The Five Units Challenge - Report #12 - Catching Up

After a break, I'm back with my Five Units Challenge and the Clump family. It's been 4 weeks without playing, and that's all what it takes to forget most anything. I like this family, but I needed some time to get under their skin again, and to catch up with my rules. So, a quick resume might be in place...

This challenge focuses on DNA and skills. The challenge can only be forwarded to a child who has black hair and green eyes, and the main sim must max out all skills previously being focused on in this challenge, as well as one more skill added - based on that main sim's interests, hopefully. At any given time there is one main sim who is restricted to rules, while the rest of the household can live their lives pretty much as desired.

Sylvia and Abraham Clump had 4 kids, and only the youngest, Donna Clump, got the right DNA. Sylvia maxed out Cooking and Abraham maxed out Painting, meaning Donna will need to max out those two skills as well, and she will also pick one skill. Her future child will need to max out all those 3 skills, plus adding one more! Main sims are too busy to have regular jobs. Donna will need to stay in this house for her entire life, while her siblings are free to move out when they grow up.

Running this challenge also focuses a lot on family life, and is a fun way to test my recently added Parenthood GP. There are many new interactions, and I think the family get more lively and involved. Fiona and Rudolph discusses something on Rudolph's cellphone.

Abraham and Sylvia are still Adults, not turning elderly quite yet. From this picture it seems they are quite up to a fun and active living...

Abraham even wandered into the kitchen in the nude! I think their son Sammy pretends that it never happened...

All 4 kids are teens by now, and the one with black hair is Donna. She loves to sing, and she has absolutely no idea yet of what restrictions are awaiting her! Here she studies some apples before she prepares a meal for the very first time!

Checking back on this family again after the break made me discover stuff that I can't quite remember. Like what is the playhouse doing out here in the garden? None of them do play with it anymore, it really should go into the attic instead.

Notice the table over there? It's one of the 5 units, Sylvia picked it and decided to build an outdoor kitchen there. Each of those 5 units must relay to the skill that sim picked. In time Donna will choose one unit as well, but it's way too early.

The 2nd floor was expanded. I think those columns will have to go, but I also think it can wait until Donna formally takes over the house.

Top floor holds 2 spacious bedrooms, Fiona and Donna sleeps in the left one, and Rudolph and Sammy in the right one. There are also 2 bathrooms, but one is not yet equipped and might be used for something else.

Most of their income comes from Abraham's paintings. He try to paint a couple each day, and today he created something I never saw before.

Then Abraham left to help with some volunteer beach cleaning, and while the teens were at school, Sylvia decided to invite Dorothy Flemming, the photographer, for a coffee.

Well, Dorothy insisted on visiting The Futures Past, a quite hot restaurant. It's originally a modern art gallery, but I added a small restaurant there long ago, because it's more fun to visit :)

But this place is an expensive one, and Sylvia realized it would cost her a lot more than her planned coffee.

Sylvia chose the cheapest wine, which was still not that cheap, while Dorothy with her dark whiskey voice ordered the most expensive food and wine. Argh...

Sylvia hardly knows Dorothy, but they met a couple times and Sylvia thinks it will be wise to stay in touch with one of the good photographers. When Donna establishes her own family, more pictures will be needed.

At home Donna was stressed. She didn't even want to practice her singing. One day she will head to the karaoke bars of San Myshuno, but not tonight!

Few days later the entire family was gathered for a good meal, and Abraham and Sylvia decided it was time to reveal the fact that Donna will take over the house when she becomes a young adult!

Rudolph kind of protested, because he and Sammy are the oldest, they are twins by the way. Sylvia and Abraham just said it was nothing to debate, it was all settled long ago.

And here I'd like to inform you that I normally follow a rule when it comes to heritage. When a child moves out, he or she will inherit a fair share of the house values. If Rudolph moves out, he will inherit a forth of the total household value. I will then pretend the households takes up a bank loan in order to pay him cash. I'll then adjust both households' net worth to get it right. Both Rudolph and Sammy will grow up any day now!

In this challenge there is one more tiny rule. Each household member (teen and up) must lock one whim every morning. In order to do this they will also need to fulfill a whim most days. Fiona had no chance to accomplish this during the day, so after curfew she rushed out to greet a stranger in order to meet someone new. Harrison Gallo seemed a little surprised, but they only had a very quick chat.

Well, I'm back on track. Expect next report in a few days!