H-Mail... it's like T-Mail, but written by someone else! Hunter is filling in for Tim since he's out showing off the Expansion Pack. Read on to find out what's going on with Open For Business and don't forget to check out the screenshots! =)

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Sup Simfans?

Hunter here. Yep, it�s me - not our friend Mr. LeTourneau. Enjoy your first ever H-Mail, due to our producerly friend�s gallivanting in Europe showing off Open for Business. Where am I? Yep, Redwood Shores, California. The atmosphere around here is one of bug-crushing and gameplay tuning. There�s even a teamwide contest going on at the moment as to who can get enough customer loyalty to make a Rank 10 business first. That�ll be good tuning feedback for us on the design team.

Anyway, I know you�re all out there itching for more info about this expansion pack, so I�m here to hook you up with some tasty tidbits. Yes, TIDBITS!

So, first off, I bet you want to know about this whole Business Rank thing. Business Rank is pretty much your indicator for how much people like your business � you attain a higher business rank by earning customer loyalty stars. The more stars you earn through making your customers happy, the higher Rank your business becomes. Higher business rank gets you more customers and earns you points to spend on business perks. Perks are rewards that will make your business owners more effective, both in their business and home life. There are five reward tracks for your Sims to traverse, and you can spend your points on the lowest unlocked reward of any track. See Let me throw some examples of business rewards at you:

- Rally Forth: This interaction on your active Sim will cause them to whip out a megaphone and start giving nearby Sims a �call to battle� of sorts. The other Sims� needs will skyrocket, letting them work longer, while draining the needs of the motivator. Beware unexpected and disastrous consequences. Clearly, a power like this has countless uses in the home, such as prepping people for the workday.

- Power Network: This reward social will enable your Sims to instantly �meet� everybody in the relationship panel of another Sim, at a 15/15 relationship! This one�s great for meeting new people to sell to, or just expanding social circles for those Popularity Sims.

- Convincing Personality: This reward is a constantly active ability that makes your Sim more effective in sales. Any sales social performed on a Sim will boost the recipient�s Buy Bar by 30% more than normal.

- Head for Numbers: Remember how in University your Sims could call anyone on the phone, even if they didn�t know them? Sims with this ability have that power: wherever and whenever.

That�s enough on perks for now. I think you get the idea of the sort of things that you can unlock in this pack.

On another note, one thing that I�ve been having a lot of fun with is making over my neighborhood. A salon/clothing store gives you all the tools you need to make over Goopy (or any other Sim you like) without having to marry him. Using the Makeover Chair on a Sim brings up the Change Appearance dialog, allowing you guys to decide exactly what kind of appearance you want to give to your neighborhoods� Sims. On the clothing store side, you can suggest specific outfits to Sims, which they�ll decide whether or not to buy. If they decide to purchase the outfit you�ve suggested, they�ll immediately change into it. So whether you want to turn your neighborhood into a paradise of gorgeous divas or a freakish carnival sideshow, the tools are there.

Until next time,

-Hunter

P.S:
A Sad Salon Patron
Biz Perks
A Bakery

P.P.S:
This is my fully controllable Zombie-Vampire-Robot!