| Bugreport | Priority None; State Open; SimPE Version 0.66.2.38582; Operating System Windows XP Pro |
| Mootilda |  posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 1:49 am | |
Member since:
2008-04-05
Posts:
12
| When I open an SC4 file in SimPE, all of the records appear to have been parsed and uncompressed correctly. However, if I then save the SC4 file without making any changes, SimCity 4 Deluxe no longer recognizes it as a SimCity file. I understood from the Sims2Wiki that the file formats of TS2 packages and SC4 files were the same, but it would appear that something in SimPE isn't backwards compatible to SimCity 4. I don't know whether you would consider this a "bug" or a "feature request", but it would be nice if this could work: I have been writing a program which uses the SimPE DLLs for file access. It extracts the terrain information from one Sims 2 neighborhood and copies the terrain into a second TS2 neighborhood: http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=279992 Several people have requested that I add the ability to create an SC4 file directly from the TS2 terrain information, so that they can easily add roads to neighborhoods which do not have a corresponding SC4 file. So, this really is a TS2 issue. Thanks for looking at this. |
| Inge Jones | posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 9:22 am | |
Member since:
2005-03-06
Posts:
1897
| !!!! I had no idea SimPE was supposed to be a tool for editing SC4 files. I am moving this to wishlist. |
| Stormwench | posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 12:44 pm | |
Member since:
2007-04-12
Posts:
292
| I thought it was one of those cases where simPE just happened to also read the sc4 files that ts2 uses but that simPE was not really a tool for editing sc4. It makes sense that if ts2 can use a file from sc4 then simPE could read it too - but I dont know that that it is supported as a tool for editing/making sc4 files. I actually have edited the terrain files from time to time with very mixed success - it works sometimes and totally fails other times - and it can really mess up maxis made neighborhoods and any that are updated by an EP update. I would hazard a guess that saying its a tool for editing sc4 files would be getting us a ton of 'help me SimPE destroyed my neighborhood!' posts. |
| Mootilda | posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 4:54 pm | |
Member since:
2008-04-05
Posts:
12
| Inge Jones wrote: !!!! I had no idea SimPE was supposed to be a tool for editing SC4 files. TS2 and SC4 files are actually the same file format - the standard file format that Maxis uses for all of its games.
One possible area which may be causing this problem is the compression algorithm. Is there any way to turn off compression when I write a file? The other likely explanation for the problem is an unhandled version for the header, index table, etc. ... I can do some research into this and see whether I can figure out exactly where the problem is. Stormwench wrote: I actually have edited the terrain files from time to time with very mixed success - it works sometimes and totally fails other times - and it can really mess up maxis made neighborhoods and any that are updated by an EP update. Were you copying the entire record, or just the appropriate sections of the terrain data? So far, I haven't received any problem reports with HoodReplace. |
| Stormwench | posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 3:47 am | |
Member since:
2007-04-12
Posts:
292
| Most of the biggest complains have been logged on sim creation sites but from personal experience I have managed to really destroy a neighborhood whose terrian detail I have edited outside of SC4. |
| Mootilda | posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 5:49 pm | |
Member since:
2008-04-05
Posts:
12
| Stormwench wrote: Most of the biggest complains have been logged on sim creation sites but from personal experience I have managed to really destroy a neighborhood whose terrian detail I have edited outside of SC4. I suppose that's why it would be so nice to get this working. If HoodReplace can extract the SC4 terrain data from a TS2 neighborohood, then people can use SimCity 4 to edit their terrain, roads, etc. and then reimport those SC4 files into The Sims 2 using the standard neighborhood creation technique. At that point, HoodReplace can be used to get the edited terrain back into the original neighborhood. Otherwise, neighborhoods without a corresponding SC4 file can't be changed. This technique could also be helpful for people who have modified their neighborhood terrains in FreeTime, but now want to add roads and bridges. It's unfortunate that EA ships neighborhoods without (correct) corresponding SC4 files, and that it's so easy for people to lose the SC4 files that they used to create their neighborhood. It's also unfortunate that EA decided not to include road editing with the new neighborhood terrain editing in FreeTime. |
| Stormwench | posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 6:04 pm | |
Member since:
2007-04-12
Posts:
292
| I think the big question here is (and why this was moved to the wishlist) is whether there was any intention of SimPE supporting SC4 files, or it was just a coincidence that it did. As a wishlist item its certainly something to consider but whether or not the developers want to add files from other sims program both with coding and support of them is a whole other story. Given the fact that soon the development on SimPE for Sims2 will be winding down as the focus changes to SimPE for Sims3 it may not be some to add to the scope of SimPE for Sims2; especially when EA/Maxis has never done much in the way of providing support for SC4 files in Sims2. |
| Inge Jones | posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 6:09 pm | |
Member since:
2005-03-06
Posts:
1897
| Yeah I thought it was a perfectly valid wish so it was better to move it here than say "SimPE is working as designed by not supporting SC4 files - thread closed" :D |
| Mootilda | posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 11:53 pm | |
Member since:
2008-04-05
Posts:
12
| Inge Jones wrote: Yeah I thought it was a perfectly valid wish so it was better to move it here than say "SimPE is working as designed by not supporting SC4 files - thread closed" :D Absolutely. I never would have even thought of reporting it as a bug, except that someone at MTS2 suggested it. Even then, I wasn't sure whether it was a bug or a feature request. I appreciate you keeping this open as a possibility, however remote. |
| Kabuto | posted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 7:32 pm | |
Member since:
2008-02-23
Posts:
23
| DatGen was able to edit the sc4 file but no source code wasn't available and the .NET 1.0 was used ! But it can still help you to add this feature ! Download links @ http://www.sims2wiki.info/wiki.php?title=DatGen |
