Thanks! I'm having fun with it, so far. And with Freetime and Apartment Life, new strategies are opening up to me, which I want to utilize.
I'm using some actual CC (genetics), and a handful of mods that I have really missed. Hopefully, this game won't explode, like my last Windows version did, or the Mac version before that (when I had too many mods, and it decided enough was enough).
As you can see by my founder, I'm not playing strictly vanilla this time. I will admit that I have installed the community-lot-skilling mod, because it just doesn't make sense to me that things you do to gain skill at home don't gain skill anywhere else, and that will affect my strategy. Instead of doing hundreds of outings to earn those skill points as rewards, he'll do it for relationships and money (gifts), but earn his own skills the hard way, only without the limitations of location. If he plays chess at a hotel, he'll earn some logic skill. I got nomorecrumple, because I am terrified of her being bitten by my bite-happy vampire, and destroying the entire game. I got OMSPs and the desk locators, although I doubt they'll have much use for them in an apocalypse shoe-box house. I have some things I consider fixes, like bubble-blowing being an actual social activity, as opposed to sims gaining social mood through the chat, but then leave without having even MET their bubble-partners. I have a few other things that I'll enjoy using in another neighborhood, but no macrotastics, or anything like that. And I'm limiting the special objects, such as Monique's computer to non-apocalypse sims.
Also, I'm giving my founder access to three lots I made myself. One is an improved campground (well, it's a community lot downtown, with tents, and a mirrored lot instead of the Axe Wood Campground in Three Lakes, where he can actually check into the campground), and I have made two safe-houses for him, play-tested by my simself. However, whether this prankster actually manages to befriend the SS members is another question.
I've played through college for several apocalypse challenges (although I haven't posted them), and I have come up with a basic strategy, but I'm going to try something slightly different for Ragnar. Oh, I'll still make college count. I can't stop myself from making college count. But it will be in a different way. None of that changing the aspiration over and over and over until I get the "Max 7 Skills" or "20 Best Friends" or "50 Dream Dates" LTW, and then going on outing after outing after outing until he's perma-plat in his Freshman year. If he gets perma-plat, at all, it will be through a different route. I've never seen it done this particular way, but I haven't read all the posted apocalypse challenges, either. I will say that Freetime changes everything.