Looking for simmers willing to give feedback on challenge project

[Tixxis]

I am a little unsure about what would be good budget requirements for the Singleton's starter and the Family Starter. I was thinking 18,000 for the singleton and 24,000 for the family. I don't want to go to the max of what CAS sims/families have when they go in game for the first time, but I do want the budget to be ample.

Another question - it will be hard to spend an exact amount on a build. Would a lower limit i.e.  between 17,500-18,000 simoleons be better ? You would still need to have the full amount before starting to build.

I think it's important to give a minimum budget for the builds. Maximum doesn't really matter. Sims will move in whatever the price.
It occurred to me only now that when the pioneers are ready to move into the next neighborhood, they have to start from scratch on an empty lot again.
That will take some foresight in fund management, I suppose.
Not sure whether a gym would be the first requirement for early settlers.
And does the store count as a 'community lot'?

[ManiSims]

I agree, having a lower limit for the budget would make more sense. For example, around 17,000-18,000 for the single and 20,000-24,000 for the family.

@Tixxis I think the store does count as one of the community lots for the first neighborhood. The other would be the gym.

[Tixxis]

I think the store does count as one of the community lots for the first neighborhood. The other would be the gym.

Hi, Manisims

A retail store makes a lot sense. The 'West' was won on the back of them.
Not sure whether a gym makes a first priority for new settlers, though.

[ManiSims]

Oh, I just said gym because that's what was in the ruleset.

Welcome to the first neighbourhood in Newcrest and your first stop on your journey to build a model city. Here you will be starting out with some starters, a gym and by opening a mom-and-pop's store to feed the community. (...) It's not a fancy place and most of them just want to make it through another day without having a massive bill strip them of their hard earned wages. So make their life easier by providing them with somewhere to work off their frustrations.

[Tixxis]

I know, ManiSims.
Just saying that I don't think that's what first settlers would have gone for from real life history.
Sorry for creating confusion.

[HelenP]

I think a price range for the homes rather than a set amount is a good idea.

Personally I would swap the gym and bar, and by necessity swap some of the aspiration and career goals.  People living in harsh conditions are more likely to want to get drunk than go exercise. 

Can you make duel purpose community lots in this game? If so a Bar & Gym combo would work really well - get fit, get drunk, fight!

[ManiSims]

Oh yeah, the bar does seem more realistic for financially struggling sims. I don't think it's possible to make a dual-purpose lot "officially", but you could always make a gym with a bar included.

[saltpastillen]

Thanks for the feedback.

Yes the retail store is counted as a community lot, because when you move on to the next neighborhood you can visit the store and shop there.

I have been talking to ManiSims about a possible workaround for those with only the base game. So far a food bank is the main contender, where your sims come over and feed the sims in need home cooked food and cake. I would love to make it into a community garden type of place too - but I know sims can not plant and maintain plants on a community lot. Maybe placing them with the hidden objects cheat would be an option - but I don't want to add a lot of rules about cheat. What do you think?

I was actually choosing between the bar and the gym for this neighborhood. Ultimately I picked the gym because I had a theme of physical strength go through the career and aspiration restrictions. I was hearing Eye of the Tiger and picturing Rocky working out at my future gym I wanted to have community lots that promoted healthy  eating (with a bakery - I know the irony) and physical activity in the budget neighborhood.
But feel free to argue why a bar and the careers/aspiration changes would make better sense, I'm open to all suggestions.

I have a concern that the visiting other lot restrictions are to harsh. I am thinking that maybe the sims should be allowed to visit all the neighborhoods in Newcrest - there isn't really much for them to do there anyways. I do not want them to be able to visit any of the other towns- (this is mainly for simmers who do not own Outdoor retreat and don't have the option of going there to collect).

[Tixxis]

I have been talking to ManiSims about a possible workaround for those with only the base game. So far a food bank is the main contender, where your sims come over and feed the sims in need home cooked food and cake. I would love to make it into a community garden type of place too - but I know sims can not plant and maintain plants on a community lot. Maybe placing them with the hidden objects cheat would be an option - but I don't want to add a lot of rules about cheat. What do you think?

I love the idea of the community garden type food bank place.
If the pioneers lived on the lot, they would be able to plant the community garden. Once the work is done, they'd have to move out. Then, it can be made back into a community lot. In the Sims 3 the plants would thrive without any help. Not sure if it works that way in the Sims 4 too.

[dodi90]

By the way about the gym, I think it would be better for the player to roll however they like to play the empty hood since Newcrest itself was made with the idea of that freedom. Like if your first settler chose Athletic Aspiration let the first one be gym. If it is creativity make it Museum, food build park and grill, Deviance build Bar, Family build kids park, knowledge build library, social build lounge, nature build park with fishing pond, For fortune they could build anything but they have to had value of over $50,000.

This is just my idea to make the challenge more flexible yet still restricting rather than forcing you to build a gym for the sake of the backstory that may or may not suit all players.

[saltpastillen]

I think it would be better for the player to roll however they like to play the empty hood since Newcrest itself was made with the idea of that freedom. Like if your first settler chose Athletic Aspiration let the first one be gym. If it is creativity make it Museum, food build park and grill, Deviance build Bar, Family build kids park, knowledge build library, social build lounge, nature build park with fishing pond, For fortune they could build anything but they have to had value of over $50,000.

This is just my idea to make the challenge more flexible yet still restricting rather than forcing you to build a gym for the sake of the backstory that may or may not suit all players.

I see what you are coming from with wishing for more flexibility. When I decided on a linear approach I was considering both how much more money it take to build a mansion rather than a starter and how to lure insecure builders into the challenge. Building a starter is much less daunting than building a mansion - especially for someone who doesn't really like building that much. Also, if sims are allowed to carry over funds in the Building Fund when you move to the next neighbourhood, they can build their fund faster and would not have to spend as much time getting money together when they get to the larger builds.

However, I don't see why you could not choose one of 2 options*:

1. Players do the challenge in sequence, where you start in neighbourhood 1 before doing 2 and 3. Here you always use the same household and the Building Fund would carry over.

or

2. Choose to play each neighbourhood separate. In each neighbourhood you start by creating founders, setting them down on a lot and reducing their starting funds to zero. There is no carryover for the Building Fund because each neighbourhood has a different family.

*The reason I did not initially suggest option number 2 is because there are a lot of other building challenges like this. The Drifter challenge and Block Party challenge to name a few, I wanted something different Which is why I like option 1 more.

What are your thoughts?

*added later*

As for "forcing" someone to build something because it's part of the backstory, I think that one of the reason people like to do challenges in the sims is because they enjoy a framework and rule set to play in. Anyone can build in Newcrest any way they want - this challenge won't change that. It will only give people who enjoy the backstory and more guided gameplay a way to tackle Newcrest for their enjoyment.

I know this challenge won't be to everyone's taste - and I'm ok with that. My aim is not to create something that will make everyone think "yes I want to do this!", I just want to create a combined game and build challenge that will help me get this dang town built once and for all!

BTW, dodi90 thank you for commenting and voicing your views. It has made me reevaluate what my purpose for this challenge really is - and made me more sure than even that I do like the sequential setup of this challenge a lot more than the "free" version.

[saltpastillen]

New and improved version added.

x I have tried to streamline a lot of the layout.

x Added a section on how to manage Building Fund.

x Added a first suggestion to what a build checklist could look like

x Added Furnished prices to the first three residential lots

x Added the lot names under neighbourhoods 2 and 3

[saltpastillen]

Added restrictions to neighbourhoods 2 & 3.

Amended the restrictions in neighbourhood 1.

Added some rules.

Now I will take a break and play the game a while

[ManiSims]

I also think the more strict, sequential format suits this better. That's what makes it a challenge, after all 

[ClayMask]

There are a few little things that I noticed that I would have done differently.

If you are trying to forbid all life extension except pregnancy, I would state that all forms of life extension except pregnancy are forbidden, rather than just listing two methods.
I feel like the Q & A section should go at the end of the challenge, so people can look at it after reading all of the rules.
You wrote that mods that give an unfair advantage are allowed.  I think you meant to write aren't allowed.

The only other things I saw were nitpicky grammar and spelling things, and I'm not sure if this is important to you.  I was a little unclear at first about the rules with moving Sims, and adult aspirations, but I think I understand how it works now.  Good job writing this.  It sounds like fun.