[BETA] The Sims 4 History Challenge «1234567…54...Next Go

Snowie

Hi! This challenge looks really interesting and I'm excited to start playing it After reading the rules, I've compiled a list of things that caught my eye that could be changed.

Setup: Can we place trees and foliage on the starting lot before setting the money to 5,000? I realize that this gives your Sims extra money when they are sold and will bump up the bills, but we could use cheats to set the money back to what it was before selling any trees and just deal with the bills. Would love to have trees on the first lot to make it more realistic

General: Can we have a cemetery eventually? I don't want to release spirits of the family to the netherworld, but don't need them running around the house all the time either. Maybe allow to build a cemetery (generic community lot) in Early Civilization? Would also be interesting if women couldn't get jobs until the Industrial Age or even the Roaring 20s.

Prehistoric: I'm not sure that the easel is realistic for this era. I understand wanting it for family portraits, but maybe just let the easel be accessed in the next era? That way once the grandkids are born a family portrait can be made before the original founders die.

Early Civilization: As far as spouses dying goes, I think it would be realistic for remarriage to be unlimited for males, but females can only remarry if the prospective spouse is a sibling of the deceased spouse. This was actually how things were done around this time, since women had no rights and all. With libraries it's difficult because for the library lot to function as a library and Sims use it as a library, it needs computers and bathrooms. Can we put these in an inaccessible basement or something so that the lot functions correctly?

Middle Ages: I'm not sure what practice fighting is, is this unlocked with the fitness skill? If so, how can we do this without fitness equipment? Maybe a punching bag can be allowed in this era?

Old West: Can we make bars(saloons) now too? Makes sense here.

Industrial: You allowed cupcake machines, so it makes sense to allow bakeries here with GTW. Also a spelling error, fuelled should be "fueled"

Roaring 20s: Why can we only adopt babies now? Adopting kids (orphans maybe?) now seems realistic too.

Modern: Why no affairs? It seems like everyone now has affairs.

I think that's it! I'll start this tonight, I love the idea of this and you put a lot of great work into this. I know it may seem like I was being a bit harsh but really all those things are just small, nitpicky items that came to mind.

Since I'm starting this now and you won't have time to reply back before I begin, I'll try starting the lot with trees and foliage like I suggested in the "setup" point and let you know how it goes


Edit: Oh! You also might want to put a little note about script mods in your "recommended mods/cc" section so that you don't get a bunch of complaints about the mods not working for those who have never used them before

Cloudseeker

@ewright9 Thank you very much for your input, some very good points there!

1. I guess it wouldn't do any harm to place a couple of plants to start off with. I'll allow it without using the money cheat when selling them, but only up to a total value of 1000 simoleons, and they must stay there through the entire first Era.
2. Hmm, I haven't built a cemetery outside of the active lot in the Sims 4 before, so I'm not sure how it works. Do the ghosts still wander around the cemetery if it's on a separate lot? Can they still be invited into the household? If so, then I see no problem in having a dedicated cemetery. And as for women not being allowed to work; I was considering doing that at first, since that's how it is in the original Sims 3 challenge. I don't really remember why I ended up giving both genders the same rights at all times, but if enough people want it, I'll consider throwing in some gender restrictions.
3. I know the easel is unrealistic in the Prehistoric Times. I had hoped to find a fitting piece of cc, like a slab of rock or something. I really want the player to be able to paint the Prehistoric portrait while still in that Era, while the house and all the Sims are still styled appropriately, so that's why I went against realism on that particular matter.
4. Yes, items that are required for a venue type, but not yet allowed, can and should be placed somewhere Sims can't get to them (I think I wrote this somewhere in the rules?). EDIT: Apparently I didn't.
5. Practice fighting is unlocked with the Fitness skill, at level 9. I think that while writing, I was thinking "The Sims can still go jogging. They don't need equipment.", but now that I think about it, it might indeed be too difficult to get to Fitness 9 by just jogging, so I think I'll allow the punching bag for the Middle Ages (hey, it's sort of like a training dummy anyway, right?).
6. Ah, good catch. It is indeed supposed to be a Bar for the Old West and a Lounge for the Roaring Twenties. I was going back and forth between them, due to both having requirements that were not allowed for the Old West, but I forgot to change it when I finally made up my mind about it.
7. Very good point. Bakeries should indeed be allowed during the Industrial Era.
8. Only babies being allowed for adoption is another thing that I forgot to change while writing the challenge, thank you for spotting that. I was originally basing that on the similar rule in the Legacy challenge, but since children don't inherit traits in this challenge, there's no reason to not allow older children to be adopted.
9. The decision to disallow lovers for the Modern Day was to give a bit more distinction between it and previous Eras (I'm certainly no history expert, but I had gotten the impression that people in the old days were a lot less sneaky with their lovers). People nowaday may have just as many affairs as in the past, but I think it's more looked down upon, and people are not as public with it.

Again, thank you for your very good input! I look forward to seeing if you come across something else while playing!

Snowie

@Cloudseeker Thanks for your reply! I haven't gotten into actual gameplay yet for this but I spent last night bulldozing lots and making families look prehistoric. I've been sharing them on the gallery under #historychallenge, but in some of them I used content from both GTW and OR so it might not be visible for everyone who starts this challenge.

As far as the cemeteries go, I haven't actually played too much with working cemeteries after I make them (I guess I have too much fun killing off all the random Sims), but I will use one in my game to test it out and get back to you on it

Since this challenge requires so much setup (and you're suggesting the use of mods anyway) here's a link to an empty worlds mod. I haven't ever actually used it, but it provides completely empty worlds when you start the game. I don't know if it will clear lots in other save files, and it doesn't look like they have one for Granite Falls or Magnolia Promenade, but it might be helpful to people who don't want to spend all that time bulldozing lots. http://simsvip.com/2014/10/03/the-sims-4-empty-worlds-by-one-billion-pixels/

I like your idea about the trees, much simpler than mine! Since I haven't started building on my actual lot that I will play on, I'll try this out when I get to that MAYBE we could use the MOO cheat to blend an easel into a sized up rock? I haven't tried this so I'm not sure if it will still be usable but I will try this as well and get back to you!
Edit: It works!



I think that's it, thanks again for all your replies

Cloudseeker

@ewright9 That easel+rock idea is a brilliant solution until I can find (or make) a custom easel. And thanks for the link to the empty worlds mod, I'll link it in the main post. And I guess I shall await your report on how well a dedicated cemetery lot works then

tiredraven

Hey, I have a clarification question. I totally understand paintings not being sold in the Prehistoric Times, and would also understand them not being sold in Early Civilization. But paintings are never explicitly allowed to be sold at all until the Modern Day, when selling restrictions are unlifted in full. This doesn't make sense to me - are paintings allowed to be sold before the Modern Day? I would assume so, if not in Early Civilization, perhaps in the Middle Ages when the Painter Extraordinaire/Patron of the Arts aspiration/career unlock? Or are we not allowed to sell paintings because they can become worth so much money for the amount of time spent on them?

Sara74469

I like the idea of gender restrictions

Cloudseeker

@tiredraven Oh, yes, good catch. Paintings are indeed supposed to be unlocked for selling at the Middle Ages. That part must've gotten lost when I copied the rules over from my draft document.

tiredraven

@Cloudseeker Thanks! This is a really interesting and well-thought out challenge, I'm definitely tempted to give it a whirl. It's a nice extra layer to other from-the-ground up aspirations, but (for me at least) not quite as daunting as the apocalypse challenge.

Cloudseeker

@tiredraven Thank you! I am glad that you like it, and I will look forward to hearing what you think after trying it

Snowie

At what point are our Sims allowed to fish at rare fishing spots? For example, the spring behind Desert Bloom park in Oasis Springs, by the entrance to the forgotten grotto, is known to give rare items such as cowplant berries and violins. When can we fish here?

DrnSimmer

Definitely have to try this.

Cloudseeker

ewright9 wrote: »

At what point are our Sims allowed to fish at rare fishing spots? For example, the spring behind Desert Bloom park in Oasis Springs, by the entrance to the forgotten grotto, is known to give rare items such as cowplant berries and violins. When can we fish here?

I have not set a restriction for that, so go ahead and fish wherever you like, and if you feel that it makes things too easy, let me know

Snowie

Cloudseeker wrote: »

ewright9 wrote: »

At what point are our Sims allowed to fish at rare fishing spots? For example, the spring behind Desert Bloom park in Oasis Springs, by the entrance to the forgotten grotto, is known to give rare items such as cowplant berries and violins. When can we fish here?

I have not set a restriction for that, so go ahead and fish wherever you like, and if you feel that it makes things too easy, let me know

Ok cool Still in the process of clearing lots but I'm almost done I had an idea of a "watering hole" in the prehistoric era. It would basically be a "gym" lot with just a pool on it (and other items required for the gym that are inaccessible). The pool could be made to look prehistoric, with rocks and some plants around it to cover the pool walls or whatever.

Cloudseeker

@ewright9 That does sound interesting But remember that the "gym" venue is not technically allowed during the Prehistoric Era (though that does mostly refer to the items within the venue). I think that I also restricted pools until later, though now that I think about it, there's really no good reason to, so I think I'll change that. Do Sims swim in pools that are on Generic or National Park lots? If so, you could make it one of those types, and you wouldn't need to hide any objects.

But then again, the type of lot doesn't really matter, as long as the Sims are only able to use what they're allowed to use.

Snowie

@Cloudseeker I know they had to patch an issue they were having with Sims swimming in pools at community lots, so I think they will swim on any lot. My only concern was getting Sims to show up and swim if it was a generic lot. I honestly don't play with custom community lots much so I'm not as familiar with how they work. I'll try making a generic lot with a pool and see how it works with other Sims visiting.

Rivie

I really like this challenge, sounds like so much fun. Maybe someone can make cc (for those that use cc) of a toilet so it doesn't look like a toilet for the prehistoric era.
I'm currently doing the disney princess challenge but I want to do this with the last heir. I'm already planning the way to take my heir back in time.

Cloudseeker

Rivie wrote: »

I really like this challenge, sounds like so much fun. Maybe someone can make cc (for those that use cc) of a toilet so it doesn't look like a toilet for the prehistoric era.
I'm currently doing the disney princess challenge but I want to do this with the last heir. I'm already planning the way to take my heir back in time.

I am glad that you like it I am in fact checking my main mod sites daily, ready to swipe up anything that would be good for this challenge, hopefully one day a toilet or an easel will pop up.

I really like that you are building a background story, that's a very nice touch

Snowie

@Cloudseeker I have an update on the watering hole! I made one as a generic lot and tested it with my challenge family. I was worried that Sims wouldn't recognize it as a community lot and therefore not show up to do anything there, but shortly after my family got there the entire Goth household was there! I have the lot saved and will upload it with your permission. It is just a pool with rocks and foliage, and some rock chairs that came with Outdoor Retreat.


Some other feedback of what I've noticed so far in playing is that after buying two tents, an easel with the most expensive rock, a woodworking bench, an outhouse, and a fire pit with a couple places to sit, I still had $719 left over. If that's about how much you intended to be left, then great! It just struck me as a lot of money left but I do love challenges where you have to struggle for money. Anyway, that's my feedback for now and I'll get back to you later with more updates!

Cloudseeker

@ewright9 The watering hole looks great! And it's very good that it worked even though it was a generic lot type. Go ahead and upload it, I changed the rules to allow pools right from the start.

The money feedback is awesome! I did in fact not intend for there to be so much money left over, so I think I'll make a significant change in how much money you get to start with.

Thank you very much for your feeback! It's great to see that you're so enthusiastic about this challenge

Snowie

Cloudseeker wrote: »

@ewright9 The watering hole looks great! And it's very good that it worked even though it was a generic lot type. Go ahead and upload it, I changed the rules to allow pools right from the start.

The money feedback is awesome! I did in fact not intend for there to be so much money left over, so I think I'll make a significant change in how much money you get to start with.

Thank you very much for your feeback! It's great to see that you're so enthusiastic about this challenge

I think this challenge is great I love the creativity and work you put into it and I love how it changes every generation to keep things interesting I actually meant to tell you this a long time ago but I love the little quotes you put in every section of the challenge, they help with context and some of them make me laugh

As I was playing I remembered something that might be an issue, without outdoor retreat you said that players can put grills on their lot for food, but you can't actually cook on a grill that's on a home lot that doesn't have a fridge. Of course, this just means players have to take the extra step to go find a grill in a community area so it's not a HUGE deal but just thought I would let you know

Snowie

Oh! Just had a thought, what if our Sims couldn't take pregnancy tests until they're "invented"? And maybe can't "woohoo" (but can "try for baby") until contraception is invented? Or is that getting a bit too serious for the kids

Cloudseeker

@ewright9 Thank you so much I thought the little quotes would be a nice touch, as if you're reading from a history book. As for the grills, I am able to cook on a grill on my home lot, even though I don't have a fridge. Maybe that's because I do have Outdoor Retreat, or maybe it has been patched in recently?

Pregnancy test and woohoo restrictions is an interesting idea. I'll have a think about if it warrants a rule change

Snowie

@cloudseeker What should we do with seasonal collectibles (in this case easter eggs) that we get every time we collect something? Can we sell them or should we just let them accumulate?

Snowie

Here's my Sim-weekly report First few days were slim on the earnings as my Sims discovered skills for the first time, but gradually went from $78 per day to $906. The weekly earnings from woodworking, gardening, and fishing was $3,194. My female Sim just her her first baby (A girl, I named her Aria), but so far my Sims don't really know anyone else so my male Sim's selection of lovers is a bit slim My Sims didn't struggle with needs TOO much, except for hygiene. For the first few days I used the watering hole to keep their hygiene up, and after that my female Sim upgraded the sink to "auto-dispense soap" or something like that, which fills up their hygiene bar from empty to full in about 4 washes. I have an army of easter eggs behind my easel-rock because I don't know what else to do with them, lol I also fished up a cowplant berry, and I haven't decided if I want to keep the cowplant or sell it (we can't use the essences of life anyway). @Cloudseeker I believe cowplants sell for quite a bit, so am I allowed to sell it and count it with my gardening revenue that counts toward the 50,000? Edit: The fully grown cowplant sells for $450

tammyjo329

Can we have sinks in prehistoric era ?? my sims have been struggling with hygeine until you said we could add pools as swimming holes, but a sink would be so much easier to take care of hygiene, since swimming will only take of 75% of your hygiene, after repeated lap swimming.