Busy nights at the door: Club Shady's dress code in Malta Living

Anyone who's queued in Paceville on a Saturday knows the moment: the doorman looks you up and down, and you find out whether your outfit works. Now Malta Living has it too. If you've wanted a club dress code in a life sim that feels like a real night out, not a wall, this is it.

New to the game? Start with what kind of Malta life simulator this is, then read our guide to Paceville nights.

When the door checks

On Friday and Saturday nights, from 22:00 to 03:00, Rocco on Club Shady's door in the Back Alley checks your look for a night out. The rest of the week, and earlier in the evening, he waves everyone in as before. The alley outside is always yours: hang out, take a call, meet your friends there.

Dressed for a night out, you're in. That means a shirt, a dress, a going-out cami, a blazer, a leather jacket or the smart suit: the same pieces that count for Dress the part, many of them free.

Not in those, mate

If you're not dressed for it, Rocco says so, and a sheet gives you three ways past:

• Change for me. One tap puts on your saved Party outfit, and you're straight in. No Party outfit yet? It puts on a free white shirt and jeans instead, and offers to save them as your Party outfit for next time.
• Talk your way in. A Charisma check, once a night. At the start it's about one in two, and it gets better as your Charisma grows. If someone you know is already inside, it's a sure thing: he lets you in on their word.
• Somewhere quieter. A cab, at today's fare, to a place with no door, Café del Mar on the coast.

If talking doesn't work, Rocco says "Not tonight." That's all. There's no ban and no timer, and you can still change and walk straight in.

New players are waved in

For your first three days in the game, the door always lets you in, with a friendly tip about the code: "Saturday's Night out. A shirt does it." By the time it counts, you'll know.

Why a door at all

It's a moment, not a wall. A busy night should feel busy, and a door that notices what you're wearing makes getting ready part of the night. It's the same idea as Turning heads at the beach and dressing for work: the places in the game notice your clothes, and the people in them say so. Real Paceville is the island's nightlife strip, packed at weekends (Visit Malta), and its doors have their own rules too.

Questions people ask

Do I need to buy clothes to get in?

No. A plain shirt is free in Boutique, and Change for me puts the free white shirt and jeans on for you. Paying more never gets you in faster.

Can I keep trying to talk my way in?

Once a night at each door. If it doesn't work, change and go in, or come back another night.

What if my friends are already inside?

Then Talk your way in always works: Rocco takes their word for it. It's the quickest way in if you'd rather keep your outfit.

Play now and see if you get past Rocco this Saturday.