For those BBS-phobics....there's a new patch out.

[Ndainye]

The patch seems to have reintroduced the uni final exam bug that was previously fixed.  Talking with a couple of people on the maxis and other forums I'm not the only one having issues.

I posted details about the new improved final exam bug Here

[ZephyrZodiac]

Always the same with Maxis, isn't it!  One step forward, two steps back!  (Or maybe the other way around.)

[RainbowTigress]

I am glad that the terrain paints seem to be fixed, but I am still holding off on installing it for reasons such as this.

[ZephyrZodiac]

Me too!  I'm just managing to restore some hoods i thought were goners, and I'm very reluctant to have them go belly-up again!

[jrd]

I was too quick in noting this patch did not cause any problems: since installing it dining is impossible (I get a jump bug shortly after my Sims sit down).
Initial suspect is twojeffs' "No Autonomous Napping.package" -- the error is in tree 'EP2 - Interaction - Nap Nested - TEST'. Please let me know if you also experience this bug since installing the patch.

[syberspunk]

I was holding off too... but apparently, it doesn't matter since I can't even download the darned thing

So... I guess I'll be waiting indefinately. In the meantime, I'll have to see what other bugs, new or remixed and remastered pop up (again). And any other possibly odd conflicts such as the one jordi mentions. Shouldn't patches fix things, not break 'em?

Ste

[Emma]

Shouldn't patches fix things, not break 'em?

Ste

They should-but we're talking Maxis here....

[jrd]

Ah, the kitten-killing mod has the same global tree. And is also affected... *sigh*. Time to track down jase. The inTeen is too complex for me to fix.

Oh, stop slamming Maxis. They're not responsible for compatibility with non-Maxis mods. Sure it would be /nice/ if they could make sure that all mods would never break on updates, but they don't have to.

[maxon]

Ah, the kitten-killing mod has the same global tree. And is also affected... *sigh*. Time to track down jase. The inTeen is too complex for me to fix.

Oh, stop slamming Maxis. They're not responsible for compatibility with non-Maxis mods. Sure it would be /nice/ if they could make sure that all mods would never break on updates, but they don't have to.

Crap

[RainbowTigress]

I can understand that they aren't responsible for ensuring compatibility with exisitng mods, but patches should not break things they fixed by their own patches a few months ago.

[anelca]

as i am not too attached to the game as such, and am quite happy to reinstall if need be i downloaded the patch and moved my download folder back in
not noticed a glitch with the inteen as yet, nor any other hack (and i have a fair few er...ok maybe a lot)  except....
the only thing i may have noticed a problem with is the DMA teleporter...... i used it to remove visitors and they zapped off fine as ever. but the sim left eating a meal flew out of her chair to stand a few feet away and her plate appeared to give off a spark (i kid you not)
i've not replicated it so far but will report back if it becomes obvious that there is a problem

[Sandilou]

I tend not to delete anything that belongs in Windows folders - too nervous, I guess!

Sandilou, once you've reinstalled everything, including the patch, make sure you change all the objects.package files to read only.

ZZ, I did a back up copy of my registry, just in case, but I use Norton GoBack.  It works for the lessawesome like myself who like doing silly things to their pcs, then wonder why they won't work.  I've just reinstalled the games.  The Patch has been done automatically.  I've taken your advice and have made my objects.package file read only (in the Program File).  I'm now going to launch the games... (drumroll)...I plan to add a new mod each Sim day, until I've got them all back in.  Once I've done that, I'll put back in my old folders, so no Matyville Tabloid for a while yet. Thanks for your help. 

[Li'l Brudder]

*shudders at list*

Meh, I won't be installing, I've worked to hard to get my hacks in a nice little order and I won't let some Maxian failure kick them out of line.

*shakes fist at no one, but obviously meant at Maxis*

I think my game is safest in the custody of the Awesome Guard.

[myskaal]

since installing it dining is impossible (I get a jump bug shortly after my Sims sit down).
Initial suspect is twojeffs' "No Autonomous Napping.package" -- the error is in tree 'EP2 - Interaction - Nap Nested - TEST'. Please let me know if you also experience this bug since installing the patch.

I have TJ's no napping hack also and have had no problems with dining, Jordi. Something else causeing the jumping maybe?
Thinking of hacks that affect eating I also have "noeatcrap"  and the "antifoodnapping" and CrammyBoy's com lot serve one. No problems there.

So far the only problems I have run into are the ones I already posted.

The piano does indeed seem to be fixed but I haven't tested it extensively and all houses that currently have a piano in them are new.

I did note the social motive for dancing solo is still broke - not that they mentioned fixing it but sometimes they surprise you.. Syberspunk's fix for that stays in.

Haven't hit the final exam bug but then I never got it when it was originally found to be a problem either.

[jrd]

Yeah, twojeffs' hack is probably innocent. Meant to get back on that. I think I found a genuine Maxis bug: if Sims are dining kiddie-corner style (on a three-seater not across from eachother but one to the side) and you toast, apparently a random Sim on the lot is chosen instead of the toastee. This then causes errors, and causes a jump. I can reproduce this in a nearly-clean game (only the criticals from here in my downloads) most of the times while dining on 'Speedy's Bowling Lanes'.
Big thanks to jase for helping me track this down.

I am still reinstalling (forgot to backup my downloads when uninstalling... the NL uninstaller doesn't warn before deleting ) but when done I'll retest.

[ZephyrZodiac]

I'm surprised you should say that, as I did uninstall/reinstall NL when I had problems with some of my sims getting a jump bug (since worked out what caused it!) and I'm sure I  remember the screen appearing and informing me that uninstalling would remove everything from the game folder.

[jrd]

Maybe I hit enter or OK as the message popped up

[Sandilou]

Maxis claims with this Patch: Wants for specific electronic devices no longer roll in after a Sim owns that electronic device.

The Sim in my game has repeatedly rolled a want for a cell phone four times, even though she owns one.  She bought it without satisfying a want, so maybe that's why the want keeps rolling.

So far all seems fine.  I've added back the basics (Monique's computer and call to homework, Twojeffs Triplets and Quads - (no births yet), Quaxi's nocensor package, CBoy's bits, Macrotastics, Inteem, Insim. LizzLove's waterbed.  I've got a couple of Inge's mods in, but I haven't had to use them yet.  I haven't added Doc Doofus' No Family Size Limit yet. 

[ZephyrZodiac]

Have you checked her inventory to see if the cell phone is there?

[cwykes]

There is only ONE new patch right - for NL!!!!  So everyone without NL who has these bugs in their Uni or base game CAN'T install it.  Same as last time and it really ticks me off!  Please can someone point out to Maxis that most of these bugs and those in the previous patch were not actually related to gameplay and objects in the EPs but to the base game and they should do a complete set of patches every time.   

I'm not the only one playing base game only - I do meet others occasionally especially newbies, who are particularly vulnerable.   Anyone buying the game new now really needs the maxis patch, plus all the old hacks that JM isn't supporting any more.  Otherwise their game will be fubarred before they ever get an EP.  That's bad customer handling apart from bloody annoying.   I also know people who uninstalled NL and went back to Uni only - they can't use this patch either. 

Two specific questions:
1.  If you uninstalled NL, Is there any point re-installing it, patching and then uninstalling NL again?  Will terrain paints still be partly fixed for example and the Uni graduation bugs?

2. When I get OFB - will my base game get patched with everything in the UNI/NL patches? juggling, Headmaster bug, cancelling readme etc etc etc

Please excuse the bump and the rant - can anyone answer either question?

[jrd]

1: Almost certainly not.
2: Probably. Depends on when the did a code lift from NL. I suspect the fixes will make it in, but maybe we'll get an OFB patch shortly after release. Don't ask about future products!

[Sleepycat]

yesterday I finally got around to installing the patch but I just moved my hacks folder to the desktop, installed patch, moved my hacks folder back into my Downloads folder, restarted my computer and then played for awhile...

I didn't have any problems but I was just setting up a new hood and getting the 1st sim (telescope guy, named him "Will Smackyou") settled in.

[cwykes]

1: Almost certainly not.
2: Probably. Depends on when the did a code lift from NL. I suspect the fixes will make it in, but maybe we'll get an OFB patch shortly after release. Don't ask about future products!

thanks Jordi - so anyone who has University but not NL, still has no fix for the various Uni problems fixed in this patch like graduation... never mind terrain paints.  Having to buy NL just to get the terrain paint fix would really suck!  Let's hope it's included in OFB which people who don't like Uni and NL do seem to want to buy.   I'd assumed from the timing that the patch was released now because it was going into OFB.  I just don't understand how the EPs and patches bolt onto the basic program.  I guess I buy OFB and then mail the help people and ask them.   

[jrd]

From what I can tell each EP basically stands alone, mostly: if you install University or Nightlife the base executable is not updated, but it is overridden with the new EP executable. All datafiles (such as objects.package) are then loaded EP first, with a fallback to the original in the case of no updates.
You could probably patch first the base game, then install EP1 and patch that, and then install EP2 and patch that to make sure you have *all* fixes (although from the looks of it the EP2 patcher does patch some EP1 and base content so it's not really necessary), but as the content is not actually shared downwards EP2 updates won't really make it into EP1 or base.

[Sandilou]

Have you checked her inventory to see if the cell phone is there?

ZZ,  if only it were that simple!  First of all she had all 3 electronic items, then it showed double of each, then none at all. 
I thought maybe one of my mods is overiding the Patch.  Then for the first time in months, the Headmaster arrived and left immediately - something that this new Patch professes to have fixed. 

Busy body me, decided my game must not have installed the patch properly when it checked for updates during the reinstallation.  So I installed the Patch over the Patch - and my game would not even load!  Oh dear....

~Anyhew...Norton GoBack is a wonderful product!