Game guide:How to delete a Sim correctly: Difference between revisions

As mentioned in the [[Game guide:Avoiding corruption|avoiding corruption]] game guide, deleting a [[Sim]] in the [[family bin]] will corrupt the neighborhood the Sim was in. This is due to the fact that Sims deleted infrom the family bin are not removed entirely; their character file is just unlinked. butThis leftoverdoes bitsnot ofcause datacorruption isas stillmentioned leftin tothe drift[[Game aroundguide:Avoiding thecorruption|avoiding neighborhoodcorruption]] files, attachinggame themselvesguide, tobut otherit Simsdoes andmean eventuallythat throwingdeleted asims monkeystill wrenchcontribute intoto theyour workspopulation. Even if no Sims are deleted, the neighborhood can still be in danger due to its character file limit (1000- filesthe forinternal baselimit gameis 32767 Sims and Universitythe game userscrashes when attempting to create more, 32767though insome Nightlifepeople andreported later)issues beyond around 2000 character files. Since deleting Sims in the family bin doesn't remove the character file, (and stilldeleting corruptsthe yourcharacter neighborhoodfile inoutright thecauses process!)hood corruption, one might ask, "How do I *safely* delete Sims completely without causing any sort of corruption?"

This article will cover the safest known method of removing Sims from a neighborhood. '''It is by no means perfect and may still cause problems'''. Please [http[Game guide://simswiki.info/wiki.php?title=Game_Help:Back_UpsBacking up your game|back up]] your neighborhood before attempting.

*[[FFS Lot Debugger]]. It's an object that can be found in [[Buy mode]] > Miscellaneous > Miscellaneous. For instructions on how to install custom content, see [httphttps://www.modthesims.info/wiki.php?title=Game_Help:Downloading_and_Installing_Custom_Content this page].

*[httphttps://modthesims.info/d/456523 HoodChecker] (optional). The HoodChecker is a program that attempts to fix neighborhoods that are corrupted. It will not fix all corruption, and in the majority of cases it is not a permanent solution. However, it is still recommended to keep neighborhoods healthy.

Before we even begin - '''BACK UP YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD!''' Instructions on how to back up your saved games can be found [http[Game guide://simswiki.info/wiki.php?title=Game_Help:Back_UpsBacking up your game|here]]. Do that first, and then read on.

Once you know who you're going to shred, sell any owned community lots/owned businesses[[business]]es the Sims may have, if you have ''[[The Sims 2: Open for Business|Open for Business]]''. Also sell any [[Vacationing#Vacation_homesVacation homes|vacation homes]] that the Sims may have, if you have ''[[The Sims 2: Bon Voyage|Bon Voyage]]''. If you don't have either of these expansion packs, or if your Sims don't run a business or own a vacation home, then you're good to go.

Wait a little bit. There will be an interaction queued on your Sim. '''Don't cancel it!''' Once it's done, a [[notification]] should appear at the top-right. If other Sims have relationships or memories of the deleted Sim, they may appear. Don't panic.

Right-click on the Sim Description and select "Delete". The file should be <s>striked-struck out</s>.

To keep things clear, we'll start at the "Start" menu, click on "My Documents", "EA Games", "The Sims 2", and "Neighborhoods". If you are using Windows 7, make sure you are not going to the ''Shared'' folder, which is empty when you open it.<ref>httphttps://modthesims.info/t/462673</ref>

Since the original tutorial was written, a modder by the name "Theo" wrote a plugin for SimPE that made the Windows Explorer and SimPE steps a bit easier. Instructions on how to use the plugin can be found [httphttps://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=504497 here]. The plugin can be downloaded [http://www.simbology.com/smf/index.php?topic=8188.msg160709#msg160709 here] (login required) or [httphttps://web.archive.org/web/20120219234708/http://theos.chewbakkas.net/tools/sim-deleter-tool.html here] (no login required, archived via the Internet Archive Wayback Machine).

Please note that this technique is '''not perfect'''. While this is nonetheless safer than the in-game delete button,and it still has the potential to leave your neighborhood unplayable. Always remember to [http[Game guide://simswiki.info/wiki.php?title=Game_Help:Back_UpsBacking up your game|back up]] your neighborhood before attempting. If you are simply trying to get rid of an unwanted Sim, simply kill them, click on their urn/gravestone, select "Move to Community Lot", move them out, and then load and save the destination lot to make sure the graves were delivered safely. It's best to have a designated "cemetery lot" that you can send the graves to. Graves sent to these lots do not have to be visited, and the ghosts can't leave the lot to cause any trouble! Alternatively, you can delete the urn/grave - though if you do not have [http://www.moreawesomethanyou.com/smf/index.php/topic,2083.0.html nounlinkondelete] you will be unable to resurrect the sim without a lot of hassle in SimPE after deleting the grave so be certain you don't want the sim or get the mod before deleting the grave.

Some players may wish to remove all Sims from a neighborhood, while simultaneously keeping the lots and neighborhood decorations intact. While it may be possible to use the aforementioned method of deleting Sims to empty out a neighborhood, it is tedious and lengthy, and may cause corruption anyway. A much better alternative is to [httphttps://modthesims.info/t/468987 follow these instructions], which involves creating a new neighborhood and then copying the terrain and lots over.

*[httphttps://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=504497 Tutorial: How to delete a Sim] on ModTheSims. Created by [[Mootilda]].