The Five Units Challenge

I'm running a challenge and here is the set-up and rules, in case you like to do something similar.

My founders Abraham and Sylvia just moved in. Follow them on this blog - #thefiveunitschallenge.

I will post reports from my version of this challenge summer and fall, starting this July.


The Five Units Challenge

It's pretty simple, but with a few rules, and you will need to meet 100% of the requirements in order to succeed. In other words, no need to count points along the road.

The challenge spans 3 generations, including a total of 5 individuals: Two founders (gen 0), their main heir (gen 1), gen 1 sim's main heir (gen 2), and finally the gen 2 sim's main heir (gen 3). Challenge is completed when gen 3 main heir has met all requirements, and this must happen while gen 1 sim is still alive so although you can choose the pace, you really should not delay reproducing...

1. Founders
Create one male and one female sim in CAS. Their genetics must be different but nothing extreme.
They are not yet having a romantic relation but already live together.
I made the male with black hair and blue eyes, and the female with blond hair and green eyes.
Aspiration and Traits are important, so pay attention to the personalities that you create. You must choose one trait that is given to both founders, and that is required for the final sim gen 3 to complete the challenge. When life is good you will be allowed to pick traits*, so this should not be very hard.
Then buy or build them a starter home, but make sure the outdoor area is big enough to room 5 units of 36 ground tiles - normally 6x6, but the shape is not essential. Read about these units below (#4).

2. Wants (whims)
Every morning you must lock one want for each household member (child and up). In order to do this, you will also need to fulfill some wants every now and then. You are not allowed to cancel out any wants, so staying on top of this loop makes it easier to avoid those expensive or less desired wants. In addition you can of course fulfill wants that were not locked, too.

3. Skills
This challenge is skill and personality based. Each of the 5 main individuals must choose a new main skill that will be added to the challenge. The first skill reaching level 10 will be it. The final sim (gen 3) needs to reach level 10 of 5 different skills.
A sim must reach level 10 of all his/her required skills before main heir becomes Young Adult. It is allowed to switch to another new main skill within the same time frame, as long as no new skill has reached level 10.
Founders: Choose one main skill for each, for example Cooking and Gaming.
Gen 1: Must reach level 10 of Cooking and Gaming, plus one new skill, ie Gardening.
Gen 2: Must reach level 10 of Cooking, Gaming and Gardening, plus one new skill, ie Fitness.
Gen 3: Must reach level 10 of Cooking, Gaming, Gardening and Fitness, plus one new skill, ie Logics.
Only main heir needs to do this, siblings and spouses can live their lives as they wish.

4. Units
The founder couple will lay out the 5 outdoor units containing minimum 36 tiles (any shape will go, but 6x6 might be more practical). Units must be marked somehow, you decide whether they should be divided by fences/hedges/walls or just different ground color. Future relatives are allowed to adjust the fencing of their own unit only, perhaps they like their plot to blend with the next one. Each main heir will pick their unit from those still not taken.
Then each of the 5 main sims will decide the use of his or her unit, equipping it in a way that reflects the sim's personality, skills, aspiration or traits. Such outdoor rooms can be a playground for kids, a gym corner, green house, BBQ, edible garden, fishing pond, testing area for inventions, chess corner, small outdoor stage, and so on - your sims will decide...
Your family can reorganize the house, but the outdoor units can not be adjusted. However they can be relocated. Be creative!

5. DNA
The final sim (gen 3) must meet certain DNA requirements. This will force all your parents checking DNA when reproducing and picking their main heir. Each of the 5 main sims can have maximum 3 pregnancies, which will give 3-6 children.
Minimum requirement is color of hair and eyes - one from each founder. In my challenge the required DNA is black hair (from male founder) and blue eyes (from female founder).
In addition gen 3 sim must have the one trait that both founders had. I chose Cheerful*.
You can add more DNA requirements, but 2 might get harder than you think. Some couples might have many kids until they get the wanted result, or at least 1 out of 2. Be careful when finding spouses spouses.
You should make a family portrait of all involved 5 sims, photo or painting, and hang them on the same wall.

6. Careers
The 5 main sims can not apply for a regular paid job, they will raise funds by performing skill building activities. The following generations will depend on spouses working, and those can join any career they like. So can any other household members. This way the household will bring in funds more easily from gen 1.

7. Household
The gen 1 sim will stay with its descendants forever, but gen 2 sim can move out when gen 3 heir takes over the house. All siblings can move out as they grow up, but you must move them in somewhere to make sure they can visit later etc.
The house starts out as a small starter house, but you can expand and reorganize later, as long as the 5 outdoor units are not affected/occupied.

8. Duration
Challenge is completed when
* Gen 3 main heir has reached level 10 of all 5 skills
* All 5 outdoor units are filled.
* Gen 3 main heir must meet DNA requirements and Trait requirement
* House value must be minimum §100.000.
* Gen 1 main heir is still alive.

You can speed up the game as you wish, you can even force birthdays. I plan to play with ageing on, and basically playing one generation per month. If so it will all be over within 3 months.

Have fun, and remember to check back for the reports from my version of this challenge to be posted on this blog :).  If you post reports (blog, discussion board etc), please share the link in the comment field below.

* Seems like we can always choose traits when sims grow up, so this requirement might be silly in TS4 compared o TS3.