Get To Work - First Impressions

[Carl]

Share your first impressions of Get to Work here! I'll be working on a review, so my thoughts will be published very soon.

Overall, it feels like a very strong opening EP. Couple this with The Sims Studio's work to improve the base game, and we're left with a much better product overall. The retail feature is very deep and offers plenty of gameplay when compared to a lot of other features. Magnolia Promenade is a little bit of a disappointment, but all we really needed were some nice shops. Some players will save up and choose to manage those, while I'll always prefer to start mine from scratch to fully customize the experience.

I cannot comment on Aliens, nor the active Careers yet because I've focused so heavily on retail. That's why I bought this Expansion and I'm not disappointed.

[ClayMask]

I haven't tried out anything yet, but initially I'm surprised to see that nothing was added to the rewards store and that there aren't any new aspirations.  I was sure they would make several new aspirations involving active career and business.  Looks like also no new traits.

[MissTrips]

I was a little disappointed that there were no new social events or aspiration/traits, but the active careers are one long social event for one sim.  I like that you can just send a sim in an active career to work rabbit hole style so you can switch off between sims  from one day to the next.

I'm very pleased with all the new create a sim styles, I haven't tried out the aliens yet, but the makeup options are very neat.

As to the careers themselves, I have been trying the science one and I am loving it.  The building design has a very Strangetown vibe to it, the daily tasks are fun, and I love that once again your sim actually has coworkers to develop relationships with, you can make friends at work, filling you social bar and getting good job performance at the same time!  It was very tempting to stay late to keep doing things but I figured there'd be plenty of time to explore all the various options!

And *basements*!  I'm so happy to have them back, you can't be a proper mad scientist without a good basement!

Overall, I'm very happy with this expansion and I once I get tired of playing with my scientist, I'll try the retail side, though I'm pondering between an artist with a gallery or if I could pull off something like a fresh fish market, catch them in the morning and sell the fish for the dinner crowd!

[MarianT]

Running a shop is intense, especially once your customers start deciding to buy things. I have a combination gnome, book, and bake shop. The gnomes were the main thing that sold, but my sim writer hasn't produced any books yet. The gnomes went like hotcakes -- the hotcakes (cupcakes) just sat there. But at the end of the day, my store owner was able to transfer 1,000 simoleons back into the household account (which had nearly been depleted by buying the store), and could hang a framed "first simoleon."

I think the reason there aren't any new rewards with this EP is that there's a whole reward system for the retail stores. My sim got 100 perk points by the end of the day.

I don't know about the stores that came with the game. I downloaded one from the gallery, and had to add a bathroom. I am pleased with the idea of combining something with a bakery, though. If you stock the refrigerator with donuts ($2), then your customers will sit and eat even if they don't buy what you bake. And the longer they stay in your store, the longer it's possible that they'll buy something.

The other thing I did was to make an alien. Lots of make-up, and the disguise doesn't look anything like your alien. I've decided that any aliens I make will get some of the new eye make-up as part of their disguise so that I, at least, can identify them. For people who don't want any aliens, I didn't have any show up in my shop.

I took my first photograph with the phone and discovered that if you hold down the left-click button, you have access to the filters, etc. I'll have to try that with painting from reference, too, as moving the cursor around just moves the screen if you don't.

All in all, I'm quite thrilled and can't wait to try the careers.

[Metropolis Man]

Hmmmm...Photography is a bit...lacking?  I set out this morning to compile info for a Guide for Carl and discovered there's no way to make money with this skill. You're charged up to $53 per shot and will make only around $22 for an Outstanding photo. I do not think photo size has any impact on value. The skill level is only 5 levels and to my knowledge as you level up there are no additional unlocks - i.e. what you can do at level 5 is the same as what you can do at level 1. Am I missing anything? Granted I have not invested a huge amount of time with photography yet, but so far I am scratching my head and thinking...huh?

[ClayMask]

Hmmmm...Photography is a bit...lacking?  I set out this morning to compile info for a Guide for Carl and discovered there's no way to make money with this skill. You're charged up to $53 per shot and will make only around $22 for an Outstanding photo. I do not think photo size has any impact on value. The skill level is only 5 levels and to my knowledge as you level up there are no additional unlocks - i.e. what you can do at level 5 is the same as what you can do at level 1. Am I missing anything? Granted I have not invested a huge amount of time with photography yet, but so far I am scratching my head and thinking...huh?

I hope you discover something that makes the skill more worthwhile.

I think the reason there aren't any new rewards with this EP is that there's a whole reward system for the retail stores. My sim got 100 perk points by the end of the day..

I was thinking that too, but I still think it would be nice if there were rewards for non-store owners that came with this expansion.  There are still three other new active professions that won't benefit from the store rewards, and it's nice to have one that's good for any Sim.  I still haven't really played with it much though, so all this is on a very initial impression.

[IronicBeauty]

I just started playing as a Scientist and as I have the Renaissance aspiration I was going to do all of the new careers. Like MissTrips, I'm really enjoying the new game play. I will be embarking on the doctor career next and was curious why your playable sim doesn't have the option to go see a doctor? My scientist just recently caught some splotchy itchy rash sickness but there is no option to go see a doctor. Looking online all I could find out so far is that you have the option of ordering medicine via the computer as there is nothing I could find on the phone. It just seems logical to have an additional service or something when your sim is sick since we have doctors now. Maybe in a future patch, I can only hope.

[MarianT]

I just discovered something interesting. I play rotationally, and I didn't know what would happen with my sims' store if I played a sim from a different household and sent him there. The good news is that NPCs run the store when you're playing someone from a household other than the one that owns the store. So Hank Goddard can eat donuts at Eliza Pancakes's store even when she's not on the premises. He bought a gnome, too.

One note -- he can't eat donuts that he bought from the counter, but he can eat the free ones that are downstairs in the refrigerator.

[Metropolis Man]

I am still plugging away at Photography. Has anyone has any success with the photo studio's Tend Photo Studio interaction? I have tried it on my Sim's home lot as well as placing a studio on a retail lot with a cash register and I cannot seem to get Sims to want to have their photo taken.

[Plum]

I have a Sim in the Detective career track right now. Have been going to work with him everyday. I'm a massive, massive fan of detective games (Especially point and click detective games!) and so I was super excited about it.

I love all the interactions, especially the interrogation bit which is a bit like a conversation puzzle- you have to chose the right actions to make progress.

I'm not happy that each crime scene seems to be vandalism. Maybe it's because Joey is only level 3 and not even a Detective yet, but I was kind of hoping for at least a little variety. I'm also not happy that when you get the witness report it's just something that goes into your inventory. Aside from viewing the crime scene, which tells you the nature of the crime, and then finding clues about the perp, you don't get any information. You just kind of repeat the same actions over and over. Fingerprint, Go on Patrol, Check Database. Wash, rinse, repeat.

My sim has been taking some pictures. I was a bit saddened to see the Mysterious Mr. Gnome pop up in his failed shots, because if I remember correctly it was literally the same picture from the Sims 3 and it felt a bit lazy to me. I loved what happened when my Sim asked his girlfriend to pose for him. I do a lot of the Sim & Modeling stuff on the officials and I just thought when she turned her back and posed it really was striking.

So far we've only taken small photos, but having them makes me happy. While I do love simatography, family play and legacies are my Sims bread and butter and I like being able to have photos that span generations. I took a picture of my Sim's girlfriend pregnant and playing piano and it was like she was playing to the baby, too sweet!

Speaking of the pregnancy, she had the baby at the Hospital and I got to go with her. That was pretty awesome until the Doctor removed her heart and almost killed her. Y'know, small mistake. I was disappointed that the boyfriend idled himself over to the nearest computer to Play Sims Forever instead of choosing to be in the room with his soon-to-be wife as she gave birth.

Can you have twins at the Hospital? I truly thought my Sim was going to have twins. Her belly was massive, but at the Hospital- just the one. I hope that the Hospital doesn't force a single child situation, I'd really like to make my Sims have their babies there.


No aliens in my game yet. My male is too overworked trying to top the Detective branch and my female Sim has been caring for her child and trying to fulfill her aspiration. I really, really want aliens, but I also want to explore the Scientist and Doctor careers so aliens might be a bit further down the line.


Oh! When my Sim reached level three of the Detective career, he got quite a few items as bonuses including stuff to make a prison cell. Thought it was amusing that the Police just hand that out, especially since other sims could be heard saying things like "Did you just get your badge yesterday?" and "At least you managed to put your uniform on right side out.."

(A slight note about what may be a weird NPC thing. My male Sim's girlfriend was the town Librarian, and when she moved in she was missing a trait. Nothing that bothers me, and I'm not even sure it's a Get to Work thing, but if it is I thought I'd note it.)

[ClayMask]

Can you have twins at the Hospital? I truly thought my Sim was going to have twins. Her belly was massive, but at the Hospital- just the one. I hope that the Hospital doesn't force a single child situation, I'd really like to make my Sims have their babies there.


No aliens in my game yet. My male is too overworked trying to top the Detective branch and my female Sim has been caring for her child and trying to fulfill her aspiration. I really, really want aliens, but I also want to explore the Scientist and Doctor careers so aliens might be a bit further down the line.

I haven't had a Sim give birth at the hospital, but from my experience with the Baby Boomer challenge I've found that the pregnant woman is always massive, regardless of whether she's going to give birth to a single baby or twins, and that her size doesn't change depending on which it is.

If you play the scientist career all the way through, I've read it will give involve aliens and alien objects at some point, so you'll get to do both at once.

[Genevive]

Can you have twins at the Hospital? I truly thought my Sim was going to have twins. Her belly was massive, but at the Hospital- just the one. I hope that the Hospital doesn't force a single child situation, I'd really like to make my Sims have their babies there.

My sim has had twins at the hospital.

GTW won't come out here in Australia until tomorrow, so I'm torturing myself reading all these threads.

[ClayMask]

My sim has had twins at the hospital.

GTW won't come out here in Australia until tomorrow, so I'm torturing myself reading all these threads.

From the sound of it, Plum meant when a Sim goes to the hospital that was added with the Get to Work expansion to give birth.  Apparently that's an option now.

[sosobaggins]

I started playing retail. I bought the Emporium but was wondering if there is a way to change the name. My very first day i had 2 very good sales, made over 1000 simoleons.  I had to make my sim quit her job as a Line Cook so she could manage the store. I did convert part of it into a bakery.. And was wondering if I prepared meals to sell if that would work as well. So far most of my customers come in with their bars almost full so plenty of money coming in.

My sim had her baby at the hospital. I love the little gown she wore, her husband went with her and stood nearby freaking out but she came out of it with a baby girl and all needs maxed

[callycat]

The other thing I did was to make an alien. Lots of make-up, and the disguise doesn't look anything like your alien. I've decided that any aliens I make will get some of the new eye make-up as part of their disguise so that I, at least, can identify them. For people who don't want any aliens, I didn't have any show up in my shop.

How did you make the disguise? I read somewhere it was like the werewolves in Sims 3, but I couldn't find an option for it when I tried making an alien.

I did manage to get my scientist abducted by aliens. He invented a satellite dish that includes the options 'Contact aliens' and 'Prevent abductions'. 'Contact Aliens' seems to either create or increase the chances of being abducted.

Cal