Game guide:Playing The Sims 4 without Motherlode

Since the first installment of The Sims in 2000, players have always been encouraged to modify aspects of the game to suit the kind of experience they want. Some players create mods that can be used in Create a Sim. Players also experiment with testing cheats, to give Sims skills and unlock special items without putting in so many hours of play. The motherlode cheat increases the amount of simoleons in the household by §50,000.

However, not all players enjoy using cheats. Some prefer to "earn" their money by sending their Sim to work or selling objects they have created. This guide will help gamers that want to try and navigate the Sim world without using the motherlode cheat in The Sims 4.

Housing
When a Sim is created, they’re given a budget of §20,000 to purchase a piece of property on one of several worlds. For each additional Sim in the household, an extra §2,000 is added. There are several options available to players when deciding where to live. This includes renting, purchasing a cheap pre-built home or purchasing a blank lot and building a house from scratch.

Renting
The Sims 4: City Living introduced apartments as residential lots. Renting an apartment costs less money up front, and won’t cost much to maintain or upgrade. There are several cheap apartments to choose from in San Myshuno, listed in the table below. The upkeep for apartments is almost non-existent, and their layouts provide players with the opportunity to customize the interior. However, apartments can only be cosmetically altered, meaning that changes are limited to the floors, walls and objects in build mode. Windows, the front door and hallways cannot be changed.

The low rent of cheap apartments will give leave players with more money after the initial $20,000 is spent on the deposit of the apartment, compared to purchasing a home. The Sim should be able to maintain a balance of about four to five thousand simoleons, provided that they don’t take many vacations, or make too many large purchases at once. The only thing that might disrupt the Sim’s budget is the replacement of a large household item that breaks. Try to have the Sim repair the item to avoid spending money on replacing the object or hiring a repairman.


 * Cheapest Apartments

Purchasing a Pre-Built House
There are cheap residential properties that are available to purchase on almost all of the Sim worlds. Residential properties that cost less than §20,000 are listed in the table below. Advantages of purchasing a house that has already been built include saving time at the beginning of the game, the ability to style the interior and exterior of the building and the ability to expand the house when money is available. Disadvantages include not being able to structurally and creatively design a house from scratch, something that a lot of players enjoy.

It is important to remember that bills fluctuate based on how expensive everything is on the lot. This means that pools, hot tubs, and other luxurious items can increase the household's bills and eat away at leftover money. Players can keep costs low by using the existing furniture that comes with the house, and only purchasing expensive items when sufficient funds will be left over to cover bills. Moreover, gamers can wait to make big purchases until the Rebate Day holiday happens. Rebate Day is a random holiday that can appear in a Sim's calendar, which provides a 10% rebate on the price of items that cost §500 or more. Players who opt to build a house will have to keep everything modest, and add onto it as the Sim earns money.


 * Cheapest Pre-Built Houses

Purchasing a Blank Lot
There are blank lots featured in every world in The Sims 4. These allow players to build their house from scratch with complete creative freedom. The Newcrest neighborhood may be the best place to start, as it contains several inexpensive blank lots, leaving players with enough money to build a house. The advantages of purchasing a blank lot include building a house from scratch, and being able to design a house that can easily be expanded and modified when required (eg. adding another bedroom or building a second floor). The disadvantages include the time it may take to build the house, running out of money before it is finished and not leaving enough money at the end to cover the first bill.

Making Money
Once the Sim is settled in, and the property is customized to suit their style, they should get a job. The Tech Guru career path is a good option, as it is one of the highest paying jobs per hour. Moreover, Sims will have more fun advancing through this career path than the others because they have to play video games in order to get promoted in the early stages of this career. It’s an added bonus if gamers create Sims with the genius and geek traits, so that once the Sim has to begin programming, they won’t get bored or tired. Sims that reach a certain level in the programming skill will be able to create viruses, and hack into the Landgraab trust to make extra money.

Creative Sims can make extra money painting while they pursue a career in the Arts, and Writers can make extra money self-publishing their own books. These are skills that can be monetized whether or not the Sim is employed with the associated career path that will help them build these skills. Therefore, a Sim could be employed in the Tech Guru career path, and sell paintings to the gallery for two sources of income. Diversifying their income will enable them to build up their bank account, and pay for their housing costs.

Overall Gameplay
The money cheats aren’t necessary to keep a Sim from living in poverty, but they do make for a better experience. Gamers may come to realize that they won’t be able to purchase a lot of items, or take vacations in San Salvador. At best Sims will be able to hang out in various commercial spaces, and interact with various NPCs, or other Sims that the gamer created. Consequently this makes the gameplay very mundane, and repetitive. Therefore it can be concluded that money cheats do more than just provide Sims with extra spending money during gameplay. Money cheats enable gamers to fully shape their experience in the Sim world. Without them players won’t be able to engage with the game’s full potential.