Just for the heck of it, and because I seem to be out of fresh ideas at the moment, I'm trying the millionaire scenario. I always build my own houses, so I started with a pre-made house so that when my bank account was emptied to zero, I'd have enough money to build a house after I bulldozed the existing one. (I was afraid that wouldn't work, and she wouldn't get any money from the bulldoze. You do get the $16,000 or so that the house and furnishings were worth, however.)
The first task was to get enough skill, and then upgrade all the cheap stuff in the house. I had my Sim in the Renaissance Sim aspiration, so she's had to change jobs three times, but the third put her in the tech career, so she's also playing the tech guru aspiration. Oh, and she's high maintenance, too.
This is going slowly - I'm determined to play the scenario without any easy in-game money-makers, such as painting. We've made it to $15,000 so far, from working, selling a few of the perks she's earned from promotions, and a phone app she made (for tech guru aspiration). She also does programming side-jobs, as they count as her 'homework' for her job in the tech career.
I did this challenge before it was an official challenge. It's my main way of playing. I start on an empty lot with zero simoleons in the bank and go for it. Most of the time I make them wait to get a job and have them forage, fish, craft, and eventually write and paint to make their money. They always have a garden but I don't let it get too big. It's a challenge at first because my sims are usually off their home lot and they have to take care of their needs at the gyms, cafes, and parks. Then as an added challenge I don't build on the lot until I can give the sim a complete room. So floors, windows, lights, and furniture. It takes me a long time to do this and I always play with aging off because I don't like putting so much effort into a sim and then having them pass on.
I play rags to riches all the time, but I never tried to make my Sims millionaires because even at a 100k, they'll never really run out of money. A million is just a ridiculous and useless amount of money in this game. However, I am tempted to try this scenario with a Sim I created years ago. I'd probably go with the Fabulously Wealthy aspiration to get the investment pay outs and make them go the celebrity route to get the Easy Street perk. Otherwise a million is hard to achieve in a Sim's lifetime without money trees and/or painting, I would imagine.
My way to go for the Rosebud achievement is gardening on an industrial level:
- Starting aspiration is City Native, because it gives a boost whenever you are in your home neighborhood. - Starting lot is any lot near a public grill or Spice Market (to scrounge leftovers at the food stalls). I like the neighborhood in Newcrest with the Lilys, too bad is has no fishing spot. - Can you create eight sims for the scenario? Then in the beginning use seven of them as fishing drones or send them to work. If you start with one sim only, spend the first day to move in seven spares from the premade households that do not bring money (like the Caliente sisters). - If you can create eight sims in the scenario, then give them each Bro and Snob so that they constantly boost each other. The third trait should be an individual quirk, it doesn't matter. - Get a level of logic in the park for one or two sims. - Meantime one of your conscripts needs to level Vampire Lore. - Wellness level 2 unlocks an interaction that makes the target Focused, which is perfect for gardening. So maybe hit a Wellness Center. - Enroll everyone at uni, but only take a single course. That way the excess money from the scholarships gets payed out to your household and should cover the basics. - Optionally get a job as scientist and make sure to bring some carrots to work. Analyze the carrots to bring them up to Nice quality (only have a single one in your inventory, so that in case you fail the analysis you do not ruin the whole carrot stack). Now pick the lab clean of plants and minerals. - Plant all the Lilys and the Nice carrot. - You may quit your science job now and buy your own analyzer. Also a pond for your fishing drones. - From here on harvest carrots, analyze for a quality upgrade and replant until you get perfect carrots. That is way faster than fertilizing. - Craft your big selling plants (rose, tulip, Lily) to the perfect carrots, then replant the perfect flowers en masse. - Optionally also plant the vampire plants (any quality) and once your vampire lore sim (can be a human) can make the cure, that will bring in big cash. - Also optionally use the juice fizzers to mass produce kombucha. A single sim can operate nine to eleven ones in one go (although I don't know how many of these rows a lot can take before crashing. I never had more than twelve.).
There are probably even quicker approaches, but I like this one, because it is stupidly profitable, while still being centered on a theme.
For strategys that rule out crafting, the detective career is great, because it gives you several thousand simoleons worth of stuff in the early ranks.
A prolific writer who's in the writing career (not sure if this is just my imagination, but I swear they write books faster if they're professional authors doing the rabbit hole job as well) can rack up a lot of money in not a lot of time. This goes double if you give them the celebrity perks that further increase their income.
Playing Rags to Riches style starting out on an empty lot with 0 simoleans is my go to way to play, I love it! But, I've never purposely tried to get a millionaire for these Sims. I have one household that started out R2R and now has over 5 million, but that took since January to achieve and it just happened naturally.
However, I did try the Rosebud 500K Solitaire Challenge by @EuphorialQueen (R.I.P.) once and completed it in 3 Sim weeks! My Sim made her simoleans from breeding frogs, gardening, fishing, painting, money trees and crafting the Camping Mascot on the woodworking table. She did not have a career. I imagine if I'd kept playing her, she would've achieved the million in less time than it took her to get to 500K.
Here's some tips on what I did to get her to 500K from 0 simoleans. I'll put it in a spoiler since it's kind of long.
1. Fishing - Fishing at the pier in Magnolia Promenade is a very lucrative spot. Sims will reliably fish up Dragonfruit, Voodoo dolls and Cowplant berries here, all very valuable! Hint: Don't sell cowberries right away, they are worth even more, over 400 simoleans if you plant them first and then sell them from household inventory! Start with this aspiration first so they get the Collector bonus trait, or any of the Nature aspirations will give the Collector trait. Collectors find more rare and valuable objects. Another great spot is on the Island in Brindleton Bay. Sometimes they will fish up gold bars worth over 6K! The spot I found most reliable for those is down the pathway past the museum and past the bench with the woo hoo bush pets can find feathers in. There is usually some pidgeons hanging out there too. Not the first spot with the boat, the next one with a pier your Sims can't walk on. It's kind of hidden but if you find it, you're golden! (pun intended) ;) 2. Handiness - Have them get this skill maxed out as soon as possible! Once they do, they can go to Granite Falls and get the Camping Mascot schematic to make those on the woodworking table! While there, buy a Glowfruit seed too. Those are the best fertilizer of anything available. 3. Gardening - Don't bother with the less valuable plants, go for things like Bird of Paradise, Dragonfruit, the UFO plant, Orchids, Roses, Lilies, and the Death flower. You'll want some Snapdragons too to graft with Lilies for orchids. Fortunately, a lot of these can be acquired at the Romance Festival in San Myshuno in the right season. I believe it's either Summer or Fall. 4. Collecting - Don't bother opening the mystery boxes found in dirt piles, just sell them. They are worth more that way. However, if you find a treasure map, do use it to get rare MySim Trophies from these boxes. Those are valuable. Find a pond in a park and try to catch some frogs. Sell them all until you get a valuable one and then keep whatever one they find next. But keep trying to catch them until you find the Whirlyflower frog. That one is worth 160 simoleans and a pair can be bred every 3-4 hours. When you find a crystal of low value, keep it and send it in to get an element for the focused mood. Focused is the ideal mood for fishing, gardening and handiness. When they are focused they will skill up faster and when woodworking, the objects they make will be worth more. 5. Painting - Do the aspiration, it's the only way your Sim can sell to a Gallery for more simoleans. Alternately, sell your paintings on Plopsy, especially Masterpieces. I've had some of those go for almost 20K a piece doing that! If you're trying to do this as fast as you can though, don't sell on Plopsy. There is no guarantee they will even sell. You could always take them off Plopsy and sell them if that happens though. In my experience the style of painting that sells for the most is Paint by Reference and any of the Mood paintings. Especially Confident. Always have your Sim inspired while painting by using some of the tips I've listed in tip #6. Their paintings will be worth more simoleans. 6. Moods - As mentioned above focused is one of the best moods you'll need. In addition to elements, Sims can get focused by studying a fossil, ponder at a chess table and hanging a mathematical drawing near the woodworking table. The element can be placed nearby for it and in the garden. Elements can also be placed on Magnolia Pier while fishing or anywhere else they might go fishing. I guess it's best to get more than one element from sending in crytals. Inspired is the best mood for painting. Taking a thoughtful shower, cloud/star gazing and postcards are the best ways to get inspired. 7. Satisfaction Points/Reward Traits - You'll want an easel since painting is a big money maker. As soon as they have enough points, buy the Creative Visionary. Your Sims' paintings will be more valuable with that. Get the Marketing Trait as well for Woodworking so those objects are more valuable as well. Other reward traits to get that will help include; Waterproof so they can garden/fish/collect in the rain, and Steel Bladder. Those are the most important. Save the rest of your points to buy a Money Tree. 8. Money Trees - After you've bought one of these, don't harvest it the first time. Put the ready to be harvested tree in their household inventory. When you do that, they'll get the seeds to plant more trees! This is the only way to get more seeds without the need to buy them from the Rewards store. 9. Lot traits - The best lot trait for painting is Home Studio and Natural Light. For gardening the best are Homey and Great Soil. Homey is also good for the handiness skill. Penny Pixels will give your Sim random simoleans, but I wouldn't bother with that one since you only get three slots for lot traits. My Sim chose Home Studio, Great Soil and Homey for her lot traits. 10. Aspirations - The only aspirations my Sim pursued was Fabulously Wealthy for the Shrewd trait and Painter Extraordinaire so she could sell her paintings to a Gallery. Speaking of Fabulously Wealthy and handiness, the reason my Sim worked toward being able to make the Camp Mascot is because it can be sold from your Sims personal inventory and counts for this aspiration. A lot of Simmers are under the misunderstanding the bathtub is the most valuable. It is, somewhat, but it doesn't count for this aspiration since tubs are put in household inventory. Even placing them on the lot and selling them that way won't work, at least it didn't for me. Camp Mascots are ultimately more valuable since they are close to the same value as tubs, but only take 45 minutes to make, whereas the tubs take 1.5 hours. You want the Shrewd trait because Sims will get an investment amount of simoleans every week based on 5% of their household funds. For instance, my Sims that have over 5 million get an investment check of over 200K every week! It builds quickly. 11. Surge Emotion - This wasn't available when I did this challenge with my previous Sim, but if I were to do it again or go for the million, I would take advantage of it! Once they can use this, take inspired for 12 hours when painting and focused for 12 hours for gardening, fishing and woodworking. 12. Sim Traits - For my Sim I chose; Loves Outdoors for obvious reasons, Loner, so her social need would deteriorate slower and Genius for the random focused moodlet. Her first aspiration was Angling Ace to get the Collector bonus trait. 13. Likes/Dislikes - This wasn't available back then either, but obviously you'll want to choose whatever activities they will be doing to make simoleans as their Likes. That way while doing them, it will get their fun need up without having to resort to using earbuds for fun or using a bike to get their fun up quickly, etc. I wouldn't choose any Dislikes.
Final notes - Since I did this challenge with a single Sim, I turned autonomy off so she wouldn't try to quit whatever she was doing to run off and do something else. I got her the best bed I could as soon as possible to lower the time needed to increase her energy need. I would also definitely upgrade the bed too if all they can afford is a lower energy bed. Upgrading beds was not possible yet when I did this challenge. Always make sure your Sim's needs are as far in the green as possible when crafting objects to sell. The higher their mood, the more valuable the painting, Camp Mascot, etc. will be in the end. My Sim made a couple friends just so she could call them to keep up her social. If it's late, they can still text them for this too. There is also an option to check social media on the phone, this will give a pretty good boost to social as well.
I would not bother buying a lot of expensive objects for their home since they will deteriorate in value as soon as they are placed on the lot, defeating your purpose. My Sim's actual home by the time she had earned the 500K was only worth a little over 21K. They can splurge and go on a spending spree after completing the challenge. Perhaps build a mansion, find a love interest, start a family etc. If you leave aging on for this, they can always buy Potions of Youth to stay young while doing the challenge.
I'm sure there are many different ways to achieve the million, this is just one way I used to make half of that with one Sim. For instance right off the top of my head I'm sure having a Scientist Sim and using the cloning machine would be a good way, or even better having a Spellcaster Sim who can use copypasto! I hope at least some of this is helpful to someone, I'm most likely forgetting some things, but this is what I can remember doing from my notes taken during the challenge. It's been almost 3 years since I tried it! :D
I was ... and might finish doing it as a Black Widow who family hops leaving death and devastation in her wake. Although I do this sort of scenario probably too frequently and she's more than half way there but I keep wanting to go back and play my scenario couple more.
I think I might do it as a "normal" sim for once and just have them make a million through their own work... there's so many ways to make money in the game. That way I'll have a very eligible and skilled sim later in my scenario save. Yeah.. a crazy hermit in an off grid shack who paints? Time to fire up Sulani.. why not? Wonder if they should be a mermaid too... hmm. I guess I just want to do something different than I normally do. At least it has me thinking..
"alanmichael1;c-18003751" wrote: Do we have to finish the challenge with one Sim? I hoped children in the same household could take over ...
That's what I'm starting to think - this might take a while. We've made it to $42,000. Only 958,000 simoleons (is it simolean or simoleon?) to go. My Sim might need to expand her money-making options... .
My sim, Forest Greene, has moved into a starter home in Oasis Sorings with her three foster siblings (toddlers) and her boyfriend, Sunny Day. She sold off everything bit of furniture she didn’t need in order to get things like beds and toys for the toddlers, and a computer for Sunny since he’s a writer. Forest will be working as a barista for a while, until her sisters are at school, then she’ll get a full-time job. In the meantime, she’ll be searching for collectibles (going to the beaches in Sulani and getting herself and her sisters to search in the sand always yields some good results, judging from previous saves) and possibly painting, as soon as she can afford an easel.
IF YOU KNOW GARDENING WELL, THIS MIGHT NOT BE HELPFUL
Steps for 1 million simoleons scenario (in 3 or 4 days) using gardening:
1- Buy your starter house. Your funds will be reset to zero. After that, sell EVERYTHING you can live without; shrubs, rocks, any flowers and such in your yard, unnecessary walls (who need walls around the kitchen), outside doors and stairs if you have 2, unnecessary windows, upper cabinets in the kitchen, rugs, and so on. On a side note, Strangerville starter houses come with computers.
2- Start a career in gardening. (I always garden indoors). Trees (applicable to Grow Fruit) require a loft, which is another topic.
3- Once you reach gardening to level 10 you can buy rare seed packets. You are looking for Orchids (sells $225 each), Dragon Fruit ($250 each), Death Flower ($240 each), and Grow Fruit for fertilizer. You can also give one of these (Death Flower) to the grim reaper to save you from death. Not sure if it works 100% of the time. Grow Fruit doesn't sell for much, but is one of the best fertilizers in the game, which will result in your crops evolving faster. When they evolve to perfect they will sell for more. Buying these rare seed packs are $1,000 each, which stings when you are trying to reach 1 million simoleons, but it will pay off big time.
4- If you get one or more of these seeds, start deleting your starter plants and start growing what you found in the rare packs. If you are missing any of the three listed above, buy more seed packs until you have them all. At $1,000 a pop it stings. But again, it will pay off.
5- As you harvest the rare plants, use what you harvested to plant more plants. Don't plant too many Death Flowers, as they take the longest to reach maturity and harvest. Also, only plant what you can keep up with. You have to water, fertilize, spray for bugs, and harvest. Once you reach the max of what you can take care of, just start selling everything you harvest.
6- If you want to speed up the time it takes to harvest and evolve, you can always get "Burtie's Bee Box". The Bee's will pollenate (within 5 squares in any direction) and speed things up. But you have to check them, as they need "Mite Treatment". They also like to be bonded with and you can get honey which you can sell, and wax which you can make candles with. You will want to experiment with candle making after you earn your 1 million simoleons, as it is not all that lucrative. If you do get bees, you'll want them on a 2nd floor in your home as they do sting (the Grow Fruit is a tree requiring a loft, which again is another topic).
7- If you want to speed past winter (or any other season), buy "Dr. June's Weather Control Device". Fully upgraded (which I believe takes level 10 on handiness), you can forward through seasons. (To be up leveling handiness, buy a Woodworking Table. It will level your handiness faster and you can sell what you make).
8- I did these things and reached 1 million simoleons in... I think it was 3 days.
9- Get at least 3 friends you can call daily to boost your social needs. If you find yourself in the yellow socially at 1am, you can talk to 4 plants to get your social in the green.
10- Lastly, just focus on gardening. If you are serious about getting a million simoleons fast, don't bother with anything not necessary. As an example, when my character cooked, I always make a serving size of 4 so I could eat leftovers and save time. I also let any need start to turn red before I tended to it. With eating, you can always eat whatever is in your inventory (raw fruit, vegetables, etc.) it just doesn't last long. And, in case you are not awrare, your sim will gain weight without exercise. The cheapest way to do this is running, exercising on the TV channel (buy the 2nd from the cheapest one) or going to the gym. The gym just takes more time. I would recommend exercising to TV.
11- With gardening, you will be asked to choose between Botanist or Floral Designer. I would choose Botanist. You can do everything from home. You'll just want to buy a chess table as logic is a requirement for promotions.
12- THAT'S IT. That is what I did to earn 1 million simoleons in 3 days. Once you you get to point where you are only maintaining and harvesting the high selling flowers, it will roll in really fast.
13- Hope this was helpful to at least one person. If so, it was worth typing. I do realize this information is very basic to many players.
While I do know a lot about gardening, I do have a lot knowledge in other areas. I would be happy to help with any topic if I can. Just hit me up.
Party on Simmers! :-) :-)
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