First Major Bug found with Pets

[cwykes]

I thought the consensus after OFB was that you should leave your hoods in place so that the install can "update them". 
If it needs to update them during the install and they are not there, you are basically stuffed.
I remember reading a huge, long, over-my-head, techie thread and coming out with that understanding.
Taking out hacks and downloads - yeah that makes sense, though RTFM for taking out the insiminator.

That is not the conclusion I support. If anything, you should take them OUT so the installer and loading-without-critical-CC part cannot fuck it up.

So why not backup the entire Sims 2 folder and leave everything in place?   If the install wants to re-arrange data in your hoods you have everything to gain from letting it do that and nothing to lose because you have a backup.  If not having CC in place might cause crashes then leave that in too.  Old hacks need to come out before you play if not during the install surely?  old phonehacks always cause grief.  I'm not getting Pets, but I post elsewhere to help other people, so I need to be right on this one.

edited for missing words!

[J. M. Pescado]

So why not backup the entire Sims 2 folder and leave everything in place?   If the install wants to re-arrange data in your hoods you have everything to gain from letting it do that and nothing to lose because you have a backup.

Simple. Because I do not WANT my hood rearranged with a ton of added townies and whatnot. Given that I would delete the data and restore the backup anyway because I do not WANT them rearranging my data, there is no point in letting it waste my time making undesired changes I will immediately rollback.

My logic is as follows: The game must by default be capable of reading older datafiles. Otherwise it could not read your current datafile, nor the untouched "template" neighborhoods of previous expansions. Therefore, there is nothing to be gained by allowing this tampering at install-time.

[Chanco]

  I think I found my where my problem was coming from . It seems somewhere when installing the pets ep my custom hoods got corrupted and screwed with the whole game. That's where my problem with jump bug and other oddities is coming from.
After JM mention something about the custom hoods Should be taken out, I remember when I installed Pets I took everything out, hack, cc, all that good stuff, but didn't take out my custom neighborhoods.
When I install new eps I always start with I fresh hood, so I hadn't play my custom hoods. So I loaded up a custom hood, after it loaded in the Pets ep, I would get a message there was no neighborhood and the Sims won't know where they are or going or some message similar to that.. My custom neighborhoods all have sub neighborhoods a Uni, downtown, and business, so I thought maybe I'll put in another sub hood but still the message came up. I put in 4 new sub hoods and still the message pop up, Also after I install the sub hoods and went back to the main hood the main hood had no lots, excepted uni lots that were suppose to be in uni hood.
Needless to say that neighborhood is pile of mush. However I do have many backups.

I went and took the neighborhood folder out of the ea folder and loaded the game, letting it spawn the default neighborhoods. I've had no problems, no jump bug after playing for about an hour in a replace backup hood . I'm slowly starting to put back cc stuff and a few hacks, and so far it seem to be going ok.

[cwykes]

Simple. Because I do not WANT my hood rearranged with a ton of added townies and whatnot. Given that I would delete the data and restore the backup anyway because I do not WANT them rearranging my data, there is no point in letting it waste my time making undesired changes I will immediately rollback.

I can't imagine the install is adding townies or anything like that to existing hoods. Do you know for sure that it does?
I imagined it was adding fields to allow for new  variables (like turn-ons, LTWs, badges etc), changing data order like the genetics change in Uni or changing the file handling - like the storytelling move between base game and Uni.  That's all stuff that needs doing surely!  You notice the word "imagine" - you can read the code, I can't!

My logic is as follows: The game must by default be capable of reading older datafiles. Otherwise it could not read your current datafile, nor the untouched "template" neighborhoods of previous expansions. Therefore, there is nothing to be gained by allowing this tampering at install-time.

So can the game read old data files?  The install program is designed to read old datafiles.  I'd also bet that the routine to install packaged lots is supposed to recognise old dataformats (though you see posts about problems where it just won't do it).  Whether the game reads them is a different matter. 
If the character files are altered to add LTWs/turn-ons/whatever during the install, then the game will probably expect sims to have these fields and you should leave the hoods in place or LTWs etc won't get added.  I wouldn't bet my game on assuming that the game itself can read old formats.  I suppose you are assuming such fields get added the first time you go to play a lot, but suppose you invite visitors you haven't played yet or go to a community lot?  the game would have convert data whenever a character appears or they'd have no turnons etc... that sounds messy to me.....

[J. M. Pescado]

I have consistently removed my neighborhood everytime I update, and I don't intend to change that. The install program DOESN'T even TRY to read your neighborhood files. Indeed, it can't even reasonably assume you have any. The game MUST be able to read old datafiles, because otherwise it would be incapable of reading your neighborhood templates. There is zero reason to leave your neighborhoods in place. In fact, the installer doesn't even touch them, it's the game that touches them when you fire it up the first time. But since lots of things are auto-disabled at start, you may damage your neighborhood and lose data if you load it up improperly like that.

[Chanco]

I started with a total newly install game all eps and sps, and new custom hood.
Here are the problems I'm having with no hack and with fresh installed game.

Still not getting the option for pet job from the newspaper; I do get the option from the computer.

Pet get a job and carpool come to get the pet, the go to work queue drops and the pet never get in the car. Yes the pet needs where all in green. I put the cheat in to control them and action cancel cheat and I get no action available on any object or the pet it self.
I can't get any option on any thing now with the control cheat on. I shut the cheat off and it doesn't change a thing. The only different is the action not grey out.

Carry puppies or kittens up stairs. It doesn't work I try and try. Maybe there is a way I don't know but I try every thing you could possible do in the game and still no go.

Ok trash the hood and made a new custom hoods no hack at all and this still happens.
Ok trash the second hood made a new one and put some hack in like JM"s petsp0-jobfixes.Still no option from the paper for pet job, still the pet won't go to work and cheat for the pet still don't help.
Ok put in JM's harderjobs fix that work with JM's petsp0-jobfixes. Still no option from the paper for pet job, still the pet won't go to work and cheat for the pet still don't help.

I also had a problem when I put in the harderjob fix.When the Sims come home and bring a friend home from there job, the sim that they brought home is invisible and you can't interact with them at all. I tried using the cheat to make them selectable I can select them but that it I just deleted them off the lot. And another thing with the harderjob fix is calling service npc you can't do it, the sim jump out of action with cell phone or house phones.
When I took the harderjob fix out, and when the sim brought a friend home from work it was back to normal. The sim was visible and you could interact with them, and the phone work fine too.

I don't know if this make a different but the Roseland family the dog has a last name, but if you adopted a dog or cat it doesn't , that's in my game  .I don't know if this causes problems with job for the animals or problems with them on the lot where they live.

[cwykes]

But since lots of things are auto-disabled at start, you may damage your neighborhood and lose data if you load it up improperly like that.

OK Thanks Pescado - I understand all except this bit.  Are you talking about CC being disabled and lots not loading without their CC? Or is there something else....

It's annoying to find I was giving right advice first, changed it as a result of that long thread and have been advising people wrong.    

[J. M. Pescado]

Loading a neighborhood without CC in place can cause loss of custom data tokens, with varying levels of obnoxiousness. Loading lots without the right CC has been reported to crash the game.