Unoccupied Lot Houses Are Vanishing...WTF Is Wrong?

[Lorelei]

This is a strange bug I haven't been able to find any information about.

I noticed a few weeks ago that a lot of the lots / houses in Pleasantview were no longer in the neighborhood screen. As far as I know, no occupied homes are gone.

I decided to put them back in, and when I tried to, my lot catalogue was nearly empty. WTF? Many of my fave houses / lots were gone.

Noticed today that a lot located next to one of my frequently played home lots was gone. This is annoying primarily because I was setting up a storyline about a yuppie townhome cluster being annoyed by a rock and roll band that were stuck in a house in their otherwise highbrow neighborhood. Screenshots were taken, jokes were told. Now that lot is gone, for no apparent reason.

I looked in the Lot Catalogue, and that seems to be Maxis defaults only. Looked in N0001 Lots folder, and there seem to be a lot of house lots in there, but none are showing up when I try to decorate the hood.

If this has happened to you, what caused it? Should I try to remove the NeighborhoodManager file and let it regen, or does it not work that way? What would make lots just vanish? I didn't have any crashes or load any lots between the day they worked and the day they didn't. I checked for a virus and there wasn't one. There do not appear to be any dupe files (according to S2CI) or hack conflicts (according to S2HD).

Today, in addition to noticing yet another house was gone, I experienced a crash trying to send a Sim Downtown, which could be unrelated game farkiness, or due to the lot I was trying to send her to not being there. (I haven't checked to see if this is the case, it's just speculation.)

SO...any theories / solutions? I'm pretty sure I set my objects.package file in the main folder to read-only ages ago. (Not as sure about subfolder objects.packages.)

[Lorelei]

Wow! It's been a couple of days, and no one has a clue...I am the only person in the history of the Sims that this has happened to?

Why do I get all the cool bugs?!

Oh well.

[Emma]

The only thing sort of like that, that happened to me was when I just had the base game, no haxxors or nuffin'! I went onto Pleasantview and all my lots (occupied & unoccupied) had just roofs! No walls, furniture or anything. I tried to load up one of the lots, but my game crashed. I ended up reinstalling.

No help with your problem, I know. Sorry. 

[syberspunk]

It's an impending sign of the forth coming BFBVFS.  Your neighborhood is doomed, Doomed!

DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMED!!!!111111oneone
lol.   j/k I have no idea.  But good luck with that.

Ste

[jolrei]

Your neighborhood is doomed, Doomed! *quote cut* But good luck with that.

Very succinct and does not hide behind hyperbole.  Unfortunately also sounds potentially accurate.  I have only ever had houses stop "responding" to the Sims (as in, Sims not able to use household features like hot tubs, toilets, doors, etc.).  In these cases, I usually just bulldozed the lots after moving out the family, and let them start over in a new house.  Your houses seem to disappear altogether. 

Is there a "trace" left, like an empty lot marked in the neighbourhood, or just nothing at all?  Any sign of the lots/houses in SimPE that could be debugged?

Thing I though of immediately is what you already thought of - possible bad objects.package.  I have heard tell that they sometimes seem to go corrupt even if you (not you personally, of course) do set them as read only.

Only other thing I can think is to try to figure out what the last CC, hack, mod, etc. was just before you noticed the problem, and test-remove it, in spite of what S2HD says (no aspersions intended).  Worst case there is it doesn't help, but it sounds like it can't hurt either.

One can hope that syberspunk's response, while stylish, is not the final word (although "Doomed!" seems pretty final).  Ooooh.  Brain hurts!

[KellyQ]

Just a few months ago I had something sorta kinda like that happen, except it was the Goth house and it was occupied at the time. Loaded the game and it was *poof* no longer there. I was able to invite Dina and her spawn over to another house and have them move in but the lot was totally gone.

I posted about it here and was told by JM that my game was about to become a BFBVFS. I reinstalled Pleasantview and started over.

[BastDawn]

Sometime over a year ago, I use the Clean Installer to install a lot that happened to be incompatible with my game.  When I tried to put it in my test neighborhood, the game crashed.  When I reloaded, every house in the neighborhood was gone.  BFBVFS.

I also had the Pets bug where unoccupied University lots would disappear -- very, very annoying.

[akatonbo]

I haven't noticed any lots that were actually placed in the neighborhood disappearing, but I do think my catalog of unoccupied lots has lost a few. Not sure when it happened, it seemed like it was before I recently installed Pets and Seasons (at the same time), though. Only one lot I knew I had that I couldn't find, and I never did look for it again in the catalog before redownloading it.

[Lorelei]

Thank you for your support and theories (and Ste, you are a big poopoohead, mate, for making me freak out, you stinker! ).

I have all EPs and all but FFS/Celeb SPs, so I don't think it is a conflict with a lot that has non-EP content. Also, haven't added any lots in a long time. Last lot I added was from MATY, with a MATY self-Sim and some cats. And the game didn't start losing lots until after this was in the game for a while.

No new hacks since before lot problem, only updates of MATY hacks.

No new lot installs into hoods since before problem. No hood decor altering.

No move-ins or move-outs. No Sim bin deletions. No lot bin deletions.

It is a mystery.

One day I loaded up the hood and lots were gone, all of them unoccupied (as far as I've seen so far).

Well, ugh! 

[Tamha]

Yeah I had one of the unoccupied lots in Pleasentview disappear on me as well, but I restart hoods so frequently I didn't really worry about it. No idea what caused it, and I hadn't even played a full generation when it had happened. The only reason I noticed it was missing is because I was going to move someone into it, lol.

[Lorelei]

Now I'm redownloading some of the missing lots, and have a new question.

On the off chance I err and download a lot that has not yet disappeared, will installing it with Clean Installer give me two lots, or will it overwrite the lot in the game? Since none of the missing were occupied, overwriting isn't a big issue as far as I am concerned, even if another house vanishes, as long as it actually shows up in the lot bin.

On an aggravated note, I can't find the 2 lots I most needed to replace; the one that actually showed up in screenshots of a story I was messing about with, and a nice underground bunker for SimPes. *fussy*

However, I did find a bunch of new underground lots and "bunkers," so SimPes can move out of a cyclonesue abandoned factory, which was appropriately no-frills but inappropriately difficult to defend from intruders, and have his choice of underground burrows to reside within.

I'm wondering if the "undergroundness" of some of the lots I had was the buggy part? Because I've just found a lot of split levels and underground lots, and would like to incorporate several into a hood.

Last question: never used any "MikeInside" lots, and was directed to them to try and replace a split-level res that is among the missing, and the fact that they are all .exes worries me a tad, as does the fact that the "real" MikeInside appears to have gone AWOL. Has anyone here used the MikeInside exe lots? I can live without them, but some looked interesting, and if a MATYer has used those exes without problems, I may give them a try. I will probably use one or two of them more for hood decor, and to store Sims I'd like to be in the hood but not micro-managed, than for actual play.

[akatonbo]

I think my copy of the bunker went missing from my lot catalog as well, actually. Need to do a more definitive search for it -- and also need to see if I can find the download if it doesn't turn up in the lot bin; I think it was on the actual Sim-Pescado thread.

[akatonbo]

Here's the original bunker: http://thesims2.ea.com/exchange/lot_detail.php?asset_id=272086 -- 'twas linked in the thread as I thought, and the Exchange hasn't eaten it yet.

[Lorelei]

Re: my bunker house

I should have been more clear! My Pes bunker was not the one in the thread, but one that was hidden beneath a landscaped area. As such, it was not immediately apparent to passersby that a house was on the lot. In my mind, this was an added bonus for a grouch, as he wouldn't be hassled by strangers spotting his abode and wanting to borrow a cup of macaroni noodle.

[Hecubus]

Except for the missing fence around the property (blonde moment), this bunker I made yesterday is pretty decent...sunken, rough landscaping, with Mission Control area for Pescado's many 'puters (where he runs his empire). It does include some custom content...but worth it for the axes on the wall.

Download here iffn ya want: http://www.mediafire.com/?dudmm2z9gqb

If only we could place it in the middle of nowhere, with no roads leading to it.

[Zazazu]

Not sure about the Clean Installer catching dupe lots (I didn't use the program until just a few months ago and I haven't downloaded a lot since...well...I can't remember...Uni?) but if you download & install the same lot twice, you will get the same lot twice in your catalog. Same as if you package your own lot to the bin twice.

[akatonbo]

If only we could place it in the middle of nowhere, with no roads leading to it.

Time to make a terrain with a short dummy road leading nowhere way off in the corner of the 'hood?

[Lorelei]

If you use camera hacks and Pleasantview, there are a number of little niches to put a bunker far away from the main hood. If I hadn't already put one anti-social misanthrope up on the ridge next to a lighthouse-themed restaurant (near the bridge), the ridge can't hold a lot of neighbors.

The road off to the right might prove useful, too, though I haven't poked down the whole length of it.

Downtown also has roads to nowhere, and a downhill area that can fit a few lots, but not many.

Not familiar enough with Strangetown or Veronaville to comment on them.

[witch]

Lorelei, the MikeInside houses are fine. He's a very nice young uni student in Oz - well he was two years ago! I spent a lot of time on his forum until I discovered MATY. He stopped playing the sims some time ago but kept his stuff up there. The sims grabbed him initially and he pushed the boundaries for building, developing many new techniques and writing excellent building tutorials.

Toward the end of last year I had a good conversation with him about whether or not souls exist - we both think they don't - he's a very smart young man who has just probably moved on with his interests. His houses are awesome but often difficult to play due to complexity and multilevels, the game doesn't handle it well and I found the best way to manage them was to have pre-set camera views.

[LadyLiberty]

Sorry to be a latecomer to this thread, and I haven't had whole lots disappear on me.  I have, however, had entire contents of unoccupied lots disappear.  I had started a nice new custom neighborhood pre Pets and had some of nengi65's factory living lots in one part of it, as well as several others.  It took me some time to get it just right, and when I was ready to play Post Pets, I took a nice couple out for an evening spin.  Well, the two community lots they visited should have been furnished and ready for company, but to no avail, so the couple "enjoyed" the park bench outside one lot (no ACR here), as someone had cleared the place out, up to and including the light fixtures    Later, I found this had happened to a house that had come furnished, as well, but not yet occupied.  I thought I had done something wrong with the installation of the lots, or maybe my memory was getting way more than the better of me, but no.  Those lots installed fine later, and yes, they were definitely furnished.

Recently, Celebrations popped up in my neighborhood (this being after allEPnSPsnPatches).  Four lovely young ladies had been in the process of taking up residence and chatting on the sidewalk in the same neighborhood as above, newly delivered PostPets, when Seasons arrived (I had taken then current MATY advice and PetsP1P2 before Seasons installation).  There, they waited patiently for some time.  When I finally took them into their new home (a fabulously decorated by me, incredible jonesi lot of apartments) after Seasons/Holiday/Celebrations installation, it was utterly barren.  Now, I am sure the girls didn't mind, but I did, as it had taken weeks of learning cheats and 'shopping' to get it just right.  Know those hotels, every room a different theme?  Yep...  it was like that.  That was the first 'occupied' lot I'd had things go missing from.  All the other occupied/played lots were fine.  The conclusion I came to is that, while the information had to be in the game for the girls being there, the lot had not actually been played beyond delivery before the subsequent patches and installations so their goods must have been fair game for PC game gremlins along the way.  I have wondered, since reading this thread, if this might have been when people’s houses disappeared?

I like happy endings.  Consequently, I uninstalled Celebrations/Holiday/Seasons.  I got a many months old PetsP1P2 backup and shook that lot right out of it, and sent it sailing back into the game.  I saved it with the stay-things-shrub, binned the girls, and packaged it up.  I deleted the lot, uninstalled and re installed Pets because I suspected it due to the community lot fiasco earlier, but it wouldn't let me P1 and then P2, only P2. I re installed the lot as per MATY instructions, then re installed Holiday/Seasons/Celebrations.  Contents were present. 

Now, just for insurance, I had the girls delivered to what I thought was going to be the sidewalk once more.  Sims 2...  ya gotta love/hate it...  the girls arrive, but they don't wait outside the fence as they had before.  They walk right through the gate and start chatting inside the stone walls.  One even walked over to the pigeon hole/apartment fake mailboxes I have on the inside stone wall by the gate to check for mail?    Quite realistic.  I was stunned but took pictures, albeit too late, as the taxi had driven away already.  Showed those girls their beds and had them relax in their apartments before I exited the lot, hoping this will be enough lot/sim info to keep these hijinks from happening again.  Sometimes life happens, and it's a long while before I play a lot again.  The girls are home and happy, and so am I.

By the way, off topic, I apologize.  Son showed me how to put a floor above the pool and hot tub on that lot, made the tiles clear, and removed the columns (it did involve some temporary pool parts removal    ).  This should stop the lightening deathage problem, and the lovely cactus landscaping in the pool is still intact and enjoyable.  It casts a shadow, but at least I can see through to play without the frames of the glass awning blocking my view.  I guess the trick would be to change the info of a transparent floor tile so it wouldn't cast a shadow, and then I just might have it made… until it snows.  I have also considered learning to recolor just to clear that glass awning of its frames.

[witch]

Re: my bunker house

I should have been more clear! My Pes bunker was not the one in the thread, but one that was hidden beneath a landscaped area. As such, it was not immediately apparent to passersby that a house was on the lot. In my mind, this was an added bonus for a grouch, as he wouldn't be hassled by strangers spotting his abode and wanting to borrow a cup of macaroni noodle.

I nearly forgot to respond to this. Lorelei, I used the bunker that was made for the building contest of awesomeness here and modified it for my cyberhood. I have not altered the interior. If you are interested I would be happy to share seeing as you may have lost yours? I'm sure the creator wouldn't mind me mangling it, I could always check.

This is Pescado's home in my game, I'm thinking of starting a poll as the whether he should be a zombie master or a backwoods hillbilly with a gap-toothed wife named Martha, who is about to give birth to triplets. Tough call.







I'll probably re-do the inside once I know what he's going to be.

Hmm, I scanned the list of the building contest thread titles, not sure which thread this lot originally came from. No doubt someone will tell me. 

PS I was also going to build some sort of gantry affair in the back of the lot.

[Emma]

*snickers* backwoods hillbilly! Please!

[Lorelei]

I wish I knew what caused the bug in the first place, because after spending a day or two trying to find all my lots again, I'll be annoyed if houses start vanishing again.

Nice bunker, witch!

I found about seven candidates for bunker houses already, including the one linked to on Exchange. Still not the one I had before, but since I never actually played the lot, it may have been crap on the inside anyway.

Now I just need to remember how to move Sims from one lot to another without BFBVFSes occurring. Or I could make a new and improved Pes. The Pes I have in the hood is far too nice, he tries to hug everyone and is the most faithful visitor and Welcome Wagoner. This will not do. Also, he is not quite scowly enough. It must be an impostor.

[witch]

Also, he is not quite scowly enough. It must be an impostor.

Like the one on the board lately?

*snickers* backwoods hillbilly! Please!

It is just SO tempting, ay? I did start him off that way in one hood, he was also breeding big violent dogs. His wife had just given birth to twins in their log cabin.

[Emma]

My Pescado was a family sim with the want to have 20 grandchildren. I got him abducted 10 times with the telescope and he ended up having 16 alien kids I haven't got a Pescado in my game as yet-I'm planning on adding the MATY sims when I have more computer time.