Insimenator.org

okay-
if you've seen my other posts about ofb, you have probably realized that i am new to ofb and so i have a few questions :confused:

1.what kind of businesses are you able to have employees wear gorilla and duck costumes and like greet people at the door of the shop, i saw this in a video from ea.com

2.what level of talent badge do you have to have in toy making to make the spinny plant thing for toddlers and the octopus that sprays water??

3.can you set the price for everything at once and have it all be (ex.) cheap, expensive, ridiculously cheap etc. for people be able to buy them or do you have to set the prices individually?

4.any hints or tips to making a successful business are very welcome

help is much appreciated thanx  :kiss:

This OFB FAQ/walk-through may be of aid:

http://www.neoseeker.com/resourcelink.html?rlid=125271&rid=116858

The badge requirements are inside there.

As to other specifics in your question:

The animal uniforms can be worn by any business owner or assigned as a uniform to employees or manager.

Not aware of any 'automatically greet each customer' option (though such a hack may exist out there someplace). But, as at home when dealing with visitors, any selected Sim can forced to greet or interact (joke, talk, etc.) with another Sim.

To set the price for a whole bunch oif items at once, first place them on the business shelves or displays (don't set individual item prices, or else unprice them if you have set individual prices already), then click on the shelf or display itself to set the price level of everything on it to the same level (will show in that hideous yellow shade when price is active, or show in black when the pricing is inactive). Even after doing this, you can still afterwards reset any individual item's price through the normal pricing procedure (unprice the individual item first, then re-price it).

An inviting and attractive business will help a lot. That includes sufficient lighting (absolutely crucial), perhaps some plants and/or paintings to bolster the general environment, bathrooms for the customers (of course) and perhaps someplace for them to sit and rest, as well as maybe something fun to attract them (pinmball or darts, for example). Also leave enough empty floorspace near or around the counters or shelve so that multiple Sims can browse and navigate through the merchandise. If space permits, an outdoor barbecue and tables/seats (along with a close-by trash can) can help, too. Displaying the first simolean the business earns (which automatically shows up in the owner's backpack) on a wall or counter helps just a tiny bit, too.

Having a break area or break room with its door set just for owner and employees entrance is also a must -- at a minimum, with seating or a couch, and something diversionary (a TV or pinball, for example). If space permits, at least a mini-fridge, a microwave, a sink and trash can also.

I've also found the hacked Open/Close sign and the employee controller (one per employee) at Simlogical to be very useful additions:

http://www.simlogical.com/sl/Sims2Pages/Sims2_OFB.htm

If you're using Bluewater as a business district, go into some of the business lots yourself* and see how Maxis has them configured and equipped to get a feel for the basics.

*Sorry if this is too elementary, but to do this, open Bluewater  'hood and then open the Lot Catalog and then click on any lot in the 'hood itself to go into it without having to have a Sim visit it.

Also, one perhaps helpful hint about an on-again, off-again OFB glitch which can crop up (moreso with custom content for sale or when using some OFB hacks) -- if something has been sold and you don't see the out of stock sign in the same place where the item was, check the farthest corners of the lot - that's where the sign(s) will be. Unfortunately, normal restocking can't be done with those. You have to use moveObjects on cheat and then go into Buy mode and delete those glitched signs.