Deleted 2: Electric Boogaloo!

[JenL]

If I deleted character files of the Sims that have "no character data" and "unlinked character" squares next to their name in the sim browser in SimPe, what would happen?

Would the big fiery ball thing still be likely to occur if they aren't linked to any other sims in any way?

[SaraMK]

That would be bad, JenL.

Sims are never really "not linked" to other sims. Someone in the neighborhood probably has memories of those sims, or has received gossip about those sims. If you delete them, those memories and gossip tokens will become corrupt and your neighborhood will explode. Sims can keep passing gossip for many generations after a sim has died.

Also, unless you also track down and delete the Wants and Fears entries associated with those sims, you will get nasty glitches like toddlers with LTWs and wants to Woohoo. Not good.

[Eggs]

Presumably I would get an asplosion if I left the SDSCs in?

[J. M. Pescado]

Sims are never really "not linked" to other sims. Someone in the neighborhood probably has memories of those sims, or has received gossip about those sims. If you delete them, those memories and gossip tokens will become corrupt and your neighborhood will explode. Sims can keep passing gossip for many generations after a sim has died.

That's the idea behind the "delete gossip" and "prepare sim for deletion" tools: It cleans up this garbage so you can then clean out the dangling SDSC/SWAFs/etc.

[Theo]

In a neighborhood package there are also the BusinessInfo (BNFO) resources, which seem to store the loyalty stars of each customer of a business lot:

Figure 1: The BNFO resource as seen in That Accursed Thing™

So when you delete a sim, should its customer entry be deleted as well, or the Lot Debugger takes care of that automatically?

[J. M. Pescado]

I believe the pzorching of loyalty data is performed in-game with the Lot Debugger, which invokes the same clear routines as when a sim dies.

[TheSimSariah]

Not to sound like a huge dunce here, but why exactly do you guys not seem to like Insim. or SimPe? I have always had both installed/updated but I'd like to know what pob's anyone has had.

[Diala]

Not to sound like a huge dunce here, but why exactly do you guys not seem to like Insim. or SimPe? I have always had both installed/updated but I'd like to know what pob's anyone has had.

I don't think anyone has a real problem with Insim, but Inteen, but I don't know exactly what. I never used it.

With SimPE, it has become a huge, lanky program, which I heard loads the game along with the rest of it. Personally, I wish there was a less resource-hog program that can be used.

[Flamingo]

Apparently the strays in my neighborhood are not to be prepared for deletion by the Lot Debugger. Anyway, is it safe to remove them from the neighborhood by simple deleting their related SWAFs, relationships, descriptions, and file?

[Mens Mortuus]

Sims are never really "not linked" to other sims. Someone in the neighborhood probably has memories of those sims, or has received gossip about those sims. If you delete them, those memories and gossip tokens will become corrupt and your neighborhood will explode. Sims can keep passing gossip for many generations after a sim has died.

That's the idea behind the "delete gossip" and "prepare sim for deletion" tools: It cleans up this garbage so you can then clean out the dangling SDSC/SWAFs/etc.

Can this method be used for 4th/5th gen ancestors, assuming that the family ties are severed first, and the ghosts have not scared anyone for a couple of generations?
I really don't like how clogged up and messy the family tree looks with 5 or 6 generations 

[J. M. Pescado]

In theory, yes.

[LoveStainedHeart]

Close and return to Ye Olde SimPE, or try to do this in Newfangled Craptastic, if you can figure that out. I have no idea where that went.
Now kill their files, as circled in blue. DO NOT KILL THE SimDNA (SDNA), as marked in red!

Repeat for all sims you prepped for delete earlier.

This was the only part I didn't understand. How do you get to that screen? Do you open the character file or find it through the neighbourhood file? I couldn't find anything that looked like that in old or new simpe. Forgive me if I'm being stupid and over looked something, I'd really like to know how to get there exactly so I can do this properly.

[J. M. Pescado]

Just type it into the instance filter after opening your neighborhood. Note that these instructions are only for Ye Olde SimPE, not your funny new SimPE.

[gali]

Yesterday I had an odd experience, and was quite close to blow up the hood.

I sent some lonely teen, without any relations, to the college, through the main hood. After I befriended him to some of my playable sims, he pissed me off, so I moved him to the students bin, and then threw him to the trash.

When I enterred to play my sims, none of them could go to use the toilet, and after they were orderred to use the toilet, the jumped back. One of the sims showed a toilet picture above his head, and it was Maxis original toilet. The toilet was fine - not damaged.
All the family couldn't use the toilets in no circumstances.

As I had a backupped file before I made the deletion - I restored the hood, left the "unwanted" sim in the students bin, but reduced his relations with my playable sims.
When I enterred the same lot again - the sims used the toilets without any problem.

The simulator "told" me, that I "flushed" something, and corrupted the performance of the sims. I really agree that you shoudn't delete a sim with relationships - family ties or friendship. You have to kill them - that's the safe way.

[J. M. Pescado]

The jump-reset would have said why in the error log. I don't think this is directly related, but deleting from the Sim-bin like that is BAD. Follow this tutorial, do not delete from the simbin.

[akatarli]

I'm having some trouble reseting the creation index. The option involved (UNK: 0xCC2A6A34) is not coming up when I open the neighborhood in new SimPe. I'm playing Seasons and the new SimPe is only up to Pets. If this is the problem is there another way to reset this or is it possible to play without it? I'm only deleting 9 sims.

[jrd]

Current SimPE labels it as Sims Creation Index (SCID). Still need to hex edit the value though.

[akatarli]

I feel like I should have seen that coming. Thanks.

[TheVanity]

I assume it works for animals, too? Specially strays?
Also, does it work on long lost sims? ie, dead sims with no tombstone, no data file, unlinked etc aka royally borked?
In the the beginning of my sim days i used to delete sims via packaging the lot and deleting the lot from the lot bin. Yeah. Very unsafe, but we are talking about 2004 here. I still play this same neighborhood, and I really don't fancy the option "burninate the whole crap" a lot.  , though the 1.400 inhabitants is getting to my nervers - and game play.


translation: halp.

[Aggie]

With the advent of Bon Voyage, I'm assuming this method can be used to eliminate unneeded tour guides. Would anyone happen to have some advice on how exactly I can know which tour guides I can safely delete without destroying my game?

[J. M. Pescado]

Wipe them out. All of them.

As long as you follow the directions above, it is actually easier and faster to simply wipe them all out rather than trying to pick and choose which ones will live. The game will give you a new one anyway when you really need one.

[Aggie]

Excellent. *steeples fingers evilly*

I don't see the need for 60 tour guides and 14 Unsavory Charlatans anyways.

[Arkali]

Simpe is throwing massive errors for me - according to their boards it's not just my issue - they're saying wait for an update.
http://simpeforum.ambertation.de/sims2/HoodBV

So, I'm not quite sure what to do.  I've only half-ass burninated my tour guides - not even that.  I've prepped them for nukage, but can't get to them in SimPe.  Did I just completely farkle my game?  If it matters - I don't have that many - 11, and 4 charlatans, and 3 duplicate locals I was going to smite.

[selzi]

Simpe is throwing massive errors for me - according to their boards it's not just my issue - they're saying wait for an update.
http://simpeforum.ambertation.de/sims2/HoodBV

So, I'm not quite sure what to do.  I've only half-ass burninated my tour guides - not even that.  I've prepped them for nukage, but can't get to them in SimPe.  Did I just completely farkle my game?  If it matters - I don't have that many - 11, and 4 charlatans, and 3 duplicate locals I was going to smite.

You could sign up for the QA forum in the SimPE forum - if you're granted access there you'll be able to download the latest BV-compatible SimPE version. I successfully deleted 2 more than 200 sims (most of them redundant vacation locals and unlinked dead sims) with that QA version, so in my opinion it's safe to use!

[Arkali]

Thanks - I'll do that :-)