Over the last week I have tried to play my Sims at least an hour a night.  I have one retired guy from the culinary field who I want to open a bakery.  His wife is still younger (go old dude!) and working as a celebrity chef.  She’s bringing in enough bucks per week that they should be able to open “The Sweet Shoppe” in about three weeks.

During the course of playing this family (they are the only ones I have played from my neighborhood since installing Open for Business), I have found a few bugs and other issues.  The first (and biggest) bug is some lots will not load.  The daughter in this family left for college and I loaded the University neighborhood to place her in a dorm.  I had to do this in order for Pops to get his want fulfilled.  Anyhoo - in the process of moving her into a dorm, the game froze.  It started to load the lot, the columns were lighting up and the icons were changing colors and then nothing.  I let it sit for nearly 10 minutes thinking it needed to reload all the old data into the new OFB format.   

Filed under: Sims | No Comments »

I’ve been anxiously waiting to receive my Open for Business expansion pack since I was notified my order shipped last week. Well, it arrived yesterday from Amazon.com. I was quite (happily) surprised to find it in my mailbox a week earlier than I expected. There were some odds and ends that needed my attention before I could sit down and do the installation, so I placed it on my desk and went on to finish my tasks. As soon as my jobs were done, dinner was over and I had some quiet time, I busted open the package and loaded the CD.

Installation was about normal (you need around 95MB of free space) and I took the time to complete the EA Survey. So, after 30 minutes or so of backup, install and setup, I was finally ready to see what this expansion pack has to offer. My first impression? WOW! My second impression? I’m hitting the store today for the Open for Business Prima Guide.

Filed under: Sims | No Comments »

Amazon emailed to let me know my expansion pack is on the way. I pre-ordered right after I saw the announcement at EA. The download info for the bonus mascot kit has been burning a whole on my desk. I have been patiently waiting for it to ship, and now my wait is over.

Of course, I haven’t even played my Sims in over a month. Hopefully, I can find some time next week to start some of my Sims on the self-employment track. Guess I’ll be buying another Prima guide, too!

Filed under: Sims | No Comments »

In a January 4, 2006 press release, EA Games has announced that “Open for Business” will be the next expansion pack. This will be the third expansion pack for the newest Sims series. Sims will now be able to use their skills to create their own products and sell them in their very own store. According to the website information, there will be over 125 new objects and Sims will have the ability to hire employees, determine product pricing and (hopefully) develop a business empire in the profession of their choice.

Filed under: Sims | No Comments »

With the holidays here, I�ve been so busy with family and food that I haven�t visited with my Sims in quite some time. I recently sent two more to college and have twin sisters nearing graduation.

Filed under: Sims | No Comments »