Hacks for base game only

[Karen]

I would like to put together a list of MATY hacks that are OK to use with just the base game, no EP's.  This is for a friend of mine whose kids are just starting to play TS2.  I've offered to show them how to play but I hate the thought of playing without any hacks at all.  There is no director's cut for the base game (or did I just not see it?).  Is there any way to tell which hacks will work with no EP's, short of going through every single RTFM one at a time to check? 

In particular, are any or all of these compatible?
- phonehack
- macrotastics
- autoyak
- autosoc
- bathroomusesyou
- skillinator
- clothingtool

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Karen

[J. M. Pescado]

Anything in "old" works, and many of the things in "uni" work, if the RTFM says so. A full indexing has not been performed there.

[SaraMK]

Macrotastics/skillinator will not work without at least one EP, because the base game does not allow 3-tier menus.

Tip: Some of the hacks by JM and TwoJeffs that require an EP, may have a no-EP version made by Squinge over at the InSim site.

[J. M. Pescado]

As a general rule, the primitiveness of the engine pre-Uni is such that it's not tenable to support beyond a very basic level. You really should upgrade your game engine through the acquisition of an expansion or shopping pack at minimum. The Holiday Pack doesn't count for this, there is no engine upgrade included in that.

[cwykes]

Anything with a very old date is probably safe as is.  If you don't find an old enough version here, try MTS2 as that's where a lot of them were originally posted and I think they are still there.  The main thing you need to warn your friend about is that a few serious bugs were fixed in the EPs but not in the base game patches.
1. Don't use the remote control car.
2. Never save after inviting a headmaster.
3. Beware of portal bugs (readme and juggling)  Your friend really needs Crammyboys portal monitor in the game and the fixes for portal bug one and two.  The links are in Crammyboy's area.

I had base game only til OFB so I dug out an archive - Here's what I had in base game:
Pescado's
abortbedmaking
antibabylecture
breakupfix
captainhero
carpoolfix
dontwaveatme
doorbell-quieter
ffsdebugger ( prob the uni version - just don't touch uni options!)
hugginghack
noaplusspam
nocheering
nocorruptdeath
nodroptiredbaby
noplagiarism
norabbitspin
nosmartmilddrag
notelepathy
notownieregen
novelprogress
nowhatsthis
stuckobjectremover

Other hacks
djslessannoyingmyshuno.package  from Djsims
risky woohoo from MTS2
moveinall from MTS2
toddlermirror from MTS2 (to change toddler appearance remember)
Inge's teleporter shrub -  DK if current version on MATY is OK
go steady  from twojeffs
teleprompternoautoplay from Twojeffs
live - jordi's expanded list of names
portal monitor - Crammyboy from MTS2
portal fix 1 - Crammyboy from MTS2
portal fix 2 - Crammyboy here

I had some other hacks in my game turned off which probably means they were OK, but I didn't want them.  BUT could mean they didn't work quite right...
Pescado's -
antiprankhack
autoyak - not sure about that one working right
babycontrol
clothingtool
interactwogreet
nobabyharrassment
nobogartingswings
nobuskers
noroutefail
sshack

agetransitionfixes - teens keep loves from twojeffs

If you want the folder to cut down to size for your friend PM me an e-mail address and I'll mail it - like Pescado says "may fry your game, cause vomitting etc etc." 

[Karen]

Thank you, that will help a lot!

Karen

[J. M. Pescado]

There are no buskers or pranks in the original game, these were introduced in Uni, so those hacks have no effect.

[cwykes]

well that explains why I didn't actually have them in the game.  I hate throwing things away so they sat there turned off!

I find I also had these in my game - they were in a separate backup because they weren't going to work with OFB.  Sorry to miss them off the previous list.  Some of them are musthaves..

noreunionspam
housepartyfix
deathfix
computerchatfix
nocheeringhack
nostrangerdance
notowniechildren
weddingpartyfix
asprechargetweak
coffeecuphack
comm-skilling
dailygardener
fasterbuyclothes

Oh and don't put the nmefix in.  I can't remember what it was supposed to do, but having that in my Downloads folder killled free will even when I turned it off with cleaninstaller.  Who cares why at this point - just don't touch that one.

[KevinTMC]

Warning: This is my first post here, so I've got too much to say. But resident experts, please bear with me and my questions.

As a general rule, the primitiveness of the engine pre-Uni is such that it's not tenable to support beyond a very basic level. You really should upgrade your game engine through the acquisition of an expansion or shopping pack at minimum. The Holiday Pack doesn't count for this, there is no engine upgrade included in that.

I had base game only til OFB so I dug out an archive - Here's what I had in base game:

Okay, I know I'm pushing the bounds of necromancy here (just under a month since last post), but wanted to ask questions based on these two statements.

Within the past week or so, I have given the base game another try after letting it collect dust for, oh, a year or so...and unlike my first go at it, I can feel myself getting hooked. (Maybe it's because I went straight to creating my own neighborhood this time, instead of playing quasi-tutorial characters and dealing with the annoying alien nonsense--IMHO--in Strangeville and such.)

This thread is a lifesaver in providing advice on hacks to install for the time being, so thanks. But it seems that el Presidente would advise that I add an expansion pack in the near future. That leaves me with some questions, that I haven't stumbled across definitive answers to while browsing the forums these last couple hours at the office someplace or other, definitely not the office:

1) Would the general MATY community's advice be to acquire all three in order (over some time, of course...I only have a couple simoleons left to rub together after taking my summer vacation); or could I jump straight to a later EP that I was more excited about? It sounds like cwykes went straight to OFB...

2) If I did decide to jump straight to NL or OFB, would the Director's Cut for NL/OFB still work fine?

3) Should I plan on starting a whole new neighborhood whenever I install an EP, just to be safe; or should I be able to keep playing/export sims/lots/neighborhoods without causing a whole bunch of weirdness down the road?

4) Does the answer to #3 change if I plan to delete everything and reinstall when I do get an EP? I've done enough playing around with downloaded sims and lots from MTS2, many of which aren't working or act weird, that I'd feel better with a clean install.

5) Am I right in guessing that el Presidente believes I made a serious error in trying to download custom sims at all--with related skins and meshes and clothing and whatnot--and plunking them in my new neighborhood as townies (courtesy of the magic shrub)?

6) There is no...question 6.

7) Have I asked enough questions at once to get scorned or trashcanned yet? (In case I haven't, I'll stop now.)

Thanks to all who have built this forum and made it much more awesome than me. So glad I stumbled across it.

[veilchen]

Well, there is a difference between necromancy and resurrection, no?

Sometimes it's better to continue a thread  than to make a complete new one, especially if the existing thread is connected to your questions; besides, you haven't hit the one month rule yet. However, that's just my opinion.

You don't have to buy the ep's in order, just make sure that the mods you install don't require an ep that you don't have.

As far as the neighborhoods go, just save your current 'Neighborhoods' folder to desktop. I usually also re-name it for the duration, just in case. Then do your uninstall/reinstall. You can then install your saved folder (after giving it back its proper name) over the newly created one in the newly installed game. Just be careful, when you use houses that you created within the base game, you need to plunk them down onto a lot,  visit it, and change something in them; anything will do, like changing the flooring, removing a plant, etc., before you move a simmie in. It could wonk out your lot. It might be just the case with certain ep's, but better safe than sorry.

Don't ever download an occupied house from anywhere (Pescado rule # 1); according to Pescado, and I have no reason to doubt his gaming knowledge, it will turn your game into a BFBVS.

Downloading 'clean' sims should be okay. They will be in your CAS, without any memories; a clean slate so to speak.

Trashcans are usually reserved for incredibly stupid posts, or posters that grade on JM's nerves. It's his call, but I don't think you have much to fear trashcanwise (wow, what a word )

[BlueSoup]

1) Would the general MATY community's advice be to acquire all three in order (over some time, of course...I only have a couple simoleons left to rub together after taking my summer vacation); or could I jump straight to a later EP that I was more excited about? It sounds like cwykes went straight to OFB...

2) If I did decide to jump straight to NL or OFB, would the Director's Cut for NL/OFB still work fine?

I think it would be OK to go with a later EP, and skip Uni or whatever if it doesn't excite you, but then you also have to realize that the Director's Cut includes hacks for Uni, so you'd want to delete those, obviously.

3) Should I plan on starting a whole new neighborhood whenever I install an EP, just to be safe; or should I be able to keep playing/export sims/lots/neighborhoods without causing a whole bunch of weirdness down the road?

4) Does the answer to #3 change if I plan to delete everything and reinstall when I do get an EP? I've done enough playing around with downloaded sims and lots from MTS2, many of which aren't working or act weird, that I'd feel better with a clean install.

If you plan to delete and reinstall everything, then it really depends on whether you want to play a custom neighbourhood or not.  I personally prefer to play custom hoods (except I exported all the Strangetown/Pleasantview Sims there).

5) Am I right in guessing that el Presidente believes I made a serious error in trying to download custom sims at all--with related skins and meshes and clothing and whatnot--and plunking them in my new neighborhood as townies (courtesy of the magic shrub)?

Pescado uses custom Sims, but you want to make sure they are not played Sims - they should be brand-new fresh-out-the-box BodyShop Sims.

edit:  Ahhh, Veilchen is a faster typer, but I typed too much to just not post. 

[veilchen]

 

[KevinTMC]

Wow. Some friendly and helpful responses already.

And all for only $39.95. I love that tingly feeling I get from money well-spent.

And now I'm off to try out the Stuck Object Remover on a stubborn un-cleanable, un-deletable, un-Force-Error-able bowl of cereal that I've got sitting out back of my lot, next to the tombstone of the nanny who spontaneously combusted in my dining room right before my sim-toddler's birthday party. (True story, all of it!). If it's successfully burninated I'll have to re-up for another two months in gratitude...

STUCK BOWL UPDATE: Little did I know that the Stuck Object Remover includes, as a special bonus, a mass spectrometer that analyzes items before they are burninated. (My, that Pescado is a clever devil!) The results from the lab are now in, and the verdict on the five-year-old food matter caked onto that stubborn, un-deletable bowl that has now been burninated out of its misery, is...

Chile Con Carne!

If you bet on Chile Con Carne, congratulations! Be sure to collect your Kewpie doll at the coat check on the way out. If you guessed Cereal, sorry, but thanks for playing, and better luck next time.

[Jelenedra]

[newb] How does one export sims/townies to a new neighborhood without a BFBVFS? [/newb]

[J. M. Pescado]

You don't have to buy the ep's in order, just make sure that the mods you install don't require an ep that you don't have.

Having the "latest" engine is generally the most helpful. Lacking the intermediate steps is not a problem, but if you don't have the latest supported version (currently OFB/FFS), then you'll be stuck with using the outdated, less-actively-maintained hacks for your most recent oldversion. We realize this could cost you money, but it doesn't have to. Arr!

[KevinTMC]

Okay, after perusing this thread and poking around in the...er...interestingly organized /ffs download folders, I put together the following collection of MATY classics for use with the original Sims 2:


MATY Hacks for Original Version (one Tasty Tourist's cut)

Pescado FFS hacks:

abortbedmaking
antibabylecture
asprechargetweak
bathroomusesyou
breakupfix
bringrealfriends
callover
captainhero
carpoolfix
chatbugfixv1
coffeecuphack
comm-skilling
computerchatfix
deathfix
doorbell-quieter
fasterbuyclothes
firemod
housepartyfix
hugginghack
interactwogreet
manual-navigation
marriage-postmortum (BTW, the spelling of this one is killing me; just had to get that off my chest)
noagediscrimination
noaplusspam
nocheeringhack
nocorruptdeath
nodroptiredbaby
noplagiarism
norabbitspin
norandomcrush
noreunionmemory
noroutefail
noshockforoutgoing
nosmartmilkdrag
notelepathy
notownieregen
novelprogress
nowhatsthis
outfitplanner
payatbox
phonehack
poolhack
romancemod
sleepclock
stereohack
stuckobjremover
weddingpartyfix

crammyboy hacks:

cboy_portalfix
CBOY_Portal_deletion_fix2
CBOY_portal_monitor


I relied on info I found here and there on the forums, and on the RTFMs, and also on the locations of each file in the /ffs directories, to choose hacks that were compatible with EP-less play. I gravitated towards older versions, and specifically sought them out in cases where it seemed necessary and was possible. There were a few candidates that I left off the list simply because I wasn't that interested in trying them; so this is hardly as complete a list as a Director's Cut might be. (Plus it doesn't come from the director at all!)

It all seemed to work okay. I didn't notice any serious bugs, much less experience a BFBVFS, with having this set plugged into my game for a few good long sessions of play. I'm still new around here, however, so I'm in no position to offer any decently-founded reassurances.

I'm taking the liberty of attaching a zip file to this post so that future interested users might be saved the time and effort it took me to root out this particular collection of acorns. (Such time and effort is of course extremely trivial compared to that put forward by el Presidente and his loyal minions in the first place; so don't even think of thanking me instead of them.)

If there's a serious problem with the roster of hacks or the particular versions I included, let me know and I can update the zip. Or, if I've somehow done something idiotic by putting it up at all, let me know that and I'll remove it.

I'm not going to initiate any changes to this hack pack myself, though, since the dream of sending a lovely sim-daughter off to college caused me to break down and Expansion-up last night. Hope she chooses her friends carefully and doesn't get into too much trouble...

Update 18 August: Added critical crammyboy portal hacks.

[cwykes]

I don't see Crammyboy's portal monitor and fixes in the list -  Like I said, with base game - accidental portal deletion is a real risk!  I'm a bit short of time at the moment or I'd check out the list and zip file closely against what I had.

[KevinTMC]

I don't see Crammyboy's portal monitor and fixes in the list -  Like I said, with base game - accidental portal deletion is a real risk!

I think I only included Pescado hacks in this list...but I suppose it would make sense to add other Awesome hacks to it if there are suggestions. (I know that hunting for and sifting through twojeffs and crammyboy and syberspunk hacks was an important, if time-consuming, part of configuring my new Expansioned-up setup yesterday.)

The portal fixes seem important enough to put in there as soon as I have the chance today...

Update: Done. I think I got the right versions of what is needed.

[rohina]

TJ Schoolbus dialogue is a must for sanity.