2016 Handiness World Championships

[Metropolis Man]

This challenge is now over. Everyone is free to discuss strategy. I am curious what extra upgrades Ricalynn and oshizu were able to do that some other players maybe did not know about. Yeah, just FYI - the team originally thought about providing a list of ALL of the "correct" upgrades in the game, but we finally decided against it because we'd basically be providing a roadmap of what a player needed to do, and it should be their job to figure it out. The downside is there may have been some unintended score variation - player X did count a certain unique upgrade and player Y did not.

Anyways, great job to katie on the win. Thanks to all who participated.

[oshizu]

I have three less than Ricalynn but some of the UUs I had that might have eluded others include:

*Retail sign (Magnolia Promenade: Add animations, install surge protectors, reinforce electrical contacts
*Observatory: Temper armored telescopic pivots

Uncovering the most UUs, however, did not translate to the highest score. What I'm curious about was HOW so many simoleons were earned. How?

Much applause to the winners!

[MarianT]

Congratulations @thekatie0409!

[Nutella]

Congratulations @thekatie0409

I have found 48 unique upgrades, am very curious which five I am missing.  @Ricalynn, can you check my list below and let me know what I am missing?  My OCD requires me to know. 

01 -- Sturdy Faucets
02 -- Clean Coat
03 -- Self Cleaning
04 -- Superior Flush
05 -- Bidet
06 -- Auto Soap Dispenser
07 -- Self Cleaning Wall Coating
08 -- Water Flow Regulator
09 -- Pulsating Massage Jets
10 -- Fire Safe
11 -- Stereo
12 -- Aromatherapy Filter
13 -- Unbreakable
14 -- Extra Reliable
15 -- Cleaning Speed
16 -- Run Quieter
17 -- Steel Centrifuge
18 -- Better Components
19 -- Firaxium Wiring
20 -- Super Reception
21 -- Surge Protector
22 -- Animations
23 -- Reinforce Electrical Contacts
24 -- Fireguard
25 -- Autolite
26 -- Stick Free Pot
27 -- Infuser
28 -- Coated Exterior
29 -- Heat Sensor
30 -- Reinforced Door
31 -- Fresh Maker
32 -- Fridge of Steel
33 -- Consistently Perfect Pulls
34 -- Coated Interior
35 -- Flavor Enhancer
36 -- ECC Ram
37 -- IP Spoofer
38 -- Better Video Card
39 -- Sturdy Panels
40 -- eMotion Engine
41 -- Waterproof Circuitry
42 -- Precision Temperature Probe
43 -- Robustify Inner Workings
44 -- Perfect Inner Workings
45 -- Improved Lens Quality
46 -- Reinforced Telescopic Pivots
47 -- Temper Armored Telescopic Pivots
48 -- Augment Telescopic Eyepiece

[Ricalynn]

The hardest part about this challenge was the randomness of the camping mascots!   Some days I could make close to 100k and other days it felt like half!  I tried to save money by making the tub and toilet I eventually upgraded.  Didn't have a computer until I made a table and chair.   Only used a cooler for food.  Turned the empty bowls of cereal into trash piles to scavenge every time I ate then dragged trash pile to actual trash can so I wouldn't lose time taking steps.

I found 54 unique upgrades in the game but one of them was unable to be done without joining the scientist career at level 4 and that counted against the income only from woodworking/handiness.   Here is the list of all of them for you @Nutella.

Though I will say I took extra time to learn the actual upgrade part requirements.  Because Making a hot tub unbreakable only cost 2 common parts but doing it for a dishwasher cost like 3 common and 3 plumbing!  So crazy!


Pulsating Jets - Corner tub/Expensive tub
Soothing Jets - Corner tub
Self-Cleaning - tub, sink, toilet, sauna, stove, microwave, coffeepot, tea kettle
Clean Coat - tub
Sturdy Faucets - tub, sink

Add Aromatherapy Filter - hot tub
Make Unbreakable - hot tub, dishwasher (Cheaper on hot tub)
Add Stereo - hot tub
Self-Cleaning Wall Coating - shower
Pulsating Massage Jets - shower

Water Flow Regulator - shower
Auto-Soap Dispenser - sink
Bidet - Toilet
Superior Flush - Toilet
Steel Centrifuge -  Chemical Analyzer

Improve Lens Quality - microscope
Robustify Inner Workings - microscope
Perfect Inner Workings - microscope
Augment Telescopic Eyepiece - telescope
Reinforce Telescopic Pivots - telescope

Precision Temperature Probe - Sauna
Waterproof Circuitry - Sauna
Sturdy Panels - 3D game
eMotion Engine - 3D game
Fireguard - fireplace

Autolight - fireplace
Super Reception - tv, radio  (Cheaper on cheap radio)
Better components - tv, radio (cheaper on cheap radio)
Firaxium wiring - tv, radio (cheaper on cheap radio)
Improved Projection - Outdoor tv

Better Video Card - computer
IP Spoofer - Computer
ECC RAM - Computer
Add Corrective Laser Lens - Xray (can't do while focused)
Convert to Frictionless Scanner Rig - Xray (can't do while focused)

Reinforced Panels - Invention Constructor
Fresh Maker - Fridge
Reinforced Door - Fridge
Fridge of Steel - Fridge
Coated Exterior - stove

Heat Sensor - stove
Flavor Enhancer - microwave
Coated Interior - Microwave
Add Infuser - Coffee pot, tea-kettle
Consistently perfect pulls - espresso

Add Stick-Free Pot - Tea kettle
Increase Cleaning Speed - dishwasher
Make Extra Reliable - dishwasher
Make Run Quieter - dishwasher
Temper Telescopic Pivots - telescope

Add Safety Protocols - Chemistry Lab  (can't use, need scientist career)
Add Animations - neon sign
Reinforce Electrical Contacts - neon sign
Install Surge Protector - neon sign

[Nutella]

Ahhh I found the 5 that I was missing, thank you very much. 

[oshizu]

@Nutella @thekatie0409 and @Minnie Mouse

May I ask you to share, if you don't mind, how you managed to earn so much money?
Or did I simply lack focus to keep on with the crafting? I feel like I missed something crucial...

[Nutella]

Camping Mascots.

Don't even waste time crafting anything else once you reach level 7.  It takes 40 mins to craft one mascot, while bathtub (similar value) take 1.5 hours.  Also try to get Never Weary & steel bladder, less sleep no need pee more time to craft.

Like what Rica mention earlier, the mascots prices fluctuates a lot even with the Marketable trait.  If you are lucky, you get $4000+ per mascot, unlucky get $1000+ per mascot.  It's all about luck and quantities, keep pumping those little mascots out.

Not sure if Rica or Katie uses the same strategy like I do.

[Ginj]

Thanks Ricalynn; I totally missed the neon sign.  Actually checked out the X-ray machine but my Sim was focused at the time.  Well done!

[thekatie0409]

I had the same strategy as Nutella- just to make as many camping mascot statues as possible. They are by far the best way to make money with the handiness skill. Just to break it down further- To make as many as possible, I started with aspiration points. To get these points right away, on day 1 I switched my aspiration to curator and went to the park and a couple neighborhoods until I got to the third tier of the aspiration. The next day I get my elements in the mail so my sim will always be very focused without effort. My curator progress left me with enough points to buy the marketable trait. Since the majority of the day was spent away from my home lot, the first day I only got to level 3 handiness. Monday I hired a handyman to come mentor my handiness to level 6. I finished the curator aspiration, minus the complete collection, so I switched to fabulously wealthy.  Midway through Tuesday I got to the level of handiness required for mascots so I went to the woods to learn the camping schematic. Selling the statues, you can get almost to the end of fabulously wealthy aspiration very quickly, stopping before you get to the earn 200,000 requirement, so I did that and got the never weary trait. On Thursday of the first week, I switched to the mansion baron aspiration. To fill the requirements I just left camping mascots on my lot instead of selling them until I hit the $350,000 requirement. With the points from this, along with the never-ending mansion baron whims of 'buy something worth x,' I was able to get Hardly Hungry and Steel Bladder. Week 1 I made 118 statues and sold them for $345,988.

Week 2 I continued making statues and got the Antiseptic reward. With that, I had all the rewards so I started my handiness upgrades. The 47 upgrades took 3 days, so this week I made only 112 statues and sold them for $343,816, leaving me with $564,971 at the end of week 2. The upgrades I missed were from the neon sign.

Week 3 I just made statues. That week I made 208 statues and sold them for $641400. That left me with my total of $1,125,775.

The statues are the best because they take only 40 sim minutes to make but sell for an average of 3100 with marketable. At $375 to make them that nets about $4050 per sim hour. I had 2 woodworking tables and queued up the statue command on whichever one was open at the time because I like to run sims on the third speed. With all of the aspiration rewards, it only takes around 4 sim hours to fill needs every day. 20 hours a day is about 28 statues give or take and selling them for an average of about 2700 profit that gives roughly $75,000 in net simoleans a day. Instead of cooking or quick meals, I hired a caterer to cook my meals once a week. I also had a stereo with a high fun value next to my woodworking tables that I turned on whenever fun was low. Since you can multitask, you never have to take a break from statues or upgrades to fill fun. Hopefully this explanation translated ok from my head  Basically just rewards traits and mascots.

[Ricalynn]

Oh.. I forgot to mention earlier.   I never got Never Weary.  I spent the money for Princess Cordelia bed and it wouldn't take long to get full sleep.  Instead I worried more about Carefree.   My sim was a loner and loved the outdoors just to get the boosts for him never meeting a person.  I completed the SoulMate Aspiration before going to bed on Day 1 and had Marketable and Carefree that night.  After that it was Fabulously Wealthy except for the §200k which got me the Always Welcome and Steel Bladder.  Other than I never bothered with wishes.  I hired a handyman on the first day and that was my soulmate so would invite over for nothing but mentoring for the first 48 hours after they had their final 3rd gold date. 

After Day 3, my sim never talked to another person again and never had more than 0 on his fun/social bar and he didn't care!  I didn't want listening to the radio to make making mascots take longer (because multitasking does that).  I never spent money I didn't have to because staying very focused was easy once I hit level 10 with the loner, loves outdoors buffs.  He got the food buff from the cooler and I kept one of those laser light shows going at all times plus two or three mascots on the ground for area buffs. After the 2nd set of bills my upgraded fireplace gave me another buff and mood was high.  ( I miss happiness points)

[oshizu]

I'm sure we all crafted those pesky camping mascots with the Marketable trait, just not as efficiently and productively as the winning players!

Thanks so much for sharing your detailed schedule @thekatie0409
The privilege of hearing everyone's strategies is one of the best aspects of the tournament. 

Thanks, too, to the tournament team for another fun challenge!
*runs off to practice the Baby Boomer challenge

[Minnie Mouse]

Ah, sorry. I forgot this one ended last night or I would have posted strategy sooner.

I also focused on aspiration points first (purchased marketable + never weary), then had my sim wash hands in the least reliable sink a billion times (ok, for like 2 hours) to break it so I could call the handyman. Had him mentor my sim, and focused mainly on upgrades. Then after I was level 10 I alternated between finishing the last upgrades and crafting the Camping Mascot. And I just did that till time ran out.

I didn't buy anything I didn't have to - went to the Behrs' house to upgrade the motion rig and such (I had asked about this beforehand). I waited till after the first round of bills came before buying expensive stuff, and always made sure to clean out my inventory regularly so I wouldn't get bills for my woodworking (did that once during practice and it was not fun...).

Also, I did try making the tubs during my practice runs, but the mascots made about the same amount of money for significantly less time spent. I tried crafting other items too during practice, but the $ made per minute (that's how I averaged it out - had a nice spreadsheet going) was significantly higher for the camping mascot.

I think that's all. I need to look at the list of upgrades and see what I missed...

[Minnie Mouse]

OH I was missing the neon sign and X-ray machine. I could have sworn I checked the X-ray but not well enough apparently.

Also, when I was researching, I saw something on Carl's Guide referring to a Crytacoo Casing upgrade for the Motion Rig, but I never figured out how to get it. Did anyone else get it? I'm curious to know.

[thekatie0409]

I didn't figure out the Crycatoo Casing either. I tried all the moods and tried using the element but nothing triggered that upgrade for me.
Also @Minnie Mouse you are able to summon the handyman without having a broken object. When he arrives he will say that there is nothing for him to fix but he'll stay if you start a conversation with him.