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Re: Build a City Challenge Chat

Posted: May 27th, 2019, 11:49 am
by Seera
Avenie wrote:My play style is that anybody who wants to go to uni goes. And anybody who is the subject of another sim's want goes as well. I'm going to have to re-think this, because that essentially means that everybody ends up going, and I just don't enjoy uni enough to play everybody through it.
What I'm thinking of doing on mine is like setting a minimum number of skills that a Sim must have as well as minimal hobby enthusiasm. They must also pay to go to college.

For Sims that don't meet the minimum requirements or can't pay and don't want to take out a loan, they'll live on a lot with others like them with aging off for the appropriate number of days per rotation (after being aged to adult) and be told to learn skills and badges that would be appropriate for what they want to do in life. And find their someone special most likely.

That way I keep aging in sync, but not have to deal with sending every Sim to Uni.

Re: Build a City Challenge Chat

Posted: May 27th, 2019, 1:01 pm
by Lorinsv
Yeah, I wish the Want to go to Uni wasn't so prevalent and momentous in the game :sigh:

I now have a rash of teens in Mesa Vista, and I feel like it's a copout on my part, but most will not be going to University, because that would be such a chore (for me), and I'm having a hard enough time wading through the challenge.

I like your idea of meeting some extra criteria for sending your Sims to Uni, Seera. It would be nice to have some mental justification for not sending most of my teens to Uni. (In retrospect, I should have resisted the instant gratification of buying Universities early on - BOOM, instant justification! :P)

I think following a child's Wants to do homework, get good grades and earn skill points, mixed with some Body/Athletic tendencies, as well as Aspiration and Personality considerations and perhaps the ability to afford, might help me decide who "should" go. I definitely want to send enough to fill the Uni careers, but that would be my main motivation for bothering with playing Uni.

Re: Build a City Challenge Chat

Posted: May 28th, 2019, 11:58 pm
by Avenie
That's a good shout, both of you. I charge my sims for uni, and those who can't afford it take loans, but I've not really discussed that on the blog. I think I might just cut it down to sims who actually want to go, or have LTWs related to uni go (e.g. sims who want to be chief of staff. I don't want doctors without degrees).

I really like your non-university lot, Seera. That's such a good idea. I need to do something about aging, anyway, because my current system doesn't work that well.

Re: Build a City Challenge Chat

Posted: May 29th, 2019, 6:19 am
by simsterlyrock
I use SimPE for aging. I make note of what day a Sim leaves for college, figure out how many days were left in the round, and subtract that many days from their age after they graduate. That works pretty well to keep ages in sync between Sims who go to college and Sims who don't.

Re: Build a City Challenge Chat

Posted: May 29th, 2019, 8:03 pm
by Seera
simsterlyrock wrote:I use SimPE for aging. I make note of what day a Sim leaves for college, figure out how many days were left in the round, and subtract that many days from their age after they graduate. That works pretty well to keep ages in sync between Sims who go to college and Sims who don't.
That works if you have short sessions and/or play through Uni in one round.

I do season long rounds and only 2 years of Uni per round. So it takes 10 days for Sims to graduate. Unless I chop a large number of days off, I have an aging problem.

I have a mod that lets me force the doctors need degrees and removes the need for a degree to be an artist or actor. I've even gone farther and said you have to major in specific degrees to do it. So medical doctors who studied political science.

And I'll probably limit attendance to number of dorms present. So while number of teens in the neighborhood is low, everyone can go. But as my neighborhood grows, those who want a specific career will need to fight to earn a spot.

Re: Build a City Challenge Chat

Posted: May 29th, 2019, 9:27 pm
by simsterlyrock
I play one week at a time (and have a mod that makes each season last a week) and play all of college at once since I have a mod that makes it shorter.

Re: Build a City Challenge Chat

Posted: July 15th, 2019, 11:49 pm
by FunkyFresh
Does anyone have some tips and tricks for me on how to successfully run a business? My sims get tired so soon, I always need to send them back home in a couple of Sim hours. I can’t even get my shops to level 1 before they start complaining about low motives and I have to close the shop again. This way, my BACC wil probably take forever :shrug: I really want to use maxmotives but I don’t want to cheat. Am I missing something?

Re: Build a City Challenge Chat

Posted: July 16th, 2019, 12:25 am
by peachy123uk
If in platinum/gold use the energizer in the aspiration rewards. You can use tents to sleep in, make sure there food for them to eat and somewhere to have a wee. If it is a couple close the shop and have a dream date as that will send the motives up when finished. Or you can use a hack like the sim blender which keeps motives up. Also it is a couple send one sim down to the business and if you need that other person to help ring them to come down to the business saves money on a nanny and your not cheating. I hope this helps a little.

Re: Build a City Challenge Chat

Posted: July 16th, 2019, 12:28 am
by Lorinsv
Take food from home in your Sim's inventory (gelatin works great) or buy a mini fridge and place in a locked area. Also add a tent, toilet and shower and your Sim can stay there indefinitely. Or bring an Energizer if they have enough aspiration points. Businesses are always hardest to level up at first, they grow pretty fast after the first 3 or so levels.

Re: Build a City Challenge Chat

Posted: July 16th, 2019, 1:27 am
by FunkyFresh
A tent! Why haven't I thought of that before! Thanks a lot :) I always make sure there's a fridge and a restroom for them to use, but their energy bar was always the problem. Not anymore :D Time to play!

Re: Build a City Challenge Chat

Posted: July 19th, 2019, 5:36 am
by Twilightoutside
FunkyFresh wrote:A tent! Why haven't I thought of that before! Thanks a lot :) I always make sure there's a fridge and a restroom for them to use, but their energy bar was always the problem. Not anymore :D Time to play!
Bit late to the party, but - I suggest creating a support starter business, that makes creating later businesses much easier.
Spoiler:
First, just set up a business with a ticket counter, set it to low price and just place some fun objects - my favorite are Mahjong and/or poker tables. Usually, this alone can give you a few stars.

With the money earned, you can either start working on getting a gold flower badge at the flower station, or dig for a treasure map for three lakes and go on a short vacation to get Bigfoot - he comes with all badges gold,and while he gets angry with low motives, he's a good investment.

Then make snapdragons, place them everywhere if they sprout pink mist - and soon, you can set the price for tickets to exorbitant, while your business still skyrockets. You can also start selling them, but leave enough for covering the area.

Then get a phone, start buying more businesses and place their deeds on the lot. Note: 25 empty 3x1 lots costs roughly over 22.000, but give you 5 SM points and 25 CAS Sims for your BaCC, that's more than an Uni - and if you sell them to whatever price to Townies/NPC's, you can rebuy them immediately! Or you can sell exclusive, completely furnished and built businesses for 1 Simoleon to Playables!

Finally, investing in an orchard/community garden on the lot can be tedious, but pays out for everyone else: Juices made from fruits can give Skillpoints (Eggplant Juice), Platinum Aspiration (Strawberry lemonade), refill Energy (Pepper Juice) or give Badge Points (Orangeade ~ 100 random badge points made from tasty fruits), which other playables can then just buy here (and since the lots resets every time a playables visits it, you can actually duplicate fruits etc.). Oh, and if you spray pesticides, you might become a plantsim, which removes you losing energy from sales (and investing in greenhouse lamps takes care of sunlight)

Also, befriending a witch/warlock and getting pure good or evil can you the throne of light/darkness, which refills all your motives by sitting on it.
Hope this helps! :splat:

Re: Build a City Challenge Chat

Posted: July 29th, 2019, 7:01 am
by Pony
Got a new notebook for Silver Bend yesterday, it's so pretty and purple. I'm hoping to do better note taking so catching up writing will be smoother.

Re: Build a City Challenge Chat

Posted: July 29th, 2019, 7:07 am
by peachy123uk
I have played my B.A.C.C. ahead and it always a bad idea cos you forgot what you can and can't do. I have tried tally things up and things don't match with the numbers. Oh well they are only one or two out so not to bothered. I write things down just for the blogger and a document file on the pc every time I play a household. But doesn't always work out that way.

Re: Build a City Challenge Chat

Posted: July 29th, 2019, 8:56 am
by Pony
Yeah, I know Silver Bend's scorecard is messed up. I've fixed a few things. I'm trying to close the gap been writing and playing. I'm finally at least in the same rotation. I used to be so good about taking notes. But then I post my notebook and just now replaced it.

Re: Build a City Challenge Chat

Posted: August 1st, 2019, 7:37 am
by peachy123uk
I have finished my round in my uglacy b.a.c.c. and need to write them up and publish them.

Re: Build a City Challenge Chat

Posted: August 1st, 2019, 8:40 am
by Pony
I've been on the Philippine house for week. The kids all went to college, which I had been excited for. But now Marylena and Clarence have the whole house to themselves and I'm not quite sure what to do with them now.

Re: Build a City Challenge Chat

Posted: August 1st, 2019, 11:24 am
by peachy123uk
Maybe work on badges maybe, or skills, or hobbies.

Re: Build a City Challenge Chat

Posted: August 1st, 2019, 11:43 am
by simsterlyrock
I've always found older couples with no kids (either because they all moved out or because they never had them) to be super boring. That's why I tend to keep the elders living with their kids so they can at least still do something meaningful by helping out with babies. :lol:

Re: Build a City Challenge Chat

Posted: August 1st, 2019, 6:50 pm
by Pony
They could focus on their businesses. They do have two that need some work. They could also have friends over. I usually leave that for Sundays only. They have a lot of friends across the neighborhood. Or I could have them adopt one more kid, but I like that they only had three...oh I could have them have a foster home for animals. They only have a week or so before their son comes home from college.

Re: Build a City Challenge Chat

Posted: August 2nd, 2019, 12:12 am
by peachy123uk
Some great ideas there. Still need to write mine up.