Well this was a fun challenge for me. I love the Ghost Hunting Profession. I did about 30 test files, with 10 of them being completed all the way through. The others, I would quit when I saw it wasn't working out well. I tested a lot of different things and finally found a combo that worked for me. The jobs were mainly strategy based, the bingos with ghosts were purely luck. I captured a total of 316 ghosts. Along with the normal high amount of captures of kind, friendly, and frightened ghost, I was also getting a high number of Young Jealous ghosts. I never got any Evil Ancient, or many Ancients at all (except Kind, Friendly and a few Frightened). In my practice files in Moonlight Falls I never got that many. It might be where I was doing my practice file. I made a last minute decision to change to Sunset Valley for my final file Instead of Moonlight Falls. because I was not in the mood to deal with all the various "bugs and problems" I was having in Moonlight Falls. Moonlight Falls did have a lot of ghosts to scan for, so I never ran out of ghosts to capture at all.
Before I started my file I turned off the following expansions: Seasons and Into the Future (because of the bug where opportunities wont fire for you)
Dean Winchester had the following traits, LTW, etc.
Traits: Genius
Ambitious
Bookworm This trait and the genius in the library made leveling logic super fast, which with basil made leveling the profession super fast.
Loves the Outdoors
Brave
After I fulfilled my LTW (Paranormal Profiteer) I used the Midlife Crisis LTR to change Genius and Bookworm to Slob (no negative moodlet if i didn't shower) and Loner (for the Enjoying Solitude 15 moodlet you would get).
Lifetime Wish: Paranormal Profiteer
World played in: Sunset Valley (this was a last minute decision because I was tired of the bugs and problems I was having in Moonlight Falls).
Simoleons I spent:
I bought the cheapest Lot I could find because I would not have anything on the lot (so no bills) and put my camera and my University kit in my family inventory. I joined the Architectural Design Profession job right away. Bought a Broom stand (put it in family inventory as well) and the fastest broom (speed 7) the Zoomsweeper Pegasus and a portable radio Purr Purr Purr Stereo. I also was able to get a Potent Skill Booster and a Wish Enhancing Serum from the Elixir Store. Later in the week, I bought a Invigorate and Potent Invigorate and used these on Week 2 Thursday night and early Friday morning.
Opportunities:
I received the Best Haunted House Ever Opportunity in my final file. I used 2 ghost worth 900 each and 3 ghosts worth 600 each. I had basil active so instead of getting 10,000 for the 5 ghost I got 11,000. In all my test files, I only got 1 opportunity. I placed my highest spirits in my family Inventory so they wouldn't depreciate and hoped I get lucky for an opportunity.
Service Rewards:
Ghost Hunting Key to Sunset Valley
Spooky Trophy
Ghost Hunting Spirit Medal
Ghost Hunting Paranormal Medal
Paranormal Memento
Ghost Hunting Bravery Ribbon
Bingos:
I used my service rewards for (2) Wrathful Young, (1) Jealous Ancient, (1) Evil Old, (2) Evil Ancient. These gave me 2 full bingo cards and 4 Kind across, 4 Friendly across, (3) Frightened across for a total of 139. I didn't get as many bingos on my final file as I did on my test files.
Playing my file:
I got the architect profession as soon as I landed in Sunset Valley. I bought a broom stand and the fastest broom. Also bought a portable radio for the library. Then I went to the laundry mat, put clothes in then "ran" across the street to the elixir shop. Bought a Potent Skill Booster. Went back to move the clothes to the dryer. Then went to the consignment store, bought a level 2 logic book on sale. Then went back to get my laundry from the dryer. Went to the grocery store bought 2 Sweet grass (to cure the sometime nauseous from eating herbs and coffee beans), 80 Maui beans (stay awake for 3 hours without crashing) and 60 basil (sometimes have to eat more than one to get them to take) for 10% more on opportunities (if I got any opportunities), and also increased job experience increase by 5%. Then went to the bookstore and bought a level 1 Logic book (So I didn't have to get up and put the book away all the time to eat basil or coffee bean) and a level 3 Logic book.
Then I went to the library and used the computer to join the Ghost Hunter profession. I sat in one of the red chairs in the main entrance and placed my portable radio on the coffee table and just read them, eating basil when the buff would wear off. My first lifetime Reward was the Strong Stomach (2000 points) so I could eat as many coffee beans and herbs I wanted without getting nauseous. I used the Wish Enhancing Serum when I was able to buy one in the elixir store at 5pm (the elixir store refreshes their available elixirs at 5pm everyday). When I got 10,000 points, I bought the LTR Multi-tasker to help with experience earned and the 5% from the basil my experience leveled quickly along with the library buff (If you are doing a chess challenge you want to level on a computer with Computer wiz because this gives you experience playing against other chess players in matches). At 5pm, when I started my first night of jobs (around level 7 of logic and Level 6 in my career) I drank the Potent Skill Booster Elixir which leveled my logic to level 9 and my career to level 8. I bought the Profession Simoleon Booster to increase the job payout of every job I did. After I finished the first nights jobs, I went back to the library eating basil and coffee beans until I maxed Logic on Week 1 Tuesday 5:45 AM and maxed Ghost Hunter career on Week 1 Wednesday 7:08 AM. I stood in the library for the added moodlets and just scanned for ghosts over and over. When I got my LTW completed, I bought Steel Bladder, Dirt Defiant, Mid-life Crisis (to change my traits since I didnt need logic or bookworm anymore), and then Opportunistic later in the day (just in case I got an opportunity)
All spirits I sold from inventory because I did not need any happiness points and saved on time going to the science lab to donate them since they are the same amount. Leveling the Ghost Hunter Profession doesn't give an increase in captured ghost value.
Then I just did jobs and looked for ghosts using basil and coffee beans. Right before midnight, I sell any ghosts I had in my inventory so they didn't depreciate. After you max Ghost Hunter Profession, your stipend each week wont get bigger, but if you level your job each new level, it will increase the amount paid for each job performed.
Things I learned with all my test files:
Even with the brave trait, my Sim would stop what they were doing when they saw a ghost. In Moonlight Falls it was irritating because the Goth ghosts would interrupt my Sim as he read in the Library if they got near him. Sometimes he would ignore them, but without the bravery trait he would stop every time they got near.
Doing the Ghostly Presence job was the most irritating and time consuming job for me. In my test file, I got many of this job in Moonlight Falls. I would go to the job, see how many ghost I had to find, if it was 1 I would do the job, if it was 2, i would try to do the job but if it was taking to long I would stop and just start looking for ghosts in the town. Based on the practice file I decided to use the following priority in my jobs for the night: 1) Spirit Invasion, 2) poltergeist invasion, 3) Angry Ghost Invasion, 4) Ghostly Presence if it was 1 ghost to find. I did not do any Paranormal Investigations based on the 5 or 6 hours it took to complete them. The Angry Ghost Invasion job I found out it was quicker to banish them then try to talk to them. I also noticed if my social need was low I end up getting more of these jobs than the Ghostly Presence. In my final file in Sunset Vally, I only had 3 of the Ghostly Presence jobs, but a lot more of the angry ghost jobs. I never got a Paranormal Investigation in my final file. In all my test file I got a total of 3 of these. They took about 5 to 6 hours and I felt my time was better used scanning for ghosts
