Island of the Midnight Sun
The Midnight Sun Challenge is a gameplay challenge that was originally for the Sims 3. In the challenge, you play a single sim who lives alone on a remote and uninhabited. This is my take on the format - adapted to the Sims 2 and my own playstyle!
On this page, you can read my own attempt at the challenge, a story told without words - just pictures! You can also read about the ruleset if you're interested in trying out the challenge for yourself.
Generation 1
Robin Selkirk, a self-reliant loner, washes up on a mysterious island.
Challenge Rules
You don’t remember much of what happened but the cruise ship sank, your lifeboat broke, and you ended up here. What a lucky life, don’t you think?
The Isle of the Midnight Sun Challenge - Adapted for TS2! Heavily inspired by Island of the Midnight Sun - Redux, by softerhazefor the Sims 4.
First, create an island neighbourhood and decorate however you like! I like to place a few lots down too before removing all of the roads using mootilda’s Hood Replace.
Some resources:
- I am using Sunset Island from MTS HERE
- Keoni has a lovely island made specifically for the challenge HERE
- Vimpse has a great tutorial on building flat beach lots, HERE
Now, create your founder! You can make them however you like,but I highly reccommend making your starting sim on the shy side, since they’ll cope better with the isolation. Move them into an empty lot & you’re ready to start playing!
Generation 1 - The Drifter
This is the most restrictive generation. All sims must be banned with the Visitor Controller so that the sim lives in total isolation. To begin with, the sim will not have any real home or shelter, sleeping in hammocks, doing their business outside, the works. Use of CC at this stage is greatly encouraged, I reccommend especially the Castaway conversion pack.
The sim can survive on fishing, digging up treasure, and/or maybe using hunter/gatherer themed mods. Definitely no farming at this stage. They’re allowed to sell objects, to simulate gathering building resources!
Once they’ve ammassed enough money/resources they can build a fishing dock, and later a small house. This home should be no taller than one floor, and have a small footprint (about 10x10 minimum!) Even when the house is built, try to keep technology limited and that Castaway feel intact.
Eventually, a spouce can be introduced! I’ve come up with a few potential options for this:
- Another castaway who washes up on the island! Requirement: a storm takes place, and something on the island is struck by lightning
- Your sim fishes up a curious mermaid! Requirement: your sim obtains a gold fishing badge
- Your island is raided by a marauding pirate! Requirement: find buried treasure
- Your sim remains in isolation, but meets aliens one night while stargazing! Requirement: alien abduction
There’s nothing to stop you using these options in later generations, either, if you want to spice things up!
Generation 2 - The Builder
This generation begins when your heir reaches adulthood. Your sim is curious about the outside world and sets off on a voyage of discovery! You may add one vacation destination to the neighbourhood, either Maxis or a custom one. Sims can travel there whenever they like, and hunt for friends & spouces.
This generation also unlocks building larger lots - they can now be 2 floors & higher! Plus, you can move sims out of the starter home and into new lots on the island. Whether you keep the heir in the “legacy home” or move them into a new lot is up to you.
Generation 3 - The Farmer
You may now add a second vacation destination to the neighbourhood. Sims can visit both this and the previous one.
This generation also unlocks agriculture! They can now farm to their heart’s content and really live off the land.
Generation 4 - The Innovator
You may now add a third vacation destination to the neighbourhood. Sims can visit any of the three whenever they like. Since they’re going furthur afield, I’ll probably use hood deco to add a little landing strip & aeroplane to the island.
This generation also unlocks technology! They previously might have scavanged a little here and there but now they have full access to TVs, computers, radio, internet, whatever they like. I’ll probably give the lots a much more “modern” feel, with solar pannels, wind turbines & the like.
Generation 5 - The Future
The heir goes to college! After they graduate, they may either choose to remain on the island, or settle down someplace entirely new. You can consider the challenge complete, at any rate. Congratulations!
