New Open for Busioness Video 1/05/05

[MutantBunny]

Ah--I don't see what is wrong with placing new lots and families in the bin....?

Swiftgold:

Well the right way to compare hood numbers to DT numbers is to do it like I did: the same sim to the exact same lot (all the same decor, items etc--exactly the same) at the same time in each the hood then the DT.

I packaged up Red's and placed it in a hood and in the DT of the same hood. Then I sent Posie Retriever, a brand new sim made for this test (I took this precaution because I am not a coder and I while I doubt that it really matters I canceled it out any way) since maybe who a sim knows ect MIGHT have some kind of effect.

Only things I saw different between the DT and the hood: one sim, not all the same visiitors showed up, but most of them were the same, DT a fight broke out almost immediately where as in the hood there was no fight--but one of the sims that had fought DT was not on the lot, but there was a sim that was thinking very angry thoughts.

Yes, a nighttime comparison needs to be done. And I'll get to it too.

[Swiftgold]

Interesting... I don't often send my Sims to community lots anymore anyway, since I never had more than some stolen Pleasantview lots (never was very interested in making them), and just send them downtown instead, but it's good to know that they're generally the same, heh. I wonder, do comm lots get the gypsy walkby, too? I'll have to check that out also...

[Sagana]

Ah--I don't see what is wrong with placing new lots and families in the bin....?

Well if they put lots with families in them in the lot bin, they run a big risk of BOFVFS-ing a bunch of people's games. They'd be very limited to what new family storyline stuff they could add (the house of fallen leaves and associated graves would be difficult if not impossible, for example), community lots couldn't have people and npc's on them before your pcs got there, and they like to show players how to use new (or new to them, in the case of players new with an EP) how things work with already set-up examples (lowest common denominator, even) - so people can see how the shiny cookstove works with a working NPC or whatever - and they'd then have to move all the test characters or kill them off creating even more extra character files (none of them could be left for players to use) when they couldn't or didn't delete them properly :p.

[MutantBunny]

Sagana: Don't want to argue You could be right--I could be right. But I will say: I disagree with all of your objects. And that for me is EOD.

Swiftgold: Yes the gypsy will come on down to a comm lot--she was at one of mine during my 'test'.

[Sagana]

<blink> who's arguing? The true EOD is Maxis does it the way they feel is appropriate for whatever reason and we either buy the game or we don't. I was simply trying to provide some reasons why they might do it that way, but if you believe they're doing it because they're stupid and annoying or whatever other reason, could be so. So, Okie Dokie Smokey.

[Ellatrue]

EOD? What does EOD mean? Too many acronyms!

[Sagana]

EOD means End of Discussion. It's the net equivalent of putting one's fingers in tears and going la, la, la, la when someone is tired of the topic. Usually preceded with "here's what I have to say" End Of Discussion

[Nick]

Yeah, i'll say it sometimes

[Hook]

* Hook hugs sagana for getting it exactly right.

Hook

[Sagana]

oooh <beaming smile> I was right and got a hug both at once. <hugs back> <avoids temptation to hold on a bit too long and ruin a good score>

[MutantBunny]

I have stated, I want to know if there is a difference and if so what it is. And I think it's perfectly OK to question IF maxis nmade the DT v. hood lots different and WHY maxis made them different and how they made it different. Be them idiots or not. Some maxiods ARE idiots, some are not.

I never said anyone WAS arguing. I said I did not WANT to argue. Said simply because the 'back and forth' could go on forever and I wasn't interested in it.

Some people need to learn to read. Old saying: if the shoe fits wear it.

So I made two night tests:

The first the hood had a total of 12, then after ten dropped to 6 while at the same time of night the DT had a total of 13 and jumped to 17 after ten!  The second test the hood had a total of 11, the DT 15.

So it appears that their is something in the coding that is making the DT number of visitng sims greater. But what? And can it be applied to the hoods?

[Hairfish]

Possibilities: Community lots let visitors stay indefinitely. Home lots, visitors leave by ... what, 2 a.m.? Less turnover = more Sims on-lot. My computer's maximum on both Comm and Home lots is 14, so far.

IMO, I think Maxis makes satellite hoods so we can add them to our custom hoods. For example, it wouldn't do for me to get additions to Pleasantview or Veronaville, as I've deleted them both from my game.

Notes on chat:

AllaStar333 (Jan 19, 2006 6:43:18 PM)
can our sims sneak a woohoo in during work?

MaxisHunter! (Jan 19, 2006 6:43:18 PM)
Why bother sneaking?

That may finally explain why the EP's are so buggy.

[MutantBunny]

So maybe the hood comm lota are under a home by ten curfew as are the home lots. But the DT lots are not. I haven't played sims lots in my DT enought to notice how late visitors stay....I'm gonna have to compare DT to hood home lot visitors....

I'm wondering: where can I check max number of sims programmed for my home lots....

[Hairfish]

I'm wondering: where can I check max number of sims programmed for my home lots....

I don't know that you can. As far as I know (which is far less than some others here), the limit is set during installation according to your processor's capabilities.

I have a line in my userStartup.cheat file setting the limit at 8, but the game obviously ignores it.
intProp maxNumOfVisitingSims 8
I could probably delete that.

[edit] Wait! DOH! Never mind. That sets the limit on the number of Sims that can be invited to a party or gathering. It has nothing to do with the number of visitors that show up on their own.

[cheriem]

Actually I find that unless I set the start-up cheat for more sims, even my comunity lots aren't that populated.  So I don't think I want to erase that particuar cheat from my start-up thingy.

[J. M. Pescado]

The startup cheat affects the "maximum" number of visitors. Other factors such as the time and how much your community lot sucks also influences how many people will actually show up, but that number is bounded by your max visitor count. More than that number may briefly be present, but there is strong pressure for sims to start randomly leaving if that number is met. This generally results in the people you invited over with you immediately leaving the moment they get out of the taxi.

[Lythdan]

I remember before I put the cheat in my userstartup.cheats, group outings would leave me with two people left. So I think you should leave it.

[resin]

I have to say that I agree with BlueSoup. If JM is out, then so am I. I've been thinking about spending my money on the Mac versions of TS2, Uni, and NL instead. That way I'd be supporting Aspyr - a company that deserves my money - as well as making a serious upgrade in graphics and video power. Also, I'd stop hogging my wife's PC.

'Course it helps that I'm just not that interested in this EP in the first place. The discussion here reminds me a little of when Uni came out and lots of people couldn't understand why on earth anyone would want to simulate school! I didn't understand that attitude then, but I do now: why would I want to spend a lot of leisure time pretending to go to work? For others, maybe, but not for me.

The extra bits are tempting, but if they're not to be awesomeized, then bleh...and not in a good way.

[BlueSoup]

I have to say that I agree with BlueSoup. If JM is out, then so am I.

The extra bits are tempting, but if they're not to be awesomeized, then bleh...and not in a good way.

I have hope that TorklePE will be ready and satisfactory before OFB comes out, and JM will continue on with awesome-izing my game.  Other than that, I'll have to find a new hobby to take all my time and attention. 

[gali]

"Other than that, I'll have to find a new hobby to take all my time and attention." [BlueSoup]

How about Online Bridge?...
 

[Torkle]

I have hope that TorklePE will be ready and satisfactory before OFB comes out, and JM will continue on with awesome-izing my game.

TorklePE is progressing, and I have great confidence that it will be functional before OFB.  Whether or not JM finds it satisfactory is another question.

Other than that, I'll have to find a new hobby to take all my time and attention. 

Well, I can't have that on my conscience.   

[simmiecal]

Go Torkle Go!
Go Torkle Go!

*** sending good vibes Torkle's way ***

[Entgleichen]

The startup cheat affects the "maximum" number of visitors. Other factors such as the time and how much your community lot sucks also influences how many people will actually show up, but that number is bounded by your max visitor count. More than that number may briefly be present, but there is strong pressure for sims to start randomly leaving if that number is met. This generally results in the people you invited over with you immediately leaving the moment they get out of the taxi.

Is there a way to override the maximum set by the game? 'Cause no matter how high I set maxnumofvisitingsims, no matter what and how much I put on the comm-lot, I always get around 8 to 12 uncontrollable visitors there. That's a ridiculous count for a nightclub, I want at least around 30. I know I still need a new CPU for that (my 2500+ Athlon suffers already from those comm-lots), but could I be sure to reach my desired number then? (the last question goes to simmers who have an up-to-date CPU)

[emma.martin]

Oh man..I hate to admit it but I'm excited for this EP
My hopes and dreams may be dashed upon installing it but right now it looks great.

I'm most excited about the kites the kids were playing with hehehe

I know what you mean .... I'm finding it hard finding things to pass the time until it comes out! Is there an exact release date in the U.K. yet or are we stuck on "Spring 2006" still?

[Venusy]

Oh man..I hate to admit it but I'm excited for this EP
My hopes and dreams may be dashed upon installing it but right now it looks great.

I'm most excited about the kites the kids were playing with hehehe

I know what you mean .... I'm finding it hard finding things to pass the time until it comes out! Is there an exact release date in the U.K. yet or are we stuck on "Spring 2006" still?

According to Amazon the release date is the 3rd of March over here.