Warning for Aussies buying Celebrations

[Simlover]

It seems in EA's ultimate wisdom they sent the UK english version of celebrations to Australia instead of the US english version.  Besides changing the clock to 24 hour time, seems it can also alter names.  I know that this isn't something new to people who have used mixed packs but whereas there was a fix by changing the registry this doesn't work with Celebration pack due to their being no US-en support files for it to switch too.

I know backing up your game is a recomendation in any case before installing an expansion, but I stupidly had become complacent and not done so (especially considering this was just supposed to be stuff) and consequently have lost months of gameplay.  Changing the names of the pets in game wasn't an option because when I went to do that the game seemed to think they were plant sims not pets. Who would have thought

[Faizah]

I'm confused... Nothing to do with Celebrations, but why do we get the US version? I would've thought we'd get the UK version. If that's the case, why are there even separate versions for UK and US? It can't be because of the difference in language, as we tend to follow the UK in that department.

[jsalemi]

If that's the case, why are there even separate versions for UK and US?

Differences in spelling, most likely -- US English and UK English are diverging more and more on this as time goes on. Plus there are some common objects with different names in the two countries (i.e., elevator vs. lift).

[J. M. Pescado]

Actually, near as I can tell, Sims never makes use of this. All English strings use American spelling regardless of whether it's en_us or en_uk. The en_uk strings are usually identical to the en_us strings, except in spectacularly noted bugs, making them a waste of space.

[Skadi]

Yeah, I'm pissed about this.
My lovely custom hood got weird names, but only for CAS sims. All sims born in game were okay.
Is there any fix for the clock? Could some one post a link if there is?

*sigh*

What a waste of $30.00

-Skadi

[Hitch]

Yeah, I'm pissed about this.

It's not worth getting drunk over. Oh wait, did you mean angry? That's why we need proper localizations.

Is there any fix for the clock? Could some one post a link if there is?

There is a fix for this. It's pretty simple. You should be able to find it easily on this site. For me to find it and post a link would be to encourage excessively sheepish behavior.

[Skadi]

Yawn. Thanks for the so called wit Hitch.

I know that this isn't something new to people who have used mixed packs but whereas there was a fix by changing the registry this doesn't work with Celebration pack due to their being no US-en support files for it to switch too.

Been there and tried the normal fix, it didn't work, that's the reason I was asking about a fix for this. Try reading. It normally helps.

-Skadi

[Hitch]

No.

It does work. You lose at the Sims.

[Ness]

I believe Simlover also tried the fix but was completely unable to return the clock to normal.

Before pasting someone like that, you should know what you're talking about.

[Hitch]

Quit enabling the sheep. I've switched the clock back and forth in my game. I know it works. Skadi is bleating that it doesn't in an effort to get someone to hold his hand and repeat the instructions once again because he's too lazy to work it out himself.

[Skadi]

Ahem. Herself.

And I have also done it. But since Celebrations it is no longer working.

There is no bleating here. Just Hitch proving that reading and comprehending are very different things.

-Skadi

[Simlover]

Hitch you are an airhead!  Reread my first post *throughly* if you are capable and you will find that the fix does not work for the celebration pack.  Maybe if you pull your head out from your arse for long enough you would know that.

[Hitch]

Let's try this again.

I have Celebrations.

It works.

Who has problems with reading comprehension?

[Skadi]

Hitch, what state in Aus are you in? Where did you get your copy?

I'm beginning to be concerned with EA borkedness.

Did you get the name change as well, or just the clock change?

-Skadi

[Annette]

Did you see this at the bbs   http://bbs.thesims2.ea.com/community/bbs/messages.php?threadID=578728eb397b07957f7f37fe42b34dce&directoryID=169&startRow=76&openItemID=item.169,root.1,item.43,item.61,item.41,item.127,item.23s
Haven't tried it, I just renamed my sims first names with Merola's painting and am living with the Maxian surnames.

[Millikat]

I was able to change the clock back to twelve hour time by following the instructions given in previous threads on this, however I still had to change the surnames in SimPE. The game didn't suffer any adverse effects that I could tell, however this was a new hood that had only a few hours of game play.

Perhaps this is what Hitch did also?

[Lythdan]

How do we know Hitch even had a problem in the first place? He sounds like all he did was use the fix on a normal install, and under normal circumstances, it would work.

I'm an Aussie, and I was considering getting Celebrations, but I probably won't now.

[Skadi]

Well, it didn't work for me, but it did work for someone else on my forum.

I'm off to do the time honoured re-install.

From what I gather about Sara's experience, if you do this straight after installing, before loading it should work. [at least, it did for her].

Is there no limit to what EA can bork?

-Skadi

[Simlover]

Is it possible the people that aren't having problems with it in Aus are using bit torrented copies and not bought versions?

[Skadi]

No, I forked out 29.95 at Big W for my Celebration Stuff with new and shiny random name feature.

I think I would be less annoyed if I had pirated it. Then I would have at least got what I paid for! 

I have all eps, and stuff packs, all patches etc.

No EA link downloads, all discs, never had this issue before, but had played with the clock.
*sigh*

-Skadi

[Simlover]

Yes Skadi but with your new Celebrations pack, that you paid for, you cannot change the clock.  I bought my copy and cannot change the clock either, I even copied over a us-en support file into the Celebrations directory to see if that would help but to no avail.

I have a feeling that those who are able to change are using either bit torrented copies or not the copies that we bought in Australia.  I bought mine in Brisbane.

[Hitch]

I never had a problem.

When I installed, it did it's usual change to UK English / 24 hour clock thing. So I applied the usual fix to get the 12 hour clock I prefer. Didn't think anything about until today when I saw this thread about not being able to change the clock. So I wondered if I had imagined things and set my game back to UK English and checked to see that I had a 24 hour clock. I did. I put it back to 12 hour. It changed back. So I posted that you can, in fact, change the clock with Celebrations installed. But I guess I'm insufficiently Australian to make it not work.

[Skadi]

I'm in Brisbane too.
A bad batch perhaps?

I have almost finished reinstalling, so we'll see then.

-Skadi

[Lythdan]

But I guess I'm insufficiently Australian to make it not work.

I guess you never bothered to read properly. This is a problem with Australian games. We usually get the US versions, with the 12 hour clock, but they messed up with Celebrations and gave us the UK. Having two different EPs with different language versions has screwed something up, and the clock change fix is now not working as intended. If your game *usually* changes to UK 24 hours, that must mean that you always get UK version games so this problem would not affect you!

[Simlover]

Ya know Hitch it's just so funny that I have always bought my copies here in Brisbane, from 3 different retailers and not once has my clock changed to 24 hour time.  This is the first time there has ever been any problems.  Maybe there were different batches sent around the country, or maybe you are not even in Australia but just like to make an ass of yourself.