This unofficial user guide has been honed over the past several holiday seasons…
I. Build the tiniest possible house for yourself.
It should have three rooms and the following items to take care of the eight basic needs: a refrigerator and stove (hunger), a comfortable chair (comfort), one window (room), a bed (energy), a toilet (bladder), a shower (hygiene), a phone (social), and a bookcase (fun). A smoke detector and burglar alarm are also good ideas – put the smoke detector directly above the stove and the burglar alarm on the inside wall next to each door accessing the house from outside (at first, you should only have one door). Put the bed in one room, the toilet and shower in another, and the rest of the stuff in the third. Buy the cheapest possible version of each product to save money.
II. Get a military job right away because it pays the best and the hours are good (editor's note: there are no wars going on in The Sims).
Jobs are in the newspaper, delivered two hours after the game starts (and at 9am every day thereafter). If there is no military job available, take the highest paying job on offer and look every day until the military job is posted.
III. Learn to cook by reading a book about cooking from the bookcase.
Once a couple of skill points are acquired, your character should be able to cook dinner without burning down the house.
IV. Build your character’s basic skills, one by one, unless a specific skill is required for a promotion.
If one of the eight needs drops far enough, address the need first, then resume skill building. At this point in the game, treat a friend like a basic skill (so only make friends when required for a promotion).
V. Rinse, wash, repeat…
Eventually, your Sim is going to be free from the tyranny of waking up every morning and going to work. At this point, have a look around and decide what you want to do...
Footnotes / must we state the obvious every time?
0. Mirror mirror on the wall, is this game the stupidest of 'em all...
As I look over this ‘how-to’ guide, I’m struck by how similar it is to my own life.
