More Awesome Than You!

I got a couple of questions actually, pardon me for being a newbie to TS2.

I've been playing a hood I started from a maxis template for more than a month now. Like a majority of people, I too am getting sick of the fugly maxis townies. I've been populating my hood also... creating custom characters and throwing them in but then I notice I have 739 character files (is that too many).
So I downloaded notownieregen and antiredundancy; and starting killing townies I don't want. Eventually I figured out that even killing sims will leave unwanted files left over in my hood. (BTW: I placed gravestones in a graveyard)

So my next thought is should I start from scratch using the tutorial here?

I do have characters in my hood I would like to keep though, is there a way to transport them from my current hood to a new clean one?

739 characters isn't really all that many if you have most or all of the expansion packs. On an older machine you might be experiencing some slow down from this, though.

If you aren't encountering any strange bugs like disappearing sims or toddlers with LTWs, then I don't think your neighborhood is doomed. If you just want to start over, then the tutorials here are very good.

As for transporting sims, the only way to do that would be the Sim Cloner in SimPE, and that will only work on the appearance. You can't transfer whole sims with memories, relationships, etc. If you try to move families across neighborhoods in game, you will only fuck up both neighborhoods in the process.

Yeah, I have all EP's and a new computer. I'm not seeing any major bugs but do have a bit of a slow load and lag when in a lot (probably due to CC and hacks though).

Mostly I want to change or get rid of the ugly maxis characters from my game.

Can you use Sim Surgery to change appearance of maxis townies/downtownies? I wouldn't be playing these characters at all. Just want to make my hood match the theme I'm going for.

Also, I read that killing sims don't really solve the issue and I still see maxis sims popping up with the same names as the ones I killed.

You can use SimSurgery to prettify the townies, but you would need to mix and match skin/eye/hair/facial structure from donor sims that are already in your 'hood.  Otherwise, you have to put in a new donor sim, and then you'd be stuck with having to delete/kill the donor sim after surgery.  It can be done but it's time consuming, and you're no better off than if you killed/deleted the townie in the first place.

If you're still seeing new maxis fug, first make sure they're really new and not just new to you.  Basically, keep an eye on character files and their creation dates.  If you've collected all the noregen hacks, then the only new character files should be your own sims, or essential NPCs.  Keep in mind that AL social townies will spawn to fill all the empty apartments in every building occupied by your playables.  If you play uni, remember you need a couple of additional hacks to prevent YAs from spawning.  Lastly, unless you've installed clean templates, you'll get a fresh set of townies with every new sub-'hood you attach.

Yeah, and unfortunately I use apartments in my hood... I've tried to fill them up but then learned that social townies will spawn. The game will not let me kill them.
And I just attached a Uni last week.  :-\

Unfortunately, my daughter (who also plays in my hood) won't let me wipe it clean now, she's too attached to her sim  ::)

So if I were to start with a clean template (and follow Jordi's tutorial), do I have to delete all my existing hoods first?

No, you can let your daughter play (or play together) in the old 'hood, as well.  Any new ones that you make after installing the clean templates will stay pristine, assuming you install them properly, and collect all the relevant noregen hacks.  You can prevent the spawning of social townies in a new 'hood by making your own (5 for each group), before building or placing any apartments.  However, if you build huge high-rises with 15 units each, you'll inevitably spawn more.  Just don't do that.

You may be able to coax your daughter by simply starting a second 'hood with new sims, maybe she'll develop a new attachment. ;)

Ooo,

Well I think I'm starting with a new hood then.

Time to gather up all that I need, thanks!!

1, Package them on their lot.
2, install them into the throw away hood using clean installer (making sure you only install the family and the lot - no one that isn't living on the lot)
3, use Simpe or Pescado's Lot debugger (ffsdebugger) to clean up their memories (or use both).
4, re-package them on their lot.
5, install in your new hood.

I do this all the time. If you want any of the Maxis/EAxis pre-made households. I have them all (from all the pre-made hoods, including the Uni students as teens) packaged up (cleaned & safe to use) at Crazy Town. I have two versions of them - with & without plastic surgery (plastic surgery made genetic).
http://www.the-isz.com/theisz/index.php?showforum=91 (note site will be down on 10/7/09 due to upgrading)

There are also any number of default face template replacement mods you can download and install to replace the EA fug for Townies and NPCs that the game generates, whether you're using clean templates or not.

Also you can use a hack like Insimenator and possibly others to change the appearance of Maxis sims in game.  With InSim the hourglass temporal controller has a makeover feature that you can use to either change their appearance like a mirror or give them plastic surgery. Only thing you can't change is eye color.

You might not need five members of each social group unless you plan to have all five levels of apartments.  In my four year old neighborhood I have five social townies total none of which ever get inside an apartment.  I make all my apartments to have only four units, which I immediately populate with playable sims.  I move one family in, click on the apartment and exit back to neighborhood even before the agreement is signed.  Then next family is moved in, etc until all units are rented.  I currently have three apartment buildings, one in the main hood and one in each of two subhoods.  Notownieregen kept others from spawning.  I play with no townies at all and use TwoJeffs visitor controller to set all my lots to not allow townies to appear.