I am right now having some problems with my version of Life Stories. I don't seem to have a mailman or a working mailbox (so no bills or repoman either) alongside the gardener option is also missing. I am trying to understand if these are deliberately disabled but I really doubt it so. My LS is downloaded and I'm using Deamon Tools to make it work. Any solutions? the more I tried to "cheat my way into" solving the problem like forcing bills, more problems started to occur in the game (ex: the rewards from both stories are not buyable to free play anymore)

I had the latest official CEP package and the OFB +p2 phone hack, and I took out the CEP-extra phones package out of the cep extas folder and put it on my desktop, all works fine now. I have the phone hack back in my game.

new version of the phone hack? Or CEP?

Hi, I just reinstalled the whole game and expansions after a long while, and only added CEP, MATY Apartment hacks (zip), and a few default skintones. The phone hack makes my sim jump whenever there is a phone on the lot, when I just wave my mouse over the phone, the sim jumps. I took out the phone hack and all's fine. But I really do want it back, and I don't have any non-awesome hacks.

 And resetting the sim with testing cheats doesn't stop the problem. I tried this on the default neighborhood of Apartment life, in different lots with the same sim and weeded out all the hacks. The culprit does seem to be the phone hack. Logs attached, I hope it's fixable

I know the answer! I think. IWhen I first tried to price the food in the chiller-display, I got the same message. I later realised I had to click-not the pies, but their plates! Or you can just click the chiller-display and price that way

I also hate large rooms because it slows the game down. I hate empty rooms and add a lot of clutter, which slows it down even more. So I just go for a small lot and keep it as simple and small as possible. Nobody gets stuck because I'm a micromanager.

As for separating rooms, I think it might have to do with the number of rooms. In sims 1, the game kept track of number of rooms and bathrooms. And all sims wanted them large and aplenty. Maybe it's the same?

I have changed catalog descriptions and modified sims in simpe so far, but I can make backups and try till my pc explodes Or until I get it right. Thanks for nudging me in the right direction though.
The thing you suggested-cloning and exporting interior properties- lets say I've been meaning to learn that since the tubs stopped working for pets.

Just that? I mean, even that is a lot for me, but I will give it a try.

Is there an easy tutorial on how to make my old custom fridges adapt?
I can use the QA version, as I'm on the programme but I have no idea how to make objects and if it's just changing a number somewhere, I'll gladly do all my downloaded fridges myself. I don't upload lots so they won't get distributed

Does the bowling alley increase fitness as well as giving body points? And the army career reward is the best I believe in kids getting body points, but I never notice if their fitness levels change.

I read on the EA website that the pets patch (new one) properly regenerates the dead NPC's. Maybe if you're pre-patch the game is not able to generate a social worker somehow, even if she's not dead.

If you can successfully adopt in another sim family, you can probably rule out the hack conflict. Just try and exit without saving if you don't want a kid

Hahaha that reminds me of the time my BF banned me from installing Sims 1 and then Sims 2 (when it first came out) on his computer. So I just installed Bodyshop and downloaded millions of outfits+objects, installed photoshop to make some clothes and skins. He then helped me fix my own computer and add RAM

You'd love my second generation then. From perfectly nice, adorable sim-parents, I had 8 kids from different families, all with good personality combos, except they were all MEAN. 1 Nice point for each. Had to do something about that of course hehe

I once tried doing that for a family with one cat. The game really ran slow after they got the cat so I wanted to remove it.  But after lots of training and befriending, the sims kept bursting into tears after their cat was taken away. My heart couldn't handle that, as I had to give my 2 cats away because of minor allergies. They went to good homes, but my eyes still well up 3 years after they're gone, whenever I think of them. So I exited without saving and never did that again

I'm learning slowly but steadily

Sorry for answering late, but I have these problems upon loading the lots (when I DO have them) so yes, I cannot enter them. When I fire up the game again, I can enter the exact lot with no problems. But it is random. Sometime I have the game on for days non-stop, sometimes it's 5 minutes after starting. But always on the loading screen. Since I delete my groups.cache every time I load the game, the crashes are rare.

I guess I could give the 7-day trial a go... Thanks!

I only get it when I'm entering a lot. The lot loading time is average, I suppose, if it takes a little too long, I just move the mouse to discover the "This program has performed an ...(something-illegal operation) and had/has to be terminated" window. It's never happened while playing the game, just loading lots. I'd say it was a game bug. (I do have a Nvidia card, but I blame the game anyway)

I thought so too. A friend once told me an "access violation" happens if the game is looking for more resources (memory=RAM) and accidentally tries to take some of the memory needed by windows. And windows is a spoiled brat who doesn't like sharing.
So I just added a bit more ram and changed the size of the virtual memory (paging?) file and I rarely get those crashes.

Until your ISP ends access to your favorite sites. Grrr.

LOL!
I know polonius, I realized it late as well. Just after I had made two collection files of everything I had. Better late than never eh?

I have some stuff like that in my downloads folder (2 or 3), but in their own sub-folder. I just like them too much to get rid of them. Some I don't know if they're done on purpose, because they're german sites, and I can't understand german, like a larger replacement plant.
I often contact the site owners every couple of months, because at least one object I download is bound to override a maxis mesh.

Some of the custom foods don't have the Call for Meal option, maybe that's what's going on there.

Interesting. I have no more ugly townies when I used this tutorial and CAS replacements. All have pretty, upturned noses instead of the flat ones I used to get before. They had to be regenerated of course.