The Apocalypse Challenge Support Thread

[commasplice]

What happens if they aren't bathed? Does the social worker come?

[HelenP]

No, bad hygine is allowed, it makes it harder to level skills and improve relationships though.  Everyone does the 'stinky sim' animation around them and the toddlers have more bad moods.

[KTK10]

I'm just checking now to see if the Social Worker does come or not. The toddler is doing ok on food etc.. (and I also agree not to give him the tablet until that career has been cleared) but really interested in how the hygiene goes.. will let you all know! Was also considering not doing the toddler age at all, just instantly ageing up to a child until the rules are updated..(I know aging up is against the rules but it's not really enjoyable watching my toddler get super hungry, smelly and be sad most of the time)  but will see how it goes!

Edit: Thanks @HelenP you answered before I had to chew my nails waiting to see what happened! Phew!!

[HelenP]

Its highly unlikely that the AC rules will be updated by Pinstar, he said early on that he felt all the updates made the previous versions unwieldy and that he wanted to concentrate on keeping the legacy current. 

[oshizu]

@KTK10
About updates to the Apocalypse Challenge rules: I agree with @HelenP and seriously doubt that the challenge's creator will do updates for the challenge, if he hasn't done them by now.

To anyone who's playing now:

Just throwing out this idea. In this forum's Rival Dynasties Challenge, toddlers are permitted to age up early once they've maxed 3 skills (Potty + 2 more).
If I were still playing this challenge (but I'm not), I'd be tempted to age up my toddlers as soon as they're Level 3 in all 5 skills (and earn the Happy Toddler trait).
Pregnancies are consistently 2 days long now, but shortening it by one day doesn't compensate for the additional week added by toddler phase.

Hehe, two cents from an irresponsible bystander.  *grins sheepishly

[KTK10]

Thanks guys! Didn't think that the rules would be updated... Was holding my breath for the social worker to turn up due to smelly negligence!! Haha. I love your idea @oshizu, sounds great to me!! Hehe

[red_berin]

Hello everyone!

I'm interested in starting an apocalypse challenge in the future, but I can't find any information about whether Master Controller would be a permissible mod. The reason I'm concerned is because it continues to populate worlds without having to play them. Would this be considered an unfair advantage compared to people who do not use the mod?

Thanks!

[HelenP]

My perference is not to use it because we are allowed to turn off townie aging, which makes it redundant. But the ruleset for this challenge is never going to be updated, so if using it will make your game more enjoyable then go ahead.  I would recommend mentioning that you used it in any story you write or if you post a score on Pinstar's website.

[raerean]

I'm getting ready to start this, currently making my wonder child and getting him ready to be chef. He's just aged up to teen and while he may not be a perfect wc, I'm rather happy with him.

[oshizu]

Hello everyone!

I'm interested in starting an apocalypse challenge in the future, but I can't find any information about whether Master Controller would be a permissible mod. The reason I'm concerned is because it continues to populate worlds without having to play them. Would this be considered an unfair advantage compared to people who do not use the mod?

Thanks!

@red_berin
I've never used Master Controller so sorry for the uninformed question, but can't you simply disable the story progression feature of Master Controller?
To echo @HelenP , you don't really need it since we're allowed to turn off townie ageing.
If one's unhappy with the townie pool, my preference would be to clear the Criminal/Oracle career which allows importing Wonder Children from the Gallery.
Ultimately, it's your game. Do what's most fun for you

@raerean
Good luck with your challenge!
I also made a Wonder Child with maxed Cooking and Gourmet Cooking skills. I don't think an absolutely "perfect Wonder Child" exists.
But my wonder child worked out well for my apocalypse challenge, though I regret not having him complete Bestselling Author as a teen.
You will lots of information about your spousal choices by checking out resident info in The Town and Townies Information thread.
Looking forward to hearing how your challenge unfolds.

[red_berin]

I've never used Master Controller so sorry for the uninformed question, but can't you simply disable the story progression feature of Master Controller?
To echo @HelenP , you don't really need it since we're allowed to turn off townie ageing.
If one's unhappy with the townie pool, my preference would be to clear the Criminal/Oracle career which allows importing Wonder Children from the Gallery.
Ultimately, it's your game. Do what's most fun for you

Thank you and @HelenP for the answers! I really only use Master Controller to add to the realism of the game. I like to have the community age along with my Sims and to have them grow their own families as I grow mine. So I'm glad that it's not in any violation of the challenge.

[GlazeyLady]

I've decided to give the Apocalypse Challenge a try for the first time ever, and I am wondering about something that I hope someone can help me with.  In the general rules it says "You may only play your Apocalypse family in the neighborhood and they may not move to new lots during the challenge."  Since this was part of the general rules, not lifted by a career, I thought this meant that you could never leave your starting neighborhood, period. 

Based on that, I interpreted the rules of Diamond Agent to mean that once that's lifted, you can enter houses or businesses within your own neighborhood, but that you could still never leave that neighborhood. 

But then I saw this Q/A on Pinstar's thread:

Q: Would vacationing to Granite Falls be allowed once diamond agent and e-sport gamer are both lifted?
A: (from Pinstar March 3, 2015): Those two and Space Ranger if you want to sleep in tents.

This makes me think I've interpreted this incorrectly, and that once E-Sport Gamer and Diamond Agent are both lifted, your sims can travel anywhere - Is that right? Or are sims always restricted to just the 4 or 5 lots in their own neighborhood?

Thanks!

[oshizu]

Welcome to Apocalypse Anonymous!

Personally, I interpreted the rules as follows:
Lifting eSports Gamer gives us the use of our phone, which means we can now travel out of neighborhoods.
Lifting Diamond Agent allows us to enter lots in our own neighborhood initially. But, once eSports Gamer is lifted as well, we can travel to other neighborhoods and enter community/residential lots there as well.

Unless this were the case, we would lose out on access to valuable community lots in the game and be unable to complete certain aspirations.
One of my Gen2 sims couldn't complete Angling Ace until he was nearly an elder (when the family got eSports and Diamond) because the household lived in a neighborhood with only two fishing spots. That "they may not move to new lots during the challenge" means, I believe, that the Apocalypse household may not leave their starting lot to move into a different lot in the same or different neighborhood.

Have fun and good luck!

[GlazeyLady]

Thank you @oshizu!  I thought that must be the case but wanted anther opinion.  I've just gotten started but will be starting over NOT in Oasis Springs. I didn't think about it not having a jungle gym until my first child aged up and rolled Rambunctious Scamp. At least I'm not very far into it.  I've also made some mistakes, like yoga, because I didn't read all the comments before I started, and lot traits and clubs, which I've gotten used to setting but now feel like shouldn't be used, at least not without some kind of unlock.
I also found your Sanada story and am enjoying it immensely. I have to remind myself not to comment on every chapter since it's not currently happening for you, so my comments would probably make no sense. But just know that it's still being read and enjoyed.  Tatsuya is an elder right now for me. I'm loving the story and every time I have to put it down I can't wait to get back to it.

[oshizu]

I did the exact same thing as you! I moved my founder into Johnny Zest's lot because the Bedrock Straits neighborhood seemed to offer the most apocalyptic vibe. When I had to restart, I chose a more children-family area.
The creator Pinstar has updated the Apocalypse Challenge rules for so long that you'll have many of your own decisions to make about newer Sims 4 content. You are consistently one of the top-scoring Tournament players on this forum, though, so I can imagine you will slay this challenge as well.

For example, I've read some comments on Pinstar's website that imply that the Apocalypse house can only have 3 floors (basement, 1st floor, 2nd floor, and rooftop), but I made a five-story + rooftop house because I enjoy playing large households. But now with toddlers and all their special furnishings and needs, only 3 floors on a 8x8 footprint would be quite impossible.

Thank you so much for your nice words about my Sanada story! You can't imagine how happy that makes me!
When you reach the end of the challenge or anytime earlier, I'd love to hear your thoughts/strategies on the order you chose your career unlocks.