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Murkland Challenge 2: PAID THE BILLS

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BrennachanBrennachan Posts: 2,055 Member
edited March 7 in Nominated Threads
Paid the Bills – Vardo Side of Challenge 2


The Story

The Mayor has taken notice of your sim and what a good Burner Camper s/he is. The mayor’s power over all of the factions in tentative though, and he needs a sim like yours to help him secure his place at the top – to solidify his ties within the Burner Camp and Acquisition Factions, and to strengthen his hold over the Mutant and Mad Mud Factions. He has grown suspicious of the Cliff Dwellers and wonders why they are having such success in this barren wasteland. He is envious and worried about the rise in power of Mad Mud and his faction -- keeping a watchful eye on their endeavors. He trusts your sim though and wants him/her to roam the desolate lands of all the factions in a sand vardo he had made especially for your household – collecting information, foliage, specimens, and treasures, and experimenting with new plants through splicing and grafting. Your sim will have a base camp where the vardo is stationed. There, your sim will take care of his or her perfect trashplants and grow other species as needed or directed. The vardo is parked above an old cellar wherein your sim will find additional living space while at the base camp. You must kick out the Vardo Brothers and claim the vardo for yourself. The Mayor expects your sim to travel far and wide in search of rare specimens that can bring back to him. He not only wants your sim to travel Murkland and Nukecrest, but he also expects him/her to travel to outer space as well – in a flying space vardo that your sim will build. Additionally, the mayor would strongly urge your sim to start a family as soon as possible as the population of Murkland is so very small. Are you ready to start the many quests that the Mayor has in store?

Please note, you will only be playing your own primary sim throughout this challenge with the exception of cleaning out the other household inventories, checking skill levels general house management like claiming beds and setting up individual clubs, and accessing the other household members once a day by assigning task list, (please note that you can assign as many things as allowed within the one task list allotment -- up to six actions in a queue -- but if the sim does not follow your orders, you cannot go back and re-assign).

You may use reward potions at this time EXCEPT for the Instant Hygiene Potion, which will remain off limits. You can acquire any reward traits for your sim EXCEPT for Carefree.


In a Nutshell:

• Start with only the money that can be made from selling your sim’s inventory (from keeping the furniture) plus $15,000 if you played the gym challenge (the money in reserves at the end of challenge 1 will be used to pay for the vardo)

• Marry one sim and create a full house of sims (5-6 children). You cannot start having children until you have planted 1 cowplant. You can have additional children after the second cowplant is planted

• Add a clone drone to your game (optional).

• Grow two cowplants (must use cowplant berries made from grafting and found in outer space – one each) If a cowplant dies, you have 24 hours to replace it by grafting/splicing or rocket ship. You must pay a $200 fine for every cowplant that dies. Pay that money to charity (you may use the rental computer you use when adopting or one at the CDC or library, or at any home where you are good friends with all the members of the household). If you did the Library Challenge, you may start the challenge with the cheapest computer.

• Grow two grow fruit from normal to perfect level

• Eat 7 trashfruit per week

• Master the pipe organ skill

• Master the rocket skill and travel to outer space and to Sixam

• Collect all alien pets and plants. Plant all alien plants and evolve to perfect level

• Complete the Curator Aspiration

• Complete the Freelance Botanist Aspiration

• Become good friends with all sims in the Acquisition Faction

• Find evidence of alien contact with the Cliff Dwellers and befriend one alien

• Evolve to perfect level all plants that are grown but never plant the deathflower

• Sell 15 Rage Relieving Elixirs

• Go to Puffer Dome with your sim’s spouse every time your sim gets tense (if your sim has a Rage Relieving Elixir in their inventory, they can apply it, and avoid going to Puffer Dome. If they use an elixir it will not count toward the 15 they must sell).

• Your sim must collect 140,000 simoleons in reserves and purchase the Murkland Mercantile Co

• If your sim dies at the Puffer Dome, play the Zombie Challenge
Post edited by EA_Solaire on

Comments

  • BrennachanBrennachan Posts: 2,055 Member
    edited October 2017
    Money and Working

    Your sim must pay whatever he or she has in her reserves for the ability to live in the vardo with exception of the secret money earned from playing the Gym Challenge ($15,000 or so) and anything the sim has in his or her inventory. Starting with no/less money will make the challenge harder and starting with $15,000 or so will make the challenge easier.
    If you decide to purchase a Clone Drone, you must pay the Murkland Mercantile Company $20,000. If you cannot pay for the clone right away, add the clone to your household anyway, and then add $500 a week in interest for each week that goes by that you have not paid back the money. You may choose not to have a clone drone in your challenge but you must decide this at the beginning of the game. You cannot add a clone drone later. If you decide you do NOT want a clone drone after you have purchased one, there is no refund. Clone Drones have many maxed out skills: charisma, cooking, DJ mixing, gardening, handiness, herbalism and programming. The clone drone has additional traits too: webmaster, naturalist, hardly hungry, fresh chef, never weary, antiseptic, handy, steel bladder, quick learner and business savvy. You may borrow money from friends to pay for the clone drone.
    If your sim already has a partner, that sim should be moved in. A marriage that results in children, will earn your household $20,000 ,because the mayor wants to encourage the family unit. . If your spouse dies, you will not be able to re-marry but you will be able to have family partners. You will not get additional income from family partners, but you will get income from having children.
    Since jobs are hard to come by, one adult per household can work. If your partner/spouse came with a job and s/he is the one you choose to work, they must keep the job they have at the level they have it or quit and have another household member assigned to work. You may also choose to have no adults work, which will make the challenge harder. If you choose the Clone Drone or your Challenge 1 Sim to get a job, then the job can be in any field you choose except for the Criminal Track, and they must start at the bottom.
    If your sim played the Library Challenge, then s/he can purchase the cheapest computer for home use and may write from home for additional income (writing is only available to those who completed the library challenge). If you did not do the library challenge, then your sim cannot own a computer (but they can rent one for the purposes of adoption) and they can use one at one of the various builds around town for writing and programming, but they cannot use those public computers for fun (due to a shortage of electricity).
    Your household will receive $5,000 or $6,000 per child born up to a full house. The mayor does this to encourage family units. The household gets the $5,000 for childbirth and alien abduction, and $6,000 for adoption (essentially waiving the adoption fee). Unfortunately, step-children of a spouse may not move in with the family you are playing and therefore do not count toward the family quest.
    Please note: the first child may not be born/adopted until the first cowplant is planted and the second child may not be born/adopted until the second cowplant is adopted.
    In the Vardo Side of the Challenge you can make money in the following ways:

    • One adult may get a job in any field except for Criminal (if a sim married into the family and is already a criminal, that sim may keep the job)
    • Gardening (you may harvest any plant, including perfect plants from other Murkland gardens)
    • Collecting
    • Frog Breeding
    • The Wishing Well
    • Fishing
    • Painting (only this side of the challenge may paint)
    • If you did the Library Challenge – you may write for income
    • If you did Gym Challenge – you may make money from writing/playing music


    The Vardo, the Base Camp and Burner Faction Culture Overview

    Aging is off during this challenge but your sim is encouraged to age up one life stage at the beginning of the challenge. The same may be done for the spouse but it is also optional.
    Your sim may plant anything s/he wants but all things planted must be evolved to perfect level (with the exception of the cow plants). Your sim may splice any combination of plants but may NOT grow a death flower bush under any circumstance. Your primary sim may take on the added challenge of growing a perfect spliced cow plant, but the rule about having children still applies ( you cannot have a child until the first cow plant is planted and you cannot have a second child until the second cow plant is planted).
    The vardo is run on the power of the pipe organ. So your sim must master the pipe organ skill.
    Your sim may add or sell furniture and décor items already on the lot as needed but may NOT change the structure of the vardo or the cellar and cannot purchase any items that require plumbing. Also, appliances are not allowed. As with Challenge 1, your household may choose to pay the bills or not – living completely off the grid or with electricity, a cooler, a campfire and a grill. Your previous camp may become your secondary camp to visit as you wish but you will be paying bills for the vardo. If you wish to stay for long periods at the secondary camp, turn it into a generic lot and visit as you wish.
    Your sim has the option of starting the challenge with a Clone Drone. You will add the Thunder Gloom to your household once you have moved into the vardo. Starting with a clone drone makes the challenge easier on a daily basis but may put your household in debt, so please way the option of having one carefully.
    Children and teens do not go to school but learn through homeschooling. Homework may be purchased through the bookshelf and should be done every day. Projects may be purchased as well. Toddlers, children, and teens should master at least one skill before aging up as part of their homeschooling. You will not play the household’s children except to direct them to work on a skill, to set them up in clubs, or to clear their inventories. You may access them once a day to assign a task list.
    Please use the following cheat to raise the children and teen levels to an “A” grade. Do not worry about the grades going down as we are not playing by EA’s rules. You will not get a notice from a social worker until the grades get down to the lowest level of “F”. If that happens, your child/teen can temporarily attend school until their grade is a high “D”. The game will automatically send them to school if you are not on the home lot, which is fine so keep in mind that being off lot has its benefits. If you arrive home before 3pm and your children are at school, they must come home early.
    The school grade cheat is:
    Children: careers.promote gradeschool
    Teens: careers.promote highschool


    The Full House Quest

    Children are expected and marriage is forever – these are the center tenets of family life for the Burner Faction. Please see the culture overview section for additional information. For this quest, your sim MUST:
    • Reach 8 members in their household. Combinations can be your sim, your sim’s spouse, a clone drone (optional), family partners (optional) and children. If you sim’s spouse dies, your sim may have family partners but may not remarry. Family partners do not have to move in.
    • Having children is a must but you may choose the method in any combination. Children may come into the household through childbirth, adoption, or alien abduction. If you decide to adopt children, a computer may be purchased for the sole purpose of adopting and then must be sold after that adoption process is finished if your sim did not do the library challenge. Alien abduction children are considered part of the household and count toward the quest and cannot be removed for the family. You will receive $5,000 for each childbirth or alien abduction and $6,000 for each adoption.
    • Home school all children. Homework may be purchased through the bookshelf in the cellar. Children learn from hands on experience and must master one skill before aging up.
    • Ensure that toddlers, children and teens master at least 1 skill before transitioning to the next life stage. How long each stage lasts is up to you as long as the skill requirements are met. Meet the requirement during the once a day task assignment. Once a sim becomes a young adult, they will not age up.
    • Never play the other members of the household EXCEPT to work on skills needed to age up, or to do minimal tasks like setting up a club for that family member, clearing their inventory or giving them rewards if they have points or assigning the once a day task list.
    • Do NOT have your first child until you plant your first cowplant.
    • Do NOT have your second child until you plant your second cowplant.
    • When a child ages up to young adult, you can move that sim out.


    The Cliff Dweller Quest

    The Mayor would like you to spy on the Cliff Dwellers and learn the secret of their success. He strongly believes that they are working with the aliens. For this part of the challenge your sim must:
    • Befriend everyone in the Acquisition Faction (both the Cliff Dweller and Mayor households) to “Good Friend” status
    • Find proof that the Cliff Dwellers are working with the aliens. (Optional: take 1 screenshot of the proof and share this screenshot on the forums, on FB or on Twitter.)
    • Make contact and befriend one alien sim


    The Cowplant and Growfruit in the Garden Quest

    The mayor also noticed that the Cliff Dwellers seem to be able to grow things other than trash plants. He has given your sim a plot of land with good soil that has been treated for radioactivity and then fertilized with trash plants. For this challenge your sim must:
    • Grow and keep alive two cow plants – one from splicing and one from outer space (the cow plant berries cannot be found from fishing or digging). For an additional challenge, you may decide to splice a perfect cowplant but this is optional. If a cowplant dies, you have 24 hours to replace it by cow berries found either in space or by harvesting a spliced plant. You must pay a $200 fine to charity for each cowplant that dies.
    • Plant the berries as soon as possible through outer space adventures and grafting (you cannot have your first child until the first cowplant is planted and you cannot have your second child until the second cow plant is planted)
    • Find normal growfruit seeds or fruits and plant 2 normal level growfruit trees, evolving them to perfect status
    • Continue growing, harvesting and taking care of the 16 perfect trash plants – not a single one of them can die and you must continue to eat 7 trashfruit per week.
    • You may continue to fish but only bonefish may be eaten. Other fish may be sold or used as fertilizer
    • Do NOT hire a gardener


    The Space Vardo Quest

    The mayor would like your sim to travel to space and see what s/he can find in terms of flora and fauna out there and then plant whatever s/he find to see if it will grow in the new soil. For this challenge, your sim must:
    • Master the rocket skill
    • Build a rocket and do all the upgrades
    • Travel in space AND explore the planet Sixam
    • Find all in the Sixam collection: 4 plants (3 on the planet and one in space), and 6 geodes
    • Plant and then evolve all 4 alien plants to perfect level
    • Find a cowplant berry in space and grow it
    • Collect all 5 of the live species of alien pet


    The Murkland 🐸🐸🐸🐸 Quest

    As your sim roams the Murkland world in their vardo and collects interesting finds, the Mayor would like your sim to complete the Curator Aspiration. In addition, the vardo runs on the power of the pipe organ so for this part of the challenge, your sim must:
    • Master the pipe organ skill. If you would like to increase the difficulty, you may choose to have all the able sims master the pipe organ.

    • Complete the Curator Aspiration:
    • Milestone I:
    o Collect 10 Collectibles

    • Milestone II:
    o Collect 5 crystals, 3 frogs and 3 fossils

    • Milestone III:
    o Send 5 items to the (newly re-established) Geological Council
    o Breed 5 frogs
    o Collect 5 Elements

    • Milestone IV:
    o Complete a collection
    o Collect 25 collectibles


    The Base Camp Quest

    As your sim creates a base camp and starts to plant, grow and experiment, the Mayor would like your sim to complete the Freelance Botanist Aspiration. Anything may be planted EXCEPT for deathflowers. Anything planted must be of normal quality and then evolved to perfect level (EXCEPTION: if you did the gym challenge, you may grow any of the perfect plants that you grew there on your homelot, if you wish). Freelance Botanist Aspiration:
    • Milestone I:
    o Plant something 3 times
    o Weed or Water Plant 10 Times

    • Milestone II:
    o Achieve Level 4 in Gardening (you already did this! Check!)
    o Evolve 5 Different Plants

    • Milestone III:
    o Achieve Level 6 in Gardening (Done and done!)
    o Graft onto 3 Plants
    o Fertilize 5 Plants

    • Milestone IV:
    o Master Gardening (this is so last challenge!)
    o Grow a Cowplant


    The Quest for No Stress

    The Mayor has noticed a lot of rage in this post-apocalyptic world (especially in that pesky Mad Mud Faction) and he doesn’t like it one bit. He strongly feels that the way forward is through molding his constituents into mild-mannered folks who follow directions easily. For this part of the challenge, your sim must:

    • Brew and sell 15 Rage Relieving Elixirs using the vending table in at least 5 different locations. Your sim may get a one-day visa to travel to other worlds but must sell at least 1 elixir per visit and must return to Murkland by midnight. If your sim fails to sell an item on the one-day visa, s/he will not granted another visa to that world. You may make over the other worlds in a post-apocalyptic style, if you choose.
    You may use the Rage Relieving Elixir on your sim if your sim gets tense. The elixir must be in the sim’s inventory at the time the sim gets stressed for you to use it. Applying the elixir gives your sim a one-day pass from going to Puffer Dome.

    • Go to the Puffer Dome with his or her spouse every time s/he gets tense (this task must be completed by midnight of the same day). At the restaurant they must each order a plate of Pufferfish Nigari. Make sure to save your game before going to Puffer Dome. If your primary sim dies there, do not save your game. Close your game and go back to right before you went to Puffer Dome. Start the Zombie Challenge.

    • Your sim is allowed to use earbuds in Challenge 2 to help ease the stress


    The Murkland Mercantile Quest

    • Your sim must collect 140,000 simoleons in reserves

    • Your sim must purchase the Murkland Mercantile Company (do not start to run it yet)


    The Challenge Ends Unsuccessfully If:

    • Your primary sim dies at Puffer Dome (Please see the Zombie Challenge – you may continue with Challenge 2 after the Zombie Challenge, if you wish)
    • One of your trashplants die
    • A cowplant dies and you do not replace it within 24 hours using methods allowed within this challenge
    • You cannot complete all the challenge quests

    Successfully Completing the Challenge

    • Complete all the quests and purchase the Murkland Mercantile Company.
  • BrennachanBrennachan Posts: 2,055 Member
    edited October 2017
    Your new home -- the Vardo

    Placed at Sandtrap Flat and powered by pipe organ, this off-the-grid sand vardo is parked over the ruins of an old cellar, which gives the residents extra living space when at the base camp. The base camp has access to electricity but no running water or appliances.

    18893356_1920267871566987_7574321755891422855_n.jpg?oh=8cacc8cadb41acf53e661a58ddb25a23&oe=5A7CABF0

    Post edited by Brennachan on
  • BrennachanBrennachan Posts: 2,055 Member
    edited October 2017
    Clone Drone

    Thunder Gloom is your personal cyborg servant to assist you in Murkland Challenge 2. This cyborg has mastered charisma, cooking, DJ mixing, gardening, handiness, herbalism and programming. In addition to the 3 traits of neat, squeamish and gloomy, your cyborg comes with 10 additional traits: webmaster, naturalist, hardly hungry, fresh chef, never weary, antiseptic, handy, steel bladder, quick learner and business savvy.

    22491952_1989019054691868_6342874976850067572_n.jpg?oh=c39a65c567e02586edfaa96e353f556c&oe=5A8592E6


    https://www.thesims.com/en_GB/gallery/419CEBE57D1E11E78CF2878F2FBA529B
    Post edited by Brennachan on
  • SoulGal7SoulGal7 Posts: 3,627 Member
    Awesome @Brennachan - You rock!
  • BrennachanBrennachan Posts: 2,055 Member
    SoulGal7 wrote: »
    Awesome @Brennachan - You rock!

    @SoulGal7 -- I hope you have fun! Remember to get off the lot as often as you can to be a traveler. It will help with your sanity as well as let you complete the various tasks.
  • crstassecrstasse Posts: 33 Member
    Great challenge!!! Just a quick question. What happens with showering? Are the sims restricted in this again. I know no plumbing objects allowed by what about the showering tarp I caught when fishing Granite falls? Am I allowed to use that?
  • BrennachanBrennachan Posts: 2,055 Member
    crstasse wrote: »
    Great challenge!!! Just a quick question. What happens with showering? Are the sims restricted in this again. I know no plumbing objects allowed by what about the showering tarp I caught when fishing Granite falls? Am I allowed to use that?

    @crstasse -- if you caught one, you can use it in Challenge 2 on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays. If you don't pay your bills, it won't work but you can use the hot springs or make deo cream.
  • crstassecrstasse Posts: 33 Member
    Thanks :)
  • Hiroto_KunHiroto_Kun Posts: 4 New Member
    @Brennachan in 12 days we'll have pets. how bout having a pet in murkland? it'd be so cool if you're allowed too have a fox and a racoon. but not allowed too have cats and dogs.
    but that are just my thoughts. so...just a simple question: what about pets in murkland? xD
  • EuphorialQueenEuphorialQueen Posts: 6,224 Member
    Hiroto_Kun wrote: »
    @Brennachan in 12 days we'll have pets. how bout having a pet in murkland? it'd be so cool if you're allowed too have a fox and a racoon. but not allowed too have cats and dogs.
    but that are just my thoughts. so...just a simple question: what about pets in murkland? xD
    @Hiroto_Kun @Brennachan I am excited for #TS4CatsAndDogs :smiley: It would be cool to have a Fox or Racoon as a pet in Murkland. Or a Lemur (Cat) or Bobcat or even a Wolf. I plan to experiment with Cats and Dogs in a different save before adding one to my Murkland save.
  • BrennachanBrennachan Posts: 2,055 Member
    Hiroto_Kun wrote: »
    @Brennachan in 12 days we'll have pets. how bout having a pet in murkland? it'd be so cool if you're allowed too have a fox and a racoon. but not allowed too have cats and dogs.
    but that are just my thoughts. so...just a simple question: what about pets in murkland? xD

    @Hiroto_Kun -- I will allow pets for sure! At the moment, I'm not planning to restrict which kinds of pets. You may need to move offspring out to make room for fur babies but that is totally fine!
  • BrennachanBrennachan Posts: 2,055 Member
    Hiroto_Kun wrote: »
    @Brennachan in 12 days we'll have pets. how bout having a pet in murkland? it'd be so cool if you're allowed too have a fox and a racoon. but not allowed too have cats and dogs.
    but that are just my thoughts. so...just a simple question: what about pets in murkland? xD
    @Hiroto_Kun @Brennachan I am excited for #TS4CatsAndDogs :smiley: It would be cool to have a Fox or Racoon as a pet in Murkland. Or a Lemur (Cat) or Bobcat or even a Wolf. I plan to experiment with Cats and Dogs in a different save before adding one to my Murkland save.

    @EuphorialQueen -- awesome idea!
  • Songwolf666Songwolf666 Posts: 141 Member
    edited October 2017
    Oooo! New challenge! I'm so ready to dive back into Murkiness!

    So Question? Can we take all the stuff we've collected on the first lot with us to the new one?
    EA Account: SunReiShin
  • EuphorialQueenEuphorialQueen Posts: 6,224 Member
    edited October 2017
    @Songwolf666 To keep your collections intact keep at least one of each. In my experience the count will reset when moving to another lot.

    @Brennachan can give the official answer.
  • Songwolf666Songwolf666 Posts: 141 Member
    @EuphorialQueen Okay, makes sense. I was also interested in like the items we might have collected/built? I was very bored waiting for my trashies in the first challenge, so I ended up with alot of stuff built on the handiness table next do like a chair and some little carvings.
    EA Account: SunReiShin
  • BrennachanBrennachan Posts: 2,055 Member
    Oooo! New challenge! I'm so ready to dive back into Murkiness!

    So Question? Can we take all the stuff we've collected on the first lot with us to the new one?

    @Songwolf666 Basically you make a note of how much you have in reserves and that is the amount you will pay for the Vardo. As you move, select "keep items" and then all your collectables and furniture and such will be in your household inventory to use/sell as you wish. The more you take with you, the easier the challenge will be. If you want a harder challenge, take nothing with you except maybe some collectables in your personal inventory, and start the challenge without any money or even a negative amount of money if you buy the clone drone. The challenge is hard and long so don't worry about going easy!

  • Songwolf666Songwolf666 Posts: 141 Member
    @Brennachan Ah, kk! :) Thank you! I'm still finishing out the secondary challenges from the first round - the Gym is taking me forever. So very much looking forward to a change of venue! :P
    EA Account: SunReiShin
  • BrennachanBrennachan Posts: 2,055 Member
    @Brennachan Ah, kk! :) Thank you! I'm still finishing out the secondary challenges from the first round - the Gym is taking me forever. So very much looking forward to a change of venue! :P

    You are making great progress and you will get there! Woot!

  • Songwolf666Songwolf666 Posts: 141 Member
    Brennachan wrote: »
    @Brennachan Ah, kk! :) Thank you! I'm still finishing out the secondary challenges from the first round - the Gym is taking me forever. So very much looking forward to a change of venue! :P

    You are making great progress and you will get there! Woot!

    Thanks! Its mostly been waiting for the plants at this point; I'm reliving my Trash Plant nightmare from the base challenge. :D They take forever!!!

    I'm seriously interested in seeing who people pair up/marry up with in this second part. Cheyanne has been flirting it up with a few different men and women, but no one serious yet. At least she gives me options.
    EA Account: SunReiShin
  • BrennachanBrennachan Posts: 2,055 Member
    Brennachan wrote: »
    @Brennachan Ah, kk! :) Thank you! I'm still finishing out the secondary challenges from the first round - the Gym is taking me forever. So very much looking forward to a change of venue! :P

    You are making great progress and you will get there! Woot!

    Thanks! Its mostly been waiting for the plants at this point; I'm reliving my Trash Plant nightmare from the base challenge. :D They take forever!!!

    I'm seriously interested in seeing who people pair up/marry up with in this second part. Cheyanne has been flirting it up with a few different men and women, but no one serious yet. At least she gives me options.

    @Songwolf666 -- over on Facebook I have seen some pairings. A lot of folks picked sims from camps they made in Nukecrest but a few picked Murklanders. Some Murklanders are sterile but no worries, you can always adopt!
  • Songwolf666Songwolf666 Posts: 141 Member
    @Brennachan DO we have a facebook group or something for the Murklanders? If not, we soo need one! :D
    EA Account: SunReiShin

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