ok i tried this out i have th enew SimPE and the other files needed...i did a simple recolor of the bonsai worked fine (well dont know about in the game yet lol) but then i tried to do the cooking conundrum counter and i get no choice of counter top or base and then it goes right to the where id normally choose testures ect but nuthing just ...... and no choices this has happened a few times in the simpe12t but i just though maybe i picked somthign that didnt have coloring enabled (though i looke din the game and some of them did have it)...just though yall want to know and maybe i just did somthing wrong i was folloing the rgiles tutorial way with workshop.

Thank u so much for the help Numenor & everyone. Have fun & Happy New Year to all.

-B

I have a possibly stupid question. Do I, as an end user, need this package? By end user, I mean someone who only downloads the wonderful goodies you all make.

The kitchen counters were already colourable, and so has nothing to do with the Enabler packages. By the way, SimPE still doesn't handle correctly the kitchen counters.
Anyway, you must download SimPE v. 0.14! V0.12t isn't compatible with our Enabler packages.

And one last thing...
I'm Italian, I do my best to understand and write in English and that's quite hard for me... So, PLEASE, try and use some punctuation, check for typos and break the sentences with a full stop, every now and then...!

You need them if you want to download recolours for objects that previously weren't "colour enabled" (i.e. the objects that Maxis shipped in just 1 colour).
If you only use original Maxis object and downloaded recolours for objects that Maxis enabled color choice on, you don't need our packages.

This isn't absolutely a stupid question; there are no stupid questions, only stupid answers.

ok thx though i have 14a..but i was just saying i had that problem in 12t....though i tried it and it worked (well it looked awful but it worked this time lol)

Well after reinstalling my old files... and only loosing one lot somehow i reinstalled this and all is well... i have two ideas as to why i had the problem. Thaught i would share just incase anyone else has problems like mine.. One may have been that i put the colored files in before i dl this file... but the second i did not reput in a floor tile i got from http://www.simsexpo.net/ It was an awsome beach looking tile BUT it was the same color as the neighberhood screan mishap. so i did not reupload this and all files work great.. except that awsome gold headboard of kimmys anyhow thanks for the imput.

We have to thank you: the information you've given us is very useful.
I checked the package you have downloaded from simexpo (there is only one sand texture so I think I have downloaded the right one): it seems to be created with HomeCrafter and I couldn't find *where* is the conflict.
I'm not much into floor texture and neighborhood stuff, so if anyone finds *why* this floor conflicts with the neighborhood screen, please let me know.

Actually I'm the one who wrote the basic installation script, and then sent it to Quaxi to get the necessary files

Anyway, the reason why it's trying to write to the Windows folder is because it doesn't create an application folder of its own, and it's marked as uninstallable. When it's uninstallable it must, of course, create an uninstaller *somewhere*, and since it doesn't have an application folder to put it in, it will put it into the Windows folder.

It is possible to designate a different folder for the uninstaller to go into, so I could have told it to put them in the Sims2 game folder or something, but it's not recommended to change that once it's been released -- and besides, that doesn't really seem any better

I suppose I could have marked it as not uninstallable, but I always prefer having an uninstaller. Don't you?

Of course with this we are now going to see a lot of recolours and so on. While trying to sleep last night (and not suceeding) I had a thought. How in heck do you enable these options for an item? If so can it be done to a cloned item? As you may guess from the second question the idea that follows is that it would then be possible for someone to clone an item for the game and then enable colour options for it. Then they could add to it. For the end user they would need the original clone, an appropriate enabler and of course any files that the creator makes. But what they would then have is an item that would always be attributable to the creator and to which the creator could add new colours.

This might be a good idea in that you would not have a couple of hundred colours to go through in an item to find the one you want. The creator would have their item (whatever it was) and since it is asterixed you could more easily find it. This, of course, does not stop huge numbers of the same object but in game it would be a bit easy to see who is doing what and since the description can be customised you could know who made that stuff. Just a thought anyways.

As you might guess, I don't like that aproach you suggest.

In this way the Users End up with tons of Dasiy Paintings in the Catalog (every Daisy having the Asteriks) because every Modder decides to make a new clone.

The Color Options were created by Maxis for that Reason, so PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE use the original Object for Recolors! Do only create cloned Objects if you want to add a new Functionalyity or change the Mesh. But do NEVER use Clones just to have another Recolor.

The End User will apreciate it if she/he can be sure the recolor works if they only have installed the Enabler Packages.

Yea!!

Dancing around...I got all of my expensive bed frames back when I installed this...

Thank you, Thank you

Actually, the question we started from was: "how can we let the user choose between multiple colors without having the catalog clogged by hundreds of identical (apart from the color) objects, and avoiding the GUID conflicts that are always related to cloning/creating objects?"
This was the main goal we attempted to reach with our Enabler packages. Are you suggesting that we were *completely wrong* about the scope of our work?
We have discussed for a long time about this problem, and decided to follow the same principles that Maxis itself chose: to have in catalog 1 icon for each object and nest the multiple color options into subcatalogs. In this way we hope to keep full compatibility with future releases of EPs and add-ons.
As for me, I think that this solution is more functional and... let me say... elegant! :ds:

Why!? How could you lose your bed frames before installing our packages?
And I'd like to add: how our packages could ever give you back the bed frames, as we made no modifications relate to beds? :confused:

I don't know the answer to these questions, but I want to tell you my personal experience: I discovered that many items had color options when I installed the official game patch! Until then, I thought that the expensive toilet only came in black and white! I heard of other people complaining of having losed color options or having discovered new color options after having installed the patch. Maybe there's a relation...

So, can you still recolour objects that have colour options in the original? I mean, i can't find beddings, only bed frames...

Excellent stuff, thanks for all the hard work
Is it possible you could provide a link to just the two files?
I also am loathe to run installations when I don't have to. Especially as there will be updates in the future.
Cheers guys!

Thanks uecasm for your clear and reassuring explanation. It's important for us to state clearly that our mod is absolutely safe!
We are trying to create uniform rules of behavior for the whole Community, in order to avoid the many problems that occurred with TS1: Pinhead's tutorial and the creation of the Enabler packages are the first steps in that direction, and other steps will follow (e.g. the Community installer).
Thank you again.

The one BIG concern I have about just linking to the packages is the installation of the packages. Support is through the roof with just questions like:

"I click on the .package and it does not install like the .simpack"

"Where do I put my downloads"

"Where is the download folder"

And many of these with people with directions right in front of them.

To add 2 packages - which go in different places it could be a nightmare - people putting the wrong file in the wrong directories, people putting them in sub directories, people asking for step by step tutorials of hand holding in chat to walk through unzipping and putting them in the directories.

And if the put them in the wrong place its a support thread "CEP Does not work for me".

With the installer, ne questions "Did you install the Color Enabled Packages"is pretty straight forward - they did or did not. With links to files in or not in zips you could spend an hour sortying out which file they put where or explaining how to unzip and move yet another set of game files.

Yes, I know you can say "If you don't understand how to unzip these files and how to get them in the right place then use the installer" But that ends up sounding like yuor not being helpful.

Thanks, Rentechd, I couldn't say it better...
And, juts to let all know, I don't like installer very much, too.
But we know how this one works (thanks to uecasm explanation), so in this case I wouldn't have any worries in using it.
Well, I actually don't use it... because I have the "original" packages! :D

Thanks everybody for the enormous labor A HAPPY and SUCCESFUL NEW YEAR

But I have and have installed it several times. I think the better way to go is provide, for the concerned user with techical knowledge an explanation of exactly what it does to allay fears and stick with one simplistic distribution method.

If redistributors do pull it from the installer they need to make sure the user knows that if they have installation issues - go back to the person who distributed it that way because it is thier issue.

The other good thing about an installer is that it is a one stop shot when the packages get updated - which they will be and we won't have 50% of the users conflicting with old and new versions...

IMPORTANT NOTICE ABOUT THE "EXCLUDED_OBJECTS.TXT".

The text file I have posted along with the packages is simply a list of objects that aren't included in our packages, for various reason.

After few minutes from my first post, I realised that the list contained also some items that actually *were* included in the packages: I simply forgot to delete them from the list. I've immediately updated the list and reposted it.
But in the meantime someone can have downloaded the outdated version, so please redownload it.

Anyway, if SimPE lets the user create a recolor package for an object, this means that the object *is* actually included in our packages, and so it's recolourable. If SimPE can't find that object in the Enabler packages, won't let the user to create the recolor package and will give an error.
So, don't worry about what is actually written into the "Excluded" list: it's just a... list! You simply can't create "harmful" objects with the ECO packages.

BTW, an update to the packages AND to the "Excluded" list is bound to be released, so "stay tuned"!

Thanks for the explaination about the installer... I understand now. I wouldn't want to deal with the uninitiated either. (I'd probably just ignore them, but you are clearly much more benevolent than me! :D)

I did this! (I hope I gave you all the credits! please check it for me and if you need any changes to be made etc. Let me know! Objects at Simagination You guys are the best! I will appreciate you for ever
Annie -x-

Alright, not starting anything here but some people over at TSR seems to think its okay to upload objects made with this feature to that site.
I posted that it wouldn't be fair and that you all requested it not be sold anywhere and that most people wouldn't even see it cause they'd need these extra files but it might very well fall on deaf ears.

Just a heads up.