More Awesome Than You!

Howdy peeps.
I've just downloaded the OFB patch which is supposed to fix two problems i have been having: Triple speed arrival on community lots and also problems with the wall-mounted speaker extension  (it plays different music to the hi-fi itself AND it has been known to play nothing at all even with the musical notes drifting out of it)
Anyway the problems were still there even after the patch told me 'Open For Business is already up to date' so I'm stumped.

I downloaded commstereofix anyway although i havent had time to try it tonight the main problem remains: the official patch has not fixed the problems its supposed to. Ever heard of this happeneing before? if its any interest i have had all expansions for a while now and only got round to the official patches in the last week or so. would that make a difference you think?

alternatively is there a patch to stop triple speed on community lots?

hope someone can help :P  cheers

You patched OFB on top of newer EPs?
I don't believe that works.  I didn't think the installer would let you.

Patching OFB when you are running a newer executable has basically no useful effect.

i see. well i'm well and truly stuffed then.

are there any individual hacks i could use then for these problems, including mobile phones disappearing?

also, IF i chose to reinstall each pack then patch it one by one, would placing my current  C:\Users\tizer\Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2 folder where it is now keep my game exactly as it is? including stay-things-shrub and things like that?

Yes, if you hide your Sims folder when reinstalling, your game will survive intact when you reinstall back to where you are now.

if thats true, then there may yet be hope.

so that folder saves EVERYTHING, even down to neighbourhoods, relationships, memories and everything?

Yeap.
Make a copy of it to be sure.  I usually zip my EA Games folder up with winrar and keep it handy.

okay i think i'll give that option a go, although i'm apprehensive about doing this!
 i have spent so long getting things just the way i want them!

i'll just ask one more time (because this would be far simpler):

any hacks for:
>mobile phones disappearing from inventory?
>triple speed community lots?

thanks everyone. you've been very clear ;)

This bug has been around since at least Pets, as I recall, and I don't think anyone's ever made a fix for it.  I still have it happen now and then.

This is why I hit the pause button the moment the loading screen disappears, so even if it's stuck on triple, they don't get away from me.

BTW, sometimes I think it's useful to have it on auto-magic triple speed, because it takes them so long to get out of the danged clown car to begin with.

Yea, but it's particularly annoying when they walk to the community lot, and then take off doing stuff you don't want them to do...

is it important to install a no-cd exe first or the game patch first? ???

and what about any custom clothing i've made? will this also be located in C:\Users\tizer\Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2 folder?
or is there a save folder of sorts for body shop?

perhaps there is even a bodyshop patch that i should apply while i'm at all this?

i'm very nervous about doing this process.... :P

No-cd.exe if you're going to run the game before patching; otherwise, patch first, then get the no-cd.exe for the patched version of the game you have.

I think bodyshop puts everything in the 'SavedSims' folder it creates, but I'm not 100% sure about that.

Clothing creations in Bodyshop just go in the Downloads folder. I always compressorize and throw them into the proper subfolder before I fire up my game and forget about them (for example C:...Downloads\my creations\Business attire).

I always resave community lots so that Free Will is left turned off to prevent them from running amok on arrival. Also, I load with the pause key down.

guess what?
freetime patch is back on sims2.com!!! perfect timing eh? ;D

ok i've just installed the base game again, but if i do it in this order:

install game
no-cd crack
sims 2 patch

the patch automatically replaces the no-cd exe with a cd only exe again. how can i be sure if its patched it,  seeing as it replaces the exe during the process?

Turn on debug mode in the game and it will have the new release number in the top right corner.  Additionally, to avoid securom, you will want to get the no-cd crack for the patch.

And, if the patch replaces the .exe with a version that accesses the disk, this might also be a sign unto you that the patch has been installed (if the indication from the patch install process that the patch is installed and your game is updated are not sufficient for you).

ok thanks. where can i obtain the no-cd crack for the patch  then please?

that would also be why the update process during installation of university just failed then...

ok thanks. where can i obtain the patches for the no-cd cracks for each of the EP's then please?

that would also be why the update process during installation of university just failed then...

EDIT: ok i know what to do. i'm going to play freetime with it mounted in daemon tools. forget the no-cd exe for now. got it. thanks again.

I only got this bug with BV.  It's the stuff like this that proves that nobody who works on the Sims2 series actually plays the game.

www.gamecopyworld.com . Just read carefully and make sure you get the correct patched .exe. Remember, you only need to patch your latest EP (the one with the highest number).

Don't ever patch a game or install a new EP with a no-cd crack still in. That's why your installation of Uni borked.

Apparently musicians/composers often do not listen to recordings of their own music either.  I read once that Eddie van Halen went home and listened to Debussy.

ok, i just patched OFB, installed family fun, patched that too, ran game, and the triple speed is still there.... :'(

Heh.  Welcome to the world of TS2 borkage.  Just one of those things.  Your solution I believe is to press the "1" key and reduce speed (much like the rest of us who have had this problem).

Others suggest that you might hit "pause" every time you load a lot or have your sims go to a community lot, to ensure you don't miss their arrival.

Is it OK to install a stuffpack with the no-CD crack of an EP installed? I really don't want to go through the hassle of changing and re-changing the .exe file just for a stuffit pack, but I will if I have to.

So, leave your original Sims2EP7.exe the way it is (don't change filename).  Patches and updates simply insist that the original start file is called "Sims2EP7.exe".

Install your no-cd crack as "Sims2EP7crack.exe".  Then point your shortcut to that file.  That way you never have to bother changing when you update.  What's in a name?  That which we call a no-cdcrack.exe will start the game as well if it were called anything else.  It would start the game if you called it "ronnie.exe".

That's it. From now on, I'm calling mine ronnie.exe.

I know how to install a no-CD crack. I have one installed at this very moment. My question was, do I have to disable the no-CD crack in order to install a stuffpack (I think my phrasing was perhaps a bit odd)? When installing a new EP or a patch, one is required to disable/remove the no-CD crack and then install a new one that matches the current configuration. I know that I won't have to install a new no-CD crack after installing a stuffpack, because I'm not doing anything to BV, but will I have to disable my no-CD crack before installing the new stuffpack, and then re-enable it afterward? I wouldn't think so, but I just want to make sure.

Edit: Nevermind. I get it now. Reading comprehension FTW!

Some people claim that you do, but I always forget to, and I never have any problems with installing new stuff packs or EPs over a cracked.exe.