Anyone have a transcript for the Open for Business chat? I hope I"m not double posting this but the last thread I tried to start didn't seem to go through because I got an error. Anyway I noticed that there was a chat about Open for Business on the 19th and I was wondering if anyone has posted a transcript of it here. I'm not able to go to the official site because of our web filter here at work, it blocks most gaming sites. If anyone attended the chat did they share any new information? Ruth
Thanks for posting the transcript. It took me so long to read it that I had to log in again, I guess that's what happened. Ruth
(sigh) I'm sure that if we were racing, one of my sims would win the "1st to die by woo hoo in elevator" contest.
I'm still a little worried about possible bugginess (the more EPs, the more chance something will go haywire), but I have to admit this sounds cool. For one thing I think it would help make sims who've already raised their kids or maxxed out their careers a lot more interesting. Rather than fading into the sunset they'd have employees, payroll, customers ... and I like that it sounds like you can have any type of business you want. Wonder if robots count as a "responsible adult" if you want a night on the town. That would be really nice for those with pre-teens ... Hmmm .... my brain is already hatching little plots. Guess I'd better get me that expansion pack.
I'm worried about the bugginess, too. More than that--can my computer cope with this expansion. I've gotten so used to nice graphics, all the stuff I might have to tone down. My Sims will have mittens for hands. *sigh* :(
Oh, I couldn't go back to that ... got to get more RAM! Today I tried to run Photoshop, Bodyshop and the Internet at the same time and the computer wouldn't let me! I'd been Bodyshopping for a while so my cache was probably pretty full, but still ... gotta get more RAM.
Filed our income tax return electronically last night. In a few weeks we will have enough to replace the stove and fridge and then purchase the RAM chips and maybe a nVidia GeForce 7,000-something for the computer. So, by the time OFB comes out, hopefully my computer will be able to handle it fine. LMAO!!! I think it is hillarious that part of our income tax this year is going to computer upgrades! With us, the income tax return has always been used for major purchases like a living room suite, a washer and dryer combo, a new bed for the kids, a downpayment on a car, etc. Hubby and I spent a little time pricing appliances last night, but then spent the rest of the evening discussing and researching computer upgrades. Replacing the appliances that came with the house has been an ongoing project, and the stove and fridge are our last purchases. I've wanted a new stove since we moved in: I hate this 25-year old relic I'm cooking on now! But I'm more excited about the computer upgrades. Go figure!!!
I have always owed money on April 15. Bean counter that I am, I'm not giving the government a penny more than I owe on taxes any sooner than I have to. The trick is not to owe too much because then you get hit with penalties and interest. :crossfingers: Well THAT was off topic. A computer upgrade sounds like the perfect way to spend the money, IMHO. You can cook on anything, even a charcoal grill, but you can't play Sims2 anywhere except on a good computer.
OK, so I have some questions not answered by the chat as far as I can tell: what if person A hires person B, also a PC, to work in their store, but they're from different households? Will person B age at work? Or just person A? Or do they not age while they're at work (unless presumably it's a home business)? Not sure if that was covered. I suppose if it's like other community lots they won't age, which to me makes the most sense ... otherwise, the employees would age more quickly than the rest of their households and management would become a nightmare ... So I guess I probably answered my own question.
I look at it a different way. If I have less withheld and take home a bigger paycheck, that little bit of extra money each week is going to get spent and I won't even know where it went. But if I let them take that extra money, then guaranteed once a year I'm going to have a decent sum of extra cash to spend on something I really need/want. Like eye surgery for my po' wittle puppy dog...
Last year was the first time I actually owed taxes. I slipped into a higher tax bracket without knowing it. This year I suspect I slipped back down, since I've been working part time and my husband's new job doesn't allow overtime. Downwardly mobile, that's us. Not looking forward to doing my taxes. It's my job and I hate it.
It's helps enormously if your company offers direct deposit of your pay and if it can be split between checking and savings. Part of my check always gets deposited directly into a savings account and I spend from that only for emergencies, like surgery for my son who was between jobs when he got appendicitis, or on April 15th when I owe Uncle Sam something. I work for a tiny company (15 people in total) and we have direct deposit. Most places do, and allow it to be split between accounts. Meanwhile, it earns interest. You're not alone, Hellokit. Just about everyone I know does what you do. Are we talking business EP or taxes. Oops...uh...did Kristal say she's preordered OFB? I think I'm going to do that tomorrow.
LMAO. I mention taxes and boyyyy, did I cause this thread to go off topic. Okay, Lynet, bringing back on topic (good going, girl! ) OFB: I'm getting excited. Hubby ordered the RAM, and is ordering the graphic card when we get the refund check. It should be up and running in two weeks, and the kinks worked out by the time OFB ships the 1st week of March. (Another Hyjack Alert!) Went pricing my new fridge and stove tonight. We're really have trouble picking out a stove. The fridge is easy: A nice side-by-side with the filtered water and ice in the door. It's a smaller one, made to fit into kitchens that have cabinets over the refridgerators like mine does. The stove is a problem. My current 25-year old stove is a Jen-Air. It's vented through the bottom, so no stove hood required. Under my stove is a hole in my floor and piping that leads under the house and out the foundation! They no longer make stoves like this. Yes, I can have a Jen-Air, but a comporable model is a "slide-in" that costs over $2,000 and has no backing. Here it is: This is my stove, 25 years later: http://www.jennair.com/ja/products/prod_detail.jsp?model=JES9800BAS&cs=0&BV_UseBVCookie=Yes. I can't afford to replace it. I can't find parts for it, I can't have it services, and this "downdraft" feature means that it looses about a quarter of the oven width, so I can't bake a large meal. So, in sim-terms, I can keep my old top of the line "shiny-tyme cookstove" stove, or trade it out for the ugly green cheap model. Oh, and I now have to buy a range hood. And the salesman says that it needs vented, so we have to cut holes in my pretty spice cabinet and a 4-year-old roof to run piping, and then spend out another $100!!! (oh, he said we didn't have to vent it, but that it would be the best thing.) My hubby is a smart man, but not very handy. We'd have to hire someone to do this. More big $$$$. I've kindof decided that we'll just eat out a lot and I'll just sit happilly at my computer and play Sims. My life is less complicated that way. My kids would be very happy if I never baked turkeys and meatloaf and casseroles again.
Our fridge will be the next to go. We just bought a new dryer, washer, and stove, in that order. Plus a new kitchen floor, and new cabinets ... and a dishwasher, which was the reason for the whole remodel. I love my dishwasher. I call it the emancipation machine. I used to spend an hour each day doing the dishes, now it's more like 15 minutes. And no dishpan hands, Madge! On the computer front, my husband has been very tolerant. Considering his favorite game is asteroids, he's put up with my demands for "more power, captain!" with good grace. I have a friend who advises me on all things computer. The next thing I'm getting is more RAM. I've only got 512, so I plan to double that before OFB comes out. After that we'll see about a new CPU, but the one I've got works fine for now. It's not top of the line, by any stretch, and I know that once I get a new one I'll be like, how did I ever cope, but I do have other expenses besides the sims, LOL. Someone should talk to the people who set the specs for Sims 2. No way is 256 of RAM enough. Mine is slow with 512. I suppose it's the minimum specs, but still ... it's misleading.
"Someone should talk to the people who set the specs for Sims 2. No way is 256 of RAM enough. Mine is slow with 512. I suppose it's the minimum specs, but still ... it's misleading." OH I couldn't agree more!!! My computer can only handle 512 max and I was told not to put that much in it because it could cause overheating. So I had 256 and added another 128 and I've got 128 for video. According to the minimum specs you'd think my machine could play the game reasonably well mostly on the lowest settings. NOT SO! I have Everything on the lowest settings and it's still slow. Ruth
