Stormy Dayz Gamez

Adventures in Gaming

Build a City Challenge Rules [Updated 03/10/19]

*These rules are based on the Sims 2 version of the Build a City Challenge with the exception that I have removed the population multiplier.  

**I’ve recently begun studying the Sims 3 versions of the rules and have made at least one rule change and there may be more in the future.  

***Another alternative that I think sounds like a lot of fun is a challenge that Onyeka001 wrote for herself but I got permission from her to share it here.  Near the end of her Building ElseWhere post she has links to the spreadsheets she’s using.  It’s very similar.

In the beginning…

To begin, evict all households and bulldoze all of the lots in whichever world you are starting in.  If there is a lot you are partial to you can leave it and just not visit there until you’ve earned it or save it to your library and place it when you’ve earned it.

  • You can choose to start in any world/map.  Willow Creek and Oasis Springs both have 21 lots.  Windenburg has 24 plus the special lots.  San Myshuno has 30 lots 24 of which are apartment/penthouses.  Brindleton Bay has 16 lots.  Del Sol Valley has 11.  StrangerVille has 11 but only 2 of them are community lots.*Note: Windenburg has double the requirements to open the next map*
  • You may not travel to any other world until it has been unlocked!  So choose your starting world wisely.
  • Create a single founder or a single founding couple (randomize the aspiration!) and place them on any lot.  Whatever starting cash the game gives them is what they start with.  Their aspiration, as well as the aspirations of all the rest of the sims that you’ll later play, will determine their path.  Exception: If your sim rolls a career that is already unlocked you may reroll their career.

Note 1: If you want to start with more than one founding household you can but you’ll need to count them all as a single household when determining the A Method of earning community lots.  

Note 2: There are no restrictions regarding pet ownership.  Feel free to use pets to assist the household in earning a bit of side cash. 

Aspirations and Careers…

This challenge was originally written for Sims 2.  In both Sims 2 and Sims 3, the sims would get wishes or wants or whatever for specific careers.  Since our sims don’t get any whims for careers this made a career roll necessary.  But first, let’s see if their aspiration will determine their career:

Use a random trait generator for each of your founding sims to determine their aspiration.  You can use the traits rolled or choose your own.  Our only concern is the aspiration.

If your sim rolled one of the following aspirations scroll down to the career roll below:

  • City Native
  • Bodybuilder
  • Chief of Mischief
  • Super Parent
  • Successful Lineage
  • Big Happy Family
  • Vampire Family
  • Fabulously Wealthy
  • Mansion Baron
  • Master Vampire
  • Renaissance Sim
  • Serial Romantic
  • Soulmate
  • Leader of the Pack
  • Friend of the World
  • Party Animal
  • Good Vampire
  • World-Famous Celebrity *new*

If your sim rolled one of the following aspirations you may skip the career roll.

  1. Master Chef: Culinary-Chef
  2. Master Mixologist: Culinary-Mixologist
  3. Computer Whiz: Tech Guru-either branch
  4. Joke Star: Entertainer-Comedian
  5. Public Enemy: Criminal-either branch
  6. Painter Extraordinaire: Paint for income or Painting Career-either branch
  7. Bestselling Author: Write for income or Writing Career-either branch
  8. Musical Genius: Write Music, play for tips for income or Entertainer-Musician
  9. Nerd Brain: Craft on Woodworking table and explore space for income or Astronaut career-either branch
  10. Freelance Botanist: Garden for income
  11. Angling Ace: Fish for income
  12. The Curator: Dig and gather for income
  13. Outdoor Enthusiast: Make remedies, sell insects, ect for income (Must unlock GF first!)
  14. Master Actor: Join the acting career (Must unlock Del Sol Valley first!) *new*

If they rolled 1-5 or you choose one of the optional careers for 6-9 either take that career or if it is still locked find out how to unlock it below.  If they rolled one of the aspirations on 6-14 (and you don’t want to work on unlocking the career) they can do the tasks listed for income in addition to aiding any household members with their own goals.

CAREER ROLL

You should have already done the aspiration roll for your sims.  If they rolled one of the aspirations that were listed in 1-13 above this roll is not necessary.

If they did not roll one of those aspirations roll 1-100

  • 1-50 They will own a community lot for income.
  • 51-100 They will continue to the next roll below for a career.

Now, on to the individual Sim careers:

Roll 1-9 whichever career they have rolled is the career they will either take if the career has an opening or they will work on unlocking it.

  1. Secret Agent
  2. Athlete
  3. Business
  4. Doctor
  5. Detective
  6. Scientist
  7. Critic
  8. Politician
  9. Social Media
  10. Gardener
  11. Military

Unlocking Careers

Your sim either rolled an aspiration that requires a career or an aspiration that gives you the option to take a career or you rolled a career on the career roll page.  The following are the ways to unlock their chosen career.

1: Entertainer(Musician) – The career is unlocked when a community lot including a stage and three musical instruments is placed. This lot does not have to be player-owned. (Can be the lounge)
2: Entertainer(Comedian) – There must be at least one lounge community lot in the world to unlock this career.
3: Writer(Author) – The career is unlocked when a library community lot is placed.
4: Writer(Journalist) – A position opens whenever the population reaches a multiple of 10 households. It is never unlocked.
5: Painter(Master of the Real) – There must a retail lot that sells art to unlock this career.
6: Painter(Patron of the Arts) – There must at least one museum community lot in the world
7: Secret Agent(Diamond Agent) – A position opens whenever a Sim reaches the top of the Detective or Criminal career. The career is never unlocked.
8: Secret Agent(Villain) – A position opens whenever a Sim reaches the top of the Criminal career.  The career is never unlocked.
9: Criminal(Boss) – The first slot opens when you have 5 households.   After that, whenever a Sim tops the career another position in Criminal opens as well as one each in Law Enforcement and Intelligence. The career is never unlocked.
10: Criminal(Oracle) – The first slot opens when you have 5 households.   After that, whenever a Sim tops the career another position in Criminal opens as well as one each in Law Enforcement and Intelligence. The career is never unlocked.
11: Astronaut(Space Ranger) – This career is unlocked when a sim reaches the top of the athletic career.  Must have purchased a rocket.
12: Astronaut(Smuggler) – This career is unlocked when a sim reaches the top of the Criminal Oracle career or the Secret agent Villain branch.  Must have purchased a rocket.
13: Culinary(Chef) – The first position opens when a player-owned restaurant reaches five stars.  The career is unlocked when the first person in the career reaches the top of the career.
14: Culinary(Mixologist) – The first position opens when a lounge, bar, or nightclub venue is placed. The career is unlocked when the first person in the career reaches the top of the career.
15: Tech Guru(eSport Gamer) – In order for a Sim to enter the career, they must personally own at least one of each of the following: an expensive computer, a video game console, and a motion gaming rig. There can be unlimited Gamers if you want, but each must personally own all of the above equipment. The career is never unlocked.
16: Tech Guru(Start-up Entrepreneur) – This career is unlocked when a venue either selling gaming equipment or a gaming community lot is placed.
17: Athlete(Bodybuilder) – This career is unlocked for all Sims once there is a gym lot in place.
18: Athlete(Pro Athlete) – This career is unlocked for all Sims once there is a sports-themed community lot in place. The sport in question can be just about anything: Bowling, basketball, swimming. Whatever. There must be equipment available to participate in some sort of sport, though.
19: Business(Management) – A new position in this track opens every time a player-owned business of any kind purchases the “sure sale” “instant restocking” and “cheaper restocking” or equivalent perks that add up to 6,000 perk points.  It is unlocked to everyone once someone becomes a Business Tycoon the top of this track.
20: Business(Investor) – A new position in this track opens every time a player-owned business of any kind reaches $100,000 value. It is unlocked to everyone once someone becomes an Angel Investor the top of this track.
21: Doctor – The first position opens when you have 5 community lots and another position opens for every 5.
22: Detective – This career is never unlocked, but a position opens whenever one of the following happens:
Three Sim-started fires
A playable Sim reaches the top of the Criminal career
A new world is opened.
23: Scientist – This career is unlocked either by a sim being abducted or a sim reaching the top of either Astronaut branch.
24: Critic(Art Critic) – The career is unlocked when the first person in either of the Painter career branches reach the top of their career.
25: Critic(Food Critic) – The career is unlocked when the first person in the chef career reaches the top of the career.
26: Politician(Charity Organizer) – Unlocked when you open San Myshuno.
27: Politician(Politician) – Unlocked when you open San Myshuno.
28: Social Media(Internet Personality) – Same requirements as eSport Gamer.
29: Social Media(Public Relations) – Any Sim who has maxed their Charisma skill may enter this career. It is never unlocked.
30. Gardener(either branch) – Create a perfect garden with one of every plant.  If it takes a long time and you are unable to attain the UFO plant you may unlock the career without it.  I have seen it at the San Myshuno festivals though so if you have City Living it is possible.
31. Actor – Unlocked when you open Del Sol Valley.

32. Military- Is not locked.  Topping this career unlocks StrangerVille. *new* 

Tips: Some of the careers are quite easy to unlock.  Others are not.  Below I have listed some examples of ways to work towards unlocking them.

  • If the career is unlocked or has an opening when a certain community lot is placed you can work towards placing one of those lots.  It can be player-owned or earned.  More on player-owned and earned community lots below.
  • If the career has openings when different careers are topped they could work towards unlocking one of those careers if it’s locked or topping it if it’s already unlocked.
  • If a sim leaves a career you can put another sim into that career without waiting for a new opening.

Any lot that is not residential is considered a community lot.  Methods of Establishing Community Lots:

Method A: With every fourth household you establish in your neighborhood, you automatically earn a community lot of any size or type you choose. Lots earned in this manner may not be purchased by a sim and may not have player-owned businesses on them at any time, so keep track of how each community lot was earned. For example, you can place a restaurant using this method, but you can never have a sim purchase and run that particular restaurant as a business, so it will never help you open the Culinary career as a player-owned restaurant will. Community lots earned in this manner must be placed as soon as possible after being earned. You may not “save them up” in order to save space until you have, say, a 2nd world to plop them all in.

Method B: At any time, you may place any community lot, but you must have a playable Sim immediately purchase the new lot. You can have Sims save up money to purchase a lot outright.  You could even run the lot from the ground up in sort of a “rags to riches” way BUT it does not unlock or make openings in a career until it is complete.

Note: Any additions to player-owned lots come out of the funds of the household that owns it!  If you have a household that owns a park and you want to add a toddler play area that money will need to be deducted from their funds… unless another family wants to “gift” it I suppose.

Taking all of this into consideration I would personally suggest all of your Method A or non-player owned community lots be ones that you’d like to be a bit more pricey.  Like a large park or a museum or arts center.

Note: With every community lot that is placed no matter the method you earn a CAS sim to start a new household.  You can create them immediately and tack them onto the bottom of your rotation list or you can save up for a family if you like.  If you don’t create them immediately it’s a good idea to keep a tally of how many sims you have earned somewhere.

Earning Worlds…

Note: Reviewing the maps, I have realized that my previous rule requiring 10 community lots to open another world made absolutely no sense!  Every world except Windenburg has 5 community lot areas.  So, the new rule as you’ll see below requires community and residential lots to unlock the next map.  In addition, once you have 10 community lots and the required residential lots in Windenburg not only do you open the next map but you also earn 10 CAS sims!

You earn worlds as you place community lots.  Once a world has 5 community lots and 1 residential lot in each neighborhood area you open another of your choice.  The main advantages of a new world are:

  1. More empty lots.
  2. You earn 5 CAS Sims.
  3. The freedom to travel there.

You unlock a world for every 5 community lots that are placed regardless of which world you place them in.  So if you started in Windenburg and when you unlock Oasis Springs you want to move all of the community lots there you could do that.

I didn’t see anything in the previous rules for vacation destinations so I decided that Granite Falls is unlocked when you have a sim top any career.  Selvadorada is unlocked when you top a second career.  Or vice versa.

Forgotten Hollow is never locked!  It only has 4 lots and I just put some cool vampy houses and vamps there to live.  If you want to make it more challenging you can make up a rule for yourself to unlock it.

As noted above, Windenburg and only Windenburg at this point require 10 community lots and 1 residential lot in each neighborhood area.  Obviously, leave the special lots as they are unless you want to change them but changing them isn’t a requirement.

Since StrangerVille is a unique world it can be travelled to but you may not build lots there until topping either branch of the military career.  Do not bulldoze the science lab!!!  *new*

When you earn a new world do as you did with your first and evict all housed sims and bulldoze all of the lots.

Other rules of note…

Any sim you directly create in CAS, from your founder onward, can only move in/marry townies or sims that were born in the game, not other sims that you directly create in CAS. The exception to this is if you decide to save up your earned CAS sims and create a whole family or families at once instead of a bunch of single Sims to “seed” individual households. Then, obviously, you’d have created sims married to each other. Otherwise, your CAS-created sims must only move in/marry townies or born-in-game Sims.

1) You MUST play every single sim you create, every single sim that is born or adopted in the game, and every single former townie that you make playable from wherever they start in life until they die. This means no moving adult kids of your households “not in world” and forgetting about them.  They must all start new households of their own or stay in their house of birth and take it over when their parents die. This also means no moving in townies for money only to move them out and never play them again. Any Sim that is or that you make playable for any length of time must remain playable and must be played until that Sim dies.

**********NEW Start**********  2) Each household must be played for an equal number of days to keep ages in sync. Just make sure you play each household for the same length of time. If you decide you don’t like the length of time you initially choose, you may change it only when you return to the beginning of the roster, in order to keep everything in sync.

In sync?  What the heck was I talking about?!  This isn’t Sims 2!  The sims still age when we aren’t playing them!  And so, rule 2 only applies if you have aging off.  If you leave aging on I’d suggest long lifespan or a mod to make it even longer like MCCC to give you time to get through them all.  I had this lightbulb moment when reading these Sims 3 rules.  In which the creator states:

“Story Progression ON & Aging ON – In this option, you may change households at will for the duration of the challenge. Play out the lives of the Sims you find interesting, strategically choose to play Sims whose lifetime wishes or developed traits could advance the community in some way, or simply free play for fun.”

The only problem I can see with this playstyle is bills.  Deal with them however you see fit.  Personally, I usually turn them off completely in MCCC in rotations and determine the bill amounts myself on a spreadsheet.  **********NEW End**********

3) No residential or community lot may have smoke detectors or sprinklers until there is at least one slot opened and filled in the Law Enforcement career. If a fire happens you must put the fire out yourself.

4) At first, you may not use any of the NPC services available on the phone.  That means no maids, gardeners, repairmen, nannies, etc.  If you want to adopt a sim or pet you can.   All services are unlocked when you have unlocked a second world.

5) You can buy or adopt any number of pets at any time, including taking in strays.