New Open for Busioness Video 1/05/05

[Renatus]

A random aside; I like how the page 2 of the official site's flash intro are 'International Sims' made by people on the exchange, but when I went to download the Thai sim I found it had been purged. Uuuuh, EA...

[syberspunk]

I found this article:

The first order of business is actually setting up a business. This is a pretty easy process for the most part. Any lot can actually be turned into a business, including a home. Should players choose to mark their home as a business, customers will come over and spend money without your sims having to leave. The rub is of course that you have to dedicate a certain part of your residence as a business area. The more traditional business set up allows players to purchase community lots and fix them up into sim businesses.

While Open for Business opens up the idea of "shopping districts" like those "downtown" and "university" areas from the previous expansions, new businesses can easily be opened in your own hometown. Simply plop down a new community site, build it up to look like a proper business, stock it with goods, and then have your purchasing sim get on the phone and dial in the purchase. A list of available community lots will pop up for players to grab and buy. Then you can either try and run the business all on your lonesome or hire other AI controlled sims as employees. They'll charge a wage but can be put to any number of tasks. They're also conveniently marked by a sphere over their heads to differentiate them from your customers and show their mood.

So... it seems like we don't have to worry too much about adding a new area. Maybe it's optional, just like DT. You wouldn't necessarily have to add a new area. You can just use regular ole Comm Lots in your exisiting 'hood or even just build businesses on your own home lot.

Ste

[BlueSoup]

Is the title of this thread bothering anyone else but me? 

I think Open for Business sounds like it'll be awesome.  Definitely looking forward to running all sorts of successful (and failed   ) business ventures, and I'm thinking the home lots will probably be the host for these, at least for the most part.  I generally have too much space at home as it is.

I'm not even tired of Nightlife yet, so I think I'm going to be happy with the game for a long time.  That is, unless Pescado doesn't get it.  Then I won't.

[eamethyst]

I have to admit for the last week or two, I have been obsessively searching out everything I could find on Open for Business.  I was origianally planning to wait a month or two after its release to get it, but now I can't wait.  Though I am going to have to give serious thought to whether I want to install it right away or wait until some of the essential mods from this sight have been approved OFB compatible.

Syberspunk, from what I've read, I do believe that the shopping district is going to be optional, just like the DT sub neighborhood, because they have stated that your Sims can purchase any existing community lot whether it is in the main neighborhood, DT, or the new shopping district.

[MutantBunny]

The DT comm lots have more visiting sims after 10 then the hood comm lots--so there IS a difference.

But I think, from what I've read so far, that OFB's new lots will function the same anyplace they're plopped down--unless fo course, that DT number of visiting sims after ten affected the new lots too.... ?

[Renatus]

Okay, after watching that video I am excited all out of proportion. I HATED working in sales yet I am frothing to make my sims do so. Hee!

Also, Hunter Howe sounds like a complete dork but he gets +1000 cool points for referencing my favourite card game. I WILL have Ninja Burger!

[Ellatrue]

Yeah, I'm kind of irritated by the title of the thread as well, because we've moved from talking about the video to talking about the expansion pack in general.

[MutantBunny]

lol.

[eaglezero]

Yeah, I'm kind of irritated by the title of the thread as well, because we've moved from talking about the video to talking about the expansion pack in general.

I think she meant she was annoyed at how it says "busioness" instead of "business"

[Sagana]

But not that it says 05?

[eaglezero]

But not that it says 05?

I didn't even notice that!

Now I'm wondering if we should just move this whole discussion to a new thread so the title can stop annoying people, hah.

[wishy-washy]

Okay, after watching that video I am excited all out of proportion. I HATED working in sales yet I am frothing to make my sims do so. Hee!

Also, Hunter Howe sounds like a complete dork but he gets +1000 cool points for referencing my favourite card game. I WILL have Ninja Burger!

Which card game relates to "Ninja Burger?" Or is it a game called Ninja Burger?

[Renatus]

The game is indeed called Ninja Burger. It's for three or more players, combines chance with strategy, and is a lot of silly fun. It's published by Steve Jackson Games.

I forsee making my own Ninja Burger skins! However, I don't think I'll be able to incorporate the wasabi sauce... 

[Ellatrue]

I like wasabi sauce.

[Entgleichen]

UNI and NL were about social aspects, which I'm interested in. OfB is about financial aspects, which I'm not interested in. Besides, the sims already get more than enough money. And there seems to be less craziness in the new EP.
Sorry, I'm still not attracted from what I see and read.

[MutantBunny]

From what I can see, it looks like the 'set price' of things is going to be pretty limited. The scale thing has what, six slots on it? So six different prices? I really don't like that. Very limiting.

I was thinking it'd be nice to set stuff really cheap--like for a yard sale. But if we can't control the pricing better we can't do that.

I hope I'm wrong on this: So I'm asking: is this what every else thinks too?

And it's pretty cheesy of Maxis to put out the news in Australia about the new 'packs' but not a word here. Maybe I'm wrong: Has anyone seen any news on the new packs released here in the states?

[Renatus]

I seriously doubt it's six different prices - it's more likely six different price ranges, from cheap to expensive. This would mean that if you set everything cheap a flower vase and a stereo wouldn't be the same price, but they'd be cheap for the type of item they were. He also demonstrated setting a price on an individual object, so it looks like we'll have two levels of control.

[simmiecal]

From what I remember reading - it sounded like you could make all the items for sale in a store a particular range - cheap to expensive but you could also go and set the sale price for each item individually. I got the impression that if you didn't want to be mucking around with things at such a detail level, then the pricing "ranges" would be what you would use - it was also give you a sense of what sims would think was "cheap" versus "expensive".

[Hook]

From what I can see, it looks like the 'set price' of things is going to be pretty limited. The scale thing has what, six slots on it? So six different prices? I really don't like that. Very limiting.

Go to the store, look around at prices, what do you see?  $29.95, $39.95, $49.95, $59.95, $69.95.  Are you beginning to see a pattern?

In marketing terms, this is called "cents off" pricing.  I've always preferred to call it SenseLess pricing.

Just because you can't set a price manually like $32.55 doesn't mean the game will suck. But I hope that's obvious by now.

Hook

[Kristalrose]

Did y'all read the "Hunter's H-mail" today?  Split Levels!!!  Awnings!!!  Rounded Roofs!!!!! 

[flowerchile]

I get really, really, really, excited with all the new items and clothes, and hair and everything.  Sit for hours just browsing the new stuff; gasps of oooh, aaaah, escaping my lips with every breath.  Then I think about the actual game.  Uni for me died in the arse really quickly, a bit of an anticlimax, NL was better; but I am pinning all my hopes on OFB.  Come on March!!

[Pegasys]

I think I've probably mentioned that I'm really really excited about OFB. Although I very much enjoy both Uni and NL, I have several Sims who I just don't know what to do with otherwise (now permaplats, or they've got tons of money, or are Elders). It's either the new OFB or it's time to crack open The Movies game that I got for Christmas...

[flowerchile]

I think I've probably mentioned that I'm really really excited about OFB. Although I very much enjoy both Uni and NL, I have several Sims who I just don't know what to do with otherwise (now permaplats, or they've got tons of money, or are Elders). It's either the new OFB or it's time to crack open The Movies game that I got for Christmas...

That is a game that is definitely on my shopping list, but it's quite expensive so I'd like to know what The Movies is like before I outlay that sort of money.

[seventhson]

Flowerchile: click here

Already been well and truly discussed 

[MutantBunny]

Hook: go to a yard sale or a junk store and look around at the prices... lol.

Pig Slop and his wife Lotta Slop, (kids are Chunka, Used, and One, Two.) are going to open a yard sale next to their trashed trailer house and I need to be able to price trashed items really cheap. That's what I was asking about.

I didn't see that second level of pricing control. Can anyone remember exactly where they saw that?