New In Town, is the latest Facebook game from social game developer Digital Chocolate. It is a life simulation game that challenges players to take another shot at their life – at least virtually.
Here is a short tutorial-cum-review, which hopefully will be of some help to you. Well, the tutorial is bit lengthy. So, only thumbnails are provided for the screenshots. Click on them to enlarge the thumbnails.
Fresh out of college, it’s time to get into real life virtually … oh i liked the sound of that. Finding jobs, acquiring new skills, keeping your stomach stuff and making sure you have good rest, soicalizing, working hard and making sure you chill out a times, and paying rent are some of the things you will be doing often in the game.
Game Basics: Time
Everything you do in the game require a specific amount of time, which is of course limited. You are free to do anything you want as long as you have the time. Once your time runs out, you have to call quits for the day and get a good night rest.
Here are few factors that affect the amount of time you have per game day, called as time units.
- At the beginning of the game, the highest number of time you have per day is 1,000 units.
- Ending the day with an empty stomach or with an unhappy life will result in deduction of time units the next day. Going hungry will deduct 100 time units, while having your happiness meter rating below 750 point threshold will also deduct time according to the number of happiness units below the threshold level.
- If you go to bed with some time to spare, you get an “early bed bonus” and receive 50 extra time units the next day.
- Any action you perform, apart from buying things, cost you 100 time units. Working, taking class, and watching movie are some examples.
- Travelling also needs time, and the amount of time deducted will depend on the distance you travel.
- Visiting friends and performing actions at your friend’s house will not eat up you time. Performing tasks at your friends place with earn you happiness points instead.
Quick Tip: You can still perform one action even if you have less than 100 time units, but more than 0. It is always good to go to bed with few time units remaining for the “early bed bonus”. Once you start progressing and the gym is unlocked, enroll for classes as soon as you can. This is where you can increase the maximum time units.
Types of Days
The game has two types of days – working days and leisure days.
Normally, you can have a maximum of four working days. One working day will be deducted when you start a new day, a working day is recharged over a period of 30 minutes, real time. When you level up, your maximum working day will increase by 1.
When you run out of working days, your time unit’s bar will change from green to purple, indicating that it’s leisure day. As the name suggest, during leisure days, you can check out the city but will not be able to perform jobs like working, taking classes, or go looking for jobs.
Commuting
Commuting can be real pain and time consuming. So, be sure to get a cheap roller or skateboard early in the game. It will help you decrease your travel time, giving you more time to perform other actions. Hover over a location and the amount of time units required to reach that location from your present location will be displayed.
Work and Skills
If you are to succeed in the game and reach your dreams, you will need a job to support yourself. Head over to the city hall, where you will find different types of jobs. Hovering over a job will provide you further information on the job. You can apply and accept jobs at the city hall. Once you have accepted a job, go to your town view and look for a dollar sign on a building. Go there, and click on the character with a dollar sign above them. Click on the work button to perform a job.
Working on a job will increase your proficiency at that job. Your skill proficiency at that is shown at the bottom left corner of your work window. When you become an expert at that job, you will receive $1 expert bonus plus your standard wage. Becoming an expert at a job will help you in getting the higher level jobs.
There are three main character skills that will affect the your eligibility for applying to various jobs. You can improve your character skills by completing various course at the college. Remember that you can improve your charisma by your outfit also. Charisma will also determine the number of friends you have.
Challenges/Missions
How you play the game and at what pace you progress depends on you. But, you will receive healthy challenges from NPCs making you rush at times But, the many rewards that include cash, happiness points, and even extra working day awaits you if you win the challenges. These challenges/missions will also serve as a tutorial for you. So, don’t ignore them.
Happiness
Happiness will influence a lot on your game progress. So, balancing your work and leisure time will be difficult at times but necessary.
Working costs you 60 happiness points for every work action you perform, which you can balance out through several ways that include eating, buying items, taking care of your pets and plants, helping friends, and hanging out with friends.
Watching movies or going for a pizza with your friends (NPCs and neighbors) are, as I found out, the quickest way to increase your happiness at the beginning of the game. Remember, that if you retire for the day with your happiness level below the threshold (750 points), time units will be deducted the next day.
Social factor/Friends
What is a social game without friends? Socializing with friends is a great way to become a happier person in New In Town. The game offers several ways to socialize like hanging out with friends, throwing parties, and dating and all the things that follows.
You also have the usual gifting, bonus sharing, visiting and helping elements in the game to help you progress faster.
New In Town, as a life simulation game, comes with a different spin compared to most social games. The game is easy to learn but hard to master. Game graphics are nice and easy on the eyes. Game menus and icons are pretty self-explanatory and easy to access.
Game challenges can really challenge a player and hook them to the game. The game is addictive. One of the best things about life simulation game is the many, many options/ways available for gameplay, progress and ending … if it ever ends. Just taking another shot at life, even if it is virtually, lure me into playing it and so far I love this game.
I hope you have found this guide and review useful. Do share your thoughts or any tips you have with our other readers. Game on!
(Play New In Town Facebook game)
