The house isn't super, but my first try on building in TS4. It will do for this show, and when the winner gets the house to start my TS4 legacy (yup, that's the prize!), the house can be adjusted.
The 8 contestants were chosen by voters on the official TS4 forums. I don't think it's required to introduce them again, check the tag sims by Numbers to find out more.
There was nobody to welcome them to the house, but a note on the door told them to enter the FUN room to watch the welcoming video.
So, they all got in there...
From left you see Ochana, Sissela, Ona, Quatore, Fiona and Toby. Sitting there but not seen are Fabian and Otto.
These 8 contestants wil stay in this house for 20 simdays. The goal is to observe their relations and activities when they run mostly on free will. They will get chores as well as opportunities, and it will all be reported here.
The first chore to decide is the group's Manager. That's right, one contestant will lead the group through the daily morning meetings as well as summing up everyone's score and mood rank at the end of each day. This chore means duties every day, and the sim grabbing this job will earn 400 points!
So, who's interested? Since this is the very first chore on offer it's hard to tell whether 400 points is much, but a Manager chore sure sounds like involving a top pay? The offer first go to those with the highest score. All of Ochana, Ona, Quatore and Toby starts out with 1500 points.
Ochana (8) is more on the flirty side, I guess, although she would probably enjoy the respect.
Ona (1) is physically focused, she is ambitious too but maybe more on working out than leading the group.
Quatore (4) wants a big happy family (this group will sure be his family for 20 simdays), and being both good and genius, he might fit the bill?
Toby (2) is more a childish musician type, so he turns this chore down, no doubt.
Quatore becomes the group's Manager.
Every morning before the meeting that he will lead, Quatore will receive information from the real management. In other words, he will not decide much of the schedule, and he will be involved with it all like the others when it comes to opportunities etc.
Quatore now reads a few notes addressed to Manager, and gives the contestants a brief tour of the first floor of the house (had to skip pictures because this first report got way too long):
The FUN room, where they all watch the video, will always offer 4 alternatives to fun building activities.
Right now there is a TV, a jukebox, a gaming table and a guitar. The content might get replaced during the stay.
The LIBRARY contains books, a bar, two tables with 2 chairs, and a desk with a computer. Bookshelves don't contain skill books, but every day the Super Sim can decide one skill book to buy, so in a few days there will be a little collection.
From the Library there is access to a tiny room called the GREEN ROOM. This will be used for Super Sim, that will be decided every night at 11 PM.
The KITCHEN is pretty ordinary, with place to sit down for max 2 sims, but just few steps away from the dining room. A vegetable garden can be accessed from the kitchen.
The DINING ROOM is for eating, so group servings will be placed here. The room will also be used for the daily morning meeting at 9 AM.
9 AM: Morning meeting
It's already 9 AM and Quatore calls them all to the dining room - it's time for their very first morning meeting! They are told to not sit down!?
The group needs an Accountant, to keep track on the group's common finances. The Accountant will receive a total of 350 points for this job. The group starts out with §0 - nada. Every day the Super Sim can decide to buy some stuff (if it is a wish they can afford), and if they need money the contestants must take from their points, equally: 1 point = 1 Simoleon. The Accountant will organize this. Points will be the group's main income as none of them will get a regular job. Every night anyone can exchange stuff from their inventory into points, such items will be displayed on the red and blue tables near the entrance. Anyone getting a negative score must leave the house.
So, those with the highest standing score will get the offer first; Ochana, Ona and Toby all have 1500 points.
Ochana (8) is not so sure that there will be any romantic chore later, so if she passes this offer down, she might end up with something very boring. She is a snob, and being the Accountant might gain her some respect.
Ona (1) is not interested in finances at all. Her own money yes, others' finances no. She hopes for something more interesting later, even digging up the lawn will somehow be more physically rewarding.
Toby (2) is not into accounting at all. He hopes for a chore that includes playful creativity, if not music.
Ochana accepts the Accountant chore and earns herself 350 points!
Next, Quatore tells them about the coloured chairs. The WHITE chair is for the Manager (himself), the BLUE chair is for the Accountant. Then the GREEN chair is for the current Super Sim, and the RED chair for the current Loser. There is obviously no Super Sim or Loser until tomorrow's meeting... Chair colours must be respected for the meetings, but during meals etc anyone can sit where they like.
Quatore informs them that every other day there will be a Sim in Spot opportunity, the first occasion will be offered on day 1, tomorrow. More details at tomorrow's morning meeting.
The daily schedule:
Every day will have a schedule based on the following:
7 AM Getting ready for the day
9 AM Morning meeting
10 AM Chores / Skills (everyone will be directed to perform their chore once, and to study a skill related to personal interests, once (no free will).
1 PM Lunch
3 PM New activity most days.
7 PM Dinner
8 PM Free Will Hours or parties
11 PM Summing up points and mood. Next day's Super Sim and Loser decided. Inventories checked.
12 PM Extra task to solve for the Loser
On this opening day, contestants will get to spend some time with their new room mate in their rooms from 10 AM to 1 PM. Then there will be skill building from 3 PM to 7 PM.
They all ran upstairs, above you see Fiona heading for the door to the left, just before those cork boards. Otto and Fabian are entering their room on the right. Ahead of them is the hobby room. More focus on that tomorrow, I think. There is some more fun stuff up here, too.
The opposite view, facing the garden. Quatore and Toby shares the room to the left, and Ochana is entering the room she will share with Ona, to the right.
Get to know your room mate
10 AM They are now all in their rooms. Quatore is to share with Toby, Ochana with Ona, Fabian with Otto, and Sissela with Fiona. No free will at this time, but the score wise leading contestant were instructed to start a Friendly contact, counting options according to numbers.
Quatore discussed world peace with Toby.
Ochana just suggested to get to know Ona better. Even with no free will they kept talking.
Fabian and Otto also chose to learn to know each other. Somehow I don't expect these two guys to have a lot in common, but we'll see...
Sissela started by asking Fiona about her day. All discussions are pretty innocent, so far.
Here's a quick look at the floor plan upstairs.
12 AM, contestants are still in their rooms, packing out and getting to know their room mate a little better. Let's check on them!
Quatore and Toby (top left) seem to have a pleasant conversation about recycled food and clothes. Quatore wants to hug someone, buy a toy, and to get to know Fiona. Toby is happy, and wants to hug someone as well, he also wants to buy an instrument (there is a guitar and a violin in the house), and talk to Fiona. Toby earned himself some charisma skill already. The guys seem to be a good enough match, and I wonder why they both think about Fiona and not the other 3 women in the house?
Ochana and Ona are having a funny conversation about painting and writing. Ochana is only fine with this, thinking of scheduling a new date or starting a new career (or is she thinking about the Accountant chore?). Ona is also fine, but she wants to go for a jog, or to be funny with - Fiona!
Let's check on Sissela and Fiona - they are both very angry! Their conversation has turned offensive and Sissela wants to rant and rave, make something of excellent quality, and actually she would like to take a nap. Fiona wants to be mean to someone, cook something, and she also wants to be friendly to Sissela. So who started the quarrel, was it because of the tiny room you two got? You are going to share that room for 20 simdays, girls!
Fabian and Otto has an unpleasant conversation about computers. Fabian is fine, but seems eager to level up on his cooking skill, and to listen deeply to some music, rather than chatting with Otto. Otto is fine too, he wants to do something romantic, and he wants to chat with - Fiona...
Wow Fiona, will you become this popular?
1 PM - Lunch
According to the envelope notes, the Manager shall serve lunch today as a temporary chore. Quatore believes it means that tomorrow's instructions will explain more about food servings. Will food be delivered?
Instead of calling for pizza, which would probably be more expensive, he prepared Garden Salad. Toby joined him in the kitchen.
No, no! Not your finger in your ear and then doing the salad by hand - great job, Quatore!
They all were called to the dining room just a little after schedule. The group meals will be served even if most of them are not very hungry. This way we'll avoid that they all spend half the day in the kitchen.
Quatore started cleaning the table - although it's not his chore, and he is not even that Neat. He seems like a proud Manager!
Also Otto helped cleaning the table, and look at him! The conversation with room mate Fabian actually turned quite bad. On a side note, Fabian is already happy after lunch, so their reaction obviously differs...
3 PM - Skills
Picking what skills they should work on, wasn't easy. If there were 8 cooking books, or logics books in the library, they would all get the same task, but there's no skill books in the house - yet.
Ochana will build charisma in her room - she is a romantic and charisma should be interesting to her.
Quatore has no skill related trait or wish, so because he is family oriented, he will learn cooking from TV.
Fabian and Fiona both have the Master chef aspiration, so they join Quatore watching Cooking TV in the FUN room.
Ona is the only contestant with the Body builder aspiration, and the Active trait. So she will punch the sack upstairs wearing her pink sunglasses.
Toby loves music and wants to buy an instrument, so he will practice the violin upstairs.
Sissela is still angry, I think she can try to "make something of excellent quality" on the wood crafter bench upstairs. They are in the hobby room.
Otto is angry, just like Sissela. He is romantic, and we'll let him have a go on charisma, although he might be too low on inspiration.
It all starts out fine, but after less than 1 hour, both Fabian and Fiona leaves the FUN room. They are not doing so because they are bored with the Cooking channel on TV, but they brought their lunch and want to get rid of their emptied bowls. Few minutes later Ona stops boxing the sack.
It feels a bit wasted that 3 contestants are standing around on no purpose, but while 5 are still building skills, those 5 shall of course benefit from staying focused. There is 3 hours left to go. A few were sent to use a toilet, and returned to hanging around.
It's 7 PM and they all have gathered in the hall downstairs. Instruction notes say they will walk over to a local public picnic area for a welcome party. If anyone gets hungry there will be food available.
8 PM The group is still gathered in the local picnic area, when the Free Will hours begin! This will be interesting! Old burgers are left by other locals, but not yet spoiled. None of our group is hungry, though.
They are all having a green plumbob by now, except Sissela who is not in a good mood. None of them are angry anymore, but Fabian and Sissela are tense. Anyway, Emotions will not affect the score for this project, and that is good because they seem to swing often. The plumbob is what counts for the score. At 10 PM we will have the very first mood result and can pick tomorrow's Super Sim :)
Let's have a quick look at who many of them want to communicate with Fiona. Now that they are on free will, it's the time to do something about it :)
- Quatore wants to get to know Fiona.
- Ona wants to be funny with Fiona (and she walked right up to her already).
- Toby wants to chat with Fiona.
- Otto wants to chat with Fiona.
I was hoping for locals stopping by, but only the jogging, elderly Harley Larkin, sat down to chat. It turned out negatively on most accounts, though.
One second you talk to a stranger, and the next second the same stranger is doing push-ups.
It became a not so successful event. All of Sissela, Fabian, Otto and Ochana headed for a park bench to get some rest. The others had a good time, though.
10 PM, returning to house to sum up mood score at 11 PM. And I got myself a surprise, technically. In TS4 the plumbob is no longer graded from red to green. It's simply solid red, orange, yellow or green. Nothing in between. None of the contestants had a green plumbob, but many had yellow, and in the end I found a system to decide this thing. Tonight it was a very close race, but I think Ona's mood was just a tad better, so she earned herself 100 points and is tomorrow's Super Sim!
The lowest mood was Sissela (orange), and being today's Loser, she will need to hand over those 100 points to Ona, unless she manages to fulfill the midnight challenge within 1 hour!
Sissela's number is 6, and this is day 0, so she gets challenge number 6 (6+0):
6. Put on your formal attire, and go fishing (must catch 1 fish)
While Sissela is out trying to save her 100 points, her angry room mate, Fiona, tries to choose the better bed. The better of two equally poor beds, that is. How grumpy will her room mate be tomorrow morning?
Summing it up day 0 (= start day):
Quatore accepted the Manager chore, and Ochana the Accountant chore.
Skill session not successful to all. Toby is the best skilled this far.
Super Sim: Ona
Loser: Sissela
Skills
Toby: Violin 2, Comedy 1, Mischief 1, Charisma 1.
Otto: Charisma 2, Mischief 1, Comedy 1.
Ochana: charisma 2, comedy 1.
Fiona: Mischief 1, Fitnes 1, Cooking 1.
Quatore: Cooking: 2.
Ona: Comedy 1, Fitness 1.
Fabian: Charisma 1, Cooking 1.
Sissela: Handiness 1, Fishing 1.
Start day also included get to know your room mate, and a welcoming party at a picbic area nearby. Serious quarrel between Sissela and Fiona. Best relation between Ochana and Ona, and also between Quatore and Toby.
