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Nectar Combinatorics
Nectar Combinatorics
NectarCombinatorics_Icon.jpg - width=206 height=200
NectarCombinatorics_Pig1.jpg - width=774 height=542
Uploaded: 7th Aug 2010 at 12:42 AM
Updated: 15th Mar 2014 at 11:12 AM
Updated: 15th Mar 2014 at 11:12 AM
updates
2014-03-15 - Compatible with game version 1.67. No changes.
compatibility
Supported for game version 1.67. Should work with game versions from 1.31 upwards, though.
scope
Let's talk a little combinatorics. Nectar consists of 10 fruits and the order doesn't matter. If you have 10 fruits, there's obviously only one possible combination. If you have 11 fruits, you already have 11 combinations. You're already up to over 3,000 combinations with 15 fruits and over 180,000 combinations with 20 fruits. If you have 100 fruits, even a computer will have trouble to calculate the number of possible combinations while calculators will simply show you the finger. This is what eggheads mean when they talk about "combinatorical explosion".
Beside the ingredient quality and the nectar value, TS3 uses a hash algorithm to determine the quality of a nectar recipe. Such a thing cannot be optimized in the least. There's no way to make conclusions from one combination to a slightly different combination. So, here we are with an inventory full of ingredients and are apparently supposed to try out fantastillions of combinations to find the good ones.
I don't think that's reasonable. This mod will make it so much easier to find good combinations and use up "leftover" fruits without wasting them.
usage
Once you successfully installed this mod, two interactions will be added to all nectar makers. Only one of these interactions will be available at a time depending on whether the active sim has completed the Mix Master challenge.
-Try Random Fruit Combination
This is basically an interaction to complete the Mix Master challenge in the first place. You don't have to add the fruits manually and the code actually builds 10 random recipes and uses the best one. That way the outcome will usually be at least all right.
- Add Good Fruit Combination
When your sim has completed the Mix Master challenge, things get a lot smarter. Instead of 10 combinations, 2,000 combinations will be built and scored. Also the building process is smarter in the first place. The best found combination will then be compared to the best combinations your sim already made as far as they can be made from the given fruits. The best of these combinations will then be added to the nectar maker.
As mentioned above, it's not really feasible to find THE best combination for your stock of fruits. The code can build and score about 20,000 combinations per second on my rig. You can deduce from there what time it takes to calculate trillions+ of combinations.
BTW: The above mentioned 2,000 permutations are not set in stone. That value is tunable and you can change it by accessing the XML resource in the package with S3PE. If you don't know how to do that and are unable to find out how to do that, then this is not for you.
translation
This mod is fully localizable. If you are willing to support a translation, please read the instructions.
Currently supported languages: English, German, French, Spanish, Mexican, Brazilian, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish, Finnish, Czech
possible conflicts
This is a scripting mod and as such the possibility for conflicts with other mods, no matter what kind, is next to non-existant. I can't think of any kind of mod which could possibly interfere with this mod.
support
Please respect that I support my mods but not mods or even custom content in general, not in my upload threads anyway and certainly not if you ask me by PM. I will always try to find and squish bugs, therefore I appreciate bug reports. If one of my mods isn't working for you, please at least try to ensure that it's a failure of my mod before you ask for help. I am a compassionate guy, but please understand that I can only muster so much endurance to address issues completely unrelated to my mods.
installation
Please follow the regular installation routine for packages. You will find an excellent wiki article if you click on the Installation Instructions tab and follow the link. I can't explain it any better than that.
The interactions will only show up for nectar makers that already existed when you loaded the game or 'hood. Think about it for a second: You can only buy nectar makers in France, so when you travel home, they will already be there. If you are a lame old cheater who gets his/her nectar makers using the buydebug cheat, then you'll have to save and reload your game. Sucks to be you.
The interactions don't show up whatsoever? Sorry to tell you that, but you probably did not follow the installation instructions.
deinstallation
Before you remove this mod, please make sure that no sim is currently using one of the interactions. If you don't do so, you may be unable to load your savegame. Since these interactions take only a short time to complete, this is probably a non-issue, though.
credits
Thanks to Sims MX, EminenceFront, Shykary, GTNS, x Emms, mysecka, NTonks11, HHP and Mar_ienka for translating.
disclaimer
Might lead to a serious case of squished brain. Your game should be safe, though.
2014-03-15 - Compatible with game version 1.67. No changes.
compatibility
Supported for game version 1.67. Should work with game versions from 1.31 upwards, though.
scope
Let's talk a little combinatorics. Nectar consists of 10 fruits and the order doesn't matter. If you have 10 fruits, there's obviously only one possible combination. If you have 11 fruits, you already have 11 combinations. You're already up to over 3,000 combinations with 15 fruits and over 180,000 combinations with 20 fruits. If you have 100 fruits, even a computer will have trouble to calculate the number of possible combinations while calculators will simply show you the finger. This is what eggheads mean when they talk about "combinatorical explosion".
Beside the ingredient quality and the nectar value, TS3 uses a hash algorithm to determine the quality of a nectar recipe. Such a thing cannot be optimized in the least. There's no way to make conclusions from one combination to a slightly different combination. So, here we are with an inventory full of ingredients and are apparently supposed to try out fantastillions of combinations to find the good ones.
I don't think that's reasonable. This mod will make it so much easier to find good combinations and use up "leftover" fruits without wasting them.
usage
Once you successfully installed this mod, two interactions will be added to all nectar makers. Only one of these interactions will be available at a time depending on whether the active sim has completed the Mix Master challenge.
This is basically an interaction to complete the Mix Master challenge in the first place. You don't have to add the fruits manually and the code actually builds 10 random recipes and uses the best one. That way the outcome will usually be at least all right.
- Add Good Fruit Combination
When your sim has completed the Mix Master challenge, things get a lot smarter. Instead of 10 combinations, 2,000 combinations will be built and scored. Also the building process is smarter in the first place. The best found combination will then be compared to the best combinations your sim already made as far as they can be made from the given fruits. The best of these combinations will then be added to the nectar maker.
As mentioned above, it's not really feasible to find THE best combination for your stock of fruits. The code can build and score about 20,000 combinations per second on my rig. You can deduce from there what time it takes to calculate trillions+ of combinations.
BTW: The above mentioned 2,000 permutations are not set in stone. That value is tunable and you can change it by accessing the XML resource in the package with S3PE. If you don't know how to do that and are unable to find out how to do that, then this is not for you.
translation
This mod is fully localizable. If you are willing to support a translation, please read the instructions.
Currently supported languages: English, German, French, Spanish, Mexican, Brazilian, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish, Finnish, Czech
possible conflicts
This is a scripting mod and as such the possibility for conflicts with other mods, no matter what kind, is next to non-existant. I can't think of any kind of mod which could possibly interfere with this mod.
support
Please respect that I support my mods but not mods or even custom content in general, not in my upload threads anyway and certainly not if you ask me by PM. I will always try to find and squish bugs, therefore I appreciate bug reports. If one of my mods isn't working for you, please at least try to ensure that it's a failure of my mod before you ask for help. I am a compassionate guy, but please understand that I can only muster so much endurance to address issues completely unrelated to my mods.
installation
Please follow the regular installation routine for packages. You will find an excellent wiki article if you click on the Installation Instructions tab and follow the link. I can't explain it any better than that.
The interactions will only show up for nectar makers that already existed when you loaded the game or 'hood. Think about it for a second: You can only buy nectar makers in France, so when you travel home, they will already be there. If you are a lame old cheater who gets his/her nectar makers using the buydebug cheat, then you'll have to save and reload your game. Sucks to be you.
The interactions don't show up whatsoever? Sorry to tell you that, but you probably did not follow the installation instructions.
deinstallation
Before you remove this mod, please make sure that no sim is currently using one of the interactions. If you don't do so, you may be unable to load your savegame. Since these interactions take only a short time to complete, this is probably a non-issue, though.
credits
Thanks to Sims MX, EminenceFront, Shykary, GTNS, x Emms, mysecka, NTonks11, HHP and Mar_ienka for translating.
disclaimer
Might lead to a serious case of squished brain. Your game should be safe, though.
