The Sims 3 Challenge
Renaissance Smackdown at the Da Vinci House
Today I'll be pursuing yet another challenge by Metropolis Man. This one, the Renaissance Smackdown at the Da Vinci House will be the first I've tackled with two Sims. The goal here is to make both Sims complete the Renaissance Sim lifetime wish as quickly as possible.
There are no great restrictions, live where you want, choose what skills you want, but... The Sims Must Specialize in Different Skills. So, you'll be working to master six distinct skills as fast as you can. The two should also be set to spouse, so they will be married.
In order for the Renaissance Sim lifetime wish to appear, you'll need to take the workaholic and commitment issues traits. I'd suggest the other three traits for each Sim be tied to the skills they want to master.
Here are the traits I chose for my two Renaissance Sims
John Vinci
He will become a Renaissance Sim and complete his wish by mastering the Cooking, Handiness, and Writing skills. I gave him the following three optional traits: Handy, Natural Cook, Bookworm. He will spend most of his days at the library or at the computer.
Jane Vinci
She will be more on the artistic side. She'll be mastering Painting, Guitar and Charisma. She gets the following traits: Charismatic, Artistic, Virtuoso. Charisma can be a slow skill to build, but it should be helped due to her being able to play guitar at the park and theater.
This one could be a juggernaut of a document, if I detailed everything. Instead, I'm going to give a general outline of what I did to help my Sims complete the challenge quickly. Some of this will seem very mechanical, but the goal is to get a decent score.
The House of Utility
The house is designed with efficiency in mind. John will be preparing meals of autumn salad for he and Jane to eat leftovers from the fridge. Thus, I purchase the most expensive refrigerator. They also get the best bed. Everything else in the house is basic, but they need several objects to further their skill development and help them make money. Jane gets a guitar and easel, while John takes a computer and desk. They don't own an oven, both their favorite foods are autumn salad.
Early Days
They have $803 left after their home building, so I send each of them to a class, then back home. John takes a class in writing, and Jane a class in guitar. They both head home, and Jane plays guitar for John while he works on his first non-fiction novel. Jane reaches level 3 in guitar while John writes until stressed, also reaching level 3 in his talent. He serves them dinner and Jane keeps playing for him. They make a good team so far.
The next day, John spends at the library reading skill books, and Jane paints to fulfill some wishes.
They're doing well, and have enough money to pay the bills. Jane heads to the park with her guitar to begin making relationships so that she can raise charisma, while John pursues another novel. This pattern will continue for a while, because guitar can take a while to master and Jane needs plenty of relationships before she begins charisma studies.
Glory Days
John is a machine, and if it weren't for writing rising so slowly, he'd surely finish first. He spends long days writing, then gets relaxation from playing computer games. He pretty much alternates between raising writing to make money and going to the library to read skill books. When Jane can begin playing for tips, she does so frequently. She makes lots of friends pretty fast, and even finishes a wish to have twelve of them. At that point, she can start raising charisma.
They have plenty of money, but I don't spend much of it. They're both very content Sims, and aside from a couple decorations here and there, they save. They both hit the 15,000 happiness point mark at about the same time, and both get the Swift Learner reward.
I only pursue skill opportunities that promise to improve their skills. They don't get many done, unfortunatley, but a painting skill opportunity at the ninth level in painting gives Jane a boost halfway there. She finishes the skill, then heads to the library and wraps up charisma. It's a pretty picture, as she plays for John while he polishes off the writing skill, completing his last skill and becoming a true Renaissance Sim.
My time to completion: Week 4, Day 7, so 4 full weeks.
Post your stats on the Renaissance Smackdown at the Da Vinci House thread on our forum.
