~PLEASE EMAIL ME OR AIM ME WITH ANY QUESTIONS, SUGGESTIONS, OR
CORRECTIONS I CAN ADD TO THE FAQ!
~I WILL NOT ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN ANSWERED IN THE
FAQ, NO MATTER WHAT- THEY WILL GO STRAIGHT INTO THE TRASH! SO READ THE
ENTIRE FAQ FIRST, OR DO A SEARCH (ctr-f) TO FIND WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING
FOR.
Tips For Using This FAQ:
--- Do a search of the document, using keywords you want to look for.
(ctr- f).
--- Read the entire document before submitting questions.
A. Version Notes
B. FAQ (Q and A Session)
1. Is there a monthly fee?
2. How much will the game cost a month?
3. Do you need a credit card?
4. When was the release date?
5. How much will the game cost?
6. What is Charter Edition?
7. Do I need any of the old Sim's games?
8. Will I be able to import my own skins/objects into the game?
9. Can you play it offline?
10. How many characters can you have?
11. Can my Sim visit other cities?
12. Where do I buy the prepaid cards?
13. Would I like this game if I have never played any of the Sims
games?
14. Please explain the Core Business Unit Game, or Code Game. I
don't understand the code people are using!
15. Please explain the Pizza Concessione Game, or Pizza. I don't
understand the code people are using!
16. Would you recommend I start a business right away, or should I
wait and just use the job objects?
17. Would you recommend roommates right away?
18. How much do lots cost?
19. How come I am always having to download patches?
20. I heard that the CD has locks on some of the objects, and
Maxis will unlock the objects at certain times. Is this
true?
21. Will I ever get to make my own items?
22. Will you ever introduce other casino games besides Blackjack
and Roulette?
23. What is the ESRB rating for this game?
24. Do I have to make a business? Or can I just have a residence?
25. How old do I have to be to play the game? Is there an age
limit?
26. What are the system requirements?
27. What are simoleons?
28. How can I talk with sims that aren't on the same lot, or even
not online?
29. How do I check my mail?
30. How do I make a person a roommate?
31. What are the bonuses of having roommates?
32. What are the Map Filters about?
33. What options do I get when selecting my character?
34. What options do I get when making my name?
35. What does retiring a sim mean, and how do I do it?
36. Are their kids in the game?
37. Are their pets in the game?
38. How do I play the Maze game?
39. What are the skills I can have, and how are they significant?
40. Can my sim die?
41. What is the official website?
42. What is a good fansite?
43. Can I speed up time?
44. Which solo job objects are the best for making simoleons?
45. Which group job objects are the best for making simoleons?
46. What are the recommended system requirements?
47. How many roommates can I have?
48. What are some of the words/phrases people are saying in the
game?
49. What social interactions do I get when I acquire new skills?
50. Are there any cheat codes in the game?
51. Is it true that I can buy simoleons for real cash?
52. What cities are currently open?
C. Copyright
D. Special Thanks
Version 0.50 4/20/03 Updated and added some more questions!
Version 0.39 1/2/03 Answered question #49 thanks to
coolgamer167.
Version 0.35 12/31/02 Changed the Version's to start with 0.
Added some things to question #48. Added
question #49 and #50.
Version 0.33 12/30/02 Happy NEW YEAR, (in 2 days). I fixed some
wrong things in the answers.
Version 0.30 12/24/02 HUGE UPDATE: Rewrote and updated almost
every question. Added one new question.
Version 0.13 12/24/02 Three new questions and answers, updated
old ones. It's Christmas Eve, I imagine
lots of people are going to be starting TSO
tomorrow.
Version 0.09 12/22/02 I added one question and updated two old
ones.
Version 0.06 12/20/02 I added two new questions.
Version 0.04 12/17/02 I added three new questions and answers,
added some other minor stuff regarding my
email and submitting questions for the FAQ.
Version 0.00 12/17/02 First Version, doesn't it look nice?! Well
I think it's the best first version I have
ever done! Yeah for me!
2. Q: How much will the game cost per month?
A: $10 (USD)
3. Q: Do you need a credit card?
A: You a credit card to register the game. You can then either
buy pre-paid time cards in the store, or charge it to the credit card.
4. Q: When was the release date?
A: December 17, 2002.
5. Q: How much does the game cost?
A: $50 Regular, or $75 Charter Edition.
6. Q: What is Charter Edition?
A: Charter Edition comes with some extras- a key chain, autograph,
colored manual, hotkey list, and three months of free play. This is
the best deal if you are a Sims Fan.
7. Q: Do I need any of the old Sims games?
A: No The Sims Online is stand alone, and is separate from all
other Sims games.
8. Q: Will I be able to import my own skins/objects into the game?
A: You will be able to do this, but this feature is not supported
at this time.
9. Q: Can you play it offline?
A: No, the only option is to play it online.
10. Q: How many characters can you have?
A: You can have three Sims per account, and each Sim has to live
in a different city.
11. Q: Can my Sim visit other cities?
A: No, unless you delete the sim, he must stay in the city you
chose in the beginning.
12. Q: Where do I buy the prepaid cards?
A: You can buy them online at amazon.com, ebgames.com, or any
major retailer in your area.
13. Q: Would I like this game if I have never played any of the other
Sim's games?
A: I would try this game or one of the original Sim's games at a
friends house first before purchasing the game, so you won't have to
spend $50 for something you will never ever play. If you really like
playing it at your friends, it's worth a buy.
14. Q: Please explain the Core Business Unit Game. (Code Game). I
don't understand the code people are using!
A: There are three positions in the game- Logic, Mechanical and
Body. The object of this job object is to guess a three letter code
out of the letters A, B, and C. The leader will call out letters, and
you will click the letter that corresponds to your sim. If the leader
calls out BAC, then you would click B if you are the first sim on the
picture list. The leader will usually systematically go through the
codes using a pre-determined chart. Once you find the code, you will
be paid. Having max skills in all the areas, (Logic, Mechanical, and
Body) will increase the payout.
15. Q: Please explain the Pizza Concessione Game. (Pizza). I don't
understand the code people are using!
A: There are four positions in the game- Charisma, Body, and two
Cooking. The object is to make a pizza. To make a pizza, it must have
the following ingredients in the SAME size. Dough, Sauce, and Cheese.
The pizza can become Supreme if you add a topping (Pepperoni,
Mushrooms, Anchovies) along with the three main ingredients. All
ingredients must be the same size. You have three slots where
ingredients can be used. You can only get rid of one every time, and
you must ALWAYS get rid of one. Here is what the code letters stand
for:
S= Small
M= Medium
L= Large
S= Sauce
D= Dough
C= Cheese
T= Topping (Pepperoni, Anchovies, Mushrooms)
For example: If I had a small sauce, large dough, and large cheese, I
would say:
SS, LD, LC
Payouts increase with the more skills you have.
16. Q: Would you recommend I start a business right away, or should I
wait and just use the job objects?
A: This totally depends on you. Do you really have all the time,
and commitment to make a business successful? As of now, no businesses
are really raking the dough, but the property categories helps increase
successfulness of businesses. Do you have any roommates? If you are by
yourself, then starting a business won't work, unless you are playing
the game 24/7. Having roommates allows your property to be open
longer, which is better.
17. Q: Would you recommend roommates right away?
A: Yes, they help a lot in the beginning when you are just
starting out! They will help your house stay online longer, resulting
in bigger visitor bonuses, resulting in more money for you. They are
also great to help teach you about the game. But, you need to be
careful. One of the first times I got roommates, they left the whole
house and moved to a new lot, and I lost all of my objects and I was
broke! I would move in with any friends you have made before the game,
and then invite more people later on.
18. Q: How much do lots cost?
A: Lot prices vary. The most major consideration is the proximity
to water. The island lots are EXTREMELY expensive. Also there is the
consideration of the terrain. Rock lots are way cheaper than grass.
Sand/Beach lots are expensive too. Elevation plays in also, the higher
the more expensive. Snow lots are expensive, not due to the snow, but
the elevation.
19. Q: Why am I always having to download patches?
A: Online games are never done being changed! The patches are
updating your game; adding new features, fixing errors, adding new
skins or objects! New patches will always bring something good to the
game.
20. Q: I heard that the CD has locks on some of the objects, and Maxis
will unlock the objects at certain times. Is this true?
A: Yes, they have a lock certain objects so you won't have to
download them in a patch. The game will "unlock" them later, letting
you play with them.
21. Q: Will I ever get to make my own items?
A: You will be able to import your own items/objects at a later
date Maxis has said.
22. Q: Will Maxis ever introduce casino games like Blackjack and
Roulette?
A: Yes, Maxis will introduce Blackjack (21), Roulette, and Slots.
You will actually get to play the game too, not just watch your Sim do
it.
23. Q: What is the ESRB rating for this game?
A: Teen.
24. Q: Do I have to make a business? Or can I just have a residence?
A: In the Sims Online, you can do anything you want with your lot!
You do not need to charge anything or provide any services. People
will still find your lot interesting even if it just a house.
25. Q: How old do I have to be to play the game? Is there an age
limit?
A: You must be 13 years of age or older to have an account.
26. Q: What are the system requirements?
A: 500MHz CPU
128MB RAM
1.4 GB of free space on your hard drive
56K modem
2MB Video RAM
Windows 98, Windows XP (administrator only), Windows ME
NOTE: Windows 2000 DOES WORK, but it's not supported by Maxis.
2MB PCI or AGP video card capable of High Color (16-bit
Color), 800x600 resolution display, and DirectX 7
compatible driver
Remember those are the bare minimum, and it is not for ideal play.
27. Q: What are simoleons?
A: Simoleons are the currency Sims use, it is represented by .
28. Q: How can I talk with sims that aren't on the same lot, or even
not online?
A: The communication system in TSO is easy and useful. If you
want to talk with someone on another lot, you need to get their sim
page up. If they are bookmarked, get up the bookmark screen, then
right click on their name, and then click Message This Sim. A chat
window will pop up, and then you can talk with them. If you don't have
that sim bookmarked, then you have to search for them. Click the sim
name, then click on one of the icons that looks like a phone, a chat
window will come up, allowing you to talk to him/her. If the sim you
want to talk to is offline, then you can send a letter. Do it like any
of the ways mentioned before, but you won't get a response until they
come back into the game and check their mail.
29. Q: How do I check my mail?
A: On any view, in the lower left hand corner are some buttons.
One looks like a letter and telephone. Click it and your messages will
be retrieved for you to read. It will blink if you have any new
messages.
30. Q: How do I make a person a roommate?
A: To make someone your roommate, you first must be on your lot
and the person you want to ask must be on the same lot. Then click
their sim, click Transactions, then click Invite to be a Roommate. If
the other person says yes, then you will give them a key to the house,
and then they will be added to the roommate list.
31. Q: What are the bonuses of having roommates?
A: Roommates are great to have. You will get extra money by the
visitor bonuses, (which means you get paid for people that visit your
lot), your lot will stay online longer, you can expand your lot
cheaper, and you can pool your money together to buy some of the more
expensive objects.
32. Q: What are the Map Filters about?
A: The map filters help you find the most popular lots by
categories in a single glance. The property categories are: Welcome,
Money, Skills, Services, Entertainment, Romance, Shops, Residence,
Games, Offbeat and Places I have visited.
33. Q: What options do I get when selecting my character?
A: You get to choose things like in the regular Sim's games- sex,
skin tone, head, and body. There are about 120+ heads for both sexes,
and about 150+ bodies for both sexes, but there is more selection for
females. You do not choose personality, since you control it directly.
34. Q: What options do I get when making my name?
A: Your name must not contain Maxis or EA in it. It cannot be a
name already used by another sim in the city, even if they retired that
sim. You can use three words max, (2 spaces). ***Thanks to Joel***
35. Q: What does retiring a sim mean, and how do I do it?
A: Retiring a sim basically means to delete it off the servers.
It will disappear entirely, and you will not be able to use that name
again on the same city. To retire a sim, on the main sim page where you
can choose which sim to play, click the arrow button underneath the
picture of the sim you wish to retire, and then click "Retire This
Sim".
36. Q: Are kids in the game?
A: No, there are only adult heads and skins to choose from.
37. Q: Are there pets in the game?
A: No, but that might change in the future.
38. Q: How do I play the Maze game?
A: The maze game can become quite profitable if you get good at it
with your partner. The game is played with two sims. One is Logic,
the other is Charisma. The object of the game is to guide the Charisma
sim to a target in a maze. The target looks like a big X. Sounds easy
right? It's not, as only the Logic sim can see the maze. Some player
code has been developed to tell the charisma sim where to move through
the maze.
N= North
S= South
E= East
W= West
A number might be used to tell how many spaces in that direction; If
you want them to move 3 squares to the east, 5 squares north, then 1
west, simply say E3, N5, 1W. There are colored tiles spread out
through the maze. These are spread about to help find your location.
The Charisma sim can only see the tile that he/she is on. So if you
begin on a blue square, with walls North, South, and West say in the
beginning; Blue, NSW. The logic player would then locate the area the
other Sim is on, based on that information. It is the best to just
play the game and get a feel for it.
39. Q: What are the skills, and how are they important?
A: The skills your sim can acquire are important if you want your
sim to be useful for the job objects. The skills you can have are:
Cooking- This skill makes your cooking better. Sims will get more full
from your dishes that you make. You will make more money from the
canning job object. You will have more social interactions open up.
Mechanical- This skill allows you to fix things. You will have more
social interactions open up. Making gnomes will be worth more.
Charisma- You will have more social interactions open up.
Telemarketing on the phone will make more money.
Creativity- You will have more social interactions open up. When you
play the piano or guitar, the music will sound better. Paintings and
stories from the typewriter are worth more.
Logic- You will have more social interactions open up. Solving
problems on the blackboard are worth more simoleons.
Body- You will have more social interactions open up. Bashing the
pinata will be worth more.
40. Q: Can my sim die?
A: Not at this time, but a death feature has been talked about on
the official boards.
41. Q: What is the official website?
A: www.thesimsonline.com
42. Q: What is a good fansite?
A: www.thesimsworld.com
43. Q: Can I speed up time?
A: No you cannot change the speed of the game. Since this is an
online game, you must keep the time the same for all the players. It
would mess up the game if one person had the speed on the fastest,
while another on the slowest. All time is the same for everyone on a
lot.
44. Q: Which solo job objects are the best for making simoleons?
A: I prefer the preserve station. It's pretty quick, and the
prices are reasonable for the amount of time you spend working on them.
Another good one is the mechanical table, which you make the gnomes on.
You CANNOT place gnomes on your property unlike the offline versions.
***Thanks to Ajlkid and Joel***
45. Q: Which group job objects are the best for making simoleons?
A: The best with maxed skills in the respective areas is the Maze
game. Some people can get 14,000-15,000 simoleons in one round. Pizza
and Code are also good ways to make money, but they aren't as
profitable. The real money comes from your skills maxed.
46. Q: What are the recommended system requirements?
A: 1000MHz CPU
128MB RAM
1.4 GB of free space on your hard drive
Broadband Internet
2MB Video RAM
Windows 98, Windows XP (administrator only), Windows ME
2MB PCI or AGP video card capable of High Color (??-bit
Color), 800x600 resolution display, and DirectX 7
compatible driver
47. Q: How many roommates can I have?
A: Each property can have a total of eight people living on
it. If you are the property leader, then you can invite seven
people max to live with you.
48. Q: What are some of the words/phrases people are saying in the
game? (BRB, AFK, Green Up, Red, LOL, IMO, IMHO, LMAO)
A: Those are acronyms for some popular saying's people say on the
internet and in chatrooms.
BRB= Be right back.
AFK= Away from keyboard.
Green Up= Get your needs full and green.
Red= Your needs are low and you need to take care of them.
LOL= Laugh out loud.
IMO= In my opinion.
IMHO= In my humble opinion.
LMAO= Laughing my ass off.
ROFL= Rolling on the floor laughing.
MMAF= Make me a friend .
MMAE= Make me an enemy.
TY = Thank you.
YW = Your Welcome
WTG = Way To Go
Some of those aren't used quite as often in the game, as people can
sometimes express those through social interactions.
49. Q: What social interactions do I get when I acquire new skills?
A:
MECHANICAL:
2 points: Wipe Brow
4 points: Eye Poke
6 points: Use puppet
8 points: Head spin
9 points: Swallow sword.
CHARISMA:
2 points: Vogue
4 points: Sexy Wiggle
6 points: Kiss hand
7 points: Pop star
8 points: Tango
9 points: Smoke from ears
LOGIC:
2 points: File nails
4 points: Nyah-nyah
6 points: Latin steps
8 points: Primal scream
9 points: Evil laugh
BODY:
2 points: Dance Jazz
4 points: Flex Body
6 points: Break Dance
7 points: Back Flip
8 points: Bench Press
CREATIVITY:
2 points: Showin' Tude
4 points: Rap
6 points: Give gift
8 points: Serenade
9 points: Jitterbug.
50. Q: Are there any cheat codes in the game?
A: Since this is an online multiplayer game, there are no cheats.
Stick with the offline versions if you like to cheat.
51. Q: Is it true that I can buy simoleons for real cash?
A: Yes, there are sites where you can buy simoleons for use in TSO for real
money. Check out www.ebay.com and www.simsauctions.com
52. Q: What cities are currently open?
A: Alphaville
Dan's Grove
Fancey Fields
Calvin's Creek
Interhogan
Test Center
Blazing Falls
This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for
personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or
otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use
of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display
is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright.
All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by
their respective trademark and copyright holders.
Thanks to the following people:
Joel (suggestions)
Korey Ross (suggestions)
Ajlkid
Matt
SeanFMSBassist (proof reading)
StarchyBean (proof reading),
Takenover83 (suggestions + proof reading)
CamiotThePsycho
coolgamer167 (Social interactions acquired from skills)
Maxis, www.gamefaqs.com, www.thesimsworld.com, www.cheatcc.com
