TUTORIAL: Merging the Maxis neighborhoods.

[Emma]

I have a merged neighbourhood that I made myself, with Pleasantview as the main and the other basegame 'hoods, DV and Riverblossom as shopping districts (plus Bluewater Village). It also has the default downtown. Once SimPE is updated, would I be able to add Belladonna Cove as either another shopping district (unlikely?) or as a downtown to this existing neighbourhood?

I would use your clean unplayed backup of your megahood to actually add the Belladonna Cove neighbourhood, test a copy of it to make sure it works then copy/paste files from your played neighbourhood over to your new megahood. Don't do it yet though, SimPe will bork it. Anything that requires you to open the neighbourhood browser will not work until it is updated for AL.

[IAmTheRad]

Okay, new QA of SimPE. I will report my findings SOON. Like, 30mins.

This time I won't add it to my megahood (since if it doesn't work, it's so much time to extract it and whatnot)
So keep your eyes on this space

[IAmTheRad]

So it wasn't 30 minutes.

The QA: upon initial inspection, it: doesn't work properly.

The apartments all say unoccupied.

I'll see later if it works properly. Give me a couple of hours for that. I have things to finish

[IAmTheRad]

Now I know why it's not working. On the SimPE forums, it says that sims now have 3 fields. Probably one is 'apartment' and it needs to see if a sim is in a specific lot, and the apartment Of course right now it's only the QA of it, and it's known to have bugs.

[Tarlia]

I would use your clean unplayed backup of your megahood to actually add the Belladonna Cove neighbourhood, test a copy of it to make sure it works then copy/paste files from your played neighbourhood over to your new megahood. Don't do it yet though, SimPe will bork it. Anything that requires you to open the neighbourhood browser will not work until it is updated for AL.

Hmm, that's a different approach... Would it matter if I just backed up my played neighbourhood instead (though I do have a clean unplayed backup) and tested directly on it? Also, if I do it in the way you suggested, which neighbourhood files do I move over? Just copy over everything and let it overwrite?

[Emma]

I would do both ways actually-one on your unplayed backup (that way you will have a clean fresh copy everytime you want to start over) and then on your copy of your played hood. You will probably have to rename character files though so they don't overwrite your existing sims. (I think anyway...I haven't had a chance to mess about with it myself) Is SimPe_QA out for AL yet?

[Hellyes]

I would do both ways actually-one on your unplayed backup (that way you will have a clean fresh copy everytime you want to start over) and then on your copy of your played hood. You will probably have to rename character files though so they don't overwrite your existing sims. (I think anyway...I haven't had a chance to mess about with it myself) Is SimPe_QA out for AL yet?

No.  The QA isn't ready yet.  It looks like they have a lot of work to do before we'll see a functional QA, but they usually work pretty fast so it shouldn't be too long.  My understanding is the next QA upload is only going to disable the error messages so people can at least get in and begin to fix things.

[IAmTheRad]

The most recent QA is 0.71.13. However you cannot merge with this one, most likely because of no new fields to edit. I'm thinking new fields are lot the sim lives in, and what 'apartment' they live in. I know that simpe can read if it's an apartment lot. It just can't read the sims on that lot, YET.

Changes from 0.71.11 to 0.71.13

* Can cope with reading in Apartment Life Sims data (now finds their names for the browser).  No new fields to edit in the plugin yet though.  Could go BFVPS any time, so do not use on your favourite hood or the sims who live in it!
* No Help or Includes in this build.

[jmtmom]

Well this actually seemed to work! I couldn't find a hood with Riverblossom attached, so I did it myself. I used the maxis cleaned up hood templates, and it works in the vanilla game. Baaa!

[Emma]

See, this is how pants I am. I promised the Riverblossom Hills and Desiderata Valley cleaned templates and I go and install AL. Sorry guys. Have to wait a little longer I can gather family info while I wait though.

[Cyjon]

I was in the process of cleaning them out when you volunteered.  I figured I'd let you do it so you could take the blame if anything went horribly wrong.  But since you're not going to cooperate with my evil plan, I've posted mine in the Clean Templates thread.

[Emma]

Well, this is excellent news! I don't feel so guilty now.

[HystericalParoxysm]

I've finished a new Uber-Megahood for Apartment Life that includes all of the Maxis neighborhoods to date and requires OfB, Seasons, Free Time, and Apartment Life.  It will be up on MTS2 as soon as I can get all the files uploaded (god it's gonna take a while)...  It is not perfectly clean as I didn't want to lose any simbin sims like last time, but it is Goopy-free.

If ya want my version now, you can get the whole file at http://www.demusedsims.com/uploads/N373.rar - 284 mb (yes, I know, I am committing atrocities against your hard drive) or you can get the split rars - http://www.demusedsims.com/uploads/N373.part01.rar  ... 01-32 (just change the URL). 

I also kind of rewrote Sara's tutorial as I went along as I had found the initial version terribly confusing.  Maybe it's just me, but I learn complicated things much moar betterer when it's explained why I'm doing each step - especially when I want to do something slightly different than the actual tutorial is showing.  My version is here: http://www.sims2wiki.info/wiki.php?title=Tutorials:Combining_Maxis_Neighborhoods  ... again, thanks to Sara for the original... maybe it's just my stupid but I figure if a different wording can help others, then that's a good thing.

[kiki]

I've finished a new Uber-Megahood for Apartment Life that includes all of the Maxis neighborhoods to date and requires OfB, Seasons, Free Time, and Apartment Life.  It will be up on MTS2 as soon as I can get all the files uploaded (god it's gonna take a while)...  It is not perfectly clean as I didn't want to lose any simbin sims like last time, but it is Goopy-free.

If ya want my version now, you can get the whole file at http://www.demusedsims.com/uploads/N373.rar - 284 mb (yes, I know, I am committing atrocities against your hard drive) or you can get the split rars - http://www.demusedsims.com/uploads/N373.part01.rar  ... 01-32 (just change the URL). 

I also kind of rewrote Sara's tutorial as I went along as I had found the initial version terribly confusing.  Maybe it's just me, but I learn complicated things much moar betterer when it's explained why I'm doing each step - especially when I want to do something slightly different than the actual tutorial is showing.  My version is here: http://www.sims2wiki.info/wiki.php?title=Tutorials:Combining_Maxis_Neighborhoods  ... again, thanks to Sara for the original... maybe it's just my stupid but I figure if a different wording can help others, then that's a good thing.

in your tute, do you cover a way to KEEP the townies and downtownies as they are at all? coz the only reason I don't use your merged megahood is because like many people, I like some of the premade townies and missed having them in my game (that and they tended to bork when re-added to the townie pool via simpe or the townie maker).

[HystericalParoxysm]

in your tute, do you cover a way to KEEP the townies and downtownies as they are at all? coz the only reason I don't use your merged megahood is because like many people, I like some of the premade townies and missed having them in my game (that and they tended to bork when re-added to the townie pool via simpe or the townie maker).

Just don't use the cleaned/fixed neighborhood templates if you want the premade townies.  It's not required - just recommended in the first part of the tutorial, but it doesn't change the way you do the tutorial at all.  The new Uber-Megahood is, well, much less clean than the Megahood as there were some simbin sims and such missing with the Megahood that I kinda missed a bit myself.  You still don't get Goopy Gilscarbo, Joe Carr, or Meadow Thayer and the like, but for example, in Belladonna Cove, you'll still have folks like Christian Love.

Edit: Thinking more on it...  if you don't use the templates at all, you -might- end up with duplicates of folks like Goopy, I'm thinking... so it might be worth plopping the template for Pleasantview in and letting the game regenerate fresh files right before Part 3, Step 2 where you copy the needed neighborhoods, and then restoring it before Part 5 so your new Pleasantview has Goopy, etc., but all of the sub-hoods you'll be adding won't have copies.

[Budcot]

In BC there appears to be some characters missing. I know there is meant to be a family in Cornerstone Condominiums but when I click on it the four selection boxes show as though a family is in there, (they don't show if the whole place is empty) but instead of displaying the family, it only says:

family name (family size) $10,000

Is that a problem with the download or should I just redownload and install it again?

Edit: Picture and spelling mistake.



Second Edit: The missing ones from the apartments are:

DeBateau
Baldwin
Cleveland
Cho
Riley
Patel
Peterson

[Emma]

In reference to the non-cleaned merged neighbourhoods-I did it myself with Desiderata Valley as the Base Hood and all others as shopping districts. You do still get the Goopy, Amin, Benjamin, etc. townies with no duplicates, but they are not named their original Pleasantview names. For example, my Goopy is 'Phoenix Something' and Joe Carr is 'Ryan Lawson' in my Pleasantview shopping district. I am guessing that it is the same for all townies in the other hoods I placed as shopping districts, but as I didn't play them prior to merging I am unsure of their original names. Nothing has blown up anyway...if anyone wants my HUGE merged hood then I am sure I can upload it somewhere. It is really, really massive though and has loads of NPCs in it I am planning on doing the same soon, with all EAxis hoods as shopping districts and a blank base hood template.

[HystericalParoxysm]

In BC there appears to be some characters missing. I know there is meant to be a family in Cornerstone Condominiums but when I click on it the four selection boxes show as though a family is in there, (they don't show if the whole place is empty) but instead of displaying the family, it only says:

family name (family size) $10,000

Is that a problem with the download or should I just redownload and install it again?

Edit: Picture and spelling mistake.

Second Edit: The missing ones from the apartments are:

DeBateau
Baldwin
Cleveland
Cho
Riley
Patel
Peterson

Bumblescum.  I'd thought I'd checked that but I guess not... Bah.  Okay, lemme fiddle and see if I can get that fixed.  If EAxis has done it so Belladonna Cove -can't- be combined and keep everyone in their proper apartments, I'm gonna strangle them with my mouse cord.

[Leeahna]

Maybe it's possible by having Belladonnagrove as main hood and attaching Pleasantville etc. on that, instead of having Pleasantville as main hood?

[HystericalParoxysm]

Yeah, I'm gonna have to do Belladonna as the main 'hood and attach everything to it, I guess - I just tried it again and as soon as you attach Belladonna as a sub-hood, even if it was working fine before attaching, all the apartments go boom.  Grrghfhfhgnnngh.

[Tarlia]

Hmm. That makes me sad. Then I can't update my played MegaHood... Could it be that the QA SimPE just doesn't support it yet?

[HystericalParoxysm]

I don't think it's a SimPE issue because all that's changed is one resource, and the ONLY sims that get borked are the ones in apartments - everyone else in the 'hood is fine.

I'm starting over... AGAIN... with Belladonna as the main 'hood.  I guess it makes some measure of sense for the AL version, and at least that way I hopefully will get less people on MTS2 sobbing about "Why didn't you make it an addon!!!!111" etc.

Edit:  Ugh, well, it does work attaching things to Belladonna, but for some reason now some pretty important characters (like Bella Goth) have the wrong names.  She's called Allyn Kim for some incredibly strange reason.  I'll start over...  yet again, tomorrow.  Ugh.

[kiki]

In reference to the non-cleaned merged neighbourhoods-I did it myself with Desiderata Valley as the Base Hood and all others as shopping districts. You do still get the Goopy, Amin, Benjamin, etc. townies with no duplicates, but they are not named their original Pleasantview names. For example, my Goopy is 'Phoenix Something' and Joe Carr is 'Ryan Lawson' in my Pleasantview shopping district. I am guessing that it is the same for all townies in the other hoods I placed as shopping districts, but as I didn't play them prior to merging I am unsure of their original names. Nothing has blown up anyway...if anyone wants my HUGE merged hood then I am sure I can upload it somewhere. It is really, really massive though and has loads of NPCs in it I am planning on doing the same soon, with all EAxis hoods as shopping districts and a blank base hood template.

I would baa in your direction and throw a heap of kittehs your way if you could upload a megahood that keeps the goopy's etc in it

[Emma]

I will do that asap...I'll probably have to split it up. It's HUGE! Did I mention that?

[Tarlia]

Edit:  Ugh, well, it does work attaching things to Belladonna, but for some reason now some pretty important characters (like Bella Goth) have the wrong names.  She's called Allyn Kim for some incredibly strange reason.  I'll start over...  yet again, tomorrow.  Ugh.

You could just fix their names in SimPE. All townies in attached neighbourhoods get their names randomized when you add them. That's why everyone's college students and downtownies have different names, and that's what's happening to Crystal Vu etc in merged hoods, too.