crappy paintings, apparently

[slurpeefiend]

A few months ago I got both OFB and Pets at the same time, and a few days later I formatted my hard drive and reloaded everything onto the computer again, including Sims2 with all of the available expansion packs but no stuff packs.  I haven't bothered using the easel since then, until a few days ago, and my easels now seem to be broken.  I have no problem with starting a sim painting, and they can even start autonomously, but once they've quit they no longer have the option of working on the same painting again later.  The "continue painting" option is gone and the only option that shows up is "scrap this painting" even if they're the one who started it.  Since I only recently reloaded Sims2 with new expansion packs after a formatting, and since that means that everything in the downloads folder has been added since then, everything is a potential suspect.  Has anyone seen or heard about this before, or does anyone who knows how to build mods (and which flavor of them might be to blame for this) have any suggestions before I resort to checking each and every thing in my downloads folder individually?

[syberspunk]

I think Crammyboy's easel fix may be the culprit.  It's really Maxis EA's fault, because they stupidly flip flopped back and forth between the code and then back again.  This all happened sometime between OFB, then OFBp2, and then back again with one of the SPs and then probably yet again back with zOMGPETZ!  So... you'd probably have to read that thread to make sure which version you should be using.  I think he kept both versions around, because most likely, it will probably flip flop again.

Ste

[J. M. Pescado]

The problem originates in the fact that originally, the author of a sim painting was recorded by Object ID. This eventually revealed itself as badly flawed, such as if a sim is reinstantiated due to deletion, moving, or travelling to/from ownable commlots, his object ID will change. In OFB, this was made very apparent as travelling to/from ownable lots and selling paintings was intended to be viaible. So they changed it in OFB to store by NID instead of object instance ID. Then ZOMGPETZ!!!111oneoneone, for no apparently logical reason, decided to flipflop back.

[reggikko]

I have that problem on occasion and don't have Pets installed. Sometimes, if I have the Sim try again later the option to continue painting reappears. Weird.

[syberspunk]

I have that problem on occasion and don't have Pets installed. Sometimes, if I have the Sim try again later the option to continue painting reappears. Weird.

Probably because they sadorandomly happened to get the same Object instance as the one they had when they originally started the painting.

Ste

[notveryawesome]

This is probably a case of stating/asking the obvious, but did you click the painting instead of the easel? If you click the painting, you will only get the option to scrap the painting. To have a sim continue painting, you must click the easel.

[V]

That isn't true in my game. In my game I click on the painting every time and am given appropriate options every time -- except once.

The one exception was for a CAS-created alien family with only one easel. Someone in that family started a painting, but when I tried to get them to finish it later every family member was only given the option to scrap the painting. I finally just scrapped the painting and moved on. I have never seen that glitch before or since. And it is entirely possible that one of their friends (made momentarily selectable for whatever reason) may have started the painting and so the option to scrap was the appropriate option for all family members. I never thought of that until just now.

Thanks, notveryawesome, I think you solved my mystery.

Oh, wait, I had a point. My point was that in my game I click the painting, not the easel, and it works just fine.

(P.S. Inline editing does not work - and it is a major pain that it does not work.)

[notveryawesome]

Hmmm, I must have some easel-related hack that I forgot about, because 'Continue Painting' only works in my game by clicking the easel, not the painting. Oh well. I thought I'd mention it anyway, in case slurpeefiend had the same problem.

[reggikko]

If you use Inge's reservable easel you have to click on the easel itself.

[notveryawesome]

It happens to me even with the normal Maxis easel.

[ZiggyDoodle]

My easels work normally.   Not sure about my Sims, who laugh and point in hilarity each time I have them paint and finish a custom picture of me, a family member, or my landscape. 

[V]

If you use Inge's reservable easel you have to click on the easel itself.

*V promptly removes the just downloaded never tried Inge's reservable easel

Thanks for the warning!

[reggikko]

It wasn't really a warning about Inge's easel, just info. I was the one who initially requested that object and she made it!  For the record, I adore the reservable easel and never use the Maxis one.

[miros]

I like Crammyboy's fix better.  I think it works with every easel.

[V]

I can see that the reservable easels would be useful and I certainly didn't mean to malign Inge's great work. I have a folder dedicated to her stuff in my newly organized downloads folder. But I have never used the easels before so I am not going to miss them. I usually "reserve" the easels by letting the sims pick which one they want to use and then always have that easel covered with one of their paintings in progress. Trying to learn to only click the easel seems like an exercise in frustration. But I am glad that it works for you, reggikko.

Miros, what about crammyboy's version? Do you have to click the easel or can you click the painting? As I recall the purpose for that one is that it prevents one sim from filling all the easels with unfinished works. I don't usually have that problem either...

*V sighs and removes her freshly downloaded CB Easel Fix.

Okay, I have got to get back into the habit of thinking things through before downloading. 

[miros]

I think I have to click the easel with CB's fix.