What's your second and third impression of OFB?

[Ancient Sim]

I had trouble assigning staff, but I finally worked it out.  When a Sim with a business first goes to their business lot, their staff member(s) automatically turn-up and ask to be assigned.  Trouble is, they do this even if it's out of their working hours, which means you have no option to assign them because they're not meant to be working.  What I did was clear them off the lot using Inge's Teleporter bush, then when it was their actual working time I called them back in.  The "Management" option on the pie-menu was there then, but it wasn't there before when they weren't meant to be on duty, even though they'd apparently turned-up for work.  The annoying thing is that it does let you assign them to things like the cash till when it's out of hours, but they won't actually work it.  Brynne bought a cheap card table from Ramirez's furniture store (it's the only thing anyone bought) and although his staff member was on the till, she didn't ring it up, so Brynne threw it on the floor in disgust and stormed out of the shop.

One thing I've noticed is that if you send another Sim to someone's business  (i.e., choose it as a venue when they're visiting a community lot), the owner and staff will be there and visiting Sims will still purchase items.  The owner automatically rings them up and presumably that increases their sales and badges and the rest of it.  Seems to me that might be the best way of running the business, because everything is done autonomously and you don't have to mess about with it.

One thing I don't like is that if a member of the family owns a business, no other member of the family can go work there (except if they're hired in the normal way), so there's no sharing a business between spouses, for instance.  I find that a little odd, I'd have thought we could have had a husband & wife running a business together instead of having to run separate businesses.

[Sagana]

My family members are working the business together. They're more or less like another owner, rather than telling them what to do, you click on them to choose what task they'll accomplish and they can boss the staff members around, open and close and all that. You can also give the rewards that your "main" owner has to someone else - so Joe can up his sister Jodi's selling or restocking abilities or whatever, if you want (or give them to an employee, I *think* but I haven't actually tried that yet). The main difference is that if you're building objects, they all end up in the actual owners inventory. And if it's a community lot, whoever bought it has the deed unless you move it. I think anyone that lives in the house with the owner is sort of technically an owner... but I haven't tried sending Jodi to take care of the store without Joe being there at all, yet.

[Wolfee]

Update: My business is now ranked 8! I finally got it.

Now I like this game. It's so much more chanlenging then the other EP's

ETA: Does anyone know if the no jealousy hack works with OFB? I kindof need it now, I did something wrong in my game and now I must try to fix it 

[Sandilou]

TJ's Casual Romance is working in OFB, although I'm not using it myself at the moment. Apparently the no jealousy in the same room doesn't work with Lizzlove's waterbed.  I'm using the Insim to turn off Lot Jealousy.

[sanmonroe]

Update: My business is now ranked 8! I finally got it.

Now I like this game. It's so much more chanlenging then the other EP's

ETA: Does anyone know if the no jealousy hack works with OFB? I kindof need it now, I did something wrong in my game and now I must try to fix it 

Try to solve it without the hack! The drama is so much better!!! Or just kill a  few sims off.

[ZephyrZodiac]

Well, I've been playing for hours, which is why I haven't got back to all you kind people who've tried to help!

This time I made my own sims, a father and teenage son.  The father is romance, the son popularity, and he got the LTW to own five Level 10 businesses, and he started with a lemonade stand.  Then he got a poker table and after that things started to take off.  He got a flower bench and has reached the first talent level, and now emplys Lilith Pleasant to make flowers or be cashier.  So far, she's got the bronze talent badge for the flowers too, and seems far happier at work than at home (I wonder why....), and the business has reached Level 6. 

However, Lilith is now underpaid, and I still can't get the darn management option to give her a payrise!   (It's just like when I first installed Uni and the College option didn't show up;  so I'm wondering if it's tied in with that somehow, and since I haven't yet picked a college, maybe that's the problem.  However, it's certainly going better than it was, since both father and son are outgoing, friendly types and get on well with their customers - and if they're queued to do something, they do it - maybe because they don't have a computer yet!

What I don't like, though, is how everything you buy for the house once the business has been started, is subtracted from the profits, and the salaries of working sims in the house is added - so you never really can tell how the business is doing financially.  In fact, I think you could probably reach Level 10 and never make a profit at all!

Most of the other things you advised me about, I've managed to figure out now, like checking the employee stats. etc.

But it's so time consuming running a home business, poor Jack (the father) still hasn't had time to woohoo - and he still doesn't have a double bed!

[Pegasys]

Yes having Level 10 is not tied to profits - I have the Prima Guide and it notes this fact. In fact I'm thinking having a Level 10 business may be easier than having a profitable business  (course I have no idea, I'm pretty retardo, my businesses are only up to Level 3 right now).

[ZephyrZodiac]

I think the fact is, that as long as one at least of your sims has a well-paid job, then the business can, in fact, run at a constant loss - which I find rather disappointing!  And I'll bet the kid who reaches Level 10 before they go to college won't get the Young entrepreneurs award either - and really, with that name, they are the only ones who should get it! 

[Motoki]

I think the fact is, that as long as one at least of your sims has a well-paid job, then the business can, in fact, run at a constant loss - which I find rather disappointing! 

I agree, this is really pathetic. I was shocked to discover this and so outraged I started a thread over it. lol

[ZephyrZodiac]

Yes, it seems it's just another "Make Friends and Influence People" game, and really nothing to do with Business at all!

[Darkstormyeve]

Well, I can't agree people. My little tycoon sim, Marie Bertino (a townie shock horror!!) is doing very well for herself. She is at level 10 and making a huge profit. The key in my mind is not too many staff. Try and manage with just your sim for as long as you can and make sure you get good reviews. I also filled the discounted wholsale reward first, then the cash option.

I also made sure her cash reg. skills maxed first at least to silver and then sales next. You get that working, then you can sell and ring up a customer quickly which means less need for staff. Plus I don't make anything. I just sell maxis stuff. I sell the odd painting that Marie's flat mate paints in her store, but mostly its maxis stuff. I have started her in flowers and now real estate.

[veilchen]

Same here Stormy. I have one owner, a CAS sim. I had her in the scientist job (she's knowledge, I know that's a shocker, but hey..) to get some starting money and to max her skills, make friends, find a love, etc. Then I had her buy the Little and Local. She started out with the tiny box, now it's a lot bigger.Wholesale perks are maxed, working on the networking/cash perks now.

She's doing alright so far. Cash register and restock = silver, Sales and flower arrangements = gold. No employees, just her, and she's doing quite well. Her store is at level 8 now. Because she's on a community lot, she can go home, do stuff, use the energizer and go to work as well. I need her to reach the top of her career for permaplat.

By the way, she's not selling any home-made flowers save for the snapdragon (love that plant :D). Her store is a holiday item store. Yep, I finally found a good use for the holiday crap LOL.

Next on the agenda: get married to her fiance, have kids, get more stores. Poor thing, thank goodness I can't stress her out like this would stress out people in real life. Sure to get ulcers or a psych disorder :D

[Darkstormyeve]

I have to get poor hard working Marie a life too. She has made too loves since being in the retail business and one sim who she just about falls over whenever he comes in, ah Gilbert, a new townie I think?? Well, I have had Marie hire Gilbert for her real estate business so we'll see where this goes *wink*. I'm thinking she needs an heir to her small empire.

We started out with the Cold Something Clothing Store in Downtown. I then made Marie's store deco's available for sale and the paintings that she had decorating the walls. Soon I got rid of the clothes and went into home decor. I had a full room dedicated to every mirror that maxis has, plus my CC ones. It was crazy! I then expanded further and got into furniture. Marie was selling lounges, coffee tables, statues etc etc.

Real Estate should be a real change!

[speedreader]

I have started her in flowers and now real estate.

Real Estate?  Please explain.  You have started her in real estate?  I have been trying to figure out why that real estate office is for sale.  

I bought this game Thurs. AM, brought it home and was playing by noon (removing downloads, etc.).  On Friday AM I got up and went out and got the guide!  I was soooo lost.  Things are slightly better with Prima's help.  At least I have a place to search when I don't know why or what is happening.  

I love this EP, confusing as it is.  

One tip.  Do not invite your best employee to move in, then have her find her own place.  Suddenly she will be working for free.  Good for the business owner - not good for the employee.  It was actually kind of funny.  I had to find her a job and now my business owner can't afford to hire her back.  That'll teach him to mess with the help!

[Darkstormyeve]

I'm still learning about real estate but apprently you need to buy as many business as you can then take the deeds out of your inventory and sell them like a normal item I guess. The tip I got was to NOT sell them to your playable sims.

Marie, my tycoon, has about $350,000 simoleons so that should be enough to do it.

I might add too that the design of the real estate office is really nice. I like it heaps. Big change from normal maxis refab stuff. Tasteful colours IMO.

[sanmonroe]

Yeah thats real estate.

The price goes up based on store ranking and quality of the staff.

If you want to be working at a profit you want to hire 8 staff members with skills for every shop.

The reason to sell to towniees is thent he lot becomes vacant again right away. Plus towniees have unlimited money so they can buy any crap you want to sell them.

[speedreader]

Thanks for the explanation.  Will have to try that out later.

[Batelle]

I still love OFB.  I've figured out most of the shop running tricks and am looking forward to opening a restaurant in the near future.  Even though I have my first businesses running like machines, it's still  challenging to juggle all of the responsibilities of business ownership.  I like to micromanage my sims, so I find myself actually playing the game a lot more closely than before.  Raising families had become incredibly repetitive for me, so OFB is just the thing I needed to hold my interest in the game. 

My favourite new feature has been the fact that pregnant sims are useful!  I have one, Elena, who owns a community lot and also lives in a house with a business in it.  Even though she technically doesn't get paid for working in her own home, her presence relieves the business owners (her husband and sister-in-law) of having to pay someone to do the work she does.  Elena was also hired at another fledgling home run business and even though I'm not sure she keeps the money she makes there, she does come waddling in when called.  Since she's got a gold badge in flower designing, a silver on the register and a bronze sales badge, she's quite an asset.

The only new Maxis sims I've played are the Larson twins and the Jacquet family.  Gilbert Jacquet is a little creepy (maybe it's the blond eyebrows/black hair thing).  Were it not for a female love interest in his relationship panel, I would suspect that Maxis had designed a John Wayne Gacy sim- what's with the pink bear statue in his bedroom? Maybe they were angling for "confirmed bachelor" vibe, but the whole thing seems off.  It's too bad my initial feelings on him were bad, he's pretty nice-looking and friendly, which is unusual for Maxis.   

[Jysudo]

I love Gilbert. He must be the most good looking maxis sim ! I am hooking him up with my fav gay sim.

[Maria]

Gilbert Jacquet is a little creepy (maybe it's the blond eyebrows/black hair thing).  Were it not for a female love interest in his relationship panel, I would suspect that Maxis had designed a John Wayne Gacy sim- what's with the pink bear statue in his bedroom? Maybe they were angling for "confirmed bachelor" vibe, but the whole thing seems off.  It's too bad my initial feelings on him were bad, he's pretty nice-looking and friendly, which is unusual for Maxis.   

Yeah, at first I thought that was his bedroom and I was creeped out too, especially because the first thing I saw him do was go over and kiss his mother.  Family kiss, but still creepy in context.  Anyway, now I think the upstairs room is his, because it has a computer for him to check on his business.

As for OFB, I like all the new objects.  At first I thought running a business was too hard, because my sims got exhausted way too quickly, and Florence couldn't make any sales (test neighborhood, no friendships yet).  Once Florence could make snapdragons and her husband could make robots (great profits) and they had a servo to run the cash register, it just seemed too easy.  The real estate churning makes it absurd, there's no challenge.  Between the snapdragons and the real estate, I think they've broken their own game.

[cabelle]

I'm growing rather fond of Gilbert myself. I sold that silly bear statue. Gilbert's quite the handsome sim and a Romance sim too so he will be my "studsim" and help to populate Bluewater Village with his beautiful babies. He already has one daughter Fleur with his first wife Florence Delarosa, just had twins Gabrielle and Lance with second wife Nancy (previously a townie) and his dangerous liasons with former employee Christa could lead to another child and another divorce if Nancy finds out.

[Maria]

I forgot to mention that Bluewater sims, thus far, make ugly babies.  Florence married a good-looking new townie name River, their daughter has that weird sunken eye battered look, bulgy cheeks, and arched eyebrows that touch her hairline.  Malcolm Landgraab stole Lisa Ramirez away and had a baby with her, their kid was uuugly.  She looked like a Michael Jackson/Tori Spelling love child.  I've been wondering if these characters were made with the worst default faces and then changed cosmetically but not genetically.

Maybe you're right about Gilbert being the neighborhood prize stud though, I'll go breed him to Florence and see if I can get a decent-looking heir for her.

[Motoki]

My favourite new feature has been the fact that pregnant sims are useful!  

But they make for really lousy customers because their needs go down so darned fast. Either get them sniffing snapdragons or just leave them the heck alone. I learned the hard way that they don't appreciate a good sales pitch. Well at least the ones in my town don't.

[siriusthinking]

I found a new annoyance. My sims can no longer sleep in community lots despite having beds there. This must be because beds are now sellable items. I hate this.

This is the only thing that really bothers me so far.

[Charamei]

Singularly unplayable.

I have the bug where the game periodically hangs and blanks the screen out. Just now, it apparently also managed to make my monitor stick in standby mode - I couldn't get it to show what the CPU was outputting to it at all. I know that this should be impossible - software can't cause that sort of hardware error - but I've checked all my port connections and it was definitely somehow Sims-related. Had to reboot to fix it.

I have been saving periodically, but it likes to hang right before I save. Just now, that meant the loss of a good half-hour to hour of playing time.

What I'm seeing, I'm liking, but the constant hangups (and, on three occasions, full-comp crashes) are really wrecking this for me.