Hollywood Challenge 12/31/18

Faith Pederson reached retirement age this round, which cuts her income by 2/3.  That sucks for them because also this round Kaitlyn left for college and now her parents have that debt to pay off via Faith's pension and barista income.  It's going to be brutal.  Sydney Drake had the day off, but did her personal training and called a friend to chat, who told her she'd definitely be getting a promotion next time she works.  Cool!  Her "wife" Andrea got promoted and made a new friend, bringing them ever closer to leveling up to 2*.  Jocelyn Silver got a promotion, met her celeb hour requirement, and got home in time to watch Grey grow into a toddler.  Dante has become more or less a stay-at-home dad since he doesn't have a regular job, but luckily he's a better father than he is a husband.  The only requirement left for them to meet is the money requirement.  Nolan and Savannah Pederson had a quiet day, bartending in the afternoon, then Nolan went to work.  Typical newlyweds, right?  Rachel Burke and her boyfriend Drake both went to work (she got promoted, he didn't but will soon) and Drake brought home Jocelyn Silver.  At one point, Drake went up to the roof where some of the other residents were hanging out.  I was watching Rachel and didn't see what happened, but I did hear the "boing" of someone getting caught cheating.  I paused and went to check out the roof, but couldn't tell what had happened, however Jocelyn, Dante, and Savannah were all on the roof (don't know why Dante was there?) and Dante and Savannah were dancing, while Drake and Jocelyn chatted.  Since Savannah didn't seem mad, I'm guessing that it was Jocelyn who caught Dante and Savannah together.  Bad news for Dante!  So I went to check and, sure enough, Dante cheated, so I had them split up.  Dante moved out to a new apartment and Jocelyn stayed in the current apartment and (based on the 4 point scale to determine custody) retained custody of Grey.  Caryl Karr actually made $300 while freestyling, so that was good for her.  Later I had her invite one of her moms' neighbors over, since she doesn't have many friends, and they hung out for a while (making friends, yay!) before Caryl decided to go to bed.  She also got a call from the cow mascot and befriended him, so now she has a grand total of 4 friends.  Brandi and Elise Karr both reached retirement age this round, but other than that nothing to note.  Samantha Sanders finished another cookbook, netting over $3000, while Justyn continued trying to earn that gold cosmetology badge he's been working on.  Lexie Burke retired from her job, but immediately took an elder job.  Nicholas did yoga hours and then went to his elder job and Michael asked Brooke Sanders to go steady.  Happy New Year!

Hollywood Challenge 12/30/18

Faith Pederson got promoted and it will likely be her last promotion as she'll be reaching retirement age (65) next round.  It'll be just in time for Kaitlyn to leave for Uni as well, meaning they'll be gaining a large debt and losing a significant portion of income at the same time.  Fun!  I was very excited for Sydney Drake and Andrea to get married next round until I realized Sydney has what I call the "phantom marriage" glitch where the game thinks she's engaged or married to someone who is not even in her relationship panel and therefore she cannot get engaged/married to anyone else.  I've had this glitch a few times before and so I know that killing and resurrecting Sydney will likely not break the marriage so it looks like Sydney will have to remain technically single for life.  Usually I don't allow unmarried couples to adopt because the children will only count one parent as family, but this is a special circumstance, so I'm going to allow it.  They're not ready for kids yet anyway.  They want to wait a while and after that there will be the adoption waiting period that I impose on them in this challenge, so it'll be a good long while before that happens.  The Silvers had a relaxing day at home with their new baby.  Jocelyn had the day off from work, though she did do a barista shift in the afternoon.  She is still blissfully unaware that her husband is having an affair with (newly married) Savannah Pederson.  That's right, Nolan and Savannah tied the knot as scheduled.  They are not planning to wait long to have the one and only child Savannah will agree to (I guess she wants to get it over with?), so if things go south we could have multiple confused nooboos wondering what happened to their parents' marriages so soon after their births?  Rachel Burke finally made her move on Drake, they fell in love, and she moved him in.  He wasted no time in getting a job in Science.  They're a fairly good match, both neat, shy, and serious.  Only big difference is that she wants 7 kids and he only wants 2.  Caryl Karr is off to a bit of a rocky start.  She decided to just do freestyling, no day job.  Unfortunately she apparently stinks at freestyling?  She made no money in 4 hours.  Sad.  Brandi and Elise Karr both had the day off, so the only income was Brandi's dj-ing.  They were able to pay off the last of the Uni debt, so that was good.  Unfortunately they'll both be retiring next round, which means even if they get elder jobs, their income will diminish greatly.  It's going to make it much tougher to save up the needed cash to level up.  The Sanders had an uneventful Sunday.  Justyn did makeovers and didn't mess up anyone's face, Samantha worked on her latest cookbook and went to work, and Brooke maxed her logic skill by playing chess with old people.  The Burkes were also uneventful.  Nicholas did his yoga class and spent some time playing chess, Lexie and Michael have both been on health kicks, working out on the exercise bike and jogging.

Hollywood Challenge 12/28/18

Neil and Kaitlyn Pederson spent the day hanging out together, while Faith went to work and did not get promoted.  Then the family tried to get a good night's sleep but couldn't because first the neighbors kept being loud and waking them up and then a tree outside kept getting struck by lightning and catching fire, and for some reason their building has smoke alarms outside, so that kept waking them up.  Needless to say, they're pretty miserable.  Kaitlyn has had the want to go to college since she aged up to teen.  Guess she can't wait to get out of there, lol.  Sydney Drake continued to move forward by achieving her celeb hour requirement. She almost has the money requirement also, so they just really need to work on friendships and they'll be good to go.  The Silvers settled into their new apartment.  Jocelyn went to work, gave birth on the sidewalk as soon as she returned home, then promptly went out to her barista job for 4 hours, did some skilling, ate dinner, and cleaned up the kitchen, before finally getting to bed.  She's a superwoman, lol.  Anyway, their new son is named Grey and he's perfectly adorable.  Savannah Sanders invited Dante Silver over again while her boyfriend Nolan Pederson was at work.  This time their 3 bolts got the best of them and they are now officially having an affair.  Dante left before Nolan got home, so he was none the wiser as they headed out to do their bartending jobs.  Nolan and Savannah are set to get married next round and I almost hope the affair comes to light before then because Nolan would be much better suited to Rachel Burke, Savannah and Dante could get together, jilted Jocelyn would likely pursue Nicholas Burke, and (with the exception of Lexie Burke) everyone would be happy.  The domino effect of drama would also make me happy so win-win right?  (Again, except for poor Lexie, lol.)  Rachel Burke got a promotion, did some personal training, and had a disappointing evening with Drake who, after a couple of non-romantic interactions, decided to just leave.  Sigh.  The Karrs had an uneventful round: they made a tuition payment, Brandi went to work and did celeb hours, Elise hung around the house all day.  Since it was Saturday, Justyn Sanders took his daughter Brooke to the beach with him.  While he did hair and makeup, Brooke met up with Michael Burke and, some flirting later, they're crushing!  Meanwhile, Samantha finished up her 4th cookbook.  Not a bad day.  For Nicholas Burke, rather than waste the time I spent building the yoga studio/spa, I decided to eliminate the masseuse job and change the yoga instructor job from a per student pay rate to a flat rate for 5 hours like most of the other 2* jobs.  This way he gets paid whether any "students" join him or not.  It's a compromise, but it'll work.  Nicholas also got an elder job in Music in which he got promoted on the first day, so pretty good.

Hollywood Challenge 12/26/18

Well, the Pedersons must be the unluckiest sims ever.  While Faith did get promoted back to her original job level, her husband Neil got fired!  Stupid chance cards.  It sucks because he was fairly high up in the Athletic career and probably would have received one more promotion before retiring in a few days.  Now there will be no promotion bonus, no daily income, and no pension.  Sigh.  As unlucky as the Pedersons are, that's how lucky Sydney Drake is.  She had a fantastic round during which she got a promotion, did her personal training, fell in love with Andrea, and asked her to move in.  Andrea only brought a couple of friends, but she brought in a substantial amount of money.  They will likely level up in the near future.  Woohoo!  The Silvers are nearly ready to welcome their first baby, so after Jocelyn received a promotion at work, they decided to move to a bigger apartment in preparation for the new arrival.  They moved into the building where the Burkes and the Sanders live.  Nolan and Savannah had a typical day: bartending in the morning followed by Nolan going to work in the afternoon.  Savannah rolled a want to be best friends with Dante (I guess they became friends while I was playing another family?) so I had her invite him over.  They hung out a little, but didn't become best friends or romantic.  Nolan arrived home and they both went to bed.  I was actually hoping for a little drama.  Sigh.  Rachel Burke spent another quiet day at home.  Her dad Nicholas stopped by for lunch.  She didn't roll any wants for Drake, but she did roll a want for a first kiss.  Poor girl still hasn't had that milestone.  The Karrs did not make any progress on their money goal since the only money they brought in was from Brandi's dj-ing and they had to pay rent and Caryl's tuition.  Luckily the tuition's almost paid off and rent won't be due again for a while, so they can get back to saving next round.  Justyn Sanders earned his silver cosmetology badge which will earn him more money.  Samantha went to work and worked on her cookbook.  Brooke brought home Chloe Gonzaga from school and befriended her over a game of chess, securing the friend requirement for the family.  My plans for Nicholas Burke did not work out at all.  I built a yoga studio/spa with massage tables and a yoga/tai chi area, but when he went down there, he couldn't give massages, nor could he get anyone to join yoga.  So I don't really know what I'm going to do with him.  I'm frustrated to say the least.

Hollywood Challenge 12/24/18

The Burkes leveled up!  Having met all but the money requirement, all they needed was to earn a few thousand dollars and they just barely went over the mark.  Since they already lived in an appropriate apartment, all I had to do was reduce their money back down to $35,000.  Nicholas retired from his Science job and will look for an entertainment related job.  He will also switch to 2* celeb work, but I haven't decided what to have him do yet.  The only things he's qualified for at the moment are makeup artist and dj, but I've already got sims doing those and wanted to try something different.  If I build a yoga studio or spa, I'll have some other options so I think that's what go ahead and do.  Both Pedersons had the opportunity to get promoted this round, but only Neil succeeded.  Faith actually got demoted because of a bad chance card.  Nevertheless, they did earn enough money to finally pay off their Uni debt.  Too bad in a few more days Kaitlyn will hit them with another one.  Sydney Drake got a promotion which is great, but her new work hours will make it harder to get her personal training hours in.  She also made best friends with Andrea Hogan, so that's something.  This girl really likes to take things slowly, lol.  Nothing eventful happened with the Silvers.  Jocelyn didn't get promoted and was too tired to work her celeb hours.  Dante did his celeb hours, but made no money.  Nolan Pederson and Savannah Sanders spent most of their day at home, aside from their bartending gigs.  Savannah rolled the want to be friends with Dante Silver, but he never left his apartment and wasn't interested in hanging out when she knocked on his door.  Maybe he's trying to avoid temptation?  Rachel Burke had the day off, so she did some personal training and then hung out on the roof of her building with some of the neighbors.  She too rolled a want to be friends with Dante Silver.  What is it about that guy?  However, she also wanted to be best friends with the guy from college, Drake.  She achieved that with a phone call.  I'll have to have her invite him over to see if any sparks fly.  The Karrs met both their friend and celeb hour requirements in the same round.  Now they just have to work on money.  It helps that Caryl earned 3 scholarships and got A+ both semesters of her Freshman year at Uni.  It means her moms won't have to contribute as much out of pocket and might potentially be able to level up one more time.  Samantha Sanders finished her third cookbook and Justyn messed up some townies' faces.  Brooke rolled a want to be friends with Kaitlyn Pederson and accomplished it.  Unfortunately, she lost Michael Burke as a friend, but I'm sure she'll regain him soon, since they live in the same building and see each other all the time.

Hollywood Challenge 12/22/18

The Burkes have almost made it.  They both got large promotion bonuses this round, putting their money goal just a few thousand away.  They've already met the friend and hour requirements, so they're in the home stretch.  They also paid off Rachel's college tuition (she graduated, btw, and moved into her own apartment) and Michael became a teen.  The Pedersons continue to tread water financially.  They made a small payment on their college debt, but neither worked this round.  Faith did her celeb hours at the café, more for money than anything which is sad.  Neil should score a promotion next round (Faith might too) which will hopefully pull them out of their slump.  Sydney Drake had a pretty quiet day.  She did her personal training, chatted with Andrea on the phone, went to work, and got a promotion.  Not bad, but not exciting.  Since Jocelyn Silver had the day off, they spent some time working on that baby they both want.  Success!  Baby Silver is on the way.  Afterwards they did some celeb hours, etc.  Savannah Sanders moved in with Nolan Pederson right after graduation.  They are very different, so I'm not sure this is the best match.  He's Family, she's Romance, he wants 8 kids, she wants 1, he wants to get engaged to her, she has 3 bolts for Dante Silver.  Nolan would likely be better suited to Rachel Burke who is also Family and wants 7 kids.  For now we're going to see how things go.  Will Savannah and Dante cheat on the respective partners?  Will they get caught?  Will two relationships be down the tubes?  Who knows?  Speaking of Rachel Burke, she moved into her own place in the same building as Nolan, Savannah, Sydney, and the Silvers.  She immediately found a job in Law Enforcement and picked up a part-time gig as a personal trainer.  She also put in a call to a guy she met at Uni during her senior year.  She has a want to be best friends with him and 2 bolts, so we'll see where that goes.  Brandi Karr is doing well on her requirements; she just needs 2 more friends, 2 more celeb hours, and about $50,000 more.  Granted that last one is tough, and made even tougher by the fact that Caryl left for Uni this round, but both Brandi and Elise are high up in their careers so I don't think it'll be terribly difficult for them to achieve.  The Sanders paid off their Uni debt, Samantha got promoted to the top of the elder Dance career, and Brooke grew up to teen.  They have a long way to go on their money requirement.  Samantha will have to sell quite a few cookbooks in the next week in order for them to level up before Brooke goes to college and they get hit with another Uni debt.

Hollywood Challenge 12/20/18

During last round Nicholas Burke had somehow become transparent, which had me worried, but luckily when he went off to work this round he came back normal.  Whew!  Other than that, nothing really to note.  Nicholas and Lexie worked, but didn't get promotions, Nicholas padded his celeb hours by bartending, they paid another $5000 towards Rachel's tuition, and Michael went to school.  Neil Pederson almost didn't make it through this round.  He's been on a health kick recently, wanting body points, so I sent him out jogging.  He came home overheated, but went straight to the bathtub anyway.  He got out of the tub and immediately passed out.  When he revived he went to bed, waking several times to pass out and dragging his Hunger bar into the red.  I managed to get a plate of leftover spaghetti into him somehow, despite his falling asleep in the plate every few minutes.  He went to bed again, passed out a few more times, but finally got his needs high enough to stave off immediate death.  It was a long day for poor Neil.  Sydney Drake had the day off from her Culinary job, but she still went to the gym in the morning for her personal training gig.  Afterwards she invited Andrea Hogan over to hang out.  They had some comfort soup, danced, flirted, and by the end of the night they had mutual crushes, though they're not yet best friends.  All in all, a successful day for Sydney.  The Silvers did their usual routine.  Jocelyn went to work while Dante hung out at home for the day.  After work, they both went out to do their celeb hours, then back home for dinner, skilling, and bedtime.  Next round they will start trying for a baby so that should be more interesting.  Nolan Pederson, having recently graduated, settled into his new apartment, found a job in Culinary, did a little bartending for his celeb hours, and spent some time trying to get to know his neighbors.  Since he fell in love with Samantha Sanders while in Uni, she will likely be moving in with him as soon as she graduates.  Until then, he'll keep doing what he's doing.  The Karrs finally got back to work this round, with Brandi landing a promotion.  They made a significant gain on their money requirement, but with Caryl leaving for Uni next round, they won't be able to progress on that for a while.  They also lost a couple of friends and will lose a few more when Caryl leaves, so the friend requirement has also taken a hit.  Hour-wise they're in good shape with 93/100.  The Sanders both met their celeb hour requirement this round.  Samantha also finished a cookbook and got a promotion in her elder job, which helped to balance out the tuition payment a bit.  Savannah should be graduating next round, so hopefully they'll get the Uni debt paid off and having some time to save before Brooke goes to Uni.

Hollywood Challenge 12/18/18

The Burkes had a quiet day at home, but thanks to Lexie's early morning work hours she scored a chance card bonus of $4000 right before the end of the round.  Nicholas padded his celeb hours a bit and Michael invited his friend Kaitlyn Pederson over to play.  After paying rent and making a payment towards Nolan's tuition, the Pedersons are more broke than ever.  There was some happy news, however, when Kaitlyn grew up into a teen.  No more nanny bills!  Sydney Drake had a good day.  She did personal training in the morning, went to work and got a promotion in the afternoon, and spent several hours chatting on the phone with Andrea at night.  Despite Brandi Karr's interest in her, she seems to be more interested in pursuing Andrea.  She rolled a generic fall in love want and a want to be best friends with Andrea.  The Silvers continued to plug away at their goals.  I'm a little concerned about the fact that Jocelyn brings Nicholas Burke home from work every day and she has 3 bolts for him.  She and Dante are very close to starting their family and if she starts getting interested in Nicholas it could throw a monkey wrench into the whole thing.  Brandi Karr finally let go of the want to fall in love with Sydney.  Maybe that ship has sailed?  She's met her friend requirement and nearly met her hours requirement.  They just need to earn a lot of money as quickly as possible.  Unfortunately both ladies have been off work for several days and the dj-ing doesn't bring in much.  On top of that, Caryl will leave for Uni in a couple of rounds, slapping them with a tuition bill.  She should get decent scholarship money though, since she's practically glued to her mom's electric guitar.  She also has an A+, so she should get two scholarships at least.  The Sanders have nearly met their hours goal, but they're having trouble holding onto friendships and money is becoming a problem as well.  Justyn makes next to nothing as a makeup artist, even with the bronze badge he earned this round.  Samantha's elder job pays very little and it takes time to write a novel, so she effectively earns less than she did in Culinary.

Hollywood Challenge 12/17/18

After another round of play, the Burkes met their friend requirement, though with Rachel's college tuition debt still hanging over their heads, they're having some trouble with the money requirement.  Once they get it paid, however, they'll have a small window in which to level up before Michael heads off to Uni and they get hit with another $25,000 bill.  The Pedersons are very broke.  They got a genie lamp this round and, while I was tempted to let them wish for money, I decided instead to just allow them to sell the lamp for $1000.  Wishing for money would just be way too easy, but I thought they deserved something.  They weren't able to put much towards Nolan's tuition with rent coming due next round, but hopefully one of them will get promoted soon and they can catch up.  Sydney Drake had the day off from work, so she spent most of her day at Action!, the local gym, doing personal training and meeting new people.  While there she rolled a want to fall in love and then a short while later she met Andrea Hogan.  The two hit it off right away (2 bolts) and became friends before Sydney had to leave.  Promising!  The Silvers had an uneventful round for the most part.  They are advancing slowly, but surely on their goals.  They both rolled the want for a baby which I'll allow them to have in the near future.  It will require moving to a larger apartment as their current home is about the size of a shoebox.  Brandi Karr has rolled (and refused to re-roll despite me not locking it) the want to fall in love with Sydney Drake.  This would not be a good thing for either of them honestly.  Brandi is married for one, and from a challenge standpoint alone, losing Elise's income of $1400/day would make it very difficult for her to level up again.  From Sydney's perspective, it might be good in the short term to effectively move up a level, but in the long run she wants to have a couple kids and Brandi is not likely to want any more now that she's an elder.  In the end, I decided not to lock the want, but to allow them to make the decision for themselves.  If it happens, it happens. C'est la vie!  The Sanders lost some friends when their daughter Savannah went to college, so they are trying to build more friendships to make up for that.  I don't think Justyn made too many friends in his new makeup artist job though.  Since he doesn't have a badge yet, he gave a lot of really bad makeovers.  Samantha, however, did manage to finish her first cookbook and she got an elder job in Dance.

Hollywood Challenge 12/14/18 (part 2)

First up in the rotation is always Uni.  I only have one student there at the moment and I really don't enjoy Uni that much so I generally play through it as fast as possible.  The only reason for even sending sims to Uni in this challenge is so they can later have jobs in Art or Show Business, so I'm not really going to post about the sims in Uni other than to mention them in their family's post.  That being said, the first regular family in the rotation is...

The Burkes!  Nicholas Burke is a 1* celebrity.  He is 55 days old, has a job in the Science career, has achieved the hourly requirement to level up (he mostly does bartending and barista), but has yet to meet the friend or money requirements.  His wife, Lexie, is a non-celeb.  She is also 55 days old and works in the Oceanography career.  The couple has two children:  Rachel, who is a teen, but heading off to Uni this round, and Michael, who is a child (6 days to teen).  Since I make sims pay for both private school and college, the Burkes have already shelled out $20,000 in private school fees and will be facing a $25,000 bill for Rachel's tuition as well.

Faith Pederson is a 1* celebrity.  She is 55 days old, has a job in Journalism, has achieved the hourly requirement (mostly barista) and the friend requirement, but is still working on saving enough money.  Her husband, Neil, is a non-celeb who works in the Athletic career and is also 55 days old.  They have two children:  Nolan, a young adult who left for Uni last round, and Kaitlyn, a child (4 days to teen).  The Pedersons  have struggled with money quite a bit.  They've had a number of financial setbacks (bad chance cards mostly) and paid for two private school educations.  Now they're in debt for Nolan's college tuition also.  Luckily, Nolan is helping pay some of the tuition.  However, at the rate they're going, I doubt they'll level up.

Sydney Drake is a 1* celebrity, who is 23 days to elder and is working in the Culinary career.  She hasn't achieved any of the requirements to level up yet, but she's working hard doing personal training in the mornings and then working as a dish washer in the evenings.  She is still single, spending most of her time focusing on her career goals.

Dante and Jocelyn Silver are newlyweds.  They are 1* celebrities who are both 23 days to elder.  Jocelyn works in the Science career and is a barista on the side.  Dante prefers to focus all his attention on his craft and spends his time freestyling for tips.  They don't have any children yet, but are in agreement that they'd like to have two someday.  For now, they're working to fulfill the requirements needed to level up.

Brandi Karr is a 2* celebrity.  She is 55 days old, works in the Music career (which is one of 5 allowable careers for 2* celebs), and has not met any of the requirements for leveling up yet, but is doing quite well considering she only recently reached level 2.  Aside from her Music job, she also does dj-ing at the club.  Brandi's wife, Elise, is also 55 days old.  She's a non-celeb who works in the Slacker career.  They have one daughter, Caryl, who is a teen (13 days to adult).  Brandi recently got a large bonus (chance card) which paid for Caryl's private school with quite a bit left over.  Considering the Karrs have also recently moved to a new apartment (a condition of leveling up) they are doing amazingly well.  It's possible they might reach 3* in Brandi's lifetime.

The Sanders were promoted to 2* just last round.  They are both 55 days old.  Samantha has been working in Culinary up until now and tending bar on the side.  However, since 2* celebs are only allowed jobs in Artist, Entertainment, Show Business, Music, or Dance (modified from the original rule allowing only Entertainment, Show Business, or Politics) she will be retiring from Culinary and looking for an elder job in one of the acceptable careers.  In addition, she will write novels (probably cookbooks) for her celeb hours.  Her husband, Justyn, was fired several rounds ago, so rather than go the traditional job route, he will stick with just doing celeb work as he has been doing, except he will switch to a 2* job.  The only jobs available to him at this time are dj and hair/makeup artist.  Since I've already got someone dj-ing I think I'll have him become a makeup artist, which will require him to go to a community lot and perform makeovers for five hours per day.  The Sanders have two children:  Savannah, who is leaving for Uni this round, and Brooke, who is a child (6 days to teen).  Both Samantha and Justyn have most of the hours they need already, so they will primarily be looking to gain friends and money.

Those are all the families I have at present.  Obviously the town will grow as time passes.  I still have many community lots to build and many houses/apartment buildings that need to be added, but I'm trying to grow the town gradually and as needed.  Until next time, Happy Simming!

Hollywood Challenge 12/14/18

I am now playing The Hollywood Challenge, which was originally created by SwallowTail87 on TS2 Forum.  The basic premise is that you play celebrities (or wannabe celebrities) up through the ranks of stardom, ranging from 1* to 5* level.  The way this is done is by working various "celebrity" jobs on community lots.  Now, for 1* and 2* celebs, this work is basically bartending, freestyling, dj-ing, etc.  They're just trying to get noticed.  Higher levels will work as actors, directors, singers, models, etc.  A number of special lots are required to act as movie sets, photo shoots, concert stages, you name it.  How it works is: sims go to community lots and perform certain actions for specified periods of time, for which they earn a certain amount of money.  In order to level up to the next star level they will need a certain number of work hours, a certain number of friends, and a certain amount of money.  (In the original rules, they only needed to earn one of those 3 things to level up, but I'm mean so I make them earn all three, lol.)

As you may or may not know, I like to modify challenges to suit my own play style, and I have naturally done this here.  I have made changes to the payments amounts and the hours/friends/money amounts that need to be acquired, I've added new jobs and new community lots, and I've added some extra rules regarding relationships and non-celebrities.  Also, rather than start with an assortment of celebs in various star levels, I started with five random sims in Uni who became 1* celebs upon graduation.  These five have been working their way up to 2* for most of their lives now.  Some of them have succeeded in reaching 2*.  They've married and had children; some of those children are heading off to Uni themselves now. In the meantime, some new up and coming (CAS) celebs have graduated  and moved to Hollywood Heights to try their luck at fame and fortune.  In my next post, I will introduce the families and give some background information on them.  As I play through the next few rounds I will try to explain some of the rules/rule changes for anyone who might be interested in that sort of thing.

Victorian Population Challenge 12/7/18

This will be the last update on the VPC for a while.  I'm ready to move on to another challenge: The Hollywood Challenge!

Poor #1 Stanbury:  Current household members are:  Faith (Gen 1 Founder - elder), Thomas & Joy (Gen 2 Heir/Wife - adults), Robert (Gen 3 Heir - child), Damon (Gen 3 - child), Toby (Gen 3 - toddler), and James (Gen 3 - baby).  Joy is pregnant with baby #5.  Robert Sr. sadly passed away since last update.  As you can see from this household, the boy/girl ratio is once again very skewed.  The current tally is 22 boys/14 girls and with the added complication of a lot of the kids being cousins to each other it should make for an interesting time pairing them up.  Faith will not be with us much longer either and she will likely push the family over the balance needed to level up when she dies.  Household bank balance is $43,364/$50,000.

Poor #2 Vacant

Poor #3 Baldwin:  Current household members are:  Hart & Josie (Gen 2 Heir/Wife - adults).  Josie is pregnant with baby #1.  You heard right folks, Hart is FINALLY married!  He wasted no time falling in love with Josie once she became an adult.  A diamond ring and it was done.  He also managed to find a new job in Law Enforcement which is actually better than Business because there's no cap.  Things are definitely looking up!  Household bank balance is $26,320/$50,000.

Poor #4 Hopkins:  Current household members are:  Henry & Alice (Gen 2 - adults), Adelaide (Gen 3 - child), and Herman (Gen 3 Heir - toddler).  Alice is pregnant with baby #3.  Nothing particularly exciting has been happening here.  Henry isn't keen on skilling so he hasn't been promoted.  Alice is pretty run down, but that's normal.  Household bank balance is $2057/$50,000.

Sub Farm #1 Godwin:  Current household members are:  Jasper (Gen 1 Founder - elder), Silas & Matilda (Gen 2 Heir/Wife - adults), Adolph (Gen 3 Heir - teen), Amelia (Gen 3 - child), Lucius (Gen 3 - child), Emil (Gen 3 - toddler), and Addie (Gen 3 - toddler).  This family is pretty chaotic most of the time, especially since the birth of the twins.  Despite being 71, Jasper still works hard on the farm every day.  Right now it's mostly caring for fruit trees and getting the fertilizing done in preparation for the Spring planting, but still.  Matilda has earned a silver sewing badge, so she's doing her part as well.  They still haven't managed to save much however.  Household bank balance is $14,896/$50,000.

Sub Farm #2 Godwin:  Current household members are:  Oliver & Louise (Gen 2 - adults) and Quentin (Gen 3 Heir - baby).  Since the Whitlocks leveled up to Trade, their old house became available for a new family.  I had originally expected Oliver to marry Olivia, however some drama ensued during a social event and long story short:  Oliver fell in love with Olivia, Olivia flirted with someone else, Oliver fell out of love with Olivia, Oliver immediately flirted with/fell in love with Louise.  Louise doesn't seem to mind being second choice.  After all, she's married with a baby and another on the way and Olivia is still living at the boarding house.  Household bank balance is $1341/$50,000.

Sub Farm #3 Hayward:  Current household members are:  Amelia (Gen 1 Founder - elder), Noah & Grace (Gen 2 Heir/Wife - adults), Abraham (Gen 3 Heir - teen), Eli (Gen 3 - teen), Solomon (Gen 3 - child), Ezra (Gen 3 - child), and Maxwell (Gen 3 - toddler).  Five boys!  Another example of the disproportion of males.  A lot of birthdays happened, but not much else.  Amelia's got one more day to live and her greatest wish is to have another grandchild.  She currently has 17, but it's possible she might get to add one or two more before she passes on.  Household bank balance is $17,291/$50,000.

Sub Farm #4 Hayward:  Current household members are:  Levi & Elizabeth (Gen 2 - adults), James (Gen 3 Heir - adult), John (Gen 3 - teen), Anna (Gen 3 - child), Moses (Gen 3 - child), and Matthew (Gen 3 - toddler).  Elizabeth is pregnant with baby #6.  Here we have a dilemma.  James is now old enough to get married and start his own family, however his household is full and his parents are still young enough to have several more children.  I'm not sure whether I should continue to focus on expanding Gen 3 or move on to working on Gen 4.  I guess for the time being I'll just carry on with Levi & Liz and wait to see if James hits it off with anyone.  When and if he finds someone, we'll see what happens.  Household bank balance is $3456/$50,000.

Sub Farm #5 Godwin:  Current household members are:  Emory & Caroline (Gen 2 - adults), Grace (Gen 3 - teen), Louise (Gen 3 - child), Georgianna (Gen 3 - child), Hardy (Gen 3 Heir - child), and Emmett (Gen 3 - toddler).  Caroline is pregnant with baby #6.  Thankfully with the twins out of diapers, life is a bit easier for Caroline.  Now if the kids would just keep their grades up...sigh.  Household bank balance is $1732/$50,000.

Sub Farm #6 Hayward:  Current household members are:  Curtis & Charlotte (Gen 2 - adults), Victoria (Gen 3 - toddler), and Justine (Gen 3 - baby).  Charlotte is pregnant with baby #3.  Still looking for that heir and money is very tight.  Curtis spends most of his time fishing since there isn't much gardening to do as Winter approaches.  Hopefully he'll be able to put enough fish away to get them through until Spring arrives.  Household bank balance is $902/$50,000.

Sub Farm #7 Godwin:  Current household members are:  Finn & Violet (Gen 2 - adults) and Declan (Gen 3 Heir - toddler).  Violet is pregnant with baby #2.  This family is doing quite well for just starting out.  Finn has been working on getting that Fall harvest in before Winter hits.  Household bank balance is $1758/$50,000.

Sub Farm #8 Hayward:  Current household members are:  Julian & Esme (Gen 2 - adults).  Esme is pregnant with baby #1.  This is a new couple just starting out.  Apart from the usual (quit jobs, get married, get pregnant) they spent most of their time fishing.  Since they won't have time to plant anything and probably not even enough time for the trees to bear fruit, they need to make sure they're fed through the Winter and Spring while they wait for their first harvest.  Unfortunately they're not very good at fishing and only caught boots.  Well at least they can sell those, lol.  Better luck next round guys.  Household bank balance is $2030/$50,000.

Trade #1 Hopkins:  Current household members are:  Simon & Elsie (Gen 1 Founders - elders), Nathaniel & Johanna (Gen 2 Heir/Wife - adults), Leila (Gen 3 - child), Eve (Gen 3 - child), and Olivia (Gen 3 - toddler).  Johanna is pregnant with baby #4.  Simon and Elsie were both perma-plat when they aged to elder and it looks like they're shooting for 80+ days.  Neither is even close to dying at age 71.  This is both good and bad.  On the one hand, Elsie has a higher flower badge than Johanna, plus she doesn't have to deal with constant pregnancy, and more hands to help out is always useful.  On the other hand if baby #4 is a girl, Nathaniel and Johanna will be without an heir and unable to try again until either one of the elders dies or until Leila moves out.  The rules do allow for girls to inherit in the absence of a male heir, so depending on how it all works out, we might be seeing that loophole here.  Household bank balance is $82/$100,000.

Trade #2 Whitlock:  Current household members are:  Luther (Gen 1 Founder - elder), Liam & Chastity (Gen 2 Heir/Wife - adults), Tia (Gen 3 - child), Siobhan (Gen 3 - child), Oliver (Gen 3 Heir - toddler), and Owen (Gen 3 - baby).  Chastity is pregnant with baby #5.  These guys are off to a pretty good start with their toy shop.  They have a little initial stock and are working on building up their craftable stock.  Chastity has a silver badge so they should be in good shape.  Household bank balance is $469/$100,000.

That's it guys!  VPC is finished for now.  We'll check back in with them later.  Next update will be about the Hollywood Challenge!  Happy Simming!

Victorian Population Challenge 11/23/18

Continued...

Sub Farm #6 Hayward:  Current household members are Curtis & Charlotte (Gen 2 - adults) and Victoria (Gen 3 - baby).  Charlotte is pregnant with baby #2.  This family is just starting out with a relatively new farm and very little money.  Their first priority is getting enough cribs/beds for the children as they're born and their second priority is building up the farm so they can make a little money off it.  Household bank balance is $1470 out of $50,000.

Sub Farm #7 Godwin:  Current household members are Finn & Violet (Gen 2 - adults).  Violet is pregnant with their first child.  This was their first day played as a married couple.  They got everything going (quit their jobs, planted crops, got pregnant), but they also got a surprise inheritance from Violet's parents which was nearly $3000.  Since Sub Farmers only start with $2000, this is a major leg up for them.  They were able to expand their garden plots, get a compost bin, and buy a crib and changing table in advance of their child's birth, with still plenty of money to spare.  Household bank balance $4316 out of $50,000.

Trade #1 Hopkins:  Current household members are Simon & Elsie (Gen 1 Founders - elders), Nathaniel & Johanna (Gen 2 Heir/Wife - adults), Bess (Gen 2 - teen), Leila (Gen 3 - child), and Eve (Gen 3 -toddler).  Johanna is pregnant with baby #3.  These are my first sims to level up to Trade.  So exciting!  They've moved into their new house and started a home business flower shop.  The next step up will be either Professional or Gentleman Farmer.  These social classes are equal so the player has free choice which to move into.  I've decided that my former Poor will strive for Professional and former Sub Farmers will work towards Gentleman Farmer.  It just makes sense that farmers will continue to want to be farmers.  Since the Hopkins were formerly Poor, they will eventually become Professional.  There are obviously some rule changes for Trade families.  The most notable are: the family must make their money from the shop only with no adult holding down a job (younger teens may still work and extra money making options are still available), girls must now have dowries of $800, and too many Repo Man visits will result in a demotion back down to Poor.  The rules don't say what to do about Business Perks so I've decided to leave those out.  Money perks would make it much too easy to level up.  Household bank balance is $891 out of $100,000.

Victorian Population Challenge 11/22/18

Continued...

Sub Farm #4 Hayward:  Current household members are Levi & Elizabeth (Gen 2 - adults), James (Gen 3 Heir - teen), John (Gen 3 - child), Anna (Gen 3 - child), and Moses (Gen 3 - toddler).  Elizabeth is pregnant with baby #5.  Money is still tight but the Fall harvest is just around the corner.  Now that James is a teen he has his eye on Bess Hopkins, who is one of the youngest members of Gen 2.  If he ends up pursuing her, that may mean one less female available to the Gen 2 guys.  One of the things I love best about this family is the genetic diversity that's popping up.  Levi has black hair, but his mother was blond.  Elizabeth is also blond and her mother had red hair.  John is the only child to have the dominant black hair of his father, while James and Anna are blond and Moses is a redhead.  I believe all the kids have Elizabeth's blue eyes, except Moses who has his father's green eyes.  Gotta love those TS2 genetics!  It's one of my favorite things in the game.  Anyway...household bank balance is $2286 out of $50,000.

Sub Farm #5 Godwin:  Current household members are Emory & Caroline (Gen 2 - adults), Grace (Gen 3 - child), Louise (Gen 3 - toddler), Georgianna (Gen 3 - baby), and Hardy (Gen 3 Heir - baby).  Caroline is pregnant with baby #5.  While Emory seems to be doing a bit better with the farming, Caroline is still struggling with the household chores and the children.  To make matters worse, her last pregnancy resulted in twins!  Just what a broke family needs, lol.  Grace is not doing well either.  Being able to more or less care for herself means she gets little attention from her parents and on top of that she has a D in school.  Luckily it's the weekend now and she can hopefully catch up on all that homework.  Household bank balance is $1677 out of $50,000.

Victorian Population Challenge 11/21/18

Continued from yesterday...

Sub Farm #2 Whitlock:  Current household members are Luther & Emma (Gen 1 Founders - elders), Liam & Chastity (Gen 2 Heir/Wife - adults), Josie (Gen 2 - teen), Tia (Gen 3 - toddler), and Siobhan (Gen 3 - baby).  Chastity is pregnant with baby #3.  Sadly this round the family lost their matriarch Emma.  However, her death came with a huge windfall in insurance money - $49,800!! - which pushed the family immediately into Trade.  Well done Emma!  They will be toymakers, I suppose, since that's what Chastity's been working on so far.  It's perfect timing because I have a new couple that needs a farm.  Now I don't have to build another one.  Household bank balance will be reset upon moving into their new home.

Sub Farm #3 Hayward:  Current household members are Amelia (Gen 1 Founder - elder), Noah & Grace (Gen 2 Heir/Wife - adults), Abraham (Gen 3 Heir - child), Eli (Gen 3 - child), Solomon (Gen 3 - toddler), and Ezra (Gen 3 - baby).  Grace is pregnant with baby #5.  Things are looking up a bit for this family since last update.  Wyatt's insurance money was a big help financially.  Having so many boys means Noah gets a lot of help with the crops.  There's still a sea of baby bottles, but the new flower bench is bringing in extra income.  Household bank balance is $18,390 out of $50,000.

Victorian Population Challenge 11/20/18

Continued from yesterday...

Poor #3 Baldwin:  Current household member: Hart (Gen 2 Heir - adult).  Since the last update Hart had a small amount of good luck, followed by a large amount of bad luck.  First his sister introduced him to her young sister-in-law Josie Whitlock, who is still a teen.  Hart and Josie have become friends, which makes her his only real possibility for a future wife.  Following that he got promoted back to the top allowable level of Business.  Sadly, that's where Hart's luck turned.  In a single day he got demoted via a bad chance card and not one, but both, his parents died, leaving him alone in the household.  Add to that the fact that Hart's younger brother Van (newly grown to adulthood) recently stopped by their sister Chastity's house and consequently also met Josie and you've got a real mess for Hart.  Oh yeah, and he has the flu.  The guy just can't catch a break.  Household bank balance is $23,165 out of $50,000.

Poor #4 Hopkins:  Current household members are Henry & Alice (Gen 2 - adults) and Adelaide (Gen 3 - toddler).  Alice is pregnant with baby #2.  I forgot to have them pay the bills, which meant a visit from the Repo Man and the loss of their couch.  Dumb really because they had enough money to pay.  Luckily there are no repercussions for Poor families seeing the Repo Man.  Household bank balance is $1347 out of $50,000.

Sub Farm #1 Godwin:  Current household members are Jasper (Gen 1 Founder - elder), Silas & Matilda (Gen 2 Heir/Wife - adults), Adolph (Gen 3 Heir - child), Amelia (Gen 3 - child), and Lucius (Gen 3 - toddler).  Matilda is pregnant with baby #4.  The family is doing better financially, in part due to the life insurance payout when matriarch Harriet died.  They've purchased a sewing machine for Matilda so she can contribute to their savings.  The men have also been fishing as much as allowed to stock the fridge.  They don't want to run out of food again like last Winter.  Household bank balance is $11,858 out of $50,000.

Victorian Population Challenge 11/19/18

As the residents of Victoria's Peak reach the end of Summer and move into Fall, we'll have another recap.

Poor #1 Stanbury:  Current household members are Robert & Faith (Gen 1 Founders - elders), Thomas & Joy (Gen 2 Heir/Wife - adults), Charles (Gen 2 - teen), Robert (Gen 3 Heir - child), Damon (Gen 3 - toddler), and Toby (Gen 3 - baby).  Since last round Robert Sr. has managed to obtain not one, but TWO promotions.  He finally realized he'd need to skill to get promoted and has been very keen on body points.  Thomas has still not shown any interest in skills, so while his performance remains high, he's unlikely to get promoted without a chance card intervention.  Claudia has left the household, but Charles is still here for a bit, helping out with a job in Business.  Joy is still working on sewing; she's up to a silver badge.  The household bank balance is $10,065 out of $50,000.

Poor #2:  This household is vacant since the Hopkins leveled up to Trade.

Victorian Population Challenge 11/9/18

Victoria's Peak has moved into Summer now.  Sub Farmers are harvesting and replanting; Poor are plugging along as usual.  There have been a couple new households formed and a few new babies have arrived, bringing the tally to 7 boys/6 girls.  We also had our very first death: Wyatt Hayward (age 63).  I think we'll have a few more joining Wyatt in the near future.  Still no family has moved up to Trade yet, but it shouldn't be too much longer I hope.  As it currently stands, there are 4 Poor households and 6 Sub Farmers.  I will plan on doing an in depth update on each household again as they near the end of Summer.

Victorian Population Challenge 11/3/18

Continuing from yesterday's post...

Sub Farmer #2 Whitlock:  Current members of this household are Luther & Emma (Gen 1 Founders), who are both elders, their children Liam (Gen 2 Heir), Benjamin (teen), and Josie (child), and Liam's wife Chastity (formerly Baldwin), who is pregnant with the couple's first child.  The other children of Luther & Emma have all moved out.  This household also has the "slow time" glitch, which has another pro/con for sub farmers in that the crops grow much faster than usual, but they also grow weeds/get bugs faster too.  The heir, Liam, is the 4th child and I thought it would mean he'd get a much later start than the other heirs, but he's actually on par with most of them (ahead of poor Hart Baldwin even).  This family ended up with the most children born into Gen 2, with a whopping 8 thanks to that fast pregnancy thing.  Financially though they're just average.  They did buy a toy bench last round, so that will add some income. Also Benjamin has a teen job in the Athletic career.  The household bank balance is $5411 out of $50,000.

Sub Farmer #3 Hayward:  Current members of this household are Wyatt & Amelia (Gen 1 Founders), who are both elders, their children Noah (Gen 2 Heir) and Julian (teen), Noah's wife Grace (formerly Hopkins), and Noah & Grace's children Abraham (Gen 3 Heir - child) and Eli (toddler).  Grace is pregnant with the couple's third child.  This family has always struggled for some reason.  Wyatt and Amelia have a hot/cold relationship, falling in and out of love on a regular basis.  No one likes to clean, so there was a sea of baby bottles on the floor for a long time.  Grace and Abraham have cleaned most of them up at this point, but Grace is always pregnant and Abraham is at school most of the day, so they still pile up.  Add to that the fact that none of the teens ever seem to do well in school.  Julian's current grade is D-, which means he can't take a teen job to help out.  Add to that the fact that one of the elders has only a day or two to live (honestly that might be a blessing) and you've got one miserable family.  The household bank balance is $1881 out of $50,000.

Sub Farmer #4 Hayward:  Current members of this household are Levi (Gen 2 Spare) & Elizabeth (formerly Stanbury) and their children James (Gen 3 Heir - child), John (toddler), and Anna (baby).  Elizabeth is pregnant with the couple's 4th child.  As a relatively new household money must be conserved at all costs.  They will need to purchase many new beds for their growing family, as well as have cash on hand for planting and other helpful gardening items like the compost bin and ladybug houses.  Levi goes fishing as often as possible to supplement their food supply until the crops are ready to harvest in summer.  James has been having trouble in school (he has a D), but was finally able to get caught up on homework this round, so hopefully he'll bump back up to a C at least.  Elizabeth has been having a tough pregnancy so far and John is a very difficult toddler, making it even more difficult for her, but hopefully she'll press on.  The household bank balance is $1299 out of $50,000.

Sub Farmer #5 Godwin:  Current members of this household are Emory (Gen 2 Spare) & Caroline (formerly Hayward) and their children Grace (toddler) and Louise (baby).  This family is financially and physically struggling.  The garden seems to be constantly overgrown and buggy, the kitchen is quickly filling with bottles, both adults are constantly exhausted despite the girls being fairly calm, and their bank balance is down to $798, which will soon go even lower as Grace reaches childhood and needs a bed.  Fishing is out of the question, but Emory was able to harvest the fruit trees, so at least they won't starve.

Victorian Population Challenge 11/2/18

I'd like to start talking about the individual families that I'm playing and what's going on with each household.

Poor #1 Stanbury:  Current members of this household are Robert & Faith (Gen 1 Founders), who are both elders, their children Thomas (Gen 2 Heir), Claudia (teen), and Charles (child), and Thomas' wife Joy (formerly a Baldwin), who is pregnant with the couple's first child.  The other children of Robert & Faith have all grown up and either married or moved into one of the public houses for singles.  Robert and Thomas both work in the Adventurer career, which has no cap on the level they are allowed to reach.  Nevertheless, Robert has never managed to secure even one promotion, despite having the required skills/friends.  He always seems to be miserable when he heads out, so his performance is pretty low.  In fact, it's surprising he still has a job at all.  Thomas is at level 2 and Claudia also brings in a little money with her teen job in Law Enforcement.  Recently the family saved enough money to buy a sewing machine so that the ladies of the household can contribute to income as well.  Luckily, Joy had nearly earned a bronze badge in sewing while living at the group home for single women.  Since Thomas is not likely to earn a promotion any time soon (he needs 2 charisma, but I only have them skill if they roll the want), the extra income from Joy is quite helpful in keeping food on the table.  The household bank balance is $2847.  They will need $50,000 to move up to Trade, so that will not be happening for a long while.

Poor #2 Hopkins:  Current members of this household are Simon & Elsie (Gen 1 Founders), who are both elders, their children Nathaniel (Gen 2 Heir) and Bess (child), and Nathaniel's wife Johanna (formerly a Whitlock), who is pregnant with the couple's first child.  The other children of Simon and Elsie have all moved out.  This household has the "slow time" glitch, which means in normal speed time passes very slowly making it impossible to play on any speed but the fastest.  There are pros and cons to this glitch, as some time related functions of the game move according to the slowed down time and others continue to progress at the normal rate.  For example, pregnancy progresses at the normal pace, meaning instead of 3 days, a typical pregnancy will last about half that amount of time.  It makes it easy to fill the house with babies.  Bills and the repo man also progress as normal, which makes it difficult to know when bills are due and what time of the day or night the repo man might show up.  Luckily the family has enough money now that they can pay bills immediately.  Another plus is that aspiration level degrades much more slowly so that everyone is always in a platinum mood, and will easily top their Lifetime Aspiration Meter, becoming Perma-Plat.  On the other hand, while relationships within the family remain strong, maintaining relationships outside the household are very difficult as they drop at about twice the normal rate.  Moving the family out and back in might fix the glitch, but I've decided for now to just live with it, as the pros and cons are fairly balanced.  As stated in a previous post, the Hopkins are likely to be first to move up to Trade.  Elsie is a flower arranging goddess, making about 50 snapdragons per day.  Her husband Simon is at the highest allowed level of the Business career (level 3 - Field Sales Rep) and her son Nathaniel is at level 4 of the Athletic career, which has no cap.  The household bank balance is $36,605 out of the $50,000 they need to level up.

Poor #3 Baldwin:  Current members of this household are Heath & Lucinda (Gen 1 Founders), who are both elders and their children Hart (Gen 2 Heir) and Van (teen).  The other children of Heath & Lucinda have all moved out.  Hart has not found a wife yet.  Heath is at level 2 of the Military career, which has no cap.  He previously worked in the Science career, but when he was promoted above the cap he was forced to quit.  Hart was at the highest allowable level of the Business career (level 3), but he was demoted due to a bad chance card.  Lucinda adds to the family's funds via pottery making (she's not very good at it though, lol) and Van has a teen job in Law Enforcement.  This family has struggled for a long time, but they've finally starting making some headway towards leveling up to Trade.  Unfortunately, if Hart doesn't produce an heir, it may all be for nothing.  The rules don't stipulate what to do if an heir doesn't marry and carry on his line.  I guess that's a bridge I'll cross when and if I get to it.  At the moment, I'm considering one of two options: a) have the next of Hart's brothers who gets married move back into the family home and become the heir or b) allow Hart to live out his life in the family home and then move the next Poor couple in to take over the lot.  The household bank balance is $9957 out of the $50,000 needed to level up.

Poor #4 Hopkins:  Current members of this household are Henry & Alice (formerly Whitlock).  They are newlyweds and expecting their first child.  Henry is a Gen 2 spare starting a new household, with very few furnishings and a bank balance of $5.  He has a job in Military (level 4) which has no cap.  Since they have so little money, Alice will not be able to take up a craft yet.  Wives are also permitted to earn money via fishing, selling lemonade, and busking, but I don't usually pursue those as lemonade makes very little income and she'd have to leave the house for the other two, which is difficult to do with small children.

Sub Farmer #1 Godwin:  Current members of this household are Jasper & Harriet (Gen 1 Founders), who are both elders, their children Silas (Gen 2 Heir) and Esme (teen), Silas' wife Matilda (formerly Whitlock), and Silas and Matilda's children Adolph (Gen 3 Heir - toddler) and Amelia (baby).  Matilda is pregnant with the couple's third child.  Only non-heir teens are permitted to have jobs in the Sub Farmer class, so the only one working here is Esme as a Slacker.  Farming must be the primary source of income, though extra income may be earned in the usual ways (crafting, fishing, etc.)  This family has not yet saved enough money for a crafting bench, but the harvest is coming soon thankfully.  The winter was especially hard on them.  The community pond froze early and thawed late, so they were not able to supplement their food stores with fish.  Since Sub Farmers are not allowed to buy groceries, they were in danger of starving.  Luckily Matilda's parents were able to spare a couple of fish, which they gifted to the Godwins.  Things are looking up for them, but their bank balance is only $1751 out of $50,000, so no promotion to Trade in the near future.

Victorian Population Challenge 10/29/18

As we near the end of the Spring season, Sub farmers are looking forward to harvest time which will bring much needed food for their families, as well as income.  A few households have managed to save enough money for craft benches, which allow wives to earn a bit of side income to supplement job/farm income.  The Hopkins family is likely to be the first family to level up to Trade.  Elsie Hopkins has been working on that flower bench non-stop to supplement her husband's and son's incomes.  They've nearly reached $35,000; they'll need $50,000 to level up, at which point they will move to a new home and become shop owners (probably a flower shop, lol). 

The Trade class has various differences in rules/restrictions, but the most notable ones are that the family must make their living from the shop, girls must now have dowries, and too many visits from the Repo Man could get the family demoted back to Poor/Subsistence Farmer.  Moving up from Trade to either Professional or Gentleman Farmer will require saving up $100,000 which will be quite difficult with only shop income, temporary teen jobs, and bench/fishing income.  I can't wait to take on that challenge though.  I'm very excited to have my first upwardly mobile family.

In other news, the boy/girl ratio for Gen 3 is not improving.  It's now 5/1.  We've got to get more girls born!  Gen 2 is overbalanced with boys already and I don't need a repeat of that situation.  I've got a couple of newlyweds, a few more pending marriages, and several babies on the way, so I'm hoping for a run of girls to balance things out.

Victorian Population Challenge 10/26/18

Still plugging away.  It's mid-Spring which is good news for the Sub Farmers.  They can plant and eventually harvest some much needed produce to feed their families.  In the meantime, they must fish daily to keep their stock up.  Some more babies have been born, including the first girl of Gen 3!  She's still outnumbered 4/1 though, so hopefully we'll have some more girls soon.  Also, one of the Poor heirs got married finally, just 3 more heirs need wives.

This might be a good time to introduce all the families as they currently stand.  The Poor families are: Stanbury, Hopkins, and Baldwin.  Subsistence Farmers are: Godwin, Whitlock, and Hayward.

Stanbury:  Robert & Faith (Gen 1), their kids are Elizabeth, Thomas (heir), Marshall, Raymond, Richard, Claudia, and Charles.  Thomas & Joy (Gen 2) are expecting their first child.

Hopkins:  Simon & Elsie (Gen 1), their kids are Nathaniel (heir), Grace, Henry, Marie, Jake, Charlotte, and Bess.

Baldwin:  Heath & Lucinda (Gen 1), their kids are Hart (heir), Joy, Chastity, Carnell, Violet, and Van.

Godwin:  Jasper & Harriet (Gen 1), their kids are Silas (heir), Emory, Oliver, Finn, Lee, and Esme.  Silas & Matilda (Gen 2), their kids are Adolph and expecting baby #2.

Whitlock:  Luther & Emma (Gen 1), their kids are Matilda, Alice, Johanna, Liam (heir), Conrad, Louise, Benjamin, and Josie.

Hayward:  Wyatt & Amelia (Gen 1), their kids are Noah (heir), Levi, Caroline, Curtis, Olivia, and Julian.  Noah & Grace (Gen 2), their kids are Abraham and expecting baby #2.

Hayward:  Levi & Elizabeth (Gen 2), their kids are James, John, and expecting baby #3.

Godwin:  Emory & Caroline (Gen 2), their kids are Grace and expecting baby #2.

Victorian Population Challenge 10/22/18

So right now I'm playing the Victorian Population Challenge (I believe this challenge was created by Sebrina01 ages ago on TS2 Exchange, but I can't seem to find a current link to the rules) in which I try to build a neighborhood up with various social classes from the British Victorian era.  This challenge is so well written and I love it.  However, as I do with every challenge, I have tweaked the rules here and there to suit my own play style preferences.  The challenge is meant to start with a married couple for each of the six social classes (Poor, Subsistence Farmer, Trade, Professional, Gentleman Farmer, and Nobility), but I decided to start with only the lowest classes so that the families all have to work their way up to the higher levels of society.  Since Poor and Subsistence Farmers are basically equivalent social classes, I began with 3 couples each.  The rules pertaining to each of these classes are similar, with the main distinction being that the Poor make their income from jobs and the Sub Farmers make theirs from farming.  There are various other handicaps such as caps on job levels, restrictions on other sources of income, and restrictions about marriage, but the bottom line is: life is hard for these families and moving up to a better social class is not easy.

The rules state that teens must stay in the household for at least 3 days prior to moving out (I've bumped that up to 5 days) at which point they must move out to make room for more babies.  Since moving teens around is cumbersome, I've decided to use Uni to grow them up and move them out.  The rules have suggestions for group homes where unmarried teens/young adults can live once they are forced out of the family home and I've set up a boarding house for girls and a workhouse for boys.  These are both apartment lots, with four apartments each and a placeholder "chaperone" in each unit so I don't have to refurnish all the time.  When I eventually have members of the upper classes, they will attend Uni as boarding/finishing school.  This will be in place of the teen boarding/finishing schools described in the rules.  Finally, to account for the fact that later on there will be sims attending Uni for 9 semesters without aging, I give each sim that does not attend Uni 3 sips of elixir to add 9 days to their adulthood.  And that's pretty much it for edits I've made.  Believe it or not, this challenge is probably the one I've least fiddled with, which goes to show how well thought out it really is.

Currently, most of Gen 2 has reached adulthood and they've begun to pair off and start families of their own.  None of the heirs from my Poor families has managed to snag a wife yet, but 2 of the 3 Sub Farmer heirs have married, as well as 2 spares from the Sub Farmer class, who have started new farms.  The boarding house currently has 6 unmarried girls, while the workhouse has 9 bachelors looking for wives (add in the 4 heirs who need wives and that's 13 men to only 6 women!) though there are still some younger kids who haven't grown up yet.  I believe in total for Gen 2 I have 23 boys and 17 girls, so there will likely be some confirmed bachelors who live out their days in the workhouse.  Gen 3 is not looking any better as all 4 babies born have been boys!  Crazy!

About this blog

This blog is about The Sims 2 and the challenges/neighborhoods I play.  I don't really expect many (or any lol) readers, but in the event anyone does stumble upon this site what I'll be posting is whatever is going on in my game at the time.  I have many 'hoods and do many challenges, so there's always something different happening.  I play a given 'hood for a while, then move on to a different one.  Some I write stories for them, though I doubt I'll post them here because a) I hate the process of picture taking/editing/uploading, and b) they're not that good lol.  Some 'hoods are based on challenges posted by others (I will try to give credit if I can), some are challenges I came up with on my own, and some are just neighborhoods that I play with specific rule sets.  And that's about it.  Feel free to comment.  I'm always interested in new ideas and how others play.

Happy Simming!