Business lot problem, feel free to laugh....Using business controls you mod

[pcgeekri]

Hello,

Interesting problem here and I bet it's a Maxis problem but I'll share my thoughts here and maybe someone has run into the same problem.

Here's the lot setup:  Originally started as a "pay to get in" lot and became a hybrid pay to get in and shop.  Basically a bar setup.  Remember the original Nightlife lot that has a couple of Poker tables and a bar?  Well I had a sim buy this and place a ticket thingy at the door, sims paid to get in but the lot was losing money so I put a couple of shelves in the back and a flower arranging table and began to sell flowers.  Now the sims pay to get in and can buy flowers if they so desire.  Now the "real game guide" by Prima games doesn't say anything about NOT doing this, making a "hybrid" lot so I did it.  The lot is finally making money but having to dazzle customers like crazy.  On this lot are the owner and 2 employees.  One employee is assigned to sales and has been promoted to manager the other employee is the cashier.  The owner fills in as bartender when necessary or cashier and also makes flowers and usually does this at home so his inventory is pretty full of stock.  It's only a couple of shelves. 

Now comes the fun:  Here is a typical day.  Price at door on ticket thingy set to expensive.  Owner calls in employees.  Employees arrive, owner opens the business.  Cashier goes to cash register, Manager begins dazzling at the door, Owner dazzles customers at door.  (Business is a rank 9)  Owner begins dazzling customers shopping flowers.  Manager's energy down halfway, mod takes over, Manager is Caffeinating, Owner is now tired, getting hungry but continues dazzling customers at the door, cashier's mood is turning yellow, but all is functioning, losing a little money at door or at the shelves but business is still in the green. 

Now the weirdness starts....Cashier's mood goes to red, cashier leaves station, bathroom controls you mod takes over, uses bathroom, Cashier needs to caffeinate now and does so, now just the completely controllable owner is running the whole show but has to quit because now he has no energy and hungry.  Have the owner grill hot dogs or hamburgers for food and caffeinates, during this operation the manager is "good to go" and begins dazzling maybe 4 to 6 times before the mod has him caffeinating again.  Now while the owner is still trying to recharge, where the hell is the cashier?  Well there is the cashier pacing back and forth after using the bathroom with a green or yellow bubble over his head and customers lined up at the register. The owner has to quit eating or caffeinating cause I can't control the manager well enough for him to "ring up the customers" for those damn mods taking over.  (Nothing personal Pescado, I like your mods.)  Check status of Cashier, fairly paid, yes, manger fairly paid, yes.  Cashier now is eating food made by the owner and bulbble goes to green if wasn't before then Cashier goes to pacing again usually at the dishwasher cause he took his plate to the dishwasher and is standing there with a green bubble over his head blocking anyone from using the dishwasher.  Now what does this do?  Well now everyone starts taking his coffee cup or plate to the bathroom to wash in the sink now the damn bathroom uses you mod takes over and here goes the bathroom scenario.  (Now it will take the Manager forever to caffeinate)  Suddenly Cashier becomes active running through the store, found something dirty to clean up.  (I'll note here that the cashier only becomes active when something needs cleaning otherwise he just paces.)  So I think maybe if I reassign him through this mess.  I'll assign him to the flower arranging table.  Oh good he's going to the table to make flowers great, no, not great now I just changed the place for him to pace,  there he goes flying again a customer just finished eating, now he's pacing in front of the dishwasher again.  "moveobjects on" and move his butt.  Now let's try assigning him to the cashier position again, oh great he's just pacing at the register with customers lined up at the register, okay manager, nope forget that he's still caffeinating from being controlled by the bathroom controls you mod from earlier.  Maybe if I try using the Hammer and Sickle to give orders, nope no good, oh well nice try.  Okay owner let's go, oh stop waving your arms like an over-active drama queen and just run the cash register, geez! 
 
And this is the frustrating cycle till I just get mentally exhausted and have the Owner close the business and send employees home.  Now what?  There's the manager just pacing somewhere on the floor make the Manager active and "click off" the sales icon in the upper left corner, now the Manager leaves.  Now the owner drives home.  Finally the end and business left in the green.  Geez, even my forehead is wet from perspiration after all this. 

Anyone else know what is going on wrong?  Maybe I shouldn't have the russian toilet rolls installed in each bathroom?  Is there a work around?  Got to be some kind of Maxis problem.  I'm using all the business mods except the nolamehires mod and yes the anti-decay mod as well.

Thanks for your time, hope you enjoyed this little scenario,

Pcgeekri

[Sagana]

geez :) My suggestions probably aren't what you're looking for, but here they are anyway.

A venue is the easiest kind of business to run, as all you hafta do is play with your customers. Fire both employees. Get some more fun stuff - whatever makes sense for what you want and put it on the lot. Just leave the flowers there and sell them if someone buys one on their own, but quit using your energy trying to dazzle sims into it (dazzle takes a bunch and should only be necessary to get the final sale on the most expensive items). Raise your prices on the ticket machine - they'll go up on their own if you add more fun stuff to the lot, but if they don't go up far enough use the custom setting to charge some amount where you can make money. And go around and socialize a lot. Put in a piano or something and play for your customers.

I'd suggest getting rid of business runs you, but Pescado might get mad at me and I need him ;)

[pcgeekri]

Yes I need him too.  Before the mods it was really frustrating have to do even more Micro-managing.  Thanks, the owner does have perfected creativity skill.  The customers do like the pool table and the karoke machine.  But I am wondering how long should I actually have the business open? 

Thanks,

Pcgeekri

[ZephyrZodiac]

Herb Oldie is raking it in, poker table downstairs, living rooms for family upstairs and over the garage, and on the roof of the lot he has a bowling alley and a karaoke.  Food supplied courtesy of Inge's buffet table, visitors' toilet includes the apartment sink, which is used by visitors, and all Herb and Coral have to do is turn on the charm and play poker!  He's had at least three Best of the Best awards, and I never bother to play the lot now!

[J. M. Pescado]

I believe what you're describing sounds like a known bug with the cashier-detection that was fixed in a more recent version of Macrotastics. Perhaps you should get it?

[Sagana]

But I am wondering how long should I actually have the business open?

If you want to make a lot of money, leave it open all the time. When we were doing the Lonely Shopkeeper Challenge with a venue, we left it open while the sims slept. Everyone took care of themselves and stayed on the lot having fun and making more money for nothing. This was a home business though - if you're running at a community lot, you'll want to go home sometime :) Oh and don't try to sell anything while you're asleep - they'll get mad when you don't check them out and you'll lose loyalty points. A venue really more or less runs itself.

[ZephyrZodiac]

Herb just employs a dormie to tidy up when the maid's not there and Coral's asleep.  Since they don't get any badges for tidying up, she never needs a raise either.

[J. M. Pescado]

Ah, yes, the Home Sweatshop.

[ZephyrZodiac]

Dunno about that, both Coral and Herb changed their aspiration to Popularity, and they're having a whale of a time!  As for the dormie, well, she seems to like cleaning!

[pcgeekri]

Pescado you're a genius,

Yes that was the main problem I had an old version of Macrotastics.  Now the lot runs much better and I'm making money without my forehead sweating.  And the cashier works and the "Hammer and Sickle" interface works as it is supposed.  Also I can take over my manager. 

I did notice to get control of my manager I need to click on the "Hammer and Sickle" and unassign the manager from any duties then make the manager active and this time when I clicked on the "Be salesperson" icon in the upper left it stays gone until I want it back.

This is great,

Pcgeekri