Meet our teens, Hermione Driver (Genius & Bookworm) and her younger twin siblings, Hugo (Creative & Overachiever) and Harry (Good & Active). Their younger brother Herbert, who is still a child, will be joining them once they have a home. All four sims were born in House 7 of my Drifter Challenge.
To complete two of the four aspirations that came with High School Years (Goal Oriented and Admired Icon). We will take a look at the other two aspirations (Drama Lama & Live Fast) and attempt to do the first tier of both if we can.
They all need to max the new 5 level entrepreneurial skill.
Each sim will complete a different after school activity (i.e. the four new ones that come with High School Years, Cheerleader, Football Team, Chess Team & Computer Team) and they will also all max one of the two new part time careers that came with the pack (Video Game Streamer & Simfluencer, between our sims, both careers will be covered).
To build at a minimum a three bedroom, two bathroom home.
To see how much money they can make after building their home!
We will also try to examine the other new aspects that come with the pack including prom, social bunny and Trendi.
Rags to Riches Rules for This Challenge:
They will start with nothing on the now empty 30×20 Hillside Haven lot that usually has a rental property on it in Copperdale.
Since selling paintings directly helps the entrepreneurial skill, they will be able to sell those directly without a street gallery, however, for other items they first need a yard sale table. They can sell paintings on a street gallery, I just won’t require it.
They will earn money from odd jobs and their part time careers to get the ‘seed’ money needed to get the yard sale table & do some painting.
For more Rags to Riches guidelines, see my blog post.
Contact Me:
If you have any questions, need troubleshooting help or want to share your own Sims game play with other friendly Simmers please head over to my Facebook group, Sims Sanctuary or my Discord
There have been a number of issues with the game since the July 26, 2022 game update and I will try and summarize some of the more common ones here.
The biggest issue is with aging, both on the long lifespan and short lifespan. This issue is so big EA has a message about it on your main menu, this appeared on July 27:
They are recommending you back up your saves and temporarily play on a Normal Lifespan. I recommend avoiding any saves where you currently play on Long or Short Lifespan. Also, while turning aging off is one option, make sure you change the Lifespan to Normal before turning off aging, otherwise there are reports that the issue persists.
I did a separate video on the long term issue and how to use the no aging option.
Here are some other issues I’ve seen noted on EA AHQ with links to their bug reports. If your issue isn’t here, I recommend going over to the Sims 4 Bug Section of EA AHQ and looking for the issue you are experiencing.
Here’s a screenshot of a Tweet by SimGuruNick re the first issue noted here:
Wants/Fears: Sim wants to ask a relative to be GF/BF Note EA Cade has responded to this report to say the Sims Team is looking into this. SimGuruNick has also tweeted (see above screenshot) to say they can reproduce this and are working on it. I have uploaded a room to the gallery with 5 want refresher potions so you can use that to get rid of wants you don’t want and not use any reward points (each want refresher potion is 200 reward points).
You should be prompted to use this template, however if you aren’t, then just copy and paste this and fill in the details.
Product: The Sims 4 Platform: Which language are you playing the game in? How often does the bug occur? What is your current game version number? What expansions, game packs, and stuff packs do you have installed? Steps: How can we find the bug ourselves? What happens when the bug occurs? What do you expect to see? Have you installed any customization with the game, e.g. Custom Content or Mods? Did this issue appear after a specific patch or change you made to your system?
Mod Issues
Most mods broke with the game update so make sure to check all your mods to see if they broke and if they’ve been updated. Many have already been updated including MCCC, UI Cheats, Twisted Mexi mods, Wonderful Whims and LittleMsSam mods.
As of early on July 28, 2022 here is a statement re Kawaii Stacie mods:
One common issue I see mentioned is not being able to change your hair colour in Create-A-Sim, my understanding is this is caused by the More Columns mod by Weerbesu which has been updated.
There’s a Sim forum post that tracks what broke, what’s been updated and what’s fine which is a great source to check.
Another source is Scarlet’s mod tracking list, this includes mature mods, the Sims forums don’t allow mention of mods that increase the games’ rating.
Contact Me:
If you have any questions, need troubleshooting help or want to share your own Sims game play with other friendly Simmers please head over to my Facebook group, Sims Sanctuary or my Discord. Either I or other members will try to answer any troubleshooting questions and I also have some guides that can help in my Facebook group. I can also be found on Twitter and Instagram
Game updates usually go live at 10 am Pacific, therefore based on that here’s when the update is expected in some time zones:
Link for when that’s expected in your own time zone.
How to Prepare (Computer Players)
Before you update: 1) Make a back up of your saves 2) Move your mods folder to your desktop After you update: 3) Repair your game in Origin 4) Delete your localthumbcache file
Note mods and custom content will be automatically disabled. This is a big update so mods are expected to break.
Luth always has a good mod tracking post over on the forums. I’ll add a link when it’s available. Here’s a link to the Werewolves tracking post to start, it should also link to the new one once it’s available.
1. Body Hair – for arms, legs, torso (chest) and back. It’s supposed to be available for both genders.
High School Years Expansion Pack adds the ability to shave, this also includes facial hair.
2. Ability to set your Sims’ Sexual Orientation:
From gender settings which is available for teens and up Note the default settings are what the game currently goes by, just didn’t show before and now we can change and set it as we wish. Existing sims will keep default settings unless we change them.
If you have any questions, need troubleshooting help or want to share your own Sims game play with other friendly Simmers please head over to my Facebook group, Sims Sanctuary or my Discord. Either I or other members will try to answer any troubleshooting questions and I also have some guides in my Facebook group. I can also be found on Twitter and Instagram.
Proud Parent Playlist to be added when we get there!
Scenario Goals:
Honeymooner Scenario Goals:
Proud Parent Scenario Goals:
Proud Parent goals will also be added once we get to that point.
Additional Goals:
Along with the scenario goals, I’ll also be working on the following goals with them while doing these two scenarios:
Have them complete the frog collection.
Have at least one of them complete the following aspirations: * Country Caretaker * Freelance Botanist * both Spellcaster Aspirations
Have both of them complete the following aspirations: * Painter Extraordinaire * Soulmate Aspiration
Please let me know if there are any other goals/aspirations we should try and work on with them.
Gallery:
I’ve put their current version, i.e. as of the end of the No Skills, No Problem Scenario Let’s Play, on the gallery, if you’d like to play along with them. The home they move into during the first part is also on the gallery, this includes their garden & collectibles. There is also a mostly unfurnished version of their new home on the gallery. Both versions are modified micros, i.e. the core is on 32 square tiles, the rest is unconnected walls with roofs covering them.
Contact Me:
If you have any questions, need troubleshooting help or want to share your own Sims game play with other friendly Simmers please head over to my Facebook group, Sims Sanctuary or my Discord. I can also be found on Twitter and Instagram.
I’m attempting this scenario with three spellcaster sims (an engaged couple Felicia Flores & Jax Story and Jax’s father Ellis Story). The twist is they will be starting with nothing. Will that slow them down in completing this scenario? Playlist link
Meet our Sims:
Gallery link TBA (they’ve been uploaded, the gallery isn’t working for me, but you can find them under my gallery ID MapleSimmer).
Scenario Goals:
Unlike many scenarios, which rewards satisfaction points, the reward for this scenario is supposed to be the Seldom Sleepy Trait.
Rags to Riches Element:
Our sims will be starting with nothing. Their lot is off the grid and they will have to pay 6,055 to connect to the grid (starting value of their lot, 2 Olde Mill Lane, which comes with some landscaping, but no home or amenities).
Similar to many of my other rags to riches LPs, as an added challenge, I will not let my sims sell directly from their inventory/directly off the plants until they buy a yard sale table (street gallery for paintings). Some ways to make money to get the yard sale table are to do odd jobs (requires Island Living) or to sell items, including harvestables and fish, at the grocery and plant ‘shops’ (requires Cottage Living) or flowers to the plant shop (requires My Wedding Stories).
There’s no goal for what they need to finish the challenge, however one of the goals is to make and drink coffee. I will require that they do that on their own lot, so they will need to either connect to the grid or have a power source to do so, as well as the counter and coffee pot at a minimum.
For more Rags to Riches guidelines, see my blog post.
Contact Me:
If you have any questions, need troubleshooting help or want to share your own Sims game play with other friendly Simmers please head over to my Facebook group, Sims Sanctuary or my Discord
This blog post includes links & summarizes what was in the video::
I) June 13/22 Surprise SDX II) June 14/22 Game Update (expected timing, what’s expected in it & how to prepare, & III) Random Tweets re Items in the Werewolves Game Pack (Jun 13/22).
1) Surprise SDX (June 13/22):
FYI, if you go in your game you will see there is an SDX, this is just to prepare the game for tomorrow’s update, no new content was added per this tweet by the Sims. But it looks like we’re getting meteors to go along with the new ‘back pocket observatory’ (i.e. the new telescope, see below for more information on that!)
II) June 14/22 Game Update
Expected Timing
The usual time for game updates is 10 am Pacific, here’s a screenshot of when that is in a few time zones:
Lunar cycles affect werewolves (and other occults) more than regular sims, but regular sims are impacted a bit too. Kids can ask about the lunar cycles. You can customize lunar cycles, i.e. their length, freeze it on one cycle and turn it off completely.
Screenshot from LivestreamScreenshot from LivestreamScreenshot from Livestream
3) New beard
Screenshot from livestream, same beard, two different angles:
4) Two new terrain paints
Note new items added to base game do not show with a ‘new’ flag.
Information on the new ‘bus object’ (Link to tweet):
Link to my blog post overview of the Sims 4 Werewolves livestream.
Contact Me:
If you have any questions, need troubleshooting help or want to share your own Sims game play with other friendly Simmers please head over to my Facebook group, Sims Sanctuary or my Discord
Majority of assets are gender neutral Two cute outfits for toddlers Something for kids – showed hat, 3 hairstyles & one outfit but I wasn’t sure if that was everything. One new aspiration in CAS (new category too), once you complete it, you unlock four other aspirations, so five in total.
New fuller beard coming to base game with update.
Werewolf CAS:
You can link/unlink forms Werewolf fur has the same customizations that cats and dogs fur has Werewolves can wear clothes or not Werewolves don’t wear shoes While toddler and up are considered werewolves, only teen and up have beast forms.
Some werewolf examples from the livestream
Note I included a sped up version of the CAS in my highlights video, this shows CAS items available for everyone & items for creating werewolves.
Note along with the beard, lunar cycles are coming in the base game update, as are two new terrain paints. Lunar cycles affect werewolves (and other occults) more than regular sims, but regular sims are impacted a bit too. Kids can ask about the lunar cycles. You can customize lunar cycles, i.e. their length, freeze it on one cycle and turn it off completely.
They showed how the tunnels worked. They are rabbit holes with pop ups where you decide what to do (reminds me a bit of space adventures). You can unlock paths to quick travel between the 3 tunnel entrances. They can be more dangerous for non werewolves.
We see Greg, who is a werewolf, seems to be a loner and is hard to befriend. But if you do, you can woohoo with him.
Werewolf Greg
Werewolves, including Greg, can be seen in other worlds. However, you can disable that under pack settings.
Here are the ways to become a werewolf:
Create a new sim as a werewolf in CAS
Born in game (greater blood vs dormant?)
Create in game:
ask to be turned into a werewolf
or get werebies (from bite or from tunnel adventures).
Being asked is the quicker of the two options to turn a regular sim into a werewolf, but the second one you can be ‘cured’ before you turn into a werewolf.
They showed a sim turning into a werewolf after asking to become one and showed the different stages (they get very uncomfortable and their hunger goes down very quickly so they need to eat a lot during the time between getting bitten and becoming a werewolf. They will rampage the first time they become a werewolf. My highlights video includes footage from the stream where the sim was bitten (after asking) and when the sim becomes a werewolf for the first time.
There are two werewolf packs, Moonwood Collective (Kristopher is the leader) vs The Wildfangs (Rory is the leader). Here is a screenshot of some of the sims in the pack, Kristopher and Rory are shown.
There is lots of lore in the new pack. You can learn some by talking to the residents of Moonwood Mill. You can also learn some lore on the new Werewolf Books. Werewolves, especially those with certain abilities, can get more from the books (these aren’t skill books). More details on new books, from tweet shared after the livestream:
Only teens and up can have a ‘beast’ form, but toddlers and children can learn to howl, they can get growing pains, toddlers can bite their toy, and children will get excited about beating up their siblings like they are the alpha of the house.
They showed ‘fury’ and what it does, if it maxes they will go on a rampage, temperaments can build fury. Werewolves can have 22 temperaments, 18 appear naturally and 4 are unique (see tweet).
Werewolves have abilities – some (25) you buy with points as they level up and 6 that are dormant. Here’s a link to the SimsVIP article where they show the ones they were able to see when the SimGurus hovered over them in the livestream.
Build/Buy:
The objects look grungy to tie to the look of werewolves reclaiming things from abandoned buildings. They mentioned learning more in the game, so I expect we will get more information in their catalogue descriptions.
We will be getting two new terrain paints in the base game update that have been used in the new world.
I show a sped up version of what was shown in the livestream in my highlights video, but here’s a couple of screenshots:
Telescopes coming with the pack, however there is a telescope coming with the base game update that precedes the pack. Link to tweet.
If you have any questions, need troubleshooting help or want to share your own Sims game play with other Simmers please head over to my Facebook group, Sims Sanctuary or my Discord.
How long will it take to complete the scenario with the extra goals added on? First part goes live tomorrow, Sunday May 29, 2022: Playlist link
Sharon is creative, an animal enthusiast and a freegan. Ashlynn in creative. They are on the gallery if you’d like to play along.
Best Friends Forever Goals & My Tweaks:
Our sims will be starting with nothing. Their lot is off the grid and they will have to pay 6,500 to connect to the grid (approximate starting value of their lot, which comes with some landscaping, but no home or amenities).
Ashlynn will also be joining scouts and have the additional goal that of completing all four childhood aspirations. She will also work on getting positive character values; at a minimum she will need to get her conflict resolution to be positive before she ages up to a teen.
Similar to many of my other rags to riches LPs, as an added challenge, I will not let my sims sell directly from their inventory/directly off the plants until they buy a yard sale table (street gallery for paintings). Some ways to make money to get the yard sale table are to do odd jobs (requires Island Living) or to sell items, including harvestables and fish, at the grocery and plant ‘shops’ (requires Cottage Living) or flowers to the plant shop (requires My Wedding Stories).
For more Rags to Riches guidelines, see my blog post.
Contact Me:
If you have any questions, need troubleshooting help or want to share your own Sims game play with other friendly Simmers please head over to my Facebook group, Sims Sanctuary or my Discord
I’m going to attempt the No Skills, No Problem Scenario with my young adult sim Sebastian Meyers. He’s also going to do the parts of the Frog Scenario that don’t require skills & complete the curator aspiration (at a minimum).
How long will it take him to complete the scenario? Playlist link (first part goes live tomorrow, Sunday May 8, 2022).
Meet My Sim:
Sebastian is a creative freegan who is also an animal enthusiast with the bonus collector trait from choosing the curator aspiration. While he can’t learn any skills, as a spellcaster he can still learn magic. If you’d like to play along, Sebastian is on the gallery under my Origin ID MapleSimmer.
No Skills, No Problem Goals & My Tweaks:
Your sim starts with no money and had to have 400,000 simoleons before the scenario ends. While the scenario is active your sim will be unable to learn any skills. He’ll be starting on an empty, albeit beautiful, lot in Sulani (Key Point). I’ll be playing in the same save that my Plant-Sim Fern Pruitt is in, she’s just recently had her home moved to another lot in Sulani.
As an added challenge, I will not let my sim sell directly from their inventory/directly off the plants until my sim buys a yard sale table. Some ways to make money to get the yard sale table are to do odd jobs (requires Island Living) or to sell items, including harvestables and fish, at the grocery and plant ‘shops’ (requires Cottage Living) or flowers to the plant shop (requires My Wedding Stories).
For more Rags to Riches guidelines, see my blog post.
Frog Scenario Add On:
Here are the 8 of the 9 goals of the frog scenario, we will do seven of the 9 goals (we can’t fish while using frog as bait or make the frog hot pot goal not shown here, as those goals require skill in fishing or cooking respectively).
Written Summary of Frog Fanatic Scenario Goals Sebastian Will Do:
Catch a frog from a Log
1 time
Catch a frog from a Pond
1 time
Catch a frog from a Water Pump
1 time
Breed 9 Frogs
9 times
Catch or Breed 8 (of 8) unique Common Frogs
8 Common
Catch or Breed 6 (of 11) unique Uncommon Frogs
6 Uncommon
Catch or Breed 4 (of 6) unique Rare Frogs
4 Rare
If you have any questions, need troubleshooting help or want to share your own Sims game play with other friendly Simmers please head over to my Facebook group, Sims Sanctuary or my Discord.
Maple Simmer 