Deleted 2: Electric Boogaloo!

[Liz]

Scary necromancy guy is scary.

I have a problem mentioned over here which has forced me to conclude that the only hope for my neighbourhood lies in deleting at least one wayward sim, if not her entire family. Unfortunately, when entering the home lot (yes, in debug) shift-clicking on the (most recent version of the) Batbox, and selecting 'Prep Sim For Deletion', the family's name doesn't even appear as an option. Any ideas? I'm starting to think this 'hood may be a lost cause.

ETA: I accessed the sim in question through the Batbox on another lot and did my best to boogaloo, but between the trouble this sim/family has given me and my inelegant efforts in SimPE, there is no question in my mind that the pooch has been royally screwed here. Always happy to receive an unlikely ray of hope if one happens to be flung my way, but I think I'm gonna have to say my goodbyes to this neighbourhood.

[J. M. Pescado]

If the sim's family name doesn't appear as an option, try checking in the "Default" fambly.

[Liz]

I actually did check Default, as well as each and every other family listed, to see if they'd been 'misplaced' somehow, but until I hit the Batbox at a neighbour's, they just weren't there.

[Babahara]

I see that this topic hasn't been posted in for a while, but i hope that somebody can clarify the tutorial. I'm quite new to SimPE, can only edit sims' characteristics so far and know a little about sim surgery.

Open up the instance values of the sims you have chosen to delete and note down their character file numbers, circled in red:
...
Repeat for all sims you prepped for delete earlier.

Where am I supposed to search for the instance values and after I note down their file numbers, what should be done with them, nothing? I guess nothing.

Close and return to Ye Olde SimPE, or try to do this in Newfangled Craptastic, if you can figure that out. I have no idea where that went.

Is this about different versions of SimPE? Which one is old and which one newfangled? I have a few, but when I try opening an older one, it says a warning that it can mess up the game.

Now kill their files, as circled in blue. DO NOT KILL THE SimDNA (SDNA), as marked in red!

Where am I supposed to find their files?

[Miss-BD]

Is it possible to skip this step safely if the character file number is already known?

Now convert the red circled DEC numbers above into HEX:


Back to Craptastic SimPE.
Open up the instance values of the sims you have chosen to delete and note down their character file numbers, circled in red:

Repeat for all sims you prepped for delete earlier.

[J. M. Pescado]

Is it possible to skip this step safely if the character file number is already known?

If you truly already know the character file, yes. Actually, if you have the Theo Plugin, this step is performed automatically for you by the Theo Plugin.

[Miss-BD]

Thanks for the info, I might check out Theo's tool.

[Theo]

Theo's tool does the same thing that SimPe's original deleter tool does, except that it asks before deleting the associated SDNA's (deleting DNA can be a VBT, if you care about the surviving sim's genetics).

The remaining code is essentially the same, and there's the possibility of it being incomplete, as it knows nothing about the resources created by newer expansions. Since there's no guarantee that the game can remove these un-referenced resources on its own, I actually prefer using the batbox method instead.

[Miss-BD]

Ok well, I might just play it safe and not skip any steps.

[J. M. Pescado]

Theo's tool does the same thing that SimPe's original deleter tool does, except that it asks before deleting the associated SDNA's (deleting DNA can be a VBT, if you care about the surviving sim's genetics).

You probably should just set it never to ask that, because under no circumstances should you ever say yes.

The remaining code is essentially the same, and there's the possibility of it being incomplete, as it knows nothing about the resources created by newer expansions. Since there's no guarantee that the game can remove these un-referenced resources on its own, I actually prefer using the batbox method instead.

The Batbox Method is not something that is SEPERATE from the Theotool: You use the Batbox FIRST, then use Theotool to mop up the remains that cannot be exterminated in-game. They are two steps of one process. If you Theotool without the Batbox, you leave dangling references to that sim in-game. If you Batbox without the Theotool, or the manual equivalent, then you don't actually remove the sim. Period.

[Casey]

Just remember in the middle of the word "separate" is "a rat".  Then, you'll always know how to spell separate. 

[Miss-BD]

I just want to clarify before I attempt this.
Once I use the batbox to prep a sim for deletion, the only files that should be left is the Sim Description (SDSC) and the SimDNA (SDNA).
And the SDNA is to be left alone, while the SDSC (and possibly the SWAF if it hasn't been purged with the batbox) is to be deleted manually through SimPE.
I've backed up my hood just in case I screw something up, just to be on the safe side.

[J. M. Pescado]

You will see the SDSC (always), SDNA (often), and SCOR (occasionally). Delete the SDSC and SCOR on sight. Never touch the SDNA unless you are deleting EVERYONE, ala DAC.

[J. M. Pescado]

The last two bytes are a short-integer, and you replace them as described, yes.

[lepifera]

You will see the SDSC (always), SDNA (often), and SCOR (occasionally). Delete the SDSC and SCOR on sight. Never touch the SDNA unless you are deleting EVERYONE, ala DAC.

Hail to the Awesomeness,

What does DAC stand for? Does it mean it is safe to delete DNA for those who have not reproduced?

I wish I had seen the posts about empty university template and issues with population explosion earlier before I stupidly add three university campuses to the Mega Hood. Arrhhh... now the drill begins to take those damn excess dormies out.

new peasant in town,

Lepifera

[toad]

DAC = "deleteallcharacters", which was the original cheat that could be used to delete Sims.

[scandalicious]

*inscribes circles on the ground in blood*

Hokay, now that the necromancy is out of the way, I have a question.  I feel really silly for asking this, because I feel like the answer is in here, but I'm just paranoid enough to be hesitant.  Or hesitant enough to be paranoid.  Or both.

So, I'm up to the part where I'm supposed to load Old!SimPE and delete the SDSC.  Old!SimPE isn't cooperating, but I can find the SDSC resource for said sim in QA!SimPE, which I can delete, extract, etc.  Basically it has the same drop-down menu options as in the picture for this step, plus some others.  Is there a functional difference between the two?  If so, is the difference relevant in context, or would deleting that serve the same purpose?

I guess the meta question is: Are resources just files within the package, or is there a layer of abstraction here?

[sloppyhousewife]

You can delete the SDSC shown in the resource list just fine. It's the same thing, only presented in a different way. Personally, I prefer the way the sim description is shown in the newer SimPE versions, because (unless you're really blind and/or fatfingered) there's just no way to accidentally delete the sim DNA as well.
Plus, you don't have to write down the decimal values of the character files while "preparing for deletion" in-game, because SimPE shows both dec and hex values (okay, it does in my version).

I guess the meta question is: Are resources just files within the package, or is there a layer of abstraction here?

It depends. The resources of a custom object, for example, are really just that (files within a package), so if you mess with them and your game blows up, you can usually repair the damage by removing the flawed package(s). Original objects, on the other hand, have a different structure. There aren't seperate files for the objects, but for the resources (one for all GMDCs, one for all SHPEs etc.) with a shitload of cross-references. If that's what you mean by "layer of abstraction", then yes.

[Sunbee]

I have about a bazillion (very imprecise number, I know, but they appear to outnumber all the other sims) of 'unknown' sims, none classed as playables, shown in SimPe in HP's uber-megahood.   I don't have these in anyother neighborhood.  Can I just delete the 'unknown' sims in SimPe or is this a VBT?  If it is a VBT, how do I find out what they'd be called on the LotDebugger to do the Boogaloo?
I haven't really played this hood yet: I've been moving tombstones to the community graveyard from various houses, wiping corrupt memories, and evicting sims to the simbin, so I've done stuff but no more than a few sim-moments have passed in any family except the Goths--who got custody of the graveyard.  Also my 6s and 0s have LTWs except for Alexander Goth and the Broke kids, however, I haven't debinned any of the sims, either, so those 6s and 0s may also be okay.  These are all Maxis-made sims, so I know to expect random screwedupedness, but this is the sort of screwupedness that I have learned here is a VBT.  I think I understand what to do to get rid of the random LTWs in 6s and 0s thanks to Mixreality, so it's just the 'unknowns' that I'm still concerned about.
I have the newest expansion packs and the newest SimPe, but I don't have NL, Pets, or BV.

[J. M. Pescado]

I have about a bazillion (very imprecise number, I know, but they appear to outnumber all the other sims) of 'unknown' sims, none classed as playables, shown in SimPe in HP's uber-megahood.   I don't have these in anyother neighborhood.  Can I just delete the 'unknown' sims in SimPe or is this a VBT?  If it is a VBT, how do I find out what they'd be called on the LotDebugger to do the Boogaloo?
I haven't really played this hood yet

If you are trying to purge out the entire neighborhood, then, yes, it is acceptable to purge all the unknowns: They are things like the Grim Reaper, Crumplebottom, Therapist, Santa, etc. Purging them will just cause them to regenerate in new NIDs, though. Otherwise, best to leave alone.

[Tarlia]

I've found Unknowns in the pre-made hoods that aren't any of the object characters. There should be 5-6 of them in the Default family, but no more. Check which family instance your Unknowns belong to - if it's not the 0 family (Default), I think it's safe to assume you could probably delete these. Seems like they're leftover garbage from whatever HP did when she made her megahood. Also odd that your kids have LTWs, the only ones that come with these through the fault of EAxis are the two from Desiderata Valley. Looks like something else that went wrong in the merging process.

[Charity]

I had a few Sims I deleted by kicking out of the house and deleting from the family bin. While doing something else in SimPE I discovered that their files are still there and Sims in game still remember them. So can I delete them via SimPE without having the char to delete in game anymore? Or if I just go into the Sims who remember them and uncheck the 'known' box will that work (I already deleted all the memories of them)? Except I'm not sure if townies etc met them so could that cause problems if they still remember them?

If the char files aren't taking up that much room on my comp and I can just delete them from ppls memories etc. then I won't bother totally deleting them, but I don't know how much space left over files could be taking up?

I also deleted all the Maxis neighbourhoods in my new installation, but found out recently that all their snapshots etc. are still there. Is there likely to be any other left over information from those neighbourhoods slowing down my game and if so can I get rid of it?

Thanks.

[jolrei]

I had a few Sims I deleted by kicking out of the house and deleting from the family bin. While doing something else in SimPE I discovered that their files are still there and Sims in game still remember them. So can I delete them via SimPE without having the char to delete in game anymore? Or if I just go into the Sims who remember them and uncheck the 'known' box will that work (I already deleted all the memories of them)? Except I'm not sure if townies etc met them so could that cause problems if they still remember them?

If the char files aren't taking up that much room on my comp and I can just delete them from ppls memories etc. then I won't bother totally deleting them, but I don't know how much space left over files could be taking up?

I also deleted all the Maxis neighbourhoods in my new installation, but found out recently that all their snapshots etc. are still there. Is there likely to be any other left over information from those neighbourhoods slowing down my game and if so can I get rid of it?

Deleting sims from the sim bin ultimately will create problems that lead to the implosion of your neighbourhood.  This is why one uses Deleted 2 to totally get rid of them.  You should likely go through the full delete process and expunge them from your game totally, if this is possible at this point.  Leaving the residual char files is just asking for trouble.  Mind you, if you have been playing a while with all these dangling half-deleted sims kicking around, you may already be well on your way to a BFBVFS.

[Charity]

Deleting sims from the sim bin ultimately will create problems that lead to the implosion of your neighbourhood.  This is why one uses Deleted 2 to totally get rid of them.  You should likely go through the full delete process and expunge them from your game totally, if this is possible at this point.  Leaving the residual char files is just asking for trouble.  Mind you, if you have been playing a while with all these dangling half-deleted sims kicking around, you may already be well on your way to a BFBVFS.

The only thing I've done so far is delete people out of the sim bin and remove a few memories from other Sims. But unless I can somehow bring them back into the sim bin then I can't delete them in game. :s

[sloppyhousewife]

The only thing I've done so far is delete people out of the sim bin and remove a few memories from other Sims. But unless I can somehow bring them back into the sim bin then I can't delete them in game. :s

Maybe there's a way - see this thread.