More Awesome Than You!

I have been downloading and installing houses in my game today, and I'm blown away by how many have contained the "alienware; everything but the saucer" hack. That will be the only other thing on the list in "clean installer" besides "lot segment for upload" in an unfurnished house. Of course, since I use clean installer I avoid it, but I'm just curious as to why this hack is so prevalent in downloaded houses? What's so "special" about it? I don't mean "what does it do?", I mean, is it some virus-like hack that is sneaking up on people who are uploading these houses, or is it hard for them to detect and/or remove? What's the big deal?

I've also noticed that this alienware thing is never highlighted in red. It just shows up as a game object. Twice. That also makes me wonder about its sneakiness.

(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y62/Brynne14/cleaninstall.jpg)

I may be totally off on this, but I believe the "Alienware; everything but the saucer" isn't a hack -- it's a MaxoidMonkey creation that can be found here:

http://thesims2.ea.com/exchange/object_detail.php?asset_id=8&asset_type=object

I forget what colors it comes in -- green, black, and blue, I believe.  If it's showing up in other colors, then it's a hack -- or could be just a recolor.

Phyllis

But why does it show up twice almost every time? And look at this one I just found:

(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y62/Brynne14/Clipboard01.jpg)

At least one of those is pretty clearly a hack, but now I'm wondering about the "hacked computer" thing. Not just alienware, apparently. And what's with the eye shadow? Are all these hacks?

Maybe the eyeshadow's just a Custom Makeup people create from the Bodyshop?

Doesn't it seem a little odd that eyeshadow and multiple computers (one of which has the word "hacking" in it and it's made by wintermurei, a hacked-objects maker.)would be in a supposedly clean house? There aren't any sims in it, either. Am I just paranoid? ::)

I've been wondering the same thing; I downloaded a couple of lots from the exchange the other day and I saw the Ailenware and the Everything but the Warez too....on both the lots I downloaded. I didn't install anything but the Lot Segment but was highly suspicious of what the other two things were. I know on the official website there is an Ailenware computer done by one of the Maxoids but I was suspicous because the houses were supposed to be unoccupied and unfurnished. Call me paranoid as well.

Thank you, "Paranoid as well" ;). I think we're on to something...
You're cat looks like my cat. Bow and all at Christmas-time!

As a general rule, when installing downloaded lots, never install anything other than the lot. Period. No ifs, ands, or buts. Everything that isn't the lot should be wiped out.

I think I saw something about that "eyeshadow" hack being the veggie hack that removes all the meat meals from your game. Go check your fridge...

I've noticed this as well.  Practically every house I download from the official site has these pc's and/or those revolting topiary things, especially the egg one.  Never any mention of them being there on the download page, either.

Amusing idea, spooky even, but this would necessitate the Maxis game engine being sophisticated enough to distinguish between vegetarian and non-vegetarian. Somehow, I very much doubt it is capable of doing that.

Don't bother "checking" anything. That's the entire point of using Pherverstool: To UNCHECK things. Do not check things! Checking bad! Unchecking good!

I've heard about that.  Whoever came up with that hack needs, in the words of "simsloover," to go suck a tree.

We nicknamed him "Spawn"...as in "Spawn of Satan."  ;)

I haven't downloaded anything other than the lot segments. I "unchecked" post-screenshot. I've seen the topiaries, too. The egg one and some cherub thing. But what's the scoop behind those mystery computers? Why aren't they red?

Probably because they're independent objects, rather than hacks. Alternatively, because the Pherverstool is not so good at identifying these things and is much better at simply indicating that they exist. Often, objects are misidentified. No matter: THey don't belong, whatever they are.

Well I downloaded a few castles and they almost all had it in there, and since I like to live dangerously and my favorite passtime is breaking things, I left them in. The castles themselves however did not have a computer somewhere on the lot, but I did end up with two versions of the alienware PC, the orginal one and a recolored one in many colors. I assumed at that point is the reason why it shows up twice, once for the orginal maxoid object and second for the hacked version to make recolors.

(assuming it wasnt recolorable when maxis published it, like the bunny bear)

When I used to download from the Exchange I picked up three versions of that computer; the first was recolours, the second version had added options (can't remember any of them), the third version had death by electrocution as an option.

I guess that would make me paranoid as well. When I download a building, the only thing that retains its check mark is the "lotSegment for Upload" line. Everything else will not be installed, no matter how intriguing it may sound. I do get curious about it, but I have lost too many playing hours due to stupid bugs and general game-misbehavior.'

G.

I totally agree, veilchen!  I've never downloaded a lot from the official site, but the of the few I have d/l'd and installed, one at least made such a mess of my game I had to reinstall everything and about the only benefit was it forced me to sort out my downloads and get rid of anything suspicious!  (I had five unidentified sims in supposedly unoccupied houses!  Plus that darned computer, several cars, a teen woohoo hack which allowed adults to flirt with and woohoo teens including their own nieces and nephews!)  Now I'm not only very careful what I download, but I any house I make for others to share is created in a hack-free neighbourhood!  It's not my place to decide what other people should have in their game, and equally it's not theirs to decide what I should have in mine!

Yeah I've run across these alienware computers also. I believe one of them had a suicide option, I seem to recall downloading it soon after sims 2 came out. I ended up with a zillion versions and have cleaned all of them out.

The main hack I have a problem with, when I upload lots I've built, is the phonehack. If I furnish a house and forgetfully put in a phone, the lot includes the phonehack. I have just started a clean sims2 folder for building, with no hacks in the downloads folder. I also re-uploaded most of my lots. I don't think people should get hacks they don't know about and might not wish to play.

I wonder how many of the BBSers, who say they have no game bugs, have actually got Pescado's critical fixes without knowing it?

Well, it might explain why some of them think they aren't necessary!  Their game would be working better than Maxis intended, and they wouldn't even realise it!

I had the eyeshadow one...not sure when I got it but very long ago.  When I removed it (based on suggestions from you guys), my pork chop meals returned. :)

Presumably the wally who created it was a vegetarian!

That has never occured to me, but I think you are on to something there. Even if they kept the game as pristine as possible, and even played as much as they claim they do, at least the greek-house bugs would have most certainly reared their ugly heads by now. The same goes for the critical fixes...hmm interesting thoughts these.

G.

I think some Jewish players had issues with the pork-chop meal...

And Muslim too.

True, but woud they have worried about the turkey?  They could just have said, it's a kosher/halal turkey and been ok about it.

Again, the issue is, if you want to remove/add something to your own game, fine, but don't inflict it on others without their knowledge or consent!

Just thought I'd mention that the "Alienware; everything but the saucer" is a MaxoidMonkey creation as Phyllis mentioned.  When I downloaded and installed it into my game it installed 2 files: 95abb5d160cfd12c6ae38da7da5b0d6a.package and aaccad1d85ca47934ec100add1c9a8c5.package  I've since removed the Alienware pc as it is lacking the Uni options.

I saw the computer I used to have today in my old files. The one with the suicide option was JoJo-HackerCOMPUTER. I did use it a bit and don't recall any problems. Think I got it from MTS2.

I somehow got it into my game and haven't been able to find it. It's been there a while. I have lots of those long number/letter packages in my downloads folder, so I suspect it may be one of those. I'll look and see if I have those two files you mentioned.

I've replaced nearly everything I can that has a long file name - hard work but worth it to know what I've got!  If it can't be replaced, I put it in a folder with it's name on so again I know what it is.  If it's a skin etc., I at least have my back-up copy in a folder with it's name on!  Anything that SimPE doesn't recognise is GONE!

Yeah, I regularly remove anything with a gobbledygook filename from my Downloads folder.  I still haven't figured out how they keep getting in there.

Is "Pherverstool" the same thing as "Clean Installer"?

They get there when you download and install houses.

I'm operating on that assumption.