In a similar way to Personal
Bios, the Property Bio gives you all the information you could know
about each property, and what it offers.
It is very important to take a moment to read the property bio before you enter
a property, as it will give you an idea of what the property offers, and consequently
whether you want to go there. It can save you time, and prevent irritating the
property owner by asking basic questions s/he has already answered in the bio
To explain the Property Bio, I've numbered the component parts of it,
and listed what they do on the table below, together with some useful
advice on how to maximize the impact, and effectiveness, of your bio.
This is your 'shop window', in effect, to advertise your property to
the sim world, and encourage people to visit you rather than the competition.
Competition, especially among top 10 houses, can be very fierce, so think
carefully about what you want to put to attract others. Don't be tempted
to insult rival houses and explain that you're better - even if you believe
you are - because it's always best to attract people with the merits of
your house, rather than resort to mudslinging.
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1
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Property name
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This is the name that the owner has given to the property.
It must be unique, no more than 32 characters long, and contain not more
than two spaces. Certain other special characters such as @ or ~ , and
numbers, are not allowed. Pick something imaginative - instead of "Jam
House" (which although accurate is not particularly exciting), try
something like "Paradise Preserves" for your tropical themed
beachside lot. |
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2
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Land plot value
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Each plot of land has an initial cost, depending on its
location and proximity to other properties. Basic lots will cost
around §3,000, and 'premium' lots, such as private islands
(a single lot surrounded on all 4 sides of water) and peninsulas
(3 sides of water) will cost a lot more. In some cities, other combinations
such as grass touching water, or snow lots, are much rarer than
other cities, and consequently are more sought after. The 'actual
value' of the land does not represent the 'market value', and certain
desirable rare lots have been known to change hands for upwards
of several million simoleans! Upon buying a piece of land, it will
only be a size one lot, and you will need to pay out further to
expand the size of buildable space. More information on lot sizes
can be found here |
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3
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Enter property
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Simply click this big arrow to enter the property of your choice.
If you are already on a lot, it will ask you to confirm that you
want to leave the property you are already on. Sometimes you will
come across a locked lot, and you will get an error message explaining
that special permissions are set which prevent you entering right
now. You can message the owner or roomie online as they may have
forgotten to unlock the property, although there are of course
other reasons (such as a rebuild going on) which the owner will
usually explain if you contact them. A house must be open, with
at least one roomie online, for you to be able to enter it.
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4
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Expand or Contract
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This simply toggles on/off the expanded view. Contract just
shows you 1-9 on the picture, expanded grows to show further detail of
10-12. |
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5
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Property thumbnail
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This is just a small image showing you what the property
looks like. Some properties have 'roof
art' on the second floor, others may be designed to look like
a house, others are just big plain boxes. While a thumbnail view
isn't likely to detract anyone from visiting you, a good looking
design may encourage someone to visit. |
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6
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Property category
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Each property must be placed in a category, and will appear
in the appropriate top
100 listing. The house should be in a category that reflects its contents,
for example if you are a skills house you should be in skills to get the
benefits of the category, rather than being a love house. Further details
on property categories can be found here |
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7
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Owner sim
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This shows which sim is the owner of the property. Click
on the thumbnail to open their bio. |
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8
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People on lot
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This display shows the number of people on a property. If
you are looking to skill or make money, the maximum benefit is achieved
when at least 6 people are on the property, which may affect your decision
in which house to visit. The maximum number of people on a property is
18, and when that number is reached you will get an error message telling
you the property is full. Roomates can, however, enter the property after
the limit of 18 people is reached. |
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9
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Neighborhood
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This shows you which neighborhood - if any - the property
is attached to. Further information on neighborhood can be found
here |
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10
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Roommates
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Here is a list of the other people who live and work
at the property. Online roomies show up in color, off-line roomies
show up in grey, and anyone that you are a friend with is highlighted
with a green border. You may click on their bio's and read more
about them - but remember they may not always be at home. Use the
'Where am I' button to check first. A house may consist of an owner
and up to 7 roommates - so if they already have a full compliment
it probably isn't worth asking to be a roomie. At least one roomie
must be online and at home for the property to open. Some specialist
houses, such as craft houses, state on their bio that if you want
them to open up, just message an online roomie and they will come
home for you. |
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11
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Property description
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This is it. The most important part of the bio. A creative,
informative, well written property bio will attract visitors, however
"PlZ vIsIt Mi HoUsE iTs GrAtE" isn't likely to get
many people through. It's essential to at least describe what the
house offers (in conjunction with property name), and a little creativity
and/or humor goes a long way. You may want to cross-refer and partner
up with another house - for example if you are a chalkboard house,
advertise a logic skill lot in your bio, and get them to advertise
your property in theirs. Good, clear English, grammar, punctuation
and spelling are also very important, after all if nobody can understand
what you offer, why would they visit?. |
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12
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Close bio
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If this was a treasure map, X would mark the spot.... however
in the case of a TSO property bio, X simply closes it. |
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