Correcting the DNA of Strangetown premade characters

[baratron]

thanks, someone might want to double check the light blue eyes then...it's 9-4-4-4-12...any of the standard sims have light blue eyes? none of my created sims do, they tend to have custom eyes...

Gah! Why didn't you say that in your first post? Damn you for making me have to re-open SimPE again... Fortunately, I knew a Maxis-made sim with light blue eyes off the top of my head (he's in my main storytelling family).

The correct line for light blue eyes is e43f3360-3a08-4755-8b83-a0d37a6c424b. I'll edit the earlier post now.

Thanks .

[skandelouslala]

Just wanted to say thanks...this worked for me...and I'm generally SimPe retarded lol  so it is also easy enough to understand.  I also now know how to read sim genetics..yay hehe

Poll Tech #9 and Jenny just had the cutest little green twins (ack at more twins, but at least their cute lol)

[ElenaRoan]

Gah! Why didn't you say that in your first post? Damn you for making me have to re-open SimPE again... Fortunately, I knew a Maxis-made sim with light blue eyes off the top of my head (he's in my main storytelling family).

*winces* sorry about that...I know how long it takes to load...at least on my computer

[ElenaRoan]

I have no idea whether the same skintone or eyes in someone else's game would have the same number assigned to it - I'm thinking probably not.

this has got me curious...one way to find out would be for two people to use the same custom content then check the 'strands' against each other.

I currently don't have any custom skin tones in my game, but a lot of custom eye colours and some custom hair...

[Ailia_Arendel]

As you can see, the only way to be certain how the custom content matches up is to use a first generation sim from Create-A-Sim or Bodyshop - because you need the identical lines of DNA. I have no idea whether the same skintone or eyes in someone else's game would have the same number assigned to it - I'm thinking probably not.

I'm pretty sure the DNA coding would be the same on everyone's computer, because the strings are located in the .package file of the skin/eye/hair as well. (This only works if you know the name of the .package file, so you can open it in SimPE.)

For eyes, the DNA string is listed under the "Texture Overlay XML" Resource, in the "family (dtString)" entry.
For skin, the string is under the "Property Set" resource in the "skintone (dtString)" entry.
For hair, I believe it's under Property Set in "hairtone (dtString)" << I haven't actually tested this one.
 
For example, my (post-Uni) SelfSim's DNA looks like this:
6 (dtString) = 5a5a1f29-4b0b-5dfd-3479-d2b607a488f4
268435462 (dtString) = 5a5a1f29-4b0b-5dfd-3479-d2b607a488f4
2 (dtString) = 5a5a1f29-4b0b-5dfd-3479-d2b607a488f4
268435458 (dtString) = 5a5a1f29-4b0b-5dfd-3479-d2b607a488f4
1 (dtString) = 00000003-0000-0000-0000-000000000000
268435457 (dtString)= 00000003-0000-0000-0000-000000000000
3 (dtString) = 02ea878d-481f-c7a7-52e8-a6978e4036a7
268435459 (dtString) = 02ea878d-481f-c7a7-52e8-a6978e4036a7
5 (dtString) = nose,brow,cheek,jaw,
268435461 (dtString) =

I made her skin and eyes, and they have those same values in their .package files.

[Dark Trepie]

Thanks for that list of DNA strings.  I'll use that and probably spend the next few hours fixing Strangetown and Veronalville.   

[cwykes]

Just wanted to say thanks...this worked for me...and I'm generally SimPe retarded lol  so it is also easy enough to understand.  I also now know how to read sim genetics..yay hehe

goes for me too - thanks.

You can also fix genetics in simenhancer, you get a free trial period so try it for a big job like trawling all the genetics.  After that it's your choice about buying it.  It doesn't do half the stuff SimPE does, but what it does have is very easy to use.  I'm still thinking about it.

[Motoki]

I paid for the Sim2Enhancer and overall I have to say I probably regret it. For months after university came out it was broken for anyone who installed the expansion and he made no comment on whether or when he was going to make an update so we all thought we had been had. He did finally make one but it took a very long time and an 'I'm working on it' would have been nice in the meantime. He was really quick about getting a NL version out though, I have to give him that much.

Besides working with the expansions, there hasn't really been any signifigant number of new features added since it came out. Now it came out around the same time as SimPE and SimPE since then has added features out the wazoo and gets regular updates and it's a free program.

At this point, I mainly use Sim2Enhancer to change a sim's looks to that of another sim made in bodyshop via a package file. In SimPE you have to actually create a dummy sim then copy their looks over. Other than that, I don't really use it for anything. The DNA is laid out in a more user friendly manner, but it's honestly not that bad to mess with in SimPE once you know what you are doing.

[skandelouslala]

Thanks for your review of the progam Motoki...I downloaded a trial version a month or so ago and debated about purchasing it, but I think you are correct with what you say.  SimPe is free..is constantly getting updates..and has a ton more features.  And even though I am SimPe-tarded at times...when I find something I want to do with it that I don't know how to do, all it takes is a well written tutorial and I think most anyone could figure out what they're doing.

[witch]

Hey Motoki, do you still have to go to his website to download a new key everytime you re-install your PC? Are you still limited to 3? new keys a year?

That's what happened to me with simenhancer for sims1. I paid for the damn program, used it about a fortnight, re-installed my system, waited several weeks for a key with emails flying back and forth, thought 'bugger this' and deleted the program for ever. Never to be purchased again. I was definitely taken for a ride.

[Motoki]

Hey Motoki, do you still have to go to his website to download a new key everytime you re-install your PC? Are you still limited to 3? new keys a year?

You still have to download the confounded key whenever you do a reformart or whatever yes, but I didn't see anything about being limited to 3 times. It better not be. 

[witch]

Well, he told me there was a definite limit to the number of keys that would be provided and I'm 99% sure it was 3. That was sims1 though.

[cwykes]

I was trying to delete sims with SimPE and didn't see how to commit the changes.  when I exited it kept saying changes weren't saved.  I was so irritated, I was ready to buy simenhancer there and then!  I figured I'd better learn SimPE in a hood I don't care about, so I stuck copies of my sims in a Testbed 'hood to have a go at cleaning up files.

I haven't found any simPE tutorials for the sort of stuff I want to do.  They exist for easy stuff you can figure out yourself, but how about guides to harder problems or on how to spot harder problems e.g. cleaning out surplus files, corrupt memories, deleting townies completely, moving townies into the 'hood, replacing the kids in the adoption pool. 

I'd love a macro or whatever for common clean up jobs. one click to delete unlinked files that are duplicates" plus another to confirm the list or a few more to take someone out.

[gali]

I change the DNA without any problems, with the Enhanser. No need of knowing codes - just put what I want.
For instance, I wanted Mary-Sue with red hair. I enterred the DNA section, and changed the black hair to red one.
After that the tumbnail of Mary-Sue was darkenned, with a question mark. I enterred the game, and she was all right with a red hair. Al I needed to do was, to tell her to change appereance. Then I got a new tumbnail.

I think the Enhanser is very friendly user's program. I use both SimPe and Enhanser, but I hate to dig into the codes.... Lol, baratron, we are not as wise as you are....

[nectere]

baratron...

back to Lyla Grunt, we resurrected her last night on Spectors lot, Ripp had the honors. When she appeared she was bald and had no eyebrows. We then went to the Grunt house to invite her over not realizing that she had been living there when she died, even though Buzz's memories indicate they were divorced before she died mysteriously at the Spectors lot. Anyway, she was there, but now she had hair but no eyebrows. When I went to change her appearance she suddenly had a dark face (skin4), undaunted I fixed her up with makeup but forgot to put eyebrows back on her. Outside the mirror she didnt have the screwed up skin anymore, so far so good though except for the lack of brows. When I went back to change her appearance again suddenly her face warped and her nose and mouth were all screwed up, like a really bad mesh (not an expression but a graphical warp). She seems stuck like that now.

So is this her dna that is causing this (or lack thereof)? Or just the game acting up again?

[witch]

I see a photo opportunity here... hint hint

[baratron]

back to Lyla Grunt, we resurrected her last night on Spectors lot, Ripp had the honors. When she appeared she was bald and had no eyebrows. We then went to the Grunt house to invite her over not realizing that she had been living there when she died, even though Buzz's memories indicate they were divorced before she died mysteriously at the Spectors lot. Anyway, she was there, but now she had hair but no eyebrows. When I went to change her appearance she suddenly had a dark face (skin4), undaunted I fixed her up with makeup but forgot to put eyebrows back on her. Outside the mirror she didnt have the screwed up skin anymore, so far so good though except for the lack of brows. When I went back to change her appearance again suddenly her face warped and her nose and mouth were all screwed up, like a really bad mesh (not an expression but a graphical warp). She seems stuck like that now.

So is this her dna that is causing this (or lack thereof)? Or just the game acting up again?

Yikes!

I do know that Lyla Grunt has "issues" - iirc, the reason she is bald when resurrected is that her hair was not included in the game. Randomly turning to skintone 4 sounds a lot like screwed up DNA.

Wanna package the sim for me & I'll have a look? I can stick her in my test Neighbourhood, so it doesn't matter about too many character file BFBVFS, as the Neighbourhood gets nuked on a regular basis. If it's easier, package the whole family.

I know I could resurrect her myself, but if it is a screwup, there's no guarantee my game would screw up in the same way .

[cwykes]

So has anyone put up corrected versions of these sims anywhere that you can download or point new simmers to?

Yes I know you can fix your own, but you have to be somewhat more techie than your average simmer and it's a hell of a waste of time for thousands of people to be all doing the same thing!  Yes I realise people who've been playing for years with these sims won't want to wipe out their sim and have to do it themselves, but there are plenty of new simmers and plenty of people who haven't played all the 'hoods who'd want them.

If it's not already out there I kind of like the idea of doing it and putting it up on the official site!  It should all have been fixed in the patch.  Fix the gardens for uncuttable hedges while we are at it!

Alternative - lobby for a maxis fix!

[Motoki]

The problem with that is putting up fixed ones would be clones, not the orignals. It would get confusing to have doubles in the same neighborhood and they wouldn't have the memories, plus it's extra unnecessary character files which generally isn't a good thing.

The DNA is stored in the neighborhood file too, so it really can't be posted with the updated information and copied over the original unless the neighborhood is in a new and unplayed state. If it has been played at all, copying that file over would make changes.

It's really not that bad to do. Baratron has posted exactly how to do it step by step, the corrected values and what they all mean. It's basically just a cut and paste job. At the risk of coming off rude, I think people need to get over their 'oh I'm not techie so I can't do it' attitude and just try sometimes. There's been plenty of times where I looked at a program and thought 'Oh there's no way in hell I'll ever be able to do this' but I am stubborn so I just tried anyway and in most cases eventually I was able to do it. I think people should at least give things a try or two before deciding they can't do something.

If anyone attempts to do this and has questions you can always ask here and someone will answer. The only stupid question is one you don't ask. It's cliche but true.

[nectere]

I just took a gander at Lyla in Simpe and it says she is unlinked...I thought once the sim was resurrected they were linked back up. I guess not because looking at the other resurrected sims in Strangetown shows that they are not linked either. Looking in Pleasantview the same occurs except for sims that accidently died in game and I immmediatly ressurected. (Cassandra the nut starved herself to death during pregnancy, finally deciding to cook for herself and just as she went to serve the food she expired. I resurrected her later the same day and she came back with all her previous skills, personality, job and pregnacy)


Back to Lyla
Here's what her DNA looks like:
1 dstring 00000003-0000-0000-0000-000000000000
2 dstring 00000002-0000-0000-0000-000000000000
268435457 dstring  00000003-0000-0000-0000-000000000000
268435458 dstring  00000002-0000-0000-0000-000000000000
268435459 dstring  2d6839c5-0b7c-48a1-9c55-4bd9cc873b0f
268435461 dstring
3 dstring  2d6839c5-0b7c-48a1-9c55-4bd9cc873b0f
4 dstring  -858851246:2140625487:1;
5 dstring  nose,cheekbones,

Her whole body didnt go to skin4, just her face when I used the mirror, but it reverted back to her normal skintone outside the mirror, but then when I went back in to put eyebrows on her I got this:




fork! I cant figure out this stupid image thing

here is the image

http://img499.imageshack.us/my.php?image=lyla8eo.jpg

[baratron]

OK. It seems Lyla has the usual Strangetown 2 lines of DNA missing - the ones that start 268435462 (dtString): and 6 (dtString): and correspond to Skin tone to be passed on. But why that would cause a graphical glitch, I don't know. I could understand it if it was her expressed Skin tone that was missing, but that's ok...

Anyway, try adding the following 2 lines (in purple) to her DNA:
1 dstring 00000003-0000-0000-0000-000000000000
2 dstring 00000002-0000-0000-0000-000000000000
268435457 dstring  00000003-0000-0000-0000-000000000000
268435458 dstring  00000002-0000-0000-0000-000000000000
268435459 dstring  2d6839c5-0b7c-48a1-9c55-4bd9cc873b0f
268435461 dstring
268435462: 00000002-0000-0000-0000-000000000000
3 dstring  2d6839c5-0b7c-48a1-9c55-4bd9cc873b0f
4 dstring  -858851246:2140625487:1;
5 dstring  nose,cheekbones,
6 (dtString): 00000002-0000-0000-0000-000000000000

It might not actually help now that she already looks weird, though. Probably it's best to fix the DNA before resurrecting her  .

[cwykes]

The problem with that is putting up fixed ones would be clones, not the orignals......
The DNA is stored in the neighborhood file too, so it really can't be posted with the updated information and copied over the original unless the neighborhood is in a new and unplayed state.

Thanks for explaining a bit more.  So no downloads to fix sims you've played, but it would be possible to do a download to overwrite files for a virgin 'hood.   Could it go in the defaults?  so when you reset or re-install they get set up right?  Good for newbies and for a 'hood you haven't played.

At the risk of coming off rude, I think people need to get over their 'oh I'm not techie so I can't do it' attitude and just try sometimes.

I agree actually.  I help people learn stuff all the time and as you can see I ask plenty of stupid questions myself!  The kind of person who needs an easy download is the 13 year old girl who got Sims2 for her birthday and wants to know why PT9 doesn't have alien babies.  Right at that moment, she just wants her pressie to work properly. A detour into SimPE takes the shine off a bit!!!  Also SimPE is a pretty dangerous tool - OK that genetics fix is OK, but there's plenty of trouble you can get into.  What she really needs is for maxis to fix the defaults. 

No disrespect to all those 13 year old techie girls out there!

[BlueSoup]

I agree actually.  I help people learn stuff all the time and as you can see I ask plenty of stupid questions myself!  The kind of person who needs an easy download is the 13 year old girl who got Sims2 for her birthday and wants to know why PT9 doesn't have alien babies.  Right at that moment, she just wants her pressie to work properly. A detour into SimPE takes the shine off a bit!!!  Also SimPE is a pretty dangerous tool - OK that genetics fix is OK, but there's plenty of trouble you can get into.  What she really needs is for maxis to fix the defaults. 

No disrespect to all those 13 year old techie girls out there!

Well, I'm not 13, but I was really afraid for a long time to try SimPE.  I was so sure it would turn my game into a LFBVFS. But I got over it, and now I love it.  I am still going pretty slowly, so as to avoid disaster, but so far it's been working great. 

[nectere]

Why are the resurrected sims showing unlinked still?

[cwykes]

Well, I'm not 13, but I was really afraid for a long time to try SimPE.  I was so sure it would turn my game into a LFBVFS. But I got over it, and now I love it.  I am still going pretty slowly, so as to avoid disaster, but so far it's been working great. 

That shows good sense!  It's the people who aren't afraid who get in a real mess!