Hack Requests? I'd Like a Newspaper Fix...

[ReneeFox]

Okay, before I get boo'd off this site, I'd better ask before spelling it all out.  I thought this fit in The Bowels of Trogdor, but I can't post in there.

I found a bug with EAxis spaghetti code where they tried to do something fancy with Read Section... of a newspaper, and broke the ability for Sims to put the paper back where it came from; it goes on the floor.  I followed code from Check Weatherforecast, Do Crossword, and reading magazines.  I couldn't figure out where the problem was, but all of them seem to call "put paper back" (something else for reading magazines).  So, they bwoke it!!!  It drives me crazy that the paper could be anywhere, depending on what floor a Sim puts the paper down.  I couldn't get beyond looking through nests of code and scratching my head.

Can somebody around here create a hack-fix for this?  Oh, and how do Peasants upload their teeny-weeny fixes to this site?   

[Zazazu]

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO


Peasant offerings go in the Peasantry. You know. The section that says "Random stuff from the peasants. " Yeah. That one. As for the newspaper issue, sims have always dropped it wherever they may (closest coffee table, then floor).

[ReneeFox]

Okay, okay, adjust your glasses.  I didn't say WHERE!  I said HOW!  How do you like THAT?  Booooooooooooooooo you, too.   I don't want to mess with HTML to upload a file, and FTP isssssssssn't it!  I'm sure there are things the DCs want to accept hacks from Peasants.  I didn't see how, but then again, my eyes are buggin' from reading tiny print.

Oh, and once you start looking at the code difference between Newspaper - Check Weatherforecast and Read Section... (0x7F08E23C), if it doesn't make you flinge (or cringe), I'll pull my own hair out for you; or shoot that thing off the top of your fury little head with an arrow if I'm right. LOL

My Sims always put the paper back on an available table (if present) when checking the forecast, doing a crossword, and perhaps others.  They never place it on an end-table or coffee table for reading hobby sections. So:

GOONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNG

[Stitches]

I dunno about any fixes you come up with. I mean, it isn't exactly rocket science to upload an attachment into Peasantry. If you can't handle that simple task, why would anyone trust a fix from you? I can only surmise that you are either very silly or want attention.

[J. M. Pescado]

The newspaper is simply not a priority, because I have long engaged in the practice of preemptively burying 3 using a Makebuyable collection under the foundation somewhere of any lot I make, because, frankly, it's a hassle. Sims seem to think it is worth stealing, others seem to think this silliness is worth caring about, and worst of all, if you don't, it SPAWNS A 12! FILTHY 12s!

[Milhouse Trixibelle Saltfucker III]

What do you use for "a Makebuyable collection"? I used to have a nice collection of normally unbuyable things that I found very useful, but apparently it broke at some point.

[Dark Trepie]

What's gotten annoying is that the paperboy/girl will hike all the way to your front door now and plop it down instead of at the mailbox.  And any walk-bys who want to read it will do the same.  A nice little "feature" that came with AL.

I seem to recall old newspapers attracted roaches.  I can't be sure though.

[Zazazu]

Oh, and once you start looking at the code difference between Newspaper - Check Weatherforecast and Read Section... (0x7F08E23C), if it doesn't make you flinge (or cringe), I'll pull my own hair out for you; or shoot that thing off the top of your fury little head with an arrow if I'm right. LOL

All EAxis code has that reaction for me. It's unnecessarily complicated, roundabout, etc. Calling it spaghetti code is too kind. Also, look up Trichotillomania. Jokes about pulling out hair are not amusing. It's nearly as bad as saying you'll cut yourself.

You asked to be booed. I aim to please.

I seem to recall old newspapers attracted roaches.  I can't be sure though.

Not a behavior I've noticed. It's really common for my sims to have newspapers decaying all over the place because I don't direct cleaning unless one of the sims is high on neat, and few have maids. Only one household has a butler. No roaches. I get them from trash, of course.

[professorbutters]

The only thing I've noticed with old papers is that the Garden Club members regard it as trash--only a problem if you're trying to get a Wishing Well--and if you have some sitting around, the paperboy/girl stops delivering them.  My maids clean them up; a lot of the time my neat Sims have already cleaned them up on free will.  I find the coffee cup behavior much more annoying (and there is a hack for that) and the dropping of Thinking Caps on the kitchen counter. 

[Zazazu]

Eating out of the trashcan when there's a fully stocked fridge easily accessible in the house. My former mayor's kid, Colin Henry, used to trashdive in the can kept in a cupboard off the kitchen in the manse when he would visit. Since he was a poor farmer and I'd rarely leave food out, I could buy that. But doing so at his own home?

Customers will complain about old newspapers in a home business. My home businesses usually get maids, excepting the Corelli shack...if you're paying $5/hour to shoot hoops in the yard and spin vinyl on a dj booth on the driveway, you can't expect much.

Pescado has a cap rack. Somewhere. Here.

[J. M. Pescado]

Here's a tip: You can entirely avoid newspapers, including the whining about the old newspapers by burying 3 of them someplace inaccessible. If there are at least 3 newspapers on the lot, the paper 12 will never show up (and thus never even be generated), and as a result, none of the 3 newspapers will ever expire. You can use the "makebuyable" hack someplace in test(?) and the old buyable-newspaper collecton, and this will let you bury newspapers, unsubscribing from this nuisance. Alternatively, if you don't hate NPC 12s clogging up the works as much as I do, just pick up the newspapers anytime you see them, before they expire, and stuff them into your sim's inventory. When you have 3, bury them under the foundation or the roof. No more newspapers.

[DrNerd]

DJSSims has a hack that automatically recycles the newspapers, if you use them for job-hunting or some other nefarious purposes, and therefore want fresh papers every day.  A few Sim-hours after the new paper is dropped off, the old one either fades away, or composts itself if you have a composter on the lot.  I don't use the newspapers for job-hunting very often, but the free compost with no work is nice, especially in the winter when I can't see through the snow to make the Sims pick the papers up themselves.

[Exiled]

I tried the stop newspaper hack at MTS2, but it literally broke my inventory system.  I couldn't stuff anything in there and whenever my Sims put leftovers in the fridge they woudln't be saved.  I had to remove it.

Now i use twojeffs' Visitor Controller to ban newspaper delivery lot by lot.

[J. M. Pescado]

I used to maintain an unsubscribe hack, but it was discontinued after I discovered it was more effective, more portable, and reduced maintenance overhead to just bury live newspapers. With 3 live newspapers, none of them will expire, so the maid will never attempt to clean the buried, inaccessible newspapers. And no 12 will be spawned because you can haz too many newspapers.

[tunaisafish]

My Sims always put the paper back on an available table (if present) when checking the forecast, doing a crossword, and perhaps others.  They never place it on an end-table or coffee table for reading hobby sections.

That's because you have never cancelled the crossword or forecast, and you always cancel the reading before they stop on their own due to low motives.
There's basically no difference in the code with regard to 'put away' tidiness.
So if there were another way to cancel the reading, then that minor annoyance would be dust.  See .sig

And no 12 will be spawned because you can haz too many newspapers.

I assume that you'd still get the 12 spawned to deliver hobby mag's,  or to make the subscription call.

What's gotten annoying is that the paperboy/girl will hike all the way to your front door now and plop it down instead of at the mailbox.  And any walk-bys who want to read it will do the same.

I find that annoying too.  I keep forgetting to lock the gates to see if that makes a difference (on those lots that have them anyway).
Neder @ MTS2 has a hack that nukes the visitors reading the paper.  Not sure about compatibility. I'm told still works fine with M&G. Thanks CandyToast.
There's probably a few ways of attacking that one with a hack.

ETA: Neder's hack compatibility.

[Strangel]

I'd use the Makebuyable hack if I could find it.

[J. M. Pescado]

I assume that you'd still get the 12 spawned to deliver hobby mag's,  or to make the subscription call.

I've never called for either of those things and am unclear as to what their actual BENEFITS are, so I've never seen a 12 deliver that, either. Is it the same annoying 12?

[phyllis_p]

I assume that you'd still get the 12 spawned to deliver hobby mag's,  or to make the subscription call.

I've never called for either of those things and am unclear as to what their actual BENEFITS are, so I've never seen a 12 deliver that, either. Is it the same annoying 12?

Seems to me that the chief hobby person is the one who makes the subscription call, but it's the same 12 in the yellow news-delivery outfit who delivers the magazine.

[J. M. Pescado]

Heh. I never order the magazines anyway. What do they even DO?

[caterpillar]

I assume that you'd still get the 12 spawned to deliver hobby mag's,  or to make the subscription call.

I've never called for either of those things and am unclear as to what their actual BENEFITS are, so I've never seen a 12 deliver that, either. Is it the same annoying 12?

Seems to me that the chief hobby person is the one who makes the subscription call, but it's the same 12 in the yellow news-delivery outfit who delivers the magazine.

If you reject the subscription call, you get a pop up featuring the news delivery 12 saying you can call to subscribe if you change your mind.

[J. M. Pescado]

Ah. Thank goodness for Phone Hack, then. I never answer the phone! Although I suppose I should look into stomping this so that no sims are spawned.

[tunaisafish]

The benefits of the hobby mags are high, as the mag has a base enth. gain rate of 200... best rate in the game as far as I know.

[caterpillar]

The benefits of the hobby mags are high, as the mag has a base enth. gain rate of 200... best rate in the game as far as I know.

I want a magazine that reduces enthusiasm, especially for Food. Even with your food enthusiasm mod, tuna, I have too many Sims obsessing over food, patting their bellies.

[tunaisafish]

Do you use the overhaul too? If you don't then try that as it will help your sims concentrate on their OTH.  You can turn gain off completely for spam hobbies with that.
If you already do then it's probably better to move discussion of that back to the sporum thread so we don't hijack this one.

[caterpillar]

I don't think I am using your overhaul, but if I can turn off gain in non-wanted hobbies with it, I'll go grab it now. Thanks!