LEGACY HISTORY CHALLENGE - THE SIMS 4 - PREHISTORIC AGE (PALEOLITHIC, MESOLITHIC AND NEOLITHIC)
*Translation Note: English isn't my mother language and I’m not an expert in idiomatic expression. So if you find any errors or something weird, please forgive me and let me know on “ask me” if you want.
LHC Doc - EN/US - Complete Doc with all Ages.
LHC Doc - PT/BR - Doc Completo com todas as Eras.
The prehistory of humanity was a period that covered from around 35000 years BCE to until the invention of writing around 3500 BCE. It was divided into at least three phases, characterized by the production technique: Paleolithic or Old Stone Age (until approximately 10000 BCE), Mesolithic (13000 BCE - 9000 BCE) and Neolithic or New Stone Age, (10000 BCE - writing/civilization). The Upper Paleolithic corresponded to the glacial period, when men inhabited caves and were hunter-gatherers. The Mesolithic was a transitional phase with the end of the last glaciation and the Neolithic, the phase in which agriculture emerged. Characteristics of the Mesolithic and Late Neolithic varied from region to region, so these periods overlapped, sometimes in terms of dates.
*I am considering only Cro-Magnons (ancestors of modern humans Homo Sapiens Sapiens), excluding Neanderthals and other more primitive hominid species.
With the development of agriculture and the need to observe the sky to define planting times, a primordial religion may have emerged, the astro-religion, whose gods were identified with the celestial bodies, in addition to animals and natural forces. Over time, through syncretism, astro-religion gave rise to polytheistic religions, gods and myths of antiquity. Thus, there are parallels between Ea and Chronos, Zeus and Thor, Ra and Apollo, Inanna/Ishtar, Astarte and Aphrodite, Hermes and Thoth, Enki/Enlil and God/Devil, Jesus Christ and Krishna and several narratives that speak of a great flood in different cultures.
Recently, archaeologists discovered a new Neolithic civilization in southwestern Turkey, in the Fertile Crescent, called Taş Tepeler and dated from 11500 to 10000 years ago. The first large monumental constructions, such as Gobekli Tepe, appeared in this region. The megalithic temple complex took centuries to build, much like Stonehenge, and may have been started as early as 9500 BCE and completed in 8000 or 7000 BCE. The reason for its construction remains a mystery, but it may have been related to a place of protection, worship of the dead, or astrological observations, due to the alignment of the pillars with the stars and constellations. The pillars were carved with animal designs, and animal sculptures were also found scattered throughout the complex along with fragments of human skulls and neolithic tools.
One of the oldest cities in the world is believed to be Çatalhöyük in Anatolia (Turkey) dating back to 7100 years BCE, although older settlements such as Tell Abu Hureyra already denoted the existence of Pre-Pottery Neolithic communities of the Natufian culture in the Levant region and northern Mesopotamia between 13000 and 9000 years ago. These were probably seasonal settlements of semi-nomadic hunter-gatherer groups who practiced rudimentary agriculture and domestication of animals, while Çatalhöyük was a more sophisticated town with around 10 thousand inhabitants, a sewage drainage system and rainwater pipes. Their houses were about 25 m² (269,0977 ft²) in size and were built adjacent to each other with openings in the roof, accessed by stairs. The city had no walls, sidewalks, streets, market squares and cemeteries. Their dead were buried under the floors of houses.
Art was very important for the local population. Mural paintings and several animal sculptures were found, mainly bulls and women, probable symbols of fertility. One factor that may have favored the establishment of a matriarchal culture is the city’s location on the migration route between northern Mesopotamia and the European continent. However, as men spent more time at home and cities emerged, social relations began to change, forming the basis for the patriarchal society that was established since antiquity. The man’s space was defined as public, while the woman’s became private. Marriages began to be frequent and women became a bargaining chip.
In this new version of the Legacy History Challenge, I divided the Prehistoric Age gameplay into three phases: Paleolithic (Ice Age), Mesolithic (Stone Age) and Neolithic (Agricultural Age). I created general rules that apply to all phases (such as Death Rolls and Special Events) and specific rules for each phase. The Prehistoric Age begins in the Paleolithic with the Founder Sim as the Legacy Matriarch. After you complete your matriarch's life cycle and other specified requirements, the next heir must be chosen from among the descendants and lead his own clan in the Mesolithic. After this heir completes the life cycle, you will begin the Neolithic Revolution by discovering agriculture. You can also play longer than allotted for each level if you want. The gameplay time and the number of generations at this time when there is no writing is completely free.
GENERAL RULES FOR PREHISTORY
1 - Clans, Loving Relationships, Heirs and Offspring Creation:
1.1 - To start, together with your Founder Sim, create some Sims to populate the world. They can be divided into small groups and will be the other clans. Prehistoric packs were small, 8 to 15 people should suffice. You can let them breed through the MC Command Center or neighborhood stories. I usually create a settlement for each pack and have the Sims in the pack divided into lots in the same neighborhood. (Using the MC CC for pregnancy is a bit annoying because it doesn't limit by neighborhood and sometimes I have to delete babies or undo the pregnancies of Sims from different packs. A good tip is to invite the Sim to your lot with MC Cheats and change her pregnancy partner to someone from her pack.) If you have the “The Sims 4 For Rent” expansion pack, you can have more than one household on the same lot.
1.2 - Polygamy prevails (although male Sims can fight each other over female Sims, winning against the strongest). If you have “The Sims 4 Eco Lifestyle” expansion pack uses the “Free Love” action plan.
1.3 - No prejudice about homo affective relationships, which must occur naturally.
1.4 - Polemic: Prehistoric sims should not follow the same moral rules as modern societies, so we probably had incestuous relationships, even because this practice existed in ancient societies after the stone age, as we see relationships between brothers and sisters in the pharaonic dynasty and in Sumerian, Biblical-Abrahamic and Greco-Roman myths. As this topic can make people uncomfortable, feel free to ignore this rule.
1.5 - To decide “Try for Baby'' with a Sim, follow the most basic instincts of heteronormativity, prioritize physical strength in men and fertility (curvy body characteristics) and youth in women. If you use Wicked Whims or Wonderful Whims make your sims attracted to these body features.
1.6 - If you use MC Woohoo keep the woohoo risky at 30% for teens, 25% for young adults, 15% for adults and 5% for elders. (I don't know if the elder option refers to women, but in any case I hope this is the fertility rate of elderly men. The fertility rate of elderly women should be 0. If an elderly Sim becomes pregnant, simply remove her pregnancy with MCCC.) The same fertility settings can be set per-sim using Relationship and Pregnancy Overhaul. IIf you use Wicked Whims, keep your menstrual cycle activated, your fertility rate in “boosted” mode, pregnancy chances in 80% and avoid all contraceptive methods. (It is more difficult to have children with the menstrual cycle than with MC Woohoo.) If not using any mods, Sims can only “Try for Baby”. You can also use the Ultimate Decades Challenge fertility rate:
I left the adult fertility rate at a mid-range value because I think you might have adult Sims of different ages and having to keep changing the rates before woohoo would be a hassle.
1.7 - You can't have a Science Baby.
1.8 - Don't use a pregnancy test, please. Come on, you don't even have a toilet!
1.9 - Panda Sama's Child Birth mod is now allowed for this and all future Ages.
1.10 - All babies must be born at home. Pregnant Sims can’t go to the hospital.
1.11 - Newborn babies and infants should be breastfed. Don’t use bottles.
1.12 - Every Sim born in this Age must have the “Hot-Headed” trait, as they are a Cave Sim. Use common sense for the other traits and avoid those that don't match the Age.
1.13 - You can adopt child Sims that you find around the world, moving to your household, but you can't adopt through the traditional way on the computer. However, the heir to the legacy must always be of your blood. Genealogical legacy, remember?
1.14 - A Sim who is born into your pack, even if not of your blood, must be accepted and cared for by everyone. Example: if your male Sim is partnered with a woman who is pregnant by another, even if they are from a rival pack, this baby is your Sim’s child. He is just not eligible as an heir because of rule 1.13. To be clear: you can't continue the legacy from his children, but your Sim has to accept him as his own child. Here you can't use the excuse of wild basic instinct and male territoriality and abandon this child because motherhood is associated with life. And life meant everything at this stage when the species was struggling to survive. (Don't take it to the modern issue of motherhood related to abortion and social impositions on women. Remember the statues of prehistoric Venus and the hypothesis of their association with fertility by some researchers.)
1.15 - In Prehistory, the heir could be male or female. You can choose to make your clan fully matriarchal (historians’ hypothesis) or follow the idea that Cave Sims were brutes who kidnapped women. Or both.
1.16 - In future generations if your Sim is male you must choose your heir by physical characteristics, as there was no DNA test at that time. You know who your children are from the game’s family tree, but the Sims don’t.
1.17 - Men are usually hunters and women gatherers. Men go out hunting and leave women to take care of the offspring, but you can also have female hunters.
1.18 - Children and teenagers can't go to school. If you have the MC Command Center, disable the schools.
1.19 - Child Sims should help with fishing, collecting plants and digging, for example.
1.20 - Teen Sims are considered young adults and can have children. (Ignoring EA's life expectancy which will be covered in topic 2 and only taking into account the Sim's appearance, which is almost adult height.)
1.21 - Adult Sims are considered old. Adult women aren’t as eligible to have babies.
1.22 - Elder Sims are considered wise. Few should reach that age.
2 - Birthdays, Deaths and Illnesses:
The Lifespan of Sims in default normal mode isn't equivalent to that of a human being since each day of pregnancy represents a trimester and gestation takes 4 days (1 day without pregnancy detection + 3 days of gestation equivalent to the first, second and third trimester), at age 25 your Sim would be an elder person and die around age 33.
Also note that the life stage of the adult Sim is disproportionate to that of the child and baby Sim in EA’s default. However, as life expectancy was low in that Age, it is estimated that at age 30 cavemen were already considered elderly. Add to that the fact that there was no calendar and that part of the challenge covers a period of about 30000 years or more, you can play in normal mode for now. You can also choose to double the adult life stage if you want, rejuvenating your Sim to an adult when they reach the elderly stage. (You will have to use cheats or MC Command Center for this or the “Potion of Youth” which you can purchase for aspiration points and completed wishes.)
2.1 - It isn't allowed to grow the Sim before the birthday.
2.2 - Birthday cakes aren't allowed. Let the Sim grow up naturally. (You can remove the negative buffs with a cheat or use No Sad Moddlet on Birthday mod. You can also age the Sim manually in "Cheat Sim info" by pressing shift + left mouse button on the Sim.)
2.3 - Roll the dice for deaths. Your Sims are exposed to weather, hunger, disease, and the wild. They are literally struggling to survive and reproduce the species. So deaths are common and only the strongest survive. You must roll the dice at each life stage to see if the Sim survives to the next one. If the Sim gets sick, they must also roll the dice. Come up with a time-appropriate excuse for the deaths.
2.4 - Exception to rule 2.3: If you have any mods that add illnesses to the game, you can choose to only roll the dice when your Sim gets sick, rather than at every age change, in case these mods make your Sim sick all the time.
2.5 - Only the Matriarch is exempt from roll the dice. After all, if she dies you lose the challenge. So she is the only Sim that can die only from “natural” causes (deaths that exist in The Sims 4), without player interference.
Observation: You can find another suggestion of dice rolls perhaps more realistic (in prehistory there was no writing, any life expectancy is an assumption on the part of historians) in the Legacy Eras Challenge by Marina Montenegro. Note that, playing The Sims in normal mode and with the Wicked Whims or Wonderful Whims menstrual cycle, even boosted in a short period, the fertility rate is very low. So with such severe rolls it's likely that few Sims will survive. Try to have as many babies as possible.
If your Sim rolls any of the specified dice for each life stage in the table above, it means they must die in that life stage. Death in childbirth, newborn and elderly can occur on the same day you roll the dice, the day the Sim is born or grows up. For the Infant, Toddler, Child, Teen, Young Adult, and Adult stages you must roll the dice again or use the roulette wheel to decide when the Sim should die. That way the unlucky Sims don't all die on their birthday. For example: An infant who rolls 4, 8, 12, 16, or 20 when growing to a toddler will die as a toddler. Toddlers live for 7 days, so roll a D20 dice until you get a value below 7 to decide how many days your Sim can live before dying. A teenager who rolls 4, 8, 14, or 18 when growing to a young adult will die as a young adult. Young Adults live for 28 days, so roll a D100 dice until you get a value below 28 to decide how many days your Sim can live before dying. This way they won't die on the same day they grew up. You can also use a roulette wheel. As you may still be confused, I will explain better below:
2.6 - At birth, roll a 20-sided dice, D20. If the mother is a teenager or an adult and rolls a 1, 10, or 20, the mother must die in childbirth. If the mother is a young adult, childbirth is considered to be a little easier and she dies if she rolls a 1 or a 20.
2.7 - For twins, triplets, or more babies, the mother must roll a D20 dice for each baby.
2.8 - If the mother dies in childbirth and there is no other Sim who is pregnant or has a child of nursing age to care for the baby (newborn or infant stages), the baby must die. There are no goats or domestic cattle to feed the baby.
2.9 - There is a chance that your pregnant Sim will have a “complicated pregnancy” if she roll a 5. In that case, she won't die during childbirth, but will be very sick. You must roll a D20 for the mother again until the next day. If you roll 1, 10 or 20 for teenagers and adults and 1 or 20 for young adults, the mother must die. If she survives, she will not be able to have any more children. Check the option in the CAS so that she can't get pregnant again. (If you use the Child Birth mod, there is already a birth complication option and you can ignore it when you roll a 5, but if you receive a birth complication notification, you must roll the second dice to see if the mother survives.)
2.10 - If for some reason you break rule 2.9 and your Sim gets pregnant again, it's a death sentence. She will not survive this birth.
2.11 - For the newborn, roll a D20 dice. If you roll a 1, 5, 7, 10, 15, 17 or 20, the baby must die immediately. (Click with the left button and shift press on the bassinet and choose the option to starve. The baby will be taken away by foster care and Sims will be saddened by his loss.)
2.12 - When growing a newborn to infant, roll a D20 dice. If you roll a 2, 6, 10, 14 or 18, the infant must die. Roll a dice again or the roulette wheel to decide how many days the Sim can live in the infant phase, before dying.
2.13 - When growing an infant to toddler roll a D20 dice. If you roll a 4, 8, 12, 16 or 20, the toddler must die. Roll a dice again or the roulette wheel to decide how many days the Sim can live in the toddler stage, before dying.
2.14 - When growing a toddler to child, roll a D20 dice. If you roll a 2, 6, 12 or 16, the child must die. Roll a dice again or the roulette wheel to decide how many days the Sim can live as a child, before dying.
2.15 - When growing the child to teenager, roll a D20 dice. If you roll a 3, 7, 13 or 17, the teenager must die. Roll a dice again or roll the roulette wheel to decide how many days the Sim can live as a teen. Male Sims must do the rite of passage. See rule 3.3. A bad roll could mean he failed during this rite.
2.16 - When a Sim grows to the age of a teenager you must also roll a 100-sided dice, D100. If the Sim is unlucky and rolls a 1, it means he/she is sterile. Change the option on Cas so he/she can never have children, before dying.
2.17 - When growing the teenager to young adult, roll a D20 dice. If you roll an 4, 8, 14 or 18, the young adult must die. Roll a dice again or the roulette wheel to decide how many days he/she can live in the young adult stage.
2.18 - When growing the young adult to adult, roll a D20 dice. If you roll a 1, 9, 11 or 19, the adult must die. Roll a dice again or roulette to decide how many days he/she can live in the adult stage, before dying.
2.19 - If you choose to double the adult life stage, roll a D20 dice. If you roll a 3, 10, 13 or 20 the Sim must die in the second adult life stage. Roll a dice again or a roulette wheel to decide how many days he/she can live before dying.
2.20 - When growing the adult to an elder, roll a D20 dice. If you roll a 9, 11, 13, 15, 17 or 19, the adult doesn’t grow to an elder and must die. If he rolls another number, roll a dice again or roulette wheel to decide how many days the Sim can live in the elder stage. If you roll a number above the default established by EA for the duration of this life stage, you can let the Sim die “naturally”, without your intervention.
2.21 - When a fight occurs with Sims outside the pack, the Sim who loses must roll the dice corresponding to his life stage. For example, if a Young Adult Sim loses the fight and rolls an 4, 8, 14 or 18 on D20, he must die.
2.22 - If you have “The Sims 4 Eco Lifestyle”, use the “Roughhousing Encouraged” action plan to make the game more exciting.
2.23 - If you have a Speellcaster visiting your lot at the time of death, you can ask the Grim Reaper to spare your Sim. Requires “The Sims 4 Realm of Magic” game pack. Otherwise, you should not interact with the Grim Reaper.
2.24 - If you have the expansion pack “The Sims 4 Life & Death” you can be reborn, but reincarnated Sims can't be heirs to the legacy, unless they incarnate in your family fulfilling the specifications required to be heir to each Age. For reborn you must choose a family that already has a baby of newborn age, delete this Sim and replace it with your Sim. (I recommend that you use MC Cas from MC Command Center to copy the appearance of the Sim you replace and paste it onto your Sim. This way, your reincarnated Sim will have the genetic characteristics of the new family.)
2.25 - Don't forget to cover your Sim's tombstone or urn with rocks.
The above rules are for Sims in your household and descendants removed from the main lot. As for the other Sims in the world, you can choose to leave the death neighborhood changes settings enabled and use the events in item 3 to cause deaths. You can use the dice rolls suggestion above for all Sims in the world if you want too.
3 - Rite of Passage, Great Hunt, Tribal War, Wild Animal Attacks, Plagues and Natural Disaters:
The rules below correspond to possible historical events designed to decrease the world's population, especially when you reach peaks of 80 Sims or more. You can delete most of the ghosts in the next Age to lighten the game. Only items 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3 are mandatory. The use of the other events is optional. However, keep in mind that the more you use it, the harder it will be to survive in the Prehistoric Age. I suggest that at least one of them be created in each Prehistoric Age phase in your gameplay. If your Sim was unlucky on the dice rolls when changing the life stage, you can use hunts or rites of passage as an excuse for his death, in addition to these other events.
Dice roll suggestion for special events to occur:
3.1 - You must perform a Great Hunt every Sunday. All male Sims in your world (except children and elders) must participate. Young Adult and Adult Sims should go hunting and Teen Sims should go as helpers to observe and learn. Create the “Great Hunt” holiday on Sundays with the “Attend Holiday Ceremony” tradition. Exclude all other holidays from the game. Requires “The Sims 4 Seasons” expansion pack. (You can take the negative buff off women or use the No more Awful Holiday Sad Modlet mod.)
3.2 - Hunts shouldn't be easy. Sometimes when a group got together to hunt a mammoth, some would get hurt. Roll the dice once to see which Sims (young adults and adults) will come back hurt, and roll again to decide who should die or heal. If you use the Hunting & Foraging and olde cookbook kit v.03 mods, your Sim may be attacked by a bear while hunting. In this case, roll the dice only if he comes back injured.
3.3 - A teen hunter (usually a male Sim) close to young adult age must take a Rite of Passage that will make them a Great Hunter. It must be an event of great danger, such as facing a wild animal alone or getting into a fight with someone stronger. The Sim must be victorious to prove their courage and gain the respect of the pack.
3.4 - Prehistoric packs usually hunted together, but they could also create rivalries and war with each other. Every time a war occurs, roll a dice for each Sim involved. Even number Sim lives, odd number he dies.
3.5 - Generally Sims that war or attack other clans are male and females should be spared to generate more offspring. Roll the dice from time to time for pregnant women from other packs. Thus, few will survive to the age of old.
3.6 - Wild animals may attack settlements from time to time. Roll the dice corresponding to the life stage for all clan members.
3.7 - Mountain slides, storms, earthquakes and other natural disasters can also happen, killing your Sims. Roll the dice to decide who survives. These types of events are more likely to occur when there is a blizzard. Requires “The Sims 4 Seasons” expansion pack.
3.8 - Pests and diseases would not have been uncommon in prehistory. Roll the dice once to decide who gets sick and again to decide which sick people die.
4.1 - In the Paleolithic, prioritize features such as dark skin and light eyes for the Cro-Magnons and red hair, light skin, large nose and robust body for the descendants of Neanderthals. Mesolithic Sims must have Eastern Central Asian or African ethnic characteristics.
Cro-Magnon had dark skin and light eyes.
4.2 - If you use personalized content for hair, prioritize those that look natural, tribal, scruffy or without modern hairstyles and cuts.
4.3 - Use beards and prioritize long hair in men, although teenagers can be beardless or have a slight down.
4.4 - Don't forget about body hair on women.
4.5 - Tattoos are allowed as long as modern tattoos are avoided. See my mod for tattoos that match the in-game face paint colors.
4.6 - If possible, use custom content consistent with the Age. Skins for clothes and bones for accessories.
4.7 - Don't use anything metallic or that looks like fabric.
4.8 - Prioritize cold weather clothes in the Paleolithic and cold and hot clothes in the Mesolithic.
4.9 - Polemic: Prehistoric Sims shouldn't have the same pudency as modern Sims, so your Sim might prefer to live more freely in hot climates without being covered in heavy fur. Free, as it came into the world.
Example of prehistoric clothing.
4.10 - Optional: If your Sims reach old age they are around 30 years old. If you double the adult life stage, it's 40 years old. So you don't need to give them gray hair or a very aged look.
5.1 - You must delete all lots from the world where you live or adapt it for the challenge.
5.2 - Create a secluded lot where you can't see the roads and stay away from it as there were no roads at that time. You can use the T.o.o.l. to cover roads and modern items with stones.
5.3 - Use the “Off the Grid” and “Simple Life” lot challenges. Requires “The Sims 4 Cottage Living” expansion pack.
5.4 - The starting lot can have a settlement with items of your choice, or you can choose to start on empty land.
5.5 - When your sim migrates, they must leave their building items behind. Only inventory items can be taken, as a Sim could theoretically carry it without assistance from wagons or pack animals. You can take the bonfire and the tent, for example.
6.1 - There was no currency in Prehistory, only barter, so your Sim doesn't have to worry about money for now. Use the starting money to equip the lot with caves (custom content), rocks, bushes and trees.
6.2 - You can use motherlode or any money cheat.
6.3 - Sims can't have a job.
6.4 - You can use cheats to pay the bills as there is no tax at this time. If you use the MC Command Center, you can activate the automatic bill pay option.
6.5 - If you win a gift from an NPC, you can keep it if it is consistent with the Age, otherwise delete it and exchange it for another one of your choice and similar value.
7 - Construction Mode Objects and Custom Content Items:
7.1 - You can't build a house. Just sleep outdoors, have fur shelters, caves or thatched game roofs.
Example of a primitive shelter.
7.2 - Electronics, instruments or items that do not match the Age aren’t allowed. No woodworking table (in the Paleolithic and Mesolithic), flower arranging table, yoga mat, etc…
7.3 - Again, you can't have a yoga mat, nor meditate. It’s Prehistory, okay? Come back to reality, your Sim is struggling to survive and needs shelter and food, not zen.
7.4 - If you have the “The Sims 4 Laundry Day” stuff, forget that it exists. What? Do you really think they washed those skins?
7.5 - You can't use electric lighting or candles, only the campfire. Sims must remain in the dark when the campfire lights up. Requires “The Sims 4 Outdoor Retreat” game pack.
7.6 - You can’t have a toilet. However, your Sim is out in the wild, so they might have lots of bushes to use for the bathroom. Feel free to use the T.o.o.l. and spread bushes across the world. Requires “The Sims 4 Get Together” expansion pack.
7.7 - Initially without a grill, stove or fridge. The Sim must eat what they harvest and fish and only use the “Fire Rocks” campfire for cooking (requires “The Sims 4 Outdoor Retreat” game pack). Custom content stove or grill can only be used if the Sim has cooking level 10. (I don't know if EA has already fixed the bug, but the campfire broke after “The Sims 4 Cottage Living” expansion pack and the option to roast fish did not appear. I needed the MAL22_OR_CampfireSimpleLivingFix mod to make it work.)
7.8 - You can’t have a bath or shower. You can wash the babies in the sink.
Note: The exception to Rules 7.6, 7.7 and 7.8 is custom content appropriate to the Age. If you use personalized content you have a small advantage. So don't abuse these items, your Sim must go through difficulties and be exposed to nature.
7.9 - You are in the Stone Age, not the Metal Age. Custom content objects must be stone, leather, or roughly carved wood. Objects that have nails or iron parts aren't allowed. Example: Chairs, beds, tables, cupboards with nailed connections aren't allowed.
7.10 - To have an object you need to spend time and work as if you were making it.
Work suggestion to be able to have an object:
Campfire "Rocks of Fire" (requires The Sims 4 Outdoor Retreat game pack) - find 5 items by digging or breaking rocks + harvesting or see 5 plants. If you use the cutting down tree mod you can spread trees around the world or put the sticks and trunks in your inventory after observing the plants.
Sulani Volcanic BBQ Searer (requires "The Sims 4 Island Living" expansion pack) - dig 10 items + harvesting or see 5 plants.
Stone Sink - Find 10 items by digging ground or rocks.
Stone Bathtub - Find 30 items by digging ground or rocks.
Stone refrigerator - only in the Paleolithic (Ice Age) or winter. Summer and hot days there is no way to preserve food, so let it spoil.
Stove and grill - find 20 items + have Level 10 cooking. Campfire increases cooking skill. (Some custom content doesn’t work “Off the Grid”, in which case it is allowed to take the lot challenge due to a game logic failure to interpret any stove as electric.)
Cave shelters are unlocked when your Sim moves to a new lot. The lot must be set up before playing on it, and these items can’t be moved or removed. Once you place the cave in a certain location, it should stay there until the Industrial Age or the invention of demolition machines. If you really need to use this lot, as there are few game packs, you should at least keep the cave in the place it was placed throughout the Prehistoric Age.
Fur shelters (tents) - 20 hunts. Can be taken in inventory.
Shelter made of thatched roof from the game - harvest or see 30 weeds. It can’t be taken to another lot when you moving.
Double bed - find 20 items + 8 hunts.
Single bed - find 10 items + 4 hunts.
Toddler bed - find 8 items + 2 hunts.
If a bed is made of wood or material that mimics interwoven vegetable fiber, use the same number of items above, but replace the action “digging stone” with “harvesting” or “see plants”.
7.11 - Avoid the magic hands. Let Sims clean up their own mess.
8.1 - Sims can develop cooking, fishing, fitness, charisma, mischief, pet training, singing and dancing skills.
8.2 - If you use custom content appropriate to the time, the Sim may have painting skills. Allowed paintings are only prehistoric. See my mod.
8.3 - If you have a bathtub, sink or custom content suitable for the time, you can replace it if it is broken, avoiding gaining the handiness skill. It doesn’t make much sense for a stone sink to break if it doesn’t have plumbing.
8.4 - The Sim can fish and hunt. Since there is no hunt action in the game, you can send the Sim to run. When performing this action it is allowed to use the option “roast marshmallows” on the fire pretending that it is frozen meat. You can also use the board from the mod Hunting & Foraging or olde cookbook kit v.03 which allows you to hunt. In this case, don’t forget to delete a piece of meat every time you use the “roast marshmallows” option.
8.5 - Roll the dice to decide if the Sim sent to hunt dies or not. You can leave the Sim exposed to the weather and enable temperature kills, as if it were due to unsuccessful hunting. Only the matriarch is exempt from this rule. If you use the mod Hunting & Foraging or olde cookbook kit v.03, roll the dice if the Sim comes back injured, attacked by a bear.
8.6 - Your Sim can only collect items near their current lot. If the hunters are going to travel, they should take a campfire and a tent and stay away for days.
8.7 - Your Sim can’t cook any modern cooking options like hamburgers or hot dogs. Just roast fish and marshmallows (rule 8.4) on the fire. Only recipes consistent with the Age can be cooked on stoves and barbecues. Note that with the “Simple Life” lot challenge your Sim will have a hard time cooking. Prepare to starve.
9.1 - If you have “The Sims 4 Cats & Dogs” Expansion Pack, the only animals allowed are wild-looking ones like raccoons, wolves, and foxes.
9.2 - Wild animals (cats and dogs) should have traits that remind them they are wild like "Aggressive", "Independent", "Stubborn", "Aloof", “Frisky”, ”Skittish”, "Free Spirit" and "Territorial".
9.3 - If your pet gets sick, wait a day and roll the d20 dice for it. On a roll of 5 or more, it must survive and acquire resistance to that disease. Watch the symptoms and the next time it has the same illness it won’t need to roll the dice. (Apparently the best way to cure animal sickness is with the wellness treats from the vet machine, which you can find in “Debug.” To kill the animal, grow to old first, as animals only die from old age.)
9.4 - If you have “The Sims 4 Cottage Living” expansion pack, you can’t have cows and llamas. These animals have not been domesticated yet.
9.5 - If you have “The Sims 4 Horse Ranch” expansion pack, you can’t have mini goats, mini sheep and horses. But you can have zebras, moose and other animals that look wild. Just don't ride them. Historically, these animals have not been domesticated. So, don't abuse it, okay? You can try to tame a donkey.
9.6 - Wild animals (horses) must have some trait that reminds you that they are wild. Mandatory traits: "Aggressive" and "Defiant". Third trait: “Independent”, “Energetic”, “Free Spirit” or “Fearful”.
10.1 - If you have “The Sims 4 Realm of Magic” game pack, you can create a Spellcaster Sim who will be the shaman and healer of the pack.
10.2 - Spellcasters roll the same dice as common Sims, but if they roll a bad dice, they can roll another dice and try to escape death if they have skill in magic or potions. They can save your Sim from death too. See rule 2.23.
10.3 - The religion is based on Mother Earth that provides fruits and hunting and/or on Shamanism and identification of Sims with power animals. The priests and healers were the shamans. Feel free to create stories accordingly.
PALEOLITHIC (ICE AGE) - SPECIFIC RULES
Your Founder Sim is a nomad with basic instincts. So, she is in search of food, safety and to reproduce.
11.1 - Start Legacy with a female teen Sim (if you opted out of playing the previous Age). This Sim will be the Matriarch of your legacy. (Let's consider the hypothesis that the culture was matriarchal in prehistory.)
11.2 - Start with the "Loner" and "Hot-Head" traits. “Loner” will make your Sim tense when seeing strangers, after all other Sims can be dangerous. "Hot-head" because she's a Cave Sim.
11.3 - The Matriarch must have the "Big Happy Family" aspiration and the aspiration reward trait "Matriarch" before dying. The first official marriage must be performed when the Matriarch is elderly and presided over by her. This way, your Sim can complete the aspiration. Suggestion: choose to carry out this marriage with someone important from another group, in order to create alliances. (It is allowed to use the “read to baby before bed” action to complete level 2 of the “Big and Happy Family” aspiration. Abstract by pretending that Sim is telling a story, because at that time there was no writing. After completing, delete the book.)
11.4 - The Matriarch must have the "Great Storyteller" reward before dying and must tell stories at a campfire to other Sims during the challenge.
11.5 - The Matriarch must obligatorily produce heirs.
11.6 - Have children with five different Sims.
11.7 - Start in winter in the Ice Age (Paleolithic). Requires “The Sims 4 Seasons”. expansion pack.
11.8 - The duration of the season must be at least 28 days. Throughout the Paleolithic period it must always have been winter. Whenever the year ends you change the season to winter in the mailbox. (You need MC Command Center installed to have this function or use testingcheats true. Press “Ctrl+Shift+C" on your keyboard. Type "testingcheats true" and press "Enter". Use the code “seasons.set_season 2” to make the season winter.)
11.9 - If the world doesn’t freeze in winter, then you should use cheats to make it snow and freeze rivers and lakes. Sulani, Tomarang, and Selvadorada aren't allowed in the Ice Age.
11.10 - In the Paleolithic you could choose to settle in a lot with caves and migrate from time to time due to the hostile climate.
11.11 - In Paleolithic times, Sims can harvest plants, but can't plant crops.
11.12 - Complete the frog collection.
MESOLITHIC (STONE AGE) - SPECIFIC RULES
After the Matriarch completes the life cycle and dies, choose one of her descendants to be her next heir.
12.1 - Change the length of seasons to 14 days. Now you can have four seasons and not just winter and experience the Stone Age with storms and scorching heat.
12.2 - The official heir of this phase must have the “Leader of the Pack” aspiration and move other Sims to your household, which will be your clan“ (requires “The Sims 4 Get Together” expansion pack). However, the leader should not be confused with a king, the band is a collective community, a big family, where resources and tasks are divided among all. The “Leader of the Pack” is a Sim that all other Sims trust and follow for their strength, skills, and courage.
12.3 - Physical strength predominates, so the “Leader of the Pack” must have a high fitness skill and win all the fights to defend the clan.
12.4 - The leadership of the “Leader of the Pack” can be questioned by another Sim in the clan. The dispute will be resolved through a fight interaction. You can decide whether the losing Sim should die, be exiled, or remain in the pack (least likely option).
12.5 - Another Sim descendant of the matriarch can enter into a dispute with the heir Sim for the Legacy. A fight must happen. The loser dies or is exiled. The winner must continue the tasks.
12.6 - In the Mesolithic, your Sim must be nomadic and constantly change lots in search of resources. Suggestion: migrate to Oasis Springs or any desert region.
12.7 - In the Mesolithic the Sim can harvest, dig, fish, hunt (run) and plant only one seedling of each species, but can’t have a garden or move the plant. The seedling must be born where it was planted, in a disorganized way. It’s like your Sim dropped the seeds on the ground, but still don’t have farming skills.
12.8 - The Sim can't pull weeds or apply insecticide, sick plants can't be cared for and must die.
12.9 - The Sim can have the cow plant.
12.10 - Catch all base game fish (except those from secret lots) and have level 10 in fishing (Mesolithic).
NEOLITHIC (AGRICULTURAL AGE) - SPECIFIC RULES
Choose the next heir after the Stone Age Sim completes the circle of life.
13 - Development of Agriculture
13.1 - Change the length of the seasons to 7 days by completing 1 year Sim, this will allow the development of agriculture and the creation of the Sim calendar in the future.
13.2 - The Sim remains nomadic, but can build simple shelters and spend more time on the same lot than in the Mesolithic. Suggestion: Build a shelter for the winter (a simple square block with openings instead of doors and windows or just a hole in the floor) and during the other seasons keep changing neighborhoods and worlds. When it's winter again, you can return to your shelter and stay there for the entire season.
13.3 - You can create a city like Çatalhuyuk for NPCs to live in and a temple complex like Gobekli Tepe to perform rituals. Your heir Sim can visit these lots from time to time, but shouldn't live in cities yet.
13.4 - Your Heir Sim must have the Freelance Botanist aspiration and the “Super Green Thumb” reward trait to complete the Agricultural Age.
13.5 - Your Heir Sim must reach level 10 in Gardening skill.
13.6 - Complete the “Harvested Interest” achievement.
13.7 - Complete the base game's plant collection by collecting and grafting, except OFNI (Unidentified Fruit Object).
13.8 - Make a plantation with all the collectable plants in your world. It should not be an organized plantation. Just a bunch of plants that grow where you're planted and can't be moved in construction mode.
13.9 - The harvest is for your own use. It can't be sold.
13.10 - Plants with insects can't be cared for and must die. No pesticides.
13.11 - It isn’t allowed to buy seeds by the Garden Planter Box. No buying on phone and computer too, please.
13.12 - Your Heir Sim must have Handiness Level 10 to purchase the Sales Table in the next Age.
13.13 - If your heir Sim dies without completing a specific task for this Age, the next Sim who takes over the Legacy must continue that task. The previous heir's skill progression does not count. If the heir dies with gardening level 9 and the new one only has 2, you will have all the skill progression effort again.
13.14 - If you have “The Sims 4 Eco Lifestyle” expansion pack, you can enable the “Promote Creative Arts” neighborhood action plan to scatter clay balls around the lot and pretend your Sims are starting to try molding pottery.
14 - Requirements to advance to the next Age (Early Simvilization):
14.1 - Complete the aspiration and life cycle of the Matriarch and her Mesolithic and Neolithic heirs.
14.2 - Complete the frog collection (Paleolithic).
14.3 - Catch all base game fish (except those from secret lots) and have level 10 in fishing (Mesolithic).
14.4 - If you have “The Sims 4 Horse Ranch” expansion pack, try taming a donkey.
Rules 14.2, 14.3 and 14.4 are equivalent to taming animals.
14.5 - Base game haverstables collection completed (Neolithic).
14.6 - Have level 10 in Handiness (Neolithic heir Sim only). It is equivalent to the technical skill of building a wheel.
15 - Expansions, Game Packs and Stuff Packs:
15.1 - The Sims 4 Seasons (essential) - Make it snow in the Paleolithic (Ice Age).
15.2 - The Sims 4 Get Together (essential) - Pack Leader Aspiration and bushes.
15.3 - The Sims 4 Cottage Living (optional) - “Simple Life” batch challenge.
15.4 - The Sims 4 Eco Lifestyle (optional) - Enable the “Roughhousing Encouraged”, “Free Love” and “Promote Creative Arts” Action Plans.
15.5 - The Sims 4 Cats & Dogs (optional) - Have a wolf, fox, raccoon or any animal that looks wild.
15.6 - The Sims 4 Horse Ranch (optional) - Having a wild animal or donkey to tame.
15.7 - The Sims 4 Life & Death (optional) - Reincarnation.
15.8 - The Sims 4 Outdoor Retreat (essential) - “Rocks of Fire” campfire for cooking.
15.9 -The Sims 4 Realm of Magic (optional) - Having a spellcaster be the Shaman.
16.1 - Automatic bill pay.
16.3 - Elder Female Sims aren't eligible to have children. Elder Male sims yes.
16.4 - Pregnancy Chances in MC Woohoo: 30% for teenagers, 25% for Young Adults, 15% for Adults and 5% for Elders.
16.5 - Disable schools for children and adolescents.
16.6 - Enable parenting skills for teenagers.
16.7 - Enable children can take care of babies.
16.8 - Continue neighborhood stories.
16.9 - Set up MC Dresser to automatically put townies in era-appropriate outfits using this tutorial:
17.1 - MC Command Center by Deaderpoll - Manages various features of the game.
17.2 - T.o.o.l. by Twisted Mexi - Add and edit objects in the world.
17.3 - Blowtorch by Simsverses - Modern items have been deleted.
17.4 - Assign NPC Jobs (before No Random Townies) by Zero - Allows you to assign roles to NPCs.
17.5 - Nap on the ground by Triplis - Allows Sim to sleep on the floor, anywhere.
17.6 - Invisible Crib (default) by Severinka - hides the cradle.
17.7 - Child Birth by Panda Sama - Makes childbirth realistic.
17.8 - Miscarriage Chance by LittleMsSam’s or Miscarriage & Pregnancy Loss do Pregnancy Overhaul module by Lumpinou - There is a chance the Sim will lose the pregnancy.
17.9 - Children/Toddlers Can Die of Anything by MizoreYukii - For Death Rolls.
17.10 - No Sad Moddlet on Birthday by ClaudiaSharon - Removes forgotten birthday buff.
17.11 - No more Awful Holiday Sad Modlet by Sigma1202 - No sadness at not attending the holiday.
17.12 - Pet Explore Bush Tweaks by Chingyu Vick Sims - Disables the autonomy of dogs and cats to enter the bushes.
17.13 - Cut Down Tree by LiraSims - Cut firewood.
17.14 - MAL22_OR_CampfireSimpleLivingFix - Fix the Campfire.
17.15 - Hunting & Foraging by Littlbowbub - Allows Hunting. Conflict with ye olde cookbook v.0.3.
17.16 - ye olde cookbook v.0.3 de Littlbowbub - Hunting and medieval recipes. Conflicts with Hunting & Foraging.
17.17 - Frog-Breeding Skill by baniduhaine - new skill.
17.18 - Eat Fish by SrslySims - Sims can eat raw fish.
17.19 - Stone Age - prehistoric interactions by LuSimLaStars - Adds prehistoric themed conversations and rabbit holes.
17.20 - Automatic Burn Scars by Flerb - Fire burns leave the Sim with scars.
17.21 - Custom content befitting the Age. You can check the list of CCs I found in CC Links - LHC Directory in my homepage.
18 - Sources (Books, Series and Movies):
18.1 - The Origin of Humankind (Book by Richard Leakey - 1995).
18.2 - Prehistory (Book by Chris Gosden - 2012).
18.3 - The Hunters of Prehistory (Book by André Leroi-Gourhan - 1983).
18.4 - Lady Sapiens (Book by Thomas Cirotteau, Jennifer Kerner and Éric Pincas - 2021).
18.5 - Alpha (Movie directed by Albert Hughes - 2018).
18.6 - Earth's Children (Books Series written by Jean M. Auel 1980-2011).
