object no longer selectable

[Perpleximus]

I don't remember if this happened when i installed BV or FT but at some point the robotics workstation became unselectable.  I can select it from the "buy objects" and have a sim buy it, but none of my sims can use it.  Once the workstation is on the property, and I put the arrow on it so that a sim can use it, the arrow turns grey.  

I asked this question before and someone said to get into the Sim 2 file and delete a couple folders that would regenerate themselves once I started the game up again. It didn't help though.  The person said that deleting those files would work the same as uninstalling and re-installing the whole game but not nearly as time consuming.  Since deleting those files didn't work, will I have to uninstall and re-install all the disks?

If anyone has any other recommendations that would be great.

Thanks.

[rwills]

Deleting those files is not even close to the same as doing a re-install.And you don't need to resort to a re-install.

Have to ask before anything else if you have already downloaded and installed the patches for all your EPs - if not, those need to be installed, preferably in the order in which you installed the EPs.

Patches here, just in case:

http://thesims2.ea.com/update/index.php

First, does this happen on only one particular lot or on any lot? If only one, then there is most probably a problem with that lot.

If all lots are so affected, there may be a hack or mod in any custom content you may have which is inhibiting the interaction.

Second, have you installed any custom robots or recolors of robots or of the robotics station or anything else in custom content related to robots or to the robotics station?

If so, remove those temporarily from your Downloads folder and then start the game up and go buy a new station and see if it functions as expected.

If the glitch still persists, try this:

Visit the lot where the 'bad' robotics station is.

Open the cheat box (Control-Shift-C).

Enter this cheat:

boolprop testingCheatsEnabled true

You might immediately get an error warning. If not, then shift-click on the robotics station and choose 'Force Error' and then 'Delete' from the error warning options.

Open the cheat box again and enter:

boolprop testingCheatsEnabled false

Then Quit the game. Then go into the Sims 2 folder and delete the groups.cache file there (if tehee is one). Re-start the game and purchase a fresh robotics station and see if the problem has been corrected.

[Perpleximus]

if i delete the cache file, will that reset everything, even the neighborhoods?

I have all the patches and I don't used CC.  This happens on every lot in every neighborhood.

thanks again

[rwills]

if i delete the cache file, will that reset everything, even the neighborhoods?

I have all the patches and I don't used CC.  This happens on every lot in every neighborhood.

thanks again

No, it will NOT:

• alter your neighborhoods files

• alter your Downloads files

• alter your Saved Sims files

• alter anything you already have

• harm, damage or negatively impact your game in any way whatsoever

It WILL:

• possibly noticeably increase the loading time for the game the first time you start the game up after deleting the cache file

• remove any niggling little buggy bits and/or conflicting information that have built up over time within the cache file, probably most of which a player wouldn't notice on screen but which are related to some non-static data provided to the innards of the game program)

• allow the game to run more smoothly and efficiently (whether noticeably on screen, within the innards of the game you never see, or both)

If you still have trepidations about deleting the groups.cache file, then just move it temporarily to someplace else on your computer. Should you then somehow feel the need (though one can't see the necessity ever, ever coming up) to then delete the game-created new groups.cache file and return the old one to where it was, you will be able to.

[Jasumi]

Do you have any objects near the workstation? I've noticed that some custom objects (like lights and dressers) where cloned from large meshes and occasionally you will find that it blocks other objects.

Try playing the workstation in a room all by itself and see if you can click on it.

[FerDeLance]

I had the same problem with my robot station a few months back.  Took me a while to find the source, but it turned out to be a piece of CC called Crate Full of Bats.  I can't remember where I got it, so I couldn't let the creator know what it was doing, but removing it enabled my RS again.