How to Pursue Happiness

 
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Introduction

This page describes how to install, launch, and operate the mechanics of the game. A separate demo tutorial page leads you through some play scenarios.

Installation and Running

Click here to download the Milestone 2 demo build. Click here to download our last nightly build. You should save the executable, and then launch it to run the installer. You don't have to close your apps or restart your computer, but if you already have an installation of Jefferson, you should probably uninstall it first (using the Control Panel; Add/Remove Software).

Important: in this version, you have to preset your display to 16-bit depth (a.k.a. "Hi-Color" or "Thousands of Colors"). Also, we recommend a display size of 1024x628 or larger.

The internal name of the Jefferson software project is TDS. Ideally, you'll be able to launch the program from an icon in the Maxis submenu of your Programs menu. If that doesn't appear (an InstallShield problem with Windows NT 4.0), go find tds.exe and double-click on that.

What you See

The current user interface is built from standard windows, menus, and toolbars. Plans call for a completely revamped, full-screen user interface. With real art. There will also be many other changes, including how the cut-away walls work, multi-story houses, and so on. We won't litter the foregoing explanations with notes on what will be changing; just assume that anything you don't like is going to be changed for the better.

Introductory Sequence

We won't explain now how the mock-up framework screens are activated. Rather, we'll describe how to get you right into the game.

When you launch the game, you get to enjoy a picture of Kathleen Turner while it loads data and reticulates splines. Then you are presented with the "Neighborhood Display." Find the house labeled Lovely Home, Prefurnished and click on it to enter the pre-fabricated home. (It's a much better idea to work through the demo tutorials.)

The Most Useful Windows

The main window is called the "House Window." At the left, you should see the toolbar. Before you begin, select "Family..." from the Game menu. This brings up the family status display. Move it so you can see everything.

House Window

This is scene of all the action. You can operate the scroll bars (for now), but the easiest way to scroll around is to click the right mouse button to re-center the window. Experiment with the Zoom and Rotate buttons at the top of the window.

When playing, you might want to select the cut-away view from the House menu. This shortens all of the walls.

Toolbar

Here's a diagram of the toolbar. We'll discuss how to operate some of the tools later.

TerrainFloors
WallsPaint (not operational)
DoorsWindows
Grass/DirtHand Tool
CenteringTrees
Sim TracePersons
Family ControlFurniture/Objects

Family Status Window

The goal of the game is to make your family members happy. This window lets you know how you're doing. It displays the current state of the motives for each family member. The status for the "current" family member is displayed in detail, while the others are displayed in synopsis form.

To see labels for each element, click on the question mark in the Family Window. The elements are little gauges which show "goodness" as green bars, and "badness" as red. The longer the bar the more.

It's a good idea to try to memorize some of these icons, because they will appear in "thought balloons" over each family member to indicate which motives are demanding attention.

The stack of gauges in the lower left of the detail area represents the "physical motives," while the lower right displays the "mental motives." The icon above each stack shows the summation of the stack. The stack at the top of the detail area shows the grand total happiness determined by the motives, over time frames ranging from immediate (bottom) to lifetime (top).

Fundamentals

Objects

Objects are acquired (currently) by selecting them from the pop-up menu that appears when you hold down the mouse button over the Objects Tool in the toolbar. The object then "sticks" to the mouse pointer. You can rotate the object using the '>' and '<' keys (shift is optional). You drop the object on a clear spot by clicking the mouse.

You can move or delete objects which are already in the house using the Hand Tool. Click on an object to select it, and reorient and reposition it as above. You can delete the selected object by tapping the Delete key.

Note: Most objects can only be placed inside a house, so you have to put up some walls before you can drop objects onto a blank lot.

People

You place people just like you place objects, except you select the person from the "Persons Tool" in the toolbar. Likewise, you can drag people around or delete them using the Hand Tool.

(When doing the tutorials, you shouldn't add or drag people around unless you feel like cheating.)

Most of the game time is spent in "family control mode." Activate this mode via the toolbar. Here's how you control your family:

  • Cycle among your family members by tapping the space bar. Note how the house window re-centers on the new current family member, and how the family status window changes to show details for that person.
  • Move your person around the house by clicking on different spots on the floor. Feel free to get tricky.
  • Pass the mouse over various objects in the house and see their "active highlighting." Click on an object to see a menu of interactions which your family member can undertake. The grayed menu items represent interactions which the current family member cannot undertake, typically because the state of the object isn't appropriate, or the person isn't carrying an object, such as food.
  • Select an interaction and watch your family member do it. Note how each interaction changes the motives graph in the family status window in different ways. Start remembering which object interactions change which motives.
  • While you play, watch for icons appearing in the thought ballons above your family members' heads. These tip you off that one of their motives needs servicing. If you delay servicing that motive, or can't find an object which services that motive, something unpleasant may befall your family member. At any rate, their "happiness score" will continue to suffer until you take care of it.

Architecture and Landscaping

The tools you use to landscape and construct your house are similar to the terrain editing tools in SimCity 2000.

  • Terrain
    This tool has a pop-up menu (hold down the mouse for a moment). You can select tools which raise and lower the ground, in a localized spot or more widely. There is also a nifty "level space" tool, which lets you drag out a large rectangle to be made level.
  • Floors
    The pop-up menu lets you select four different floor styles. The icons don't look at all like the floor patterns. NOTE: You can't delete a floor treatment, you can only overlay it with another floor.
  • Walls
    The only functioning wall tool is the first one in the pop-up. Better to skip the pop-up entirely and just click briefly on the Wall Tool icon.

    You then drag out walls using the mouse, along square or 45 degree angles. Holding down the shift key drags out a rectangular "room" of walls (still needs a floor).

    Hold down the control key, and the tool erases walls.

    Special thanks to Charles for changing the walls from hideous green to a nice beige.

  • Paint
    Not operational.
  • Doors
    This tool lets you place doors in pre-existing walls. The door auto-rotates to line up with the wall. Our doors are just empty frames these days. Note: you can't place a door on a slanted wall.

    More thanks to Charles for the killer window graphic on short notice!

  • Grass/Dirt
    The pop-up lets you decide to paint grass over the dirt, or dirt over the grass. There are several gradients of grass; the longer you paint the more.
  • Trees
    The pop-up provides three species of tree you can plant. Sorry, we took out the ability to plant them indoors. You can probably get around that, if you're imaginative at all.

Economics

Each object costs money. Your total household funds are displayed at the top of the house window. The "purchase cost" of each object is displayed at the bottom of the toolbar, right next to the Object Tool pop-up menu. Providing you have enough funds, the cost of the object will be deducted from your household funds when you place the object (and will not be replenished if you delete the object). Some objects will (someday) deduct a "recurring cost" for their upkeep.

You can earn money by working a job. Identify the placeholder "job object" (to be replaced by a carpool or bus or something) and select the "Go to work" interaction. Your family member will disappear for a while, and your household income will bump up upon their return (you should hear the cash register sound effect cha-CHING).

The refrigerator uses a scheme of charging for food you remove, representing "automatic shopping" as one experimental way to reduce the busywork for the player. We call it the Fridge o' Plenty.

Developer Windows

There are so many interesting "inspector" and trace windows and options in the game, they really deserve a web page to themselves. In the meantime, you might want to experiment.

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