Game guide talk:Avoiding corruption

My neighborhood is corrupt
I've been playing my custom neighborhood for some time, and now I am starting to see signs of corruption. Mainly just wants for the wrong age. Things I might of done to cause corruption are deleting the Newson family and an old lady fresh out of Create a Sim. I backup my neighborhood regularly so the last version is corrupt too, so should I try to recreate a new safe neighborhood or keep playing? Joey.eyeball (talk) 03:45, June 5, 2014 (UTC)
 * That may not be corruption. It just might have been a few glitches in your game, which is common. I'd recommend staying in the hood you have now, especially if you've been playing it for awhile. Ѧüя◎ґ (talk) 04:31, June 5, 2014 (UTC)
 * Bump: Nevermind. I actually read the article and I would recommend recreating a new safe neighborhood. Ѧüя◎ґ (talk) 04:33, June 5, 2014 (UTC)
 * I'm not sure if we are on the same page, but check out this message that I posted on this page. I'm not sure whether these are related, but I've encountered problems as well. Fortunately I didn't see Belladonna Cove as being indispensable, and I deleted the neighbourhood a term later - it kept me away from the other neighbourhoods, so I deleted it to avoid getting side tracked.


 * I've never experienced anything that's fatally bad. Is it just me, or my game seems to be immune to some (but not necessarily all) forms of corruption! LOL!  C.Syde  ( talk &#124;  contribs ) 04:42, June 5, 2014 (UTC)


 * Is there a way to copy Sim's memories, personality, hobbies etc. with SimPE? Because it would be a lot easier than taking notes on my Sim's families and then doing it all again in SimPE.


 * Another thing is that many of my Sims want to talk with people from university even though they never went to university and have not met them. Joey.eyeball (talk) 05:17, June 5, 2014 (UTC)


 * Yes there is a way to copy Sim's memories, personality, hobbies etc. with SimPE.  C.Syde  ( talk &#124;  contribs ) 05:22, June 5, 2014 (UTC)


 * How? Joey.eyeball (talk) 05:24, June 5, 2014 (UTC)


 * Well, you should be able to just right click and then the copy button will appear. But you'll need to look in the neighbourhood memory section. Depending on the type of computer / programs you have, your computer may not be able to read the Sim's memory data. SimPE fails to read my Sim's memories on my current computer and it's annoying!  C.Syde  ( talk &#124;  contribs ) 05:31, June 5, 2014 (UTC)


 * Just created a new copy of the terrain for the neighborhood, though for some reason there is pink trees and the lake from Apartment Life littered around the place, and everything else is different as well. The template is Crystal Springs, anyone know what happened? Joey.eyeball (talk) 06:37, June 5, 2014 (UTC)

Um...no?  C.Syde  ( talk &#124;  contribs ) 06:38, June 5, 2014 (UTC)


 * This is the only useful thing that came up when adding memories through SimPE. The response was posted by an experienced modder and corruption-expert.


 * @Joey.eyeball How exactly did you "copy" the terrain? The only safe way of doing it is to use the Hood Replacer. Otherwise, creating a new neighborhood requires you to use a template. The game uses SC4 files (saved game files from SimCity 4) as neighborhood templates. While all terraforming will make its way into the game, only roads and trees are recognized - everything else, from buildings, streets, avenues, one-ways, highways, railroads, etc., are ignored.


 * @Auror Andrachome Deleting Sims in the family bin is instantaneous, irreversible, and guaranteed corruption. --k6ka (talk &#124; contribs) 10:54, June 5, 2014 (UTC)


 * But I've deleted Sims from my neighbourhood countless times (How else do you expect me to get rid of unwanted Sims besides killing them, and I'm not going to keep the tombstones of unwanted Sims either). And nothing has happened. Is it just me, or my game is immune to that particular type of corruption. LOL!  C.Syde  ( talk &#124;  contribs ) 20:42, June 5, 2014 (UTC)


 * On the page there are links to pages that explain how to properly delete Sims in the game. Also, at the very bottom of the page it explains how corruption may or may not appear immediately. However, once corrupted, always corrupted. Except, of course, if you delete the hood. --k6ka (talk &#124; contribs) 20:57, June 5, 2014 (UTC)


 * Still I don't think that the corruption in my game (if any) is of such that I can't ignore it. And it doesn't appear to be fatal. Don't want to assume the worst!  C.Syde  ( talk &#124;  contribs ) 21:01, June 5, 2014 (UTC)


 * It is fatal, trust me. It might not happen for months, even years! But eventually your neighborhood will jam up and come to a standstill. Deleting Sims in the family bin is known to do that. --k6ka (talk &#124; contribs) 21:04, June 5, 2014 (UTC)


 * Hopefully my game will have it's ways. And I've backed it up. Surely there are ways to get around the worst of it?  C.Syde  ( talk &#124;  contribs ) 21:06, June 5, 2014 (UTC)


 * If you have a backup created before you performed any corruption-creating actions, you can restore from that backup once your hood explodes. You can use the Hood Checker on your hood to help keep it going for a while longer, but it'll have to go eventually. --k6ka (talk &#124; contribs) 21:09, June 5, 2014 (UTC)


 * Well I don't have any backups that date that far back. But I'm sure if worst comes to worst, I'll be able to find some sort of solution.  C.Syde  ( talk &#124;  contribs ) 03:23, June 6, 2014 (UTC)

@K6ka I already know how to add/delete memories, I just don't want to do it all again. And about the terrain, I just created a neighborhood with the template, though now it is all messed up. Joey.eyeball (talk) 03:47, June 6, 2014 (UTC)


 * There is absolutely no way I am going to give up my priceless game data. And I haven't actually been playing the Sims 2 on my computer for some time now. Surely there are ways of stopping my hoods from exploding? Maybe if I don't perform anymore corruption-creating actions, or perhaps if I use SimPE or another compatible editing source, like a mod or something. I have my views and my predictions, but there's no way I'm going to give up my priceless game data.  C.Syde  ( talk &#124;  contribs ) 05:08, June 6, 2014 (UTC)


 * Does anyone know how I can copy the neighborhood pictures over and in the right family place? (e.g. Family A storytelling pictures from Neighborhood A into new Family A in Neighborhood B) Joey.eyeball (talk) 09:43, June 6, 2014 (UTC)


 * You can just transfer the files over from the "Storytelling" folder, though I'm not sure which family they'll land in, if at all. You could ask at ModTheSims. --k6ka (talk &#124; contribs) 10:50, June 6, 2014 (UTC)


 * I've already moved them over, its just that they aren't in any family. I never thought of trying ModTheSims, though. Joey.eyeball (talk) 10:54, June 6, 2014 (UTC)


 * (edit conflict)@C.Syde65 Use the HoodChecker I've recommended for you. That's the only way that'll extend your hood's life, other than not performing any corruption-creating actions. However, it will have to go eventually, whether it be months or years or decades from now. You can extract your Sim's appearances so you can recreate them in another hood though. You can simply throw community lots that have not been owned and residential lots that have not been used into the lot bin. But as far as I know... "There's no known way to fix data that's corrupted". --k6ka (talk &#124; contribs) 10:55, June 6, 2014 (UTC)
 * Asked the question for you here. --k6ka (talk &#124; contribs) 10:55, June 6, 2014 (UTC)


 * "It's actually perfectly simple. The protocol is (picture type) + (household identifier)+random string for specific picture. Picture types will be snapshot and thumbnail, with a single-letter identifier in front of snapshots (and corresponding thumbnails) taken by the sims with the BV picture-taking function, to indicate which subhood they were taken in. There is no protocol for the individual pictures taken, so gummilutt's step of taking the same number of pictures in the new household is as pointless as it is cumbersome. If you want a picture available to a household in a completely different neighborhood, all you have to do is copy the picture into the new story folder and change the household identifier string.


 * The household identifier is set at creation and remains the same forever unless you manually change it (which you can do in SimPE, in the FAMI data), so any and all pictures of any type that have the household identifier will appear in the album for that household. When using the album tool, you can choose pictures taken on other lots (using the + tab) to add to that household's story, and the game will create copies of the snapshot and thumbnail with the identifier for the family that's borrowing the picture.


 * Therefore, if in Windows Explorer you arrange all the pictures by name, all the different kinds of snapshots for each household will be grouped together, but in a jumble chronologically, which can make finding the one you want tedious.


 * Marka93 and I both found that, when dealing with a base game only hood we created and then loaded into a full game set up, there were problems with transferring pictures from the base game hood to the full one, even though the household identifier remained the same; however, our playtesters couldn't recreate the problem. I had to go through a tedious process of transferring the pictures I'd made in base game to the new storytelling folder, digging them out of the + tab, and adding them to the household. We think this is because of changes between the original storytelling album programming and the later EPs, but since so far we're the only people we've found who had this problem, it's impossible to be sure. If something like that does arise, you can add to the sum total of simming knowledge by sharing the experience and the circumstances."

- Peni Griffin


 * --k6ka (talk &#124; contribs) 15:23, June 6, 2014 (UTC)

Thanks for the help! Joey.eyeball (talk) 22:44, June 6, 2014 (UTC)


 * K6ka thanks for the advice. But somehow, I'm still happier just keeping my current save game data. I've got my game data backed up, so again, I'll just see how it goes.  C.Syde  ( talk &#124;  contribs ) 03:20, June 7, 2014 (UTC)

Creating separate game guide for NPCs
Right now, I think the article has grown to incredible size with the addition of the "NPCs" section. It would be reasonable to make it its own separate article. --k6ka (talk &#124; contribs) 20:20, June 12, 2014 (UTC)
 * I agree. I guess it's better that way.  Nikel  Talk  –  Vote!  13:37, June 13, 2014 (UTC)

Shampoo example?
This might seem like a minor thing, but is the hair shampoo example really necessary? To me it just comes across as nutty and showing up out of nowhere (not to speak of its veracity, which I, for one, question). In short, I don't think it's the best example. In my opinion, a comparision to smoking would be a better one. The already present "incubating a virus" analogy is also good. Laurabcn (talk) 09:09, October 5, 2014 (UTC)


 * lol, I guess it's not an exactly accurate analogy, but I suppose it's just one way the editor expressed it.  Nikel  Talk  –  Vote!  09:50, October 5, 2014 (UTC)
 * I see, after looking at the history page, that several people have edited out the shampoo bit only for it to be put back in. Sources have even been added to support that statement - but isn't that missing the point? These really look out of place in an article that is about the sims games. Since it's so controversial and beyond the scope of this wiki, shouldn't we just agree to delete it and find something else to use as an example? It sure seems better to me than turning this into an argument. Laurabcn (talk) 14:20, April 8, 2015 (UTC)


 * What other examples do you have in mind, then? Having an outside analogy isn't necessarily harmful, and if it helps readers understand, that's a good thing. Just because we are a wiki about The Sims series doesn't necessarily mean we can't make connections to other non-Sims related material. --I am  k6ka  Talk to me!   See what I have done  15:34, April 8, 2015 (UTC)
 * Agreed! But I think we're going too far if we include references to support that outside analogy: it should be something more obvious. I'm not very inspired myself, but maybe expand the virus analogy somehow and leave it at that? Although we might want to think of something to keep that "prompting you to use it again and again" line... Sorry to be so unhelpful, but I really can't think of any way to phrase it right now. Laurabcn (talk) 17:28, April 8, 2015 (UTC)

Deleting unused custom skin/eyes
Since deleting custom skintones or eyes corrupts the DNA of Sims using them, I'm supposing it's safe to delete them as long as they haven't been used? Dharden (talk) 14:26, October 24, 2014 (UTC)

Question...
A question that has gone through my mind recently, in The Sims 3, are most of theese corruptions still present (such as deleting Sims through the Family bin, deleting or moving lots that are/have been occupied, etc)? Or have they managed to fix most of them? 188.178.60.29 (talk) 17:15, April 7, 2015 (UTC)


 * P.S. Sorry if i aint supposed to put this sort of thing here, just didnt know where else to put it, and i have been wondering about this for some time now. 188.178.60.29 (talk) 17:29, April 7, 2015 (UTC)


 * AFAIK, the issues don't appear in The Sims 3. For instance, I believe moving a family into the family bin will erase all their relationships with other Sims in the neighborhood, so they won't cause corruption when they are moved to a different hood. There are still issues though, some of which can be fixed by installing the Overwatch mod. --I am  k6ka  Talk to me!   See what I have done  20:51, April 7, 2015 (UTC)

Erasing memories and un-ticking relationship boxes
Would erasing all the memories relating to Sims that have already been deleted from your game, and un-ticking their relationship boxes help stop or delay neighbourhood corruption?

I've just deleted most of the memories relating to Sims that I've already deleted from my game, as well as un-linking some of their relationship boxes, to prevent my Sims from mentioning them during conversations.

And I remember reading this guide on how to resurrect deceased Sims with no character data. I was thinking, maybe if it was possible, I might try and give them character data, and then delete them from my game, with the FFS "Batbox" Lot Debugger. Of course I would have to make sure that all the memories and relationships relating to them are un-ticked and erased. --  C.Syde  ( talk &#124;  contribs ) 04:09, April 12, 2015 (UTC)

Game/Neighborhood Corruption (Unknown Cause!)
I was playing with the Tinker family in Bluewater Village (neighborhood was Pleasantview). After I had the father sim build some Jacks in boxes, he looked out the window and the thought bubble had squiggly lines (they were horizontal, not vertical). I immediately exited the game and deleted its document folders (EA Games/The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection). The problem: I don't know what I did wrong! I followed the guide to avoid corruption, yet I still got squiggly lines!

I've previously had two corrupted deleted Sims 2 document folders in the recycle bin, and several other ones deleted mainly because I wanted to start over (and I was too lazy to follow the manual on how to reset pre-made neighborhoods). They weren't terminated completely, but were just in the recycle bin. Also, before playing the family, I put non-custom, pre-made homes into the sub-neighborhood. Could either of these be the reason why squiggly lines appeared in one of the Tinkers' thought bubble? Someone please help me! Celestial Cookies (talk) 00:54, May 23, 2015 (UTC)


 * Sorry for the late response, but squiggly lines does not necessarily mean corruption. Much like you may cough when you're sick, but you can still cough even when you're not sick (you cough when you choke, which isn't an illness). --I am  k6ka  Talk to me!   See what I have done  22:46, September 5, 2015 (UTC)

Moving Lots
May I ask that if I built a community lot, and nobody came to the lot, or owned it or anything, just built recently (And the only lot in my custom hood), if I moved it to the lot bin and then to another hood, will that cause corruption even though that nobody touched anything and nobody visited that lot, as well that nobody occupied it or nobody owned it? I didn't do it yet, but if somebody confirms it is safe, I would be grateful. Thanks. Imasexysimlover  (talk)  22:37, September 5, 2015 (UTC)
 * Icon yes check_v.svg Totally safe. --I am  k6ka  Talk to me!   See what I have done  22:46, September 5, 2015 (UTC)
 * As long as there aren't any Sims living on the lot, like you said, then yes it is safe. I know that I've been beaten to answering this, but I had a word or two to say anyway. ―  C.Syde  ( talk &#124;  contribs ) 22:50, September 5, 2015 (UTC)