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- Building - How to safely delete all characters from a neighborhood.
Replies: 6 (Who?), Viewed: 28355 times.
#1
13th Feb 2012 at 6:44 PM
Last edited by Mootilda : 5th Oct 2013 at 3:48 PM.
Reason: Note issues with Stay-Things Shrub.
How to safely delete all characters from a neighborhood.
Here is the safest and easiest way to delete all characters from a neighborhood:1) Create a new empty neighborhood with the terrain type that you want to use. This is the safest way to create an empty neighborhood:
http://www.modthesims.info/showpost...223&postcount=2
2) Use HoodReplace to copy the neighborhood terrain, roads, trees, deco, etc. from your old neighborhood to your new neighborhood:
http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=279992
3) In your old neighborhood, make sure that all of your lots are unowned and unoccupied. Otherwise, your Lot Descriptions will reference families which are not available. It is probably safest to allow the game to delete all objects from your occupied lots when your sims move out. Use of the Stay-Things Shrub or similar mods may leave references to sims on your lots.
4) Download and install the latest version of SimPE:
http://sims.ambertation.de/
5) In SimPE, extract all Text List (STR#) with instance numbers of 0x8000 or larger from your old neighborhood.
6) Extract all Lot Descriptions (LTXT) from your old neighborhood.
7) Add the extracted Text List (STR#) to your new neighborhood. Save your neighborhood, so that the Text Lists are available for the next step.
8) Add the extracted Lot Descriptions to your new neighborhood.
9) Copy all lot packages from the Lots subfolder of your old neighborhood to the Lots subfolder of your new neighborhood.
10) Rename all of those lot packages from <old>_Lot#.package to <new>_Lot#.package (i.e. change the neighborhood prefix, but nothing else).
11) (optional) Copy the png from your old neighborhood to your new neighborhood and rename it to have the new neighborhood prefix. This is the preview picture for the neighborhoods menu.
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#2
14th Feb 2012 at 2:03 AM
Thank you so much, Mootilda- I tried this and it worked perfectly!
I had one or two lots that didn't copy over for some reason, but apart from that no glitches. I managed to clone a neighbourhood and its downtown and Uni, so this tutorial was very useful! I had over 300 characters so it would have taken a while to delete them manually.
I had one or two lots that didn't copy over for some reason, but apart from that no glitches. I managed to clone a neighbourhood and its downtown and Uni, so this tutorial was very useful! I had over 300 characters so it would have taken a while to delete them manually.
I will choose a path that's clear- I will choose free will
-RUSH- -RADIO- -RADIO- -EON- -ARCHIVES-
Simpeople and Me Archive- 11Dots Archive- My Sims World Archive- Sims 1 Archive
Angel Classic Rock Mix!
-RUSH- -RADIO- -RADIO- -EON- -ARCHIVES-
Simpeople and Me Archive- 11Dots Archive- My Sims World Archive- Sims 1 Archive
Angel Classic Rock Mix!
#3
29th Jun 2012 at 8:58 PM
HugeLunatic is having a problem with Black Mesa (http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=478837) which may be related. It looks like lots may disappear if the Test List (STR#) associated with the lot doesn't match the information in the Lot Description (LTXT) record.
Therefore, I'm going to recommend that people also copy all Text List (STR#) records for their lots. I've updated the original tutorial.
The instance of the Text List is 0x8000 + the instance of the Lot Description. For example, if the instance number for a Lot Description is 0x00000001, then the Text List instance for that lot is 0x00008001.
Therefore, I'm going to recommend that people also copy all Text List (STR#) records for their lots. I've updated the original tutorial.
The instance of the Text List is 0x8000 + the instance of the Lot Description. For example, if the instance number for a Lot Description is 0x00000001, then the Text List instance for that lot is 0x00008001.
#4
4th Oct 2013 at 7:53 PM
Posts: 989
I do remember reading, I don't know where that it IS okay to delete the character files in the characters folder of a neighborhood, if, and only if the hood has never been played. I have an empty custom neighborhood I am using just for building. I thought I had used an empty template - it isn't a pre-made hood. Since no sims have ever been made in the hood, I would think the characters in the Characters folder wouldn't have any relationships that can corrupt a hood if all the character files are removed. The relationships might exist between each other, but does the game keep those relationships attached to the hood, or with the sims? The game generated 81 characters in these supposedly empty hoods. I don't them and can make my own characters without all the extras.
However, as I am ONLY building in the hood, I can place all the lots into the lots and housing bin and place them in another empty 'hood. Actually, I think I'll just keep the hoods for practice (with a backup) and testing some lots. I can easily use the same empty ,sc4 terrain and place the same lots on it, since I know I don't want any game-generated characters, except in the one RiverBlossom Hills pre-made I am also using for testing. I test cc objects there. But I want a completely empty hood to test copies of lots.
Guess I'll have to go back to find out what I need to install that I missed doing to get an empty hood with no characters. I think this happened to me once before, so I'm sure I copied the instructions into my computer somewhere. At least I didn't notice all those character files after making a bunch of sims and playing them. So no loss in creating a new hood, and doing it right this time.
I'm on a Mac, so I don't know any way to fix stuff with these hoods, as I have no access to simpe.
However, as I am ONLY building in the hood, I can place all the lots into the lots and housing bin and place them in another empty 'hood. Actually, I think I'll just keep the hoods for practice (with a backup) and testing some lots. I can easily use the same empty ,sc4 terrain and place the same lots on it, since I know I don't want any game-generated characters, except in the one RiverBlossom Hills pre-made I am also using for testing. I test cc objects there. But I want a completely empty hood to test copies of lots.
Guess I'll have to go back to find out what I need to install that I missed doing to get an empty hood with no characters. I think this happened to me once before, so I'm sure I copied the instructions into my computer somewhere. At least I didn't notice all those character files after making a bunch of sims and playing them. So no loss in creating a new hood, and doing it right this time.
I'm on a Mac, so I don't know any way to fix stuff with these hoods, as I have no access to simpe.
#5
4th Oct 2013 at 9:20 PM
Last edited by Mootilda : 4th Oct 2013 at 9:45 PM.
Quote: Originally posted by cheshirekat
I do remember reading, I don't know where that it IS okay to delete the character files in the characters folder of a neighborhood, if, and only if the hood has never been played. |
Quote: Originally posted by cheshirekat
Since no sims have ever been made in the hood, I would think the characters in the Characters folder wouldn't have any relationships that can corrupt a hood if all the character files are removed. |
Originally, people tried to empty out the shipped neighborhoods by deleting all of these records from the neighborhood package. You would then replace the original neighborhood package with an empty version and delete all of the user files in the Characters subfolder of your neighborhood. Unfortunately, removing all references to sims is difficult and the people who created these empty templates missed some records which can cause problems.
This tutorial works by creating a completely empty neighborhood with no invalid references, then copying (from your original neighborhood) only those things which have no references to sims. In this way, we can be sure that no invalid references to sims are copied.
Quote: Originally posted by cheshirekat
I'm on a Mac, so I don't know any way to fix stuff with these hoods, as I have no access to simpe. |
However, you'll still need to create an empty environment to create an empty neighborhood. The best way to create an empty neighborhood is described here:
http://www.modthesims.info/showpost...223&postcount=2
Since you are on a MAC, you will probably need to use the manual method, rather than AGS:
http://www.modthesims.info/showpost...97&postcount=11
An alternative is to install empty templates. If you are not sharing your neighborhood with anyone else, empty templates should be relatively safe.
#6
15th Jan 2014 at 5:41 PM
Posts: 3,180
Thanks: 10352 in 45 Posts
Hi,
I imported a neighborhood from Sims Pet Stories (Garden Heights) to Sims 2 and I'd like to change it to a suburb template (like Bluewater Village)
Alright, there's no elder state in Pet Stories so that's why all of the maxis premade sims are corrupted (they don't have an elder face - they don't get a face when they're old)
So I followed this tutorial here, it worked as excepted but when I enter a house, it always create some charcters (15 I think) but it's an empty 'hood...
When I leave without save - they won't be saved in the 'hood (as usual) so I made a backup of the 'hood and entered a random house and saved it.
In SimPe, I opened one of them (charcter files) and there was nothing... it's just a empty blank package... can I delete it?
And is it safe to delete it? Or does it respawn again?
Catalogue of Custom Neighborhoods for TS2
All Hood Building Group neighborhoods are available here
Want to get rid of EA's sims in neighborhoods? Check out my Clean and Empty Steatlh Hoods and Clean and Empty Neighborhood Templates
My Simblr
I imported a neighborhood from Sims Pet Stories (Garden Heights) to Sims 2 and I'd like to change it to a suburb template (like Bluewater Village)
Alright, there's no elder state in Pet Stories so that's why all of the maxis premade sims are corrupted (they don't have an elder face - they don't get a face when they're old)
So I followed this tutorial here, it worked as excepted but when I enter a house, it always create some charcters (15 I think) but it's an empty 'hood...
When I leave without save - they won't be saved in the 'hood (as usual) so I made a backup of the 'hood and entered a random house and saved it.
In SimPe, I opened one of them (charcter files) and there was nothing... it's just a empty blank package... can I delete it?
And is it safe to delete it? Or does it respawn again?
Catalogue of Custom Neighborhoods for TS2
All Hood Building Group neighborhoods are available here
Want to get rid of EA's sims in neighborhoods? Check out my Clean and Empty Steatlh Hoods and Clean and Empty Neighborhood Templates
My Simblr
#7
16th Jan 2014 at 1:31 AM
Last edited by Mootilda : 16th Jan 2014 at 3:30 AM.
It's difficult to speculate about sims that are generated in your game after you complete this tutorial. Note that this question has nothing to do with the tutorial itself.
My suggestion is that you search for the SimID to see whether you can identify the sim, either in The Sims 2 or in Pet Stories. That might give you some additional information.
Sounds like those houses may have been corrupted when they were converted from Pet Stories to The Sims 2. It may not be possible to convert them safely. You might want to consider rebuilding them from scratch, if unknown sims are generated whenever you enter a lot.
Again, I cannot support transferring things from Pet Stories to the Sims 2. You should really start one thread and keep all of the issues that you're having in one place, rather than spreading them out among a bunch of different tutorials, none of which are meant to work with Pet Stories.
My suggestion is that you search for the SimID to see whether you can identify the sim, either in The Sims 2 or in Pet Stories. That might give you some additional information.
Sounds like those houses may have been corrupted when they were converted from Pet Stories to The Sims 2. It may not be possible to convert them safely. You might want to consider rebuilding them from scratch, if unknown sims are generated whenever you enter a lot.
Again, I cannot support transferring things from Pet Stories to the Sims 2. You should really start one thread and keep all of the issues that you're having in one place, rather than spreading them out among a bunch of different tutorials, none of which are meant to work with Pet Stories.
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