الوسم: The Sims 4: Businesses & Hobbies

  • Launching a Hobby Meetup in The Sims 4: Businesses & Hobbies Guide

    Launching a Hobby Meetup in The Sims 4: Businesses & Hobbies Guide

    The Sims 4: Businesses & Hobbies enhances gameplay by incorporating various skills and activities from the series’ history, enriching the in-game experience and storytelling. Whether your goal is to start a business or explore your Sim’s hobbies, there are plenty of activities to keep your Sims engaged, even during longer lifespans.

    One engaging feature is hobby meetups, perfect for meeting other Sims, trying new activities, or revisiting old interests. No matter if your Sims enjoy pottery or stargazing in Nordhaven, there are many options to choose from.

    How to Attend Hobby Meetups

    Hobby meetups take place in Nordhaven, a vibrant new area in The Sims 4: Businesses & Hobbies. To join, you need to visit either Gammelvik or Iverstad neighborhoods at designated times on specific days, with meetups kicking off automatically as scheduled.

    Traveling to any location within these neighborhoods allows access to the meetups. Keep an eye out for public plazas where gatherings are held, usually found near wooden kiosks selling snacks and beverages.

    Tip: If you’re not in the area already and decide to visit Nordhaven for a meetup, consider stopping by one of the new small business venues in the vicinity. Not only can you attend the meetup, but this gives you an opportunity to explore the neighborhood too.

    Attending the Meetup

    Joining a hobby meetup doesn’t require any special qualifications; anyone can participate, regardless of their experience with the hobby. Meetups are organized around a sign that’s a permanent fixture in the neighborhood plazas, typically located close to the market kiosks. You can recognize these meetups by watching for groups of Sims with skill items, like pottery wheels or kilns. The sign will light up when a meeting is in progress, and you can hover over it to see details.

    To join a meetup, you can interact with any available items, socialize with other attendees, or use the sign directly.

    Tip: If you find it tricky to locate an ongoing meetup, look out for groups of Sims gathered together. Hover over them to see their names; if someone is part of a meetup, it will show “Meetup Attendee.”

    How to Walk to Hobby Meetups

    You can also use the sign to quickly reach the meetup. If it’s happening, select the sign and choose the “Check Current Meetup” option to see what’s going on. At the bottom of the pop-up, you’ll find the “Walk to Meetup” option. Select this, and your Sim will head to the right spot, ready to start engaging with the hobby or mingling with other attendees.

    Note: This method will only work if the meetup has already started.

    What are Hobby Meetups?

    Hobby meetups serve as a gathering for Sims in Nordhaven and beyond, focusing on improving their skills. With a total of seven different meetups available, each focusing on unique skills and activities, they are free to join and follow a set schedule.

    They’re similar to festivals but specifically aim to enhance skills, similar to events like the Spice Festival in San Myshuno or the Celebration of Life in Crow’s Crossing. Events vary daily, with different hobbies showcased on different days.

    Tip: Hobby meetups are a great opportunity to save on skill-related items. Some meetups even provide chances for your Sims to create items to sell, adding an extra layer of profitability.

    Available Hobby Meetups and Their Schedules

    Nordhaven offers a wide array of hobby meetups, including:

    Meetup Description Time Day
    Creative Co-Work Engage in woodworking and other crafts with fellow creatives. 8 AM – 1 PM Iverstad: Saturday
    Gammelvik: Sunday
    Galactic Gambits Star gazing and chess at this late-night event. 8 PM – 1 AM Iverstad: Wednesday
    Gammelvik: Monday
    Munch & Mingle Enjoy food and drinks with friends and neighbors. 11 AM – 4 PM Iverstad: Thursday
    Gammelvik: Wednesday
    Pottery & Pals Get hands-on with pottery using available wheels and kilns. 5 PM – 10 PM Iverstad: Tuesday
    Gammelvik: Thursday
    Spotlight Stars Perform at the biweekly open mic for singers and comedians. 6 PM – 11 PM Iverstad: Sunday
    Gammelvik: Friday
    Sweat & Socialize Start your day with fitness and socializing. 6 AM – 11 AM Iverstad: Thursday
    Gammelvik: Tuesday
    Writers & Readers Join a writer’s group or book club with fellow literary lovers. Iverstad: 12 PM – 5 PM
    Gammelvik: 2 PM – 7 PM
    Iverstad: Monday
    Gammelvik: Saturday

    Hobby meetups give your Sims a chance to thrive in a community atmosphere!

    Note: If you have additional downloadable content, some meetups may offer extra activities. For instance, Sims with the Nifty Knitting pack may see individuals knitting at a Creative Co-Work meetup.

    Using the Hobby Meetup Sign

    Both Iverstad and Gammelvik feature a hobby meetup sign. Selecting this sign provides a menu of interactions to check on upcoming activities, view all hobby meetups, and adjust your notification preferences.

    Tip: If a meetup is currently in progress, the sign will illuminate, allowing you to access the “Check Current Meetup” option, which reveals the ongoing session’s details. Hovering over the sign will also provide updates on the current meetup.

    Adjusting Meetup Notifications

    In Nordhaven, you must opt in or out of meetup notifications. To modify your notification settings, find the meetup sign, interact with it, and select "Meetup Notifications." From this submenu, you can enable or disable notifications for specific meetups or all at once.

    All notifications are disabled by default, so you’ll need to enable them individually or select all to receive reminders.

    Once enabled, notifications will appear on the notification wall at the top right corner of your screen when meetups are about to start, applicable to both neighborhoods. Make sure to be in the appropriate location to attend!

  • Opening a Bakery in The Sims 4: Exploring Business Ventures

    Opening a Bakery in The Sims 4: Exploring Business Ventures

    Bakeries have taken a flavorful leap with the Get to Work expansion in The Sims 4: Businesses & Hobbies. This update brings new baking options, enticing drinks, and a variety of customers, making your bakery more prosperous than ever before!

    While you can certainly thrive with just the items from Businesses & Hobbies, there are additional packs that complement your bakery adventures. Equip yourself with tools from Get to Work or Home Chef Hustle to elevate your baking game.

    How to Start a Bakery

    Although the Businesses & Hobbies expansion includes preset businesses, opening a bakery isn’t necessarily straightforward. You’ll need to be a bit inventive to utilize Business Activities to establish a bakery when you Register a Small Business.

    You can select activities such as Bake, Browse and Buy Items, Eat, Make Treats, and an optional fifth activity of your choice. Incorporating a coffee option is smart if you have a coffee bar, while promoting Friendly interactions can enhance customer experiences.

    If you have Get Together, consider starting with the Cafe preset, which encourages coffee drinking, dining, and reading. This setup allows you to offer baked goods for customers to enjoy on spot as they relax.

    Key Items for Your Bakery

    A bakery, like any food establishment, requires essential items to function properly. You’ll need to bake all those delicious goods! While you can transfer items from your Sim’s home to any Small Business venue, it’s best to prepare everything on-site to ensure freshness.

    Here are the must-have items for your bakery:

    • Ovens: Essential for talented bakers to create delectable sweets consistently.
    • Refrigerators: For gathering ingredients.
    • Sinks: Necessary for washing hands and cleaning up after selling pastries.
    • Sales Cases: To showcase your daily offerings.

    Beyond the basics, let your creativity shine! Many players build cozy bakeries with tables and chairs for customers, bookshelves for entertainment, and even stages for live performances.

    Expanding Your Bakery with Other Packs

    As previously mentioned, various other expansion packs enhance your bakery. With Businesses & Hobbies, you gain access to an array of candies and confections, including the fun Kate & Berry Sweet Treats Fabricator 3000, which creates mouthwatering candies.

    For packs that complement this one, Get to Work offers neat gadgets like the Cupcake Machine, café setups, and retail management options. If you’re looking for a farm-to-table experience, Cottage Living expands your options significantly.

    Smaller food-themed packs like Dine Out focus on traditional restaurants, while Home Chef Hustle and Cool Kitchen bring food stands and essential kitchen items into the mix.

    Tips for Running a Successful Bakery

    Hire Skilled Staff

    Just like in real bakeries, your success in The Sims 4: Businesses & Hobbies depends on hiring talented staff. Set their tasks around food preparation, bringing in Sims with high culinary skills. These skilled chefs will create baked goods that tourists are eager to buy.

    The regular Cooking skill offers a broad range of baked goods, while mastering Gourmet Cooking allows access to fancy treats, enhancing your menu. If you’re using Get to Work, Sims can also learn the specialized Baking skill, which can elevate the quality and price of your offerings.

    Showcase Your Finest Goods and Price Fairly

    Setting prices based on the quality of food and freshness is vital. Remember, the skills your culinary specialists bring can enhance the quality of dishes, thus allowing you to charge more for high-end items. To attract customers, make sure your display cases can easily be seen. Use the Stock Surface option to keep your baked goods visible, ensuring customers know what’s on offer.

    If you have a seating area, create a welcoming space for guests to enjoy their treats. Offering both indoor and outdoor seating can make your bakery a delightful place to visit.

    Don’t forget to maintain cleanliness and keep your bakery stocked; assign tasks to employees to tidy up during slower periods.

    With these tips and tricks, you’ll be on your way to running a thriving bakery in The Sims 4!

  • Hiring and Managing Sims 4 Employees: A Guide to Profits & Fun

    Hiring and Managing Sims 4 Employees: A Guide to Profits & Fun

    Managing a small business in The Sims 4: Businesses & Hobbies involves a lot of responsibilities, so why not lighten the load by hiring some employees? By bringing others onto your team, your Sim can focus on what really needs their attention.

    As the owner, you can hire several employees—anyone your Sim knows in the game. You have the option to bring family and friends on board for a more personal touch or to hire new faces for a professional atmosphere. The choice is entirely yours when starting a new business.

    Hiring and Managing Employees

    To get started with managing employees, navigate to the Owned Businesses tab, which is where you’ll open and close the business each day. Here, you’ll find various employee management options.

    Choosing Employees Based on Skills

    The first step in managing your employees is to hire them. Use the Manage Employees button to access an overview of potential hires, allowing you to bring on any Sim that your character knows. If your Sim is new to the neighborhood, they might need to mingle a bit before building a suitable team. While there’s no perfect candidate, selecting employees that match the requirements of your business is essential for success.

    When hiring, consider each Sim’s relevant skills that can boost your business. For instance, check their cooking or artistic skills for a café or a gallery. This way, you can ensure that you’re making the best hires for your specific needs.

    If you find that you need more qualified Sims, don’t hesitate to interact with new customers who visit your business. You never know when a hidden gem might walk through the door.

    Setting Uniforms and Pay

    After you’ve brought some employees on board, it’s time to choose their uniforms. You can select from a variety of predefined outfits suited for different business types or create custom uniforms in CAS if you have a specific look in mind.

    Once your team is set up, you can adjust their salaries through the Manage Employees menu. Everyone starts at a base rate, but it’s wise to offer higher pay if you want to keep your staff happy. Remember, satisfied employees can significantly contribute to your bottom line, while dissatisfaction over low pay may lead to high turnover. Regular check-ins on employee morale will help you avoid losing valuable team members.

    Delegating Tasks to Employees

    One of the perks of being a business owner is the ability to delegate tasks to your employees, allowing you to focus on strategic decisions. Assigning tasks that match each employee’s skill set can make a noticeable difference in the quality of service. For instance, artistic employees should be assigned creative tasks while charmers excel at customer interactions.

    It’s essential to align your employees’ tasks with your business activities. If your establishment offers food and drinks, make sure tasks related to food preparation are assigned accordingly. Each employee can handle up to five different tasks, giving you flexibility as your team grows.

    Keep in mind customer needs when delegating. Adjust assignments as necessary to meet demand—there’s no shame in reorganizing roles if you notice a shortfall in service.

    Through the tasks menu, you can explore various categories, including Food and Drink, Art and Music, Social interactions, and more, to find the right fit for your staff. By maintaining a keen awareness of your establishment’s needs and your employees’ strengths, you can cultivate a thriving business in The Sims 4!

  • Mastering Kintsugi: Repair Pottery in The Sims 4’s Hobbies!

    Mastering Kintsugi: Repair Pottery in The Sims 4’s Hobbies!

    The Sims 4: Businesses & Hobbies has introduced a pottery skill that lets your Sims create various pottery items, allowing them to dive deep into this enjoyable pastime. You can either buy a potter’s wheel and kiln for your home or opt to use the facilities at Terra-Potta for a fee.

    As is often the case with pottery, sometimes things go wrong, and items can break. Fortunately, there’s a unique and elegant way to fix shattered pottery using Kintsugi. Here’s how it works.

    What Is Kintsugi?

    Kintsugi is the Japanese practice of repairing damaged pottery in a way that enhances its flaws. This technique involves mending pots with powdered gold, silver, or platinum, and in The Sims 4, gold is the material used.

    This method allows pieces to be reassembled in a way that produces unique designs on the pottery, focusing on celebrating its imperfections rather than concealing them.

    How To Mend Broken Pottery With Kintsugi

    A Sim mending pottery at a pottery wheel.

    When you’re just starting out, your pottery might occasionally break while in the kiln, resulting in a pile of shattered pieces. If this happens, don’t worry. Just store the broken pieces in your inventory until you reach pottery skill level 7. This level unlocks the ability to fix ceramics.

    To repair them, simply click on the broken pieces and choose repair ceramic. Your Sim will need a potter’s wheel nearby to complete the repairs.

    The item will keep the glaze pattern it had before breaking.

    Can You Deliberately Break And Repair Pottery?

    If you want to create a broken look without actual bad luck, your Sim can simply click on any pottery item and select break ceramic. Your Sim will then use a hammer to smash the item into shards.

    Once that’s done, you can select repair ceramic and create a stunning mended Kintsugi piece.