First time poster, long time lurker. I am so excited to see so much activity in this forum for sims 2!

This is a long challenge which calls for a ton of rules to guide us along. I am not the creator of this challenge - SwallowTail87 is - but I am one of the simmers who is enjoying her creation ! There are currently 5 of us brave souls ( lol ) at various stages so far and we are sharing our experiences on our various blogs/websites. There was a bunch of talk on a thread in the BBS if you would like to check it out and it might help with any questions you have and that we have worked thru so far. Without further ado may I present The Test of Time Challenge (eek I hope I didnt forget any of it )

Challenge Basics:
Can your Sims stand to live through history? Or will they crumble, as so many have before them?
Stages: Neanderthal, Roman, Dark Ages, Medieval & Renaissance, Exploration and Colonization, Victorian, and Modern.

Objective:
To make it from the age of the Neanderthals to the modern world.

General Rules:
1) There are to be only bloodlines going from your original families. However, only during the Roman stage, you may add one single, adult CAS Sim as needed to the mix. These Sims may be of any class, however choose wisely.
2) Anytime anyone gets into a fight, the loser must be killed by your method of choice. (If the stage is after the Neanderthals, then you are to place their grave in a community graveyard. This is the only way you are allowed to purposely kill Sims in this challenge.)
3) Neighborhood rotations!
4) The women are to take the mens’ last name.
5) No cheats aside from move_objects on (For decorating houses and un-glitching things) and familyfunds.
6) Every time you woohoo, you have to try for baby.
7) Every time someone marries out of their social class, they are to take on the higher of the two classes.
8) After the Neanderthal Stage, seasons are set to summer, fall, winter, spring.
9) After the Neanderthal Stage, all objects are allowed for the most part aside from electronics and specified restrictions per social class and during the Dark Age. However, things such as the Telescope weren’t used until the Renaissance, so use common sense on what to use and what not to.
10) Salary caps mean that Sims in a specific class may not earn more than that salary. If they are accidentally promoted or earn more than that amount for any reason, then they must quit their job.
11) Women may not take jobs, however, they may earn money around the house by painting, farming, assisting a home business, etc.

Neanderthal Stage (3 generations):
Basic: Welcome to the prehistoric times, Simmies! In the today's world we make think that we have all the knowledge, but can modern Sims last in this ancient world? Like all challenges, you must start with humble beginnings. Humble indeed!

1) Start with five couples, each with an adult male and female. Create two couples with Skin 4, two with Skin 1, and one mixed with one adult having Skin 1 or 2 and the other with Skin 3 or 4. Each couple is to move into a small lot, placed next to each other and near water.
2) The couples are to interact only with each other. They may not even greet townies or NPCs.
3) The couples are to try for babies as frequently as possible. As soon as one baby is born, then try for another.
4) They cannot get jobs, or visit any community lots of any sort. They are to make their living by farming, and survive by farming (including orchards) and fishing as the only food source. You cannot do anything else to earn money, including digging for treasure.
5) Their funds, upon moving in, should be set to $3,000.
6) Seasons are set to summer year-round.
7) Objects allowed:
One small shack
5 beds (Hammocks, tents, or the lowest cost single or double bed. Double beds and tents count as 2 beds.)
1 cheap loveseat
1 cheap stove
1 cheap counter
1 cheap phone
Cheapest table and three cheap chairs
Farming plots or fruit trees (You can buy more as you get more money)
A pond
One sink
One toilet stall or the cheapest toilet
One cheap dresser
One fridge (To serve only meals that the family grew/caught such as ‘Bass with Squash’ and to get baby bottles.)
8) Once the kids grow up, they are to each buy the same size lot as their parents and have their funds set to $3,000, with the exception of the oldest two, who may live on their parents’ farm. (They both don’t have to, but one must.)
9) As soon as you have gone through 3 generations, and the oldest Gen. 3 child turns into an adult, move on to the next step.
10) Ranks are developed based on which family has the most money. To find out which has the highest rank, take any families with the same last name who have skins 1 or 2, and add them together. Example: Melissa and Jon Smith have skin 1, and their son Mike also has skin 1 and his wife Jane has skin 2. Because Jane took Mike’s last name, her last name is also Smith, and therefore you add the total amount of money between Melissa and John’s family with Mike and Jane’s money. You do the same thing for each family. Whichever family has the most money are the Emperors, the next are the Patricians, the next are the Plebeians, and last are the Slaves. There should be more Slaves than Plebeians, more Plebeians than Patricians, and only 1 Emperor’s family. However, only people with Skin 1 and 2 can be Emperor, unless in later generations darker skin tones marry up ranks.

Roman (4 generations):
Basics: Now that humanization has progressed from the stages of early life, those who are smart enough to earn money have distinguished themselves as the most important in society. The great Roman Empire rises under the rule of only the richest, upper-class elite, and in comes the first period of great learning.

Emperor’s family:
1) The total amount of money calculated in step 10 of the Neanderthals is the amount of money the Emperor can begin building his Palace with (along with a bonus of $35,000). The Emperor’s family must start out with a large lot. Each additional spare child of the Emperor must be sent away upon marriage with a $5,000 gift. If relatives who are best friends with the Emperor are low in money and the Emperor has extra to spare, then you may subtract funds from the Palace and add them to the relative’s house.
2) Can marry Patricians only, or other blood relatives. They are the top of the top. They can take any job they want (Aside from the Emperor. He must be in Politics or Military), hire a maid, and just about buy anything but electronics and hot tubs. (Use your common sense, though. Ask yourself if Romans would find have certain furniture.)
3) The Emperor is the eldest male in the family. The eldest male of your richest family from the Neanderthal Age is the starting Emperor. If he has no male descendants (unlikely) then as soon as he dies, then the next oldest daughter without Skin 4 takes the throne, and her husband becomes Emperor.
4) The Emperor must have at least two Slaves or servants working for them.
6) Emperor’s family may stop having kids after giving birth to two boys. Keep in mind, though, they could get accidently murdered if another Sim assaults them on free-will.
7) Teens must go to school. The heir may take a job in politics; however no other teenage jobs are allowed for anyone.

Patrician Families:
1) Start with a large lot, and give each Patrician family a bonus of $20,000. Patricians may take any job, aside from the heir, who must take a “respectable career” (Example: Doctor, Politics, etc). If you are planning on having a Patrician male marry a descendant of the Emperor, then they must have a job in Politics. If a daughter is planning on marrying a descendant of the Emperor, then she must have a $3,000 gift in her inventory. If a daughter is planning on marrying the Emperor, then she must have creativity and charisma maximized, and a gift of $5,000 in her inventory. Salary cap: $1000
2) Can marry Patricians, Emperor’s Family, and non-heirs can marry Plebeians.
3) May have a slave or servant.
4) May stop having kids after four kids are born.
5) Must send their teens to school. The heir also cannot take a teenage job.
6) May own community businesses, as long as they aren’t too extravagant. Also may own farms, however a small farm requires 1 Slaves, a medium one 2 Slaves, and a large one requires 3 Slaves.

Plebian Families:
1) May take jobs in anything but a “respectable career”, or that a modern person would have to attend college for. Salary cap: $400.
2) May own community businesses, as long as they aren’t too extravagant. Also may own farms.
3) May marry Patricians, Plebians, or Slaves.
4) Girls must have a $1,000 gift in their inventory if marrying a Patrician. No gift is required for slaves.
5) May stop having kids after 6 are born.
6) May choose to send teens to school. If they are not sent to school, they are required to work at home or as a live-in-servant for Patricians and the Emperor’s family.

Slaves:
1) May take jobs working for Patricians, Plebians, or the Emperor’s family. They are not to be paid.
2) As soon as a slave is married, they are required to move away from their master’s house and into their own house (small lot)
3) Slave women must take jobs working for any of the other classes until they are married.
4) Slave men may take jobs working for other classes, or a job in Criminal. Salary cap: $400.
5) May never stop having kids.
6) Slaves houses may not have a bathtub, and can never have anything above the cost of $1,000. If they do, and a member of the Emperor’s family walks past the house, the adult male Slave is accused of stealing and is killed at the Coliseum within 3 days of the accusation. If the adult male is already dead, then his wife is killed, then the decreasing order from oldest to youngest.

Community Services
1) Roman Coliseum: Anytime a slave is caught having romantic interactions by their master, or is caught with an object that costs over $1,000, they are subject to the death of your choice at the Coliseum. The coliseum should be a large community lot. Once every seven days, a slave must be randomly chosen to be killed in the Coliseum. You can select them randomly by putting all the names of slaves into a draw, adding a name for each slave born, and removing one once it has been drawn.
2) Bathhouse: A community bathing lot should be complete with a pool, hot tub, sink, and bathtub. You may also include a toilet.
3) There is to be one clothing store. 4) A variety of other small restaurants and shops may be available.

Dark ages (3 generations):
Basics: The Empire has fallen, and the Black Death and Vikings sweep across the land. Those who were once rich isolate themselves into individual manors, and cling to Feudalism for support and protection. The Emperors dissolve into monarchs, the Patricians into Lords, the Plebeians into Vassals and Vikings, and the Slaves into Serfs. Whenever someone falls sick, there is no other option than to kill them. The more children for protection, the better. There is no limit to the number of children you can have. Old customs are forgotten, and any NON-HEIR can marry anyone from any class. Heirs are restricted to marrying people of their own class. Villages are abandoned, and therefore community lots are destroyed.

Monarchs:
1) Live in a medium lot clustered around the houses of 2-4 lords and 4-6 vassals.
2) May take any job except Law Enforcement, Politics, and Military. $600 salary cap.
3) If any object above $3,000 is purchased and a Viking walks past the lot, the entire family is to be killed, and the Viking’s family comes into possession of the object.
4) Teenagers must go to school.
5) One of bookcases (cheapest) is allowed.
6) No recreational objects are allowed, aside from the bookcase. This rule applies to any musical instruments, telescopes, chess tables, etc.

Lords:
1) Live in a 3x3 lot.
2) May take any job except Law Enforcement, Politics, and Military, and Intelligence. $400 salary cap.
3) If any object above $3,000 is purchased and a Viking walks past the lot, the entire family is to be killed, and the Viking’s family comes into possession of the object.
4) Teenagers cannot go to school.
5) No recreational objects are allowed.
6) Must give a gift of $1,000 to their Monarch every 7 days.

Vassals:
1) Live in any lot smaller than 3x3.
2) Must make their only income from farming.
3) At least 2 Serfs are required to work as farmers.
4) Must give a gift of $200 to their Lord every 7 days.
5) Teenagers cannot go to school.
6) No recreational objects are allowed.

Serfs:
1) Must have a 50/50 relationship with their Vassal before marrying anyone.
2) Only upon marriage may Serfs leave their Vassal’s land.
3) Teenage Serfs must be sent to work for a Vassal. These Serfs may not attend school and must work as a full-time farmer.
4) If a Viking walks past a house with no Vassal and only Serfs, the family is to be killed.
5) Serfs may not get a job, but earn money by any other means necessary.

Vikings:
1) Parents may never befriend their children.
2) If a woman befriends another male Viking, they are forced to reproduce. If they are caught cheating, then the husband must fight the other Viking. If the husband wins, then the wife and other Viking are to be killed. If the other Viking also had a wife, then the Husband must marry her. If the Viking wins the fight, then the husband is killed and this Viking must continue to reproduce with her until she is an elder. If the Viking is unmarried, then he is required to marry her. However, if the woman befriends another Viking and is caught cheating once again, then the cycle starts all over again. Please note that this section has little historical reference, but is merely dramatized for plot twists.
3) Anytime someone walks past a Viking’s lot, then they are killed and the Viking wins money. If it is a Monarch killed, he is awarded $1,000 If it is a lord, $700. If it is a Vassal, $200. Serfs are killed anyways, but no money is gained. If another Viking walks past, then he/she is not killed.
4) Vikings may take jobs in the Criminal Career only, salary cap $500
5) No recreational objects are allowed.
6) Teenagers cannot go to school.
7) Women must marry.

Medieval & Renaissance (4 Generations):
Basics: With the fall of Vikings and the Black Death, governments emerge once again. Community lots develop, and old customs and learning once again emerge. Lords blend into Nobles, Vassals and Vikings blend into Merchants and Knights, and Serfs blend into Peasants. Learning resumes and sickness no longer claims millions of lives. For some young men, university life finally awaits.

Monarchs:
1) Must live in a large lot.
2) Must have at least one servant, and one Knight.
3) May stop having kids after one son; however keep in mind that if that son is killed, and the family is unable to reproduce another, then the entire family is demoted into Nobles.
4) May take any job; however heirs must take a job in either Politics or Military.
5) Male teens must go to school. Once they are at least 7 days from adulthood, they may be sent to universities.
6) Teenage women must be shipped away to Finishing School as soon as they turn teenager.
7) Can marry Monarchs and Nobles.
8) No teenagers may take jobs.
9) If a monarch is attacked, and a Knight has higher body skill than the attacker, then the attacker is killed. If the Knight has less, then the Monarch and Knight are killed. 10) Monarchs must start with a 0/0 relationship with their Knight. Once per week, their relationship increases by 10/10, unless the Knight undertakes a quest (See Knight rules).
10) Heirs cannot marry women with skin 3 or 4.

Nobles:
1) Must live in a large lot.
2) Must have either a servant or Knight.
3) If a noble is attacked, if a Knight has higher body than the attacker, then the attacker is killed.
4) Teenage women must be shipped away to Finishing School as soon as they turn teenager.
5) Heirs must marry Monarchs and Nobles, however non-heirs can marry Merchants or Knights also. They can fall in love with and reproduce with a Peasant; however if they are caught by anyone with a relationship lower than 50/50 then consequences occur. If they are male, then they are demoted to Peasant and can marry their lover. However, if it is a female, then she and her children are punished and isolated in her parent’s house. No visitors may visit her, however once her children turn adult, if they have maxed charisma, creativity, or logic, then they may leave. If they have maxed body skills and are at a relationship less than 10/10 with the woman’s parents, then they free the whole family and kill the parents. If they have maxed body and are at a relationship greater than or above 10/10, then they find a way to escape and their whole family is freed. Please note that this section has little historical reference, but is merely dramatized for plot twists.
6) Teenage non-heirs may take jobs.
7) Heirs can be females! However, only one out of every 5 Noble families can have a female heir.
8) May stop reproducing after two children are born. 9) Male Teens must go to school. Once they are at least 7 days from adulthood, they may be sent to universities.
10) If a Noble is marrying a Monarch, then they must have a job in Politics or Military, and have logic or charisma maxed. If a female is marrying a monarch, she must also have a gift of $3,000 in her inventory.
11) Males may take any job; however the only job females may take is a Madame at the Finishing School.
12) Salary cap: $900

Merchants:
1) Must own a home business, and have no other job.
2) Teenage women may be shipped away to Finishing School as soon as they turn teenager.
3) Teenagers can take jobs.
4) Male Teens must go to school. Once they are at least 5 days from adulthood, they may be sent to universities.
5) May marry only Knights, Nobles, Merchants, and Peasants.
6) If marrying a noble, the Merchant must have either logic, creativity or charisma maxed. If a female is marrying a noble, she must have a gift of $1,000 in her inventory.
7) If a male Merchant has maxed body, then they may become a Knight.
8) Must have at least two children.
9) Salary cap: $600

Knights:
1) May take jobs as Guards for the jail, working for Nobles and Monarchs, or work in the Military or Law Enforcement. Salary cap: $600
2) Males only!
3) Live in medium lot.
4) The first-born male child is born a Knight; however women are born Merchants (if the Knight works in a career track or as a Guard) or Nobles (if the Knight works for a Noble or Monarch). Other born males may choose to be a merchant or knight.
5) Can marry Merchants, Peasants, Nobles, or Princesses (Monarch daughters). However, if the Princess is caught doing romantic interactions and the Knight’s relationship is less than 50/25 with the King, then the Knight is to be demoted to Merchant level. If a Knight winds up accidently getting a Princess pregnant before marriage, then the Knight is sent to jail and the Princess’s baby is sent away. If she visits the knight and becomes pregnant again, then the Knight is killed and the Princess is thrown out of the house along with her child.
6) OPTIONAL: Knights may take on quests to rescue princesses, fight a monster, etc. You can choose these quests. These quests will raise your relationship (You pick the amount varying on quest difficulty) with the King every time one is completed.

Peasants:
1) May take jobs as Servants or an “un-respectable” career. Salary cap: $400
2) Male teenagers may go to school.
3) Teenagers cannot go to Finishing School or Universities.
4) Can marry Peasants, Knights, Merchants. They may fall in love and reproduce with Nobles; however, this carries consequences (See the Nobles rules) 6) If they possess an object worth over $2,000 and a Merchant, Noble, Knight, or Monarch with a relationship less than 50/50 walks by, then they are accused of stealing, and the eldest male is sent to prison.
7) Unlimited number of kids.

Community:
1) Jail: Stony prison that contains the living quarters for prisoners. People who also have negative daily and lifetime relationships with the king are sentenced here. People may visit the jail from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Breakfast is oatmeal (cereal) served at 7:00 a.m. and dinner is spaghetti served at 7:00 p.m. Prisoners may carry out romantic interactions with visitors if it is their wife or the girl they are courting; however if a guard walks past, then the prisoner misses the next meal. Jail cells are to have see-through windows, or a fence that stretches to the ceiling to replicate bars. There are to be two guards.
2) A variety of other community lots are acceptable.
3) One university. The family must pay $10,000 per son who attends.
4) One Finishing School containing a variety of things directed towards launching women into society. Must have two Madames (class Noble) as workers. The family must pay $5,000 per daughter who attends.

cont...

Exploration and Colonization (3 generations):
Basics: Finally, people are starting to get out there and see the world! Many families, including yours, have decided to be one of the many American Colonists, and see life across the Atlantic for yourself. Monarchs and Patricians morph into the Upper Class, Merchants and Knights morph into the middle class, and Peasants morph into the Lower Class. Any skin 3 families must morph into Native Americans, and Skin 4 into slaves.

Upper Class:
1) Large lot.
2) Marry only Upper or Middle class.
3) Male teenagers are to attend school. They may go on to attend universities.
4) Non-heirs may take teenage jobs.
5) Female teens are to stay at home and help around the house.
6) Must hire 1 Servant.
7) Males can take any job. Females remain unemployed. If they are plantation owners, then they are to hire at least 4 farmhands (Indians, the Lower Class, or Slaves).
8) Women and men may have affairs; however if the women is caught in an affair, the husband and other man fight. If the other man wins, then the Husband is killed and the Woman lives alone unless someone chooses to marry her. If the husband wins, the other man is killed.
9) May stop having kids after 1 child is born.
10) If they are farmers, then they are to live on a plantation.

Middle Class:
1) Medium lot.
2) Can own businesses or farms.
3) May have one servant.
4) Males can take any job. Females remain unemployed. If they are farm owners, then they are to hire at least 3 farmhands (Indians, Slaves, or the Lower Class). Salary cap: $700
5) Women and men may have affairs; however if the women is caught in an affair, the husband and other man fight. If the other man wins, then the Husband is killed and the Woman lives alone unless someone chooses to marry her. If the husband wins, the other man is killed.
6) Marry only Upper, Middle, or Lower class.
7) Male teenagers are to attend school.
8) Teens may take teenage jobs. 9) Female teens are to stay at home and help around the house.
10) May stop having kids after 2 children are born.
11) If they are farmers, then they are to have a small plantation.

Lower Class:
1) Small lot.
2) Males may work as Farmhands or any career that, in modern times, does not require a college degree. Salary cap: $400
3) Females may work as servants.
4) Teens may not attend school.
5) Male teens may get jobs; female teens must help around the house.
6) Marry only Slaves, Indians, Middle Class, or Lower Class.
7) Women and men may have affairs; however if the women is caught in an affair, the husband and other man fight. If the other man wins, then the Husband is killed and the Woman lives alone unless someone chooses to marry her. If the husband wins, the other man is killed.
8) May stop having kids after 5 are born.

Native Americans:
1) Must live in a large, wooded lot.
2) Sleep in tents, hammocks, or teepees (small, octagonal rooms).
3) Must have at least two kids.
4) No teens may attend school.
5) Houses should be clumped around other Native Americans, forming Tribes.
6) Get jobs as Farmers, Servants, or Farmhands.
7) They are killed or forced to sell their land and relocate if other families live too close to their tribe.
8) Marry only other Native Americans and the Lower Class.
9) Starting bonus of $10,000 is family-funded ONLY to purchase Native-themed furniture and landscaping.

Slaves:
1) Must live in a small lot.
2) Can work as Farmhands, Farmers, or Servants.
3) Must marry only slaves and lower class.
4) Killed if they get into a negative relationship with anyone with skin 1 or 2 in the Upper, Middle, or Lower Class.
5) Killed if they have an object worth over $1,000 and someone in the Upper Class walks by.
6) If a slave is working as a farmhand and gets caught performing romantic interactions without their Master’s permission, they are killed. If they woohoo with and become pregnant by their master, the baby is put into slavery. If a male and female both have over 5 body skill and work as farmhands, their master forces them to reproduce, and the baby is born into slavery.
7) Unlimited Kids!
8) If they are a servant, as soon as they marry, they must move out.

Community:
1) One University. They must pay $20,000 per child due to the only universities being overseas.
2) A variety of other shops.



cont..

Victorian (3 generations):
Basics: People have definitely settled down quite a bit since the original colonies had formed, and now the era points towards highly-groomed women and intelligent gentlemen. Say hello to bustle skirts and operas, in comes the Victorian Era! Native Americans slowly either are forced to move or face the wrath of the government. Yours have luckily chosen to stay behind; however half your Native American Families have been killed. The other half slowly blend into the Lower Class, until it is common to see a Native face in the cities. All slaves have been freed, so it has also become common to see a dark face in the cities. However, that doesn’t mean society treats former-slaves very well. People with Skin 1 and 2 can only marry People with Skin 1 and 2, unless if they have over 7 nice points or have mixed parents. It’s about time a stable government has finally locked down on their Police Force, so now you don’t have to worry about any more murderous fights. However, now anyone who fights someone a class above them is thrown in jail, even if they lose. Congrats, you’re almost done!

Upper Class:
1) Large lot.
2) Marry only Upper or Middle class.
3) Male teenagers are to attend school. They may go on to attend universities.
4) Non-heirs may take teenage jobs.
5) Female teens are to stay at home and help around the house or attend Finishing Schools.
6) Must hire 1 Servant.
7) Males can take any “respectable” job. If they are Plantation Owners, then they are to hire at least 3 Farmhands (Lower Class). Females remain unemployed or work as Madames at Finishing Schools
8) Women and men may have affairs; however if the women is caught in an affair, the woman is shunned by society (demoted to Middle Class), she and her husband are to be divorced, and she is sent to live with her parents or the man she was having an affair with.
9) May stop having kids after 1 child.
10) Parties must be thrown once every two weeks.

Middle Class:
1) Medium lot.
2) Can own businesses or farms.
3) May have one servant.
4) Males can take any job, including a Jail Guard or Farmhand. If they are Plantation Owners, then they are to hire at least 3 Farmhands (Lower Class). Females remain unemployed or work as Madames at Finishing Schools. Salary cap: $700
5) Marry only Upper, Middle, or Lower Class.
6) Teens may take teenage jobs.
7) Female teens are to stay at home and help around the house or go to Finishing Schools.
8) May stop having kids after 2 children.
9) Women and men may have affairs; however if the women is caught in an affair, the woman is shunned by society (demoted to Lower Class), she and her husband are to be divorced, and she is sent to live with her parents or the man she was having an affair with.
11) Parties must be thrown once every two weeks.

Lower Class:
1) Small lot.
2) Males may work as Farmhands or an “un-respectable” career. Salary cap: $300.
3) Females may work as servants.
4) Teens may not attend school.
5) Male teens may get jobs; female teens must help around the house.
6) Marry only Middle Class or Lower Class.
7) Women and men may have affairs; however if the women is caught in an affair, they are to be divorced, and she is sent to live with her parents or the man she was having an affair with. 8) Unlimited Kids!

Community:
1) Jail: Stony prison that contains the living quarters for prisoners. People who are convicted of assault live here. People may visit the jail from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Breakfast is cereal (Oatmeal) served at 7:00 a.m. and dinner is spaghetti served at 7:00 p.m. Prisoners may woohoo with visitors if it is their wife or the girl they are courting; however if a guard walks past, then the prisoner misses the whole next day without food. Jail cells are to have see-through windows, or a fence that stretches to the ceiling, to symbolize bars. There are to be two guards.
2) A variety of other community lots are acceptable.
3) One university. The family must pay $15,000 per child who attends.
4) One Finishing School containing a variety of things directed towards launching women into society. Must have two Madames as workers. The family must pay $10,000 per child who attends.

As soon as your 20 generations are done and the first child is born... Congrats! You’ve reached the Modern Age!

Official Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/SimsAToT?ref=br_tf

To everyone who doesn't know me: Hi, I'm VT. I've been playing the alternative version of this challenge created by Starsaphire, one of our other players, for a while now - just not as a historical challenge. Mine is set in a post-apocalyptic future where half the human race mutated, and the other half died out. My challenge story follows ten of the surviving 'muters' and their attempts to survive and build a new world - and catch lots of fish. It can be found here: My Website

To everyone who does know me: Hi everyone, VT is here! I haven't had much time to play my ToTM lately but I'm hoping to make some progress today. Maybe after I can try to make my website a bit prettier.

I hope to see at least some new players on this thread. This is a great challenge in both its versions and all of us here are enjoying it so far.

- VT

Hi VT ! Glad to see you found your way here. I am looking forward to your next update. I just finished playing the Gallant's so Im hoping to have their story up soon. For anyone wanting to follow along my blog is http://www.simslifeandtimes.blogspot.com/

Great challenge, anna220. Thank you for posting it here. Although I can't start something this intense until my prosperity neighborhood implodes, I'm adding The Test of Time to my list of things I want to do in TS2. So I have some questions.

* Global:
If a Sim is assaulted on a community lot and loses, do you kill them the next time you are on their residential lot? Is the rule the same if both the Sims fighting on a community lot are non-controllable? (I ask because I rarely deliberately kill Sims. I assume they can't die on a community lot.)

What do you mean by "Neighborhood rotations"? -- Must play every lot X number of days, in order? (I usually sync my games down the day, so Sims marrying into different lots don't fall out of sync with their true birthday. Is that acceptable?)

* From the Neanderthal section:
You say couples should try for baby as frequently as possible, but I assume these Sims have stuff to do (farming and fishing). Is there a guideline on how many times per day a couple should Try for Baby? Once a day? Once a day unless they're exhausted from labor? Every waking minute until the female is pregnant, then everyone works?

8)Once the kids grow up, they are to each buy the same size lot as their parents and have their funds set to their entire family's funds - What does "have their funds set to their entire family's funds" mean? They get to start with as much money as their parents/original household had when they left it? They're to be set to §3000 as their parents were at the start of the challenge? Any money the new household is left with must be subtracted from the original household (so if you want the original household to retain all of its money, the new household's funds should be set to §0)?

* From the Roman section:
When the upper-class families stop Trying for Baby, can they WooHoo (i.e., use birth control)?

* From the Dark Ages
The more children for protection, the better. There is no limit to the number of children you can have. - return to the Neanderthal rule of must try for baby whenever that option is available?

I'm going to be honest: I'm uncomfortable with the racism inherent in the original rules. I am NOT calling anna220 or SwallowTail87 racist and I am NOT trying to stir up drama. I recognize this challenge is pursuing certain Eurocentric historical norms with both its race and gender-based rules, but real-world racial bias is not something I like to reflect in my game, so I deflect that bias onto fantasy skintones. Which is one reason I am attracted to VT's alternative version. (Another reason is that I think a post-apocalyptic world would require less cc to reflect each generation. I fail at period games.) Is there a link available to Starsaphire's alternative version, or is it just an ad-hoc setting change from historic to post-apocalyptic?

Hi Mangaroo thanks for your interest ! Wow you are a brave soul to read all those rules lol I dont think I have done more than skim them myself. Whenever I start to read ahead I get scared of what I got myself into and stop. Saying that, there is a lot to this challenge that is a work in progress. Taliah is the farthest along and she is almost ready to start the Roman era. We all have seemed to play this a little differently. I was going to download all sorts of caveman items and then decided to have my sims go with a beach theme instead so I could take advantage of what is in the game already. Many are not interested in playing the game the way history tells us it really happened so please feel free to put your spin on it. Even in the rules ST mentioned you could rank people according to wealth instead of colour so I do not think there was any offense meant when she created it. Now lets try to answer your questions. Please note that this is only my take on things and we tend to talk things out to see what general opinion is. I did not help her create this awesome challenge - but I think she did a fabulous job !!

- Taliah has become our resident Dr Evil lol I do believe the way she handles the fights is move the loser to a lot and then deal with them there. She just had a whole lot die from flies lol while we might have a problem with killing sims... she seems ok with it. I havent had anyone fight yet strangly enough. Maybe I need to lighten up on the god complex and let my sims a little more free will ;-)

- rotations : I play each lot in the same order 5 days or when the season changes to the next one. I started my sims off on their own lots but VT and some others had everyone together to start and then moved them out as the families grew.

- Taliah has the unlimited sims thingy so she didnt mind having tons of babies ( which was probably a good thing give her penchant for death :-P ). I dont play with hacks so Im stuck with 8 sims per lot. That meant I gave the female a break between babies. I figured even in caveman days she got a day off from woohoo lol so I give them 24 hrs after birth and then start again and will only try for baby again 24 hrs later.

- Moving out : I just had my first teens move out ! So I used the same lot as the parents of the man ( I saved them in the simbin as empty lots ) and then will give them the same money as the parents had the last time I played their lot. I use the sims2DB to keep track of my families which helps with remembering who is next, what I have planned and how much money each lot has. Once you get going its months between lot plays so unless you keep track you wont remember who everyone is let alone what you have planned lol

- Later on there is a limit to the amount of kids ( which believe me I am going to be so thankful for to try to reduce the population ) so yes I would say you can woohoo only

- Dark ages : yes that sure sounds like a baby boom is going to happen again!

For anyone who chooses to play along with us we welcome any and all feedback/questions. It has been so much fun so far. Since I posted this challenge here Ive been peeking at some of the others listed and I am definitely going crazy wanting to do them all at once ! But I must force myself to stick with this one as long as I can or until the game implodes :-D

PS - if you want to look at the others blogs/websites I have the links to them on my blog.

Resident Dr Evil reporting for duty! *re-attaches halo with extra strong superglue* Now everyone will think I have a vindictive streak a mile wide against my poor helpless little simmies at the mercy of their tyrannical god-hand LoL

I have always believed this challenge in particular is just a starting point for the individual's creative talent - see what you want to see, play how you want to play. I was attracted to this challenge because I love all things historical and I wondered if it was even possible to play a Neanderthal era with sims that rely on modern day appliances - at first it was very difficult, but nearing the end of the era I find it so refreshing to "do without" everything( that they can) that I'm really sad to leave them now ;_; So saying, the original rules have been tweaked by everyone to a certain degree, as I'm pretty certain SwallowTail hadn't played it yet when she wrote it and even she doesn't follow them exactly. Personally I have been trying to follow the rules as closely as I can and only tweaking things that just make it too difficult (or near impossible) to play - such as not having anywhere for them to live - they don't do much in endless sun without shelter except suffer from heat stroke a lot and die thereby ending the challenge before it can barely begin >_> And originally there was no toilet in the rules - no toilet?! Have you ever played without a toilet? They won't do anything because they're desperate to use it, and then they won't do anything because they stink too much! Sims - gotta love em.

Enough babbling! On to the questions~

Community lot fighting - technically you're not supposed to have a community lot in the Neanderthal Era, but if you do I would say the rules still apply, so using the imagination the sim would be dead if they lost that fight or so badly wounded they wouldn't last long. Of course, maybe the sim they were in a fight with wasn't that strong either and just got lucky? (says me who had a man beaten in a fight with his wife and is now six feet under). If you wish to kill off fight-losing sims then as soon as you get to their home lot I would say they have to go. Admittedly, I didn't think I would ever kill a sim off, and some in the first generation got lucky, but when you have 15 families to play through and nearly 80 sims - you might be quite happy to see a few "disappear"! Also - the Roman Era consists of a "Slave" sim being killed "every 7 days" in the Colosseum - so if killing off your sims make you squeamish perhaps that rule should be *cough* glossed over? ^_^ I'm just glad it's the Roman Era soon and pools are allowed, I tell ya, the fly population in Tempus is getting out of control.

I'm with Anna on this one - my neighbourhood rotations are seasonal - I play a family for all five days of one season and then move on the morning of the first day of the next season.

Woohoo/trying for babies - in the first gen, as soon as the baby was born I would stick the parents in a bed and try at least 3 times, if nothing happened then they got a day off and went out into the garden to bake; with the population explosion though I only tried once a day, and only more than that if I really wanted that couple to keep having kids, and sometimes not at all for that round, just to keep the families different and interesting.

Oh the funds question - I remember the confusion so clearly now @_@ The very first sim couples - the founders - start with $3000, depending on how industrious you are with growing and selling crops depends on how much you have when it's time to start the next Generation. So for example - the Smith family started with $3000, they have accumulated $10,000 when their second born son decides he wants to start his own lot, therefore that son gets to move out and start on a new lot with $10,000. It is basically whatever family funds the parents have "currently" at the time the kid wants to move out.

Really, if anyone playing this is a stickler for rules then just follow the rules as best you can, but if something makes you uncomfortable, or you think a rule is ridiculous or just don't like it, then change it; it's completely open for interpretation. The main thing is that you enjoy what you are playing ^_^

If anyone would like a peek at how my challenge played out (and you have a lot of time to waste) then you are more than welcome to visit my little website - http://tempustemporis.weebly.com/

taliah~

@Mangaroo: Yes, I'm not keen on the skin-1 dominance thing either, which is one reason I'm playing the alternative version of the challenge. It can be found here although only the first two generations' rules have been completed. Hopefully the creator will show up again soon. I'm sure Anna and Taliah miss her too.

- VT

Hey Taliah ! Glad to see you followed the trail of breadcrumbs. I think this is some of the best advice:

Thanks Anna ^_^ This is a good forum yeah? I can't believe I've not been here before; it works really well for me *famous last words eek* It's a bit sad though that all that conversation/good advice over the last year is on the other one >_> ah well, onwards and upwards!

I know ! There were so many great ideas floating around. Im sure we will get back in the swing of things here in no time. Especially when we make the era transformation lol

Hey, are you guys still here?! :P

I know I haven't been particularly active myself lately, but I have to get a website for my main 'hood up before it turns four years old on Saturday... building, building, building. So I haven't been playing my ToTM much - but I just wanted to let you know that next week I will definitely get back to playing it. I just haven't had time lately.

Any updates from your games?

- VT

Yup still here ! I updated on the weekend and have been playing the next family when I can get the time. Its amazing how much easier a lot is when its not maxed or close to being maxed out with sims lol

Hey all! I'm always here~ ^_^ I'm not playing at the moment, the evil sims 3 sucked me in over the last week sooooo... *traitor!* ahem...plus I've been getting extra hours at work which I can't really snub since I need the money, ya know, that stuff other than simoleans that actually allows me to indulge my love for sims (and books) *chews nails off* I'll get back to the aToT, I always do. I saw your update Anna and am so excited for you to begin your next gen - just one more round yay! *cheer squad in full swing*

taliah~

Just had to share this with you - I got back to my ToTM today, and since Banshee and zip were the only two muters who weren't expecting when I left off, I told them to go try for a baby. Maybe it was something to do with installing ACR between the last time I played it and now (as if there wasn't enough drama over there!) but the second I clicked 'try for baby' I heard the pregnancy music and zip hadn't even put down his fishing pole! Just to check I wasn't hearing things, I tried again and there was no try for baby option there... They didn't even woohoo - zip just stopped next to the hammock to play red hands with Vortex, and Banshee whipped a pillow and book out of thin air and started flicking through the pages as if nothing had, er, not happened... or something... well, they're mutants, maybe they can get pregnant through telepathy. Oh, the strangeness of Sims.

- VT (hoping her game isn't glitched to Mars now!)

Edit: Stupid auto link thingy. I mean zip the mutant blue furry thing from my ToTM, not a zip file.

I haven't been into the game to check this yet, but perhaps in ACR you can click on "try for baby" with someone and they get pregnant without having to woohoo - but then that might just be the tombstone one I'm thinking about >_> I'm intrigued though! Either way it fits your game doesn't it? ^_^ with mutants you never know when they're going to breed next~

It doesn't usually work like that, at least not in my other 'hoods that I've tested it in. Then again, those were created after I installed the mod, not before. When I went into each apartment it looked just like it does when you install a new EP, with everyone standing doing nothing and the bedcovers stuck in 'I'm covering a Sim position' when the Sims had popped out of their beds to stand there like idiots... maybe it's a new-mod-in-old-hood thing. Anyway, I'm sure I can work it into the plot somehow, and this is VT's game, stranger things have happened in it.

Hey all.. I heard that there was some activity going on over here involving AToT, and was glad to see that it was true.
I will try to answer any questions about the challege, but seeing as I am almost completely inactive on here (my old account got deleted because I logged on once), then chances are I might miss a few.

Glad to see that everyone's game is coming along great. I am still stuck in Neanderthal stage.. but then again, I am on one of my "no-sims sprees", in which I get bored of my game and dont play for months. I think last time I played for over an hour was in November. I'm going to try and put in some hours today.

Good luck everyone!

~ST~

Hi ST! Glad to see you found us! Don't worry about your boredom - I spent the best part of last year (August-April) hardly playing at all. Beat that. Which is why I'm dreading the annual two weeks in France with my family even more than usual this year. That was the point that everything ground to a halt, and it's only just starting to pick up. Oh well, three months to make some progress with my Sims...

- VT

Hi ST ! The bread crumbs worked I hope you get back into your game. Ive been away from it for the past couple of weeks due to another game taking up all my time but yesterday I got back to it. Only 2 sims days left on the current lot before I can update again.

This is a cool Challenge!!I'm going to attempt it

Welcome Felix_Lovette. Good luck and if you have any questions let us know or just want to give an update we would love to see it !

I remember this! I tired attempting a long, long, long time ago... But I never recorded it. But after reading the rules again, and some your guys blogs on it, I think I have a great idea for this using Enayla's skins. I just need to find some fantasy clothes....

Welcome Darkroselyn ! I hope you find everything you are looking for. Just this weekend I was on a hunt for elder kimonos. I was so surprised how easy it was to find them right here in this very site. lol I like when I do not have to go far to locate things. I am really interested in seeing what you do with your version.