BV: Anybody Updating These Abandoned Mods?

[Ambular]

ETA3--IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ: If you choose to run the hackdiff tool against your installed mods, please only use that information to report unsupported mods that need updating (by creators who are no longer around) or to check and see whether active modders have already updated their stuff.  Please do not pester Pescado, Syberspunk, TwoJeffs, Dizzy, Jordi, jfade, Inge, Jase, Eric, Paladin, Numenor, Monique or anybody else who is still modding in the Sims community with diff reports. They already have the information, or will get it for themselves in their own good time, and will likely find the spam highly annoying.

---

Well, it seems like this time around we've got several popular modders gone MIA and leaving a bunch of stuff behind that really would be a shame to lose.  I thought maybe it'd be good to have one thread where anybody who's updating them, or knows where they're being updated, can report the fact.

So, is anybody updating hacks by the following creators (or others that are known to have left the building) for Bon Voyage?  If so, please reply with a link!  (I'll add any others to this list if applicable.)

Squinge
Crammyboy <-- Assumed dead until proven alive.
Atavera (the Custom Instrument Hack particularly)
Christianlov
Lizzlove

ETA: Anybody who has been brave enough to try a hack by one of the above creators that was tagged as broken by HackDiff in BV, please report your findings back here; sometimes such a mod will continue to work just fine (particularly if all that comes up is "Name Unsupported,") or will work but will disable some new EP feature that we can choose whether to do without.

Modders who have kindly offered to update: Would it be at all helpful if I compiled a list of which specific borked hacks have had requests?

ETA 2:  If you would like to check your own collection of hacks for possible updates needed, you will need three things:

1.  At least a basic understanding of how to use a command line;
2.  Pescado's hackdiff utility, located here;
3.  The diff report for Bon Voyage, located here.  (Please note that this is the diff from Seasons w/patch 2 to Bon Voyage.  If you don't have Seasons, or if it's unpatched, you will need to run your own check.  Instructions are in the RTFM.)

ETA 4:  I've tried to compile a list of abandoned mods that have been checked for compatibility to date, so please look here before posting:  http://www.moreawesomethanyou.com/smf/index.php/topic,9533.msg263189.html#msg263189

[Emma]

Is Crammyboy definitely gone now then?

[Ambular]

Is Crammyboy definitely gone now then?

Well, his last post was July 18.  I don't think he's made a formal announcement, but Pes has discounted his hacks to half-off.  I'm proceeding on the assumption that he's gone unless he appears to say otherwise.

[Marhis]

As soon as I can put my hands on BV objects.package, I'll try to check compatibility/update for Squinge's mods (at least the simpler ones). Jordi also said that he will.

[Ambular]

As soon as I can put my hands on BV objects.package, I'll try to check compatibility/update for Squinge's mods (at least the simpler ones). Jordi also said that he will.

Awesome, thank you!  I've got a fair number of his mods (mostly simpler stuff) and a lot of them scanned clean, but several do need possible updates.

ETA: the diff scan for BV is already up, I think in Bowels of Trogdor or the Armory...

[jrd]

I fully plan to do some fixes for Squinge mods, wherever needed. But at the moment I haven't even installed BV yet

Same for my own mods obviously.

[flameflash]

I fully plan to do some fixes for Squinge mods, wherever needed. But at the moment I haven't even installed BV yet

Same for my own mods obviously.

Thank you thank you thank you!

I've already removed all of Squinge's mods related to community lots due to my fears of them not working in BV.  Please let me know if you need a beta tester for Squinge's mods, either of you, as he was one of the ones I depended on and has since disappeared.

Any good list of alternative mods for some of these fine creators as well?

(Am going to have to start coming here more often now...) 

[Sleepycat]

I'm wondering about hacks by christianlov

I'd be very thankful if someone could check

Christianlov_GlobalHackEp4_PetBirthWantSatisfy
Christianlov_GlobalHackEp4_PetFoodNoDecreaseDirty
Christianlov_LearnBehaviorCommandTool
Christianlov_PetCollarAtHome

[Ambular]

I'm wondering about hacks by christianlov

I'd be very thankful if someone could check

Christianlov_GlobalHackEp4_PetBirthWantSatisfy
Christianlov_GlobalHackEp4_PetFoodNoDecreaseDirty
Christianlov_LearnBehaviorCommandTool
Christianlov_PetCollarAtHome

I've got the PetCollarAtHome, PetBirthWantSatisfy, and LearnBehaviorCommandTool, and hackdiff didn't flag any of them, so at least in theory they should work fine.

[Sleepycat]

I've got the PetCollarAtHome, PetBirthWantSatisfy, and LearnBehaviorCommandTool, and hackdiff didn't flag any of them, so at least in theory they should work fine.

Thank you so much!

I could live without PetFoodNoDecreaseDirty if it turns out not to work but when I do finally allow some of my sims to have pets again, I must have the LB command tool to get all the furballs trained ASAP 

[jsalemi]

Ancienthighway checked a bunch of those hacks and has a compatibility list over on Inteen: http://box156.bluehost.com/~aestudi1/forums/inteenimater/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=362&p=1539#p1539

[flameflash]

Stupid question:

How is hack EP compatibility checked?  I'd like to run all of the ones I have installed through.

[Hecubus]

I'd be interested helping to test any updates to Crammyboy's community time thing...I love it and would hate to lose it. However, i'm not a hacker, so I'm only good for testing.

[Orikes]

The only crammyboy ones I use are the easelfix and the outdoorbathfix. I'm curious if either of those are safe to keep using.

As for Squinge, the only one I'm especially concerned with is the Preg-Wear-All hack. I can live without it, but I've gotten used to not having to look at Maxis default maternity wear. I also use his Hula & More, but I'm doubting that'll have any problems. It just won't include any new animations.

[ScoobyDoo]

I'm wondering about hacks by christianlov

I'd be very thankful if someone could check

Christianlov_GlobalHackEp4_PetBirthWantSatisfy
Christianlov_GlobalHackEp4_PetFoodNoDecreaseDirty
Christianlov_LearnBehaviorCommandTool
Christianlov_PetCollarAtHome

I've got the PetCollarAtHome, PetBirthWantSatisfy, and LearnBehaviorCommandTool, and hackdiff didn't flag any of them, so at least in theory they should work fine.

How about the all-in-one npc and custom skintone? Don't think I'd want to live without those two LOL

[Ethendrelle]

How is hack EP compatibility checked?  I'd like to run all of the ones I have installed through.

Download the hackdiff utility posted in The Bowels of Trogdor. The actual diffs are also posted in TBoT; you can browse the threads to find the particular diff(s) you need. twojeffs posted the Seasons Patch 2 -> BV diff here.

[dizzy]

Something to keep in mind when you look at Pescado's diff is that it doesn't really tell you the whole story. For example:

Code:

B ! 0x7F4437F2 0x20B9 CT - Bed - Relax - Read - Stop

Indicates some change, but this is what a real diff would tell you:

Code:

*************** # Group = 0x7F4437F2, Instance = 0x20B9
*** 47396,47399 ****
  #
! # Format = 0x8007, Params = 0, Locals = 0
! # Tree type = 0x0, Header flag = 0x0, Tree version = 0xFFFF8008 (-32760)
  
--- 52240,52243 ----
  #
! # Format = 0x8009, Params = 0, Locals = 0
! # Tree type = 0x0, Header flag = 0x0, Tree version = 0xFFFF8008 (-32760), Cache flags = 0

In other words, in this case, a few bits of the header changed and nothing else. (They updated a ton of headers, by the way.)

[J. M. Pescado]

Well, a more complex diff would have run the risk of being unreliable. I was working under the assumption that the DBPF format itself was unlikely to change, but that if I attempted a more in-depth scan of BHAVs to locate specific differences, the program would likely crash when it was unable to read the 800A format BHAVs. Thus, operates data-agnostically and performs a simple md5 comparison, flagging anything that for you to review, rather than exploding in a big fiery ball visible from space when it tries to read something that it might not be able to understand. It's like dealing with the Outer Gods: Don't look too closely, or you'll go insane.

[Strangel]

The only crammyboy ones I use are the easelfix and the outdoorbathfix. I'm curious if either of those are safe to keep using.

As for Squinge, the only one I'm especially concerned with is the Preg-Wear-All hack. I can live without it, but I've gotten used to not having to look at Maxis default maternity wear. I also use his Hula & More, but I'm doubting that'll have any problems. It just won't include any new animations.

...which makes me very very sad.
I've come to rely on Hula & More as a major storytelling device and I do hope someone might be willing to continue onward in adding new animations to the old ones. Please? Firstborn male child..? Aright, how about a slightly tarnished soul?

[kuronue]

I've been meaning to see if I can't add weather reactions to one or another of my movie hacks, since I need them for a movie I'm making... never managed to complete a hack on my own, but it seems simple enough, so I'll try with Hula and if I manage it, I'll share ^^

[Zazazu]

The only crammyboy ones I use are the easelfix and the outdoorbathfix. I'm curious if either of those are safe to keep using.

As for Squinge, the only one I'm especially concerned with is the Preg-Wear-All hack. I can live without it, but I've gotten used to not having to look at Maxis default maternity wear. I also use his Hula & More, but I'm doubting that'll have any problems. It just won't include any new animations.

PregWearAll seems to be working, but I'm not sure that it will with the new outfits. Anyways, I had a pregnant sim run through all stages and she kept to normal clothes except right when she popped...which is what's always happened with me.

[Ambular]

As for Squinge, the only one I'm especially concerned with is the Preg-Wear-All hack. I can live without it, but I've gotten used to not having to look at Maxis default maternity wear. I also use his Hula & More, but I'm doubting that'll have any problems. It just won't include any new animations.

For the record, these are the Squinge mods I have that were tagged as needing updates:

ChildKissAnyChild.package
DanceSoloToddlerEnabled.package
DropGroceries.package
GardenerDoorFix.package
hirefamilymember.package
honeymoon.package
randomalienpregnancy.package
selectablebabies.package
StopInvitingDownTown.package
SwimPoolTalk.package
tuckinanyone.package

Of those, that last one, tuckinanyone, is the one that concerns me most.  Although I'd also adore it if someone would PLEASE update his adult-enabled dollhouse, which never even made it to Seasons status.  ;_;

[Loncaros]

Atavera's guitars are broken? Nooooo my Stratocaster !! =(

[Ambular]

Atavera's guitars are broken? Nooooo my Stratocaster !! =(

If I understand correctly, individual custom instruments will still work, but without a functioning Custom Instrument Hack they can't be used to join in with other instruments.

Also note that not everything that gets flagged by Hackdiff actually stops working, so if anybody wants to try out "may need updating" hacks by these creators in BV and report back here, that'd be swell.

[Wolf]

Just wanted to say thanks to all of you who are working on or plan to work on updating/figuring out what's borked/replacing with new hacks from those Modders who've disappeared/taken their toys and went home.