Inge's age duration hack: how to modify?

[AnnaM]

After reading an old thread on this forum, I've decided to try Inge's age duration hack (found here http://www.simlogical.com/sl/Sims2Pages/Sims2_Aging.htm). It needs to be modified in SimPE. In a discussion thread, Inge says that once it's open in SimPE it will show 2 columns: labels and values.

I've opened the file in SimPE and the only way I can see anything at all is in the Hex editor, and it's extremely confusing. The comment about "2 columns" seems to refer to something different from the hex editor.

I've done a search and while I found out that some people here use this hack, I haven't found specific instructions: could anybody tell me how I should go about modifying it?

Many thanks in advance.

Note: I didn't ask on Inge's forums because (a) I don't want to have to create Yet Another Login that I will probably never use again after this; (b) The thread in Inge's forum has been there for a long time but it is not very informative; (c) People here are very helpful and knowledgeable; (d) There is no "d"; (e) I like it here 

[jrd]

You change the values. Each lifestage except elder has two values: low and high. Low is used for Sims growing up normally, high is used for Sims growing up in platinum. Add or detract from these values.

Babies can't be modified (the game ignores any changes you make), and what the multiple values for elders mean, I don't think anyone has really figured out.

[SaraMK]

You need to be in Plugin View.

Click on BCON on the left side and then Tuning on the right side.

On the bottom you will see a bunch of stuff, which will be conveniently labeled... babies, toddlers, etc. You change the values for these to whatever you want, keeping in mind that it's off by 1 (which Inge explains).

When you click on a line (e.g., Toddlers 1), look on the left. There are two boxes where you can enter data, which are labeled Hex and Dec. Dec is the one that shows actual number of days.

[Inge]

Sorry you found my forum unhelpful and somewhere you would not wish to post more than once, Anna

[AnnaM]

LOL Inge! The "not posting more than once" is simply because I don't have any of your hacks (apart from this one now)... The "uninformative" referred to that specific thread, I don't know about the rest of the forum... but I find forums hard to handle anyway, so I have a low tolerance. I didn't mean to diss 

[SaraMK]

See what you've done now? You're going to drive Inge to squingicide.

[AnnaM]

You need to be in Plugin View.

Click on BCON on the left side and then Tuning on the right side.

On the bottom you will see a bunch of stuff, which will be conveniently labeled...

That's what I had done, except nothing whatsoever appeared in plugin view, so I assumed there wasn't a plugin that could handle this and/or I was doing something wrong.

Then I tried it again, and had the same result.

Then I searched for instructions; then I posted; then I read your replies and tried again, and this time it worked. I swear I didn't do anything different from the previous times. I think SarahMK has Seekrit Remote Helpdesk Powers  

Thanks again everybody...

[AnnaM]

See what you've done now? You're going to drive Inge to squingicide.

What's Squinge to do with this, poor thing?

[SaraMK]

He recently commited diva-like modder suicide, hence squingicide. See RetardoLand for breaking news.

[AnnaM]

Ugh, it seems I can't edit my posts.

Anyway, looked at RetardoLand now (I usually ignore it), oh dear. Sigh.

And I meant to edit my previous post to say:

"And now it looks like the reason the forum didn't help me is because my SimPE was misbehaving -- or possibly my computer is haunted, or sunspots interfere with my brainwaves. Or I'm just caffeine-deprived. Or whatever. So forget about that...  "

No squingicide needed at all

[Lana B]

Each lifestage except elder has two values: low and high. Low is used for Sims growing up normally, high is used for Sims growing up in platinum. Add or detract from these values.

Babies can't be modified (the game ignores any changes you make), and what the multiple values for elders mean, I don't think anyone has really figured out.

3 questions
1. How many lines does elder have? I assumed it was 2 based on TwoJeffs adult/elder bonus swap hack and edited accordingly. (I use Inge's agecons but looked at TwoJeffs and decided editing the bonus/penalties was easier.)
2. Does the game actually use these values or was that part of the coding left out? I have a vague memory of reading that it was meant to do this but doesn't.
3. I have successfully made the baby stage 1 day shorter. Why does it work for me and not you/others?

[jrd]

1: dunno. I never took a look at it since it was first released.
2: See 1
3: See 1. If it works now, that's good news -- back when Inge first extracted it it seemed not to work.

[Inge]

Lol it's ok I was just messing about

Yeah I am afraid I don't know any more about where the age things are used than I already said. Originally I only put them online cos I had extracted them to experiment with and suddenly everyone was asking me how to extract them - it was easier to do it and let them download them ready extracted.

[Lana B]

Cool, 3 answers in 1 and I even managed to remember something which probably didn't happen. This calls for testing, which I may get around to one day.

[AnnaM]

Lana, the thread about TwoJeff's adult/elder age hack has the most complete information on these values that I've been able to find, both by TJ himself and by others -- including specific discussion of Inge's hack, in fact. It's longish but worth reading.

(From memory, elders have 2 lines but there are then 4 or 5 lines further down that determine the aspiration bonus; and the very last values are for PlantSim age categories. But as I said, it's worth reading the thread, which has all the details.)

[birene]

Ew. That skeleton is nasty. My poor delicate internet sensibilities!

Okay, I'm so sorry for the necromancy (not), but think this dead thread is perfectly fitting for my issue, because well, it's about modifying Inge's age duration hack. 

The thing is: It's not working. I'm not stupid with Simpe or anything. I have modified the BCONS in Plugin view, I commit and save the file, put it in my downloads folder, fire up the game and ... nothing.

So maybe I am stupid with Simpe after all.    And if anyone awesome or not feels bored enough and maybe could look if the package I attached should work (and if it should then why the fuck doesn't it?) I would be very grateful.

[Inge]

Birene, what were you expecting to see?  It will help me acheive what you want if I understand the difference between your expectations and reality

[birene]

Um, so you mean to say I'm not supposed to see any difference with the hack in game, but should rather just "feel" it?  I was afraid it was something like that.

Seriously though, where during game play would I recognize that it works. Because my teens still seem to have 15 days age duration and not eight. Would a teen that now has 9 days left in his age turn (young)adult in two days despite the age bar saying differently?

Maybe I should have tried that, but I was to lazy. 

[pixiejuice]

Birene, also remember that this hack only changes the ages for NEW sims that are created or born.  All of your existing sims will remain just as they were.  Have you tried it yet with a new sim?

[jsalemi]

Seriously though, where during game play would I recognize that it works. Because my teens still seem to have 15 days age duration and not eight. Would a teen that now has 9 days left in his age turn (young)adult in two days despite the age bar saying differently?

Any hacks that affect age lengths, such as this one and TwoJeffs', only affect existing sims at age transition, since the length of the next life cycle is set at that time.  So you'll only see a difference in length of teen years the next time a child ages up.  Same for teen->adult, and adult->elder. The only way to change the current age duration of a sim is to actually edit the sims character file using SimPE.

[birene]

Birene, also remember that this hack only changes the ages for NEW sims that are created or born.

Oh, well then ... 

*slinks off, feeling very stupid*

[Lana B]

Birene, also remember that this hack only changes the ages for NEW sims that are created or born.  All of your existing sims will remain just as they were.  Have you tried it yet with a new sim?

Actually, it will kick in at the next birthday.

[J. M. Pescado]

* J. M. Pescado P&L.

[Sleepycat]

The only way to change the current age duration of a sim is to actually edit the sims character file using SimPE.

or by using InSIM 

[Inge]

Or Merola's painting and clones thereof.