The Urbz: Sims In The City Rep Groups guide

Version 2.0
Written by blahzer

1. History
2. Introduction
3. The rep groups
4. Rep group missions
5. Changing rep groups/gaining 10 rep points
6. Rep group rewards
7. Frequently Asked Questions
8. Legal Information/Credits
9. Contacting me

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1. History
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05/12/04 - Completed version 1.0
08/12/04 - Added Legal Information and information on where to find Daddy
           Bigbucks before the end of the game under the Streeties Rep group
           mission. Also took out the supposed point given regarding your
           room mates.
11/12/04 - Added another topic Daddy Bigbucks dislikes, and 2 more links under
           the authorized links section.
18/12/04 - Added more questions in the Frequently Asked Questions part. Check
           it out if you can't find trash reappearing. Also addressed other
           common problems. Included Gratis Baby as another Richies reward.
23/12/04 - Included more Xizzles and corrected a mistake.
03/01/05 - Added another location for finding Petrified Wood.
08/01/05 - Another location for the Wood, and updated the Frequently Asked
           Questions bit.
24/01/05 - Updated the section regarding missing trash. The trash glitch is a
           huge headache for me, took me awhile to attempt to fix the mis-
           information. Added another place to find D. Bigbucks and Petrified 
           Wood. 
16/02/05 - Moon Base Zeta information added. Refer to Frequently Asked
           Questions.
29/05/05 - I apologize for the lack of updates. Anyway, I added another way
           to get the Genie lamp.


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2. Introduction
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Rep groups are one of the most interesting and important features in the game.
I had lots of fun playing around with the different rep groups, and it is by
far my favourite aspect of the game. In this guide, I hope to allow you to
understand what they're all about, and ultimately how to get the maximum 10 
rep points for each group. Hopefully, doubts about certain missions will be
cleared and the game will be enjoyed more thoroughly after reading this guide.
I sincerely hope that you'd enjoy reading this as much as I did writing it.


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3. The rep groups
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There are basically 4 rep groups in The Urbz. What you select as your answer
to the first question when you Create-an-Urb will determine your rep group.
The rest of the questions, though fun, play no part in determining your rep
group.

a) Richies

The Richies are incredibly rich, and more often than not, arrogant. Some bask
in the glitz and glamour of life, while others in this group remain spoilt and
uncontented. Be prepared for a huge hole in your wallet if you want to gain
a lot of rep points for this group. To get into the Richies at the beginning
of the game, be sure to pick "Bright Lights, Big Wallets" for the first
question. The group is made up of:

Leader     -  Luthor L. Bigbucks. Spoilt, unsatisfied son of Daddy Bigbucks. 
              Very unapproving of his father's plans. He can be found outside
              the musuem in SimQuarter most of the time.

Members    -  Lily Gates. Busy attorney of Daddy Bigbucks who loves making 
              lots of money. She can be found in King's Tower level 1, 2 and 
              the wharves at SimQuarter most of the time.
           -  Lottie Cash. Spoilt and pretty much ignorant, she definitely 
              knows how to enjoy life to the fullest by indulging in her 
              riches. She can be found at the top-most street in Urbania 
              most of the time.
           -  Misty Waters. Ex-life guard, now a gym trainer who still misses 
              her old job. She can be found at Waters' Gym in King's Tower 
              most of the time.
           
Rival gang -  Streeties

b) Streeties

These people are mostly down-to-earth, frank and highly contented with their 
lives. They're pretty much average, and gather around Urbania the most. 
They're at odds with the Richies because of contrasting ways of living. Be 
sure to pick "King of Miniopolis" for the first question if you want to get 
into the Streeties at the beginning of the game. The group consists of:

Leader     -  Darius. He's cool, strangely materialistic, loves the 
              neighbourhood a lot and simply chillin'. He can be found 
              loitering Urbania and around the market most of the time.

Members    -  Crystal. Trendy girl who seeks to have the hippest fashion sense
              and greatest fun around. She can be found walking around Urbania 
              most of the time, and sometimes at the pizza bar and Megastore.
           -  Ewan Watahmee. A worker in the garage, he loves his job and is
              passionate about cars. He can be found in the garage or around 
              Urbania most of the time.
           -  Kris Thistle. Very street-smart and unmaterialistic, she dreams
              of getting a better job. She can be found around King's Tower
              most of the time.

Rival gang -  Richies

c) Nerdies

People in this group belong to the "high-collar" workforce or are academically
outstanding. They're very intellectual and refined, choosing to spend their
time learning something new. Pick "Computer Daze" for the first question if
you want to be in the Nerdies at the beginning of the game. The group consists
of:

Leader     - Polly Nomial. Bespectacled geek who spends her time burying
             herself in books and studying. She can be found at the University
             almost all the time.

Members    - Lincoln Broadsheet. A passionate and inquisitive journalist who 
             loves his job lot. He can be found in the newspaper centre, or 
             outside, almost all the time.
           - Maximillian Moore. A doctor obsessed with good hygiene.
             He can be found inside the clinic in Urbania or on the streets
             of Urbania most of the time.
           - Sue Pirnova. She's your resident inventor, who's really into
             research and discovering new things. She can be found on the
             streets of SimQuarter, Urbania and the University most of the
             time.

Rival gang - Artsies

d) Artsies

Their members love the arts and are all very talented. Carnivals and the
market are favourite hunts of theirs, and everyone has an artistic flair for
performance arts. Pick "My Guitar Hero" to join the Artsies at the beginning 
of the game. The group is made up of:

Leader     - Roxanna Moxie. She loves performing at the carnival and the
             animals she work with, and also has eccentric tastes for things.
             She can be found at the carival and around the market most of the 
             time.

Members    - Cannonball Coleman. Loves music and travels around the city
             playing his saxophone. He can be found outside the University
             or around Urbania usually.
           - Pritchard Locksley. A struggling actor who still enjoys relishing
             his glory days. Now a waiter, his first love is still acting. He 
             can be found on the streets of SimQuarter most of the time.
           - Theresa Bullhorn. She loves watching movies and is very into
             films, having directed some. She can be found outside the cinema
             and at the market most of the time.

Rival gang - Nerdies


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4. Rep group missions
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Rep group missions, though optional, can be used to gain a rep point for that
particular group once completed. They take a lot of effort and time to 
complete, so be patient. I recommend completing an entire mission at one go 
in-between entire chapters except for the Artsies mission which you'd have to
complete as soon as possible. This is because they take up a lot of time and
during the interim some of your present plot missions might be compromised,
like your popularity falling, in which popularity is crucial in some of the
missions. You can also take your time to complete them, finding the things 
required along the way as you go about finishing the actual missions. However, 
that takes a much longer while as many a time the things required in a rep 
group mission need you to actually hunt for them, instead of "being found 
along the way".

To activate a rep group mission, you must gain between 3 to 5 rep points. It
took me 3 points to activate the Artsies one and 5 for the Streeties one. 
Talk to the leader and he or she will give you the mission. Note that to gain 
the maximum number of rep points, you MUST complete that group's mission.


a) Richies

The Richies mission took the longest time for me to complete, and is the most
effort-consuming one. It requires a lot of time at hand to complete, and
basically, lots, and lots of money.

The goals of the mission are:

- Get best promotion in Moogoo Monkey Minigame

Moogoo Monkey is a fairly easy game to play if you understand how to play it.
Play it every night and be sure to increase your Charisma to 4 and Logic to 6
to get the highest promotion. Try to be the winner in every game you can. If
you do all those, you should be promoted after every game and get to level 5
in no time.

- Own $30,000 of items

This is the hard part. It takes a lot of errand-running and money-making in
jobs to have the money needed to buy all the items. This is pretty much
trial and error, and there is no specific list of items to buy. However, it is
most logical and recommendable to buy the most expensive items in the stores,
instead of buying many average-priced items since you have a limit in the
number of items you can place in each floor of your house. I suggest buying 
online for some of the priciest goods, and the Megastore sells pretty 
expensive furniture and kitchenware too. Be sure to check the auctions at the 
Thrift Store and Megastore as they also have expensive goods sometimes. Try to
also buy as many Robot Monkey Butlers as you can, as they're the one of the 
most, if not the most, expensive items at $3,999. Other items include the 
Brahma 5000 Behemoth Computer, Miniature Llama and the Sky Diving Machine.
Check your Catalog so you know what you should buy, and plan well.

- Have $10,000 in cash

No mean feat, but nonetheless possible with a lot of effort. Try to get the 
top promotion in many jobs, so that you'd get more money. A game I find rather
easy and quick to earn money is Moogoo Monkey, which coincidentally (and 
luckily) is a required goal in this mission. Another game you might want to
play regularly is Max's stat game. Also, be sure to run errands as much as you
can, but don't try to overload yourself with them as you might not finish them
all in time.

b) Streeties

The Streeties mission is more of a fun thing. You get to find Daddy Bigbucks
and annoy him like crazy, after all the hatred that you (or rather your
character) would have built up for him throughout the game. 

The goals of the mission are:

- Seriously annoy Daddy Bigbucks (Rel -50)

This is easy and fun. You can find him on that island where you found the 
dancing nutria for Roxanna Moxie in the early morning around 3-5am after the
end of the game. You can also find him on the section of Paradise Island where
the shop and hammock are, although he isn't there all the time. 


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Kudos to Braxton (Bkam4) for telling me how to contact Daddy Bigbucks during
the game and an extra bit of information:

I know of a way to get to daddy bigbucks before the end. Just wait until his
hatred towards you goes down just a little bit(Relationship:0)and get on your
Hanging telephone and Invite him over!Off topic:He gives you a key to the city
if he likes your house!Its not the key to Miniopolis,but it is the key to
somewhere!!!


blahzer's note: It took me about 18 consecutive calls (including a couple
which spoilt my phone) to finally pursuade him to come over. Just keep trying.

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He won't talk to you after you annoy him for quite a bit, so come back again
the next day. Topics that he dislike talking about are (besides insults,
itimidation and rude gestures):

Rep groups
Nature
Theatre
Your opinion
Sports
Carnival
Movies
Ninjas
Coffee shop
Aliens
Sleeping
Cosmos
Books
River
Museum
Bad pun
Dancing

- Convince someone to join the Streeties

Get Rel 50 or more with Ewen Watahmee and he'll join. You can find him at the
garage. The topics he like to talk about include cars, books, river, lounge,
simoleons and theatre.

- Get the higest promotion in Basketball

This is quite difficult in my opinion. At level 4, the ball and hoop scrolls
pretty fast, and it's hard to line them up exactly. However, to get a minimum
of 600, you need to score at least 3 or 4 bull's eye. You also need Body 9 to 
get the highest promotion. Play it every day and soon it'd be accomplished.


c) Nerdies

The Nerdies mission requires a lot of hunting, but it's rather easy and should
be completed quickly with the appropriate amount of skill points.

The goals of the mission are:

- Get best promotion in Dr. Max Stat Minigame

Be sure to have logic 8 and cooking 5 and at least 600 salary to get the
highest level of promotion. Something that made this game easier for me is to
spot the first two symbols needed on the grid first, as this points out the
possible patterns faster. As it gets more difficult, try to spot the first 3
symbols first. Play this every day and the goal shouldn't be much of a 
problem.

- Create a Petrified Wood Chess Piece

I had a tough time finding the Petrified Wood, but finally found it at 
Paradise Island in the early morning (before daybreak). They look like the 
regular Redwood wood, but is more grey-brown. Get a bench (doesn't matter 
which I guess, because I could get what I wanted from both the mini and pro 
benches) from the market and carve a small Petrified wood cube first, then
carve again to get a Decorative Chess Piece. A thing to note is that it's 
pretty rare to carve a chess piece out of that cube, and upon almost 20+ tries
did I get it. So either you take a lot of Petrified Wood with you, or you save
before each try, and load if you get something else, exit the screen and 
return and carve again. I used that method, and had tons of other things from
totem poles to wooden rowboats. More of luck and patience, really.


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Thanks to Cof Syn DM for the following info:

Another easy place to find petrified wood, only after you've finished the game
though, is to travel back in time to 1870 again and go search the bushes near
where you met young Ephram Earl the first time you traveled there (he won't be
there this time).


Also to Claudia:

I found petrify wood, sometimes, in the secret tunnel from jail to dark tree.


And to Kira:

I found the Petrified wood in the bayou.  It is behind a plant. The plant is
the little one at the top of screen directly across from the plant that you 
find the light for the scary cave.

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- Sell 15 Giant Bog Frogs to the Deputy

I find these golden frogs most abundant in the bayou. Collect 15 of them
every day and take them to the recycler at the jail.


d) Artsies

The Artsies mission is easily the least challenging mission. The items needed
are easy to find, and Comic Explosion isn't a difficult game.

The goals of the mission are:

- Get best promotion in Comedy Club Minigame

A fairly easy task. Remember you need Charisma 7, Creativity 4 and a minimum 
salary of 650 to reach the highest promotion. I found the easiest way to beat
this is to place collecting flowers as your top priority.

- Bake a Strawberry Tiramisu

The recipe is strawberries, vanilla and flour, courtesy of Giuseppi's father.
Flour, vanilla and the mixer can be bought from the market. Strawberries can
be picked on the ground in the bayou and the centre of Urbania, among the
bushes. Mix the ingredients, and then Bake-a-mix it in the oven. If you fail, 
go for cooking classes at the University to increase your cooking points. 
Likewise, you can buy a Gourmet Smoothie from the ninja at the carnival 
between 2 to 3am. I had about 7 cooking points to obtain a moderate percentage
of success.

- Clean up the city! Recycle 100 piles of trash

Miniopolis isn't exactly the cleanest city around. You can find piles of trash
on almost every street, from the carnival to Urbania. The trash is usually
"replaced" at the stroke of midnight. Once you have 100 give it to the Deputy 
at the jail. Take note that the ones you recycled prior to the mission are
counted too.

*Important note* 
Please complete this goal as soon as possible, as there is a trash
glitch that'd cause trash to disappear after certain days. Refer to the
Frequently Asked Questions part for more information. Any information 
regarding the exact origin of this glitch and/or how it works will be greatly
appreciated.

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5. Changing rep groups/gaining 10 rep points
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To change your current rep group, you need to obtain 10 rep points with the 
rep group you desire to get into. After you have gained 10 rep points, talk to
the leader and he or she will ask you whether you want to join them. Say yes,
and you'd be given a series of rewards, which is included in the next part. 
Another interesting thing to note once you have 9 or more rep points is that 
you start to walk differently, depending on what rep group you're in. I've 
made a list of the things I did that managed to help me get 10 points. If you
see a mistake or have more ways to add rep points, please contact me and you'd
be credited. These will give you rep points:

-  Max out the skill specific to the rep group. 
a) Richies 10 Charisma skill
b) Streeties 10 Body skill
c) Nerdies 10 Logic skill
d) Artsies 10 Creativity

-  Have Rel 50 or more with a member of that rep group (4 in all, including 
   the leader)
-  Have Rel 100 with that rep group's leader
-  Have Rel -5 or less with rival rep group's leader
-  Complete that rep group's mission
-  Give that rep group's trophy to the leader.
a) The Richies trophy can be found on the 2nd floor of the Glasstown 
   Megastore. It is near the computers at the back, near the top-left corner.
b) The Streeties trophy can be found in the cemetary, on the screen just 
   outside the mausoleum. It's at the end of the screen, behind the right-most
   tombstone.
c) The Nerdies trophy is located around the tree at the carnival. It's near 
   the end of it and pretty much stands out so you won't miss it.
d) The Artsies trophy can be found after crossing the second plank in the
   bayou. Head directly left, past the 2 plants and search the ground.

-  Move to a place not in a disliked district.
   There is no single "preferred location" theoratically. Each rep group has a
   number of "preferred location", and the point will be given to the rep 
   group that you have one of the least rep points with, or have not fulfilled
   a point for that yet. It's possible to score rep points anywhere you move,
   as long as it's not in the disliked district.
 
Disliked location according to the guide book:

Richies: Urbania
Streeties: SimQuarter
Nerdies: SimQuarter
Artsies: Glasstown

This is basically trial and error, but I did some experimenting and the 
highest likelihood of gaining a rep point for each group are as follows:

Richies: Townhouse, Penthouse
Streeties: Large/Small Brownhouse
Nerdies: City Apartment, First Mate's Quarters
Artsies: Large/Small Brownhouse, First Mate's Quarters


Also regarding roomates: Upon further researching, I found out that moving in
with anyone but a member in your rival rep group does NOT give you a rep
point. However, it also does NOT take away a rep point. Moving in with a
member of the rival group will take away a rep point, but kicking him/her out
will return that point to you. Hope this clears up the misconception that
moving in with a fellow rep group member gives you 1 rep point.


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6. Rep group rewards
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These are items that are given to you by the leader only when you have max rep
points, besides the gold/silver plaques. They help you a lot in the game, and
most of them are immensely useful. Xizzles are also given when when you obtain
10 rep points. [thanks to Braxton for the xizzles info]

a) Richies 

- Sensory Deprivation Chamber
  This wonder machine replenishes all your need meters for awhile. This is 
  very useful, especially in time-constraint situations where you cannot 
  afford to sleep but are in need of energy.

- Gratis Baby [Xizzle]
  Richie Trust Fund pays $400 monthly stipend.

- Richie Clubhouse keys
  The Richie Clubhouse is in the Clubhouse building in Glasstown. It is the 
  one up the stairs.

b) Streeties

- Ultimate MP-DEE Stereo System
  A huge stereo system that replenishes your Entertainment meter greatly. It
  also changes the background music every time you enter the house.

- Street Signs [Xizzle]
  Any Rep group member reacts +1 social.

- Streetie Clubhouse keys
  The Richie Clubhouse is in the Clubhouse building in Glasstown. It is the 
  one in the left-most door.

c) Nerdies

- Mad Skillz Cerebral Data Infuser
  It gives you one random skill point daily. Enough said.

- Spell Champ [Xizzle]
  Unlocks the Spelling Bee Minigame

- Nerdie Clubhouse keys
  The Nerdie Clubhouse is in the Clubhouse building in Glasstown. It is the 
  one down the stairs.

d) Artsies

- Bod-Mod Booth
  This changes your skin tone and hair colour. Not the most useful thing
  around, but certainly fun to play around with.

- Djinn Genius [Xizzle]
  Unlocks the Genie's Lamp. The lamp can be gotten from the mail, and also by
  inviting Crystal over to your house during the housewarming party. (credits
  to Brittney Wong)

- Artsie Clubhouse keys
  The Artsie Clubhouse is in the Clubhouse building in Glastown. It is in the
  right-most door.


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7. Frequently asked questions
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These are questions that I see commonly going around in the message boards. If
you've got a question that you want me to answer, send me an email and if it's
not mentioned around anywhere in this guide, I'll post a reply here and/or
reply via email.

Q. Isn't Daddy Bigbucks in the Richies?
A. No, he is not. If you talk to him after the game about Rep groups, you'll
   find out that he dislikes and doesn't know much about them.

Q. Help! <insert character's name> won't move in with me!
A. Not everyone in the game can move in with you. However, there is at least
   1 person in every rep group that is able to move in with you.

Q. Help! I've done everything but I still don't have 10 rep points!
A. Double-check the list again and make sure that you've done everything. 
   Also, be sure that you have Rel 100 with the leader, not anything less.

Q. I can't find anymore piles of trash anywhere.
A. The trash will stop appearing anytime between 30 - 100 days. I'm still
   unclear about the exact time they disappear, as I've received mail claiming
   different times of their disappearance. It's a glitch; there's no way to
   prevent it from happening. The only solution would be to collect trash
   at every chance you have early on in the game, whether you've unlocked the
   Artsies misson or not; the trash will still be counted in later.

Q. How do I unlock that game in the clubhouse?
A. You need the Spell Champ Xizzle, obtainable when you have 10 rep points and
   are in the Nerdies group.

Q. Can other kinds of trash besides the "Pile of Trash" work for the Artsies
   mission?
A. No. It is specifically "Pile of Trash".

Q. Where is the dancing nutria island?
A. The dancing nutria island can only be accessible by the boat. From the
   SimQuarter wharves: head south to exit the map, then go due east and you'll
   run into the island. From Glasstown (down the steps at the right-most edge
   of the map): head south until you see a bridge, then go due east and you'll
   find the island.

Q. Are there any cheats to [insert desire]?
A. Yes, there are cheats, but I do not use, nor will I provide them in this
   guide. If you really need them for whatever reason, I suggest checking
   the message boards.

Q. How do I access Moon Base Zeta?
A. Buy a "Green Meteorite" online. If you can't find it on that day, check
   back the next day. While still having it in your pocket, go to the phone
   booth in SimQuarter. The "Home" option should be up, so select it. You can
   now buy things only available in Moon Base Zeta.


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8. Legal Information/Credits
-----------------------------------------------

This guide is copyrighted by Hikki H. It should be used solely for personal
and private use only. No part of this should be reproduced anywhere else on
the Internet without my permission except for the following links:

http://www.gamefaqs.com
http://www.neoseeker.com
http://www.geocities.com/theurbzgba
http://faqs.ign.com
http://gamerhelp.com


I'd like to thank the following groups of people:

GameFAQs - For being a great place where tips and FAQs are shared.

Everyone at the message boards - A part of this guide wouldn't be possible
                                 without some of the help shared by the users.

Braxton - For kindly informing me of many things, including mistakes and
          additional information.

CofSyn DM, Claudia Furtado & Kira - For providing alternate places to get the
                                    Petrified Wood.

Brittney Wong - For revealing another way to get the Genie lamp.

The one who didn't want to be named - For an alternate place to find Daddy
                                      Bigbucks.

You - For reading my very first FAQ.


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9. Contacting me
-----------------------------------------------

Lastly, if you've got a question, something to add, spotted a mistake,
a compliment or even a constructive criticism, don't hesitate to email me at
[[email protected]]. Any useful information will be accepted and
credited rightfully.

Note: I will reply to only email regarding rep groups. Any questions regarding
the main plot missions will be ignored. I may not check my inbox every day,
but rest assured I will definitely reply as long as I receive it.