Celebrity, Stars, and Being Famous

Celebrity, Stars, and Being Famous

One of the main features that was added to the game with the Late Night expansion is Sim fame and  celebrity status -- which are tracked by a set of five stars that appear above your Sim's name when you mouse over their icon on the lower left side of the screen.  Increasing your Sim's fame and thus gaining celebrity status is very important if you want them to be able to get into the hot nightclub, meet and chat with celebrities (and even become their friends), and enjoy all of the privileges that come with being a VIP in your Sim's world.

Fame is now a very important element in the game -- it takes at least one star just to be able to get into the average hangout and entertainment locations in town, and a lot more than one if you want your Sim to be able to walk into any venue -- but fortunately the process of acquiring fame for your Sims is within your grasp...  While it can be a bit annoying to be mobbed by adoring fans when you are trying to do mundane tasks like shop for books or groceries or go out to eat, there is a plus side to fame in that your Sim may get a 20 positive 'Got Recognized' moodlet whenever it happens, and that gives them a 20 boost to their mood that lasts a full 8 hours! The higher your Sim's celebrity star level, the more likely this is to happen.

The higher your Sim's fame the more likely that it will have positive side-effects -- bringing more business to an Artist Sim, and getting your Sim's significant "celebrity" discounts on things that they buy at shops in town.   With fame and celebrity also comes swag and free gifts that are randomly sent to your Sim by their adoring fans and that appears in the Family Inventory (so you will want to check that every now and then), and the true celebrity Sims will be sent some pretty exclusive and desirable gifts, and how cool is that?

There are certain steps that you can take to help your Sims on the path to celebrity, starting with the Charisma Trait and Star Quality -- and leveling the Charisma Skill is also a good idea, and once your Sim acquires their first Star a new page is added to the Simology menu called the Celebrity Journal (you can either hit the "L" key on your keyboard or click its icon on that menu), and you will find useful stats and information there.  In addition to showing you how many Stars your Sim has, it has a progress bar to the next level and stats that include the number of Celebrities your Sim already knows, how many discounts they have received, how many freebies, how much their fame has saved them, and the number of bars they have visited.  In the Lindsey Lohan school of celebrity it also shows you how many times your Sim disgraced themselves in public, how many times they were falsely accused of something, and it also keeps track of how many autographs they have signed.

The Paparazzi are everywhere, so get used to the annoyance

-- Obtaining that Crucial First Star --

There are a number of ways to obtain your first Star -- perhaps the easiest is to simply meet a celebrity and then have your Sim impress them so that a little of their fame rubs off...  It does not even have to be a major celeb either, so it is a good idea (if that is how you plan to do it) for your Sim to visit hot spots or potential hot spots, go clubbing, and otherwise hang out where the rich and famous do -- even if you have to bribe the doorman to get in!

Once you do meet a celeb you will need to impress them by telling them something that is true and impressive about your Sim...  You can try bluffing but that can backfire on you.  Name dropping the names of other celeb's can work, as can bragging about your wealth (if you have it).

Another way to get your first star if you are an artisan (Painter or Sculptor) is to sell one of your creations to a celeb via an opportunity event -- if they are impressed with your art they will talk about it and that will gain you that first critical star!

Once your Sim has their first Star they will have more celebrity opportunities offered to them, and doing them will raise their fame level... You can also continue meeting and impressing celeb's but to be honest, being an artist of either type (or a musician) can be the fast ticket to fame, and you may find that to be the better track to take...

-- Befriending Celebrities --

Once your Sim does become friends with a celebrity that can be an easy way to level up their own fame -- buy increasing their friendship level -- just ask Kevin Federline, he can tell you all about that. 

Throwing parties can help you to meet additional celeb's if you have invited the one or ones you already know, since they can sometimes attract others by being there, and of course being in a band doesn't suck as a method for attracting that sort of attention.

With the Ambitions expansion installed your Architect and Stylist Sims can meet and befriend celebrities as part of their daily grind, and if your Sim is particularly gifted at mixing drinks and tending bar (Mixology) that can make your parties much more successful.  Your Sims who are pursuing the Film Career track will find that they have increased opportunities to meet celebrities as well, which is something to think about.

-- Opportunities --

Once you have that first Star and with each additional one you are going to find that more and more opportunities will appear that will allow you to build your fame -- you should ALWAYS accept and complete those as they really are an effective tool for fame building, and as a bonus many include an extra reward in addition to Fame Points.

Being famous means spending more quality time alone with family

-- The Currency of Fame --

As mentioned earlier, your Fame is what gets you into exclusive venues -- the following list will make that a bit more clear to you.  These are listed from lowest fame to highest with respect to who is likely to be there, and you should check the newspaper frequently to see if any of the spots are suddenly more popular...

Dive Bars -- from 11:00 AM to 3:00 AM
Some will have entry requirements, some will not, and none are very likely spots to see the mega famous or any vampires...  If they do have entry requirements you can usually get in by paying a small bribe, and when they do have entry requirements there is a chance you will meet a low-level celeb there!

Dance Clubs -- from 5:00 PM to 4:00 AM
These always have a cover fee, and may or may not have a celebrity present -- it is a crap shoot -- but on the other hand your Sim can go dancing and have a good time, so hey, win-win!  If your Sim only has one or two Stars they will have to bribe their way into these, but once they get three Stars they should just be able to walk in.

Lounges -- from 2:00 PM to 2:00 AM
A likely spot to meet the famous and undead, these are also pretty hard to get into under Fame Level 3 -- but you can try.  Sometimes getting in is easier than other times -- and the general rule is that the easier it is to get in, the less likely there is a celebrity present, which is food for thought...