Sorry to interrupt but... is that "empty enviroment" thing good for normal gameplay? Or is it something interesting only to those who build clean-empty-fixed-whatever hoods to upload?
And is it as easy as renaming some folders? I mean, is that an alternative to using AGS or something which must be done while using AGS?

I must admit I'm quite lost indeed with all this, and the more I read the more confused I am
And I've considered those empty templates to start a new hood from scratch, but if there's another option I would like to search for info as well.

The AGS renames the folders if you choose the right options, except for the FT stealth subhood (which is the only subhood which cannot be added later).

I play with an empty environment all of the time, but that's not a good solution for everyone. It works perfectly for me because there is nothing in the stealth subhoods that I actually want.

If you want some of the things that are in the templates, then you'll need those templates. For example, if you want to visit the hobby lots, then you'll need the FT stealth subhood (or a clean or empty version). If you want to visit the witches residences, then you'll need the AL stealth subhood (or a clean or empty version). And so on. Only you know what's right for you.

This is really interesting!
I was planning to try a Test of Time custom challenge, so I would certainly not need those stealth subhoods.

And the rename (either manual or using AGS) could be reverted later without any issue, right? So if I later on decide to play a "normal" game I would just need to rename them back to their original names?

When you rename the stealth subhoods, I believe that they will be added to your existing neighborhoods that don't currently have those subhoods. However, you might want to test this with a throwaway neighborhood first, to be sure that you understand what happens.

The exception is the FT Hobbies stealth subhood. As far as I know, there's no way to add it to a hood at a later time.

Thank you SO much, you're incredibly patient and helpful <3

OK, no one knows about the flyby. Oh, well. Sedona almost worked--I'd have to lower a ridge a click or three so it wouldn't go through the ground, which I probably need to do anyway (little tiny ridge in SC4 makes huge ridge in Sims2), but the starting pan in Sedona which circles the bridge in the original terrain exactly circles the lake and thus the town on the shore on my terrain.

Can anyone tell me if it's safe to have one-sided memories? The bio I've built for one sim (which I really like), David, calls for him to have been injured in the line of duty and not remember anything. However, I'd really like for another sim, JJ, to be his high school girlfriend and a third, Daisy Mae to have been a brief fling as an adult resulting in a (now teen) daughter. So I'd like for JJ to remember first kiss and going steady with David, and for Daisy Mae to remember woohoo with him, and him be totally clueless.

Yeah, I've been working sporadically on this for a while, like since playtesting Widespot. Who knows if I'll ever get it done?

Using cheats to "Set to birthday" should be okay to make things go a little faster, right?

Yes; that's how I got my families to work in Widespot. It's impossible to build a family in CAS that consists of elder parents with adult, teen, and child offspring; so I had to build the Lands and Harts with the married couples as adults and Mary, Candy, and Rhett as teens, then age each of them one stage.

The Tombstone of L&D and the batbox will cover most contingencies you'll ever run into trying to set up the story. SimPE and the teleporter are also useful - SimPE is essential if you want specific memories that you can't set up to be generated by the game in a reasonable period.

I created a new game and a new neighborhood with subhoods in it, with an empty environment.

Question - is it normal under these conditions to have a Pets button grayed out, it doesn't have anything it in, just a grey button? I mean that button along with other buttons on the top of the screen when you exist to neighborhood. It's visible just fine when I'm in main 'hood and but is grey when I'm in Downtown and Uni. I deleted the 'hood and created it again several times and it's still the same.

Did you have the Pets template removed when you created the 'hood, so that the Critturs and the Katts and so on weren't created? If so, I believe the grayed out button in completely natural. I have some hoods that were made with the Pets template in, and they have the normal button, and some that were made with it out, and they have the gray button. If you click it, all it does is bark at you and tell you that now you have pets and pets are way cool, so no vital functionality is lost.

Yes, I had the Pets template disabled when creating my new 'hood. Thank you, now I'll just ignore the grey button

I am not sure if this is the place to post this since this thread is old, but I had a few questions on shareable neighborhoods. I realize the best way to create a clean environment is with Any Game Starter, but I have the UC and my discs are the combination sets, so I read that I could not use that. I read the clean templates on MATY have been found not to be completely clean. So is the best way to use Jawasa's http://modthesims.info/download.php?t=52075. Right now I have the Pets and Seasons stealth hoods renamed and I have empty templates in all the others. I have no character files in any newly created hood. I read threw the thread, but I am still a bit confused. Any help would be appreciated.

Holy necropost, Batman!

The thread link seems to be broken. Are you wanting a clean template as in it has no Sims in it at all, or just without the stealth subhoods?

I wanted a clean setup for a sharable neighborhood, and from what I can understand from this thread. All of the stealth hoods need to be disabled in order to create it, but what I am wondering is if you disable the Apt life one and the Freetime one will the hobby lots and witch stuff still work in a game created this way. in the past I have download the empty templates at MATY and I also have downloaded the cleaned Meetme ones and now I see the Jawusa ones. I guess I just need a quick run down of how to set up a clean environment for sharing a neighborhood, hence the posting in such an old thread. I was not sure if it was appropriate to start a new thread on and old subject.

Actually, this is a good thread to keep alive because there's some useful information here. I hadn't remembered I'd posted in it so much. I was reading this obviously before I made Polgannon.

As I understand it, either Jawusa's templates or disabling the stealth hoods, as described by Tarlia, should work. Even AGS has a problem with the Freetime templates, but I'm not sure what it is, as I have yet to want to make an empty neighborhood with Freetime capability, and can use AGS.

Tarlia's Tutorial for disabling the hoods is found here: http://meetme2theriver.livejournal.com/123004.html and you may find useful information in the comments section, too. Jawusa's templates may be found here on MTS, and Jawusa is active and very helpful.

Good luck with this! Go carefully, make many backups, and share what you learn!

When I did just Jawusa's I ended up with the subhoods in the Neighborhood folder so I went one step further and disabled the steath hoods and got the results that Mootilda had posted there should be No characters, no lots, no storytelling, 1nh png. 1nh pkg file and 1 pkg file in Thumbnails, So I think it worked

Absolutely 100% correct. And not just because of the information already in it - but for the information waiting to -be- learned and shared too. Learn and share, I'm sure Mootilda would approve.