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How to Pursue Happiness |
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CTG Home Software Jefferson Search |
IntroductionThis 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 RunningClick 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 SeeThe 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 SequenceWe 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 WindowsThe 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 WindowThis 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. ToolbarHere's a diagram of the toolbar. We'll discuss how to operate some of the tools later.
Family Status WindowThe 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). FundamentalsObjectsObjects 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. PeopleYou 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:
Architecture and LandscapingThe tools you use to landscape and construct your house are similar to the terrain editing tools in SimCity 2000.
EconomicsEach 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 WindowsThere 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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