packaging and flattening a neighbourhood

[aelflaed]

Hi!

I'm wondering how to package a neighbourhood. Partly this is because I just want to, and couldn't find a packaging button.

I also want to know if it is possible to clone (?) one. I made a good terrain for myself, but parts of it would not go as flat as I want them to be for lot placement.

Do I have to keep tweaking the file using SC4, until it is right, or can I save the version I have flattened in S2, for future use as a blank terrain? I have added some deco (which I could take out easily enough), but nothing else.

[plasticbox]

Re. your first question, you don't package it -- you zip the NXXX folder instead. I've written up a quick rundown in this post (http://www.modthesims2.com/member/showpost.php?p=1720545&postcount=59).

And wasn't Mootilda thinking about a SC4 extraction thingy? That would make it possible to retrieve the terrain info from an existing hood .. I believe there's some info in this thread (http://db.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=279992); I'll admit i've forgotten what the outcome was.

Flattening in SC4 is best done with roads, in my experience .. just cover everything you want to be flat in roads, then bulldoze them all, then build yur actual roads.

[aelflaed]

Thanks! I'll investigate those things.

Mootilda made the HoodReplace thingy, but it didn't look like it would quite do what I wanted. However, I'm happy to fix the SC4 file with road segments if that will work. Trying to flatten small areas with the terrain tools was just frustrating - and I kept losing the roads I had placed.

Anyway, I'll see what I can do with your info.

[aelflaed]

Flattening with single clicks of road in SC4 worked beautifully.

I've copied the info on 'packaging' from you other post. I'll see if the hood gets that far.

Thanks for your help! Mods, this one can be considered solved.

[niol]

Just some additional tips:

1. rar can compress a whole neighbourhood much better than zip simply because it can recognise and compress similar data better. So, the resultant size can be much smaller.

2. may trim away most of the useless jpeg files in the lot package files when applied. This is the major size-saving act before sharing lots or neighbourhoods.

3. modded lots need no re-compression of the modded files coz...
A. the game will compress them back later unless exceptional lots;
B. actually those decompressed files can be compressed by rar or zip better than they in compressed state can (hence, the resultant "rar"-red or zipped size can be further smaller)(zip and rar cannot re-compress any better on in-game compressed game files than they do fresh compressions on the uncompressed game files).