Sims 4 Family Dynamics Challenge: How To Play It & What Makes it So Amazing

Do you love fun and lengthy challenges? If so, then the family dynamics challenge is just what you need to stay happily glued to the screen and keep playing the Sims 4 with enthusiasm. Read on to discover what this challenge is about and how to play it!

What is the family Dynamics challenge For Sims 4?

If you are looking for creative ways to bring more complexity and meaning to how you play an active family, then Family Dynamics Challenge is just what you need. Created by Pastella Pixells and standingsimmer, and tried out by many Simsers, the challenge offers a lot of long-term gameplay fun.

The challenge is spread across 10 generations. Each generation has a specific set of rules or milestones for you to accomplish. On the surface, all milestones are realistically achievable. However, because the challenge includes a few generations, you will be playing two or three generations at the same time. It takes time, but that’s what makes it so fun.

This means that, while your main focus will be the Young Adult-Adult Sim, you’ll have to prepare the terrain for one of their children to become the main Sim of the challenge one day, while still playing elderly Sims from the previous generation. Now, let’s see what the rules are and how to play it, shall we?

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How to Play the Family Dynamics Challenge: General Rules

To complete the Family Dynamics challenge, you’ll have to play by rules. There are two types of rules for this one: the general rules that apply to the challenge as a whole, and the more specific rules, which apply to specific generations only. So, to get started, let’s get the general rules out of the way first:

• Rule #1 -You have to start the challenge with one Sim only, male or female.
• Rule #2 – You are not allowed to have any mods that tweak how you play. The gameplay has to stay as organic as possible. The only exception to this is MCCC, which you can use for risky woohoo’s and playing with baby genders. 
• Rule #3 – You can’t use any cheats, except for the freerealestate on, but only when you are just starting with the challenge, if you want to get a cozy home for your future family from the get-go.
• Rule #4 – You can and should do custom saves, as this will bring more opportunities for your Sims to explore
• Rule #5 – Every Sim you play has to complete their aspiration. On top of that, every Sims needs to reach the highest rank in their career, unless stated otherwise.

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how creative can you get?

The great part of the Family Dynamics challenge is that you have all the freedom you want to direct your unique gameplay scenarios, as long as you are following the main guidelines of the challenge.

Some things, like their career, love life, aspiration, and personality traits are pre-defined and need to be explicitly met for the challenge to be completed. However, you can go roundabout ways and get as creative as you like with everything else in their lives, as long as the challenge objectives are met timely. You can even get a little creative about when you complete certain milestones unless the challenge highlights a specific timeframe.

Besides the key milestones and Family Dynamic challenge rules, your main character Sims can have as many siblings as you wish (if not stated otherwise), and can have friends, pets, as well as interests and hobbies that are not highlighted in the challenge rules. The challenge is complete once you complete the milestones from the 10th generation.

what are the specific milestones?

The challenge consists of 10 sub-challenges, one for each generation. Each of these sub-challenges has a specific theme and includes a specific set of milestones you need to complete when playing that generation. These are the sub-challenges:

1. Generation – White Picket Fence
2. Generation – Why Ever Leave?
3. Generation – Support My Family
4. Generation – Laugh Away the Pain
5. Generation – Struggling in the City
6. Generation – Living With a Broken Heart
7. Generation – Here to Make a Difference
8. Generation – Working With Animals is My Passion
9. Generation – Business-Minded and Musically-Inclined
10. Generation – I’ll Make Our Happy Ending

1. ”White Picket Fence” – How to Play the 1st Generation?

So, you are starting your Family Dynamics challenge with one Sim. We’ll call him Michael. Get ready to marry young, create a big loving family, garden, make some lovely dishes, and level up your cooking skills. This will be Michael’s personality:

1st generation milestones:

• Get married early on, as a young adult, and keep the marriage flourishing till one of the partners die
• Have at least 3 kids
• Max out the Cooking and Baking skills
• Grow at least 10 unique plants. The Cowplant has to be one of those 10 species
• Throw at least 5 fabulous, gold-level dinner parties. 
• Complete 3/4 of their aspiration
• Complete level 5 of the Culinary career. You can join the Master Chief Branch, or quit the job and open a family restaurant!

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2. ”Why Ever Leave?” – How to Play the 2nd Generation?

Maya, the Sim from your second generation is destined to stay in their comfort zone. After all, her parents have created a beautiful life for them and built a cozy home, so why bother and ever leave the family home? So, get ready to get comfy and make money from the comfort of your home! This is her personality:

2nd generation milestones:

• Your Sims can’t marry anyone. They’ll have to meet tier forever person at GeekCon
• Max out Video Gaming and Programming skills
• They can never move out while their parents *first generation) are alive. You are allowed to move homes only after both parents die
• Make them win the GeekCon competition while cosplaying
• Make pizza your Sim’s favorite dinner and order it at least once a week
• Make playing guitar their hobby. Don’t worry, you won’t have to max this skill, playing the guitar is just for pure enjoyment!

3. ”Support my Family” – How to Play the 3rd Generation?

The third-generation Sim, Gloria, is meant to be a happy-go-lucky type of person, but also an adventurer, keen on exploring the unknown. Unlike their parent, she will do anything to become independent and explore the outside world. She wants to do things in an unconventional way, in her private and professional life. This is her personality:

3rd generation milestones:

• Your Sim will need to become a single parent as a young adult. Anyone can be the other parent
• Max out Handiness and Charisma skills
• Make them go to the Forgotten Grotto (the secret lot of Oasis Springs)
• Get them to travel to a vacation world at least 3 times
• Make them sell items at Flea Market from time to time

4. ”Laugh Away the Pain” – How to Play the 4th Generation?

Being raised by a single parent can be challenging. Despite their parent’s best efforts, Sim from the fourth generation, Tina, will really feel empty and lonely, and really feel the void of never having a complete home. This Sim marries out of desperation and loneliness but later decides they won’t compromise their freedom for anything and will never re-marry. She will do their best to mask their loneliness with juicy jokes. This is her personality:

4th generation milestones:

• Make them marry the first girlfriend/boyfriend you have, and marry as a young adult
• Make their spouse cheat on them. Your Sim is then meant to ignore their spouse’s infidelity
• Divide the spouse after some time. After divorce, make sure they never get married again
• Max out comedy and DJ skills
• Get them to reach level 5 of fitness skills but only by jogging

5. ”Struggling in the City” – How to Play the 5th Generation?

Jayden, the Sim from the fifth generation carries the burden of a broken home, and his biggest desire is to never repeat his parent’s mistakes. Although he aspires to become a renowned doctor, music will be his ultimate salvation from the city gloom. This is their personality:

5th generation milestones:

• Move to the city as a young adult and stay in the apartment till the end
• Max out parenting and singing skills
• Reach level 5 of Logic skill
• Have 2+ children
• Lose one child do death
• Morun child death forever and make them visit their grave at least once a week. Keep all stuff from the deceased child and never renovate their room
• Win at a karaoke night once

6. ”Living with a Broken Heart” – How to Play the 6th Generation?

Omari’s childhood was full of grief and loss. Dealing with the loss of a sibling and the bad mental health of his parents wasn’t easy to cope with, so he found escape in criminal activities – and gardening. He is morally and emotionally completely detached. In fact, Omari would rather become a plant parent and engage in meaningless flings than ever have to face the loss of a loved one again. However, because life works in mysterious ways, he will eventually become a parent. This will be his personality:

6th generation milestones:

• Run away from home as a teen. Never talk to parents or visit them again
• Don’t inherit simoleons from the previous generation
• Max out Mischief and Gardening Skills
• Use gardening to cope with life
• Steal 10+ items while playing this generation
• Have a one-night stand with a coworker. The coworker has to stay pregnant with their child

7. ”Here to make a difference” – How to play the 7th generation?

Being the unwanted child, Sonya, the Sims from the 7th generation of the Family Dynamics Challenge grew up feeling emotionally neglected, never truly bonding with their parent. This has led her to turn outwards and seek supporting connections outside the family. Despite being left alone and overlooked in childhood, she grew up to become a sociable mediator and a diplomat. These are her traits, aspiration, and career of choice:

7th generation milestones:

• Use their mediator skills to mend relationships with their parent and grandparents
• Create and cherish ”Besties” club from young adult age onwards
• Have a movie night with ”Besties” once a week
• Marry someone from the ”Besties” club
• Max out Wellness and Charisma skills
• Read 10+ unique books in a lifetime
• Have 2+ biological children and at least one adopted child
• Volunteer with family two or more times in a lifetime

8. “Working with animals is my passion” – How to play the 8th generation?

Being raised by a real ”friend of the world, Monica grew up with great love for all living things. Her biggest dream is to open a vet clinic, which is why they will live with their parents for as long as they need to collect enough simoleons to make that dream come true. She will later marry the employee who works at her clinic and loves animals as much as they do. When she is not working, they are photographing. Running a vet clinic takes time, so while they may not spend as much time with their kids, she is more content than her ancestors. These are her characteristics:

8th generation milestones:

• Live with parents until they die while trying to start the vet clinic
• Have a child as a young adult with their employee
• Marry the parent of their child (the employee) only after their parents (7th generation) die
• Max out Pet Training, Veterinarian, and Photography skills
• Make the vet clinic a success and get at least a 4/5 stars rating
• Take at least one photograph in every world 
• Have a collage wall of pets in their clinic

9. “Business-minded and musically-inclined” – How to Play the 9th generation?

Antoan grew up feeling like they were never their parents’ first priority, and was mostly raised by his grandparents. He dreams of having a loving family, but his partner ends up being not as emotionally responsive, and their marriage ends. He fills in the void by working and making music. After some time, he marries again, but this time, it’s the love of his life. These are his traits:

9th generation milestones:

• Become good friends with one (or both) grandparents
• Marry and have at least one kid with the first spouse. Divorce this spouse and remarry. Have at least one child with the second spouse
• Max out Charisma and Piano skills
• Reach Level 5 of Guitar or Violin skills
• Eat out at a restaurant once a week
• Always have a butler

10. “I will make our happy ending”– How to Play the 10th generation?

Georgia had a great childhood. She had enough space to develop creativity and has a rich fantasy world. She always dreamed of finding ”the one”. However, once she finds him, her SO tragically dies before they even get a chance to grow a family, urging Georgia to start finding ways to bring them back to life. Meanwhile, she decides to adopt a child, so that they can have a complete family once the partner is resurrected. These are her traits:

• Max out Writing and Gourmet Cooking skills
• Reach level 5 of the Mixology skill
• Find true love as a young adult, lose the significant other early on
• Adopt a child after a spouse dies
• Resurrect the Spouse after adopting a child

conclusion

The Family Dynamics Challenge is a fine way to spend quality time playing the Sims 4. You have all the freedom to style, name, or create the life you want Sims from each generation to life. If you like building meaningful stories and playing with families for ages, then this one will be a real treat. Happy simming!

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