This is exactly what is needed. I like the idea of a royal family that collects taxes (or as Lion put it - a treasurer). But even if this could be automated, I still feel it would be a major pain in the ass to constantly subtract funds from the family whenever making a new community lot. But if taxes were automated this would make it much more practical to use in game.

Taking direct control of taxes may work well in the early portion of the game, but I feel that manually taking care of taxes would eventually become just too tiresome. As much as I want to make the game as realistic as possible, I think that comes a point where realism must be sacrificed for gameplay. I would be open to this form of tax collection if there was some sort of modification that automatically did it for me, but to my knowledge none exists.


But doesn't random choices (for community lots) just lead to building community lots that aren't practical to your sims' needs? To my understanding, it seems you want the sims to choose their community lots autonomously. But choosing a building randomly does not mean *they* are choosing it. All it means is that the building is chosen at random, which does not seem very practical.  I like the idea of the sims autonomously choosing what to build but unfortunately this is not possible because sims are retarded and do not know what is best for them.

And to my larger point... In the Sims 3 it is impossible to accurately simulate business. Sure, through the manual transfer of money like you proposed we can have the town buy the "grocery store" but what would be the motive of the town to do so? Who would profit from it? And if no one profits, then what is the point of having the business at all, much less a business chosen completely randomly. In real life, towns do not use taxes to buy businesses. People are taxed to pay for water, electricity, protection, etc. Taxes are not used to pay for science centers, diners, and bookstores. Businesses are paid for by private individuals for the sole reason of making money. As of now, there is no business component to the sims 3 so it is not possible to simulate this area of life accurately. This is why I think it is best to keep the community lot part of the game simple. For me personally, manually taking away taxes to spend on specific things is too time consuming and seems more like a chore than a benefit to gameplay. I see where you are going with it, and maybe in the future there will be mods that can do this type of thing automatically. Until then, I feel that having unlockable-community-lots is the best way to simulate this without harming gameplay. It is certainly not perfect or very accurate to how things really work, but presently it is the best way to represent realism without making it seem like a chore. But if it works for you, keep doing it.



Thanks, this is exactly what I was looking for.


UPDATE...

I've been thinking it over, and I have warmed up to the idea. I've tried it out and its actually not as complicated as I thought it would be. I've added your tax system to the rules.

I didn't start my sims in the graveyard I just put them in an objectless park. They had to buy there first bench. Usually it only takes a day or two for them to catch enough fish to afford one. Then I just have them alternate until I can buy more.


I've never heard of this. What is the random stuff file? Are taxes still collected? I always just used the excuse that the sims' taxes paid for the buildings
(I have a somewhat realistic billing mod and the sims are taxed a ridiculous amount of money, much like it is in reality)  If there is a way to make them actually pay for it, I'd be interested in seeing it.



I considered starting out with a certain amount of sims and to do away with immigration altogether but in order to make this work you would need an enormous starting generation to prevent future generations from inbreeding with one another. Even if you had a large enough sample, I feel the game would lose some of its excitement. I like mixing things up in the neighborhood every once in a while.




Do they work with Pescado's rule of six. I also think that life expectancy should be allowed to continually increase if generations have enough successful people in the medical field. Have you made any mods for ages older than that?




[/quote]

I just constantly destroy them to prevent my sims from developing any attachments. The npc's don't have a family or a home anyways, so they do not really "exist" in the reality of my town.

You can do anything you want to do. I'm putting this together so you can get ideas about what you want to incorporate into your game. While in other games a strict set of rules might be appropriate, it is a bit pointless to follow a rigid/inflexible rule book for the Sims, because the game can technically last forever. I don't even follow my own rules sometimes if they no longer interest me - which I admit makes me question the usefulness of a rulebook if the so-called "rules" don't even have to be followed. It's not perfect. It would be nice if I could magically design the sims to be the game I really want it to be. Overall, however, I find it useful to construct this list because although the rules maybe somewhat arbitrary, they have added to my enjoyment of the game and it has also made me appreciate how the game can be endlessly complex if a player wants it to be. Unlike movies and books, games are malleable in nature, and I think that is important that things do not get too strict. Think of this as a collection of suggestions rather than a strict rule book.

MISSION: To create a set of practical rules that reflects real life as much as much possible without sacrificing playability


The point of this is to create a Lord of The Flies type rule book where you have to build an entire society by scratch. If you have any ideas please tell me. My goal is to create a set of rules that reflects real life as much as possible -which in The Sims 3 case is pretty much impossible-. I know people can just make up their own rules, but it makes it a lot easier if they can refer back to a document.

The following rules create, in my opinion, as realistic a game as you can create with the sims without making it a bore. Sims are given absolutely nothing to start, save for the lot, and have to earn every tiny thing in their pathetic little lives. No millionaire Goths or sims who mysteriously start out with a cooshy mansion despite doing nothing to deserve it.

Rules....These are the rules I have come up with. Obviously you can pick and choose which ones to follow, depending on your playing preference. I plan on updating these if I get good suggestions or come up with something more interesting.


RULES

Start out with a completely empty Riverview or Sunset Valley. Destroy all houses.Murder everyone: Type Destroyallhumans to get rid of every person. Save all of the community lots seperately so you can build
them later when the time is appropriate. DO NOT delete the graveyard but delete all of the previous graves.

Pick an empty lot that contains a pond with fish (it can be a park or something with trees but no benches or any objects from buy mode). Pick a very large lot as you will want to fit as many sims as you can during the initial phases.

Once you have a suitable lot picked out, create 2 sims- 1 female and 1 male, young adult.

Once you have moved them in, hold down CTR-SHT-C. Type in "money 0" so they are completely bankrupt (cheats must be enabled from the config in order for this to work)

You can move in additional adults after this into the lot. But keep track of what your money was before  the new people move in, so that after they move in you can set the money back to what it was. Do NOT keep the funds that the new sims bring in because this would be way to easy if you get 20,000 dollars per every move in.Once your lot gets full and you have enough money you can relocate a few sims to another lot. Repeat once you have more money to buy additional areas of the land. With enough hard work, you can fill up your town. Do not move in CAS sims who start out with 20,000 K into a new lot, as this defeats the purpose of the challenge. New sims must start out with absolutely nothing and must start out living communally until the can afford to move.


Additional Rules/downloads

Awesome mod with awesome story driver must be enabled.

Also, download Pescado's rule of 6 formula for accurate aging.

http://www.moreawesomethanyou.com/smf/index.php?PHPSESSID=b983cb584532b747aedff2cb20db1657&topic=16801.0

No carpools or school buses to start. Download this mod to get rid of the two (will not conflict with awesomemod to my knowledge) http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=351420. If sims hail a taxi, cancel it. Make them run to each place until you can afford a bike. Once you have a couple bikes, you wont have to worry about the taxi problems.

For dirt roads. Download Regina's default replacements. http://bogsims.com/sims3/regina/misc/roads.htm



Economy


Taxes/Community lots
Everything must be earned

Download TheNinthWave's no bills mod. I have attached it below because you have to sign up to sapphire sims to get it.

Once a week, deduct 20% (or however much you want) manually from other lots and transfer money to RULING FAMILY. The ruling family may spend taxes on whatever they want, including community lots. If you want to build a community lot, you must deduct the cost from the ruling family.

Building rewards

Science building= unlocks objects requiring electricity

GOVERNMENT

monarchy

The first male (or female) sim you create is ruler. If ruler produces offspring, the first born is the successor. If no offspring is produced, the most popular sim within the royal family will be elected.
Rinse and repeat.

Assassination

If ruler is murdered by another sim but a successor still lives then the new ruler is determined by his or her popularity within the royal family. If the assassin has more friends within the royal family than the prince (or princess)  then the assassin becomes king. If the reverse of this is true, then prince inherits the throne and the assassin is killed.

Assassination can only occur if the assassin has the wish to see ghost of the particular king. So be careful who your king pisses off.

Punishment (monarchy)
If you happen to find a stolen item in your sims' inventory (excluding the kings) then you must roll to see if your sim is caught. To make this process easier use the RandomStuff program. RandomStuff is a utility written by Hook to generate random numbers or events of a preset that you can define: http://www.moreawesomethanyou.com/smf/index.php/topic,8253.0.html

Possesses Stolen item...
Caught (death) 1/10 chance
Caught (life in dungeon) 1/10 chance
Not Caught 7/10 chance

If your sim murders and there are witnesses, the murdering sim is sentenced to death (if the witnesses are loyal to the king/ have a positive relationship). If a sim murders and there are no witnesses, then there will be a murder investigation.

Murder investigation...
Found the culprit (death) 1/6
No suspect found 5/6

If you have a SCIENCE FACILITY, however, the odds change...
Found the Culprit (death) 1/3
No suspect found 2/3

If your sim is caught while working (criminal branch) then the prisoner is sent to the dungeon.
1st offense - 10 days
2nd offense -death


Democracy
If your sims has above a level 6 in education (you can find out their level on Twallan's NRass supercomputer -http://www.moreawesomethanyou.com/smf/index.php/topic,16355.0.html) then every seven days you must roll to see if a revolution occurs.

Every seven days (level 6 in education)...
Revolution fails= 7/10
    **** For every enemy the monarch has this decreases by one
Revolution succeeds (democracy) 3/10
    ****For every enemy of the monarch this increases by one

If revolution occurs then the most popular Sim is elected mayor. Every seven days (on a Tuesday) a new election occurs, replacing the incumbent with the most popular candidate (if it is not him). If the candidate is evil, however, then the town is turned back into a monarchy.

Punishment in a democracy

Punishment is the same as monarchy, unless you buy a police station

If they get caught while working (criminal branch)...*POLICE STATION*
1st time -- 1 DAY TOTAL - 1 day at POLICE STATION (this is what normally happens)
2nd time -- 3 DAYS TOTAL= 1 day at POLICE STATION + 2 days at CUSTOM PRISON
3rd time -- 6 DAYS TOTAL= 1 day at POLICE STATION + 5 days at CUSTOM PRISON
4th time -- 18 DAYS TOTAL = 1 day at POLICE STATION + 17 days at CUSTOM PRISON
5th time -- LIFE

Murder investigation (no witnesses)...*POLICE STATION*
Found the culprit (death) 1/6
     *with science facility 1/3
No suspect found 5/6
      *with science facility 2/3

Sentencing, murder...
After flipping a coin to see if they're convicted, flip a coin determine sentence.
Heads -- 25 DAYS to LIFE (eligible for parole)
Tails -- LIFE  

Parole
 Upon completing 25 days in prison, Sims eligible for parole flip a coin.
heads- GRANTED
tails- DENIED
If denied, Sims may try again for parole once every week

to be continued...

Crime and Punishment

Murder (optional): If sim has wish to see someone's ghost, the sim must murder him -use dexter mod by ani to be able to murder.  (http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=372599)

If Sim is EVIL and has "see ghost" without referring to anyone, you must kill a random sim (again, use Dexter mod).

-I have attached the crime and punishment file to use with the RandomStuff program. Just be sure to rename the C&P text file to RandomStuff for it to work correctly.

HEALTH
Life expectancy begins at 50. Once you have four sims above level 6 in medical career, you can increase the expectancy to the next level. If you get a sim at level 10 of the medical career you can increase the life expectancy again.

to be continued...


FASHION
 I'll probably end up eliminating this section though because it's already irritating me. This thing is getting too long anyways.

In the past I have rarely thought about my sims' clothing as I believe that fashion should be discussed only in hell or on the E channel. After starting this challenge, however, I am focusing much more on it.  I feel it would be impossible for me to create specific "rules" for fashion because I don't think anyone in the "real" world can develop an agreed upon formula for how fashion develops.  I do, however, have a few ideas on how the fashion can be incorporated into the game.

To begin,  I know nothing about math, but that certainly won't stop me from developing crude formulas that I barely understand.

My formula for determining fashion for a particular individual


F= NPR

F= Fashion of individual
N=Fashion norm of town
P= Personality
R= Friends

I know, I should be scientist.

(A) Fashion Norm of town

 All fashion trends are descendants of previous trends. Since we are starting a completely new neighborhood, we must create our own initial trend. I outfitted my town's founding fathers in black and white conservative garments, much like the pilgrims dressed. This was just my particular choice. Puritanical garb is obviously only one way of starting so I suggest choosing anything you find interesting, just choose a consistent starting point for clothing.

Personality
 Fashion is also dictated to a large extent by personality. Insane people will obviously dress unconventionally. Athletic people will wear loose and sport clothing, etc.


(P) Friends    
If you take a look at a group of people gathered in public you will notice that most dress in a similar way to their friends. Based on the degree of the relationship, I will make my sims have some articles of clothing that resemble what their closest friends wear.

As the years go by the fashion styles of individuals will merge with one another based on these variables. At first it seems these changes are only subtle, but if you look back on the screenshots you'll see how dramatically the different generations dress.


to be continued...


If you have any ideas please tell me. Also, I am trying to find a way to make the rules retrievable in-game (in the form of a text box or something). It's annoying switching to microsoft word every time to look up a specific rule.

Its always bugged me that in the Sims 3 (the EA story mode especially) there are so few consequences in the game. In modern games the trend has been to appeal to the masses by giving people infinite lives (ala Fallout 3 and Elder Scrolls). In retro games like Contra, the technology to save a game was not yet discovered, and so when you fucked up, you fucked up! -which made it that much more entertaining. I'd like to see more of that in the Sims 3. The awesome mod, as it exists today, obviously corrects many of most irritating aspects of EA's nauseatingly-rosy approach on the consequences of living in a mini-society (so much so, I don't think I would play the game if I couldn't use the mod) but there seems to be a lack of any serious consequences that result from the Sim's actions. The pedophile mod which, although humorous, was especially fascinating to me because of the long term effects my character's stupid actions had on his life. He was a police officer in the middle of the ladder and was on his way to completing his lifetime wish when all of a sudden his entire life was flipped because of one stupid mistake. After his 3 day long stint in jail (I modified the jail term to be longer than a day), I added the mean spirited trait and removed his good trait to reflect the mental consequences that can arise from a trauma like that. Now he is a different character, although in many ways he is the same man. He has the same relationships and retains a majority of the traits he previously had. This more closely resembles real life, i believe, because our personalities are not completely static (as EA makes them after adulthood). The majority of our traits do come from our past but more traits are added (and subtracted) throughout our life. Our actions and experiences modify our personalities and we have to live with the consequences of what we do. I don't know this can even be done, but would it be possible to make it so that Sims' personalities can be modified by the story driver to react to the tramatic events caused by their actions. I know you dislike handouts, but this wouldn't necessary be handout because it would be affected by actual events that occur in game. Better yet, do you think it would be possible to customize trait modifications for individual sims (i.e. an over emotional Sim would gain the neurotic trait if he witnessed someones death -you could also make this have something like a 25% chance of happening to an overemotional sim when witnessing a death to add some spontaneity). Again, I doubt if any of this is possible, but I think something like this would be a way of having the traits interact with one another, as well as with the environment, which would create an interesting dynamic in the game.




If you make a lot with only trees (like a park) and a few beds -real cheap property), would families that can't pay the bills move there? It would be basically the same thing as being homeless, except there would be a place where they could go that would reflect their financial position in life without destroying them.

Have you considered modifying the moodlets in story mode. I don't know if this is possible, but I always find it annoying that sims don't seem to give a shit if their whole family dies, unless they witness it. I haven't seen any other mods (on various modding sites) that modify the moodlets and it puzzles me, because everything else seems to be able to be modified and I see moodlets as one of the most important things in the game, because mood modifies how people react.

I enabled awesome story mode but I can't see any results. None of my sims seem to be doing anything except satisfying needs and talking to people they run into. Every time I check the paper, their are no indications of progression, aside from EA's stupid jokes. I thought that perhaps I had to also turn it on in the options menu (as it was unchecked) but after I enabled it I could tell it was EA's old story progression (i.e. sims becoming intimate partners with strangers when I stop playing them for a few hours, handouts, etc). Is there something else I have to enable for it to work? My awesome mod version is from 2009 August 14, 15:07:46 but my config file was downloaded before that date.
BTW I love what you've done. Thanks.