The Sims 3 Immortal Dynasty Challenge

[Telsey]

I thought I had good comphrehension skills until I read this thread.  I am so confused at this point!  LOL  How on earth do you keep a Sim from reaching level 10 of skills when they live for 7 generations?  IF that is what y'all mean. 

[ClayMask]

It seems to me that to make the most valuable paintings and sculptures, the person making them should be someone that is not immortal, since the value of both goes up so much after the artist's death.  This means you'd have to level up both painting and sculpting on each spouse, however, as well as doing most of the skill challenges.  Seems kind of tedious.

[Metropolis Man]

I thought I had good comphrehension skills until I read this thread.  I am so confused at this point!  LOL  How on earth do you keep a Sim from reaching level 10 of skills when they live for 7 generations? 

Don't forget what Sims is at its core — a god game. And you're god. You control your Sims, so you simply have your immortals avoid supermaxed skills that other immortals have done.

[Twinmum]

So I think I have it all down now, but just to be sure, would this chain of events be within the rules? Note, this probably isn't the path my dynasty will follow - I think I need to do a bit more planning yet.

Gen 1 immortal: Takes up painting as a career and the skill to max, he reaches level ten skill and job wise and does all the associated challenges. He also reaches level 10 in handiness, but fails to complete all the challenges.

Gen 2: Takes up sculpting as a career and skill to max and thus reaches level 10 in job as well as skill and completes all challenges. Along the way he does some gardening and reaches level 10 of the skill, but does not complete all the challenges.

Gen 3: Takes a science career and along the way maxes gardening, fishing and handiness. He completes all the challenges associated with gardening and therefore takes this as his super max skill, but does not complete the fishing and handiness challenges.

Gen 4: Heads into the culinary career and along the way maxes the skill and completes all the challenges.

Gen 5: Goes for a professional sports career and so chooses the athletic skill to max. He dabbles in a few skills, but doesn't complete all the challenges for any except the athletics ones.

Skip to gen 8 who also dabbles in a few things and maxes a few skills like athletics and fishing, but fails to complete all the challenges. He takes up martial arts in his spare time and chooses this as his skill to max and complete all challenges for.

Norma

[Largo The Stampede]

It seems to me that to make the most valuable paintings and sculptures, the person making them should be someone that is not immortal, since the value of both goes up so much after the artist's death.  This means you'd have to level up both painting and sculpting on each spouse, however, as well as doing most of the skill challenges.  Seems kind of tedious.

Were you going to have them learn photography as well?

That seems like a lot of work per generation. ^_^

[Metropolis Man]

Norma, at first I quickly glanced at your plan and was going to sign off on it, but on closer inspection....

Your problem is with generation 2 and generation 3. Remember, a supermax skill choice has to be unique to an immortal. You've got Gen 3 as choosing gardening as their supermax, but Gen 2 already maxed it. I know that Gen 2 did not supermax it with the challenges, but it's still no longer unique. Just have Gen 2 push the skill to 9 and you'd be fine.

[Twinmum]

Thanks Metro, this is where I (and I suspect quite a few others) are getting mixed messages. Some forum posts seem to imply (well to me they do) that as long as the challenges are not completed, it's ok to double up on level 10 of a skill.
OK, so then does that mean gen 8 reaching level 10 in any of the previously super maxed skills is also out of the question completely?

Norma

[LlamaMama]

Norma, Gen 8 can't max athletics because Gen 5 supermaxed it. Martial arts would be a tricky choice because you'd have to prevent athletics from rising to 10.

Edit: sorry, simulpost.

Metro, what do we do about the Mix Master bug in Nectar Making?

[simfulicious]

Martial arts doesn't raise athletics if you are meditating.  So once you are able to meditate (lv 5 I think) then you can switch to that without worrying about maxing athletic.

[Metropolis Man]

Thanks Metro, this is where I (and I suspect quite a few others) are getting mixed messages. Some forum posts seem to imply (well to me they do) that as long as the challenges are not completed, it's ok to double up on level 10 of a skill.

Well, I'm quite confident that I've been feeding you the same info. If not, I apologize. Any supermax skill locks out other immortals in 2 ways: say your Founder supermaxes painting, then a) painting is no longer available as a supermax skill choice for future immortals (I think everyone gets that part), but also b) painting can never be pushed to level 10 by another immortal too because then your Founder has supermaxed a skill that was later also maxed by another immortal making the skill no longer unique to your Founder.

OK, so then does that mean gen 8 reaching level 10 in any of the previously super maxed skills is also out of the question completely?

Exactly. This is the essence of the concept of uniqueness. Level 9, eh...so so. But, push a skill to level 10 and you've maxed it making it unique. So, any supermax skill that's chosen for the requirement of eating Ambrosia has to be unique.

Metro, what do we do about the Mix Master bug in Nectar Making?

The same way you would handle the Consignment Store Reputation challenge bug — just be honest with yourself and keep good notes on how many combinations you've used in nectar-making. When you have used the correct amount — 15 is it? — then you're welcome to take credit for the challenge.

[Twinmum]

Arhh, I think I found where I was getting mixed messages. I went back and reread both threads on the dynasty challenge and this one could be the culprit. I'd say that I must have read it before Pam edited it.

I think there's still some confusion here.  The accidental maxing of a skill that has been claimed as a SuperMax skill is ok as long as it's not also claimed as a SuperMax skill.  Maxing of any and all skills is fine.  You just have to make sure there's no overlap of the SuperMax skills.

Do I have this right, Metro?

EDIT:  I was incorrect in this post.  Any SuperMax skill CANNOT be maxed by anyone else.  Example:  If the founder maxes 4 skills and choses one as a SuperMax skill to qualify for Ambrosia, even those other 3 maxed skills cannot be used as a SuperMax skill for other immortals.

Norma

[Pam]

Yes, I'm very sorry.  It was my fault.  I got confused myself after reading all the messages here.  My apologies to everyone.

[Metropolis Man]

I wanted to give everyone that has already started their Dynasty a heads up that a major rule change may be forthcoming tomorrow. Solstice PM'd me about the possibility of allowing deathflowers to be added only to immortals' inventories once they have earned the right to eat Ambrosia. She made some very good points, but at the time I was pretty bull-headed and said no way. I was instant messaging with Pam and she asked to see the PMs and Pam said that Solstice made some valid points. The main point of Solstice's argument is that even if an immortal eats Ambrosia, that Sim could still die by an unfortunate accident completely out of the hands of the player. A death by meteor would be one example. I'm not sure how many more there would be. But, I confess that it would be heartbreaking to lose so much work if an immortal turned out to be quite mortal and died by some freak accident. So, that's what's going on. I'll sleep on it and Pam's thinking about it too and we'll have a decision for everyone tomorrow.

[LlamaMama]

I'm so glad you and Pam are rethinking that. That was a serious concern for me.

[Telsey]

I guess what is confusing me is the maxed and supermaxed.  It seems (and I have no idea if I have this correct yet - this is like some sort of brain twister) that maxed and supermaxed makes no difference.  Once you hit level 10 it is off limits whether you do the challenges or not.  I don't understand that at all.  What is the point of supermaxed then?  Sorry, I am just not getting this.  I am a control freak with my Sims which is why I rarely see them do many things that others find in the game but I have had Sims max out skills that I never intended for them.  Some will like something and every  minute you are downtown or something they will skip what you told them to do and do their favorite thing.