More Awesome Than You!

I'll try to do my best, the most detailed I can. I'm not very good with words, so there are a lot of pictures: I tried to keep them as much lightweight I could, so this tut will not be too hard to load, even with dial-up connections (about 320Kb in total).
Enough for preamble: let's start.

In this tutorial I will show step by step how to customize Christianlov's Custom Skintones Selector, adding other skintones of your choice; this mechanism should also suggest as well how to delete (or hide) other skintones from Selector's menu.
As usual, feel free to ask for clarifications if anything is not clear enough.

For the love of semplification, I will use the fourth Selector (Christianlov_CustomSkintoneSelector4.package), because it links skintones by two creators only, thus is simpler to read (and mod).

I will add one of AllenABQ's hairy skintones: the Black Tan s1 (cccf720d_BlackDefTan1.package), but you can of course do the same steps with any other of your choice.

The resources we'll mod will be STR#s and BHAVs, for the skintones list and the dynamic menu.

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1. Preparing the menu
Open Christianlov_CustomSkintoneSelector4.package in SimPE, choose Text Lists, then MakeActionString prim set (these are the text that will appear in menus)
(http://www.fantasiadomain.com/sims2/christianlovstut/02a.png)

In Plugin View, add a line with the new text, with this syntax: Author.../Skintone (see examples in pict). Three periods and a slash will add a menu (text before ".../") and a submenu (text after).
Commit, save.

(http://www.fantasiadomain.com/sims2/christianlovstut/02b.png)

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2. Insert new skintone reference
Now (always in Text Lists) select the last resource with a skintones' author name - in our case, Melodie9 - and clone it.

(http://www.fantasiadomain.com/sims2/christianlovstut/03.png)

In Plugin View, we change the filename, and in Resource View, the instance number (0x303D). The number is in hexadecimal, and we have to increase it by 1. If you're not much into hex, you may use the Converter (see the tabs in SimPE):

(http://www.fantasiadomain.com/sims2/christianlovstut/04a.png) Here we see that 0x303D means 12349 decimal.

(http://www.fantasiadomain.com/sims2/christianlovstut/05.png) Changing 12349 in 12350, we obtain the corresponding hex value: 0x303E.

Now, change the filename in Plugin tab...

(http://www.fantasiadomain.com/sims2/christianlovstut/03b.png)

...and the instance number in Resource tab:

(http://www.fantasiadomain.com/sims2/christianlovstut/06.png)

In Plugin view, again, delete all entries (they are Melodie9 skintones family strings).
Commit, save.

Now, we need to add the reference to the new skintone: close the selector and open the skintone package.
Select Skin Tone XML resource, and copy (ctrl-C) the family dtstring.

(http://www.fantasiadomain.com/sims2/christianlovstut/01.png)

Close the skintone, re-open the Selector.
Go again in Text Lists, AllenABQ (or your author's name), add a line (will have 0x0000 #) and paste the string in.

(http://www.fantasiadomain.com/sims2/christianlovstut/13c.png)

Write also some descriptive text (see pict), so you'll remember what that string is.
Commit and save.

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3. Link the skintone to the submenu entry
Go to Behaviour Functions (BHAV) and select Sub - Melodie9 - Action String.

(http://www.fantasiadomain.com/sims2/christianlovstut/08.png)

Clone it, change its name (Sub - AllenABQ - Action String) and increase by 1 its instance number, just the same you did in step 2.

(http://www.fantasiadomain.com/sims2/christianlovstut/09.png)


(http://www.fantasiadomain.com/sims2/christianlovstut/10a.png)

Commit and save (just in case).

Now some action: in Plugin view, we'll edit the BHAV in PJSE Behaviour Editor. Sounds thrilling, doesn't it?

(http://www.fantasiadomain.com/sims2/christianlovstut/10b.png)

Let's try to understand what those instructions mean:

First instruction (#0) means that  we are referring to STR# resource with instance number 0x303D.
Second instr. (#1) means that we are referring to the line #0x0000 of that resource (in which we pasted the skintone family string).
Third instr. (#2) means that all this corresponds to the menu shown.

Remember? We cloned STR# 0x303D, and changed it's instance number in 0x303E. Also, we addeed another menu for that STR#. What we need now is to change those references to new ones.

Select the first instruction (#0) and click on the little button on the right, that with hammer and key symbol: it will bring up the PJSE Instruction Wizard. Change that literal number as shown, and click OK.

(http://www.fantasiadomain.com/sims2/christianlovstut/10c.png)

Then, select the third instruction (#2) and click the same button: the window will be slightly different. Click on the double-arrow button just left of the old "Melodie9" menu, and in the next window choose the replacement string (should be self-explanatory).

(http://www.fantasiadomain.com/sims2/christianlovstut/10e.png)

Note: sometimes (at least, in my system) the string list may be shown not updated: in this case, just save, close the package and reopen it.

Fine: now it shows the correct menu string:
(http://www.fantasiadomain.com/sims2/christianlovstut/11.png)

Click okay again

(http://www.fantasiadomain.com/sims2/christianlovstut/12.png)

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4. Resizing the menu
As you may have understood by this time, the rest of that BHAV repeats similar instructions for every entry. As because we addeed only 1 entry, we don't need all that additional stuff, and it would be better to shorten that menu. This means that we have that BHAV to stop early, and we'll obtain that effect by turning the target from line #3 in TRUE instead, and this will make the BHAV to stop there.

(http://www.fantasiadomain.com/sims2/christianlovstut/13a.png)

Notice the linking arrows on the right of instructions: now the rest of the BHAV is unlinked. Leave it as is: we may need the rest later.

(http://www.fantasiadomain.com/sims2/christianlovstut/13b.png)

If we want to add more skintones, we just need to repeat the steps before, re-link the instruction in that BHAV, and stop it again with a TRUE target when we need:

(http://www.fantasiadomain.com/sims2/christianlovstut/14.png)


(http://www.fantasiadomain.com/sims2/christianlovstut/15.png)


(http://www.fantasiadomain.com/sims2/christianlovstut/17.png)


(http://www.fantasiadomain.com/sims2/christianlovstut/17b.png)


(http://www.fantasiadomain.com/sims2/christianlovstut/18.png)

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5. Linking submenu to main menu
Select BHAV: Interaction - Set Custom Skin - TEST.

(http://www.fantasiadomain.com/sims2/christianlovstut/19.png)

Don't mind those mysterious "invalid BHAV" instructions; they're probably different in your SimPE, because they depend on how your SimPE is configured and stuff like that. Just focus on the last instruction (#6): that will directly call our friend the BHAV Sub - Melodie9 - Action String.
We need to add the other friend, the cloned one: Sub - AllenABQ - Action String.

To clone a BHAV instruction, with all its links and stuff, we have to use the special buttons: check the box next to the name, and 9 new buttons will appear:

(http://www.fantasiadomain.com/sims2/christianlovstut/20a.png)

With instruction #6 selected, click on "Insert via True", and voilà, a new #7 instruction, identical to #6.

(http://www.fantasiadomain.com/sims2/christianlovstut/20b.png)

Select that #7 instruction and click on the arrow/triangle button between "OpCode" and "view BHAV".

(http://www.fantasiadomain.com/sims2/christianlovstut/21a.png)

In this new Resource Chooser window, select "This Package" tab and Sub - AllenABQ - Action String and click Okay.

(http://www.fantasiadomain.com/sims2/christianlovstut/21b.png)

Done!

(http://www.fantasiadomain.com/sims2/christianlovstut/22.png)

EDITED TO ADD: This is the result, in game, with the new AllenABQ menu and the two skintones: that cute dude will have soon a hairy chest!

(http://www.fantasiadomain.com/sims2/christianlovstut/ingame1.jpg) (http://www.fantasiadomain.com/sims2/christianlovstut/ingame2.jpg)


EDIT 2: Attached a clone of CCSS, with a new GUID, cleaned up as a template.

Thank you so much for this tutorial - I didn't know it was THIS complicated. :o I had been playing with the idea of fiddling around with SimPE myself in order to add some new skintones to the painting, and now I'm glad I didn't do it. I think I'll customize my skintone selector paintings right away, thanks to you!  ;D

 :D lol, as a matter of fact the procedure is a lot more simple than it may seems: that bunch of instructions make the work to seem way harder than it is.

Anyway, I've just addeed (attached) to the first post a template: it's a cloned CCSS, with its own GUID, cleaned up to only 1 set of custom skintones (the four standard by Louis #5).
I thought that it may be useful: you can use it as-is for Louis #5 skintones, or make your own, by simply substituting the menu text (Louis #5.../Light, etc.) and the corresponding skintone family string with your choice.

That template may also be useful as a simpler reference, while reading the tutorial, and/ore cloned and customizerd as many times you like.

Well, that sure is more work than just copying a few lines, as one post on MTS2 suggested, so thanks for the tutorial.
If I ever get the game running again, modifying the CCSS will be one of the first projects to do. :)

You can get it here:

http://files.sims2graveyard.com/christianlov/

Does anyone know how to make a second submenu, like how on CrammyBoy's Cock it's got Adjust...Cock Options...Never show. I've got a bunch of skins by the same author & it'd be a lot easier to have submenues for each group of skins rather then putting everything into one group. If someone could help me out that'd be great :)

P.S. Thanks for this awesome tutorial Marhis!

It could be that the hack is conflicting with something else - I read that somewhere.  Have you tried scanning your downloads folder with the Hack Conflicter Utility from simwardrobe.com ?  I haven't had any trouble with mine and I have all EP's and SP's :)

I don't know if it will work with this particular object, but Bobcatben made a mod (regular and Inteen versions) to make a change in skintone "permanent", as he has a collection of skintone changing potions on Genesims. I don't think his potions or this item affect the sim's actual genetic code, but it ought to work for what you are looking for, yes? For his potions it does prevent the skin reverting to it's genetic code after leaving the lot, will have to test if it works with this object.

Since he had to make an InTeen specific version, I would guess that any code within the object for this purpose is probably conflicting silently with your InTeen installation. You should back up your neighborhood while testing the mirror with the permanency mod just in case.

Would that potion work on the robots? I managed to change them but they would not show up on community lots with the new skin.

That's always been a problem with servos -- no matter how you change their skin, they always show up in the default robot skin on comm lots.

I just want to point out that Christianlov made a tool with this function built in, here is the link:
http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=257487 (http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=257487)

For the record, servos will keep normal sim skin via Sim Surgery if you clone them with a different body mesh (i.e. body builder, elder), but on the VERY rare occasion that they do change into servo skin, just make them change to formal then back to everyday. Now, about a week ago I used the debugger to fix...age body on two of them and it gave them regular adult sim bodies. They have stayed that way through 3 cycles of my hood (56 lots x 2 sim days each) without issue. My cloned servos have lasted a full generation with a negligible occurrence of going back to servo skin.

I tried finding the skintone selector at MTS2 not too long ago and it seemed to be missing...

did you try looking in the graveyard?

Follow the instructions together with the tool at MTS2, it tells you also where to find (and in which file) is the package used for this.
Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.

ONE CAUTION THOUGH!

You can seriously screw up a Sim who has a custom skin tone originally. Just did it and had to restore  it via SimSurgery in SimPE