Testing cheats

Testing cheats
File:New Sims 2 Cheat
An example of this cheat in action in The Sims 2.

Testing cheats, also known as boolProp testingCheatsEnabled, testingCheatsEnabled, or testingCheats, is a debugging cheat available in several games in The Sims series, beginning with The Sims 2. This cheat allows the player to interact with objects and Sims in a manner that is not usually permitted under normal gameplay conditions. The cheat is generally among the most useful and powerful cheats in the game, but can cause game corruption or errors if misused. Testing cheats can be activated by opening up the cheat console (with CTRL+SHIFT+C) and typing boolProp testingCheatsEnabled true, , testingCheatsEnabled true, or testingCheats true.

This cheat is often erroneously called "boolProp", which means "Boolean property" or "true/false". In The Sims 2, there are several cheats that start with "boolProp".

Use and abilities

Once the cheat has been enabled, clicking on any Sim or object while holding down the Shift key will cause a menu with debugging options to pop up. These can range from making certain Sims selectable and unselectable, making Sims grow up instantly (or killing them by Old Age, if the option is used on an Elder), changing a Sim's aspiration or traits or spawning several cheat objects. All objects have the option Force Error, which can be used to reset objects (clearing any interactions queued on them) or delete them (although not permanently in the case of Sims and Pets). The debugging cheats can be turned off by opening the cheat console and typing boolprop testingcheatsenabled false.

Players can also use testingcheatsenabled to control Sims that are not part of the household with the Make Selectable option, or they can temporarily remove household members with the Make Unselectable option. This option allows the player to control newborn babies, whom are not normally controllable. Several NPCs, such as the Grim Reaper or the Therapist, lack this option and therefore cannot be controlled by the player.

If the player is in Create-A-Sim mode while the cheat is active, they can press SHIFT+N to enter CAS debugging mode, which allows the player to give Sims clothing and hairstyles that would normally be unavailable (such as NPC and job-exclusive clothes). Pressing SHIFT+M will disable CAS debugging mode.

BuyDebug option with question mark

Some cheats in The Sims 3 require testingcheatsenabled true before they can be activated, such as buyDebug, enableLotLocking, and restrictBuildBuyInBuildings cheats. Buydebug is used to buy most objects that are not normally obtainable in the Buy mode, such as collectible spawners, reward objects, or crafted objects.

Activating cheat in The Sims Medieval

Testingcheatsenabled cannot be used by default in The Sims Medieval. Instead, activating it requires the player to modify the command.ini file in *\The Sims Medieval\GameData\Shared\NonPackaged\Ini (the default location is in C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\The Sims Medieval\GameData\Shared\NonPackaged\Ini and change TestingCheatsEnabled=0 to TestingCheatsEnabled=1.

Dangers of using the cheat

It is a common misconception that enabling the cheat for long periods of time or saving the game while it is active will cause game crashes and data corruption. The cheat itself doesn't cause corruption, but rather of the player's mishandling of the cheat's power.

By default, game errors, with the exception of a few, are automatically handled by the game. If testingcheatsenabled is active, all errors experienced in the game will throw an object error dialog, where the player will be given the option to Cancel, Reset, or Delete the object. This may not harm the game if the correct option is chosen, but it can become annoying after a while.

Using "Force Error" on a Sim while they are doing an interaction which has visual effects will cause those effects to be stuck with the Sim. For example, the blue glow effects from drinking the Elixir of Life or the electrocution effect from a failed use of The Eclectic and Enigmatic Energizer will be stuck indefinitely, though the effects may be removed when the Sim interacts with the objects again. Another example is when forcing an error on a burning object will cause the fire effect to get stuck indefinitely. The fire is just an effect, hence it will not harm its surroundings, but players may find it annoying.

The biggest danger of the cheat comes from its various debugging tools, as misuse of the tools can damage the game. Game corruption will occur if the cheat is used to kill off or add certain NPCs (E.g. NPCs that are treated as objects by the game) to the household.

Notes

• In The Sims 2, shift+clicking the mailbox allows the players to summon NPCs, regardless what expansion pack the players have. Most NPCs can be summoned this way, and if the game doesn't already have one, it will generate a new one. It's possible for the players to summon an NPC that belongs to an expansion pack that's not owned. As a result, the game will improperly generate a normal Sim instead.
  • If evil mascots are summoned this way without The Sims 2: University installed, the summoned Sim will be an adult with a teen voice, normal clothes and the 2nd face template. The same applies to cheerleaders.
  • If Mrs. Crumplebottom is summoned with The Sims 2: Apartment Life installed, and without The Sims 2: Nightlife, she will have the same hairstyle and outfit as Sarah McCarthy, and no face paint.

See also

• List of The Sims 2 cheats
• List of The Sims 3 cheats

References

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