The Family Tree Expansion and Update

Note: There has been a great deal of confusion on the part of the players with respect to the family tree Expansion Content and the Content that is associated with the Life dreams & Legacy Mission Lines - we know this because that confusion is clearly present in the urgent email based requests for guidance and assistance as well as information...

To be clear: The Mission line and content of the family tree Expansion has NOTHING to do with the Life dreams & Legacy Content! Those are two distinctly separate and exclusive Mission lines and expansion content mates...

On other words the one has nothing to do with the other save for the fact that they each reference the now well-defined life span periods of your Sim in terms of generations. These are important issues that you should bear in mind as you play - and you should very much make every effort to keep the two Mission Lines completely separate in your mind as you play!

The massive type and colour red should clue you in that something important is taking place...

The Sims: FreePlay has always been an aggressive title in terms of expanded content and updated Game Play, with a special emphasis upon the very essence of being a Sim. At first that seemed to be a restricted role, since your Sims arrived fully grown adults in the world of FreePlay, but that soon changed.

First to signal change was the arrival of the Stork -- and hand-crafted baby furnishings quite necessary to the raising of a new Sim... The path soon widened to encompass infants, toddlers, Children, and teens, and now it has come full-circle extending past Adults to finally include the full evolution up to and including the elders in our Sim Towns.

This newest expansion* to the world of FreePlay now includes everything from baby to grandparent and all that passes in between. And when we say ALL we mean ALL.

Perhaps the most effective means of introducing this newest expansion is to present the official patch notes for Version 5.2.1 for iOS:

It's time to complete the family tree from babbling Babies to seasoned Seniors! Live life to the fullest every step of the way!

All Grown Up: By popular demand, Age your Teens into Adults by completing the "Adulthood" Quest at Level 19 and higher;

Meet the Grandparents: Grab your woolly cardigan and welcome Senior Sims into the family by completing the "Seniors" Quest at Level 21 and higher;

Needle and Thread: Master the art of patch working with the all-new Quilting Hobby and spoil the grandkids with an adorable handmade Teddy bear -- available at Level 23 and higher from 5 February;

Relax in Retirement: Make some new feathered friends and take up the new Bird Feeding Hobby to unlock your very own Pet Bird -- available at Level 25 and higher from 19 February;

Bingo Hall: Mosey on over with your friends for a nd of lucky numbers and win the big Simoleon jackpot;

Do It Yourself: Renovate brand new house templates into your dream estate;

Cash In Your Pension: Live in style with all new decor for your grand old Sim;

Get the whole family together in The Sims: FreePlay as you experience for the very first time the process of birth through Death the way that it was always intended... Bittersweet but complete.

Since the very start of FreePlay what it meant has always been the joy of experiencing the life of your living Sims, each with its own Personality, its likes,m its wants, and its dreams.

Attaining the full measure of that process was difficult but eventually - finally - we reached a point in which it was all possible.

First in the creation of the most basic group of all, that being the family -- then slowly as the gravity of this newest take on what can only be considered "Community Simming" finally took hold, the addiction spread from family to the formation of a village.

The identity that formed within the village was scarcely felt and understood before that village expanded in very personal ways and Careers were complimented first by Hobbies and then before we realized what had happened, both the Careers and the Hobbies had somehow become weaponized in the form of friendly competition that focused around the Competition Center and its daily challenge.

Suddenly our Sims sought more than simply a promotion at work -- they strove to be the best that they could be at whatever their skill was!

A craft or a pursuit for which they felt a keen and powerful attraction became their own source of pride and a focal point through which their dedicated effort and hard work could pay-off in the form of mastery won over.

All of this was taking place while the Wizards who created the game and continue to do so are now in the process of building into it a measure of realism via the TSFP that openly shares its own excited plans for the future -- a future that was to include the experience that spans from that very first delicate breath to the very last fighting gasp!

New Hobbies, an expanded world, and a Mission-and-Quest-based story mode intended to include the full living experience that is part-and-parcel the foundation for a game that has become unique in the series.

Now that this major milestone has been reached it means that the advanced aims of the development team can finally move ever closer to reality because while The Sims will always be EA's flagship series, in the hands of FireMonkey it has come to be more - much more - than anyone imagined it could be!

This is going to get very complicated very quickly and I apologize if it leads to confusion or makes you unhappy, as that is honestly not our goal or our intention...

Remember that there are Consequences to completing these Quests -- you will find them in the new Quest Bar at the top of the expanded Quest Bars in the bottom-left corner of the screen... We try to offer you as in-depth a measure of guidance as possible right up to and at the very brink of the Point of No-Return, but ultimately the choice is yours.

So let's get started shall we? Oh and note that we are not actually detailing this in the order that it happened in terms of the upgrades to the game - but in the logical order that makes sense to the player now (it really does not matter what order all of these additions happened in since they are all now here after all)...

The New Era Adjusted Life Stages

What was previously a never-ending adventure in which we enjoyed a plethora of Activities with adequate time so that any Sim could experience every Event, skill, action, and task at their leisure has now become a life simulation that requires the player to carefully plan out the precise path that the Sim takes because there is no longer adequate time for that Sim to fully embrace even the small number of tasks, activities, and pursuits that are available to it...

Here is the essential bigness of your Sims, from soup-to-nuts:

• Babies Are Born -- Infant -- 24 Hours**

• Children Waddle -- Toddlers -- 72 Hours

• They Learn to Argue -- Preteen -- 120 Hours

• They Learn to Lie -- Teenagers -- 168 Hours

• They discover Credit Cards -- Adults -- 432 Hours

• They like Whipped Cream on their Pie -- Seniors -- 240 Hours

The Conclusions for this form of Quest - not the least of which

I. The Ability for Teenagers to Grow into Adult Sims

The first of the pair of Quest Lines for this Mission which, upon its completion, unlocks the ability for your Teens to transition from Teenager into the Adult format.

1. Send a Sim to the Park (Instant)

   Simply send a Sim to the Park to complete this and begin the Adulthood Quest!

2. Rearrange Chess Board. (30m)

   Have your Sim in the Park use the Chessboard to complete the Rearrange Chessboard Task.

3. Hide in the Park Toilet (4h)

   Tapping on the Park Toilet gives the new option to hide there...

4. Bring a second Sim to the Park (Instant)

   Just as it sounds, bring a second Sim to the Park so you can continue the Quest while the first is hiding!

5. Continue Playing Chess (5h)

   Tap one of the chess boards and select the Continue Playing option...

6. Ridicule another Sim (90m)

   Be an idea to do this with two Sims that already do not like each other, just saying...

7. Stare vacantly into the Park Fountain (24h)

   Huh, I'd do that anyway, Quest or not...

8. Dance to Electronica in the Park (5h)

   I suppose since it is a public space this is ok but not on the bus... They will hurt you on the bus!

9. Have 3 Sims in the Park (Instant)

   A threesome? Really? Well, OK...

10. Complain to a Sim (1m)

    Yeah that's the way to get this started - complaining.

11. Mock another Sim (90m)

    Hey from complaining to mocking -- this is the fast lane to anger management.

12. Grill Em All on the BBQ (8h)

    You are already at the Park so just head over to one of the public Grills and select the Task Grill 'Em All to fulfill this Task.

13. Call a Sim to the Swim Centre (Instant)

    If you have a Sim already at the Centre and working the Hobby this will automatically complete.

14. Use the Slide (20s)

    Works best with a teen in our opinion...

15. Drink an Energy Drink at the Swim Centre (30m)

    That should go down very well.

16. Ridicule the Trophy Case (24h)

    Not sure that this is a good thing - after all trophies are how we keep score, right?

17. Send a Sim Home (Instant)

    Perhaps it is time to send the sim home to restore their Stats anyway?

18. Watch the News (4m)

    A well-informed Sim is a happy Sim!

19. Confess to a Sim (70m)

    We're sure that there is something that a teen Sim has done that warrants confessing to an adult... Right?

20. Clean up Trash(16h)

    This step requires that your Sim (or Sims) head to the Park and clean up the trash there! There are actually four tipped trash cans in total, and it is not clear if just doing one of them will satisfy this so to be on the safe side we sent four civic-minded Sims to the Park to do them at the same time.

21. Have 5 Sims Dance to a Park Stereo (Instant & 5h)

    This last task is both Instant and will take 5 hours. That is to say that once you add the fifth Sim the overall Mission completes, but the Sims you committed to the task have 5 hours to complete it unless you cancel it.

    If you finished this series before the timer ran out, you will have received a Teen Clothing Pack - if not, you will still get an Adult Clothing Pack.

    Completing this Mission gives your Sims the ability to evolve from Teen to Adult (using the Birthday Cake Object).

II. The Ability for Adult Sims to Grow into Senior Sims

The second of the pair of Quest Lines for this Mission which, upon its completion, unlocks the ability for your Adult Sims to transition from Adult into the Senior Sims format.

1. Send a Sim to the Swimming Centre (Instant)

   If you have a Sim at the Centre already working on their Diving this will automatically complete. Otherwise summoning a Sim here will complete it.

2. Feed the Pigeons (2s)

   Ordinarily this task would be done by a Senior but you don't have one... When you use an Adult Sim it will give you an error and then complete.

3. Investigate Pigeons (7m)

   Since the Age error was noticed by the game, it is time to investigate the pigeons to see why this is happening...

4. Wait for a Senior on a Park Bench (3m 20s)

   Head to the Park and tap on a bench to select the Task Wait for Senior.... Someone has been feeding those flying rats and you are going to find out who!

5. Investigate The Door in the Park (10s)

   A very futuristic door has appeared in the Park - go check it out!

6. Welcome Senior Sim (5s)

   Whoa! Not only did an ancient Sim come through but it is you!

7. Talk to a senior (1m)

   Use the Be Nice action on your future self in order to learn the message that they have for you....

8. Stand on the X (4s)

   The Warning you gave you was not a warning - it was a prank!

9. Complain to a Senior (1m)

   Well don't just stand there, go tell you how annoyed you are!

10. Warn Simanity on a Soap Box (24h)

    You tell you about your regrets, and ask you to do things different, then you warn you about a disaster - an unlikely disaster that you accept nevertheless! Hit that box baby!

11. Complain to a senior (1m)

    Now that you have figured out just how raw this deal was, head over to your future self and complain!

12. Be nice to future-self (1m)

    Right, so they explained their thinking and now you need to be nice to them... So hey, Be Nice!

13. Search garbage for cupcake (15m)

    The search for the Cupcake requires you to head home and kick over your Trash Can, then search it... Well? What are you waiting for?!

14. Search another trash can for the cupcake (30m)

    Well it was not in your can - so head to a Neighbors and check theirs!

15. Dispose of cupcake (25s)

    Now that you have finally found the evil item, it is time to deal with it. Once you have managed that do your neighbor a hand and go ahead and clean up the mess you have made with their trash, right?

16. Send present-self to the Park (Almost Instant)

    You send your present self back to the Park just to arrive in time to be hit by lightning - again?! Sheesh!

17. Be nice to future-self (1m)

    Well what the heck - head over to your future self and Be Nice to them - and tell them you have disposed of the evil cupcake.

18. Dance with future-self (10s)

    Celebration time! No huge gull thingy! Yay!

19. Be nice to future-self (1m)

    With that mischief managed you can now Be Nice again to your future self in order to talk with them about the various things that they want you to do different this time.

20. Visit The Snow Park (Instant)

    All that Gardening and no Ice Skating made your future self a dull boy/girl - so hey why not do some Ice Skating?

21. Go ice skating (12h)

    When you are at the rink, tap it and select "Devoted Dance" and get that done! Note: If the Sim you chose for this is not the one that does the Ice Skating Hobby, selecting them will pop the Warning that starting them on this hobby WILL cancel their old one and start this one... The thing is you CAN use one of your Sims that already DOES this hobby to complete this step - it does not HAVE to be the one you are doing the Quest with!

    So either way, get this Task done.

22. Snowball fight at Snow Park (2h)

    After the skating you will be prompted to start a Snowball Fight - to do this you WILL need another Sim! Well obviously you will, it takes TWO to have a Snowball Fight after all! So pick another of your Sims to join in and get that battle fought!

23. Talk to the senior (1m)

    With those alternate recreational plans completed, head back to the Park and Be Nice (and talk to) your future self again...

24. Build the Bingo Hall on the island

    It seems that your community really needs some new things for the Seniors that are soon to be living there can do for recreation - and a new Bingo Hall is just the ticket! So head over the bridge to the island and find the Bingo Hall site, and then commit some serious money and time to this project!

    To build the Bingo Hall you will need to spend $100K and 36 Hours in its construction -- and you need a minimum Population of nine Sims to do it. This new building and activity will add $150K to the value of your town.

    Something you should bear in mind - you will want to get to this project as fast as you can - so spending some LP to complete the shorter tasks like the Skating is a good idea, since between the 36 hours of this building and the 24 hours of the Fishing Event you will be hard pressed to complete this Mission Series in the time allotted for to win the special exercise bike otherwise. Just saying.

25. Partake in a 24hour Fishathon (24h)

    This part of the Mission can be done by your designated Fisherman (whoever has the Hobby already) and does not actually have to be done by the Sim you chose to meet their future self.

26. Complain to future-self (1m)

    Use the Complain action to let your future self know how you feel.

27. Get 5 Sims together in a house (Instant)

    You need to socialize more! Seriously!

28. Woohoo with a Sim (5m)

    Bearing in mind that you do not actually have to use the Sim who is dealing with their future self for this, you can just choose a married couple since they already have the WooHoo action available, and have them do the WooHoo action.

29. Be nice to future-self (1m)

    Well this is it! Head back to the Park and do the Be Nice action to your future self, which while making them friendlier towards you also completes this Mission. If you did this within the limited time available, you will also unlock the special exercise bike, which you should probably place in the house of one of the Sims you intend to advance to the Senior level (but not the one for the continuance that will die).

If you complete this Quest Line in under 3 days you will unlock a special exercise cycle for Seniors that can be purchased in the Home Store.

In addition to unlocking the ability to evolve your Adults into Seniors, you will also unlock the next Mission for this series - Bird Feeding - which will require you to create at least one Senior in order to proceed.

Key to Notes and Markers

* Note that the use of the phrase "expansion" is meant to reflect a very precise and well-defined process that covers an entire Sim Life and nothing more!

** These numbers are REAL-WORLD HOURS. That is to say that a database is maintained that maintains an accurate count of the hours, minutes, and the seconds that are blocked off by the various actions and tasks in order to tick-off the elapsed time that is allocated to the specific timers for each of the life stages for that Sim. There is no arguing with the three faces and aspects of Fate:

Clotho: From the very Void of Chaos itself the demigoddess known to mortal Sim as “Clotho” takes on the form of a painfully beautiful young woman of just 15 years in Age. Clotho reaches into the Void of Chaos and draws out of it a neatly looped skein of the finest silk, and then she begins to turn the wheel, spinning the silk into a fine thread that is the very foundation of what will become the Tapestry of Life upon which the entire life story for every individual Sim can be read if the reader only knows how..

Lachesis: With a carefree but highly focused art the beautiful middle-aged woman who exudes the very essence of motherhood takes the finely spun silk threads and, using an ancient rule and stretching tools identifies each segment of thread, matching it to the individual Sim for whom it represents their life. With the thread now properly measured, she holds it out for the next phase of its crafting...

Atropos: The ancient hag reaches out and takes the measured lengths of fine silk thread from the hands of Lachesis and, with her razor-sharp shears she cuts each individual thread, having defined its length, and then with a skill unmatched begins the complicated process of weaving that individual thread into the Tapestry of Life, Time, and Existence.