Feel free to call me an idiot

[laraamber]

Okay, I'm a complete newbie at this site, and I tried to do a search for an answer, but felt like I was in one of those conversations where one person is speaking English and the other person is responded in a foreign language.  So please, no acronyms and type slow.  I have no idea how to use any of the programs other then the game.  So instructions would have to be like you're explaining to your grandmother how to send an email.  Feel free to heap invectives on my head.

My setup: I have every expansion and stuff pack for Sims 2 (except holiday), the only custom content is Maxis made & the extra goodies for pre-ordering, my computer runs Window Vista and is a home built gaming rig.  I've never packaged anything, moved anything across neighborhoods, or anything else beyond play the game.  I do use cheat codes, usually when building.

My history: I play Riverblossom Hills extensively.  Back when I started the neighborhood I deleted most of the families and houses, but kept a few around that sorta matched my ideas for the neighborhood: McGreggor, Larson, OMackey, and Roth.  I also deleted all the bin families.  The McGreggors and OMackeys get played and I'm on my 4/5th generation of them and my created families (so I really don't want to start over and lose everything).  I left the Larson and Roth families alone but allowed them to be friends with my characters.  When I started the McGreggor's Farmer's Market, Jodi got hired as an employee.  Well later I decided to delete the Larson and Roth families.  Apparently that was bad, and instead I should have passed out the special kool-aid to all my unwanted neighbors.

My problems:

1. My toddlers & children have lifetime wants.  Apparently that's not a "feature" of Apartment Life.
2. I have children who have reached permanent platinum without doing anything special.  Is that normal?
3. Jodi is still listed as an employee of the Farmer's Market.  Too bad she doesn't show up to work.

My game is still workable and most of my other problems that frustrated me disappeared in the last patch for AL.  These still remain, so I believe it may have been what I did vs. the code monkeys at EA.

Any suggestions?   

Lara Amber

[Darby]

LTWs in toddlers and children is a common sign of the type of neighborhood corruption that results from using the occupied lot bin, downloading occupied lots, and deleting sims.  Nothing you can do to fix it, as far as I know.  If neighborhood corruption is the problem, deleting the 'hood is will almost certainly be necessary. 

[J. M. Pescado]

Your game a splode!

[toad]

You can learn to extract the sims that you're working with, if you're attached to them.  However, they won't be the same.

Deleting sims is a bad idea unless you use the technique on this site (Deleted 2: Electric Boogaloo!).  That might be a bad idea too, but because it's from Pescado, I choose to think it's less bad.

[Marhis]

(...) I deleted most of the families and houses, (...)  I also deleted all the bin families.  (...) Well later I decided to delete the Larson and Roth families.

cuts and bold by me

Well... I'm sorry to say that these actions were precisely what pretty much ruined your neighborhood.

Deleting sims and families does not really make them vanish from the game, because a part of them still remains hidden in your files, and messes up all the other sims that will follow. As an example, dangling wants&fears resources left behind by "deleted" sims sooner or later will become part of a newly generated sim... here you are the toddlers with weird wants and so on.
And this is only the top of the iceberg :/

I'm afraid to say your hood is beyond repair, now.

I don't blame you, though: you simply did what the game suggests as a regular move. The fact that this completely destroys your game, instead, speaks volumes about EAxis skills.
Don't want/care/whatev develop your game basis better? Fine, but for heaven's sake, don't label the Big Red Button "please push me"!

[Zazazu]

Sorry, kiddo.

[laraamber]

Well that's incredibly depressing.  My cute Scottish farming community is apparently going to get the axe. 

If I can't save my families, what about the buildings?  Some of the lots took a day to design.  If I could bring those back cleanly that would make this a bit more palatable. 

Lara Amber

[jolrei]

You should be able to save the buildings.  Move out the sims in the normal manner (just move the entire families to the sim bin from neighbourhood view).  Then move the EMPTY houses/lots to the lot bin.  They should be available then in any hood.

If you want to keep your cute scottish family, I would suggest cloning them using SimPE's simsurgery feature.  Before you zorch your borked hood, make a note of their personality points (neatness, outgoing, grouchy, etc.) so you can rebuild them.  You can rebuild your cloned sims using bodyshop and CAS, and even preserve your family relationships with your new rebuilt sims.  Note, this is not "easier" than simply starting over with brand new sims. 

There is a tutorial on cloning sims here:
http://www.moreawesomethanyou.com/smf/index.php/topic,8407.msg233211.html#msg233211

[laraamber]

Jolrei,

It sounds like from the responses I don't need to do a complete reinstall, just delete the one neighborhood.  Is that correct?

Lara Amber

[jolrei]

Good Lord!  Why do a complete reinstall?  Your 'hood is asplodie.  The GAME is fine.  Zorch the hood and build a new one.

[BastDawn]

I also recommend the clean templates, to avoid getting Maxis-made sims in your sim bin in the future.  The templates also remove standard townies like Goopy.  Read the tutorial before you install them.

[seelindarun]

You should be able to save the buildings.  Move out the sims in the normal manner (just move the entire families to the sim bin from neighbourhood view).  Then move the EMPTY houses/lots to the lot bin.  They should be available then in any hood.

No! Stop!  Make a backup of your TS2/Neighborhoods/NXXX/Lots folder from that 'hood first.  If you do this step before moving them out, you can save the furnished lots, instead of just shells.

I no longer have the link to the original post, but JMP can confirm the method, as he is the author:

1.  In your userstartup.cheat file, add this line:
boolprop ShowLotPackageFilename true

2.  For the family you about to evict, make a list of the lot catalog number and name of their house, as you mouse over their lot.  Move the sims out as instructed.
3.  Load the empty shell of a house, save and exit to the neighbourhood.
4.  Repeat for as many houses as you wish to save.

5.  Quit the game.  For each lot on your list above, copy/replace from the backup files.
6.  Launch the game. 
7.  Enter evicted house again, see it in its formerly furnished glory.  Save and exit.
8.  In 'hood view, package the lot as usual.
9.  Repeat for all the lots on your list.

[Zazazu]

Or you could just use Inge's Stay Things shrub and save yourself the hassle.

[rohina]

I cannot believe the OP got this many replies without someone fulfilling it's original request.

Lamber, you are an idiot.

Many of us experienced the BFBVFS in our early days of simming. How have you managed to play all these years with an unawesome game, anyway? Pay attention to the nice people's advices, and learn from your mistakes.

[Darby]

Or you could just use Inge's Stay Things shrub and save yourself the hassle.

*boggles*  Wondering why I hadn't heard of that very handy-sounding hack, since I was recently all over her site.
Just found it, and it doesn't appear to have been updated for AL yet.  (Which is why, I'm sure, I didn't pay close attention to it.)   

[aussieone]

*aussieone watches and waits for Pescado to post something along the lines that Inge's Stay Things Shrub is the suxxzor because it corrupts the value of lots and then anticipates Inge entering the thread to tell him he's talking a load of old bollocks or somesuch.

[J. M. Pescado]

Yeah, you've pretty much summarized it. The "Stay Things" shrub is a bad thing as it negatively affects game integrity.

[Darby]

Integrity of the type that can cause asplodiness if impaired, or is it just the principle of the thing - that lots should be of a certain value?  'Cuz I couldn't care less if the lot value ends up being off by a few thousand simloeans.  Worth it to avoid the enormous hassle of refurnishing a lot which I suck at, and easily corrected anyway.

[laraamber]

Well I probably lasted this long because I all the recent deletes had been in the last six months. 

I got the new neighborhood built, the houses are all unfurnished, which is good, because I don't think anyone could afford the houses otherwise.

I started my first family last night in their temporary log cabin, and I'm enjoying starting over.  My neighborhood and families had all been rather large, and focusing on two people is a nice change of pace.  Plus I'm designing them from scratch instead of using AI generated Sims, I'm going to have some beautiful geniuses running around. 

Thanks for all the help.

Lara Amber



   

[PirateFaafy]

Yeah, you've pretty much summarized it. The "Stay Things" shrub is a bad thing as it negatively affects game integrity.

...Integrity? I beg your pardon? I have been using said shrub for a while and not run into any problems... Is it simply as stated above with regards to value?

[Sette]

Aww crap.  Deleting binned Sims is a Bad?  I really thought I'd learnt all the bads.

I had created a family that was supposed to go into one of my NHs, but I accidentally hired one of them in a business.  I later deleted the family because the
intended NH was getting too populated due to stupid Fam LTWs (grad millions, have millions).   Later, when the business owner called employees in, Mr. Gotz didn't show for work and I couldn't phone him or Summon him.  That's when I realised my error and now he's stuck as an employee.  I've recently noticed I'm getting a few anomalies, but I initially attributed it to a hack conflict or some piece of CC.  I'm still trying to find a culprit, but after reading this thread, I worry I've broken my NH.

Oops, nearly forgot to mention I hadn't played any other NHs while the Gotz' were binned and waiting for a home, so nobody outside the original NH had a chance to have a random encounter with any of the family members, if that makes any difference.

SimPE shows Mr. Gotz as an unplayable, info free token(?), but I'm not messing with it until I know exactly what to do. 

If I have broken the NH, with as many playable Sims in that one NH with it's 'burbs, there's no way I'm going to try to salvage everything.  It'll be a shame to wipe it as it was the first NH I started after making the Bad of transferring a family from one NH to another NH, and installing WAY too much CC and hacks at once.  (had just discovered CC and didn't read enough, as usual, and the whole game went blammo)

If my NH isn't broken, how might I remove Mr. Gotz from the business?  Is there a way to recreate him from the left over rags and fool the game into thinking the new one is the original one, and then making him a NPC (not that I want more, but those Cowplants are always at hand, and Gerry loves that juice)?

Once again, I've probably missed the obvious, so spnak away.


update - Damn, I finally found confirmation on what I was looking for in the War Room.  Sadly, from the looks of it, yes my NH is toasted. 
WhyTF would EAsses include an option to delete binned sims when it does SOOOO much damage to a NH?  Also, it seems I'm reaching critical mass as far as residents/NPCs go, 819.

Since my last NH backup was after Gotz screwed things up, I'm just going to install the nospawn hacks, salvage and clean a few of my favourite families, bin my homes, and, since the binned sims from my newest EPs probably fecked my other NHs up, reinstall.  Stupid, stupid freakin' EA, one deleted sim and my game is dead! <primal scream>

I really wish I'd found MATY a year ago, I could have avoided this second reinstall.  At least it gives me an excuse to download Numenator's Super-mega-ultra Neighbourhood from MTS2.

Thanks folks for all the info, hacks and stuff.


2nd update - Duh, I didn't see Seelaurarun's response.  Thanks.

The EAsses keep giving me more and more reasons to dislike them.  I think I'll take a break from gameplay for a while.  I'm just too pissed off right now to start over. (five wasted months wasted)  At least I've got lots of organized CC with all the crap weeded out,  and I found MATY, a great source of hacks to fix what the EAsses couldn't and the awesomest  place for SIMming resources ever.  Once again, thanks.  I bow to the aweSIMness of you all.

[seelindarun]

Nope, you've found the obvious.
Your 'hood is doomed.

[rohina]

Once again, I've probably missed the obvious, so spnak away.

Well, you certainly missed the obvious misspelling of "spork."

[Sette]

Once again, I've probably missed the obvious, so spnak away.

Well, you certainly missed the obvious misspelling of "spork."

Nope, it's Usenet-Trollese for "spank".  Yeah, I'm that old, but never was a troll.

Thanks for resolving my issue, and easing my worried soul.

[GelatinousSubstance]

I never knew any of this. What I've been doing for a while now is deleting all the neighborhoods before even starting and importing my own. I don't even have binned townies to delete. But is this also a bad thing to do?