Simming Tips, Tricks, and Curiosities

"ItsMeThatGuy;c-18112610" wrote:

"KyreRoen;c-18112601" wrote:

"DaniRose2143;c-18112575" wrote:
@KyreRoen Running on motivational fumes? Sounds like the last 15 years for me. You wouldn't mind if I put that on a t-shirt do you? Maybe some coffee mugs while I'm at it? Take your time and finish whatever needs done first, we can wait.

@DaniRose2143
Have at it, just send me a free shirt when you do. B)

"ItsMeThatGuy;c-18112577" wrote:

"KyreRoen;c-18112566" wrote:
@ItsMeThatGuy
11 months, judging by the first post on this thread. The actual hour-count would likely be an estimate of 5-8 (so let's say 6 hours on average) hours per tip (dependent on length), taking into account length, the staging for screenshots, re-formatting between Reddit and the forums (depending on which site is done first), rereading (at least twice), and editing (where necessary). Given I've done 19 thus far (and accounting for smaller posts, such as Curious Details and Playthrough Ideas), I'd say...140+ hours total. I'm bad at math, so it's likely more.

It really inspires me. Am I allowed to make something similar on my page like this?

@ItsMeThatGuy
I don't hold the patent to it, so go for it. I kind of figured you were already, given your informational posts. I just do it this way so people have one thread to refer back to, and make it easy on them by putting an index on page 1 (so they don't have to scroll through conversations to get to them, and those who post here don't feel like they're cluttering the thread). Plus, each time I post something new, those who've never seen it (because it inevitably gets buried) will see everything at once.

Thanks to @simgirl1010 for the nudge on that index, as well.

I've only given some posts. I'll make a big page like yours, make a link to it as well... I don't want to copy yours though.

@ItsMeThatGuy
Copying someone's work is harder for some, than others. Simply put your own spin on how it looks, and be sure your info is comprehensible.

Ok. I'm gonna make a page myself! Can't wait!

Simming Tips #19: No Skills, No Problem

This is a companion piece to the previous entry, Simming Tips #18. There was a lot more surrounding the actual making of my collectibles maps than I felt was prudent to include in notes or disclaimers, and wanted to better host the alternative methods for collectibles-finding, in order to not clutter the main focus of the post (the maps, themselves) too much.

The 'No Skills, No Problem' scenario is fascinating to me. It takes the 'Making Money' scenario (wherein one must make 1mil with no time limit), lessens the required goal by just under half (400k), and makes it more difficult by removing the ability to gain skills. That's it. This restriction was what really got my gears turning, opening up my prior knowledge, and bookmarking the interconnected pages. Along the way I had to add onto my plans, learn new things, and forgo common go-to's.

I even took it up a notch through my own personal restrictions:

• No selling through the inventory UI (meaning no "drag here to sell", deleting, or multi-selecting to "sell all").
  
• No selling anything I didn't buy from a vending table, search for in the worlds, or receive as a gift.
  
• Anything that couldn't be sold, had to be stored (for a future home), recycled, or gifted.
  
• No selling anything that would require a skill/career to obtain (meaning no selling woodworks and crafts from vendors). This counted for items I could circumvent through paid options (I could sell artifacts from treasure chests, but couldn't pay to have them authenticated first).
  
• I could use another sim to aid me in getting to certain locations, but had to get the items myself (Sixam, Forgotten Grotto, Mt. Komorebi's mountain, and Selvadorada).
  
• I could use the 'Odd Jobs' page (Island Living) to make money in emergencies.
  
• Money Tree, wishing for money, cloning, and other such get-rich-quick options were off the table.
  
• If any method used to obtain items/money was multi-use (i.e. the mystical snow pile), then I could only use it once per trip.
  

It sounds like a lot of tedium, but was actually quite easy to follow (with emphasis on what can be done, rather than what can't), and opened up other avenues for innovation. So let's take a trip down memory lane, and I'll go over my process (as well as some added considerations and observations) for getting from 0 simoleons to 400k.

My sim was set up as a Geek, which is said to "help find better collectibles" (possibly a higher rate of rare collectibles). His first aspiration was 'Curator', as that would eventually give him the "Appraiser" trait, which would allow him to sell certain collectibles to the Simsonian Museum, directly from the item UI. This also gave him the "Collector" trait, which would procure 2 items per MySims figure, fossil, or crystal (It mentions making it more likely for a sim to find rare collectibles, but who knows if that stacks with the "Geek" trait).

I started out with an empty lot in Strangerville- the trailer park. Right across from me, by one of the retro-styled trailers, was a lawn bench under an awning, along with a patio table and chair. This served as a good spot to have a nap, if needed. Across the street was the default bar (the '8 Bells'), which would provide food (chips and water are free), a toilet and sink for hygiene and bladder relief, music for fun, and sims for conversation. Sounds like the ideal setup, sure...but a bit trite.

One often overlooked benefit of Strangerville's entire gimmick is the bizarre plant zombie (I'll just refer to it as a "Bizzombie").

• Aside from being The Mother's own take on Jehovah's Witnesses, these stiff-legged spazzes are walking rejuvenation chambers that fill out their hosts' motives, lock them at full for the duration of the "possessed" moodlet, and protect the hosts from extreme temperatures.
  
• The cons, whilst many, are quite simple: you're locked out of every interaction save "Sit", "Plant Bizarre Plant" (which works, even without one in the inventory), "Go Here" (and "Go Here Together" if in a group), a whopping 5 conversation options, and 2 phone options: "Move Household" and "Travel...". Luckily, this only lasts for 3 hours (same as the benefits), from 1am to 4am. The only exception to this is the initial shift, which occurs a moment after ingestion of the fruit.
  
• Bizzombies cannot be directed to do much, but they have a few autonomous actions: "Talk To Plant" (they can even speak to seed packets, funnily enough), "Wander" (sometimes this is an all-out sprint, and other times it's a spastic walk), "Chat With...", and "Stare Blankly", the latter of which entails staring at beds, tables, and tubs (for whatever reason).
  
• Other tidbits:
  
  
  
  • They cannot equip items, but they can be equipped prior to the shift. They cannot be used, however.
    
  • They will utilize hammerspace (inventory or animation-locked) items as needed.
    
  • They will do whatever is necessary to cross terrain (including swimming), just like a normal sim.
    
    Spoiler

    
    It was at this moment she wished it was a shark approaching, instead.
    https://i.imgur.com/CSPoifa.png
    
    
    
  • Given they cannot be directed to interact with most items, this locks them out of using the entrances to the Deep Woods (Granite Falls), Forgotten Grotto (Oasis Springs), and Sylvan Glade (Willow Creek). Portals and waypoints between two points on the same map work just fine, so long as they are directed to go directly to the relevant areas.
    
  • Whilst the shift back from the possessed state is supposed to occur at 4am on the dot, sometimes the affected sim will continue to "wander" past that. It's an easy enough remedy to direct them to do something else (which cancels the current queued action), or preempt it by directing them to do something other than "wander" prior to 4am.
    
  
  

The bizarre fruit retails for 9 simoleons at the Curio shop, and can be haggled down to 6. At the time, however, I was 9 simoleons short, and needed a quick money-making option. I turned to Island Living's 'Odd Jobs' (Phone > "Work" > "Find Odd Jobs"), which operates from 8am to 9pm, in order to find something easy and skill-free. After a few hours in a rabbithole making a waffle delivery, I had enough simoleons to purchase the fruit. As it turns out, surrendering one's body and mind to The Mother has its perks. That said, like with most deals done with powerful beings, one does not simply loan oneself to them at-will...it's an ongoing condition, and the only way out is the vaccine from the mystery storyline.

After securing a "set it and remember it around 12am" method of satisfying my needs, I needed to come up with a way to make money on a larger scale than doing odd jobs all day. I'd already attempted to create collectible maps (though they were more like "collectible directions" at the time) once before, but I'd gotten rid of my notes. This time, I could both make my sim money, and use him as a vehicle for my amateur cartography (which meant no more "GPS coordinate" write-ups).

Before heading off to Willow Creek for my first search, I endeavoured to set up my lot traits accordingly.

• Off-the-Grid was a no-brainer, given I wouldn't need electricity. For water, once a sim's lot has the challenge enabled, they can "Gather Water" at fishing spots, water pumps, and Wishing Wells. They can also "Gather Snow" if there's enough accumulation of it in a world. Setting the water to "Auto Sell" (Phone > "Household" > "Show Bills Information"/Mailbox > "Show Bills Information") would help to offset some of the bills as well, lowering them further.
  
• Volcanic Activity (Island Living) was one I'd not thought of until later into my adventures. This would (rarely) drop lava bombs onto the lot, which, once cooled, could be broken open for random numbers and assortments of possible geodes, minerals, crystals, fossils, and even clay (on occasion). The reasoning for this in Strangerville, a desert of all places? Meteors. I mean there's even precedent, albeit on a much larger scale (the source of the mystery itself). Lava bombs...meteors...practically the same thing, gameplay-wise. The low frequency helped it not to feel cheaty, either (only had it happen once, and that was at the end of the scenario, so really it's up to RN-Jesus).
  
• Peace and Quiet (Jungle Adventure) and Sunny Aspect (City Living) were just to help manage my sim's mood. I can't stress how much of a pain it was dealing with a slow-walking, sad sim, or one that refused to sell things due to being "very uncomfortable".
  
  
  
  • The former makes bad moods decrease faster.
    
  • The latter gives a happy, energised, or inspired moodlet around 6pm (whilst on-lot).
    
  
  
• Some honorable mentions would obviously be Penny Pixies (City Living), Natural Well, and Geothermal (Eco Lifestyle), but one reason I didn't go for those is due to them not making much sense for the setting, and my lack of furniture.
  
  
  
  • The former gives a chance of some pocket change being added to the household funds whenever an active sim does stuff on the lot.
    
  • The latter two lower the costs of water and electricity, respectively, potentially to the point of paying one back (with the right item combinations).
    
  
  

If you've the money for it (100, 125, or 180), Laundry Day's hampers (any of the three) provide the option to "Search Pockets" per load/clothing pile, which can either provide some pocket change, or an item (though this is the rarer of the two possibilities, it's always been a collectible when it's occurred). This would, unfortunately, also require the purchase of a washtub and clothesline to prevent the inevitable clothing piles from over-full laundry.

I won't reiterate what's contained in the disclaimers of the previous post (as there are quite a few), but I simply (understatement) went to a neighborhood, zoomed out and used tab-camera to get a good overall shot of the routeable parts, then deduced the locations of the collectibles through my sim and panning through at ground level a few times over. Long, tedious, but worth it. Even learnt a bit more about using the site BeFunky (the free version), which I use for collages and other creative projects I post on this site.

Meta stuff aside, Willow Creek's only noteable aspect was Sylvan Glade, which only contained frogs.

• Getting into the Glade is quite simple: Just stare it down, get it wet, chat it up, then flirt with it, and it'll open up for you to go exploring. The follow-up text adventure is a pretty simple 50/50 that can be repeated if failed.
  
• Other than that, I realised something I should've a lot sooner: Frog logs are usually found right by the water (if not in a water pump or under a tree that's near water). Not necessarily life-changing (or always the case), but an interesting attention to detail.
  

Oasis Springs had water pumps which would replace frog logs in most cases (given it's a desert). These do not despawn after collection.

• Forgotten Grotto required level 10 handiness, so I designated an NPC as my aid to get in. After they'd opened the entrance in Aquisition Butte, it would always be available for exploration. Lots more collectibles to find here.
  
  
  
  • Fun fact: If one sim enters the Grotto from Acquisition Butte, and another does so from Desert Bloom, both will enter the same worldspace/instance.
    
  
  
• Mirage Canyon and Desert Bloom each have 12 potential spawns (not counting the water pumps). Given that neither spawn frog logs, they have the highest digsite totals in the Basegame.
  
• The Science Lab that came with Get To Work is a part of Oasis Springs, carrying on the crown of having the highest spawn counts by topping even Sixam with 86 (not counting the 3 alien mounds). This is the highest in the game, regardless of packs, and they respawn mere moments after harvesting, making the lab absolutely broken in terms of yield.
  
  
  
  • The only ways to get there are to either be a scientist, or be called by the game to be a tourist visitor to the lab's lot. Unfortunately the game seems to block bound sims (voodoo) from being summoned there.
    
  • The SimRay scientist invention is one way to obtain a collectible/harvestable, but the chances are quite low, given the massive pool of objects it can transform another object into. One way to up the chances is to make sure the initial object only has one slot's worth of space to transform in. This can be done through slotted surfaces, or by surrounding the object such that it has no room to expand.
    
  
  
• Sixam required either an upgraded rocket or an Electroflux Wormhole Generator to get to, and being that my sim was unable to join a career, I instead employed my chosen NPC's aid, setting up and upgrading the wormhole to take my sim there.
  
  
  
  • Sixam is second only to the Science Lab in its spawn count. The problem, however, is that due to its special nature, the "Collector" trait does not affect its yield count (only one per spawn), causing it to only edge out ahead of Brindleton Bay due to its geode spawns and alien mounds.
    
  • Its usefulness is also in its pack-exclusive minerals and crystals, which can only be found there.
    
  • The occult that came with Get To Work - Aliens - have two useful abilities for collecting and moneymaking:
    
    
    
    • The ability to transmute minerals, elements, and crystals into any member of the three collections, regardless of rarity or value.
      
    • The ability to revive dead aliens (the collected ones, not their kin), effectively raising their value (and thus their value to the Simsonian).
      
    
    
  • The 'Alien Aura' serum that can be made using the chemistry lab gives sims (upon successful ingestion) all of the abilities of an alien (sans disguising themselves), but without the "Low Brain Power" cooldown. This means they can transmute objects until they obtain a satisfactory outcome.
    
  
  

Windenburg's collectibles were only found in Windslar and The Crumbling Isle. As for the sub-hoods, Only the lower half of the Ancient Ruins - and The Bluffs - contained collectibles.

• Though one can travel to the sub-hoods - The Bluffs, Von Haunt Estate, and The Ancient Ruins - using map view, they can also be accessed through the main neighborhoods that house them.
  
  
  
  • There's a gateway to the ruins in Olde Platz, just north of the chess hedges (with the chess tables on the left).
    
  • There's a gateway to the estate in Windslar, just past the 64x64 lot, and up the driveway.
    
  • There's an entrance in the brambles to The Bluffs on the Crumbling Isle, by the 64x64 lot.
    
  
  

San Myshuno's exclusive collectibles - posters and snowglobes - were more-or-less useless to me as anything more than decor, but I would've been remiss to overlook the festivals, as they were quite useful in collectibles-gathering. The Arts Quarter was also a bit of a personal treasure trove.

• The Flea Market (Sunday, 10a - 6p) was great not only for trading cheap/duplicate collectibles, but also for purchasing them, and other money-making knick-knacks.
  
  
  
  • The Flea Market table vendors (not the lamp vendors) sell woodworks, fossils, crystals, metals, toys, frogs, snow globes, and MySims Figures. Each vendor usually brings with them one collection for sale.
    
  • Unless a vendor is tending the tables, items on them cannot be bought. This can be annoying when they walk off for a conversation.
    
  • The table vendors switch off whenever the active sim changes neighborhoods. When this occurs, the old vendor will take their stock with them, making way for the new vendor and their stock.
    
  • Table vendors can be haggled down 25%, but it only works per item, after which they can be haggled again. If unsuccessful, the resulting "embarrassed" moodlet acts as the cooldown between attempts, and blocks haggling for all vendors (including stalls). I've found that being confident can help, though I can't confidently say how much.
    
  • Haggling does not carry over from one vendor type to another (stall to table, for example). They do, however, carry over to vendors of the same type, so long as the discount is still active. This is true even if one changes lots/neighborhoods/worlds.
    
  • Beware of the time, as the collectibles vendor will stop sales at 5pm on the dot.
    
  
  
• Geekcon (Tuesday, 10a - 4p) is great for more exotic collectibles, such as aliens (dead or alive) and moon rocks, with the use of the premade rocket. It's a text adventure with multiple outcomes, but worth the ride. Generally 2-3 launches can be done in the span of the festival. Other sims can even "Listen To Space Launch" using the computers nearby (if it's not raining).
  
• Humour and Hijinks (Monday, 5p to 11p) is really just for the money and mic/voodoo doll. The doll itself is worth a ton (950 simoleons), and the money is pretty easy to get, even without the requisite skill, as it's more about quantity of interactions, not quality.
  
• The festivals only show up on their intended dates on the calendar one day prior to their commencement. If it's the day before an expected festival, and it's not on the calendar, then it's not happening until the next week.
  
• Within the Arts Quarter there are vendor tables that appear on Thursdays and Sundays (knick-knacks vendor), and Saturdays (paintings vendor). The former was the more useful party for me, as those vendors sell the same selection of items as the ones from the Flea Market.
  
  Spoiler

  
  Running your own business means no one can say anything about your attire...or your prices.
  https://i.imgur.com/JHrMxqc.png
  
  
  
• These vendors trade off at certain points (sometimes randomly), even without the active sim changing locations. When they do, however, they will not take their stock with them, instead leaving them for the next vendor to add to (using the remaining sales table slots).
  
• Even if their entire stock is bought out, it may take hours for them to leave and trade off. Sometimes they may not even leave, and will instead put up new stock.
  
• Vendors stop switching around 11pm-12am, even after changing neighborhoods.
  
• Outside of the city, Myshuno Meadows is the only place one can find frogs and the odd dirt patch (alongside the usual exclusives).
  

Brindleton Bay was a treasure trove of dirt patches, which makes sense, given the number of pets and strays that one would surmise are the cause. In fact, Deadgrass Isle, Cavalier Cove, and Sable Square are the residential neighborhoods with the most collectibles (give or take).

• Let's talk dirt patches, as they are semi-exclusive to Brindleton Bay (they came from the world's related pack, but are spread around the worlds). I've explained in the map notes that they contain more than just collectibles, but the most common yields are Common Upgrade Parts and Limestones (fossils).
  
• Deadgrass Isle and Cavalier Cove both have 16 potential spawn points. Sable Square has 14. If we take into account that anywhere from 2 to 4 of them may only contain upgrade parts, 1 to 3 time capsules, and at least 1 frog log (2 or 3 on Deadgrass Isle), that leaves a chance of around 6 fossils on Deadgrass Isle, 8 in Cavalier Cove, and 4 in Sable Square. This is just an estimate based upon my own experience, but can vary wildly based on RNG.
  
• One reason I'd recommend Deadgrass Isle or Sable Square over Cavalier Cove, is due to proximity. Cavalier's spawns are more spread out (divided by terrain and distance), Sable's are close together, and Deadgrass has most of them in a trail one can follow on the map (with only a few deviations). With a sim who walks everywhere ("Lazy" trait, emotions-based, or lack of fitness skill), it can really eat up time getting from one spawn to the next.
  
• The other variables for Brindleton Bay are pets and strays. They can autonomously dig up the dirt patches, leaving only a little present box with a chance of a collectible or chew toy. The farther apart the spawns are, the more likely one won't get to a few of them in time. In these cases, a way to teleport (Transportalate (Realm Of Magic) or Bat/Mist Form (Vampires), rather than Medi-portation's (Spa Day) slowness) or a bike would be invaluable.
  
• If one finds minnows whilst digging up dirt patches, one can place them in an aquarium/bowl, which (weirdly enough) will bring them to life, should one prefer not to mount them.
  
• Another thing about certain items garnered from dirt patches (relevant to items obtained from dumpsters (Eco Lifestyle) as well): certain items are obtained, but marked as unowned. This blocks them from being sold, either through the inventory UI or any sales table. To fix this, simply place the item in your household inventory. This usually works, but I can't guarantee it for 100% of cases.
  
• Lastly, should you find feather piles, it's worthwhile to open them and save the feathers. 12 of them (1 of each type) together creates a nice little nod to Realm Of Magic.
  

Sulani was disappointing (having only 2 digsites), but the volcano was the inspiration for putting the related trait on my lot.

• Despite the aforementioned, Mua Pel'am is a good place to catch frogs using the waterfall.
  
• One can also shower in the waterfall, but I'd recommend only doing it in one's swimsuit, given the voyeurs who disguise themselves as "conservationists". It's not worth the "embarrassed" moodlet.
  
• Also, if your sim is a "Glutton" - and thus can eat spoilt food - it's a good place to get that too, given that's the other outcome to trying to catch frogs at the waterfall...soggy, spoilt food.
  

Glimmerbrook was...not noteworthy, but the Magic Realm has a strange little quirk of yielding 1-2 extra items per harvest and dig with the "Forager" perk (spellcaster). Combined with the "Collector" trait, this can result in 1 more on top of that, rivaling Brindleton Bay in some cases.

• If one isn't opposed to purchasing collectibles, 'Casters Alley' sells a random assortment of those collectibles that are useful in making potions:
  
  
  
  • Turquoise, Emerald, Diamond, Alabaster, Fire Opal, Citrine, Ruby
    
  • Furium, Obtanium, Baconite, Death Metal
    
  • Morcubus, Zombie Carl
    
  • Dirt Frog, Spotted Dirt Frog, Spotted Heart Frog
    
  
  

Evergreen harbor has all of 3 dirt patches. Whilst that's a...disappointment. The pack itself, however, did bring with it the 'Community Space' lot type.

• Community Spaces do not need their other 3 forms (Marketplace, Maker Space, and Community Garden) to function. However, if items required by those three types are placed, NPC's will utilise them all the same (this seems to be the case regardless of the variant it's switched to).
  
• Generally, I've found that anywhere from 4-8 vendors can wind up manning stalls and tables placed on the lots.
  
• On tables, NPC's will sell Eco Lifestyle crafts (candles, eco parts, fizzy juice, seltzer, etc), dyes, wax (bees and soy), harvestables (usually from other packs), seed packets, toys, woodworks, and MySims Figures.
  
  Spoiler

  
  Puerto Llamante's main exports apparently include rare MySims figures.
  https://i.imgur.com/I7M7sQp.png
  
  
  
• Each Community Space variant has vendors spawn when sales tables are set up. Each variant also designates a different initial stock:
  
  
  
  • Community Gardens sell seed packets, rare/pack-exclusive flowers, rare/pack-exclusive fruits, eco upgrade parts, and some veggies.
    
    Spoiler

    
    How the vendors manage to obtain these things...one can only guess.
    https://i.imgur.com/45pblqq.png
    
    
    
  • Maker Spaces sell dyes, soy and bees wax, soy beans, eco upgrade parts, and fruits.
    
    Spoiler

    
    She's working her way up to a hobby shop.
    https://i.imgur.com/5Ec33qb.png
    
    
    
  • Marketplaces sell Eco crafts such as candles, juice fizz, and seltzer.
    
    Spoiler

    
    The most stylish way to burn your house down.
    https://i.imgur.com/BKvQxC5.png
    This right here is the "party stall".
    https://i.imgur.com/FXrPwTC.png
    
    
    
  • All 3 variants can incorporate one another's stock after some time, and will sometimes carry MySims figures, wood crafts, and toys.
    
  
  
• One annoying thing about Community Spaces is that vendors often do not clear their tables, even if one changes lots/neighborhoods. They may, but it would take the active sim remaining on the lot long enough to force a change.
  
• Another annoying thing about Community Spaces is that they require a sim who lives in the neighborhood to enact the shift between variants. This can be done through the normal voting process, or instantly through shift-clicking the Community Voting Board on the lot.
  

Mt. Komorebi has its own exclusive collectibles, but given they're obtained by simply using a vending machine (which can be bought), I left them out of my endeavours (for the most part).

• For the mountain itself, my unskilled sim wasn't going to cut it, so I employed my chosen NPC once again. What was strange about this was that with this sim leading the climb, my sim (who, may I remind you, had no skills) was able to climb perfectly throughout all parts. Given it was the first and only time my sim had even interacted with a rock wall (or the skill itself), and after the scenario, my sim didn't have level 1 of any skill (meaning the scenario blocks skills, and doesn't just conceal them), it was strange he was able to climb the 'Croft Icefall' of all things (the largest rock wall) without so much as a slip.
  
• At the 'Croft Icefall' there is an ice cave with multiple available options. The option to "Explore Side Tunnels" may yield an large amount of uncommon crystals, metals, or elements if one has the "Capable Mountaineer" trait.
  
  Spoiler

  
  Climbs up a mountain once, and she's all of a sudden a geologist.
  https://i.imgur.com/eP1xxA9.png
  3 Shinolites, 2 Amethysts, 3 Hematites, 2 Diamonds, 4 Fire Opals, and 6 Simanites. This was all in one go.
  https://i.imgur.com/zGT6EOP.png
  
  
  
• At the peak, there is another ice cave. The option to "Look Inside Cave Entrance" gives the chance to find a collectible (only one, as opposed to the Croft Icefall's cave).
  
• Also on the peak may be a mystical snow pile. This offers 3 specific boons, one of which is the chance for an uncommon or rare Simmi capsule.
  

Selvadorada is one of the only two worlds (the other being Sixam) that produce clusters of digsites (spawns that are in relatively the same spot). This is prevalent in Puerto Llamante, but less so in the Jungle District or Belomisia.

• Vacationing in Selvadorada can be costly, and not really worthwhile just to collect fossils, minerals, or crystals, unless you're looking for the pack-exclusives.
  

Home again, home again.

Completing the 'Curator' aspiration provided my sim the ability to sell certain collectibles to the Simsonian Museum (the "Appraiser" trait).

• This encompassed: Fossils, geodes, crystals, minerals, and aliens (dead or alive).
  
• The Simsonian is generous, but inconsistent. You see, the value they give back per item is dependent upon the value of the item itself, but isn't directly relative to said value.
  
  
  
  • The Simsonian gives back a certain range of simoleons:
    
    
    
    • Between 100 and 300.
      
    • Between 300 and 500.
      
    • Between 700 and 1,300.
      
    
    
  • Each range is influenced by the value, making certain values more likely to return within a certain range:
    
    
    
    • Under 100 = Between 100 and 300.
      
    • Between 100 and 200 = Between 300 and 500.
      
    • Over 200 = Between 700 and 1,300.
      
    
    
  • Despite the above, the number isn't fixed, and whilst two of the same item may strongly influence the range of return, both are more likely to vary in amount returned. In fact, though it's a small chance, neither are guaranteed to fall within their suggested range, just most likely to.
    
    
    
    • This means that even lower values can push into the range just above their suggested.
      
    
    
  • The most common (and lucrative) collectibles are the 'Pre-Pre-Pre Sim Head' (225), and the 'Alien Skull' (250). This is why (generally) Brindleton Bay is considered the most lucrative world for collectibles. With "Geek" and "Collector" backing up a sim, the likelihood of finding at least one of the two is almost guaranteed per trip.
    
  
  

Switching aspirations, I next chose the 'Fabulously Wealthy' aspiration, which cleared through the first two levels just off of selling my accumulated collectibles to the Simsonian. The point of this one was for the "Shrewd" trait, which (when completed) adds 5% of the active household's funds to the total (like a lifetime investment) per in-game week. Just a small booster to help complete the scenario.

A few simoleons poured into build/buy, and I now had a Bee Box, a cheap single bed, a toilet bush, and a sales table.

• The bed and bush would help to take care of any immediate needs in the interim between 4am and 1am, after which my sim would become a Bizzombie and have all motives replenished.
  
  
  
  • The bush in particular would serve me well whenever eating a harvested item brought with it the "Nature's Revenge" moodlet- A +2 uncomfortable moodlet that speeds up the decrease in bladder need by 3x. This moodlet can coincide with the "Living Off The Land" moodlet, which is a +2 happy moodlet from the same source.
    
  
  
• The Bee Box (Seasons) was useful for the swarms, honey, and wax.
  
  
  
  • The bees wax is useful for crafting candles, but given I wasn't doing that, it served as an intermittent sellable.
    
  • The honey could've easily been sold using the relevant option on the box itself, as the quality and value go up the more friendship and calm the bees have. I instead used it as food/drink for my sim.
    
    
    
    • It provides temporary protection from extreme temperatures.
      
    • Serves as a drink for the "Drinking" holiday tradition.
      
    • Gives a happy moodlet, and does not count as a harvestable (so no possibility of "Nature's Revenge").
      
    
    
  • The swarms are available to be gathered (one per box) every 2 hours, provided one's sim has at least 1/5th of friendship with the bees.
    
    
    
    • Swarms have moodlet soothing, bonding, and malicious uses, but the main use here was to "Fetch Gift", which would result in a random collectible (Fossils, Crystals, Minerals, MySims Figures, Postcards, Seed Packets, and Elements).
      
    • Bee aware that collecting a swarm lowers the bees' calm. One can either preempt this by bonding with them a couple of times bee-forehand, or doing so afterwards.
      
    
    
  
  
• Any of the three sales tables (JA, CL, or Eco) would serve my purposes, as they all work the exact same. There are pros and cons to using the sales table vs. opening a retail store:
  
  
  
  • Pros:
    
    
    
    • The markups can be set up to 300% (4x value) with no consequence to potential sales.
      
    • Sales make themselves, so long as an active household sim is tending the table.
      
    • Sales are generally faster, with customers ready to purchase by the end of a few minutes.
      
    • Multiple sales can happen at once, and because they take care of themselves, there's no chance of losing any of them.
      
    • Sales can be done at home (Yard Sale) or on-the-go (Street Sale). With the latter, one can set up on an editable lot (for more positioning control) or an uneditable area (with "Place In World"). Works the same either way.
      
    • Costs are cheaper, with the sales tables either being 300 (JA) or 400 (Eco and CL).
      
    
    
  • Cons:
    
    
    
    • No employees to take the onus off of the owner. The owner must be within range to tend the table, or no sales.
      
    • There is a timer for the duration of the sales period. Once it runs down, any in-progress sales that weren't already in motion will be forfeited.
      
    • Only items that can be put into one's inventory can be sold on the table, and even then, not all of said object category can be sold (chew toys, seed packets, cameras, tablets, and certain other objects cannot be sold).
      
    • Customer spawns are in a fixed range between 1 and 4 (I've seen 5, but usually it's an overlapping spawn of two groups).
      
    • Though multiple sales can happen at once, the larger customer quantity of a retail store means more potential sales at once.
      
    • Retail stores have a wider variety of customisation options.
      
    • Items can be restocked in retail stores.
      
    
    
  • Despite previously having multiple sales-based interactions, sales tables now only have "Give Sales Pitch", which I've found does nothing. Related to this, sales tables would draw customers in from the area and sales weren't guaranteed, but now they simply spawn customers, and at least one sale is guaranteed.
    
  • Items that are unowned will not spawn on the tables to be sold when stocking. Place each item into the household inventory to fix.
    
  • Setting up right by a spawn point is still a valid strategy, despite the guaranteed customers and sales, as it saves time between groups of customers, which means less time for them to make up their minds and purchase something.
    
    Spoiler

    
    "It" does get better, but my prices will always be 4x the retail standard.
    https://i.imgur.com/djydVNK.png
    
    
    
  
  
• Be careful when setting up by other sales tables, as NPC's can mistake your table for one of theirs, causing them to either hijack it (thus selling on your table, and at your set markup), or steal your items (whilst clearing stock).
  

Once I had this setup going, my day to day schedule was thus (with some variation):

• Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday
  
  
  
  • 12am - Begin wrapping up table sales, plan out which neighborhood to loot, collect swarm, send swarm to "fetch gift", and calm bees.
    
  • 1am to 2am - Shift to Bizzombie, travel to desired neighborhood. Spawns start at 2am, and finish around 3:30-ish (depending on how many and how slowly they spawn).
    
  • 2am to 4am - Wander, talk to plants, talk to people, and/or stare blankly at things. Direct sim to "Go Here" so the possessed animations don't get stuck afterwards.
    
  • 5am to 9am - 12pm (depends on amount of collectibles and how long in-between) - Collect collectibles.
    
  • 9am - 12pm to 12am - Sell to Simsonian, tend sales table and start yard sale. In-between sales periods: use the bush, eat (if needed), collect swarm and send to fetch gift, treat for termites (if needed), and bond with bees.
    
  
  
• Thursday and Sunday
  
  
  
  • Same routine up to 9am - 12pm.
    
  • 9am - 12pm to whenever - Travel to Arts Quarter, buy out vending table. If woodworks, take to recycling center, then travel back for next vendor. If collectibles, sell to Simsonian. If MySims or toys (haggle down the highest-priced one), then add to sales table.
    
  • Whenever to around 7pm - 1 yard sale, then back to Arts Quarter. Repeat the above.
    
  • Around 9pm - Sell items until 12am.
    
  
  
• If Flea Market on Sunday
  
  
  
  • Same as above, but replace the 1 yard sale with traveling back and forth between Arts Quarter and Flea Market until 6-7pm (3 trips to AQ, 2 to FM, or 2 and 1 if doing trading as well).
    
  
  
• If Geekcon on Tuesday
  
  
  
  • Same as usual until 10a.
    
  • 10a to 4p - Explore Space.
    
  • Same as usual afterwards.
    
  
  

This routine (again, with variations for story purposes) helped me build up to the 200k needed for the "Fabulously Wealthy" aspiration, then the 400k needed for the scenario. I managed to finish it in 113 in-game days, but probably could've shaved off some if I'd applied most of the listed observations from the beginning.

A few other tidbits:

• During thunderstorms (Seasons), lightning-stricken locations can sometimes spawn minerals, elements, or crystals.
  
• During holidays with the "Holiday Gnomes" tradition, any gnomes on the lot come to life, and 4 to 6 others spawn in. They can be appeased for an ever-growing spawn of seed packets, or kicked for collectibles, simoleons, and trash piles (which can be scavenged for upgrade parts).
  
  
  
  • Even without the "Kleptomaniac" trait, you can steal garden gnomes by dragging them into your inventory, regardless of ownership.
    
  • Collectibles include: decorative eggs, elements, voidcritter cards, fossils, minerals, and more.
    
  • The surviving gnomes will break objects and cause puddles, but the yield from them can easily pay for any repairs (if you've breakable objects).
    
  
  
• Checking the mailbox for presents during holidays with the "Give Gifts" or "Open Presents" traditions can result in a variety of items (or nothing at all). Even if they aren't usually collectibles (though they can be), it's still worth doing. Asking Father Winter for presents (after an introduction) during holidays with the "Father Winter" tradition can result in much the same as the two aforementioned. Even if low, it's a good freebie option for a possible collectible.
  
• Whilst not my favourite option, ordering crystals online (Get Famous) can be an easy way to obtain all of the common and uncommon variants.
  

My focus in this entry was on those collectibles I could sell to the Simsonian, and those relative to my maps (for the most part). Hopefully the information and cartographic souvenirs from my run-through of this scenario will aid in your own journeys as they have (and will continue to do) in mine.

Calm seas, fair winds, and plentiful simoleons.

Curious Details #6: A Tale Of Dia De Los Muertos

Whilst doing some testing to update a past Simming Tip, I stumbled upon the Sugar Skulls from the challenge way back when. Initially I'd dismissed them, as I'd seen them a thousand times, but one of their descriptions caught my eye:
https://i.imgur.com/FGvH8Rd.png
Noting that this particular skull had a number, I set out to compile the story.

That's it? A cliffhanger? No, there had to be more. Recalling a video I'd caught sight of, and setting all 9 on the relevant shelf, the interaction "Honour the Dead" summoned a golden skull atop the others. Taking note of the name, I returned to B/B, located the skull, and finished the story.

It's always during something else that I find something interesting. Who knows what other stories are buried in build mode.

This is really interesting :)
Thank you for all the thorough research you do in the game. I always learn something new <3
NB:

@MonaSolstraale
Thank you for the kind words, as they keep my spirits high during testing. Speaking of, I managed to finish up most of what I needed to update the list of items in the very first entry, so do be sure to check that out if interested.

So that's what that looks like. There are quite a few different interpretations I've seen of it throughout media. Never occurred to me to check up on it, so I appreciate the info.

You make a big effort with your register on the first page. I have had Bookmark your thread for a long time :)

Greetings one and all, old and new.

I've been on a semi-active hiatus for the better part of this month doing tests to update old tips with more fine-tuned and accurate information, proofreading all of my posts (from Tips to Playthrough Ideas), and generally just trying to make my future self's life easier as I head past #19 in the main series (plus, you won't believe the amount of info I've collected for future entries). Who knows if I'd have the motivation to go through 20+ posts after Simming Tips #29.

Anyway, I've summarized this month's updates on the first page, and will be keeping them there as I hit the 12th month of this thread's run.

A sincere "thank you" to all who've left sentiments (in text or stats), and those who've contributed bits of information (within or without).

https://i.imgur.com/ejpXzA0.png
This thread was made possible by Myself, my sims, those who came before me in the pursuit of accessible Sims 4 knowledge...and by viewers like you.

Thank you.

Been running on motivational fumes lately. Now my game has been forcibly updated despite my precautions, so I'll take it as a sign to step away from the game for a while until at least some of the most egregious bugs have been fixed. This'll be the last resurfacing of this thread until my next post, if/whenever that'll be.

Simming Tips #20: Where The Wall Things Are - Revisited

It's been a while since I've done one of these, so let's jump into it.

The concept of "swatches" is symbolic on paper -- each one is like a dab of paint on a palette, the player as the artist. Want to create a storybook scene? Imagine the colours and setup in your mind, then with careful selection of both item and colour-scheme, recreate it in all of its playable glory. The same is true for everything from your dream home to your dream partner. The mouse (or controller) is your brush, the game is your canvas...but whilst you do choose the colours, the palette is set up by someone else.

Yet despite this restriction, imagination and creativity are not so easily stifled. Where some might fall off due to frustration, others soldier on, their mind's eye rapidly rearranging the scene to compensate. One's masterpiece is amorphous and ever-changing, both to the boon and bane of the artist.

But what if a simple choice of colour was in and of itself something new? What if the placement, shape, or number thereof transformed an item into something else, or perhaps one's perception of said item? When a dab of one colour is itself a painting, is it a boon to what will be, or perhaps a bane to what was expected to be?

Today we'll take yet another trip beyond the first swatch of the things that bring a scene to life, a story painted on the walls of our digital canvas. Whether you've glimpsed the them before, or have found them anew, take my hand, and I'll show you where the wall things are (once more).

Wall Decorations (From left to right, Top to bottom):
Basegame:

Get To Work:

Get Together:

City Living:

Cats & Dogs:

Seasons:

Get Famous:

Island Living:

Discover University:

Eco Lifestyle:

Snowy Escape:

Outdoor Retreat/Spa Day/Dine Out/Vampires:

Parenthood:

Jungle Adventure:

Strangerville:

Dream Home Decorator/Perfect Patio/Spooky Stuff/Movie Hangout/Romantic Garden:

Laundry Day/Moschino/Nifty Knitting/Holiday Stuff: