require a different set of actions to get them up and running, so your best bet is to just follow the guidelines attached to each. As long as you have the ‘Framework’ in place, as described above, you shouldn’t have too many problems.

The first mod many people download is the AwesomeMod. This fixes many of the game's flaws as well as adding things like new traits. It is also a good way to test out how to install mods.

First, download the files here. Extract the .package file into your C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Mods\Packages directory and you should be good to go! You can only have one ‘core’ mod at a time – that is to say only one which dramatically alters the game like the AwesomeMod.

There is also a wizard to tailor the mod to your own specific needs. Check out the AwesomeMod Configuration Tool to create your own mod! You can then run it alongside the main AwesomeMod with your own unique settings in place.

As well as the AwesomeMod collection, the previously mentioned ModTheSims.info community have a good selection of mods – varying from minor alterations such as a change in animation or an invulnerable fish-tank, to alterations to many of the games functions in one package.

Creating Mods

Apart from the AwesomeMod Configuration Tool outlined above, those hoping to design their own items, textures or entire mods for The Sims 3 have a bumpy road ahead. Depending on what it is you are trying to do, knowledge of programming, 3D design, meshes and texturing and generally a lot of work goes into making the game’s community content. The usual resource, ModTheSims.info has extensive tutorials on this side of the game, so it is recommended that you begin there.



   




The Sims 3: Create a World Mini Guide

Create a World was one of the first new additions to The Sims 3 following its initial release. It allows you to build your own areas from the ground up for your Sims to live in. As opposed to just building houses or moving buildings around, you can actually craft the terrain, right down to the grass, roads and landscaping. This allows players, for the first time, to truly create a world that they really want their sims to live in.

Getting Started:

First, you will need to download the file, as it is separate to the actual game itself. You can download it at http://gb.thesims3.com/game/tools/world.

With that done, you will need to install it.

This tool is essentially the same as the one that EA uses to create the neighbourhoods and terrain in The Sims 3. As such, it is a little complicated for the average user. Put the work in, however, and you can really reap the rewards.

Starting From Scratch:

To get going with a blank slate, select 'New World' from the file menu. You will then need to select an image file to form the basis of your terrain on this map. It is at this point that you can import your own image to the project. The image needs to be a .PNG file, 16-bit grayscale, and can be 256x256, 512x512, 1024x1024 or 2048x2048. Otherwise, select one of the pre-made versions provided by EA.

Following this, you can select the climate for the map. This will limit you to a certain palette of brushes when it comes to painting the terrain in the forthcoming steps i.e. desert/yellow colours. You will also need to specify the maximum height of the map, which should be the same as the number in the filename of the terrain map that you just chose, if you picked one of EAs.

Sculpting:

Once you have the terrain map in place, you can begin crafting the terrain as you see fit. Click on the Terrain tab and then select the 'Terrain Editing Tools' section.

Select 'Sculpt' on the right and you will be given the opportunity to choose the brush that you want to use to sculpt the terrain. This will allow you to gouge, smooth, indent, and generally manipulate the terrain to your specification. You can make some very dynamic and interesting layouts using this powerful tool.

You can alter the power of the brush using the options provided, altering Size, Strength and Falloff of the brush. Falloff dictates how much of a gradient there is at the edges of the brush area.

Terrain Paints:

To literally paint colours and textures onto the terrain, go to the 'Paint' section of Terrain Editing.

You can pick from the default terrain textures, or go to Add, then browse and select a new texture. You will also need to set the 'Terrain Type' - this sets the noise that the ground makes when Sims walk on it.

If you are good with image design and manipulation, you can also choose to import a texture, in the file formats .tga or .dds. The image size needs to be a power of two with a maximum possible size of 1024x1024 piels and a resolution of 72 pixels per inch.

Routing:

There are some areas on the map that you will not want Sims to go. If you select the 'Show Unroutable Terrain' option, it will highlight steep sections of the map that you should paint with 'Non-Routable paint'. You should generally also paint water with this.

You use the routing tools to restrict the area that Sims can walk, and also the area that the game's camera can go. TO do this, you paint areas much like the terrain textures. You don't want Sims walking in complex areas where they are likely to get stuck, or for the camera to show the edge of the map or areas that you haven't put the proper care and attention into.

Roads:

With the terrain laid out, you can now concentrate on the finer details which make the difference between a bland grassy field and an entertaining utopia.

Roads are necessary to allow Sims to drive cars and ride bikes, so make sure you place them carefully.

Select the Road tool and then either select Road or Sidewalk and you can click where you want it to begin. From here on, you can move the mouse around and click for the road to be created in between.

Hold down the mouse button while dragging to create bends for meandering roads.

If you need to move a section of road, select the 'Move World Object' tool and manipulate the blue lines to make the road longer or curve the road further.

Creating crossroads is not as simple as merely bisecting one road with another. Instead, you actually have to select the 'Place Road/Sidewalk Intersection' tool. You need to leave a gap while building roads (or make a gap by deleting a section) to allow you to place the intersection afterwards - you cannot do this while dragging the road, or place an intersection over a road already in place.

Lots:

With Create A World, you need to place Lots so that players are able to purchase and eventually build their houses on them.

To get started with adding a new lot, first, go to the World Layers window, right click World and select Add Layer. You can use layers to organise the world and make it easier to manage items.

With the layer in place, you can then select to Add a New Lot. Select where you want the lot to start and then click again to set the length of the first side. You can then drag out the square to finish the lot.

A window will then appear, which will allow you to select the type of lot - this affects what can go on in this particular lot. You can choose lots such as Hospital, Theatre or Restaurant.

You can also set conditions such as 'Additional Property Value' to alter the total cost of the lot, and set the 'Beautiful Vista Buff' which initiates the 'Beautiful Vista' mood when a Sim is in this lot.

Adding Objects:

With the terrain and lots taken care of, you can now concentrate on the finishing touches, namely by placing objects in the game world.

You can choose from Spawners, Environment, Trees or Effects from the Metadeta window. Select the object that you want and double click it. You can then place it wherever you like. Use the move and rotate tools to manipulate the objects as you see fit.

Spawners are objects that 'create' other objects for Sims. Such resulting objects can be insects, metals etc.

Slowdown:

There are various performance issues that you need to consider when building your world.

Firstly, it is important to cluster trees together to keep performance high. To do this, keep trees of the same type on the same layer.

Keep lots as far away from each other as possible, especially if you are designing for a computer that is not that high spec. This means the game is less likely to have to show multiple lots on screen at the same time.

When using terrain paints, keep the maximum number below 8 different paints per 256x256 section, and four or lower per lot.

Keep plant species to four or less, and no more than 30 in total per lot.

The world is divided into chunks. This makes performance easier to manage. Each chunk is 256x256.

Your Finished World:

Once your 'world' has been created, EA allow you to submit it to their community site, The Sims 3 Exchange. This makes it a good idea to design the world for lower-end computers as potentially anyone would be able to download it.



   




The Sims 3: World Adventures Mini Guide

This short introduction to the Sims 3 World Adventures has now been exapanded upon with it's own guide to this expansion pack.

To goto our full guide to The Sims 3: World Adventures, click here.

Introduction:

EA's first expansion pack for The Sims 3 is called 'World Adventures'. The premise behind it is to allow Sims to visit far flung parts of the planet, similar to The Sims: Vacation, and take part in certain activities for bonuses that can be carried back to your home town.

The areas your Sims can visit are France, China and Egypt. Each of these locations has their own feel and their own specific activities for Sims to participate in. France has nectar making, China has martial arts and fireworks, while Egypt has the pyramids and snake charming.

New Locations:

China: China's location has been named Shang Simla. It is the environment to pick up the Martial Arts skill. Popular landmarks include the Terracotta Army and a Dragon Cave to explore.

Egypt: In Egypt, the specific destination is called Al Simhara. Here there are pyramids, tombs and mummies! You can also buy high level cameras for the new Photography skill from the shops here.

France: Upon arrival in France you will find yourself at Champs Les Sims. It is here that the new Nectar Making skill can be learned and improved. Nectar can be sold or drunk for a mood boost. There are also dungeons in Champs Les Sims to explore with your characters.

Visas:

As with travelling in real life, Sims need a visa to be able to travel abroad. The length that you can stay in each location increases as you become a more experienced traveller, completing more activities and adventures. This is done through Visa Points. Having Visa Points and 'Certificates of Partnership' with the target destination will allow you to stay for much longer. Initially you can only stay for three days, but soon you will be able to reach the maximum of 18.

It is possible to take your family with you when going abroad, and their Visa Points contribute to your total stay time.

Adventures:

As the name suggests, The Sims 3: Adventures focuses on your Sims taking part in various activities around the world. In Egypt, for example, they can explore ancient tombs. Upon arrival in the new location, you can venture outside the initial camp to find a board with adventures posted on it that you can take. Adventures involve a series of objectives that function like 'Opportunities' from the main game - you are given three new opportunities slots to facilitate the new areas.

Completing objectives, which vary in their level of complexity, reward you with historical coins, Simoleons and Visa points which can be used to level up your Visa and extend your maximum stay time in each location.

On adventures you will also be given the chance to find hidden artefacts. These tend to be of a historical nature, and while some are complete objects, others are mere fragments where you have to find each part and assemble the whole item once back at home. It can then be used like any other object in The Sims 3.

Dungeons:

Tombs and Dungeons are one of the major additions from The Sims 3: Adventures. Sims can explore them, solving puzzles and dodging obstacles to unlock the whole area. In these areas there will be enemies (mummies!) as well as traps and puzzles. The key is to unlock new rooms, which often have rewards in. Be on the lookout for traps in the floor to avoid getting caught out.

While in the dungeons you will be able to pick up coins, collectibles and historical artefacts which you can then sell on for some major cash. You can use adventuring as a major money-making tool in The Sims 3: World Adventures.

The main thing to worry about while tomb-raiding is the Mummies Curse. This seems to be the only way to die while exploring tombs. It can only occur in Egypt, but if it does, you need to head to the Sphinx and go to the Soulpeace statue. If you learn snake charming and buy a King Cobra you can kiss it after being cursed and you should be saved.

There is also a tomb-building element to the expansion pack.

Tomb Building:

To be able to build your own tombs, you have to activate a few cheats first.

Open up the cheat box using CTRL SHIFT C, then enter 'testingcheatsenabled true' without the quotes. Follow this with 'buydebug'. You are then given access to Buy Mode which include the tomb objects. This is a good way to learn the intricacies of the game's tombs, though the ones thrown at you by EA tend to be fairly straightforward, but still fun.

New Skills:

There are three new skills as part of the World Adventures expansion pack.

Martial Arts: The first, from China, is the Martial Arts skill. Initially you must practice on a training target to level up, but soon you can break certain objects and fight in tournaments with other Sims. As you level up, your belt changes color as with real martial arts. It is not only useful for competitions, but helps when dealing with those tricky mummies. You can also meditate using this skill, which activates a new moodlet, which increases skill gains and generally increases your Sims efficiency in whatever they are doing. Once you have mastery in meditation, you can teleport (!) without needing the personal teleporter, and won't have to worry about the mummies anymore.

Nectar Making: Secondly, you have Nectar Making, which originates in France. You can earn some money from selling on the nectar, which increases in value depending on how long you store it for in a nectar cellar. Nectar can be collected from the garden, so having a good Gardening skill level is important. In France there are specific grapes which help with the growing process too. From your other adventures you will also be able to find 10 new plants to add to your collection.

Photography: Lastly is Photography, which is something that will no doubt appeal to a lot of gamers. To begin the skill, you must take photos using a camera. The basic camera is called the Snaptastic Flimsy Cam, which you can purchase in any of the new locations. Egypt boasts the best camera models, however. This switches the game into first-person mode, and you will be set objectives of what to take pictures of. You can use various photographic effects such as Panorama and Sepia to make your photos perfect.

Stores:

Each of the three new locations has its own store with some unique items to assist you in your world journeys. Obviously when you are away from home, factors such as Hygiene and Hunger are pretty hard to maintain over a number of days. The stores can provide you with tents to sleep in, dried food to maintain your strength and keep Hunger down, and 'shower in a can' to take care of your Hygiene requirements.

All of these items come in particularly handy if you are off adventuring in a dungeon for a prolonged period of time. Generally, you will be able to find the store for your particular area in the central market area.

As you level up your Sims Visa, additional items become available.

In the Egypt store, you can buy a Snake Charming Basket, which is a side-skill available in World Adventures.

Basements:

World Adventures adds the ability to construct basements more easily, as opposed to having to dig out the terrain. You can go four layers deep into the ground, which potentially makes for some massive houses!

New Lifetime Rewards:

EA have generously provided 11 new Lifetime Rewards to enjoy in The Sims 3. There is a new Jetsetter Lifetime Reward which gives you a saving of 20 percent for your trips around the world. You can also stay longer in each location and get rid of your bills with some of the other new Lifetime Rewards.

New Lifetime Wishes:

The Sims 3: World Adventures comes packed with 8 all-new Lifetime Wishes. They can be to reach the maximum-level Visas or hit mastery in the new skills, for example.

New Traits:

The new traits include the Adventurous Trait. This allows you to travel more frequently, without having to wait so long between adventures. There is also Photographer's Eye, which makes the new Photography skill easier to learn and results in better, more valuable pictures. Finally, you can assign the Disciplined trait, which is primarily for Martial Arts. It makes mastery of this skill easier.

Other Additions:

There are new fish to catch in the various locations added to the game world. You can catch Dragon Fish, Koi, Mummy Fish, Frogs, Crawfish and Crocodiles! There are new recipes and new gems, metals and rocks.



   




The Sims 3: Ambitions Mini Guide

Introduction:

Released second of the new expansion packs, Ambitions focuses on elements much closer to home when compared to World Adventures. The expansion pack's main additions come in the form of career paths and new gameplay elements surrounding Sims' working lives.

New Careers:

Introduction:

Sims can participate in all new career paths, including that of the Firefighter and Stylist.


Architect: The new Architectural Design profession allows your Sim to basically become a designer, both interior and exterior. You will visit the houses of fellow Sims and be responsible for redesigning or adding rooms to their specification. You have to meet the spec and bear in mind the traits and personality of the Sims that you are designing for.

It is helpful for creative, artistic and charismatic Sims to focus on a career in architecture.

If your Sim likes to paint, they will be able to go through the Architectural Design levels far quicker. Being able to sculpt unique works of art for clients' homes certainly adds to your designing credibility and earns you more money too. Similarly, levelling up in photography allows you to place your photos in clients' houses for extra points.

As part of the Architectural Design elements, you have the Home Design Hotshot Lifetime Wish to aim for. To get this, you need a whopping 100 good reviews of your projects from clients to get it. This will take a seriously long amount of time!

There is another element to being an architect. You need to be able to converse with clients and ensure you meet their needs with each project. As a result, keeping your Charisma skills finely tuned is necessary for fast progression in this field.

To take the job, visit City Hall and sign up. You need an easel or preferably a drafting table to be able to level up in your career while at home.

Below are the levels available for the Architectural Design profession:

Level 1: Fabric Fetcher - Stipend: $272
Level 2: Pattern Spotter - Stipend: $336 - Also unlocks Freelance Soliciting (where you can find jobs on your own as opposed to looking for them on the map).
Level 3: Placement Planner - Stipend: $400
Level 4: Feng Shui Fiend - Stipend: $560
Level 5: Decor Debutant - Stipend: $584 - Unlocks Measure Property (allows you to take measurements at the location - important to increase review scores).
Level 6: Furniture Fashionista - Stipend: $800
Level 7: Regent of Rugs - Stipend: $1120 - Unlocks Increased Homemade Object Review Value
Level 8: Aesthetic Architect - Stipend: $1440 - Unlocks Discuss Renovation
Level 9: Sultan of Style - Stipend: $1520
Level 10: Dictator of Design - Stipend: $2480

It is easier to get good reviews at higher levels in the Architect profession. Use custom artwork and objects as these will always boost your review score. Another tactic to get better reviews is to speak to the client and see what traits they have. If they are a Bookworm, for example, give them plenty of bookcases! Artists love decorations, Computer Whiz Sims love computers, Couch Potatos love comfy chairs, Evil Sims want less windows, as do those who Hate the Outdoors, while those who Love the Outdoors want more. Frugal Sims want you to underspend, while Snobs need you to max-out the budget. Cooks appreciate a fully-fitted kitchen, and a Party Animal will want Bars for alcohol. For Technophobes, avoid too many electronics, while for Virtuoso Sims you will want to add items such as guitars and hi-fis to the house.

Don't just add lots of objects, as Sims don't like clutter. If you are on a tight budget (and the Sim is not frugal), you can go over budget at your own expense, which can occasionally be worth it to get a good review.

As with real architects, it is important to have a good portfolio behind you. Once at level 3 you can find your own work, so make sure you get good reviews and take a photo using the in-game cameraphone to add it to your portfolio. You will then be able to solicit services.


Doctor: As you will no doubt be aware, in the main game of The Sims 3 you are able to take on a medical career. The Doctor profession of that path has been updated which allows you to do home-visits, vaccinations and attend clinics during the working day.

The obvious Lifetime Wish for this career is World Renowned Surgeon.

You join the Medical Career, as before, via the Hospital. While your Sim is out and about, you may now be required to intervene to help Sims in trouble, acting effectively as a paramedic. Keep an eye out, while at the hospital, for notices about the Vaccination Clinics that occur every so often in the game. You have to then leave work to be able to visit the clinics, which bizarrely reduces your performance - something to bear in mind when considering whether to take it or not.


Firefighter: One of the most exciting and diverse of the new professions, Firefighters are obviously responsible to tackling any outbreaks of fire throughout your town. Your Sim will benefit from being Athletic when taking on this career. Its highlights involve turning your home into a virtual fire station later on in the career path when you are given your own fire alarm and even a fire engine!

Other useful traits for firefighters include Handiness, Bravery and Daredevil, so that they have the guts to take on the flames. To get started, visit the Fire House. You should focus on incrasing your Handiness skill, as this will allow you to do work on the Fire Engine.

A day in the life of a firefighter involves waiting at the Fire House for something to happen! This means you have plenty of time to increase your fitness, social and other skills during each day.

Level 1: Water Boy/Girl - $276 - Unlocks Firefighter Social
Level 2: Soot Stripper - $340
Level 3: Fire Safety Instructor - $400
Level 4: Hose Handler - $520 - Unlocks Axe Wall Decoration
Level 5: Fireman - $640 - Unlocks Fire Extinguisher
Level 6: Fire Sergeant - $840 - Unlocks Fireman's Uniform Sculpture
Level 7: Fire Captain - $1132
Level 8: Backdraft Specialist - $1480
Level 9: Assistant Fire Chief - $1840 - Unlocks Immunity to Fire
Level 10: Fire Chief - $2480 - Unlocks Personal Fire Engine/Personal Fire Alarm

As well as battling fires, the game throws adventure-style tasks at you, where you have to do some more unique tasks, like battling evil gnomes. It is possible to get a heroism trophy for solving such an emergency, namely the Racetime Rift one at the Science Facility.

To do well in the Firefighting career, expediency is vital. Putting out the fire as quickly as possible will get you better grades. To get to the job quickly, make sure you upgrade the fire engine and keep it in a good state of repair.


Ghost Hunter: In the tradition of The Sims games not taking themselves too seriously, Ghost Hunter Sims are required to attend the houses of other Sims and, in true Ghostbusters style, take out any resident ghosts using a ray gun. Eventually you will be able to capture them to earn more money.

Good tratis for ghost hunters include Genius, as the Logic skill is important in the career, while Eccentrics are able to get the Paranormal Profiteer Lifetime Wish.

To sign up for a career in ghost-busting, go to the Science Lab. Your initial tasks will probably include Spirit Invasions, where you can go to collect spirits, as well as more general non-interactive tasks. Having collected a spirit, you can then sell it to the Science Lab. The quicker you do this, the more money you get.

Something to watch out for is the 'Spook-o-Meter' which you can unlock at level 5. This helps you detect hidden spirits in the area. There is also a new job type attached to this where you have to find a specific hidden spirit. Upon locating them, you can even talk with them! Once you get to level 10, you unlock the Spirit Positioning Device, which allows you to see any spirits on the map.

Level 1: Tarot Card Reader - $280
Level 2: Ectoplasm Cleaner - $344
Level 3: Spooky Noise Silencer - $400
Level 4: Spirit Sweeper - $520
Level 5: Seance Holder - $640
Level 6: Ghost Grabber - $840
Level 7: Creep Seeker - $1140
Level 8: Rare Medium - $1480
Level 9: Outstanding Occultist - $1840
Level 10: Paranormal Expert - $2480


Inventor: Possibly one of the coolest new professions, the Inventor career is one of the self-employment strands and skills. You can make useful objects, as well as decorations, all from parts picked up from the new Junk Yard area. As well as all of this, you can construct an excavating machine so that you can drill in most lots in the game. This allows you to find treasure and use the tunnels to transport around the game world! Pretty neat. Last, but not least, once you master the profession you can build your own robot.

Valuable traits for inventors include the Eccentric trait and the Born Salesman trait. The former helps with the inventing, while the latter increases the amount you can get for your wacky creations.

To get going with a career in inventing, you need to visit the Science Lab and take a class in the new Invent skill. You will also need to purchase the Scraptronic Workbench for your home. Note that once you have the workbench, you can begin the skill on your own. Once you have begun the skill, you can sign up for a career in inventing by going to the town hall and registering as self-employed.

Once you have registered, you need to get your hands on some scrap metal. This can either be purchased directly through your workbench, or by visiting the junk yard. The latter is the best way to find cool bits and pieces, and it also helps complete the Scrap Collector Inventing Challenge.

With the Inventor career, your money depends on the amount of inventions you create, and their quality. This obviously increases as you level up.

Level 1: Electrocution Victim
Level 2: Nuts and Bolts Combiner
Level 3: Duct Tape Rigger
Level 4: Whatchamahickey Designer
Level 5: Experienced Innovator
Level 6: Hosebeast
Level 7: Father of Local Ingenuity
Level 8: Feared Techie 
Level 9: Robotics Dealer
Level 10: Fourth Dimensional Architect

Some of the items you can make are really useful in your Sims' everyday lives. Initially you will just be able to make widgets and toys, but eventually your Sim will invent the Floor Hygienator. It basically gives your Sims positive mood bonuses by making your house smell nice and fresh. The Harvester, another invention, helps with collecting scrap metal - you can activate detonations at the scrap yard and the Harvester can be used to collect the strewn pieces. Using the Miner invention you can tunnel between areas, while the Time Machine lets you travel to strange places back or forward in time, which serves to unlock some secret historical costumes. You can't actually interact with anything while time travelling, unfortunately. The ultimate invetion is the SimBot, which is a robot that can help you around the house.


Private Investigator: This is quite a fun profession for people who enjoy detective novels and mysteries. As well as the simple solving of cases, you can stake out other Sims' houses and sneak into their houses to look for clues.

It is useful to have the Perceptive trait for investigators, as it permits the Pervasive Private Eye Lifetime Wish. Genius, Computer Whiz (for hacking) and Logic skills are also useful, as well as social traits like Charismatic.

To begin a career as a Private Investigator, simply visit the Police Station.

Level 1: Eavesdropper - $275 - Unlocks Caped Crusader Costume
Level 2: Small Claims Investigator - $340 - Unlocks Magnifying Glass (allows you to find clues)
Level 3: Wrongdoing Analyzer - $400 - Unlocks Professional's Frosted Door (like a PI office door out in a film!)
Level 4: Community Crime Solver - $525 - Unlocks Fingerprint Kit
Level 5: Obscure Clue Summoner - $650 - Unlocks Flatfooted Investigation Specialist Outfit
Level 6: Gumshoe - $850 - Unlocks Investigator's Case Board
Level 7: Licensed Snoop - $1125 - Unlocks Sneak Ability
Level 8: Community Sleuth - $1475 - Unlocks the Yomoshoto Evasion (an incredibly good car)
Level 9: Flatfooted Investigation Specialist - $1850
Level 10: Private Eye - $2475 - Private Eye Outfit


Sculptor: Sculpting is also a skill in this expansion pack, and is good for creative players. The finished sculptures can be used to furnish buildings and is useful in the Architectural Design profession.

The best trait for sculpting is the Savvy Sculptor trait (fairly obviously).

Once you begin sculpting, which is a new option from the action context menu, all you have to do is visit city hall and register as self-employed in this particular discipline. You can then start breezing through the Sculptor career levels.

Level 1: Questionable Potter
Level 2: Cro-Magnon Clay Creator
Level 3: Sculpting Gozer (you can now craft with Wood)
Level 4: Block Buster
Level 5: Obelisk Architect
Level 6: Ice Guy (you can now craft Ice Sculptures)
Level 7: Renaissance Sculptor
Level 8: Chiseled Chiseler (you can now craft with Stone)
Level 9: Topiary Tantalizer (it is now possible to make masterpieces)
Level 10: Master Sculptologist (you can now craft Topiary sculptures)

What sculptures your Sims makes is completely random and you can't specifically set out to create one thing in particular.


Stylist: As explained above, Stylists are able to use Create-a-Sim style tools to change the appearance of other Sims (hoepfully for the better!). It extends from clothing to make-up and, much like the Architectural Designer, you have to bear the individual Sim's needs in mind when doing the makeover. There is a hidden Stylist skill to level up too, which will govern your Sim's effectiveness in this career path.

To become a stylist, simply visit the Salon. You could also purchase a Drafting Table or a Fuss No Muss Styling Station to practice at home.

Level 1: Fashion Fledgling - $182 - Unlocks Discuss Fashion
Level 2: Taffeta Trainee - $240
Level 3: Polka Dot Specialist - $298 - Unlocks Freestyle Makeovers
Level 4: Houndstooth Soothsayer - $444 
Level 5: Trendsetter in Training - $458
Level 6: In Vogue Virtuoso - $700 - Unlocks Give Fashion Advice
Level 7: Haute Hot Shot - $984 
Level 8: Couture Connoisseur - $1310
Level 9: Fashionista - $1352 
Level 10: Fashion Phenomenon - $2306 - Unlocks Permanent Stylin Moodlet

Like the architect, stylists should have a portfolio, and can take a picture of their clients at the end of a session to place in it. Once at Level 3, you can style anyone while out and about. It is important to socialise and learn about your clients so that you can do a good job on them. The nature of the business is also such that some people go to Stylists for a chat as much as anything else.


Teacher: This is for Sims who want to impart their knowledge to others and have a role in raising the children of your Sims' respective towns.

It is like the more old-fashioned jobs in that your Sim goes to work and you have to wait for them to return, as opposed to the newer versions where you have an impact on their occupational activities.

Ideal traits for teachers are the Charismatic and Bookworm traits. It is important for your Sim to be a good public speaker. Also, the Genius trait is useful, as it helps with developing the Logic skill.

You can get a job as a Teacher by visiting the School.

Level 1: Playground Monitor
Level 2: Teacher's Aide
Level 3: Substitute Teacher
Level 4: Elementary School Teacher
Level 5: Middle School Teacher
Level 6: High School Teacher
Level 7: Department Head
Level 8: Assistant Principal
Level 9: Principal
Level 10: District Superintendent


Skill Careers:

Skill Careers is a new feature that allows Sims to be self-employed. This means they can focus on their actual skills and try to make enough money to earn a living from it. Once you reach the first level in a skill, you can visit City Hall to register as self-employed in that particular area.

To compliment this, as well as the Inventor and Sculptor skills mentioned above, you can level up in Tatoo Art. This obviously allows you to effectively become a Tatooist if you choose to become self-employed in this skill. You can buy a tatoo chair and then either work from home or in the town's Salon.

New Neighborhood:

EA have added the first new Neighborhood since The Sims 3 launched. Called Twinbrook, it is characterised by two rivers that pass through the town.

Consignment Store:

The Consignment Store is a new addition in this expansion pack and there is now one in each town. This is the location for creative Sims, such as the new Sculptors or Inventors, to sell their works. You are likely to get a much higher price than you would do through selling the items, which can be prety much anything, in your inventory.

Property Development/Speculation:

Ambitions allows you to become a more involved property developer when compared to the main game. You can buy pretty much all the properties in the town, including public places. You are then able to improve them and sell them on. Improvements may include adding functional objects to businesses such as the Salon so it can facilitate more customers. Of course, there are also a few requirements to meet which will allow you to get greater rewards.

New Traits:

There are lots of new traits in this expansion, mainly linked to each of the new job-types. The Born Salesman trait is focused on maximising income, which is great for the self-employed and regular users of the Consignment Store. Other highlights include the Dramatic trait, for Sims who are very emotive and like to make the most of life.

New Lifetime Wishes:

As with the traits, there are new Lifetime Wishes in Ambitions that are related to the new career paths, such as the Descendant of da Vinci Lifetime Wish.

New Lifetime Rewards:

One of the new Lifetime Rewards in Ambitions is the My Best Friend reward, coasting 40,000 Hapiness Points. With this, you can get a robot helper. Note that you can also get one from maxing out the Inventing skill. The robots, or SimBots, help around the house and have inventing skills of their own.

You can also get an Entrepreneurial Mindset which increaes the experience you gain from your profession while the Profession Simoleon Booster increases the money you get from it. If you get the Suave Seller reward, you earn more money through Consignment Store sales, while the Fireproof Homestead reward prevents any outbreaks of fire on your property - otherwise a risk for inventors!

Other Additions:

Something you will notice in Ambitions is that your Sims now leave their clothes on the floor after washing. New items are available with this in mind, including a Hamper, to put the clothes in, as well as Washing Machine and Dryers to get them cleaned up. There is also a Laundromat in every town, but obviously doing the washing at home will save you time and money. Wearing clean clothes gives your Sims a 25 moodlet for much of the day.

Children can use the Bakers Half Dozen Table to bake cakes that they can then sell on in a Bake Sale.

If you see a shadow appear above your Sim, run! They can now be crushed by falling meteorites. You have to be pretty unlucky, and you should be able to move out of the way in plenty of time.