How Do I keep the stock objects of a house after moving out the default family ? Hello everyone, this is my first post in the WorldSims community, I'm very happy I found this place, where I can find new friends that like to play the sims 2, like me, and also where I will surely find support for any eventual TS2's doubts that I come up with. Well, I am a pretty advanced PC user, but I'm finding myself against a "jigsaw puzzle" that TS2 presented to me. Here's what's happening. I'm sure someone will laugh at me, hehehe, because this will surely have a simple solution, but that's ok. Two weeks ago, I decided to delete all default families of the game (game= TS2 + all EPs and SPs to this current date). The reason is simply because I don't like their names, specially the last names, and I want to create a more "normal" list of names for my future neighbors, with the help of the excellent "family creator". And so I started, begining with Pleasentview, and I stumbled on the problem I'm having. When I move a family out of the house, the objects are selled, becoming credits for the family's purse, and the stock house is left empty. So I started to, before moving the family out, to load the house with them inside, then to take screenshots of every object in the house selected (so I would record in a picture the object's position and its name too, as well as the color/texture of it), then, after doing this with EVERY SINGLE object, I moved the family out, entered the lot again in buy/construction mode, and replaced everything inside (and out, like the wedding arch in the Goth family's garden for example), then I save and exit, and I was doing this with every house. This was taking too much time. A couple of days after this "copying the decoration game" I was playing, I was getting anxious to go back to play TS2 normally, and I tried some experiences with the default save directory, and one of this experiences worked. I made a backup of the save directory, then loaded the game, moved a family out, replaced something from the backup paste to the current save directory, and, voil... the stock objects of the house where all there, without the default family, and the house was ready for sale with its price updated The problem is that I seem not to remember the trick today, as I was trying to copy the LOTS directory after moving out a family, but the objects are not coming back. :( So, does anyone knows how to do that ? To move out a family but to keep the stock objects owned by that family in the house ? I don't want to take screenshots again hehe. It gets worst for me, as I formated my PC two days ago without saving all the hard work I had in create the save directory with furnitured houses just waiting for a new family. So any help on how to do it will be great. My save directory is currently with 700MB (animals and weather created for the four default neighborhoods, but no university/downtown/businesstown associated with any of the four). Of course I plan to delete the default sims from university, downtown, etc... too, and I also want to keep the stock objects of everyhouse in all locations. Well, thanks everyone, hoping to hear from you soon. Byes !!!
If you start with a "clean" install there is a much simpler way to achieve what you want. To get a clean install just delete your My_Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\ folder then start up the game. New neighborhoods will be made. Then load up the maxis neighborhood you want to play and in the neighborhood screen open the cheat console (Ctrl + Shift + C) and type in: deleteAllCharacters and press enter. OK that's got rid of everyone and the houses should still have all their furnishings. There are some other tricks you can employ if you want to go further. There's a safe and reliable modification you can download that will stop the game making new townies (it doesn't affect the making of 'NPCs', such as the service folks, social bunny, social worker, fire and police etc. The game MUST make new ones of those or it becomes unplayable: eg no-one to drive the car pool or deliever groceries ). Get it here: no townie regeneration: notownieregen.zip (save to disc and unzip it into your Sims 2\Downloads folder) If you don't want that because you don't mind the stock NPCs but don't like their ugly faces, there are face templates available that can be downloaded to replace the default Maxis made ones. You'd be better off searching for those yourself as one persons recommendation may not appeal to another. Try using my search engine (link below) and search for face template replacement Good luck
Hi Mirelly, thanks for your answer. Unfortunately, the "deleteallcharacters" code does not work for this case, and I just retested it as you suggested, but I tried it before, 2 weeks ago. It deletes the furnishings together with the owners. The zip file, I downloaded, but from the readme, it does not seem to be compatible with "seasons". I still hope someone can figure this out. I did... just can't remember how right now. All I remember is that, two weeks ago, I backed up a directory, went into the game, moved the families out, came back to windows, replaced the original directory with the backed up one, and the furnishings were all back. But strangely enough, it is not the "LOTS" from the N00X directories... very strange... or I do not remember which directory is or it is indeed the LOTS one, but maybe this trick works only with the english version of the game ? I was with my "seasons" hacked, by myself, from portuguese_BR to English_UK sometime during the last couple of weeks... Or maybe there's an easier way ? See ya !
Ah, OK. Try this instead. Make a clean install again. Visit each house that is occupied and open cheat console and enter boolProp testingCheatsEnabled true The hold down shift and click on each living sim and choose the option Kill > sub option > Death by flies It's gruesome but it works When they're all dead (The game will pop up a message criticising your playing style and suggesting you do not save before exiting.) SAVE and exit. Then reload in build-mode (F2) and delete all the grave stones. You will still need to deleteallcharacters after performing this surgery to remove the ghosts from the neighborhood files (although I m not utterly certain that will work ) To be honest for this kind of "surgery" you might be better off using an editor such as SimPE (at least to be sure of ridding the neighborhood of redundant ghosts) ... but you mentioned Seasons and SimPE for Seasons has not been released yet. I don't think the game's language affects the files structure. In fact I am sure it doesn't.
thanks, I was thinking about using the code "boolprop", but is it safe ? I read somewhere that it can damage the game somehow. I don't know what it was talking about, glitches or worst. Then, after using it, boolprop codes I mean, how to disable it ? (I mean, is it like "aging on" and "aging off" ?). I was also concerned about the ghosts, not just the "damage" thing I read about, as I'm not sure that deleting gravestones is enough to get rid of ghosts, so really comes the tricky question. Deleting the gravestones is enough to get rid of ghosts ? LOL !!! Thanks Mirelly !!!
Yeah boolprop is safe when used as described. (don't forget to turn it off after) See the FAQs for more info. PS. Oops. Premature post of reply. Turn it off with false instead of true. Like I said the FAQ about it. Deleteallcharacters should remove ghosts. I can't promise that but the ghosts will not manifest if there is no gravestone for them. Even if the ghosts do remain it will not harm your game significantly because there are not that many of them. They certainly will not affect your gameplay by turning up at sims' homes or having babies.
Listen, I was just testing SimPE, and even so it supports just until PETS, it sure solved my neighborhood problem. I didn't had to kill anyone on "pleasentview", and the hood was empty of sims, but the houses were for sale for a higher price, so, bingo !!! But SimPE left my game with a buggy 'hood package, because it still has the data on the deleted families, like relationships, wants and fears, ties, skills, etc... Plus, there's a "default family" in the hood wich I deleted but it seems I should have not done that. So all I did was making the directory of the game become buggy. Or at least with too much unnecessary info. So, can someone please tell me how this surgery would be well executed, and remain with a clean package file ? I want to delete, like I said before, ALL default sims, including not only the hoods, but also the 3 default universities, the dowtown, the business town (OFB), but only the ones of the residential lots, the default ones of community lots that's ok to remain with them... since I also think they will be regenerated anyway. If there's screenshots of SimPE or something regarding how to accomplish this and a guide to what to delete, and what to not... that would be great !!! I will delete my EA GAMES folder now, since it is buggy !!!
Hi again, Jill. I've had a think about this and you shouldn't be using SimPE to hack a Seasons neighborhood. Many new global variables were added to the game and that's why SimPE has to be re-worked for each expansion. Of course, SimPE will still open .package files so that their contents can be inspected and some simple tasks can still be safely done with it, but wholesale neighborhood surgery is not on that list. My original method still holds as the best advice. The ghosts would not be a problem because without gravestones they will not appear anywhere. An alternative method would be to kill everyone off and then use the option when previewing lots in the neighborhood screen to package the lot to a file. When you've packaged them all create a new neighborhood using the terrain that matches the Maxis 'hood you are working on. Then exit from the game and go to the packaged lots folder in EA Games/The Sims 2 and double click each one to install them all to the houses bin. Reload the game and place the houses where they belong, decorate it with trees and so on and you're almost there. The last two jobs are (a) to deleteallcharacters to remove the premade townies that will be created and (b) [I don't know if this will work, but I can't think why it will not] copy the file called N00x_neighborhood.reia from the folder: My Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\Neighborhoods\N00x of the original Maxis 'hood. (It's the file that makes the preview movie for the hood in the start-up screen ... but as far as I know no-one has bothered with opening those .reia files so I have no idea if it'll work. Won't hurt to try though. ) Before you play load and scrubbed-clean neighborhood up you need to be aware that the game will make new townies unless you have a hack to stop. I mentioned that before. Also whatever NPCs (maids, firefighters etc.) the game does make will be normal ugly Maxis sims unless you obtain a set of replacement face templates: Try searching modthesims2.com. Remember faces are controlled by genetics and that is as good as impossible to change after the sim has been made. So if you want less unattractive maids you'll need the face templates before you start. Phew. I must admit that I'm a little puzzled that you not only want to keep the Maxis made houses, but also the furnishings exactly as Maxis played. Are you the sort of person who really enjoys a challenge? I've never been able to play a Maxis made house. Before I've been in there 5 minutes I'm tearing out stupidly placed walls and selling off cheap, horrible furniture. Leave 4 sims in a Maxis made & furnished house for more than 2 sims hours and I can guarantee that you will find them all wedged into the smallest room unable to move and with most of them standing in a puddle of pee. .
hehehe, well it's pure lazzyness really (did I spell lazzyness the right way ?). Anyway, I don't play on the Maxis made houses, it's just that when I used to play TS1 (and I reinstalled it last saturday, complete collection), I just created the neighbors (NPCs) to be friends with my SIM or my SIM Family, but I didn't bother if their houses had furnishings, I just put phones and PCs there, and screw them, hehehe !!! I only worked the house for my SIM. With TS2 I want to do the same, but the MAXIS houses will be only for the neighboors, not for the SIM or SIM Family I'll create for playing . But I do want everybody living in a place with more than a phone and a PC hehehe . Imagine no refrigerator, they'll starve the poor things . The other Maxis' houses which are unfurnished, I'm willing to decorate too, just because of this reason too. I think I'll stick with living in pleasentview with my "play" sim, although riverblossom hills does look nice. I also don't bother looking for new hoods, for example, different downtown for NL. The game mods today are huge, and I do prefer racing game modes to be on my HDs. By the way, SimPE is working great with seasons, I think it works normally with the N001, N002 and N003 without creating any bugs !!! I think I got the software figured out, so, I'll re-create the directory in "my documents", and I'll delete the files by instance, for example, "Mortimer Goth = 0x00000001", in this way, I think, I'll have not only the empty house fully furnished, but I'll also have a clean neighborhood file, without any unecessary info, like "SIMS RELATIONS = Mortimer Goth at XXXXX", because it is pointless to have this in the package, since Goth is going to be gone Oh and by the way, remember I said I hate the default sims, right ? Specially the last names ? The one I hate the most, since TS1, is the Goth family. Now catch this, Goth in english, I think it has a different meaning than what the "last name" in PT-BR has. If your version of the game (english) should have the same "last name" as my version (Portuguese Brazil), then the name of this family would be "The Coffin Family". Bad taste. So I really want to recreate all the hoods with normal names. I hope the guys from Maxis read forum posts, so maybe they can do us a favor when they launch TS3, and NOT MAKE DEFAULT TOWNIES, or at least give us the option to generate them or not in the first run. And of course, houses furnished either way the player chooses . See ya !!! And thanks !!!
Hello everybody, good morning !!! Hi Mirelly !!! I did it, with SimPE. I finally deleted all families from all the four default hoods and their configs from the packages (relationships, wants and fears, etc...), including from riverblossom hills (even with the current SimPE) . Since SimPE is for PETS only, I would like to ask you Mirelly to test my package file, any hood you want, so I can get your expert opinion if the hood is good to go, meaning, it's clean of sims like I wanted, but it will work with all the events the game can offer, including the events, wants&fears, etc..., from seasons. Can I send it to you ? I wish you could test the riverblossom one, since this is maybe the most "damaged" file per say... but I think all hoods are ok. Don't wory, the files are multilingual, for english uk too. But please, don't forget to make a backup of your directory if you're going to help me out with this . Everything is loading normally, all I have to do now is to delete the suburbs packages 1 and 2 for each hood and recreate pets and weather, because I really cleaned the hoods' packages for any info on the default sims, but as a side effect I think I'll not have animals lurking the hoods (I think, can't be sure 'cause I did not tested it). Anyway that's easy to solve, just deleteing the suburbs and let the software recreate again, and then the info will go inside the major package file too (I tested it already, so I know it will work). Now I still have a long way to go... university, nightlife and business... 3 universitys per hood + 1 downtown per hood + 1 business town per hood, I still have 15 "hoods" to cleanse with SimPE :(. But I'll get there . Then there will be all the furnishing jog of the houses which have none, and some redecorations of the ones that are ready, like, adding a PC to the ones that don't have one, and making the ex-graveyards something nicer, like a playground for kids . All the four hoods have just 3 families listed, and they are "Goopy", "Family Info" and "Default", so I really cleaned with SimPE. Then I entered the game and "deleteallcharacters" on all hoods, so the package files are a lot smaller than their default size . Then back to SimPE again, cleaned everything else (wants and fears, textfiles, etc...), and then another load in-game for each hood to reach to the last file size for each package (the size is one after you close SimPE and changes when you reload the hood in-game) . Well, that's it for now !!! Mirelly, if you want to do me the testing favor, please send me a e-mail, 'cause I'll have to have your address. I don't know if the forum e-mail page accepts attachments !!! See ya !!!
Ok, I figured everything I needed by myself already during yesterday and this morning (my local time). Already tested to find problems, like "maid not showing", etc..., and the game is fine. Thanks.
Somehow you lost me on the way... since you're using SimPE anyways to delete unwanted Sims just to recreate them later becauso of their stoopid names Why don't you simply rename them in SimPE ?? -le
