Tutorial: Clean custom neighbourhoods + townie creation (updated for Seasons)

[Jelenedra]

It's a 7-Zip file, and is generally used because it has a higher level of compression than ZIP or RAR. You can open it in WinRAR or 7-Zip.

My winrar doesn't seem to be able to recognize 7zip files, was there an update?

[SaraMK]

You might need to set the association in WinRAR's preferences.

[Jelenedra]

Hmm, no 7zip in the file options. Mebbe I do need to upgrade.

Edit: Problem solved. Winzip upgraded. Squee.

[Magicmoon]

The way it should work:

Nodormieregen prevents the game from spawning dormies.
Nossrespawn prevents the game from arbitrarily spawning SS members.

Since you need to have one SS member at least for the SS to function, nossrespawn will attempt to turn one existing dormie into an SS member. If no dormies exist, one will be spawned.

I have a clean hood, and that isn't exactly what happened in my case. I didn't create any non playable characters other than four Grand Vamps. NPCs were created by the game as they were needed.

I started my playables in an empty Uni hood and placed an SS lot.  I kept a careful watch on each character that was created and only Profs and a dorm cook were created when I moved my first Sims into a dorm.

Afterwards it dawned on me that there was really no reason for the SS lot if I didn't have any SS members. So I attempted to create some with the townie tree (I think. It might have been mailbox if tree didn't have the option). But I could only get it to create one and not any more so I left the lot without saving, deciding I was actually happier without dormies anyway. I figure that if I ever want to use the lot, I'll assign a few playables to the SS status via TJ's college adjuster and work from there.

[Jelenedra]

Yay! Having the right program to extract the files makes it sooo much easier to do this!

Also, there still isn't a way to choose the clothing for NPCs is there?

I.e. if you're making a medieval neighborhood, you can't make the NPCs in CAS and then use the tree to make them a NPC, right?

[jrd]

Nope. But I think there is a program to replace NPC clothing over at Simwardrobe.

[Rowla]

Thanks!!! 

[baaaflatfit]

Okay, I'm ready to give this a go -- thanks, Jordi and Sara for making this a whole lot easier.  I've just read through this in its entirety and there's just one question I have before starting.  I'll be making my Sims in CAS and using Inge's teleporter to create townies.  Should I be doing this with or without Pescado's "notownieregen" hack in my game at first?     I'm figuring I'll probably create a smaller townie pool than what gets generated by the default N001. (And I don't have Pets, if that matters.)

Thanks for your help, guys

Max

[Invisigoth]

I'll be making my Sims in CAS and using Inge's teleporter to create townies.  Should I be doing this with or without Pescado's "notownieregen" hack in my game at first?     I'm figuring I'll probably create a smaller townie pool than what gets generated by the default N001. (And I don't have Pets, if that matters.)

If you want the only townies in the hood to be your custom townies then you must use notownieregen.  Usually I just generate some using the tree (or the mailbox), and I also use notownieregen to prevent unwanted extras.  But I did choose to create custom dormies and change them into non-playables using Inge's teleporter.  Both methods work perfectly with JM's hack.

[baaaflatfit]

If you want the only townies in the hood to be your custom townies then you must use notownieregen.  Usually I just generate some using the tree (or the mailbox), and I also use notownieregen to prevent unwanted extras.

Thx, invisigoth.   Would it be possible to use a combination of both?  Use the tree or mailbox to generate some, then create the rest myself?  That way, I could be a little bit lazy 

Max

[jrd]

Sure, that would work. Notownieregen just stops the automatic regeneration -- nothing is preventing you from using the spawner (or CAS) to create your own townies.

I use the exact formula given in the first post for my townies -- I now have about 35, and about 20 dormies. That's more than enough breeding material and employees for the next few generations.

[baaaflatfit]

I now have about 35, and about 20 dormies. That's more than enough breeding material and employees for the next few generations.

  Yes, I would say so!  Now, there's just one more thing I'd like to clear up Re NPC's.  The game will generally generate 3 maids -- 3 workers of each type in N001?  With "antiredundancy", will only 1 of each get generated?  If more were wanted (for variety), can they also be generated via the tree or mailbox? 

Max

[jrd]

No, only as many will be generated as needed.
Thus if you have a maid as visitor on the lot, and the maid is needed, a second is spawned. With drivers -- suppose the schoolbus and carpool arrive at the same time: two drivers.

And yes you can use the mailbox/tree to pregenerate more as wanted.

[FlareStorm]

I don't get the SS situation. Sorry, read the thread but just not clicking.  I've never done the SS so maybe that's the problem.

I want my Sim to be taken "naturally" as in without forcing it.  With the totally clean templates and all the noregens. Do I need to make three dormies via the shrub and since those are the only three choices, they are automatically SS members?

Basically I wanna know how many dormies I have to make in a totally blank neighborhood so that the SS works.

[jrd]

Three, if you want the induction to be possible. Any valid dormies will become SS members up to the lot visit limit (usually .

[jolrei]

Three, if you want the induction to be possible. Any valid dormies will become SS members up to the lot visit limit (usually .

I had the problem that with nodormiespawn, nossregen, and ssfriendcount all loaded, my game was not creating 3 SS members necessary to trigger an abduction.  I finally had to use InSim to make one of the other non-playable dormies an SS member.  Following the abduction, everything worked out fine and 8 SS members were drawn from the available non-playable dormies (all dormies were CAS created).

[unstuck]

(n00b alert)


Couple Questions : If I make custom townies with the teleporter shrub, why exactly do I need to edit them in Simpe later?  Just to adjust relationships/names? I can skip this, right?



ALSO:  obvious questions regarding newest EP..... I presume all we await is a no_tourist_regen hack and blank BV templates?

Thanks for this tutorial, btw, it's great !

[Magicmoon]

I can answer your first question. The teleporter shrub doesn't make townies, but will allow you to take Sims that you made in CAS and make them into townies or downtownies. A quicker way to accomplish this is to spawn the townie tree and click 'create townies'.

No matter which method you use, there is no reason to dig out SimPe unless you are trying to do something special or want to check to be sure you did things right. If you create your own Sims in CAS to be made into townies, they will have no jobs or skills. So I use TwoJeff's college adjuster to "randomize skills" just before I realease them into the wild (make them into townies with the teleporter bush). If you use 'create townies', they should already have random skills and jobs, plus you will not need to use the teleporter bush as they will alredy be townies.

[unstuck]

In BV, there is no townie tree, it's a Townie nerf gun or something .. heh

aaanyway I actually wanted to make Townies myself so that they could have custom clothing (I want to do a vintage neighbourhood with everyone wearing clothing from the 30s-40s!) .  So I make them in CAS and then use the shrub to send them out into the wild.  What happens to their names? Are they given Townie names?
(I do have HP's townie name mod. I would actually rather use that than have to come up with 30 unique names myself. Yeah I'm that lazy.)


To Clarify: Adult townies WILL or will not have college degrees by default? Or is it random?

thanks again  !

[Magicmoon]

You have 2 choices to do what you want.

1. Make at least one Sim and move him onto a lot. Spawn the townies with the tool. All of these townies will be given the same last name on the teleporter bush (such as Hanby) but they will use the mod to choose actual first and last names so that they won't have the same last names. They will be given random skills and jobs. I don't think they have diplomas, but they might still have a job that requires one normally. I'm not 100% positive on this point. You will need to summon them all to the lot, although you don't have to summon all of them at once. Then, using either Dizzy's mirror mod, JMP's clothing tool, or Christianlov's clothing rack, dress them appropriately for your theme. Once they are dressed, just de-select them and clear them from the lot using the teleporter. You may have to use a money cheat to buy their clothes.

2. Create your townies in CAS. If you want them each to have a different last name, then you will have to create them one at a time. You will be dressing them in CAS so you don't have to dress them afterwards. This method takes a long time. After you are done, move one of them into a lot then summon the rest, a few at a time. Make them selectable and using TwoJeff's College Tool, randomize their skills. Otherwise they will have zero skills when you move/marry any of them into your playable households. If you never plan to move any in, then you can skip this part. After randomizing their skills, make them into a townie. Repeat until all are done.

[jrd]

Actually, once a townie is first loaded by the game (as a townie -- thus not when teleported in) s/he will be given a random job and skillpoint distribution.

[Magicmoon]

So are you saying that if I choose a Sim with 0 skill points and make them into a townie, they will be given a random job and skill points so I don't have to use the skill randomizer? I know townies that were made as townies already get skills and jobs.

[Sleepycat]

So are you saying that if I choose a Sim with 0 skill points and make them into a townie, they will be given a random job and skill points

yes

[selzi]

Is there a way to spawn new vacation townies who are dressed in their proper clothes? I nuked all the ugly vacation townies as well as tourists by moving them in (via the shrub/cat) and then killing them with Rodney's death creator. Then I tried the Townie and NPC creator to spawn new vacation townies (it's not a tree anymore, now it looks like the repoman's gun), but they always came up with normal clothes. So I had them move in, change their appearance with the clothing tool, made them into townies and then into vacation townies with the repoman gun townie creator. From that time on those townies walked around in their fancy clothes, but they didn't behave like real vacation townies - they didn't know the proper bow, for example. So I'm not too sure if this method works correctly ...

It would be great if someone came up with a better idea how to spawn correctly dressed vacation townies - until then my sims won't go on vacation anymore ...

[jolrei]

I thought the correct clothes were available from CAS or bodyshop.  If not, can you not use the make clothes available interaction in CAS?  Should be able to do that in the same way you can create a townie in maid's clothing.  No?