Mid-life crisis (Hack creation help)

[simsfreq]

I want to make a hack, and this might be a bit complicated to start out with seeing as the most remotely hack-related thing I've done so far is make a few custom clothes and skins in Body Shop and mess around with settings on sims in SimPE. However I'm a quick learner and I'm not scared of experimenting with editing code and things. Way back when, I did some experiments with the Sims Transmogrifier too. (Remember that? Retro.)

Basically I want sims to have a random chance (About 15%) of re-rolling a completely new aspiration and LTW if they reach aspiration failure during adulthood. I like to call it a mid-life crisis. I'd like to make 2 versions of the hack so that one version would be completely random and another would offer players a (limited) choice. I'd also like it to be compatible with non-NL-owners by either making 2 versions of which one doesn't contain pleasure and one does. I'm not sure which EP the grilled cheese one comes with.

I know it's possible to force sims to roll a random aspiration. (TJ's college adjuster hack does this for example)
I don't know if it's possible for this to happen automatically. (ie, not by the player selecting the option themselves.)
I don't know if it's possible for aspiration failure to trigger an event. Maybe it could replace the appearance of the Psychiatrist, but only 15% of the time.
I don't know if it's possible to make a "Chance-card-like" scenario happen in-game without the sim having to go to work or have a particular job. (To offer the option)
I know it's possible to create custom memories. (Can probably find tutorial for this myself.)
I don't know if it's possible to create this or tweak it without going in and out of the game repeatedly. (My computer fails at this.)
I don't know what tools I'd need to create the hack.
I can currently only test it in the base game because my computer fails in general. However I do have Seasons and OFB when I get enough RAM/A decent video card for them, and Uni if I go and nick it off my sister. I don't need to test the animations since I wouldn't need any new ones. I could make an object that you place on the lot which causes the breakdown, or a global hack. Not fussed, although I think people would prefer an object.

Any help, ideas and links would be gold. (Platinum??) Cheers. Unless someone wants to do it for me, in which case I'll provide a more detailed plan, and dialogues for all the pop-ups. (Have them all written already, how sad am I?)

[Hook]

... I'll provide a more detailed plan, and dialogs for all the pop-ups. (Have them all written already, how sad am I?)

Not sad at all.  Writing the design document before you start is a good idea, and the right way to go about it.

Unfortunately, I really can't help you, but the idea sounds like a good one.  How about making them get a new aspiration *every* time the therapist shows up?   After all, isn't this what therapists do?

Hook

[Emma]

I think this is an awesome idea, especially Hook's suggestion of asp. change when the therapist 'cures' them.

I'd definitely use this mod, but only if it didn't break all my other hacks.

[LFox]

They suddenly have a breakdown and develope an unhealthy fixation on grilled cheese hehe.  Sounds like an interesting hack, i like the idea of 100% chance though.  It would be especially useful for an asylum "i want to learn things" "well that didn't work out why don't i try earning money" "GRILLLED CHEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSEEEEEEEEE"

[Karen]

I love this idea.  I've been wanting something like this at least since Uni came out.  I think it would be great to have the new aspiration be totally random.

Karen

[Strangel]

Count me among the "Ooooo... WANT!" set.

[J. M. Pescado]

I seem to recall the so-called "midlife crisis" thing was an entirely unrelated phenomenon to what was described. I certainly have never had this problem, likely because my status doesn't fit the profile for having it. To be more realistic, this sort of thing should only happen at all when your sim's wife becomes an elder. If he doesn't have one, then it doesn't affect him.

[neriana]

I don't know if it's possible to create this or tweak it without going in and out of the game repeatedly. (My computer fails at this.)

I'd say unfortunately not to that one. Any mod requires testing testing and more testing, and that means opening and closing the game a lot.

I don't know what tools I'd need to create the hack.

Probably just SimPE, if it's possible.

I could make an object that you place on the lot which causes the breakdown, or a global hack.

I'd prefer an object; less messy that way.

I hope you are able to make a hack like this, it sounds interesting.

[J. M. Pescado]

I don't forsee this happening, he doesn't seem to have sufficient background to even comprehend where to start.

[Zazazu]

It's biting off a heck of a lot for a first try. This is a major hack. Start small, for goodness sakes! Once you start on this one, you'll get so frustrated you'll give up. It's like content creators. You don't start by making a custom vehicle with all new animations. You start by recoloring. You do that for a bit. Then you try transparancies. Then you make an object based off of Maxis stuff but with just a tiny little change. Then you play with meshing. Then you look at how animations are made and cry.

[dizzy]

It's actually not difficult at all to imagine as a hack if you cut out all the stupid "optional" junk to make players temporarily happy (while ruining the game itself).

Just find where aspiration failure kicks in and modify it so that it can reroll the aspiration. Just be prepared to do a lot of research into how all that works and don't expect too much. And expect to have to restart the game many many times.

[simsfreq]

Cheers everyone. Looks like it'll have to wait until my computer has decent specs, which means lots of time for research, which is a good thing, so it is a distinct possibility at some point in the future.

[Assmitten]

To be more realistic, this sort of thing should only happen at all when your sim's wife becomes an elder. If he doesn't have one, then it doesn't affect him.

Though it's more stereotypical for the man in the relationship to have a MLC, I don't think the OP specified gender. I like this idea, and also the idea of either or both halves of the relationship being affected by one. Imagine both parties cracking up at once.

"Happy Birthday! Dear God, you're old!" BOING!

[Emma]

Though it's more stereotypical for the man in the relationship to have a MLC, I don't think the OP specified gender. I like this idea, and also the idea of either or both halves of the relationship being affected by one. Imagine both parties cracking up at once.

"Happy Birthday! Dear God, you're old!" BOING!

Haha! I love it!

Looking forward to this hack too-hopefully we won't have to wait too long....

[Zazazu]

Heh. My mom had much more of a mid-life crisis than my dad. Maybe because he's a super-I and she's the opposite...super-E. The kind who goes up to random people she's never met at the grocery store to chat. Menopause hit, she was fine. As soon as it was over...depression, am I doing the right thing with my career, my friends, etc. My dad just got a classic car to take 20 years to refurb and left it at that.

[witch]

he he, I just bought a red sports car. Zoom, zoom, zoom. 

[jsalemi]

Yea, I got the car I always wanted too.  My wife said it was "cheaper than a blonde."

[witch]

Yeah, a car may be a bit of a traditionalist response, particularly a red sporty car, but hey, who cares if it's fun. I used to hate old geezers driving round in cool cars while I drove bangers, now I've reached the other side of the divide it merely makes me snicker.

[jsalemi]

Alas, mine's not a red sports car -- just a great German sedan I wanted since I was a teen.

[witch]

I had a Borgward Isabella once. Is it anything like that? The Borgward was one of the first cars with four wheel independent suspension I believe, I was told it was made by Mercedes. I didn't know enough to value it at the time. Went like snot though.

PS Don't know if I spelled the car name correctly.

[jsalemi]

Not quite -- mine's an MB E-class I bought new in 2002. So you got the manufacturer right, anyway...

[Assmitten]

Yeah, a car may be a bit of a traditionalist response, particularly a red sporty car, but hey, who cares if it's fun. I used to hate old geezers driving round in cool cars while I drove bangers, now I've reached the other side of the divide it merely makes me snicker.

You are awesome. Happy Birthday indeed.

[Zazazu]

Not quite -- mine's an MB E-class I bought new in 2002. So you got the manufacturer right, anyway...

My dad's is a '74 Cutlass convertible. Bright red. As for cheaper than a blond...I don't know. A new set of work gloves every couple months, two sets of those heavy-duty mechanic's duds, every shiny expensive tool you could ever think could be used to work on one, many trips to swap meets to get parts...oh, and let's not forget buying a new house in a less populated neighborhood so that you can have a pole barn to work on it in.

[jsalemi]

Yea, but the blond is expensive if you get caught with her -- divorce ain't cheap.