Episode 1: Top 10 Tips For Getting Started - The Sims FreePlay

My first Sim's Town

Hello, Simmers.  You may have read some of my other blogs about "The Sims Freeplay" or this one may be your first.  Just to give you a little background about me, I am hooked on Sims and I started blogging about the game in January, after I have been playing the game for 4 months.  I am now on Level 53 (the highest level) and I have completed all of the quests.

Since I started playing the game, it has changed a lot with multiple updates.  Also, I didn't keep a log about the game early on, making it difficult to answer questions from a new player about old quests.  So, I decided to start a second game from the beginning.  I want to be able to help new players as they move from level to level and I can't think of a better way to give advice than to go through the game a second time, but with my current knowledge, documenting my adventures in blogs.  I don't claim to be an expert on the game, but I have discovered little things that have helped me along the way.  And, I'm a firm believer that knowledge is power.  If you know what is coming up next, you can be better prepared for it.

This blog will give you some general tips about getting started and, hopefully, will help you avoid some rookie mistakes along the way.

Tip One:  Don't model your Sims after your family and friends

In March 2014, EA added the biggest update to the game with the "Life Dreams and Legacies" quest, available at level 24.  This update has been very controversial, because now your Sims will die unless you continuously rewind the aging process by using LP or unless you earn and give platinum orbs to your Sims to make them immortal.  Earning platinum orbs is a long process and I will not be going into further detail about it yet, especially since the process may change by the time you reach that quest.  But, what I have noticed is that the players who have a personal connection with their Sims are the ones that don't want to lose them. In fact, my first batch of Sims was modeled after my family, and I found it difficult to let them move on to the afterlife.  Ideally, if you want your Sims to be representative of your family and friends, I recommend waiting to add them to the game until you earn some platinum orbs to make them immortal.  If you want to add them now you can, just keep in mind, if you need to move them on to the afterlife, you can always add them back into the game at a later time.

Tip Two:  Early in the game, be conservative with your money and LP (lifestyle points)

When you first start playing, it is very tempting to start buying items from the home store and decorate your house with the nicest things you can find.  But, don't do it!  Early on, money is hard to come by and a lot of the tasks require you to buy items for the house, such as a bed, a couch, a chair, a TV, a stove, a coffee machine, etc.  In addition, you will be asked to add flooring and wallpaper and resize rooms, all of which cost money or LP.  If you use up your money buying things before you are prompted to do so, you will have to wait until you earn more money and LP to complete tasks, slowing your progress.  Also, in most cases, it is best to buy the cheapest items available  at first, and then upgrade them later (unless you are prompted to buy a higher-rated item).  Future blogs will give you advice on what kind of item to buy and when.

Tip Three:  Garden, garden, garden...

You've guessed it, this tip is about gardening.  One of the best ways to earn money is to garden as much as you can.  Once the game prompts you, add a garden plot, but as you add more Sims to the game, buy more plots.  The plots are a deal for only 20 simoleons apiece.  Initially, you can only plant bell peppers for 30 seconds, but as you level up in the game, new plants will be added with different times and more earning value.  Also, you will gain experience points (XP) as well as simoleons by gardening and the faster you earn XP, the faster you will level up.  You can earn money and XP from baking as well, but in general, I find gardening to be more lucrative.

Tip Four:  Keep all of your Sims busy as much as possible

An idle Sim cannot complete tasks for you and cannot earn money, XP, SP (social points) and LP.  In addition, an idle Sim's needs (bladder, hunger, social, fun, hygiene and energy) drain faster than a busy Sim's needs. So, keep them busy.  Always have a Sim doing the special tasks from your quests or visiting a neighbor's town to earn SP (once you reach level 9).  For the Sims that are not performing special tasks, have them gardening, baking, doing hobbies (as you unlock them) and going to work (as you add workplaces).

Tip Five:  Choose the length of activities for your Sim based upon your schedule

As a continuation to tip 3, to earn the most from your Sims quickly, you need to plan how you manage them.  For instance, if you plan on actively playing the game for a few hours, keep putting your Sims on shorter tasks and have them repeat them over and over.  For instance, if you plant carrots for 5 minutes, 4 times in a row (for a total of 20 minutes), you will earn $192, which is more than what you earn for planting corn ($148) once for 20 minutes.  And, if you plant carrots 12 times for a total of an hour, you will earn $576 versus $256 for planting watermelon once for an hour.  The same logic applies to baking and hobbies.

When you will be away from the game for a while, try to choose activities that corresponds to the timeframe that you will be away.  For instance, planting onions for 7 hours is a good task while you are sleeping and doing so will earn you $1,200 while your are in dream land.  By the way, even though you need to sleep, your Sims don't.  You can keep them busy around the clock with activities, just give them a cup of coffee from time to time.  I know it is mean, but we need those simoleons!

Tip Six:  Keep your Sims inspired, but don't use cupcakes

Inspired Sims are happier Sims and happier Sims earn more money for doing tasks like gardening.  The money figures for gardening that are mentioned in tip 4, are only the amounts you earn if your Sim is inspired.  If your Sim isn't inspired, you will cut your earnings by a third.  A smaller income can make a huge difference in the long run.

The best way to keep your Sims inspired is when you see their needs start to dip, get a turbo snack from the frig for hunger, have an expresso from a coffee machine for energy, wash hands (quick wash) for hygiene, be funny with a friend (in person) or make a quick call (on a phone) for social, use the toilet for bladder, and plant bell peppers or check email on a computer for fun.  There are many other ways to fulfill your Sims needs, but these are the quickest ones. Typically, if  you keep your Sim busy, doing these quick activities once a day is enough.  Usually, I will have several Sims at one house, refilling their needs at the same time and I will rotate them from the coffee machine, to the sink, to the refrigerator, etc.  This way is faster than filling the Sims' needs one at a time at different houses; it takes only a few minutes.

It is tempting at times, but don't instantly inspire your Sims with cupcakes.  The game encourages you to use this option and it shows you how to do it as a task in the tutorial, giving you 5 LPs to try it out.  But, outside of the task in the tutorial, it costs 5 LP to inspire your Sim and, you will learn quickly, you can never have enough LP.

Tip Seven:  Pick jobs for your Sims that correspond to your personal schedule

When building your workplaces, pay close attention to the start and end time of the Sims workday.  Tapping on the workplace plot on the town map, gives you a summary of the job, the work hours and how much your starting wage and XP earnings are.  As your Sim gets promoted, your earnings will increase, the highest level being level 5.  As, you review the start times, keep in mind that you can send your Sim to work up to 1 hour before their scheduled start time and up to 2 hours after their start time.  For instance, the athlete's schedule is from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m., so you can send an athlete to work as early as 5 a.m. and as late as 7:59 a.m., making the athlete career ideal for early risers.  Note: Regardless, of what time you send them to work, your Sims will work their full shifts, so if you send your athlete to work at 7 a.m., they will work until noon instead of 11 a.m.

Tip Eight:  Join Facebook or setup a second Facebook account just for your Sims' game and other games

You cannot get the full experience of the game without linking your game to a Facebook account (and/or GameCenter account for IOS devices).  First, you can share pictures and experiences from your game on Facebook and you can talk about the game with your Facebook friends.  Also, you can visit the towns of your friends where you can earn SP to buy more items for your town, including different house designs, the night club and houseboats.  The game gives you one town to visit called "Another Sim Town" (very creative name), but this town is missing a lot of the items you will need to complete SP goals, making you skip them for 5 LP a pop.  This is not a good way to use your hard-earned LP.

However, I recommend having an account on Facebook dedicated to just gaming.  Your Sims' friends don't necessarily want to see your personal posts, and your personal friends and family may not want to see your Sim posts.

Tip Nine:  Find Sim players on Facebook and become friends with them to have more neighbors

Your goal should be to have a minimum of 15 neighbors.  Why 15?  Because, the more neighbors you have (up to 15), the more daily gifts you will earn from the party boat (up to 5 per day).  Try to get these neighbors as soon as possible in the game even if you have not reached level 9, which is when you can start visiting neighbors' towns.  Very early in the game, you can start collecting your party boat gifts, which consists of money and LP, and as I mentioned, you can never have too much of either one.

To reach your neighbor goal quickly, if any of your family and/or friends play "The Sims Freeplay", become their Facebook friend on your second account.  Once you have exhausted this option, the best way to find more neighbors is to join one or more "The Sims Freeplay" groups on Facebook.  There are several groups to choose from.  After reviewing a group and joining it, you can go fishing for friends.  You can post on the group page that you need neighbors and you will receive responses from multiple people that will give you permission to add them.  Just be careful and only add people that you feel comfortable with adding.  I don't recommend sending out blind requests to people, because you might end up in "Facebook jail", where you will be blocked from sending friend requests.  And, if you can find neighbors who have created goal houses and/or pet farms, it is an added bonus and pet farms will help you replenish your money and LP quickly.

Another advantage to joining groups, is that most members of the "The Sims Freeplay" community are willing to help you with questions and issues you may be having with the game and they are always available to talk about the Sims.  I have found the groups a lot more helpful and responsive when I have a question than the customer support at EA.

Tip Ten:  Save your game to the cloud regularly

"The Sims Freeplay" gives you the ability to upload your data to the cloud on your device where it will save for 7 days.  In addition, every time you visit the party boat, your game will automatically upload.  So, if you want to play your current game on a different device, you can upload your game and then download it onto your second device.  Or if you will be away from the game for a few days, its a good idea to save it in the cloud. And, if you want to experiment with the game and try something risky, like a glitch that you learned about, upload your game to the cloud and then you can download your old game if you make a mistake.  To get to the cloud, tap on the green ... icon to get to the main menu, and select the blue cloud icon. Then, click on the "upload data" option (or download if you are pulling your data from the cloud).

I hope these tips help.  Just as a side note, before the last two updates, I would have strongly recommended doing hobbies as a way to earn LP and money, but EA has changed several things with the hobbies, such as the time it takes for tasks, when you can start doing certain hobbies, and the amount of money and LP you can earn, which has affected the lucrativeness of them.  Currently, I am experimenting with the hobbies to determine whether or not you should actively do these as a way to earn income.  Once I've made a decision about the hobbies, I will add a blog with advice.

These are my top 10 tips?  Am I missing something from the list?  If so, let me know.  Thanks for reading and happy simming!

The Quilting Quest - A Step-by-Step Guide

Quilting Kit & Patchwork Bear
 

Hello Simmers!  I completed the quilting quest yesterday and I would like to share information about the quest with those who have yet to do it.  Hopefully, this step-by-step guide will be of assistance to you.

First, here is some general information about the quest. To start the Quilting Quest, you have to be at Level 23 or higher and you must have completed all prior quests.  If you finish the quest within 5 days, you will unlock a patchwork teddy bear.  The bear is cute, but unfortunately, you have to pay $28,000 to get it.  Wow!  That bear must be stuffed with gold.

Here are the tasks in order and information about completing each one:

1. Call a friend - Use any phone and select the "call a friend" option.  (3 minutes with 3-star phone)
2. Bring a Sim to the park - Go to the park and use Sim Tracker to whistle over an available Sim.  If you already have a Sim at the park, this task will complete once you visit it. (few seconds)
3. Gaze serenely on a park bench - Beware of the "gaze" tasks.  Every time this word comes up in a task, it means you will be doing it for a very long time! Just click on a park bench, but not the one used for bird feeding, and select the "gaze serenely" option. (21 hours, 36 minutes)
4. Ask a Sim about the serene gaze - Again, there's that "gaze" word again.  Click on a second Sim and select the "ask about serene gaze" option.  (14 hours for 2 Sims)
5. Bake an apple pie - Click on a stove and select "bake apple pie" option. (40 minutes)
6. Give some pie to another Sim - Click on a second Sim and select the "give pie" option. (1 hour for 2 Sims)  One hour to eat pie! And, I thought my kid was a slow eater. 
7. Feed ducks - Go to the park, click on the duck pond, and select the "feed ducks" option. (15 minutes)
8. Paint a picture - Find an art easel and select "paint picture".  If you don't have an art easel, you can buy one in the "Promotions-R-Us" store. (3 hours)
9. Freak out over picture - Click on newly painted picture and select the "freak out" option. (1 minute)
10. Draw out a chess game - Click on a chess board and select the "play drawn out game" option.  You can use the chess board in the park or your own if you have bought one from the "home store". (1 day)
11. High five another Sim - You must be a friend before you can high five.  Either use 2 Sims that are friends or make 2 Sims friend.  Then, click on the "high five" option. (1 second)
12. Call old Sim - Click on a phone and select the "call old Sim" option. (10 hours, 40 minutes with a 3-star phone).  I guess they have a lot to discuss.
13. Get over-excited at another Sim - Click on a second Sim and select the "get over-excited" option. (1 minute)
14. Search for quilting online - Click on a computer and select the "search for quilting" option. (4 hours, 27 minutes with 3-star computer)
15. Drive to the quilt fair - Click on a car and select the "drive to quilt fair" option. (1 day)
16. Make a fancy coffee - Click on a coffee machine and select the "make fancy coffee" option. (3 minutes with a 3-star coffee machine)
17. Grow potatoes - Click on a farm plot and select the potatoes. (2 hours).
18. Heat hands in warm water - Click on a sink and select the "heat hands" option. (12 minutes with a 3-star sink)
19. Play "Quilting Mama" game - Click on a TV and select the "play quilting mama" option. (10 hours with a 3-star TV).
20. Get the quilting kit - Go to the "Promotions-R-Us" store and buy the kit.  It will cost $2500 for each one.  You can purchase as many as you want. (few seconds)

Once you complete the last task, you will receive the following message: "Congratulations!  You've earned the quilting hobby. Now your Sims can quilt to their hearts' content."

If you completed the quest within 5 days, you will also receive the following message, "For finishing the quest in record time, you've unlocked an exclusive patchwork teddy.  Find it in the home store."

The total time needed to complete the tasks without fast-forwarding any of them with LPs is approximately 4 days and 20 hours.  So, if you are looking to complete the quest within the 5 days to unlock the bear, you are left with a very small window of time.  Unfortunately, with this quest, most of the tasks are unique to this quest, so other than a few tasks, you can't start them in advance.  You can shave a little time of the total if you start the tasks highlighted red in advance (baking apple pie, growing potatoes, and painting a picture). If you start these tasks early, just make sure you don't complete them prior to the tasks before them are completed, or the tasks won't count toward your quest and you will have to redo them.

I hope this guide helps.  Feel free to post any comments or ask any questions.  I will try to help you the best that I can.  Good luck and happy Simming!

The Birthday Cake Glitch

Birthday Cake Glitch

Note:  As of the Life Quest update, the birthday cake glitch no longer works.  If you have not updated your Sims game with the new update, you can still take advantage of this glitch.

Do you want to age your Sims, but you are tired of waiting 24 hours to make a cake? Or, do you need a lot of cakes, because you want to do the baby glitch?  If so, there is a glitch that you can use to pay just 1 LP to speed up the baking of your cake, commonly referred to as "the birthday cake glitch".  Keep in mind, you will still need to pay the 5 LP price to bake the cake.

To use the glitch, you must have a multi-story house with stairs and an oven on the first floor.  The glitch doesn't seem to work with a fire pole. If you don't have a house with stairs, you can go to one of your neighbor's towns, who has a multi-story house. 

Follow the steps below to successfully use the glitch.

1. Either have your Sim alone in the house where you are performing the glitch or have the other Sims in the house busy doing other tasks.  Performing this step isn't required, but it makes the glitch much easier to do when there are no other Sims in the way.  
2. Make the Sim that will be baking the cake go to the second floor of the house and leave him there.  Make sure the green diamond is over his head.
3. Go to your first-floor oven and click on it.  Choose the birthday cake.
4. Your Sim will start walking down the stairs to go to the oven.  The rectangular status bar will be over his head.
5. As the Sim is walking down the stairs, click on him.
6. When you click on the Sim, you will notice that the LP required to complete the task shows "1".  Click on "use LP".  Note:  You need to do this step quickly; once your Sim is finished walking down the stairs, the status bar will show "24 LP" to complete task.
7.  After you successfully use 1 LP to bake the cake, your Sim will immediately move to the oven and your birthday cake will be ready. At this point, the cost of the cake (5 LP) will come out of your account.

Happy baking!  And, this glitch works when you are baking other items and when you are planting as well.  Need money fast?  Then plant golden carrots and speed up the process by using the glitch. Do you want to level up quickly?  Then plant garlic, use the glitch and get a lot of XP each time the task is completed. Or, do you need to plant pumpkins as one of your tasks in a quest?  Speed it up so you don't have to wait.

Thanks for reading my blog.  Let me know if this guide helps and good luck!

Social Tasks - A Complete List in Order & Guide

1st floor of front hobby house/pet farm

Depending on how long you have been playing The Sims Freeplay, you may have noticed that there is a pattern to the social tasks, and if you have, you are right.  With the exception of the "tutorial tasks" that occur when you first visit a neighbor, there are a total of 103 social tasks and they are in a set order.

This blog will list each task and it will give you the exact order that they will appear.  Knowing the order of the tasks will help you plan better when selecting which neighbor you want to visit, which Sim you want to have available for the upcoming tasks, and when you want to start a task.  For instance, if you are getting ready for work and you know that the next 2 tasks are quick ones that are followed by a longer one, you can make sure you finish the quick ones and have your Sim perform the longer task while you are away from the game.

Here is the complete list.  I can't remember which task was the first task, but it doesn't matter because once you complete task 103, you will loop back to number one. To use this guide, find where you currently are on the game and follow along from that point.

In addition, since some tasks can be only completed by a preteen, some by an adult and others by both, I have color-coded the list.  The red tasks are preteen only, the blue tasks are adult only, and the black ones are both.  Also, many of the tasks can be performed by teens and seniors, but to keep it simple, I am labeling for just the preteens and adults.

1. Have a turbo snack in a neighbor's house (10 seconds with 3-star frig for 40 XP).
2. Have a power snooze in a neighbor's bed (3 minutes with 3-star bed for 1 SP).
3. Have a preteen Sim eat microwave popcorn (9 minutes with 3-star microwave for 1 SP).
4. Grow lettuce in a neighbor's garden (45 minutes for 1 SP).
5. Have a preteen call grandma (4 minutes with 3-star phone for 1 SP).
6. Joyride on an inflatable toy in neighbor's pool (12 minutes with 2-star inflatable for 1 SP).
7. Have a preteen do karate practice in neighbor's community center (9 hours for 1 SP) Note: You can do this at a neighbor's house that has a sparring dummy for karate.
8. Have a long ride on neighbor's inflatable (40 minutes with 2-star inflatable for 1 SP).
9. Play The Sims using neighbor's computer (30 minutes with 3-star computer for 1 SP).
10. Reach Nirvana in neighbor's park (12 hours for 1 SP).
11. Grow onions in a neighbor's garden (7 hours for 1 SP).
12. Bake apple pie (40 minutes for 1 SP).
13. Have preteen waste hot water in neighbor's shower (25 minutes with 3-star shower for 1 SP).
14. Have preteen make prank call (15 seconds with 3-star phone for 40 XP).
15. Have preteen cram using study desk (2 hours with 3-star desk for 1 SP).
16. Daydream on neighbor's couch (1 minute with 3-star couch for 40 XP).
17. Make a speech using soapbox in neighbor's park (15 minutes for 1 SP).
18. Catch cousin Flapsworth in neighbor's town (total time varies; 3 minutes, 30 seconds per try for 1 SP). Note: The game gives you this task twice in a row.
19. Have a preteen ruin dinner (1 minute with 3-star frig for 50 XP).
20. Snow glide on a toboggan in neighbor's snow park (10 minutes for 1 SP).
21. Watch a movie in neighbor's house between 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. (1-1/2 hours with 3-star TV for 1 SP).
22. Have a movie marathon in a neighbor's house (8 hours with 3-star TV for 1 SP).
23. Put out a fire in neighbor's oven (total time varies; bake brownies for 5 minutes each time until they catch on fire; then click out oven and select the "extinguish fire" option for 3 minutes. This task gives you 50 XP).
24. Listen to pop on neighbor's stereo between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. (1 minute with 3-star stereo for 1 SP).
25. Create a weird ornament in neighbor's community center (time varies; 4 minutes for each attempt for 1 SP). Note: you can do this at a neighbor's house if they have a woodworking bench.
26. Practice tai chi in park (1 hour for 1 SP).
27. Be funny to a neighbor (10 seconds for 40 XP).
28. Sing heart out in neighbor's shower (25 minutes with 3-star shower for 1 SP).
29. Have one of your Sims start dating a neighbor's Sim (time varies; select romance options until you reach dating level for 1 SP).
30. Sleep through the alarm (9 hours with 3-star bed for 1 SP).
31. Use a neighbor's BBQ between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. (30 minutes with 2-star grill for 1 SP). Note: you will earn the SP at the beginning of this task so there is no need to complete it.
32. Play a foosball tournament at a neighbor's house (4 hours for 1 SP).
33. Grow zucchini in a neighbor's garden (4 hours for 1 SP).
34. Catch a fish in a neighbor's park (4 minutes for 50 XP).
35. Hug a neighbor's cat (11 seconds for 40 XP). 
36. Ride an inflatable toy in a neighbor's pool between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. (4 minutes with 2-star inflatable for 1 SP).
37. Make double-smoked pulled pork on neighbor's BBQ (17 hours on 2-star grill for 2 SP).
38. Have a turbo snack at a neighbor's house between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. (10 seconds with 3-star frig for 1 SP).
39. Play Frisbee with a neighbor's dog (20 minutes with 3-star Frisbee for 1 SP).
40. Have a long soak in a neighbor's bath (30 minutes with 3-star tub for 1 SP).
41. Perform a warm-up on an ice hockey rink in a neighbor's snow park (4 minutes for 50 XP).
42. Read a neighbor's encyclopedia (3 hours with 3-star bookcase for 1 SP).
43. Use a neighbor's coffee machine to make an expresso (10 seconds with 3-star coffee machine for 40 XP).
44. Have a relaxing skate in a neighbor's snow park (9 hours for 1 SP).
45. Grow potatoes in a neighbor's garden (2 hours for 1 SP).
46. Practice guitar in a neighbor's town (3 hours for 1 SP).
47. Grow garlic in a neighbor's garden (8 hours for 1 SP).
48. Practice auctioneering using a neighbor's auction podium (3 hours for 1 SP).
49. Have a Sim deep sleep in a neighbor's house (6 hours with 3-star bed for 1 SP).
50. Bro hug a neighbor's Sim (time varies; build relationship until you are good friend of neighbor to give bro hug for 3 seconds for 30 XP).
51. Read a sci-fi book from a preteen's bookshelf in a neighbor's town (3 hours with 3-star bookshelf for 1 SP).
52. Use a neighbor's toilet (5 seconds with 3-star toilet for 30 XP).
53. Fall asleep in a neighbor's bath (2 hours with 3-star tub for 1 SP).
54. Burn some waffles in a neighbor's town (time varies; 45 minutes per try for 1 SP).  Note: there is no need to extinguish the fire when you are done.
55. Perform the "Triple Pickle Flip" using diving board in a neighbor's town (time varies; 4 minutes each try for 1 SP). Note: you can use the diving board at a neighbor's house or at the swim center.
56. High five a neighbor's Sim (time varies; need to have "friend" relationship status to high five for 1 second for 30 XP).
57. Have a preteen write in their diary in a neighbor's town (8 minutes with 3-star bed for 1 SP).  Note: the bed doesn't have to be a preteen bed; you just have to use a preteen Sim.
58. Practice making films (3 hours for 1 SP).
59. Practice speech using neighbor's mirror (3 hours for 1 SP).
60. Kick a bin (garbage can) over at a neighbor's house (2 seconds for 30 XP).
61. Practice soccer in a neighbor's town (3 hours for 1 SP).
62. Be on hold to tech support (3 hours with 3-star phone for 1 SP).
63. Clean a neighbor's pool (3 minutes for 50 XP).
64. Use a neighbor's phone to call mom (30 seconds with 3-star phone for 40 XP).
65. Have a preteen trampoline-a-thon in neighbor's town (18 minutes on 3-star trampoline for 1 SP.)
66. Practice fire fighting in neighbor's town (3 hours for 1 SP).
67. Have a preteen update their blog in neighbor's town (1 hour with 3-star computer for 1 SP).
68. Chest bump a neighbor's Sim (time varies; build relationship to best friend status to chest bump for 1 second for 30 XP).
69. Read a biography at neighbor's house (30 minutes with 3-star bookcase for 1 SP).
70. Hibernate in neighbor's bed (1 day for 2 SP).
71. Practice painting in neighbor's town (3 hours for 1 SP).
72. Read celebrity and gossip magazine at neighbor's house (3 minutes for 50 XP).
73. Have a fancy coffee at a neighbor's snow park (3 minutes for 50 XP) Note: this task must be done at the snow park.
74. Have a catnap in a neighbor's bed (20 minutes with 3-star bed for 1 SP).
75. Watch cat videos at a neighbor's house (1 hour with 3-star computer for 1 SP).
76. Cook croissants at neighbor's house (18 hours for 2 SP).
77. Be romantic with neighbor's Sim between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. (1 minute for 1 SP).
78. Use a neighbor's phone for quick chat (10 seconds with 3-star phone for 40 XP).
79. Quick practice using neighbor's woodworking bench (4 minutes for 50 XP).
80. Practice diving in a neighbor's pool (4 minutes for 50 XP).
81. Collect treasure from neighbor's dog (within a minute for 40 XP).
82. Rest eyes on neighbor's couch (1 minute, 40 seconds with 3-star couch for 40XP).
83. Have a Sim design fashion in a neighbor's house (4 minutes for 1 SP).
84. Read the big book of stuff in neighbor's house (16 hours with 3-star bookcase for 2 SP).
85. Use a neighbor's firepole (few seconds for 30 XP).
86. Have a good scrub in a neighbor's shower (3 minutes with 3-star shower for 1 SP).
87. Have a Sim catch a ghost between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. (4 minutes for 1 SP).
88. Stargaze or cloud watch using neighbor's telescope (3 hours for 1 SP).
89. Play SimCity on neighbor's computer between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. (2 hours with 3-star computer for 1 SP). Note: You do not need to complete this task since you receive credit for it right away.
90. Eat leftovers at neighbor's house (1 minute with 3-star frig for 50 XP).
91. Catch some z's on neighbor's couch (3 hours with 3-star couch for 1 SP).
92. Be romantic with neighbor's Sim (1 minute for 40 XP).
93. Mellow out in neighbor's poolside recliner (2 hours with 3-star recliner for 1 SP).
94. Clean under fingernails using neighbor's sink (3 minutes with 3-star sink for 1 SP).
95. Become the nemesis of a neighbor (time varies; continue selecting "tasks" until you become a nemesis for 1 SP).
96. Have preteen have a triple fudge hot chocolate (3 minutes with 3-star coffee machine for 1 SP).
97. Listen to shuffle on neighbor's stereo (5 minutes with 3-star stereo for 1 SP).
98. Have a preteen do pirouettes in neighbor's community center (9 hours for 1 SP). Note: You can complete this task at a neighbor's house if they have a ballet record player.
99. Woohoo with neighbor's Sim (time varies; must make Sims partners before you can woohoo for 5 minutes for 1 SP).
100. Surf the snow on snowboard in neighbor's snow park (10 minutes for 1 SP).
101. Have preteen use Simbook in neighbor's town (10 minutes for 1 SP).
102. Pronounce that the end is nigh on soapbox in neighbor's park (12 hours for 1 SP).
103. Grow pumpkin in neighbor's garden (1 day for 2 SP).

In closing, I would like to leave you with a tip for completing the social goals.  Many The Sims Freeplay players are considerate of their visiting neighbors and have created "hobby houses". These houses offer most of the items you need to complete your social tasks in one place.  I recommend finding one of the these neighbors to complete your tasks. Doing so will help you avoid wasting time looking for the items needed to complete your goals. As an example, I've included a picture of one of my hobby houses that doubles as a pet farm.

 

The Adulthood Quest - A How-To Guide

My first Teenager to Become an Adult

With the recent update, two quests were added: the Adulthood Quest and the Senior Quest.  These updates were a long time coming.  Previously, I didn't want to have a lot of babies, because you couldn't age them past teenager.  With the limitations of the teenagers and preteens, I tended to add adults rather than have more babies when I unlocked new Sims. Now, you can age your Sims from infant to senior citizen if you choose to do so. 

The focus of this blog will be to give you step-by-step directions for completing the Adulthood Quest with a few tips along the way.  I previously wrote a blog about the Senior Quest, so once you complete the Adulthood Quest, make sure you check out my Senior Quest blog. It is impossible to complete the Senior Quest in less than 3 days (which is the amount of time they allot for it) without using over 100 LPs.  Using my guide, you can complete it in 3 days by using minimal LP.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand.  The prerequisites for the Adulthood Quest are that you complete all earlier quests, and that you are at least at Level 19.  To unlock the new garments and hairstyles, you need to complete the quest in 6 days, which is doable.

Lets take a look at each task, how to complete them, and the time needed for each.

1. Send a teenager to the park (few seconds) - Go the park and whistle over one of your teenagers.
2. Reposition pieces on the chess board (8 hours) - Go over to the chess boards, which are located northwest of the fishing pier. Click on the chess board and select the "reposition pieces" option.
3. Hide in the park bathroom (4 hours) - The park bathrooms are just to the south of the chess boards. Click on the bathroom and select the "hide" option. Note: when I did this step, the game didn't make me complete it, because it gave me credit for the goal right away.  I'm not sure if this was a glitch, but you may not have to complete it either if you get the pop-up informing you that the task is complete.
4. Call another Sim to the Park (few seconds) - Whistle an available Sim to the park.
5. Finish chess game (4 hours) - Click on a chess board and select the "finish game" option.
6. Ridicule another Sim (3 hours, 12 minutes) - Why not just 3 hours, I'm not sure. Click on a Sim and select the "ridicule" option.
7. Stare vacantly at fountain (1 day) - Click on the fountain to the right of the fishing pier and select the "stare vacantly" option.  Yes, 1 day to stare at a fountain.
8. Dance to Electronica in the park (5 hours) - Once you complete the "stare vacantly" goal, a stereo will magically appear on the fishing pier. Click on the stereo, and select the "dance to electronica" option.
9. Have 3 Sims in Park (few seconds) - Whistle Sims to the park until you have 3.
10. Complain to a Sim (1 minute) - Click on an available Sim and select the "complain" option.
11. Mock another Sim (1 day) - Click on an available Sim and select to "mock" option. Yes, an entire day to insult another Sim.  And, the worse part of this task is you have to tie up 2 Sims for a whole day to complete this goal.
12. Grill 'em all on a barbeque (8 hours for a 2 star grill) - Find your best barbeque, click on it and select the "grill 'em all" option.
13. Call a Sim to the Swim Center (few seconds) -  Note: you will want to make sure your swim center is built prior to this quest. Go to the Swim Center, and whistle over a Sim.
14. Use the slide at the Swim Center (7 seconds) - Click on the slide and select the "use slide" option.
15. Drink an energy drink at the Swim Center (30 minutes) - Click on the beverage machine and select the "energy drink" option.
16. Ridicule the trophy case (1 day) - Click on the trophy case in the Swim Center, and select the ridicule option. Is it just me, or is this Sim a bully.
17. Send your Sim home (few seconds) - Using your Sim Tracker, click on the "home" button of the Sim at the Swim Center.
18. Watch the news (3 minutes on a 3-star TV) - Click on the TV, and select the "watch news" option.
19. Confess to another Sim (30 minutes) - Click on an available Sim and select the "confess" option.
20. Clean up garbage in the park (16 hours) - Go to the park and look for the spilled garbage can.  Click on the can and select the "clean up" option.
21. Get 5 Sims dancing in the park (5 hours) - The stereo will be on the pier again.  Whistle Sims to the park until you have 5, then click on the stereo, and select the "dance" option for your first Sim, and then select the "join in" option for the remaining 4.  The good news is once you have all of them dancing, the quest is complete and you no longer have to keep your Sims dancing.

As long as you complete the quest within 6 days, you will unlock new garments and hairstyles, which you can find in the salon and the Sim wardrobe menu.

Adding the time of the tasks and not including the 5 hours for the last task, since you do not need to complete it, it will take you a little more than 5 days to complete this quest.  So, be aware that there isn't a lot of free time available and you will need to plan accordingly by not letting a lot of time lapse between tasks or you will need to use LP to finish tasks faster. If you don't finish in time, you can still complete the quest. The downside is you won't earn the extra wardrobe and hair styles.

Hopefully, this guide will help you with the quest. Please let me know if you have any questions.  Also, check out my blog about the Senior Quest.

The Senior Quest - How to Complete it in 3 Days Without Using Lots of LP

The Senior Door

With the newest update, an Adulthood Quest and a Senior Quest were added. I've completed both of them.  I will write about the Adulthood Quest in a separate blog since the Senior Quest is my focus today.

The requirements for the Senior Quest are you need to be at level 21 and you will have to complete all quests that come prior to it.  If you reach level 21 and you haven't completed earlier quests, you will see it in the queue of your tasks pop-up.  Also, since this quest requires you to go to the swimming center and the snow park, you will want to make sure both are complete prior to starting the quest or you will waste valuable time building these items.

There is bad news and good news with the Senior Quest, but you need to follow the instructions in this blog to take advantage of the good news.

First, the bad news: the Senior Quest gives you 3 days to complete the quest to unlock exercise bikes.  You might be thinking, "this doesn't sound like bad news", but it is once you realize that the quest is impossible to complete within 3 days without using a lot of LP.  For those players low on LP, this can be a challenge. I don't think any quest should have a time limit less than the total time required for the tasks, but this one does - not good planning by EA. 

One other point worth mentioning is even you unlock the bikes, they cost $15,000 apiece, so you may decide rushing to finish the quest isn't worth it.

Now, it's time for the good news.  I have tracked each step on the Senior Quest, and based upon the tasks and if you plan ahead, there is a way to complete the quest by using minimal LP.

Let's take a look at each task, how to perform them, and the time needed for each one.

1. Send a Sim to the Swim Center (few seconds). Note: make sure you have your Swim Center built before you get to this quest. Visit the Swim Center from the town map and whistle for your Sim using your Sim Tracker.
2. Feed pigeons (2 seconds). At the Swim Center, you will see a park bench with pigeons, which is normally not there. Click on the bench and select the "feed pigeons" option.
3. Investigate the pigeons (7 minutes). Click on the bench and select the "investigate pigeons" option.
4. Wait for a senior on a park bench (3 minutes, 20 seconds). Go to the park, find a park bench, click on it and select the "wait for a senior" option.
5. Investigate the door in the park (10 seconds). A door will appear in the park to the right of the fishing pier.  Click on it and select the "investigate door" option.
6. Welcome future self (5 seconds).  An old lady will appear in the door, aka "future self". Click on the old lady and select the "welcome future self" option.
7. Talk to future self (1 minute). Click on the old lady and select the "be nice" option.
8. Stand on the X (4 seconds). An X will appear; click on the X to move your Sim to it.
9. Complain to a Senior (1 minute). Click on the old lady and select the "complain" option. At this point, you are probably thinking "so far, so good". The first 9 steps can be completed within 20 minutes, leaving you plenty of time to finish the quest within the time limit. Unfortunately, you will change your mind as you read on.
10. Warn Simanity on a soap box (1 day). Click on the soap box and select the "warn Simanity" option.
11. Complain to a Senior (1 minute). Click on the old lady and select the "complain" option.
12. Be nice to future self (1 minute).  Click on the old lady and select the "be nice" option.
13. Search garbage for cupcake (2 hours).  Go to any house and click on a garbage can, selecting "kick over (2 seconds). Then, click on the spilled garbage can and select the "search garbage for cupcake" option.
14. Search garbage for cupcake of doom (16 hours). Click on the spilled garbage can, and select the "search garbage for cupcake of doom" option.
15. Dispose of cupcake (25 seconds). Click on the garbage again, and select the "dispose of cupcake" option. BTW: You eat the cupcake to dispose of it. Yuck!
16. Send your Sim back to the park (few seconds). Using your town map, click on the park. Once you are in the park, whistle your Sim over.
17. Be nice to future self (1 minute). Yes again! Click on the old lady and select the "be nice" option.
18. Dance with future self (10 seconds). Click on the old lady and select the "dance" option.
19. Be nice to future self (1 minute). At this point you will be very tired of being nice. Click on the old lady and select the "be nice" option.
20. Go to the snow park (few seconds). Note: You will want to make sure you have the snow park built prior to this task. Go to the snow park via the town map, and whistle over your Sim.
21. Go ice skating (1 day). Yes, you have to do the long one! Click on the ice rink and select the "devoted dance" option. Note: you will want to ice skate at the skating rink and not at home or this task will not work.
22. Snowball fight (2 hours with 2 Sims). Snowballs magically appear right behind the ice rink. This is a snowball area that is in addition to the already existing one to the right of the rink.  Click on the cloud with the exclamation mark, which will above the new snowball fighting area, and select the "snowball fight' option. You will have to call a second Sim to the snow park to join in.
23. Talk to a Senior (1 minute). Go back to the park and click on the old lady, selecting the "be nice" option.
24. Build the Bingo Hall (36 hours and $100,000). Go to the Mysterious Island and select the Bingo Hall option, which is directly to the left of the volcano. Select the "build option". Once the Bingo Hall is complete, you will have to click on the icon to make it official. Are you starting to see why you can't complete this task within 3 days without using LP?
25. Have a 24-hour fish-a-thon (1 day). Go to the park and click on the water by the fishing pier. Select the "fish-a-thon" option. 
26. Complain to future self (1 minute). Click on the old lady and select the "complain" option.
27. Get 5 Sims together at a house (few seconds). Go to any house and whistle over Sims until you have 5. Toddlers and teens count too.
28. Wohoo with a Sim (5 minutes).  Pick one of your couples and select the "wohoo" option.
29. Be nice to future self (1 minute). Yes again! But, thankfully for the last time.

Once you finish step 29, the quest is complete and you see the following message: "Congratulations, you can now celebrate the birthdays of your adult Sims!"

Now, let's do the math.  To complete the longer tasks in this quest without using LP, it will take a total of 5 days and 8 hours. you can add another hour onto that total for all of the little tasks, bringing your approximate time to 5 days and 9 hours.  If you use LP to fast forward through all of the tasks that are 2 hours or longer, you will use 121 LP.  That's a lot of LPs to unlock the exercise bikes.

However, I believe that I have found a work-around for some of the longer tasks and I would like to share it with you.  I've noticed that when I am completing various tasks for quests, if I just happen to have someone already performing a task, such as growing garlic, baking caramel slice, or watching a movie marathon, I don't need to start the task over with another Sim if it is the next task up in the queue. The game will count the task once it is complete regardless of when it began.  So occasionally, you get lucky because you happen to be performing a task that is required next.

When completing special quests, there is a mix of "normal" tasks, which are ones that you can do any time, and "special" ones, which only appear for that particular quest (such as "investigating the pigeons" and "searching for the cupcakes" in the steps above).  You will notice that 3 of the tasks in the 29 steps are highlighted in red.  These tasks are "normal" tasks that you can do any time with your Sims.

My recommendation is simple.  Now that you know the order of the tasks, you can plan ahead and have Sims performing the longer "normal" tasks while you are completing the other tasks. So, if you know when your Senior Quest is coming up, already have a Sim in the park warning Simanity.  The first 9 tasks will take about 20 minutes to complete, so you will want to try to time it where you have a little less than a day before you start the quest. Note: I have read in a few places that starting the "warn Simanity" before the quest didn't work for some people, but you can still try it.  You will need to be careful, since you will need to go to the park prior to the "warn Simanity" step, you will want to make sure you don't finish the "warning", before completing the first steps, or it will not work. I suggest erring on the side of caution. Even if you have a few hours left to "warn Simanity" after completing the first steps, it is much better than 24 hours. 

The other 2 normal steps will be easier to plan. I would start Step 21 when you finish warning Simanity and I would start Step 25 when you have 23 hours or less left on the "build Bingo Hall" task.

I hope this guide helps.  I know it is long, but I wanted to make sure I explained it well. If you try my suggestions, let me know if they worked for you. 

The Baby Glitch - A How-To Guide

The baby glitch at one of my houses.
 

Note:  As of the Life Quest update, the baby glitch no longer works.  You can successfully do the glitch if you have not updated your game with the Life Quest.

After several failed attempts, I figured out how to do the baby glitch by compiling information from various sources.  I would like to share this information with you. 

Preparing for the Glitch

Before jumping in and starting the steps to add multiple babies to your families, there are a few things you need to do to be prepared.  First, you cannot be at your Sim limit.  You need to have at least one Sim available to add.  For instance, I am on Level 47, but I already had 30 Sims and I was unable to add one until Level 50.  I deleted my newest Sim to be below the limit.

Second, you need to decide how many houses and which ones you want to use to add extra babies. You can add babies to one house or more.  I chose to use three houses on premium lots.  Since I will be making large families, I wanted the extra space that the larger lots provide. Keep in mind that you need to pick houses with 1 or no children.  If there are already two children in a family, the glitch will not work. 

Third, you need to make sure that all of your couples where you will add children are married.  I married 3 couples to prepare for the new babies at my three houses.

Fourth, you will need a decent amount of LP.  Yesterday, I went through about 200 LP to get the couples married, to add 3 babies, to bake a cake and to speed up the baking of that cake to grow a baby to a toddler, to add one more baby, and to get a lot of Sims baking additional cakes.

Fifth, start baking your birthday cakes.  Depending on the number of babies you wish to add, you will need to have cakes available to age your babies.  The good news is there is a birthday cake glitch where you can bake cakes quickly without using a lot of LP.  Click on the link to read the blog. Once you make a lot of cakes, be careful with accidentally aging your Sims.  Aging your Sims is very easy to do, so I recommend only making the exact number of cakes that you will need to perform the glitch.  


Finally, one other item that I would like to mention is that I read in many places that to successfully use the baby glitch, you should have all your Sims busy with a task, such as sleeping or farming with the exception of one.  The one Sim should be busy doing a task in another town.  I wasn't sure if this mattered or not, so I chose to follow this step. But, it may actually be for a different baby glitch.  Regardless as to whether or not this step is necessary, it is easier to concentrate on the baby glitch if all of your Sims are situated with other tasks, so I strongly recommend making all of your Sims busy. 

 

The baby glitch is a two-part process.  Complete part 1 at each house before you continue to part 2.


Part 1

1. Go to each house where you want to add babies and put 2 cribs at each of these houses.  I added 2 cribs to each of the 3 houses, for a total of 6 cribs.  When you add the cribs, the baby icon above the cribs should be blue. 
2. Start in one house and click on a crib and pay 3 LP to add a baby.
3. The baby icon above the crib where you are adding the baby turns pink and blue.  Click on this icon to deliver your baby by paying 23 LP. 
4. The icon that was pink and blue turns green.  Click on the green icon and add your baby.  Don't worry about changing the baby's appearance or name, because you will be deleting this baby.
5. Once you add the baby, the game will take you to the town map or another Sim's house.  Using the town map (never use Sim Tracker), go back to the house where you added the new baby.  One crib will show a baby and the second one a green icon. 
6. Make sure the green diamond is over the baby and click on the wardrobe to delete the baby.  Note: To delete the baby, when you are on the screen to make changes to the baby, there is a red icon in the top, left-hand corner.  Click on the icon to delete the baby.
7. After the baby is deleted, one crib should have a green icon and the other icon should be blue.  Do not do anything else to these cribs at this time.
8. Go to another house where you are adding babies and repeat steps 2 through 7.  Once you are done with these steps, all houses where you are adding babies should show one of the cribs with a flashing green icon.

Part 2

1. After you complete Part 1, go to one of the houses where you are adding babies and click on the flashing green icon to create your baby Sim.  You will be keeping this baby, so make sure you name it and choose its appearance.
2. Once you add the baby Sim, the game will automatically take you to a different house.  From the town map, go back to the house with the baby.  You will see that one crib has a flashing green icon and the other crib has the baby. See the above picture for an example.
3. Click on the baby  and select "have a birthday" to grow it to a toddler. When you grow the baby to the toddler, the crib where the baby was will have a grey icon, while the second crib will still have a flashing green icon.  Note: If you do not have a birthday cake made, you will need to make one before completing this step.
4. Once the baby is a toddler, go to a different house using the town map, preferably one where you are not adding babies, and whistle the toddler to that house.  Note: Don't forget to have an adult at this house or you will not be able to bring over the toddler.
5. Go back to the toddler's house using the town map and the second crib will have a flashing green icon, the one where your first baby was will be grey. Add another baby by clicking on the flashing green icon over the second crib. You will be sent to another house after you add the baby. When you go back to the house using the town map, you will notice that your baby has switched from the crib with the flashing green icon to the crib that had the grey icon.  The crib where you added the baby will have a flashing green icon again.
6. Repeat steps 1 to 4 for any additional houses where you are adding babies.  As you grow each baby to a toddler and whistle him/her to another house, you will be able to add another one.

I think it is important to note that even though you have 2 cribs in each house, you should have only one baby at a time.  It is the second crib that makes the glitch work.  I call this crib the "baby portal". As long as you have one baby and one crib flashing green, you will be able to continue using the glitch.

 

A few other things to keep in mind is if you haven't completed the baby quest, you will not be able to use this glitch.  Also, I think this glitch is better for those who have 15 or more adult Sims in their town.  Otherwise, you won't have enough adults available to bake cakes, earn LPs and perform other tasks.  However, with the adult update, you can make it work with less Sims since you can age your Sims as you make them.

So far, I am at 74 Sims. I may not add anymore.  A downside to so many Sims is that it becomes hard to juggle them.  I have aged all of my toddlers to pre-teens with the exception of 2 of them.  The preteens go to school, dive and ice skate to earn LPs and XPs.

Thanks for reading.  I will blog again about this topic once I build my families.  Let me know if this guide helps or if you have any questions or advice of your own.  Feel free to submit a comment in the comments section.