https://www.leefish.nl/mybb/ Thu, 30 Apr 2026 04:56:02 +0000 MyBB https://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=10346 Sun, 15 Sep 2024 12:51:39 +0000 https://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=10346 Me Burak Khan.
I am Sims 2 Player for over 10 years.
I stuck in creating new Pie Menu of Hidden Interactions.
I wanna make visible Pie Menu out of the Hidden Interactions.
Please help me to make new Pie Menu for the Sims 2.
Yours Sincerely.]]> Me Burak Khan.
I am Sims 2 Player for over 10 years.
I stuck in creating new Pie Menu of Hidden Interactions.
I wanna make visible Pie Menu out of the Hidden Interactions.
Please help me to make new Pie Menu for the Sims 2.
Yours Sincerely.]]> https://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=9562 Mon, 10 May 2021 04:12:36 +0000 https://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=9562 https://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=9503 Fri, 05 Mar 2021 11:28:21 +0000 https://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=9503 Learn Gestures From Magazines - while reading a magazine there is a small chance of learning the basics of a vacation skill.

Mah Jong Satisfies "Play With" Wants - a simple fix to the Mah Jong table to satisfy any wants to "Play With" one of the other players.

More Special Collection Souvenirs - increases the number of mementos that count towards the special collections when placed on the 'ShowMeOff Rack of Glory'.

Secret Maps As Souvenirs - maps to the associated secret lot for a holiday destination can occasionally appear for sale in a souvenir rack.

Vacation Mementos On Shelves - mementos such as the pirate doubloon and secret maps can be placed on shelves.]]> Learn Gestures From Magazines - while reading a magazine there is a small chance of learning the basics of a vacation skill.

Mah Jong Satisfies "Play With" Wants - a simple fix to the Mah Jong table to satisfy any wants to "Play With" one of the other players.

More Special Collection Souvenirs - increases the number of mementos that count towards the special collections when placed on the 'ShowMeOff Rack of Glory'.

Secret Maps As Souvenirs - maps to the associated secret lot for a holiday destination can occasionally appear for sale in a souvenir rack.

Vacation Mementos On Shelves - mementos such as the pirate doubloon and secret maps can be placed on shelves.]]> https://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=9490 Tue, 16 Feb 2021 10:43:45 +0000 https://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=9490
Why do Sims throw out a single old newspaper only to have to trek all the way back across the lot to throw out the other old one that was next to it?

Two mods to make Sims clean up quicker (oh, and if you leave if for the maid, reduce her bill as you won't be paying for her daily work-out class!)

Dispose Junk Food Together - Sims will collect all junk food in the room and then make a single trip to the waste bin.

Dispose Newspapers Together - Sims will collect all newspapers on the lot and recycle/compost them in a single trip to the bin.]]>
Why do Sims throw out a single old newspaper only to have to trek all the way back across the lot to throw out the other old one that was next to it?

Two mods to make Sims clean up quicker (oh, and if you leave if for the maid, reduce her bill as you won't be paying for her daily work-out class!)

Dispose Junk Food Together - Sims will collect all junk food in the room and then make a single trip to the waste bin.

Dispose Newspapers Together - Sims will collect all newspapers on the lot and recycle/compost them in a single trip to the bin.]]> https://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=9461 Mon, 11 Jan 2021 20:48:41 +0000 https://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=9461
It also bugs me that sim parents in low-level Education career jobs do not travel to work with their off-spring.

I've been meaning to fix these gripes for a long, long time - hence these mods.

The minibus is a replacement for the standard big yellow school bus.

In addition, it can be set as the carpool vehicle for low-level adult Education jobs.



Four colour options are provided along with three driver uniforms (more of both can be added) and the selected colour/uniform is saved on a per family basis.

Even though there are only three usable seats, it can cope with any number of children in the family! Video

Full details can be found here.

An adult Education career using it as the carpool is available here.

A mod to make sims walk to school can be found here

A mod to make sims walk to work can be found here

Enjoy.

William]]>
It also bugs me that sim parents in low-level Education career jobs do not travel to work with their off-spring.

I've been meaning to fix these gripes for a long, long time - hence these mods.

The minibus is a replacement for the standard big yellow school bus.

In addition, it can be set as the carpool vehicle for low-level adult Education jobs.



Four colour options are provided along with three driver uniforms (more of both can be added) and the selected colour/uniform is saved on a per family basis.

Even though there are only three usable seats, it can cope with any number of children in the family! Video

Full details can be found here.

An adult Education career using it as the carpool is available here.

A mod to make sims walk to school can be found here

A mod to make sims walk to work can be found here

Enjoy.

William]]> https://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=9437 Sat, 12 Dec 2020 14:36:00 +0000 https://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=9437
Sims2Tools Project
The Sims2Tools Project consists of two libraries and three applications

• DBFF Library
• Utils Library
• DBPF Viewer Application
• BHAV Finder Application
• HCDU Plus Application
  

DBPF Library
The DBPF Library is a set of classes for reading "The Sims 2" DBPF (.package) files. It can extract both uncompressed and compressed resources of types BCON, BHAV, CTSS, GLOB, OBJD, OBJf, STR#, TPRP, TRCN, TTAB, TTAs and VERS - ie all the ones of use to coding modders.

Utils Library
The Utils Library is a set of classes to support development of applications that use the DBPF Library providing classes for registry persistence, MRU lists and common dialogs (about, configuration and progress)

DBPF Viewer Application
The DBPF Viewer is a simple application to display the contents of a DBPF (.package) file. It was written primarily as a testing application for the DBPF Library, but also supports exporting resources as XML (either to the clipboard or to a file)



BHAV Finder Application
The Simantics Resource Finder in SimPE (Tools -> PJSE -> Simantics Resource Finder...) is very good at what it does, but doesn't quite measure up if you want to dig into the Maxis game code, for example, when searching for code snippets that use primitives in a certain way, or link to specific strings (eg animations).

The BHAV Finder application is my attempt to make spelunking in the game code more productive. Recently, I have wanted to be able to answer questions such as, which BHAVs ...

• use the old version of the relationship primitive
• use TNS Style 0x05 (see here)
• create the "Token - Poison Ivy" object
• access the Lot Inventory
• call "Want Satisfy - Kiss" in the SofaSocialGlobals
• use the firefly jar animations
  

BHAV Finder was written to provide the answers.



HCDU Plus Application
The Hack Conflict Detection Utility (HCDU) is an essential tool when using mods, but it does have some shortcomings

1. it doesn't consider STR#, OBJD, OBJf or other resources
2. it can't be told which folder to start in
3. it can't be told to ignore known conflicts (eg all the InTeenimater flavor paks)
4. it reports conflicts at the resource (BHAV, BCON and STR#) level and not at the package level (it's usually enough to know that "InTeenimater_FlavorPak_BackToSchool.package" conflicts with "InTeenimater_B.package" without giving the eleven resources that conflict)
   

The HCDU Plus application is my attempt to remedy these.



Full source code is available on GitHub]]>
Sims2Tools Project
The Sims2Tools Project consists of two libraries and three applications

• DBFF Library
• Utils Library
• DBPF Viewer Application
• BHAV Finder Application
• HCDU Plus Application
  

DBPF Library
The DBPF Library is a set of classes for reading "The Sims 2" DBPF (.package) files. It can extract both uncompressed and compressed resources of types BCON, BHAV, CTSS, GLOB, OBJD, OBJf, STR#, TPRP, TRCN, TTAB, TTAs and VERS - ie all the ones of use to coding modders.

Utils Library
The Utils Library is a set of classes to support development of applications that use the DBPF Library providing classes for registry persistence, MRU lists and common dialogs (about, configuration and progress)

DBPF Viewer Application
The DBPF Viewer is a simple application to display the contents of a DBPF (.package) file. It was written primarily as a testing application for the DBPF Library, but also supports exporting resources as XML (either to the clipboard or to a file)



BHAV Finder Application
The Simantics Resource Finder in SimPE (Tools -> PJSE -> Simantics Resource Finder...) is very good at what it does, but doesn't quite measure up if you want to dig into the Maxis game code, for example, when searching for code snippets that use primitives in a certain way, or link to specific strings (eg animations).

The BHAV Finder application is my attempt to make spelunking in the game code more productive. Recently, I have wanted to be able to answer questions such as, which BHAVs ...

• use the old version of the relationship primitive
• use TNS Style 0x05 (see here)
• create the "Token - Poison Ivy" object
• access the Lot Inventory
• call "Want Satisfy - Kiss" in the SofaSocialGlobals
• use the firefly jar animations
  

BHAV Finder was written to provide the answers.



HCDU Plus Application
The Hack Conflict Detection Utility (HCDU) is an essential tool when using mods, but it does have some shortcomings

1. it doesn't consider STR#, OBJD, OBJf or other resources
2. it can't be told which folder to start in
3. it can't be told to ignore known conflicts (eg all the InTeenimater flavor paks)
4. it reports conflicts at the resource (BHAV, BCON and STR#) level and not at the package level (it's usually enough to know that "InTeenimater_FlavorPak_BackToSchool.package" conflicts with "InTeenimater_B.package" without giving the eleven resources that conflict)
   

The HCDU Plus application is my attempt to remedy these.



Full source code is available on GitHub]]> https://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=9387 Wed, 21 Oct 2020 11:26:57 +0000 https://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=9387
http://www.picknmixmods.com/Sims2/Downlo...Racks.html

]]>
http://www.picknmixmods.com/Sims2/Downlo...Racks.html

]]> https://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=9360 Thu, 24 Sep 2020 14:26:54 +0000 https://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=9360
I should be "working" on these, instead of uploading pictures of them, but here are my current Desert WIPs, because I happened to have a desert hood loaded.

Pharaoh-3BR: A house with royal pretentions, especially inside. Or is it pretenses? 95% done, then testing.


I'm making a series of desert townhouses, all in the same style and ranging in size from 1BR to 4BR. I have one more to make, the largest. Their streetside facades will mesh with one another, like rowhouses, so a player can place them side-by-side in any order:





DesertNomadHouse-2BR: A Lot inspired by a real house in Tucson, Arizona. I had this uploaded to MTS a few years ago, but I want to make a few minor changes to the landscaping:







Desert#03-4BR: About 85% done. It has a few too many cypress trees right now and I need to lower some of the landscaping at some of the lot edges, among several other things. Then testing...

---

Townhouse#02-3BR: Done, needs testing. Pretty much loaded, with large basement pool, spa, gym, 6 terraces, more. I tried making the house in the shape of congruent cubes, like this:


It kind of worked, somewhat




HalstonHouse-4BR: Inspired by the real Halston House, a modern rowhouse in Manhattan whose most famous owner was the clothing designer Halston, back in the 70s. This obviously needs some attached rowhouses alongside. Matching the street facades will be easy enough, but the roofs also need to somehow be made to match and work.
A truly cavernous interior has the ground floor living room open all the way to the skylight on the roof. Garage, elevator, lofts, catwalks on the upper levels, lots of stuff. Plus a penthouse that not only has a bedroom, but also a living room, full second kitchen and full bath. Plus the roof terrace.
This has been on the backburner for a couple of years, so it will be a while, if it ever sees the light of day.


Street facade


Roof


Ground floor living room and second floor loft


Various third floor rooms and catwalk looking down to the living room two floors below. Second floor bedroom also visible at bottom of picture


Penthouse and roof terrace


ThreeColumnHouse-2BR: Done and needs testing. A really nice backyard, with the pool nestled in the luscious landscaping. I really ought to test this and upload it because it's not that big a house.
DONE AND UPLOADED: http://www.simfileshare.net/download/2084739/







Brutalist#07-2BR: Done and needs testing. DONE AND UPLOADED: http://www.simfileshare.net/download/2074779/


]]>
I should be "working" on these, instead of uploading pictures of them, but here are my current Desert WIPs, because I happened to have a desert hood loaded.

Pharaoh-3BR: A house with royal pretentions, especially inside. Or is it pretenses? 95% done, then testing.


I'm making a series of desert townhouses, all in the same style and ranging in size from 1BR to 4BR. I have one more to make, the largest. Their streetside facades will mesh with one another, like rowhouses, so a player can place them side-by-side in any order:





DesertNomadHouse-2BR: A Lot inspired by a real house in Tucson, Arizona. I had this uploaded to MTS a few years ago, but I want to make a few minor changes to the landscaping:







Desert#03-4BR: About 85% done. It has a few too many cypress trees right now and I need to lower some of the landscaping at some of the lot edges, among several other things. Then testing...

---

Townhouse#02-3BR: Done, needs testing. Pretty much loaded, with large basement pool, spa, gym, 6 terraces, more. I tried making the house in the shape of congruent cubes, like this:


It kind of worked, somewhat




HalstonHouse-4BR: Inspired by the real Halston House, a modern rowhouse in Manhattan whose most famous owner was the clothing designer Halston, back in the 70s. This obviously needs some attached rowhouses alongside. Matching the street facades will be easy enough, but the roofs also need to somehow be made to match and work.
A truly cavernous interior has the ground floor living room open all the way to the skylight on the roof. Garage, elevator, lofts, catwalks on the upper levels, lots of stuff. Plus a penthouse that not only has a bedroom, but also a living room, full second kitchen and full bath. Plus the roof terrace.
This has been on the backburner for a couple of years, so it will be a while, if it ever sees the light of day.


Street facade


Roof


Ground floor living room and second floor loft


Various third floor rooms and catwalk looking down to the living room two floors below. Second floor bedroom also visible at bottom of picture


Penthouse and roof terrace


ThreeColumnHouse-2BR: Done and needs testing. A really nice backyard, with the pool nestled in the luscious landscaping. I really ought to test this and upload it because it's not that big a house.
DONE AND UPLOADED: http://www.simfileshare.net/download/2084739/







Brutalist#07-2BR: Done and needs testing. DONE AND UPLOADED: http://www.simfileshare.net/download/2074779/


]]> https://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=9322 Tue, 18 Aug 2020 11:50:58 +0000 https://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=9322
Break Up By Phone
This mod permits Sims to break up (going steady/committed relationship, engagement or marriage) by phone. No longer does your Sim need to invite their soon-to-be-ex over just to have an argument with them! And related, Notes on Custom Phone Calls - my musings on voyages and discoveries while making the Break Up By Phone mod.

Various Spells
This mod contains a number of spells (mostly evil) inspired by these posts (11409/11410) at MTS. The mod also provides a framework for making the task of adding new spells easier. Most of the code for casting spells is common, with just the conditions (reagents, alignment, skill, etc) and outcome being spell specific. The framework is mainly configured via BCONs for most spell casting actions, with just the outcome needed to be coded in BHAVs.

Better Scope Room
This global mod changes the universal "X is HOT!" message after a Sim scopes the room to one that reflects the actual attraction the Sim feels towards the target of their affection. It also adds a similar message when checking out a specific Sim. The single "X is HOT!" message had always bothered me, but when HobbesED wrote their "Secondary Aspiration Attraction" mod the finer grain values prompted me to finally do something about it.

Instant Pledge for Greek Houses
If my playable Sim wants to invite another Sim to join their Greek House, I don't want to wait while they clock up the pledge time before they can move in!

Run Away - Teen Sim Interaction
Improves the "Run Away" interaction a couple of other mods provide for more story-telling usability, in that the teen changes into outdoor clothes and runs to the nearest portal before fading away. Memories, wants and fears for both the teen and family members are included

Pregnancy Test Kit
A working pregnancy test kit with extra InTeen options and better animations. Also has an option for Sims who have suffered morning sickness to use the test autonomously.
There are two basic tests - "Am I Pregnant?" and "Pregnancy Details". If InTeen is installed, and the Sim has a bio clock in their inventory, there are two additional options - "Take Morning After Pill" and "Take Termination Pill".

Info Card
When read, the Info Card provides a small boost to a skill or badge. The card was designed to be placed beside exhibits in a museum or art gallery (community lot) to educate the Sim about the associated item.

And finally some multiple tile wall-art
2-tile Angel and Demon Mural
3-tile Mud Flap Girl Mural
2-tile Romantic Couple Mural
3-tile Olympic Rings Mural

Use/Abuse as you wish. Please feel free to ask any questions, make observations.

William]]>
Break Up By Phone
This mod permits Sims to break up (going steady/committed relationship, engagement or marriage) by phone. No longer does your Sim need to invite their soon-to-be-ex over just to have an argument with them! And related, Notes on Custom Phone Calls - my musings on voyages and discoveries while making the Break Up By Phone mod.

Various Spells
This mod contains a number of spells (mostly evil) inspired by these posts (11409/11410) at MTS. The mod also provides a framework for making the task of adding new spells easier. Most of the code for casting spells is common, with just the conditions (reagents, alignment, skill, etc) and outcome being spell specific. The framework is mainly configured via BCONs for most spell casting actions, with just the outcome needed to be coded in BHAVs.

Better Scope Room
This global mod changes the universal "X is HOT!" message after a Sim scopes the room to one that reflects the actual attraction the Sim feels towards the target of their affection. It also adds a similar message when checking out a specific Sim. The single "X is HOT!" message had always bothered me, but when HobbesED wrote their "Secondary Aspiration Attraction" mod the finer grain values prompted me to finally do something about it.

Instant Pledge for Greek Houses
If my playable Sim wants to invite another Sim to join their Greek House, I don't want to wait while they clock up the pledge time before they can move in!

Run Away - Teen Sim Interaction
Improves the "Run Away" interaction a couple of other mods provide for more story-telling usability, in that the teen changes into outdoor clothes and runs to the nearest portal before fading away. Memories, wants and fears for both the teen and family members are included

Pregnancy Test Kit
A working pregnancy test kit with extra InTeen options and better animations. Also has an option for Sims who have suffered morning sickness to use the test autonomously.
There are two basic tests - "Am I Pregnant?" and "Pregnancy Details". If InTeen is installed, and the Sim has a bio clock in their inventory, there are two additional options - "Take Morning After Pill" and "Take Termination Pill".

Info Card
When read, the Info Card provides a small boost to a skill or badge. The card was designed to be placed beside exhibits in a museum or art gallery (community lot) to educate the Sim about the associated item.

And finally some multiple tile wall-art
2-tile Angel and Demon Mural
3-tile Mud Flap Girl Mural
2-tile Romantic Couple Mural
3-tile Olympic Rings Mural

Use/Abuse as you wish. Please feel free to ask any questions, make observations.

William]]> https://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=9137 Fri, 14 Feb 2020 17:25:08 +0000 https://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=9137 Chic Porch Fence by tBudgett on MTS2.

I have my TS2 set up on two computers.
- The Win 7 machine - has UC with my full game(s) with all CC, CEPextras, mods, hacks, etc...
- The Win 10 machine - has UC with empty hoods and just the basic CEP, building mods (like Numenor's wall and open-under stairs) and the no-regen stuffeths...

I built these 2 farmhouses on the Win 7 machine. Packaged them up. Grabbed the extra CC they needed. And, installed them on my Win 10 game.

THE PROBLEM: The fence is invisible. It is invisible on both houses. (Irregardless of the lot-imposter in the pix!)

You can see the fence on the porch of the house next door, but on the yellow house it is invisible. It is there - you canNOT put down another fence unless you delete the invisible one first. In the catalog, the icon is blank (bottom right) but the description identifies it, so I know that's THAT fences icon. Other fences work fine.

I tried a fresh download of tBudgett's file from MTS2 to the Win 10 machine; still doesn't work. What gives? Why does it work on one machine and not the other? Both machines use the UC. Both have CEP. Why is this fence invisible (and not any of the others?)

  FarmhouseFenceConundrum.jpg (Size: 493.06 KB / Downloads: 3206) ]]> Chic Porch Fence by tBudgett on MTS2.

I have my TS2 set up on two computers.
- The Win 7 machine - has UC with my full game(s) with all CC, CEPextras, mods, hacks, etc...
- The Win 10 machine - has UC with empty hoods and just the basic CEP, building mods (like Numenor's wall and open-under stairs) and the no-regen stuffeths...

I built these 2 farmhouses on the Win 7 machine. Packaged them up. Grabbed the extra CC they needed. And, installed them on my Win 10 game.

THE PROBLEM: The fence is invisible. It is invisible on both houses. (Irregardless of the lot-imposter in the pix!)

You can see the fence on the porch of the house next door, but on the yellow house it is invisible. It is there - you canNOT put down another fence unless you delete the invisible one first. In the catalog, the icon is blank (bottom right) but the description identifies it, so I know that's THAT fences icon. Other fences work fine.

I tried a fresh download of tBudgett's file from MTS2 to the Win 10 machine; still doesn't work. What gives? Why does it work on one machine and not the other? Both machines use the UC. Both have CEP. Why is this fence invisible (and not any of the others?)

  FarmhouseFenceConundrum.jpg (Size: 493.06 KB / Downloads: 3206) ]]> https://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=8880 Wed, 22 May 2019 01:15:29 +0000 https://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=8880


What do you think? Would they be useful to you, and if not, what you might be looking for instead (I always love new ideas/feedback).

If I get hopelessly lost I'm sure you'll see me in the modding help boards. ]]>


What do you think? Would they be useful to you, and if not, what you might be looking for instead (I always love new ideas/feedback).

If I get hopelessly lost I'm sure you'll see me in the modding help boards. ]]> https://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=8695 Tue, 27 Nov 2018 07:09:23 +0000 https://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=8695
gah

Is this a problem for users? Would you download an object that had this glitch?]]>
gah

Is this a problem for users? Would you download an object that had this glitch?]]> https://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=8659 Fri, 02 Nov 2018 18:49:27 +0000 https://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=8659

  barndoor.jpg (Size: 203.64 KB / Downloads: 2207) ]]>

  barndoor.jpg (Size: 203.64 KB / Downloads: 2207) ]]> https://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=8646 Tue, 23 Oct 2018 23:49:25 +0000 https://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=8646

  basicpre1.jpg (Size: 102.06 KB / Downloads: 2203)

The frame is meshed out, as you can see, to make it simpler to recolor for people who may not be as advanced with adding depth through the texture.


  basicpre2.jpg (Size: 78.97 KB / Downloads: 2233)

I have many ideas for styles and such, like side mount of varied sizes/shapes and signs for the ground, like the TS3 ones. All mapped for the easiest recoloring I can manage.]]>

  basicpre1.jpg (Size: 102.06 KB / Downloads: 2203)

The frame is meshed out, as you can see, to make it simpler to recolor for people who may not be as advanced with adding depth through the texture.


  basicpre2.jpg (Size: 78.97 KB / Downloads: 2233)

I have many ideas for styles and such, like side mount of varied sizes/shapes and signs for the ground, like the TS3 ones. All mapped for the easiest recoloring I can manage.]]> https://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=8644 Tue, 23 Oct 2018 18:58:18 +0000 https://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=8644



  buffetpre1.jpg (Size: 256.08 KB / Downloads: 2271)

  all.jpg (Size: 159.62 KB / Downloads: 2285)

  chili.jpg (Size: 176.65 KB / Downloads: 2367)

  macncheese.jpg (Size: 178.25 KB / Downloads: 2282) ]]>



  buffetpre1.jpg (Size: 256.08 KB / Downloads: 2271)

  all.jpg (Size: 159.62 KB / Downloads: 2285)

  chili.jpg (Size: 176.65 KB / Downloads: 2367)

  macncheese.jpg (Size: 178.25 KB / Downloads: 2282) ]]> https://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=8637 Sat, 20 Oct 2018 02:10:07 +0000 https://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=8637

So the first Simmy business to get its own storefront sign was Portia Rubinia's deli (the Sparkling Tomato); its sign is just four of those Greek House letters from University (with two wall lights placed over them with Ctrl+Alt to light the sign at night), and they don't necessarily spell "Sparkling Tomato"; I like to imagine that the word is "Food," but I'm not fluent in Simlish.

About two years later, I downloaded Kate's Alphalites from Parsimonious and used them to form the light-up sign on Jolene Lupina's gymnasium and fitness center (the Doghouse Gym), but the building's front is presently too small for me to place the word "Doghouse," so the sign just says "Gym". It's a start.

And most recently, I used the Alphalites (along with four of those wheels from Wall Decorations and two lines of neon tubing) to make the rather large, two-story sign gracing the facade of Jazz Freefeet's car restoration and automotive sales lot (the Barefoot Mechanic, seen above), and I was a bit proud of what I had made. So now I have the sudden urge to go around to all of my Simmy businesses and give them storefront signs! Kiki Tsang's House of Beauty (hair salon and massage parlour)? It's getting a sign. Doctor Hal Malevolence's Littlest Bot Shop and MegaloTech Headquarters (robot sales)? They're getting signs. Flora Verbena and Bellandra Heart's Green Thumb Market (garden produce sales)? Sign. The Gearsmith family's Wee Little Car Sales and Big Lot Car Sales (both vehicle sales)? Signs. Jolene Lupina's Wolf Among the Chickens (chicken sales), Wolf Among the Chickens II (more chicken sales) and What the Dog Dug Up (miscellaneous junk store)? Signs. Viviana La Morde's The Stained Canvas (painting sales and art gallery) and The Red Pot (pottery sales and sewing sales)? Signs. Kileighney Hagg's cottage deep in Kileighney's Wood (potion sales and witchcraft object sales)? Okay...probably no sign for that business, seeing as she's like that reclusive, backwoods-dwelling witch whom you stumble across like Hansel and Gretel, and such witches aren't known for their commercial advertising prowess. Everyone who runs a business and isn't Kileighney? Signs.

But Kate's Alphalites look too whimsical and goofy to besuit the vibe of every business, and I'd kind of like to get some sign-worthy letters from the Simlish alphabet instead of the English alphabet. The letters don't have to light up by themselves (though it would be nice); certain floor lights and wall lights can be used to illuminate the signs at night if they don't. And I found a big set of neon letters and neon sign pictures via one of Ginnie's posts, but I haven't given those a try yet.

But variety in my sign-making doodads probably couldn't hurt anything. So have any of y'all dug up any letters, numbers or other goodies for creating business signs? What have you found thus far? And are you willing to share them with a business-loving Simmer like me? I'm all ears. ]]>

So the first Simmy business to get its own storefront sign was Portia Rubinia's deli (the Sparkling Tomato); its sign is just four of those Greek House letters from University (with two wall lights placed over them with Ctrl+Alt to light the sign at night), and they don't necessarily spell "Sparkling Tomato"; I like to imagine that the word is "Food," but I'm not fluent in Simlish.

About two years later, I downloaded Kate's Alphalites from Parsimonious and used them to form the light-up sign on Jolene Lupina's gymnasium and fitness center (the Doghouse Gym), but the building's front is presently too small for me to place the word "Doghouse," so the sign just says "Gym". It's a start.

And most recently, I used the Alphalites (along with four of those wheels from Wall Decorations and two lines of neon tubing) to make the rather large, two-story sign gracing the facade of Jazz Freefeet's car restoration and automotive sales lot (the Barefoot Mechanic, seen above), and I was a bit proud of what I had made. So now I have the sudden urge to go around to all of my Simmy businesses and give them storefront signs! Kiki Tsang's House of Beauty (hair salon and massage parlour)? It's getting a sign. Doctor Hal Malevolence's Littlest Bot Shop and MegaloTech Headquarters (robot sales)? They're getting signs. Flora Verbena and Bellandra Heart's Green Thumb Market (garden produce sales)? Sign. The Gearsmith family's Wee Little Car Sales and Big Lot Car Sales (both vehicle sales)? Signs. Jolene Lupina's Wolf Among the Chickens (chicken sales), Wolf Among the Chickens II (more chicken sales) and What the Dog Dug Up (miscellaneous junk store)? Signs. Viviana La Morde's The Stained Canvas (painting sales and art gallery) and The Red Pot (pottery sales and sewing sales)? Signs. Kileighney Hagg's cottage deep in Kileighney's Wood (potion sales and witchcraft object sales)? Okay...probably no sign for that business, seeing as she's like that reclusive, backwoods-dwelling witch whom you stumble across like Hansel and Gretel, and such witches aren't known for their commercial advertising prowess. Everyone who runs a business and isn't Kileighney? Signs.

But Kate's Alphalites look too whimsical and goofy to besuit the vibe of every business, and I'd kind of like to get some sign-worthy letters from the Simlish alphabet instead of the English alphabet. The letters don't have to light up by themselves (though it would be nice); certain floor lights and wall lights can be used to illuminate the signs at night if they don't. And I found a big set of neon letters and neon sign pictures via one of Ginnie's posts, but I haven't given those a try yet.

But variety in my sign-making doodads probably couldn't hurt anything. So have any of y'all dug up any letters, numbers or other goodies for creating business signs? What have you found thus far? And are you willing to share them with a business-loving Simmer like me? I'm all ears. ]]> https://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=8625 Fri, 12 Oct 2018 07:21:41 +0000 https://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=8625 everywhere by swimming. But then I decided that one dorm set in a bayou would be enough. Let it never be said that I am devoid of mercy.

So I set about creating my "swamp dorm" through the usual process that I adopted after I used it to try (only to fail, alas) to get a dorm uploaded to That One Big Sims Site two or three years ago:


1) Look over Sim State University (or whichever active University hood I'm playing) and decide where I want to place the new lot and what size it should be.
2) Open the University hood that I created specifically for building virgin Dorm lots, Residential lots and Community lots for Sim State University (or whichever University hood I'm playing with).
3) Find a suitably flat patch of land (which is most of the hood), place the empty lot, build it and convert its zoning to the right type (Dorm, Hotel, et al).
4) Save and Exit.

(Also seen in that screenshot: Four of my Hobby Dorms. The Arts & Crafts dorm and the Nature/Cuisine dorm are complete (and are actively used in my game), but the Games dorm and the Fitness/Sports dorm have yet to be finished.)


5) Package the lot, move it to my Lot Bin and place the lot again. I now have a copy of the lot in my Lot Bin to be placed again and again, anytime and virtually anywhere.
6) Switch to the active University hood and place a copy of the lot where I had wanted to place it.
7) Open Create-a-Sim and create some Simmy guinea pigs to put the lot through its paces, looking for any problems with the lot.
7a) If any problems are found, move the test Sims out of the lot (if it's Dorm or Residential) or simply leave it (if it's Community).
7b) Make changes to fix the lot as needed, changing the lot's zoning if necessary.
7c) Make note of what I did, switch to the original lot in the Zeta hood and make the exact same changes to it.
7d) Send the Sims back to the lot in the active hood and run the lot through its paces again.
7e) If the lot's too far gone to be fixed, bulldoze everything and start from scratch. But that's strictly the Last Resort option. I'm the hopeful sort!
8) Once everything meets my satisfaction, it's time to finalize and Package the pristine, never-graced-by-Sims clone back in the Zeta hood.

So that's how I'm doing things with the dorm that I'm tentatively naming "The Fens." It's right next to Castle Von Carstein because all the water in the castle's moat has to come from and/or seep out to somewhere, right? It might as well be a swamp, a wetland, a bayou or something similar.


The lot is mostly one big swimming pool with grassy-looking walls and a muddy-looking floor. Here's one of the points where Simmy students can enter the lagoon. I forget where I found the 1x2 "rug" that's a bunch of discarded clothes (with seven or eight recolors to change the appearances of the garments), but I'm glad to have it.

I wish that there were a way to change the color of the water on one lot. Sure, there are mods which change the water color for your entire game, but I don't want those. Wouldn't it be nice if water could be normal Aqua Blue in one lot, Algae Green in another lot (like this one), Blood Red in a third lot, Magma Orange in a fourth, and so on?

(Also, if my pool ladders had included a "rusted metal" look among their recolors, I would gladly have used that instead. But they don't. So Algae Green it is!)


A channel (created with the Miscellaneous > Swimming Pool tools) passing through two fishing holes (created with the Terrain > Water tool).

Supposedly, there's a way to merge swimming pools with the Water Tool to create lakes, ponds and creeks that Sims can swim in. But I never tried it for myself, and trying something is one of the best ways to commit the process to memory. So I forget how it goes. Maybe I'll Google it up soon.


The "Big Shack" on the largest island. The Big Shack boasts the cafeteria, the study, the recreation center and the latrine, complete with two sinks, two toilets and four communal showers. The lot has enough lodging (and dorm doors) for 14 students, so I hope that the Big Shack is big enough!

(I told myself to put some of Kate's grassy CC under my Flowers catalogue under every set of stairs, so I end up with grass growing up between the steps. Note to Self: Big Shack steps still need some tall grass under them. Is Move_Objects handy or what?)


The "Papa Bear" Dorm Shack, with two rooms (one stacked atop the other) accommodating three students each. Don't put your Sims here if they don't like having roommates.

(While I'm rambling about "Wouldn't it be nice" stuff, wouldn't it be nice if dorm doors came in varieties with one, two or three photo frames on the door, claimable by one, two or three students respectively? Not that I have too much of a problem with building dorm rooms as is; if the room's large enough for two or three students, then I can usually find enough wall space in that room for two or three dorm doors. But still....)


The Big Shack, First Floor.


The Big Shack, Second Floor.

So the lot should have whatever the students need for skill-building. It has two bookshelves for Cooking, Mechanical and Cleaning, a TV and a kitchen (also for Cooking), a microphone and an easel for Creativity, two mirrors for Charisma and a chessboard for Logic. With the way that dormies can slob up all the plumbing fixtures, the latrine and the cafeteria should provide plenty of opportunity to build Cleaning too.

"What about Body?"

They're in the middle of a giant fargin' swimming pool dressed up to look like a lagoon, and they must swim through it! If they don't have Body 10 by the time they graduate, then I have failed as a lot builder.

(Note to Self: That Fitness/Sports dorm? Surround it with a huge swimming pool. Make students swim laps around the building for bonus style points. The Games dorm also has a swimming pool, but it's just there so that Sims can play Klimtog Turno Marco Polo (which also builds Games enthusiasm), so don't worry about that one.)

Also, the wooden crest on that low wall around the stairs looks a bit bright. Maybe I should change that.


Papa Bear Shack (1 room, 3 students) and Baby Bear Shack (1 room, 1 student), First Floor.


Papa Bear Shack (1 room, 3 students), Second Floor. Baby Bear Shack doesn't have a second floor.


Mama Bear Shack (2 rooms, 2 students each), First Floor.


Mama Bear Shack (2 rooms, one for 2 students + one for 1 student), Second Floor.


Front View: All four buildings, sans roofs.


Rear View: All four buildings, sans roofs.

Things that I see possibly becoming problems with this lot:

• Sims can't swim and carry trash at the same time, and despite my efforts to minimize the dorm's trash production, that trash can in the kitchen could fill up sooner or later. Perhaps a wall chute in every building would be the answer? (Sure, that solution suggests that Sims on this lot are ultimately dumping trash into the bayou itself. But no one ever said that the solution needed to be perfectly ethical, right?)

• Sims can't swim and carry assignments at the same time, neither. But every building has at least one desk with a dining chair. And if anyone's dumb enough to pull out an assignment on one of the land masses which have no buildings or desks, then they deserve what they get and their dumb butts will have to sit in the dirt to do their homework.

• Sims can usually walk through plants in the Flowers menu, but can they still use pool ladders and diving boards when those fixtures are thick with Flower plants?

• I don't see any paintings or other art! Add some for quick Fun boosts when needed. Make it setting-appropriate; carved wooden bears are okay, marble Venus busts are out.

• Sims can't swim quite as fast as they can walk, skip, run or fly in vampire bat form. That's not really a problem, though...more like a challenge. After all, I've put five zombies through college! If that doesn't teach someone how to manage their time effectively, nothing will. PROTIP: You know that trick where you wait until the Final Exam's 90 minutes done before you send your Sims running off to it? Don't try that stunt here!

• Seriously. Is this lot a swamp, or is it more like a bayou? Can I get an authority to weigh in here?


...and those concerns — and more* — are why I'm sending these swamp-friendly Sims in to check things out.

* Not counting the swamp/bayou thing. No Sim on SimEarth can solve that one!

But I'm up past my bedtime, so...see you tomorrow? ]]> everywhere by swimming. But then I decided that one dorm set in a bayou would be enough. Let it never be said that I am devoid of mercy.

So I set about creating my "swamp dorm" through the usual process that I adopted after I used it to try (only to fail, alas) to get a dorm uploaded to That One Big Sims Site two or three years ago:


1) Look over Sim State University (or whichever active University hood I'm playing) and decide where I want to place the new lot and what size it should be.
2) Open the University hood that I created specifically for building virgin Dorm lots, Residential lots and Community lots for Sim State University (or whichever University hood I'm playing with).
3) Find a suitably flat patch of land (which is most of the hood), place the empty lot, build it and convert its zoning to the right type (Dorm, Hotel, et al).
4) Save and Exit.

(Also seen in that screenshot: Four of my Hobby Dorms. The Arts & Crafts dorm and the Nature/Cuisine dorm are complete (and are actively used in my game), but the Games dorm and the Fitness/Sports dorm have yet to be finished.)


5) Package the lot, move it to my Lot Bin and place the lot again. I now have a copy of the lot in my Lot Bin to be placed again and again, anytime and virtually anywhere.
6) Switch to the active University hood and place a copy of the lot where I had wanted to place it.
7) Open Create-a-Sim and create some Simmy guinea pigs to put the lot through its paces, looking for any problems with the lot.
7a) If any problems are found, move the test Sims out of the lot (if it's Dorm or Residential) or simply leave it (if it's Community).
7b) Make changes to fix the lot as needed, changing the lot's zoning if necessary.
7c) Make note of what I did, switch to the original lot in the Zeta hood and make the exact same changes to it.
7d) Send the Sims back to the lot in the active hood and run the lot through its paces again.
7e) If the lot's too far gone to be fixed, bulldoze everything and start from scratch. But that's strictly the Last Resort option. I'm the hopeful sort!
8) Once everything meets my satisfaction, it's time to finalize and Package the pristine, never-graced-by-Sims clone back in the Zeta hood.

So that's how I'm doing things with the dorm that I'm tentatively naming "The Fens." It's right next to Castle Von Carstein because all the water in the castle's moat has to come from and/or seep out to somewhere, right? It might as well be a swamp, a wetland, a bayou or something similar.


The lot is mostly one big swimming pool with grassy-looking walls and a muddy-looking floor. Here's one of the points where Simmy students can enter the lagoon. I forget where I found the 1x2 "rug" that's a bunch of discarded clothes (with seven or eight recolors to change the appearances of the garments), but I'm glad to have it.

I wish that there were a way to change the color of the water on one lot. Sure, there are mods which change the water color for your entire game, but I don't want those. Wouldn't it be nice if water could be normal Aqua Blue in one lot, Algae Green in another lot (like this one), Blood Red in a third lot, Magma Orange in a fourth, and so on?

(Also, if my pool ladders had included a "rusted metal" look among their recolors, I would gladly have used that instead. But they don't. So Algae Green it is!)


A channel (created with the Miscellaneous > Swimming Pool tools) passing through two fishing holes (created with the Terrain > Water tool).

Supposedly, there's a way to merge swimming pools with the Water Tool to create lakes, ponds and creeks that Sims can swim in. But I never tried it for myself, and trying something is one of the best ways to commit the process to memory. So I forget how it goes. Maybe I'll Google it up soon.


The "Big Shack" on the largest island. The Big Shack boasts the cafeteria, the study, the recreation center and the latrine, complete with two sinks, two toilets and four communal showers. The lot has enough lodging (and dorm doors) for 14 students, so I hope that the Big Shack is big enough!

(I told myself to put some of Kate's grassy CC under my Flowers catalogue under every set of stairs, so I end up with grass growing up between the steps. Note to Self: Big Shack steps still need some tall grass under them. Is Move_Objects handy or what?)


The "Papa Bear" Dorm Shack, with two rooms (one stacked atop the other) accommodating three students each. Don't put your Sims here if they don't like having roommates.

(While I'm rambling about "Wouldn't it be nice" stuff, wouldn't it be nice if dorm doors came in varieties with one, two or three photo frames on the door, claimable by one, two or three students respectively? Not that I have too much of a problem with building dorm rooms as is; if the room's large enough for two or three students, then I can usually find enough wall space in that room for two or three dorm doors. But still....)


The Big Shack, First Floor.


The Big Shack, Second Floor.

So the lot should have whatever the students need for skill-building. It has two bookshelves for Cooking, Mechanical and Cleaning, a TV and a kitchen (also for Cooking), a microphone and an easel for Creativity, two mirrors for Charisma and a chessboard for Logic. With the way that dormies can slob up all the plumbing fixtures, the latrine and the cafeteria should provide plenty of opportunity to build Cleaning too.

"What about Body?"

They're in the middle of a giant fargin' swimming pool dressed up to look like a lagoon, and they must swim through it! If they don't have Body 10 by the time they graduate, then I have failed as a lot builder.

(Note to Self: That Fitness/Sports dorm? Surround it with a huge swimming pool. Make students swim laps around the building for bonus style points. The Games dorm also has a swimming pool, but it's just there so that Sims can play Klimtog Turno Marco Polo (which also builds Games enthusiasm), so don't worry about that one.)

Also, the wooden crest on that low wall around the stairs looks a bit bright. Maybe I should change that.


Papa Bear Shack (1 room, 3 students) and Baby Bear Shack (1 room, 1 student), First Floor.


Papa Bear Shack (1 room, 3 students), Second Floor. Baby Bear Shack doesn't have a second floor.


Mama Bear Shack (2 rooms, 2 students each), First Floor.


Mama Bear Shack (2 rooms, one for 2 students + one for 1 student), Second Floor.


Front View: All four buildings, sans roofs.


Rear View: All four buildings, sans roofs.

Things that I see possibly becoming problems with this lot:

• Sims can't swim and carry trash at the same time, and despite my efforts to minimize the dorm's trash production, that trash can in the kitchen could fill up sooner or later. Perhaps a wall chute in every building would be the answer? (Sure, that solution suggests that Sims on this lot are ultimately dumping trash into the bayou itself. But no one ever said that the solution needed to be perfectly ethical, right?)

• Sims can't swim and carry assignments at the same time, neither. But every building has at least one desk with a dining chair. And if anyone's dumb enough to pull out an assignment on one of the land masses which have no buildings or desks, then they deserve what they get and their dumb butts will have to sit in the dirt to do their homework.

• Sims can usually walk through plants in the Flowers menu, but can they still use pool ladders and diving boards when those fixtures are thick with Flower plants?

• I don't see any paintings or other art! Add some for quick Fun boosts when needed. Make it setting-appropriate; carved wooden bears are okay, marble Venus busts are out.

• Sims can't swim quite as fast as they can walk, skip, run or fly in vampire bat form. That's not really a problem, though...more like a challenge. After all, I've put five zombies through college! If that doesn't teach someone how to manage their time effectively, nothing will. PROTIP: You know that trick where you wait until the Final Exam's 90 minutes done before you send your Sims running off to it? Don't try that stunt here!

• Seriously. Is this lot a swamp, or is it more like a bayou? Can I get an authority to weigh in here?


...and those concerns — and more* — are why I'm sending these swamp-friendly Sims in to check things out.

* Not counting the swamp/bayou thing. No Sim on SimEarth can solve that one!

But I'm up past my bedtime, so...see you tomorrow? ]]> https://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=8588 Wed, 19 Sep 2018 02:03:26 +0000 https://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=8588

  fredrikimg2.jpg (Size: 329.32 KB / Downloads: 2170) ]]>

  fredrikimg2.jpg (Size: 329.32 KB / Downloads: 2170) ]]> https://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=8564 Thu, 06 Sep 2018 01:20:49 +0000 https://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=8564


  wip.jpg (Size: 152.88 KB / Downloads: 2082)

Its an edit of a 3t2 conversion by Veranka, the original had painted on braces things, but the clips were meshed in ]]>


  wip.jpg (Size: 152.88 KB / Downloads: 2082)

Its an edit of a 3t2 conversion by Veranka, the original had painted on braces things, but the clips were meshed in ]]> https://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=8137 Thu, 16 Nov 2017 04:45:03 +0000 https://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=8137
]]>
]]>