More Awesome Than You!

Why does my game think I have Double Deluxe installed? I have every EP and SP installed, however. This is what pops up when I click on the Downtown button.

(http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll294/Emma_M_71/Misc_Stuff/doubledeluxe-wtf.png)

I play this game nearly every day and I have only just noticed this now...

It's the same on my game- has been since M&G. I don't have DD either. Strange!

It is funny I have only just noticed it now :D So it is M&G that put that there?

And why would it be necessary anyway?  Isn't DD only a way of saying that one got the various EPs in a party pack, rather than individually?  Or did DD actually have extra features?

Anyway, I have all EPs up to AL, and I do not get the DD sign, so I suspect it is a M&G "feature".

I have it too, and yes M&G put it there. It worried me for a while because the only thing I knew DD came with was extra bork, but it doesn't seem to be causing any problems.

I have M&G, and don't have it. Maybe it is an empty template problem, as I don't use those.

I have all EP's, GL, K&B, and M&G

Edit: Or a change to the core game files, because I haven't created a new neighborhood since.

That's a possibility; maybe when you delete the NeighborhoodManager.package the new generated one for Downtown gets that skin. It would make sense, since DDL includes NL, right?

EDIT: Just tested, I get the DDL Downtown screen too.

The Double Deluxe logo is part of the UK English UI file in M&G TSData\ Locale. So it would possibly only affect users playing with UK English setting. It seems to be there to override the Nightlife Logo.

Hmmm.. that's weird, I set the US English.

What I don't understand is the need for separate files for UK and US English, when there are only a few minor word differences. The sentence structure is the same, they both use the Roman Alphabet, and 99.9% of the words are identical. So why is it so hard to reconcile the differences? If people are capable of solving secret codes like the Zimmerman Note, then any old person could tell from context what a simple word like vacation means or what crisps are. It certainly does not take a genius to notice what these differences are. And if not, there are tons of online foreign dictionaries.

Actually, I am not sure why the language had formed such random and useless differences in the first place.

I don't either. It's a HUGE waste of space, and what's more, there aren't actually "minor word differences", there are "bugs relating to unnecessary duplication of stringsets". That's right, for all the bother they took to actually HAVE seperate EN_UK strings, they did not actually bother to actually USE British spelling.

None of these differences are actually PRESENT. When doing the UKian strings, they just copied, often from an earlier build, the USian strings, so the UKian strings are generally exactly the same, barring bugs that result in glitches like run-on spell descriptions and "Throw Party" that appears twice.

It's the same way evolution in general works: Groups isolated from each other develop their own peculiar local expressions, and they eventually spin off into seperate dialects.

For the UI overrides in the locale folder of the European version, there aren't actually any US English files. There are just the European files- Czech, Danish, Dutch etc., so the locale files at least are different from the version shipped to North America.

Actually, I am not sure why the language had formed such random and useless differences in the first place

The wonder is that we can understand each other at all, any of us, by this point.  If you listen to the extreme variety of British isles dialects, and then think about how North America has derived its English from pockets from here and there -- it really seems as if there's been enough years in the mean time to set us up with some really impenetrable dialects happening.  Mass communication notwithstanding.  

A fair number of the differences between NA and UK standard usage are things that NAians say that are archaic and obsolete in the UK.  It's more remarkable when you look at Southern US speech, and less remarkable when you look at Canadians.  And then there's immigrant influence on pronunciation.  And then flip-of-the-coin decisions on spelling.

Spelling was also a lot less standardized back in Ye Olde Days, and during the "We Don't Like You Guys Anymore" period, a lot of things were done differently JUST BECAUSE. Like the entire road-side-driving thing.

You don't have Celebrations though. I thought DD was Base, NL and Celebrations all in one handy bork-size pack. That's probably why you don't get the screen.

Funny that I actually HAVE Double Deluxe, but I don't get DD logo on Downtown screen. It still displays NL logo.
I also have all EPs and SPs, but I don't have Store Edition installed.

From what's been posted so far, it looks like you get it if you have NL, Celebrations and M&G, but not the DD package. The logo is present in the M&G files, so it looks like it replaces the NL logo under certain circumstances. Maybe it's a botched attempt to detect DD, but it doesn't actually work unless you don't have DD?

that's strange, I have all EP's and all SP's including M&G and I still get the NL logo. Maybe its some random glitch

I suggest that this is an advertisement by EA to influence people to buy DD.  This is supported by the fact that it is totally illogical to advertise DD to people who already have Base, NL, and Celebrations.

I think it may have to do with Arred international copies of the game. I was running all EPs to BV,FFS,GLS and then I lost my BV disc and Arred it to replace it. While doing that I completed my collection. My BV splash screen had changed from the globe showing East Asia to it showing North America and after M&G(and everything missing from EP/SP list) I had the DD screen. So my Nightlife was purchased but my Celebrations was not. It does have something to do with the UK english settings or international versions changing screens.

None of my copies of the game are 'ARRed'.

DEATH to EMMA!

Yeah, yeah. I was waiting for that.

Do you have content from the DD package? The tuxes and dresses and whatnot? Maybe?

I dunno, do you mean the stuff that came with Celebrations? Cos I have that.

I have all EP's, all SP's, though not Double Deluxe, and my splash screen is M&G.  Only half of my EP's and almost all of my SP's are arr'd.

No, there are the little exclusive to DD items that are available for seperate download. Obviously not the case here though. :P

You mean these 3 items, posted by Darcy?:

(http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff243/creamgray/The%20Sims%202/promo_DX2_ALL_small.jpg)

Yep, I have those. Don't have the jukebox posted though. I'll try pulling them to see if it still occurs. I'll put them back though as I really like the short dress :P I'm not bothered about having the DD screen, I just want to know why I have it.

I definitely have those outfits and I have the jukebox. This might be a clue!  :D

The DD screen isn't caused by those outfits (or at least, not only) - I got it, too, after installing M&G (all EPs and SPs, nothing arred, no DD content).

Oh, ok. I'll put them back in then! I just pulled them but haven't started my game yet. Thanks SHW.

M&G Nightlife shows on the splash screen for me. 

I have all EPs, all SPs except Family Fun & DD outfits.  Nothing has been Arr'd.

I am not using a custom neighborhood or subhood just Pleasantview with the standard Downtown.