Settlers of Simtaan 1.06

Week 6

Random Event: The community wants to hold a block party!  Host a house or dinner party with in your next event roll and receive at least a silver rating.

This is an exciting time in Simtaan. The existing families, eager to welcome the Sylvesters, are happy to plan a party to celebrate. Not only that, but Annie and the other family leaders decide that now is the perfect time to add a church to their small community. 

The church is finally constructed on Monday. This is St Bartholomew's Church, which will be a great gathering place for the community with its fairgrounds and children's play area. 

View across the street to the church. 

View of the fairgrounds and part of the cottage. 

View inside the church down the nave.

Word of the improvements to Simtaan's community infrastructure spreads, drawing more new residents. Bryant and Lucille Midgen move their family into the nearby Cottage Am See, which just barely has space for their twins Ashley and Evan and Lucille's widowed mother, Jocelyn.

On Tuesday, while the children are at their first day of school, tensions reignite between Annie and James. In fact... they get into a huge fight. 

Annie, though the loser of the fight, now openly despises her husband. By Wednesday their differences seem completely irreconcilable, and Annie decides they must cut ties. 

James isn't happy about it, but moves to Havisham House across the river. 

The planned day for the block party is Saturday, and Annie has a lot to do securing introductions to all the colony's new residents and  issuing invitations. She also spends some time learning some new recipes she hopes will make a splash among her neighbors. 

Some visits are easier than others. Mary Brown, she learns, is actually Evil.

Saturday, it turns out, is also Annie's birthday, so she serves cake as well as garlic noodles and her new tofu-chicken dish at the block party. It might not have brought the roof down, but it wasn't a total disaster either, and she has plenty to be proud of. 

Poor Bess catches a cold during the party, though, and by the next morning she has passed it to her brother Brick. There isn't much to be done for either of them. But Bess's own birthday is coming up, and Annie invites neighbor Max Sylvester to visit for the afternoon. He and Bess met at the party, and they seem to hit it off again. 

First, though, is the triplet's teenage birthday. Coming so soon after a neighborhood event, it's a small affair. Brick, still conscious of his responsibilities, forms an aspiration to have a Successful Lineage. Boomer wants to find his Soulmate and Butch would rather focus on Bodybuilding. 

Settlers of Simtaan 1.05

Week 5

Random Event: There are problems with the building permit office and Annie will need to mount a very convincing argument if she wants to move forward with the construction of the church this week.

Despite a late-night cram session to work out every possible flaw in her pitch, the demands of three toddlers and the extensive kitchen garden are too much for Annie, and the building permit office is unmoved. She will have to try to convince them again next week about the church. In the meantime, she continues working on grafting plants in her garden.  

Tuesday is the triplets' birthday. Everyone is glad to have those days behind them. Annie's consistent attention to parenting has enabled her to become a mentor and shape her children's futures. Brick is now the presumptive heir of the family, and the pressure manifests as an exacting perfectionism in everything he does. His brothers take a more laissez-faire approach to life, with Boomer having a creative flair and Butch being very physically active. 

All the kids having breakfast with mom.

There's only a little bit of time for the kids to all be the same age, though, because Wednesday is Bess' birthday. Her early interest in the outdoors leads to a lifetime aspiration to be an Angling Ace. 
Having so many people in the house means there's certainly always someone to talk to, and though James frequently says something to upset someone, now there are plenty of other family members to smooth over ruffled feathers. There's even time for Annie to have her friend Steven over for dinner on Friday! (Possibly to discuss the futures of their children... ;) ?)

Toward the end of the week, surprisingly, James proves persuasive enough to convince another family to move to Simtaan. Meet Magnus and Magdalena Sylvester, who bring with them his aging mother Mary and their three children Max, Katelin, and Meredith. They move into a lovely home with plenty of room at Coorinberg Cottage.

A big family!

Bess, having nursed a strong dislike of her father over the years, immediately spends a great deal of time over there. 

Settlers of Simtaan 1.04

Week 4

Random Event: James held another garage sale and sold off the collectible figurines this time. Annie had a really rare one, too!


The boys are named Brick, Boomer, and Butch. See them below in order from bottom right. 

On Wednesday Annie catches a cold that lasts until Friday. 

Every hour passes like a year. 

Somehow the family perseveres.

n.b.: I'm bending the 'Arts and Commodities' restriction for the boys as toddlers, because I needed to be able to distinguish them and my internet was out while I was playing this so I couldn't DL more thematic CC. Everything for toddlers is so bright!

WIP: Church

Been working on this Peteran (Norman)-style chapel and churchyard for Simtaan at the large Dresden House lot.

Since there's so much room, the lot will also include a cottage for the priest, a fairgrounds, lots of overgrown woodlands, and some ruins.

Settlers of Simtaan 1.03

Week 3

Random Event: Bess, though she is only a toddler, feels that she cannot bear the responsibility of becoming the next Heir. Annie knows that she must, somehow, give her daughter a sibling.

(IRL: I wrote up some new Restriction Unlocks and Random Events for this challenge, which I am now playtesting. Read them here.)

Annie redoubles the effort she puts into her marriage and actually finds most of the plants she needs for her garden. Here she is in a rare moment of peace:

The addition of Blarffy the Bear to the household actually has an unforeseen benefit--it gives James a safe outlet for his anger other than knocking over the trash can. But perhaps inevitably, he begins to aggravate his daughter as well as his wife, lecturing her and denying her requests for hugs at random. He doesn't laugh at her young attempts at humor and in fact only made one attempt at parenting at all:

Annie's continuing attempts to get through to James improve her people skills in general so much that by the middle of the week she is able to convince a new family to join hers in Simtaan! Mara and Steven Kearney move into the nearby 'Rustic Residence' Lot with their young son Jorden. 

Excitingly, Annie becomes pregnant again! Bess has her birthday and grows into a child who loves spending time outdoors, especially keeping her mother company while she works in the garden. Later in the week, James and Annie celebrate their shared birthday and enter middle age.

With a lot of patience, Annie finally finds all of the domestic wild plants she needs for her garden, and begins experimenting with grafting them.

Not long later and after a difficult labor at home, Annie gives birth to a baby boy!
Wait...
Make that triplet baby boys.
The homestead enters hell on earth.

Settlers of Simtaan 1.02

Week 2

 Random event: James held a yard sale while Annie was out fishing and sold her burgeoning collection of fossils. Perhaps it is fortunate there was only one item so far.

After a difficult pregnancy full of back aches and shouting, their daughter Bess is born early in the week. She soon proves to be an inquisitive toddler who loves her toy ducky and disdains the large plush bear it took much more effort to acquire. Annie must give up most of her time fishing and searching for new garden plants far from home in order to focus on child care. James still yells and talks to the toilet frequently, but is at least surprisingly helpful when it comes to potty training. However, other than that he is not any kinder to his daughter than he is to his wife.

Things between the couple have deteriorated to the point that Annie begins to contemplate divorce when she is most upset. Only her natural optimism and love for her daughter buoy her spirits.

Settlers of Simtaan 1.01

Week 1

Annie and James are eager to start their wedded life at the new colony of Simtaan. Their homestead at the so-called "Summer Home" lot in the future neighborhood of Windenburg is modest but promising, offering easy access to natural resources and plenty of space. Annie wastes no time in throwing herself into the hard work of setting up a garden and fishing for fertilizer, while her husband spends most of his time talking to himself or the surprisingly chatty commode. Other than that, there is not much to do in this new world but wait for the plants to grow and... make babies. Annie does want children, and decides to try before her marriage of pragmatism dissolves into a complete shambles.

The short-tempered and less-than-stable James has a third favorite pastime, and that is yelling at his wife. No matter how much effort Annie puts into their relationship, it seems doomed to failure. He always seems to know just what to say to ruin any progress they make and leave her hurt and angry.

Soon Annie is pregnant, however, and she hopes that a child can give her the love her marriage so decidedly lacks. 

What a charmer. He has so many winning qualities. I'm sorry, I can't even maintain the sarcasm.

Settlers Challenge: My Additional Random Events

Twenty random events to roll once a week for the entire duration of the challenge seemed a little thin, so I've added ten more. Five are increased chances for fire in the community or the spring/autumn festival event, and five are entirely new. Scroll to the bottom to see them.

Entries marked with a * are mine, entries greyed out are original and provided for comparison.

Source for original events

Random Events

1 The spring festival makes people romantic. Add a new baby to a random family in your colony (Manage Worlds -> Household Management -> Edit sims in CAS).

2 One of your current heir’s children feels that they cannot bear the responsibility of building a colony. That child isn’t allowed to become an heir. Select the child randomly. (If your heir doesn't have children, nothing happens.) If your current Heir has the Mentor trait, roll a die to assuage their fears. 1-3=The child feels better about their future. 4-10=You were unable to change their mind.

3 A flood destroys the house of one family in your colony (pick randomly) and you want to help them. Move them into your house. You may move them out after one week if you want.

4 Problems with the building permit office. If you can raise your Logic skill by two points (unless it’s maxed already, in which case you succeed automatically) in the next 24 hours, you’ll be able to convince them that your requests are rational and nothing happens. If you can’t raise your Logic by two points, you may not build anything before next Sunday.

5 Fire! One of your community buildings has burnt (pick randomly). You may rebuild it using your money if you want to, but it will cost 5000 simoleons. If you don't want to rebuild it, bulldoze it.

6 Unrest on the border! All young adult and adult sims will have to leave the house to help EXCEPT the heir, because the heir must take care of the internal affairs of the colony. Move the other adult or young adult sims out to another lot. Every day after this, roll dice or use random.org to pick a random number: 1=The war continues and one of your sims is killed (pick randomly) and will not return home after the war, 2= The war continues, 3= The war continues, 4=The war continues, 5=The war is over, everyone can come home immediately (move them back in), 6=The war is over, everyone can come home immediately (move them back in).

7 The autumn festival makes people romantic. Add a new baby to a random family in your colony (Manage Worlds -> Household Management -> Edit sims in CAS).

8 A casanova moves into the community, sweeps one of the female sims in your family (young adult or adult) off her feet and knocks her up. Pick the female sim randomly. That sim may even be your heir if your heir is female. Instructions: Create the casanova in CAS (if you haven't already), move him into your house and make him Try for baby with the selected sim. You can then move him out if you want to.

9 Your Mister Casanova is at it again! This time a female sim from another household gets pregnant. Pick the female sim randomly. Instructions: Create the Casanova in CAS (if you haven't already), move him into the female sim's house and add a baby to that family in Household Management.

10 A family asks if they may move into your colony. You decide. If you say yes, create four sims in CAS and move them into your colony.

11 Oil has been found in your colony. Use the cheat Kaching or some other money cheat to add 2000 simoleons to your family funds.

12 Gold has been found in your colony. Use the cheat Kaching three times or use some other money cheat to add 4000 simoleons to your family funds.
-The towns water supply is tainted with toxins! If you have a garden delete 3 of your plants that were contaminated beyond saving.

13 Your current partner held a garage sale while you were hard at work today and they sold one of your collections! Delete all of the items from one of the collectibles section from your inventory and house.

14 The community wants to throw a block party! Host a house or dinner party with in your next event roll and receive at least a silver rating. If silver is not achieved subtract 500 simoleons from your bank for an unsuccessful party.

15 School is closed for the day!! All Children and Teenagers must stay home from school. Only applicable if you have unlocked School.

16 Oh no, looks like your current heir is suffering a midlife crisis (adult sims only)! Roll a dice (1-6) to determine your event that you need to complete.
    1) New Career. You can choose but it can't be in the same type that you are currently working. Example: can't change from Criminal Boss branch to Criminal Oracle branch. If careers are not available you can ignore or re-roll.
    2) Change Aspiration. You get to choose which one.
    3) Have a baby with in the next week or add a baby via adoption. If family is full re-roll or ignore.
    4) Pack up and move your family to a new lot. You may take all items that you have in current house or sell them.
    5) Kick your current spouse or partner out of the house (leave in bin or put them on a lot, doesn't matter). After a week your spouse/partner may come back or you can find a new lover and break up/divorce your current partner/spouse.
    6) Your sim got over their crisis with out any conflict. Nothing changes.

17 Your current spouse/partner went on a shopping spree. Subtract 200 simoleons from your account and add an extra 10 simoleons per child in your current household.

18 Baby Boom! Add a new child to every family in your community. You can choose to have a child for your own family or opt out but the other families must have a child. (Manage Worlds -> Household Management -> Edit sims in CAS).

19 The community appreciates everything you have been doing to help them out so far. They have saved up a small fund for you to show their appreciation. Add 200 simoleons for every lot you have built in your world (residential including your lot and community).

20 Your current heir has come down with Simfluenza. Spend the day napping, eating, and using the toilet. No skill building or money earning today! All meals must be made by your helper (if you have one), leftovers, or quick meals.

*21 Fire! One of your community buildings has burnt (pick randomly). You may rebuild it using your money if you want to, but it will cost 5000 simoleons. If you don't want to rebuild it, bulldoze it.

*22 Fire! One of your residential buildings has burnt (pick randomly). You may rebuild it using your money if you want to, but it will cost 5000 simoleons. If you don't want to rebuild it, bulldoze it and move the family who lived there in with yours or split them up among multiple residences if they won't fit.

*23 Fire! One of your community buildings has burnt (pick randomly). You may rebuild it using your money if you want to, but it will cost 5000 simoleons. If you don't want to rebuild it, bulldoze it.

*24 The spring festival makes people romantic. Add a new baby to a random family in your colony (Manage Worlds -> Household Management -> Edit sims in CAS).

*25 The autumn festival makes people romantic. Add a new baby to a random family in your colony (Manage Worlds -> Household Management -> Edit sims in CAS).

*26 Plague! Roll for severity:
    1) Pandemic: For every family in your colony, there is a 1 in 6 chance that a sim dies, including yours. If someone dies, determine them randomly.
    2) Outbreak: Five sim houses are struck by disease. For each there is a 1 in 6 chance that a sim will die. If someone dies, determine them randomly.
    3) Outbreak: Three sim houses are struck by disease. For each there is a 1 in 6 chance that a sim will die. If someone dies, determine them randomly.
    4) Outbreak: Three sim houses are struck by disease. For each there is a 1 in 6 chance that a sim will die. If someone dies, determine them randomly.
    5) Outbreak: Three sim houses are struck by disease. For each there is a 1 in 6 chance that a sim will die. If someone dies, determine them randomly.
    1) Your colony is safe from infection.

*27 Storms off the coast! You cannot buy or sell anything this week through the inventory panel or Buy/Build mode deletion. You may sell your wares at the Flea Market or Art Gallery if you have unlocked them.

*28 There is a hunting accident and someone in your family has a close call. Choose a male (or any) sim randomly. If the sim has 6 skill points in Fitness, they pass the event. If you have unlocked Folk Remedies, flip a coin for survival. If neither, you have the chance to unlock Folk Remedies (50% survival) or Medicine (100%) by the end of the week to help the sim survive their injuries. If you have already unlocked Medicine you automatically pass the event. (CL: If everyone in your family is a Vegetarian or the chosen sim is a Vegetarian, ignore this event.)

*29 An oddball in your colony is proclaiming earth-shattering ideas. You can investigate their theories or ignore them and silence the blasphemer. You must have a Library built in order to participate in this event, otherwise ignore it. If you attempt the Investigate option but fail to raise the skill points, you automatically choose Silence.
    Investigate: Have your Heir raise their Logic skill by 4 points in 36 hours (unless it is maxed already, in which case you succeed automatically), then roll a die to see whether they were a genius in the rough or truly out there...
        1) They Were Right: Scientific Advancement! Count this as 7 free citizens or 1 distinct lot type toward your next Restriction Unlock.
        2-6) They Were Wrong: No harm in checking these things out. Everyone calms down and things go back to the status quo.
    Silence: There is no room in such a small community for this kind of dissension. (Hard Mode: Choose 1 sim at random in your colony. Kill them.) Things calm down and go back to the status quo.

*30 Drought! For every garden plant that you have, flip a coin for its survival. Delete every plant that dies and set your family funds back to what you had before the drought.

Settlers Challenge: My Additional Restrictions

I wanted to try adding some Restriction Unlocks that would involve more expansion pack content or seemed more realistic to me. Note that the original restriction 'Medicine' and proposed restriction 'Vacations' (by vadkins, see here) have been altered and split into several others.

Entries marked with a * are mine, entries greyed out are original and provided for comparison.

Restriction Unlocks

*Religion
No one in the colony can get married without the proper ceremony. No sims who have died may be buried with the proper blessings, either, so all urns from your family must be kept on your lot. Once you have lifted this restriction tombstones may be kept at the churchyard or you can release spirits into the netherworld.
Requirements for lifting this restriction:
-Build a wedding/gathering venue (see Community Lots)

School
There is no school in your colony. You must prevent children from going to school.
Requirements for lifting this restriction:
-There must be at least 12 people living in your colony (your family included).

Vacations (Outdoor Retreat) (by vadkins)
- No vacations to Granite Falls. No collecting of OR-specific fish/bugs/plants. No Herbalism.
Requirements for lifting this restriction:
- There must be at least 20 people living in your colony (your family included)
- Someone in your family has 6 skill points in Fitness

*Folk Remedies (Outdoor Retreat)
No leveling in Herbalism. No using herbal remedies to treat sick sims. You may not purchase the tea brewer.
Requirements for lifting this restriction:
-You need to lift the restriction 'Vacations'
-Visiting Granite Falls at least once.
-Someone in your family has 6 skill points in Gardening

*Community Spirit (City Living)
There are no festivals in your colony, and no one in your family may attend them.
Requirements for lifting this restriction:
-You have lifted the restriction 'Religion'
-There are at least 24 people living in your colony

Electricity
There is no electricity yet. You may not use the computer, the TV, the radio etc. (You may use the fridge, however).
Requirements for lifting this restriction:
-There must be at least four different community lots in your colony 
-One of the sims in your current family must have 6 skill points in Handiness

Careers
You may not have a normal job as there aren’t any companies or infrastructure. Careers are therefore not allowed, but you may use other means to earn money (painting, collecting, gardening, fishing, etc.)
Requirements for lifting this restriction:
-There must be at least five different community lots in your colony
-There must also be at least 30 people living in your colony (including your family)

*Society (Get Together)
You may not join clubs or build lots where clubs gather. You may not build night clubs, cafes, coffee shops, or karaoke bars.
Requirements for lifting this restriction:
-There must be at least 60 people living in your colony
-Your Heir must have 8 skill points in Charisma

*Modern Medicine (Get To Work)
Hospital births are not allowed, nor is purchasing medicine from the computer.
Requirements for lifting this restriction:
-You must have lifted the restriction 'Folk Remedies'
-One of the sims in your family must have grown a Death Flower
-One of the sims in your current family must have 6 skill points in Logic

Higher Education
There are no possibilities for higher education in your colony. You may not build a library. If you unlock this, you can always choose the traits for your sims when they age up or are born.
Requirements for lifting this restriction:
-You need to lift the restriction 'School' first
-One of the sims in your current family must have the trait Genius and be at least a young adult.

* Arts & Commodities Pigments (Outdoor Retreat) (by vadkins) (edited)
Your sims have very few paint colors/dyes and no idea how they are made. You may not have brightly colored objects. Homes must be furnished in natural colors, rusty reds, white/black, and desaturated/dark blues. No brightly colored clothing. No decorative paintings. No one but the Heir may interact with easels. (Woodworking/playing with clay is allowed). Sick sims cannot use herbal remedies.
Requirements for lifting this restriction:
- Your current Heir must have 6 skill points in Gardening
- You need to lift the restriction 'Folk Remedies'

*Divination
 Your sims live at the mercy of the unknowable fates, coping as best they can with the shifting tides of fortune. Whether it is oracle bones, watching the stars, or reading the cards, Divination gives your community the advantage of a glimpse into the future. If you unlock this, you may reroll one random event in an Heir's lifetime.
Requirements for lifting this restriction:
-You have lifted the restriction 'Religion'
-One of the sims in your current family has the trait Good and is at least a young adult
-There must be at least three different community lots in your colony

*Space Race
You may not join the Astronaut career as your colony lacks the infrastructure for orbital launch.
Requirements for lifting this restriction:
-You have built a Library
-You have unlocked 'Careers'
-You have unlocked 'Higher Education'
-You have unlocked 'Electricity'
-Someone in your family has Rocket Science skill level 6.

Introducing the Settlers Challenge

Hello! 

Welcome to Seagulls Sims. The first chronicle this blog will follow is my attempt at the Settlers Challenge, which involves controlling an Heir and leaving the rest of the family to behave autonomously. Let's meet the founding couple.

Heir: Annie Thornton
Freelance Botanist (Cheerful, Self-Assured, Vegetarian)

Spouse: James Thornton
Mansion Baron (Hot-Headed, Goofball, Insane)

The challenge also involves rolling a random event each week to liven things up while the Heir works to convince new families to move to the colony and to improve the infrastructure by adding community lots. 

You can read the original rules here, and the additional ones I'll be playtesting later through the links in the sidebar.

Annie has a lot of work ahead of her!