Tips for Negotiate for Bonus?

[reggikko]

I figure it's my own responsibility to know the rules of any challenge I'm playing.  I've been using the negotiate for bonus sparingly and have had success with it. Most of the time, though, I find it isn't really necessary. I haven't tried Playalot's suggestion mostly because I can't usually be bothered to stack a bunch of moodlets. It seems like it is probably a good strategy and would add extra insurance to the action. I'm just not a very good gambler! Having to recover from a set-back is worse than just waiting a day or two for the promotion, to me anyway.

[Playalot]

I agree...set backs in a dynasty are a right pain to deal with. Mostly, just because of my play style anyway, my sims always have a huge stack of moodlets anyway. Another quick way is to make a super pimped out moodlet room and just have your sim make the phone call in there. In my dynasty I had a mega 'inspired room' that worked a treat.

[Nutella]

Personally I find that using good moodlets at work is much more dependable than negotiating or hacking.  The cowplant essence and the wedding vow moodlets are my favorites.  Also of course can't forget "Connections", definitely worth spending the points for.

You will find that instead of taking 3-4 days to get promotion, with the stacked cowplant and wedding vows moodlets, you can get promoted in just 2 days. 

[Playalot]

You can't rely on just negotiate for sure. Negotiate a bonus just can push it even faster... but it has to be successful. lol I think the cow plant has to be the easiest and fastest way to get into the right emotion for work at the beginning of a new game although the Spa Day yoga moodlets last quite some time too just have to make sure you time your morning correctly.

The cow plant drink is seconds to drink and the moodlet lasts 12 hours. It's a must really. Team it up with the cloning machine from the Scientist career and your sims whole family will always be in the right emotion for the whole work day.

Funny how we all have our favourites, for me it negotiate a bonus, timed correctly your sim can get three promotions a week in some careers, work days depending of course.

[reggikko]

Cowplant question: do you use a Moodlet Solver afterwards or just let the drained moodlet stay? Does it depend on if it's a "helper" Sim? I just tried the Cowplant essence for the first time last night and I wound up using a Moodlet Solver, but I'm weighing cost/benefit. I tend to rely on the yoga mats a lot, but it does take some time to complete the routine. Plus side to yoga is that it increases Wellness skill which opens up the Wellness socials, which are a quick way to get focused and inspired.

[Nutella]

Depends on who I use.  If I use a "helper" sim, I usually just let the drained moodlet fall off by itself in 2 days - but remember DO NOT let that helper with the drained moodlet eat cake again, he/she will die.  If I don't have helper or I need another essence fast, I will drink moodlet solver to clear the drained moodlet and can eat cake again to get a different essence.

If you are doing dynasty, it is worth the time to get a cloning machine.  With one cowplant essence, you can clone the essence as much as you want -- let the drained moodlet fall off by itself and save your moodlet solver for other emergency situation.

The important thing about the essence is it gives a 12 hours moodlet.  Most of the other moodlets are 4 hours (some 6), they don't last the whole workday.  I need something that last very long and cowplant is the only one I found that gives the "target" moodlet and last that long.  The other long ones (like have baby, newlywed, etc.) are just +happy moodlets.

[Playalot]

If you have the best bath your helper sim could have a few baths in a row and that also gets rid of the 'drained' moodlet without having to use a reward.

[dodi90]

I also experience low hacking success rate to the point I never did it again in all my game. Even my sim who maxed programming and always very focused didn't seem to get high success rate.

The only stable raise up is to make connection but it was pretty small and in all my game usually 2 days of working (and work hard while in correct mood) are sufficient to get promotion.

[Playalot]

@dodi90 the low success rate at hacking is weird as I have a friend who uses it all the time and has as much success with it as I do using negotiate for a bonus. I'm like you, I don't even bother using hacking at all now.

Hmm, I forgot about make connection, least that doesn't fail and any advance is good when you are up against the clock.

[Magpie2012]

@Playalot I think a lot of the odds with hacking and negotiating are random, but i have found that some games will have continuous success with one or the other and some games will have none. i think it's pretty much just luck of the draw at this point. Which I kind of like, since i never know which "perk" is going to work for my sim until I try it so, other than working hard and appropriate moodlets, i have to actually vary my routines to get promoted quickly!

[Magpie2012]

@Playalot my current spouse is at level 6 of the Tech Guru career and I wanted to negotiate for bonus with him but I couldn't find the option anywhere and I couldn't find his boss under his relationship panel either, but I'm sure he knows her! So weird! Any ideas?

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[ClayMask]

@Playalot my current spouse is at level 6 of the Tech Guru career and I wanted to negotiate for bonus with him but I couldn't find the option anywhere and I couldn't find his boss under his relationship panel either, but I'm sure he knows her! So weird! Any ideas?

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Your Sim needs level 10 charisma to negotiate a bonus.

[Playalot]

@Magpie2012  yep, just as ClayMask said. Your sim needs to be L10 charisma. Quickest way to do that is to buy the Great Kisser award and kiss your way to L10 charisma. Lol Just don't repeat any kissing interaction twice in a  row, vary the interactions and usually your sim can kiss their way to L10 in one afternoon. I just usually find some random sim to 'be-friend' and ditch them afterwards. Unless your sim already has a bf/gf. In that case you might as well do the Soul Mate aspiration at the same time and cash in the satisfaction points.

Also I think your sim can 'Make Connections' should be under interactions on the computer. I think that unlocks around L5? ? @ClayMask ? I'm not 100% sure as I very rarely use that career.

[Magpie2012]

Do they have the "ask for promotion" option in TS4? I never noticed the L10 charisma but then again I have to admit that the sims I tried negotiating with had maxed it out, I just didn't put 2 and 2 together to get 4 lol

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[Playalot]

No but basically that is what Negotiate for Bonus is, only if it is successful you only move a notch along the Performance bar rather than actually move up to the next level of the career.