Having the Skills to Pay the Bills

[Metropolis Man]

Having the Skills to Pay the Bills

Goal
This is another great idea from Rachel and is a mash up of a skills event and -- something we've never scored before -- bills.

General Challenge Rules
The General Challenge Rules always apply. If applicable, exceptions will be noted below.

Specific Challenge Rules

• Create two young adult Sims, Human or Alien -- Vampires not allowed.
• No moving anyone in or out.
• You must choose the Private Dwelling lot trait and the debug cheat to purchase a satellite to prevent abductions.
• You are allowed one move per billing cycle.
• Each of your Sims can only earn money from two different unique skills during each billing cycle** -- i.e. Sim A paints and sells his paintings during the first billing cycle, and he also makes and sells things with woodworking. Sim B cannot ever make money from painting or woodworking -- picking up the skills is okay, but make sure only one Sim makes money in their unique skills. So, Sim B's money making skills in the first billing cycle might be piano and comedy.
• If Sim A paints, then Sim B cannot sell Sim A's paintings, etc. If Sim B does woodworking, then Sim A cannot sell those woodworking items.
• **It's okay to receive royalties from certain skills after a billing cycle.
• Even though many careers are directly tied to specify skills -- i.e. the painting career and the painting skill -- careers are not allowed in this event.
• No retail stores or restaurants allowed.
• At the start of each billing cycle each Sim chooses two new money-making skills to pursue. Skills in which you will not earn money may also be leveled.
• If your Sims max their designated unique skills for earning money, your score multiplier goes up.
• Both Sims must be on the home lot when bills arrive in the mail (Mondays at 5 a.m.).
• This challenge ends immediately after receiving and paying your 4th bill which arrives on the 5th Monday at 5 a.m. You must also stop the challenge if at any point you cannot pay a bill.

Scoring
Bill #1. Note the notifications at the top right of the screen and jot down the amount of your first bill which will come at 5 a.m. on the second Monday. You must pay the bill or the challenge is over.

Bill #2. Note the notifications at the top right of the screen and jot down the amount of your second bill which will come at 5 a.m. on the third Monday. You must pay the bill or the challenge is over.

Bill #3. Note the notifications at the top right of the screen and jot down the amount of your third bill which will come at 5 a.m. on the fourth Monday. You must pay the bill or the challenge is over.

Bill #4. Note the notifications at the top right of the screen and jot down the amount of your fourth bill which will come at 5 a.m. on the fifth Monday. You must pay the bill or the challenge is over.

Skills. Everyone starts with a multiplier of 1.00 and if either of your Sims maxes their designated unique money making skills then add 10% (.10) for each maxed skill.

Total. Add up your four bills and then multiply by the Skills multiplier for your Total.

Here is a spreadsheet to help everyone with scoring. Thanks, SeraNita.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1l0YqEUm9Mt4jJuF8kgZHuBuSlon730q6FsN_-E6Nvc4/edit?usp=sharing

Ch-Ch-Changes
The team does not want to edit and make changes to the ruleset once this event goes live, but we may have to. If an exploit is brought to our attention or we discover something else we reserve the right to ask affected players to redo their effort.

Have Questions?
Please think hard before you ask in the challenge thread because it may be strategy. What you may consider an innocent question could cause another player to go — “oh, I did not think of doing that.” It’s always safer to PM everyone on the team (Metro, ratchie, LenaLJ, Trip, and MarianT) for clarifications. Thanks.

And the Winner is...
After this event has closed everyone is encouraged to discuss how they approached the event, but the winner especially is expected to do so in detail.

This Event is Now Closed

Player	Bill #1	Bill #2	Bill #3	Bill #4	Skills	Total
GlazeyLady	23,144	36,368	37,758	47,137	2.60	375,458
lesleyj42	6,015	18,881	36,014	58,858	2.50	299,420
Isabelalabe	1,699	21,722	22,371	34,418	2.20	176,462
LenaLJ	2,431	10,985	20,784	27,965	2.60	161,629
Eighty8Keys	669	7,153	13,092	25,867	1.70	79,527
sdhoey	985	6,754	8,905	12,387	2.40	70,394
Ginj	2,332	3,615	4,087	13,438	2.60	61,027
Whimsical Peanut	1,789	2,410	5,028	10,308	2.40	46,884
Metropolis Man	1,819	2,537	6,024	13,058	1.90	44,532
WriterJunkie	427	1,133	3,190	7,330	1.90	22,952
CynKuy	513	1,016	2,442	2,827	1.80	12,236
TanGuob	520	656	999	1,335	2.30	8,073
coolsim9999999	307	296	270	1,428	1.60	3,681
SeraNita	480	526	588	656	1.60	3,600

[Metropolis Man]

When I tested this out I did not receive a bill until the 2nd Monday, so this needs to be absolutely confirmed by others. Everyone needs to be on the same page as to when bills show up.

[reggikko]

I have never gotten bills on the first Monday (ie the next day after starting a new save).

[MarianT]

2nd Monday is when I've always gotten the first bill.

Can our Sims stick with the same 4 skills throughout the challenge or do we have to change each week?

[Metropolis Man]

You have to change at the beginning of each billing cycle, Marian...

• Each of your Sims can only earn money from two different unique skills during each billing cycle..../quote]

[MarianT]

Thanks! I thought that was the way it was.

[coolsim9999999]

Hi Metro,

I had the same question as Marian.  I pm'd you before I read this. 

However, I had a second question in my pm, which should be pm'd instead of posting it.

Coolsim

[Metropolis Man]

A clarification just added --

• Even though many careers are directly tied to specify skills -- i.e. the painting career and the painting skill -- careers are not allowed in this event.

[Metropolis Man]

I just sent coolsim a response to a PM she sent, so let me copy my response because it was a good question she had...

For each billing cycle both Sims can only make money from two unique skills -- so say Sim A does painting and woodworking and Sim B does writing and fishing. There's nothing in the rules that states you have to make money from all 4 unique skills -- if you want to pay the total bill from just selling woodwork items that's fine, but when the next billing cycle starts, then all 4 skills must change too. If you paid bills from only woodwork items you could not continue to paint in the next billing cycle and sell paintings.

[HelenP]

For skills where the money comes in as royalties over many days, how do we deal with the income if it arrives outside the designated week?

[Metropolis Man]

For skills where the money comes in as royalties over many days, how do we deal with the income if it arrives outside the designated week?

I suppose in that situation an exception can be allowed. Not sure if there would be others.

---------------

EDIT:

• **It's okay to receive royalties from certain skills after a billing cycle.

[Windhavyn]

This sounds like a fantastic challenge! Just to clarify, while both sims are busy with the four designated money making skills, you are only allowed to sell the items from a single sim's skill, and only from one of his/her two skills not both. What do you do with the remaining items? i.e. If using paintings, but your sim is also busy with fishing, and the other one with gardening and woodworking, do you place the fish, garden produce & woodworking items onto the lot or can you sell them too?

[Metropolis Man]

This sounds like a fantastic challenge! Just to clarify, while both sims are busy with the four designated money making skills, you are only allowed to sell the items from a single sim's skill, and only from one of his/her two skills not both. What do you do with the remaining items? i.e. If using paintings, but your sim is also busy with fishing, and the other one with gardening and woodworking, do you place the fish, garden produce & woodworking items onto the lot or can you sell them too?

No...in your example you have one Sim painting and fishing during a billing cycle with the other Sim gardening and woodworking. So, in that billing cycle you sell paintings, sell fish, sell plants, and sell woodworking items. Then, when you get your bill, you sell whatever items are necessary to pay that bill and begin another cycle with 4 different skills -- two per Sim. And when the next bill comes due remember if you still have paintings, fish lying around, that's fine, but you can no longer sell those to pay the new bill. You can only make money in a given billing cycle with skills used during that cycle.

[MarianT]

@Metropolis Man, I took out your advice to Windhavn to join the painting career -- careers aren't allowed in this challenge.

[Metropolis Man]

Oh sheez! Lol! Thank you, Marian. I cannot even keep straight my own prior advice. Okay....standing in the corner now.