Crafting is a huge part of The Sims 2: Castaway, and there are hundreds of different plans that you can unlock. With crafting, you can make your own tools, build your own shelters, make your own clothes, create furniture and furnishings, and make special objects such as dye for clothes or modes of transport to allow you to travel to new islands.
To start crafting, open up the pause menu and select the Plans option. The screen will bring up all the crafting plans organized by type (Clothing, Shelters, Tools, etc.).
The Clothing category is further separated into more categories, such as Tops and Shoes and Hats.
Some crafted items can be placed straight from the Plans menu, while other objects, such as clothes and tools, must be constructed at crafting tables. There are a few crafting tables available. To start with, you have the driftwood crafting table, which can be put together by placing a piece of driftwood across two rocks on First Beach and Shipwreck Lagoon. You can only craft basic items at this table. Later, you can build the bamboo crafting table, which allows you to craft more items, and then later you get to build the hardwood crafting table, which allows you to create even more items. There's also the old forge that you can find at the temple on Volcano Island. After repairing it (in which you need a high Mechanical Skill to do), you can craft glass and metal tools.
When building shelters, when you place them on the ground from the Plans menu, they do not come pre-built; you have to build the shelter yourself, which takes time and drains Energy. After placing a shelter, exit the menu back to the game, go up to the shelter, and select Build. Your Sim will begin assembling their new shelter. You can cancel the action anytime, and it will automatically cancel out when your Sims' needs get too low. You can continue building your shelter later. If you have other Sims in your tribe, they will autonomously help build the shelter. This is very useful if your Sim's needs drop too low or if it's a big construction project such as a mansion, which are big and time-consuming to build, as well as energy-consuming.
In order to craft an item, you have to meet certain requirements. If you don't meet the requirements, that requirement will have a red box. You cannot craft an item if you don't meet all the requirements. For basic crafts, you just need to make sure you have the right quantity of resources. For more complex items though, you may need to have a certain skill level or own a certain tool. With items such as the raft and bridge, you can only construct them at their designated building points.
When you look at crafting items in the menu, you'll also see if it fulfills any needs.
Crafted tools will appear in your Sim's Inventory for them to start using straight away. You can only craft a tool once, except for the chicken and fish traps, as well as the torch. If you craft a tool that is of better quality to another tool, your Sim will automatically use the better-quality tool. For example, if you have the shell axe and the metal axe, your Sim will use the metal axe.
Clothes that you craft can be changed into in Create a Sim, which can be accessed in the pause menu.
With certain items, mainly those in the Leisure category, they must be placed against a wall. If they cannot be placed, the item will be red until you find somewhere where it can be placed.
Crafting items can improve a Sim's Skill levels. For example, building shelters and making tools improves the Mechanical Skill. Creating clothes improves the Creativity Skill.
At the start of the game, you only have access to basic clothing, tools and shelters, but as you progress, you'll unlock more advanced plans. Plans can be unlocked by entering a new area, completing goals, unlocking new Needs, crafting certain items, and harvesting a resource for the first time.
Crafting is an important component in The Sims 2: Castaway. You can get better tools, create your own home on the islands, and create your own clothes. Also, crafting improves skills such as Mechanical and Creativity, which you'll need to increase if you want to craft better items. Crafting benches can be placed anywhere and you can place as many as you like (except for the driftwood bench).