The Sims Hot Date
Death and Disaster Guide
Copyright 2002
Wraith10 wraith_10_@hotmail.com
Version 1.9
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Distribution Info
-----------------
You may use this FAQ for yourself personally, make copies for your friends, or
host it on web pages provided NO MONEY is made off this FAQ. If you choose to
post it in a public domain (webpage) please send me an email detailing the
Webpage location and a contact email for yourself so that I can ensure you will
always have the most recent copy available. I reserve the right to ask for the
removal of this FAQ from any page deemed offensive.
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Purpose
-------
A record of all the disasters that can befall you sims, how to prevent them
and what to do if they happen. Also all the ways you can die and the proper
prevention or triggers. I make no effort to compile a list of codes, cheats,
or hints for this game. That is the purpose of other FAQs and guides that
were developed for that purpose. My guide covers simply what I have stated
above and nothing else.
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Your Job
--------
Send in any information that you have that belongs in this FAQ. Including
corrections, additions, and observations
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Contact Me
----------
Let me know if you if you find any mistakes in the guide, or if you have
anything you want added or clarified. Please write "Sims FAQ" or something
like that in the subject line of your message or most likely it will be
deleted as junk mail. If you do not receive a reply within 2 weeks this
likely happened and you can resubmit the tip.
Questions, Comments, Corrections: wraith_10_@hotmail.com
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Version History
---------------
1.0 First Edition
1.1 Spell Checked and Submitted
1.2 Small change to the Roaches section
1.3 Addition of the "Getting Fired" section, and "Child Services"
added "important note"
1.4 "New Notice", LL and HP tags (see notice), "Random Demotion" minor changes
to some of the sections
1.5 Sims with higher cooking skills can still cause fires--
See Fires (Anime Prince)
1.6 Burglar alarms only cover 5 squares in any direction, tip for placement
of burglar alarms, fridge has no food if you're broke, no comfort from
sleeping on the floor, bills explode when overdue (all: Anime Prince)
1.7 New section "tech support and serial numbers", changes to "spontaneous
combustion section and getting fired section, burglars alarms cover a
whole room inside and only 5 squares outside
1.8 Changes to Grim Reaper, Floods, and Random Demotion (all: Anime Prince)
1.9 If you go swimming w/ low energy bar you could drown (Jodraporiaj@aol.com)
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Technical Support and Serial Numbers
------------------------------------
I would like to state that I am NOT a technical support person. All of my
sim games run fine and I likely do not know how to fix your problem. If you
have any problems with a sim game you should read the manuals and documentation
that came with your name, visit the official web site, or find a support board.
Secondly I will NEVER EVER give ANYONE ANY serial number for ANY reason. I am
tired of telling people this and will no longer be sending them a politely
worded email to this effect, any additional requests for serial numbers will
be forwarded to Maxis' piracy department! I don't care why you say you need a
serial number, if you have a genuine reason technical support should be able to
help you. If you have a pirated copy and that's why you have no serial number
I am not about to help you by giving you mine!
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New Notice
----------
Some of the things that are refered to in this guide came from expansion packs
other than hot date. (livin' large, house party) I will use the symbol LL
next to things that are from livin' large and HP for house party. If you
think there is an item or concept that I missed marking with these tags
please let me know as I'm sure it's frustrating looking for something that
is not in your game. Thanks to SpLaShInJaNeY87@aol.com for pointing this
out to me.
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Important Note
--------------
It is possible to solve many of the disasters in the game by using the
move_objects on cheat. I will not discuss this cheat in detail in this guide
as a solution to disaster situations. The use of this cheat is cheating and
it is up to you whether you use it or not. Also there are risks involved if
you try to delete default objects or people. Be careful, if you decide
to use it you are doing so at your own risk and whatever happens is not my
fault.
Note: Be careful when using the move_objects on cheat, if you are unsure of
how this cheat works please find out! Never delete or move your main garbage
can, mailbox, or carpool as this, while fixable, can lead to problems.
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Disasters
---------
A disaster is anything bad that can happen to your sims or their property in
the game. Some disasters cause death, some destruction, and some just do
their best to make a mess of that perfectly crafted lifestyle you worked hard
for. Some disasters are not hugely destructive but they are all annoying.
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Floods
------
Caused by broken appliances like dishwashers, sinks, bathtubs, showers, and
toilets. Basically if it uses water and it can break, it can cause a flood.
Floods may be only a few tiles but can quickly spread if the broken object
is continually used and not repaired. Messy sims can also cause mini floods
(puddles) when they get out of the tub or shower. The messier a sim is, the
more likely he or she will make a mess after bathing or showering. To fix
a flood you can click on each water tile and have it cleaned up, hire a maid,
or turn on Servo. If a broken appliance was the cause you should fix it
yourself, call a repairman, or turn on Servo(LL). Asking the genie(LL) for a
water wish may reward you with a fountain or cause a flood too. Floods will
evaporate in about 3 days.
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Fires
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A fire can be caused by ANYTHING (even dirty dishes) being placed directly in
front of a fireplace. If a sim with low cooking skill (under 2) tries to use
a grill, barbecue, microwave, stove, or light a fireplace they are more likely
to start a fire (it can still happen even with higher cooking skills.) Fires
can be extinguished or held a bay by nearby sims however there is a danger of
death if you are too close to the flames. Place a fire alarm in all
areas that contain fire causing equipment, and if there is no alarm in the
room, call the fire department immediately when a fire starts. The landing of
fireworks(LL) where they shouldn't (like on stuff or in the house) can also
start a fire. The key to fire prevention is cooking skills, object placement,
smoke alarms, and safe use of fireworks.
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Burglars
--------
Burglars come when every sim is gone or asleep. It appears to be a random
event. The burglar must enter through a door so place an alarm by EVERY
door to the outside as well as one in each room. You can also attempt to
call the police but it will often be too late by the time they get there.
A burglar will stuff as much of your most expensive belongings into a bag
before he takes off. If you catch a burglar you get a reward. If you have a
burglar alarm that goes off, you receive compensation from the insurance
company for the CURRENT value of stolen items not the replacement cost.
(items depreciate in value over time, except some art) Burglar alarms only
cover 5 squares in any direction outside (covers the whole room inside) so if
you have long walls you might need to put up several.
Anime Prince says that "If you want to be really safe, you can put a wall
segment with a burglar alarm on it close to where your Sim enter the lot and
the burglar will hopefully get caught before he takes anything."
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Roaches (LL)
-------
A sign of a dirty house. Roaches will lower the room score and multiply over
time but they will not otherwise do any damage. You can click on a roach to
spray them, but if they move the spray order will be cancelled (this problem
is fixed if you install the livin' large patch or a newer expansion like hot
date, house party, or the sims vacation. If a maid sees a roach she will kill
it.
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Flies (HP)
-----
Another sign of a dirty house. Flies will buzz around without actually being
directly in contact with something like a dirty dish. If you clean your house
they may go away.
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Overdue Bills
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If you forget to pay your bills and they turn red for a couple of days, then
they will explode. After that then Repo man will come and take away items in
your house equal to the debt you owe. The solution is simple, pay your bills.
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Getting Fired
-------------
If you don't show up for work one day you will receive a warning phone call.
However, if you miss work for two days in a row you'll be fired and have to
get a new job. This simple solution would be to not miss work for two days in
a row. There was a bug in early versions of the game (resolved with the
patch) that if one of your sims missed work and the other sim took the
carpool at the same time, then they would both miss work and this could lead
to your getting fired easier. There was also a bug that if you had a night
job and you took a day off work, it counted as two days and you were fired.
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Random Demotion
---------------
Sometimes randomly when you have reached level 10 in a job field you will be
called and told that something has happened that caused you to lose your job.
They will give you a job at level 6 in a different field. There doesn't
appear to be any discernable cause for this happening. There is a 1 in 30
chance ot this occuring once you have reached level 10.
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Child Services
--------------
If you have a baby and you fail to take proper care of it child services will
come and take it away from you. You need to have one of your sims staying
home from work to care for the baby and make sure its hunger level does not
reach such a state that it is taken away from you.
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Broken Objects
--------------
Most objects can be broken and repaired. Click on an object to select repair,
hire a repairman, or turn on servo(LL) to solve your problems. Some broken
objects may also cause floods.
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Dead Plants
-----------
If you leave plants to long without water they will eventually wilt and die.
You can prevent this by hiring a gardener to water your plants of taking good
care of them yourselves. A truly dead plant can only be thrown out and can't
be watered anymore. Plants that are just wilted can be revived.
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Dead Fish
---------
Left neglected for too long fish can die too. Their water gets scummy, they
haven't been fed for a while and sooner than you think they're floating belly
up. Now you'll have to start over with new fish!
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Death and Failure States
------------------------
Your sims can die! There are multiple causes too and some are not even
preventable. So read on you morbid folks.
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No Energy
---------
It won't kill you but if you sim gets to the point where the energy bar is
completely red he or she will just fall asleep where they are. You will be
able to click on them and get them to wake up after the bar gains a bit. Sims
that fall asleep on the floor won't gain any comfort. If you go swimming when
you have low energy there is a risk you could drown.
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Bladder
-------
Maturity people, maturity! If your sim's bladder bar is fully red they will
have any accident on the floor that needs to be cleaned up. Their comfort
and hygiene levels will drop too. Have a heart--give them a bathroom break.
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Spontaneous Combustion
----------------------
A very rare phenomenon where your sim will burst into flames with no apparent
cause and die. There is no cause or prevention for this type of death. This
is extremely rare and very few people will EVER even see this happen so don't
worry about it. Your sim will start twitching, burst into flames, and melt
down to ash. If you don't have the patch installed there is a bug that will
prevent you from seeing the flames.
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Guinea Pig Plague (LL, downloaded, hot date)
-----------------
If you do not feed the guinea pig and clean its cage it may bite you when you
try to play with it. This will cause the sim to get sick and may lead to
death. Quarantine is essential, as this virus is contagious. There are three
ways to cure the plague.
1) get lots of rest and food, keep energy levels high
2) buy the forgotten guinea pig painting for the room the sick sim is in and
they will be cured in 16 hours
3) use the chemistry set(LL)to mix the white potion, this can only be done by
the sim that is actually sick
If you don't care for a sick sim they will die.
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Electrocution
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If a sim with little mechanical skill tries to repair a broken appliance or to
replace a light bulb they can be electrocuted. If you are standing in water
at the time you have an even greater chance of being killed by it.
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Burning To Death
----------------
See more information under fires.
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Drowning
--------
If a sim is trapped in a pool with no ladder or a ladder that is blocked they
will eventually die from exhaustion. This is the best way to kill a sim on
purpose. Note the grim reaper will not come for this kind of death. If you
eat turkey before swimming you will die sooner. If you have a low energy bar
when you go swimming you increase the risk of drowning.
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Starvation
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If there is no food in the fridge or you trap a sim in an area with no access
to food they will eventually starve to death. It takes on average about 4
days for this to happen. They will cry and whine the whole time as well as
falling asleep and wetting themselves. The light green potion cuts down on
the time it takes to starve. It is a lot easier to starve a baby (child
services takes it away) and if you aren't careful it may happen by accident.
If you have no money there won't be anything in the fridge either.
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Insect Swarm (?)
------------
Very Rarely if a visiting sim brings over a gift of flowers and they rot for
a few days before you try to clean them up, an insect swarm may attack and
kill your sim. This is also very rare and it is unlikely you will EVER see
it either.
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Gnome Cough (LL)
-----------
If you use the wood working table in an enclosed space with no windows for an
extended period of time your sim may develop a cough that could lead to death.
The mourning period for sims is usually 24 hours.
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Tombstones and Urns
-------------------
If you move a grave marker outside it will be a tombstone. If you move it
inside it will be an urn. You can sell both of these for around §5.
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Note when killing guests
------------------------
If you kill a guest they will die in your other house too so be careful who
you kill off.
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The Grim Reaper (LL)
---------------
The Grim Reaper may bring back a sim who has died as a zombie. He will not
do this for sims who drowned. If he doesn't bring you back you will be a
ghost. The Grim Reaper may refuse his services saying, "I have other people
dying today." If you beat him in a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors, he will
fully bring you Sim back to life.
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Ghosts
------
Each tombstone and urn on a lot has a 12% of causing a ghost to appear at
around 11:00pm. Ghosts will also appear when Sims are exhausted, starving or
very depressed. You will hear strange music play and ghosts can disturb the
sleep of any sims on the GROUND floor. Selling all tombstones and urns
eliminates all the ghosts on the lot.
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Credits
-------
EA games and Maxis: For making this game
GameFAQS: For posting this guide
You: For reading this guide
Me: For writing this guide
AsdfgA3@aol.com : For pointing out the livin' large patch fixes the
cancellation of your "roach spray can order" when the bugs move
SpLaShInJaNeY87@aol.com : For pointing out that some concepts in this FAQ
started with previous expansions.
Anime_Prince : For pointing out that sims with higher cooking skills can still
cause fires, you don't get comfort from sleeping on the floor, burglar
alarms only see 5 squares in any direction when outside, tip on
placement of burglar alarms, overdue bills explode, the fridge has no
food if you are broke, floods evaporate after 3 days, there is a 1 in
30 chance of a random demotion, the grim reaper can refuse you his
service, saying, "I have other people dying today." If you beat him in Rock,
Paper, Scisors, he will fully bring your Sim back to life.
Jodraporiaj@aol.com : If you swim w/ low energy increase risk of drowning.
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This Guide can be found at:
---------------------------
www.gamefaqs.com
www.neoseeker.com
www.gamespot.com
www.cheathappens.com
www.cheats.de
www.actiontrip.com/cheats/
http://DLH.NET
http://faqs.ign.com
