What The Sims challenge are you participating in? (part 3)
It feels like something has been missing from the blog posts for a while... Surely, by now, you've already completed the challenges from our previous collections (here's one, two, and three) and are waiting for something new to surprise your sims. Well, we've got some interesting ideas for you!
The desert island challenge by pencakes
There's a suspicion that “Island living“ was made specifically with survival scenarios like the movie “Cast away“ in mind. Sulani is simply perfect for a survival story!
According to the author's concept, after a plane crash, your sim ends up stranded on a deserted island. Of course, there's no electricity or modern conveniences to be found. In fact, you’ll need to remove everything from the main and nearby lots – after all, it's an uninhabited island. You'll be surviving with a sim who’s completely unprepared for island life: they don't know (or like) fishing, they hate the sun, and, as bad luck (and the challenge creator) would have it, they are also squeamish and clumsy.
Naturally, the deserted island won't save you from Vladislaus' friendly visits, he finds our sims no matter where they are. We suggest ignoring Vlad and focusing on finding food, building a shelter, and managing your stress levels.
Over time, your sim will need to settle in, develop a few skills, and build themselves a decent home. And after that, there's a plot twist waiting for you… But we won’t spoil it: better head over to the author's site for more! :)
Desperate housewife
Straight-A kids who never argue and always obey, a loving husband with a good job, a beautiful cozy home, cleanliness, order… Sounds like a dream, right? But, unfortunately, this is not a dream – it's the goals of our challenge.
Your protagonist (whether it's a heroine or a hero – no restrictions!) is a seasoned housewife, though her experience doesn't necessarily help much in this tough job. She has three children of different ages, a husband who's constantly at work, and a strong dependency on the opinions of others, who would judge her for getting any outside help (nanny, maid, gardener, etc.). So, she has to handle everything herself – quite literally...
You can only control one sim: your desperate housewife. The house must always be spotless, with fresh meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The children need to behave properly and excel in school. The husband is on autonomy: you just need to feed him and make sure he's employed. On top of that, your sim has to maintain a perfect appearance, socialize with the neighbors, and lead an active social life. Every two weeks the family must host a dinner party for friends and neighbors. And, of course, these dinners have to be flawless – otherwise, what's the point of it all?
Feel free to develop this story however you'd like. Will the protagonist remain the perfect housewife? Or will she snap under the pressure and eventually run away from her family? Maybe she'll fall out with all the neighbors and hire every nanny and maid in town? Let your imagination run wild!
Human enough by squeamishsims
This is a hugely popular challenge in the Sims community. The "Human Enough" sim must be an alien character. As a teenager, they leave their home planet and head to Earth (you’ll need to create a reason and purpose for this journey yourself, which will add depth to the character's story and help develop the plot). They arrive completely alone, with very little understanding of what humans are or how to behave around them. You must place them on an empty lot with no items and take away all of their simoleons.
Of course, no one can discover their true alien identity. If that happens, you can either wipe the person's memory or... kill them (by any means you choose). To finally start living a life on Earth, your alien must develop various skills: charisma, mechanics, logic, etc. But of course, there are many obstacles along the way.
You can't purchase anything for the lot until the first room is built, and to build it, you'll need to have 500 simoleons. Your alien can only visit one other lot per day, since Earth’s environment is quite baffling. They can't attend school without developing certain skills first, and without good grades, they can't get a part-time job… So, plenty of restrictions make for a challenging and fun gameplay experience.
There are also additional lists of tasks, achievements, and restrictions. You can easily track how well you're doing in the challenge, and ultimately, you can earn a medal – ranging from bronze to platinum.
Weekend mom
In your heroine’s life everything used to be perfect: a beautiful house, beloved friends, hobbies, and while her husband wasn’t ideal, he was wealthy, and most importantly, she had her adored daughter. The not-so-perfect marriage was something she could handle since her husband was a great father, and his wealth opened up amazing opportunities for both her and their child. But one day, her "imperfect" husband decided he no longer needed his "imperfect" wife. He kicked her out of the house, leaving their daughter to live with him. Now, she’s alone, without money, without a home, with only the barest essentials in clothing. Given her ex-husband’s wealth, she has no chance of getting custody or even any form of child support.
This is where your challenge begins. It's not a fully scripted, thought-out challenge in the traditional sense, but rather a story idea with challenging elements.
To start, your sim moves in with one of her friends. But her friend is struggling too, living in a tiny rented apartment plagued with constant problems – frequent electrical outages, noisy neighbors, and money troubles. Your heroine is in a deep depression and doesn't believe she can change her life, but for the sake of her daughter, she forces herself to get out of the house and find a job. She realizes that earning a good income is the only way to fight back against her ex-husband. She’ll have to work very hard, but the greatest challenge will be finding a way to maintain a strong relationship with her daughter.
They’ll only get three hours a week to spend together, under the watchful eye of a strict nanny. If the child experiences any negative emotions, the nanny will take her back home early, leaving the rest of the visit for the following week. Your goal is to make the most of those three hours, strengthening their bond and maximizing their love. If things go well, once the daughter starts school, she’ll be able to sneak away and visit her mom, pretending to be going to a friend's house.
The challenge ends when your heroine owns a nice house of her own with a separate room for her daughter, has a stable income, and a strong network of friends who can support her in her struggle against her ex-husband. And, of course, she’ll need plenty of simoleons to hire the best lawyer to fight for shared custody.
Story of a Stardew Moon by Tainoodles
If you’ve been wanting to dive into gardening in The Sims but found it a bit boring as a regular hobby, this challenge might be just the thing for you! In this challenge, growing plants becomes your sim’s full-time job and the way to support their family, allowing you to explore the gardening system in detail while avoiding boredom.
Inspired by various farm simulation games, this challenge begins with your sim moving to an abandoned farm. Facing a series of difficulties, your sim must work to turn both the farm and their life into a success. The best part of the challenge? It comes with a custom save file! The creator has built an entire town, cozy and filled with interesting families. Each family is unique, living in atmospheric homes, and the save file has a well-developed lore. However, if you prefer, you can play without the custom save and just follow the challenge rules.
The rules are pretty straightforward. You can't use cheats, your sim can't take on a traditional job, and their only source of income must come from farming. Additionally, you can't use skill-building books to learn skills. Your sim will explore what can be grown in The Sims, make friends with townspeople, and have fun at local festivals.
Of course, don’t forget about your sim’s personal life! One of the challenge goals is to get married and have at least one child. The custom save makes this part easier, as it features eight potential partners for your sim. But building romantic relationships won’t be simple. Sims can only perform romantic interactions during dates, and dates can only happen on specific days. Plus, before progressing the relationship – whether that means becoming a couple or getting married – you must complete certain requirements, such as reaching a specific skill level or giving a special gift. The requirements for each of the eight candidates are listed separately in the challenge guidelines.
So, if you’re ready to transform your sim’s life from an overgrown farm to a thriving homestead, this challenge will guide you through it with plenty of creative twists!
