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DexBased's avatar
10 years ago

[BETA] The Sims 4 History Challenge

IMPORTANT NOTICE: After more than a year of trying to get back to updating this challenge, only for life to throw something new in my face, I have accepted that I won't be working on this for the foreseeable future. HOWEVER, the awesome @Snowie has taken it upon herself to step into my shoes and keep this challenge alive, and she has my complete blessing to do so. If and when I return, we will figure out how to proceed.

In the meanwhile, you can find the latest semi-unofficial updates here, and the matching scorecard spreadsheet here.

My apologies for not keeping this challenge updated, and for taking so long to accept it, but I hope you'll enjoy it now that it is in Snowie's capable hands.

/Cloudseeker


LATEST UPDATE (February 29th):

  • Fish and plants no longer count toward the money earning goal of the Prehistoric Era. The goal has been lowered to 20 000 simoleons to compensate.
    This is so that people won't have to decide whether to sell a fish or keep it for food. Also, the plants had the potential to make the goal absolutely trivial.
  • The challenge-wide goal "earn 150 000 simoleons during a single Era" has been raised to 250 000 simoleons.
  • I have added some clarification as to which social events are needed for the challenge-wide "earn 10 gold medals on each social event" goal.
  • The cas.fulleditmode cheat is now allowed for modifying tattoos and other skin details, but ONLY for those purposes.
  • Gaming Tables have been moved from the Roaring Twenties to the Old West.
  • Both male and female Sims may now have multiple mates during the Prehistoric Times.
  • Popcorn Poppers are now allowed from the Roaring Twenties onward.
  • Movie Projectors are now allowed from the Roaring Twenties onward.
  • Wishing Wells are now allowed from the Middle Ages onward.



http://i57.tinypic.com/211rtz5.png

ABOUT THE CHALLENGE
The Sims 4 History Challenge is a Legacy-style challenge that takes your Sims on a journey through the history of the world. It spans 7 major time periods, referred to as Eras, from prehistoric to modern, across multiple generations of Sims. The selection of aspirations, careers, and objects you may use will be quite limited at first, but as you progress through the Eras you will unlock more and more options. You will be challenged to not only succeed in the long run, through a set of challenge-wide goals, but also on a per-Era level, as each Era has individual goals that can only be completed while that Era is active. The challenge is designed to be historically accurate on a general, foundational level, with a few changes and personal touches to keep it challenging and dynamic. I have tried to keep available careers, objects, etc appropriate to each Era, making modifications only where things would conflict or when they would just make playing the game a pain.

The main inspiration for creating this challenge was the Through History Legacy Challenge for The Sims 3, as well as the Legacy Challenge. Many thanks to Cassalina and Pinstar/ImaginingMystic for inspiring me to do this.

RECOMMENDED MODS/CC
Please remember that downloading mods/cc is at your own risk. Though the chance may be small, they can possibly break your game. If you feel uncomfortable using mods/cc or simply don't care about things being time-appropriate, but still want to try this challenge, you are certainly free to do so.

While this challenge technically does not require any mods or custom content, the following mods/cc are recommended in order to have as good an experience as possible. In addition to the listed mods/cc, feel free to download as many additional aesthetic mods/cc as you want, such as hair, clothes and time-appropriate object variations, to give your challenge a bit more life. However, you may not use any cheat mods, or mods that otherwise give you an advantage over people who do not use them.
If you find a mod/cc that you think would be good for this challenge, let me know and I'll add it to the list if I think it belongs.

Teen Careers For All Ages by Plasticbox (outdated, may not work)
No More Culling by Dark Gaia
To avoid the ghosts of family members being removed, allowing the related Modern Day goal to be properly completed.
Nature Calls Wild Grass Toilet by LadyCadaver
To give Prehistoric Sims a place to do their business. Not needed if you have Get Together.
Notebook by Plasticbox
To give Early Civilization Sims a way to write books before the invention of the computer.
Typewriter by Ozyman
To give Old West Sims a way to write books and do career-related activities before the invention of the computer.
Empty Worlds by One Billion Pixels (recommended by @ewright9)
Only download this if you do not want to manually delete all lots and households during the setup phase.
DO NOT FORGET TO MAKE BACKUPS!
No More Autonomous Phone Actions by SimsProductions (recommended by @ewright9)
Stops Sims from constantly using their phones on their own. Not necessary if you play with autonomy off, obviously.

SupeSpeed Mod by Artum (recommended by @ewright9)
Use this to manually activate super-speed in case it doesn't automatically get activated when Sims go to sleep.

Gain Hygiene from Swimming by Tanja1986
Use this if your Sims no longer gain hygiene from swimming in pools. Download the normal version, not the "Faster Hygiene gain from swimming" version.
No Autonomous Roast at Campfire by ClaudiaSharon (recommended by @Anninhaliz)
Stops Sims from autonomously roasting random stuff on the campfire. Not necessary if you play with autonomy off, obviously.

SrslySims Tumblr by @SomaSin
Multiple time-appropriate object variations created with this challenge in mind.

The No More Culling mod is a script mod, and so it is important that it is installed correctly. Make sure that you place the .zip file directly in your mods folder (not in a subfolder), without unzipping it. You must also allow script mods in the game options.

EXPANSIONS/GAME PACKS/STUFF PACKS
To play this challenge as intended, you will need the Outdoor Retreat Game Pack, as it contains a number of items and gameplay mechanics that are necessary for the Prehistoric Era. Other EPs/GPs/SPs are not required, but you can use them if you wish. I have added special, optional rules for them, and those rules are colour coded so that you can easily see and disregard rules that relate to an EP/GP/SP that you don't have. The EP/GP/SP colour coding is as follows:
Outdoor Retreat
Get To Work
Luxury Party Stuff
Perfect Patio Stuff
Spa Day
Cool Kitchen Stuff
Spooky Stuff
Get Together
Movie Hangout Stuff
Romantic Garden Stuff


CHALLENGE-WIDE RULES
The following rules apply to the entire challenge, but may have exceptions during a specific Era, if the rules of that Era explicitly say so.

  • All traits and aspirations, except for those of your Ancestors, must be decided randomly, using whatever method you prefer. I personally recommend using CreateARandomSim, as it allows you to easily select which traits and aspirations should be considered for randomization.
  • A Sim's aspiration may never be changed, not even once it is completed. The only exception to this rule is if a Sim has an aspiration that is not allowed for the current Era, in which case you must change it to an allowed aspiration, chosen at random.
  • Your challenge household may not move to a different lot during the challenge, and you may not play any households other than your challenge household. Your Sims may travel freely within the challenge World, and may travel to other Worlds if required by a challenge goal or an aspiration.
  • Sims may be moved out of the household at any time, but moved-out Sims may never be moved back in. Sims that have moved out may also no longer contribute to any goals, but any contributions they made before moving out still count.
  • Only spouses/mates may be moved into the household, but they may not bring in any money. To prevent this, make sure that they are not the only member of a household before moving them in, or use the money cheat to remove any money they may bring in. Moved-in spouses/mates may contribute to goals.
  • The Lifespan setting must be set to “normal”.
  • Sims may not be aged up manually except for when it actually is their birthday.
  • Items that modify a Sim's age (except for the Birthday Cake), or resurrect dead Sims, may never be used. Sims are allowed to Plead with the Reaper to save a dying Sim, but they may not use a Death Flower to guarantee success.
  • Cowplants may be grown, but not sold. Cow Berries may be sold, however. If you want to get rid of a grown cowplant, simply place it in your family inventory. Additionally, you may milk cowplants, but if you do, you must immediately sell the received Essence.
  • Reward Potions, like the Instant Fun, Happy Potion, and Moodlet Solver potions may not be purchased or used until you have reached the Middle Ages. Potions of Youth are still forbidden, however.
  • Cheats may not be used, except for getting out of glitched/bugged situations, or when you are explicitly told to use a cheat.
    EXCEPTIONS: moveobjects may be freely used for aesthetic purposes, cas.fulleditmode may be used to modify tattoos and other skin details (but NOTHING else), and bb.showhiddenobjects may be used to add ponds to community lots.
  • Fishing in the hidden areas (Sylvan Glades, Forgotten Grotto, etc) may only be done by Sims that have reached level 10 in the Fishing skill.
  • The different Eras have lists of what objects/furniture may be used during that Era, and they append to the objects allowed for the previous Era. For example, during the Middle Ages, you may use all objects that are allowed for the Middle Ages, Early Civilization, and The Prehistoric Times. However, to try and avoid walls of text in the rules, I have only listed objects that have some special functionality. For items not specifically allowed for an Era, the general rule is to use it only if it makes sense for that Era, but if you are unsure, it's always safe to just not use any items that aren't specifically allowed. Some community lots might however require objects that are not yet allowed for the current Era. In such cases, just place the objects in a room/basement without an entrance, so that Sims cannot get to them.
  • Sims are allowed to craft anything they can on the woodworking table, and objects they craft may be used even if that type of object would normally not be allowed in the Era-specific rules.
  • The "Copy" option on crafted items (Paintings, woodwork, etc) may not be used. If you want two crafted chairs, you'll have to craft two chairs.
  • Ghost Sims, except for the ghosts of your Ancestors, may be moved into the household, and they may contribute to goals if they were eligible to contribute to goals while they were alive. However, only one Ghost Sim may be moved in per Era, and a moved in Ghost Sim must be Released to the Netherworld when you progress to the next Era.
  • Instead of storing all of your urns/graves on your challenge lot, you may create a Generic community lot to act as a dedicated challenge graveyard.
  • Alien Sims may not join the household until the Roaring Twenties. If a Sim should happen to be abducted and made pregnant before this, you must either terminate the pregnancy using a mod or cheat, or send the baby to its homeworld as soon as it is born.
  • Crafted items sold in a personal store may not be restocked using the restock option, they must be re-crafted by a Sim in the household in order to be sold again.
  • Clubs may be created and joined at any time. Use your common sense when setting club activities, so that they fit the Era.


ERAS
There are a number of general goals that cover the entire challenge, but each Era also has its own set of individual goals and restrictions that are specific to that Era. The goals are locked to their specific Era, and therefore can only be completed while in that Era. Restrictions, on the other hand, are additive, so everything that gets unlocked in one Era stays unlocked, for every Era after it, unless it is explicitly re-locked. In other words, if something is not directly stated as allowed or disallowed in the rules of your current Era, the rules of the previous Era apply for that particular thing.

You progress to the next Era when a new generation is born, i.e. when the child who began the Era (or one of their siblings) has a child. Something like this, for example:
http://i57.tinypic.com/2uz9ma1.png

The only exception to this is the Prehistoric Era (this is further explained in the Prehistoric Era post).

GETTING STARTED
It is recommended that you start a fresh, new game for this challenge, since you cannot play any other households than your challenge household in that save file.

  • Create your two Ancestors, one male and one female, both Young Adult, and both human. Give them a prehistoric/tribal look, and choose their aspirations and traits out of the ones allowed for the Prehistoric Era. Make sure their relationship is set to “Roommates”.
    Consider sharing your Ancestors on the Gallery, using the #HistoryChallenge tag, so that others may add them to their game.
  • Choose either Willow Creek, Oasis Springs, Newcrest or Windenburg to be your challenge World. Newcrest is recommended, since it spares you the trouble of bulldozing everything. Select any empty lot in your chosen World (the largest available lot if you chose Newcrest) and move your Ancestors onto it. As soon as you regain control, exit back out to the “Manage Worlds” screen.
  • If you did not choose Newcrest as your challenge World, select your Ancestors on their lot, and click “Move Family”. Move them to a 50x50 lot, bulldozing it and evicting any family already occupying it.
  • If you did not download the Empty Worlds mod, and did not choose Newcrest as your challenge World, bulldoze all other lots in your challenge World.
  • Delete all households except for your Ancestors.
  • Place a Pool Venue and/or a National Park community lot somewhere in your challenge World. If you want to, you may also place a couple of residential lots in your challenge World. You may create these lots as you go, or place them from the Gallery, as long as they adhere to the rules of the Prehistoric Era. You may also move in a couple of additional households, if you wish.
    If you decide to create lots and/or households, consider sharing them on the Gallery, using the #HistoryChallenge tag, so that others may add them to their game.
  • Finally, select your Ancestors and start playing. Use the following cheat to set your household funds to the proper starting amount:

  • Open the cheat console
  • Enter testingcheats on to enable advanced cheats
  • OPTIONAL: Enter money 1000 to set the household's funds to 1000 simoleons, and buy some decorative trees, shrubs and rocks using that money. Note that this will increase your bills, and these objects cannot be sold until the end of the Prehistoric Era.
  • Enter money 2500 to set the household's funds to 2500 simoleons
  • Enter testingcheats off to disable advanced cheats
  • Close the cheat console

  • You are now ready to start the challenge!


    CHALLENGE-WIDE GOALS
    These are the long-term goals of your family. They can be contributed to and completed at any point in the challenge, by any Sim that is eligible for contributing to goals. They award points upon completion, no points are awarded for partially completed goals. A simple Excel spreadsheet for keeping track of these goals, as well as the individual Era goals, can be found here. If you'd rather keep track of your score using pen and paper, a printable PDF version can be found here. Also, @ewright9 has made a small sheet specifically for keeping track of the 50 000 simoleons goal of the Prehistoric Era, and it can be found here.

    • Reach level 10 in every skill at least once - 1 point
    • Earn 10 gold medals on each different type of social event - 1 point
      Only the base game social events are required. These are House Party, Dinner Party, Birthday Party, Wedding and Date.
    • Earn 250 000 simoleons during a single Era - 2 points
    • Reach level 10 in 2 different careers on the same Sim - 2 points
    • Reach level 10 in 10 different skills on the same Sim - 3 points
    • Have the same Sim earn at least 20 000 Satisfaction points - 3 points
    • Complete each aspiration at least once – 4 points
    • Complete at least 10 in-game collections – 4 points
    • Represent each Era with a family portrait/photo – 5 points
      A "family" portrait means a single portrait with both parents and at least 1 child in it. The child must be older than the “baby” stage. The parents do not necessarily have to be the child's actual parents, as long as they are the parent figures of the household. The portraits/photos must be on display somewhere on the lot in order to count.
    • Display the graves/urns of all deceased family members on the challenge lot or on a dedicated graveyard lot - 5 points
      The graves of family members that died while they were not part of the household do not need to be displayed.


    STORIES/LET'S PLAYS
    If you are writing a story or doing a YouTube Let's Play of this challenge and would like me to add it here, let me know!
    http://i61.tinypic.com/2vkhqw0.png The Ash History by @tammy329
    http://i61.tinypic.com/2vkhqw0.png The Ravenwing History by @ewright9 (discontinued)
    http://i61.tinypic.com/2vkhqw0.png Meeshelby's History by @Meeshelby
    http://i61.tinypic.com/2vkhqw0.png Takareiame's History by @leiamoon
    http://i61.tinypic.com/2vkhqw0.png The Love And Pixels History by @LoveMeHateMe
    http://i61.tinypic.com/2vkhqw0.png Illyianna's History by @Illyianna2005
    http://i61.tinypic.com/2vkhqw0.png Lilith's History by @Zoey95
    http://i61.tinypic.com/2vkhqw0.png Hystoria by @OtterlyRidiculous
    http://i61.tinypic.com/2vkhqw0.png From the Dawn of Time by @SummerFalls
    http://i61.tinypic.com/2vkhqw0.png Lenei's History by @Lenei14
    http://i61.tinypic.com/2vkhqw0.png Sarah's History by @Sarahkay
    http://i61.tinypic.com/2vkhqw0.png The Ackley History by @EGrace93
    http://i57.tinypic.com/2q8a3yr.png The Wright History by @Lydiaa88
    http://i57.tinypic.com/2q8a3yr.png Del Rey Simmer's History by Del Rey Simmer
    http://i57.tinypic.com/2q8a3yr.png The Oak History by @ewright9
    http://i57.tinypic.com/2q8a3yr.png The Catty History by @kristinepunktum
    http://i57.tinypic.com/2q8a3yr.png Life in Stardust by @Spacey72659
    http://i57.tinypic.com/2q8a3yr.png Caliente's History by @Shesgotstyle19

    The following posts go through the individual rules and goals for the different Eras, one Era per post.