Bon Voyage dissatisfaction

[Invisigoth]

How did you get your firewall to block it? 

I disabled the launcher and I haven't had the game make any attempts to access the internet. However, if you want to use a firewall to prevent the game from accessing the net it is quite simple. I use Zone Alarm. Whenever a program tries to get online I get a little pop up that details which program is trying to use the internet and I can select "accept" or "deny". There is also a box to tick so that it will remember the selection and not ask you again (so I don't get a pop up every time my browser tries to use the internet). Zone Alarm has a very simple, user friendly interface. If you've managed to figure out how to get online you shouldn't have any problem figuring out how to use Zone Alarm, IMO.

[MutantBunny]

firewall settings can be found center (for XP or Vista) by going to your control panel > security center > firewall settings.

EDIT: try adding the exception then uncheck it to block

[KatEnigma]

Windows Firewall won't work. There's no exception for it on my computer, and it's still connecting. And there's no way with their firewall to specifically block a program- only unblock it. 

[Loncaros]

How do I access all the jewelery stuff? I've tried makeover and Change app, but the jewelery button is greyed out in both.

[Zazazu]

Windows Firewall is icky. I have an expired copy of McAffee* Firewall and it does the same as ZoneAlarm. The first time I told it "just this once". The second I told it "no". No clunky crappy ads from the launcher. Which is good...but I still need a functioning no-cd fix to circumvent EALink because I get sick of it loading. The one I found errors out and says that I need DirectX. I have it, dumbass.

Has anyone who hasn't blocked it checked to see if it's pinging?


*long story...it's not illegal, McAffee says my rights to it for free expire after six months of use...even though I'd been using it for over a year before I got the "subscription expired" message. McAffee will only say that it's expired and yes they show me with Comcast but no it's not a lifetime (or as long as I have Comcast) license. Comcast says that yes, it is a life-of-cable internet service license and to call McAffee to fix. But they disagree, so I'm stuck in a loop. As it's only the AntiVirus component that doesn't work and that didn't catch or fix any issues I've ever had, I really couldn't care any more. Firewall still works.

[KatEnigma]

Does the Sim actually own any jewelry? You have to buy it before you can add it.

[Loncaros]

Nope, any specific lots where they sell that stuff?

What about the tattoo thing anyways, I read earlier that someone had Tattoos as a turn off option, howeverI can't see it in CAS

[MutantBunny]

Re bypassing the laucher--is the simple fix of making the shortcut point to the sims2ep6.exe file not working??

[Invisigoth]

Re bypassing the laucher--is the simple fix of making the shortcut point to the sims2ep6.exe file not working??

That method of bypassing the launcher worked perfectly for me. I just keep my firewall running anyway because I like to be able to control which programs have access to the internet. You might be surprised by how many of your programs are regularly phoning home. Windows itself is probably the worst offender. But if you don't want to have any privacy you can keep on using windows firewall.

[madamejeanie]

My biggest annoyance so far was when I tried to make some sims woohoo in their hotel room before they went to sleep. As soon as they were relaxing, one of them would turn on the TV. But with the TV on, they can't go to sleep afterwards. So I made them turn it off, for which they got out of bed (they can turn it on while relaxing just fine). By the time I had them relax again, the other sim would have turned on the TV... meh. I guess that always happened, but I don't normally put TVs in the bedroom.

OMG, that sounds like my husband on a real vacation!  The first thing he grabs in a hotel room is the TV remote!

[ZiggyDoodle]

Has anyone who hasn't blocked it checked to see if it's pinging?

I haven't blocked it simply because I'm on dialup and never connect when I'm playing.  But something is going on behind the scenes because at odd times my game will hang for a few moments, then return to normal.  This happened last night when I was on a small lot housing three Sims and it should not have happened but for EP6. 

Will check my ZA log, but not sure if an attempt to connect would show up. 

Is there some way to peek at the EAxis spy code to confirm or deny? 

[madamejeanie]

Yes, there are thatched roofs.

Okay, that does it.  I'll be buying this one.

[witch]

It hailed at the beach last night, my sims were all running around covering their heads and going 'ow, ow, ow' and for a moment, thinking it was merely raining, I wondered if EAxis had programmed a new sucky weather reaction.

[KLGFCG]

Is it just me or is weather in hyperdrive on vacation (I haven't actually played any "normal" lots so it may be there, too)? Normally, I see rain and thunderstorms very sporadically and they don't last too long when they do happen. However, all the sims I've sent on vacation have suffered through monsoon rainstorms and the longest thunderstorms I've seen in both Takemizu and Twikkii (spring and summer, respectively) almost every day of their vacations. I've also heard a few reports of hail which is normally quite rare. Now, I don't really mind since the sims don't really care for the most part but I'm just wondering if some game designer is reenacting a vacation-called-on-account-of-weather incident. Or perhaps it's just sadorandomness rearing its ugly head.

[akatonbo]

We should probably consider ourselves lucky that there aren't any air travel delays programmed into the game based on weather.

[Annette]

Back to the lag 'sigh'.....I added another gig of ram so now I have 2gig on a P4 3.2ghz 7600 GS video card with 256 ram. Well above spec's I think but I'm still getting up to 5 seconds of lag. That's in a vanilla game, I moved the TS2 folder to desktop and let the game make a new one just to be sure. My game computer is not on the internet and so the launcher at the start just has the play option, no mention of get updates or anything else.
As I only had one sim to follow on the Twikki Hotel lot I had a good chance to see what else was going on. Every time the lag happened some fool was starting a water balloon fight. Coincidence? Possibly, but I'm on the look out for a hack that blasts this behaviour just to check.

[witch]

Yes, I should have said it was hail, this is the first time I have ever seen hail so I hadn't seen that behaviour before.

[Madame Mim]

I'd forgotten all about the launcher until the first time I started the game and Lavasoft Firewall asked me if I wanted to let it access the internet. Hell, no, never, no-way, uh-uh.

But I haven't played yet. I only loaded the game last night to turn CC on (I've removed the confirmed incompatible CC, updated where possible, and will wait and see what falls over in a screaming heap - I am not a sheeple I am play testing - I keep telling myself that in an effort to create a feeling of self-worth). In any case I'll report back to see what kind of lag increase I do or do not get on Vacation lots.

[dusty]

As a random aside that someone might find useful, the control pets cheats appear to allow you to control invited 'visitor' sims when on vacation.  I have those cheats in my userstartup file, and when playing without hacks, I had the Calientes invite Don Lothario on a vacation.  I could control his every move, and I think it's because of the pet cheats.

[sloppyhousewife]

Maybe it's the launcher that causes most of the lag - denying access to the internet doesn't necessarily mean that it doesn't *try* to phone home during the whole play session.

I redirected the shortcut to the sims2ep6.exe right after installation, and I've just been playing BV for approx. 5 hours without any noticable (sp.?) lag. I have to add, though, that there's no other application (firewall etc.) running in the background, either, because the game is installed on a computer with no connection to the internet. This might also make a difference.

@ dusty: Hm... that's interesting... *makesnote*

[KatEnigma]

I redirected immediately too, and wasn't getting any lag until I started playing in a custom hotel. I built it with too many rooms, I don't know what I was thinking. Did I learn nothing from Uni?  It also has the Pirate Ship, and the only even slight lag I'm getting on any other lot is the one with the ship. I'm about to move them to a new hotel, demolish, and start over.

[Moon]

Just wanting to clarify one thing.. although I think I already know the answer.

BV give us an ugly new Maxis family. Neat. I'll can them. BUT..... the locals are ugly maxis ones, and not spawned from custom name/face templates?

I'm thinking I'll wait awhile for this one... until the wrinkles are ironed out and whatnot. Vacation never did it for me, and I doubt I'll be too into this one.

[Invisigoth]

Update: I bypassed the launcher right away. Even so I didn't actually play with the internet hooked up on this computer until today. Zone Alarm got an alert within 2 minues of loading the game. I didn't play for very long, I just tested a few things and exited. I only got one alert, but that might be because I played for less than 30 minutes.
Also, 80 new character files were added to the test hood when I added one vacation destination (even with all of Pes' norespawn/antiredundancy/notownieregen etc type hacks). Guess I won't be playing my main hoods until Pes puts a notouristregen hack out. My primary hood has 100 character files, I am not prepared to almost double the population for a damn vacation spot.

[ZiggyDoodle]

I've checked my ZA(pro) log and while EP6 was not listed in any of my controls, EP5 was - now zapped.  Dumped the launcher for the exe shortcut but haven't played yet.

Also received the Prima Guide and found some interesting tidbits.  Book in advance and you can save $$$ on airfare.  A party of four leaving immediately will cost $2k.  Book six days in advance and it drops to $1,200.

The guide claims that Sims can now walk to any lot they could drive (or cab) to.  But they can't walk from home to, i.e. downtown or Bluewater.  Does that mean they can drive downtown then walk between clubs?   Where did we park the car, babe?

Apparently there is now a reversible community lot death option where you can exit the death lot without saving.  Your previously dead Sim will be found at home, happy and healthy.  I guess this applies only to the last controllable Sim on the lot.  Which makes no sense. 

If you're going to bring a Bigfoot home, keep him happy.  He might make a good employee with 10 points in all skills and all the badges in gold.  But cats hate him and he has a hygiene issue.

The Unsavory Charlatan apparently has a travel pass and can appear at any community lot anywhere.  He's in love with Mrs. Crumplebottom and will attempt to hit on her. 

[Zazazu]

The guide claims that Sims can now walk to any lot they could drive (or cab) to.  But they can't walk from home to, i.e. downtown or Bluewater.  Does that mean they can drive downtown then walk between clubs?   Where did we park the car, babe?

No, it means that once you get to the subhood, you can walk to other lots. Then, the only way to get back to your home is to take a cab. Your car no longer exists, and the lot you first drove to now crashes on load.

Just guessing.