I use lots of ladybug houses - my trees almost never get pests - they seem to 'protect' an area just a bit bigger than where you can see the ladybugs flying - maybe 9 to 16 squares?  They seem to protect garden plants a bit further - maybe because they are smaller or something?

I love the gardening part of SIMS2 - I keep trying to set up a 'farmer's market' type business - but I get really annoyed :smt120 by all the weeding!  man, REAL plants don't need that much weeding!  I seldom have time for real live gardening nowadays - but when I did, I always put down mulch, or plant fabric, or even newspaper around the plants that lets water thru but kept the weeding to very very little time.

Does anyone know of a fix, mod or object that reduces the weeding?  

I'd love to see a weeding mulch to apply to plants, or a robot that simply weeds all the time :smt106 - like an automated lawnmower.....

Laura

Subtle and classy - great job!

I have sims 2, ( I think it's the DVD version - 4 CD's in the case) University,OFB & Seasons already.  A local store had The SIMS 2 deluxe (includes Sims2 & Nightlife in one 2 disc pacakage) on sale cheaper than buying Nightlife alone. By the box description, I think one CD has BOTH game and EP, and the other is a DVD of tips and tricks for playing - no game.

I am currently dealing with another problem, but once I get my stuff reloaded, I'd like to install nightlife..... but I don't need the original game.  Will it work?  Or will it need to re-install over my curent game? Will it cause any glitches?

advice appreciated!

Laura

I think I've figured out my problem - I did manage to get the original neighborhoods back - have not tried yet to install my saved families and houses or CC.  Before I do so, I will install the new # 3 patch and make sure the game is working.  I also got a copy of "Nightlife' (actually, The Sims 2 Deluxe - which includes the orig game AND Nightlife)  Since I already have SIms 2, University, OFB, and Seasons, I'm hoping I can install just the 'Nightlife' portion - but that may cause other problems, so I need to make sure my game is running properly again, first.

First - I had the problem they described elsewhere today with the #2 patch - it was looking for 2 particular files in TSData  that may have been modified by CC - that's why it wouldn't load and wanted me to delete and re-install Seasons. Re-installing restores the files to their original EA Games configuration  so the patch can find and fix them.  

So -
Lesson 1 - patches may only work on installations that have no CC that might have modified EA Games PROGRAM files - not just MyDocuments/Sims2/ Downloads  - recolors, minor objects,  clothes and such.  So If I do patches in the future, I will backup, save, MOVE and RENAME a folder for my unique SIMs, houses and content, (or save them OFF my computer, and only THEN install the patch and if necessary, delete / re-install an EP.

Second - when things didn't work as expected, I used my computer's 'restore' option (This reverts everything on your computer backward to a point in time of your chosing,)  It reverses any changes, additions or deletions you made, but it does NOT delete or alter any photos or  document files you've added since time you revert to. It's like a giant 'UNDO' button for your entire computer.  Your programs SHOULD go back to the exact state they were in before you started messing with the programming. (they should RUN like they used to!)  An excellent program for us non-tech-speak  computer lovers that attempt to mess with things we don't understand.) .  BUT - my 'Restore' was picking up on some of that  modified CC and the unused patch  - and automatically 'renamed' the program files from the old, reverted game, that were also on the unistalled 'patch'  - which was downloaded to my desktop.  The 'restore' treated parts of the patch like a 'document' - it didn't revert, it stuck around, even though it  had not 'loaded'.

Lesson 2 - when using a program to 'restore' after a bad program download, installation or patch - unintall or delete everything that might be programming or document related to theproblem.  I thought of the patch as a 'program' that would go away on a restore, since it had no EP to attach to. The computer treated it more like a document & merged it with game info from days before.  When it saw 'duplicate' files with different properties, it 'renamed' them for me witha (2) after the file name. So I had folders named "C:\Program Files\EA GAMES\The Sims 2 SEasons \TSBin\xxxx/xxxx(2) - dozens of them!  That game could not recognize these files, so the neighborhoods, probably the first such renamed files the program encountered in loading - skipped them.

My personal families, houses and downloaded CC  i had copied and moved to the desktop to save.  But the folder on the Desktop was named "The Sims 2" just as it was when it was in My Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2.  I did not (always) DELETE this folder  in My Documents before I re-installed or restored.

EAch time I went backward or forward in time, trying to fix my mess, or re-install, it also re-created the standard files, and put my downloads in empty file folders under another 'The Sim 2' - so i ended up with something like this: My Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\The Sims 2\The Sims 2\The Sims 2\The Sims 2\The Sims 2 !!!!  All the folders in the first 'The Sims 2\folders would be empty except the 'downloads' part - Again, the game could not recognize these multilevel file names, so when it loaded - no neighborhoods.

Lesson 3 - when backing up folders, give them new names that make sense to you like "Downloads 10-31" and "The Sims 2 10-31" - ( the date of the last time the game worked) then their contents don't appear identical to to the computer.  Once the game is 'working' properly, I think (hope/pray) I can then copy the files back into the game, under their proper EA folders, and MY old families & houses should be OK.  

I hope.

Does that make sense?  if so, I hope it can help other who have been having similar problems.  If it doesn't make sense, please, someone point out any flaws you see so I can correct them before I lose stuff again!

I've hadn't had a day off work since Tues, and have to work all this weekend.  I haven't had much time to mess with it and have been staying up until 1 - 3 am at night to fix this.  I have to work a 10 hr day tomorrow, and my pop-up camper is still up in my driveway, and they're predicting rain and possibly SNOW Monday night here, and I'll have to spend time tomorrow getting the camper winterized  and  folded up AFTER I get home at 6 pm sunday!  

I haven't been able to play SIMS for DAYS!  

I'm having Withdrawl issues!

Laura

If you don't want to use mods, you might try calling in a gardener once in awhile.  Another help is to look for friends of your SIMs that are plantsims, or have gardening badges - invite them to visit, and 'Influence' them to garden when your plants are sickly.  they may be able to give your sick trees a boost until your Sims improve their skills. You can't direct them where to start gardening - but if you influence them near the sick trees, they have a higher chance of starting there.


When my SIMs are new and have no skills to speak of, I try to get each family member to each build up one necessary skill more than the other family memebers.  Each has a specialty - one in cooking, one in gardening, one in mechanical or other needed skills. Once there's someone on the the lot who can keep the family in decent meals, grow things, fix things, etc - then they can branch out and build other skills.  So always have the SAME sim do the gardening so that their skills get built up faster. They have to reach GOLD badge level to be able to Talk to the plants, so they have to work hard at it. Also, pick some other gardening objects that need tending to build up your SIM's gardening skills.  


Somewhere I read a trick I'm gonna try - something about putting gardening plots on community property.  Apparently Sims can build skills on veggies and fruit trees on community lots, even harvest them, but because comunity lots are out of 'time' they don't decline  when the sims aren't on the lot?  also, the harvest reset when the sims leave the lot, so they can harvest them over and over?  

I would think this might allow you to build your sims skills, without killing produce!

laura

I have SIMS 2, University, OFB, & seasons.

Wed nite 10/31, I tried to download the seasons patch, and it wouldn't take. Told me I should backup my files, (which I did - made a copy of My Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2 folder. I didn't have room on a CD to back it up, as it was about 1.9 gig, so I copied it to my desktop before un-installing  seasons.

So I re-installed, it says 'install is sucessfull', then I ran the patch, which says it installed properly, and replaced the 'Sims 2' folder with the saved desktop version, and when I went into seasons, I have NO neighborhoods, or families AT ALL - just the 'custom neighborhood' option. :dontknow:

So I tried to restore my computer to an earlier time, going back to before I downloaded the patch that night,  and even though I can SEE 'Seasons' - when I try to open it, I get a tiny window with a red circle with an "X" in it. The game won't load. :angry8:

I've tried different restore points, from before and after the patch was downloaded, installing with and without the patch - nothing seems to work
So it seems I'm stuck - either no game at all, or no neighborhoods. I even went way back to Monday, 10/29 - hoping I could run off the old installation - I'd loose 2 days of family development, but that's better than losing the whole game - nope - the game won't open. :cussing:
 
Someone on another site suggested " Try temporarily moving The NeighborhoodManager.package file in My Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\Neighborhoods to the desktop after you have restored your backup data to My Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2 . The game will regenerate the file for you when you play the game." I tried that - game opens, but no neighborhoods.

At this point, Ihave gone back and forth enough that the patch is deleted and not on my system. It shows up in SOME 'restore' points on my computer, from 10/31 & 11/1 but was only fully installed at ONE system restore date & time correctly, around 2 am Nov 1 :sad4: but that's when I got no neighborhoods.

If I go back before 10/31, I can't open the game, but I can see the necessary folders in programs and my documents.  All my files were there, in My Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2 . so I re-copied that folder to the desktop, Uninstalled seasons again, re-installed, replaced the My Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2 folder with the desktop 'The Sims 2' folder.... and no neighborhoods. :cry:
the current My Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2 folder is showing 2.19 GB (2,361,006,831 bytes), 6700 folders and 409 files. It's neighborhood folder is showing 318 MB (333,774,603 bytes) and 910 files, 21 folders. When I open the neighborhood folder, I see files for G001, N001, N002, N003, tutorial, and the NeighborhoodManager.package

It Appears to all BE there - it's just NOT coming up in the game! Why?? :violent3:


Why do they make a game that causes non computer geek people to become addicted to it? :punch: I'm SO frustrated!  :angryfir:  I want my SIMS back!!! :bawl:

HELP!

laura