Sit-On-Your-Hands Challege (unrefined)

[Marvelleaux]

The Sit-On-Your-Hand Challenge:

This is a challenge for those of us who have made the game un-fun by becoming too efficient at it. 

1.  You are only allowed to micro-manage your Sims for a total of ONLY 3 hours per Sim day.  You may not manage your Sim during any other time with the sole exception of the Influence interaction.

2.  All rewards may be used, but you may direct your Sims to use them only during the designated three hours.
 
3.  All hacks may be used But you may only "macro-anything" during the three hours.  This includes phone calls!  (I'm not savvy to many other hacks aside from those found here so if there are some that would make this two easy please feel comfortable mentioning them).


Please include other suggestions that will make us micro-managers squirm!

[Grater]

Please include other suggestions that will make us micro-managers squirm!

Combine with e-mail for pants-wetting goodness.

Combine with ISBI, so your one controllable sim can only be controlled for 3 hours a day then becomes an idiot too hahahahahah.

[Grater]

Okay, here's some refinement, rules I might try playing by. Using ISBI termionly so "Torch Bearer" is the controlled sim.

The Torch Bearer can be controlled on weekdays (only), for 3 hours every day (the 3 hours after waking up)
Non TB's can be controlled on weekends (only) for 3 hours.


All of JM's incredibly awesome hacks can be used, like bathroom uses you, bed clock, macrotastics etc, but of course can only be configured during the control-period.

[radiophonic]

Sounds a lot like watching paint dry. 

[Kitiara]

Add in LizzLove's autonomous bed and Inge's automatic teleporter shrub and I think some very amusing disasters would be happening. Constantly. You'd need those 3 hours a day just to clean up the mess. Would auto-power idle be legal? Eh, probably not.

[Marvelleaux]

...Would auto-power idle be legal? Eh, probably not.

Only during the three hours

[Muisie]

Can you start the game and then go to work?

[Marvelleaux]

Can you start the game and then go to work?

I know that to some (maybe most) people this sounds like a boring and stupid idea but for those of us with serious micro-management issues this type of a challenge is seriously difficult.  Normally when I play it is so hyper-managed that I almost never see free-will options and everyone nearly always gets what they want.  The purpose of this challenge is to learn to refine your micromanagement skills under very strict conditions.  That's where the fun is.  If you're the kind of person that likes to sit back and watch what your sims do on thier own then this challenge is not for you.  If you're the kind of person that finds themself hitting spacebar every 3 seconds, scrolling through your sims and queuing up interactions in such a way so that this happens:

Sim 1:  goose wife, tickle toddler, put on thinking cap, make smart milk, macro-clean, macro-skillinator-mechanical
Sim 2:  tickle toddler cuddle toddler, serve dinner
Sim 3:  be tickled, be cuddled, drink smart milk, skill charisma

All the while that you're scrolling through you're constantly changing which Wants are locked so that they will be satisfied after the next interaction...  If this is how you play the game, then this challenge is for you. 

I'm currently only doing this with one sim but I think I'm going to expand it to some of my older, very rich and heavily skilled families and see how it messes with the great things that seem to be happening for them.    If anyone else tries it let me know if it drives you bonkers too. 

[Zeljka]

Sounds a lot like watching paint dry. 

Agree, though I am a terrible control freak and am occasionally pleasantly surprised at what they do when left to their own devices.. I couldn't do it. I don't like 'watching' Sims do stupid things, I like telling them to do smart things and pretending they were going to anyway. heh heh

I did the Freewill Challenge (8 Sims with no controllable hours) and had to leave the room before I burninated them for being so stupid and annoying (accidents 2 squares from the huge unoccupied bathrooms) When I came back the next day (10-12 hours later) all were still alive, 4 had maxed at least 1 skill, 2 were platinum (knowledge/romance) and one had been abducted...

[Marvelleaux]

I did the Freewill Challenge (8 Sims with no controllable hours) and had to leave the room before I burninated them for being so stupid and annoying (accidents 2 squares from the huge unoccupied bathrooms) When I came back the next day (10-12 hours later) all were still alive, 4 had maxed at least 1 skill, 2 were platinum (knowledge/romance) and one had been abducted...

What is the "freewill Challenge" and where do I find it?  Also, where in the SOYH challenge does it say you cannot have BathroomUsesYou installed?

[Zeljka]

It's on the official site:

Freewill/Hostel Challenge

the only Sims who'll really suffer are the Finance Sims and the really stupid ones.

[seven]

The freewill one sounds interesting. I did leave the Pleasants alone for about a sim day and when I got back the girls were dead and both parents were sick. I took it as a blessing since the Pleasants are pretty annoying to me. I may have to try this again.

[jack_d_spratt]

OK, I had played with leaving Sims alone on free will long ago, and I didn't remember having the types of problems people say they have.  So I built a house and I put 6 Sims in it.  One of each aspiration and one stat maxed, the rest of the stats fairly balanced.  Since there are only 5 stats available I had to duplicate one, I duplicated neatness.  I put no thought into which aspirations should have which stat maxed, nor did I put any thought into turn ons/off.  I just chunked it together fast.

I put the 6 Sims in the house, I take control of one Sim on Thursday to pay the bills (both Tuesday and Thursday bills), and I order groceries at that time.  I will allow myself to call a repairman once on either Sundays and/or Thursdays.  Other than that, nothing.

After one Sim week, all Sims are alive and doing fine on needs.  They don't take care of their wants, but I only have one in red aspiration (first time I'd had a Sim panhandling on the street).  It was a little ugly after the shower broke on Friday, it took multiple Sims mopping up almost all the time to keep up with the puddle until I called a repairman on Sunday.  And I find that if a Sim is interrupted preparing a meal, it takes a couple of days before anyone decides to clean it up.  No roaches yet, I'll let them live with roaches if they show up.

But all in all, they wave their arms at me every now and again, and then they just go off and take care of the problem.  They're basically doing fine. 

Now, the house is designed for this purpose as follows:  Large rooms, open plan, 3 toilets in separate rooms, 3 showers.  Plenty of beds.  4 large refrigerators (so I only have to order food once a week), 2 stoves, plenty of counters.  And (this is important) the trash compactor is very close to the front door (you do not want to have a Sim taking out the trash interrupted).  But most of the size and furnishings are simply due to the number of Sims, it isn't all that special.  I can see no reason my legacy house wouldn't work (I'd have to order food more often, and the trash thing might be an issue).

I could see children dying since no one has "Served" a meal, they make individual portions.  But given that adult Sims have the necessary facilities, I can't see a Sim dying due to being left alone.  What's up?

[Kitiara]

Part of it may be that you let them pay bills. And call a repairman. Once the repoman starts taking things (especially if they are important things) or stupid sims try to make their own repairs (think electrocution) sims are more likely to die. And, once a sim dies, more will. Sims with low motives are very susceptible to being scared to death. Not that this isn't doable, but death is likely. Very likely.

[jack_d_spratt]

Well, if the purpose is to watch them starve and die, surely I've gone about it wrong.  But the ISBI challenge involves running one Sim all the time.  For this challenge you get 3 hours per day (I didn't use 3 hours in a week). The Freewill /Hostel challenge ends after 5 real hours.  Now I don't know how many Sim hours that will entail, I spent most of that week with the speed cranked up.   

But I wasn't intending on doing any challenge, just an evaluation of how well Sims get along on their own.  And they've gotten along real well left to their own devices.

[Zeljka]

But I wasn't intending on doing any challenge, just an evaluation of how well Sims get along on their own.  And they've gotten along real well left to their own devices.

Yes, but you gave them skills and are still directing them. The purpose of freewill is partially testing how proactive you are in the planning stage as there is no direction allowed.

Redundant fridges, bathrooms, trash compactors and dishwashers, smoke detectors up the wazoo and plenty of 'autonomous' skill building things like chess boards...
Children wouldn't die, Sims occasionally 'serve' on their own, and if they have a toy oven, they will cook when they're hungry. There would be issues with homework and perhaps Social worker removal if their grades slipped too far...

[Berg]

I have had a few families that I've never controlled in any way (except for paying bills/order groceries) - one of them were a family with my self-sim and sim versions of my friends - I laughed like a maniac every second watching them! It's very fun and interesting when you otherwise - like me - tend to micromanage your sims in absurdum sometimes.

One of my recent projents was putting Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini and Churchill under one roof - priceless! You can watch some of the mess on the exchange...