So what is an overpopulated neighborhood anyway?

[RainbowTigress]

I guess if you don't let your sims gossip you don't spread burnt dinner memories around the 'hood.  I used to use gossip a lot in making friends, but have quit - back to chess.

Your sims can still pass memories to each other even when just chatting.

[KinwatsaZ]

In case anyone is still watching this topic,  boy you folks really kicked this one around.    I noticed in my Sim Enhancer there is an option to kill off specific SIMS and that includes NPC's .... I haven't had to do it, my neighborhoods are pretty barren.   I develop a few Sims at a time and then move on to another neighborhood.   Just to let you know that there is a tool to use.
K

[RainbowTigress]

In case anyone is still watching this topic,  boy you folks really kicked this one around.    I noticed in my Sim Enhancer there is an option to kill off specific SIMS and that includes NPC's .... I haven't had to do it, my neighborhoods are pretty barren.   I develop a few Sims at a time and then move on to another neighborhood.   Just to let you know that there is a tool to use.
K

I haven't really used Sim Enhancer, but I am not going to pay for a program especially when there are free programs available.  I know SimPE is a little technical for some, but that doesn't bother me.  I actually prefer it.  I don't have a lot of money to spend on stuff like this, and I spent enough for the Sims and expansion packs.  I would rather invest my money in a better graphics card or more RAM for my PC so the game will run better rather than spending it on pay sites for sims and pay programs.  There is still a lot out there that is still free.

[ZephyrZodiac]

The trouble with pay programs like simEnhancer is that every time there is a new EP and the program is upgraded, you have problems which don't apply with something like SimPE.  I did buy the original SimEnhancer as the sims1 stuff was so useful, but when I went back to try and upgrade what is now an unusable piece of software, thre was no option to upgrade, only to purchase!  And any time you replace your hard disk, you have to mess about emailing for a new ID code, or you can't use the program again.

And SimPE covers both objects and sims, SimEnhancer so far only deals with sims and Rick has yet to write a program to use for objects.

[cwykes]

You can get a trial verson of SimEnhancer.  I was recommended to it for deleting duplicate sims easily, so I got the trial version and did the job last night.  It's very easy to use, but don't think I'm going to buy it.  If I had to do that job again, I might, but I don't need it for everyday.  I can usually cope with SimPE.  What would convince me to buy it would be functionality that doesn't exist in SimPE.  Like a cleanup tool for duplicate sims..   or fix duff DNA  or find duplicate object GUIDs......  SimPE gives us a tool to do everything.  A task focussed tool rather than a sim focussed tool would appeal to me.

[LynnMar]

I have read this thread twice and I am totally confused.   I have 827 character files in strangetown.  I have deleted  a bunch with simenhancer because I had almost 1000.   I deleted all the ones that did not have any relation with anybody.

 I also had the slow down bug the other day on one lot, so I had to move the family out and then move them back in and it fixed it.

so do I need the JM critical fix and the TJ critcal fix and the Crammyboy portal fix all in my game at the same time??    Do I need to get the voodoo bottle to delete the npc memories also and do I need to put in JM's nospc file too?   

I don't want any nannies or gardeners because my christianlove npc does all that stuff.

  Something else that I hate about the sims,  why is it that you can call a maid or a gardener and hire them but you can't call them up and fire them.   You have to run them all over the lot and fire them before they say " I am done for the day" to fire them.   Once they say that, the fire them option is gone.   Just another of maxis dumb  mistakes.    I can never catch the gardener, he says "your yard is in great condition and you don't need any help from me" and he jumps in the truck and leaves.   

[ZephyrZodiac]

Well, I think the answer with the gardener is you have to put so many hedges round your lot that he/she can't possibly finish it all in a day - then catch him/her before they say "It's a bit late, I have to leave now!"

As to SimEnhancer, yes, you can download a trial version, but you can only do that once!  After that, you can't get it again without buying it.

[PuppyKatt]

You have to manually go through everyone's memories to make sure they have none for the to-be-deleted characters.

How is this done; step-by-step, please.

[ZephyrZodiac]

In SimPE it's a fairly slow process, so it's probably best if you take it a family at a time and check them all.  You need to go into Neighbourhood Memory and open the file for each member of that family to see if they have any memory of meeting the sim you want to delete, or of any unknown sims apart from the one that single sims meet and have their first kiss with if they're created in CAS.  (The Unknown Sim always has the same ID number, and will be at the beginning of their memory store.)  If you find any of these memories, click on them, then click delete and commit.  Check also for any memories that have been passed to them by the sim in question and are invisible memories owned by that sim.  for example, had very first woohoo with etc. (owned by XXXX)

[RainbowTigress]

This awesome plugin enhancement for the memory editor in SimPE helps with this process quite a bit:

http://www.moreawesomethanyou.com/smf/index.php?topic=2590.0

Be sure to read all the directions.  But once you use it, you'll wonder how you ever did without it!

[AllenABQ]

No, the character file is still there, albeit in a reduced format. As for "Sophie", that's mostly just due to name repetition. Often the same name will repeat itself multiple times in your neighborhood. I have 5 or 6 Marylena Hamiltons. I'm going to have to start feeding them to the cow plant.

There's a great hack at VariousSimmers in the Contributor forum that greatly expands the available name database for when sims are generated.  It's also based on the common names found in US according to census data or something like that.  At any rate, I highly recommend it.  I've used it for a long time now, the names are realistic, and I've never had a single "dup" occur.

http://www.variousimmers.net/vsimforum/showthread.php?t=1593

[ZephyrZodiac]

When I have a themed hood, I like to give some of my most used NPCs names that fit with the theme.  Same applies to any townies and dormies that don't get deleted.  And please don't take this the wrong way, but there are already too many US type names in the game for me, so I'd personally prefer a hack based on popular names in the UK.

But what I'd really like is a hack that completely banned the anme Goopy!  Does ANYONE know a Goopy?  (Or was the name invented by a 5-year-old who couldn't spell Goofy?)

[SaraMK]

But what I'd really like is a hack that completely banned the anme Goopy!  Does ANYONE know a Goopy?  (Or was the name invented by a 5-year-old who couldn't spell Goofy?)

Goopy is a guy who works at Maxis (see the credits section, he's the animation director). I guess after he reads posts like this, he sits in his cubicle and cries his eyes out for hours.

[RainbowTigress]

Yeah, a lot of the townies are named after Maxis developers, such as the ones with the last name LeTourneau.  I read a chat transcript once where everyone was bashing Goopy and wanting to feed him to the cowplant, and they said something like it really hurts the real Goopy's feelings and he cries when he reads stuff like that.  I wonder if the real Goopy looks and dresses anything like the one in the game though???

[jrd]

There's a great hack at VariousSimmers in the Contributor forum that greatly expands the available name database for when sims are generated.

Hey thanks for the praise.

[ZephyrZodiac]

Yeah, a lot of the townies are named after Maxis developers, such as the ones with the last name LeTourneau.  I read a chat transcript once where everyone was bashing Goopy and wanting to feed him to the cowplant, and they said something like it really hurts the real Goopy's feelings and he cries when he reads stuff like that.  I wonder if the real Goopy looks and dresses anything like the one in the game though???

Well, shows it just doesn't pay to advertise yourseves like this!  I always suspected a lot of the names were either their own or those of their friends, as some of the names are just too outlandish and wierd for anyone to have thought up otherwise!  Vu and Ng are just not names that would occur to the average person, unless you actually knew someone with one of them.

But don't tell me that the real Goopy was given that name by his parents!

[agcons]

But don't tell me that the real Goopy was given that name by his parents!

One never knows, God save us all.

I too don't know how I did without the memory editor plug-in mentioned by Rainbow.  I was moving along pretty well with the manual process, but there were many memories I didn't delete because I wasn't sure.  The new plug-in found over 2600 invalid memories and removed them.

[ZephyrZodiac]

I'm going to try it as soon as I close my game!

[RainbowTigress]

There is also a Dr. Vu who was in the chat, who I assume the cosmetic surgery table is named after.  That sounds more like a nickname to me.

[ZephyrZodiac]

Goopy isn't a nickname?  Oh, dear, I hope it isn't his given name, poor guy!

[ElviraGoth]

I believe Vu and Ng may be Vietnamese names, or from that area of Asia, anyway.

"Goopy" sounds like a shortening of some longer name.  No idea what it would be, but I used to think it was made-up as well until I found out different!  I'd hate to grow up with a name like that!

[Simsbaby]

There is also a Dr. Vu who was in the chat, who I assume the cosmetic surgery table is named after.  That sounds more like a nickname to me.

Dr. Vu is also in Sim City 4, one of his jobs is to drive his mother to the airport so she can get her evil french manicure in Hawaii.

[ZephyrZodiac]

Ng is definitely Vietnamese.

And why no Irish names?  There's not a single Murphy, Flanagan or O'Rourke amongst them!

[J. M. Pescado]

And why no Irish names?  There's not a single Murphy, Flanagan or O'Rourke amongst them!

Because this is a video game company with a limited size crew, and as such, ethnicities with higher dork ratios are more likely to be overrepresented. Also, Maxis is based in California and pale-skinned people, like the Irish, tend to combust and burn to death when exposed to the sun.

[ZephyrZodiac]

There's a lot of Spanish blood in some Irish families, you know! Besides, if the Scots can tolerate Silicon Valley, I'll bet the Irish can as well! They survived the Australian outback, and the majority of Australians can trace Irish blood somewhere in their family tree!