The Sims 2: Open for Business

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The Sims 2: University
North American Box Art
Developer	Maxis
Publisher	Electronic Arts
Platform	Microsoft Windows, Linux, Mac OS, Windows
Release Date(s)	2006 (NA)
Genre	Life simulation (PC)
Rating	(T) Teen

Game Summary

The Sims 2: Open for Business is an expansion pack that lends a brand new opportunity to your Sims. They can now own, manage and make profit from their own businesses! With the help of over one hundred new objects, set your Sims' business up with all the essentials. Such as a cash register to ring up purchases, work benches for the creation of products and display cases that allow customers to view sale items. With a multitude of new features, ranging from brand new NPCs to a new way to die, your Sims are sure to enjoy their new lives as business owners.

New Features

Shopping Districts
Sims can own community lots
Talent badges
Locking doors
Reporter NPC
Lot Information button
Sims can own/run restaurants
Work uniforms
Crafting benches
Servos
New way to die
Smaller dressers
Lemonade stand gives Children a way to make money
New mirror options allow the appearance of Toddlers to be changed via an Adult/Elder/Teen
Conical and octagonal roofs
Sims can have stages/semi-elevated sections in their houses
Elevators
Awnings

Shopping Districts

Shopping Districts are sub-neighborhoods, much like Downtown areas in the Nightlife expansion pack. They are areas where businesses are booming, and the sims are always working to maintain and achieve the best possible businesses. In the default shopping district, Bluewater Village, you will find a number of businesses ready to be bought and some pre-owned businesses. While in Bluewater Village, keep in mind that if you create a Bluewater Village district for Strangetown AND Veronaville, both of those districts will be tied to the base neighborhood that they were created in. In other words, each shopping district is significant to its base neighborhood.

Talent Badges

Talent badges are like skills, only they have three levels of improvement [Bronze, Silver, Gold] and require practicing the associated tasks, instead of studying or working out. For example, to increase the Flower Arranging badge, your sim has to create flower bouquets until it increases.

Badge Types

There are seven badges in total that your sims can earn.

Cosmetology
Flower Arranging
Register
Restocking
Robotery
Sales
Toy Making

Badge Levels

There are three levels that measure the proficiency of a badge

Bronze
Silver
Gold

As badges increase, more difficult/expensive items can be crafted, the efficiency in which these items are created improves, and the failure rate decreases. This doesn't mean that the failure rate for a Gold talent badge is zero, as there are some items that only become available once a Gold talent badge is obtained. [Meaning that perfection may never be achieved.]

Increasing Badges

To increase a badge, practice the associated task. Therefore,

Crafting robots increases Robotery
Crafting toys increases Toy Making
Arranging flowers increases Flower Arranging
Performing sales socials increases Sales
Working at the cash register increases Register
Restocking items increases Restocking
Giving sims makeovers increases Cosmetology

Skill/Personality Influences

Talent Badge	Skill	Personality Trait
Cosmetology	Cleaning	Neat
Flower Arranging	Creativity	Playful
Register	Logic	Serious
Restocking	Body	Active
Robotery	Mechanical	None
Sales	Charisma	Outgoing
Toy Building	Mechanical	None

Badge Rewards

Talent Badge	No Badge	Bronze	Silver	Gold
Cosmetology	High failure rate; clumsy animation	Lower failure rate; faster work; more flourishes	Lower failure rate; faster work; more flourishes	Lowest failure rate; fastest work; most elaborate flourishes; +Hygiene for customer
Flower Arranging	High failure rate; clumsy animation; Bouquet of Daisies	Lower failure rate; more flourishes; Wildflower Bouquet, Tulip Bouquet	Lower failure rate; more flourishes; Rose Bouquet, Mixed Flower Bouquet	Lowest failure rate; most elaborate flourishes; Snapdragons Bouquet
Register	Very slow checkout speed	Faster checkout speed; more competent	Faster; more competent	Fastest checkout speed; most competent
Restocking	Very slow restocking	Faster restocking	Faster restocking	Fastest restocking
Robotery	High failure rate; clumsy animation; Toy Robot	Lower failure rate; more flourishes; CleanBot, HydroBot	Lower failure rate; more flourishes; SentryBot, MunchieBot	Lowest failure rate; most elaborate flourishes; Servo
Sales	Basic Sell social	Offer At.. social; increased acceptance of lower level socials	Hard Sell social; increased acceptance of lower level socials	Dazzle social; increased acceptance of lower level socials
Toy Building	High failure rate; clumsy animation; Pet Brick	Lower failure rate; more flourishes; Jack-in-the-Box, Fire Truck	Lower failure rate; more flourishes; Sit-n-Spin, Kite	Lowest failure rate; most elaborate flourishes; Water Wiggler Sprinkler

Businesses

Home Businesses

Your sims can turn their home lot into a place of business - all they need to do is get some items to sell and call or use the computer to set things up. When on the phone or computer, use the Start Home Business interaction to have your sim's home lot turned into a business immediately. This means that the second your sim's call/computer request has gone through, the customers will start to arrive. Be sure to buy an Open/Closed sign from the Decorations section of Buy Mode to control when customers can visit.

Your sims can sell anything they like in their new home business, as long as you mark it for sale. You could have things such as:

Salon
Bakery/Prepared Food Store
Toy Store
Furniture Store
Car Dealership
Custom Painting Store
etc.

There are three kinds of businesses your sims cannot have on a home lot. The items required for these types of businesses are only available in community lot Buy Mode. These are:

Coffee Bar
Pub
Restaurant

There are also some types of items that your sims cannot sell because they are only available in Buy Mode on community lots. These are:

Groceries/Produce
Magazines
Video Games
Clothes
Perfume

Dealing with customers can be tricky on a home lot, as they act just like regular lot visitors but with more of a draw to merchandise. You can avoid having customers playing games on your sim's computer or from using the wrong washroom by locking doors. There are a few options for locking doors, which can be seen when you click on a door. Any gate or door can be set to limit access to:

The Sim who locks the door only
The Sim and household members
The Sim, household members, and employees
No one, including the Sim who locked the door.

There are a few differences between home businesses and community lot businesses, even though they function similarly. The differences are:

Home businesses have to be initiated over the phone or computer, and are considered businesses the second the call has been made or the request has been processed. Community lot businesses are bought over the phone or computer, but are not considered operational until the manager visits the lot and starts things up.
Home businesses can’t have managers.
Playable Sims from other households can only visit the business

as autonomous walkbys or invitees. You can never direct them to a lot with a home business the same way you could to an owned community lot. You can direct sims to visit and purchase items from community lot businesses.

Home businesses can’t be run remotely.
Home businesses die when the last playable sim on the lot does.
Employees can satisfy all their needs on a home lot, as long as the necessary items are provided. [Even the energy need can be restored, unlike on a community lot.]

Community Lot Businesses

Community lots can be purchased by a sim via telephone or computer. Once a lot is purchased, the deed is then sent to the sim who made the call or made the request over the computer, and is then placed in said sim's inventory.

Your sim has to visit their purchased community lot in order for business to happen. You can hire employees at home or on the community lot, and they will appear on the business lot when the owner does. They also leave when the owner does, unless a manager is hired to deal with things while the owner is away.

Customers

Ranks and Perks

Business Types

Retail/Services

Restaurant

Venues

New Objects

New Socials

New Build Mode Features

Kids & Businesses

New Cheats

To make the cheat window appear, press:

Ctrl + Shift + C

AddneighbortoFamilycheat on/off: If set to "on," this cheat allows you to hold the Shift key and left click on an NPC [not special NPCs such as Mrs. Crumplebottom and the Grim Reaper] to add him/her to the current household. This will only work if the NPC has finished his/her job [ie; the maid must have finished cleaning and be hanging out after work, or have been invited over via telephone for it to work.] With this cheat, you can also add more than the default 8 sims to a household.

Forecetwins: Use this cheat when you've selected a pregnant sim. Your pregnant sim will give birth to twins instead of a single baby.

Plumbbobtoggle on/off: This cheat allows you to toggle the plumbbob, either turning it off or on.

Wall Placement: While holding a wall object, hold Alt and Ctrl, and place the item. Doing this allows you to place as many objects on a wall as you like, even if they overlap.

Related Forum Threads

The Open Lot Downtown For Personal Business - last post by Animalover @ May 21, 03
Sims 2 open for business problem splash screen!!HeLP - last post @ Sep 5, 07
An add on for Open for Business! - last post by BenDaMan @ Dec 16, 06
sims 2 open for business code - last post by Agrias @ Jul 20, 08
Open For Business - last post by Simadik @ Feb 1, 08

Major portions of this page were written by:

Nightmare

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