A question about packaged lot file sizes...

[Frankenbeasley]

I figured I might as well make my first post here about something I really want to know. Especially since I am sure it will take me no time at all to be exiled to Retardo Land.

So, my problem is this... what are the major factors that dictate the final size of a lot file when it is packaged? Is it the lot size, the number of previous occupants, the furnishings and/or (for occupied lots) the inventory?

I have one lot that was on a 3x2 lot and which contained 8 Sims. This was created with the base game and the family were the original and only occupants - the packaged file (which has managed to avoid culling on the exchange  for about a year and a half) came out to about 5.5Mb. Recently, however, I wanted to put up a lot containing 4 'super-teens'. Admittedly, the lot was a 6x5 and had considerably more furnishings than the first example. The teens were also about the 5th or 6th generation to occupy the lot. Additionally, the teens also had quite well-stocked inventories and were the children of CAS parents using the Maxis BodyShop Starter pack alien skins and eyes (which may be the real problem, I suppose). This time, the packaged lot was something like 120Mb.... which is, I feel, a trifle unwieldy.

I really like the lot and I really like the occupants. Should I separate the two and simply create a new version of the lot as an unoccupied package? Should the family be put on an empty lot (I wanted to offer them to people as a neighbourhood seed family)? should I simply create a new set of teens using standard skins? Any help or advice would be much appreciated. I'll post the details of the teens and the lot below this in case it will help.

Cheers,
Ben

[Frankenbeasley]

Sorry if this sounds like an advert... it was going to be the readme/description for the lot etc.

Ground Floor
This features a large swimming pool, a bowling alley and 3 state-of-the-art hot tubs as well as entrances to the converted port Buildings. These include 2 Elevator gantries, a 2 Car garage (with two expensive sports cars parked in it) and the ground floor bar and club (featuring DJ decks and 2 Dance Spheres as well as both male and female restrooms)

First Floor
The Ship itself begins here. The main bulk is living space. The front half is home to 2 chess tables, 4 desks with computers, bookshelves, communications and some seating. The rear half features plasma television, stereophonic equipment, a myshuno arena and plenty of seating. The two halves are separated by two access tubes, two well-equipped bathrooms and a Dance Sphere Display Cubicle.
Two internal ships elevators grant access to upper decks and a gangway leads across to the first floor of the tower which holds a lovely kitchen and dining bar, an extensive juice bar, a piano and coffee making equipment as well as 2 more shower/toilet combos. This floor also houses a clean-bot and an un-initialised Servo.
There are also 2 display fridges which have been stocked with a group serving of each of the following: Lobster Thermidore, Turkey, Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Crepes, Berry Pie, Santa Cookies, Baked Alaska and Cheesecake.

Second Floor
This is the sleeping area of the ship. It is divided into 2 large double cabins with en-suite bathrooms and an extremely spacious children's dormitory for four. All the bedrooms have access to the balconies at the side. Rear mounted pods hold the cowplant chamber and the band practice room. Gangway access to the elevator gantries and to the tower are also included. This floor contains the amusement arcade.

Third floor
The central ship deck contains the bridge whilst the two engine nacelles hold large practice and hobby halls, each fitted with two basic bathrooms. There is also direct access to the top floor of the tower, to the two elevator gantries and to the two hydraulic pods that rise from the top of the garage.
Spread out across these chambers are all the career rewards except the military assault course but including the Uni career objects,. There are two each of the Science, Medical, Athletics, Show-business, Slacker, Criminal and Law reward objects. There are also another plasma television area, another stereo, three expensive telescopes and four pool tables as well as cubicles containing two each of the Robotics, Toy Making and Flower Arranging work-benches.


Teen 1
Myrmidon Tintaglio
Knowledge Sim, Vampire, Abductee and Pickpocket
2 Days Away from growing up.
Perma-Platinum Status
125,250 Aspiration Points
All Skills Maxed
All Scholarships Awarded
Scholarship Value 13,500
Gold Flower Arranging Talent Badge
Silver Toy-making Talent Badge
Neat: 3 Outgoing: 7 Active: 7 Playful: 6 Nice: 7

Inventory:
Frankenbeasley's Starter Kit for Sims (Vamprocillin-D, Re-Nu-Yu-Porta-Chug, Mobile Phone, Elixir of Life, Re-Nu-Yu-Senso-Orb, Hunka Hwang Sports Car)
69 x Daisy Bouquet
34 x wildflower Bouquet
55 x Tulip Bouquet
41 x Mixed Flower Bouquet
156 x Rose Bouquet
60 x Snapdragon Bouquet
54 x Hydroponic Flower Pot (although, apparently, you can't sell them)

Teen 2
Pandora Tintaglio
Knowledge Sim, Vampire and Fast Food Shift Manager
7 days Away from growing up.
Perma-Platinum Status
136,170 Aspiration Points
All Skills Maxed
All Scholarships Awarded except Extra-Terrestrial Reparations
Scholarship Value 12,000
Silver Robotics Badge
Neat: 4 Outgoing: 10 Active: 7 Playful: 10 Nice: 10

Inventory:
Frankenbeasley's Starter Kit for Sims
31 x Toy Robot
33 x Hydrobot
10 x Cleanbot
3 x Sentrybot
7 x Munchiebot
7 x Servo

Teen 3
Diogenes Tintaglio
Knowledge Sim, Vampire, Twin and Intern
12 days Away from growing up.
Perma-Platinum Status
146,750 Aspiration Points
All Skills Maxed
All Scholarships Awarded except Extra-Terrestrial Reparations, Dance and Pool
Scholarship Value 10,000
Neat: 3 Outgoing: 6 Active: 7 Playful: 4 Nice: 9

Inventory:
Frankenbeasley's Starter Kit for Sims
66 x Sir Bricks a Lot
79 x Little Heroes Fire Truck
52 x Clown in a Box (plus 7 Evil Ones)
43 x Kites
101 x Twirl, Spin'n'Wobble

Teen 4
Scorpio Tintaglio
Knowledge Sim, Vampire, Twin and Emergency Medical Technician
12 days Away from growing up.
Perma-Platinum Status
111,670 Aspiration Points
All Skills Maxed
All Scholarships Awarded except Extra-Terrestrial Reparations, Dance and Pool
Scholarship Value 10,000
Neat: 3 Outgoing: 0 Active: 10 Playful: 0 Nice: 10

Inventory:
Frankenbeasley's Starter Kit for Sims
6 x Vamprocillin-D
4 x Re-Nu-Yu-Porta-Chug
4 x Cologne
2 x Love Potion
1, new and unused, of each of the following:
Every Career Reward Object (Including Graduate-only Careers)
Every Aspiration Reward Object
Robotics, Toy Making & Flower Arranging Workbenches

[moonluck]

I admittedly don't know all to much about how the game handles things but I know that when you package with a family a copy of every sim that every sim in that household has ever met will be included in that file. These relations are severed so if you took the house out of your neighborhood and put it back in the teens they wouldn't remember anyone but they would put a copy of every sim still so double the sim count in your neighbor hood. (very bad thing)

Bottom line you shouldn't upload (or download for that matter) "used" lots. There are ways of extracting the sims cloning them then putting them back on the lot sans memories and relations and inventories. The fact that the sim has alien DNA has nothing to do with the package size. Some custom content might have snuck in there, too, those can take up a ton of space. You could also have hacks snuck in there, too. (not your fault sometimes hacks stick to lots) I have no idea how much the amount of furniture effects the lot size, I just shared what I know.

[Gwill]

Look at the file with clean installer.  How much custom content is packed in there?

[MistyBlue]

If the furniture is all maxian then that won't really hurt the file size, if it's all custom content then it creates a huge file...plus a family creates a monster file! The best I can say is to get the clean installer at MTS2. It lets you see all the files that are included in your lot. Clean out whatever isn't necessary or potentially bad. I'm pretty sure it lets you see additional character files and memories so you can delete those.

Used house + Used Family + Both Together = Never Upload

[Frankenbeasley]

Thanks to everyone who has replied so far. I've just downloaded the CleanInstaller but cannot, for the life of me, work out how to view the actual lot package. As far as CC goes, I haven't downloaded anything other than the Maxian objects and clothes. That's what shows up with CI in my downloads file, anyway. It's all disabled in game (although not by using the Content Manager, just the in-game options). There are only original, shipped with the game/EP/SP furnishings in the lot.

Well, I've got to go visit a friend in hospital now so I'll probably check back this evening (it's 3 in the afternoon at the moment). However, judging by the responses so far, I will probably split the teens off and stick them in an empty lot. I'll ditch the lot other than in my personal game and rebuild and improve it as a stand-alone, pristine item. I needed a decent excuse to go on another building spree and now, I suppose, I have one.

Ben.

[tIIsuggas]

The easiest way to make sure your not uploading any potential nasties,  is to remove your downloads folder,  open the game, package the lot to the Sims 2 site, then it will not include any custom content whatsoever.

I once packaged a lot, that to my knowledge was maxian creations only, although I had downloads.  When it appeared on the exchange all my downloads piggy backed the 'clean' lot.

[reggikko]

Most likely your lot is junked up with the character files of every Sim the teens met, as someone else mentioned. To check the lot with Clean Installer, save it as a package file then go into that Neighborhood's Packaged Lots folder (with the game closed) and double click on the file. Clean Installer should open automatically. Go through the list and un-tick all the boxes of stuff that should not be included. Re-install the lot. Go into the game and place and repackage the clean lot. Recheck it with Clean Installer. It *should* be safe to upload then.

[starrling]

You can also right click on the lot file and use the "open with..." dialog and select the Clean Installer. 

[Frankenbeasley]

Well, thanks to you all. The lot comes up in Clean Installer with the following:
The four teens
The Lot pictures
The Family picture
2 Skin Tones (one of which is 'hair_male_elder")
4 Hair Colours
1 Eye Colour
1 Eye Brow
1 previous occupant listed as a 'Game Object' but whio is also among the 23 Sims listed who are not and, in most cases, never have been living on the lot.

I assume I need the skin, hair, eyebrows and eye along with the lot pics, the family pics and the teens. Can I just get rid of everything else?

Ben

[MistyBlue]

I assume I need the skin, hair, eyebrows and eye along with the lot pics, the family pics and the teens. Can I just get rid of everything else?

Ben

Yes.