A Free Will Experience (Inspired by other Free Will Challenges)

BreeMiles · August 2019

(Positive) Earn Points by:
+50 points - Repair Something
+25 points - Attempt to put out Fire
+8 points - Earn a Promotion
+7 points - Sleep in Bed with Another Contestant
+6 points - Cook a Grand Meal or Complete a Holiday Tradition
+5 points - Comfort/Pamper Pet on Couch
+5 points - Max a skill (reach Level 10)
+4 points - Hug Someone (including Pet)
+4 points - Clean the Grill
+3 points - Call to Meal
+3 points - Gain Skill Level 7 to 9 by doing activity or reading a skill book
+2 points - Use Stove/Grill/Cook/Prepare Food
+2 points - Making Friends with Pet/or other Sim, per friendship stage
+2 points - Gain Skill Level 4 to 6 by doing activity or reading a skill book
+1 points - Clean Floor/Plate/Glass/Toilet/Counter/Put away Books
+1 point - Pick up Trash/Take out Trash
+1 point - Gain Skill Level 1 to 3 by doing activity or reading skill book
+ 1 point - Brush Pet

(Negative) Have Points taken away by:
-1 point - Dropping Trash on the Floor
-1 point - Sim walks in on another Sim who is bathing or using the toilet
-2 points - Shout Forbidden Words
-3 points - Lose Friendship with Pet/or other Sim, per friendship stage
- 4 points - Breaking Sink/Toilet/Shower/Fridge/Computer/TV
- 5 points - Starting a Fire or attempting to start said fire
-10 points - Pee on Self
-10 points - Sleep on Floor/Ground
-10 points - Fight

Start with 2-7 random Sims & 1 Pet, Randomize traits unless you’re using your friends simselfs! They can have jobs or not, the choice is yours! If you pick a career that you can follow sims to, don’t follow them, let it be their day!
NOTE: Creating them via Story CAS mode adds extra fun into the mix (this story mode might give them a career also)!

Make a house or download one from the Gallery, just keep in mind how the beds work! (next paragraph). NOTE: Single story homes work best!

Less sims need less beds! For example, 2 - 3 sims would need only ONE double bed! In any case, you would need at least 1 double bed for the number of sims you play! With more than 3 sims, you can stagger the beds and maybe add 1 double and 1 single bed and so on!

Skill books:
Purchase the first book for each skill to add to the bookshelf. Any skill level gained during the challenge through reading or by doing activities earns them points. See chart above!
NOTE: Do not count any skills that they start the challenge with (example, story CAS mode).
NOTE: Add the next set of books when the sims need them. The same also goes for the final set of books.

The person controlling the game play can add money to household account if need be! Also,
- Turn Autonomy to Full
- Life Span: Your Choice
- Starting lot: Your Choice
- Starting World: Your Choice
- Simoleons: Your Choice
You can randomize your starting lot/world/simoleons to make it more interesting!

NOTE: You can download a game counter/scorekeeper, for your Phone/IPad/Tablet in the Apple store or Google store to help keep score!

Do NOT control ANY sim, the only exceptions to this rule are Ask Pet to go Potty, Bathe the Pet, Feed the Pet and Pay the Bills! The sims can also Answer the Door (hopefully they will do it on their own but this is just in case they don’t!). NOTE You are allowed to reset stuck sims and bid them to come inside the home after work!

Festivals and Other Invites: (Optional)
If a sim calls to invite your household to a festival or other event (like dance party at the Bluffs), all sims who are home are allowed to go. The pet needs to stay home since it will feel more comfortable being in a known place. Sims who are at work when the invite happens, will finish their shift like normal and then head home. If the event has a duration (like the circular time tracker in the upper left of screen), sims stay for the entire event but will otherwise stay for four hours before heading home. Whether the sims earn points or lose points OR be free (no points in either direction) is up to the player.

In case of fire:
If the house isn’t burnt down (GAME OVER!), the sims receive insurance money and therefore Must replace items damaged by the fire, no matter the cost.

In case of illness:
One of your sims will be allowed to take the pet to the vet clinic and back.
NOTE: Illness is the only reason a pet is allowed to go see the vet during this challenge!
If a sim is sick, they need to suck it up buttercup and let nature take its course!

Need things repaired?
A call to the repair service can be done on Monday and Thursday, no penalty.
If the call is placed on any other day, all contestants take -3 point penalty.

Keep track of your start day! If starting on Sunday, then Friday night at 9 pm is when the sim with the highest point standings and the sim in second place are chosen. The Perk Points get “spent” on Saturday (the next day!). This happens the same way for each length of the season with top two sims chosen on Friday night and Perk Points spent on Saturday of each week.

Perk Points - Both sims winning the week (and only them!) can do the following:
1- Call for pizza. Only one sim needs to call in the order.
2- Saturday is a free day. The sims are exempt from earning negative points until 9 pm.

If a Sim Dies, the House burns down, or a Sim reaches negative 100 points, then it's GAME OVER and the sim with the highest positive points at that time wins!

If none of the above causes GAME OVER, the game finishes at the end of 1 Season (ending time is midnight/12 am on the last day of the season) and the sim with the highest positive points wins!
If 7 days, the challenges ends during the night of the 7th day.
If 14 days, the challenge ends during the night of the 14th day.
If 28 days, the challenge ends during the night of the 28th day.
NOTE: You can check the calendar to see when the season is getting close to changing.
NOTE: You might want to add an item to the lot for each week in order to keep track of how many have passed.

Variations:
To make it more fun, try doing it with a special set of sims, like simselfs of you & your friends!

Hard Mode: (Optional) Have winner reach the top of their career or attain their aspiration!

Continuation Mode: (Optional) Once you finish the challenge, roll/randomize where the next round will take place. Follow the rest of the rules for creating contestants and playing.

Points Reset Mode: (Optional) If playing multiple weeks, zero out the points at the start of the next week. The winner from the previous week will get +5 points and second place will get +3 points.

Weekly Outing Mode: (Optional) Keep Track of your Start Day! For example, if you start on Sunday, then Friday at 9pm would be the end of your week. At the end of the week, the sim with the highest score and the second runner up gets a Day Out on the Town by themselves! Their outing takes place on Saturday.
Day Out on the Town:
- Send them out to a place of your choice (alone!) and call them back home at the end of the day, no later than 9 pm!
- Don’t go with them or control any action except to send them and bring them back!
- Possible places to send them include but are not limited to:
Bar
Gym
Library
Museum
Park
Restaurant
Spa
NOTE: You can randomize the choice of where they go to make it a bit more interesting!
NOTE: If a workday falls on the day of the outing and the sim has won that day out on the town, have them take a vacation day!

NOTE: To send sims to the community lot, simply click travel by phone and select the sims that are going to travel. You will travel with them and once the lot loads up, you click on a sim at your home lot to switch control to the sim of your choosing and it will immediately take you back to the home lot! To bring back home, click on the sim that is on the outing and then click bring here to bring them back to the home lot!
NOTE: There are variations listed below this section.

Alternate Outing Mode: (Optional) This only affects the weekly outing that the two contestants with the highest points go on. Players may, if they choose, go with the two sims on their outing for part of the day (maximum time limit to observe them is 4 hours). The rules for earning points still apply, however … these two sims are exempt from losing points during the duration of their outing. Once they return home all rules for gaining and losing points returns to normal. Remember, the sims that are on the outing must return home at 9 pm.
NOTE: This is a variation on the Weekly Outing Mode. Use only if you’re doing that mode.

Stay Home Instead Mode: (Optional) This only affects the weekly outing that the two contestants with the highest points go on. Instead of going somewhere, these two sims stay on the home lot. They are exempt from losing points until 9 pm but the rest of the rules apply as normal.
NOTE: This is a variation on the Weekly Outing Mode. Use only if you’re doing that mode.

August 22, 2019 'added below'!
NOTE:
1. If a sim makes group meals and puts them in their inventory, please feel free to move that food out of their inventory and place it on a table or counter!
2. When encountering a visible glitch, please reset the sim if need be!
3. If you are not liking the weather then please feel free to turn off weather/effects in your game options!
'to here'!

Challenge put together and Play Tested by Bree (Bree Miles), Addy (ADWilson) and Our Corner Discord!
Enjoy and have fun!

Feel free to post in this thread!
Any and All Questions
Play though's
or Links to Play though's
We would love to see how it plays out in your game!
You can upload your Sims/Lots to the gallery using #FreeWillExperience to make it easy for us and others playing this challenge to find!

NOTE: If you don't own Cats&Dogs you can still play this challenge, just strike through the pet related area's!

BreeMiles · August 2019

Peoples Play through LINKS will be posted here!

@Karababy52,
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5

Round 2, Free Will 2.0
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10
Day 11
Day 12
Day 13
Day 14

__________________________________________________________

@ADWilson
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10
Day 11
Day 12
Day 13
Day 14

House 02
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5/Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9

__________________________________________________________

@BreeMiles
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6

___________________________________________________________

@Skeilah
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3

BreeMiles · August 2019

Reserved

ADWilson · August 2019

Looking forward to seeing what happens next!

Karababy52 · August 2019

This looks interesting! I enjoy doing challenges where you mostly just observe your Sims while playing or just controlling only one Sim when I want a break from constantly micromanaging my Sims. This one has a lot of similarities to an old challenge from TS2 called The Hands-Off challenge. Have you ever heard of that or played it? Lots of fun!

It's interesting to me that just last night I was considering playing the Asylum challenge again, which is similar (kinda/sorta) since I enjoy it so much. Coincidence? Maybe the Sim Gods are trying to tell me something? Hmm...

This challenge is much shorter though, if you don't elect for the continuation option. I like that. I could start playing, see how I like it through one season and continue on through an entire Sim 'year' if I do. Again, hmm...

The only thing holding me back is I already have a TON of saves I'm playing and probably should finish those before trying another one. But, I have a big problem, I LOVE challenges and can't resist constantly starting new challenges. o.O So, triple hmm...

If I do try this, I have a few questions concerning the rules. For instance the beds rule is a bit vague. I THINK you're saying we must have at least one double bed for every 2-3 Sims and ONLY a double bed. Not 2-3 singles, not 1 double and 1 single and any amount of Sims above 3 can all have single beds? Or would it be, for instance, 8 Sims would have 4 double beds or 1 double and 2 singles or 2 doubles and 4 singles or, wait... that doesn't work. See? I'm confused about the bed rule. lol

Also, how do we decide which Sim takes a sick pet to the Vet? The reason I ask is because whoever might have to do that would most likely get a better relationship with the pet and possibly score more points.

I don't understand the replacement rule for objects either. On one hand the rules say you can add more simoleons, if needed, but then another rule says you MUST replace objects damaged by a fire, no matter the cost. That rule seems to imply you only have a certain amount of simoleons to work with and if you need to replace an object, it'll dip into those funds. Is that rule only for those who play with a random amount of simoleons to begin and don't plan on using a money cheat to add more?

Lastly, did ya'll that developed this challenge make an app to help keep score? Or are you talking about some kind of standard app for score keeping? Forgive me, I'm not very familiar with apps or the app store since the only apps I've ever downloaded were for ringtones. lol Yeah, I'm old and have a tiny smartphone with limited data that I don't use, only for emergencies. o.O

I apologize for asking so many silly questions, I'm probably making this much harder than it needs to be. It seems like it's meant to be a more laidback challenge rather than worrying about and being so picky about the rules. Thanks for indulging my perfectionist proclivities!

EDIT: Do you have a blog or a YT channel that shows your play test that I could read or view to help better understand the rules? I'd love to read or see it if possible.

Also, I forgot to ask about skill objects. Do we need to put at least one of every skill type object in the house? Or go by what aspiration/traits our Sims have? Or just use or own discretion? Probably depends on the simoleon situation we've decided to use for the challenge, right?

ADWilson · August 2019

Thank you @Karababy52 for your interest in this fun challenge.

Since a few of your questions touched on things I suggested or came up while we were testing, I'll answer and @BreeMiles can jump in to explain further if need be.

Karababy52 wrote: »

This one has a lot of similarities to an old challenge from TS2 called The Hands-Off challenge. Have you ever heard of that or played it? Lots of fun!

No, I haven't. I own tS2 Ultimate Collection because it was offered/given to us back in 2014 but have not played it yet. I know, I know ... shame on me LOL

Karababy52 wrote: »

If I do try this, I have a few questions concerning the rules. For instance the beds rule is a bit vague. I THINK you're saying we must have at least one double bed for every 2-3 Sims and ONLY a double bed. Not 2-3 singles, not 1 double and 1 single and any amount of Sims above 3 can all have single beds? Or would it be, for instance, 8 Sims would have 4 double beds or 1 double and 2 singles or 2 doubles and 4 singles or, wait... that doesn't work. See? I'm confused about the bed rule. lol

The reason for the double bed is because points can be earned if contestants share the bed.
In Bree's test, they shared beds without any issue and in mine, they did not.

If there are 2 - 3 sims, one double bed is the only bedding allowed.
If there are 4 sims, one double bed and one single bed.
If there are 5 sims, one double and two single beds OR you could do two double beds.
etc.

We left it up to the player to decide on the bed configuration but there must be at least one double bed. The amount of bed "slots" equals one less than the number of sims in the house except for when there are two sims since the rule of the double bed takes precedence.

We also left it up to the player to decide how many sims they wish to use for the challenge.
My first run, I used 7 sims and a dog. My second run, 4 sims and a cat.

Karababy52 wrote: »

Also, how do we decide which Sim takes a sick pet to the Vet? The reason I ask is because whoever might have to do that would most likely get a better relationship with the pet and possibly score more points.

Good question. Neither of us (or the other testers as far as I know) had this happen during our test runs, but we do not want the pet to suffer so that is why the player has limited control. I plan on using an online randomizer (I use random.org) to decide which sim gets to go to the vet should it happen while I'm playing.

Karababy52 wrote: »

I don't understand the replacement rule for objects either. On one hand the rules say you can add more simoleons, if needed, but then another rule says you MUST replace objects damaged by a fire, no matter the cost. That rule seems to imply you only have a certain amount of simoleons to work with and if you need to replace an object, it'll dip into those funds. Is that rule only for those who play with a random amount of simoleons to begin and don't plan on using a money cheat to add more?

I'll answer each situation individually so hopefully, it will make more sense.

Both Bree and I experienced fire during our initial testing. Hers ended in a GAME OVER while mine did not.
When the fire was extinguished, I received x simoleons due to fire insurance but it wasn't enough to replace what was lost in the fire (stove and counter ... I got lucky in having two sims immediately pull out fire extinguishers!). I initially left the burnt objects there as "punishment" but because there are points tied to cooking, we didn't want to limit the ability to earn those points. Therefore, the burnt objects must be replaced. The focus of this challenge isn't money so players can add to their balance as needed.

That being said, since the focus isn't on money or building, the sims can live in a house that suits the player's preferences. I borrowed a house from Bree for the first run and it's pretty nice ... 4 bedrooms, a large open living/dining/kitchen, pool and grill in the backyard. It has one computer and a large flat-screen TV on the wall. Besides the skill books in the bookcase, I took a look at the traits, aspirations and careers my contestants had and added objects accordingly (list included in answer to your question on skill objects).

In case you're curious, I used the story mode in CAS to create all my contestants so everything was randomized.

Karababy52 wrote: »

Lastly, did ya'll that developed this challenge make an app to help keep score? Or are you talking about some kind of standard app for score keeping? Forgive me, I'm not very familiar with apps or the app store since the only apps I've ever downloaded were for ringtones. lol Yeah, I'm old and have a tiny smartphone with limited data that I don't use, only for emergencies. o.O

Bree used an app for her iPhone. I have a Samsung and didn't like any of the apps I tried so I manually kept track. My method is a little time consuming (I kept track and verified my tally with screenshots at the end of each day) but it worked well for me.

Karababy52 wrote: »

I apologize for asking so many silly questions, I'm probably making this much harder than it needs to be. It seems like it's meant to be a more laidback challenge rather than worrying about and being so picky about the rules. Thanks for indulging my perfectionist proclivities!

First off, they're not silly questions. To fully enjoy/participate in this challenge you need to understand what you're doing.
Second, yes it's meant to be fun and not a chore to play.
I am a Virgo and a bit of a perfectionist myself. I like things neat/orderly and balanced! Hence my triple checking, lol ... manual tracking, screenshots and Excel spreadsheet so I didn't mess up the math. I am who I am

Karababy52 wrote: »

EDIT: Do you have a blog or a YT channel that shows your play test that I could read or view to help better understand the rules? I'd love to read or see it if possible.

We tested it with members of our Discord server. If you'd like, I can copy/paste what I did and add it to my blog ... will let you know when I have that set up.

Karababy52 wrote: »

Also, I forgot to ask about skill objects. Do we need to put at least one of every skill type object in the house? Or go by what aspiration/traits our Sims have? Or just use or own discretion? Probably depends on the simoleon situation we've decided to use for the challenge, right?

That is up to you. You can put as many or as few skills objects as you want.
The first house included: skill books in the bookcase, mirror in each bathroom (I expanded the house a little bit to turn the one bathroom into two for my seven sims to share), computer, stove inside and grill outside, pool, bar (added this as I had a sim in the culinary career), two easels (added the second one), guitar (had two sims in the entertainer career), yoga mat and yoga stool plus a punching bag (added for extra things to do since they're lot bound and I wanted them to step away from the TV).

Hopefully, my answers helped clear up some of your confusion.

BreeMiles · August 2019

Thank you kindly @ADWilson for answering all of @Karababy52, questions, and Addy is correct Karababy, those are not silly questions, and the main thing is, have fun and enjoy!

Karababy52 · August 2019

@ADWilson Thank you for answering all my questions! I think what you've provided has cleared things up for me now. I'd still be curious to see your play through if you have time to post it to your blog, but if you don't, it's not necessary.

I've been in the game creating my Sims ever since I posted this, I couldn't wait! lol Like I said, I'm a challenge addict. I have four Sims, two females and two males ready to go. Oh! I just realized I forgot the cat! Gah! No worries, I haven't actually started playing them yet, I can just delete them and modify their file in my library to add a cat and place them again.

I haven't built their house yet either, I was waiting to hear what y'all had to say about my questions first. I don't have Excel, unfortunately, but I can set up something in Google Docs to use to keep score so no app is needed. I'll take pics of my Sims and their house when I'm ready to go and post it here, if that's okay? Should I upload my roomies to the Gallery too? I wasn't sure if that was required, I usually don't upload very much, but I can if you'd like. Right now I put a hashtag in the description of #freewillchallenge in case I needed to upload them.

I didn't use story mode, but I did randomize the Sims themselves and their traits, then chose their aspiration based on that. I tweaked their physical appearances too and changed their clothing. I kicked out the Free Spirits from their lot in Windenburg and put them on Rustic Residence with a copy of their house I saved. So the Cottage Am See lot (I think that's what it's called) is what I'll be using.

Thanks also @BreeMiles I'm excited to get started, it looks like a lot of fun. Right now I need to get some sleep though. I'm a night owl so I sleep during the day while Hubby is at work. I"ll be back later, hopefully with screenshots. Before I go here's the names of my Sims and their aspirations/traits:

Nadine Emmons - Master Chef: Ambitious, Foodie, Genius
Jack Decker - Body Builder: Materialistic, Active, Romantic
Will Warner - Computer Whiz: Goofball, Geek, Perfectionist
Whitney Henson - Angling Ace: Jealous, Hot Headed, Loves Outdoors

And they'll have a cat. I don't know what kind or anything about it yet though since I forgot to make her/him. Opps! Anyway, have a great day/night whatever it may be where you're at and

Happy Simming!

BreeMiles · August 2019

@Karababy52 Yes Google Doc will work fine, we use it a lot also! Please feel free to upload your roomies! I'm sure others would like to play with them also! Send us a link here also so we can fav and comment! I didn't use story mode the first round either, but the second round I did and I liked due to the fact our sims can have jobs based on how the story played out and the fact that the game will put them in that career when it loads in!

Can't wait to see Nadine, Jack, Will, and Whitney go at it in this Free Will Experience!

ADWilson · August 2019

You're very welcome @Karababy52

Happy to have been able to help!

The way you're setting up Google Docs sounds very similar to the way I did Excel. Glad you found a way to keep track & maintain your sanity

Yes, please! DO share photos of your Sims and their house because we would

to see them.
If you want to upload them (not mandatory but please feel free to share!), Bree created the hashtag #FreeWillExperience for us to use.

Your contestants have a nice mix of traits and aspirations. They'll be fun to watch!!

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Here are the contestants I used during my first round of testing:

Gallery Link

Day 1 has been added to my blog.
Have fun reading!

BreeMiles · August 2019

This is the first house I built for my Free will Sims to play in, first round I used 7 sims and a dog and second round I used 6 sims and a dog!

Single Story Home
Download

ADWilson · August 2019

BreeMiles wrote: »

This is the first house I built for my Free will Sims to play in, first round I used 7 sims and a dog and second round I used 6 sims and a dog!

Single Story Home
Download

It's a lovely house, Bree!
Also perfectly suited to use during this challenge.

BreeMiles · August 2019

Thank you Addy, and Thank you for uploading your sim household, and posting your blog story about them, I enjoyed reading through it again!

EuphorialQueen · August 2019

Woah

Looks like a great way to play {and make me pull out all my hair

}

Not controlling any Sim - yipes!
Points always allude me and I always seem to lose track.

BreeMiles · August 2019

@EuphorialQueen I did my first round my sims burned the place down!

EuphorialQueen · August 2019

BreeMiles wrote: »

@EuphorialQueen I did my first round my sims burned the place down!

That would be me! Day one ... Sim tries to cook ... sets house on fire..... Oops!

ADWilson · August 2019

EuphorialQueen wrote: »

BreeMiles wrote: »

@EuphorialQueen I did my first round my sims burned the place down!

That would be me! Day one ... Sim tries to cook ... sets house on fire..... Oops!

We quickly discovered that fire alarms and the utility panel are important things to have! lol

Karababy52 · August 2019

Hi again! I just spent a couple hours setting up a spreadsheet in Google for this challenge. It's been 20 years since I created anything like that so it took me longer than it should. Plus, Excel has more options. Anyway, my contestants now have a male cat named Ziggy. He's adorable! They're all standing idle on the lot at the moment until I go back in game soon and build their house, buy the skills books, have them get jobs, etc.

Loved your Day 1 blog entry @ADWilson, certainly a 'salty' bunch eh? lol I feel bad for the poor dog, Doodle? We had a dog that would hide under the bed during storms in real life. That brings up one more question I have about the weather and Seasons. Is how we set the weather at our discretion or do we need to keep everything on? For instance, we can turn off a variety of things if we wish. For now I've left everything on.

Love the house you built and used for the challenge too @BreeMiles. I've always admired your skills as a builder. Bummer your first play through ended so quickly. That brings up another question I had but has since been answered in your last post @ADWilson I wondered if we were allowed to use the fire alarm and suppression system in our Sims' house. Happy to read that we can use them. Although, it might be interesting to NOT use them and see if anyone racks up points trying to put the fire out. Could be risky though, good way to lose a Sim! o.O

One last question and then I'm off to build. I'm assuming it's a no-no, but is it okay to create stalls for toilets in the bathroom(s)?

ADWilson · August 2019

Karababy52 wrote: »

Hi again! I just spent a couple hours setting up a spreadsheet in Google for this challenge. It's been 20 years since I created anything like that so it took me longer than it should. Plus, Excel has more options.

It doesn't matter how long it took, the important thing is that it's set up exactly the way you like/want it to be.

Yes, Excel has more options (many of which I don't bother with, lol) but with all my tweaking I spend a lot of time getting my Sim spreadsheets to where I like them. Yes, plural. I keep track of many things as Bree can vouch for ... heeheheehe

Karababy52 wrote: »

Anyway, my contestants now have a male cat named Ziggy. He's adorable! They're all standing idle on the lot at the moment until I go back in game soon and build their house, buy the skills books, have them get jobs, etc.

Ziggy is a cute name! Looking forward to seeing screenshots of your sims and pet.
Hopefully they won't have to stand idle for long.

Karababy52 wrote: »

Loved your Day 1 blog entry @ADWilson, certainly a 'salty' bunch eh? lol I feel bad for the poor dog, Doodle? We had a dog that would hide under the bed during storms in real life. That brings up one more question I have about the weather and Seasons. Is how we set the weather at our discretion or do we need to keep everything on? For instance, we can turn off a variety of things if we wish. For now I've left everything on.

Thank YOU for taking the time to read my long post and for the follow. The latter was a pleasant surprise.
Doodle is a sweet dog & I enjoyed watching him as much as I did his Sim companions. I've had cats for most of my life so his reactions (good or bad) seemed to frequently catch my eye.

Initially, I kept the weather as is but summer in Brindleton Bay has many rainy/stormy days so I opted to rotate the weather in order to see sunshine in my game. My salty bunch caused a lot of laughter in our Discord group (nobody else was experiencing this ... probably because their weather was so nice! LOL) and in my mind, it became a mini game to see how many/few each Sim did.

Karababy52 wrote: »

Love the house you built and used for the challenge too @BreeMiles. I've always admired your skills as a builder. Bummer your first play through ended so quickly. That brings up another question I had but has since been answered in your last post @ADWilson I wondered if we were allowed to use the fire alarm and suppression system in our Sims' house. Happy to read that we can use them. Although, it might be interesting to NOT use them and see if anyone racks up points trying to put the fire out. Could be risky though, good way to lose a Sim! o.O

Bree is one of my favorite builders! Her homes are beautiful and filled with comfortable furnishings. Easy to imagine curling up on the couch and reading a good book.

Her first play through ended as quick as it did because she didn't have the fire alarms and utility panel. She was using our simselfs and we found it highly amusing that the person who said at the very beginning, "my sim will probably cause a fire" would indeed be the sim who brought about the GAME OVER.

We decided to leave it up to the player as to whether they want to use these objects or not.

Karababy52 wrote: »

One last question and then I'm off to build. I'm assuming it's a no-no, but is it okay to create stalls for toilets in the bathroom(s)?

@BreeMiles is the deciding voice but I'll toss in my two cents. There are negative points for Sims walking in while another is bathing or using the toilet as well as peeing on self. Having toilet stalls would eliminate the chance of earning these points and in my case, the negative points shifted who was in lead and the other placeholders a few times. I found it fun to watch. Yet ... the point of this challenge is to have fun so if Sim bathroom mishaps isn't something you care to see or deal with, then make sure there are enough bathrooms for your Sims.

Looking forward to seeing screenshots & maybe a story if you're up to it. No pressure.

Karababy52 · August 2019

Thank you so much for answering my questions, really appreciate it! The spreadsheet is finally finished! Since I play in fullscreen mode I'll still need to take screenshots or notes during gameplay and then enter the results afterward. Not that I wouldn't normally take screenshots anyway, I take a ton! lol But with this challenge, I'll need to take a lot more than usual. It's all good though, I have a great gaming desktop now that can handle it.

I'll finally be able to take some screenshots of my Sims/Ziggy and begin playing later tonight. I'll share them and upload the household to the Gallery some time tomorrow. I can't wait to see what Ziggy does during gameplay and how my Sims interact with him. I love cats and dogs too. I've had many of both over the years. Currently, we have four indoor cats and I take care of and feed around a dozen+ outdoor cats that live on our deck and in an old dog pen/house in the backyard. Hubby likes to tease and call me his 'crazy cat lady.' lol

You're welcome! I enjoyed reading Day 1 and look forward to reading more, that's why I followed you.

I'll check out the rest of your blog too. Thank you too for following me. I haven't posted anything in a long time though and really don't have any plans to post in the near future. That could change though, I 'might' post my roomies adventures on there. Depends on our internet, lately it's been disconnecting sporadically for minutes to sometimes hours. So, don't hold your breath on that. Sorry...

However, I will at least post screenshots of any interesting developments here in this thread.

Okay, good to know it's up to us about the weather. I think I'll see how it goes and if there's seems to be an inordinate amount of rain/storms, I'll consider turning it off at that time. Right now it's a Sunday and sunny summer weather for their first day, so probably won't get too many, if any, Sims using 'salty' language until the weather changes. I can see how that would be cause for lots of laughter in your Discord group. lol

I went ahead and put a fire alarm and utility panel in the house. Had a hard time finding a good place to put it since I unwisely chose such a small lot to use. Their wraparound deck and patio with the pool/bbq area is almost as big as the entire house! lol Opps! I love that lot though, there's lots of fishing areas surrounding it, it has the waterfalls and stepping stones, etc. It's just a beautiful area and I thought my angler might be inspired to go fishing more often as a result.

I love Bree's builds too and they do look very cozy and inviting. I thought about going with a country cottage build, but I always build those so decided to try something a little out of my comfort zone. It's got a more modern vibe to it with touches of rustic, especially inside. Well, you'll see once I get a chance to take some screenies and post them. The build is pretty much finished, I just need to do one more look around to see if there's anything missing or needs to be tweaked.

Elected to not build toilet stalls in the bathroom, but I did put half walls next to them and I used the Spa Day enclosed showers. They have one bathroom with two showers, sinks and toilets. We'll see how it goes. Oh! I also put a washer/dryer in the kitchen, just for kicks. Might be a big mistake, those things are notorious for starting on fire. Ah well, que será, será...

Karababy52 · August 2019

Hello again, just finished Day 1 of this challenge. I have 28 house/lot screenshots and 52 gameplay. o.O I think that's too much to post here, so I don't know what to do now. Perhaps I'll upload them with descriptions to my Imgur account and give a link to it or maybe set-up something for it on my blog.

Anyway, here's my Sims. If you click on the pic it should take you to their file on the Gallery. My Origin ID is the same as here if it doesn't work for whatever reason and I used the hashtag #freewillexperience.

Here's a few screenshots of their house, including the layout and exterior. *Note - the round coffee table showing in the overhead shot had to go since nobody was using the loveseats. Before I changed it out for a different one, they were all just sitting at the dining table to watch TV. lol I put a coffee table against the wall and switched out the tabletop flatscreen for the wall version. Worked great!

Click on the first pic to go to the download file on the Gallery, if you'd like a copy of it. I used the same hashtag for it.

Synopsis and Scores:

Nadine - 12*
Will - 9*
Jack & Whitney - 5

All positive scoring, nobody did anything negative! I was shocked! lol The reason for the asterisk next to Nadine & Will is because I'm not sure about one thing they did together that could change their score. Does the Windenburg air kiss greeting count as a hug? I counted it in the score because I wasn't sure. If it doesn't count, their corrected scores would be Nadine - 8 and Will - 5 which would make a three way tie for second place. lol

Nadine's the winner for the day in any case and I'm not surprised. She cleaned up almost all the Welcome Wagon dishes herself, but away an Herbalism book she read and for skills, she's the only one that got more than Level 1 in a skill. She ended the day with Level 2 in chess along with other Level 1 skills. Plus, she's the only one out of the four contestants that actually LOVED the fruitcake with it's 'fruity deliciousness' according to the moodlet. The other three wondered, "What did I just eat?" and had uncomfortable moodlets. Whitney's funny, she hates the stuff, but that didn't stop her from gobbling (forcing) down two pieces while pouting her dismay.

Oh! Ziggy's traits are; Playful, Affectionate and Territorial. He's scared of the television and the BBQ tongs. He also attacked Ulrike Faust during the Welcome Wagon event. Naughty kitty! lol However, although he did jump up on the kitchen counters, he used his scratching post on his perch instead of tearing up any furniture. Good kitty!

I have some absolutely adorable pics of him during the first day.

I have one other question for you, what's the rule on stereos? During the Welcome Wagon event, someone turned it on to dance and it was left on all day afterward. When everyone chose their sleeping arrangements, I turned it off since Will and Nadine were the unlucky ones that didn't get a bed. They slept on the loveseats in the livingroom and that's where the wall speaker/stereo is located. Was that wrong?

Also, Ziggy glitched out. He was frozen standing by the couch wide-eyed and bobbing his head. When I hovered over him, it said he was sleeping, but he wasn't. I reset him. I'm guessing that's acceptable? Also, when he attacked Ulrike, he was actually inside the house while she was outside eating fruitcake on a couch. The only way I knew he'd attacked her is because of the fight cloud/dust at her feet, but no cat. He's magic! Maybe I should've named him Ziggy Stardust or something. hehe

Anyway, I need to get some sleep now. I'll figure out what to do about sharing my challenge story/house pics when I get up later. In the meanwhile, have a fabulous day and as always...

Happy Simming!

EDIT: Oh No! I just realized I forgot a litter box for Ziggy! *cries* Poor Kitty! I'll make a note of that in the comments of the upload. Opps! o.O

BreeMiles · August 2019

@Karababy52 looks like you are well on your way m'dear! I hope you are enjoying it so far! I've never my self seen the Kiss greeting, I would suggest just keeping the normal hug as counting!

ADWilson · August 2019

@Karababy52 Your contestants and their home lot looks great!

Their first day sounds interesting and I would

to see what happened.

I looked up the cheek-kiss (Google is awe-sim!) and from what I can tell, this only happens in Windenberg and is the equivalent of a wave or handshake. I would not count it as a hug.

In my play-through, I left the stereo on after a Sim turned it on. It did eventually break and have to be repaired but that's part of the fun, ha ha. I can't recall if the music bothered any of my napping Sims.

Resetting a Sim or pet that is stuck is fine. I had to do it a few times. I also experienced Sims not wanting to come inside after they get home after work and from what I understand, this is a glitch. I encourage the Sim to come inside and then leave them up to their own devices. It takes about an hour before the Sim starts doing anything but eh, what can you do except grin and bear it.

As for sharing screenshots, there are several ways this can be done:
1. Post in imgur and share the link here.
2. Post to your blog and share via that way.
3. Post a few pictures here and link for the rest. Or ... Have you used the spoiler tag before? I find it to be a handy way to post images in thread without it taking up a lot of the initial space, if that makes sense. [*spoiler] content goes here [*/spoiler] without the asterisks.

For example,

My rule of thumb when hosting Sims 3 gift exchanges is 5 pictures outside a spoiler tag and if more, plop them within.

As always, Bree is the final vote on whether something can or can't be done.

Karababy52 · August 2019

Thanks @BreeMiles Yes, I'm having a lot of fun with this so far and it's only been one day. I've personally never seen the air kiss greeting myself either until last night. Per your advice and @ADWilson I removed points from Nadine & Will for that interaction.

I'll not interfere with the stereo from now on either. I just know from past experience in the Asylum challenge that Sims can not sleep when there's a stereo on in the room. It's a struggle not to take care of my Sims since my modus operandi is to micromanage them. lol

I figured resetting glitched out Sims/Pets would be acceptable. Most other challenges I've played allow for this too. I know about the glitch with Sims standing outside after coming home from work too. It's frustrating! I had that happen a lot with my Sims in the Trade Off challenge.

I've used all your suggestions for sharing screenshots over the years and I'm well-versed in the use of spoilers. Thank you for the information though.

I guess I really was just wondering which method y'all prefer for sharing my playthrough. It seems to be different depending on the wishes of the creator. For instance, Build-N-Share requires a link to a slideshow and only post a max of two screenshots in the thread for our builds. Whereas, in the 'What Happened in Your Game Today' thread it's more open to interpretation. Some post a multitude of screenshots without using a spoiler, some post 1-5 and the rest in a spoiler.

In story threads, the majority of writers post a chapter screenshot with a link to their blog. A few prefer update posts be in text form without screenshots though to keep down on the lag that can happen to some members using less powerful computers when viewing post after post filled with screenshots.

I believe the forum rule is actually to post up to five screenshots and put the rest in a spoiler, but most don't follow that rule and the forum moderator hasn't made an effort to enforce it. I'm sure it's because they know members enjoy looking at them and probably they do too!

I know it says posting playthroughs is allowed in this thread, I just need clarification before posting a load of screenshots here. That's probably what I'll do, if it's okay? I'll just post a few with the rest in a spoiler. Or just post highlight screenshots after my initial Day 1 post with the rest of my updates in text form. Let me know! As always, I'll have to do it later tonight after Hubby's gone to bed, but I'll be here for a couple hours until then.

Karababy52 · August 2019

Okay, I went ahead and decided on my own what to do. I'll be posting an Imgur link to a slideshow of each Day of my contestants adventures. Here's a shot of Ziggy hanging out in the front yard along with a link to Day 1:

TS4 Free Will Experience - Day 1

I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did creating it!

Day 2 coming soon, and it's a chaotic, glitchfest doozy of a day! o.O But SO fun!

Happy Simming!

ADWilson · August 2019

Good Morning @Karababy52

Sorry you weren't given answer about presentation before picking a choice and running with it. The way you've chosen is PURR-FECT !!
I think I'll follow your example and post a screenshot that catches my eye each day and then put the link below it.

What an enjoyable read! You have a great sense of pacing and it's fun observing your four. Nadine sure does have her A game going already!! It will be interesting to see if she keeps this lead all the way, keeps for a while or gets toppled the very next day. Ziggy is adorable!!
Looking forward to the next day.

The Sims Forums

A Free Will Experience (Inspired by other Free Will Challenges)

Comments

Leave a Comment