Private Investigator

[Saltypaws]

I haven't tried blackmail or beat up yet.  So far, I have gotten what I needed just by asking, but that could change.  Anyone ever go on a stakeout at the criminal warehouse?  That is pretty neat.

[Slingsby]

Our Investigator is Level 10 and still working ... she now has 3 awards from City Hall [nice presentation ceremony outside] as well.  As time goes by the cases get a bit more complex, but they're still fairly simple {Report In, Talk to ... , Rummage Bin, Report In].  And some of them don't finish properly due to mis-programming or something - they just STOP before the case is completed.  And we had a "Rummage Bin" which wouldn't action at all, so had to abandon the case.

[Saltypaws]

I had to abandon a case last night.  She had to call someone over to discuss a case, but after I clicked on the action for the case, nothing would happen. Oh well, it happens.

[Sophea33]

Has anyone else started their own little collection of mysterious gnomes who just happen to appear in their inventory.

I have yet to see the gnomes increase while doing anything like rummaging or looking through mailboxes, so my only guess is that they are procreating in my PI's backpack.

I'm up to 8 right now and kind of scared to place them in case they try to take over her house.

[Saltypaws]

I don't know about gnomes, but a car ended up in my PI backpack and a guitar.  I know you can "take for evidence" but I didn't prompt her to, but, I can still use the car. LOL

[NancyJ]

The car is a career reward you get automatically at around level 8. I think the gnomes come from the quest where you have to find out who has been kicking the gnome. PI is a great way to get starting cash, you can make 1-2k in your first day, doesn't really scale well though, as you advance you get longer investigations for the same amount of money. I wonder if that was an oversight? In other careers you get more money per job as you get better.

[Saltypaws]

I wonder if you get a prompt when you get the car and it just gets covered up by other prompts.  I usually look through them carefully.  At any rate, it was suprising to get it.  I really like the PI path, especially stakeouts and sneaking.

[NancyJ]

I didn't notice anything about the car either but it's usually in the level up prompt (which I somehow missed) - like the magnifying glass, fingerprint dust and door

[Saltypaws]

I must have just missed it too, I guess.  I wonder about the guitar though, no one in the house plays.  I wanted it like that since I just about burned myself out on earlier guitar careers, so I didn't want anyone musical in this family, lol, so I know I didn't get the guitar for them, just another life in the day of a sim.

[Sophea33]

The car is a career reward you get automatically at around level 8. I think the gnomes come from the quest where you have to find out who has been kicking the gnome. PI is a great way to get starting cash, you can make 1-2k in your first day, doesn't really scale well though, as you advance you get longer investigations for the same amount of money. I wonder if that was an oversight? In other careers you get more money per job as you get better.

I was told that the town gave me a car, but it was when I leveled up and the text wasn't obvious.

The gnome thing makes sense, since I think I have completed the gnome case a few times.  I was beginning to think that my PI was a super secret klepto with an affinity for gnomes, and to be honest it scared me a little bit.

Also, I have noticed that there are some cases where I get paid throughout the case.  So that I might get 3 payments over the course of the entire case.  The longer it is, the more likely I am to collect more than one fee.

[Branr]

I must have just missed it too, I guess.  I wonder about the guitar though, no one in the house plays.  I wanted it like that since I just about burned myself out on earlier guitar careers, so I didn't want anyone musical in this family, lol, so I know I didn't get the guitar for them, just another life in the day of a sim.

One of the cases has you investigating a musician's stalker, the guitar (I got 2 actually) is a gift from the musician.

[Saltypaws]

Hmmm, I have not done that one yet, so it could not have been that one.  She is my level 10 practice PI.  Guess I will have to pay better attention in the future.

[Pam]

Has anyone figured out how to get a van for the Investigator?  Mine has mentioned it a couple of times and I bought him the 4 Everything Van in Buy Mode, but he still mentioned how much easier stakeouts would be if he could afford a van.  I have no idea how to get one for him.

[Deborah]

You can buy the 4 everything van, you shouldn't get the messages any more after that. Not that it makes a difference since you can not actually use the van for stakeouts.

someone else wrote about it here
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/216473.page

[Pam]

You can buy the 4 everything van, you shouldn't get the messages any more after that. Not that it makes a difference since you can not actually use the van for stakeouts.

someone else wrote about it here
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/216473.page

Thanks Deborah.  But I've already bought the 4 Everything Van and the messages didn't stop.

Mine has mentioned it a couple of times and I bought him the 4 Everything Van in Buy Mode, but he still mentioned how much easier stakeouts would be if he could afford a van.  I have no idea how to get one for him.