Who's getting the x-mas pack?

[Twain]

Could this be true???

Now Maxis is claiming that it is impossible to upload the Holiday Pack items to the exchange...is that even possible?

[Myrddin]

Settle down there chief!

Maxis is claiming nothing!!  The post says that "she doesn't think exclusive objects will actually carry up to the exchange" (bold is my addition)!   

[Twain]

oh I am settled....I am just wondering if it is possible to keep them from filtering up to the exchange.....I am a bit confused....

[Bangelnuts]

oh I am settled....I am just wondering if it is possible to keep them from filtering up to the exchange.....I am a bit confused....

well if I ever get finished with my sim pe editing I will give it a go and put a house up on the exchange with the items and see if they show up

[Motoki]

Well since I have seen lots with the cornacopia etc I tend to think that's kind of a crock. I mean the santa npc might not upload but clothing and objects probably will. Like Pesacdo said, that housing packager is a giant vaccum.

[Bangelnuts]

Well since I have seen lots with the cornacopia etc I tend to think that's kind of a crock. I mean the santa npc might not upload but clothing and objects probably will. Like Pesacdo said, that housing packager is a giant vaccum.

I think your probably right

[veilchen]

Well since I have seen lots with the cornacopia etc I tend to think that's kind of a crock. I mean the santa npc might not upload but clothing and objects probably will. Like Pesacdo said, that housing packager is a giant vaccum.

And doubly so since the uploader/packager/whatever often packs up things that the person doing the uploading doesn't really want to include. How would you justifiably punish someone who unintentionally includes 'forbidden' things, especially if it's the distributors own faulty process that made it possible in the first place?

I admit that I don't know anything about uploading etc., because I don't participate. I'm too lazy to comb through my creations to weed out mods and/or custom content, so I could be way off base, but that's not an illogical thought process. Especially since many people have ended up with unwanted items and/or mods in the past.

I mean, if you want to make your own paysite without actually calling it a paysite (let's face it, that's what those add-on's are, if you think about it), then you must suffer the same issues that the actual paysites suffer, i.e. random uploads by players to an open exchange.

[Myrddin]

It appears, according to one simmer's experience, that if you don't have the  holiday pack installed the objects won't appear in your game if you download them from the exchange. 

[vector]

I just downloaded a house off TSR that had the cornocopia prominently displayed on the dining room table.

Very nice and all, but isn't it exclusive content? Tsk, tsk. How are you supposed to remember every crappy object Maxis have released as a freebie (or, er, not-so-freebie-after-all) so you know not to include it in lots? Jesus.

Edit: Cross-posted with Myrddin - does this mean they've done the l337 wrangling skillz to break these things if you're being naughty after all? How clever!

[Myrddin]

I don't believe the cornucopia is exclusive; it has been offered on the main site as a free download from Maxis since last fall.

[ZiggyDoodle]

What I find odd is that the EA/Maxis only allows those running Win XP to download the pack. Why didn't they just zip it?

The pack does sound intriguing, though, what with the burning Christmas trees and constantly peeing Santa.  I wonder if the cow plant would lilke the old guy in the merry red suit....

[vector]

I don't believe the cornucopia is exclusive; it has been offered on the main site as a free download from Maxis since last fall.

Are those legal, then? I seem to remember a big fuss about them being posted on some fansite a few months back. You know, the awful giant cat and the hideous ghosts-in-the-cauldon rubbish?

I'm actually almost sorry I've got the holiday pack because now I've got to look at them - I wish there was a way you could go through the friggin' game and BIN whatever you like, even if it IS made by maxis. I think I'm gonna overwrite their GUIDs with better stuff.

Hooray for SimPE! 

[Motoki]

It appears, according to one simmer's experience, that if you don't have the  holiday pack installed the objects won't appear in your game if you download them from the exchange.

Not that I trust anyone on the Exchange as far as I can throw them, or that I give them enough credit to figure their way out of a paper bag, but when I think about it, that could well be that case. The lot packager seems to suck up anything and everything from the downloads directory, but these holiday pack items don't get installed under downloads, they get installed where the regular game files do.

Now that brings me to another point, since EA is now seeing simolean signs in their eyes with people actually buying this pack, it sounds like we're going to get a lot more of them and probably more frequently than an expansion pack. It's bad enough to keep up with all the expansion packs and having to worry about having them all for custom downloads that people put up, but are we now going to see custom stuff that requires the holiday pack, shopping pack, yo' mama pack etc etc in additon to the addons? If so it could be a nightmare, but I suspect a lot of people are going to just buy everything just to make sure they have what they need to download whatever it is that they may want that might come along at some future point. I refuse to give into this though. But as we've seen even on this board, this community has no shortage of people willing to throw their money away for downloads for this game.

[JenW]

It's bad enough to keep up with all the expansion packs and having to worry about having them all for custom downloads that people put up, but are we now going to see custom stuff that requires the holiday pack, shopping pack, yo' mama pack etc etc in additon to the addons?

That's what I'm afraid of too. I'm one of those suckers who will throw money at EA for just about anything Sims (obviously ) so *I* won't have any problems with it, but I can see it being a real mess too. I build lots and it's bad enough that every expansion changes so much of how the files save that folks who don't have the EP can't use the house at all, even if it doesn't contain any content from the EP. This makes stuff even more complicated. I won't be using most of that stuff though in my lots, as I pretty much hate Christmas to begin with and am already getting tired of seeing trees and wreaths. I've been using some of the stuff that's already been available, I'll have to look and see if the pack overwrote those or if I can still use them, as they package correctly.

Jen

[Motoki]

You can still keep those items in your downloads folder and they will work okay with the holiday pack installed. It's just sort of rendudant to do so and waste space not to mention increasing the game's load time ever so slightly but it doesn't cause any problems no.

[SaraMK]

So how many actually bought the pack?? Gosh! It looks like a lot bought it!

You know what they say about "looks."

Now that brings me to another point, since EA is now seeing simolean signs in their eyes with people actually buying this pack, it sounds like we're going to get a lot more of them and probably more frequently than an expansion pack.

I wouldn't mind that, actually. The game gets boring pretty fast after an EP. Within a month it's all old and stale. I think the Holiday pack was just TOO themed and specific. There is basically only one way to play with the objects, so if you don't do holidays/seasons, then you are practically guaranteed not to like it. If they did something like a Child-themed pack, then at least that could be used all throughout the game. It can get tedious when you're downloading player-made content and you don't have everything ever released, but as long the creators document the base object used, it's the same as hunting for the custom mesh when downloading recolors.

[skandelouslala]

Now that brings me to another point, since EA is now seeing simolean signs in their eyes with people actually buying this pack, it sounds like we're going to get a lot more of them and probably more frequently than an expansion pack. It's bad enough to keep up with all the expansion packs and having to worry about having them all for custom downloads that people put up, but are we now going to see custom stuff that requires the holiday pack, shopping pack, yo' mama pack etc etc in additon to the addons? If so it could be a nightmare, but I suspect a lot of people are going to just buy everything just to make sure they have what they need to download whatever it is that they may want that might come along at some future point. I refuse to give into this though. But as we've seen even on this board, this community has no shortage of people willing to throw their money away for downloads for this game.

Uggh..I hate to even think about it.

I'm refusing to give into it as well.  Unless perhaps just maybe the come out with an add on that actually sounds good.  So far that doesn't look totally promising either.  Or if they lower the price to something half way reasonable...err wait..that doesn't look promising either.

I'm also awaiting these booster packs to find their way into feature EPs..just waiting to piss people off who purchased them seperately the first go round.  I could see it happening.

[Motoki]

First off, I think anyone who buys something they neither need nor want because someone might make an object you might want based on something from the pack at someone unknown future date is the height of insanity.

Another thing that concerns me about these packs are bugs. People have already found some with the holiday pack. The turn around time for these packs seems very fast so I doubt they are testing them all that thoroughly. And you know we're not going to get patches for them.

Oh, and is anyone else appalled by the thought of custom content based on stuff from this pack being put up on pay sites? So we'd be paying for a recolor for an object from a mini pack we paid for, for a game that we paid for. I think Sims 2 players are some of the most nucking futs people I've ever come across when it comes to spending money. Apparently, any money people in this community have is just burning a hole in people's pockets and can't wait to be given to EA, TSR or a myriad of other pay sites all vying for our money.

[veilchen]

First off, I think anyone who buys something they neither need nor want because someone might make an object you might want based on something from the pack at someone unknown future date is the height of insanity.

Another thing that concerns me about these packs are bugs. People have already found some with the holiday pack. The turn around time for these packs seems very fast so I doubt they are testing them all that thoroughly. And you know we're not going to get patches for them.

Oh, and is anyone else appalled by the thought of custom content based on stuff from this pack being put up on pay sites? So we'd be paying for a recolor for an object from a mini pack we paid for, for a game that we paid for. I think Sims 2 players are some of the most nucking futs people I've ever come across when it comes to spending money. Apparently, any money people in this community have is just burning a hole in people's pockets and can't wait to be given to EA, TSR or a myriad of other pay sites all vying for our money.

I truly wish I could add to this, but you just about covered it all.
Nucking futs? Now that's hilarious, for a second there I thought I was cross-eyed. I've never heard that expression before, as a matter of fact, I'm still laughing
Deserves two smilies, sorry Nectere, but honor where honor is due.

[MutantBunny]

What you said Motoki.

[Ancient Sim]

Smirking against my principles at nucking futs.

[JenW]

You can still keep those items in your downloads folder and they will work okay with the holiday pack installed. It's just sort of rendudant to do so and waste space not to mention increasing the game's load time ever so slightly but it doesn't cause any problems no.

I build in a separate Windows account with very little custom content (and mostly walls and floors) so loading time's not an issue for buiiding. I'll probably delete them from my playing account because as you said, it's kind of redundant and waste of space.

Jen

[nectere]

Love the reindeer, its quite shocking!

I thought maybe if you became best buds with Santa he would leave you something better than a single lousy teddy bear, but it seems there are no interactions with Santa before he farts out the bear, only after. Of course you can sit and have cookies with him and he will talk to you, but you cant interact with him until the shatting has commenced. The fireplace proves useless so far in the way of ringing in the holiday spirit.

The tree combusting was pretty cool though, seems that if you leave it on too long it will burst into flammage. ooo pretty fire...

[Baa]

Ok guys i am putting up a tutorial in a bit on how to mount the image or extract the iso. IT is just taking a few extra because i decide to put screen shots to it.

Thank's a lot!

This will so totally come in handy if I ever lose my official disk.

Cough.

[Bangelnuts]

Could this be true???

Now Maxis is claiming that it is impossible to upload the Holiday Pack items to the exchange...is that even possible?

itried and the transmission kept timing out error code 6