Empty and Cleaned-up Templates. [UPDATED]

[Jenchipper]

Another way would be to make a pet shop, have a sim buy a bunch of animals, and then put them up for adoption.

I was wondering if I'd have to go that route, just hoped it'd be easier.  Thanks Sara

[KellyQ]

Make a complete backup of your Neighborhoods folder in case you screw up. Put in a safe place.
Add a new neighborhood. Exit the game as soon as the neighborhood is created. Let's say this neighborhood is N004.
Open the N004 folder and open the N004_Neighborhood.package file in SimPE.
On the left side find Number ID, click on it, select it on the right side, right-click on it, and choose Extract.
Save the file on the Desktop or inside a folder so you can find it quickly later.
Open the N004 folder again and delete everything.
Take the empty Pleasantview you downloaded from me, which is a file called N001_Neighborhood.package.
Put the file inside the now-empty N004 folder, and rename it to N004_Neighborhood.package.
Open the file in SimPE.
On the left side find Number ID, click on it, select it on the right side, right-click on it, and choose Replace.
Find the file you extracted earlier and choose it. Save the changes and exit SimPE.
Go to C:\Program Files\EA GAMES\The Sims 2\TSData\Res\UserData\Neighborhoods\N001
COPY everything in that folder except the N001_Neighborhood.package file and the Characters and Thumbnails folders.
PASTE the files into the N004 folder.
Rename everything that's named N001 to N004. Including the files in the Lots folder.

I've been trying this for awhile with no luck. I immediately run into a brick wall with the step I bolded. When I right click the ID Number, Simpe does nothing, no option to extract or anything else. Any ideas? Suggestions?

[SaraMK]

Are you trying to right-click on the left side of the screen? That won't work.

You left-click on the left side of the screen, then wait for something to show up on the right side of the screen. Then you select it (left-click) on the right side of the screen and right-click on it to get the options.

That's the only thing I can think of that might be the cause of your problem.

Also, are you sure you're in Plugin view?

[KellyQ]

Okay, I figured it out, I must have needed to sleep on it. I was using Simpe lite...apparently that version must not work for something like this. I uninstalled it and installed the full version of Simpe this morning and it worked on the very first try.

[cocomo]

A couple of questions....

1.  Followed instructions and now my custom neighborhood is free from all of those ugly townies and downtownies.  Am I to understand that when I create another neighborhood that I won't have to go through this process again?

2. How can I avoid getting the uglies when I install Bon Voyage?

[Kyna]

2. How can I avoid getting the uglies when I install Bon Voyage?

Nobody knows yet.  First we have to wait for the game to be released, then for the awesome ones to purchase/acquire a copy, then they need to install it and play it, tweak it, play it some more, tweak it a little bit more, play some more, etc.  When they know, they'll tell us non-awesome folk.

[syberspunk]

A couple of questions....

1.  Followed instructions and now my custom neighborhood is free from all of those ugly townies and downtownies.  Am I to understand that when I create another neighborhood that I won't have to go through this process again?

Yes.  Assuming you installed the appropriate templates and hacks (you most likely will need all the various flavors of 'noregen' and antiredundancy is highly recommended either way).

2. How can I avoid getting the uglies when I install Bon Voyage?

As Kyna said, this remains to be seen.  Maxis EA is known for being sneaky and sticking in 'hidden' or 'extra' neighborhood templates here and there.  They aren't always consistent about how they do it too.  So it isn't necessarily all that easy to predict where those templates might be, but for sure, you can count on them being there.

From the rumor mill, it looks like there will be one additional, playable family.  At least 3 superspecialsecret NPCs, and who knows what other new, working (service sim) NPCs may have been added (hotel service staff, pickpockets [?], etc.).  Hopefully antiredundancy will be sufficient to curb the addition of extra sims.  But who knows?  If these vacation subhoods are treated as a separate area, they may create a whole set of vacationies (?). 


Ste

[Magicmoon]

After a recent crash, I had to redo everything over.

So started the new hood with empty templates, downloaded Bender's Field by Numenor, and plopped it into the hood.

Went into the lot. Strays were created. (I don't have nostrayrepawn).

Made a few families and moved them into lots. After the last family was moved in, I called the pet adoption agency at which time the game lags while making pets for the pound.

I Left the game and checked all the character files. All of the strays have the last name of Bender, and all of the pound puppies have the last name of the household who made the call to the pet adoption agency.

Even though the last names are associated with other families, the strays and adoptables still show correctly as townies.

Although this isn't a big issue, what should I have done differently? Is it possible that since the strays were created when there were no Sims in the hood, just a servo, that it confused something? I don't think the last hood I created had the strays and adoptables associated with family names of existing Sims.

When using Inge's teleporter, it would be much easier if the strays were in their own family name. Adoptables could be put under the same or different family name as the strays, or all could be put under the same surname that townies and NPCs get. I just don't want them associated with names of people who live in the hood. After generations of Sims it will get confusing.

[pioupiou]

You can change the family name with SimPE.
I noticed this too in every custom neighbourhood I have : The strays and adoption family get the same name as the family in play when they are first generated. Idem for the shop pets (the one in the display) : their family gets the same name as the sims who visits a community lot with the display on it for the first time.
I'm always changing the families names to things like "strays", "adoption-phone" etc to help when teleporting sims or pets in.
(I'm also changing some names of my sims' families to reflect changes like mariage...

[Zazazu]

....whereas I have the problem of store-bought animals getting no first name and no naming dialog. Trepie Thimble bought a dog at Klapaucius's store, it of course random generated to an elder bulldog (why do I always get the random boughts as elders? Why?) named Thimble. Just Thimble. Ok....

[jsalemi]

You can use the phone to change the pet's name...

[Zazazu]

I know. I'm leaving Thimble as-is because it amuses me, and he's not long for this world anyways. I just think it is quite odd that I didn't get a random name or a naming dialog on lot-load.

Unfortunately, no one else in the 'hood seems keen on purchasing another animal autonomously. Womrats aplenty, but no more cats or dogs.

[jsalemi]

I've never had a sim buy a pet autonomously.  Then again, I have Pescado's 'noautopetbuy' in my game, and I suspect maybe you do now too?

[cocomo]

I have cleaned templates so what should I do before installing BV?  Can someone walk me through the process?  I really don't want to screw up my game.  Also, I'm planning to get Family Fun Stuff too.  Do I need to do something before installing that?

[Invisigoth]

I have cleaned templates so what should I do before installing BV?  Can someone walk me through the process?  I really don't want to screw up my game.  Also, I'm planning to get Family Fun Stuff too.  Do I need to do something before installing that?

I will help you because you were polite, but you must also listen to me carefully.  Before you ask a question you should try to look around for an answer on your own first.  In this case there is a very clearly named thread, New EP procedure - would love recommendations up in the podium.  You wouldn't have even needed to run a search for it since it is actually active as recently as today.  Another thing that you may not have read is the FAQ.  You should read that now to avoid being poked with sharp sticks in the future.

[cocomo]

Well, I did what you said and went to where you directed my to go.  Obviously, you didn't understand my question.  I'm not that much of a novice that I don't know to remove hacks before installing a new ep.  That's just common sense.  My question was in regards to having  a clean template and then installing a new ep.  And I do look around for an answer before asking a question.  I didn't find an answer to my question.  I'll search alot better next time.

[FlareStorm]

Assuming BV works like the other expansions, when you go add your "vacation destination" it will attach a sub-neighborhood with a bunch of NPCs/townies/vacationers?.  Wether this will be a ridiculously intolerable amount of ugly useless characters, nobody will know until the game is released and tries it.  There also won't be a way to undo this without completely starting over your neighborhood.

I hope and suspect that after a while SaraMK, or someone else here, will get to those vacation neighborhoods and clean them out and post them here

Personally I hate default townies and such. I'll play with BV in a dummy screw around neighborhood that I don't care about.  I'll add it to my main neighborhood when cleaned up templates are released and essential hacks are updated.

[Invisigoth]

Well, I did what you said and went to where you directed my to go.  Obviously, you didn't understand my question.  I'm not that much of a novice that I don't know to remove hacks before installing a new ep.  That's just common sense.  My question was in regards to having  a clean template and then installing a new ep.  And I do look around for an answer before asking a question.  I didn't find an answer to my question.  I'll search alot better next time.

I'm sorry! My mistake. The past few days have been really bad, but that is no excuse to take out my aggression on innocents. Again, my apologies.
Obviously the first step is to back up the files. According to the the sims 2 wiki and more specifically this article any alterations in the program files must be reverted back to their original state or the installer will not complete.  So, the clean templates need to be removed from C:\Program Files\EA GAMES\The Sims 2\TSData\Res\UserData\Neighborhoods before you can install BV. After that, you have a choice. You can either put them back into the game and see how it goes, or you can wait for someone else to test it find out if it still works/if something needs to be updated or changed. Either way if you've backed up all of the stuff you care about then you can always go back to a non-damaged state.
I hope that was coherent.

[Sleepycat]

I never remove the clean templates before installing new EPs (or SPs) and I've never had any problems. 


I just did a complete re-install (of everything) the day before yesterday and after installing each EP, I then patched and then set up the empty template(s) and then loaded the game, exited and then went on to the next.

[Magicmoon]

I never remove the clean templates before installing new EPs (or SPs) and I've never had any problems. 

Ditto.

[Deagh]

Thank you!  I was going to struggle through doing this myself!  I'm not an idiot (I like to think - I know I'm not awesome, but I don't think I'm an utter moron) but I'm still learning SimPE, so this helped a great deal.

Thank you for your explanations as to *why* you're having us do this as well - it helped me learn the process.

[Sysa]

I've been meaning to use the clean templates for ages, now, with a reinstall it's coming to pass. Since there were no Maxis-only templates for Seasons available, I made mine according to the tutorial, you can get them here: Riverblossom Hills, "stealth" template.

[SimFeliz]

I don't know if this is an issue or not. I'm not a expert with Simpe and never will be. I only use it to do little changes. When a sim is dead I noticed that in their portrait the background turns blue. After installing the cleaned up templates when I kill off a Sims their portrait background stays the normal grey. Does anyone know if this is an issue will it cause me problems?

I did see this mentions a few posts back but couldn't see any comments. I now have duplicates of Skip and darlenn (if that's her name) it doesn't bother me, just wanted to make sure I didn't do something wrong or it will cause problems.

All help it greatly appreciated.

[Tragic]

Is it just me or is the "Clean and Fixed Pleasantview, Strangetown, Veronaville" link not working?

BTW, thank you for these and your tutorial about merging the hoods and your downloadable hood. Without these three forum posts, I'd be driven insane.

[IAmTheRad]

Are templates just for the playable sims going to be made for Riverblossom and the 'stealth' neighbourhood Seasons dumps on you, as well as clean template with just the playable sims for Bon Voyage going to be made?

I don't mind the playable sims. I just can't stand the townies EAxis made.