If I want to eventually max out all skills with one sim, what skills and traits

[lingeringdreams]

should I create my sim with to make things go the fastest/smoothest? Should I automatically concentrate on cooking/fishing/gardening first in order to get to immortal as fast as possible or can you choose a different route and still get to immortal or whatever?

[Hosfac]

If you're looking to make them immortal with aging on without using cheats, bug exploits and without using the midlife crisis LTR, then gardening, cooking and fishing will definitely be the skills you want to start with. 

Gardening will train quickly if you have a large garden, so the Green Thumb trait isn't vital unless you want high quality fruits and veggies quickly.  Likewise, you can catch deathfish at level 5 if you use the right bait so Angler isn't strictly necessary.  And if you want to train cooking without filling your refrigerator up with leftovers, you might find the combination of Natural Cook and Couch Potato helpful for watching the cooking chanel.  If you were looking to use skill books, maybe replace Couch Potato with Bookworm.

Most skills aren't all that difficult to level, but I find Logic very slow to train.  Genius and Computer Wiz will help to speed things up when playing chess on the computer...and Computer Wiz will also help you increase the sim's fun need quicker by playing computer games.

I would suggest saving up Lifetime Happiness points so you can purchase the Fast Learner LTR as soon as possible.

[lingeringdreams]

yes traits will stay the same for the duration of the game so I'm trying to figure out the best traits to choose as well as the 3 best skills to max first as I want to use the renaissance lifetime wish

[Joria]

Renaissance is max 3 skills, right?  This is for a dynasty?  If for a dynasty be careful what you wish for.  I made my founder a 5 Star Chef since she would be the one cooking ambrosia for all the rest of the generations.  I gave her Natural Cook, Bookworm, Charismatic, (really need to make friends!), Angler and Green Thumb.  The last two were my downfall.  Now as the generations move on, none of them are able to max any of the fishing LTW or Gardening ones.  If I had been smart she would have been my Ren Sim because she ultimately supermaxed all those skills.  Poor things entire life is spent either in front of a stove or in the garden, mostly in the garden.

So, if this is your founder are you sure you want him/her to be a Ren Sim?  If so, I would suggest go with Natural Cook because someone has to cook all that ambrosia for generations!  Then pick two other skills others in your generations won't particularly want or won't interfere with others maxing out skills that will be doable for someone who is a cook.  Let her learn the fishing skill with a class but don't let her max it.  Let her garden and learn either by reading, (Bookworm really does help), or by a class, but again don't let her max it.  Have his/her spouse max gardening, painting and sculpting.  (You need those museum pictures asap)  In the cooking field, and many others, Charismatic is important, or maybe Schmoozer.  They need to make friends with the boss and other employees to move up the ladder of success quickly. 

Read the guide to see what skills/LTW cross over.  Forinstance, an artist has many avenues, and if they max out painting, others coming along won't be able to use LTW that require painting to be maxed.  Right now my own dynasty is moving along, but I'm truly concerned that later in the game I may have ruined it for others by taking three skills that could affect other's LTW in the future.

[Hosfac]

My first suggestion is to learn the Charisma skill first.  While your sim probably won't max it quickly, it will go up any time they talk to someone.  But for your choices to complete the Renaissance Sim LTW, you might find it helpful to look at the added benefits of the skills you'll be training.

Gardening will max out quickly with a large garden, and for Ambrosia you'll actually need a maxed cooking skill...so those would be two logical choices of the three.  Handiness is also easy to max out if you go with cheap plumbing and upgrade everything you get your hands on (and it's also a convenient skill to have).  An artistic sim will also max out painting somewhat quickly, and it increases their fun motive in the process.  It's also a good money maker at higher levels.  Athletic sims max out the Athletic skill quickly, but if you're going to make the sim immortal with Ambrosia, you won't be seeing any of the major benefits of this skill.  Writing should definitely not be underestimated, because as you increase in level and write books, you can get a steady weekly income that is utterly staggering.  My author in the "Stop The Presses" challenge has been getting over $200,000 a week in royalties since about week 8.  She is currently in week 11, but to put it in perspective:  she has also done absolutely nothing other than writing and fulfilling her needs.  But the royalties would keep rolling in until 6 weeks after the sim stops writing.

Traveling (if you have WA) can be a huge help as well.  Time stops for your sim while they are on vacation, and it gives you at least 3 extra days to train skills per trip.

[Schipperke]

In addition to what has already been mentioned, Bookworm is a very useful trait because they can read faster than other sims, and a lot of skills can be learned from books at the library.

[Filly]

I agree with the bookworm trait, maybe the loner trait so their mood isn't as impacted from being away from other Sims working on the skills.

[TheChronicR]

I'd recommend the Neurotic trait if you're making a writer, because one single 'Freak Out' (left-click on your Sim) will eliminate any stress moodlets for 8 hours.

[Hosfac]

I'd recommend the Neurotic trait if you're making a writer, because one single 'Freak Out' (left-click on your Sim) will eliminate any stress moodlets for 8 hours.

Wow, I knew you got a positive moodlet for freaking out, but I never realized it eliminated stress moodlets, too.  Neurotic is one of my favorite traits, and now I got even more reason to like it lol.

[Schipperke]

I definitely agree with ChronicR on the usefulness of the Neurotic trait for writers.  Just have them freak out every 8 hours, and their fun need will never drop below the mid-point, meaning they can write all their waking hours.