The Sims 3 Townie DecaDynasty Challenge

[KRae]

I uninstalled Seasons from the beginning knowing that probably would be difficult. Without tutoring I do get kids on the honor roll in 4 days. I have them work hard the first two days. By day 2 they get an A. On the 4th day they get their third A day and reach the honor roll.

[PeregrineTook]

Regarding the honor roll for elementary, as long as I do tutoring on the day they age up to get them to an A, they make it to honor roll with no problem.  I also use the moodlet mobile and drive to a couple different spots with them so I have no need for food/bathroom/cleaning/sleeping breaks on the day I tutor them.
Hope that helps!

[susiecue]

@susiecue: A think @MarianT might had Seasons installed for at least a portion of her DecaDynasty (it started before the EP was released).

One tip is to make the seasons nine days long instead of seven, as then the holidays land on weekends.

I was wondering if it would be allowed to make the first season nine days long to move the holiday to the weekend then switch it back to seven days so that the holiday stays on the weekend.  I know this is tinkering, but it seems to me that all it does is make it fair for Seasons players, putting us on a level playing field with anyone else.

[susiecue]

Regarding the honor roll for elementary, as long as I do tutoring on the day they age up to get them to an A, they make it to honor roll with no problem.  I also use the moodlet mobile and drive to a couple different spots with them so I have no need for food/bathroom/cleaning/sleeping breaks on the day I tutor them.
Hope that helps!

How would you already have a moodlet mobile in time for the first heir though?  I typically have 30K LTR points at most by then.

[PeregrineTook]

Regarding the honor roll for elementary, as long as I do tutoring on the day they age up to get them to an A, they make it to honor roll with no problem.  I also use the moodlet mobile and drive to a couple different spots with them so I have no need for food/bathroom/cleaning/sleeping breaks on the day I tutor them.
Hope that helps!

How would you already have a moodlet mobile in time for the first heir though?  I typically have 30K LTR points at most by then.

Valid question.  Depends on the LTW for you founder, really.  Some can be accomplished quite quickly, so that can play into choice of founder or who the founder moves in as a helper.
In my current attempt, I didn't have enough, so I just made sure the heir and the tutor had plenty of sleep the day before and then caked at the stroke of midnight.  All day tutoring time!

[susiecue]

Regarding the honor roll for elementary, as long as I do tutoring on the day they age up to get them to an A, they make it to honor roll with no problem.  I also use the moodlet mobile and drive to a couple different spots with them so I have no need for food/bathroom/cleaning/sleeping breaks on the day I tutor them.
Hope that helps!

How would you already have a moodlet mobile in time for the first heir though?  I typically have 30K LTR points at most by then.

Valid question.  Depends on the LTW for you founder, really.  Some can be accomplished quite quickly, so that can play into choice of founder or who the founder moves in as a helper.

I pick my sims for their genetics not their LTWs.  I'm shallow like that. 

After two failed attempts with Vallari Chandra, I'm trying with Gracie Loveland - and neither of them had LTW I'm likely to fulfill (more likely I'll change it by buying the relevant LTR).  On the plus side, Babycakes is such a needy cat that the Social Worker came to take her away.  Hopefully that social worker lives long enough to count as an NPC friend!  But I timed the pregnancy so that I think the kid will age up on Saturday.  If a whole weekend of tutoring (minus needs fulfillment) doesn't do it, nothing will!

[PeregrineTook]

Regarding the honor roll for elementary, as long as I do tutoring on the day they age up to get them to an A, they make it to honor roll with no problem.  I also use the moodlet mobile and drive to a couple different spots with them so I have no need for food/bathroom/cleaning/sleeping breaks on the day I tutor them.
Hope that helps!

How would you already have a moodlet mobile in time for the first heir though?  I typically have 30K LTR points at most by then.

Valid question.  Depends on the LTW for you founder, really.  Some can be accomplished quite quickly, so that can play into choice of founder or who the founder moves in as a helper.

I pick my sims for their genetics not their LTWs.  I'm shallow like that. 

After two failed attempts with Vallari Chandra, I'm trying with Gracie Loveland - and neither of them had LTW I'm likely to fulfill (more likely I'll change it by buying the relevant LTR).  On the plus side, Babycakes is such a needy cat that the Social Worker came to take her away.  Hopefully that social worker lives long enough to count as an NPC friend!  But I timed the pregnancy so that I think the kid will be born on Saturday.  If a whole weekend of tutoring (minus needs fulfillment) doesn't do it, nothing will!

Hope that the weekend of tutoring gets the job done.  If not, pick your genetically preferred founders, then move in a helper with an easy LTW.  I like ones like heartbreaker, master romancer, swimming in cash (since the 30K point a founder can rack up by baby time will buy a lamp which will bring fortune which will fulfill this LTW as will a kleptomaniac stealing cars if you're lucky enough to have such a Sim in the household), or get a Sim like Nina Caliente who is 2 friends away from accomplishing her goal at the start of the game.  She's a nice resource that way.

[hazelnut]

Or a level 10 cook with the Culinary Librarian wish (with Pets installed), like Emmaline Rhoen or Carlotta GilsCarbo, whose wish will be fulfilled as soon as they move in.  Or, on the subject of Monte Vista, Gino Ferrari is very close to his 5-star chef wish, and would also get you the amazing fridge.

[susiecue]

Hope that the weekend of tutoring gets the job done. ...

It did.  Younger brother was not so lucky though.  The family dog died on his aging-up day, and there was no way to keep his mood high enough while at school.  Fortunately, it's only the heir that has to meet this requirement.

That said, I still think that allowing Seasons players to choose which day of the week their holidays fall on would be the fairest decision.

[PeregrineTook]

Hope that the weekend of tutoring gets the job done. ...

It did.  Younger brother was not so lucky though.  The family dog died on his aging-up day, and there was no way to keep his mood high enough while at school.  Fortunately, it's only the heir that has to meet this requirement.

That said, I still think that allowing Seasons players to choose which day of the week their holidays fall on would be the fairest decision.

I'm no moderator by any stretch, but I imagine their logic would fall somewhere in the realm of "your choice, your responsibility" in that you can choose to simply play it without Seasons to avoid that issue (and snow days as the good Lord knows how annoying those can be and I have sent multiple children to school while it was closed to ensure they make honor roll).  Of course, they'd put it more politely, but it's along the lines of using an item/career/etc. with known glitches.  You can do it, but you choose the negatives as well as the positives.
That said, I believe there is a tip earlier in this thread about setting your seasons to 9 days so that you will have holidays sometimes occurring on weekends.  Of course, I ignored this glorious advice and have my holiday every Thursday, but I like the routine of it and knowing for sure when to expect it, I suppose.
Finally, now that you've gotten heir one on the honor roll (and are therefore off to an excellent start), are you going to start posting your decadynasty?

[susiecue]

While I can see your point, I'd argue that it's much closer to players being allowed to clone and place the Nectary, Scholar's Garden, etc. to have a convenient source of skilling objects that you're not really supposed to have without traveling.

I compromised by setting my seasons to 9/7/7/7 - so that I got the first heir to have the childhood holiday on Saturdays (I think the first heir is probably the hardest) but still get some consistency.  I have most weather turned off for performance reasons (since I'm playing on a tablet) so at least don't have to deal with snow days.

I will probably start posting my Dynasty once the heir makes it to young adulthood.  I am not a very good storyteller though so it would be pretty bare bones.

[PeregrineTook]

While I can see your point, I'd argue that it's much closer to players being allowed to clone and place the Nectary, Scholar's Garden, etc. to have a convenient source of skilling objects that you're not really supposed to have without traveling.

I compromised by setting my seasons to 9/7/7/7 - so that I got the first heir to have the childhood holiday on Saturdays (I think the first heir is probably the hardest) but still get some consistency.  I have most weather turned off for performance reasons (since I'm playing on a tablet) so at least don't have to deal with snow days.

I will probably start posting my Dynasty once the heir makes it to young adulthood.  I am not a very good storyteller though so it would be pretty bare bones.

Fair enough.  Like I said, I'm not in any way, shape, or form a moderator and would never pretend to speak for them, I just imagine it would be where the logic would fall as I read and interpret the rules and discussions.  Never hurts to ask, though.
I look forward to following your story.  I enjoy spinning a story with them, but I also really enjoy the "here's what happened" accounts.  I don't think everything needs to turn into a story.  I end up writing that way, but that's just me.  You write as just you and we'll enjoy and appreciate your unique voice  :=)

[KRae]

Mine are only stories if you put quotes around the word. I hope you do post as I enjoy reading anyone's efforts with TS3. I realized why getting on the honor roll is easier for my sims. I always put a little sun from the dancing sunflowers in their inventory (except for evil sims). It improves their mood a bunch.

[susiecue]

I almost made it, but have had to restart again.  I thought I would fail due to lack of tombstone, but Gracie managed to die again of old age while I was still waiting for the much older Benjamin to kick the bucket.  (She had found a death flower without my knowledge, escaping her first death.)  Benjamin lived to the ripe old age of 125 - and died just 2 days before his son would have aged up.

Where I failed was in choosing Angler as a career with Seasons installed.  Too much cold weather really limited how many death fish the heir could catch and he only made it to level 9.

So, I give up on Seasons and am playing without it this time.  Hopefully I won't lose too many good items.  I don't think it introduced any careers.

I will post the new story - though it may not be as eventful as the last run through.

[PeregrineTook]

I almost made it, but have had to restart again.  I thought I would fail due to lack of tombstone, but Gracie managed to die again of old age while I was still waiting for the much older Benjamin to kick the bucket.  (She had found a death flower without my knowledge, escaping her first death.)  Benjamin lived to the ripe old age of 125 - and died just 2 days before his son would have aged up.

Where I failed was in choosing Angler as a career with Seasons installed.  Too much cold weather really limited how many death fish the heir could catch and he only made it to level 9.

So, I give up on Seasons and am playing without it this time.  Hopefully I won't lose too many good items.  I don't think it introduced any careers.

I will post the new story - though it may not be as eventful as the last run through.

Oh no!  So sorry to hear you got that close only to have things fall apart.  The good thing I've found about that, having failed in multiple dynasty attempts, is that each new start holds better insight and a clearer plan.
Looking forward to seeing your next effort!