Stardew Cottage Living Challenge
** UPDATED 08/01/2021 **
Requirements: The Sims 4 Cottage Living
Highly Recommended: Eco Lifestyle and Seasons
Nice to Have: Cats & Dogs, Tiny Living
This challenge is inspired by the gameplay created by ConcernedApe for Stardew Valley! This is a Sims 4 challenge for the Cottage Living expansion pack that requires you to complete tasks to unlock the ability to progress your farm. It has elements of a rags-to-riches challenge as well! I tried to bring in some of the most enjoyable and iconic aspects of Stardew Valley’s gameplay into this challenge, but don’t worry, even if you haven’t played Stardew Valley this is still a fun challenge for the Cottage Living expansion that tries to give you the opportunity to use all the new gameplay features from this pack! This challenge is still a work in progress so feel free to comment with your experiences if you try this!
Create-A-Sim
Start with a single young adult Sim. Optionally, you can create a dog or cat for your Sim.
Recommended Traits:
Animal enthusiast
Loner
Loves Outdoors
Aspiration:
The Curator
Aesthetic:
Choose how you want your Sim to look and the style of their home, but I strongly recommend going full cottagecore!
Lifespan:
Normal, but it really doesn't matter. This challenge should take about one in-game year (or 8 weeks if you don't have Seasons). I turned aging off for Sims in the world to more easily complete the friendship requirements.
Move In
If you're playing with Seasons, set the Season to Spring!
Purchase the "2 Olde Mill Lane" lot in Henford on Bagley.
Set the following lot challenges:
Off-the-grid
Simple living
Wild foxes
Build a small one-room house and (optionally) design it to look like an old cabin. It should be one main room with plus a small bathroom.
Note: If you have the Tiny Living pack, it is fun and beneficial to start off with your lot set as a Tiny Residential Micro Home. You get skill gain and gardening bonuses and you can easily fit the starting items in a 32x32 lot! I have one on the Gallery with all the starting items already in it. Search honeybrewsims to find it!
To start off, you can buy:
Kitchen:
Fridge
Stove
Sink
Counters and cabinets
A small table and one chair
Garbage can
Pet bowl (if you're using pets)
Bedroom / Greatroom:
A single bed
Bookcase
Cross-stitch box
Outdoor
Outdoor garbage
2 packs of starter vegetable seeds
3x In-ground garden patches
Bathroom
Toilet
Shower
Sink
Mirror
Other
Whatever lighting you need
Note: If you have multiple choices for these items (i.e. there are multiple off-grid fridges to choose from), you should purchase the cheapest available option. This rule only applies for the initial set-up of your house.
Note: Do not change the lot terrain (no adding ponds).
Once you have your cabin set up, cheat your simoleons to 0.
The Calendar
(Optional, this is just for fun. Works with Seasons pack only)
Remove the standard holidays from the calendar (Harvestfest, Winterfest, etc.) and then make the following Stardew themed holidays instead!
Spring: Egg Festival
Traditions: hunt for eggs, Flower Bunny
Summer: Luau
Traditions: fire, barbecue
Fall: Spirit's Eve
Traditions: wear costumes, trick or treat
Winter: Feast of the Winter Star
Traditions: decorate, give gifts, open presents, festive spirit, grand meal
Gameplay Rules
1. Complete the following Aspirations, in this order:
The Curator
Freelance Botanist
Country Caretaker
2. Do not get a job. Only make money from your land (farming, animal husbandry, and creating items from these), crafting (cross-stitch, knitting, woodworking, candlemaking), and from collecting in the world.
3. Live on a lot that has the following three lot challenges active:
Off-the-Grid
Simple Living
Wild Foxes
4. Max out the following skills:
Gardening
Handiness
Fishing
Cross stitch
Cooking
Charisma
5. Complete all the Bundles listed below to earn the associated rewards.
6. Do not upgrade your house or buy any of the reward items listed in the Bundle Rewards until you earn them. Do not buy anything not listed as a bundle reward until you reach the fourth house upgrade. Then you may buy other items freely, unless it's a bundle reward item you have not yet unlocked.
7. Keep your farming to the garden patches you have unlocked. Do not intentionally plant extra plants directly in the ground (planting trees are the exception).
8. Max out the friendship bar with the following Sims:
The Pub Owner
The Creature Keeper
Grocery Store Owner
Grocery Store Delivery Person
Agatha Crumplebottom
Agnes Crumplebottom
The Mayor
One other person who lives in HoB
One rabbit, one flock of wild birds, and two foxes.
9. Complete three errands for each of the following people:
The Pub Owner
The Creature Keeper
Grocery Store Owner
Grocery Store Delivery Person
Agatha Crumplebottom
The Mayor
10. Do not get married or have anyone join your household until you complete the marriage requirements listed below (under “Getting Married”). You also essentially need to wait until you unlock the double bed to get married!
The Bundles
The idea behind Bundles (inspired by SV Community Centre Bundles) is to limit the expansion of your life and farm until you’ve gained some farming experience and earned rewards. There are three rules to Bundles:
When you are required to collect items (i.e. crops, frogs, fish, etc.) you must KEEP THEM until you have completed the bundle. Once you have the required items for a bundle, you may then do with them as you wish (including entering them into fairs or giving them as gifts).
You cannot buy any of the items that bundles unlock until you’ve completed the associated bundle.
You must still be able to afford the items that are unlocked by the rewards (i.e. no cheating money to get these items for free).
Frog Bundle
Collect 4 different common frogs, 4 different uncommon frogs, and 1 rare frog
Reward: Unlocks wind turbines (if you don’t have Eco Living, when you finish all three of the Fishing, Frog, and Canning Bundles, turn off the Off-the-Grid challenge instead)
Fishing Bundle
Catch a trout, bass, tilapia, catfish, and a rainbow fish
Reward: Unlocks the dew collector (if you don’t have Eco Living, when you finish all three of the Fishing, Frog, and Canning Bundles, turn off the Off-the-Grid challenge instead)
Canning Bundle
Create the following canned goods. You must use ingredients you grew or collected yourself (no grocery store ingredients except sugar).
mushroom conserve
custard
strawberry jam
raspberry jam
blueberry jam
blackberry jam
mayonnaise
aubergine conserve
watermelon conserve
chocolate syrup
pumpkin conserve
Reward: Unlocks solar panels (if you don’t have Eco Living, when you finish all three of the Fishing, Frog, and Canning Bundles, turn off the Off-the-Grid challenge instead) and the woodworking table
Spring Crops
Harvest and collect the following from your own garden: 20 mushroom, 20 strawberry, 20 green peas (with Seasons expansion only. If you don’t have seasons, do 30 strawberries and 30 mushrooms instead of 20)
Reward: Unlocks one chicken coop (you may buy fences to go with it)
Spring Herbs
Harvest and collect the following from your own garden: 40 parsley
Reward: Unlocks 3 more garden patches
Summer Crops
Harvest and collect the following from your own garden: 20 black beans, 20 tomato, 20 bell peppers (with Seasons expansion only. If you don’t have seasons, do 30 each of the other two crops).
Reward: Unlocks 1 animal pen (you may buy fences to go with it)
Summer Herbs
Harvest and collect the following from your own garden: 40 basil
Reward: Unlocks 3 more garden patches
Fall Crops
the following from your own garden: 20 carrots, 20 grapes, 20 green beans (with Seasons expansion only. If you don’t have seasons, do 30 each of the other two crops).
Reward: Unlocks unlimited chicken coops
Fall Herbs
Harvest and collect the following from your own garden: 40 sage
Reward: Unlocks 3 more patches and you may now add 3 patches to your farm every season for the rest of your life. If you need planter boxes for growing crops in the winter, you may now buy them.
Winter Crops
Harvest and collect the following from your own garden: 30 spinach, 30 potato, and 30 onion
Reward: Unlocks unlimited animal pens
Giant Crops
Harvest and collect a Large sized pumpkin, aubergine, watermelon, and lettuce head.
Reward: Unlocks an outdoor BBQ and you may build a pond on your property with a fishing sign.
Fair Bundle
Win first place at all four of the weekly fairs (Chicken, Garden, Cow, Oversized Crop):
Reward: Every win unlocks one of the four house expansions below.
House Expansions
When you complete the Fair Bundle by winning first place in each of the four fairs, you unlock a house expansion for every win. You must still be able to pay for the house expansion.
Expansion One:
Add a small living room area to the greatroom (keep the bed, kitchen, and living room in one room). Buy couches, end tables, armchairs, etc., if you choose. You may buy decorative plants and fireplaces for the house.
Expansion Two:
Your bedroom is now a separate room and you can have a double bed. Your kitchen can now be made into a separate room from your living room and you may add more chairs to your kitchen table and upgrade kitchen items and appliances if you can afford it. Buy whatever bedroom furniture you want. You may now buy rugs and mirrors.
Expansion Three:
Build a room that can serve as a children’s bedroom and furnish it with children’s furniture. You may buy anything you need to raise a child (like toddler stuff). You may now buy any item that counts as a decoration. You may buy better-quality bathroom items and a tub.
Expansion Four:
Buy whatever you want that isn’t locked as a bundle reward! Build your house as big as you want. You may now turn the Off-the-Grid challenge off if you so choose.
Getting Married:
Before proposing to another Sim you must gift the following items that you grew, made, or collected from the world to your prospective spouse:
1 perfect quality crop (grown by you)
1 perfect quality Large crop (grown by you)
1 perfect quality flower (grown by you)
1 canned Mayonnaise from your own eggs
1 pie cooked by you
1 uncommon collectible
1 rare collectible
1 excellent cross stitch
