No one has managed this yet. Sorry. It's definitely on the list of things that people are trying to get working.

If you want to keep track of the progress, take a look at the discussion thread. Specifically, Inge Jones has managed to get some of the beach functionality working on a smaller lot:
http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?p=1784496
This is an encouraging first step.

I am having a problem opening both LotExpander files. They seem to be corrupted. Please solve this problem.

I just downloaded and extracted the LotExpander125.zip from this link without any problems:
http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?p=1747180

Can you explain more about your problem? IE, what steps are you taking, what is the result of each step?

Is it possible that you didn't get the entire zip file? When I download it, the size is 687KB (703,922 bytes).

Help! Two questions...

I am trying to use the newest version of LotExpander. I have up to Seasons. The file appears to be downloaded correctly, but when I try to run it, I get this error:

"Index was outside the bounds of the array."

And then nothing.

My old version runs okay (after re-installing it). However, the other issue I have is that I want to edit a lot within Numenor's Basegame Starter Pro, and the LotExpander (the old one) doesn't show the Minigame neighbourhood. Nor is there a browse button. I don't know if that is fixed in the newer version.

If I put the lot into my full game in order to use the Expander on it, won't that make it non-basegame anyway?

thanks for your help.

This is the first report of this problem. I assume that you are running 1.2.5. What is the version number of the LotExpander which runs OK? Can you tell me at what point the error occurs? IE, before you are shown the neighborhood selection screen, after selecting the neighborhood, ...? Are you trying to use the "Unlock All Tiles" ability, or some other advanced feature? If so, I may know what the problem is. If not, would it be possible to attach the lot file to this thread?


[Update:]
plasticbox has been using this technique, from:
http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?p=1786673

[QUOTE from plasticbox:]

Also, about the BaseGameStarter: I'm not keeping up with this thread so I'm sorry if this is a useless/redundant comment, but I've been using BGS+LotExpander before with no problems at all .. I moved the "building site" neighborhood folder from BaseGame to FullGame, used the Expander, moved the folder back and voilà. Maybe that would be a workaround for you, aelflaed? Again, sorry if you already tried that, I simply don't have the time atm to read this entire thread (wish I could! =) but maybe this helps anyway.

[End Quote][End Update]

Here is my initial suggestion, which does not work:

The Browse button is on the To-Do list. I'm not familiar with what Basegame Starter Pro does with the directory structure, but try this workaround:

1) Rename your "The Sims 2" directory to "The Sims 2.BKP".
2) Rename your Basegame Starter Pro directory to "The Sims 2" and move it to "\My Documents\EA Games\" (if it isn't there already).
3) Run the LotExpander, but do not run the game.
4) Rename the Basegame Starter Pro directory back to it's original name and location.
5) Rename "The Sims 2.BKP" to "The Sims 2"
6) Run the game to complete the lot expansion.

The LotExpander will not change the version of your game, so this should avoid any problem with the wrong version of the game actually running on your neighborhood.

If these instructions don't make any sense, then I'll need more information about what the Basegame Starter Pro is doing to your directories.

My old version is 1.2.1

The 1.2.5 (and the test one you have just released) gives the error as soon as I press the 'start' button.

In the meantime, I'll try your workaround.

Could you attach the lot here, so that I can try to reproduce the problem?

Sure. Should be attached now.

The workaround didn't work (!) - possibly I renamed the wrong thing? Anyway, when I ran LotExpander with the renamed folders it said part of the path (neighbourhoods) could not be found.

I don't think it is the lot which is preventing LotExpander, since it crashes before anything is chosen. However, what I don't understand about programming would fill stadiums.

thanks.

By the way, I have failed in the past to find this thread with "Lot Expander" (i.e., with a space between words). Don't know if this is fixed already.

Thanks. I added a couple of keywords for searching; hopefully that will work.

As to your crashing issue, we seem to be talking across each other. Let's move this discussion to the research thread, so that we'll have the entire conversation in one place, along with any attempts to resolve the issue.

Sure - I was wondering where it would be best to centralise.

I re-downloaded it and it didn't say "Unexpected end of archive" on the WinRAR error console this time. Thanks!

I am getting an unhandled exception when I start LotExpander 1.2.6.2

"Object reference not set to an instance of an object."

The exception text is available if needed, but I believe the problem is this:

In the exception text it references things on the G: drive. I run the game from an external hard drive with MojoPac installed (it has its own copy of windows and lets me play from home or my mom's or my sister's). MojoPac considers itself a C: drive once launched, although the host computer considers it a G: (or whatever) drive.

Is there any way to direct the program to look for TS2 files on the C: drive?

Thanks a ton, and I completely understand if it's not possible- I have a quirky setup.

--Jill

The LotExpander is getting the location of "My Documents" from the registry, then appending "EA Games\...". I actually have my Sims 2 directory on my F: drive, so I know that LE is able to read from drives other than the C: drive.

The newest version (1.2.7) of the LotExpander has a "Browse" function which allows you to select the neighborhood package from the disk. Please try this and see whether it solves your problem.

If not, it might be helpful if I could see the exception text, to try to track down where the problem is occuring. When I inherited the LotExpander code, it did very little error checking and this particular problem could be occuring in many different places in the code.

1.2.7 won't load up for me eithe (on both my Vista nd my Xp.) I get a 'handling excpetion error' with an option to continue, but then it just hangs.

LOVE that you are working on this! I've missed it! Thank you!

Can you tell me at what point you get the error? IE, before the first screen, before the screen where you choose the neighborhood, before the lot selection screen, ...?

Would you be able to try out my test version? Download it from here:

http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?p=1797387

It will put up some messages to give me an indication of where it is in the code. Thanks!

At first start up--I click the .exe and it brings up the slpash, click the start it brings up the handling exception in front. I click continue and the exception screen disappears to show only the splash screen --this is where it hangs and it has great staying power I left it for five minutes thinking it might just need the time--no luck. That's when I went and tried it on XP and got the same results. I also tried it with different compatibility settings, no luck.

Yes, I'll try your test version and let you know.

EDIT: the same results with the test (1.2.7.4)

Would you mind trying another version (1.2.7.5)? I think that I may have found and fixed the problem:

http://www.modthesims2.com/showpost...1&postcount=377

better for me--instead of hanging, a click on the start button gives the error window and continue option again. I got this for you this time, if it means anything to you, it sure doesn't mean anything to me:


************* Exception Text **************
System.BadImageFormatException: Could not load file or assembly 'simpe.package, Version=1.0.2676.19318, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null' or one of its dependencies. An attempt was made to load a program with an incorrect format.
File name: 'simpe.package, Version=1.0.2676.19318, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null'
at LotExpander.LotExpander.Screen1()
at LotExpander.LotExpander.NextButton_Click(Object sender, EventArgs e) in G:\Source\LotExpander\LE127\1275\LotExpander.cs:line 110
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.OnClick(EventArgs e)
at System.Windows.Forms.Button.OnMouseUp(MouseEventArgs mevent)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WmMouseUp(Message& m, MouseButtons button, Int32 clicks)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WndProc(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.ButtonBase.WndProc(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.Button.WndProc(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.WndProc(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.NativeWindow.Callback(IntPtr hWnd, Int32 msg, IntPtr wparam, IntPtr lparam)

WRN: Assembly binding logging is turned OFF.
To enable assembly bind failure logging, set the registry value [HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Fusion!EnableLog] (DWORD) to 1.
Note: There is some performance penalty associated with assembly bind failure logging.
To turn this feature off, remove the registry value [HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Fusion!EnableLog].



************** Loaded Assemblies **************
mscorlib
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.312 (rtmLHS.050727-3100)
CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/Microsoft.NET/Framework64/v2.0.50727/mscorlib.dll
----------------------------------------
LotExpander
Assembly Version: 1.2.7.5
Win32 Version: 1.2.7.5
CodeBase: file:///C:/Users/Administrator/Desktop/Sims%20Stuff/expander/LotExpander.exe
----------------------------------------
System.Windows.Forms
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.312 (rtmLHS.050727-3100)
CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Windows.Forms/2.0.0.0__b77a5c561934e089/System.Windows.Forms.dll
----------------------------------------
System
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.312 (rtmLHS.050727-3100)
CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System/2.0.0.0__b77a5c561934e089/System.dll
----------------------------------------
System.Drawing
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.312 (rtmLHS.050727-3100)
CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Drawing/2.0.0.0__b03f5f7f11d50a3a/System.Drawing.dll
----------------------------------------

************** JIT Debugging **************
To enable just-in-time (JIT) debugging, the .config file for this
application or computer (machine.config) must have the
jitDebugging value set in the system.windows.forms section.
The application must also be compiled with debugging
enabled.

For example:

<configuration>
<system.windows.forms jitDebugging="true" />
</configuration>

When JIT debugging is enabled, any unhandled exception
will be sent to the JIT debugger registered on the computer
rather than be handled by this dialog box.

OK. Let me work on this. Thanks for the stack dump.

Mutantbunny,

Why don't you come join testing this in an experimental settings... This has been working great in our experiemnts... :D

1277 works fine on my XP. However, still not opening on Vista.

Is anyone else using it on Vista? Perhaps I'mmissing something the program needs?

And yes, the beach lots don't place on TI very well. However, I changed the slope values in the neighborhood.ini (boatnana made a post for this) and got them to place ok.

EDIT: I don't have Sims installed on my XP pc--Sims2 is installed on my Vista. So I can't test with you because I can't get it going on Vista, . So I wait, I know someone will figure out the Vista incompatibility--it's probably something very simple I'm just overlooking . I'm following the thread over there in RandD--I tried to post over there earlier, but could not, maybe I don't have permission to post over there? I'll try again next time.

I can't remember anyone mentioning Vista... You might want to head on over to the research thread and see whether anyone there is using it.

http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=250693

The LotExpander relies on the value of "My Documents" in the registry to find the default "EA Games\The Sims 2\Neighborhoods" directory. Do you know whether Vista has changed this registry entry?

I've added a fair amount of error checking to the registry and directory processing... perhaps I should give you a new "test" version which generates messages about it's progress. This eventually helped resolve aelflaed's crashing issue.

As far as I know, the LE only requires .NET 2.0... I assume that you have it installed?

Your stack dump seems to imply a problem with SimPE. However, the correct SimPE DLLs are installed in the directory with the LotExpander EXE. Are you running the EXE directly from this directory? Did you extract the entire contents of the zip file?

Do you have a link to boatnana's post? Thanks!

Do you have a link to this thread, as well? Thanks again.

After you've checked the "My Documents" registry entry (let me know the key name and value), your .NET installation version (I don't believe that it's installed by default on Vista), and the SimPE DLLs in the LotExpander directory, please let me know if you'd like a version of the LotExpander which displays messages about it's progress.

I'm sorry that I haven't gotten back to you about this before, but the research thread has been very active for the last few days and I've been struggling to keep up with the issues that people are having with the new lot shrinking code.

"The LotExpander relies on the value of "My Documents" in the registry to find the default "EA Games\The Sims 2\Neighborhoods" directory. Do you know whether Vista has changed this registry entry? .....After you've checked the "My Documents" registry entry (let me know the key name and value)"

The path is different! it is C:\Users\Administrator\Documents\EA Games --I am fairly familiar with my reg but not sure how to find a key for this ...tell me how to find the reg setting--even a clue will help.

"...As far as I know, the LE only requires .NET 2.0... I assume that you have it installed?.....Are you running the EXE directly from this directory? your .NET installation version ..."

THIS may be the problem: framework 2 will not load on Vista 64 (I'll try to force it again later but I don't think it's going ot load--stupid MS) but framework 1.1 is there and SimPE 62 functions fine off of it. I had the source files in both the SimPE folder and in the expander folder--overkill is best...

boatnana's post? http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=47544

please let me know if you'd like a version of the LotExpander which displays messages about it's progress. YES- let me at it!

"I'm sorry that I haven't gotten back to you about this before, but the research thread has been very active for the last few days and I've been struggling to keep up with the issues that people are having with the new lot shrinking code."

By all means: do your thing over there first! I'm following along over there and I will just keep trying it--never say die!

Try installing the Vista 64bit version of the .NET runtime 2.0:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...&displaylang=en

Yesterday I wanted to make my fav sims' lot a bit larger.
Then I remember that this is real. thanks

I tried to expand it but it failed
I even moved the lot to a free segment of downtown to give more space to expend but anyway it is aborted.
I tried another lot (community) - it was expanded fine.

Does not it work with liveable lots?
What's wrong?