The Sims FreePlay guide: How to complete the Downtown Developer Event

New with the Cafe Culture update for The Sims FreePlay is the brand new Downtown Developer event. Here’s a guide on how to complete it.

The Sims FreePlay‘s Cafe Culture update released this week, introducing all-new content for the long-running mobile game. Among the new features is the Downtown Developer Event, an entirely new type of event that requires you to hit certain stage goals in a limited time.

How to start the Downtown Developer Event

The Downtown Developer Event is technically now live, but you don’t need to start it immediately. In fact, in order to access it, you must be level 13 and complete the ‘Simtown Express’ Discovery Quest. Once you do this, you’ll unlock the Downtown district where you can find the newly added Downtown Developer lot.

A timed event (sort of) 

Yes, the Downtown Developer Event is a timed event, but you aren’t required to start it immediately. It will forever be available, waiting for you. However, once you start the Downtown Developer Event, the timer begins. You have 30 days to complete the event and unlock the grand prize.

The Prizes

Although you can take as long as you want to complete the Downtown Developer event, you must do it in 30 days if you want the final limited time prize – the glamorous 3-story luxury apartment penthouse.  Completing the event once the time runs out will still reward you, but only with the apartment prize (a bar building empty and ready for you to style).

Collecting Resources (and Shards) to progress

The premise of the Downtown Developer event is pretty straightforward: collect Resources. But doing so is a little more complicated.

Every 24 hours, you will be given a n ew permit to collect a resource at a specific location. At that location, you’ll find two “X” spots, you can assign one Sim to each of them. Collecting a Shard takes 3 hours and 55 minute to complete.

You must collect multiple shards to create the actual resource:

• Granite: 2 shards = 1 granite
• Glass: 3 shards = 1 glass
• Gold: 4 shards = 1 gold

You must complete the full resource within 24 hours to use that towards your next permit. Any incomplete Resources are lost at the end of the day.

To assist you in your hunt for Resources is Joe, the Geologist. Once unlocked, he will assist you for up to 45 days or until you complete the event.

Stages

As I mentioned, the Downtown Developer event is timed. There are Major Stage Deadlines (referred to as Major Stage Upgrades) that you must reach within a certain time. If you do not reach a deadline before the time expires, you must pay to continue. The next deadline timer does not start until you pay the cost, however, so it is possible to catch up.

Here are the current time limits allotted for each stage:

• Reach Stage 2: 3 days
• Reach Stage 4: 6 days
• Reach Stage 6: 6 days
• Reach Stage 9: 15 days

As you can see, 30 days are required to complete the quest. The bad news is that the event artificially gates your progress. Once you collect all of the day’s available Shards, you have to wait until the next day to continue your progress.

If you’re falling behind, you can spend SP to collect any remaining resources for a stage.

Reaching a stage will reward you with the following:

• Stage 2– 2LP, 2SP and 1 Glass (can be used in the next stage)
• Stage 4– 5LP, 5SP and 1 Gold (can be used in the next stage)
• Stage 6– 10LP, 10SP and 1 Gold (can then be used in the next stage)
• Stage 9/Grand Prize– 3-Story Apartment Lot, S20,000, 20LP and 15SP

Check out The Sims FreePlay FAQ for more details.