Car Repair Hack Request

[croiduire]

Is there a hack that makes cars break? If not, I want one! I'm speaking from complete, utter ignorance here, but perhaps it could use similar code to that which controls other breakable items, and give mechanical points for fixing them? However, there should be a high chance that even someone with maxed mechanical can't effect a repair (maybe 20%).

 Of course, in a perfect game instead of calling the repairman for cars, the sim would call a tow truck ($50 fee). The car would be gone for at least 24 hrs, the cost of the repair would be random--I'm thinking a d10, with the range from $100 to $1000--and once the depreciation on the car equaled the repair cost, the car is totaled and the sim gets an unhappy memory instead of his car back.

[Elven Ranger]

what a great idear! WHY didnt maxis include this in the 1st place?

[jrd]

DJS Sims has a hack which adds a charge to driving a car: http://www.djssims.com/index.php?category=10

[J. M. Pescado]

Probably because there's no animation for actually popping the hood and fixing the car. Because I'll be damned if I'm paying some bloodsucking thieves money to do something I could do myself for less than a tenth the cost in parts.

[jrd]

Cars have limited animations anyway. The burglar steals a car by putting it in his sack.. not by driving away with it.

[Elven Ranger]

he puts it in his ....... You ARE joking, right? Cos that is just bloody silly!!!

[Ancient Sim]

I've got an actual car that lets you do things like mend it for mechanical points and go on courses and stuff, but it only applies to that one car.  Trouble is, it's doctored so that the points are gained at about 4 times the normal rate so I never use it.  Skill points are easy enough to gain as it is, without making them ludicrously easy.  The only reason I keep it is because it's ridiculously cheap, but gives very high comfort and fun levels, so it's handy for Sims who can't afford a more expensive car. 

[Jelenedra]

Well, can't you use an animation of a sim laying on their back? Like for passing out and crawling on the obstacle course.

[J. M. Pescado]

I was going to torture your sim for making such a suggestion, but I noticed there isn't a sim-Jelenedra. Why not?

[Jelenedra]

Because I have no internets.

I actually made one for upload, but my computer blorfed. Remember? Pointing and Laughing at me? Or has the early on-set alzheimers taken hold?

[holly]

Ancient , Where did you get that car from ? It sounds prefect for my new Boy sim

[PlayLives]

DJS Sims has a hack which adds a charge to driving a car: http://www.djssims.com/index.php?category=10

I'm using this but I'm trying to figure out how to adjust it so that is doesn't charge 30simol. every time your sim gets in the car, maybe just 5simol. It charges when you leave the lot to go to a comm lot and when you leave the comm lot to go back home. So if your sim does alot of traveling that can add up per day.

[croiduire]

Why use the hack at all then? The point was to make the experience of driving more realistic. In a sim economy, $30 seems fair, given they don't have repair, use or maintenance costs.

More realistic would be to offer another pie menu option that uses the same routine as "Install Alarm"--"Go Buy Gas" (no animation required, but a buttload of hacking, I fear). It would  work like the refrigerator, lowering the level for each trip (1 tick for community, 2 for work, 3 for a trip downtown and to the home community from uni lots) so that the greater distances are recognized.

[PlayLives]

Why use the hack at all then?

Because to me $30 seems a little steep every time they get in the car and leave a lot for anything.

[croiduire]

Uh..I repeat: why use it? That's the glorious thing about soi disant "hacks"...unlike core game elements, if you decide you don't care for the effect, you can remove it, or ask the creator how to tweak it.

[syberspunk]

DJS Sims has a hack which adds a charge to driving a car: http://www.djssims.com/index.php?category=10

I'm using this but I'm trying to figure out how to adjust it so that is doesn't charge 30simol. every time your sim gets in the car, maybe just 5simol. It charges when you leave the lot to go to a comm lot and when you leave the comm lot to go back home. So if your sim does alot of traveling that can add up per day.

Hrm... I stuck it in my game, but I haven't played yet. Maybe someone should suggest to Josh that it Not charge if you want to go home. Especially since, if you purchase stuff while you are on a comm lot, it seems like you could potentially have your sim stranded. I mean, I wonder what happens if you can't afford to go home. Hee. That could bring up some interesting scenarios, where your sim would have to busk or freestyle to make enough loot just to go home.

And you could edit the value with SimPE. I think line 10 of BHAV 0x2094 'Sub - Trans To Drive' has the value hardcoded. The hex value for 30 is 1E. Just change that value to whatever you want.

You should also probably change the test value in BHAV 0x20D7 'Sub - Can I Drive Anywhere?' which determines if the driving options show up depending on whether or not your sim has at least 30$ on line 5:

Alter Budget (test if Literal 0x001E multiplied by 1 may be subtracted as misc expense)

Again, just change the 1E value to whatever you want. Make sure to use the hex value.

Ste

[croiduire]

Maybe someone should suggest to Josh that it Not charge if you want to go home. Especially since, if you purchase stuff while you are on a comm lot, it seems like you could potentially have your sim stranded. I mean, I wonder what happens if you can't afford to go home. Hee. That could bring up some interesting scenarios, where your sim would have to busk or freestyle to make enough loot just to go home. 

Now THAT would be funny! Pity the panhandle option is only available in psychotic mode and not selectable.

[J. M. Pescado]

I pointed out that $30 seems outlandish. My *TANK* doesn't even consume that much fuel!

[Jelenedra]

My tank takes close to 30 bucks to fill it up, but that is once every two weeks, not everytime I get in the car. =p

[croiduire]

LOL! I have never bought a $300 t-shirt in my life either...and never will. OTOH, I *WISH* I earned enough in a day to cover all my bills for three, or could buy a reliable car for less than $1000! Sim-nesian Economics are not exactly driven by market forces.

[ElfPuddle]

My tank takes close to 30 bucks to fill it up

I filled my tank this morning. (first time in two weeks, because I car-pool and rarely let it get near "E", but still...) Grand total for the fill: $50.07.

[Jelenedra]

I live in Oklahoma, we have our own drills so our gas as of right now is $2.58 a gallon.

[neriana]

Gas is about $2.90 here, and has been for quite a while. The tank in my little Honda Civic takes nearly $30 to fill up from empty. Good thing I'll be getting a Hybrid soon.

[ElfPuddle]

Here it's $2.74 and I was feeling lucky because this time last week gas was $3.04!

[Jelenedra]

We haven't broken $3 a gallon, YET, but we came close a few weeks ago.