The Sims 3 Domination Dynasty: Resistance is Futile

[simfulicious]

My understanding is that you would only count two of the challenges. Having 3 challenges doesn't cause you to fail; it just means that you can't count one of them, ever. But you can wait for a more official ruling.

That's what I'm hoping for...it's not technically stockpiling if you don't ever plan to use it

[Metropolis Man]

So I think I already know the answer to this, but I am going to ask it anyways...


My King, Goldbreeze Honeycomb, is working on his last level of the painter career.  So of course, he has to paint.  He already earned Brushmaster and whatever the brilliant painting challenge is.  He just earned himself the Masterpiece challenge too, making 3 skill challenges, and he still has to cash in around $14,000 more to max his career.  He didn't have anything on to make better paintings...no aura of creativity or extra creative LTR...nothing.  Is it possible for me to continue for HOF, if I just don't ever count the masterpiece skill challenge?  I just think that this particular challenge is totally out of the player's control, and I really don't want to start over, but I will understand if that's what you guys decide.

You're fine. I think I said somewhere that sometimes this kind of stuff is totally out of the player's control.

[simfulicious]

You're fine. I think I said somewhere that sometimes this kind of stuff is totally out of the player's control.

Thank you!  But I do need to not count the challenge, ever...correct?

[Nutella]

Thank you!  But I do need to not count the challenge, ever...correct?

Correct. 

[cupcakeunicorn]

I have two questions:
1. Are you allowed to cake up the drones?
2. Once your drones have finished there requirements, do you have to kick them out immediately or can you wait a few generations to move them out?

[KRae]

If you didn't cake them up set on long, this challenge would take forever.

[Metropolis Man]

I have two questions:
1. Are you allowed to cake up the drones?

No restrictions.

2. Once your drones have finished there requirements, do you have to kick them out immediately or can you wait a few generations to move them out?

No restrictions other than they cannot leave the hive until they are YA and that they have to finish their requirements (obviously hehe).

[callycat]

You're fine. I think I said somewhere that sometimes this kind of stuff is totally out of the player's control.

You can actually avoid this one by not completing paintings, but it's a bit of a pain. Edit: not that it would be useful if you're trying to complete the painter career, but it does work if that's not an issue.

[Deklitch]

Just had a thought about artists myself ...

If you are just interested in one painting challenges (perhaps the 30 paintings one), but not the second or third, could you do something like

- Give your proposed artist traits of: Brooding (decreases speed of painting), Perfectionist (takes longer to do paintings). Can't Stand Art (decreased mood around art), Hates the Outdoors (Put the easel outside) and Night Owl (force them to paint in day).
- Get them to paint small paintings.
- Perhaps toss the depressing elixir at them if they need a bigger hit.

This should (theoretically) get them to take longer to get to the levels needed to paint brilliant and masterpiece paintings, and you could well have a longer time available as a result to get the 30 portraits for that skill challenge.

I've never tested this, but I might do so.

[Trip]

Or you could put your painter through the Art Appraiser career, if you have University Life, and complete the opportunities that unlock the ability to paint masterpieces and brilliants on command, and on the flip-side, not paint them at all.

[Deklitch]

Or you could put your painter through the Art Appraiser career, if you have University Life, and complete the opportunities that unlock the ability to paint masterpieces and brilliants on command, and on the flip-side, not paint them at all.

That then disqualifies the 30 paintings challenge, however. I'm trying to work out how to get to the 30 paintings without running foul of the other two painting challenges.

[callycat]

That then disqualifies the 30 paintings challenge, however. I'm trying to work out how to get to the 30 paintings without running foul of the other two painting challenges.

What I've done is to do the Architect career first using the drafting table only and no jobs. I've used it to get the 30 paintings and the 6 brilliant ones and then scrapped all the following sketches until I get to the top of the career, as it will continue giving experience after you max the painting skill. Then I go on to the Painter career and do the masterpiece challenge during that.

You could just start scrapping them after you get the 30 paintings instead if you wanted to only complete one challenge.

[tirajm]

Can I point out something? Since the couple must be made in CAS, there can't be any alien babies since aliens cannot be made in CAS and you can't turn a human into an alien. The only way you can have alien babies is by alien abduction or moving in an alien, the latter would violate the rules, so only an accidental alien abduction would bring an alien into the house. So that rule about aliens maxing another skill should not be in there as there is no way for your couple to have an alien baby. You'd have to send alien babies to their homeworld.

Mermaid kids are possible if you buy mermaidic kelp or get it from a mermaid but not aliens, you can only get aliens from in-game so there is no point in having the rule about aliens needing to master another skill as there will be no alien babies in the challenge unless your male Sim gets abducted.

It actually is possible to create an alien in CAS.  If you save a YA alien character to the Sim Bin, and that character appears when you first open CAS, then the character will remain an alien.  It's doable, but it takes a lot of patience and/or luck.

That said, I'm not sure why aliens wouldn't be able to use the Future Technology skill, since they don't get any bonuses to learning it or anything.  Sims with the Future Sim hidden trait will have it automatically maxed, but not aliens.

EDIT:  I have some questions regarding the auto-placed lots in most towns.  Is it okay to leave those there, or do we need to delete them?  If you can leave them there, then that's a serious disadvantage for players starting in the newer store towns.  Similarly, can we leave the empty small parks in Moonlight Falls as they are, or do we need to switch them to empty lots?

Finally, this is probably just a matter of laziness on my part, but I'm not entirely sure I get the edit town instructions.  Do we have to fill up all the empty lots with houses, and then go and bulldoze five of the houses we just placed in order to make the five edits?  Would it be okay to reverse the process - do whatever you want with up to five lots, and then fill up the rest with houses?

[Danielle Haydis]

@tirajm
You leave auto-placed lots alone. I know it's a disavantage to people who decide to use a town that doesn't have auto-placed lots (Dragon Valley for example) but it's all part of player strategy.

[Nutella]

It actually is possible to create an alien in CAS.  If you save a YA alien character to the Sim Bin, and that character appears when you first open CAS, then the character will remain an alien.  It's doable, but it takes a lot of patience and/or luck.

Do the CAS alien have alien powers (like brain powers)?

That said, I'm not sure why aliens wouldn't be able to use the Future Technology skill, since they don't get any bonuses to learning it or anything.  Sims with the Future Sim hidden trait will have it automatically maxed, but not aliens.

I read somewhere in one of the dynasty thread that aliens have advantages to advanced tech skill, I think it was the lifestate dynasty.  Aliens are actually banned from doing advanced tech skill challenge in life state dynasty, there must be a reason somewhere, I just can't find it. 

EDIT:  I have some questions regarding the auto-placed lots in most towns.  Is it okay to leave those there, or do we need to delete them?  If you can leave them there, then that's a serious disadvantage for players starting in the newer store towns.  Similarly, can we leave the empty small parks in Moonlight Falls as they are, or do we need to switch them to empty lots?

Danielle Haydis is right regarding auto placed lots and player strategy.  As for the small parks in moonlight falls, you need to change the lot designation to -- Hangout, Beach, Big Park or Cat/Dog Park.  This way you can purchase those lot as property instead of just those small parks sitting there in your town doing nothing.

Moonlight Falls

    41 N Falls Ave
    71 N Falls Ave
    96 Horseshoe Bend
    99 Horseshoe Bend
    149 Horseshoe Bend
    205 Valley View Drive
    206 Valley View Drive
    270 Valley View Drive
    302 Knott Street
    305 Knott Street
    Moonlight Point
    Playful Park
    Zoomsweeper Test Track

Finally, this is probably just a matter of laziness on my part, but I'm not entirely sure I get the edit town instructions.  Do we have to fill up all the empty lots with houses, and then go and bulldoze five of the houses we just placed in order to make the five edits?  Would it be okay to reverse the process - do whatever you want with up to five lots, and then fill up the rest with houses?

Do what you want with 5 empty lots -- you can put houses or commercial buildings.  Remember there are still general restriction on edit town, example you can't add "into the future" buildings into your town, you can't delete any of the town original buildings, etc.  If you know what is your plan for edit town, you can post it here so we all can check to see if you are doing anything wrong.