Apartment Hack: Now For Non-Fat Gwilly People!

[Roux]

Hmm. I have the current version, I don't have that other hack, and I'm also getting the error.    I haven't done a binary search yet, but there aren't any obvious conflicts according to HCDU. I'm not able to work on it now, but I'll look into it tomorrow.

EDIT: All righty... generated a fresh The Sims 2 folder and emptied out my Catalog\Bins and Overrides folders, just to be on the safe side. Downloaded a fresh copy of the DC to ensure I have the most recent version of hacks. Created a new YA sim and plopped her in one of the ALT dorms.

Loaded only my usual suite of Awesomeware, including apthack: error at final exam time. Loaded zero hacks: no error. Added just apthack: error.

I'm not sure if this is new information, but I noticed in my regular game that the error only pops up once per major. I had a lot with two sims in the Mathematics major, and only received one error. On a lot with four sims with different majors, I got four errors.

I've attached the error log from the last test with only apthack loaded, just in case it's useful.

[Kyna]

I built an apartment lot that is 3 detached houses, to be occupied by playables.  The houses are complete - each one contains everything a playable household would need, apart from a few skilling items that are only to be found in the community area.  The idea was to be a cross between a residential lot and a kind of mini-community lot.

I was hoping to see kids from neighbouring houses coming out to use the playground and meet each other, and to see the occasional (or not so occasional) fight between feuding neighbours.  For example, I put the Monty family in house A, the Capps in house B.  When I play house C, I want to see Mercutio and Tybalt outdoors fighting sometimes.

With this hack in, given they are complete houses with something to satisfy every need, I never see the neighbours except on Saturday (when everyone 6+ comes out, assuming they're not at work) and Monday night (when all the 12+ sims emerge to pay the rent).  What I'd like to see is a percentage chance of the neighbours coming outside even if they can satisfy every need within their own apartment, rather than a binary "yes they're all coming outside because there's no fun/bathroom/food inside" or "no they're not coming outside at all unless it's Saturday/Monday".

I could just take the hack out, but I like some of it's other features (deposit, uni apartments).

[Entgleichen]

I'm not really satisfied with all "features" of this hack. I appreciate apartments as a possibility for graduates to have their own home which they can afford. Now, as they have to pay an initial price, they can't afford even the cheapest apartment on the trailer lot - and so do other poor sims. (I play with no20khandouts). Could the apthack possibly be modified to solve this or do I have to take it out of Downloads every time I want another sim to move into an apartment?

[J. M. Pescado]

I suggest magicwanding the affected lots before moving people in. That tends to help a lot. There is no "solution" for this, since not including this negates the entire point of apartments and turns it into a free source of massive amounts of money. Without it, you will actually earn money for moving out, often a LOT of money, on furnished apartments. This therefore cannot be removed as it is necessary to close a massive exploit that renders the entire apartment thing moot.

[seelindarun]

There are innumerable ways to cheat sims some money, why not use them?  In fact, you could familyfund your college grads exactly the amount of the security deposit, if you wanted.

On the other hand, there are a paltry number of hacks which take money out of sims' pockets.  I like the features the way they are.  My college grads put up with roommates and max out their credit cards to pay the rent until they get real jobs, just like in real life.

[Entgleichen]

Why should using cheats to get my sims more money be better than make use of the apartment exploit? No way. I'll find out what the magicwand thing is, and if I don't like it, I'll go for apthack in-and-out. Which, in fact, is using the exploit, just in an uncomfortable way. Because I like the other features of this hack. So why not put the exploit fix into an extra fix, so everyone could decide for themselves if they want to fix it. I for one, don't move into an apartment because I think "OH, my sims get a lot of money when they move out". I want them to live there, that's the fun.

[Roux]

Just reporting back to say that the final exam error is fixed in the latest version. Thanks!

[seelindarun]

Why should using cheats to get my sims more money be better than make use of the apartment exploit? No way. I'll find out what the magicwand thing is, and if I don't ...

Wut?  Do whatever the fuck you want, it's your game. 

Just don't come on here expecting hacks to change for your benefit.  JMP only cares whether he wishes to use the apt exploit.  All his hacks come in one version only: the version he uses.  It's beautiful in its simplicity.

[J. M. Pescado]

Why should using cheats to get my sims more money be better than make use of the apartment exploit? No way. I'll find out what the magicwand thing is, and if I don't like it, I'll go for apthack in-and-out. Which, in fact, is using the exploit, just in an uncomfortable way. Because I like the other features of this hack. So why not put the exploit fix into an extra fix, so everyone could decide for themselves if they want to fix it. I for one, don't move into an apartment because I think "OH, my sims get a lot of money when they move out". I want them to live there, that's the fun.

The wand trick isn't a cash exploit because it does not give free cash, and occurs naturally as a part of normal gameplay. You don't get extra cash back as a result. The magic wand simply sets all the items to their "used" values instead of the new values, so you can buy them "like used". Alternatively, you could take the "unfurnished" route.

[Entgleichen]

@#57: Oh Pescado, forgive me my heretic thoughts. How could I have doubted your uniqueness and greatness, your infallibility and simplicity. Your catchpoles are already behind me, please keep them away! Be assured that I didn't mean to expect anything. I just tried to make a proposal, not knowing that even this is a grave sin!

@#58: Thank you for the explanation.

[J. M. Pescado]

The point of the exercise is that you should conciously have to cheat or abuse in order to benefit from an exploit: It should not occur as an effect of naive play. Since getting free money JUST for moving into an apartment, without any concious effort to abuse a cash exploit would violate this premise, I am not going to intentionally leave it enabled since I already had to rewrite this code to make it work: If you want to cheat for cash, cheat for cash. Whereas doing something like the "million dollar reporter trap" essentially represents a deliberate, concious effort to exploit the game's foibles, the mere act of MOVING INTO AN APARTMENT AS INTENDED does not, and therefore, should not automatically include a free(and unavoidable) cash exploit. If you want the resulting fixed prices to be both more reasonable and free of a magic cash exploit, wand the lot prior to move-in so that the furniture in the apartment will be "used", as is typical of apartment furniture. In a "like used" state, a modestly furnished apartment involves a deposit of only a few thousand, already less than if you were to, say, play the game totally EAxis-straight and move into a completely unfurnished apartment (only to them immediately have to redo the furniture you already place, annoying!).

[Dark Trepie]

And besides, can't you shift click on the door with testingcheats on and still basically move into a fully furnished apartment for free with this hack?

[J. M. Pescado]

No. The shift-click function was taken over by the rent-furnished function. Now there is no inherent cheat involved, merely a saving of player effort...because, honestly, if we furnish something, we kinda want it that way.

[GypsyKate]

I installed the apartment hack and moved a CAS Sim into an apartment.  About 20 some days later, I was setting up to move him out and decided to visit another apartment.  The picture tells the story.

My Sim knocked on the door and the femaler Sim peed the moment he walked in.  My Sim influenced her to bathe, and while she was in the shower, fixed some food from her fridge.  After returning from placing his plate on a table somewhere outside (gotta love Sim intelligence) she immediately passed out on the floor.

Apparently the only motive she had in the green when he arrived was social.  I thought the apartment hack was supposed to raise the motives based on what was in the apartment.  I don't see any evidence of this happening.

Is this intended behavior?

Hook

I've had this happen, several times, in more than one apt - non-hacked, I might add.  Got so fed up with it I moved my payable(s) out to a house!

[J. M. Pescado]

That is quite odd. I am not able to reproduce it, but I suspect it is because the sim is not properly inside its hole. Check things like the BRY to make sure it has properly returned to its apartment, and isn't simply "stuck".

[GypsyKate]

That would seem to make sense as, when it has happened, those Sims have not emerged to go to work or mill around the communal areas.  Neither have they been contactable on the phone.  I tried force error to no avail.   Sorry, but I have no idea what BRY means.   

[seelindarun]

BRY = Business Runs You.
Did you know there is a shiny search function on this forum?

It has a function Make Bugger Off... which will give you options on sims that are seen as being on the lot.  If you can't call a neighbour, then it means that the game sees them as being in the communal area, rather than being properly in its apartment hole.  If the neighbour isn't properly stowed away, then the hack doesn't refresh their motives.

Though I haven't experienced this particular problem, I assume that firing the BRY option will force them out of neverland, so that they're either in the communal areas, or properly stowed away.

[GypsyKate]

Thank you, seelindarun, for your explanation.  I don't use BRY.  Sorry that I didn't think to do a search on the term before posting.

[rufio]

I have a question about the rent furnished feature - my sim rented an apartment with nothing preset in it except build mode items, bathroom fixtures, refrigerator, stove, sink, and counters, and there were two rent options when I clicked on the door, one being $2000 more expensive than the other.  I chose the less expensive option, and none of the preset fixtures disappeared.  What does your mod think is worth $2000 that isn't visible in the apartment?

[J. M. Pescado]

Some wall fixture you couldn't see from your camera angle?

[rufio]

I'm pretty sure there was nothing else there.  I built the thing myself, and specifically made it so that it wouldn't have extraneous furniture that would get deleted on move-in.  Also, I have TJ's hack that makes the wall hangings visible even when the walls are down.

ETA:  I forgot to mention, said apartment also threw errors like this repeatedly, I think probably one per townie apartment occupant.

[J. M. Pescado]

Well, I think your game is FUBAR, as I've never seen this. Removal of too much furniture also makes it impossible for your townies to survive in there.

[seelindarun]

Is it possible to extend/ fold/ merge this with nouniprotect, so that dorms can be built and furnished on the same principle as apartments?

[Ailias]

Hello
Have you noticed that AL hotdog diner stand (cloned from BV diners) is totally abandonned by all sims though it uses common semiglobal file?

[Devonian]

I have a problem that I have not seen reported here. 
 My apartment sims' neighbors will not visit after accepting the invitation by phone when this hack is installed.
 I have tested it by removing one mod/hack at a time, and also by removing all mods/hacks and replacing them with the most recent version of The Director's Cut.  When apthack is removed the neighbors show up.
 I have to admit that I downloaded and installed the EA patch for Apartment Life.  Perhaps this is the conflict.
 I would really like to play with the Apthack.  Do you have some solution for me?