strangetomato: (Default)
Strange Tomato ([personal profile] strangetomato) wrote2012-10-29 01:37 pm

Most Wanted Hacks

First of all, thank you to everyone who helped me to troubleshoot my game issues in the last post. As always, I appreciate your help immensely. In the end, it was a simple matter of placing the no-cd crack in the wrong folder. I feel a little better knowing that I'm not the only one who has made the same mistake.

My next hurdle to jump in the quest to get my game running properly again is to rebuild my downloads folder. You see, I may have lost my entire uberhood (with ALL of the households played to 14 sim days) and a good portion of my downloads folder to the hard drive failure of my old PC. *deep breath* I'm okay. There's very little I can't just shrug off these days. And let this be a lesson to you all. Go make backups, and not just half-assed ones where you sort of have copies, but not really, and you're just swapping in and out hoods without also keeping a copy in your external drive. Seriously, double check that you have a decent backup. Do it.

On the bright side, I do still have Elsewhere and the Tomato Legacy and all of my other hoods. I also, by some strange luck, still have my Bodyshop and Build Mode sub-folders of my Downloads folder. What I do not have: Hair, Buy Mode, Defaults, Hacks, and Storytelling (hacks and pose boxes) sub-folders. I'm going to take the first two as a blessing in disguise and a chance to scale back my cc a little. I'll gather up the hair and recolours of buy mode items as I realize what I truly need and want. Defaults, I'll figure out. Hacks, I need pronto. Storytelling stuff is also pretty key.

What hacks do you absolutely need for your game? I know I need the MATY Director's Cut and ACR 2.0, and some of the others are coming back to me as I look into it, but I don't remember everything I had. If you wouldn't mind tossing out some of your must haves for me to peruse (or share a link to your resources post), I'd really appreciate it.

[identity profile] meetme2theriver.livejournal.com 2012-10-30 08:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah, it allows them to keep their names too. It seems like the only method for actually giving a sim a totally new surname with ingame hacks is to give them a new first name and then copy the first name to the last name, and put the original first name back, and that's far too much fiddling for my tastes. It's easier to just make hyphenated names and such in SimPE.

[identity profile] purpleseas.livejournal.com 2012-10-30 09:53 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah, it's totally worth it to make all your own townies, but it takes forever, so I skipped them the first time and ended up with the ones the game generated the first time I moved into an apartment, all wearing the same outfit, bad hair, etc. It's so much nicer to have your own townies move in, especially when you've put all that work into them and are sometimes vaguely sad that they have to live out in the ether forever.

[identity profile] smjoshsims.livejournal.com 2012-10-30 11:00 pm (UTC)(link)
I wanted the semester changes but I'm basically doing 18 hour semesters anyway so I'm not worried. I had never used Cyjoon's stuff until someone linked him below and NOW I went crazy. I must have downloaded thirty new hacks!

The Crystal Ball is my life. I like natural pairings but I also like knowing who they have the most chemistry with.

[identity profile] im-i.livejournal.com 2012-10-31 09:21 am (UTC)(link)
Oh no thank you I hadn't heard of that No Overlay mod at MATY! I mean HP's works fine for me, but alternatives are good and I'll need to give it try. Definitely good if the file is smaller. It just really is a must-have for me as I can't stand the green skin.

The Community Time Project isn't for everyone of course, but it works well for me and makes sense if you run a lot of community businesses.

No problem and glad I could help. :)

[identity profile] im-i.livejournal.com 2012-10-31 09:23 am (UTC)(link)
I think I really need to download more of Cyjon's mods. I have some of them but I should find the time to go through the whole lot and decided what would be good to use.

[identity profile] miss-nyxie.livejournal.com 2012-10-31 04:08 pm (UTC)(link)
I have a ton of stuff from TJ at Simbology, BoilingOil's stuff (linked above) is a lifesaver, and Cyjon for sure. Those are my top 3, though I have a bunch from others as well. My hacks folder is quite large, lol.

[identity profile] kin-thalas.livejournal.com 2012-10-31 04:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Iirc the SimBlender has an option to change a Sims' first or last name.
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[identity profile] strange-tomato.livejournal.com 2012-11-04 07:04 pm (UTC)(link)
I can't recall if HP's mod allowed you to pick and choose between the good and bad witch overlay or if it was one file, but I liked that about Simsbaby's mod. For a while, I wanted the sparkles, but not the green skin, so that was perfect for me.

I'm glad you might be able to make use of that one. :)
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[identity profile] strange-tomato.livejournal.com 2012-11-04 07:07 pm (UTC)(link)
Haha! Sorry for sending you on a Cyjon binge. XD I don't blame you, because he makes great stuff. Well worth it!

I started using the crystal ball after you mentioned it and I LOVE how you get a list of options, rather than having to chance it on the matchmaker several times, and you don't even have to go on the stupid blind date. I can also weed out the teen/adult pairings if I want to, as ACR seems to love giving me those for some reason. Thanks for suggesting that one.
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[identity profile] strange-tomato.livejournal.com 2012-11-04 07:09 pm (UTC)(link)
I agree. It's great to be able to have your sims live next to those townies you spent so much time creating. Much more rewarding that way!
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[identity profile] strange-tomato.livejournal.com 2012-11-04 07:11 pm (UTC)(link)
Cyjon's stuff is awesome. You'll definitely find a couple of hacks there that you'll have no idea how you lived without them. It's well worth a look.
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[identity profile] strange-tomato.livejournal.com 2012-11-04 07:34 pm (UTC)(link)
I usually have InSIM installed as well. I find it to be the easiest way to do certain things, even though other teleporter hacks and the Sim Blender can perform a lot of the same functions.

It's most likely Gunmod's camera hack. I don't know of many other hacks for the camera, though I'm sure there must be others. That's truly a must for anyone wanting to take decent shots of the game.

I'm a huge fan of the freezer clock, too. It makes posing sims a joy, not a struggle.
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[identity profile] strange-tomato.livejournal.com 2012-11-04 07:38 pm (UTC)(link)
:D

Thanks again for all your help! You gave me the nudge I needed to get back at it and try to figure things out. I'm just glad it was something simple like that.

Losing the data was annoying, but in a way it gives me an opportunity to simplify things in a way that might get me back to doing some story stuff a little sooner. I'm thinking of restoring a much older backup now instead of getting that uberhood all set up to where my previous game was.
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[identity profile] strange-tomato.livejournal.com 2012-11-05 12:15 am (UTC)(link)
TwoJeffs and Cyjon are two of my favs, but I'm not at all familiar with BoilingOil. Since you list them in such good company, I'm going to have to check their stuff out. Thanks for the recommendation! :)

My hacks folder is a bit out of hand, too. I really should use this as an opportunity to pare down, but I'll probably end up with more than ever.
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[identity profile] strange-tomato.livejournal.com 2012-11-05 12:16 am (UTC)(link)
I keep forgetting about that option in the Sim Blender. I usually just add name changes to my list of small chores to do in SimPE, since it's pretty easy to do there.
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[identity profile] strange-tomato.livejournal.com 2012-11-05 12:20 am (UTC)(link)
I believe I used it for that reason. The game gives you the option to select the name that the couple will change to by using that sim to initiate the action to get married, but there is nothing to allow them to keep their names.

I agree that the SimPE route is a lot easier. It also allows you to correct weirdness like a sim marrying Frances J. Worthington III and also having the surname Worthington III. Umm, no...

[identity profile] cameoflage.livejournal.com 2012-11-05 02:35 am (UTC)(link)
The thing with InSim is that it's one mod that does everything. It consolidates a bunch of stuff that can be done less conveniently with boolprop and miscellaneous little hacks. It is the One Mod To Rule Them All.

I found lots of camera hacks on MTS but not many were for multiple camera modes. There were others, but it's still likely Gunmod's.

Yeah the freezer clock cuts out the endless fiddly frustratiom of trying to make all your sims do the right animations simultaneously.
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[identity profile] strange-tomato.livejournal.com 2012-11-05 02:39 pm (UTC)(link)
I like that about InSIM, too. If I recall correctly, the Sim Blender was created because InSIM hadn't been updated for the most recent EP at that time and simmers couldn't use it. If it hadn't been unavailable, the Sim Blender wouldn't even need to exist (though it does add those nice randomizing qualities, which is fun for creating townies and such).

Really? Well, I've learned something new today. :) I've never looked into it, since Gunmod's works well for me, but it is nice to know that there are alternatives out there.

The Freezer Clock is one of those mods that leaves you wondering how we ever did things without it. The answer: with great difficulty. Haha! It could sometimes have amusing results, but most often it was just crazy-making.

(Anonymous) 2012-11-05 03:20 pm (UTC)(link)
no red pause,
perfect plants,
smart beds,
teleporter shrub

No Lecture Baby - http://www.leefish.nl/mybb/thread-2752.html
Caged Pet Fixes - http://www.simbology.com/smf/index.php?topic=12.0
No Break Robots - http://www.sims2workshop.com/index.php?page=Thread&threadID=635
Eat Chinese food faster - http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?threadid=84980
AlreadyInCribFix - http://www.drealm.info/simlogical/sl/Sims2Pages/Sims2_Childcare.htm
HomeworkSometimes - http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=32302
Attraction Traits Fix - http://www.modthesims.info/d/318327
no servo cooking by neder http://www.digitalperversion.net/gardenofshadows/index.php?topic=22104.0 (in the last post)

More/better slots:
http://www.modthesims.info/d/295062
http://sims2artists.com/index.php?topic=3677.0
http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=484917
http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=144021
Shiftable photos - http://www.moreawesomethanyou.com/smf/index.php/topic,12998.0.html
fixed rugs - http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=399650

Posing sims:
Posebox Catalog - http://www.lachesispbcatalog.blogspot.com/
Invisible magisplay tray - http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=181208
Chair OMSPs - http://www.modthesims.info/d/473731 - I very often use these instead of the magisplay tray
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[identity profile] strange-tomato.livejournal.com 2012-11-05 04:41 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you, super helpful anon! ^_^

I noticed that I needed the more/better slots mods when I last loaded up the game. That's one of those that makes playing so much better and easier. More space to put things! :)

I used to use the perfect plants mod, but I switched to using one that allows gardeners to access all plants, even those that were placed on slopes and out of reach (like nearly everything from the basegame lots). I like gardening with sims, but it was very restrictive without that mod.

[identity profile] cameoflage.livejournal.com 2012-11-06 07:26 am (UTC)(link)
I COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT THE OMSPs.

Those things are INCREDIBLY USEFUL for set design. I've got the shiftable Apartment Life set.

[identity profile] cameoflage.livejournal.com 2012-11-06 07:28 am (UTC)(link)
Can you shoot me a link to that gardening mod? The only lot I use semi-regularly that even has garden junk has a lot of plants on slopes and my Sims pitch a fit when I tell them to water the plants.

[identity profile] meetme2theriver.livejournal.com 2012-11-06 04:29 pm (UTC)(link)
You're welcome. :) It's always both a little annoying and a huge relief when the solution to a seemingly big problem turns out to be something simple!

I think simplifying things by going back to an old backup was a really good idea. Honestly, as appealing as the uberhood is, it's just too big to deal with for most people (including myself!). If I could go back in time a few years and start playing it then, then maybe... :P

[identity profile] meetme2theriver.livejournal.com 2012-11-06 04:31 pm (UTC)(link)
*checks her own hacks folder* Only 800 files...

<_<
Edited 2012-11-06 16:32 (UTC)

[identity profile] timberwolfoz.livejournal.com 2012-11-06 08:10 pm (UTC)(link)
Seconded on that gardening mod: I'm tearing my hair out (or Jill is) over the Smith's garden.

Also, another one that hasn't been mentioned yet: Monique's Hacked Computer. It's one of my could-not-play-the-game-without ones.

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