Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Turn Back Hands of Time

Shipwrecked and Single doesn't give the player a lot of time to become a productive adult before turning into an elder. So most players will either go to the location where the creepy shaman was found or they have their Sim earn the Concoction Junction as a career reward being a Gatherer. Then they can concoct and drink the Life Elixir to extend their lives. This way, the Sim adult can go back to day one as an adult. As an elder, this takes the Sim back to day one as an elder.

However, if you really want to turn back the hands of time, an elder Sim can visit the Temple of Tuzu on Felicity Island, drink from the chalice to skip back a generation to become an adult again. By doing this, for example, the Chief and his wife will look much different as adults, as shown in the images below. They can then have babies (again) and start all over as adults. Unfortunately, this option is not available on Wanmami Island.


Manaves as Elders
Chalice at Temple
Fangaloka Manave and Huhana Manave
as adults
Fangaloka Manave Adult Everyday Attire

Fangaloka Manave Adult Formal

Fangaloka Manave Adult Underwear
Huhana Manave Adult Everyday Attire

Huhana Manave Adult Formal

Huhana Manave Adult Underwear

Yes, Chief Fangaloka's eyebrows are blond and Huhana's hair is red under that white wig. Who Knew?

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Secondary Source of Resources

One of the actions that a Sim can take is to dig in the sand.  Find a spot on your lot that allows you to dig and you can start digging up some great little trinkets. You can sell them in the Barter Mode or use them as decorations on your lot.

The other aspect of digging is that it makes the Sim tired and dirty. I have my Sim dig once each Sim day for a little extra change in their pocket without over tiring or getting extremely filthy. A find does not happen every time, but on the average, about one out of four digging tries, something will be unearthed. I even do this on the Shipwrecked and Single section, to provide extra resources before my Sim can work and even after he/she can, just to be able to purchase better household/lot provisions.


FindValueExample
big pond peddlers driftwood10
big pond peddlers driftwood deluxe15
galactic marbles20
I clam what I clam20
bit of vug37
pagoda by the memories37
play it again toucan pam90
conch100
infinity armed bandit starfish200
frog of good tidings210
treacherous luck dragon215


Can't find any areas on your lot for digging?  You can create some.  First save the lot before attempting this. In Build Mode, open the Terrain tool and select ground cover. Two types of cover work best; Hand ground sand and Sandy grass.  You may have to put a lot in the area that you want to be able to dig. You may need spend over 40- 50 resources.  I will click the Sand cover option 10 times, then try the Sim to see if it can dig.  I keep doing this 10 at a time until I finally have a nice area for digging. Usually, right outside the front door of the house or near a pond. Another option is to leave the lot and dig at a community lot.



Monday, October 13, 2014

Renewable Resource Items

There are not a lot of ways to make money on Castaway Stories. You can sell your paintings. or you can purchase resource items that will eventually provide some resource income on a regular basis. Some lots will already have some resource items on them, so purchasing the item may not be necessary.

The most comment renewable resource is the wood pile. However, if you don't leave your lot (except to work) you may have to wait up to a "Sim" week to earn 3 more Simoleons. If you leave your lot to visit some other lot, when you come back, the wood is available again to cut.

Personlly, the most frequently renewing items are you best bet. The Bamboo, Stones and Bones are the quickest to renew without leaving the lot. Bamboo requires the Machete which will cost you 40 Simoleons. You earn a little every day. If you purchase the Machete and the plant, it will take 20 Sims days to start making a profit.On the other hand, if you purchase the Stone and the Pick Axe, it will take you a little over 62 gatherings to recoup your investment. So, it's important to think about the amount of time it will take to recover from the original expenses. I feel that the Bones are the best investment. Just about anyone living on the lot can gather them as soon as they become available (approximately every other day), and no additional tools are necessary. It will take 14 gatherings (approximately 30 Sim days) to begin to receive the profit of 15 Simoleons per gathering. Bamboo is another quite rewards investment of 6 Simoleons per day after about 20 days.

The renewable resources are also fair game on the public lots, but their refresh time frame seems slower than on the Sim's primary lot. 

Below is a table

OptionResource PriceRenewing Sim ValueApprox. RefreshCollected ByTool NeededTool ExpenseProfit after Gathering X timesImage
Woodpile4031 wk or leave lot & returnAdults/EldersHatchet515
Bamboo8067/8 of a dayAdults/EldersMachete4020
Stone160121-1/8 of a dayAdults/EldersPick Axe47562
Bones20015every other dayAll Except Infants & ToddlersNone014
Grass (PhenoPlast)2807every other dayAdults/EldersMachete4046

Parts320294.5 daysAdults/EldersNone014

Obsidian400306 daysAdults/EldersPick Axe47530


Saturday, May 10, 2014

Careers and Rewards

It has been a spell since I last posted anything.  But I discovered that I don't have to build a career from the beginning, in order to receive a career reward. 

One of the circumstances of Sims is careers and "building" a career reputation and income. For the Castaway Sims, they have three career options; Gatherer, Hunter and Crafter. As an adult Sim reaches career level 5, he/she is awarded a valuable device/station for added benefit. The reward is the focus of this post. 

The Reward

For the Gatherer, at the career stage of Trailblazer, the Concoction Junction is the reward. 
Concoction Junction - Gatherer Career Reward
This Junction provides potions for life changing events and also for fun. Teens can use the station but they can't use all the potions until they become adults. The potions do not have any resource value.

For the Hunter, at the career stage of Stalker, the Hyena Pace Obstacle Course is the reward.
Hyena Pace Obstacle Course - Hunter Career Reward

This Course provides Fitness and Body skills. However, plan for Hygiene to quickly lower. Children and teens can also use the course. 

For the Crafter, at the career stage of Scrap Technician, the Crafter's Bench Crafting Bench is the reward. 
 Crafter's Bench Crafting Bench - Crafter Career Reward

This Bench provides three electronic devices. One is battery powered, one is solar powered and the third requires electricity (wind-powered generator). Each device requires payment with resources to create. The devices provide Fun and in some cases can be used for Fitness and Body skills. Teens can use the bench.

Space Requirements

Some of the career rewards take up a lot of space. They can be placed on the ground or on flooring for use. The Course takes up the most space, requiring at least 3 by 9 squares to be flat. The Junction is the next largest, required at least 2 by 4 squares to be flat. The Bench is the easiest to set up, needing only 2 by 2 squares available. The least expensive option for placing the reward on the lot is to use the elevation tool and creating a flat/level space, large enough for the reward to be placed and still allow the space for the Sim to access to it.

Start in the Middle of the Career

One way to earn the reward without starting at the beginning of the career track is to have the necessary skills and friends already in place for the Sim before accepting the career. What I have discovered, over time is that sometimes having exactly the number of skills required for the career is enough, while other times, the Sim may need to have a one or two extra skill levels in place. Also, the Sim may be offered the career level 4, but after accepting, they really start at career level 5 and receive the reward. So keep that in mind when building skill levels. 

For the Gatherer career reward, have at least 2+ cooking skills, 4+ logic skills and 2+ creativity skills. Also have at least 2+ friendships outside of the family. 

For the Hunter career reward, have at least 2+ charisma skills, 5+ body skills and 1+ cleaning skills. Also have at least 2+ friendships outside of the family. 

For the Crafter career reward, have at least 4+ mechanical skills, 3+ logic skills and 1+ creativity skills. Also have at least 1+ friendship outside of the family. 

Having access to these career rewards can help make other events in life a little easier. One word of caution, don't leave your rewards on a lot if you move. You lose the reward and you are not awarded any resource compensation for them. 

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Wanmami Island Real Estate Properties

Wanmami Island 15 Available Lots
Wanmami Island's 15 Lots

Moving into a Lot
Sims Family characters can move into an empty lot as long as it has enough resources. Sims can also move in to lots that have a family on it already and then the funds from that "move in" Sim will be co-mingled with the family's resources. Additionally a Sim or group of Sims can move out of a lot without moving out the entire family. Each moved out collection will receive 8,000 resources as long as the entire family does not move. When an entire family moves out of a lot, all furniture and lights that are not saved in the family "backpack" will be sold off and the proceeds of that sale becomes the overall family resources. The available lots are listed on the map above. The numbers will correspond with the lot information provided at the very bottom of this article.

All Lots provide some resources and food:
Resources = Activities on the lot that provide some funds; Branch, Bamboo Stalk, Stone, Bones, Pheno Plast Grass, Parts and Obsidian.
Food = Plants can provide some food and activities; Coffee Plant, Coconut, Banana or Papaya Trees.

Other Amenities
Ocean = Body, Bladder, Hygiene, Fun, Spear Fish
Built = Buildings exist but may require furniture and lighting
Furnished = Buildings that are partially furnished
Electric = Wind Generator
Pond = Fishing, fun, social, some allow swimming
Hot Spring = Hygiene, fun, social
Lava Pit = Nothing unless converted to pond
Marsh = Nothing unless converted to pond

Purchasing the Bare Bones Essentials: ß15 = Chest (Story Reward) PLUS ß40 = pile of leaves, fire pit & trash pit OR ß50 = Tent, fire pit & trash pit. (You can get by with this at an ocean lot. You will need bathroom facilities on an inland lot or travel some times to community lots. If you are strategic with bathroom and food needs, you can "refresh" while at work.)

Story Rewards:  You will need to have completed the Shipwrecked and Single game to have access to all the story rewards in Wanmami Neighborhoods. Depending on the renewable resources on the lot, you may need a hatchet ß5 to cut wood, a machete ß40 to cut bamboo or pheno plast grass, and/or a pick axe ß475 to gather rocks.

Convert Harsh Areas
The pit and marsh areas can be converted to water prior to moving in. While "overlooking" Wanmami Island, click on the families button (F1) without selecting a family. Find the lot and click on the Hot Property lot or the Stillwater Marsh lot. When the For Sale bubble pops open, then click on the "Enter Lot" button.

After you are in the lot (without a family) click on build mode (lower left corner the hatchet and pick axe button) select shovel (terrain) click on water drop (water), select blue water ß1 and then, with the pointer, click on the lava or marsh areas.

After you have changed the environment, click the button with 3 dots (option - ESC), click the disk icon to save the lot and then click the houses icon to return to the overview of the neighborhood.

Note - This same strategy can be used to level areas for houses or add ponds using the terrain tool prior to moving onto the lot. Performing this can end up changing the value of the lot, depending on the changes made.

Need quick resources? Raid the neighbors!  Move into a neighbor's lot while the family still lives on it, put all the household items into your character's inventory, from torches to toilets, then move out. Save the lot before returning to the neighborhood. This won't increase your worth until you return to your own lot and sell the items through the barter mode.

The guide for the map is below.

Monday, January 27, 2014

Fishing for Food Supplies (Part II)

Fishing in a pond can be a friend and family bonding activity. Click on others as they enter your property and ask them to join. Then they will converse and there will not be any fighting, even between mortal enemies! Children older than toddlers can also fish.

With pond fishing, there are only four different types of fish available. As a Sim becomes more proficient at fishing, he/she will have more types of bait become available. First will be the worm, next is the Riverblossom Minnow, then the Stink Ball Bait and last is the Sparkle Spinner. Also, as the fisher becomes more proficient, there will be more fish available. The first fish available will be the small Largemouth Bass and the Blue Catfish. Gradually the fish will become bigger and soon enough, the small and large Rainbow Trout will start biting. After considerable experience, the Golden Trout will finally become available.


Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Fishing for Food Supplies (Part I)

There are two ways to fish on the islands. One is with a spear (either in the ocean or pond) and the other is with a fishing rod in a pond.  After you have completed the initial guided game, you will have the ability to create your own fishing pond with the building tools option. The pond does not need to be big in order to be useful for your characters.

This first part of two fishing sections is for spear fishing.  The more you have your character spear fish, the better he/she will become at getting more expensive fish without spearing him/herself in the foot.

Spear fishing is a solitary activity for the most part. One aspect of spear fishing, if you can find a spot deep enough that your Sim is standing in waist high water while spearing fish, he/she will also handle any bladder and hygiene needs at the same time.