Mailman delimma and now more problems...

[kinnika]

Every morning when the mailman comes, he puts the mail in the box, walks around to the back of the box, and then comes around again to put repeat the action. He's stuck in repeating the action. Why is this happening? This one lot is the only lot so far that I've seen this issue with.

By the way, I have NL, Uni, and OFB.

[rwills]

Hmm. Unsure, but some guesses...

Is it by any chance a custom or a recolored mailbox?

If so, that could be the source of the problem.

Also could be related to hacks involving walk-bys (particularly NPCs), should you have any of those.

You might first try using moveObjects on to move the mailbox and see if another location for it helps.

One other thing you might try (long shot; no guarantees): Using Insimenator, spawn the Budget Adjuster and set 'Auto-pay bills' to 'On .' This seems to reset some (but not all) occasionally wonky mailboxes in my game. Then you can reset Auto-pay bills back to Off, if you don't want that feature enabled.

[kinnika]

Yeah, I have that custom mailbox, the one where there are a ton of options - even one's I don't understand. But I've had that for years and have never had this problem before.

I did actually try the "Auto pay bills" not thinking of correcting the problem, but just because I wanted it, so I'll see if that works out.

[rwills]

I used to have that custom mailbox, and it caused no end of problems for me, so deep-sixed it.

However--

As I recall, there are various versions of that custom mailbox available. If you by chance didn't update to an OFB-compatible one, doing that might help the situation.

It is also a possibility that a custom lot you installed might have come with the same custom mailbox (or with a version designed for EPs which you don't have).

Running through Clean Installer to see if there are duplicates or alternate versions of that same custom mailbox might also help.

[kinnika]

So, now that I'm having one problem already - another issue seems to surface. On the same lot, everytime I take a pic and open my album, everything so far is good. Then I enter a pic into the storyline and try to move it into the correct spot and I get that pesky little box that states "Application has crashed. The program will terminate now" or something like that. I know some of you have had this problem.

I have never had this problem with pictures before. Is it just this freakin' lot? I would be so upset if that were the case especially since I just finished doing a remodel job on the entire house.

Any suggestions on what could be causing this?

[Simsane]

Do you use The Sims2Pack CleanInstaller found here:

http://sims2pack.modthesims2.com/

If not, you should download it, install it and then run it.  It will show 99.99% of hacks in red and then you can delete them if they are not hacks that you intentionally put into your game.  Glitches like you are talking about are often caused by hacks that are either not compatible with the games you have or are not compatible with other hacks you have installed.

If you download lots off of EA's Exchange that come with custom content, then you may have downloaded a hack because many hacks will attach to the lots that people upload.

But, if it is only happening on one lot, the lot may be glitched even if you had nothing in your downloads folder.  Try playing another family for a while to see if this same thing happens to them as well.  If it does, then I would strongly suggest you use the clean installer to check for hacks.  If not, then you may need to move your sim family out, bulldoze that lot and then put them into a new house.

[kinnika]

rwills - Yeah, the mailbox I have my mailbox updated for OFB. This is the one I have: http://nene.modthesims2.com/download.php?t=139123

Simsane - I will try to play with another family for awhile and see if the same thing is happening with the photo album.

Both - The lot that the problems have started on is actually a Maxis downtown condo. So, it wasn't downloaded. And yes, I do have the Clean Installer. I actually use that religiously and actually, I have just recently re-organized and cleaned up my Sims 2 folder, so I know it's not an unintentionally downloaded hack problem.

I do know that sometimes even Maxis made items can go a little psycho after awhile (wouldn't be the first time in my experience). But again, I will see if it's just that lot or not.

[Simsane]

Oh, yea, definitely -- I've had lots get glitched that were already in the game before too, so I know you're right about that.  There is also a tool called the HCDU that I use whenever I add a new hack to my game just to make sure it doesn't conflict with any other hacks I've already been using.  It's on a site called Paladin's Place -- or Sim Wardrobe.  Here's the link for that site:

http://www.simwardrobe.com/

If you don't have it already and you do go to get it, the link just takes you to the home page.  Then click on Sims 2, then on Programs and it's the second one on the page.  When you run it, it will check all the hacks and if it finds a conflict it will tell you which ones might conflict with each other.  Then you will have to choose if you want to delete one of them or not.  Although, I know that sometimes it's okay to have two that the HCDU says will conflict just as long as one of them loads into the game before the other one.  But I don't know which hacks can work that way -- TwoJeffs from Simbology has talked about how there are a few of his hacks and Pescado's hacks where the HCDU reports a conflict but as long as his (TwoJeffs) load after Pescado's then there really isn't.  So, I know it's okay sometimes even if the HCDU says it's not.  But you'll have to see what the HCDU reports and then try to figure out what to do.  I almost always delete one of them, especially if they are not  TJ's and Pescado's.

[SimGirl20]

I hope you get the problem sorted out Kinnika I know mailman problems because one time and if I'm not sorely mistaken I believe it was with seasons that my mailman got stuck on the right left hand side of the mailbox and I watched him do it too but anyway right when he was about to open the mailbox he would just pop back beside the otherside of the mailbox and start taking a step forward and then a step back like he was stuck in walking animation but kept popping back and he stayed like that ALL the day and ALL the night until 7 a.m. until he would then appear back at the other end of the lot to continue his never ending mail delievery It happened for a long time in one praticular lot and then after I installed free-time it seemed to work its self out albeit because of the new paper/mail boy just thought I would share

[kinnika]

Simsane - Yeah, I did actually download that. Thanks for reminding me I had that. I just haven't used it yet.

Actually, SimGirl - That's exactly what has happened in my game. I don't know. If it's just one lot (haven't been able to check yet), then maybe I won't stress it.

[amc462000]

re mailman:
first - you have no decorations, like plants, invisible objects or other objects on any of the blocks around the mailbox?

second - have you tried just using moveobjects on and delete him/her when you notice he/she is stuck? or made him/her selectable have him/her walk away and unselected him/her?

re the picture moving causing crash:  let us know if it happens with any other lot.  and of course, you patched for all your EPs?

[kinnika]

1 - No, I have no decorations or anything around the mailbox.

2 - I have done the move_objects on and then deleted him. I do it every morning. Every morning he does the same thing. And no, I never "select" him.

And yeah, have all the patches. But well do on the checking back with all of you on if another families' album is having issues, too.

Thanks for all your guys' help & suggestions. Goin' off to play a little now as we speak.

* A little bit later *

Okay, so the photo album seems to be all right now with the lot it wasn't working for before. However, the mailman is still a nuisance. Not quite what to do but delete him every morning. How annoying, lol.

So, I've decided to have them pack up and make a move. Their family's growin' bigger, anyway. So, we'll see if that works out.

[ancienthighway]

The mailman problem is most likely related to bill computation or paying.  The auto bill pay feature of InSIM was broken in the earlier versions, but I think Eric retrofitted the fix.  If you use nobody/dickhurt/dumbfool's mods, make sure you have the AddOn folder and files installed correctly.

If you would post an object error log, someone may be able to figure out which mod is the problem.

[kinnika]

I will do that if it happens again, ancienthighway.

Okay, so something's up with this same family. For as long as I can remember, Agnes Crumplebottom has been showing up as apart of this family in the neighborhood view, but when I enter the lot, she is nowhere to be found.

I resurrected her. Changed her age, her name and her look and decided to keep her with this family as a live-in nanny. If she won't go away, might as well keep her. Well, this didn't work. Now the new Crumplebottom and Agnes Crumplebottom are both showing up!

This family is diseased or something, I swear. Any ideas as to why I can't just get rid of her? Or should I just stop trying?

[inuyashapr]

I have a question regarding this problem, does anyone know why I can't call mailman, paperboy, etc? I selected them, gave them a cellphone and but I can't call them. Why? and how can I fix this? I only have the Sims 2 Base, Univ, NL and OFB expansions; also Windows 7.