The Sims 4 Rival Dynasties Challenge

[Nutella]

Looking forward to the tips.  I need all the help I can get!  I've been play testing just the retail option (to see if it's doable) on one person only and find selling to be such a slow process.  He's just become an adult and the shop is only worth $19,000.

You can transfer household funds to retail funds to increase the shop worth.   However you still need to work on selling to get the retail points to buy perks for the requirement.

Okay, that aside, I have another question.  If the founder moves in a potential partner and they bring 20,000 with them, is that okay?  Can we keep that money?
She also brought a teenager daughter and son (still a child) with her, which I had no idea she had considering she was still just a young adult herself.  She must have got knocked up really young   

Yes that is ok, you can keep the money.

[Carl]

I wanted to congratulate the Challenge Team on a fantastic new creation. I think this is the most unique Dynasty to date, given the rotational play component and' race'. It really does seem tough given the restrictions, though it is doable with some planning. It's cool you guys worked in an option for people without Get to Work!

I didn't even really know about this style of play until MarianT wrote a guide for me, so I'm glad to see others will learn how this works. Even if they fail or give up on the Dynasty, people might want to play more than one household in the future and will understand how all of that works. You guys are amazing at this, I'm honored to host it on the site and to have you all getting members some extra mileage out of their game! 

[crstasse]

Now he's at level 7 in the science career he's bringing in some good money, which I've figured out how to transfer into the shop.  I might just make it    I think the only thing that might be my undoing are the selling perks.  Glad to know I can keep the 20,000 from his partner.  He needed that money to build bedrooms for her two kids 

[Nutella]

You could also have your partner help out in the shop, your heir doesn't have to do it alone.

The only tip I can offer for retail shop is do not set your price too high, you want to sell / restock fast initially to get the retail perk points, chatting retail things with customers will help also.  Once you have all the perk points requirement done, then you can look towards making money via other methods and transfer it to the shop.  You could also start buying really expensive item in your shop (like $15,000 violin), mark it up 100%, then use your "sure sale" perk on the customer - that will be a $30,000 sale there.

[MarianT]

Also, @crstasse, I'd recommend that you not combine the science career with running a shop. If you're following your sim to work, then you can't also follow a spouse or helper to the shop. The rabbithole careers are the best for the retail option. Nutella's advice is also worth following.

[reggikko]

I have a question about maxing skills. Say your first heir maxes logic. Sims will autonomously do things that increase logic, like use the microscope. Do we have to actually prevent them from maxing a claimed skill or is it just that they cannot claim that skill as one of the bloodline's unique skills?

4. The heir must max two skills (excluding photography) unique in that bloodline. For example, you may have one sim in each bloodline max painting, cooking, etc. Heirs may work on other skills but not max ones that have already been claimed.

The wording here makes it seem that they cannot max a claimed skill at all. If that is the case, that means quite a lot of micromanaging. Once my Sims complete their requirements, I generally let them free-range. That may not be relevant due to the moving house aspect.

Another example is that with the Alien option, The Founder and subsequent heirs would all have to max Rocket Science in order to get the rocket ship fully upgraded, with the exception of a Sim who enters the Science career. I think that answers the question, but I'd still like clarification.

So, it would look something like this:

Sim A: Logic and Rocket Science.
Sim B: Rocket Science (not claimed) plus two unique skills.

Is this correct?

[Nutella]

Yes, you have to prevent future heirs from maxing a "claimed" skill within that bloodline. 
If your 1st heir maxes logic and claim it unique, then no future heirs from that bloodline can max logic.
If your 1st heir maxes logic but doesn't claim it as his unique skill, then logic can be max by anybody because it is a "free" skill.

For Alien option, rocket science will have to be the free skill.
Founder: Rocket Science (free)
Heir #1: Rocket Science (free) + Logic + one other unique skill
Heir #2: Rocket Science (free) + two unique skills

Make sense?

[MarianT]

@reggikko, There are some skills that you probably won't want to use as unique skills. If you're using the Alien option, you definitely won't want one of your heirs to max Rocket Science as that will mean that none of your other heirs can max it. However, you might have an heir in the Mansion Baron option or Retail option max Rocket Science since it's unlikely that any other heir would need that skill. Logic, cooking, fitness and charisma are other skills that you might want to keep "free" for all your heirs. You definitely need to check on what skills have to be maxed for what careers and aspirations. For example, maxing logic is required for the astronaut, secret agent, and possibly the business career, and sims in the science, doctor and detective careers build logic at work.

Also, you won't want your founder maxing any skill that you might want to use for an heir. Luckily, once your heir has completed the requirements, he or she can move, and you won't have to worry about what the founder or previous heir does.

[reggikko]

Just to be sure: Sim A maxes logic, but does not claim it. Sim B also maxes logic, but does not claim it. Can Sim C then claim logic? If so, then Sims D, E, etc. cannot either max or claim logic. Or, once Sims A and B both max logic is it then an unclaimable skill, ie can it then only be a shared skill?

EDIT:

Also, you won't want your founder maxing any skill that you might want to use for an heir.

Ahh, nevermind. I reread this bit.

I can see the strategy for this one is going to be tricky.

[simfulicious]

If ANY founder/heir claims it, then it cannot be maxed by another heir.

[MarianT]

Additionally, if any founder or heir maxes it, then it cannot be claimed by a later heir.

[Nutella]

As long as you don't "claim" a skill unique, anybody can max it.  If you "claim" it as unique, then it better be unique to that heir in that bloodline only.

[crstasse]

Thanks for the advice.  You are definitely right about the science career! Though I don't follow him every day to work, and now just every second or third day.  The science career is definitely a good one for the Alien option though.  I have the whole family helping in the shop now    I've managed three out of the five perks.  The sales are happening a lot quicker and boy does the faster restocking make life a LOT easier.  But he has just become an elder so time is running out.

I have another question.  With the mansion baron aspiration, does that still apply to the retail and alien option??  Just that I read the heir must achieve a unique aspiration other than Mansion Baron.  He or she may not switch aspirations until that aspiration has been achieved.  I take it that the 'other than' means he has to do the Mansion Baron aspiration along with a unique one too? 

[MarianT]

In the Mansion Baron option, the heir has to max a unique aspiration and after moving to a new lot has to max the Mansion Baron aspiration. I suppose if none of your founders pick the Mansion Baron option, then one of your heirs could pick it as the unique aspiration to achieve.

[EtnaFan666]

Am I ever glad that Get To Work was on sale from Origin today! Disgea 5 can wait! (Sorry, didn't mean to yell . I'll tone it down, I don't want to lose my account to hyper voice.  )

Of course, I'm sure a lot of purists will complain a bit about the whole Alien and Retail aspect but I think it's interesting.

So this is Dynasty Challenge #2, huh? I am reminded of the Prosperity Challenge from Sims 2, where you had to play each household for a week. Of course, in Sims 2 each household is a bubble and time is frozen outside of it, but having to leave a family alone in free will for a week is pretty interesting nonetheless.

Kudos to MarianT for her coming up with this and you, Metro, for helping her with it. I knew you had teased at a collab between you two, but this is pretty nifty.

EDIT: So I've read the rules and it looks like it's the unholy child of a Prosperity Challenge(from Sims 2) and the old Townie Decadynasty you had before(only we don't play townies). It's not too bad, but I want to raise some issues as well:

(1) You had provided a sound alternative to the Alien Option to those who don't have Get to Work, but nothing for the Retail Option, which is also exclusive to GTW. I'm sure you'll hammer out the bugs soon enough. (EDIT 2: I am seriously editing this too much; I missed Nutella's post saying that you don't have to do different options - if you don't have GTW, you have the Mansion Option for all three or the alternate Alien Option.)

(2) I am completely new to rotational play thought I did try my hand at a Prosperity a long time ago when Sims 2 was the shizzle so I know how it works. So, there is an option to turn off aging for anyone who you aren't playing, so it becomes similar to The Sims 2 in play style? Interesting. Even so, there's a chance one could bomb the challenge completely and have one legacy win by forfeit because the others committed hara-kari by accident. I'm a bit paranoid about leaving my precious Sims to Free Will. <_<

Still, this is a great idea for a challenge, and when the rules have been finalized on December, I'll try it. As I said, just bought digital copies of Get to Work so I can't wait to test things out. Maybe a quickie challenge that won't take as long as Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix to play to whet the lips, if you get my gist.