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Test Subject
Original Poster
#1 Old 19th Jan 2010 at 5:59 AM Last edited by miniaturestar : 19th Jan 2010 at 6:18 AM.
Default The 5 Item Challenge
Introduction

I've dabbled with a few of the challenges before, including the classic Legacy and the Poverty challenges. This is a personal challenge that I've developed for my own use and to my own tastes, but I thought I'd share it in case anyone feels like doing this too.

I believe this would go well with a Legacy Challenge, as from my experience, it can be pretty easy to build up money and make a wealthy family within 3 or 4 generations, which seems to make things too easy and therefore tedious. With my challenge, there is plenty of forethought required and it will take some time before you can build things up respectably. Others like the ISBI should also be compatible.

I am not aware of any other challenges like this - if they're out there, please tell me. The last thing I want to do is get into a copycat fight. This may bear similarities to the Apocalypse challenge, but overall they seem pretty different to me.

Summary

The 5 Item Challenge: what is it, exactly?

In a nutshell, you may only have 5 items per 1 sim in the active household. 5 sims means you would have 25 items - thus, as you move through the generations, you accrue more items until the house is respectably furnished.
This is a limitless challenge - if you like, you "win" when you have achieved the top of every career & branch available.

Getting Started

Like most challenges, start with a single sim, on a home lot.
This sim may be from CAS or born in game. Future spouses may also be from CAS.
You can start on the lot of your choice. It can be an empty lot or an unfurnished home.
Every sim from this point on, "owns" five objects in the household. These five objects stay in the household regardless of deaths or moving out - hence, you will end up with a furnished house.

Challenge Rules

The rules are as follows:
  • All sims may use all objects in the household.
  • These objects must come from the "Buy" catalogue; there are some exceptions, see the bottom of this post for a full list of items that do not count in this "ownership".
  • Things in the "Build" category do not count.
  • There must be enough beds/cribs in the household to allow all sims to sleep at once.
  • Kleptomaniacs may steal, but must return all objects swiped without using them.
  • You may sell an object in order to purchase a different object, but you must have owned the object for 2 sim days prior to selling it.
  • Items in the family inventory retain ownership, even if the sim no longer requires them (eg. a crib.)
  • Items purchased from LTW points must be considered as "owned" objects and included in the item restriction.
Go nuts on money cheats - they will be of little to no use, as money is not the focus here.

Bonuses

A sim may earn ownership of more objects in the following ways:
+ 1 item every birthday party for that sim
+ 1 every maxed skill for that sim
+ 2 when the top of that sim's career is reached; multiple careers do not count
+ 5 when the LTW is completed for that sim

Unlockables

Certain objects can be unlocked by achieving the top of a career. Once they are unlocked, you can purchase these items and they will no longer count towards the number of items your sim may purchase.
A sim can only unlock one career. Although they may achieve the top rank of multiple careers, this will not unlock other things.

Culinary: all items in the "Kitchen" category may be purchased
Medical: all items in the "Bathroom" category may be purchased
Military: all items under "Transportation" may be purchased
Criminal/Thief: you may store things in the family inventory
Criminal/Evil: baby cribs, potties, and the two toddler skill toys may be purchased (we must train our minions from a young age!)
Journalism: televisions may be purchased
Science: fishbowls may be purchased
Rock: stereos may be purchased
Symphony: guitars may be purchased
Business: computers may be purchased
Athletic: exercise equipment may be purchased
Police/Law: alarms (smoke and burglar) may be purchased
Police/Forensic: easels may be purchased
Political: decorative items may be purchased

Part-time jobs do not unlock anything, unless you want to use your imagination.

Playing the Challenge

In case you're a little confused, I'll demonstrate with a short scenario.

Anne-Marie moves into an empty lot. A house is built, with windows, doors, a patio, whatever else. Her lifetime wish is to be a 5 Star Chef - ie. reach the top of the Culinary track.
For her, I purchase the following:
1. a double bed
2. a toilet
3. a shower
4. a fridge
5. a counter

This is all she can have at the present time. As the days pass, she joins the culinary career, meets another sim and marries them. Her new partner is Stephen, who wants to have a perfect garden, and works in the science career track.

Because Stephen is now part of the household, I can buy 5 more items. For the time being, this is all that I buy:
1. a sink
2. a bookcase

Anne-Marie falls pregnant, has a child. Great, I can buy 5 more items. I get:
1. a crib
2. a potty
3. a xylophone

Going back to Stephen, I also buy:
3. a table
4. a chair
5. a chair

If I want a better table, I must wait at least 2 sim days before selling it and buying a new one.

The child grows up. I have owned the crib for more than 2 sim days, so I sell the crib, and replace it with a single bed - the child thus continues to own 3 items. I cannot store the crib in the family inventory, because I have not reached the top of the Thief career.

By now, Stephen has reached the top of the Science career track. This means that he can now have 7 items (+2 for career max), and I can also purchase as many fishbowls as I want.
However, even if I then put Stephen into another career track, he cannot unlock anything else. I must rely on Anne-Marie and their offspring, the offspring's offspring, and so on like that.
When Stephen reaches his perfect garden, he earns + 5, so he can now own up to 12 objects.
When Stephen or Anne-Marie die, I may keep any of the items previously assigned to them - no other sim "owns" them. If I have only purchased 10 out of a possible 12 objects, then too bad, the opportunity is gone.


Making it harder

If you want to throw in an extra bit of challenge, consider the following.

Heirs:
Defined as the offspring of a married couple in the active household, only the heir and their spouse may earn object bonuses and unlock a category by achieving the top of the career track. Thus, with 14 careers, the challenge would take at least 7 generations.

Object Seriation:
An object may only be purchased if a lower grade version has been purchased first. To demonstrate, the first time you buy a fridge, it must be the worst fridge. Over time you can upgrade to the next level fridge, then the next level, then the next level, until you have reached the highest quality and most expensive fridge. Use common sense and note that items like the public toilet for a private bathroom, or patio furniture for a dining room, would not count.

Small Family:
The heir and their spouse may not produce more than two children, and may not receive fertility treatment. If there are multiple births due to the game and not from fertility treatment, the extra children may not own more than 5 objects regardless of any bonuses achieved. If you apply fertility treatment, then you fail.

No Unlockables:
Reaching the top of a career allows a + 2 bonus, nothing else.

Heirlooms:
No objects may be sold or stored in the family inventory. In this event, reaching the top of the Criminal/Thief track allows stolen items to be kept.
If moving house, the items must be packed, not sold, and unpacked from the family inventory immediately upon arrival at the new house.

What doesn't count

The following items, although (mostly) purchaseable in the Buy Catalogue, do not count as restricted objects:
  • Birthday cakes
  • Lights
  • Objects found while fishing
  • Books purchased at the Bookstore
  • Sim Paintings
  • Reward items
  • Rocks or Gems
  • Insects
  • Fish
  • Seeds & fruit
  • General activities that result in stuff accumulating in your inventory that cannot be bought.

Final Notes

I think I've covered everything. If others are so inclined to play it, I'll edit and tweak the challenge as necessary. I believe in constructive criticism, so poke the holes you see.
This guide is not written with WA in mind. I don't own it and have never played it. If you own it and think there are ways to incorporate WA with this challenge, you don't need permission from me as long as you give credit where credit is due.
If you do take up the challenge, I'd love to know how you go with it.

That's all for now - take care!

edit to clarify small things.
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Test Subject
Original Poster
#2 Old 19th Jan 2010 at 6:22 AM
Space reserved for major edits, addendums, or blah-blah moments.
Lab Assistant
#3 Old 21st Jan 2010 at 9:37 AM
Love this! I will defiantly do it after i do my spicy legacy (found here)...... (which i just lost due to stupid blue lots glitch :S so i am starting again!!!!)
Test Subject
Original Poster
#4 Old 21st Jan 2010 at 12:33 PM
Good luck! When you're underway, please share your results~ I'd love to see how people go with it.
One horse disagreer of the Apocalypse
#5 Old 21st Jan 2010 at 12:45 PM
I might try this. But my "harder" rules would be that you can't upgrade an object without it counting as another object - ie it's the *purchase* you earn, not the right to have the object. That means there will be a bit of continuing challenge as things wear out and get repossessed along the way you have to earn the right to repurchase them.

"You can do refraction by raymarching through the depth buffer" (c. Reddeyfish 2017)
Test Subject
Original Poster
#6 Old 22nd Jan 2010 at 2:35 AM
I honestly hadn't thought about upgrades - I think I've only ever had one sim who has gone and upgraded a significant portion of the household features. For the most part, it's not an element of the game I pay much attention to.

Sounds like good ideas, though. What are your thoughts on ways to earn said rights?
Fat Obstreperous Jerk
#7 Old 22nd Jan 2010 at 2:40 AM
This is a challenge? Are there even that many types of object in the GAME? I generally did new-sim-starts with nothing but an EMPTY LOT. Not because it was a "challenge", but rather for the opposite reason: Because I am an utter cheapskate and accept no Kewian-based substitutes.

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I cannot accept, and the wisdom to hide the bodies of those I had to kill because they pissed me off.
Test Subject
Original Poster
#8 Old 22nd Jan 2010 at 4:21 AM
I often start my sims on an empty lot; I rarely like the pre-made houses on offer. That's part of how this came to mind, and why building materials are irrelevant.

Depending on how you approach this, it doesn't always matter how many different types there are of a particular object. Ownership is not based on types, but the individual item. When an item is bought, it is assigned to a sim, and remains assigned to that sim until that sim dies. Then it becomes something owned by the family.

For instance, there are two standard cribs, but two cribs do not count as one ownership slot. I'd continue on with the explanation but you seem to have a reasonable grasp of how it's meant to work, you just don't like it. Which is fine, it's not like this is going to be everyone's flavour.

Call it a mini-challenge if you are so inclined. At any rate, I readily acknowledge the fact the challenge has flaws, it's idiotic to assume that there is no room for improvement. On that note, you're welcome to present any suggestions for said improvement if you have any.
Lab Assistant
#9 Old 23rd Jan 2010 at 9:36 AM
Quote: Originally posted by miniaturestar
Good luck! When you're underway, please share your results~ I'd love to see how people go with it.


I will have to learn how to upload pics then :P
Lab Assistant
#10 Old 4th Feb 2010 at 4:12 PM
You certainly put a lot of effort into this! It looks like a good one, or different from the usual challenges at least. Have you tried it yet? How have you found it?
I'll give it a go and let you know how I get on :D
Test Subject
Original Poster
#11 Old 6th Feb 2010 at 8:47 AM
I did take some photos, but I stupidly played up through Gen 1 and 2 without saving... naturally, the game froze and I lost most of what I'd played.

I'll post some photos tomorrow, though, gens 1 to 5 if I can get that far.
Test Subject
Original Poster
#12 Old 8th Feb 2010 at 2:33 AM
photobucket is being a grouch, but here's what I've gotten uploaded so far. I'm playing with Heirs, No Unlockables, and Small Family.

We started with a standard legacy founder, whose name is Reservations Novella. Her LTW is to be a 5 Star Chef. She can only have 5 items at the moment, but when she gets to her LTW, in theory I'll be able to give her at least 8 more (cooking maxed, top of the career, LTW achieved), so her total item count will be 13.
But for the moment, since she could only have five items, I built her a decent house to compensate.

Her items were Fridge, Counter, Toilet, Shower, Bed. (5 of 5 items)




Time passed, she met Buck Broke and he soon joined the household as her husband. Buck moved in with the guitar, a car, a stereo, and some books. We sold the car and the stereo.
With him there, we added Counter, Sink, Stove, Table. He kept the guitar, since his LTW is to be Rock God. (5 of 5 items)

Eventually they had two sons (not twins), Transformer and Twister.

Transformer started with a Crib, Potty, Xylophone, and Chair. (4 of 5 items)

Twister had a Crib, the Logic Blocks, Chair, and another Chair. (4 of 5 items)

The house was expanded appropriately.



Transformer grew up and his Crib and Potty were replaced by an Easel. (3 of 5 items). He also had a birthday party and was rewarded with a Chair. (4 of 6 items).

When Twister grew up, his Crib was replaced by a Bed, and we bought a bookcase (5 of 5 items), which is not pictured because the simmer hasn't taken a photo of it. We upgraded the furniture, at which point the simmer got irritated with colour selection and deemed everything to be randomised.




That's as much as I can upload for now, hopefully I'll get 'smore done tonight. Please ask any questions you might have.
Instructor
#13 Old 8th Feb 2010 at 3:19 AM
Question!

How are we supposed to be able to master the music track to unlock a guitar, when a guitar is required to advance in the music track?

I found a paradox I think D:

"There's nothing to writing.
All you do is sit at a typewriter and open a vein."
-Walter "Red" Smith
Test Subject
Original Poster
#14 Old 8th Feb 2010 at 5:05 AM
Apologies in advance if this response comes out wonky, I have a fuzzy head at the moment.

You can buy any item in the buy catalogue, at any time in the game. As long as it is owned by a sim and does not exceed that sim's current item limit.

When I use "unlocked" or "unlockable", that does not mean those items are unbuyable until that point. It means that after you have unlocked those items, you have a free pass to buy as many as you like, without having to tally them.

So you can buy a guitar, provided that the sim who's going to own the guitar has an empty space to allow for one. After you've had a sim (any sim in the household unless you play heirs only) reach the top of the music/rock career, you can buy six guitars per sim if that's what you want to do, because guitars become a kind of bonus item, and no longer count towards anything at all.

Does that make sense?
Test Subject
Original Poster
#15 Old 15th Feb 2010 at 11:31 AM
Small update!

This is about the 7th generation in. We ended up moving to another lot on gen 3 or 4, more space and a change of scene... I also wanted a big nursery, which there was not room for. Every sim in the active household has achieved their LTW, and maxed at least two skills. We've reached the top of the medical track twice, the criminal/thief track, the military track, the culinary track, and at least one other that I'm forgetting. We've had a perfect garden and two illustrious authors. I've played a couple of generations with double-heirs, and was intrigued to learn that a sim who dies from electrocution will be granted a tombstone with a slight yellow tinge.

Here's some photos. Please note that although I can do interior decoration, and cannot bear to play a TS2 house that isn't just right, TS3 has me far less enthused. 99% of the furniture has been subjected to a roll of the dice, the remaining 1% is default colouring. It's quite fun to see what combinations will be thrown out.

So, here we go.

Outside:



I haven't landscaped the outside properly, and I am itching to fix the roofing.

Ground floor:

Kitchen & dining in one room, lounge with fireplace, living room, home gym, artist room, nursery, study, bathroom and extra toilet (highly useful during the breeding period). One front door, two back doors
The fenced off bit was the garden and is now being used as a cemetary. I'll probably make it a proper flower garden at a later point; you can see it from the writing desk in the study, and who wants to stare at their ancestors whilst working on a novel?

Upper level:

Second bathroom. 5 bedrooms; grandparents, parents, kids. Easily expandable over the top of the existing house, though I doubt the occasion will arise.

Despite the narrow hall and having only a single staircase, I'm strangely free of traffic jams. I don't know how long that'll last, lol.


Close up of the kitchen:

It took so long to acquire enough counters to have something decent sized, lol.

Close up of the living room:

Note the particularly garish colour choices.

Close up of the study:

The window shown is the one that overlooks the miniature not-a-garden.

That's all I have for now. It's certainly much tougher than I thought, to keep track of the number of items and to figure out what you'll add. But at the same time, it's very doable once you get the hang of it, and quite fun.
Instructor
#16 Old 18th Oct 2016 at 2:53 PM
:p...:p.....:p
Test Subject
#17 Old 18th Oct 2016 at 5:10 PM
I'll try this although I have a long list of challenges to complete first :P
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