Mad Poster
#101 Old 11th Jul 2012 at 5:24 PM
I simply can't with the music/fame system as a whole. It's so poorly done. There's no wiggle room. And most all systems should be designed to be modular - it'd be very easy to provide content to the player without having to do a trillion extra things. Make the assets, copy and paste, add buffs and debuffs and on to the next.

They can't even get distant terrain to work right...

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Retired
retired moderator
#102 Old 11th Jul 2012 at 5:42 PM
Quote:
...The game is not built in any way that would facilitate doing it the other way.


But that's my very criticism. Sims are drafted to lots not randomly, but by their traits and sometimes careers. The fact that the game does not draft enough of them to a lot on any particular night to justify a logically laid out "hotspot" system is a design fault in the first place.

You simply have a group of rules such as "IF sim has low hunger/fun motive AND it is between 7pm and 1am GO TO nearest bar over being at home."

A decent enough design should see moderately populated bars in a town where there are sims with the Party Animal/Diva/Charismatic/Social Butterfly/etc traits. They don't need to know the bar is cool. The bar *becomes* cool because it's closest to the largest number of qualifying sims. That's the whole idea behind logical flow in design: Cause results in Effect. Effect doesn't try to fake that it had a Cause.

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Mad Poster
#103 Old 11th Jul 2012 at 6:00 PM
Yeah, I know a band don't need a stage, can be an area with the instruments set up and enough room for sims to enjoy the music. That can make it more simple, but I think with a proprietor on the lot they can assist in not having conflicting times for performances. What if a performer with a gig comes in to do their stuff and a band is performing at that time, I think the band will have to stop because the performer's stage will automatically call to the sims to watch the show. This is going to be bad for the bands after all, nope don't think it will work because their gigs are not tied to the proprietor.

I must include that I am not that experienced with playing bands, thought this patch would give me inspiration to do so. I fear frustration will not inspire me to try it out again.

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Mad Poster
#104 Old 11th Jul 2012 at 6:17 PM
^Now it's time for them to recode everything. They probably wont do it, because everything they've put out works the way it's supposed to. It's the stuff that's up for future creation by players that's is the issue.

They couldn't hire a programmer who was organized, or a competent gameplay designer?

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Mad Poster
#105 Old 11th Jul 2012 at 6:28 PM
Quote: Originally posted by matrix54
^Now it's time for them to recode everything. They probably wont do it, because everything they've put out works the way it's supposed to. It's the stuff that's up for future creation by players that's is the issue.

They couldn't hire a programmer who was organized, or a competent gameplay designer?


I totally agree and it's frustrating for me because when I worked, I always found a way to be efficient and find an easier route to accomplish the goals of the company. With EA, the way they do things leave me shaking my head. I know I couldn't work there.

I wish I knew how to code or program games. I wonder how hard is it to give coding to the proprietor so they can organize the gigs. That is bugging me.

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Let's help fund mammograms for everyone. If you want to help, Click To Give @ The Breast Cancer Site Your click is free. Thank you.
Mad Poster
#106 Old 11th Jul 2012 at 6:38 PM
It'd probably be an interaction that branches into a pop up window - stuff they've been doing for ages.

I certainly wouldn't mind EA adding a month to their schedule (which is probably more than it needs) to get the game in proper working order. I am not in a rush at all for them to add to the game. If they can work toward a better product, they should do so. They're gonna get paid anyway. Fans WILL invest money in the game if EA shows their working toward a better product.

I've only been programming for a year, and I'm more organized then the Sims 3 programmers. They should recruit people to help! >:-]

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Theorist
#107 Old 11th Jul 2012 at 7:09 PM
Quote: Originally posted by matrix54
^Now it's time for them to recode everything.

The thing is, TS3 was the time for them to recode everything. They should have learnt more from the many many mistakes of TS2. You'd think that with a new open neighbourhood system, the number 1 thing to work on would be a typical situation of 'lots of sims on a lot'
It doesn't matter if it's because of a country fair, an urban nightclub, or a shopping mall. Make sure the game engine can do this, cause at some point in the future, it will need to.
Yet there is scant evidence that they adhered to this principle. And if the low-population nightclubs of LN are a sign of things to come, I fear for our eventual OFB style flowershops and such.
I forsee threads such as "Why does my shop have no shoppers"
This is how low the standards have become.

Can't find stuff in build and buy mode? http://www.nexusmods.com/thesims3/mods/1/?
Mad Poster
#108 Old 11th Jul 2012 at 9:11 PM
They probably just have randoms flock to the store to buy stuff, like they do for clubbing.

I don't even think they'd do open shops for us. We can fake it, but it's not the same.

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Rogue Redeemer
retired moderator
#109 Old 11th Jul 2012 at 9:31 PM
Quote: Originally posted by matrix54
I don't even think they'd do open shops for us. We can fake it, but it's not the same.


One of the Gurus (Graham, I think) stated clearly that "Ambition was our version of Open for business". He stated that some time ago fairly recently on twitter, and that was discussed briefly somewhere here on MTS forums.

They really have no idea how much money is tied to option of running businesses, how popular that concept is! How on earth could they have failed to notice that? It really wouldn't have been a far stretch to modify the consignment store system of AMB into bakeries, clothing stores, cafe's... Maybe they have now afterwards realized their mistake, and will include that in some future EP to cash in on that guaranteed money. Remember that survey with Weather and other things mentioned a vacation themed EP with themes of running businesses (although there was no mentioning of OFB style businesses).

It really could go either way, we'll just have to wait and see. :/

kiwi_tea So true, and also without Twallan's mods the sims by default tend to just stand around repeating the age old same idle animations like zombies... They do stuff randomly, but goodness me they do everything so lazily.
Top Secret Researcher
#110 Old 11th Jul 2012 at 10:34 PM Last edited by zigersimmer : 11th Jul 2012 at 10:45 PM.
Quote: Originally posted by Arisuka
How on earth could they have failed to notice that?

That's a rhetorical question, yes?

Quote: Originally posted by ticklish
I think the patch said would have too have 2 diff stages for bands and showtime performers. That is not too be unexpected in ea doing that. Showtime Venues can now receive gigs when the appropriate stage objects have been placed. Late Night Venues can now receive gigs when the appropriate stage objects have been placed. That information is from the patch notes.

Bands still rely on the random opportunity system. Opportunities are fine and dandy for other professions as they are not the sole means of advancing, but bands rely on opportunities. The random nature of opportunities, and total silliness of the implementation, is what creates bandsuckage.

Quote: Originally posted by kiwi_tea
They backed themselves into some serious corners with bad design in the first place, yes, but I'm reluctant to facepalm over the fact that they couldn't fix all the mistakes they made. Perhaps I'm unambitious, but I'm quite grateful to see them attempt to fix bad design at all given EA's record of deserting their mistakes. They already made the investment in designing these features and they did it badly. To make an additional investment in fixing them is something I appreciate, even if that investment doesn't go so far as to make the features ideal. Hindsight is 20/20.

The only thing they've actually accomplished is to make it possible to play SHT entertainers in Bridgeport. Other than that, nothing has changed.

TS2 and TS3: Where adult sims potty train their toddlers.
TS4: Where adult sims make Angry Poops.

Which game is made for the juvenile minded?
Theorist
#111 Old 11th Jul 2012 at 10:54 PM
Well, I just installed 1.36 and my VANILLA game is laggy as hell!!! WTHeck did EA do now? And what do I need to do? As I said, I installed it into a vanilla game and it shouldn't ever be this bad.

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You don't get out of life alive. ~Jimmy the Hand

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Lab Assistant
#112 Old 11th Jul 2012 at 11:50 PM
Quote: Originally posted by lisfyre
Well, I just installed 1.36 and my VANILLA game is laggy as hell!!! WTHeck did EA do now? And what do I need to do? As I said, I installed it into a vanilla game and it shouldn't ever be this bad.

That does not sound good. Has anyone else had this problem?

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One Minute Ninja'd
#113 Old 12th Jul 2012 at 12:21 AM
Quote: Originally posted by LordHoramun
That does not sound good. Has anyone else had this problem?


I just picked up Diesel, as I had some time to run to Best Buy (I like the feel of a disc in my hand, not a digital download), but it's sitting in the drawer for another few days until I read some more positive, i.e. "it didn't break my game", types of posts. Besides, it's just stuff, anyway. The patch is the big deal for me.
Field Researcher
#114 Old 12th Jul 2012 at 2:21 AM
Quote: Originally posted by lisfyre
Well, I just installed 1.36 and my VANILLA game is laggy as hell!!!


In my 25 minute test play session I just did, my Ambitions + Gen game doesn't seem to lag much at all with the 1.36 patch. It actually looks like it improved the performance slightly; how long that performance boost will last is unknown of course.

We all have to look for answers somewhere. Some in big ol' books, others in big ol' bottles of whiskey.

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Theorist
#115 Old 12th Jul 2012 at 3:15 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Anniversary
...The game is not built in any way that would facilitate doing it the other way.

Sims go to lots at random or based on necessity. There is no necessity to going to a bar, so sims would only go there randomly. A population of 70 sims with 30 community lots, and you get 2 sims or so at a bar when you show up there. That's not good. So they need to call more sims to make it particularly populated. If they waited until a lot coincidentally had more than 6 sims on it, there'd never be any hotspots to begin with. So the game designates a lot at random as being popular and calls sims to it. If it didnt, the bars would all be bare, all the time. Sims only go to lots to make the world seem alive. They don't have any means to decide "You know what? Let's go to the bar, for no reason, and let's go to this one, because it's cooler than the others, and I'm aware of that", which would make a bunch of sims show up to a bar on their own.

Like I said, if the game didn't designate a hotspot UNTIL it had more than 6-8 sims on it, there's never be hotspots, and you'd be complaining that they didn't make it so that sims are called to hotspots...



What kiwi tea said is the way I understand it works, so if this is what you meant I sort of agree and I understand what you are saying. But the game is also programmed to send sims to whatever lot your controllable sims are visiting. I believe Pescado calls it the creepy stalker thing and it can be turned off with AwesomeMod. So I'm pretty sure it is your sim that is calling other sims to the bar, not the designation of a Hot Spot.

That's why a lot of the time sims that do show up will end up starving or having to pee - because they don't do those things autonomously until their needs almost reach critical stage, and they were pulled to the same lot your sim is on before it got to that point. Unfortunately sometimes the other sims in your neighborhood are also doing other things so they don't show up at all, or at least very few do.

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Top Secret Researcher
#116 Old 12th Jul 2012 at 3:34 AM
Yes, the townies show up on community lots because your sim or sims are there. Unless the lot is a hot spot, which causes the game to tell the townies to stay away. Far, far away.

TS2 and TS3: Where adult sims potty train their toddlers.
TS4: Where adult sims make Angry Poops.

Which game is made for the juvenile minded?
Mad Poster
#117 Old 12th Jul 2012 at 6:03 AM
I'm one of those people that holds out on patching until three expansions have gone by (it just happens that way, IDK why - guess it has to do with not having seen the launcher in over a year) but my "WANT" brain-area is in overdrive. Must . . . resist . . .


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Theorist
#118 Old 12th Jul 2012 at 6:16 AM
Quote: Originally posted by DuskTrooper
In my 25 minute test play session I just did, my Ambitions + Gen game doesn't seem to lag much at all with the 1.36 patch. It actually looks like it improved the performance slightly; how long that performance boost will last is unknown of course.


Well, in my play game (Base + WA + AMB + LN + GEN + EA Store sets + 13GB of 3rd party CC) before 1.36, I could load the game from start to lot in 5 - 7 min. In this vanilla game (Base + WA + AMB + LN + GEN) it took 75 min to load from start to lot. That's nuts!! I'm afraid to try my play game at this rate.

Quote: Originally posted by DigitalSympathies
I'm one of those people that holds out on patching until three expansions have gone by (it just happens that way, IDK why - guess it has to do with not having seen the launcher in over a year) but my "WANT" brain-area is in overdrive. Must . . . resist . . .


I should have too... was trying to hold out until after SuperNatural but I really want to get Lucky Palms so I thought I'd patch now. Don't have LP yet but soon I hope... like by the weekend. ~~crossing fingers and toes~~

Life is short, insecurity is a waste of time. ~Diane Von Furstenburg
You don't get out of life alive. ~Jimmy the Hand

♥ Receptacle Refugee ♥
Lab Assistant
#119 Old 12th Jul 2012 at 6:46 AM
Quote: Originally posted by lisfyre
Well, in my play game (Base + WA + AMB + LN + GEN + EA Store sets + 13GB of 3rd party CC) before 1.36, I could load the game from start to lot in 5 - 7 min. In this vanilla game (Base + WA + AMB + LN + GEN) it took 75 min to load from start to lot. That's nuts!! I'm afraid to try my play game at this rate.



I should have too... was trying to hold out until after SuperNatural but I really want to get Lucky Palms so I thought I'd patch now. Don't have LP yet but soon I hope... like by the weekend. ~~crossing fingers and toes~~


Have you tried using the software Game Booster 3 and combining your package files? I have all the expansions and stuff packs as well as about 10gb of CC. I hardly have any lag at all..
Instructor
#120 Old 12th Jul 2012 at 7:23 AM
Quote: Originally posted by lisfyre
Well, in my play game (Base + WA + AMB + LN + GEN + EA Store sets + 13GB of 3rd party CC) before 1.36, I could load the game from start to lot in 5 - 7 min. In this vanilla game (Base + WA + AMB + LN + GEN) it took 75 min to load from start to lot. That's nuts!! I'm afraid to try my play game at this rate.



I should have too... was trying to hold out until after SuperNatural but I really want to get Lucky Palms so I thought I'd patch now. Don't have LP yet but soon I hope... like by the weekend. ~~crossing fingers and toes~~
For the record, 1.36 isn't required to install Lucky Palms. I'm still on 1.34 because I can't be arsed to update all my mods at the moment, but I installed LP just fine.

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Lab Assistant
#121 Old 12th Jul 2012 at 10:19 AM
I'm afraid to update my game to 1.36. I'm keeping my eyes first on when my mods gets updated before I even consider on patching.
Lab Assistant
#122 Old 12th Jul 2012 at 12:13 PM
I'm going to quite what SimAd said over in the NRaas Forum:

"JazzData: no changes

GameplayData:
Bars
buffs_store
EditCollectionDialog_0xfeffd9ee5aeb7c14
InsectsSpawners_store
JobsandTasks
RecipeMasterList_store
SetObjects_store
ShowStage_0x15be3229756d5695
skills_store

If your tuning mods make use of any of the above XML's they need updating for 1.36."

Effectively, it means that hardly any mods need to be updated, apart of course for Core mods like Error Trap - and they already have.
Theorist
#123 Old 12th Jul 2012 at 3:11 PM
Quote: Originally posted by majesticg
Have you tried using the software Game Booster 3 and combining your package files? I have all the expansions and stuff packs as well as about 10gb of CC. I hardly have any lag at all..


I haven't fired up my play game yet. I'm still testing this out on my VANILLA game (Base + WA, AMB, LN, GEN)!! Yes all my .package files are combined/merged and yes I have Game Booster 3 running all the time

Quote: Originally posted by TheLB
For the record, 1.36 isn't required to install Lucky Palms. I'm still on 1.34 because I can't be arsed to update all my mods at the moment, but I installed LP just fine.


Doh!! Wish I would have known that before I installed the patch. But you see, I don't have mods in my game, just Store and 3rd party CC. And as I've already said - I'm still in my VANILLA game (Base + WA, AMB, LN, GEN) not any of my other games that have CC in it. Too scared to try any of my other games that have 3rd party CC.

Life is short, insecurity is a waste of time. ~Diane Von Furstenburg
You don't get out of life alive. ~Jimmy the Hand

♥ Receptacle Refugee ♥
Top Secret Researcher
#124 Old 12th Jul 2012 at 4:22 PM
I update because Twallan is bound to add some new features to his suite that may require the new patch and I don't want to miss out on the coolness.

TS2 and TS3: Where adult sims potty train their toddlers.
TS4: Where adult sims make Angry Poops.

Which game is made for the juvenile minded?
Top Secret Researcher
#125 Old 12th Jul 2012 at 9:30 PM
Uhhh... I'll wait for the FOJ to update Awesomemod. That will win me some time
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