Big or Small?

Big n' Mean or Small n' Lean?

I have a theory I've been thinking about for a while. Plenty of times I've seen large projects, like a conceptual island, or big club or store, or just about anything, get built then are torn down or just disappear. I once signed up to have my goods sold in a shop located off a new club (based purely on the wonderful build and atmosphere) only to have the whole thing close before a single customer got a chance to walk in the door. It closed without an opening, even though it had so much potential. And I'm not immune to this either; I've started things and quit when it was near completion.

But that isn't a complaint; it's just how these things happen. Why is that?

I think there is a combination of possible factors:

1. Projects always get more complicated the closer they are to finishing.
   
2. The creators/investors think of new ideas that take time to implement, and creeping features make sure the grand opening never comes.
   
3. The reality of the financial burden (tier, etc.) or time involvement sets in.
   
4. Boredom, or a juicier idea comes along.
   
5. Dissolution of partners, or contractors never finish.
   
6. Income/popularity/response is lower than expected.
   
7. Empty club syndrome: a 4096 m2 club looks a lot more empty than a 512 m2 one does with the same number of avs, and no one likes being in an empty-looking club.
   
8. Competition builds one first.

So how can these be avoided? I think there is only one thing to do: smaller scale. Be efficient: build small, early and often. Keep it simple and try to do it yourself, or get some reliable friends to help in the areas you're inexperienced. You may have visions of a grandiose learning center or gambling palace that's spread over two sims. Fine. Make your concept, but on a smaller scale. If it needs to grow, you'll know this and it will grow. But grow it when it needs to, not because you want it to be big. Being small and efficient means you can:

1. Get a jump on your competition.
   
2. Avoid wasting big money and big time on things that don't work.
   
3. Identify problems before they're huge.
   
4. If your partner walks out on you for a smaller project, you can likely fill in the gap or come up with some tier money for a month or two without it killing you financially.
   
5. Get instant gratification. Don't underestimate this. Even if you're patient, you'll get satisfaction from people coming in the club earlier, and you'll be less likely to lose interest before it's successful.
   
6. Customers/friends/well-wishers coming by and using your project earlier will give you valuable feedback earlier.
   
7. Which leads to flexibility. You can still make big changes based on the feedback, your own whim or the changing market. Changing the color scheme of an island-wide mall is probably a pain in the ass.

An example. Let's say you wanted to build a huge club with multi-level mall. How about a small club and one floor of the mall? Plan the whole thing with the intention of building it some day, but get something out there early so people can start giving you money and feedback. If you have the grand plan, it should be easy enough to add floors as your vendors request more stalls, or to build the "VIP Room" when your clubgoers fight for space. And should the market change, it's a lot easier to change your plan than the huge building.

I'd like to hear what you've done to make big projects a lasting success. Did you start small and grow as needed, or am I completely off base? What about successful projects that started small and still are?

Disclaimers: I'm not referring to projects like Neverland and Chinatown which were never intended to last more than a month. Also, I know many of us are biased against malls and clubs, but that's just an example many can relate to. If this offends you, replace with learning center or something. Please don't respond with statements against the validity any particular type of project.

Very good points. I've always tried to have my builds "evolve" over time. That way, a big project can be broken down into many small ones. This has always served me well, when I get the building bug in between my social whoring.

Regards,

-Flip

Sounds to me like some very sound thinking here, and some very good advice!

coco

Ah, that gets me thinking. If you make a grand plan with a lot of small projects that can be executed indpendantly, you can pick and choose which ones to start with. Or when you have a big project, making an update to one piece at a time isn't a big hassle.

Another advantage that came to me of doing the early-and-often approach, is that your audience gets to use your service earlier. If you're building a university, your students can start learning sooner if you build one classroom instead of the whole thing.

Less is better, people!