Collection Obsession: Gotta Catch 'Em All

[LenaLJ]

So the only way I can explain why I could collect the mysims is that I played before the patch on the 26th. My time zone is 10-12 hours in front of a lot of you. In this case it looks to have given me an advantage, which I do not really like, so if you feel like Metro, we should maybe ajust my score. To even it out?



I played the first 3 weeks of the challenge on the night we where allowed to start, I had a sleepless night because of pain in my hands and needed distraction. Then I went on a weeks vacation by my moms and forgot all about that I still needed to finish this challenge, until Metro sent the reminder a few days back.

About strategy, the male sim learned gardening, handiness and fishing, where the female sim mainly did the collecting around the lots and some fishing.

The first 3 weeks, I spent with my sims visiting the neighbourhood lots, each 2-3 days, collecting everything. The days they spent at home I had the female work on the microscope, rocket and observatory, while the male focused on his plants and handiness skill.
Post Cards, Mysims Trophies, Frogs, Fossils, Gems, Metals and Elements where nearly completed in these weeks, I was only missing a few pieces.

The last 3 weeks where speeded through, I got the fish, plants, aliens, spacerocks, microprints and spaceprints.
I think because I speeded it so I did not catch that many insects, I did not even get half of them, I simply had a hard time seeing them.

So that's basically it. Im very tired right now, I hope its understandable what I wrote.

[Tixxis]

Hi, Lena.
I'm ok with whatever you decide to do score-wise. I'm happy with your explanation. It puts my mind at ease.
Thank you very much for that.
You must be knackered after work and sorting out this bit here. Time to put your feet up and have a nice rest.

[oshizu]

To share availability data about MySims, I started the challenge during the last week and found all the MySims except GothBoy.
The funny thing is that GothBoy is also the only MySims missing from my dynasty file as well. 
The other three rares were the very last three MySims I found. 

[callycat]

I don't think the score needs adjusting if it turns out to be anything to do with the time zone. It wasn't something that could be predicted. and the same difference could just as easily put you at a disadvantage in another challenge.

[Metropolis Man]

I don't think the score needs adjusting if it turns out to be anything to do with the time zone. It wasn't something that could be predicted. and the same difference could just as easily put you at a disadvantage in another challenge.

Exactly. I am totally okay with this, Lena. You can start challenges before players in the States, that's true. But, you also need to post your score earlier than someone in U.S. who chooses to play until the 11th hour.

[LenaLJ]

To share availability data about MySims, I started the challenge during the last week and found all the MySims except GothBoy.
The funny thing is that GothBoy is also the only MySims missing from my dynasty file as well. 
The other three rares were the very last three MySims I found.

Are you fully patched?

Have the rest maybe been unlucky?

[oshizu]

Are you fully patched?

Have the rest maybe been unlucky?

Yes, I manually updated to the May 4th patch the evening it came out. 
I don't feel particularly lucky...
Whereas I spent the last sim week hoping to find the remaining GothBoy MySims, I failed to find the very last item in several collections (e.g, metals/Furium, elements/Firaxium).
I can't contribute to the discussion on insects; after finding half the insects, I gave up since I've never ever completed that collection in any of my other files either.

[ClayMask]

I posted the issue with the MySims trophies and insects at The Sims 4 Bug Reports.  Feel free to contribute to them, or to mark me too if they applied to you.

MySims:  http://answers.ea.com/t5/The-Sims-4-Bug-Reports/Rare-MySim-trophies-missing-from-time-capsules-after-March-26/m-p/4529961#U4529961
Insects:  http://answers.ea.com/t5/The-Sims-4-Bug-Reports/Bee-blue-morpho-and-walking-stick-missing-from-Outdoor-Retreat/m-p/4529966#U4529966

[MSUCalli]

My strategy didn't differ much from anyone else.  I couldn't get the trophies, even using maps in the grotto, and I was so sick of the insects and looking for them that I gave up on that.  Toward the end I was having a spawning issue. Nothing other than the home lot would spawn.  So I was just a couple short on metals and crystals, I believe.  Also had trouble with the aliens, I think I had four left to go on that one.  It was frustrating to be so close on the others though. 

[Ginj]

I had the spawning issue too; ended up; writing off spawners everywhere but the home lot.  My strategy was similar to those already described.  I made postcards and elements a priority and was lucky enough to get those completed before the post got unreliable.  I had both Sims working on everything rather than specialising, so that they both had a variety of options for staying happy and productive.  Bought them Never Weary, Steel Bladder, Antiseptic, Hardly Hungry, Carefree and Independent rather than using potions.  I moved the household several times in hopes that spawners in different neighbourhoods would spawn different items but that didn't seem to make a difference so eventually moved them back to Pebble Burrow.  I couldn't swear that Pebble Burrow has the most spawners but it has the most that I know how to find.   Like others, I had no luck finding bee, morpho butterfly, walking stick or any rare trophies.  Enjoyed the challenge immensely; I love collecting and gardening and have a tough time refraining from it even when it's not conducive to game strategy. 

[Tixxis]

I couldn't swear that Pebble Burrow has the most spawners but it has the most that I know how to find.  

My couple lived just next doors on the Agave Abode lot which I had bulldozed prior to them moving in. I think this is the most prolific area for dig sites.

A thing I forgot to mention on the Aliens collection. I put off upgrading the cargo bay of my rocket ship. When you get 'Moving Day' as an adventure and choose to 'Cram It' you get a live alien every time.
While I'm on the subject, the 'Derelict Vessel' is great for dead aliens, not live ones. The best thing of all was the 'Golden Planet' where you can get both aliens and rocks from. Oh, and if you ever encounter that travel back in time thing, it's worth choosing 'Salvage Mission' - for yet another space rock!

[Shewolf13]

This challenge, at least for me, seemed more about luck than anything.  I followed a lot of the same strategies that I've seen others use, using one Sim to get things like the digging collectibles while one remained at home with the observatory, the microscope, the computer.  But it just seemed no matter how hard I tried or what different things I tried, I just couldn't get anything different after a while.  Yet in a for fun file, I had 2 collections completed before my Sim turned adult.  I actually took a long break from that file because I got so frustrated XD  I did get the mailbox bug, but I don't think I had an issue with dig spots spawning, which was good at least.

Toward the end of the challenge, I did have one of my Sims go into the scientist career just so I could get to the dig spots there, but unfortunately, I left it too late for it to make much of a difference, though being able to use analyzer did help a little with the element collection, but again, just too late to make a difference, sadly.

[Nutella]

My couple lived just next doors on the Agave Abode lot which I had bulldozed prior to them moving in. I think this is the most prolific area for dig sites.

Bulldoze?  How did you manage to do that?

[Tixxis]

Bulldoze?  How did you manage to do that?

I made my Sims in CAS and when I moved them in the world I chose the Agave Abode lot. I had the option to take the lot 'furnished' or 'unfurnished' or 'bulldozed'. I chose 'bulldozed' because I prefer an empty lot.

[Nutella]

Gotcha, thanks.