SIMSPIRATION

Sims 4 Dream Home Decorator, the 10th game pack for the popular franchise, has been out for just over a month now. Released May 17th, Dream Home Decorator adds some exci�ng features to the game and gives your Sims some serious freedom in their career. We look at all the features this pack offers and outline how to succeed.

In The Sims 4 Dream Home Decorator, your Sims set out on a journey to restore their world, one renovation at a time. With a new active career like no other before, more control over your workday, and a plethora of stunning new furniture, Dream Home Decorator has quickly become one of the most loved Sims packs of all time. Builders and players alike praise the team's innovation in this pack's creation, and more people are spending time ingame than ever before. The builder-oriented perspective on game play has reignited the spark that the game once held for many players and helps others learn trade tools. The active Interior Designer career has been created in a new and innovative way that gives players more control over their gameplay – and we love it! Still, those who are not builders at heart and have no experience with interior decor may be left feeling confused – "What the heck is Cosmolux Decor, anyway?" –Thankfully, we have a few helpful tips for a successful renovation.

7 Steps To A Great Reno:

1. Get to know the client: The best thing that you can do to help your Sims succeed in their new career is to

socialize with the clients. The Sims 4 Dream Home Decorator came with several new social interactions that will help your Sims complete their tasks successfully. As well as being able to ask about the client's preferred decor style, your Sims can ask about their favorite colors,

hobbies, and likes and dislikes (an update that was added to the game along with the release pack). Taking time to get to know your client will give you a better idea of what they are looking for from a renovation. This is helpful as instructions from the client can often be vague or unrelated to design. Along with aiding in your renovation, getting to know your clients means that your Sim will form relationships with the people around town and form friendships with them over time. This can come in handy for storytelling and game progression down the line.

2. Don't Forget Before Pictures: One aspect of every gig you have will be taking before pictures of the space you will renovate. “Before” images allow you to reveal drastic changes to your clients in an artistic way. These pictures also help with the overall reception of your renovation and are fun to look back on later as your skills improve.

Before and after images are meant to measure your success on the job. They allow you to show how a once dark and dreary space has been transformed into a bright, cozy room that your clients will (hopefully) love. If you forget to take pictures before beginning your renovation, it can impact your success on the gig. With that said, I have found that taking pictures of almost anything will affect the clients in much the same way. So, do not panic if you forget this step of the process. Instead, take pictures of a bare wall or simply undo what you have done by pressing ctrl + z or using the undo feature in the game, then you can use ctrl + Y or redo to shift it back to the masterpiece you have just created. As much as it seems like the before and after photos are a vital aspect of the renovation, forgetting to complete them does not lead to instant failure.

Interior decorators need to be ready to adapt to anything, so look around, listen to the client, and get creative!

3. Use the System to beat the System : One thing that I have noticed with Dream Home Decorator is that the information clients offer often seems to be extremely unhelpful at first glance. For example, when being hired to do a kitchen renovation your clients may announce their love of painting and rocket science, or their dislike of dancing. While this may this may be frustrating, it can actually be very useful. If you click the like/dislike in the gig panel, it will bring up every item that the game recognizes as fitting that category.

Bam, you now have a starting point.

If you are planning to renovate the client’s bathroom and all they tell you is that they dislike orange, dislike piano, and like video gaming, then you may feel slightly defeated. In this case, you should avoid orange. Short of choosing a different room to renovate, utilize what you are told and use it to fill in the gaps.

Take for instance your clients announcement that they do not like orange. You simply need to avoid the color orange you would want to choose any other color than orange. This is where the new interactions come in handy. Under friendly interactions, you can inquire about the Sims favorite color. If you are lucky, you may get something

that you can use in your design. It is also a good idea to try to incorporate their likes into the space. Pictures, statues, clutter, and other decorations are a great way to add interest to a room and tie in objects that would not normally work in a space. You can hang a video game-related painting in a bathroom or place a violin to a walk-in closet if it fits your client's desires and helps you meet their requests – After all, you make the rules, and nothing says you cannot have a garden in the living room or a pool in the kitchen. Fit the client's requests into the space by Including as many of the things you know as possible. If the client claims to love green, use as much of that color as possible in various shades. I have learned that if you follow the information literally then they tend to like the result, even if it looks ridiculous. It is understandable, I mean have you seen how the townies dress?

4. When in doubt, stick to the common

spaces:

When information is especially scarce and you are truly stuck for what to do, it may be best to stick to the common spaces. Areas like the living room, kitchen, and dining room provide a flexible space that allows you to work in differing interests. These spaces also make it easier to please a large group of Sims, such as the Spencer-Lewis family, with conflicting tastes and interests. It can be hard to please everyone if you are renovating the master suite but it is much easier to please most of them if you are recreating the living room or kitchen. When in doubt keep renovations to the common areas of the house (living, dining, kitchen, etc.) for everyone to enjoy. Remember, knowing that a Sim likes violin may not be helpful to a bathroom renovation, but it could be a fantastic tidbit of info for a living room or music space. It is best to avoid deciding on which space you will renovate until after you have gotten to know the client to avoid disappointment (See Tip 1).

5. Pick Your Gigs Carefully:

It is super tempting to seek out the highest paying gig that is available and jump in feet first but this plan can quickly

backfire. The gig panel does not provide a lot of information. It gives you a rundown of they type of renovation that is expected, the budget, the pay, and the client name but little else. Just because you have been promoted and can choose a level renovation does not mean that you should. When you first begin the interior decorator career you have few choices but as you progress more renovation opportunities become available. Take time to think about each gig before you select one. There are numerous bugs in the game, so that level renovation may not go well if you cannot create walls, and the room reno may be limited to a specific floor. Room additions often come with am unreasonable tile limit as well, so beware.

6. Inspect objects for inspiration:

If you find that your clients are not giving you much to go on, look around their current homes for inspiration. Dream Home Decorator came with a new 'inspect object' interaction. This new interaction can give you some information about your client and may provide you with hints that will be helpful to your design plan. If everything in your client's house is modern and they have not outlined a specific decor preference, they may not like the Victorian-style sofa you planned to use (although this is not always true). Utilize the 'inspect item' interaction to help your Sim when you are stuck for ideas on what to do in a space and the client is not able to provide guidance.

7. Build relationships with clients:

I cannot stress enough the importance of listening to the client and building a relationship. The better that you know your client, the better the chance of a successful renovation. Do not assume that you can guess what they want by looking at what they currently have in their space. Instead, talk to them, and utilize the new interactions that are available. There will be a time when you inevitably fail at least once. While losing time and money may be a hard pill to swallow, it will provide a valuable lesson moving forward. If you take time to get to know your client and listen closely to what they want, you can succeed in this career. Remember to think like a Sim and work

the clients’ likes and dislikes into your design vision.

Good Luck!

K8Simsley 123