Deleting dishes, homework, bills, the newspaper etc

[Motoki]

I'm able to place dishes, homework, bills or the newspaper on a table, turn on moveobjects and and then delete the table with those items on it. Have I completely lost it or wasn't this something we were unable to do previously? Did Nightlife change this?

[Sagana]

Hm, I'm pretty sure I get a message to the effect of: "You can't delete something with something else on or in it" - but maybe that's just with moveobjects off? My husband is hogging the computer right now, so I can't check

[nikita]

Yeah, with moveObjects on, you can delete objects with items on them.  I think it's always been that way.  The problem is that you only get reimbursed for the one item and not also whatever is on it.  Certain items like dishes, bills and the paper, you can delete without having to place on a table if you have moveObjects on.  I'm not sure about homework.  I have the homework sometimes mod so I don't really mind it so much anymore.

[Hook]

Buying a cheap table, putting homework on it, then deleting the table has always been the tool of choice for getting rid of homework without having to actually do it.  I've never done this, as my Sim kids usually spin up a want to do homework some time before leaving for school the next day.  I just have them do the homework to 90%, then wait for the want.

I never used it for other undeletable objects.

Hook

[nectere]

I have always been able to do this with moveobjects on, since the base game. It also works for any counter with an item on it or in it, side tables etc.

[Motoki]

Oh okay then I guess it was always around. I've used the newspaper trick (turn on moveobjects and put something on top of the newspaper then recycle it) before but I only just found this out. I don't like to cheat but it's useful for some things letting getting rid of homework for a sim who's already aged or is no long on the lot or when I want to copy or package furnished, lived in houses and want to get rid of the dishes.  Otherwise, I try not to do stuff like that if I can help it.

[themaltesebippy]

Is there something with cans because I downloaded a dirty lot and was able to remove the dishes as described above but cans I couldn't pick up with moveobjects on.

[Motoki]

Hmm, I'm generally able to pick up those cans, though getting the cursor placement just right can be a pain.

[U_Dog_U]

Is there something with cans because I downloaded a dirty lot and was able to remove the dishes as described above but cans I couldn't pick up with moveobjects on.

You might have to turn testingcheats (boolProp) on and force error on them.

[ZephyrZodiac]

Or move a neat sim into the lot, get them to clean everything up, then put the staythings shrub on the lot and move them back out!  Of course, would only work if they could afford the house.

[themaltesebippy]

^ Yeah I would normally do that but my neighborhood is empty and I don't want to add my characters untill I am 100% sure about what skins and eyes I am going to keep.  Should be soon though.  I have messed around with it long enough.  Will try the force error sometime.

[ZephyrZodiac]

Trouble is, if you get rid of some of your genetics etc., then you're bound to wish you hadn't. 

[Motoki]

A lot of those genetics are overrated bloated files that change one or two ages or genders and the rest are Maxis duplicates. And then there are skin files just to give babies a shirt that waste all that space duplicating the rest of the Maxis ones.  Skin files tend to be by far the largest size custom files and can really slow your load time down signifigantly if you have a lot. They also don't work as well as Maxis genetics do with the in between combinations unless you get ones that replace the Maxis ones.

Most of the skins out there seem to like the moist wet uber pushup look too. 

[Regina]

Not to derail from the original topic, but since it was turning to genetics anyway.... 

I was going through BodyShop last night and this morning and honestly, it always amazes me how much of that stuff ends up in my game that when I go through and take a good look I have 10 sets of Pink Lipstick #10 (well, not really, but the shades are so similar it's ridiculous), two or three full body skins that make my sims look like they just stepped out of a sauna or steam bath *shudders*.  I do use CleanInstaller, which definitely helps cut down what I put into my game but quite a few things I want to at least look at and see if I really need them.  So pruning just hasta be done sometimes.

When TS2 first came out I downloaded several sets of custom eyes, one set in particular because they were a beautiful pale blue, just like my hubby's eyes.  I even made a sim with them and he looked awesome.  Then he married a dark-skinned woman and their kids had dark skin and those blue eyes and it's just freakish!  Since then, very few custom eyes get put into my game.

[ZephyrZodiac]

I tend to just get rid of them in game if they look really bad.  Just unfortunate you can only do it in CAS and not at the mall!

[themaltesebippy]

I got rid of alot of crap.  Went from 100 skins to about 25.  Eyes I had the most trouble with ditching, but got rid of about 100.  I use Clean Installer to prevent getting extra unwanted eyes, makeup, skins.  I couldn't believe how many skins looked freakish on certain ages or opposite sexes.  Also was more than happy to get rid of clothes that don't go with my theme.  Taking out the trash!!  Haven't regretted getting rid of anything.  I did almost all cleaning up in BodyShop and a few with Clean Installer.

[Motoki]

Damn MB, how many eyes do you have if you got rid of 100 and that wasn't even all of them? 

I actually found one set of eyes I really liked and made them Maxis replacements, then I also made another variant set as contact lenses. Recently, I made alien, my own red vamp and alien red vamp contacts too but that's pretty much it.

I agree with you about those skins, a lot of them do make the opposite genders look freakish, particuarly most make them men look overly made up and scary. Like most other sims downloads, it seems like most skins are geared toward females.

[Zeljka]

I had a real problem with eyes too, trying to get natural looking colours that looked good on a variety of Sims was harder than it should have been. I think I'm down to about 40 or 50 (still looking for a good green) Unfortunately, it seems the best looking eyes often have shading around the corner so they look awful unless the Sim is staring straight ahead. I've deleted hundreds.

Stupidly, I continue to test new eyes and skins on Sims that I breed wildly, then delete said eyes and skin when I get fed up and have odd Sims with weird cloudy eyes and the least appropriate Maxis skin colour imaginable. Custom skins are really hard, I think I need one of each gender and age group to walk around naked for a couple Sim days so I can see how they really look. Particularly hate those with the visible change from body to head, though I did have one where their teeth were red (think gums only) for anything under teen and another where the inside of the mouth is gold !?

I've tried the Surgery to replace eyes only, but it doesn't seem to work, and choosing Skin only gave one of my Sims a green head (but not body) She's pretty funny, so I made her a townie.

[Motoki]

Unfortunately, it seems the best looking eyes often have shading around the corner so they look awful unless the Sim is staring straight ahead. I've deleted hundreds.

Yes I know and it really irritates me.  It looks terrible when you see them in cinema scenes too. I've been meaning to see if I can go back and try and fix them in photoshop myself without ruining them or making it look too noticeable that they have been edited, I just haven't gotten around to it. There's a reason Maxis didn't put a border around there eye textures. 

As for changing eye colors, if I find a new eye color I like I just make a contact lense from it. I take an existing contact lense, use it as a base to create a new on in the bodyshop, then get the image file for the new genetic eyecolor I like, copy it over the new contact image and reimport it back to the game. It works out pretty well and no messing with SimPE to change their eye color. Just watch if you have NL that you don't give anyone full face makeup as a turn off because contacts count as full face makeup.

[ZephyrZodiac]

I have a lot of Hairfish's eyes from Mermaid cove, and there are some really good green eyes amongst hers. 

I also love Starrat's cats' eyes from The Sims' Zone (UK). especially with the blue elf-skin!