Yet another pre-order incentive

[Marvin Kosh]

http://thesims2.ea.com/about/ep2_order.php

Is this meaning more in-game music, or are the tracks just, you know, for playing outside The Sims 2?  Because if it's the latter, how SAD would you have to be??? 

[Ness]

it looks like the latter option to me...

yes, really sad...

Ness

[LK]

I saw that, and it does not appeal to me at all.  The car looks like a wart, and I don't download music (I rip it from CDs), so all of the incentives Maxis has come up with have gotten swift Burnination. 

[vecki]

http://thesims2.ea.com/about/ep2_order.php

Is this meaning more in-game music, or are the tracks just, you know, for playing outside The Sims 2?  Because if it's the latter, how SAD would you have to be??? 

Latter option, I'd imagine.  Sad, sad, sad.

Do you think this latest offer is in response to the rather poor reaction they got to the unveiling of the car?

[Marvin Kosh]

If it is, whoever thought up the idea definitely hails from Retardo Land

Call me crazy, but useful content is the best incentive to buy a game.  If they offered a car on which you can pop the trunk and stuff Goopy inside so you can drive out into the middle of the desert and dump him there, I would be paying attention.

[LK]

Marvin: That's a GREAT idea!  It could also be a new death--Sims who get locked in the trunk of a car and starve to death!  The ghost could be brown.

[Marvin Kosh]

Of course, if the problems with progressively older and bloated neighbourhoods was fixed, it might not actually matter about dead or unwanted Sims.

[DJsimmy]

Is this meaning more in-game music, or are the tracks just, you know, for playing outside The Sims 2?  Because if it's the latter, how SAD would you have to be??? 

At the bottom of the page, it says "Exclusive downloadable music will be available at game launch."  So you could technically put it in the game if you wanted.  But even then it would suck, because you'd be forced to stuff it into one of the poorly-named Maxis radio stations.

Is it even possible to change the name of a radio station -- or add a new one?

[Zeljka]

more maxis music?

Is that a promise or a threat? Hearing the kaka that came with the original, I can't imagine anyone wanting to listen to it while not playing.

[LK]

You didn't like the music?  I wasn't in love with it, but it was made by a guy in Devo, so it can't be THAT bad!

[cabelle]

I disabled all of the Maxis music, it got repetitive and annoyed me (especially when I was trying to sleep and I'd hear the "salsa" tracks playing over and over in my head  ). I've copied numerous mp3's of my favorite musicians & bands into the music stations; Aerosmith, Smashmouth, Collective Soul, Green Day & Good Charlotte to name just a few. I'm looking forward to having slow dancing back though so that I can more "ballads" in the music stations. My build, buy and neighborhood modes are filled with Enya, Loreena McKennitt and classical music. To get to the point, more Maxis music is not going to motivate me to preorder.

I will have to admit that I'm a weirdo and I actually like the car. I have a step-dad and two brothers who are hot rod freaks and they've been a bad influence on me (perhaps all those car shows as a kid fried my brain). The car is pretty cool to me, although I'd prefer it in other colors (like black with the typical orange flames). But as much as I like the car, I'm still not interested in preordering.

What would truly motivate me is if Maxis did as ViveElBarto suggested; to support the game as they should. Beta test the game as much as they reasonably can and release quality patches in a timely manner. But if that were to happen it would be time to bend over and kiss our rears goodbye because it would be a sure sign that the world was about to end. I fully believe that it won't be Maxis to resolve game issues, it will continue to be Twojeffs and Pescado. So I'm not touching Nightlife until they have a chance to tinker with it first.

[Zeljka]

Devo, heh heh

well, I've heard better from him then, granted it's been a decade or two, but still.

I have to say the hip hop made me giggle... but none of it would be something I'd want to hear if I wasn't playing Sims, and often not even then. The only music I actually like in the game is the higher levels of creative on the piano. (and that's not original)

[witch]

sims2 music - repetitive, shrill and insistent. I have a magic junction point programme, all sims music folders are pointed/directed into one folder which holds whatever I feel like currently listening to.

The last sims music I liked was Makin' Magic and before that the New Orleans stuff - Unleashed maybe?

Tropico had the best game music ever, Space Colony ain't bad and The Neverhood had such laid back music it kind of rolled you along.

[Zeljka]

I don't even remember the music in Tropico, must have been ok as I tend to remember things that really irritate me.

[LK]

witch: Yeah, that was Unleashed.

I've never had any problems with the music, so I can't imagine where you guys are coming from.  I mean, every time I play the game, I don't listen to the music and get an uncontrollable urge to slit my wrists or throw myself out of my bedroom window and into the concrete patio below.  But if you do, hey, fine.

[witch]

witch: Yeah, that was Unleashed.

I've never had any problems with the music, so I can't imagine where you guys are coming from.  I mean, every time I play the game, I don't listen to the music and get an uncontrollable urge to slit my wrists or throw myself out of my bedroom window and into the concrete patio below.  But if you do, hey, fine.

Where on earth do you get this leap of logic? I don't have uncontrollable urges to kill myself over sims music, I merely dislike it and find it irritating.

Any other drama queens, please don't be afraid to come out of the closet... 

[Diala]

Hey, what if they offered a patch for University as a preorder incentive? It wouldn't surprise me if they suddenly did that. Disgust me, yes. Surprise me? No.

[themaltesebippy]

That's the best they can do for a pre order pack?  I have all the maxis music muted and that car ain't all that great.  You know people who have sims sites are gonna make better ones anyway.

[Shivani]

I have a magic junction point programme, all sims music folders are pointed/directed into one folder which holds whatever I feel like currently listening to.

A what?  I shall probably be laughed at (but what the heck), but there's a way to fake out Sims2 to believe the files are actually in the station folders when they aren't?

I've held off putting in too many mp3s simply because I'm forced to duplicate the files, and that annoys me.

[witch]

Hi Shivani.

If you want to have one folder with all your music files, here's how to do it.

Your file system should be NTFS (Right click on C:Drive in My Computer, choose Properties, near the top of the General Tab it should say 'File System NTFS').

Go to each sims music folder, eg C:\Documents and Settings\witch\My Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\Music\build and delete the settings file so the folder is empty. (If you're concerned make a backup of your music folder first).
Empty each music folder, from build through to techno. These source folders, which will contain 'signposts' to your music, must be empty.

Make yourself a folder to contain the music you want to listen to. It can be on your main drive or another hard drive. It doesn't matter if the second hard drive is NTFS or FAT. I called my folder 'Current'.

You can put mp3's in this Current folder. I don't think you can have sub-folders. I put copies in here and delete when I'm sick of them.

Download Junction Link Magic.  Install and run the programme.

1. Start Junction link Magic. The programme will scan your hard drive(s) for any prior link points. When it's finished, click the Create button. You will see a dialogue box with 2 panels, similar to Windows Explorer.

2. On the left hand side, choose the sims music folder you wish to make a junction point in.
eg: C:\Documents and Settings\witch\My Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\Music\hiphop

3. On the right hand side choose your music folder,
eg: C:\H_Stuff\Multimedia\Albums\Current

4. Create your link & say OK when asked if you are really really sure! 

5. Repeat for each sims music folder - point each one towards your current music folder.

RTFM:
Junction links stay, you can't just delete the folder you made a link in. You MUST go into Junction Link Magic to delete any points you made if you no longer want them. You can run into problems if you don't. This is reallyreally important.
RTFM the RTFM. There is a good brief help included that explains how to use this programme and what the risks are.

My sims2 junction points:

[Zeljka]

I've never had any problems with the music, so I can't imagine where you guys are coming from. I mean, every time I play the game, I don't listen to the music and get an uncontrollable urge to slit my wrists or throw myself out of my bedroom window and into the concrete patio below. But if you do, hey, fine.

I expect this was brought on by whoever it was that mentioned they were suicidal in a post...
oh, I was going to say that it was yesterday, but I haven't been here in so long it could have been June for all I know. Plus, that sort of thing doesn't interest me, so I didn't bother reading much beyond the replies suggesting they look for sympathy elsewhere.

witch - this is awesome, I am going to try it.

[Marvin Kosh]

I think it's like with any musical selection, gradually it gets worn out and needs changing.  At the moment I have the music in TS2 turned off.

[Marvin Kosh]

Seems like, even though it's easy enough to get your own music to play from the folder of your choosing, the game still likes to play the 'neighbourhood' tracks in buy and build.  And the buy and build tracks in CAS.

Also, the radio buttons for the CAS section, don't keep their settings between sessions.  I know, it's hardly news, but I get the feeling when they put Uni together they really didn't check this stuff

[themaltesebippy]

Seems like, even though it's easy enough to get your own music to play from the folder of your choosing, the game still likes to play the 'neighbourhood' tracks in buy and build.  And the buy and build tracks in CAS.

These can be muted in your settings but for some of us, that isn't enough and the goofy music plays anyway so just mute everything and the only music that should play is the stuff as the game is loading.

[veilchen]

Mine can't be muted, they play merrily on. I have the mod from Carrigon, it makes the neighborhood, and build and buy music more bearable. The silly maxis music still plays, but in build and buy I can switch back and forth to live mode and change the tune to one of Carrigons. In the neighborhood view, if it hits on the mind-numbing maxis music, I still have to live with it, but at least it plays only infrequently.

I know I could just turn the speakers off, but the way my computer, specifically the speakers, are set up on my desk... well, let's just say, it's easier for me to just have Carrigon's fix.