Sim of the Month Challenge

[Pinstar]

Sim of the Month Challenge

Welcome to the very first entry for the Sim of the Month challenge!
What is the Sim of the Month Challenge?

Once per month, I will be uploading a new sim to my simpage. You will be given a very specific goal and a very specific set of restrictions unique to that month's sim. You goal is to achieve the goal while obeying the restrictions in as few sim-days as possible.

Universal Rules
There are a set of rules and restrictions universal to all Sims posted for this challenge, but don't worry, they are much fewer than the Legacy Challenge.

You may not purchase the "Mid-life crisis" perk to change the sim's traits.
You may not merge households on the neighborhood level.
No cheating (as per Legacy Rules)
You must obey the sim-specific restriction. Failing to do so means the challenge is failed.


Customization
Awesomemod is allowed with this challenge.
If you can't/don't want to download this month's sim from my simpage, you're more than welcome to re-make him or her in CAS. Even change their name and appearance if you wish. The important parts to replicate are the sim's age, gender and traits.

Scoring
The only score for this and all Sims of the month will be speed. You will be racing against time. The fewer days you can accomplish your goal, the better.


Starting off
Download the sim of the month (or re-make them yourself) and import them into any neighborhood. You may want to create a neighborhood used for all of your Sims of the month, but you don't have to. The sim must be alone when he or she is moved in. You may move the sim into ANY lot they can afford, as long as it is unoccupied. This can be a pre-built or empty lot. Once you do that, your challenge begins!

June's Sim of the Month

Name: Gordon Loadsworth
Gender: Male
Age: Adult
Traits: Couch Potato, Slob, Loser, Natural Cook, Clumsy.
Goal: Reach the top of the sports career.
Restrictions: Gordon may not select the "Workout at gym" option while at work.

Bio: Eternal fan of at least 7 major sports, Gordon has more sports jerseys than he does regular clothing. This is partially because he likes sports so much, and partially because ‘normal clothing' doesn't come in his size. A lifetime of eating and watching sports on TV has taken a major toll on his body. Tired of being mocked for his lifestyle and look, Gordon has decided to turn over a new leaf and do the impossible. Rather than watch sports, he wants to be out on the field playing along side them. Can Gordon do it?

Pinstar says:
This month's challenge is a simple one. Simple goal, simple restriction. The tricky part will be working around Gordon's traits that want to keep him out of the gym and on his comfy couch. Don't ignore his natural cook trait. Those food moodlets (Foodlets) can help give him a boost at work, especially if his athletic skill is lagging behind.

Gordon can be downloaded from my SimPage. Here is a direct link
http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=406011

[J. M. Pescado]

Well, let's see the dissection of this challenge:

ProSports has no traits that help it. The default metric PPH is 14. Work hours range between 6 and 4h for the first 8 levels, 3h at the penultimate.

The first 3 levels are 6h, with only Mood and Skill as your as your performance metrics. All are MTWRS. You therefore need to attain a minimum of 16.67 PPH to pass the 100 PPD mark. You can't accomplish this with anything less than maximum mood + skill + multitask. For a lesser launch, you can make do with a considerably reduced PPH, as if you're going for a 2-day promotion run, you only need to have an 8.4 PPH. As multitask costs like 10K, and will probably therefore take several days to save enough ASP for, let's evaluate the 2-day run.

Apply to start on Saturday. Since you cannot use the Skill-Up tone, and the Work Hard tone cannot improve your PPH to the critical breakpoint, use the Coworker relations tone, it carries no penalty (and basic tone does nothing, so why not?).
WK0 S(U)M -> L2
WK1 TW -> L3
WK1 R(F)S -> 4 (Days become MTFS, still 6h)
WK1 U -> Day Off
At this point, you gain the teammates metric. This decreases the importance of the mood metric, and between the Day Off and the week, you MIGHT be able to 10K points if you have been doing your skillbuilding and sleeping in the most apulently bemoodleted environments possible. In that case, you can attain your promotion in one day. This is the critical point that will make or break your run. If you don't have 10K points, you fail right here.
WK2 M -> L5 (Hours drop to 5, days remain MTFS for rest of career)

At this point, with your hours having fallen to 5, there is zero chance of attaining the necessary 20 PPH needed to hit the 100 PPD mark. It is not physically possible because base metric max is 14, and even with Working Hard and +3 Multitask, you can only get 19 PPH. It is now completely impossible to attain that mark. Your target is 10 PPH, very easily attainable for the basic 2-day promotion cycle. Recommended tone is now "Prepare for Game", because this will boost your Win/Loss Record metric, which you now have. It carries no penalty, Work Hard is useless here because you can never pass the break point)
WK2: T(WR)F -> L6
WK2: S -> L6.5
WK3: U -> Day Off
WK3: M -> L7
WK3 T(WR)F -> L8
WK3: S -> L8.5
WK4: U-> Day Off
WK4: M -> L9
Hours plummet to *3*! You now need to attain 16.67 PPH...with multitask, and judicious use of Work Hard, you may be able to make this final step in..
WK4: T(WR)F -> VICTOLY!

This effectively is your lower bounds on success and represents the "perfect" run. Everything else is a mere Kewian-based substitute. Accept no Kewian-based substitutes!

[Pinstar]

O.O

Holly Carp!

Well then, there you have it!

What do you (and everyone else) think about the challenge in theory and design?


Future sims will have more complex goals and/or restrictions.

[Zazazu]

While Gordon might be a couch potato, nothing in the challenge necessitates playing him as such. There's no penalty in the game for having a sim do an action outside of character. He can still work out at the gym (as long as it's not the option from the work tone menu you restricted) exercise at home with machines or tv, or swim. My personal tactic would be to go for Fast Learner in favor of Multi-Tasker to keep the traditional skill path, but I'm not crunching metrics. Use tricks like moving into an unfurnished lot and getting aspiration points from buying basics, keeping mood high enough to earn inactive aspiration points even during sleep. Maybe throw in a quick romance for a quicker aspiration point boost. All this becomes is a rinse/repeat of working out on Don't Break a Sweat until fatigued, going to work and schmoozing the teammates, eating, and sleeping.

It's not a bad idea. It reminds me of the TSR challenges, which, if they didn't include occupied lots that quickly caused a BFBVFS (only instance of that I ever saw was in a challenge 'hood of just their lots) and the spyware wizard, would have been the only good thing to come from that site. It's not a hard challenge, but it's a distraction.

[SendMeLies]

To make the challenge really challenging you could come up with something like... genetically he has the lowest muscle tone and maximum fat. How long to get to the top of the career AND reshape his body to max muscle/min fat without cheating?
Because every other day you don't exercise the body comes back to its genetic shape.

Oh, and to make it nearly impossible: no gym. Must workout at home with radio/tv.
And the career should be more challenging like, say... Cooking? It is way harder than Athletics. And eating well cooked meals makes them fat.
Now THAT's a challenge.

[Mandapotpie]

And eating well cooked meals makes them fat.

Actually it doesn't. Not unless you have them eat more than one in a row. They have to have the stuffed moodlet to get fat. The game doesn't make them fat if they continue eating past when the hunger bar is full anymore. The more often they get the "stuffed" moodlet the fatter they get.

[Pinstar]

While Gordon might be a couch potato, nothing in the challenge necessitates playing him as such. There's no penalty in the game for having a sim do an action outside of character. He can still work out at the gym (as long as it's not the option from the work tone menu you restricted) exercise at home with machines or tv, or swim. My personal tactic would be to go for Fast Learner in favor of Multi-Tasker to keep the traditional skill path, but I'm not crunching metrics. Use tricks like moving into an unfurnished lot and getting aspiration points from buying basics, keeping mood high enough to earn inactive aspiration points even during sleep. Maybe throw in a quick romance for a quicker aspiration point boost. All this becomes is a rinse/repeat of working out on Don't Break a Sweat until fatigued, going to work and schmoozing the teammates, eating, and sleeping.

It's not a bad idea. It reminds me of the TSR challenges, which, if they didn't include occupied lots that quickly caused a BFBVFS (only instance of that I ever saw was in a challenge 'hood of just their lots) and the spyware wizard, would have been the only good thing to come from that site. It's not a hard challenge, but it's a distraction.

Its not meant to be too difficult (Though later months I'll be ramping up the difficulty and complexity of the goals/restrictions) and first and foremost, its meant to be short.

[crunk]

I like the idea of it, but I agree that we need MOAR restrictions. Alternately, graduated restrictions along the lines of "easy, intermediate, hard, Pescado" might be in order. Perhaps limiting the sims from using the gym at all, or using athletic equipment. The TV and stereos provide the option to work out and might be more in line with his traits.

[Zazazu]

Its not meant to be too difficult (Though later months I'll be ramping up the difficulty and complexity of the goals/restrictions) and first and foremost, its meant to be short.

No, and that's fine. Like I said, it reminds me of the TSR challenges, without spywizard and game-blowing-up potential. They were relatively easy, fairly short, and it was fun to have a few goals and a new sim to dick around with.

Not everything needs to be the Email Challenge. Not everything has to be done the most efficient way. Hell, my sims never go to the gym or bookstore unless they have the want or are ticking me off and need to get out of my playspace for the moment. Weekends, I dump the kids off at the pool in the morning and don't call them back until dinner time.

Levels would be awesome. I'd do easy and Pescado because there is no middle ground.

[Pinstar]

Its not meant to be too difficult (Though later months I'll be ramping up the difficulty and complexity of the goals/restrictions) and first and foremost, its meant to be short.

No, and that's fine. Like I said, it reminds me of the TSR challenges, without spywizard and game-blowing-up potential. They were relatively easy, fairly short, and it was fun to have a few goals and a new sim to dick around with.

Not everything needs to be the Email Challenge. Not everything has to be done the most efficient way. Hell, my sims never go to the gym or bookstore unless they have the want or are ticking me off and need to get out of my playspace for the moment. Weekends, I dump the kids off at the pool in the morning and don't call them back until dinner time.

Levels would be awesome. I'd do easy and Pescado because there is no middle ground.

Difficulty levels it is. Gordon would be "Easy"

I think I'll do "Easy" "Medium" and "Hard" on the main boards and occasionally introduce "Pescado" level sims to this board only. (I don't think the offical boars could handle it )
Of course I wouldn't call a sim Pescado difficulty until I have the stamp of approval from Pescado himself. *nod*

[crunk]

My Gordon made it to the top of Athletics on Week 5, Day 2. I forgot about multi-task and instead bought him observant and legendary host first and second. I'm too used to pseudo-legacy play.

[Pinstar]

Sim of the Month of July is up and ready:

Sim of the Month Challenge

Welcome to the second entry of the Sim of the Month Challenge!
What is the Sim of the Month Challenge?

Once per month, I will be uploading a new sim to my simpage. You will be given a very specific goal and a very specific set of restrictions unique to that month's sim. You goal is to achieve the goal while obeying the restrictions in as few sim-days as possible.

Universal Rules
There are a set of rules and restrictions universal to all Sims posted for this challenge, but don't worry, they are much fewer than the Legacy Challenge.

You may not purchase the "Mid-life crisis" perk to change the sim's traits.
You may not merge households on the neighborhood level.
You may not move in/marry player made or downloaded sims. All other sims are fair game (unless specifically restricted by that month's sim)
No cheating (Money cheats, mood cheats, hacks that give you an advantage over those who do not have the hack)
You must obey the sim-specific restriction. Failing to do so means the challenge is failed.
You may use any aging speed you like. In fact you are encouraged to use epic speed if you want to keep a single neighborhood with all your past Sims of the Month. Story progression can be on or off at your discretion.


Customization
Awesomemod is allowed with this challenge, just be sure to turn off any aspects that affect jobs.
If you can't/don't want to download this month's sim from my simpage, you're more than welcome to re-make him or her in CAS. Even change their name and appearance if you wish. The important parts to replicate are the sim's age, gender, lifetime wish and traits.

Scoring
The only score for this and all Sims of the month will be speed. You will be racing against time. The fewer days you can accomplish your goal, the better.


Starting off
Download the sim of the month (or re-make them yourself) and import them into any neighborhood. You may want to create a neighborhood used for all of your Sims of the month, but you don't have to. The sim must be alone when he or she is moved in. You may move the sim into ANY lot they can afford, as long as it is unoccupied. This can be a pre-built or empty lot. Once you do that, your challenge begins!

Presenting July's sim

Name: Theresa Dolphina
Age: Young Adult
Gender: Female
Traits: Family Oriented, Genius, Hates the Outdoors, Angler, Technophobe
Goals: Reach the top of the Journalism Career, Purchase a teleporter from the aspiration perks menu.
Restrictions: Can only eat seafood dishes. Theresa must submerge herself in water at least once per day. Theresa may not join the science career, or interact with the science lab in any way.
Difficulty: Medium

Prelude:
   The Dockwood Dolphins, after losing their final game in a huge upset to their biggest rivals the Red Rabbits, who were lead to victory by the underdog star player Gordon Loadsworth, came up with a plan. They would bolster team spirit and frighten their rivals by creating a living mascot. So they commissioned the local science center to create the mascot. It was this ‘living mascot' experiment that transformed then-test subject, Theresa Dole, into the half-human half dolphin hybrid that she is today.

Bio:
       As a result of her transformation, Theresa can speak both human and dolphin languages. After escaping the lab and talking with her fellow dolphins (real dolphins, not the sports team), Theresa learns that the earth is in grave danger and feels the need to warn the inhabitants of the planet. Nobody will listen to her warning at the moment, but Theresa knows that if she can become established in the world of broadcasting, she can not only get her message to every corner of the globe, but also have it taken seriously. She also needs to finish building the teleporter the dolphins instructed her to build so she can escape with the rest of them before the planet does get destroyed.
   While fearful of the science lab and the technology it used to transform her, Theresa is mostly able operate in ‘normal society' Theresa must still attend to her dolphin aspects, needing the occasional dip in the water and a steady stream of fish to keep herself healthy.

Pinstar Says:
This month's challenge is a bit harder than Gordon's. Theresa has not one but two major goals to meet, the need to reach the journalism career top and the need to buy a teleporter. You'll have to balance her career advancement with wish fulfillment, all while taking care of her dolphin needs. You may want to start off getting Thersa's fish supply and cooking skills up right away so she can keep herself fed. In addition to seafood, Theresa is allowed to eat at the diner, the bistro and work without breaking the diet restriction. The 'submerge in water' requirement is fulfilled by having Theresa go swimming or take a bath. Theresa's teleporter must be purchased using Theresa's own aspiration points. Oh, and yes, this month's sim was heavily inspired by the book "The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy".

Theresa can be downloaded from my simpage here:
http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=442951

Past Sim of the Month Challenges
June:http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/48437.page