Dorm Billing Fix

[J. M. Pescado]

Fixes the divide-by-zero error that occurs on dorm lots when bills are delivered. Problem discovered as of NL, but the code is the same as pre-NL, so bug exists pre-NL, except it never occurs because pre-NL, dorms did not receive bills.


dormbillfix.zip

Dorm Bill Fix for TS2U v1.0 - TS2NL v1.0p1
Made by: Flying Fish Systems (J. M. Pescado)

Congratulations to: Draklixa!

INSTRUCTIONS:
Place in your MYDOCU~1\EAGAME~1\THESIM~1\DOWNLO~1 directory.

FEATURES:
Fixes a divide-by-zero that occurs if there are no dorm doors on a dorm lot.

COMPATIBILITY:
Compatible with all FFS hacks. Tested for all versions up to TS2NL v1.0p1.

SIDE EFFECTS:
May cause computer damage, incontinence, explosion of user's head, coma, death,
and/or halitosis.

WARNING:
Do not open, crush, dispose of in fire, put in backwards, short-circuit, or mix
with non-awesome hacks - may explode, leak, or catch fire, resulting in injury
and/or death.

[Ancient Sim]

No idea what this means, but it sounds impressive.  Assuming that it will reduce my bills, I will download it forthwith.

Actually, having just read the RTFM, I don't think I need it, because I do have dorm doors (well, I have the Myne Doors, which I presume is what it means).  Should have read that it properly in the first place.

[sudaki]

I do not have NL. But my dorms do receive bills. And I've had this error. So I'm guessing I should give this a try anyway. Assuming nothing explodes, thank you!

[cwieberdink]

Fixes the divide-by-zero error that occurs on dorm lots when bills are delivered. Problem discovered as of NL, but the code is the same as pre-NL, so bug exists pre-NL, except it never occurs because pre-NL, dorms did not receive bills.

I know I am totally not awesome, but I am quite certain that my dorms have received bills.  Also, this would apply only to custom built dorms?  since all Maxis dorms have dorm doors?  It is the Myne doors you're talking about right?

C

[RainbowTigress]

It's been a while since I played Uni, especially a dorm, but I seem to remember getting bills.  And I've only played the pre-built Maxis dorms.

[radiophonic]

Now that I think about it, Gali went to uni without paying a single bill for the dorm. I'll have to give this fix a shot.

[J. M. Pescado]

Now that I think about it, Gali went to uni without paying a single bill for the dorm. I'll have to give this fix a shot.

If you don't receive any bills, then this fix won't manifest itself: It'll only affect the specific case where a dorm that receives bills happens to have no dorm doors. Which apparently is rare and intermittent even under NL.

[RainbowTigress]

Well that makes sense then.  If there are no doors, then the game is trying to divide the amount of the bills by zero.  Duh!

[BlueSoup]

Yes, in the dorm I modified for my MATY Sims who are suffering excelling through University, with me not bored at all wanting to slit my wrist for the fun of it all, I took out all the Myne doors and I get this error all the time.  Hopefully, not anymore. 

[windy_moon]

I hate asking unawesome questions,  , but how much are the bills supposed to be anyway?  And how often do they come?

Had extremely infrequent bills playing Uni pre and post NL.  I did have them but they weren't much and only came maybe once or twice in a whole college run (I'm pretty sure).   Haven't played Uni in awhile, so maybe I'm mistaken and all of my experience is pre NL.

Anyway, I just downloaded this fix before starting to play 8 Sims in a tricked out dorm...and I got two sets of bills over $1000 in the first semester alone.    They have enough scholorship money to handle it for now, but I'm wondering if I need to plan for this as a regular occurance.

Playing with the no 20K handout hack for the first time... we need to have some money to live on once we graduate! 

How much are Uni bills supposed to be?

[vecki]

Post-NL my dorms have gotten ridiculously expensive to live in (about 150 simoleons per sim per semester).  I have to move students out and into housing as soon as possible because otherwise they just wouldn't be able to afford it!  Previously dorms were meant to be the 'cheap' option at University, houses are now charging about a sixth of the cost. (42 simoleons for 2 students per semester)

IDIOT Question:  Does this hack help with this (expensive bills) problem at all?  I don't remove doors from dorms so I'm not sure if it's a similar problem affecting me.

[Venusy]

Dorm bills are meant to be the the entire cost for the dorm (i.e. the bill if it was a normal house) divided by the number of Myne doors on the lot. If there are no dorm doors, then without this hack, the game would get a divide by zero error. This hack fixes that. I'm not sure if it fixes anything else.

[PlayLives]

What are Myne doors?   

[Andygal]

they are the claimable dorm doors.

[J. M. Pescado]

I hate asking unawesome questions,  , but how much are the bills supposed to be anyway?  And how often do they come?

I don't know, and I don't know. It seems to be a total crapshoot if they come at all, but how much they are seems to be related to how shiny your dorm is. I would advise eschewing shiny paintings and other goodies which add no functionality.

Anyway, I just downloaded this fix before starting to play 8 Sims in a tricked out dorm...and I got two sets of bills over $1000 in the first semester alone.    They have enough scholorship money to handle it for now, but I'm wondering if I need to plan for this as a regular occurance.

It seems to be the case that a dorm will either be non-bill-paying or always be bill-paying. Which one it is seems to be directly affected by whether the mailperson ever visits your lot for any reason. I had a dorm that never received any bills until the mailperson stopped by to deliver a love letter from a date. After that, the bills started up.

Playing with the no 20K handout hack for the first time... we need to have some money to live on once we graduate! 

I dunno, the sadistic poverty of sending a sim out on the street with barely enough to even afford a lot sounds rather realistic to me. Since when did most college graduates have money to live on? Maybe you should be trying to earn more money from odd-jobs before  you graduate. A lot of college students tend to take up stripping for extra income. Or sell their kidneys. Or at least *A* kidney.

[Gwill]

I dunno, the sadistic poverty of sending a sim out on the street with barely enough to even afford a lot sounds rather realistic to me. Since when did most college graduates have money to live on? Maybe you should be trying to earn more money from odd-jobs before  you graduate. A lot of college students tend to take up stripping for extra income. Or sell their kidneys. Or at least *A* kidney.

I do what most people out of college do if they can't afford a place of their own; move back in with your parents.

[windy_moon]

I don't know, and I don't know. It seems to be a total crapshoot if they come at all, but how much they are seems to be related to how shiny your dorm is. I would advise eschewing shiny paintings and other goodies which add no functionality.

Isn't that just strainge.  Well, my hefty bills do fit the "ivy league" kind of redo I did with this dorm....nice paneling, comfy couches, first rate beds... I just wasn't expecting to have to keep paying so much for it and so frequently.  (I've got an 11 and 13 year old, think enough about paying for college RL as it is.  :p )

No paintings, that's final!

It seems to be the case that a dorm will either be non-bill-paying or always be bill-paying. Which one it is seems to be directly affected by whether the mailperson ever visits your lot for any reason. I had a dorm that never received any bills until the mailperson stopped by to deliver a love letter from a date. After that, the bills started up.

Isn't that just strange.  Wait, I already said that.

I dunno, the sadistic poverty of sending a sim out on the street with barely enough to even afford a lot sounds rather realistic to me. Since when did most college graduates have money to live on? Maybe you should be trying to earn more money from odd-jobs before  you graduate. A lot of college students tend to take up stripping for extra income. Or sell their kidneys. Or at least *A* kidney.

*nods*

Yeah, that's why I finally added the "highly recommended" No20Khandout hack.  My previous Uni graduates have had way too cushy a start, what with high level jobs and combining 20K individuals into households.

I never stripped while I was in college  , but I was awfully hungry for a few years afterwards...had to eat peanut butter the week the rent was due.  Not sure I could have paid the bills with stripping, but I could have spared a kidney if that sort of thing had been popular in the early 80's. 

[Regina]

Good grief!  My dorm bills come like clockwork--every three days!  How is it some of you aren't getting the bills?

One benefit to living in the dorm is the instant job of playing cook in the cafeteria.  I moved in one new sim a short while ago and had him enough money, between a couple of money trees and working in the cafeteria, to move into an actual house before the end of his freshman year.  And his bills in the dorm were kind of high because I had renovated it with a little bit more comfy furnishings and took it down to four residents instead of five.

[BlueSoup]

I wasn't getting any bills in my game, and the reason I wasn't is because I don't have any dorm room Myne doors.  In fact, I don't have any beds, or bedrooms.  So, every three days, I'd get an error, like clockwork. 

[ZephyrZodiac]

I'm certain I had the bills pre NL, as I also had the problem then with the mailperson not collecting the payments because they were deflected by a passing sim, and this happened in normal Maxis dorms.

[Swiftgold]

Since NL, but before now, I had been playing Uni on speed mode to get them through it and done, so I don't think I even left the Sims in the dorms long enough to get bills. However, playing normally now for once, I've noticed I haven't been getting bills either. It's a Maxis dorm, so there are definitely lots of doors, but no dormies as I nuked them all. Last time the mailman came by I watched him pause in front of the box and then continue on. I was interested to see how much the bills would be for that large a dorm, but eh, if they don't want to, I won't argue. I have this fix in regardless, though.

[baratron]

I only get bills in a dorm if the dorm has a maid. If it doesn't, I don't get bills.

[Swiftgold]

I only get bills in a dorm if the dorm has a maid. If it doesn't, I don't get bills.

I was waiting till one of the fortune Sims wanted a maid, but since they didn't I finally got them one. I'll have to see now if they'll start getting bills, since don't the maids charge when they leave?

[ZephyrZodiac]

I'm going to be putting a sim or two in a dorm soon, so when I do I'll check.  One thing I have noticed, though, is if you freeze the college timer, you get extra bills!

[agcons]

Since when did most college graduates have money to live on?

This university graduate had pretty much bugger-all to live on after graduation, so that part is certainly realistic.  Absolutely no one in his or her right mind would ever pay me to strip.  They might have paid me not to, but unfortunately for my quality of life in those days I didn't think of that.

I didn't send any sims to university until after NL installation.  I'm playing three dorms; one gets bills, but other two don't.     I've not downloaded any dorms either; they're all Maxis-made and all have Myne doors.  In the two without bills, the mailman shows up on schedule, looks at the mailbox, then wanders off.  So far I've sent three sims through in one of the bill-free dumps, and nothing's blown up.