Review of the Sims2 Content Manager

[dsk]

My theory?  This is a direct response to the recent claims that Sims 2 custom content allows people to turn it into "porn" and that Maxis supports, at least by tacit concent, these custom modifications and the mod community in general.  I think this was thrown together very quickly to give people (read: parents) an easier way to scan their custom content and remove anything they find personally objectionable.  This is why it takes a while to load (no time to optimize it), why it doesn't retain sorting options and such after an item is deleted, and why it is distributed in a ZIP file.  They obviously handed it to a small team of developers and told them to get it out ASAP.

Now Maxis can say that they've taken action to help keep custom content out of the game (by end-user choice) and thus retain their T rating.  It's a good solution -- putting responsibility squarely where it belongs.  If you ask me, I don't think they needed to do this.  The hot coffee problem was due to the content being unlocked -- it was already there, created by the developers.  Maxis hasn't put anything "naughty" in the game and shouldn't be held responsible for the content created and distributed by third parties.  But I'll stop there... I'm sure this particular issue has been beaten to death with a flaming flamingo by now.

[Diala]

Eh, I gave this Sims2 Content Manager a try. The only thing redeemable about it is that you can just look at files that are of "questionable content" by themselves. I don't think the Clean Installer has that option. However, what makes me use the Clean Installer is to view the contents of .sims2pack files before extracting them and to see what files are just worthless empty packages.

I pretty much think that they churned this together, and then threw it to the public so they can unofficially "beta" it for them. I found it particular that it came in a Zip file as well.

The hot coffee problem was due to the content being unlocked -- it was already there, created by the developers. Maxis hasn't put anything "naughty" in the game and shouldn't be held responsible for the content created and distributed by third parties.

But knowing the tactics of the average lawyer, I am sure they'll say that Maxis programming 'allowed' them to put such "naughty content" in due to allowing Sims 2 fans to make their own content.

[witch]

I've been using DatGen. It's got a pretty decent file scanner.

I got datgen downloaded and installed. It scans. I love seeing all the categories and the details, like the objects with googleplex polygons that can slow down the game etc. Very informative, this looks like the best option so far. I couldn't make datgen delete files or remove them though, right click or anything else. I don't want to search 1Gb data by hand but may have to. I'm still on the track of starting a new n'hood but want to prune my downloads first.

I tried the Maxis scanner, it got a lot of stuff wrong, not nearly so much detail as datgen, clunky cartoon interface, very windows XP, very yesterday.

[sara_dippity]

Well, if it lets you view the outline of meshes that will help me out since I suspect I have a few untextured meshes in my game.

If you right click on an entry, and you've told it to go ahead and connect to the Sims2 Official site, it'll tell you what stuff you got this from if it's on the Exchange.  Pretty useless unless you really want to send nasty emails to the person who gave you that SimstransmitSTDs Hack.

This is a joke right? Cause if it is... I think I have a hack request I want to make...

If I tell you it's a joke, you'll request it.  If I tell you it's not a joke you'll want to know where to get it.  So I am going to remain discreetly silent.

grrr to you.

[ZephyrZodiac]

The hot coffee problem was due to the content being unlocked -- it was already there, created by the developers. Maxis hasn't put anything "naughty" in the game and shouldn't be held responsible for the content created and distributed by third parties.

But knowing the tactics of the average lawyer, I am sure they'll say that Maxis programming 'allowed' them to put such "naughty content" in due to allowing Sims 2 fans to make their own content.

Since it's only really clothing and a few objects that might be made and regarded as porn, I can't really see a tremendous problem.  Objects, in my view, are only really pornographic if used for certain purposes (and in that respect, almost any handheld object could be used!) and there is no programming in The Sims that lets you turn your sims into sado-masochists etc. or to even view a normal sex act - it's all in the mind!

By the same token, libraries should ban all books by people like D.H.Lawrence from their open shelves in case a teenager was to read one, bookshops should not be allowed to sell them openly in case a teenager was to buy one, while obviously adult "top shelf" offensive porn would continue unchecked!  (And in full view of every teenager who goes into a newsagents!)

Back in the 50's and 60's in the UK people fought hard to get rid of the kind of censorship that laid down the law for everyone but the privileged few who could always get around it.  I for one would hate to see a return to those Victorian Values!

And as for the content issue, anyway, does that mean that lawyers would argue that artists' materials should no longer be sold as they could be used by a teenager to paint a "suggestive" painting?

[J. M. Pescado]

I'm pretty sure you're preaching to the choir here when it comes to the idiocy of censorship. Let's not forget that this site is the result of a fallout over censorship and nannyism issues.

Mmm. And "SimsTransmitSTDs".....now you're making me think about it.

[Lerf]

Mmm. And "SimsTransmitSTDs".....now you're making me think about it.

I am a baaaaad influence.   

[ZephyrZodiac]

I know I get on my soapbox once in a while, but I also feel if these opinions remain unexpressed frequently, those moral self-appointed guardians of our welfare have won by default!

[cwieberdink]

I'm pretty sure you're preaching to the choir here when it comes to the idiocy of censorship. Let's not forget that this site is the result of a fallout over censorship and nannyism issues.

To bring this back to the topic of content manager, I did scan a handful of those uncategorized letter/number jumble items with datgen.  It appears that at least the 10 or so that I opened have texture and/or image files.  One was grass, one was rocks, one was the picture of a lipstick, and a few had skin information.  So are these useful files after all?  Is there any way to rename them and have them still work properly?

And, JMP, Death to the Nannies!  Oh, wait, that's not what you meant  

Chris

[moonluck]

I personaly think its hallarious how they call them "potential hacks" and not hacks because even they knew that it wouldn't work right.

I, too beleave that this was because of the "JT" incadent, if you look at the credits there were about 5 people working on it.

I think that I will keep this and use clean installer, too. This does have its goods, like how it it tells what a hack overides and it tells what somethings, like roofing, is when clean installer dosn't.

:edit: the ones with red lettering are potential hacks

[Brynne]

I've been using DatGen. It's got a pretty decent file scanner.

I got datgen downloaded and installed. It scans. I love seeing all the categories and the details, like the objects with googleplex polygons that can slow down the game etc. Very informative, this looks like the best option so far. I couldn't make datgen delete files or remove them though, right click or anything else. I don't want to search 1Gb data by hand but may have to. I'm still on the track of starting a new n'hood but want to prune my downloads first.

I tried the Maxis scanner, it got a lot of stuff wrong, not nearly so much detail as datgen, clunky cartoon interface, very windows XP, very yesterday.

Do you have the latest release of datgen? It gives you the options of either putting questionable files in a temporary folder so you can go through them yourself, or it can delete them right away.  It's called the Datgen File Maid.

[witch]

Do you have the latest release of datgen? It gives you the options of either putting questionable files in a temporary folder so you can go through them yourself, or it can delete them right away.  It's called the Datgen File Maid.

Yeah, I tried last night. The file maid opens a wizard. The wizard shows me the options I can scan for, I selected all available tick boxes. It scans, gives me a list of files it considers dodgy. Tells me it can't scan yet for missing textures or skins as it's beta. I select files to get rid of, click on 'delete', nothing, click on 'move to temp folder', make temp folder, nothing. Finally click next on wizard, message box says, 'beta cannot delete or move files to temporary folder.' I downloaded off the datgen site so I presume is latest version. 0.79? maybe - I'm at work. I uninstalled, tried a previous version. Can't find plugins. Put plugins in plugins folder on offchance, no joy. Have directx9c, .NET framework, .NET patch. Very frustrating evening! 

[MutantBunny]

Let's be realistic: Did you honestly expect Maxis to make something that didn't suck?

ROFL.

[J. M. Pescado]

Let's be realistic: Did you honestly expect Maxis to make something that didn't suck?

ROFL.

Yeah, pretty much. The only way Maxis is ever going to make something that doesn't suck is if they start manufacturing vacuum cleaners.

[Larita]

Yeah, I tried last night. The file maid opens a wizard. The wizard shows me the options I can scan for, I selected all available tick boxes. It scans, gives me a list of files it considers dodgy. Tells me it can't scan yet for missing textures or skins as it's beta. I select files to get rid of, click on 'delete', nothing, click on 'move to temp folder', make temp folder, nothing. Finally click next on wizard, message box says, 'beta cannot delete or move files to temporary folder.' I downloaded off the datgen site so I presume is latest version. 0.79? maybe - I'm at work. I uninstalled, tried a previous version. Can't find plugins. Put plugins in plugins folder on offchance, no joy. Have directx9c, .NET framework, .NET patch. Very frustrating evening! 

Is it possible you got a corrupted download?  ...just a thought.  ...and you've probably already thought of it.  I downloaded DataGen v0.7.9 yesterday and it has all the necessary plugins, etc., and works fine.  I moved all the dodgy files to a temp folder without incident...at least the ones I chose to move.  Some are too valuable to get rid of...like Bathroom & Baby Controllers, and some of Inge Jones stuff.

I'm grateful to Brynne for pointing me in this direction.  This is a good program, even though so much of it is beyond my current abilities.

Oops! Forgot to mention that my version also says it cannot scan for missing textures or skins yet...but everything else seems to work...as far as I can tell.

[jrd]

Yeah, pretty much. The only way Maxis is ever going to make something that doesn't suck is if they start manufacturing vacuum cleaners.

Heh.

[Oddysey]

Let's be realistic: Did you honestly expect Maxis to make something that didn't suck?

ROFL.

Yeah, pretty much. The only way Maxis is ever going to make something that doesn't suck is if they start manufacturing vacuum cleaners.

Hey, Sim City doesn't suck. The original sims, without all the demented expansion pack weirdness, didn't suck. SimAnt didn't suck. Not all of Maxis's stuff sucks; just the stuff that EA has decided will actually sell, so they can screw it up to make more money off it.

[witch]

I think the Sims is a great game, revolutionary in concept to have that open ended gameplay. Will Wright seems to have an acute insight, I'm dying to see the new Spore. The sims, both 1 + 2 have kept me captivated for nearly five years, I play many other games but always return, no other game is as addictive for me.

The extras, the modding, fixing, building, importing, creating, sharing and talking about the game on the net expand the experience in many unexpected ways. I think the game itself is fantabulous, it is so amazingly complex I wonder how it works at all - sometimes I feel that way about computers too, I'm just grateful they go at all.

Unfortunately there is one main flaw, the iteration problem, and quite a few other smaller problems. No other EP has been this bug-ridden. I remember the 1st or 2nd EP of sims 1, I was disappointed because the occasional bag of crisps got stuck on the floor. 

I suspect this lowering of quality lines up with EA taking over Maxis and running the programmers into the ground in search of the mighty dollar. I'm sure Maxis is not full of happy little elves gleefully getting our xmas presents ready, programmers probably work on modules, some may never have seen the game they're coding for, testing is not done for long enough, the whole programme development lifecycle has been accelerated. I got a quote off the net once that I think is applicable:

"You can have your software;       Fast     Good     Cheap            - Pick any two."

I don't hold up much hope for a quality increase, no matter how many maxoids are employed on the publicity team. 

[ZephyrZodiac]

While people continue to buy them, they'll continue to try to get them out as fast as possible, if people stop buying them they'll just stop making them - they won't get the message that it's the poor quality that people are rejecting, not the product itself!  So the consumer really has no way of making their opiniions heard!

[Oddysey]

Yes, yes we do.

Plane tickets to Redwood.
Instrument of thwappage.
Large sign reading "It's the bugs, stupid!" for every executive there.
Staple gun.

[ZephyrZodiac]

Some of us can't afford plane tickets to anywhere!

[Renatus]

There's always letter writing campaigns - write letters to the execs, write letters to gaming magazines and any news source that will publish your letter, write on online forums and blogs. Of course, that takes a lot of effort and isn't nearly as fun as taking some brainless exec by the lapels and shaking him...

[ZephyrZodiac]

But safer!

[Oddysey]

Put staples in the letters? Or some sort of live animal with teeth?

[witch]

Put staples in the letters? Or some sort of live animal with teeth?

Bugs of course, lots!