Hobbies And Interests
Increase Your Star Level
Your star level measures your progress in the game. You begin the game with zero stars, and your goal is to reach five stars. Each time you increase your star level, more tourists visit the town, new shops open up and you gain access to new areas.
To gain star levels, you need to make people happy. Complete tasks for the townspeople, and buy as many things at the shops as you can afford. Talk to everybody, including tourists, and fill up their happy meter by selecting the correct conversation command. It's easier to make tourists happy if you give them a gift first. Be careful, though, because some people are picky and will become unhappy if you give them something they don't like.
Retrace Your Steps
Every time you gain a new star level, you obtain a new tool that lets you reach areas that were previously inaccessible. At level one, you receive the crowbar and will be able to open boarded doors. The level two saw lets you remove trees blocking your path, level three's pickax can break boulders and the blowtorch at level four can be used on rusty gates. As you play through the game, make sure to note on the map any inaccessible areas. When you receive your new tool, revisit the area.
Understanding Essences
In MySims, essences summarize the general disposition of a person or object. There are six categories of essence, and each can be identified by a unique icon. Your job in the game is to build a thriving town filled with happy people, and to do this, you must incorporate essences into the items you build in your workshop. An object with a particular essence attracts people with the same type of essence. To discover a person's essences, you can either look on the sign in front of their home or look on the Relationship tab in your backpack.
There are many ways to collect essences. Interact with different Sims, and you might get an essence. For example, hang out with geeky Sims, and their rockets may drop rocket essence. Picnic with tasty Sims, and they may reward you with some bacon essence. Pick flowers, cut down trees, go prospecting and fish at the pond to obtain other types of essence. Each essence has a specific star level requirement, and you must reach that level before they appear. Every time you gain a star level, investigate the newly accessible areas, and you'll certainly find new essences.