Congratulations, ClayMask!
This was another decisive victory with a huge margin. Thank you so much for your write-up. It's absolutely fab all round.
I'm coming a bit late to the celebrations here. But it's Royal Ascot in the UK and I just had to place a few wagers beforehand.
Got my first winner in at 12-1 so I'm doubly cheering now!
My strategy is not half as impressive, but I'll post it anyway.
What you need to know before reading is this: I wanted to do as much as I could in a linear fashion (one skill after another) without other Sims involved.
In the end, only two skill sets got entwined and only one other Sim was involved.
The picture below shows the days Eliza finished her skills.
FitnessEliza did stretch exercises until level 3 (no tiredness, no fatigue). She could now use research fitness on the computer which prevents injuries and allows to keep working out despite fatigue. From level 3 she did endurance runs on the treadmill. From level 8 she did epic workouts.
Home Cooking / Gourmet CookingIf you open the skill bar in the bottom corner of the screen, you can actually measure the skill rate of your Sim. I found that quality of the appliances or type of meal made no difference. Eliza went mainly for the cheapest options unless her whims dictated otherwise. She had a painting above her cupboard. Her autonomous viewings were very short, because she was cooking, but it kept her amused.
PaintingShe completed Painter Extraordinaire upon reaching level 10. Decor and viewing inspired work were enough to crank out the 5 required masterpieces beforehand.
ComedyEliza used the right decor plus a playful painting for viewing and a microphone. She told jokes all the way through, always maintaining a very playful mood and never becoming hysterical.
WritingShe wanted to complete Bestselling Author quick and only wrote comedy books. The requirement for 3 bestsellers was fulfilled at level 8.
I handled this wrong. Eliza viewed inspired art. But if she had played a mod game in between books (5 minutes max for an epic game moodlet) she could have levelled the skill about 6 hours earlier.
PianoEliza started with this instrument, because it provides a comfortable moodlet. She practiced until level 2. She could now research piano. She played for inspiration until level 4. From there on, she played concertos.
ViolinPractice until level 2. Research violin. Play for inspiration until level 4. Concertos.
GuitarPractice until level 2. Research guitar. Play for inspiration until level 4. Jam- jam-jam all the way.
MixologyI read about Pros and Pop and Amygdelight and never tested it! How bad is that?
Eliza practiced making drinks until level 6 and then practiced bar tricks all the way.
BakingAgain, type of recipe made no difference in skill rate. She started with sugar cookies and then made bread. She used a stove because the cupcake factory needs refilling and cleaning ever so often.
GardeningEliza wanted to complete Nerd Brain, so she part read all the gardening books. From level 2, she used research.
She ordered seeds and planted 24 plants in two rows of 12.
From level 5, she would take cuttings from row 1 and graft these on row 2. She did this 1 cutting at the time, because grafting does gets easily broken in my games. As soon as row 2 was up for it, she took cuttings and grafted these on row 1. She maxed the skill in less than 24 hours.
LogicEliza used a telescope and viewed a mathematical diagram.
HandinessEliza had level 2 already from repairing broken items. She upgraded showers because it is cheapest for parts until level 8. Then, she upgraded some cheap kitchen appliances. At level 9, she had to upgrade her telescope only once to max to skill.
Rocket ScienceShe built it, launched it 5 times and upgraded it 5 times which was enough to max the skill and also secured completion of the Nerd Brain aspiration.
Interlude (1)
Eliza took a short break in Granite Falls at this stage. About 6 hours after arrival, she used travel mode to harvest plants and went back home. She acquired video gaming skill from her tablet in that time.Video gamingEliza used a tablet up to level 7. This handy tool allows your Sim to watch live stream games from level 0. It allows for research from level 5. Thereafter, Eliza used the computer to do just these two things. It gives the best skill increase. But, there is a cool down period of three hours in between sessions. This seemed a good time to work on the programming skill.
ProgrammingAt level 3, Eliza created a game mod. Thereafter, she mainly created viruses. Playing a mod game for a few minutes kept her spirits up. The happy moodlet from playing an epic game just about covers the time to create a virus.
HerbalismThis took 9 hours - which is rather long - but Eliza made insect repellent liniments for her upcoming fishing days.
CharismaEliza snatched a passerby from the street with an Incredibly Friendly introduction. She shamelessly used the Great Kisser perk, because she would need a husband of sorts soon.
MischiefIn my opinion, the quickest way to level this skill is by sending chain letters. But as Eliza only knew one Sim at this stage, she used the nicer mischievous interactions.
Interlude (2)
Eliza had another small break to get married to the only person she knew. They kept separate households, of course.FishingEliza was already deliriously happy, but placed a frog near her chosen fishing spot for a permanent environment moodlet. She also used her insect repellent liniments to boost her mood further.
She didn't examine the water and rarely switched bait. She just kept fishing while maintaining her very happy or very confident mood.
Aspiration Rewards in order:
Gym Rat, Night Owl, Morning Sim, Savant, Speed Cleaner, Steel Bladder, Connections, Marketable, Creative Visionary, Hardly Hungry, Incredibly Friendly, Great Kisser
Aspirations in order:
Bodybuilder, Painter Extraordinaire, Bestselling Author, Renaissance Sim, Nerd Brain, Fabulously WealthyThis challenge was tremendous fun! Thank you so much.
