Jump to content

The Sims 2: Open for Business

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Martin925 (talk | contribs) at 01:27, 8 August 2006 (→External links). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

The Sims 2: Open for Business
The Sims 2: Open For Business
Developer(s)Maxis
Publisher(s)Electronic Arts
Platform(s)PC (Windows),
Mac (Mac OS X (in development))
ReleaseNorth America March 2, 2006
Europe March 3, 2006
Genre(s)Simulation
Mode(s)Single player

The Sims 2: Open for Business is the third expansion pack for The Sims 2, released on March 3 2006, which allows Sims to run a home or community lot based business. Aspyr is currently working on a port for Mac OS X due to be released in September 2006.

Description

The Sims 2: Open for Business adds the ability for Sims to own and operate their own business, either in their own home, or by purchasing community lots to manage. Several new gameplay features are added that relate to business running, including a new "Talent Badge" skill system, the ability to craft new items from specialized workbenches, and a bonus system for business owners.

Like the previous two expansion packs, Open for Business introduces a new section of the neighborhood: a shopping district, meant to represent the main street of the area. However, Sim-owned businesses are not restricted to the shopping district, and may be opened in the main neighborhood, although the game manual suggests that shopping district lots are more expensive and have higher foot traffic.

New additions

Changes to the main game

The main change to the core game introduced by Open for Business is a new neighborhood type - the Shopping District, the default one being named Bluewater Village. A number of Sims live here, such as a toymaking family, a woman who owns a home-based flower shop, a family bakery, and a rich tycoon who owns a nightclub and an electronics shop.

Community lots are made more flexible now, removing many of the gameplay restrictions that were present on them in the original game. Players can now save the game while their Sims are visiting community lots. Reloading their household automatically takes the player to the community lot where the Sims are located. The downside of this ability is that Sims can now die on community lots, but only ones that belong to the player.

Like the previous expansions, new Wants and Fears and interactions were added, including a new Lifetime Want and several new interactions for children. Some changes to items from the base game are also present, for example, doors are now lockable, to allow only one Sim, their whole family and/or their employees entrance.

Several features from Nightlife and University, such as turn ons and turn offs, are available to players without those expansion packs.

Running businesses

The entire new concept of running businesses is the game's main new feature, and a new direction for The Sims, as it now includes elements of a tycoon game.

New features related to the business concept/mode are:

  • A Sim can own multiple businesses and hire managers to allow them to generate income in the owner's absence.
  • Income can be generated in three different ways: sell other Sims' items (either crafted or purchased from the buy catalog), charge them to use an item (such as a salon chair) or charge them admission to the lot by the hour using a ticket machine.
  • When selling items, they can purchase and sell on any item from the Buy Mode catalog, such as toilets and teddy bears.
  • Sims' businesses are able to sell whatever they want in the game world.
  • Sims can run a home business or purchase any community lot, provided it is not already owned by another Sim.
  • Customisable restaurant menus, allowing Sims to run anything from a burger joint to a gourmet restaurant.
  • Players are able to change the layout of the store to best attract browsers, deliver friendly service to loyal customers, and charm high-maintenance shoppers.
  • Sims can hire new staff as their business grows, though some will inevitably "slack off". Employees' wages are adjustable, as are their positions in the store.
  • All Sims in the same household as the business owner automatically become their employees.
  • Sims are able to earn talent badges by practicing corresponding skills, such as earning a Sales badge by attempting to make sales (regardless of their success). Badges also allow Sims to use more advanced social skills (such as Dazzle) on their customers.
  • As their business rank rises through increasing customer loyalty, Sims may unlock perks to improve earnings, develop new social skills, reduce the cost of wholesale purchases, and boost their social standing. While these perks are not hereditary, Sims can mentor their family members in skill-based perks.
  • Sims can select a mascot for their business, including knights, ninjas, divers, gorillas, and (in pre-ordered copies of the game) chickens. Each mascot has its own uniform and giant sculpture for decoration.
  • Undercover reviewers will occasionally visit each business, posing as customers. A reviewer will award the business a score based on their enjoyment during their visit, increasing or decreasing customer traffic accordingly. Truly impressive businesses may be named "The Best Of The Best".
  • Teenage Sims are able to work, manage and own stores.
  • The player may determine when a Sim's business is opened or closed, either by manually controlling a sign on the door or by having the store automatically open only when the player visits it.
  • Businesses may be freely transferred between family members, and are passed on through the family when a Sim dies.

Around the house

  • Sims are able to craft new items, including toys, flower arrangements or robots. These items can be sold, and Sims' ability to build them increases over time.
  • The game features over 125 new items, including display cases, a beauty salon chair, a toy workbench, a floral station, a new cash register, mission furniture, pet bricks, and items aimed specifically at younger Sims.
  • New foods include pies and cheesecake, which, if eaten by a pregnant Sim, will result in the birth of twins.
  • For Robots, each has a backfire that could make living in the house harder.
  • Servo, a popular robot from Livin' Large returns, requiring a gold robot badge for a Sim to make him/her (The player can set the gender when they instruct a Sim to turn it on for the first time). Servo is now a part of the family, with its own motives (Power, which can be recharged in the day outside, and fun, social, and environment, which work as normal), wants and fears, while its aspiration and personality are the same as its creator. Servo can perform any romantic interaction (except try for baby, although it has the option to adopt). Servos have full cooking, cleaning and mechanical skills and a random set of talent badges. Servos do not age. When Servos backfire, run around dirtying the house and shocking Sims, which may result in death.
  • In addition, the game adds four other robots:
    • Toy robots have no special functionality. If made correctly it will be a raise of fun for children to adults. If made wrong, or failed it will try and attack the person playing with it.
    • HydroBots water plants and extinguish fires. When broken, the robot will spray water everywhere.
    • CleanBots clean floors, and when broken, the robot will spread filth.
    • The SentryBot delivers an electric shock to anyone who attempts to steal household objects or kick things over. If the robot breaks, it will shock random people, which may result in death.
    • The MunchieBot fetches take-out, which costs as much as having it delivered but is faster. When it's broken, the bot will leave the lot and bring back dirty dishes.

Architecture

  • Open For Business adds Elevators to the game. Elevators must be repaired if broken, or Sims may plummet to their deaths when riding them. Sims can also WooHoo in elevators-- though doing so dramatically increases their chances of causing a fatal mishap.
  • Domed, conical and octagonal roofs in different sizes are now available.
  • Players may now build split-level floors, treated as a single surface.
  • Awnings, which are constructed like decks and foundations, were also introduced in Open For Business.
  • The game now features new windows, doors, floors and wall coverings.

Music

A new musical genre titled New Wave is included, along with its own speaker. Major bands from the 80s each contributed one of their major hits re-recorded in Simlish. In particular, the game features:

Also, a new station known as Shopping has been included, which features music from The Sims 1.

Bugs and glitches

Many bugs and glitches have been reported for Open For Business by The Sims 2 Community. These include:

  • Business Lots disappearing when going to the neighborhood screen.
  • Stereo in a sims car not turning off when 'turn stereo off' action is clicked. (only occurs with 'new wave' genre of music).
  • When in cars, the save button becomes inoperable when trying to leave a community lot.
  • There was a rumor that the sub-routine for making a pregant sim have twins when she eats cheesecake was not working properly. This rumor has since been disproved. The eating of cheesecake by a pregnant sim causes the chance of twins to be raised near 100%; therefore, feeding cheesecake to a pregnant sim will almost always result in the birth of twins.

Maxis is aware of these problems and is dealing with them by creating a new OFB patch for download. The version 1.3 patch, which addresses some of these issues, is available here.

Progress

The game was unofficially announced September 13, 2005 in an insert in the previous expansion The Sims 2: Nightlife as Open for Business. This name had been tentative until its official announcement exactly two months later when "Open for Business" was confirmed as the title.

The expansion pack went gold on February 15, and was shipped to retailers on the 28 February with an official consumer release date of March 2. EB Games began selling the expansion pack on March 1.

Trivia

  • The game's new radio channel, Shopping, allows the player listen to Buy Mode music from The Sims.
  • Upon registering the game, some players received a tip from EA regarding the medicinal powers of cheesecake in the game. Indeed, a Sim that eats cheesecake before pregnancy will invariably give birth to twins.
  • The shopping center "Bluewater Village" is named after the one in England with the same name.
  • "Papaya Regime", a pre-made store/community lot in Bluewater Village, is a parody of the retail chain Banana Republic.
  • This expansion is known as "Funky Business" in Italy.

Resources


Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Sims_2:_Open_for_Business&oldid=68310228"