Setting up Towns/games

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JohnL83
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Setting up Towns/games

Post by JohnL83 » March 11th, 2019, 10:33 am

I've seen on various sims related websites that there are towns and such that we can download. What I am wondering is, when they do this is it basically like we are downloading someone else's game? If I'm not clear, it's not that I want to download another town, what I am wondering is if I can create or modify an EA town for myself that I can use for different games or do I just have to modify the EA version each time I start a new game?
I have tried to research how to do this myself, but I'm either missing something or not wording it correctly. I know how to start a game and modify the town and save that game, but then there's always the EA template and I can't figure out how to use the one town I modified for other sims. I'm wanting to create the IP world without all the glitchy stuff to use another time with other sims or use as a getaway destination for my other sims/games.

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Setting up Towns/games

Post by gcgrad » March 11th, 2019, 11:26 am

After modifying but before playing, make a base save game that you can then use as a starting point whenever you want to start another game in the same world.

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Setting up Towns/games

Post by TreyNutz » March 11th, 2019, 12:21 pm

JohnL83 post_id=64404 time=1552314829 user_id=18010 wrote: I've seen on various sims related websites that there are towns and such that we can download. What I am wondering is, when they do this is it basically like we are downloading someone else's game?
Depends. Most are worlds created by CAW (Create A World), an EA tool released for players to create worlds (i.e. towns). As far as I know, CAW doesn't allow you to add sims though, so most user created worlds are unpopulated when installed. Populated CC worlds are often saved games - the creator started a new game in their CAW created world, went directly to Edit Town, move in a bunch of sims, and then offered the saved game for download. Note that you need the actual CC world (or EA world) installed in order to play a save game from that world. I have seen some CC worlds which are populated when installed; I'm not sure how these are created but I suspect a modded (?) version of CAW called SuperCAW.
JohnL83 post_id=64404 time=1552314829 user_id=18010 wrote: I know how to start a game and modify the town and save that game, but then there's always the EA template and I can't figure out how to use the one town I modified for other sims.
What gcgrad said. Start up a new game in that world, immediately go to Edit Town and customize as much as you want. When you are ready to start playing, use 'Save As' to save the game with a different name. Don't use name of your customized world as a save name again. As long as you never overwrite your customized-in-Edit-Town save ('base save game' that gcgrad mentions) it will always be available for you to load up, Save As under a different name, and start from that point on forward with different sims. I've done this with several worlds (Hidden Springs, Bridgeport, Suvadiva which is a CC world). The 'trick' is to do your customization before you start playing that world.
I'm wanting to create the IP world without all the glitchy stuff to use another time with other sims or use as a getaway destination for my other sims/games.
This is what ciane over on the official forums has done for Isla Paradiso. She's made a fixed up version in Edit Town and has offered it for download. It's a save game. Once downloaded to your Saves folder it should show up in your save game chooser. After loading the save, immediately Save As under a different name and you'll always have her version available to start from. I've actually customized her version a little bit and now have my own 'base IP save' to use for any IP games I may play in the future.

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Setting up Towns/games

Post by sheridanhoughton » March 11th, 2019, 7:33 pm

The only time this doesn't work, is when you want to send sims there for a vacation or move them there from another town. Then I have found that only the untouched worlds are available.

Unless someone knows a way around this as well.

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JohnL83
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Setting up Towns/games

Post by JohnL83 » March 11th, 2019, 8:15 pm

gcgrad wrote:
March 11th, 2019, 11:26 am
After modifying but before playing, make a base save game that you can then use as a starting point whenever you want to start another game in the same world.
Geez, duh... Thank you everyone. Sometimes you just have to be shown what's right in front of your face.:oops:

However, as much as I'd love the option, I cannot do CAW with a Steam install. I've checked. So gcgrad's option will have to work and I wont worry about it as a vacation spot for now. Thanks again to everyone. :yes:

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Setting up Towns/games

Post by igazor » March 11th, 2019, 8:16 pm

sheridanhoughton post_id=64417 time=1552347226 user_id=5082 wrote: The only time this doesn't work, is when you want to send sims there for a vacation or move them there from another town. Then I have found that only the untouched worlds are available.

Unless someone knows a way around this as well.
If you copy the nhd file of the world you want from the saved in-progress game and place it into the saved game folder of the game you are now really playing, then you should be able to travel or move (by way of Traveler) to the altered world.

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Setting up Towns/games

Post by sheridanhoughton » March 12th, 2019, 5:34 am

thanks igazor, I have put a copy of your answer in my instructions folder so that I can use this method next time I need to. There are some worlds that I would like to send my sims to for vacation, but they need dive lots etc. And it is a pain creating them from scratch each time.

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Setting up Towns/games

Post by igazor » March 12th, 2019, 11:45 am

sheridanhoughton wrote:
March 12th, 2019, 5:34 am
thanks igazor, I have put a copy of your answer in my instructions folder so that I can use this method next time I need to. There are some worlds that I would like to send my sims to for vacation, but they need dive lots etc. And it is a pain creating them from scratch each time.
One warning I should have provided about this method. If your homeworld sims have already traveled to an instance of this world, so such an nhd file already exists in the ongoing game, replacing it with a different nhd for the same world is not a good idea. The TravelDB will stand to mismatch foreign sim data if this is done with all kinds of possible unexpected results. It's really meant for when none of your sims have ever traveled to the foreign world in question before, within that ongoing game.

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Setting up Towns/games

Post by sheridanhoughton » March 13th, 2019, 4:36 am

Thanks, yes that makes sense.

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