The Installer works fine, and provides two launch icons, one for 800x600, and one for 1024x768 mode. The game does not change the mode of your screen. Your display must be in 16-bit mode, and large enough to accommodate the game window. The game will complain if these conditions are not met.
Sorry, but the game takes a long time to launch. Please be patient.
IMPORTANT NOTE FOR NT USERS!
InstallShield doesn't successfully create a launch icon in the start menu. Unlike previous versions, if you launch this game by double-clicking the .exe it will crash. You must create a shortcut to the .exe, and add the string " -w" to the shortcut target. Ask for help if unclear.The control panel descriptions below don't include these important things:
Click on an area in the control panel to jump to some details.
The control panel has a "main section" at the left which is always present. Selecting the mode buttons changes the rightmost two-thirds of the control panel to show mode-specific controls.
The modes are:
These controls perform the "Sim standard" rotation and zoom. You can also right-click in the view to use a pie menu for the same control.
These controls select full walls, stub walls, or (Not operational in this version) dynamic cutaway.
These controls select which level (ground floor, second story, etc) to display.
This control shows time passing. It also indicates pause mode, and if you click on it (and hold), a speed-control menu pops up. A short click toggles pause mode.
This area displays the family surname, the balance of funds, and the date. Watch the funds.
These controls select the game mode, as described above, and in detail below.
You can select the active person by clicking on their picture. Click again and the display will scroll to put them in the center. If the person doesn't exist (you just started the game, or somebody died), clicking on their picture brings them to life somewhere arbitrary.
This area indicates the mental and physical state of the person. Green is good, red is bad. You'll see.
Click on a book to display some furnishings.
(The following is not implemented yet) Click on the "Room" or "Function" buttons to choose between different sets of catalogs organized in different ways.
Click on an object and then place it in the house. If it won't place, you might not have enough money. Some objects must be placed indoors, some outdoors. Keep trying, and we'll provide more feedback someday.
Once you place an object, keep clicking to rotate it. The bed is funky.
The Move button lets you select an object in the scene and reposition it. You can type 'Delete' to dump it. Sorry, no refunds. Info and Sell aren't hooked up yet.
Bobo whipped up an "infinite undo chain" for (most) architectural operations. Very handy.
The brown and yellow buttons select types of sub-tools, which are in turn shown at the right.
The following are currently implemented:
Upper row (left to right): Raise & Lower Terrain, Place tree, place water, place floor
Middle row (left to right): walls, doors, windows, wallpaper
Bottom row far right: grab object
Combining Architecture tools with key presses:
For the walls/floors/wallpaper tools, the Shift key is the Room modifier so that an operation covers an entire room. The Control key is the Delete modifier. Experiment. Sometimes you can combine the two.
The Load and Save buttons work with just two "saved game slots." It's real easy to clobber slot 2 with house 1 if you're not careful. Be careful.
Caveat emptor
