I agree, the temple puzzles are easy, so I randomize which Sim solves them and what they choose. Then it's up to them, not up to me. I like to take groups into the jungle for more challenge, as the insect attacks happen more frequently and supplies are limited. I have a main rule that I use to up the stakes; I make them camp out and stay overnight somewhere before they reach the temple to represent a long journey and being "lost", and they take time to explore all they can, eat, bottle shower, etc so it starts to feel very dire by the time they reach the "safety" of the temple, where they have to set up camp again. They also have to camp once on the return journey as well, so anyone who is poisoned is facing a race against time to get back and find a cure. I also have them all spend one day in the village to "prep" and buy supplies. What they see is what they get.
I love doing the jungle and temple explorations with large groups! I have my sims buy supplies exactly the same way: what they see is what they get - they only get the one chance, so when it’s just dolls and baskets instead of repellents and machetes…well… good luck friendos!
In one of my saves the jungle is crammed with secret military labs and outposts - the largest of them is built atop a subterranean Omniscan Temple (bye bye museum) which, in my story, is home to the “original” Mother of the Jungle, a somewhat sedated version of her more aggressive “daughter” that lives in the secret lab in Strangerville, although she can be pretty lethal too! Basically, Mother of The Jungle is the True Mother, in fact, she’s the one that actually communicates through the one that lives in Strangerville ( that’s right, Stranger Momma is possessed by her own, dear Jungle Momma) with the sole purpose to take over and control Simnation. There’s much more to this story of course and it requires my Sims to go on many expeditions ( jungle, desert, mountain) in order to solve an ancient mystery and ultimately save the world.
When I play with the groups I rotate between several military units consisting of either 8 sims ( including 1 or 2 scientists ) or one with 7 sims and a highly trained K-9, which is a German Shepherd that fears nothing, except fridges, poor chap.
But wait, when you say that you randomize which Sim solves the puzzles and what they choose, do you mean that they can somehow autonomously solve it then, or do you skip the “examine” interaction and have them choose a random question mark and see what happens?
I’m curious, I need to know, more chaos is best!! 😆
@CAPTAIN_NXR7 So... I'll try to explain my "method" (more of a lack of method, really ) but it's a bit of a mix with a lot of story in there.
So, I start with paying attention to my Sim characters. For example my first real "jungle challenge" Sim group consisted of an aspiring archaeologist whose husband (the more experienced archaeologist) had disappeared while researching Omiscan history in Selvadorada (adult), her young son the stowaway (child), a scientist/museum curator who knows the lost archaeologist (elder), a young treasure hunter and his dog (teen), a secret Vampire hired for heavy physical activity (I think adult), a young investor from the city with no jungle skills whatsoever but wanted to come to protect her investment (young adult), and an Omiscan native who is secretly an Alien, hired because she "knows the lost trails and the lore" but is actually trying to sabotage the journey to protect the temple and its mysteries.
I am, of course, obligated to play these Sims as they were intended, I even "cheated" them some starter skills, nothing above a seven or eight, which is rare, and not too many, just enough to distinguish who they are as personalities. The archaeologist and the scientist are the two most likely to have ancient knowledge, as well as the Alien. But the investor is a little clumsy and the treasure hunter too eager so they both make foolish decisions. The Vampire might have some secret knowledge of special artifacts that he is looking for, but he mainly just kind of stands by, playing the part of hired muscle, unless faced with a physical challenge, since that's what he's hired for.
So they reach the temple and the two professionals stop to excavate to find clues to the lost husband before touching anything else, but the treasure hunter forges ahead, sees a gate, tries to walk through, gets zapped. He finds a totem puzzle but when the archaeologist comes down, she and the scientist examine it, but the skeleton shows up and they all retreat back to camp. By now they suspect the Alien, who was giving them terrible advice and always smiling when they were in pain, so they wake up early while she's still sleeping to try to find the treasure before she finds them, and when they return to the puzzle, the scientist takes a look and makes a "decision", whether he has a definitive answer or not because it's now a race against time to beat the Alien.
From there, it was mainly the archaeologist or the scientist doing a single examination, and if they got the answer they could proceed, but if not, the treasure hunter or Vampire could try at random. If there was something to excavate, the archaeologist and scientist would be busy with that, and the treasure hunter or vampire would try first. In cases where there was more than one puzzle in the room, everyone split up and they all tried one, sometimes selecting a random answer, but mainly only the archaeologist and the scientist could examine a puzzle.
Happily enough, I had a lot of traps go off this way and the archaeologist got poisoned, the Vampire started running out of blood and went into his dark form, the evil Alien woke up and started coming down to find them but I wasn't allowed to play her while the group raced to get through before she caught up to them. It was pretty tense going for a bit, but it was magnificent.
I guess to sum it up a little more simply, I will sometimes just let the Sims take turns, deciding if they have the knowledge to examine or not, limiting their information and often selecting a random question mark. I love playing it this way and I have plans to bring a group of elders to the jungle for a "last huzzah" to find fortune and adventure. I've had them made for a while and put off the journey because I had fun playing them at their home in the senior community living facility, but I think it might be almost time to set them on their way. There's eight of them so that will be interesting.
@LiELF thanks for sharing this play-through, it all makes sense now and I love the story! Ah the search for the lost sim, my favorite. There’s always one that needs to be “found”. 😅
I never tried solving multiple puzzles at the same time, this is an excellent idea and I will definitely try this out with my next bunch of adventurers.
I have plans to bring a group of elders to the jungle for a "last huzzah" to find fortune and adventure. I've had them made for a while and put off the journey because I had fun playing them at their home in the senior community living facility, but I think it might be almost time to set them on their way. There's eight of them so that will be interesting.
This cracked me up. I truly cherish my elders, most of them are fairly ancient and a couple of them also live in a retirement home! Although I have elderly shamans that are one with nature and play an important role in jungle and desert adventures, sending my Willow Creek retirees into the tropical rainforest never even crossed my mind. What a splendid plan! I wish we had more elderly focused gameplay items. I can already see it in my mind’s eye: eight Sunny Dale seniors slowly but surely crossing the rope bridge with their canes and zimmer frames during monsoon season. This might be their most epic adventure yet. 😆
Now I’m wondering if I get her a horse, if it might go a bit quicker. Has anyone tried taking a horse to the Jungle yet?
Better not take the nervous race horse, my sims recommend renting jungle experienced mules from local providers
I greatly enjoyed bringing horses for roleplay purpose. Time-saving not so much, because when the sims dismount, the horses run around and have to get called over again, thus losing a little time.
Bikes (especially cc bikes reskinned to look like quads) might be a tad bit better.
Ignore the Sith in the foreground, have a look at the sim in the background - he can swat the gnats while sitting on his horse. Loved that detail!
Thanks, I hadn’t thought of using a bike either! I’m going to try that next time I send her to Selvadorado!
@SheriSim57 If you can use mods then the All Worlds are Residential mod by Zerbu turns the destination worlds Granite Falls, Selvadorada and Batuu into Residential worlds where your Sim households can move to.
I don’t use mods, I sure wish they could update the pack though that sims could live there.
University is the most stressful. I hate playing the pack.
I don’t like University much either, but partly because I play rotationally, and partly because I find it rather boring ( at least from a house, i played the pleasants ).
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@LiELF thanks for sharing this play-through, it all makes sense now and I love the story! Ah the search for the lost sim, my favorite. There’s always one that needs to be “found”. 😅
I never tried solving multiple puzzles at the same time, this is an excellent idea and I will definitely try this out with my next bunch of adventurers.
This cracked me up. I truly cherish my elders, most of them are fairly ancient and a couple of them also live in a retirement home! Although I have elderly shamans that are one with nature and play an important role in jungle and desert adventures, sending my Willow Creek retirees into the tropical rainforest never even crossed my mind. What a splendid plan! I wish we had more elderly focused gameplay items. I can already see it in my mind’s eye: eight Sunny Dale seniors slowly but surely crossing the rope bridge with their canes and zimmer frames during monsoon season. This might be their most epic adventure yet. 😆
Thanks, I hadn’t thought of using a bike either! I’m going to try that next time I send her to Selvadorado!
I don’t use mods, I sure wish they could update the pack though that sims could live there.
I don’t like University much either, but partly because I play rotationally, and partly because I find it rather boring ( at least from a house, i played the pleasants ).