More Awesome Than You!

Would anyone be interested in testing this out?

(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r78/veganelise/th_whitedeck-1.jpg) (http://s141.photobucket.com/albums/r78/veganelise/?action=view&current=whitedeck-1.jpg)
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r78/veganelise/th_whitedeck1-1.jpg) (http://s141.photobucket.com/albums/r78/veganelise/?action=view&current=whitedeck1-1.jpg)
Click twice for full size.

After SBNao asked (http://phorum.mustnotbenamed.com/index.php/topic,1610.msg133628.html#msg133628) about a deck like this, I figured that I'd give it a go. The installation isn't the simplest, but it's not difficult either. Just back up the files before editing them if you're worried.

I use Numenor's Scriptorium (http://www.modthesims2.com/download.php?p=2112264&posted=1#post2112264) in my game, so I have everything installed through that where possible. I think the deck should work without it, though.

I have all EPs and SPs installed in my game. The curved pool (introduced with Seasons, I think) conflicted with the custom deck originally, but ClicknPsycho at MTS2 found a workaround that allows both to work. If you don't have Seasons, I'd be especially interested in hearing your feedback. I didn't find any problems with stages (OFB? Nightlife? I can't recall when they were introduced), but please let me know if you see any strange behavior.

Installation:
downloads_whitedeck.package - This goes in your downloads folder

200_WhiteDeckWall.txt - This goes in C:\Program Files\EA GAMES\The Sims 2\TSData\Res\Catalog\Scripts\Scriptorium_Walls-Fences-Arches. If you aren't using the Scriptorium, you can try adding it to the Scripts folder. This worked for me when I tested it.

50_WhiteDeck.txt
and
50_WhiteDeck.package - These go in C:\Program Files\EA GAMES\The Sims 2\TSData\Res\Catalog\Scripts\Scriptorium_Decks-Foundations-Pools. They should also be fine in the Scripts folder.

wallPatterns.txt - This is found in C:\Program Files\EA GAMES\The Sims 2\TSData\Res\Catalog\Scripts. Make a backup (elsewhere) then overwrite with this one. I have added just three lines to the document (at the very bottom).

deckfoundations.txt - This is where is gets a bit tricky, and I'm unsure of what installation each game config needs. So this is my best guess, but possibly everyone with a later EP (not Uni) will need to edit this file:

If your game contains both curved pools and stages, the directions are the same as for wallPatterns.txt - back up and replace. If you have neither stages nor curved pools, the script doesn't need editing and you can ignore this document (please let me know if this is not the case). If you don't have stages, open the document and delete the following lines:

# Stages
buildTipIndices 29 29

stage 4
wallStyle 301
floorPattern "loftSmallBirchPlanks"
catalogTextIndices 7 8

If you don't have curved pools, delete these lines:

buildTipIndices 35
pool 5
wallStyle 29
floorPattern "floor_poolRoundedLipBlue"
thumbnailResource 0x499db772 0xe926159b
catalogTextIndex 9

Save the document and place it in the Scripts folder (make a backup first).

After installing, you will likely need to refresh one or more thumbnails (hold down Ctrl and right-click the thumbnail). My deck looked like a pool before I refreshed.

If you see any weirdness, please report it here. Please feel free to improve the recolor, as I have no talents in that area. I simply moved some sliders around in GIMP until it looked white-like to me.

ETA: Yeah, you probably need this as well. Heh. Now updated with moar deckiness.
Download (http://www.mediafire.com/?iflyzm5zdny)

Confusing directions.  But I have gotten it to work.  I changed some things to make it do so because I don't want duplicates in my text files.

1.  You have this set as a foundation and not a deck, therefore you cannot place on top of a foundation or other deck.  Of course I want it to function as a deck.  ;D

Updated script to make it a deck:

50_WhiteDeck.txt

2.  To make rounded corners pool corners work and custom foundations.  Move the scriptorium line from the base game deckfoundations.txt to your latest ep's deckfoundations.txt.  Seems very redundant to take the scripts from later ep's and add them to the base game, thereby doubling the scripts.  ???  The remainder of the scriptorium I left in base game TSData since they work.

I have not extensively tested this, but I have spent about a half hour building with this.  I only have a couple of custom modular stairs, and I have not tested this with Numenor's fences.  Mostly since I hesitate to use anything that cannot be packaged with a lot.

I know, there are a lot of steps. It's even worse than modular stairs pre-Scriptorium. I think once Numenor has a chance to update the Scriptorium with a curved pool fix, I will be able to pare down the install.

1. You're right, I did include it as a foundation, so thanks for pointing that out. I'm my excitement, I accidentally copied one of my test files. I'll update link with the correct file as soon as I post this. ETA - now updated.

2. That probably is a more efficient way, although it's one more thing to remember to update when adding a new EP (or probably M&G). I prefer it all to be in one folder, otherwise my scatterbrain will lose it. Numenor would probably be happy to hear you solution, though, if you feel like posting it in the Scriptorium comments.

*runs off to dental appointment* :(

I did post this over in the Scriptorium thread.  Since I play on a Mac I'm used to updating these manually.  :)  Besides, I could have sworn text files were overwritten when a new EP was installed.  I was confused about your txt file compared to mine, until I read what ClicknPyscho posted.  Then it made sense.

I was playing with this over a year ago, but I couldn't get it to work.  I was missing the package files so nothing ever would show up for me.  I did not realize custom foundations/decks have been made.  Any links to others?

Ah, nice. I was in a hurry earlier and hadn't had a chance to read your comment at MTS2.

As far as I know, this is the first attempt at sharing a custom deck. I haven't searched extensively for others, though. I mostly posted this to find out how the scripts in various games would have to be handled. I suppose I could use the AnyGameStarter to test it. I'm not crazy about installing that, but I guess I could. *waffles*

I have to ask - how do you make these?  I'd love to make some to match the deck stuff I've already done [though since you did a white one, I figure I can skip that].  Happily, the white is the main colour used for lattice around where I live, and is the colour I'm most likely to use, but I also like to be complete.

Soggy Fox, you posted this just as I was about to hit the hay last night. I've been messing with this a bit more, and I'll get a mini-tutorial up for you in the next couple days. Hopefully one that even makes sense. :)

Yay and no huge rush either.  I've got other projects I'm working on as well, as pain allows.

After much futzing with this, I'm at a loss, as described near the end of this post. Nevertheless, here's the promised breakdown of the pieces and how they interact. Not really a tutorial, more of a guided tour. :P

Parts needed for a custom deck:

• A custom deck script - dur
• A wall script - Probably to be hidden from catalog view.
• A wallpattern script - This part is not supported by the Scriptorium, so must be added to the basegame wallpatterns.txt.
• A floorpattern script - Same issues as the wallpattern. I didn't use one for the white lattice deck.
• A package containing the texture for the wallpattern
• A package containing the catalog entry info for the custom deck - I put this in the Scriptorium Decks etc. folder, but it may work other places. Combining it into the texture package in downloads did not work for me.

Interaction, shown using the white lattice deck pieces:

The first piece to the puzzle, the custom deck script

• catalogTextResource 50_WhiteDeck 138 - Name of the deck (what I named the file) followed by 138. This number comes from the build.package file, where 138 is the instance that lists the game's decks/foundations/pools.
• buildTipIndices 5 5 - The build tips to be displayed. These also come from the build.package. No need to change this.
• deck 50 - The number I chose to call my deck (just like you would do with modular stairs).
• wallStyle 200 - The wall my deck displays, in this case, my custom wall. More on this below.
• floorPattern "deckDarkRedwood" - I didn't use a custom floorpattern, so this is the default deck floor.
• supportObject 0xAA75A097 - Stuff I left alone from the script I copied (the original lattice deck).
• supportObjectUpperLevel 0x9EDE28AE - More stuff I left alone.
• catalogTextIndices 0 1 - Which lines of the catalog entry package to display for price/name/description.

Second, the custom wall

• wall 200 - The number I chose for my wall.
• defaultPattern "deckwhite" - The wallpattern my wall will display.
• wallThickness none - I left this alone.
• mayChangeSurface false - I left this alone.
• mayAttachObjects false - I left this alone.
• mayCutAway false - I left this alone.
• requiresFlatBottom false - I left this alone.
• requiresFlatTop true - I left this alone.
• submersible true - I left this alone.
• verticalSpan floorToFloorBasedCeiling - I left this alone.
• blocksLight false - I left this alone.
• deleteTool levelRoom - I left this alone.
• notInCatalog - I left this alone as I don't want this wall to show in the catalog.

Third, my wallpattern script:

• wallPattern "deckwhite" - The name I chose for my wallpattern.
• material "wall_deckRedwoodB_base" - The texture my wallpattern displays.
• notInCatalog - I left this alone.

Fourth, the texture I used was recycled from the base game. I took an (as far as I know) unused, duplicate pattern of the regular, brown lattice, and recolored it. My texture package is simply a default replacement. You could go this route as well, as I think there are plenty of unused and duplicate textures in there. I have tried every which way I can think of to get a completely custom texture to display, and I can't seem to get it to work. I ditched all the stuff I was working on in case I've just been staring too long and am missing something obvious (it's not hard to reproduce these little scripts after all). I may or may not revisit them in the future. Please let me know (here, or you can PM me at PMBD) what you find, if you do try these. I probably did something silly, or maybe the game needs to think (by trickery?) that the texture is native. But yeah, I got sick of testing. Sorry to leave that part so flimsy. Hopefully it wasn't just a typo I kept missing, or I'll feel really dumb.

Last, the catalog info package just holds the info listed above (name/price/description). It's simply the instance 138 of the build.package extracted and edited.

As an aside, I checked in-game to see how your lattice looks beside the texture I did. I think, if you make these, you should make your set complete. Mine looks a little too white to be a great match to your columns. Mine's more like vinyl, while yours retains the wood look better.

Hopefully that will get you started. Piecing through the bits should be pretty easy if I adequately described their relationships. Let me know if you have questions.

I'll poke around with it this week and let you know what I find out.  I think I'd go ahead and make the floors use my floors that I made for the set as well.  I tried replacing the brown before the scriptorium had any support, and before I made the columns mesh.  In the southeast US, almost all lattice is white, anyway.

Right now, my computer is tied up with broadcasting software, so it might be a bit, but I'lm looking forward to this!  Baaaaaaaa.

I've been wanting this for years for my beach neighborhoods, and had been planning to learn how to create new foundations solely for this purpose. Now you've gone ahead and done it, first--I'd be more than happy to help you out here, if I can. Joy!