Reviews

• "Build-a-lot 2 Town of the Year is the sequel game to the hit Build-a-lot game. Build-a-lot 2 Town of the Year has improved on the original Build-a-lot game but keeps all that made Build-a-lot such a great game and adds some new fantastic features. The action in Build-a-lot 2 takes place in a series of towns where the locals want to expand and improve their properties. You're a contractor completing the requirements of the locals enabling you to move to the next level of Build-a-lot 2. If you complete the set tasks quickly you earn a gold ribbon. If you're a fan of the first Build-a-lot game you will not be disappointed with Build-a-lot 2 Town of the Year. If you haven't played the Build-a-lot game then you're in for challenging and fun time with Build-a-lot 2 Town of the Year" - Zoo
• Build-a-lot 2 - "Build-a-lot 2 Town of the Year is a fun game. I liked playing this game" - Mary L
• Build-a-lot 2 - "Build a lot 2 is a fantastic game. I loved the first build a lot game but build a lot 2 town of the year is much better. They have kept a lot of things from build a lot but added some great new features" - Kenster
• Build-a-lot 2 - "Thank you, thank you to the game producers of Build-a-lot 2 Town of the Year. The things I liked about the first Build-a-lot game are still there and you've added some new features. The graphics and game play in Build-a-lot 2 are brilliant. " - youngchipie
• Build-a-lot 2 - "Build-a-lot-2 is an amazing game. It's challenging and makes you think. I've started playing the new Build in Time game and I'm going to buy that game as well." - K man

Tips

Check out our tips and tricks for Build-A-Lot 2: Town of the Year.

INTRODUCTION

Those who've played the original Build-A-Lot will be familiar with the mechanics of this game - it plays very similarly to the original one with some great new elements added, including the ability to paint houses, train your workers to work at lightning speed, and add landscaping to your home.

THE BASICS

In order to do well in the game you have to know how to move around on the main screen. Here's a brief run-down of what you'll see:

TABS ON THE MAIN SCREEN Money & Goals Tab (GREEN)

• This tab is very important because it lets you know how much money you have to work with in order to perform certain tasks.
• You can look in this tab if you want to know what remaining goals you have in a level. If you don't want to click on the tab you can also look on the top right-hand-side of your screen and see your goals there.
• When you click on the tab, there are 2 different meters at the bottom. The Potential Rental Income shows you how much money you will have once certain works in progress are finished. The Current Income meter shows how much money you are actually taking in.

  Workers Tab (YELLOW)

• You can use the workers tab to hire additional employees. The tab will show you how many employees you have on hand and how much it costs to hire additional helpers.
• Once you click the tab, the yellow hard hat icons are showing you how many employees you can afford to train with the money you have on hand. If the hard hats are grayed out, it means that you have to wait until you can afford to train more of them.

  Materials tab (RED)

• The materials tab shows you how many supplies you have in inventory. It will also show you how much it costs to buy more inventory.
• You can cut your cost of materials in half when you build a Recycling Center, which does not appear until level 11.

  Blueprints tab (BLUE)

• This is where you buy blueprints that you need whenever you have to build a new structure for the first time.
• You will only have-to buy a blueprint once. Once you've bought it you can use it in the rest of the levels. You will not be allowed to buy blueprints ahead of time.
• You will also be able to see how much it costs to purchase each blueprint.

  GENERAL TIPS

• Build a Workshop and a Recycling Centers at the same time - you will be able to get a lot more work done.
• When it's available, always buy your workers the Efficiency Training.
• If you're ever confused about which houses you've painted, all you have to do is click on the house and see if the paint icon says "paint" or "re-paint"
• If you did not get a star at the end of a level you can go back and play a specific level once you've completed all 8 of the bonus levels.
• When a house is having work done or it needs repairs, you will not be able to collect rental fees until those jobs have been completed.
• When you're trying to build several properties at the same time, always buy the smallest and cheapest properties first and then demolish them.
• When you're trying to meet a goal, don't take too much time to bring the price of a house down. There are times where it's beneficial for you to low-ball the price of a house and sometimes it's not.
• If you have a lot of money in the bank, don't haggle - it takes too long to take several houses off the market at one time.
• Click on the text bubbles if you want the person to stop talking.
• Read your mail frequently, it contains money most of the time and at other times it reminds you of good strategy tips.
• Build and sell a house at the beginning of a level in order to make extra cash.
• It's cheaper to build a house than to buy one that's completed.

  POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE APPEALS

• A house with positive Appeal will earn you a higher rental income and add extra value to your house.
• A house with a negative appeal (sad red face) will have a lower value and a lower rental income.
• Build your houses with a park in the middle when you want to meet a high Appeal goal. Always build the latest park you bought, since the newer it is the higher the Appeal value will be.
• You will get a negative Appeal when a building is next to a house.
• Painting and landscaping increases the levels of Appeal in a neighborhood.
• Neighborhood Appeal appears at the top of the screen and takes into consideration the curb appeal of all the houses in the neighborhood.

  BUYING, SELLING AND BUILDING

• Do multiple jobs at once - hiring a lot of extra workers will help you reach your goals faster.
• When you're trying to sell a house at the beginning of a level, do it as soon as it's built. The faster you put it up for sale your chances are better that no other houses will go up for sale before yours.
• Be careful of where you place your buildings such as the Recycling Center and Workshops. They have a negative appeal on the houses that are near them.
• Build Refineries as a way to keep earning cash as you build up your town. Just make sure that you collect the checks as soon as they are presented to you.
• Know when to demolish your buildings. If you have an Appeal goal to make, demolish any building towards the end of the game that has a negative appeal on another house. You can always use that spot to build an extra house if you need it.
• When you build some shops, your profits will soar as you add more houses to the neighborhood.
• Place your house on the market just to be able to pay less for a house. As soon as you get your house off the market, unlist your house.

  UPGRADES

• You can perform up to 3 upgrades on a house. When you upgrade a house you will be able to obtain a higher amount of rent for that property.

  SHOPS

• There are several types of shops that you can build in this game, and as you progress through the game new shops will be unlocked.
• When you see a Help Wanted sign on one of the shops you must immediately assign a worker to that shop if you want to continue to make money from it.
• When you send a worker to a shop with a Help Wanted sign you will lose that employee. Make sure that if a certain amount of workers are required in your goals that you replace that employee right away.
• All shops will generate a steady source of income.

  WORKSHOPS

• Be careful where you place the workshops since they bring down the value of the houses near it. (Introduced Level 9).
• Once you reach level 16 you will have the ability to inspect houses when you own a Workshop.
• Starting in level 19 you will be able to send your workers to an Efficiency Training class. That class will make them work much faster and costs $75,000.
• To buy the Efficiency Training you will have to make sure that you build the Workshop first and that it stays built in order for them to keep working faster.
• You can tell which houses are affected by a Workshop by clicking on it. The area that it impacts is the red circle that glows around it.
• Place the workshop in a corner where there are no other houses, whenever possible.
• If you place the Workshop in an area in which there's a house next to it you can also demolish the Workshop at the last minute in order to meet an Appeal goal.
• You can go ahead and destroy a workshop after you're done with it and build something else on that spot. This is helpful when you want to meet a last minute goal and you need the land.
• You should always inspect a house when you build a workshop since you will no longer have to worry about houses needing any more repairs.
• The inspection is only good until you upgrade, sell or destroy the house.

  WRENCH ICON

• Whenever you see a wrench icon it means that your property is in need of fixing. Click on the property and then on the Repair tab to start fixing that house.
• You can prevent a house from needing repairs by getting it inspected. In order to inspect a property you must first build a workshop.
• Re-painting your house once in a while can keep the house from needing repairs longer.
• If you don't fix your houses right away, the damage will compound itself. The longer it stays without being fixed the more materials and workers you will need.

  REFINERIES

• Starting in level 23 you will be able to purchase the blueprint for the Refineries.
• Building a Refinery will pay you big dividends during a level.
• It's a good idea to build a Refinery early in a level since you'll be receiving checks pretty frequently during that time.
• You really need to build a Refinery in a remote lot since it has a huge negative Appeal on the community (-20). When you place it on a remote lot it cannot affect other properties.

  GARDEN CENTERS

• Once you build a Garden Center you will be able to landscape any house that belongs to you.
• Each time you landscape a house it raises its Appeal by 5 points.
• If you have a goal to reach that requires a high Appeal goal adding landscaping to your houses will really help a lot.
• If you have 10 houses and you landscape each one you will have an extra +50 in Appeal points just for doing that one thing.
• Once you reach level 27 and you build a Garden Center you will no longer need to do maintenance on your parks. That's why when you have a goal that requires you to build a lot of parks you should also build a Garden Center along with it.

  LEVEL PROGRESSION

• This section will show you when new house models, buildings, shops and upgrades will be added.
• Level 4 The Farmhouse is introduced.
• Level 5 How to paint your house is explained in this level.
• Level 6 The blueprint for the Play Park is available for purchase.
• Level 7 The Townhome is available as one of your choices for new homes. Houses become damaged for the first time when the wrench icon appears.
• Level 8 You will need to buy the blueprint for the Coffee Shop and then build one.
• Level 9-The workshop is introduced.
• Level 11-Recycle center is available for purchase.
• Level 12 The Modern Home is introduced.
• Level 13 You now have the ability to inspect houses when you build a workshop.
• Level 16 You will be able to start building the Garden Center which allows you to add landscaping to any house that is yours.
• Level 19 Your workers will now be able to work with lightning speed when you purchase Efficiency Training for them at $75,000.
• Level 20 The Flower Shop is introduced.
• Level 21 Villas are introduced
• Level 22 This is the first time that the Help Wanted sign appears. When you see it, assign a worker to that location.
• Level 23 You can now build a Refinery which can net you a lot of money in profits.
• Level 24 The broom and dustpan are introduced. When you see that icon above a Park you need to assign a worker to it.
• Level 25 You will now be able to construct a Bookstore.
• Level 26 The Business Center is introduced, when you build one you will no longer have to worry about staffing your shops.
• Level 27 Starting at this level once you build a Garden Center your park maintenance needs will automatically be taken care of.
• Level 29 The Zen Park is available for purchase in this level.