Okay, I've proved I know nothing....
I got those templates. How do I import them into a lot?

1. Open SimPE 2. click on the "HEX" tab

3. open or drag the lot package file into the top right Resource List box. The left top left box will show the Resource Tree contents (categorised file types in a package file) while the top right Resource List box will show the files in the file type chosen at the (top left) Resource Tree box.
- 3b. choose "Lot Texture" (LTTX)(4B58975B) from the Resource Tree (top left) box
- 3b2. just check if only "Lot Texture" files be shown.

4. Either 4a or 4b routine (in this procedure note, I chose "desert" as the desired)
- 4a. right-click --> add --> browse to the lot terrain texture template --> choose the desired terrain type --> select the xml file of the wanted --> open/add it
- 4b. as depicted in lotterrainswap001.jpg, @ the terrain texture template folder --> choose the desired terrain type --> select the xml file of the wanted --> drag it into the top right Resource Tree box of the SimPE - the newly added file without a save will have their infos shown in Italic style to make them stand out from the original files.

5. A suggested way to view the HEX interface: ( a way I personally find useful)
- 5a. check the "unsigned Dec" (HEX-DEC conversion)
- 5b. check the "Highlight Zeros"
- 5c. check the "Show Grid"

6. Select the original Lot Texture file (coz we may need the gather the W and H values. Surely, if sure about these values, we can skip this step and move on to step 8).

7. @ offsets 72 and 76 in DEC (0x00000048 and 0x0000004C in HEX), note down the values of Width and Height respectively.

8. Delete the original Lot Texture file (the only infos were gathered in step 7).
- How? Right-click at the file @ the top right box of SimPE --> select "delete"

9. Select the newly added Lot Texture file

10. Select offsets 72 and 76 in DEC (0x00000048 and 0x0000004C in HEX) by taking turns

11. @ Byte, replace the value with the values gathered from the original Lot Texture file.

12. Click "Commit"

13. Save the package file.


Note:

This guide is for every interested readers who want to switch a lot terrain texture.


References:
http://www.modthesims2.com/showpost...3&postcount=295
http://www.sims2wiki.info/wiki.php?title=4B58975B
http://www.modthesims2.com/showpost...&postcount=1475

How about that we've got both a restricted and a free hosts at the same time?

I believe Inge will be happy to host the codes and the tool with shrinking features in her site freely accessible, listing out all the related issues including responsibilities and maybe else.
I'm unsure if that Inge's hosting them should be advertised is appropriate?

on the another side, a restricted access may be on here probably with some quiz pages (grading or educational) before access. Or, the tool and/or codes are released along with the marker approach or other preventive measures, listing out all the related issues including responsibilities and maybe else.

I believe modders or programmers with sufficient related tech skills should be be able to get past the quiz pages or easily trusted by the moderators (sharing parts of the responsibilities as well) or the group to get their copies of the tool.

I believe the tool version without lot-shrinking codes will be freely accessible by all means here or there or wherever. The interested should be able to find that and resources or references to the tool codes with just a few bits of efforts.

Responsibility won't be on only a particular cause/factor in most if not all cases but all the related causes/factors.

So, most issues can go smoother... I think.

I don't understand what this would accomplish...?

1) I have no problem with people having the shrinking feature available to them for their own personal use. In fact, I would really like to give people access to this feature.

2) I have no problem with people sharing shrunken lots, as long as they warn people about the potential dangers and keep track of and deal with any problems that people have with their lots. I don't want to be inundated with problem reports on these lots, as I was when the shrinking feature was initially released, but it would be nice to have all issues documented.

3) I have no problem with people downloading shrunken lots and putting them into their neighborhoods, as long as they have been warned forcefully enough about the risk.

4) My primary concern is that shrunken lots will be shared without warning, and that the end user will not know that there may be corruption of their neighborhood because of these lots.

That's why I wanted to "mark" the lots as shrunken: the end user would have a way to determine whether the lot might be dangerous. I suppose that the mark should point out the potential problems with shrunken lots, possibly by linking to a thread here. However, the mark has to be obvious enough to a casual user... otherwise it's not really helpful.

The mark also has to be persistent. For example, how can mutantbunny be sure that people are warned that a shared lot was based on his empty shrunken beach lot?

I have been trying very hard to convince myself that it isn't my responsibility to ensure that the end user is warned, but I cannot seem to shake my belief that it is my responsibility. After all, I am the one who has "enabled" this ability and it's risks.

It is the users responsiblity to care for their own game. No creator can be held responsible to 'hold the hand' of all users, or any user, throughout the use of the download.

Just to get a perspective, look at real life: Makers of cars do not NOT sell cars because accidents happen. A child goes to the library and borrows a book that has material the parent finds objectionable. Is the library responsible for carrying a book that meets their standards but not the parents?

A warning posted for all to read before they download and a warning file included with the download is what is standard across the sims community. There is no reason this standard should not be 'good enough' for the LA.

Mutantbunny,

Creators should warn users about the known risks as their responsibilities, and this we all have no doubt.
Users have their own responsibilities for what they get and test for compatibilities and accept any responsibility for what they decided to use.

The warning file or pages won't be stuck to the shared lot or target.

It's the irresponsible or ignorant sharers who share things with risks without warnings that can cause the potential un-trackable problems, and that is not the fault of the roles like creators or users. And, we cannot distinguish which lot is known risky to use or download, must that be solely the responsibility of the users?

Surely, for the 1st hand users, they should not go and download lots from irresponsible or ignorant sharers, but let's face the fact we've got various types of users. Some can be irresponsible or ignorant.

Now, how can we protect at least those who are at least not ignorant and at least learn some simple facts?

That's probably why Mootilda wants a marker to notify users of potential risks even if we come across irresponsible or ignorant sharers.

Niol, I agree with you and think we are saying the same thing. And I understand Moo's stance on 'her responsiblity' I have, afterall, heard it over and over, right? While I appreciate she is so consciencious with her work, in this scenario and to say it plainly which Moo will undoubtedly think me harsh, I do believe she is going overboard with it. This is a game--not a car, not a house, not a health issue, it's a game. And a borked game is easily fixed.

Many many dls are included in dled houses. These do not come with creator warnings. We all SHOULD know to DL with caution and make backups. When a game corrupts or whatever or EA borks it, we reload. Period. Easy.

If my game screws up, it is my responsiblity to fix it, yes? The most I can do is go back to the creator, if I know what file is bad and who made it, and tell them. I do not hold them responsible for any more than that and why should I? I do not expect them to walk me through removing the file from my game. There are tons and tons of instruction for this sort of thing, simple tho it is, that simmershave written up and are posted throughout the web. If someone under 12 is playing the game and they can not figure out how to make and use a backup copy of their game, then they should not be dling anything anyway. We are not responsible for making sure they 'play responsibly'. If I dl something that makes my game so bad that I need to reload the game it is my responsiblity to do that. And I do not blame anyone else for it. Should I??

Yes, I have already agreed that a marker on the lot somehow which is not delete-able would be great. But if that is not do-able, then all we have are the regular file warning. To think some sort of 'quiz' or limited access of some sort will work is simply not realistic. If someone wants the file they will get it however they can anyway (friends, sites that freely share files etc.)

This whole access thing controversy has gone on for months now. There is no magical limited access option nor is it really needed. Time to be realistic and reasonable.

Off to be realistic finally....

Adding a marker is definitely doable, but the problem here is whether LE developer(s) have the time to do it shortly.

I know the frustration is there, but it's not a reason to go and cause a stir or a mess when you know it can happen.

Drivers have to get a license and probably pass an exam before they are allowed to drive on the road, or that's illegal driving. illegal drivers have more severe penalties. Would someone wanna get hit or driven over by illegal drivers just simply because they happen not to know what they should know?.

Many other downloads in lots are separable and scannable to avoid corruptions, incompatibility or other causes, but presently risky lots cannot be distinguished/scanned out, and that may be the reason a persistent marker is wanted.


If we really know certain things that will cause later problems that we can't solve, why should we rush to cause it? Say, certain things (that can cause lots of serious pollutions we can't really solve yet) in reality we really needn't are made in the excuse of being realistic, being pleasing in terms of the appearance, commercially reasonable, politically persuasive and/or alike causes. Are those acts themselves really not problems? What's so realistic by "being realistic"?


Anyway,

I wanna suggest to add roofs and walls at the lot edges or border to precaution as higher risk factors for problems.

I suggest we can move on doing more tests on walls and roofs at the last grid lines before any edge or border. If the results look great, we can have the reliability to assume LE/LR can shrink lots safely up to that point as long as those "known" risk factors (including walls or roofs at the edge(s) or border(s)) are listed out.

If that works out, users can just glimpse if a lot has its walls or roofs at any edge or border to single out lots of "higher risk".

Yet, we can't except shrunk and than expanded lots that appear with walls/roofs at the edge(s) or border(s), so at least we can warn not to do that.

There be factor(s) that can cause >=1 problem(s) for walls/roofs at the edge or border(s), but it seems we can't figure out how to single them/it out in almost half a year. Maybe, on the way, we may find out some other times.

Thanks for all of the great discussion about sharing of shrunken lots. I think that this particular statement is the crux of the matter for me.

Agreed. A check for this condition should be doable...

Like Mootilda, I think Niol's statement has hit the nail on the head. A marker coded onto the lot (if that's the right term) is much more reliable than a readme or similar attachment.

Niol, thanks for the extra notes on terrain changing. I'll let you know how it goes.

I agree. That one statement is more noteworthy than the rest.

I would like to make it clear: just because I am keeping this issue in the light, just because my views may not be the same as others, everyone, anyone, yours, hers, whatever, should not be made equivalent to 'making a stir or mess ' of it. That statement in itself is making more of a stir or mess of it than I have to date, IMO. I just want the thing resolved, do it in a timely manner which hasn't happened yet and I feel has been way too long now. I have complied and adherred to the group, whether Moo likes me now or not and that's a shame but not the point here. I believe this has gone on months too long. Moo has stated she wants out of the group, OK, fine I understand completely. But to leave any of us hanging waiting for a decision from her on what is safe/can we release our lots is unfair. I do not think she means to do this but it may happen anyway. If something isn't agreed upon soon, like during this month, I will go with what I think is right instead of what she thinks is right as my stance is in line with the rest of the community and it's standards to date.

Mutantbunny,

The stir or a mess is about the result of the previous usage of the present LE/LR to shrink lots in order to make walls-at-edge(s)/border(s) or roof-at-edge(s)/border(s).

The stir or a mess is not about people holding different view points or the different view-points themselves.

Let's test on walls and roofs at the last grid lines before any edge or border.

Niol,

I followed your new instructions and pics for changing lot terrain with SimPE - and hooray! My 1x1 desert lot appears to be successful. Now I can make a set for sharing.

I am also working on a set of corner lots, a la Mootilda, so people can have those without making them from scratch too.

Thanks both of you.

Oh! Well good then! Thank you for the needed clarification.

On a completely different topic:

Has anyone noticed the 10x10 roadless lots in Castaway Stories? That's 100 x 100 buildable lot tiles! I wonder what the new maximum size is, if one exists? Or, how about the super-sized roadless neighborhoods - 256 x 256 instead of 128 x 128?

I also really like the swimmable / fishable beach lots - much more realistic looking than the beach lots from Bon Voyage - with no obvious distortion from the neighborhood terrain.

I wonder if this is a preview of things that they are considering for the new Sims 3 lots?

Now, if we could just figure out how to get truly empty Castaway Stories lots that would conform to the neighborhood terrain, in the same way that empty lots in the Sims 2 do.

Instead, EA completely removed the "Lots and Houses" menu. My guess is that they couldn't figure out how to place and move roadless lots without a road to "snap" to.

This whole thing got me wondering how well it would work to have an entirely roadless neighborhood in the Sims 2... might be a fun project!

The other pictures show how the Pleasantview SC4 file which EA ships with the game doesn't match the shipped Pleasantview neighborhood. This is really frustrating for my "add roads to a neighborhood" technique. I guess that I was lucky that I chose the Strangetown neighborhood for my test, since the shipped SC4 file basically matches the shipped neighborhood terrain.

I read that Maxis had enabled larger lots from SC4 for the lastest in sims story series.

But I've no story product to test... sorry I can't help with this.

omg, it seems BV was just an alpha release for the beach feature .

"EA completely removed the "Lots and Houses" menu. My guess is that they couldn't figure out how to place and move roadless lots without a road to "snap" to." in the same old game engine....?
All these just make me think EA Maxis is developing TS3 based on the legacy game systems TS1 and TS2 again. That means a better way to treat levels and things won't probably happen in TS3. :omg:

Let me hope for TS4 if any...


Wow, thanks for your sharing the infos... nice to know tthem...

That's OK. I just thought that people might find it interesting...

I must admit that I found the BV beach lots somewhat disappointing. They don't look right, they require very specific neighborhood and lot terrain, they're difficult to move, terraform and expand...

I really like the Castaway Stories beach lots. But, I doubt that we'll get them for the Sims 2. Sigh. Hmmm.... wonder whether I could find a way to port some of those lots from CS to BV? I haven't tried the Portal Revealer yet, to see what's going on there.

On a slightly different topic, has anyone seen the CS pedestrian portals? Since there are no roads or sidewalks, the trick seems to be to associate an (unmovable / undeletable) visual element to the pedestrian portal, so that it can be found. These special portals may be another reason that there is no way to create a brand new lot...

All of the Sims Stories are based on the Sims 2 engine. I have no idea whether Castaway is a preview of things to come in Sims 3, or whether it's just a "throwaway" product that they don't mind fudging this one time, so that it looks cool.

However, I do know that people are incredibly frustrated by their inability to create new lots. The storyline neighborhood comes with a half dozen families in the sim bin, but not one empty residential lot! In the second neighborhood, there are a few empty residential lots, but the families can't afford most of them...

Anyway, if they really forgot to add the lot section unintentionally, that'd be a cool joke. :D

Sorry for blending certain meanings... I was just being dumb for certain things.

It's possible that they have some approaches tried, and the most practical one goes to the TS2 series while for the story series they can use the less wanted one to treat beach lots while adding in better graphics for it?
I mean if the lot(s) be movable or new lot(s) be makable in CS, the beach lines may not be able to align with the neighbourhood terrain. Hence, no new lot is allowed for it. If customers were allowed to know the differences, they may have fewer sales, but they want both approaches.

I've moved a bunch of beach lots manually (set Left, Top, Z (height) and U10 (rotation) values using SimPE) and they've aligned reasonably well with the neighborhood terrain and there have been no problems with swimming or fishing, so I'm guessing that's not the issue with allowing people to move lots.

However, we know that existing lots transform the neighborhood terrain around the lot, but brand new lots take their terrain from the underlying neighborhood terrain.

Since EA obviously hand crafted all of the Castaway Stories lots, there may be some issues with creating brand new empty lots. I can see issues with creating and placing the new pedestrian portals (there must be about a dozen visual associations), and with beach access (since it may be handled very differently than in BV).

Now, it reads CS is more worthy than FT to me... :D

So, do the transplanted beach lots render better than the BV lots or are the effects somewhat different?

Castaway stories is the most unique Sims game that I've seen. It has no roads, no simoleons, no grocery stores (you have to fish and collect fruit or you won't eat), few jobs (in general, my sims find it easier to scavenge than to go to work every day... although it's good for the gorillas to have a job, so that they get out of the house), completely different clothing, objects, floors and walls, and a very rustic feel. If your sim goes out at night, they are guaranteed to be attacked by wild animals.

For the most part, there's no electricity or plumbing - although you can get a windmill for electricity and a cistern for water and there are some objects which depend upon those two objects to function. Even then, the cistern can run dry if it doesn't rain enough and the objects will stop functioning. I don't remember seeing that kind of dependency in the Sims before.

One of the really odd things is that the neighbors just make themselves at home on your lot. I usually find that there are 6-12 people camping out in my house at any time. They'll even sleep in my lean-to, without being invited. I suppose that this is an EA joke... the natives just don't understand the concept of privacy?

If EA had actually tried to make this a good game, I would definitely vote for CS over FT. However, EA considers the Stories line to be a "throwaway" product and they destroyed the gameplay by removing the ability to create lots. I also hate the new keyboard and mouse controls in all of the Stories games, so I find them much harder to play. In addition, many of the CS lots are very hilly and the game doesn't handle them well at all. Oh, and most of the lots are full of trees, but they can completely destroy your ability to see what your sim is doing.

And, talk about stuck wants! All of my sims, no matter what their aspirations, just want to fish: go fishing, catch a fish, catch an angelfish, catch a swordfish, catch 500 fish, .... Sigh. This is especially frustrating since food spoils very quickly in the jungle and there's no use in catching more than you can use.

I'm not a really visual person, so I don't think that I can answer your question. I usually play with the graphics set pretty low... (oops, I suppose I should retake those pictures above with all of the graphics on high). However, to me the CS beach lots look much more realistic than the Bon Voyage beach lots, and they play better too. There are several different levels of water and the water level determines what you can do in the water: walk, fish, swim, ...

Wow, thanks your introduction before I'd be a rusher for it. :D

Seemingly, Maxis mixed castaway stories with the ancient stories.
The ancient people may not even care many "private" issues like what we do nowadays.
I'm unsure if they would point a finger at someone having sex in front of one another. Would they consider that's "morally" "bad"? After all, where do many of us learn such moral principle from?
When many things were not "defined" as "offensive", "wrong", teasable, or any cause or excuse to penalise. humiliate, socially dusapprove or discriminate against certain people, How much and how likely do people need such degree of privacy for?

The fish want can be such an irony about the modern life nowadays.

Thanks for all the interesting descriptions...

New tutorial posted to mod the wall sizes...
Hopefully, it's easy to read.

Comments, reports, questions are all welcome on that linked thread. Thanks regardless.

http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?p=1904683

Since niol has created a new thread for this tutorial, let's try to keep comments on the tutorial in that thread.

I'm in the middle of working on a couple of LE bugs, but I'll take a look at this tutorial when I get the chance. An initial glance shows a lot of good information...

Sorry, that attachment wasn't supposed to be on that post in this thread.

thanks for checking it out.