Last week saw the release of "Tiny Tower," a free iOS game which tasks people to build an economically-booming skyscraper. For full impressions on the game, you can check out our first look here, but if you've already made the plunge, you may be a little bit overwhelmed. Don't worry, I'm here to help. Here are some starting tips to help you get from your first floor to your twentieth in as little time as possible.
TIP #1 - UPGRADE YOUR ELEVATOR
"Tiny Tower" has two forms of currency. Coins allow you to build more floors and restock items for sale in your stores, while Tower Bux can be used to speed up production instantly. You can buy Tower Bux with real money if you wish, but the game rewards you with free Bux by working the elevator and fully stocking stores.
Now here's the trick: Save those Bux to upgrade your elevator. The elevator cannot be upgraded with coins and once you start getting 10, 20 or even 50 floors, you're going to want a speedy elevator. The first elevator upgrade costs 25 Bux, the second costs 75 and the gold elevator costs 125. You should feel free to spend one of your Bux here and there, but more often than not, save up for the elevators. Trust me, it's worth it.
TIP #2 - DREAM JOBS
Every citizen in "Tiny Tower" has a dream job. You'll see it next to their name. By placing a worker in their dream job, you'll be able to stock two times the amount of sales items and if you have multiple people at the same dream job store, you'll get two times stock on the higher level sales items. If you're looking to minimize the amount of micromanaging required in "Tiny Tower," having stock that lasts twice as long is a crucial element. As an added bonus, placing someone in their dream job rewards you with three extra Bux.
TIP #3 - SKILL LEVEL < DREAM JOB
Every citizen also has different skill levels for certain types of jobs. Having a level 9 skill level means that citizen gives you a 9% discount on items at that type of store. But, if that citizen is only a level 6, the difference between those two is a measly 3% discount on restocking. If you're deciding whether to evict someone with a low skill level in their dream job, don't. You're better off dumping someone with a high skill level but not working at their dream job.
TIP #4 - SPREAD OUT YOUR CITIZENS
As your tower gets taller, you'll find that it's tougher to get new people to move in. If they ask to go to an apartment floor that's already full, they won't move in. Building new apartments will help this, but you'd much rather have four apartments with a single free room than one apartment with four free rooms, as it increases the chances of them moving in. Once they do move in, check their stats and see if their dream job matches any of your stores. If not, feel free to evict and try your luck again.
TIP #5 - TAKE ADVANTAGE OF VIPS
VIPS are special citizens who can help you out in your tower. Construction VIPs (orange with a hardhat) can cut building time by 3 hours, delivery VIPs (dark clothes) do the same for stocking and big spender VIPs (orange clothes and sunglasses) will buy out a single item instantly. Learn to take advantage of these when they arrive.
Step one: before tapping the VIP, see which type they are. Once you tap them, you're locked into using them. Now scroll through your tower and see where they can help most. If it's a construction VIP and you're about to build a new floor, wait until you do before using him or her. If it's a big spender VIP, send them to a floor which has only the highest priced item in stock, as that can net you as much as 10,000 coins in one go. Take your time and think ahead before using them. They won't disappear unless you force quit the game or check your friends list.
BONUS TIP: TAKE BREAKS
The way "Tiny Tower" is designed, you could honestly obsess over it for hours on end. I certainly have. But do yourself a favor and take breaks. Just worry about stocking right before you go to bed or as you're eating a meal and then put it away for a few hours. When you get back you'll have plenty of money and plenty of restocking to do.