The Sims 3 Immortal Dynasty Challenge

[Pam]

One question about a requirement

•4. Each generation needs to use a computer to purchase one building and one property (2 separate ownerships). The property purchased by one generation must be fully upgraded before Ambrosia can be eaten.

This requires ambitions is the problem here. What if one doesn't have ambitions (Who cares if I am the only one)? Nonambitions players can only buy partnerships/owner's deeds to 11 places, all of which are rabit holes.

I thought Metro checked this when we were putting together the rules.  Didn't the patch that came out when Ambitions was released give you the ability to buy the properties?  We tried very hard to make the requirements compatible with the base version of the game.  Are you patched up to the most recent patch?

My sim must be the oddball then.  I had her eat watermelon, because I was tired of boys.  She ate it until I thought she would pop.  Every time I thought it about it I made her eat it.  She had a boy anyway.  It is getting frustrating, because I want a little girl, but I guess my sim wants it her way, lol.  This has happened a couple of times.

As Noobertuber mentioned, did you start eating the watermelon after she spun into her pregnancy clothes?  The critical part may be that she has to eat it before she starts "showing" and is aware of the pregnancy.  I seriously have my Sims start eating watermelon the moment they are finished trying for a baby and I don't stop until she goes into labor.

[Pam]

OK so you are saying that if painting is not one of my immortals unique supermaxed skill I can't supermax it at all? Because that is not in the rules, it just says that the immortal needs to max one unique skill and do all skill challenges.
Example
gen.1 supermax gardening and painting
2 supermax fishing and painting
3 supermax photography and painting
4 supermax cooking and painting
and so on.
Please clarify.

Metro,

I think what they need clarification on is whether they can do the skill challenges of maxed skills other than the SuperMax skill.  The unique SuperMax skill has to be maxed to level 10, plus complete the skill challenges.  I don't see why we couldn't do the skill challege of non-unique maxed skills.  Perhaps it's the definition of SuperMax that's getting confusing.

[LlamaMama]

If a skill like Painting were considered "free" to all immortals, wouldn't it be possible to unintentionally Supermax it? We'll need to be careful that no immortal like any "free" skill too much?

I thought about this some more, since I was the one who brought up the question. What's the good in being immortal, if you have a narrowly-prescribed area in which you can work and play? Once you've supermaxed something, there's not much more fun remaining in that skill, except making money. It won't be much fun to play a gardener who can, for all practical purposes, only garden for the next 7 generations. If she tried her hand at one of the "free" skills, she might accidentally supermax it, so it becomes a game with 8 players, each of whose every move must be monitored, and where nothing new or surprising is likely to happen.

One would be working like crazy to earn the reward of immortality. Yeah, so? What's the reward in that? Same as with humans, imagine being immortal with no more challenges in life.

Is there a way to make immortality more rewarding?

[Pam]

@LlamaMama

In this case, the reward is seeing all the generations and building a true Dynasty.  Any multi-generational game will have drawbacks, like you said.  It's the satisfaction of the generations surviving and thriving that makes it worthwhile.  Plus, you'll be building a fabulous Dynasty house as you go along.  You'll know generations of families and own the entire town by the time it's done.  You'll be building and expanding a museum, and possibly a family cemetary.  Yes, it will be a challenge to make sure the SuperMax skills stay unique, but that's what this is...  a challenge.  It's not intended to be easy.  And if you get all the way through, you'll be in the Immortal Dynasty Hall of Fame. 

[ClayMask]

What happens if you are in the 6th or 7th generation and bring back a child using a time machine?  Do we have to avoid the time machine if we won't have space in our families for the child?  A time machine child would not count as an heir, right?

[samoht04]

Well you would miss out on the toddler portrait so it would be game over if that was the heir.

[Twinmum]

Well a time machine child couldn't count as an heir because of the rule:

All offspring must result from natural pregnancies of Sims living in the Dynasty house.

I'm guessing (but Metro or Pam would have to make the ruling) that it is up to you to make sure things like that eg having an extra child too late in the game don't happen, and if they do you would have to wait for that child to die naturally.

Norma

[Pam]

Twinmum is correct.  A time machine child is not eligible to be an heir.  Also that the child would have to live and die naturally in the Dynasty house.  Great question, though.  I'm glad that one came up. 

[curlybennett]

I really want to do this challenge, but I'm going back to school in about a week, and I know I'm going to have a lot of work, and probably not as much time to play Sims. I was just wondering if there was ever going to be end date, or could I wait a long time before starting?

[Metropolis Man]

Metro,

I think what they need clarification on is whether they can do the skill challenges of maxed skills other than the SuperMax skill.  The unique SuperMax skill has to be maxed to level 10, plus complete the skill challenges.  I don't see why we couldn't do the skill challege of non-unique maxed skills.  Perhaps it's the definition of SuperMax that's getting confusing.

Yes, you can definitely do skill challenges in non-Supermaxed skills. It all comes back to simply an immortal having one unique skill that's SuperMaxed.

EDIT: If I've conveyed to anyone that it's the maxing+skill challenges that defines the SuperMax skill, I'm sorry. That's not the case. It's always been the uniqueness of that single skill that makes it special.

[Saltypaws]

I think I have decided on a name for my dynasty, "The Ming Dynasty".  I just found a website with names for Japanese names and meanings.  I thought that would be cool, match the meaning of the name with the founder and immortals.  Not sure if I actually stay with that theme, unless I come up with something different.  

EDIT:  Actually, I meant Chinese names, but someone pointed out my blunder and I truly appreciate it.

[Storyteller]

It seems to me that to make this game successful, then each of your immortals has ONE unique skill, for a total of 8.  That leaves at 7 other skills up for grabs that ANYONE can max and do all the skill challenges for and have a ball with.

For example, in my dynasty (called the Immortals...I know, no creativity there...), I have planned it as follows:

Gen 1 - Adrian (Logic)
Gen 2 - Brandon (Guitar)
Gen 3 - Carolyn (Writing)
Gen 4 - Dylan (Fishing)
Gen 5 - Evelyn (Cooking)
Gen 6 - Flynn (Charisma)
Gen 7 - Gwyndolyn (Athletic)
Gen 8 - Harmon (Painting)

That leaves Gardening, Martial Arts, Sculpting, Photography, Nectar Making, Handiness and Inventing up for grabs!  If you can't keep your Sims busy with all that, not to mention television, video games, foosball, VR goggles...

I don't see anyone getting bored.  If anything, there are too many options.

Edit:  After reading everyone's following posts, I decided to let Harmon max Inventing (so that all my other Sims can use that easel if I want them to.  Paining is fun!)  He's going to be self-employed anyway with Descendent of Davinci LTW.

[Schipperke]

Wow, Storyteller, you have it all planned including names and skill assignments already!  I do have a list of names and the 8 skills that I plan to do as SuperMaxes but I suspect the plan will evolve and change as we go along.  I'm hoping the next expansion pack will bring new skills with do-able skill challenges.

[Metropolis Man]

Wow, Storyteller, you have it all planned including names and skill assignments already! 

Indeed. Well thought out plans, Storyteller. Despite the fact that I've been advocating that everyone do this before they get too far, I probably won't do it myself only because my Founder is going to end up maxing 6 skills before the 2nd generation is born and at that point I'll just pick and choose what available for the remaining immortals. It will be incredibly limited. I think my plan for generation 2 is Business career with nectar making as the skill.

[Storyteller]

Schipperke, I had to plan everything once I read Metro's awesome skill set.  I've never done a true "legacy" with rules before and if I didn't plan it out, I would be overwhelmed.  I've also planned LTW, career tracks and LTR so there would be no overlap.  The only thing I didn't plan was who they would marry (sigh), what opportunities they would do and what businesses they would buy.  When I saw all the people stalking out Morganna Wolff and Agnes Crumplebottom I could have cried.  My founder was already married to Ayesha Ansari and had little Brandon by then!  They're still scrounging in the junkyard for extra simoleans. 

Well, they may not be rich, but they do have a two bedroom with a den, so I'm proud of myself.  *off to plan how to make more money to take over the SimWorld...)