Rewards Guide

[Carl]

The Guide now has a section on The Rewards Store and Trait Mechanics. I have to thank you guys, because a few I could not find in XML and folks had posted information here. @DarkWalker and @Nutella both helped with this one indirectly and I am proud of the end result. Like 50 sites have the generic game description, so I decided to try and decipher each and give solid information on what they do. I may have overlooked some things though, so I appreciate feedback as always. Do let me know if I missed somewhat obvious uses for the Rewards, and I do have a few questions:

Is Marketable affecting Woodworking and Writing properly?
What is the chance for Twins/Triplets with Fertile?
I couldn't get any faster Skiling out of Speed Reader.
Are there uses for those Instant X potions that I'm missing? They don't seem worth it.

[Nutella]

I know for sure 100% Marketable affects woodworking items, haven't tried on writing.
As for those instant potions, like instant fun and instant hygiene?  I love the instant fun potion, its great when you come home from work all stress out (plus short on time), pop one of those potion and fun bar maximum.

[Playalot]

Instant hygiene is great for when your sim is at the gym and is still well fed etc and is energized but has to stop working out as they have become revoltingly dirty. One sip, instantly clean and then they can continue to maximize skilling while still in the right mood. Plus the 'sipping' moodlet boosts the energize moodlet too.

[Carl]

Thanks for weighing in. I guess I call all of them useless in a way, but just don't like the measley 3 hour buff from the emotions potions. I can understand the usefulness of those first two and will edit to be clear they're a bit better. I am thinking that you might not need the one that removes negative emotions to prevent an emotional death, but rather just use any of the other types that are cheaper. Most moodlets don't last that long, and inspired +100 should be enough to prevent a Sim from feeling anything else, after all.

[Playalot]

Always Welcome: Sims do react negatively if you cook etc in their houses sometimes. When/if they see you, your sim takes a double negative friendship hit from them and they do the "astonished gasp" face like when you walk in on someone in the bathroom.
Also if you throw a party at someone else's house and your sim does not have this reward (and has not been allocated the caterers position) then when/if the house owners see your sim doing the cooking they will come up, do the astonished face, give a double negative hit to the friendship level AND while this is happening your sim is unable to continue cooking. They just stand there. If this happens over and over again (and it can) then you can effectively miss out on party goals due to running out of time.

I guess, though, more often than not, your sim can get away with doing anything in another sims house.


*edited I actually had this happen in my sims own house during a party. Other guests and family members came up to my cooking sim and did the face and the double negative friendship hit because he was doing an 'inappropriate behavior' !!
The sim reacting to the cooking sim has an interaction called "react to inappropriate behavior". I haven't tried to replicate this since.

[Playalot]

Another thought.

I tend to use the Moodlet Solver in 2 ways.

1. Like a cheat without cheating to restore all needs etc when I can't be bothered to have them eat/shower/ etc etc as it takes too long and I want my sims to be either at work on time or skilling up (for example)

2. After a house fire as now a tense moodlet totally stops all work advancement.

I haven't tried using it to stop an emotional death as sometimes sims takes soooo long to actually drink something! Easier to run for a bed asap or a mirror etc. Luckily I haven't been in danger of an emotional death where neither of these two items were available.

[Carl]

Thanks! I edited the page to reflect all these points. I myself did think the Moodlet Solver handy. I changed my criticism to be specific to the mood-related potions, gave recommended uses of the firs two (Hygiene/Fun) while also removing the bit about emotional death. The time to drink it is a great point, and I'd hate for someone to lose a Sim by drinking one of these instead of pursuing another option, like a mirror or bed.

[Nutella]

I just tested the reward trait "Fertile", its pretty useless.  Both mom and dad had the reward, 4 pregnancies, 4 single birth. 

[Playalot]

Found another use for the energized potion. It cancels out the elders Dangerously Tired moodlet so they can continue to build fitness skill. Nice! Got to watch the timing though!

[Carl]

For the elder, wouldn't it be safer to sleep to get that to override the tired moodlet? I'll still mention it for when away from home. Don't really know what's best myself given drinking is immediate action that can be taken while sitting, even if the potion doesn't take affect immediately and walking to a bed takes time.

Nutella, thanks for testing. I saw numbers in XML that may have indicated the chance for multiple births being doubled. Unless they were common, that couldn't be much of an increase. I'll be sure to tell the readers something to that effect.

[Playalot]

For the elder, wouldn't it be safer to sleep to get that to override the tired moodlet? I'll still mention it for when away from home. Don't really know what's best myself given drinking is immediate action that can be taken while sitting, even if the potion doesn't take affect immediately and walking to a bed takes time.

Nutella, thanks for testing. I saw numbers in XML that may have indicated the chance for multiple births being doubled. Unless they were common, that couldn't be much of an increase. I'll be sure to tell the readers something to that effect.

Yeah if you're worried about them dying then a beds safest, but I've found in my dynasty and legacy that elders can keep exercising easily by using the energized potion. Which is handy to know for when your sims are at home as a lot of the time when doing a dynasty/legacy you find yourself stuck at home... a lot! I haven't yet had an elder die from this as they can't continue to exercise once they get the dangerously Tired moodlet.
I actually haven't been able to kill off an elder with the Dangerously Tired moodlet that I control at all. Townies yes but my own sims just seem to 'get over it' now matter how hard I have tried to kill them!!

[Nutella]

Have your elder with dangerously tired moodlet keep woohooing, grim reaper will come knocking on your door soon. 

[Playalot]

@Nutella  ... it doesn't always work like that. If your sim has maxed the fitness skill and completed the athletic aspiration the Dangerously Tired moodlet goes away straight after woohooing. It takes a lot of wrangling to actually force a death!! Have to have no positive moodlets from the environment etc etc. It is really difficult to force a death with these sims.