SimTower How To 1

This page contains instructions on how to build a tower similar to the PM_Grand. It is a happy, no-cheat tower.

Part 1 - Floors 1 to 14

Achieving Two Star Level

  1. Click File, then New. As you build, be sure to save your Tower often. Use Save As and several different file names so that, if you make a mistake, you can reload a previous tower.
  2. Maximize the main window. Move the horizontal scroll bar to the extreme left and the vertical scroll bar to the extreme bottom.
  3. Choose LB from the tool bar menu.
  4. Click the lobby in the lower left corner of the screen so that the "lobby square" is completely in the work area. This will give you an extra $2 million, so that you are starting with $4 million.
  5. Approximately 4" in from the left side of the screen start putting in lobby going towards the right.
    This 4 " measurement is for a 640x480 display on a 13 " monitor. It should be less than 3" for 800x600 on a 13" monitor. On a different size monitor or a different display, you could try 1 or 2 inches????.
  6. Select Condo from the tool bar and put in 6 condos on the second floor starting above the left hand edge of the lobby. (They will not sell yet.) (You may have to scroll right and put in more lobby.)

  7. Select a Standard Elevator and put one in on the 2nd floor centered between the 5th & 6th condos. (We'll call this elevator 1 Left or elevator B.) (View a layout picture of all the elevators) Select the finger and click on the mechanism below the elevator to drag the elevator down to the main floor. [The Condos will sell between 7 AM & 9 PM.]
  8. Select a Standard elevator again and click in the same elevator shaft on the main floor. This adds a second car to the existing elevator shaft.
  9. Scroll some more to the right so that you can put in enough lobby to add 4 more condos. There should be 10 condos; 5 on each side of the elevator. If you put in a little too much lobby right now, it's not a problem.
  10. You should have a population of 30 happy Sims. Click on Eval on the Map Window to check the evaluation.
    • Check late in the day on WE to get a true picture of how happy your Sims are.
    • Excellent & Good Sims in Condos, Offices, and Shops are all reset to fully Excellent on WD1 in the AM.
    • Poor (RED) Sims in Condos, Offices and Shops move out on WD1 in the AM. Check the EVAL on WD1 in the morning to make sure that no Sims were are so RED that they have moved out and left their place with Conditions are Terrible.
  11. Scroll so that the elevator is in the center of the screen. Stretch the elevator up to the 6th floor using the finger.
  12. Choose the magnifying glass & click on the elevator shaft (not on a car.) Click the "Show" button to off. (It's easier to ensure that there are no spaces between the condos when you can see behind the elevators.)
  13. Start adding more condos directly above the first 10, up to the 6th floor. After you have added about 10 condos, add two more cars to the elevator shaft; one on the 4th floor & one on the 6th floor. Continue building condos until you have 10 across on the 6th floor. When all the Condos have sold, you should have a population of 150 Sims.
  14. Stretch the elevator up to the 14th floor and add cars at 8, 10, 12 & 14. Fill in with condos up to the 14th floor. You will become a Two-Star Tower as the Condos sell. When they are all sold your population should be 390.
  15. Now repeat the same thing on the right hand side of the screen.
  16. Scroll right and add enough lobby to put in 6 more condos on the second floor.
  17. Select a Standard Elevator and put one in on the 2nd floor centered between the new 5th & 6th condos. (We'll call this elevator 1 Right or elevator Q.)
  18. Drag the elevator down to the main floor and up to the 14th floor. Put extra cars in on 1, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 & 14.
  19. Add 4 more condos to the right side. There should be 10 new condos; 5 on each side of the elevator. Be careful when adding the lobby so that it doesn't stick out past the 10th new condo.
  20. Fill in with condos up to the 14th floor. Population should be 780 and you should have over $15,000,000.
  21. Be sure to save the tower often.

How to Part 1

How to Part 2

How to Part 3

How to Part 4

How to Part 5

SimTower Page

Hints & Tips

View a layout picture of all the elevators

Questions, Suggestions and comments are welcomed.

Download - a copy of the tower that I build while writing these instructions. (It is not exact, but it is close.)
MAC Download - a MAC Version of this tower built by Perry using these How_To Instructions.

Last real update 2004-08-19; minor changes 2007-10-18