How to Have a Great Party

[samoht04]

That's pretty good actually. You must really love that guitar skill.

You obviously haven't heard about Metro's Guitarist Skillz!  
 - He makes a lot more than what Pam gets, apparently there's a lot of skill in that kind of thing?

[Pam]

Metro is a machine with that guitar.  He's gotten single tips of $1,500. 

[Metropolis Man]

Metro is a machine with that guitar.  He's gotten single tips of $1,500.

10k is my best for a single tip.

[blulightin5]

Metro is a machine with that guitar.  He's gotten single tips of $1,500.

10k is my best for a single tip.

Really? How long did you have him playing for tips?

[Metropolis Man]

Really? How long did you have him playing for tips?

That's not really the important correlation. What was key was the "times compositions have been played" number in the Skill Journal. I pushed that to close to 1500 via cueing up 8 songs, quickly canceling after a few notes. Rinsing and repeating until I basically went insane.

[blulightin5]

That makes sense. I'm getting my sims guitar skill up.

[lil_crazy]

Have your sims ever been invited to a party? I would think other party animal sims would throw parties, right?

[blulightin5]

Have your sims ever been invited to a party? I would think other party animal sims would throw parties, right?

That's a good point. I wonder if EaGames will add that later on.

[Metropolis Man]

I just did some important testing for an upcoming Guide article on how to throw great parties. My test character's traits were: Loner, Insane, Mean-Spirited, Evil, and Hot-Headed (yes, I chose these traits to prove an important concept). I invited 10 Sims I had never met before and the party earned Epic status. I'll detail everything I did in the article. It won't be a lengthy piece, so I should have it to Carl in the next couple of days.

[jestina]

1) Great decor
2) A buffet table
3) Roomy area for eating and dancing so things don't get clogged up
4) The best stereo

Sims love to dance almost as much as they love the sprinkler so the best stereo is a key item to buy.
Make sure no one fights or burns anything.

Great vista is a plus as is anything that helps them get in a great mood.
I always ask someone to spend the night too.
If you see people leaving with party balloons over their heads then you know it was a great party.

Also make sure you do the special if it was a special party (birthday, wedding, etc.) If it's a fundraiser then go around and ask all your friend for campaign funds...and they'll throw more at you when they leave too.

That's all you have to do really. The host thing is a waste and so is the party animal trait.

Also note, that you should probably throw a party around 5 on weekdays, since almost everyone should be off work by then.

All that really counts is that the guests are having a great time, your sims trait would be moot if you did nothing. One of my sims just spent the time repairing and cleaning house while the guests partied all night...and it still turned out to be an epic event.

[Metropolis Man]

Everything you say is spot-on, jestina, and echoes my own sentiments. In fact, some of my notes from last night are almost word for word copies of your tips. I saw your post this morning, and I'm like, "Yeah, this player definitely gets it."

[Chelkey]

The host thing is a waste and so is the party animal trait.

However, the host trait works if you don't use the stereo or don't offer food, you will still have an epic party. I'm not sure about party animal, I never chose that trait. I have a Sim with max traits, so he has the host trait. The way his house was set up prevented all but one couple of Sims from dancing. For some reason, where I had positioned the stereo made the Sims want to dance in the pantry. The cake, which was the only food he offered was on the counter in the pantry. The pantry was 3 X 6 tiles. In any event, the party guests, all 10 of them, and the 4 people in the house all tried to gather in that one pantry to either dance or celebrate birthday/grab cake, it was a mess. No one could possibly have had a great time as they spent the entire time just bumping into each other and tossing their hands in the air. But at the end of the party it was epic and was going to be talked about around town for years to come. I think this was due to the host trait.

I also had a rock musician that had the host trait and she had parties where she didn't offer food, didn't have a stereo and yet her parties were always epic. Basically, her friends sat around playing guitar or enjoying someone playing the guitar, that was the entire party.

Basically, what I'm saying is that the host trait can be useful in certain situations. Such as,  when you are moving up in the politics career track and don't have the money to leave your guests with a great stereo and good food in an awesome atmosphere. But as others have said, it isn't a necessity.

[Edited for correct quoting - Swede]

[samoht04]

I made loads of deco, turned on the radio, got them all dancing then went to bed, Epic party. At my school if someone does something wrong it is 'EPIC FAIL!'

[Edited for typos.  Please use Preview before posting.  -Pam]

[jestina]

Throwing parties outside is probably the best option to avoid sims getting bunched up, especially if you don't have alot of room in the house.

Put down a picnic table near the buffet table and move the stereo outside. Decorate the lot with whatever you can afford to raise bonuses.

[Schipperke]

I just finished reading Metro's guide to a great party.  What a fantastic job, Metro!  I love your character "Rage".  I hope you keep him around; it would be fun to see him taking on other challenges.