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The Sims 3 Late Night eGuide
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Contents

  • Essentials
    • Introduction To Late Night
      • The Sims 3 Primer
      • Required Reading
      • Mood Boosting Tips And Tricks
    • New Simology
      • New Simology
      • Create a Sim
      • Traits
      • Lifetime Wishes
    • Wants And Desires
      • Wants and Desires
      • Wishes
      • Lifetime Rewards
      • Opportunities
    • New Socials
      • New Socials
      • Grouping Up
      • Throwing Partys
      • Going To Parties
    • New Skills
      • New Skills
      • Mixology
      • Piano, Drums and Bass Skills
      • Bands
    • New Careers
      • New Careers
      • Film Career
      • Career Development
    • Big City Living
      • Big City Living
      • Places Of Employment
      • Shopping And Commerce
      • The Bar Scene
      • Bridgeport's Hot Scene
    • Community Locations
      • Community Locations
      • Parks
      • Fishing Spots
    • Places To Live
      • Places To Live
      • Pre-made Houses
      • High-rise Buildings
    • Collectibles
      • Collectibles
      • Insects
      • Minerals
      • Meteorites
    • Popularity Contest
      • The Celebrity Game
      • Celebrity Levels
      • How To Become A Celeb
      • The Rewards Of Celebrity
    • Vamping It Up
      • Twilight's Parasites
      • How To Turn Vampire
      • Benefits
      • Potential Problems
      • Survival Instincts
      • Families
    • Build And Buy Modes
      • Build And Buy Mode Upgrades
      • Interior
      • Exterior
    • New Object Catalog
      • Possessions
      • Object Interactions
    • Object Catalog
      • Object Catalog
    • Existing Objects
      • Existing Objects

The Sims 3 Late Night Guide › Essentials › New Careers

Career Development

When you begin an exciting career in Bridgeport’s movie industry, you do not start out with the lead role in a blockbuster. No, your entry point is as a Background Extra.

It’s thankless work. But stick with it, showing up on time in a good mood and start getting to know the other people working on the set with the Meet Cast Members tone.

If you show moxie and a willingness to do small jobs outside the set (more on these in a moment), you begin earning valuable promotions.

By the time you reach the Personal Assistant promotion, a new metric is factored into potential success: Celebrity. After all, being known around town will certainly help a movie career.

And so you must start doing things that increase your Sim’s celebrity status, such as getting to know other celebs around Bridgeport or completing an opportunity that gives your Sim a celebrity point bump.

Fortunately, the Personal Assistant promotion comes with a cool perk that helps with this metric—you now gain more celebrity points for those special actions.

Once you reach the fifth promotion of this career, you must make a decision about the course of your professional life: Acting or Directing.

These branches both use the movie set as a place of work, but they lead to different benefits, opportunities, and rewards.

Tip

Need more information on how the celebrity system works in Bridgeport and how to increase your social standing? Flip to the Popularity Contest chapter for a complete rundown on the fine art of getting (and staying) famous.

No matter which branch you choose, at levels 7, 9, and 10 of the career, your Sim is given a big award for achievements in the industry.

You get a note when you have won the award. To receive it, report to the movie theater in downtown Bridgeport. Place these awards on your lot for environmental boosts:

Level 7: Sims Choice Award

Level 9: Green Orb Award

Level 10: “Simmy” Award

Look at you, getting your award!

Directing Branch

So, you’ve decided on a life behind the camera. The director is responsible for all aspects of a film; the buck stops at the director’s chair.

However, just declaring that you are entering the Directing branch does not immediately mean you are the big boss.

You must work your way up to the top of this rewarding career branch through even more hard work, both on the set and around town as you strive to improve your celebrity status.

Thankfully, the immediate reward for earning the first promotion of this branch—Storyboardist—is the ability to more easily get into clubs around town, which will help with celebrity.

One of the great perks of the Film career is that the barrier rope is no longer your mortal enemy.

Right away, the Directing branch introduces a new metric: Writing skill. Because you need skills with a script, you must work on this useful skill on your own time.

Buy a computer for the house, use one at the local library, whatever—just tap those keys and start developing that skill.

Tip

If you already know you want to enter the Directing branch, start developing the Writing skill long before you reach the fifth level of the Film career. You’ll have a head start on this important metric.

Note

Directors with a high-level Writing skill can also use a new Write Screenplay interaction on a computer.

As soon as you reach level 7 of the branch, 2nd Unit Director, you can stop worrying about relationships with your co-workers as a metric.

Now, you just need to concentrate on Writing skill, mood, and celebrity status. There are some great rewards for achieving the higher levels of this branch.

At level 8, you earn the ability to write screenplays at home. Just use a computer and choose the Write Screenplay interaction.

Now, you can start on a genre script (action, romantic comedy, drama, sci-fi, or indie), which also helps develop the skill. Completed scripts can be sold at the movie studio for big cash payouts.

At level 10, you are bestowed with the exclusive Director’s Chair object. You cannot buy this special chair. Only directors get this treat. Place it on your lot for a big environmental boost.

Writing Skill

Writing is another personalized skill that is deeply involving but also rewarding. Sims who learn the Writing skill unlock a world of possibilities when they sit down to the computer.

Naturally, the Bookworm Sim has a jump on this skill thanks to the relevant trait. But any Sim with time and dedication can become a bestselling author.

Acquire by: Attend Writing Class, Practice Writing at Computer

Development tools: Computer, Books

Development Benefits

Once the Writing skill has been acquired, Sims have several new interactions at the computer. The Refine Writing Skill is a good way to continue developing the skill.

No novels come out of this activity—just skill development. Once a writer reaches level 2 of the skill, they can start writing novels.

When the Sim pushes back from the computer, the development is added to the Skill meter. Continue Writing Novel and Scrap Current Novel are two more interactions that affect a novel in progress.

A scrapped novel tosses out an incomplete work, but the skill development remains.

Various novel genres are unlocked as the skill is further developed. The higher the genre in the skill tree, the more it is worth when published. Here are all of the genres and the skill levels required to unlock them:

Novel Genres Unlocked By Writing

Genre # of Books Required
Fantasy Write 3 sci-fi novels
Satire Write 3 humor novels
Vaudeville Write 3 of each: drama, sci-fi, humor, mystery, romance

Novel genres Unlocked by Skill Level

Genre Level
Fiction 0
Non-Fiction 0
Science Fiction 1
Trashy Novel 2
Drama 3
Humor 5
Romance 10
Masterpiece 10

Caution

You can only work on one novel at a time. If you want to start a new novel in a newly unlocked genre, you must scrap the current novel.

Royalties

A Sim who’s writing a novel regularly submits chapters to an agent and gets a small stipend. It’s enough to live on, but nothing extravagant. Once a novel has been completed, though, the royalties start rolling in.

When the novel is finished, the Sim is immediately told if the book is good or not and if it is a success. The royalty amount is listed, as well as how the amount will be paid out. (Typically, royalties are paid over the course of several weeks with lump sums dropped into the household account at a specific time on a specific day.)

The royalty amount is decided by level of Writing skill, desirability of the genre (check the Skill Journal, which also tracks the number of books written and the amount pulled in so far), and a certain degree of randomness.

The author’s traits can also affect the amount of royalties paid. Here are the traits that boost the profitability of specific genres:

Traits – Genres

Genre Trait
Trashy Novel Flirty
Drama Commitment Issues
Sci-Fi Computer Whiz, Genius
Humor Good Sense of Humor, Inappropriate, Mean-Spirited
Satire Grumpy, Hot-Headed, Over-Emotional
Mystery Genius
Romance Hopeless Romantic
Historical Perfectionist
Children's Book Artistic, Childish, Family Oriented
Vaudeville Bookworm
Autobiography Charismatic, Unlucky, Daredevil, Insane, Kleptomaniac

Acting Branch

Take on the Directing branch? Not you—the Sims of Bridgeport deserve to see your face twenty feet tall on the big screen.

You want to enter the exciting Acting branch of the Film career. The metrics for success in this branch change once you reach level 6, TV Actor/Actress.

After achieving this promotion, you no longer have to concern yourself with co-workers. However, you cannot just coast on celebrity status and mood. You must develop the Charisma skill in order to continue climbing the ranks.

Do yourself a favor and start developing this important skill before choosing the Acting branch so you have a leg up on the career.

Tip

At level 6, you can get into clubs around town easier—that will help with celebrity status.

Note

When you become an actor, you are randomly given different outfits to wear for work. These are your costumes for the day’s shoot.

When you achieve the Supporting Actor/Actress promotion, you are given a limo to drive you around Bridgeport. No more taxis for you.

This is now your carpool for work before a day’s shoot and your main ride when you need to run errands around Bridgeport.

At the top of the career, you are awarded your very own private trailer. This Superstar perk gives you a home away from home that you can place on a lot and enter, just like a small venue.

(You cannot decorate the inside of a trailer like an high-rise building.) The trailer can be placed in your inventory and pulled out when needed for interactions like Relax and Sleep.

You may also select the Throw Tantrum interaction the trailer, which makes your Sim go inside and have a real fit.

When they come back out, though, they have the Had Star Tantrum moodlet. (Surprise—this is actually a positive moodlet.)

The trailer is a good way to escape the little people...

The trailer can be used as a makeshift Create a Sim toolkit when you choose the Plan Wardrobe interaction on it. But perhaps the most entertaining trailer interaction is WooHoo.

If you have a relationship status with another Sim high enough to have WooHoo (or Try for Baby), both Sims enter the trailer. And when that trailer starts a-rockin’...

Charisma Skill

Everybody knows someone who can breeze into a room, seamlessly enter any conversation, and suddenly become the focal point.

The key to such feats is Charisma. This skill is essential for Sims who want to socialize effectively.

Tuning this skill unlocks new social interactions that simplify befriending other Sims and developing meaningful relationships.

Acquire by: Take Charisma Class, Read Charisma Manual, Practice Speech in a Mirror

Development tools: Books, Socials, Mirror, Parties

Development Benefits

Enhancing the Charisma skill opens exciting new avenues of conversation as well as a special social that guarantees a smooth recovery from any conversational snafus.

However, developing the skill requires more than just taking a class and then practicing your charismatic moves with a book or by talking into the mirror.

It requires making friends and maintaining relationships during the course of the skill development. Each level of the skill requires a specific number of friends and relationships.

Without these connections, you cannot advance up the skill tree, no matter how long you practice that wolfish grin in the mirror.

Here are the number of friends and relationships required to develop the Charisma skill:

Charisma Development

Level Required Friends Required Relationships
1 0 0
2 0 2
3 1 3
4 2 4
5 3 6
6 4 8
7 5 10
8 6 15
9 8 20
10 10 25

Tip

Sims who develop the Charisma skill increase the effectiveness of social interactions at work, such as Meet Co-Workers or Suck Up to Boss.

Whenever you use a positive social, the Charisma skill gets a little boost.

Charismatic Sims get additional greetings that start a conversation right, such as Amusing Introduction and Friendly Introduction.

These greets are more potent than regular greets. As the skill develops, more greet modifiers appear that increase the social weight of the greeting and can steer the conversation.

Here are the modified greetings with each advancing level:

Charisma - Greetings

Level Greet Modifier Type of Greet
1 Friendly Friendly
2 Amusing Funny
3 Interesting Impressive
4 Flirty Romantic
5 Affectionate Romantic
6 Funny Funny
7 Impressive Impressive
8 Hilarious Funny
9 Loving Romantic
10 Hot Romantic

Three special socials unlock as you develop the Charisma skill. Once you reach a specific level, you learn these new socials:

Charming Introduction (Level 1): Sometimes, introductions are the toughest part of the conversation. Sims with high Charisma levels become more adept at introductions, as seen by the modified greets.

Once charismatic Sims reach level 10, their Charming Introduction rockets them into Friend status right away.

Get to Know (Level 3): This social helps with discovering the traits and interests of other Sims. Once learned, this social becomes more powerful as the Sim approaches level 10 of the skill.

Eventually, there is no possibility of rejection when inquiring about traits and interests.

Smooth Recovery (Level 5): Oops. You said the wrong thing. If you have the Smooth Recovery social, you can try to revive the conversation. It may not always work, but as the skill nears level 10, the chance of success increases.

Tasks

As you work your way up through the Film career, you will sometimes be asked to complete certain tasks outside work. These jobs are usually pretty simple, but they are time sensitive.

When you are given one of these jobs, you are told exactly what needs to be done and when it must be completed.

If you fail to complete the job in the allotted time, your status at the job takes a hit. You won’t necessarily be fired, but you’ll definitely have to work harder to smooth out rankled feelings on the set.

Jobs often send you to other parts of town to perform simple tasks, like picking up food to bring back to the set or handing out flyers to promote a movie.

You are given a clear notification of a job and the parameters necessary to complete it on the left side of the screen. This job box tells you exactly what has to be done.

Map view also shows you where you need to go to complete the job, if it is outside the movie set. (Otherwise, on a task like staying late to clean a set, you just need to remain at work.)

Here are the jobs you may be asked to complete, including where you may be asked to go and potential rewards.

Film Jobs

Job Possible Target Venue/Lot Length of time to complete (in hours) Cash Rewards
Pick Up Food for Set Restaurant 48 200
Promote Movie Park, graveyard, pool, gym, beach, shop, stadium, or fishing spot 48 200
Research Competing Movie Cineplex 48 200
Shoot B-Roll Footage Park, graveyard, pool, gym, beach, or fishing spot 48 200
Research Acting Role Any venue 48 200
Promote Movie in Bar Marked bar 48 200
Hold Audition Movie set, Cineplex 48 200

Career Opportunities

The Film career has a series of opportunities unique to those pursuing silver screen dreams. Use this chart of opportunities to see how to complete the opportunities randomly offered to Film career Sims and what rewards await:

Film Opportunities

Opportunity Description Location Requirement Reward
Reading Books Read book to improve career performance and then come back. Movie Set Read book and return to work. Career Performance
Relationship with Boss
Learning Lines Your Sim needs to read their latest script so they're ready to act. Read it and come back to work. Movie Set Read script and return to work. Career Performance
Relationship with Boss
Script Review Your Sim needs to review the latest script so they'll be ready to direct. Read it and come back. Movie Set Stay late at work. Career Performance
Relationship with Boss
Late Night Shoot Looks like today's shoot is going a little long. Stick around and the boss will like it. Movie Set Stay late at work. Career Performance
Relationship with Boss
Set Clean Up Turns out the pie fight scene was messier than expected. Stick around and clean it up and the boss will like it. Movie Set Stay late at work. Career Performance
Relationship with Boss
Teaching the Kids The school would like your Sim to come teach an acting class at the school. School Teach acting class at school.
Return to work.
Career Performance
Cash
Uncle Sim Wants YOU The military would like your Sim to direct their newest recruitment commercial. Military Base Film commercial at military base.
Return to work.
Career Performance
Cash
Emergency Interviewer The local news station lost their cameraman and they need a replacement stat. Go to the business complex. Business Center Shoot interview at business center.Return to work. Career Performance
Cash
Celeb Cameo The director really wants a local celebrity to cameo in their movie. Convince Sim X to do a cameo. Celebrity Location Convince Sim X to do a cameo.
Return to work.
Career Performance
Relationship with Boss.
State of the Union The mayor of the town wants to give a State of the Union address and wants to make sure it goes off without a hitch. Your Sim could run the production and make sure everything goes smoothly. City Hall Film State of the Union for the mayor.
Return to work.
Career Performance
Cash
More Exposure The boss thinks that it would really benefit your Sim's career if they got some more exposure. Gain a celeb level and come back. Movie Set Gain a celeb level.
Return to work.
Career Performance

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